Hearing this almost shameless response, Bai Qiuqin only frowned slightly, showing no displeasure. "There are many members of our family waiting to marry. If you need one, we can find one to marry you. They're all ladies from prominent families, beautiful as flowers, and possess great refinement. They'll be a great help to you as a wife."
"No, I don't need a slut. Is there anything else you want to discuss? We can put this aside for now." Zhao An showed no interest. Returning? No kidding, that would just mean returning to be someone's grandson. He had no such idea.
Bai Qiuqin had never met anyone like this before. "The Bai family has extensive resources in the industries you want to develop. With the Bai family's support, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary trouble, which will be very beneficial to you. As for trouble, I believe it's normal to assume some obligations while gaining some benefits, isn't it?"
"No, I'm a lazy person. I don't need it. Would you say that when I was broke? Everything is about profit. Without profit, I'm afraid I'd be nothing but a piece of shit in the eyes of the Bai family, right?" Zhao An sneered as he tapped away at the keyboard, then changed his expression. "Oh, of course. I'm a very straightforward person. Don't mind."
The atmosphere seemed a little awkward, and the negotiations reached a stalemate.
The main reason was that Bai Qiuqin hadn't realized that anyone would refuse such a good thing. For ordinary people, it was a blessing. She thought she didn't have enough bargaining chips, and the reason she refused was because the chips were not high enough.
"What do you want in exchange for returning to the Bai family?" Bai Qiuqin handed the right to negotiate back to Zhao An. No matter what the price was, she was confident she could bargain it down.
"Well, it's nothing. I simply don't want to go back. If I don't go, I can still be my boss, living a peaceful life. Going back and being a grandson of the Bai family? I'm not into that kind of thing. If you don't want to discuss business, please leave. I'm not interested!" Zhao An solemnly declined this time, not even entertaining such an idea.
This truly surprised Bai Qiuqin. No one had ever refused the Bai family's invitation; it was an honor. Now, someone treated that honor like dirt. This infuriated her!
"Do you know what you're doing? Do you understand what you're saying?"
"Of course I do. What's the matter? Are you going to threaten me if you can't recruit me? I'm really looking forward to it!" Zhao An crossed his arms, feigning a relaxed demeanor, a hint of disdain twitching at the corners of his mouth.
If it were anyone else, Bai Qiuqin would have undoubtedly started threatening, but Zhao An was no ordinary man. Everyone could see the income from the livestreaming platform, and his streams were very standardized, without any nudity or anything like that. There was nothing to find fault with them.
Furthermore, they've also launched a food delivery platform, a powerful tool for uniting users and merchants.
The latest news is that Zhao An has given 30% of his shares to the government, directly to the highest level of authority. With government control, he's clearly committed to profiting and handing oversight to the government. While the details of the proposed agreement are unclear, it's at least a mutually beneficial partnership.
This approach sacrifices some profits, but it's incredibly safe. With government backing, what could be safer?
It was this very reason that kept Bai Qiuqin from acting rashly. If she could recruit the other party, it would be a truly advantageous opportunity. Having a powerful ally would be a significant advantage, at least in the competition within the family.
"How could that be? If you're willing to return, I'm always welcome here. If you're not interested for the time being, we can continue our cooperation." Bai Qiuqin offered a gentle smile. There was no need to turn hostile. Creating an enemy out of thin air was irrational. Members of large families don't care about face or preferences; profit is the only thing that matters. Only after ensuring sufficient profit can there be subsequent respect.
"Not interested. Are you done? If you're done, please leave. Goodbye." Zhao An made no move to get up, seemingly too lazy to even see him off.
Bai Qiuqin wasn't angry, nor did she get up. Instead, she smiled and said, "I wonder what industries Mr. Zhao is interested in? Any new industrial investment plans? Perhaps we could engage in in-depth cooperation."
"No, but I'm interested in a deeper exchange." Zhao An lit a cigarette, then seemed to think of something. He pulled two packs of cigarettes from the cabinet and placed them on the table. "Take these with you when you leave. They're tobacco cigarettes, not for sale. One pack is 200,000 yuan, a pack is 400,000 yuan, and a pack is 4 million yuan. Smoke sparingly. Tell your master, forget about returning, I'm not interested in being anyone's grandson, but we can discuss cooperation later."
Bai Qiuqin picked up the cigarettes with some curiosity. "Are these the cigarettes you smoke? Very luxurious, very expensive."
It was indeed expensive. For a heavy smoker, two packs a day wouldn't be a problem. Even if it was one pack a day, that would be thirty packs a month, which would cost 12 million yuan a month. And that's just one person. If they were to open up for sale later, it would be hard to say.
"If you have money, you have to spend it. Otherwise, what are you going to do with it? Save it for your grave? Or keep it for having children?" Zhao An sneered. Only a miser would do that. If you have money, you have to spend it. Spend it on women!
"Okay, I'll convey your request to the head of the household. Are you free at noon? We can have lunch together," Bai Qiuqin offered. This Zhao An was truly a difficult person to deal with. If he had low emotional intelligence, he'd even offered a gift and apologized. If he had high emotional intelligence, why would he refuse to come back?
"Not interested. Your fiancé wouldn't agree, haha. Okay, I have things to do. That's it for now. When you have a collaborative project, call me or my secretary. I'm very busy." Zhao An stood up to see him off, making an inviting gesture.
Bai Qiuqin also walked down the stairs and picked up two packs of cigarettes. "Okay, I just happened to have a project coming up. I'll prepare the materials for you when the time comes. If you're interested, we can work together."
Bai Qiuqin suddenly felt a nudge against her hip. Turning around, she saw Zhao An, looking composed and seemingly lewd. "You seem to like women?"