Chen Xiao sized up the bald, muscular man with disdain, saying,
"A Snake Fist expert, are you? As far as I know, the most famous Snake Fist expert in Juxian City is Leng Shan. Who do you think is more skilled between the two of you?"
The bald man's face didn't even flush as he proudly boasted,
"I'm not afraid to tell you, lest you be scared to death, Leng Shan is my master!"
"Just a disciple?"
Chen Xiao's disdain deepened. He couldn't even be bothered to glance at the bald man again. He turned to Zhou Dazhong and said,
"Yesterday, the mute master brought by Ye Jinhuan was no match for me, let alone Leng Shan. And yet, you've brought Leng Shan's disciple to find me today. Are you stupid?"
Zhou Dazhong was merely a department manager at Jiuding Pharmaceuticals. His opportunities to interact with the Ye family were extremely limited, so he naturally hadn't witnessed the mute master's prowess. He therefore assumed that the mute master, who always seemed to be trailing Ye Jinhuan, was just a loyal butler.
Upon hearing Chen Xiao's words, he burst out laughing:
"Pfft! Chen Xiao, you really know how to brag. Everyone knows that the mute master is just Ye Jinhuan's personal butler, a hunchbacked old man who can barely walk properly. How could he possibly be on par with Master Leng's Snake Fist? Even if you want to flatter yourself, you should pick a suitable reference! Hahaha... Hahahaha..."
After his laughter subsided, his wariness of Chen Xiao completely vanished. He casually sat down and said sinisterly,
"Kid, I'm not here to listen to your boasts. I'm here to acquire Jinfang Pharmaceuticals from you! Just nod your head, take the money, and leave. If you dare to say no, I'll not only prevent Jinfang Pharmaceuticals from acquiring any Chinese medicinal herbs, but I'll also cripple your hands and feet!"
Chen Xiao's gaze shifted back to the bald man:
"Zhou Dazhong, the only reason you dare to stand before me is because you have Leng Shan's disciple backing you up, isn't it? If you knew that your so-called reliance is not even qualified to carry my shoes, I'd like to see how arrogant you can be!"
"You're asking for death!"
The bald man, feeling Chen Xiao's disdain, was instantly enraged and raised his fist, ready to resort to violence.
But at that moment, he suddenly received a call from Leng Shan. He panicked and quickly and cautiously moved to the quiet doorway to answer in a low voice:
"Master, where are you? Young Master Tian's people have been looking for you like crazy, and... and they all say you've betrayed Young Master Tian. What... what exactly is going on?"
Leng Shan, clearly focused solely on the task Chen Xiao had given him, ignored the barrage of questions from the bald man and said,
"A She, if I recall correctly, you have a good relationship with Zhou Dazhong of Jiuding Pharmaceuticals? Tell me his whereabouts immediately."
"What?"
A She couldn't fathom why Leng Shan would care about the whereabouts of the insignificant Zhou Dazhong at such a critical juncture. He paused for a moment before replying,
"Master, Xiao Zhou is currently at Jinfang Pharmaceuticals."
"Jinfang Pharmaceuticals?"
Leng Shan's heart skipped a beat, and his tone suddenly became extremely sharp:
"Why are you at Jinfang Pharmaceuticals? Could it be that you are with him too?"
A She, sensing Leng Shan's anger, hastily and cautiously explained,
"Yes... yes, Xiao Zhou said that Jiuding Pharmaceuticals has always wanted to acquire Jinfang Pharmaceuticals but has repeatedly hit a wall. So he asked for my help, saying that if we could scare the new owner of Jinfang Pharmaceuticals, Chen Xiao, and get the acquisition contract at a low price, the Ye family would surely reward us handsomely..."
On the other end of the line, Leng Shan's scalp tingled. He gritted his teeth and interrupted A She,
"What nonsense are you spouting? Chen Xiao is a big shot that I would risk my life to protect from any harm! Anyone who dares to cause him trouble is my mortal enemy!"
With that, the call ended.
A She was completely stunned. He stumbled back into the conference room, his forehead covered in large beads of cold sweat, his gaze towards Chen Xiao filled with fear.
Zhou Dazhong was clearly displeased that A She had stepped out to take a call at such a crucial moment, but he dared not show his anger. He impatiently urged,
"Brother She, hurry up and help me cripple Chen Xiao's hands and feet..."
"Shut up, you idiot!"
A She's eyes were red, and he bared his teeth as he interrupted Zhou Dazhong. Then, with a "thump," he knelt down before Chen Xiao, trembling, and said,
"Mr. Chen... I... I was actually misled by Zhou Dazhong to offend you. Please be magnanimous and don't... don't hold it against me..."
As he spoke, he completely disregarded his image and desperately kowtowed. His forehead struck the hard floor with a series of "bangs," and in a short while, it was bloody and bruised.
"This..."
Zhou Dazhong was speechless. He rubbed his eyes vigorously. Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn't believe that A She, who was usually so arrogant in front of him, would kowtow to Chen Xiao. His reason instantly broke down, and he jumped around, yelling,
"A She, have you gone mad? Why are you suddenly kneeling to this guy named Chen?"
"Idiot! Didn't you hear me tell you to shut up?"
A She, who was willing to kneel and kowtow in public to seek Chen Xiao's forgiveness, was not afraid of Chen Xiao, but of Leng Shan. Yet, Zhou Dazhong was still fanning the flames, which made him incredibly angry.
As he spoke, he flipped up like a bear and pounced on Zhou Dazhong, beating him. In just a few moves, he had Zhou Dazhong curled up on the ground, moaning incessantly.
As for the other thugs Zhou Dazhong had brought, they were all show and no substance. They had already been so terrified by A She's violence that they had fled in all directions, covering their heads.
Chen Xiao didn't need to think to guess that A She's sudden change in behavior was due to Leng Shan's call. He looked at Zhou Dazhong with a playful expression and said,
"Mr. Zhou, even your greatest reliance has knelt and begged for mercy from me. Do you know what you should do now?"
As his words fell, A She kicked Zhou Dazhong a few more times before obediently kneeling down again.
"I... I... I..."
Zhou Dazhong was in pain all over and filled with terror, but he was unwilling to be defeated by Chen Xiao after just a brief encounter. He gritted his teeth and threatened,
"Chen, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you've hooked up with that old hag Ye Jinhuan. The Ye family is now headed by Ye Tiezhu. If you offend me, you're offending Ye Tiezhu. If you beg for mercy now, I might consider putting in a good word for you with Ye Tiezhu..."
Chen Xiao's face instantly darkened. He coldly interrupted Zhou Dazhong,
"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I get involved with that old aunt?"
Zhou Dazhong said with an air of certainty,
"If you weren't involved with Ye Jinhuan, how could you have gotten the relevant departments to work overtime yesterday to handle the transfer procedures for acquiring Jinfang Pharmaceuticals with your connections? I investigated your background before coming here. You're just a bastard from the old district, born without a father, useless except for your good looks!"
With his capabilities, investigating Chen Xiao could only yield very partial information.
"This... this... this this this... Mr. Chen, you... you've even gotten Ye Jinhuan? Isn't... isn't it said that she likes women?"
A She was stunned again. After all, as Leng Shan's disciple, he had more opportunities to interact with Ye Jinhuan from a distance than Zhou Dazhong. He knew very well how much Ye Jinhuan detested men. If Chen Xiao could even win over Ye Jinhuan, how could he not be shocked?
"Uh..."
Chen Xiao's face was dark, and he was torn between laughter and tears. After thinking for a moment, he decided to simply ignore A She and said to Zhou Dazhong with a cold smile,
"Does my background affect the fact that you've fallen into my hands?"
"I..."
Zhou Dazhong suddenly fell silent, his expression filled with undisguised terror. He stammered,
"What... what do you want?"
Chen Xiao got straight to the point:
"I want you to call all the Chinese medicinal herb merchants in Juxian City, big and small, and persuade them to supply Jinfang Pharmaceuticals with goods at the most reasonable prices at any time..."
"That's impossible!"
Before Chen Xiao could finish speaking, Zhou Dazhong repeatedly shook his head and refused,
"I'm just a small department manager at Jiuding Pharmaceuticals, not someone from the Ye family. How could I possibly persuade hundreds of Chinese medicinal herb merchants in Juxian City?"
"Is that so? Since you've admitted yourself that you're useless, what am I keeping you for then?"
As Chen Xiao spoke, he closed the medical book he was holding and gave A She a sharp look.
A She was already looking for an opportunity to please Chen Xiao. He instantly became energized as if he had been injected with chicken blood. He got up and threw a vicious Snake Fist, which had barely mastered the "inch punch," towards Zhou Dazhong's face.
"Ah—"
Zhou Dazhong cried out in pain. His already pig-like fat face instantly swelled to the point where even his mother wouldn't recognize him. He panicked and quickly covered his head, crying and begging for mercy,
"Brother... Brother She, don't... don't hit anymore, I... I'll make the call now, okay? Waaah..."
As he spoke, Zhou Dazhong, with A She pulling him along, fumbled for his phone and made a call.
"Hello, President Kang, Director Ye has changed his mind again and asked everyone to supply Jinfang Pharmaceuticals at a low price. Please notify everyone in the group quickly. If we delay Director Ye's plan, we'll all be finished."
With his personal influence, it was indeed impossible to persuade the various Chinese medicinal herb merchants in Juxian City. However, the Ye family's name was influential enough. He leveraged their authority, and with just one phone call, he got Kang Wenxue, the president of the Juxian City Chinese Medicinal Herb Wholesale Association, to send out a group message.
Immediately, the Chinese medicinal herb merchants in the association group eagerly agreed.
Following that, Jin Yongping, who was racking her brain in the adjacent office, received a call from Kang Wenxue himself.
On the phone, Kang Wenxue said with a sickeningly insincere tone,
"Sister Jin, you've finally agreed to Jiuding Pharmaceuticals acquiring Jinfang Pharmaceuticals. Congratulations! Please wait a moment, and I'll send you the quotation for the Chinese medicinal herbs you need immediately. I guarantee the lowest price in the city, and unlimited supply, hehe."
Jin Yongping was completely confused. She thought that Chen Xiao in the conference room had indeed agreed to sell Jinfang Pharmaceuticals to Jiuding Pharmaceuticals. She suddenly felt inexplicably angry. The frustration of being suppressed by Jiuding Pharmaceuticals for many years erupted like a volcano. She roared furiously,
"What nonsense are you spouting? When did I agree to Jiuding Pharmaceuticals acquiring Jinfang Pharmaceuticals?"
With that, she angrily hung up the phone.
If Chen Xiao didn't give her hope, it would be one thing. But to give her hope and then abruptly extinguish it, how could she not be furious?
However, as she gradually calmed down, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. After all, based on her understanding of Chen Xiao, she truly didn't believe that Chen Xiao would compromise so easily.
"Oh no! I might have disrupted Chen Xiao's plan!"
Thinking of this possibility, she ignored the tears in the corner of her eyes and rushed into the conference room. She nervously leaned over to Chen Xiao's ear and said,
"Chen Xiao, Kang Wenxue just called me. He adamantly said that I've agreed to Jiuding Pharmaceuticals acquiring Jinfang Pharmaceuticals. Do you know what's going on?"