Chapter 378: Three Strikes

Despite noticing Old John's seething anger, Xia Yu remained unmoved. No matter how enraged Old John was, Xia Yu didn't care a bit; his only concern was solid, tangible profit. Besides, Old John was an enemy, and Xia Yu thought it was only right to make the most of it.

E-He Holdings owned 30% of E-He Insurance Consulting Group, totaling 18 million shares. Even if the price per share was raised by just one HKD, Xia Yu would need an additional 18 million HKD!

Even if Xia Yu had impressive earning capabilities, making 18 million HKD would require considerable effort!

Furthermore, giving in now would be like giving money to an enemy. Xia Yu was determined not to relent easily. He intended to drain his opponent thoroughly.

"Mr. John, the share price of E-He Insurance Consulting Group is worth this price. I have already made concessions on E-He Machinery Group. Are you expecting to settle at 112 HKD per share?" 

Xia Yu sneered, crossing his arms and threateningly stated.

As the saying goes, the wheel of fortune turns; this year it's my turn!

Previously, Old John had used E-He Machinery Group to threaten him. Now the tables had turned, and it was Xia Yu's turn to use E-He Machinery Group for counter-threats.

PS: Please vote for the monthly and recommendation votes! This week's votes haven't been strong, sigh.

Xia Yu's previous concession on E-He Machinery Group was to create a perception of difficulty, making Old John feel that the gains were hard-won.

People tend to cherish what they struggle for more. If Xia Yu had easily agreed to his offer, even at 100 HKD per share, Old John might have suspected whether he had overpaid.

Understanding this, Xia Yu dragged out the negotiation, making Old John pay 112 HKD per share and not feel it was a loss.

Now, using this leverage to threaten Old John, Xia Yu forced him to take it seriously.

Sure enough, Old John's face grew even more displeased upon hearing Xia Yu's threat. He had to take deep breaths to calm himself.

"Mr. Xia, you must understand what is important. I did not intend to sell the company from the beginning. Business is about mutual consent. If you think you are being unfairly treated, we can end tonight's negotiation."

Xia Yu leaned back in his chair, shrugged, and said with an indifferent attitude.

The more indifferent Xia Yu appeared, the more Old John cared.

Xia Yu's psychological tactics had not stopped. Every word and action subtly misled Old John, making even the experienced Old John fall into the trap.

Seeing Xia Yu's provoking demeanor, Old John, despite his age, felt a strong impulse to give him a good beating.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and weighed his options.

Old John was paying 112 HKD per share for E-He Machinery Group, which was 24 HKD more than the original price.

Xia Yu had approximately 13.5 million shares, meaning he was paying over 300 million HKD more.

For E-He Insurance Consulting Group, the original price was 8.3 HKD per share. Even if the price could rise, the maximum premium would be around 20%.

A 20% premium would be around 30 million HKD, less than a tenth of what he had overpaid.

Thinking this way made him feel better. The previous discomfort was due to Xia Yu's greedy appearance and attitude, which had built up frustration.

Now, with a clear head, Old John realized that the initiative was with Xia Yu. Getting a 20% premium was unlikely!

But no matter what, he had to fight for it; one must do their best and leave the rest to fate!

"Mr. Xia, let's not discuss the fact that E-He Insurance Consulting Group's share price hasn't risen. I agreed to a 20% premium for E-He Machinery Group, so you must also agree to a 20% premium for E-He Insurance Consulting Group!"

Old John declared resolutely.

"Impossible! I'm not begging you to sell. You don't have to sell at all!"

Xia Yu flatly rejected, showing no signs of compromise.

He seized on Old John's reluctance to overturn the previously agreed cooperation. The key wasn't in the amount but in whether it was a fatal weakness!

Clearly, the agreed cooperation was Old John's Achilles' heel, and Xia Yu took full advantage of it.

"Ha!"

Old John was nearly choked by Xia Yu's response and took several deep breaths to regain his composure.

Realizing that Xia Yu was adamant and unwilling to budge, Old John had to give up and admit defeat!

However, he still wanted to extract some concessions.

"Mr. Xia, this price is not impossible, but you must agree to one condition!"

Old John looked intently at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and asked, "What is it?"

"You must agree not to maliciously target companies within our E-He Consortium from now on! This clause must be written into the contract."

Old John stated firmly.

Upon hearing this, both Xia Yu and Wang Qi were stunned. Wang Qi almost laughed but managed to hold it in.

The requirement was absurd!

It seemed Old John was so intimidated by Xia Yu that he wanted to impose restrictions.

But how could Xia Yu agree to such a ridiculous and domineering condition!

"Impossible! If I agree, my company would be doomed. By your logic, I'd have to avoid E-He Consortium entirely in the future. I can't afford to lose face! I'm not that foolish!"

Xia Yu snorted coldly, flatly refusing with no room for negotiation.

What a joke!

If this clause was included, as E-He Consortium expanded and acquired more companies, Xia Yu couldn't act. What if E-He dominated Hong Kong? Could he then dissolve his company?

Moreover, agreeing to this clause would create a fatal weakness that could be exploited legally, leading to endless trouble.

He wasn't like Cixi, signing treaties regardless of victory or defeat. Now that Old John had lost, he expected the victor to sign a treaty—was this the late 19th century?

Unless he was a fool, he wouldn't agree!

Besides, Xia Yu believed Old John must be out of his mind to propose such a ridiculous condition!

Old John, of course, was not out of his mind. Asking for sky-high prices and then negotiating was his strategy to leave more room for discussion.

"Fine, you don't have to write it down, but you must agree not to launch malicious attacks against my company!"

Old John backed down slightly.

"Mr. Xia, there's a saying among Chinese: 'Three strikes and you're out!'"

"You have already exceeded three times. Remember, human patience has limits. You should know when to stop while you're ahead!"

Old John's expression returned to calm, and he looked at Xia Yu with a blank face.

After a long, silent stare, Xia Yu's expression changed repeatedly as if struggling internally. Finally, he slowly nodded and said, "Alright, this is the last time!"

Old John gave Xia Yu a deep look, chose to believe him, and continued, "Mr. Xia, let's sign the contract now!"

Having agreed to various conditions, Old John naturally wanted to sign the contract immediately to ensure everything was settled.

Otherwise, if something unexpected happened tonight or tomorrow morning, it would be even more troublesome. He didn't want to take that risk!