I Have a Mansion in the Post-apocalyptic World (Web Novel)

Chapter 928: Lease? Not A Chance

Translator: _Min_ Editor: Caron_

“Haha, Mr. Jiang is quite comical.” Elder Ye chuckled. “If Mr. Jiang is just a businessman, what are the tens of thousands of businessmen around the world?”

Jiang Chen smiled and didn’t continue on this topic. He raised his hand slightly and invited Elder Ye to sit.

“It’s not appropriate to stand and talk. Please take a seat, Elder Ye.”

The trio sat down in the parlor room. The waiter poured tea for Jiang Chen, Elder Ye, and Ye Yunfei then stepped to the side respectfully. Ye Yunfei took out a notebook and a pen from her briefcase and prepared for the recording of minutes.

Seeing Jiang Chen sitting there alone, Edler Ye was slightly surprised. Although it was a private visit, the things to be discussed later would be related to cooperation between the two countries. Jiang Chen’s attitude was still too informal.

Out of good intentions, Elder Ye reminded him, “Mr. Jiang doesn’t need an assistant to record conference transcripts?”

“My assistant is already here,” Jiang Chen said in a relaxed tone and tapped the wristwatch on his left hand.

Elder Ye was somewhat confused as he didn’t understand what he meant. Sitting on his left hand, Ye Yunfei’s gaze carried a hint of disappointment. The temperament he showed earlier gained some approval from her, but now, his informal attitude in this high-level negotiation instantly destroyed any positive image he built up in her mind.

Jiang Chen didn’t notice Ye Yunfei’s feelings, but he read Elder Ye’s confusion.

Obviously, the old man didn’t understand what he just said.

Jiang Chen smiled and pointed at his wrist. Dark blue rays weaved next to the watch, forming a three-dimensional female holographic figure. Looking at Elder Ye and Ye Yunfei completely dumbfounded, artificial intelligence Jean nodded.

“Jean is my name.”

Elder Ye stared at everything that was happening in front of him with astonishment. Although he heard about Future Technology’s holographic technology, it was far more shocking witnessing it with his own eyes. Ye Yunfei’s expression was also exaggerated now. Although the Future phone she was using now also had holographic imaging capabilities, it was nowhere nearly as advanced.

“Ms. Jean is my personal assistant.”

“She is…”

“She’s an artificial intelligence.” Jiang Chen smiled.

Elder Ye nodded and recovered from his initial shock. He smiled gently and said, “Artificial intelligence? If Mr. Jiang hadn’t reminded me, I would’ve almost thought Ms. Jean was a real person. Future Technology certainly leads the world’s technological frontiers and the technologies you introduce always shock us.”

In the early days, Jiang Chen’s Future Technology once designed a drone system for the military. The military still praised the system, which had almost no obvious bugs. The Soaring Dragon II high-altitude drone independently developed by Hua, with the help of the intelligent drone control system, maximized its performance.

When Elder Ye saw this artificial intelligence no different than a real human, he sighed in secret.

It seemed he still underestimated Jiang Chen back then.

“You’re flattering me.” Jiang Chen smiled back. “Let’s get to the topic.”

Elder Ye nodded and his smile gradually converged into a serious expression.

“Since Mr. Jiang said that, I will be straightforward. My visit to Xin this time was precisely meant to discuss the space elevator you completed recently. Although Hua’s space activities aren’t frequent, and the market size is also quite limited, but we’re quite interested in the amazing technology you’ve demonstrated.”

“So, what’s your proposal?” Jiang Chen smiled.

Elder Ye cleared his throat and smiled kindly.

“We hope to closely cooperate with you in the development of space resources. After internal discussion, the cooperation we propose is to establish Hua Space Development Company. For a period of 50 years, we will sign the elevator track lease agreement for two freight rails and two passengers rails for space resource development purposes.”

Leasing? Two of each?

Jiang Chen was stunned by Elder Ye’s proposal.

Although he didn’t expect something material on the first day, the proposal from Elder Ye was too whimsical. The total number of tracks was twelve, but he wanted four from the start. How can I agree to this?

Elder Ye wasn’t to be blamed for this kind of proposal. After all, it was a plan discussed in a high-level internal meeting. Nowadays, the space activities of countries around the world weren’t very frequent. Although they were optimistic about the prospects for the development of space resources, no one could accurately estimate the prospects.

Seeing as Jiang Chen wasn’t speaking, Elder Ye thought he was considering the proposal, so he paused then added: “The price is negotiable, as long as the figures given by your party are within a reasonable range.”

“If there’s anything unsatisfactory about the proposal we came up with, please point it out and we can discuss it.”

Silence ensued in the room for a long time.

Ye Yunfei’s pen stopped and she frowned slightly at Jiang Chen, who didn’t speak a word. In her opinion, the conditions proposed by her grandfather were quite generous, and he also lowered his attitude to travel to discuss this with Jiang Chen in Xin. She didn’t understand why Jiang Chen would be unsatisfied.

After a long moment of deliberation, Jiang Chen opened his mouth but didn’t speak.

In the end, he sighed and broke the silence.

“It seems we have to discuss this.”

Upon hearing Jiang Chen’s words, Elder Ye’s brows furrowed.

“Oh? It seems Mr. Jiang has a lot of dissatisfaction with the proposal. You may bring up the differences between us-”

“We have a lot of differences on the proposal itself.” Jiang Chen leaned in his chair and spread out his hands. “Celestial Trade never planned on leasing out the space elevator, even if it’s one of the tracks. We’re willing to provide to all countries an inexpensive outer space transportation service, and that’s also the only service we’re currently selling.”

In total there were only 12 tracks—six freights and six passengers. There were five permanent members, and if one country leased four and another leased four, the space elevator built by Celestial Trade wouldn’t be enough to divide up, so he absolutely wouldn’t set a precedent.

Jiang Chen’s words made Elder Ye’s expression slightly stiff.

Just as Jiang Chen didn’t think they would propose a lease agreement, Elder Ye also didn’t expect Jiang Chen to reject with such decisiveness. In his opinion, this proposal, which was developed by the Central Government, was quite generous already.

However, Elder Ye wasn’t furious. He still knew he was negotiating with a foreign company.

However, as he was preparing to speak, Ye Yunfei, who had been recording the transcript, suddenly interrupted.

“I don’t know if Mr. Jiang is aware of the fact that the United Nations is currently preparing to hold a high-level summit on the development of outer space?”

“Yunfei.” The old man gave a hard stare at his granddaughter and motioned for her to be quiet.

However, this time, Ye Yunfei didn’t back down but stared at Jiang Chen, trying to catch a hint of caution in his pupils.

It was a negotiation skill taught by her professor.

At the negotiating table, the method of expanding one’s advantage was nothing more than seizing the other’s weakness and forcing the other party to make concessions on non-core interests. How one seized other’s weaknesses depended on the chips on both sides and the art of negotiation.

Although she was the second granddaughter of the Ye family and lived a carefree life with a golden spoon in her mouth, she never considered that something to be envious about. She received an aristocratic education since childhood and her fate of growing up had also been determined. For the benefit of the family, she had to marry a strange man and spend a lifetime with someone she didn’t love at all…

She originally thought that after she received a master’s degree from Harvard, she could escape this fate. However, when she returned home, she heard by accident that her father intended to marry her to the Zhou family’s disappointing youngest son. She almost fell into despair.

She didn’t want to be a puppet of the family and let the family dictate her life. In order to achieve this and to achieve true freedom, she must make enough achievements to prove herself and prove that her abilities were far more than just serving as a fertility tool for a political marriage!

The achievements she wanted weren’t related to the TOEFL, SAT, or Harvard University degree certificates. For the Ye family, these titles were just titles. The reason why she asked Grandpa to take her to Xin and participate in the negotiations as an assistant was to prove himself!

If she forced Jiang Chen to make concessions and gain advantages for her country during these negotiations that entered a stalemate, what else could prove her abilities better than this?

What’s more, in her opinion, this was too easy.

She didn’t see any elite quality or knowledge from Jiang Chen. Although he acted calmly in the conversation with her Grandpa, it was just the cockiness of a new money.

He had never received elite education nor had he been influenced by any elite culture. Such a uncultured person—even if he was placed in the position of president of a one hundred billion dollar company, he was only a simple-minded new rmoney. If it wasn’t for a group of talented people, what would he be today?

With this thought in mind, a glimmer of a victorious smile appeared on Ye Yunfei’s lips.

“Hua is one of the permanent members and Mr. Jiang should clearly understand what this means. In addition, what we can provide will definitely be more favorable than the UA. We believe that if it wasn’t us here but the UA, they would be demanding more than a lease agreement.”

At this point, Ye Yunfei stopped speaking and looked at Jiang Chen with a smile.

The stakes had been clarified. In her opinion, she already won.

However, she was destined to be disappointed.

Instead of showing the slightest caution, Jiang Chen examined her with amusement.

“So?”