Chapter 222: A Huge Concession!

Chapter 222: A Huge Concession!

The moment the conversation turned to equity, the table fell quiet.

Wu Yurong, seated beside Wu Chen, wore a rosy flush.

Her alcohol tolerance really was only average. She had not actually drunk that much, yet she already looked pleasantly tipsy, and even her smile had taken on a more seductive quality.

One hand rested against the stem of her wineglass.

She lightly pressed her lips together and glanced sideways at Wu Chen, her eyes filled with indescribable allure.

Ordinarily, the division of shares should have been something she and Gu Ruibo negotiated personally.

They should have discussed it at length, gone back and forth several times, and only then settled on a final number.

But if Wu Yurong were the one negotiating directly with Gu Ruibo…

Although she could meet him as an equal socially, in this particular venture, Gu Ruibo would unquestionably be contributing more.

When the time came to “steal money,” the one who would have to withstand pressure from every side would be Gu Ruibo—and the Gu family behind him.

Gu Ruibo would be the one taking the heat.

So Wu Yurong knew perfectly well that if she negotiated with him alone, she could only take the smaller share.

The larger share would definitely belong to Gu Ruibo.

A fifty-fifty split would probably be impossible.

But if Wu Chen negotiated…

Perhaps they could get fifty-fifty?

Wu Yurong was looking forward to it.

If she could split the profits evenly with Gu Ruibo, and everything went smoothly, then the amount of wealth she would ultimately gain…

Even if it was only a small bite from the enormous Ding-family pie, it would still amount to at least ten billion yuan in assets.

And that referred only to assets she would directly control—assets that could be counted toward her personal net worth.

If one also counted situations in which a partial equity stake allowed her to control an entire company, then the total value of the assets under her control could eventually reach tens of billions of yuan.

That would rival the entire Senlan Fashion Group, which had been built over decades.

At most, it would take a year.

If everything went smoothly, it would all be within reach.

Wu Yurong truly was excited.

The index finger of the hand holding her wineglass unconsciously traced its side.

Her gaze kept drifting toward Wu Chen, then occasionally toward the silent, thoughtful Gu Ruibo.

Gu Ruibo’s two men, Chen Lixing and Qi Jun, were watching their boss’s expression closely.

They both knew that although their boss was only in his early thirties, he was a gifted businessman.

He was an excellent negotiator with strong opinions of his own, but he was also willing to listen to his subordinates.

For Chen Lixing and Qi Jun, everything happening today had come rather suddenly.

Such a complicated venture—

and they were already discussing how to divide the profits.

They assumed their boss would either delay the matter and find some excuse to revisit it later, or simply state the figure he had in mind.

If the two sides began haggling, the issue would probably be postponed anyway.

“Mr. Wu.” Gu Ruibo finally spoke after a long silence, smiling.

“First of all, we should reserve at least five percent of the profits. We’ll need to make use of other people, after all. Some of them will have to get a little soup too…”

“That’s right.” Wu Chen smiled and nodded.

“However, that portion should be distributed through the subsidiaries below,” Gu Ruibo added. “The parent company itself should definitely be held only by Ms. Wu and me. Just the two of us…”

It was essentially meaningless filler.

Gu Ruibo clearly had not made up his mind yet.

But he could not remain silent forever and make it seem as though the question had put him in a difficult position, so he said something to fill the silence.

“So?” Wu Chen asked, his smile unchanged.

“So the parent company…” Gu Ruibo paused again before finally saying, “Sixty percent!”

The moment the number came out, Chen Lixing and Qi Jun both showed expressions that said it was exactly what they had expected.

Wu Yurong’s expression changed.

If Gu Ruibo took sixty percent, then she would receive forty.

According to Wu Yurong’s own estimate, even if she were negotiating with Gu Ruibo alone, forty percent was the number she should still be able to secure.

It could not go any lower.

In particular, her stake absolutely could not fall below thirty-four percent.

Once Wu Yurong’s stake fell below thirty-four percent, Gu Ruibo’s would reach sixty-seven percent or more—at least two-thirds.

That would give him absolute control.

Wu Yurong would have no real say whatsoever.

So no matter how hard Gu Ruibo pushed, he could not possibly demand that her share fall below thirty-four percent.

If he did, there would be no sincerity in the offer at all.

There would not even be a foundation for cooperation.

And forty percent was the first round-number percentage above thirty-four.

So…

In a sense, that was already close to the limit.

“Sixty percent…” Gu Ruibo continued.

“Ms. Wu and Mr. Wu take sixty percent. I’ll take forty.”

Wu Yurong’s expression changed again.

She stared at him, momentarily stunned.

The sixty percent was theirs?

Gu Ruibo was taking only forty?

Chen Lixing’s and Qi Jun’s expressions changed at the same time.

Both men’s eyes widened noticeably as they stared at their boss.

A huge concession!

They could not understand why their boss would make such an enormous concession outright.

This was not a small amount of money.

It was an astronomical sum.

At the very least, it involved several billion yuan in assets.

Even Wu Chen looked slightly surprised.

Gu Ruibo…

Now that was bold.

Wu Chen liked it.

In truth, Gu Ruibo had thought the matter through quite clearly.

This operation against the Ding family required little upfront investment and promised extraordinarily high returns.

Logically speaking, if the plan ultimately failed, then whether the profit split had been a little higher or lower would not matter much anyway.

But if it succeeded…

Then although Gu Ruibo would be taking a smaller share, he would also have forged a relationship with Wu Chen, this extraordinary man.

Everything was being orchestrated by Wu Chen.

If it succeeded, that would prove he possessed the heaven-reaching ability to summon clouds with one turn of his hand and rain with the other.

Gu Ruibo did not want this to be a one-time deal.

His thinking was simple.

If Wu Chen really was this incredible, then by yielding some profit this time, the next time Wu Chen set something in motion, he would surely think of Gu Ruibo first.

He would bring him along to make money again.

Gu Ruibo had chosen his words very deliberately.

He had said, “Ms. Wu and Mr. Wu take sixty percent.”

Not, “Ms. Wu takes sixty percent.”

In their earlier discussion, Wu Chen had clearly stated that he would not participate in the later operations and would not take any shares.

Yet Gu Ruibo had phrased it that way anyway.

As for what exactly he meant by it…

He believed both Wu Chen and Wu Yurong understood perfectly well.

The private room remained silent for several more seconds.

“Boss Gu is certainly straightforward,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

Then he picked up his wineglass and stood.

He glanced around the table.

The moment he rose, Wu Yurong followed.

Gu Ruibo stood as well.

Chen Lixing and Qi Jun naturally rose with them.

Everyone held a glass.

“Here’s to booming business and wealth rolling in… and to a successful partnership!”

As Wu Chen said “a successful partnership,” he made a toasting gesture.

The table was too large for everyone to clink glasses together, so they simply touched glasses with whoever was nearest.

“To a successful partnership!”

“Cheers!”

Glasses chimed around the table.

Everyone drained their glass.

After that, the atmosphere at the dinner table grew lively and relaxed.

No one discussed serious business anymore.

They simply chatted.

Gu Ruibo and Wu Yurong were both exceptionally skilled conversationalists.

The topics wandered all over the place, and as long as the two of them did not want silence, there would never be an awkward lull.

The dinner finally ended at ten that night.

Everyone had drunk a little too much.

Gu Ruibo had drunk the most.

Wu Yurong was second.

At around ten past ten, the group had already come downstairs and was walking through the first-floor lobby toward the exit.

The drunken Gu Ruibo had an arm around Wu Chen’s shoulders and was whispering to him in a slurred voice.

Wu Yurong walked beside them.

She was genuinely drunk as well, unsteady on her feet, and her female bodyguard, Chu Yan, had to support her lightly.

Chen Lixing, Qi Jun, and several bodyguards followed behind.

The large group moved toward the doors together.

“Mr. Wu… tomorrow… I’ll arrange it, I…” Gu Ruibo’s speech had become almost incoherent.

He had not drunk this much in a long time.

But tonight, he was genuinely, overwhelmingly happy.

It was the kind of immense joy that came from sitting at home and having wealth drop straight into your lap.

Of course, he would have to shoulder the corresponding risks.

But what business deal came without risk?

Wu Chen was practically the God of Wealth!

Just as the group was about to leave—

“Ms. Wu?”

A delighted middle-aged man’s voice suddenly came from nearby.