Comprehension against the sky, creating the Five Thunders in the real world

Huo Si Zun's words completely shut down Liu Wei's excuse.

Liu Wei chuckled awkwardly and said, "Haha, family matters are minor, but they are indeed urgent. Since you're willing to wait here for a while, then I'll trouble you."

Liu Wei's face was grim, and he felt somewhat displeased. Even if there was nothing wrong at home, he was going to leave. He would leave Huo Sizun waiting in the living room because he felt bored and hopeless.

However, he still put on a good show, beckoning to his servants and saying, "You stay here and serve Mr. Huo tea and water, and take good care of him!"

"Yes," the servant replied.

Liu Wei went straight out, not wanting to acknowledge Huo Sizun. After leaving, he said somewhat angrily to the butler, "Send someone to keep an eye on him and see when he leaves."

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry." The butler immediately arranged for people to secretly keep watch outside.

"Please don't be angry. This Mr. Huo isn't the kind of person who's shameless. He must genuinely want to achieve a win-win cooperation with you. Why don't you give him that chance?" the butler asked, somewhat puzzled.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Wei smiled and said, "Give him that chance?"

"Look at the conditions he offered me. With just that little bit of benefit, he expects me to give him my all? Does he think I'm stupid? Who would agree to something like that?" Liu Wei picked up a brush, preparing to write a few large characters.

I haven't practiced calligraphy in a long time, and I've become a bit rusty.

The butler asked, puzzled, "What are you doing? Why are you suddenly practicing calligraphy?"

"Furthermore, sir, if you really don't want to cooperate with Mr. Huo, you can simply refuse and ask him to leave, and then never mention it again. Why do you have to hide away here and practice calligraphy? It's too stifling. This is your home, after all."

"How can you, the dignified head of the Liu family, be forced to hide in a side room by a guest?" The steward really couldn't understand why his master had made this move.

"Hahaha, you idiot! If you really didn't want to cooperate, I would have done as you said. I just feel that cooperation is fine, but the profits you're offering me are too low. I'm going to test where Mr. Huo's bottom line is, and whether he really doesn't intend to give me any more benefits."

“I spoke to him like that just now, and he didn’t leave. He pretended not to understand and insisted on staying. He must have made up his mind to get this done. In that case, I’ll wait.”

"If he hasn't left yet, let's go over and bring it up again. He'll definitely give in." Thinking of this, Liu Wei suddenly smiled, feeling that there was hope for the matter to be resolved, and his mood improved.

The butler, standing to the side, suddenly realized what was going on and praised his master for his strategy and tactics: "Your feigned indifference is truly brilliant, haha!"

Huo Sizun didn't drink tea in the living room; drinking tea was just an excuse, he was merely stalling for time. As long as he could stay here, it meant there was still a chance.

Outside the living room, people arranged by the butler were keeping a close eye on Huo Sizun's every move.

Seeing this, Huo Si Zun finally understood that the Liu family head didn't really refuse to cooperate; it was just that he didn't think much of what Huo Si Zun had given him.

Leaving myself here is a way to use the "feigned indifference" tactic from the Thirty-Six Stratagems to lure someone into a trap.

However, now that things have come to this point, Huo Si Zun no longer cares what price he has to pay.

Huo Si Zun steeled his heart and made a decision in his heart—if the head of the Liu family was willing to stand on his side and establish a cooperative relationship, then he was willing to give up half of the family business as a reward on behalf of the Huo Group.

At this critical juncture, the top priority is to reorganize our forces and win over allies!
Just then, the head of the Liu family finished practicing his calligraphy and glanced at the time; half an hour had already passed. Huo Sizun was still in the living room, so it seemed he had truly made up his mind. Liu Wei smiled, turned around, and returned to the living room, speaking politely.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Huo. I had a lot of things to take care of at home and only just managed to get away now."

"Haha, it's alright. It's just that I hope you can consider the matter I just mentioned."

Huo Si Zun then circled back to the topic.

Liu Wei continued, his tone tinged with emotion.

"Actually, it's not that we can't cooperate on what just happened. It's just that if we join forces, the benefits I can get are really not much."

"I wonder if Mr. Huo could add anything else to our menu?"

Huo Si Zun smiled.

Sure enough, that old fox had been waiting here all along.

He didn't mince words and immediately quoted a price.

"If you're willing to stand with the Huo family, after this is done, I, on behalf of the Huo family, will give up half of the country as a reward. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei's face immediately broke into a smile.

The temptation is too great; it's impossible to resist.

"Since Mr. Huo is so agreeable, then let's—have a pleasant cooperation!"

Liu Wei smiled and reached out his hand to shake hands tightly with Huo Sizun.

After winning over the Liu family, the three-way balance of power was established.

Chapter 697 A desperate gamble!
The Liu family's power should not be underestimated. After agreeing to cooperate, Liu Wei immediately discussed with Huo Sizun what he could do next.

"Now that we're in a cooperative relationship, just let me know what you need from the Liu family. The Liu family will definitely give you their full support."

"Haha, thank you in advance. Once the Huo Group is back in our hands, the first person we'll thank is you."

Huo Si Zun was respectful and spoke eloquently.

"Not at all. But... don't forget the benefits you promised the Liu family after it's all done."

Liu Wei's words were blunt. He wasn't that stupid; the reason he was willing to help wholeheartedly was simply because he was after half of the Huo family's business. His expression changed faster than anyone else's.

Huo Sizun repeatedly assured him that he would fulfill his promise once the matter was completed. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Huo Sizun took his leave.

The next day, Huo Si Zun knew it was time to make his move.

He then found Liu Wei and explained the specific plan.

"Today, I hope you can use the Liu family's connections to cut off all the companies that are currently close to the Huo Group. Cancel their orders and break their cash flow. Leave the rest to me."

After saying this, he left.

Liu Wei instructed his housekeeper to invite all the businessmen who currently had the closest dealings with the Huo Group to his home.

He was planning a trap.

The Liu family was a prominent family in this area. When Liu Wei invited those businessmen to a gathering at his home, they couldn't possibly refuse. So, one by one, they arrived respectfully with generous gifts.

After a few rounds of drinks, Liu Wei got straight to the point.

"I heard that you all have big contracts with the Huo Group? I wonder how the cooperation is going?"

The leader was a middle-aged man surnamed Wang, who had always wanted to curry favor with the Liu family. Upon hearing this, he quickly responded with flattery.

"Yes, yes, there are two deals with the Huo family. We haven't officially signed them yet, but we plan to sign them tomorrow. Mr. Liu, please feel free to ask if you need anything!"

“Our small companies all rely on Mr. Liu’s help.”

As he spoke, he raised his glass, preparing to offer a toast.

Liu Wei, to be polite, drank a glass and spoke with a smile.

"Haha, it's nothing serious. I'm just quite interested in the business deals you all do with the Huo family."

"Furthermore, the products manufactured by the Huo Group can also be made by our Liu family, and the quality is just as good. If you are all interested, I will reduce the price of Huo Group's products by another 50%. What do you all think? Is this a worthwhile deal?"

Liu Wei adopted a very humble attitude and spoke politely.

The businessmen at the table were stunned, somewhat bewildered.

Those items aren't cheap to produce, yet Liu Wei is willing to lower the price by 50%?
Who would refuse such a good thing?
Several businessmen quickly raised their glasses in a toast, vying to do business with the Liu family.

After a banquet, the matter was settled.

Upon returning home, the businessmen immediately sent people to terminate the contract with the Huo family—they didn't want any of those items.

Especially that General Manager Wang, who personally went to the Huo Group to request a refund in order to curry favor with Liu Wei.

Huo Minghao was completely dumbfounded.

He didn't understand what had happened.

"Mr. Wang, what's going on? Didn't we already agree on everything? Why are you suddenly backing out? Didn't you always have a high opinion of our products?" The reason Huo Minghao was being so humble in trying to retain a customer was because it wasn't just one or two people who wanted to cancel their orders today—almost all of his business partners who had been close to him recently had come to return their goods!

He had absolutely no idea what to do.

But Mr. Wang was too lazy to explain and just left a sentence.

"Alright, we absolutely don't want this shipment. The contract is cancelled immediately. And don't even think about doing business with me again."

After speaking, he walked away.

Huo Minghao slumped into a chair, his brows furrowed in worry.

"What...what exactly happened? How could this happen? The Huo Group has lost so many businesses all at once, how can it possibly survive?"

He slammed his fist on the table, unable to comprehend how things had turned out this way. He had been carefully managing the Huo family business all along.

"Snap—"

The door was suddenly pushed open. The assistant rushed in, panting, his forehead covered in sweat, and handed over several financial statements.

"Mr. Huo! Our...our company's cash flow has suddenly dried up because several closely cooperating merchants terminated their contracts at the same time!"

"This is what the finance department just calculated. Our Huo Group has almost zero cash on hand right now, so we can't operate at all! You need to make a decision quickly!"

The assistant was extremely anxious.

What ideas could Huo Minghao possibly have?
It all happened so suddenly that his mind went blank.

"Enough! Stop talking! Let me think!"

"You go out first."

He took the report and told his assistant to leave first.

After a long time, the office door was pushed open again.

The person who arrived was Wang Zhangmin.

"Mr. Huo, you seem to be having some troubles?"

As soon as Wang Zhangmin entered the room, she saw Huo Minghao's irritable appearance and smiled as she spoke.

Huo Minghao was surprised by his arrival and composed himself.

"Mr. Wang, what brings you here? Please speak frankly."

Wang Zhangmin didn't beat around the bush.

"I heard you've run into some difficulties, so I've come here specifically to work with you."

"Cooperation? How can we cooperate?"

Huo Minghao stared at him.

Wang Zhangmin smiled.

"If you're willing to give up another third of the market to the Wang family, I'll immediately give you a sum of working capital. With this money, wouldn't the Huo Group have a chance to turn things around?"

Huo Minghao's face darkened upon hearing this.

This is taking advantage of someone's misfortune!

But given his current situation, he really has no other choice.

The company lost so many customers at once that it had no working capital available. Without money, it could only wait to go bankrupt.

"Mr. Huo, have you thought this through? Your company really needs this money right now."

Wang Zhangmin added another sentence.

Huo Minghao gritted his teeth.

"Okay, I agree."

He had no choice. He could only grasp at this straw to get the money, stabilize the company, and then plan for the future.

He secretly made up his mind—once he got his hands on this money, he would do everything in his power to revive the company.

This is a desperate gamble.

He bet everything, hoping to turn things around.

The Huo Group lost a large number of partners in succession, and another third of its market share was ceded to the Wang family. Half of its business was gone just like that. The company was teetering on the brink of collapse, barely managing to stay afloat.

The Wang family took advantage of the situation and reaped the benefits. Wang Zhangmin knew in his heart that he had to thank Huo Sizun for this.

Some people are happy and some are sad.

In order to help Huo Sizun cut off those merchants, the Liu family lowered the price by 50%—which was essentially losing money to gain publicity!

And what was the result? The Huo family teetered on the brink of collapse, the Wang family reaped the benefits, while the Liu family did all the work for nothing.

Liu Wei became increasingly angry, so he ordered someone to summon Huo Sizun to his home so he could have a face-to-face talk with him.

Huo Sizun knew that the Wang family had gotten the better deal, and Liu Wei was definitely unhappy about it.

He had made preparations before he came.

As soon as he entered, he greeted everyone with a smile.

"Mr. Liu, thank you so much! You've done me a huge favor!"

"Thanks?"

Liu Wei was furious when he heard that.

"You said it yourself back then, that I would take half of the Huo family's empire! And what's the benefit now? It all went to the Wang family!"

"Do you know how much money I lost to cut off the Huo Group's partners?"

"And now you have the audacity to come and thank me? I only have one question for you—why did the benefits end up in the Wang family's hands? Are you playing me for a fool?"

Enraged, Liu Wei slammed down the cup on the table and pointed at Huo Sizun, demanding an explanation.

He truly hadn't expected Huo Si Zun to do something like this. Wasn't this deliberately using him and the Liu family?

He couldn't swallow this insult.

Huo Si Zun, however, remained smiling and unhurried.

"Mr. Liu, please don't rush, let me finish."

"The Wang family is just a stepping stone. He's gotten some benefits now, but the lion's share will be yours in the long run. What's the rush?"

The atmosphere inside the tent was clearly off.

All the instructors and veterans gathered in this tent.

If I'm not mistaken, something serious must have happened.

Lin Beichen frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

They've only been gone a short time, what could possibly happen?
Besides, isn't the base under special protection? It can't be attacked by locals, can it?
"Besides the two of you, we can't get in touch with anyone else."

As the instructor spoke, he slammed his fist hard on the table. (End of Chapter)