A moment after hearing this, Ying Baolin immediately laughed.
"Hahahahahaha~"
The moment his laughter stopped, Ying Baolin stared intently at me, his face devoid of any expression, making it impossible to tell if he was happy, angry, worried, or sad.
"You want me to set the conditions?" After extinguishing the cigar in the ashtray, Ying Baolin suddenly stood up and asked with a cold face, "What right do you have to say that!?"
Smiling noncommittally, and meeting Ying Baolin's burning gaze, I pointed to myself and replied in a deep voice, "Simply because I've obtained the qualification for the main tournament of the Gambling King Competition! Is that enough!?"
Before Ying Baolin could speak, I continued, "The purpose of your painstaking efforts to connect people and organize this competition is for the Gambling King Competition next March twelfth, isn't it?"
"As long as you release my two brothers, I'll give you my spot in the competition!"
Upon hearing this, Ying Baolin immediately retorted, "You must have forgotten, besides you, there are nine other people who have qualified for the main tournament, just like you."
"The main tournament of the Gambling King Competition, although the name is very tempting and attractive, most people participate just to show their faces and get noticed!"
"Qualifying for the finals is a pipe dream!"
"So, I can pay money to buy the spot from any one of them, as long as they're willing to sell!"
"Things that can be settled with money have never been a problem for me!"
"Your chip offers no advantage to me. You should add more!"
Shaking my head, I replied in an extremely solemn tone, "No, you're wrong!"
"The chip I'm offering has an additional, inherent advantage!"
"Oh?" Ying Baolin frowned and asked, "Tell me, what advantage do you have?"
*Pa-da…*
Lighting a cigarette and taking a couple of puffs, the swirling smoke obscured half of my face.
When the smoke cleared, I pointed to myself and said in a deep voice, "I am the inherent advantage!"
Hearing me say this, Ying Baolin immediately stared at me intently, "What do you mean?"
Without hesitation, I blurted out, "As you said earlier, most people who get a spot in the main tournament consider it a success if they can stand out in a match, but..."
"If possible, who wouldn't want to go further?"
"As long as you release my two brothers, I am willing to compete on your behalf!"
"As for my strength, I believe Boss Ying, you must have a general idea!"
"Although I dare not guarantee I can reach the finals, I can at least achieve about a fifty percent chance!"
Seeing Ying Baolin lost in thought, I seized the opportunity and said, "There's a cause for every effect, and a master for every debt!"
"Since you're after me, you can maximize your own benefits by keeping me firmly by your side!"
"You release my two brothers, and I'll go with you!"
"After the Gambling King Competition next year, you can decide whether to release me or keep me based on the final results!"
"In short, you can do whatever you want with me, kill me or torture me, I won't complain!"
Upon hearing this, Ying Baolin's expression instantly changed, and a flicker of interest flashed in his eyes.
Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun, who were cornered against the wall, frantically shook their heads and shouted for me to run.
"Muzzle both of them and make them quiet!!!"
Seeing Cheng Minglang and Han Jinlun getting agitated, Shen Lingyu, who had been silent, immediately instructed his subordinates to cover their mouths.
Just as Cheng Minglang's eyes flashed fiercely, preparing to resist desperately, I quickly shook my head at him, signaling him not to act rashly.
Because this was the critical moment that would decide the fate of all three of us.
Although Ying Baolin was somewhat tempted, his mind was still weighing and contemplating repeatedly.
At this moment, any insignificant action or word could interfere with and influence Ying Baolin.
Therefore, at this stage, with all my cards laid bare, all I could do was wait.
As Ying Baolin fell into a state of contemplation, the entire conference room gradually quieted down.
It was unclear how much time had passed…
Only when Ying Baolin sat back down on the sofa and his eyes regained their clarity did I ask, "May I ask Boss Ying, my conditions, are you..."
Before I could finish, Ying Baolin waved his hand with a cold smile and replied, "I'm sorry, I don't accept your conditions!"
"Why?" I asked, confused.
After relighting a cigar and puffing on it, Ying Baolin's expression suddenly changed as he said, "Because the strong never hand over the initiative in negotiations to the enemy!"
Hearing this, my expression also turned cold, "So, there's no room for negotiation?"
Waving his hand, Ying Baolin chuckled coldly and said, "Negotiation is built on the premise that the identities, statuses, and strengths of both parties are roughly equal!"
"In terms of identity, status, and strength, you don't have an edge over me in any of them. Do you think you're qualified to make me accept your conditions?"
"Then what do you want?"
Under the guise of picking up a cigarette, I subtly slipped my hand into my pocket, my fingers gently gripping a steel plate, ready to fight to the death.
"Chen Xiang, allow me to correct you on one thing."
After exhaling a mouthful of thick cigar smoke, Ying Baolin said with a grim expression, "From the moment you came here alone, you lost the capital to negotiate with me."
"Now, it's not what I want, but… I can do whatever I want!!!"
The moment his words fell, the subordinates who had been gathered around Ying Baolin immediately and menacingly surrounded me.
Although these men hadn't drawn their weapons yet, I knew in my heart that a deadly struggle was unavoidable.
Honestly, before coming to the meeting, I had considered the scenarios that might unfold after our encounter.
What would happen if I accepted the peace talks.
What would happen if I rejected the peace talks.
And what would happen if the peace talks reached an awkward stalemate.
But I truly didn't expect that Ying Baolin, at his level, would resort to such shameless tactics.
It was obvious he had no intention of negotiating at all!
He wanted to control everyone in his hands and directly seize the spots in the main tournament.
A bandit's logic, grasping at both!
………………
As the tense confrontation escalated, Shen Lingyu quickly flashed in front of Ying Baolin, not giving me a chance to capture the leader first. He looked at me coldly and said, "Chen Xiang, I know all your skills!"
"From the moment we let you in, the boss never intended to let you leave!"
"So, if you don't want your two brothers to suffer, you'd better surrender obediently!"