Chapter 281: Eight Treasures Soup

The pot-bellied President Li exchanged a look with the other two presidents. They clearly had no intention of letting Yin Ruxue off the hook.

After President Li spoke, President Zhao sized up Jiang Fan before turning his lecherous gaze back to Yin Ruxue.

“President Yin, you’re such a busy woman. It’s rare enough that we get to see you, and now that we’re finally having a meal, why are you leaving so soon?”

“That’s right, President Yin. We’re some of Xuerong International’s most loyal supporters. We ignored Fengming Group completely when they came calling. The party’s just getting started; you can’t just leave us high and dry, can you?”

As President Li spoke, he grabbed Yin Ruxue’s arm.

Yin Ruxue tried to pull away, but before she could, President Wang grabbed her other arm and pulled her toward the table.

A troubled look crossed Yin Ruxue’s face, but she still forced a smile. “Gentlemen, I’m truly sorry, but something really did come up at the factory…”

“President Yin, let’s drop the excuses. We’ve had dinner a few times now, and you’ve made plenty of them.”

“Exactly. You have to drink with us tonight, no matter what. Otherwise, the raw material supply deal is off. Besides, Fengming Group has been trying to meet with us, and we’ve already put them off several times.”

Yin Ruxue’s expression soured. She took a step back, and beads of sweat started to form on her forehead.

“Let her go!”

Just then, Jiang Fan stepped forward, pulled Yin Ruxue behind him, and shoved President Li’s hand away.

The three men turned to Jiang Fan, all of them frowning.

“Who the hell do you think you are, kid? This is none of your business,” President Li said coldly.

President Zhao snorted. “President Yin, let’s be frank. We’re old acquaintances. You don’t need to find some young punk to pose as your husband just to get rid of us.”

“Exactly. After all this time working together, do you take us for fools?”

Just then, all three men sat down at the table.

President Li slammed his glass down on the table.

“President Yin, we won’t stop you from leaving. But if you walk out that door, it just shows that Xuerong International has no respect for us. In that case, I’m afraid we’ll have to reconsider our partnership!”

“That’s right!”

“President Li’s right! We feel the same way!”

“President Yin, the choice is yours!”

Hearing their threats, Yin Ruxue was cornered. She stood frozen to the spot.

Jiang Fan frowned. ‘In all the time I’ve known Yin Ruxue, this is the first time I’ve ever seen this side of her.’

‘The Yin Ruxue I knew was a glamorous and untouchable ice queen.’

‘I never would have thought that behind all that glamour, she had a side like this.’

Jiang Fan gave a faint smile and swept his gaze over the three men.

“If you three no longer wish to cooperate, then so be it. Xuerong International won’t force the issue.”

“Kid, what’s that supposed to mean?”

President Li slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. Yin Ruxue also stared at Jiang Fan in astonishment.

Jiang Fan, however, remained unhurried. He spoke slowly, “You’re President Li Huaiming of the modal processing factory, correct? As I understand it, your factory is quite popular in Yang City for its superb synthetic fiber technology. But times have changed. Modal processing is a mature technology now, and there are several factories in the provincial capital that are doing excellent work. We sent a team for on-site inspections last month. In terms of both price and quality, they’re no worse than your factory, President Li.”

Li Huaiming’s expression hardened, but his eyes darted away evasively.

“And you, President Zhao Dongxu, of the silk products company. Your situation is even clearer. We don’t even have to look as far as the provincial capital. President Yang Tianlong’s silk factory is giving you quite the headache, isn’t it? I hear he’s snatched a good deal of your business. You can barely keep your own head above water, right?”

“As for you, President Wang Chaoyun, your cotton and linen factory is in the weakest position to bargain with Xuerong International. When your factory was facing bankruptcy, it was President Yin who stepped in and bailed you out. I don’t recall Fengming Group giving a damn about your fate back then!”

Jiang Fan scanned their faces. “Gentlemen, have I said anything incorrect?”

Hearing this, the three men stared at each other in stunned silence.

Jiang Fan continued, “I don’t know what Fengming Group promised you, but their supply chain is already saturated. Talking to you now is just a base-level competitive tactic. The moment Xuerong International actually falls, you’ll be useless to them. President Yin signed three-year contracts with you out of loyalty to your history together. Truth be told, there’s no shortage of suppliers at home or abroad, let alone just in Yang City. If you want to throw away that history, fine. Xuerong International has other options. It will be a hassle, yes, but once we bounce back, the doors to Xuerong International will be closed to every single one of you forever!”

As soon as Jiang Fan finished, the three men descended into a panic.

“President Yin, we were just joking! Please don’t take it seriously!”

“President Yin, we’re fully committed to our partnership. We already turned Fengming Group down. We never had any intention of negotiating with them.”

“Exactly! We’ll never forget the kindness you’ve shown us. We hope we can continue to rely on your support in the future, President Yin. In fact, we came today hoping to discuss expanding our partnership. The terms are completely open for discussion.”

For a moment, Yin Ruxue was at a complete loss.

Jiang Fan said coolly, “Alright, that’s enough talk. President Li, President Wang, if I’m not mistaken, our current contracts with you expire this year. If you’re sincere, you can bring a new proposal to Xuerong International. For now, we’ll be leaving.”

With that, Jiang Fan took Yin Ruxue by the hand and walked out of the private room.

The three men behind them stood dumbfounded, not daring to breathe too loudly. They scrambled out to see the pair off.

Once they were outside, Yin Ruxue handed a car key to Jiang Fan.

Her previous Maybach had been wrecked, so this time she held the key to a BMW.

They staggered to the parking lot. After they drove off, Jiang Fan noticed that Yin Ruxue’s lips were chapped and her face was deathly pale.

He sighed helplessly and shook his head.

The car soon pulled up in front of a traditional Chinese medicine clinic.

Jiang Fan got out, entered the clinic, and reemerged a moment later with a bag and a cup of water.

Jiang Fan handed the cup to Yin Ruxue.

“This is some Eight Treasures Soup I got for you. Don’t you know the condition your own body is in?”

Yin Ruxue took the cup and took a slow sip. A bit of moisture returned to her chapped lips.

After two more sips, she was finally able to speak.

“Th… Thank you, Jiang Fan!”