Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 120

Bargaining

Hou Longtao sat on the windowsill, smoking and watching the city lights in the distance. Even though it was past 2:00 AM, he wasn’t sleepy. Last night had been too dangerous, and he still felt a bit shaken thinking about it.

To be honest, Hou Longtao wasn’t a good judge of martial arts skill. Since he couldn’t tell that the assassin was a master, he naturally couldn’t gauge Zhiji and Huiji’s capabilities either.

He originally thought he was coming here to bully the Japanese, but now it seemed like there were more Japanese people who wanted him dead than alive. It was like walking into a lion’s den.

With Zhiji and Huiji’s limited abilities, plus a sniper who might be friend or foe lurking around, Hou Longtao naturally felt unsafe. He took out his phone and dialed a Beijing number.

“Hello, who is this?” After a few rings, a slightly tired, spoiled voice came through, clearly from a girl who’d been woken up.

“It’s me.”

“Are you crazy!? What time is it?” The girl’s tone became even more [aggressive], but she couldn’t hide the happiness in it.

“Good sister, don’t mess around. This is a matter of life and death. Is Yunyun there?”

“What happened?” Hearing the seriousness in his voice, the girl’s tone immediately filled with concern.

“Call Yunyun over and put it on speakerphone, so I don’t have to repeat myself.”

“Okay, wait a moment. Auntie, Auntie…” The sound of the girl calling out came from the phone…

Dressed neatly, Long pushed open Tian Donghua’s room. “Brother Hua, are you ready?”

“Ready.” Tian Donghua was sitting on the sofa smoking. The two of them had arrived in Tokyo last night and were scheduled to start negotiations with Honda today.

“Ready, but not leaving?”

“Come here,” Tian Donghua pointed to the seat next to him, his expression troubled. “I have something to discuss with you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Long, you know, although we haven’t known each other for long, I think you have good character and are loyal. I’ve always treated you as a good brother and have always been honest with you, right?” Tian Donghua offered Long a cigarette.

“Yes, Brother Hua has been great to me.”

“Well… no matter what, I’m just a high-level employee in ‘East Star’. Many things are not up to me…”

“Brother Hua,” Long interrupted, sensing something was up. “You’ve said this to me before. What’s going on?”

“This… After we called President Hou to report last night, he called me again. You weren’t there at the time. He instructed me not to let you participate in today’s negotiations. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“What do you mean?” Long frowned, feigning ignorance. “What do you mean, not let me participate in the negotiations?”

“You… you know what it means.”

“He’s afraid I’ll mess things up?”

“I think so.”

“Then what did he bring me here for? Isn’t this fucking with me?” Long suddenly stood up and took out his phone. “I’ll call him right now and make him explain it to me, damn it!”

“What are you doing?” Tian Donghua snatched the phone. “Calm down.”

“Give it to me! Give me the phone!”

Long gritted his teeth and took a step towards Tian Donghua. “I want to ask him why he told you to tell me, why doesn’t he dare to tell me himself!? If I’m not allowed to participate in the negotiations, then he might as well have left me in Beijing. Did he transfer me here just to twiddle my thumbs!?”

“Don’t be so impulsive. You also know it was to transfer you from Beijing…” Tian Donghua stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had said too much. “Anyway, don’t be impulsive.”

“So he transferred me away from Beijing on purpose?” Long still caught the hidden meaning and suddenly understood. “He wanted to move me away from Yuqian!?”

“This… that’s understandable.”

“Understandable my ass!” Long pushed past him and rushed towards the door.

“Where are you going!” Tian Donghua lunged forward and hugged Long’s waist from behind.

Long’s eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were shaking. “Where are you going!? Isn’t that Wang An also negotiating with Honda!? Today I’m going to settle all the old and new scores with him! I’ll curse his ancestors!”

“Bear with it, don’t mess around.” Tian Donghua could see that Long had finally reached his breaking point. All the dissatisfaction with Hou Longtao that had accumulated in the past had become so strong that it threatened to shatter their brotherhood. It was time for him to guide him properly.

“Bear!? How the fuck do you want me to bear it!? He forced away my good brother, looks down on me, humiliated me in public time and time again, made me lose my girlfriend, assaulted the girl I love, when the fuck do I have to keep bearing it!?”

“You still can’t mess around.”

“He’s making it clear that he doesn’t trust me at all now, and I’m too close to him, knowing too much about his business. If this goes on, he’ll get rid of me sooner or later! I’d rather he die than me!”

“Is it useful to rush over and fight him recklessly?”

“Why isn’t it useful?” Long still looked fierce. “What do you think he is? I’ve always been protecting him. In a one-on-one fight, he’s no match for me!”

“Okay,” Tian Donghua let go and sat back on the sofa. “You go, you go, see if he’ll fight you one-on-one. Not to mention his current status, you can’t even get close to him. Even if you really succeed, even if you’re in the right, President Liu and the others won’t spare you. Do you want to be hunted down by your own brothers for the rest of your life?”

Long’s face was flushed. He stomped his foot hard and slowly sat back on the sofa. “I know I can’t beat him now. I shouldn’t have raised a tiger to cause trouble. Serving a lord is like serving a tiger. Brother Hua, take care of yourself in the future.”

“Where are you going?” Tian Donghua heard that Long was disheartened, which meant his plan would fail. This situation was absolutely not allowed to happen.

“Isn’t he not allowing me to stay in Beijing? I’ll leave, like Seventh Brother. I’ll leave, I’ll leave far away. At worst, I’ll go find Seventh Brother.”

“Hmph, are you still a man?”

“What’s wrong? It’s your fault for not being able to beat him.”

Tian Donghua patted the dejected Long. “If you leave, your current wealth is probably enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life, right? What about Yuqian? What about Yuqian? If you leave, she will never be able to escape Hou Longtao’s clutches.”

“Yuqian…”

“Hou Longtao assaulted her once, and there will be a second time, a third time. Besides, are you really willing to leave her? Don’t deny it, I can see that you like her very much.”

Long didn’t really want to deny it. “Yuqian’s family has so much power, won’t they let him be so [arrogant]?”

“Yuqian is a person who cares a lot about face. How could she tell her family about such a humiliating thing? Moreover, Hou Longtao is now a high-level person, and Feng Yun is also protecting him. Even if you tell them, they may not be able to touch him. Yuqian treats us as people she can rely on and trust,” Tian Donghua’s mouth twitched slightly, obviously suppressing great grief and indignation. “You go, I won’t keep you. I’ll avenge her alone.”

“Brother Hua, you…” Long looked at him in surprise. “Are you willing to help me?”

“If I wasn’t helping you, would I be telling you all this? Hou Longtao and I have a purely employer-employee relationship, but you and I are true friends. And Yuqian, I’ve known her since I was a child. For so many years, I’ve always cared for and taken care of her like my own sister. I’ll do it for her even if I don’t do it for you.”

“Brother Hua, what should I do? I’ll listen to you.” Long bit his teeth hard, grinding out a “squeak” sound.

“Head-on confrontation is absolutely impossible. We can only endure humiliation and wait for the opportunity.”

“Wait for the opportunity? When will that be? With his current momentum, he’s only getting stronger day by day, and you’re still constantly advising him and helping him make money?”

“Don’t just look at the surface,” Tian Donghua narrowed his eyes. “The higher he climbs, the harder he falls. The more he has now, the greater the pain he will suffer when he loses everything.”

“You already have an idea?”

“Not yet, but I believe that in the near future, the opportunity will come to us,” Tian Donghua said confidently. “If you trust me, don’t act rashly.”

“Okay. Hou Longtao, you forced me to do this. Let’s fight to the death.” Long stood up again and smashed the glass ashtray in his hand hard against the opposite wall, shattering it into pieces…

“We have studied the proposal you sent in advance, and we cannot accept it.” Fang Jie smiled as he looked at the “East Star” representatives across the negotiating table. His main target, Hou Longtao, was listening to the report today and didn’t need to be present. Fukui Takeo had assigned him and several other department personnel to handle this matter, as it was related to whether IIC would invest.

“Completely understandable. That was just a very immature intention. What you have in front of you is my company’s latest proposal, which has been greatly revised. We no longer require your company to include purifiers as standard equipment in all models,” Tian Donghua used the word “require,” which didn’t quite match his current status as a partner, but it was the most appropriate word to use. “We hope to get a ten-year contract for all Acura models and the CR-V in the low-end cars.”

After the translation was conveyed, the Honda representatives began to look through the materials in front of them. “Your quoted unit price is three hundred US dollars, is that too high? If this money is passed on to the consumer, it will affect our market competitiveness.”

“I believe it will not only not affect your company’s competitiveness, but will also help.” Tian Donghua felt that the other party was underestimating him too much. “Acura is originally aimed at the middle and high-end middle class market, and CR-V is not an economy car. Consumers’ willingness to buy will not be affected by a few hundred dollars.”

“Then how will it help us?”

“Whether to increase the price after installation depends on your company, and your company is the first car manufacturer to install purifiers in batches, and the positive social impact is immeasurable.”

“Not bad,” Fang Jie nodded. It seemed that Hou Longtao’s subordinates were not all useless. “However, we have also done some research. The retail price of purifiers in China is 1,000 RMB [Chinese Yuan], and I believe the manufacturing cost will not exceed 800.”

“Hehe, to be honest, three hundred US dollars is a big discount. You all know that the initial quotation was four hundred. Privately, this is our reward for your company’s warm hospitality,” Tian Donghua believed that at least one of the other party understood that he was referring to the gifts Hou Longtao had received. “Publicly, the actual manufacturing cost of all computer software is very low. Why is the selling price so high? Intellectual property rights. The manufacturing cost of a BMW 7 Series sedan is definitely not twice that of a 3 Series, but the selling price is two to one. Why? To differentiate the levels.”

“The selling price of software and automobiles is similar all over the world, and there is no such price increase as your company’s.”

“McDonald’s Big Mac sells for two dollars and twenty-nine cents in the United States, plus tax, and ten RMB in China. Why? Different consumption levels. The main markets for Acura and CR-V are in Europe, America, and Japan. Our products enter the same markets with them, so naturally they must meet the consumption levels there.”

“I think the model link is easier to negotiate. I can confidently say that there is no big problem now, but in terms of price, we still need to study it further.” Fang Jie was slightly disappointed. The conditions proposed by the other party were not harsh and were completely within the acceptable range of the Honda board of directors.

“Of course, but I hope to have results as soon as possible, preferably at the meeting the day after tomorrow. However, this is already our lowest quotation. If your company really cannot accept it, we will have to look for other partners. If we can reach an agreement, we can clearly state in the contract that the price we offer to your company’s competitors for the same product must be higher than three hundred, otherwise our contract will automatically terminate.” Tian Donghua first slapped the other party in the face, and then offered a soothing balm…

On Wednesday morning, Honda and East Star Group conducted the second round of negotiations, specifically discussing the specific details of transportation and the like. In principle, they agreed to the intention of cooperation. The contract amount for ten years is expected to exceed 3 billion US dollars, but the official signing date has not been determined…

Hou Longtao opened his computer. Just like Xue Nuo did when he called his beloved wives last night, there was a video she sent in his email. Nine beauties wearing only sexy underwear were squeezed on a big bed, posing in various seductive poses, laughing and laughing. He Liping and Situ Qingying’s movements were very stiff, Chen Qian and Ru Yan were always twisting and turning, Chen Xi and Xue Nuo were slightly pretentious, only Ru Yun, Yue Ling, and Ren Jingyao seemed very natural.

“Hehehe.” Hou Longtao smiled knowingly. Just from the performance of his [beloved wives], he could see the shadows of their respective personalities. He missed home. He wanted to hold his beloved women tightly in his arms and whisper his thoughts of longing in their ears.

“Knock, knock, knock,” a soft knock sounded.

“Please come in.”

Zhiji and Huiji walked in, wearing brand-new “Rising Dragon Qipaos” [traditional Chinese dresses]. The two pieces from that night had been cut by knives. “Brother Tao, it’s so late. Aren’t you asleep yet?”

“Hmm?” Hou Longtao looked at his watch and realized it was just past nine o’clock. He immediately understood what the sisters meant. “Hehe, come here.”

The twin beauties came behind the man, massaging his shoulders from left and right. “Are these your lovers? They are all so beautiful.”

“Putting you two in the middle, you are not inferior at all.” Hou Longtao closed the computer, turned around, took the sisters’ hands and kissed them. “Are you two so eager to sleep with me?”

“We…” The girls’ faces immediately turned red. “We have been following you for four days, but you haven’t touched us. Even when we accompanied you to find Sister Baocun, you only let us wait outside the bedroom. We are afraid that you are really dissatisfied with us.”

“Hahaha, have your injuries healed?”

“As you know, the stitches were removed this morning… Do you dislike the scars on our bodies?”

Hou Longtao supported Huiji’s slender waist, turned her around, lifted the back of the qipao, and kissed the faint scar on the back of her left thigh through her pantyhose. “The scars on your bodies are a testament to your loyalty to me, they are your [badges of honor], they are not even flaws in the white jade, how could I dislike them? I’m just afraid of affecting your wounds. If you didn’t come tonight, I would have called you in a while.”

“Brother Tao…” The man’s words were very sincere, and the sisters felt a warmth in their hearts, and they didn’t know how to express their gratitude.

“For a woman, although appearance doesn’t represent everything, it is indeed a very important aspect, right?”

“We will get rid of the scars.”

“That’s not necessary. Let me show you something,” Hou Longtao stood up and began to unbutton his shirt. “I have been shot, stabbed, and scratched by wolves. That night, I suffered burns like you, but can you find scars on my body?”

Zhiji and Huiji took a step back. When the shirt slipped off the man’s body, they were stunned.

“Hahaha,” Hou Longtao laughed loudly, deliberately letting his thick chest muscles shake with him, but not the soft shaking of a woman’s breasts, but full of power. “I like the expression on women’s faces when they see my true face for the first time. Yes, yes, that’s the expression you have now, hehehe. That’s why I didn’t let you watch how Xiangnai and Yumi served me, so that I could observe you without distraction.”

“Brother Tao, can we start looking?” The girls’ breathing was uneven.

“Dispose of them as you wish.”

Having obtained the master’s permission, Zhiji and Huiji hurriedly leaned over, sticking to the man one in front of the other, slowly stroking him, and extending their tender tongues, leaving a series of shiny wet marks on the muscles of his upper body.

The itchiness on his body made Hou Longtao couldn’t help but want to laugh. He put his arms around the sisters. “Okay, did you find it?”

First, Zhiji on the right used her left hand to hold the man’s right cheek, tilted her head and gave him a passionate kiss. Then, Huiji on the left used her right hand to turn the man’s face to herself, and then kissed him. Both girls’ eyes were hazy, as if they were already intoxicated. “I didn’t find it, I’m not in the mood to find it…”

“You will listen to me for the rest of your lives.”

As soon as the two girls heard this, they quickly looked carefully at the man’s body. There was a new knife wound on his left shoulder, which was easy to find, but it was obviously exceeding the normal recovery speed. There were a few slightly deeper white marks on his chest, which must have been scratched by an animal, and this was the only place. As for the so-called old gunshot wounds and knife wounds, there was no way to find them.

“Look,” Hou Longtao pointed to an almost imperceptible white mark on the second row of abdominal muscles, and then patted his left upper arm. “This is a gunshot wound, less than two years from now, and it is completely invisible. The one on my stomach is a knife wound, which is more recent, so you can still see it. I guess it will disappear in a few months.”

“How… how could it be?” Women are born to love beauty. Although Zhiji and Huiji did not grow up like normal people, they were no exception in this regard. They also did not want to leave ugly scars on their bodies. Now it seemed that the master had a way, and they were naturally eager to know.

Hou Longtao was not in a hurry to reveal the secret. He took off his pants, sat on the bed in a pair of big shorts, and raised his right foot. “I was bitten by a wolf here, and my bones were exposed. I didn’t get stitches or medicine, and now there is only a little bit of a mark left.”

“Is your physique different from ordinary people?”

“Hehe, come sit down,” Hou Longtao put his arms around the beauties’ shoulders, gently stroking their smooth shoulders. “In a few days, you will meet one of my girlfriends. She used to be a scout, and she has a lot of big scars on her body. She has been with me for a month, and I didn’t even notice it. According to her, those scars are becoming less and less obvious.”

“Why is that?” Zhiji kissed the man’s neck. “Please tell us.”

Hou Longtao hugged Huiji even closer with his left arm, and stroked Zhiji’s long hair with his right hand. “I think my [semen] has some special effect.”

“Brother Tao, you are so bad.” Zhiji thought the man was teasing her.

“I’m not lying to you.” Hou Longtao leaned back, brought Huiji down on the bed, let her press on him sideways, hugged her and kissed her, sucking her tongue into his mouth and sucking. “Baby, I’m not kidding you, you haven’t tasted my benefits yet.”

“Hmm…” Zhiji kissed the man’s face, stroking his body with her left hand. She didn’t want to get entangled in the matter of scars anymore. She firmly believed that if the master had a way, he would definitely use it on herself and her sister.

When Hou Longtao lay down, he let go of Huiji and didn’t bring her down either. The girl was extremely understanding. She slid between the man’s legs and pulled down the big underwear, and couldn’t help but take a deep breath. She had never seen a real man, but she had seen too many discs [pornography]. Even European and American actors couldn’t compare to this “big snake” in front of her, which was as thick and strong as a large water pipe filled with water.

“Hmm…” Hou Longtao lazily closed his eyes. The glans [head of the penis] entered a hot and humid mouth, wrapped in a smooth tongue, and the testicles were rotated in a soft palm. It was really enjoyable. Not only that, but his chest was being licked by another fragrant tongue, and he could also suck on the woman’s sweet and slender fingers in his mouth.

Zhiji licked all the way to Hou Longtao’s navel, and could feel the ridges of muscle just with her tongue. She used to be “[blindly loyal]” to the master, but now she was slowly developing a new emotion, and after all, she was still a girl, and it was difficult not to be curious about this man. Just the origins of those wounds were enough to be [enticing], but she had long learned to restrain her curiosity.

Just as Zhiji was about to continue kissing back up, she suddenly felt her ankle being pulled by her sister. She turned her head and saw that she was trying hard to stuff the huge [penis] into her throat, but she could only get two-thirds of it in at most.

Huiji raised her eyes and hooked her finger at her sister. She slowly got up on the bed, knelt next to the man with her ass up, and never let the [penis] leave her mouth throughout the whole process.

Zhiji also knelt on the other side of the man in the posture she had imagined, tilted her head and held the part of the [penis] that her sister couldn’t get into her mouth…(金鳞岂是池中物) [A golden dragon is not a thing to be kept in a pond – meaning someone with great potential will eventually rise above their circumstances]