Could success truly be this simple?

Mr. Du chuckled and said, "Your friend's goods are in Mingzhou. If we send people over to inspect the goods, future shipments will be quite troublesome, and all sorts of expenses will be high. If the deal is for thirty million dollars, I won't make any profit at all—there's even a risk of losing money."

I replied, "To be honest with you, Mr. Du, my friend's company owes a large sum to the bank and other firms. If she can't sell this batch of goods, her company will certainly go bankrupt. But if the goods are sold at too low a price, the proceeds still won't cover her debts, and bankruptcy will be inevitable. In that case, she'd rather let the company go under than sell the goods at a loss, unless the price is enough to help her avert bankruptcy."

Du Guoqiang, being a business tycoon, understood immediately. As business owners, we all try our best to avoid bankruptcy, but once liabilities exceed assets, there's no difference between owing ten million or a hundred million—the result is the same. These goods are still considered assets; selling them at a loss only increases the debt. So why sell them off cheaply unless doing so can actually stave off bankruptcy?

Mr. Du listened and laughed, "Young man, to be honest, if it weren't for Mr. Luo's introduction, I wouldn't be interested in this batch at all! You must know, my company is based in Hudu. Getting involved in a Mingzhou deal might offend some business acquaintances there. Do you see my point?"

I said, "Mr. Du, you're a major businessman. An extra million dollars here or there may not make much difference to you, but to my friend's small company, that million-dollar difference could mean survival. I hope, for Mr. Luo's sake, you might be willing to raise your offer a little. I would be deeply grateful."

Mr. Du smiled, "Young man, since you came on Mr. Luo's recommendation, and for his sake, here's what I'll do: I'll add another million dollars for you. That makes it twenty million for the whole batch. If you agree, we can sign the contract right away. If not, you'll have to look elsewhere. That's the best offer you'll get—there aren't many companies in all of Hudu willing to pay twenty million for this kind of goods. You're welcome to try negotiating with others."

Since things had reached this point, there was no use pressing further. I said, "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Du, but I need to call my friend to see if she's willing to take a loss like this."

Mr. Du replied warmly, "No problem, I understand how you must feel."

I called Jinyu Lian and told her that a company in Hudu was willing to pay twenty million dollars for her goods, and asked if she was willing to accept. If so, she should bring the documentation and contract to finalize the deal.

Jinyu Lian responded, "My contacts, Miss Fu and Sister Fang, have come to the company today to pick up some goods. I can only come tomorrow. Please let them know that a few items have already been taken out."

I said, "Don't worry, I've already explained to Mr. Du that Sister Fang and Miss Fu will be taking out one million dollars' worth of goods."

Typically, the estimated value of this batch of surplus foreign trade goods was around twenty million, so missing a million dollars' worth wasn't a significant deviation. After explaining the situation to Mr. Du, he agreed readily and didn't fuss over the details. Clearly, this was a man used to doing big business, with a broad perspective.

After hanging up, I turned to Du Guoqiang and said, "Thank you for your generosity and help, Mr. Du. My friend has agreed to the deal and will come tomorrow to sign the contract. Will that be all right?"

Du Guoqiang replied cheerfully, "No problem. Just see Secretary Li tomorrow. Our legal team will go through the details with you, and I'll have the finance department prepare a two-million-dollar deposit for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Du. I'll take my leave now," I said.

Du Guoqiang said, "Young man, why not join me for dinner tonight? I can introduce you to some friends."

I knew I wasn't really in the same league as his circle. If I went, I might just seem out of place or even make a fool of myself. His offer was likely just a polite gesture or a way to test me.

So I quickly put on a smile and replied, "Thank you for your kind invitation, Mr. Du, but I didn't sleep at all last night from the stress, and I took the train to Hudu today. I'm really quite exhausted, and nearly dozed off just now! I'd like to go back and get some rest, if you don't mind. My apologies." I gave a sheepish smile as I spoke.

Du Guoqiang laughed and said, "No problem, go get some rest! Secretary Li, please see Mr. Li out."

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Du," I said. Secretary Li came over and led me out. When there was no one else around, she smiled and said, "Congratulations, young man, you've closed the deal."

"Thank you, Ms. Li, for your help. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet Mr. Du at all."

She laughed, "I didn't do anything! It was all thanks to Mr. Luo's recommendation. Otherwise, Mr. Du probably wouldn't have wanted to get involved in Mingzhou's messy situation."

Her words gave me a jolt. Could it be that Du Guoqiang also knew what was happening in Mingzhou? If so, the person who set up Jinyu Lian must have enormous influence.

I said with a smile, "Ms. Li, after this successful deal, I should have a decent commission coming my way. I'd like to treat you to a meal to express my gratitude. Would you do me the honor?"

She looked a bit surprised at first, then smiled, "You want to treat me to dinner?"

"Yes," I replied. "I'd like to celebrate with you."

She gave a faint smile and said, "Let's talk about it later." I asked, "Could you give me your WeChat? That way I can contact you."

To get the latest updates on 'Solitary Shadow, Rebellious Love' by Master Mingri Jun Zailai, be sure to bookmark this page so you don't miss the most recent chapters!

59: Is Success Really This Simple? Free to read.