Inheritance of Two Trillion Chapter 2422 - 1807: Such Terms_2

Subsequently, Vincent engaged in a tour with Bai Xiaosheng, covering various locales for approximately an hour. Feeling a touch of fatigue, he then extended an invitation to Bai Xiaosheng to join him in the meeting room for a brief respite.

At that precise moment, an individual approached Vincent, murmuring a few words privately.

Bai Xiaosheng, in the process of enjoying his coffee, observed the person speaking to Vincent, whether by design or accident. After a couple of seconds, his attention shifted away.

"Mr. Bai, ladies and gentlemen, my sincerest apologies. A guest has arrived. Please make yourselves comfortable here for a short while; I shall return momentarily," Vincent conveyed politely to Bai Xiaosheng.

Bai Xiaosheng responded with a smile and a nod.

As Vincent departed, he designated two vice presidents to remain behind, tasked with engaging in conversation with Bai Xiaosheng and his companions.

"Weiwei, have you managed to jot down the crucial points from our discussions regarding this cooperation? You can present them to the vice presidents," Bai Xiaosheng remarked with a smile as he noticed Lin Weiwei tidying her notes.

He spoke these words in Chinese.

Initially, Lin Weiwei did not seem to register his words but eventually nodded and passed her notes to the two vice presidents.

Consequently, both vice presidents appeared quite bewildered.

One of them, with a smile, addressed Bai Xiaosheng in English, stating, "Forgive me, what did you just say? We don't understand Chinese."

Lin Weiwei also assumed that Bai Xiaosheng had merely spoken casually and hadn't realized the situation.

However, Lei Ying observed Bai Xiaosheng with a degree of suspicion.

With a knowing smile, Bai Xiaosheng continued to address Lin Weiwei and Lei Ying in Chinese, saying, "You’re aware I can read lips to some extent. Just now, I observed the individual reporting to Mr. Vincent mention that the new guest is someone from our own group."

Lin Weiwei was slightly startled but quickly regained her composure.

Lei Ying maintained his quiet attention.

Bai Xiaosheng, maintaining his cheerful demeanor, looked toward the two perplexed vice presidents of the Winsmo Group and added, "The visitor is quite significant; he is none other than the executive president of our group’s African division!"

Both Lin Weiwei and even Lei Ying were taken aback for a moment.

Indeed, Mr. Vincent’s new guest turned out to be the executive president of the Zhenbei Group’s Africa division!

That would be... Mr. Tike!

Given their familiarity with the group’s high-level personnel roster, they immediately recognized Tike’s name.

Bai Xiaosheng had already switched to English. With a smile, he provided an "explanation" to the two vice presidents of the Winsmo Group: "I was merely inquiring if they had recorded the points of cooperation we discussed, and upon our return, we will compile them and forward them to your esteemed company for confirmation."

Crediting Bai Xiaosheng’s apt "translation," the two vice presidents harbored no further suspicions and readily smiled, nodding in agreement with his statement.

While conversing with them, a subtle glint flickered in Bai Xiaosheng’s eyes.

This appearance of Mr. Tike this time.

Was it pure chance, or was it a deliberate act?

If it was the latter, could it also be an attempt to sabotage the cooperation currently underway?

Yet, it seemed rather illogical for Mr. Tike to not make any effort to avoid this timing and instead choose to wait until Bai Xiaosheng had departed before making his appearance.

Pondering this, a subtle chill entered Bai Xiaosheng’s gaze.

If Mr. Brown harbored intentions to disrupt his endeavors this time, he would soon discover that Bai Xiaosheng was far from an easy target to manipulate!

...

Meanwhile, Mr. Vincent was extending a warm welcome to Tike.

However, Vincent harbored a degree of bewilderment. Tike and he shared a degree of familiarity within the business circles, having collaborated on a few occasions previously, though these interactions were neither substantial nor insignificant. Nevertheless, an unannounced and sudden visit was practically unheard of.

After escorting Tike to the reception lounge and ensuring he was served coffee, Vincent inquired with a smile, "Mr. Tike, what has brought you here today? Why the lack of a prior notification? I must confess, I was caught entirely unprepared."

Tike offered a subtle smile across his rather round face and responded, "Mr. Vincent, you are excessively polite. My apologies for the impromptu visit and any disruption caused. It is certainly inappropriate to pull you away from your esteemed guests."

The elder Vincent appeared surprised for a moment and then inquisitively asked, "You were aware that I had guests present?"

Tike offered a nod, accompanied by a smile, without any attempt at concealment.

"That Mr. Bai Xiaosheng, is it not? As we are affiliated with the same group, how could I possibly be unaware?"

Elder Vincent promptly seemed to grasp the situation and declared with a smile, "Ah, so you arranged to meet Mr. Bai Xiaosheng here. That is indeed wonderful news; allow me to escort you to meet him presently."

Welcoming two prominent figures in quick succession, potentially paving the way for even greater collaborations.

Elder Vincent felt an undeniable surge of happiness from within.

"There is no need for haste," Tike interjected, raising a hand to halt Elder Vincent, his expression one of a half-smile. "I had no prior intention of meeting with this Bai Xiaosheng, nor do I currently possess any desire to do so."

Elder Vincent paused, taken aback by this unexpected declaration.

Tike continued in a leisurely tone, "You preside over a company, Mr. Vincent, and it is quite common for subordinates to experience discord or even outright conflict amongst themselves. Even when you are aware of such situations, you might choose to overlook them, or perhaps even derive amusement from observing their competition. Am I not correct in my assessment?"

Elder Vincent knitted his brows slightly as he addressed Tike, a smile playing on his lips, asking, "And what exactly is the implication of your statement?"

Tike let out a soft chuckle, remarking, "Well, my current dealings with that Mr. Bai Xiaosheng are precisely like that."

What specific situation was he referring to?

Old Vincent found himself momentarily perplexed before understanding dawned.

Tike was implying that he, too, was engaged in some form of competition with Bai Xiaosheng.

It struck him as peculiar, this notion of internal strife even across vast continents.

In reality, the primary adversary of Bai Xiaosheng was Mr. Brown; Tike was merely taking the brunt of the conflict to mask this truth and avoid excessive revelations.

Old Vincent’s realization struck him, and he turned to Tike with a knowing look, a half-smile playing on his lips. "And why, precisely, are you sharing this with me?"

He questioned mentally why someone of Tike's standing would make a point of informing an external party about his professional disputes.

Old Vincent grew quite suspicious of Tike's underlying motives.

"You need not concern yourself with the finer details, but my purpose here is to discuss potential cooperation with you, and to, shall we say, dissuade your collaboration with that Mr. Bai Xiaosheng," Tike explained with a smile.

This proposition was certainly intriguing!

Old Vincent’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Rivalries among colleagues were a common occurrence; sometimes, he even subtly encouraged them, allowing his subordinates to vie for advantage – all, of course, for the company's ultimate benefit.

However, a conflict that actively obstructed business dealings transcended mere rivalry and bordered on outright animosity.

"The cooperation that Bai Xiaosheng is offering you, our company can certainly match. We guarantee you won't earn a single penny less, and potentially, even more," Tike stated with significant implication. "Furthermore, we share a long-standing friendship, being from the same continent. Surely, enduring relationships hold greater value than a few substantial collaborations, wouldn't you agree?"

It was abundantly clear that Tike was making a direct attempt to poach the business.

"I'm not sure that's appropriate..."

Old Vincent's gaze held a certain depth as he considered the situation. Regardless of the existing friction between the two men, he wasn't particularly swayed by Tike's offer.

Firstly, the collaboration Bai Xiaosheng was presenting wasn't merely about a few significant deals; it encompassed the prestige of esteemed Huaxia partners like Lu Yun and even established vital connections to world-class Chinese families and influential consortia.

The value proposition Tike offered simply could not compete with that!

"I believe I need some time to consider this," Old Vincent responded with a smile directed at Tike. "How about this: while you rest here for a bit, I'll go and conclude the inspection with Mr. Bai Xiaosheng. Given the involvement of the city government, I can't very well abruptly end his visit, can I?"

Old Vincent neither flatly refused nor directly requested Tike's departure. Instead, he employed a gentle and courteous tactic of polite postponement.

Tike nodded and smiled agreeably. "I've been traveling by car for quite some time, so I'll gladly rest here; it's no trouble at all. Please, do accompany Mr. Bai; I'll be perfectly fine on my own. However, I do hope you will eventually accept my proposal. Naturally, I wouldn't want you to gain nothing from this. I shall arrange for several companies to engage in private collaborations with you here. We'll absorb a business loss to ensure you profit more substantially – does that sound feasible?"

Tike's words caused Old Vincent to pause thoughtfully.

He had never before encountered someone quite so "generous" and "transparent," openly sacrificing their own interests to undermine a colleague.

"Allow me to ponder on it," Old Vincent managed to utter, a smile forcing its way onto his face.

Tike responded with a smile, gesturing with a "please" motion.

Old Vincent departed the meeting room, his expression tinged with a certain complexity as he walked away.

"Perhaps I should inform that Mr. Bai Xiaosheng about this," Old Vincent mused aloud.

After all, Bai Xiaosheng's network of connections was undeniably impressive; should this matter earn Bai Xiaosheng's favor, the potential rewards could be substantial...

Back in the meeting room, Tike smiled, gently stroking the coffee cup in his hand.

Such an open and direct offer of transferring benefits was indeed remarkably bold.

He felt that he had accurately discerned Old Vincent's true intentions.

Tike softly whispered to himself, audible only to his own ears, "After all, I possess a remarkable talent for understanding people!"