"A rare visitor, I didn't expect the famous President Zhan Mohan to personally request a meeting with me," Zhou Fei said, looking at Zhan Mohan with a profound expression.
Zhan Mohan met Zhou Fei's gaze with a cold stare. While he had indeed initiated this meeting, it didn't mean Zhou Fei held the upper hand in this matter.
"Since you know my intention, why waste time with pleasantries? Or are you telling me that after all this time, you haven't improved at all? That would truly be your loss."
"President Zhan, is this how you ask for favors?" Zhou Fei scoffed, "You know better than anyone that your wife's right to her reputation is in my hands. If I wish, I can ruin her name."
However, Zhan Mohan's reaction surprised Zhou Fei. He showed no reaction to Zhou Fei's threat, even with a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if what Zhou Fei said was incredibly childish and laughable.
"Zhan Mohan, do you know how much I detest that look in your eyes! Always looking down from above, like you're looking at an ant!"
Zhan Mohan curved his lips, "My way of looking at people is nothing special. It's just that you perceive yourself as an ant, so you feel I'm looking at an ant, isn't that right?"
"You!" Zhou Fei slammed the table in anger and stood up.
But he quickly took a deep breath and sat back down. He had finally gotten this opportunity, a chance to negotiate with Zhan Mohan as an equal. He couldn't just squander it. Moreover, the control of the situation was in his hands, no matter what Zhan Mohan said. With just a word from him, he could control the narrative.
"President Zhan, since you're not here to negotiate today, then so be it. I'm not that keen on managing this matter anyway."
As Zhou Fei spoke, he stood up, feigning departure. He wanted Zhan Mohan to anxiously call him back, thus allowing him to, as the party with the initiative, set his terms and achieve his goals.
However, as he reached the office door, Zhan Mohan remained silent. He started to panic. If Zhan Mohan didn't stop him, where would he go?
No, Zhan Mohan was known for his deep love for Wei Yumeng. He couldn't possibly disregard her well-being. He gritted his teeth and placed his hand on the doorknob. He had no choice but to gamble.
"Wait," Zhan Mohan finally spoke, but his words surprised Zhou Fei. "If I'm not mistaken, you won't leave so easily. When I didn't call out to you immediately, you were also anxious, weren't you? You went to great lengths to find a handle on my wife and put it online. You've climbed to your current position just to seize an opportunity to negotiate with me, haven't you? You wouldn't give up such a good chance so casually."
Zhou Fei felt a sense of resentment but had to admit that Zhan Mohan had hit the nail on the head. Zhan Mohan was still the same formidable man, never showing weakness regardless of the circumstances. He had perfectly seized the initiative in the negotiation. Zhou Fei, who held Wei Yumeng's leverage, should have had the upper hand. But now that Zhan Mohan had exposed his intentions, Wei Yumeng's reputation was indeed less important to him than negotiating with Zhan Mohan. If the negotiation fell through, he could indeed ruin Wei Yumeng's name, but that wasn't what he truly desired.
"Speak, what do you want?" Zhan Mohan cut to the chase, his tone still condescending, as if he were bestowing a chance to negotiate upon Zhou Fei.
Zhou Fei clenched his fists. He refused to believe there was no way to make Zhan Mohan show a look of defeat. Although Zhan Mohan had proactively asked for his terms, this was hardly a situation where he could dictate whatever he pleased. He needed to regain the initiative in the negotiation to get what he wanted.
Just then, a staff member whispered something into Zhou Fei's ear. After listening, Zhou Fei's lips curved into a smile. He then looked at Zhan Mohan, "President Zhan, I was almost fooled by you. If my information is correct, your wife is not in a good state right now. If I continue to escalate the public outcry, what do you think will happen? While I do want revenge for past grievances, I think my wife's safety is more important, don't you agree?"
Zhan Mohan's brow furrowed. He had tried to suppress news of Wei Yumeng's condition, but he hadn't expected Zhou Fei to find a way to uncover it.
"How about this, President Zhan? Considering our past acquaintance, I'm not asking for much. I just want thirty percent of Zhan Corporation's shares. What do you say?" Zhou Fei's face was full of smugness. "Actually, this money isn't just for me. You know how influential we media are. To clarify the news, it damages the reputation of our entire company, and we need sufficient financial resources to compensate."
Thirty percent was no small sum. For the current shareholders of Zhan Corporation, none could acquire thirty percent of the shares at once. Zhou Fei was making an exorbitant demand. However, at this point, for Wei Yumeng, Zhan Mohan had no other choice.
"What's wrong, President Zhan? Can't even afford this much for your wife? I don't see how deep your feelings for her are," Zhou Fei sneered.
"Alright, I agree. I will give you thirty percent of the shares," Zhan Mohan conceded. "But you'll have to give me some time to prepare, as these shares aren't something I can just hand over."
"That's easily arranged," Zhou Fei became even more triumphant. "It's just a matter of time. I'll give you time, but don't make me wait too long. If, due to your delay, the public opinion gets out of control, even I won't be able to salvage it."
After Zhan Mohan left Zhou Fei's office, Fang Xun was waiting for him outside. In reality, Fang Xun had accompanied him but had split up upon reaching the company building. Zhan Mohan never let anyone take advantage of him, and this time was no exception.
"How's the investigation?"
"I've inquired all over the company. Just as you suspected, President Zhan, Zhou Fei rose to his current position in an astonishingly short period, even surpassing those with more experience from the same year. Thus, many suspect there's something amiss."
Zhan Mohan nodded. This might be the turning point. If they could uncover the truth behind this, perhaps they could oust Zhou Fei from his position. Then, Zhou Fei would have no leverage to threaten him.