Chapter 177: Jinling Market Consultant, Qinghai Sports Center

Over the past two days, he had been preparing and felt full of energy.

During the day, he engaged in close-quarters combat with Chen Xingyan at the martial arts gym. At night, after returning to the villa, he fought hand-to-hand with Lu Mengyao and Lin Ketong. Although exhausting, Cheng Yao relished the process and felt no fatigue at all.

Now, he truly believed the legend of the Yellow Emperor ascending to immortality after intimate relations with three thousand women.

Today was the day to set off for Qinghai. Cheng Yao did not pack much. Early in the morning, he made a special trip to the school to inform his head teacher that he was going to Qinghai to develop his business.

Naturally, the head teacher had no idea what was going on and could do nothing with him.

Just as he left the teaching building and arrived at the parking lot, he noticed a middle-income man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses standing beside his car.

Seeing Cheng Yao, the man walked up with a warm smile. "President Cheng, nice to meet you for the first time. Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

"And you are?"

"Hello, I am Zhao Wenhao, the Jinling market consultant for Philips Technology. I have tried contacting your company's consultant, but since I couldn't reach you, I came here to try my luck."

"Well, your luck is quite good."

Cheng Yao smiled. A Fortune Global 500 company was impressive, but that didn't mean the person in front of him was some big shot. Even if their CEO came, Cheng Yao had no reason to be servile to a stranger.

He would handle things as they came and treat unexpected situations with a calm mindset.

Cheng Yao glanced at his watch. Although there was still plenty of time, he said, "I have a plane to catch now, so spit it out."

"Alright. Regarding the acquisition of your company, management has stated they are willing to offer two billion to acquire Midsummer Technology under your name, or purchase the buyout rights for your company's smart toothbrush."

Cheng Yao chuckled. "Do you know what my company's daily net profit is right now?"

"It shouldn't exceed one million."

"True, but that's because the factory hasn't been built yet. Once it is, sales will skyrocket. Not to mention several hundred million, a small goal of two hundred million in annual profit is completely achievable.

Besides, this is only for a few regions. Isn't two billion aiming a bit too high?"

Zhao Wenhao forced a smile. "President Cheng, two billion is not a small sum. Right now, sales are driven by advertising effects, and there are simply too many electric toothbrushes on the market..."

"Alright, no need to say more. Two billion is about right just to buy out the operating rights overseas, and perhaps even that's not enough. A Fortune Global 500 company wouldn't be so stingy, would it?"

"President Cheng, you might want to reconsider. After all, such products can be reverse-engineered and developed very quickly."

"Well, that's that."

Impenetrable to reason or flattery, Cheng Yao opened the car door and slipped inside, acting as if he hadn't heard the implicit threat at all.

He hadn't expected Philips' Jinling market consultant to track him down at his school. It just went to show that finding someone wasn't that difficult after all. Taking self-defense classes really had been the right choice.

Buzz, buzz...

Watching the receding taillights, Zhao Wenhao smiled and took out his phone. "Manager Qian, rest assured, President Cheng and I had a very pleasant conversation. At the very least, we can secure the overseas operating rights. Three billion is more than enough; the smart toothbrush is just a minor product. Leave it to me."

Shortly after, Zhao Wenhao sent Cheng Yao a message, sweetening the pot.

Upon receiving the message, Cheng Yao raised an eyebrow.

Overseas sales rights—it seemed the other party was aiming for that from the very beginning.

2.3 billion was indeed a substantial amount.

Cheng Yao had never imagined that the little toothbrush he whipped out could attract an acquisition bid from such a massive corporation. It must have been the embedded voice-controlled smart program.

The electric toothbrush itself wasn't worth much, but the intelligence behind it was valuable.

Cheng Yao considered whether he should sell, since he had no use for the foreign market anyway—it would be like picking up over two billion for free.

He could wait a little longer.

Perhaps an even higher offer would come.

Filled with curious amusement, Cheng Yao experienced the atmosphere of the business world for the very first time.

Driving away from Xianlin, Cheng Yao headed straight for Lukou Airport.

When he arrived at the designated meeting spot, however, he ran into a few unexpected figures.

"Cheng Yao! Cheng Yao, over here, over here!" Lin Sujia waved with a bright smile.

Wearing a cap, Qin Haoran looked at Cheng Yao with a very peculiar expression. This kid had quietly hooked up with Chen Xingyan behind everyone's backs, and Chen Xingyan had even kept it a secret.

Zhou Qing, Ou Junyu, and the rest of their tight-knit group were also there, along with a bunch of unfamiliar guys and girls. One of the girls looked strangely familiar to him.

"Why are you guys here?"

"We heard you were going to Qinghai for a trip, so we all tagged along..."

Chen Xingyan walked over holding a hamburger. "It's a tournament, with a trip on the side."

"It's all the same! We're here to cheer you on. I never expected Cheng Yao to participate either. When did you two get together?"

Lin Sujia's eyes were full of gossip, as if she wanted to read the whole story off their faces.

Yet, both Chen Xingyan and Cheng Yao maintained perfectly natural expressions.

Shinging his backpack over his shoulder, Cheng Yao said, "There's nothing much to tell. I was taking self-defense lessons, and it just so happened to be at the mixed martial arts gym run by her brother. Pure coincidence."

"With your skinny build, can you even handle it?" Zhou Qing asked.

"Definitely."

"Let me introduce you. Shen Yeye, Young Master Shen."

Shen Yeye looked at Cheng Yao with glowing eyes. "I heard you own a LaFerrari. Is that true?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go, let's find a place to sit down first."

Walking behind the group, Cheng Yao thought to himself that these guys were truly lousy friends. When he organized a trip, nobody wanted to go, but the moment Chen Xingyan planned one, everyone showed up. As it turned out, beauties had all the persuasive power.

Upon entering the first-class lounge, ground crew personnel came over to provide courteous service.

As soon as they sat down, Chen Xingyan asked, "Have you finalized the itinerary?"

"All done."

Cheng Yao showed it to her. He had ordered spaghetti and fruit snacks—all complimentary—and noticed there was even a free Thai massage service, which almost tempted him.

"Starting from Xining, visiting some temples and the like. The tournament won't take up much time."

"Mhm."

Some minor spots could be skipped since the scenery was largely similar, but Dunhuang and the Crescent Lake in the desert were absolute must-visits to avoid any regrets.

Lin Sujia grabbed the travel guide and took a look. "This is so detailed. Is five days enough?"

"More than enough. Honestly, traveling for too long gets boring."

Turning back to Chen Xingyan, Cheng Yao asked, "Did you bring any dresses?"

"No, I don't wear dresses," Chen Xingyan replied expressionlessly.

"That's a pity. Qinghai is gorgeous for taking photos in a dress. My photography and camera skills are top-notch, but what a shame, I even brought my equipment."

"Cheng Yao, then you can handle my photos and filming instead."

Just as Lin Sujia finished speaking with a beaming smile, Chen Xingyan frowned and said, "We're here for a competition, not lugging equipment around to slack off."

"Everyone says that about me."

Cheng Yao smiled, brushing it off.

After sitting down and chatting about the itinerary, Cheng Yao called Fang Liang to discuss the smart toothbrush matter. The buyout rights for overseas markets were open for negotiation, as the previous valuation was definitely too low.

Cheng Yao handed this task entirely over to Fang Liang. He really had zero interest in doing business; if necessity hadn't forced his hand, he'd still just be an ordinary student.

Half an hour later, it was time for ticket inspection and boarding.

Since they were all flying first class and arrived rather late, they didn't have to wait in the terminal and enjoyed priority boarding.

The flight attendants greeted them with trademarked, sweet, yet highly formulaic smiles.

Cheng Yao glanced at them; the flight attendants' appearances were quite decent.

People always said that the flight attendants of certain airlines were exceptionally pretty, but he figured that largely came down to luck. This profession truly gave passengers endless room for imagination.

During the three-hour flight, a lunch was served, and the flight attendants provided one-on-one service—they could even squat down to massage passengers' legs upon request.

Watching Qin Haoran lounging like an overlord, Cheng Yao decided to ring for service as well.

"Hello, sir, these are your complimentary snacks."

"Thank you."

Cheng Yao had downloaded a horror movie last night and sat beside Lin Sujia to watch it.

Chen Xingyan sat with Chen Ruirong, and three hours later, the plane landed smoothly at Xining Caojiabao Airport.

Some said Tibet was the pure land of the soul and Xinjiang was the paradise of scenic beauty, and that was only because they hadn't been to Qinghai yet.

Snow-capped mountains, lakes, temples, believers, colorful Danxia landforms, desert sunsets, the mirror of the sky... everything you could possibly imagine was right here.

People claimed that Qinghai possessed a magical charm capable of washing away superficiality and cleansing the soul, turning one pious and crystal clear.

That statement was undeniably exaggerated; he refused to believe this place could cure a playboy of his playboy ways.

Mentally rebelling against the thought, Cheng Yao traveled light with no heavy luggage, making the journey effortless. He didn't bother volunteering to pull luggage for Lin Sujia and the others either.

Like most girls, they had each brought a massive suitcase. Qin Haoran asked, "Cheng Yao, where's our first stop?"

"First stop is Ta'er Monastery, but we need to drop by the sports center for registration first. It won't take long, or you guys can hang out in the city center and wait for us."

"We'll go with you to see the world. Just make sure you don't get beaten into a pulp in the first round."

Chen Ruirong glanced at Qin Haoran. "Cheng Yao is actually quite formidable. He might even win the championship."

"Seriously? Didn't they say this is a heavyweight boxing challenge?"

"You'll see when the time comes."

Cheng Yao looked smug while keeping a calm surface demeanor.

Upon leaving the airport, a designated vehicle from the Qinghai Sports Center was already waiting at the entrance.

"Mr. Chen, welcome, welcome to Qinghai! Let's get in the car."

"How does the competition look this year?"

Once inside the vehicle, Cheng Yao put on his headphones to listen to music while Chen Ruirong sat in the front. Chen Xingyan reminded him, "There are contestants from eleven countries, and the American boxing champion has the highest odds of winning. Should we place a few bets?"

"Like sports gambling?"

"Yes, but it's private."

"I'll transfer five million to you. Bet on me to win," Cheng Yao said with a confident smile.

Chen Xingyan's eyes lit up. "Alright, I'll place a bet too. Do you guys want in?"

"Can he actually win?"

"Up to you, just for fun."

"Bro, whether I get super rich depends entirely on you."

Shen Yeye looked at Chen Xingyan and got briefed on the situation. Naturally, he wasn't as audacious as Cheng Yao, but he still laid down a considerable sum.

This tournament was hosted by the Qinghai Provincial Sports Bureau, the Qinghai Sports Federation, and Qinghai Radio and Television Station, with co-organizers including the Qinghai Combat Sports Association.

Reportedly, the audience alone was expected to reach four thousand people.

***