Chapter 149: Negotiation
The stars were like diamonds, embedded in the pitch-black sky, sparkling with brilliant light.
In the gray alley of West Spirit City, next to a tea and noodle stall run by a half-elf couple, Sa Qier and Qi Bei sat at a weathered small table outdoors, patting their round bellies and burping contentedly.
“So delicious, it’s really good… I want the recipe too…” Sa Qier had a satisfied expression on her face. If her stomach could hold more, she would probably try every street food stall in West Spirit City.
“These places were all found by me. Shouldn’t I get a finder’s fee or something?” Qi Bei smiled, but his gaze lingered on the curvaceous buttocks of the half-elf girl.
“Fine, I’ll give you two gold coins at most.” Sa Qier wiped her mouth with an exquisite silk handkerchief that didn’t match her attire. She suddenly noticed that Qi Bei seemed a bit absent-minded, so she followed his gaze and saw him staring at the busy buttocks of the half-elf girl. Mischievous thoughts filled her mind, and she exclaimed loudly, “Hey, don’t you have any shame? Your eyes are glued to that girl’s butt.”
The half-elf girl turned around, glanced at Qi Bei, her beautiful face blushing slightly, but she didn’t say anything and continued with her work.
Qi Bei remained calm and composed, saying, “Qier, you don’t understand. Just look at the gazes of these men around us, and you’ll see that what I’m doing is just a drizzle. It’s pure appreciation, while they are shamelessly lusting after her.”
Sa Qier looked around and indeed saw the hungry gazes of the various customers fixated on the half-elf girl. Some even had drool coming out of their mouths.
She pursed her lips, feeling a bit puzzled. Did this girl not feel disgusted being stared at in such a lewd manner every day? With this thought, Sa Qier developed some resentment towards the half-elf couple.
Sa Qier, known as the business prodigy girl, was well aware of the dirty aspects of this world. In her view, the half-elf couple was clearly sacrificing their daughter’s beauty to attract customers.
Qi Bei glanced at her and knew what she was thinking. He spoke slowly, “You’re overthinking it. The situation is actually quite simple. This half-elf family is running a stall to make a living, and these customers come here to eat and enjoy the sight of a beautiful girl. There isn’t as much dirtiness involved as you think.”
“But these people’s gazes clearly want to devour this girl,” Sa Qier protested.
“Qier, you’re so beautiful, and as the president of the Sa Family Business Association, you must interact with all kinds of people. Has anyone ever had ulterior motives towards you?” Qi Bei suddenly asked.
Sa Qier paused for a moment and said, “Yes, but they don’t dare to act on it. Besides, I’m not someone they can take advantage of easily.”
“That’s it then. These people are just having thoughts in their minds, but they wouldn’t dare to touch her. Otherwise, they would face the consequences of the city’s rules. Moreover, this half-elf girl and you live in two different worlds. She doesn’t understand your world, and you don’t understand hers. She thrives in this environment and feels perfectly fine. So why are you so worked up about it?” Qi Bei said indifferently.
Sa Qier was speechless for a while. She felt that Qi Bei’s reasoning was flawed, but she couldn’t find any faults in his argument.
At that moment, the half-elf girl suddenly approached with two cups of something resembling tea and said in a crisp voice, “This is Wu Mei tea. It aids digestion and quenches thirst.”
“We didn’t ask for it,” Sa Qier said.
“It’s a gift,” the half-elf girl said, casting a big-eyed glance at Qi Bei.
“Thanks, you look really beautiful today,” Qi Bei stroked his chin and winked at the half-elf girl playfully.
The girl blushed shyly, turned around, and walked away, swaying her small waist.
Suddenly, Sa Qier felt uncomfortable. Men were truly not to be trusted. They would eat what was in their bowl and still look at what was in the pot.
Huh? Sa Qier startled herself with her own thoughts. Why did she feel uneasy? It was none of her business even if something happened between Qi Bei and the half-elf girl.
“It’s getting late. I’m going back to rest,” Sa Qier said as she stood up.
On the street, neon lights flickered. Qi Bei and Sa Qier seemed to have lost their enthusiasm for conversation until they arrived at Qitian Restaurant.
“Have a good rest,” Qi Bei waved to Sa Qier and turned, disappearing into the crowd.
Pursuing women is like fishing. It requires patience. Don’t expect the fish to bite immediately, and even if it does, you can’t reel it in right away. Love is like a battlefield, attacking and conquering the heart’s fortress. The skill involved is no less than that of a real military campaign.
…..
Golden Leaf Imperial City, Nord Family.
Old Kurt half-closed his drowsy eyes, leaning back in his rocking chair, listening to two maids singing a tune.
“The Emperor has arrived, Patriarch,” at that moment, the steward of the Nord Family gently walked in and whispered into Kurt’s ear.
“Let him in,” Kurt made no move to greet him, waving his hand. The two maids singing the tune then stepped back.
Before long, Emperor Han Mo, strode in with tiger-like strides. Seeing that Kurt was still leisurely rocking, he didn’t mind and pulled a chair to sit down.
“Your Majesty, this humble servant is unwell and unable to perform the proper greetings. I hope Your Majesty will understand,” Kurt’s aged voice sounded weak and feeble, as if half his body was already in the grave, ready to depart.
“It’s alright, I heard that you are quite ill, so I came to check on you. Old Kurt, you are the pillar of the nation, you mustn’t fall,” Emperor Han Mo expressed his distress, but his gaze was assessing the seemingly immobile Kurt Nord.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I have lived long enough, so even if I pass away now, I have no regrets,” Kurt said, followed by a hurried gasp for breath.
Pretending, you can keep pretending, old fox! Han Mo thought to himself. Over the years, this cunning old fox always had the appearance of being on the verge of death, but he never actually died.
“Old Kurt, recently the forces of the dark faction have been infiltrating our Golden Leaf Empire quite audaciously. They have caught the attention of the five Holy Lands and the Temples. Old Kurt, do you have any solutions to deal with this?” Emperor Han Mo asked.
“Your Majesty, I have the will but not the strength. Your Majesty is wise and mighty, I believe such a small matter won’t be difficult for Your Majesty to handle,” Kurt weakly replied.
“But I have heard that the remnants of these dark faction infiltrators are targeting your Nord Family,” suddenly, Emperor Han Mo said in a low voice, revealing his claws like a lurking beast.
However, at that moment, Kurt’s faint snoring sound filled the air. He had fallen asleep.
Emperor Han Mo felt like having struck a powerful punch but hitting cotton, leaving his face uncertain. He let out a deep grunt and turned to leave.
Shortly after Han Mo departed, Kurt opened his drowsy eyes and spoke, “Issue a family order to all branches of the Nord Family and to all legitimate offspring outside. The grand ceremony for the eight-hundredth anniversary of the family is about to take place. Let them all gather in the Golden Leaf Imperial City.”
“Yes, Master,” a voice responded, and the surroundings fell silent once again.
The previously cloudless sky suddenly gathered dark clouds, and strong winds began to blow.
……
Qi Bei and Sa Qier engaged in a spirited discussion about the details of their cooperation, finding a balance between assertiveness and compromise.
After much difficulty, they reached an agreement on some aspects and paused their discussion.
“Can’t you be a bit more gentlemanly?” Sa Qier complained in a soft voice, rubbing her forehead and showing signs of fatigue.
“Can’t you be a bit more ladylike? You make a fuss over every penny,” Qi Bei shrugged and chuckled.
“I represent the interests of the entire business association,” Sa Qier stated.
“I represent the interests of the entire West Spirit City,” Qi Bei replied.
They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
In the past few days, they had been negotiating the details of their cooperation, but progress was not particularly fast. To a large extent, it was intentional on Qi Bei’s part. Apart from a few key points, he didn’t actually care much about the other details.
However, if it weren’t for this approach, their cooperation would have already come to an end, and Sa Qier would have left.
On the other hand, Qi Bei knew that winning over a woman like her wasn’t simply a matter of compromising in their cooperation. On the contrary, if you stick to your principles, she would actually regard you more highly.
The facts had indeed proven this point. Sa Qier didn’t mind Qi Bei being picky and particular in their cooperation. However, outside of their collaboration, the two of them got along extremely well.
“Let’s go, let’s go eat,” Qi Bei said.
“Just wait a moment, I’ll go…” Sa Qier didn’t finish her sentence and walked towards the adjacent restroom. After the round of negotiations, she had consumed a lot of tea and needed a break.
After waiting for a while, Qi Bei suddenly heard a “clang” sound, followed by a short cry of pain from Sa Qier.
“Qier…” Qi Bei tensed as he approached the door, but there was no response from inside.
At that moment, Qi Bei didn’t have time to consider much. He kicked the door open and saw Sa Qier lying face down on the floor. Her undergarments were halfway down, exposing a large portion of her fair and plump buttocks, with a deep groove in the center that was enchanting.
However, he didn’t have time to appreciate the scene. He quickly turned Sa Qier over and held her in his arms, only to find that her face was pale and her forehead was swollen, with traces of blood seeping out.
Qi Bei called out to her several times, but she showed no response. He placed his hand on her forehead and used a trace of internal energy to probe, but he didn’t detect anything unusual. However, when he touched her sea of consciousness, there was a peculiar reaction.
Just then, Sa Qier opened her eyes, took a sharp breath, and reached for her forehead, crying out in pain, “It hurts so much.”
Qi Bei felt relieved that she had awakened. His gaze swept downward and his pupils suddenly dilated as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Below Sa Qier’s slender waist and the partially worn undergarments, a small, shiny, curly tuft of hair was boldly indicating its presence.
“Ah…” a piercing scream that could shatter eardrums resounded through the air.