After Darren left, Jacob sighed and looked around. “What else can I do around here aside from
eating?“ He walked around the place and smiled, as if he had thought of an idea. “Oh, how about
having a drink with an acquaintance instead?“
Then, holding a glass of wine, he went straight into Darren's private room.
Inside the room, Herman was eating and drinking with Darren. He was surprised when the door opened
and a stranger walked in. His gaze turned from the door to Darren, and he saw his gloomy face. He
asked, “Darren, who is this?“
The newcomer looked familiar, but Herman couldn't remember his name.
“Mr. Su, nice to see you! I'm Jacob Gu, the president of the HT Group.“ He raised his glass towards
Darren. “Mr. Xu and I are old friends,“ Jacob said, looking at Darren contemptuously, almost as if
challenging him.
As soon as Herman heard the name of the company, he stood up immediately. He remembered that
this was the president of the HT Group, Jacob, who had appeared in the newspapers countless times.
“Oh, it's Mr. Gu! I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meet you!“ With a wrinkled smile on his face,
Herman said to Jacob, “Come on, Mr. Gu. Since you are an old friend of Mr. Xu, come and sit. Let's eat
together!“
Herman made it all about Jacob, while Darren remained calm.
Darren kept to himself and didn't say anything. The war between the KING Group and the HT Group
had already been reported to the media. The food poisoning issue had also caused quite a ruckus in
the city, so it was impossible for Herman to not know about it. It was obvious that Herman was trying to
cotton up to Jacob, flattering him while he had a chance.
Darren, on the other hand, didn't want to show emotions around Jacob. The three of them sat and ate
at the same table, which soon turned the atmosphere a little weird.
“To be honest, I've heard a lot of good things about you, Herman,“ Jacob said. He had already made
full preparations in case this moment happened. He had especially checked Herman's information, so
now, he praised him sincerely. Finally, he said, “Since Mr. Xu believes in you, I think that you must be
trustworthy.“
The implication in his statement was self-evident. He had just suggested that the HT Group also
wanted to acquire Herman's abilities.
Herman understood immediately what Jacob was saying. Slowly, he took a look at Darren and said
awkwardly, “T-Thank you for your trust, Mr. Gu. But what kind of order do you plan to place? We do
have several more production lines.“
Darren, who was lifting his wine glass to his mouth to drink, stopped midway. He sneered and changed
the subject all of a sudden. “Mr. Gu, do you like the food? It seemed like you really spared no effort in
chewing and swallowing down the rest of my food. Ah, I'm sorry for my lack of class. I don't know if I
used the correct words. I hope you don't mind.“
His words implied that Jacob had not only forced himself into his meeting with Herman, but had also
tried to steal his services. Besides, the project of the HT Group was similar to the KING Group's
project.
The atmosphere in the room became tense. The three of them were quiet for a while until Herman
looked at Jacob, wondering what to say.
Jacob's lips curved up into a small smile as he didn't take Darren's words seriously. “Of course the food
is good.“ Then, he turned to Herman to answer his question. “To be honest, the HT Group is preparing
customized skin care products, which required the most professional equipment. After doing some
research, I found that you're the only one qualified in terms of the equipment. So now, I feel really lucky
that Darren introduced you to me.“
He purposely used the word “introduced“ to spark Darren's temper. He made it seem that he hadn't
forced himself into their meeting, but instead, been introduced to Herman by Darren himself.
“Of course, we also need your help for the production of some of our key ingredients,“ he continued.
Jacob's words also showed his attitude, not backing down despite the situation. He wanted Herman's
factory's equipment for the production of hyaluronic acid and their products as a whole.
Herman slowly looked at Darren with embarrassment. He was getting more and more nervous as time
went by. But Jacob also knew not to get under Darren's skin too much. So he said, “But of course,
today is just some talk. As long as we eat and drink happily, that's enough for now.“
Darren didn't want to lose his composure in front of Herman any more. He inhaled deeply and tried his
best to control his temper. Then, he said to Jacob, “I've heard of your new project, and I guess it's very
popular among the public. But it won't be possible to manufacture your products in batches. It's
inefficient, and I'm afraid you won't make much money.“
While speaking, he turned to look at Herman intentionally, making sure Herman understood him.
Compared with the stable sales of the KING Group's products, the potential profit margin of Jacob's
new project was low, so it was hard to tell what price he could offer.
And in Darren's eyes, it was obvious that Jacob just wanted to eat his leftovers, regardless of the profit
he could get from the new project.
Jacob cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Xu, let's not talk about work when we are eating. I just said it
casually as something to talk about, but I have to discuss it with Herman in private.“ Then, Jacob drank
the rest of his wine and wiped his mouth with the table napkin. He said, “How about this? I'll leave you
and Herman alone, since I have something else to deal with. Enjoy yourselves.“ Jacob didn't take
Darren's words seriously even though Darren was as stiff as a wall while saying it. After all, he didn't
want to go head to head with him in front of Herman. His words also made Herman think that they
would have a further conversation about this new project soon.
Then Jacob left calmly, leaving the other two men alone to continue their meeting.
Sam couldn't help but admire Jacob. Jacob had intervened in a private meeting, which had risen
Darren's anger and made him feel frustrated in his own home. However, he had had to keep himself as
composed as he could because of Jacob.
As expected, there was a phone call the next day. Jacob took a look at the number on the screen. The
number was familiar because he had memorized it already when he made the preparations. It was
Herman.
“Good morning, Herman,“ Jacob said with a smile. He greeted him joyfully because he already knew
that he'd gotten Herman's interest after intervening in Darren's meeting last night.
Herman, on the other line, was a bit confused. “Well, Mr. Gu, do you have my phone number?“ He was
surprised, but he quickly got to the point. “I'm now downstairs, in the lobby of the HT Group's building.
Do you have time to talk with me, Mr. Gu?“
Of course, Jacob would not refuse. He needed Herman. So, he asked someone to lead Herman to the
reception room where he would meet him.
When he entered the room, Herman immediately greeted him. “Hello, Mr. Gu.“ Herman was looking
forward to the meeting today, despite seeing Darren's obvious disappointment that he might work with
Jacob. He said, “In fact, after Darren's order is confirmed, there will still be a few more production lines
left. So...“
Hearing this, Jacob smiled and said, “The main products of our project are all customized. The
requirements of each customer are different and the efficiency is low. If the number of our production
lines hasn't increased, I'm afraid that the customers won't be satisfied.“
Herman looked at him stunned and pretended not to understand. “You mean...“
“How about this?“ Jacob started. He leaned back on the sofa and made a number with his finger. “I will
give you the unit price with full sincerity, because I want to get your support. After all, Herman, the
professionalism of your factory is unparalleled in this city.“
Seeing the number, Herman's eyes lit up. It was a generous offer.
But there was still some hesitation in his heart. After all, the profit of such a product was almost zero for
Jacob. If there was any loss, Herman would have to bear some part of it.
Seeming to see through his worries, Jacob continued, “Herman, you don't have to worry. I also want to
make this product more mysterious. I want to succeed in this. So I'm thinking of taking over the
exclusive use right of your factory. You can only serve the HT Group within a certain period of time.
That is to say, the HT Group is going to buy off your production line on the unit price. What do you
think?“
In other words, Herman didn't need to wait for clients to come to his factory, because even if there was
no order, the factory would still get a very considerable amount of income. Not to mention the
production cost. Herman contemplated over the idea and thought about the pros and cons.
Then, Jacob took out a file of data report for the pre-sale. Herman went through the file. The formal
production hadn't started yet, but the number of orders placed was unimaginable. In other words, he
could start production as soon as he went back.
Stable interests were the most important factor in the business deal. After seeing everything, Herman
immediately agreed. He said, “It seems that you are ready to make a big deal. I will certainly do my
best to help you!“ He added, “This line of products will surely be popular!“
Then, he signed the contract with Jacob and shook his hand as they closed the deal. As for Darren,
they were still only negotiating verbally. So, if Herman asked his subordinates to inform Darren about
the result of this meeting, Darren would have no reason to argue.
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