"I'm certainly willing to share a drink with you all, but respecting women starts with respecting one's wife," Jiang Ye said.
Everyone present was taken aback.
"My wife dislikes me drinking, and she becomes very sad whenever I drink too much. Especially now that she's right beside me, how could I dare to knowingly offend? So please forgive me for substituting water for wine." Jiang Ye was talking nonsense; he had never been drunk.
Cen Yemeng offered an embarrassed smile.
As if it were all true.
The enemy forces returned in defeat.
But new enemy forces were still on their way.
Wave after wave, the assaults were incessant. Jiang Ye continuously stood up and sat down, deflecting every attack and parrying every blow, without touching a drop of alcohol, his stomach filled with water.
By the last time he stood up and sat down, one could hear the sloshing of water in his belly.
Halfway through the banquet, the onslaught of forced drinking finally ceased.
Fu Qiuyan had been observing with a smile the entire time, her gaze finally filled with disappointment.
She had planned for Jiang Ye to get thoroughly drunk, then with a bit of coaxing, he would sign various contracts. Now, it seemed this tactic was completely useless. She couldn't exactly pry his mouth open with pliers and force the wine down, could she?
Oh well, he was a commander after all; it was normal for such low-level tricks to not work on him.
Fu Qiuyan realized she had underestimated Jiang Ye.
Despite his youth, he wasn't someone who could be easily taken down.
"Commander Jiang, you've visited Six Leaf Clover Company and Machine City today. How do you feel about it?" Fu Qiuyan asked casually.
"My mouth and eyes are dry," Jiang Ye reached for a piece of dry bread. He needed to eat something solid now to absorb the water in his stomach.
"Mouth and eyes dry?" Fu Qiuyan didn't understand. "Why is that?"
"There were too many captivating things, and I was so busy looking that I didn't even have time to drink, not daring to blink an eye. Isn't that why my mouth and eyes are dry?" Jiang Ye said. "Advanced, beautiful, mature, and highly profitable. Everything I've seen today, I believe I'll remember for a long time. I'm very grateful that you could show me around in detail."
"Your evaluation is very high," Fu Qiuyan took a sip of vegetable soup. "If I were to say that Six Leaf Clover Company and Machine City could both relocate some of their industries to Jiang Ye Star, what would be your thoughts?"
Jiang Ye stopped eating and looked at her over the table.
"Besides relocating production lines, we can also help Jiang Ye Star cultivate relevant technical workers and share markets with Jiang Ye Star. The sales channels that Daughter Star has, Jiang Ye Star can also use. Furthermore, all products will be labeled as produced on Jiang Ye Star, and within two years, it will gain a good reputation and establish its own brand."
Jiang Ye remained silent, slowly eating, his gaze fixed on her, like a predatory beast eyeing an unfamiliar small prey, contemplating whether it could be eaten and if it would taste good.
"Besides Six Leaf Clover Company and Machine City, Daughter Star has dozens of leading industries, with sales figures in the trillions," Fu Qiuyan took out a small booklet from her pocket and placed it in front of Jiang Ye. "Over the next five days, I will take you for on-site inspections."
Jiang Ye opened the booklet to look.
It was filled with illustrations, dense small print, photographs, and charts, all describing Daughter Star's industries.
Some were more down-to-earth, such as instant noodle and snack processing cities, dairy farming plains, local tourism, and organic agriculture...
And then there were the high-end ones: asteroid mining companies, spaceship manufacturing cities, planetary development consulting firms...
It was dazzling, and Jiang Ye studied it for a long time.
"If Commander Jiang fancies any of these, they can all be relocated to Jiang Ye Star," Fu Qiuyan said. "For the profits of all relocated industries, I will only take twenty percent, with eighty percent going to Jiang Ye Star. We will provide permanent after-sales service, and if any issues arise with the relocated industries, I can help resolve them with money, effort, and personnel."
"This is truly a generous gift," Jiang Ye nodded.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
Any industry from the booklet, if picked up, was at least 150 years more advanced than Jiang Ye Star's industries.
What is windfallen wealth? This is it!
However, windfallen wealth always comes with a price.
Jiang Ye looked up at Fu Qiuyan, "You only need the intelligent fungus?"
"Six Leaf Clover and Machine City only need the intelligent fungus. If you are interested in these industries in the booklet, I would like to discuss deeper cooperation with you," Fu Qiuyan said.
"Please, do tell."
"Bi Rong Star," Fu Qiuyan stated.
Jiang Ye's heart jolted. This was truly the unveiling of the hidden dagger!
"Bi Rong Star may not belong to me," Jiang Ye said calmly. "Based on the data, your chances of winning are greater. Daughter Star is more advanced and larger in all aspects than my planet, making it more suitable for taking over a brand-new planet."
"I've received news that Bi Rong Star will be assigned to you," Fu Qiuyan said. "Daughter Star already has two satellites undergoing development, and one sub-planet. The other competitors also have several sub-planets. Only Jiang Ye Star does not. Therefore, the military intends to hand Bi Rong Star over to you. The territory that human power can control is ultimately limited, so one person cannot manage too many planets. Having you take over Bi Rong Star is more suitable from a developmental perspective."
Jiang Ye fell silent.
The version he had heard was different.
According to Li Nannan, because he didn't belong to any faction, he could pick up a bargain in the fierce inter-factional struggles.
But regardless of the reason, judging by Fu Qiuyan's tone, this matter seemed to be settled.
Moreover, if she weren't sure, she wouldn't be offering so many real industries in exchange.
"What do you want from Bi Rong Star?" Jiang Ye asked.
Fu Qiuyan's smile relaxed slightly; it seemed they could negotiate. Her biggest fear was Jiang Ye adamantly refusing to discuss the interests of Bi Rong Star.
"What can you offer?" Fu Qiuyan countered.
"I haven't thought about it yet; this matter is too sudden," Jiang Ye was like an impregnable fortress. "Since you want it, please speak freely."
"Joint development, joint management," Fu Qiuyan said. "Let us cooperate hand in hand."
"Joint development is acceptable, joint management is also acceptable, and cooperating hand in hand is certainly good, but these three together are not acceptable, and applying these three to the entire Bi Rong Star is even less so," Jiang Ye shook his head.
Fu Qiuyan frowned; she didn't understand. "You mean..."
"Some civilian groups on Jiang Ye Star accuse me of being a dictator, and frankly, I don't admit it. If I can't have the final say, then should there be several kings, several emperors? Unity leads to peace, peace leads to stability, and stability leads to prosperity and strength. As long as my ability remains at a passing level, I must have the final say, because I am willing to listen to suggestions from all parties and am also willing to temporarily cede some power to the wise," Jiang Ye said. "It's the same for Bi Rong Star; there cannot be two kings. I want to have the final say, but under this condition, everything else can be discussed."
"I understand," Fu Qiuyan nodded. "The major power will be in your hands, and other matters can be cooperated on."
"That's exactly what I mean," Jiang Ye smiled. "I am a benevolent person. Since we are all humans, people from two planets can certainly prosper together. Bi Rong Star has excellent natural conditions, and joint development will not be a waste. I very much welcome your participation."