Chapter 279: It's just raising prices, isn't it?

"According to my intelligence, the white knight, this large modern merchant ship, won't be that easy to win at the auction. There's some resistance..."

As Jiang Yanran spoke, her expression suddenly turned grim.

This resistance was something even she couldn't overcome.

"What kind of resistance?" Zheng Qian asked curiously.

In the face of absolute strength, any resistance was just for show!

"In the past few days, you've been making big news one after another in Jiangnan. The big bosses and tycoons from all walks of life are unhappy with you."

Jiang Yanran explained the reason.

"Especially locally in Jiangnan, even some people who have no interest in shipping are thinking of ways to take you down a notch."

Zheng Qian: ???

Did he invite public outrage or something?

"You could understand it that way..."

Zheng Qian thought about it carefully.

He indeed had been making quite a fuss in Jiangnan these past few days.

Even the richest man in Jiangnan had to smile and cater to him, so how could he not provoke public anger?

"You know about Tang Chuanyan's Xingyao Group from Qilu, right?"

"His son, Tang Xingyu, has suddenly arrived in Jiangnan, and it's said he brought a massive amount of capital."

"This person is very clever and has clearly picked up on the recent smell of gunpowder in Jiangnan."

"From what I understand, he has already been traveling all over Jiangnan, persuading those big bosses to contribute funds to launch a joint campaign to corner you."

Now, it was no longer a simple matter of profit, but purely a matter of face.

If Zheng Qian swept up all three cruise ships and the one merchant ship from Yuese Company, where would these wealthy Jiangnan gentry put their faces?

Now, big bosses from all industries were chipping in money, pooling it all with Tang Xingyu of Xingyao Group to prepare for the auction in three days.

"Tang Xingyu?"

Zheng Qian was momentarily stunned.

This guy indeed had a brain and was good at capturing information.

If Zheng Qian didn't have the system, he might really have been played by him.

"What, do you know each other?"

Zheng Qian nodded and said they used to be college classmates.

"College classmates?"

"Then why is he doing this?"

In Jiang Yanran's eyes, this was a scene of swords drawn and bows bent.

They were classmates, so why was he acting so ruthlessly?

"My relationship with him wasn't very harmonious, and we didn't interact much," Zheng Qian explained.

"So that's how it is. I think I understand now..." Jiang Yanran nodded.

Immediately after, she added, "I had someone do a rough calculation. If they really intend to corner you, the price of this cargo ship might reach 3 billion!"

"Maybe even more than 3 billion!"

Zheng Qian remained completely unmoved.

He had an aura of remaining calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him.

"Minor issue."

"I'll handle it."

After hearing Jiang Yanran's explanation just now, Zheng Qian had thought these people would double the price or more!

Turns out they only raised it by 500 million.

Go ahead and raise it!

What Zheng Qian feared least was a price hike.

The higher they raised it, the better. The higher the price, the more he would pay, and the more cashback he would get from the system.

Zheng Qian didn't take this matter to heart at all.

Jiang Yanran frowned deeply.

How could he be so calm!

Jiang Yanran didn't believe Zheng Qian could be this leisurely.

A person like him might seem careless on the surface, but he probably already had a way to deal with it.

However, Jiang Yanran was extremely curious.

Faced with the encirclement of these people, could Zheng Qian really still win?

Opposing all the wealthy gentry of Jiangnan single-handedly?

Jiang Yanran felt it was a bit of a long shot.

Yet the man in front of her showed an unprecedented level of confidence, as if he didn't care at all!

...

After returning to the hotel.

Zheng Qian dragged his exhausted body.

Come to think of it, he hadn't had a proper rest these past few days.

He had been constantly running around to various occasions.

After filling the tub with hot water, Zheng Qian jumped straight in.

"Phew..."

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Comfortable.

The muscles in his entire body relaxed.

Zheng Qian used to long for a lifestyle where he wore a suit and tie every day, entering and leaving various high-end venues.

Now that he was living this life, he somehow felt it was even more tiring than working.

Just as Zheng Qian closed his eyes, wanting to enjoy his hot bath alone.

The sound of footsteps near his ears grew closer and closer.

The next second.

The bathroom door was opened..

"Ah!"

Zheng Qian: ???

"You... when did you get back!"

The person in front of him was none other than Song Yaxian!

She quickly covered her eyes and shrieked.

Song Yaxian had her hair up, was wrapped in a bathrobe, and was barefoot, appearing right in front of Zheng Qian like this.

Holy crap.

Why the hell are you screaming!

I'm the one being looked at, okay?!

"Stop screaming, stop screaming. It's not like you haven't seen it before."

Zheng Qian urged Song Yaxian to quiet down.

"You... put your clothes on quickly!"

Zheng Qian: ??

I'm taking a bath!

You're the one who barged in!

Song Yaxian also realized that she seemed to have said the wrong thing, so she quickly retreated.

"This girl..."

In the living room.

The blush on Song Yaxian's face refused to fade for a long time.

She touched her burning cheeks, and the sense of shame in her heart grew even stronger.

Song Yaxian had thought that Zheng Qian wouldn't be coming back tonight!

Who knew he would be taking a bath in the bathroom!

Heavens!

So embarrassing!

About ten minutes later, Zheng Qian finally wrapped himself in a bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom.

"You, you... put your clothes on properly!"

"I'm going to take a shower first!"

"I have something to tell you when I get out!"

"No coming in!"

After Song Yaxian finished speaking, she clutched her bathrobe and hurriedly ran into the bathroom.

Half an hour later.

The two of them finally dressed and sat face-to-face in the living room.

"I wanted to ask you, about the white knight, do you want to acquire it?"

Song Yaxian no longer cared about how much money Zheng Qian had; she only wanted to know if he wanted to bid for the white knight.

The white knight was a rare, large modern merchant ship.

Although she entered this industry late, she studied every day and had done a lot of homework on this merchant ship.

Within the borders of Jiuzhou, only a handful of giant enterprises controlled such highly profitable merchant ships.

Going out to sea once, after deducting miscellaneous expenses, yielded a net profit of 2 billion.

It was practically a money-printing machine!

Given Song Yaxian's understanding of Zheng Qian, he definitely wouldn't let the white knight go!

But in that case, they would face a lot of problems.

She decided to ask and get things clear first.

Zheng Qian had originally thought Song Yaxian wanted to talk to him about some personal feelings, but unexpectedly, it was still work.

She really was dedicated.

No wonder she used to have such high standards that she didn't even care about him, the chairman of the Qianhe Group.

Her confidence came from her diligence.

"Of course I'll take it! I must take it!"

Before returning to the hotel, Zheng Qian had already made a decision with Jiang Yanran regarding the white knight.

No matter how one looked at it, Zheng Qian had no reason to back down.

First, Jiang Yanran had evaluated the price, and the price of the white knight might be pushed up to over 3 billion.

After the system's cashback, that would be 30 billion.

In Zheng Qian's eyes, that was fat meat placed right by his mouth; it would be foolish not to eat it.

Second, according to his intelligence, Tang Xingyu's sudden arrival in Jiangnan was just because he was sent to learn.

All his lobbying and rallying of the wealthy gentry, working even harder than Vice President Qi Chunqing, wasn't to ensure that Yuehua Shipping could secure this merchant ship.

It was more about using the forces of Jiangnan to take down his face.

Zheng Qian had no reason to back down.

"Do you know about the white knight situation?"

"Someone named Tang Xingyu has rallied a large group of Jiangnan celebrities and wealthy gentry, and the price might be driven up very high."

As Song Yaxian explained, there was no shortage of worry in her eyes.

The premium on the merchant ship might be extremely high. She hoped Zheng Qian wouldn't act on impulse and would instead calculate the account clearly.

After listening, Zheng Qian found that Song Yaxian's awareness was actually not bad, and her vision was quite spot-on.

Her analysis and assessment were not much different from Jiang Yanran's.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this."

Zheng Qian stood up and sat down next to Song Yaxian.

His hand wandered to a place it shouldn't have.

"You... stop it, I'm talking to you about serious business."

The blush on Song Yaxian's face had just faded a bit, but with Zheng Qian's hand wandering, another flush rose.

"I already knew about all of this beforehand."

"Tomorrow, you just watch from the side."

"Rest assured."

"As for now, let's take care of what we should be doing."

Song Yaxian: ???

Zheng Qian already knew beforehand?

Who told him?

Looking at it this way, there was an expert backing Zheng Qian!

But even if he knew this information beforehand, how did Zheng Qian plan to deal with it?

He didn't seem worried at all.

He even had the energy to fool around with her...

Thinking about it carefully.

Although Zheng Qian usually had a playful smile on his face, he did everything seriously.

He might be carrying a lot of pressure in his heart right now.

Releasing it a bit wasn't out of the question...

...