Someone from the Ye family? Zhao Youlin's eyes flickered a little. She already had someone in her mind, but she was not certain if it really was him.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Youlin opened her mouth and asked another question. "Was it my father's idea or yours to send me to negotiate this contract personally?"

The chief secretary was a little stunned. The corners of his lips rose a few centimeters, which did not happen often. "It doesn't matter whose idea it was. I simply think this is the way to deal with this matter."

Zhao Youlin swept a glance at him and said a moment later, "Since you have said so, I have nothing more to say. Make some arrangements, ask our staff to guide our client to the parlor. I'll be there in a moment and talk to him about the contract."

The chief secretary nodded. He closed the file in his hand and turned to go out to make arrangements.

Although she had already guessed it, she was still a little surprised when she really saw Ye Yan in the parlor.

But Zhao Youlin got over the emotion pretty quickly. Her surprise was quickly replaced by a faint sense of resignation. He was the very person she had wanted to avoid.

After being invited for a dance by him at the old master's birthday banquet only to stand him up in the end, Zhao Youlin had never met him again. She did not expect that they would meet again under such circumstances.

Zhao Youlin sighed a little over the unpredictability in the world. Then she walked graciously to Ye Yan with a smile and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Ye."

Ye Yan was stunned a little too when he saw Zhao Youlin. The tiredness he showed earlier because of the waiting dissipated instantly without a trace. He subconsciously put on his friendliest smile and replied, "I've just arrived too. I didn't wait for too long. Also, I once told you, you can just call me Yan. Addressing me as Mr. Ye is too ceremonious."

Zhao Youlin glanced at him and said noncommittally, "Mr. Ye, if there is nothing else, can we start discussing the contract now?"

The smile on Ye Yan's face stiffened slightly. The expression of his secretary, who was standing beside him, darkened instantly. He was obviously a little upset by Zhao Youlin's attitude to Ye Yan.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat awkward all of a sudden.

Zhao Yulin took in the reaction of the person opposite of her, though she had no intention of opening her mouth to smooth things over.

Just when the only few people in the meeting room thought that Ye Yan would be angered by Zhao Youlin's lack of respect, Young Master Ye Yan unexpectedly curved his lips and said softly, "Okay, since that's what you want, let's talk about the contents of the contract first then."

The people brought by Zhao Youlin, as well as the secretary behind Ye Yan, all had their jaws slackening because of Ye Yan's gentle attitude.

The cooperation project they were going to discuss was mainly about a resort that Zhao Enterprise was planning to make an investment in. A long time ago, Zhao Shunrong had intended to invest in a private resort in the suburbs of Shalnork, but this plan was repeatedly shelved because the budget for manpower, material resources and financial resources was too immeasurable.

Recently, Zhao Shunrong had brought up this project again and appointed Zhao Youlin to take charge of it.

Although it seemed challenging, the truth was long before this, Zhao Shunrong had already asked his subordinates to sort out other matters, the only problem left was… that piece of land belonged to the Ye family.

"Our president's offer is as such, as long as your company is willing to give us that piece of land, other than the corresponding price, we'll also let your company become one of the registered companies of the resort, once the construction is completed," Zhao Youlin said briefly and concisely. Then, she pushed a drafted document toward Ye Yan.

Ye Yan, however, did not take the document. He replied with a chuckle. "As long as we are willing to give up that land, your company will pay the corresponding price and let us become one of the registered companies of the resort. So these are the conditions offered by your company, right?"

"That's right."

"But that's not what we want, or you can say, it's not what I want."

Zhao Youlin's expression changed slightly as Ye Yan continued, "It's clearly stated in our contract. We don't need your company to pay us anything for this land. On the contrary, we will also invest a certain amount of funds. We just want to cooperate with Zhao Enterprise by becoming one of the investors of this resort. We seek a pleasant collaboration and mutual development."

Zhao Youlin's eyes flickered. The aura around her vaguely revealed a hint of intimidation. Pleasant cooperation? Mutual development? This guy here was trying to get a wishful deal for their company. 

Zhao Enterprise had only wanted to buy their land to serve as the cornerstone of the resort's construction, which the two companies would only be considered to have a buyer-seller relationship. Even if Zhao Enterprise let Ye Yan's company become one of the registered companies of the resort, it would just be a foreign company stationed in the resort.

Though based on what Ye Yan said, the resort that was supposed to be Zhao Enterprise's independent project had become a cooperative project between the two companies. When the construction of the resort was completed in the future, Ye Yan would possess a certain amount of shares, which he would own a part of the resort that was supposed to belong exclusively to Zhao Enterprise. Ye Yan's company would become another domestic enterprise of the resort instead of a foreign enterprise.

This difference in the interest involved was big. The slice of cake that Ye Yan attempted to make Zhao Enterprise give him was big as well.

Thinking about this, Zhao Youlin could not help but sneer several times internally. She was not an idiot. How could she not be clear of the stakes in it? This man had made such a bold demand. Did he overestimate himself or underestimate her?

Ye Yan seemed to have seen the mockery in Zhao Youlin's eyes as he added with a smile, "Youlin, you should know that for the Ye family, and even for me, the money for that piece of land is not worth mentioning at all. I don't care whether I can sell it or not, and I don't care who I sell it to. However, I'm a businessman, and businessmen always like to bring out the maximum value of what they have. So these demands of mine are actually not excessive. This is something that you should understand."

This man was threatening her? The land was in his hands now. He got to decide whether he wanted to sell it or not. He had the upper hand here.

Zhao Youlin narrowed her eyes and stared at the man across the table without moving. After a long time, she suddenly curled her lips and said with a smile, "If I remember correctly, the Ye family is mainly involved in the catering business, right? Why are you suddenly interested in the real estate sector? Is it possible that you're planning to find another way to further expand the Ye family's industry? How about this? I will discuss with the president and chairman to have one-tenth of the food and beverage in the resort provided by your company. Mr. Ye, I'm sure you know that a place like the resort has a lot of people. With this guarantee, the benefits of this are considered substantial compared to the value of that land."

Zhao Youlin's light-hearted words managed to bring the terms of cooperation between the two directly back to how it was in the first place. She only slightly adjusted the offer upward and gave him an exact figure.

But any person who was smart enough could hear that Zhao Youlin was mocking Ye Yan for being too greedy. She had been very generous with her offer, yet Ye Yan still tried to seek greater benefits, which only showed that he really was… being unappreciative!