Zhao Sifang continued, ["Brother Qin, give the phone to the manager beside you."]
"Alright."
Qin Siyang handed the phone to the female manager, "Zhao Sifang's call."
The female manager immediately took the phone, her face showing a respectful expression.
"Young Master, I am Sun Yaru, the market manager of District 9. Please speak."
"Alright, alright, I understand."
"Yes, rest assured, I will definitely arrange everything for Mr. Qin and his group."
"Yes, you're busy. Goodbye."
The female manager returned the phone to Qin Siyang and smiled at him, as well as at Li Tianming and Zhang Kuang beside him.
"Gentlemen, please follow me and wait for a moment in our lounge."
Qin Siyang asked in confusion, "Wait? What do you mean? Shouldn't I be continuing negotiations with the seller?"
"Don't worry, Young Master has already arranged everything."
Li Tianming pulled Qin Siyang aside, "They've made the arrangements, so let's just go."
"Oh."
They followed the female manager out of the cloaking light shield.
The three of them revealed their true appearances.
However, they found themselves in a finely decorated small room.
Tables, chairs, and sofas were all fully furnished.
"Please rest for a moment. I will handle some matters and return shortly."
Qin Siyang wanted to ask something, but Li Tianming spoke first, "Alright. Thank you."
"It's no trouble at all. Serving you gentlemen is my honor."
After saying this, the female manager re-entered the cloaking light shield and disappeared from sight.
Li Tianming picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of hot tea, "Hey, little Qin, I really didn't expect you to directly reveal your name."
Zhang Kuang leaned back on the sofa, also sighing, "Daring to openly report your name in the Zhao Family's black market, you are one of the few who would do that."
Qin Siyang spread his hands, "What choice did I have? I want the items, but I don't have enough money. I can only negotiate with the seller."
"The terms were either the Vine Core or the Crimson Crystal. If I didn't reveal my identity, he would definitely think I was trying to fool an idiot."
Zhang Kuang asked, "Two second-tier God-Hunting weapons. They're expensive, but not to the point of needing to trade the Vine Heart and Crimson Crystal, right?"
"Who said I was trading them? I was just offering some co-development rights, and that should be enough. Does he really think he can take a few gold coins and sit at the negotiation table with the top powers?"
Zhang Kuang nodded, "So that's your plan. That does make sense."
Li Tianming took a sip of tea, "Old Zhang, you don't know this kid well enough yet. He's someone who only takes advantage and never suffers losses. He's as sly as a fox."
"Old Li, don't you feel bad for lying like that? A Crimson Crystal the size of an egg. The only one in the entire Safe Zone. You wouldn't find another piece that big even if you searched with a lantern. I gave it to you without blinking, and you still want more?"
"Look at you, we're talking business, why bring up personal favors?"
"Tch," Li Tianming then said earnestly, "Little Qin, even if you have a good relationship with Zhao Longfei and Zhao Sifang, you can't openly challenge the Zhao Family's rules in public."
"The Zhao Family's black market values credibility the most. If the rules change at a whim, what will others think?"
Qin Siyang waved his hand, "I had no other choice. Do you think I wanted to trouble the Zhao Family? Owing favors is the hardest thing to repay. If I had the money, I wouldn't have done this."
"But I had no other way."
"Don't worry, Old Li. The Zhao Family will definitely understand me."
"And if they don't?"
"If they can't even understand this, it means they lack strategic vision and wouldn't have grown to this scale."
"What if?"
"Then I'll just cancel the special recruitment agreement," Qin Siyang shrugged indifferently, "I haven't enrolled yet anyway. At worst, I'll skip special recruitment, take the entrance exams, and pick another university."
Li Tianming thought about it and said, "That works too. I think East Glory University's offer is acceptable."
Zhang Kuang yawned, "You two decide. I'll just follow along."
———
At the top-floor conference room of Tengfei Hotel.
Two scar-faced men sat together, listening to Qin Siyang's conversation. Their faces were dark with anger.
Zhao Longfei frowned, "These three have no sense of contract spirit at all. Even worse than we were when we first started playing black markets."
Zhao Longteng slammed the table, "And I even helped that brat out. What the hell! Where's Sifang? Let him see Qin Siyang's true face. He thinks he made a loyal friend? Pah!"
"Big Brother, we're eavesdropping. Sifang doesn't know. Are you sure you want him to hear this?"
Zhao Longteng took a deep breath, "I'm just venting. Forget it. You were right earlier. With Sifang's brain, he'll never outplay Qin Siyang in his lifetime. Let him keep being sincere."
"Yeah."
"Did you set up surveillance in Qin Siyang's guesthouse?"
Zhao Longfei replied, "Originally, for safety reasons, there was surveillance. But after signing the special recruitment agreement, I removed it."
"Removed it?"
"Qin Siyang and Li Tianming are cautious. If they found out we were eavesdropping, they might turn against us. Since they're already on our side, there's no need to create hidden dangers."
Zhao Longteng closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded, "You're right. Qin Siyang definitely has secrets. If the surveillance was discovered, we'd lose the Vine Core and Crimson Crystal."
"Let's go with your plan."
Zhao Longfei smirked, "No rush. Once Qin Siyang enrolls, I'll make sure he knows who's really in charge."
Zhao Longteng raised an eyebrow, "Make trouble? What if he quits?"
"Big Brother, I meant the kind of discipline a teacher gives a student, not anything drastic."
"Oh, that's fine. Will Li Tianming be okay with it?"
"Don't worry. I talked to him about it today. He was so happy he almost laughed out loud. He immediately agreed, saying as long as Qin Siyang wasn't killed, we could mess with him however we wanted."
"Li Tianming really isn't a decent guy."
"Since when do upright people associate with someone like Guo Jiuxiao? We founded South Glory for research, not to be moral saints. We focus purely on talent, and Li Tianming fits that perfectly."
"True."
"Dad, Uncle Long, I'm back," Seeing Zhao Sifang return, the two immediately turned off the surveillance and resumed discussing Zhao Family business.
———
In the lounge near the black market.
Zhang Kuang was dozing off, his eyelids drooping, "Why is this taking so long? What do you guys think the Zhao Family will do?"
Qin Siyang thought for a moment, "What will they do? Who knows. Maybe they'll just bring the seller over to negotiate with me?"
After a while, the female manager returned.
She held a piece of armor and a dagger in her hands, "Mr. Qin, according to the Young Master's orders, our company has purchased these two God-Hunting weapons and is gifting them to you."
"Gifting?", Qin Siyang felt like he had just heard a strange joke.
"Zhao Sifang can't even afford rent, and he's gifting me items worth a couple of gold coins?"
Li Tianming remarked, "Weren't Zhao Longteng and Zhao Longfei present when you made that call? This was definitely their idea."
Qin Siyang immediately became wary, "When those two team up, there's no way they have good intentions."
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