Chapter 104: Do you think there are still miracles?

An extended Lincoln Town Car was slowly driving down Grosse Strasse. At this time of day, the only people who could still be so brazen as to drive through the city were the heads of projects like the Tower, and both Meita and David William were in this car. Since the Town Car was specially made to be shock-resistant, and the driver had also received special training, sitting in the car was particularly stable. The three of them were even enjoying a glass of wine in the car, and they didn't feel any shaking at all.

'Mr. Mata, do we really have to go and talk to that Chinese guy Zhou Ming? I think that since we have such a big advantage now, we should just swallow them up, why give them a chance to struggle?' William asked Mata.

Mata took a small sip of the red wine in his glass, then placed the glass in front of him and said, while shaking it, 'It is true that under the current situation, we are not unable to just swallow them up, but I don't think that this is the best choice. William, you should have read some modern world history, right?'

William looked at Mr. Mata suspiciously. He didn't understand what Mr. Mata meant, but Mr. Mata didn't mean to keep him in suspense and said directly to him, 'Once upon a time there was an empire that never set, the most powerful country in the world, which used its military power to bully and dominate, to conquer and plant its flag wherever it went. Later, this country was opposed by the whole world and began to decline slowly.'

'Then a new world power emerged. This power also had the world's most powerful military, but this time he did not act as the previous country did, recklessly planting flags all over the world. What he did was to constantly use his military power to oppress all other countries in the world, making them work for him, become his trading partners or raw material producers. It didn't matter who ruled, as long as the result was to ensure his own interests.'

Maita's words were not straightforward, but the meaning was extremely clear. William understood at once, because what Maita had said was nothing more than the historical actions of the two colonial powers, except that their methods were different: one occupied territory directly, while the other controlled the economy.

'So, Mr Maita, you mean to let Zhou Ming continue to run this market?' William asked tentatively.

'When you corner a dog, it will pounce on you and bite you no matter what, so it's a disadvantage. So why don't we try a different approach, throw him a bone and put a leash on him?'

Meta continued, 'We do have an absolute advantage now. The Chinese have been cornered and it looks like they've lost. But that Chinese guy, Zhou Ming, is tricky. He might come up and bite us. So in comparison, we should give him a bone and show him that we're friendly and won't destroy him. But there's a catch: he has to cooperate with us.'

David then continued where Meta had left off: 'If he agrees to our investing in this Chelf market, holding more than half of the shares, and giving us ownership of the market, it won't matter if we keep him here. After all, these Chinese people are still very smart and capable. If we let them operate the Chelf market, it may not be much better than if they were in charge.'

Meta nodded and pointed to his head and said to William, 'It's always better to use your brain and think things through than to do them yourself.'

William clapped happily and said, 'Mr. Meta, you are really amazing. Yes, we are going to keep that Chinese Zhou Ming here and let him work for us!'

The car soon arrived at Hotel No. 1. Meta and David Wilhelm got out of the car, and Zhou Ming greeted them at the door with Du Peng and Su Han.

'Welcome Mr. Meta, Chairman Tong Gang and Chairman Li Cheng are waiting for the three of you upstairs,' Zhou Ming said to Meta.

Wilhelm glanced at him and said, 'It seems that you Chinese really care a lot about face. Mr. Meta came in person, but you are the only one to come down to greet him.'

In the face of William's mockery, Zhou Ming said without changing his expression, 'If it was just you, Mr. William, coming over, I think I would pull off a very big show. Not only would I find a group of beautiful women to throw flowers at you, I would also pull up a huge banner for you, with a fiery red carpet on the ground and huge balloons at the door. But Mr. Maita doesn't need any of that, because Mr. Maita came over to talk about something, and he doesn't need all this flashy stuff.'

William's face then turned red: 'Chinese, you calling me flashy?'

Zhou Ming laughed at this without saying a word, and over there, Maita stepped forward and said, 'Well, since Mr Tong Gang and Mr Li Cheng are already waiting up there, let's go up first.'

Zhou Ming nodded and said yes, then led Maita and the others up the stairs and all the way to the café. Tong Gang and Li Cheng also greeted Maita, and they all sat down together. This time, Zhou Ming did not engage in excessive pleasantries and quickly got to the point: 'Mr. Maita and we are not in the same position. I am curious, what is so important that you took the initiative to meet with us this time?'

Mata replied, 'Of course. As the Chinese saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I do have something to discuss this time, and it's about the Chelf Market.'

Mata's words surprised everyone, whether they were business tycoons like Li Chengtong and Du Peng or Su Han. They were all puzzled and didn't understand what Mr. Mata meant. Only Zhou Ming frowned, as if he had thought of something: 'Mr. Mata, do you want to invest in the Chelf Market?'

Mata happily gave Zhou Ming a thumbs-up: 'Mr. Zhou Ming is indeed Mr. Zhou Ming, you saw right through my thoughts at once!'

Mata was happy, but Li Cheng and Tong Gang's faces looked bad. Everyone is a business person, who doesn't understand each other's tricks? Obviously Mata is just trying to take advantage of the situation.

'My idea is very simple. The current situation in the Cherv market is not good, and there is even a major credibility crisis. It will be difficult for you to get through this alone, because your warehouse is almost empty.'

Mata then changed the subject to himself and continued, 'This is a difficult situation for you, but not for me. I have many friends. If you need it, I can always transfer goods from the west to fill your warehouse. At least I can help you get through this period.'

'What's the catch?' Zhou Ming asked coldly.

'I need to control at least 51% of the shares, and of course I won't take this shareholding for free, I can pay for it, whether it's in new rubles or US dollars,' Meta replied.

Just as expected!

This was the first reaction in Li Chengtong's heart after hearing Maita's answer. Obviously, Maita looked at the reputation of the Cherv Market and played such a loud reputation. Now he can control the new ruble by selling shares through this market, which is also a very good boost for the Dota project. So Maita has set his sights on the Cherv Market.

But if it was because he had mismanaged the company or needed capital injections to grow, that would be fine. The problem was that the Chelf Market was now operating well on its own, and it was Meta who had come along and caused havoc, making the situation so dire. Now he wants to buy more than half of the shares. Isn't this blatant bullying?

First, he messes up the target company's situation and even pushes the other party to a dead end. After the other party is cornered, he strikes and negotiates to buy it, so that he can be in an absolutely dominant position.

This tactic of setting a fire and then looting the ruins has been used countless times by Li Cheng and Tong Gang over the past few decades in Gangcheng, and it has never failed. But today, when they are on the receiving end of the robbery, it makes them feel extremely frustrated, even if the other party is Mr. Meta.

Having been in the business world of Gangcheng for decades, Li Cheng and Tong Gang did not want to accept it from the bottom of their hearts. So they immediately clenched their teeth and fists, but then they let go, because as people at the top of their careers, they could all see the situation. If they did not accept his proposal, there was only one way to go, and that was failure. So whether to live a miserable life or to perish on one's own doing was a very difficult multiple-choice question.

In fact, there are not so many brilliant plans in the world. The best method is to make the opponent follow your script. Even if there is a bottomless abyss ahead, and even if the opponent knows that it is a one-way street, they will have to jump headfirst.

It is precisely for this reason that Meta sat there without any sense of urgency, just leisurely sipping his coffee and smiling as he waited for their answer.

Mr. Maita is very calm and can maintain his gentlemanly demeanour, but William is not so sure. Especially since he was just ridiculed by Zhou Ming downstairs, so when he saw Zhou Ming get upset, he immediately spoke up, saying, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, I think it would be better for you to accept Mr. Maita's suggestion. After all, everyone knows the situation of the Chelf market, and we are not children anymore. There is no point in forcing yourself to maintain your boring dignity, is there?'

William's mocking words ignited anger. Even people like Li Cheng and Tong Gang were enraged, but in the end they didn't show it, because although William's words were mocking, they got to the point. They really didn't have any other options at the moment, unless a miracle happened.

Seeing the angry and unwilling expressions of everyone over there, but Zhou Ming's expression remained the same, which gave Maita an ominous feeling. So Maita decided to add fuel to the fire.

Mata put down his cup and said, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, now that your warehouse is empty, neither Mr. Tong Gang's ship nor your domestic train can help you replenish the goods in the short term. Even if you want to deal with Mr. Eugene, I'm afraid it will be difficult to see a verdict in the short term. I don't understand what you're waiting for now. Do you think there will be another miracle?'

Hearing these words from Mata, everyone's attention immediately focused on Zhou Ming, putting a huge amount of pressure on him.

If he didn't accept Meita's proposal, all his previous efforts would be for nothing. And from the looks of Li Cheng and Tong Gang, they were wavering. Even if he didn't accept, they, who also held shares in the Chelf market, might contact Meita in private. But if he accepted? He would never be able to overcome that hurdle in his heart. It was stubbornness, but shouldn't he, as a man, be a little stubborn?

Zhou Ming struggled with this in his heart, but just then, two people suddenly entered through the door of the coffee shop and waved at Zhou Ming, saying, 'Mr Zhou Ming, I've finally found you!'