"I'm sorry," Wei Yumeng's expression turned cold. "If Mr. Alfred expects to gain the trust of his partners under such conditions, then we at Zhan's Group will have to decline the collaboration."
The assistant, who had been following Zoe and remained silent, was the first to retort.
"Do you know who our young master is? It's your fortune that he fancies you."
Wei Yumeng said calmly, "Indeed, I find your words to be quite reasonable. However, as a mother of two, I suppose I'm not worthy of Mr. Alfred."
Zoe, hearing this, was not surprised at all.
"I know, you are the wife of the former president of Zhan's Group, aren't you?"
Wei Yumeng was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected Zoe to have investigated her beforehand.
Seeing Wei Yumeng's expression shift slightly, Zoe curved her lips.
"Since we are considering Zhan's Group as our partner, we naturally conduct some investigations into their situation. I even know that your company's overseas project encountered problems not long ago, isn't that right? Therefore, to rectify the issues with the previous project, you need our collaboration even more."
Wei Yumeng clenched her fists as she looked at Zoe's smug expression.
As expected, Zoe was not easy to deal with. Based on his words, Zhan's Group, and even she herself, were in a passive position.
Having their weaknesses exposed was a major taboo in business negotiations.
"You should know that with my status, I can have any woman I desire. And for you alone to secure the interests of the entire Zhan's Group, isn't that a good thing?"
Zoe looked at Wei Yumeng, even feeling that this was a reasonable proposition.
Moreover, from any perspective, this seemed to be a better opportunity for Zhan's Group.
In fact, what Zoe said was partly true to Zhan's Group's current situation.
The reason Wei Yumeng chose to personally take over this project was not because of the vastness of Zoe's family.
For Zhan's Group, the background and influence of the other party were never priority considerations.
However, during this peculiar period, following the incident involving the overseas branch of Zhan's Group, various other overseas projects also faced setbacks.
At this juncture, the only way to change this status quo was to collaborate with such a prominent family to enhance their reputation, thereby compensating for Zhan's Group's diminished influence overseas.
Seeing Wei Yumeng lost in thought, Zoe knew she was wavering.
"Miss Wei, I believe you are a smart person and don't need me to elaborate on the immense benefits involved. And what I've promised you will not be compromised."
As Zoe spoke, he reached out as if to take Wei Yumeng's hand.
Wei Yumeng instinctively dodged, then looked up at Zoe. If she appeared to be at a disadvantage now, Zoe would only become more triumphant.
Therefore, all she could do was take a gamble.
Wei Yumeng stood up, appearing ready to leave. "Since Mr. Alfred is not genuinely interested in collaborating with Zhan's Group, I won't force it. However... in this Pengcheng, there is no company more powerful than Zhan's Group."
As she spoke, she leaned closer to Zoe. "Compared to me, shouldn't you seriously consider if it's worth sacrificing such a good partner for the sake of a woman?"
After speaking, Wei Yumeng smiled at Zoe again, bowed, and then turned towards the door.
Wei Yumeng felt as if every step she took was incredibly heavy, potentially jeopardizing this rare opportunity for Zhan's Group.
Yet, she absolutely could not bring herself to betray herself for profit.
Even though Zhan Mohan was not by her side, she could not make a choice that would betray Zhan Mohan.
Finally, Wei Yumeng's hand reached the doorknob. With a gentle push, this project would be considered definitively over.
But now, she had no other choice. Thinking this, she pushed the door open.
Just as Wei Yumeng was about to step out, Zoe's voice echoed from behind her.
"Miss Wei, you are indeed formidable. It seems I have lost this round." Zoe stood up and walked towards Wei Yumeng. "You are right. The reason we approached Zhan's Group directly was precisely because we had investigated the situation here, and you are indeed our best choice."
Wei Yumeng did not relax her guard because of Zoe's words.
Zoe looked at his assistant, "Give her the contract. Let's finalize our cooperation today."
The assistant seemed surprised but still complied, handing the pre-prepared contract to Wei Yumeng.
"Miss Wei, you are truly different from the women I've met. You are more courageous and intelligent," Zoe said, his eyes filled with admiration for Wei Yumeng. "But have you never considered, if I truly hadn't stopped you from leaving, would you really have let this project slip away?"
"Of course, I was worried. But compared to losing this project, collaborating with a partner who is not genuinely committed might be the better choice."
Hearing Wei Yumeng's words, Zoe laughed. "Indeed, this is interesting. I imagine our future collaborations will be even more engaging."
The subsequent discussions proceeded very smoothly, with Zoe not deliberately causing further trouble for Wei Yumeng.
Their discussions continued until evening.
As Wei Yumeng and Zoe walked out of the hotel together, they saw Chai Yanyu waiting at the entrance.
"Sister!"
Wei Yumeng was somewhat surprised. "Why are you here?"
Chai Yanyu did not avoid Zoe's presence at all. "Of course, I'm worried that someone might deliberately bully you."
Zoe smiled. "Mr. Chai, it's been a while, and you haven't changed one bit."
"That's still better than some people who only get worse as they get older."
Wei Yumeng looked at the two of them, feeling somewhat awkward.
Chai Yanyu had mentioned collaborating with Zoe before, but it seemed their relationship wasn't very good.
Thinking of how Zoe had made things difficult for her, Wei Yumeng seemed to understand somewhat.
Could it be that Zoe sought a new partner because Chai Yanyu couldn't tolerate Zoe's bad temper?
It was only after getting into the car that Chai Yanyu's expression improved considerably.
"Sister, did that guy bully you?" Chai Yanyu asked with concern.
Wei Yumeng shook her head. "I'm fine. Everything went very smoothly."
Although she said so, Chai Yanyu didn't seem to believe her, as he knew Zoe's character quite well.
Wei Yumeng had no choice but to recount the entire process to him, omitting some details. Only then did Chai Yanyu feel relieved.
However, she had a feeling that Zoe's change of heart at the last moment was too easy. She felt that things might not be so simple.