Chapter Sixty-Four: It's Just Like Visiting a Brothel

“No, I disagree!” The long-silent Xue Tian’ai, who had been sitting beside Qin Mengxue, suddenly spoke up.

At those words, all three women froze in surprise, then turned simultaneously to look at Xue Tian’ai.

Qin Mengxue was the most shocked. She had not expected him to speak at this moment, let alone voice an opinion. In her mind, Xue Tian’ai was someone who would never seriously apply himself to work. When he agreed to attend the meeting earlier, she had assumed it was only out of reluctant politeness.

“What do you mean by that?” Su Jiaqi, after a moment’s daze, quickly regained her composure, her expression turning grim. From her perspective, Xue Tian’ai’s words were clearly directed at her—she had just presented her suggestion, and now he was contradicting her. She was certain he was doing it on purpose.

“President Su, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m merely discussing the matter at hand,” Xue Tian’ai hurried to explain, sensing the cold, murderous glint in Su Jiaqi’s eyes.

“Then why exactly do you disagree with my opinion?” Su Jiaqi clearly did not believe his words.

Gan Bingning looked at Xue Tian’ai with a hint of confusion as well, completely unable to guess what he was thinking.

“President Su, don’t be impatient. Let’s hear what Assistant Xue has to say first.” Though a little uncertain as to his reasoning, Gan Bingning, out of personal bias, felt compelled to support him—for, after all, partiality is a human instinct.

“Yes, Bingning is right. Jiaqi, just listen to what Xue Tian’ai has to say.” Qin Mengxue chimed in, turning to him to ask, “Xue Tian’ai, why do you disagree with President Su’s viewpoint?”

Xue Tian’ai nodded, holding up the file he’d been reading. “I’ve just had a look through these documents and learned a bit about the companies bidding to work with our Menghua Group. Why not choose Tianming Group instead?”

“If you’ve read the file, did you notice that Tianming Group’s quote is the highest among all the companies?” Su Jiaqi immediately retorted.

“Tianming Group’s price is indeed the highest, but their quality and reputation are also the best. Why should we settle for second best with Tiandi Materials Construction, whose quality doesn’t match Tianming’s?” Xue Tian’ai replied earnestly.

“Tiandi’s quality may not match Tianming’s, but their products are still quite good. Besides, their prices offer a significant advantage over Tianming Group. Did you only look at quality when reviewing the documents?” Su Jiaqi shot back, refusing to yield an inch.

“Our Menghua Group can easily overlook a slight difference in quality. There’s no need to consider Tianming Group’s materials—we could buy from Tiandi and lower our costs, making more profit!” Her tone was forceful.

“Yes, President Su, you’re absolutely right. Buying at a lower price can achieve your stated goal. But what about our reputation? How will buyers feel when they learn our properties are built with Tianming Group’s materials, versus when they find out we used Tiandi’s?” Xue Tian’ai shook his head with a smile.

“What’s more, I just checked Tiandi’s background—they’ve been in business less than a year. With so few buyers, their reputation and reviews are not necessarily objective. In contrast, Tianming Group has been established for years, and their reputation hasn’t faltered—it’s been steadily rising each quarter.”

“So I believe that working with Tianming, though it costs more, will bring greater returns and rewards in other areas. And even if we spend more on building materials now, we can always recover the difference through other means later.”

As Xue Tian’ai spoke eloquently and at length, Su Jiaqi’s pretty face became streaked with dark lines. She had underestimated his sharp tongue. She remembered, not too long ago on the subway, how he had gone on with his (shameless) speech until she had no choice but to flee.

This scoundrel—was he just determined to make her life difficult? But thinking more carefully… he did seem to have a point.

So despite her reluctance, all Su Jiaqi could do for the moment was glare at Xue Tian’ai as he continued his speech.

Qin Mengxue was equally surprised; she hadn’t expected Xue Tian’ai to be so thoughtful, and every word he spoke was reasonable, leaving little room for criticism.

As for Gan Bingning, her beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. No wonder she had fallen for him at first sight—he could fight, he was gentle, handsome, eloquent, and persuasive… and on top of that, he was skillful in other aspects too. At this thought, a blush crept onto her cheeks, and Xue Tian’ai’s image grew even loftier in her heart.

“Er… why are you all silent now?” Xue Tian’ai was puzzled by the sudden quiet. Had his aura overwhelmed them? Or were they simply too mesmerized by his charm?

“Go on, if you have more to say. Don’t mind us,” Qin Mengxue encouraged him, genuinely curious to hear what he’d say next.

“I’ve pretty much said it all. I think, since our Menghua Group has the means to buy the best materials and be the best, there’s absolutely no reason to settle for second place,” Xue Tian’ai declared righteously.

“Well said—” Qin Mengxue began, about to praise him, when Xue Tian’ai abruptly cut her off with another statement.

“For example, if I were to visit a brothel and choose a lady, as long as it’s within my means, I’d always pick the most expensive one, because her service would undoubtedly be the best!” Xue Tian’ai said triumphantly.

Completely unaware that his mouth had run away with him again, he failed to notice the instant darkening of the three women’s faces at his last remark.

“Pervert!”

“Shameless!”

“Scoundrel!”

Each woman hurled an insult at him in turn. For the first time in this small meeting, Xue Tian’ai’s tactless tongue had united them in unanimous opinion.

“Heh heh, just an analogy, just an analogy—don’t get angry.” Xue Tian’ai quickly pleaded, seeing the murderous looks directed his way.

“Bingning, what do you think?” Qin Mengxue couldn’t be bothered to scold him further, turning instead to Gan Bingning, who had yet to speak.

“President Qin, I was originally inclined to choose Tiandi Materials Construction, but after listening to Assistant Xue’s analysis, I find his reasoning very convincing.” Gan Bingning answered quickly—truth be told, even if he’d made no sense, she would probably have agreed with him anyway.

“Very well. Jiaqi, what about you?” Qin Mengxue nodded, then turned to Su Jiaqi.

“President Qin, I agree there’s nothing wrong with Assistant Xue’s argument. However, I still think Tianming Group’s price is a bit too high. With the Yangda tender coming up, we’ll need funds in many areas. I believe we should consider this carefully—if necessary, we can call a general meeting to discuss it.” Though Xue Tian’ai’s reasoning was sound, Su Jiaqi’s pride would not allow her to simply yield to him.

“What’s there to discuss? Tianming Group’s price is high, but can’t we negotiate? Even old ladies bargaining for chives at the market know how to haggle—are we just supposed to sit here and do nothing?” Xue Tian’ai replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Haggle? At those words, Qin Mengxue smiled bitterly to herself. Haggling with Ye Hai Ruo? That was almost impossible.

Though she couldn’t claim to know Ye Hai Ruo inside out, she was certain of one thing—in all these years, no one had ever managed to get a discount from him.

Trying to gain an advantage over Ye Hai Ruo? That was a hell-level challenge.

“I…” Once again stymied by Xue Tian’ai, Su Jiaqi was left speechless in her frustration.

“What do you mean, ‘I’? Am I wrong?” Xue Tian’ai pressed deliberately, eager to give back as good as he got to this woman who so often made things difficult for him.

“…” Looking at Xue Tian’ai’s self-satisfied expression, Su Jiaqi was seething—he was obviously doing it on purpose! But suddenly, a lightbulb went on in her mind, and her anger vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.

“President Qin, I believe Assistant Xue’s proposal is flawless! It’s the best suggestion yet!” she said sweetly.

Xue Tian’ai was momentarily taken aback. Was this woman really agreeing with him? It didn’t make sense. What was she up to? Still, he nodded confidently, “Of course! How could my proposal not be brilliant?”

“Yes, I think so too!” Su Jiaqi nodded repeatedly, her face full of approval.

Watching the suddenly harmonious duo, Qin Mengxue and Gan Bingning were both baffled. These two were always at odds—why the sudden camaraderie? It made no sense at all.

But before they could mull it over, Su Jiaqi spoke again, her gentle smile instantly morphing into a look of sly cunning.

“President Qin, regarding Assistant Xue’s proposal, I have a suggestion as well.”