"You come up empty-handed, hoping to gain an advantage right off the bat," Su Bai looked at Master Fan and chuckled lightly.
"You overestimate me, sir. It's just some stored grains—a clearance sale."
Master Fan sat down with a smile. He hadn't really expected Su Bai to reveal much by asking; he just wanted to gauge his stance. It seemed now that Su Bai had no intention of negotiating.
"Five hundred thousand kilograms—purchased by the Grain Association. Can you supply that, Boss Su?"
Su Bai pondered silently. Quantity was never an issue for him; right now, his concerns lay elsewhere.
The Grain Association had been repeatedly pressuring him, and it seemed only one solution remained.
"Sure. Delivery tomorrow afternoon," Su Bai turned slightly toward Master Fan. "The price is 430 Mora per kilogram."
A flicker of delight passed through Master Fan's eyes upon hearing this. Compared to previous prices, this was an increase.
Whether it was because Su Bai was running low on stock, facing financial strain, or simply driven by greed to make more money—any of these reasons would be good news for the Grain Association.
Ideally, it would be because his stock was low and he was still greedy for profit!
Master Fan's expression remained unreadable. He put on a thoughtful, calculating demeanor, looking every bit the conscientious民生 entrepreneur.
"Deal! Delivery at the North Pier tomorrow. I'll inspect the goods in the evening. Thirty percent of the payment upfront, the rest upon inspection."
Almost as soon as Su Bai finished his tea, Master Fan had settled the matter.
"Pleasure doing business."
Su Bai stood up and extended his hand for a handshake. His mind was already made up.
"Now that business is settled, let's talk about personal matters."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Master Fan was confused. Su Bai's words had thrown him off.
Seeing Su Bai leading the way upstairs, he thought for a moment but didn't believe Su Bai would dare to make a move, so he followed him up to the second floor.
Unlike the bright and spacious first floor, the second floor—aside from a storage room—only had a small, narrow reception area. It could hardly even be called a room, as it lacked walls entirely.
Master Fan glanced around and sensed something extraordinary about the place. The reception area had a screen on one side and three walls lined with one-way shelves. On those shelves, items shimmered with purple light and swirling red hues. Glass bottles, books, even armor...
He couldn't even identify all the types of items, let alone their specific names or values.
"Two useless fools!" Master Fan cursed inwardly. Not only had his subordinates failed to uncover this information, but even Young Master Hui and Ah Wei, who had been here before, had never mentioned any of it.
The items before him struck his heart like heavy hammers. Even without recognizing them, he could tell they were extraordinary.
If even one person had told him about this, the situation wouldn't have come to this. After all, possessing such items meant either deep backing or immense resources.
If Su Bai were willing to rally others in the industry, surely no one would refuse. In a short time, he could likely establish an organization capable of rivaling the Grain Association!
"After you!" Su Bai tilted his head toward the thoughtful Master Fan and gestured for him to proceed.
"Heh heh, after you," Master Fan responded, pulling himself together and no longer paying attention to his surroundings.
Although he felt a twinge of regret, things had already reached this point. He couldn't shamelessly try to cozy up to Su Bai now.
After all, while he nominally managed the Grain Association, the association also managed him.
The four major families stood in a tripartite balance, none able to overpower the others, all held together by that plan. If he changed his strategy for dealing with Su Bai now, the association would likely split apart by evening.
Even if he was wrong, he had to continue down this path. Persisting in the mistake might still lead to a not-so-bad outcome.
"Now that we're here, let's talk strictly personal matters. I'll be blunt."
Su Bai lit a pomelo-scented incense stick, only ten centimeters long, placed it in an incense holder, and then lay down on a nearby sofa. He glanced sideways at Master Fan with half-lidded eyes.
"I'm interested in a personal collaboration with you. Wheat at 350 Mora per kilogram."
Master Fan's fingers twitched slightly as he instantly grasped Su Bai's intention.
He wants to split the Grain Association and break us down one by one.
"Boss Su is quite generous. How much stock do you have?"
Reserve? What was reserve? Could it be eaten? Master Fan had already reached a conclusion in his heart.
This price was already lower than the production cost from his own land. Why wouldn't he take it?
"Don't ask how much I have. Calculate how much you can take," Su Bai waved his hand dismissively, feeling quite satisfied with Master Fan's quick understanding.
There were no unbreakable alliances. With enough profit, one could dig up their own father and offer him as a soccer ball to kick around.
350 Mora wasn't Su Bai's lowest price—it was the bottom line for Liyue's民生. Any lower, and the Yuheng Star would come knocking with "warm regards." After all, cheap grain harmed the farmers...
"I want three batches," Master Fan calculated briefly and extended his hand.
"The first batch: 500,000. After delivery, the second: 600,000. The third: 400,000."
"Agreed," Su Bai nodded calmly. Though there was some scheming involved, it was merely the caution of a businessman. The price and quantity he proposed were genuine, requiring little further deliberation.
As the saying goes, overwhelming force crushes all tactics. Right now, he was just applying some clever maneuvering, but the core remained unchanged.
"You decide the specific location and time. We'll use the 430-Mora contract but add a rebate clause: an 80-Mora rebate per kilogram after delivery."
"Deal!" Master Fan's eyes lit up. He had just been thinking about how to conceal this when Su Bai provided the perfect method.不得不说, it was indeed well-suited for such operations.
In a few quick moves, Su Bai added a few clauses to the contract template prepared by Baixiao, customizing it on the spot. Master Fan skimmed through it and, before signing, asked Su Bai one question.
"Still, I wonder, Boss Su, with such generosity, what are your conditions?"
"They say Fan Qi of Linyun Slope. From now on, he should be known as Su Fanqi of Liyue."
Su Bai spoke lightly, leaving the truth of his words for Master Fan to interpret.
The incense ash drifted down, a faint red glow flickering intermittently as pale smoke rose slowly, swirling gently.
After a long while, just as the sandalwood incense was about to burn out, Master Fan raised his hand and signed the contract.
"Gatherings and separations, beginnings and ends—all eventually fall into the hands of the great families. If the independent merchants north and south of Tianheng Mountain end up under the Su name, it would be a fine tale. I, Fan, offer my early congratulations here."
--
100 powerstones = 1 chapter
200 powerstones = 3 chapters
300 powerstones = 5 chapters