Qiu Yang felt a mix of excitement and apprehension.
"The boss actually took a fancy to the giant container ship Jinniu of Proton Group, which is a good thing!"
He thought.
"It would be great if this giant ship could become a ship owned by the company, and the company's ocean shipping capacity of containers would directly rise to a new level."
However, Qiu Yang was also worried. "Boss, that is the largest container ship in China," he said. "Will Proton Group agree?"
Liu Yong was confident. "They will agree," he said. "If they don't agree, you can tell them clearly that what happens next has nothing to do with us, and Proton Group will be responsible for it."
Qiu Yang's eyes lit up. "Yes!"
He thought. "If the boss has the means to poke holes in Proton Group's ship, then he is not afraid of their disagreement."
After understanding the situation, Qiu Yang became confident and asked for instructions.
"Boss, what price should we offer?" he inquired. "Should we offer 80% or 70% of the market price of this ship?"
Liu Yong replied,
"We should offer at least 60% to 70% of the cost. This is a massive container ship worth more than one billion yuan. If we can purchase it for 60% to 70% of the price, we will save several hundred million yuan."
Qiu Yang was surprised by Liu Yong's response and asked how he knew. Liu Yong simply smiled and held up one finger.
"We'll buy it for one yuan," he explained. "If we don't pay anything, it would be considered robbery. But if we trade it for one yuan, it will be a legitimate purchase."
"What?!" Qiu Yang exclaimed.
"Buy a container ship worth over 200 million yuan for only one yuan?"
It took Qiu Yang a while to recover from the shock, and then he admired Liu Yong. "Boss, you are too awesome," he said.
It would be fantastic if they could purchase the "Golden Bull" for one yuan - acquiring a billion-dollar ship for practically nothing.
"I'll meet Shi Lijun right away," Qiu Yang said excitedly.
"Go ahead, and I'll wait for your good news," replied Liu Yong.
As Qiu Yang left cheerfully, Liu Yong thought, "Proton Group wants to apologize, but how can they do so without something substantive?"
Shortly after that, Qiu Yang met with Shi Lijun. The latter was relieved that Qiu Yang had agreed to meet, and they sat down in a teahouse to discuss the matter.
"I'm truly sorry. This has happened to us before," Shi Lijun said apologetically. Though he was apologetic on the surface, he knew how sincere he indeed was.
Qiu Yang replied, "As long as your company doesn't target us again, especially by using any disgraceful tricks behind the scenes, we can let bygones be bygones. We are willing to be magnanimous."
Shi Lijun's face twitched slightly upon hearing Qiu Yang's response.
Qiu Yang felt intense anger, thinking, "We suffered a huge loss, yet you act like you're the victim here?"
Despite his anger, Shi Lijun didn't dare show any negative emotions on his face. He maintained a rigid smile and agreed,
"Yes, let's let bygones be bygones."
After a few more minutes of chatting, Qiu Yang brought up the issue of Universal's losses during the process.
He remarked, "Assistant President Shi, while I appreciate your apology, I must say it lacks sincerity given the magnitude of our loss."
Shi Lijun's expression froze upon hearing Qiu Yang's statement.
Shi Lijun knew that his boat could easily sustain more than a dozen holes if people wanted to, so he chuckled and greeted Mr. Qiu,
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, sincerely."
However, Qiu Yang shook his head and remarked, "Merely saying sorry won't cut it. You have to offer something substantial for us to consider forgiving you."
Hearing this, Shi Lijun felt anxious, realizing he had to devise a more meaningful solution.
If Universal did not accept his apology, there could be severe financial losses due to the boat's damage.
As a result, Proton Group couldn't afford such a risky scenario.
Feeling overwhelmed, Shi Lijun wanted to cry but knew he couldn't give up. He had to offer something significant because a simple verbal apology was insufficient.
As the ninja's fury burned within him, Shi Lijun asked indignantly,
"What do you mean, Mr. Qiu?"
Qiu Yang cut to the chase and proposed, "Your company's 'Golden Bull' is an impressive vessel. Coincidentally, our company is in need of a large container ship. How about selling it to us?"
Shi Lijun was shocked by the suggestion. The 'Golden Bull' was a brand new ship he had purchased for over a billion dollars.
He wondered how much Universal would be willing to pay for it. Would they offer a 50% discount or 10%?
However, he knew that the minimum discount should be 15%, or else it would cause significant losses to Proton Group.
Shi Lijun contemplated the offer carefully in his mind.
Shi Lijun had been overthinking the situation. He asked Qiu Yang, "Mr. Qiu, we can bear the pain and give up as long as the price is reasonable. What's your offer?"
In response, Qiu Yang held up one finger, perplexing Shi Lijun. Did one finger mean $100 million or a 10% discount?
Suddenly, Shi Lijun's expression changed as he asked loudly, "What does one finger represent?"
Qiu Yang replied, "It means you sell your 'Golden Bull' to Universal Company for one dollar."
The people Shi Lijun had brought along were stunned, and his eyes widened in disbelief. One dollar for the 'Golden Bull' was an astonishingly low price.
After a few seconds, Shi Lijun reacted and removed his disguise, revealing his true identity. He angrily exclaimed, "We don't need to discuss this further."
He stood up and waved his hand, signaling his people to leave with him.
Qiu Yang remained seated, unconcerned. He calmly warned, "It's fine if you don't want to sell the ship. But if anything happens in the future, don't come to us for help. Proton Group will have to handle it on its own."
These words weighed heavily on Shi Lijun, causing him to pause.
He realized another ship might be attacked but couldn't bear the shame of giving in. Eventually, he decided to leave, reluctantly.
Qiu Yang pointed at Shi Lijun's retreating figure and said, "You have two days to think it over. After that, I can't guarantee anything."
Shi Lijun appeared defeated, like a drooping eggplant, upon his return. Soon after, Shi Wanquan summoned him, having likely heard something about the incident, and inquired,
"Did you have any involvement with Universal?"
Realizing he couldn't conceal the truth, Shi Lijun bowed and recounted the incident, including what had just occurred.
Upon finishing, Shi Lijun exclaimed pointedly,
"Both our boats were pierced through their bottoms one after another. It has to be the doing of Universal Company. We must gather evidence, hold them accountable, and ensure that they receive legal punishment."
However, before he could continue, he was abruptly interrupted.
"Silence!"
Shi Wanquan's fury was palpable as he gave Shi Lijun an unsatisfied glance.
He harshly reprimanded Shi Lijun and then suddenly appeared to regress to a ten-year-old, weakly stating, "I agree to Universal's demand of selling the 'Golden Bull' to them for 1 yuan, but I implore them not to cause us any further trouble. We cannot afford to provoke them in any way!"
The thought of initiating any provocation was out of the question!
The Proton Group would not dare to take the initiative to provoke anyone.
They would be more than content if left alone by others and not subjected to any further trouble.
