Chapter 110: Passionate Impulse

Xiao Tianci wore a look of profound sorrow and distress. "Yes, it is true. You don't know, but initially, I really wanted to accomplish something meaningful and truly win back Meihua. But I never expected... Sigh, in the end, I had no choice but to resort to extreme measures. I really was left with no other option!"

Xiao Tianci intentionally equated his protective shield with the value of the item in his possession. He had to keep stalling regarding the shield; after all, the more chips he held, the safer he would be. Now that his mind was clear, Xiao Tianci realized from Elder Zhao’s earlier words that his current safety was only due to the fact that these nations had yet to reach an agreement among themselves. Or rather, the international powers would not allow any single party to obtain these technologies, and their mutual containment was what kept him safe.

"Oh," Elder Zhao looked at Xiao Tianci with a new level of understanding, as if re-evaluating him. Xiao Tianci felt much more enlightened and confident now.

"Tianci, do you realize how much weight this thing you are holding carries?"

Oh, it had become "Tianci" now. Heh, it seemed he had been promoted. If he didn't know the weight of these things, he wouldn't have come to negotiate with him. Xiao Tianci remained humble and cautious. "Based on what I know, the research in the United States, which is currently the fastest, has barely reached the lowest level of what I have here, if not lagging behind. As for the rest, it will likely take the U.S. at least ten to twenty years, or even longer, to catch up. As for other nations, it will be even harder."

The "other nations" he referred to naturally included China. Elder Zhao nodded. The two walked to a stone bench; Elder Zhao sat down first and gestured for Xiao Tianci to join him. Although the elder was in good health, he was no longer young, and they had been talking for quite a while.

Xiao Tianci truly admired the elder. Throughout the entire process, Elder Zhao’s performance had been perfect—or nearly so. If not for that specific remark and the leverage he held, he might have truly become the Monkey King trapped in the palm of the Buddha.

"You and your father are actually the same. I mentioned it before: the reason I am helping you is that, regardless of what you do, you prioritize the nation. This spirit is what makes the Xiao family most admirable. Country before family, the greater community before the individual. Your father was like this back then, and now you are the same, Tianci. This is a blessing for the country."

Dizzy. It seemed the old man was trying to butter him up until he was reeling. The old fox was indeed sharp—look at how skillfully he was flattering him. Well, few people ever got the chance to be flattered by such a man. Still, even if he didn't, Xiao Tianci would still do what he had to. He figured the next thing the elder would propose was wanting to possess all of these technologies.

Humph, that was a pipe dream. He would never agree to that. He wasn't that noble; what he had already done was enough to satisfy his conscience and honor his father. Anything else was pointless.

Xiao Tianci smiled with a shy look on his face. He didn't pick up the thread of the conversation, thinking to himself, *Go ahead and praise me; I’ll accept it.*

Elder Zhao clearly hadn't expected this. He understood in an instant and thought, *Good kid, it seems he came prepared.*

"Tianci, tell me, if your father were here, what would he do?"

Xiao Tianci hurriedly shook his head. "If my father were here, he certainly wouldn't release this. After all, these are weapons of war. He was such a peace-loving man. I had no choice; I could only use this to revitalize our family business." Privately, he thought that given his father’s past military achievements and his methods of dealing with enemies, calling him a "war fanatic" would have been an understatement. But then again, he was his father.

"Heh..." Elder Zhao laughed and pointed a finger at Xiao Tianci, implying, *You brat, I didn't realize you were so slippery. If your father was truly a peace-loving man, then the world would be truly at peace.*

Xiao Tianci laughed along and scratched his head, feigning honesty. He then turned directly to the matter at hand. "Elder Zhao, I would like to start this project as soon as possible, so I hope you can provide a lot of help. Actually, I am not as selfless as you claim—at least, I don't think I could be. This is my absolute limit. You know my current situation is not great; if I don't take new actions soon and something goes wrong, it will be hard to handle. Don't you think?"

*Don't even think about anything else. I absolutely will not let go of control. This is my final bottom line. You can figure it out; I have many enemies anyway. If I ever do meet an unfortunate end, heh, then everyone can just go their separate ways.*

Elder Zhao pondered for a long time. "If that is the case, it is not entirely impossible. Tell me your ideas. Don't tell me you only intend to use this to make money."

*Well, at least most of my temperament and thoughts have been figured out. It seems he really has studied me quite thoroughly.*

Xiao Tianci said cleverly, "You said earlier that the world is maintained by calmness and reason. For someone like you, that is certainly appropriate. But for someone like me, the world is changed by passion and impulse. Heh, I will provide the passion and impulse to change things, and you provide the maintenance. With your protection, I can boldly pursue that passion and impulse."

Elder Zhao nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on him, waiting for him to answer his question. As the pressure mounted, Xiao Tianci finally said helplessly, "You know that even though you are an elder, this is a company, and there are trade secrets involved. I’m afraid I can’t say more, but I can promise it is absolutely legal."

"Military matters are not as simple as you imagine. Do you think a few simple words are enough?"

Xiao Tianci thought, *If I didn't have leverage, it wouldn't matter even if I told you everything.* He feigned difficulty and finally said, "Alright, I'll be honest with you. If it weren't for my sense of patriotism, do you think it would be easy for me to do what I do in that country? And if I earn money and a company like Meihua emerges again, the boost to the nation would be immense. If you force me to say more, I really have no way to do so."

Xiao Tianci stood up. He had to take the initiative. He told himself this was a business negotiation—nothing else mattered. There was no status or hierarchy, only interests. If the interests reached a point of mutual satisfaction, then he would succeed.

"Phew..." Xiao Tianci bowed slightly. "Please allow me to call you 'Grandpa Zhao' at this moment. Your relationship with our Xiao family makes it impossible for me to say anything else. However, I can only say I am sorry. As a businessman, I have my principles. Trade secrets are just like national secrets. Even if my father were alive, if he were not part of this plan and had no need to know, I would not tell him. I demand this of my subordinates, and I practice it myself first. So, I can only apologize."

"Our Xiao family has been in business for generations. Perhaps I am not as capable as my ancestors, but I have my own methods. I am sorry to have disturbed you for so long. Please take some time to consider it; I will wait. But... heh, heh... you also know that although our Xiao family, or rather, I, Xiao Tianci, cannot be said to be hated by gods and men, I have many foes and enemies. There are still people who want to snatch things from me..."

"Ha... ha..." The calm and gentle Elder Zhao suddenly laughed aloud. He seemed very pleased. "Good kid, you really are just like your father. No matter what others say, you always have your own backbone. Once you've made a decision, you never change it. Good..."

Whether the praise was genuine or feigned, or simply to lighten the mood, Xiao Tianci knew he had succeeded. In fact, this success was 100% certain; it was only a matter of mutual probing and posturing.

The old man was indeed formidable. He agreed to Xiao Tianci's terms but also warned him not to push things too far, as it was now the era of global economy. The Meihua incident had not yet blown over. The conversation turned to the elder requesting the data and asking when Xiao Tianci would hand it all over to the state.

Impressive, truly impressive. Xiao Tianci, of course, would not give it up so easily. He set a timeline and insisted on providing it in parts. Although their conversation was elegant, it was a battle of wits and courage.

It was more intelligent than a typical business negotiation, with both sides constantly proposing conditions and trading. They tested, threatened, and bartered through various methods. However, anyone listening from afar, seeing them whispering and laughing, would surely have thought this was a grandfather and grandson enjoying a moment of family bliss.

Meg began to grow restless. Huo Feng tried to comfort her, but her agitation seemed to grow. Huo Feng couldn't understand what was so great about Xiao Tianci. She herself was so beautiful, yet she was apparently less attractive than that lecherous Xiao Tianci. It made no sense at all.

"Meg, don't worry, he'll be back in a moment. Come here, there's fruit. What would you like to eat?"

Meg didn't even speak; she just shook her head. She paced the floor, walking here and there, checking the door every minute.

The Chief Steward, Lin Jian, followed behind her. Wherever she walked, he followed. Meg was in no mood to notice this, but Huo Feng grew impatient. "Lin Jian, what are you doing following her around? Why are you pacing?"

The Chief Steward, Lin Jian, replied with perfect gentlemanly grace, "Miss Huo Feng, as the boss is not here, it is my duty to look after the young lady."

Just like Xiao Tianci, the Chief Steward’s answers were always infuriating, yet left one with no temper to vent. Huo Feng went over and grabbed Meg. "Meg, listen to your sister. Sit down and wait for one hour. If your jerk of a brother isn't back in an hour, I'll take you to find him, okay?"

Stalling for an hour was better than nothing. With some persuasion, Meg sat down. This was a spacious and bright reception room, simple and plain. Since they entered, King Kong had been standing there with his eyes closed.

Time ticked away. Little Meg kept staring at her watch. She tugged on Huo Feng’s hand. Huo Feng was feeling frustrated—what on earth was Xiao Tianci doing? Leaving them here for so long was truly annoying. But she still had to comfort Meg. *No, no. Next time I see that jerk, I’m leaving no matter what. This is so frustrating. Following this lecherous guy is uncomfortable, and every day there's nothing to do. I can't even go out to play.*

"Meg, what is it?"

"An hour," Meg looked at her, telling her that time was up and it was time to take her to find him.

Huo Feng picked up her phone. "Meg, wait. Let me call him first."

The Chief Steward said from the side, "The boss does not take calls while negotiating business. It is very impolite."

Huo Feng said angrily, "Polite? Was it polite of him to dump us here?" She grabbed Meg and said, "Let's go. Sister will take you to find him."

The Chief Steward hurriedly said, "Miss Huo Feng, you cannot wander around here..."

Unfortunately, he was too late. Huo Feng had already pulled Meg out. However, the guards outside blocked their path. "Please wait inside. If you have any requests, you must ask for permission first."

"Ask for permission? Do you think you're in the Imperial Palace? Are you trying to imprison us? Step aside, I'm going out!" Huo Feng channeled her internal energy, intending to toss him aside. But to her surprise, the guard didn't use a grappling technique; he turned his hand to subdue her instead.

Huo Feng’s eyes widened. She moved to the side, her hand locking onto the guard's throat. "You think you can stop me? Call Xiao Tianci here immediately, or I'll tear this place down!" The guard had learned some martial arts, but as a beginner, he was no match for Huo Feng. He was subdued in a single move.

The Chief Steward closed his eyes. *Oh heavens, she’s even more troublesome than the boss. Causing trouble here? Isn't that just asking for disaster?*

A voice came from behind Huo Feng: "Miss, you had better let him go."

Huo Feng was startled. The voice was right behind her, yet she hadn't sensed anyone. She turned, but the space was empty. Then she felt her hand go numb, and when she turned back, the person she had been holding was gone.

A man of about thirty, with a slightly bulbous nose and wearing a military uniform, stood there. Next to him was the person Huo Feng had just held. Most importantly, he was a general.

After the man had so easily snatched the guard away, Huo Feng didn't care if he was a general or not. Just as she was about to attack, she heard King Kong say, "Huo Feng, you are no match for him. Stop making a scene. The boss is coming."

Huo Feng looked around but didn't see Xiao Tianci. However, she trusted King Kong. She had just felt that her opponent was very strong; if even King Kong said she couldn't beat him, then she definitely couldn't. Although she was impulsive, she would never act recklessly on a battlefield.

The general nodded at Huo Feng, an apology for the strike he had dealt her. He turned to look at King Kong. "I didn't expect you to be even stronger than before."

It seemed King Kong was very familiar with him. Like an old friend, he replied, "I didn't expect you to be a general now."

At this moment, Elder Zhao personally accompanied Xiao Tianci around a corner, appearing before everyone. The two were chatting harmoniously as they walked.