I searched and fought in America.

Howard's expression changed slightly.

The woman wearing glasses next to them quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Mr. Rosen, you misunderstand. These terms are just standard procedure. We sign them this way with many of our partners."

Don't worry, as long as you cooperate, everything is negotiable.

Cooperate well.

Rosen sneered inwardly.

These four characters translate to—

"Be a good boy/girl."

What's the difference between the way these people looked at him and the way Emily looked at him that night?

No.

In their eyes, he was still a dog.

However, it's just a dog that's temporarily useful and needs to be treated well.

Rosen's gaze swept over the people present.

Emily kept her head down, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were watching a joke.

Mihir remained expressionless, simply watching him silently.

The others were either whispering to each other, playing with their pens, or staring at the ceiling; no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with the terms.

In their minds, it is an immense honor for a Chinese person from a slum to be able to cooperate with the city government.

You still dare to haggle?

Rosen looked away and pushed the document forward.

"I will not sign these terms."

Howard's smile vanished completely.

"Mr. Rosen," his voice turned cold.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Don't forget, the mayor helped you solve your 300,000 debt. How do you plan to repay that favor?"

Rosen looked at him and suddenly smiled.

“Mr. Howard,” he said, “I appreciate the mayor’s help, but it’s a favor, not a contract of servitude.”

He paused, stood up, and placed his hands on the table:

"You want me to cooperate with the publicity? No problem, but signing this kind of servitude contract—"

His gaze swept over everyone present, his voice icy:

"I, Rosen, won't do it."

The conference room was deathly silent.

Howard's face turned pale and then flushed. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Rosen cut him off.

"First, twenty events are too many. I can only attend a maximum of ten. The dates need to be negotiated a week in advance, and it cannot be mandatory."

Secondly, I can cooperate with media interviews, but only if I have the right to know and the right to choose.

You can't just shove any reporter at me and expect me to say whatever you want.

"Thirdly, regarding my stance—I guarantee that I will not publicly attack the municipal government, but I reserve the right to express my personal views."

As for what constitutes "contrary to the city government's position," this standard needs to be determined jointly by both parties; it cannot be decided unilaterally by you.

Article 4, breach of contract compensation, can be written, but the amount needs to be agreed upon by both parties, and there must be third-party arbitration.

Your conclusion is unilateral? Sorry, I don't accept it.

He finished speaking in one breath, then sat back down in his chair, picked up the water glass in front of him, and took a sip.

"That's about it. You guys discuss it. If it's okay, continue; if not—"

He put down his cup:

"That's enough for now."

Howard's face turned completely dark.

He worked in government for decades and had met all sorts of partners, some obsequious, some sycophantic, and some who tried every means to bargain.

But I've never seen anything like this before.

A Chinese man from the slums, a ragpicker gang leader, actually dared to reject the city government's contract clause by clause in front of so many people.

He turned his head and looked at the others.

Emily's smile was long gone, replaced by an expression of resentment.

The others looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been silent in the corner spoke up:

"What Mr. Rosen said is not without merit."

Everyone looked at him.

The man was a legal advisor to the municipal government, in his fifties, with gray hair.

He adjusted his glasses and said slowly and deliberately:

"Those terms are indeed a bit harsh. If Mr. Rosen is willing to cooperate, it's not impossible to make some adjustments."

Howard's lips twitched. Whose side was this guy on?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and looked at Rosen:

"Mr. Rosen, I need to consult with my superiors about what you've mentioned."

Rosen nodded:

"Please go ahead."

Howard stood up and walked out of the conference room.

For the remaining ten minutes or so, the conference room was completely silent.

No one speaks.

Rosen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

He could feel several gazes fixed on him.

He doesn't care.

He just waited quietly.

Finally, the door opened.

Howard walked in, his expression slightly more relaxed than before, but still not very pleasant.

He sat back down and cleared his throat:

"Mr. Rosen, your request has been approved in principle by the higher-ups."

Rosen opened his eyes and looked at him:

"In principle?"

Howard paused, then continued:

"However, there is one additional condition."

"explain."

"You will need to open two accounts," Howard said. "One is an official partnership account, which we will manage together to support the city government's publicity efforts."

The other is your personal account, which you can use freely, but you cannot publish any remarks detrimental to the city government.

Rosen looked at him, almost unable to suppress his smile; this was exactly what he wanted!

"Can."

Howard was taken aback, not expecting him to agree so readily.

"Then...then we can prepare the contract now—"

"No rush."

Rosen raised his hand to interrupt him:

"I have one more request."

Howard frowned:

"Please speak."

Rosen looked at him, his tone flat:

"This is my personal account, and I manage it entirely. You cannot interfere, censor, or demand that I delete content for any reason."

Howard's expression changed:

"this--"

"Don't worry," Rosen interrupted him, "I won't make any statements attacking the city government. I've said before, I remember this favor, and that can be written into the contract."

He paused:

"But I don't want anyone to feel that my mouth is controlled by others."

Howard remained silent for a long time.

He looked at the others, who all had complicated expressions, and the legal advisor was still nodding.

Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded:

"……Can."

The next step is a series of procedures for signing the contract. After the contract is signed...

Rosen stood up and straightened his clothes:

"That's settled then. The contract is ready; send it to me."

He turned and walked towards the door.

After signing the contract, I dropped my pretense and stopped paying attention to Rosen's every move.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

Emily was staring at him, her eyes filled with barely concealed anger and... humiliation.

Rosen met her gaze, and a slight smile appeared on his lips:

"Ms. Emily, I hope that next time we meet, you will have learned to at least put on a smile."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went out.

The conference room was deathly silent.

After a long while, someone in the corner spoke up:

"What's the background of this kid?"

No one answered.

Emily gritted her teeth, crumpling the documents in her hand into a ball.

Howard leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, his face looking ashen as if he'd swallowed a fly.

At this moment, the legal advisor slowly spoke up:

"Howard, what do you think?"

Howard was silent for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh:

"What do you think? He's just an arrogant brat who doesn't know his own limitations. Let him be arrogant for a few days. Once the mayor is re-elected, he'll be useless—and then we can decide how to deal with him."

A person nearby leaned over and chimed in with a smile:

"Exactly, it's just a dog. Give it a bone and it wags its tail; don't give it a bone and it bares its teeth. Once its owner has finished eating, what trouble can a dog possibly cause?"

"But what are you doing?!"

Howard paused for a moment, looking at the legal advisor with a puzzled expression.

The legal advisor glanced at Michelle without saying a word, then completely ignored Howard and started scrolling through his phone.