Chapter Eighty-Five: Full of Confidence

Will finally let out a long breath and smiled. Xiao Tianci, do you think a little trick like that can scare me? Hmph. No matter what you have up your sleeve now, I already control the initiative.

He could not wait another moment. At once he had someone contact Zhou Renjie and arrange to meet him in person. As long as that side was settled, his own shares, together with what he could influence, should amount to about eight percent as well. The rest would be far easier to handle.

As for Zhou Renjie, he had already made up his mind. With the government of the United States as his backing, and with the initiative of Meihua firmly in his own hands, there would be no need to obey that ridiculous clause any longer. By then the money he could make would be ten or twenty times what it was now, and with hardly any effort at all. Zhou Renjie would not be foolish enough to refuse, would he? For all these years, because the Xiao family controlled Meihua, plainly profitable ventures had to be turned into petty earnings, while countless sums were donated every year.

On matters like that they had no way to object, nor was it proper to object, yet in their hearts they always thought: if I controlled Meihua...

If nothing else worked, they could let the Zhou family increase its stake by one percent. Surely under such conditions, they would have no choice but to agree.

Though Will had worked alongside Zhou Ao all these years, he did not think much of Zhou Ao. In his eyes, the one who truly held power and could decide things was Zhou Ao's father, Zhou Renjie.

Will was already a frequent visitor to the Zhou household. Compared with the Xiao family, who only summoned people for the occasional formal meeting, his dealings with them in ordinary times were much more frequent. As Meihua's two largest shareholders apart from the Xiao family, their interactions were naturally close.

So when Will arrived at the Zhou estate, he was hardly a stranger. The Zhou family garden was also built with money, elegant and secluded, with rare and beautiful flowers and plants, a brook that flowed on and on, rockeries and strange stones, pavilions and towers, all of it complete. In a place like America there were many mansions, but this kind of classical Chinese garden was uncommon indeed. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at once that it had been designed in imitation of an imperial garden layout.

In the center of the vast garden, within a pavilion, sat a few small dishes and a bottle of Moutai. Will took a light sip and nodded with obvious pleasure. "Brother Renjie, to be honest, there was something I had been pondering for quite some time, and only today have I truly understood it."

The Xiao and Zhou families were both Chinese, and they usually spoke Chinese, so the upper ranks of Meihua all had exceptionally good command of the language. Will, moreover, was a man of uncommon diligence; by now his level was probably far beyond that of an ordinary university graduate in Chinese. Even Zhou Renjie admired him for it. To Will, there was no difference at all between classical and modern prose; he read both with equal ease. His mastery was enough to make anyone marvel.

Perhaps it was precisely that kind of relentless spirit that had brought him such achievements today. Leaving aside the major families, if one spoke only of individual accomplishment, then over these past decades the only person who could truly stand against him was Xiao Lin.

Zhou Renjie said, "Oh? With your intelligence, it must be no simple matter."

Will smiled and shook his head, lifting his cup. "Brother Renjie, do you still remember those bottles of excellent Moutai you once gave me? They were truly fine liquor. I remember it clearly; it seems it was on your birthday, and we drank here in this very back garden."

Zhou Renjie did remember that. He nodded. "Yes, I remember. That was a vintage my Zhou family had treasured for decades. Your palate, Brother Will, is sharp enough to tell the difference at a sip. You cost me quite a loss there."

"Ha... ha..." Will laughed aloud. "I didn't expect Brother Renjie to still remember that. Later, the red wine I sent wasn't bad either..."

They both laughed together. When the laughter subsided, Zhou Renjie asked, "What was the question you said you couldn't understand just now?"

Will looked around at the trees, flowers, rockeries, bridges, and flowing water, deeply moved. "When I went back and drank it again, I found the taste seemed wrong. Or rather, more precisely, the feeling was wrong. At the time I thought the liquor must be fine, so where exactly had the problem arisen? I could not make it out for a while. Today, all at once, I had an inspiration and understood."

Zhou Renjie watched him, waiting for him to go on. He had known Will would come today, so he had already made preparations. Yet what he was mainly thinking of now was the phone call from his son just a moment ago: Xiao Tianci was actually going to hold another press conference. Not only Zhou Ao was astonished upon hearing it; even Zhou Renjie himself had a jolt. Could there be some new variable? He had discussed it with his son and called to gather opinions.

But as for what exactly Xiao Tianci intended to announce at this press conference, he had no clue at all. From the very beginning, nothing the man did could be predicted by ordinary reasoning. Still, both father and son believed that it could not possibly be a trivial move. Their impression of Xiao Tianci was that he was the sort who would never settle for anything less than making a great sensation.

"In truth, whether it is wine or many other things, they all require an environment, an atmosphere. Moutai is the national liquor of our country, and the liquor is certainly excellent. But when I drank it at my place, its flavor could not fully come through, because there was nothing like this." As he spoke, he gestured toward the garden.

"Only when one sits in an environment like this and drinks liquor like this can one fully savor its flavor. It is the same with red wine. Equally good red wine, if drunk here, would probably not compare to enjoying a French feast, with a violin softly playing beside you. Then the drinking has a certain flavor to it. Brother Renjie, tell me, am I right or not?"

Pa-pa-pa. Zhou Renjie applauded softly. "Wonderful. Truly a brilliant insight. Absolutely reasonable. Then in the future I shall go to your place to drink red wine, and you shall come here to drink Moutai. What do you think? Ha... ha..."

"Ha... ha..." Will laughed along. He filled both their cups again, lifted his own once more, and said, "People are the same. Everyone has the environment in which he survives. If he is placed in an environment that does not suit him, whether he is doing things or even just breathing, I fear he will not feel comfortable."

Zhou Renjie privately admired Will greatly. He was equally at home in East and West, and before one even realized it, their banter had already arrived at the point. Yet he suddenly thought: Will is so outstanding, and I have always treated him with care and admiration, so why was it that Xiao Tianci managed to make him cough up blood?

Xiao Tianci did not seem like someone who had merely blundered into success. Most likely Will had placed too much importance on his title as the world's richest man, and Xiao Tianci had caught him off guard, causing him to spit blood in rage. Alas, it seems people are like snakes, each with a seven-inch weakness. Once struck there, no great force is needed.

Zhou Renjie took a sip and sighed softly. "Alas, perhaps I am getting old. During this period the winds and waves have been fierce and turbulent, and it has made me dizzy and dazed. If even you and I are like this, I am all the less willing to let Zhou Ao act recklessly. That child is too honest, so I simply have him behave himself and work hard, and that is enough."

Will gave a cold inward laugh. If Zhou Ao were standing shoulder to shoulder with him, Xiao Tianci would probably not have dared to be so arrogant. Who did not know now that Xiao Tianci attacked one, then won over another? After beating Will down, he had pulled Zhou Ao and the Zhou family to his side. But the situation was different now. Hearing Zhou Renjie speak this way, Will even sensed that Zhou Renjie was trying to draw closer to him, finding excuses for what had happened before.

Still, Will did not care. It was all for profit. As long as the Zhou family now cooperated obediently with him, he would let the past be past. Thinking this, Will laughed with great breadth. "Ha... ha... A man cannot become useful without hardship, nor gain momentum without setbacks. Since when has life ever gone smoothly from beginning to end? Look at me now—am I not living well? Who is a hero must be judged by posterity; would you not agree?"

Zhou Renjie nodded. "Brother Will, you are the person I admire and respect most. To take it up is courage; to put it down is magnanimity. A true man indeed. Come, let us drink."

Clang. With a clear chime of cups, they both drank it down in one go, and Zhou Renjie refilled the wine. Will was extremely proper, supporting his cup with both hands in thanks.

After several cups, neither of them had yet touched the dishes. Seeing that the moment was about right, Will said directly, "I think the reason I came today, Brother Renjie, you must have guessed long ago."

Zhou Renjie nodded, putting on a thoughtful air. After considering it, he said, "How could I not keep an eye on so important a matter? These past few days I have not even had time to go and see you. You know it yourself—you had no time either. You and Xiao Tianci have been fighting fiercely. Earlier I heard from the people below that you, Brother Will, have basically already taken him down. Allow me to congratulate you. At last you can display your full ambition. In the future, Zhou Ao will have to rely on your care and attention, Brother."

Will pressed down the cup Zhou Renjie had raised. "Brother Renjie, let us not bother with all this courtesy. To put it simply, so long as your Zhou family supports us, Meihua will belong to us. From now on, we will no longer need to suffer the Xiao family's anger. With your and my abilities, Meihua's development is limitless. I dare guarantee that within two years it will double, and by then it will be a true commercial empire."

"This..." Zhou Renjie's expression turned troubled.

Will's confidence was now complete; otherwise he would not have been able to speak so freely just now. He was making it known to everyone that he, Will, was still the same Will and would absolutely not be defeated by Xiao Tianci. So at this moment, his expression darkened slightly. "What, does Brother Renjie not wish to cooperate with me?"

Zhou Renjie hurriedly said, "How could that be? You and I have known each other for so many years; we understand each other perfectly. But you also know this is a family management structure. Though I am the head of the family, many matters still need the family's approval."

Zhou Renjie was calculating that Xiao Tianci would hold his press conference tomorrow, and soon there would be a result. By then, they would know what to do.

"In that case, give me one day. Give me one day, and tomorrow night I will give you my answer."

Though Zhou Renjie had not agreed outright, Will was somewhat displeased. Still, what he said was acceptable enough. After thinking it over, Will nodded. "Very well. Then I will wait for your news tomorrow."