Chapter 151: The Old Fox and the Young Fox
Chapter 151: The Old Fox and the Young Fox
Having encountered an unexpected and familiar face, Li Qian did not leave immediately but struck up a conversation with Zhao Xixi.
In truth, there wasn't much to talk about. Despite having fought side by side once, Li Qian and Zhao Xixi weren't exactly close. It was intriguing that Zhao Xixi had sought him out.
It was definitely not a casual catch-up, as they didn't have much history to reminisce about. As expected, after chatting for a while, Zhao Xixi got straight to the point.
"Student Li Qian, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Zhao Xixi began, revealing the purpose of her visit.
Li Qian was well aware that the catch-up was just a pretense, as he had no prior acquaintance with the Deputy Director of the Jiangnan Province Public Security Bureau. He wondered why this person wanted to meet him...
At this thought, he suddenly recalled his previous cooperation with the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.
"I wonder what your Deputy Director wants to discuss with me?" Li Qian asked, although he already had a hunch about the matter, he didn't explicitly bring it up.
He had cooperated with the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau, providing them with Green Scaled Crocodiles at extremely favorable prices due to his hometown connection.
After all, his parents lived in Ling Shui City, and strengthening the local security forces would indirectly protect his family.
Li Qian didn't mind the effort, but the Jiangnan Province Public Security Bureau was too far away to be of immediate help if something happened in Ling Shui City.
So, he was open to cooperation but wouldn't offer any significant discounts, not even close to market price.
Having made up his mind, Li Qian decided to play dumb, knowing he wouldn't initiate the topic himself.
Whether they brought it up or not was their business, but he was determined not to give up the initiative. He was prepared to chat idly, as he had all the time in the world.
Li Qian approached the situation cautiously, and upon entering the office, he paused momentarily.
Inside, a middle-aged man, seemingly in his forties or fifties, greeted him with a warm smile.
Li Qian glanced at the middle-aged deputy director and then at Zhao Xixi, his expression slightly odd.
The middle-aged deputy director bore a striking resemblance to Zhao Xixi, and Li Qian couldn't help but wonder if they were related.
The deputy director noticed Li Qian's peculiar behavior and smiled, offering an explanation: "Student Li Qian, you might have noticed the resemblance. Yes, I am related to Xixi; I'm her uncle, Zhao Yong."
Upon hearing this, Li Qian's face lit up with understanding. No wonder they looked alike; they were uncle and niece.
"If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle, just like Xixi," Zhao Yong suggested, attempting to build a connection.
Li Qian's guard rose further as he listened to Zhao Yong's praise, recalling the saying, "Unsolicited kindness is either a thief or a rogue."
He opened his mouth and pretended to be polite, saying, "Uncle Zhao, you're too kind. I was just lucky. As for whether I can research and develop new breeding results, I'm not sure about that either."
"To be able to research the evolution methods of two Dominator-rank Companion Beasts, and both with great potential, is not something that can be simply summarized as luck." Zhao Yong flattered him again.
Li Qian smiled but didn't take the bait. Seeing this, Zhao Yong's expression remained unchanged, but his heart couldn't help but silently criticize.
This young man, so young and just graduated, yet his skill in speaking and acting is as seasoned as an old hand who has been in society for many years.
Always refusing to take the bait, making him somewhat passive, Zhao Yong tried to probe further, only to find that Li Qian still didn't take the initiative to bring up the topic of Companion Beasts. He had no choice but to get to the point.
Beside them, Zhao Xixi, who had been silently observing the whole situation, knew her uncle too well. Seeing him getting snubbed, she couldn't help but stifle a smile.
Noticing his niece's suppressed laughter, Zhao Yong couldn't help but glare at her. Then he opened his mouth and said, "It's like this. This time, Xixi asked me to call you over, not only to get to know the genius young breeder of Jiangnan Province but also because we heard about your cooperation with the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau."
Upon hearing this, Li Qian remained calm and collected, still maintaining his silence, and his heart was also silently criticizing. An old fox, after all this beating around the bush, he finally shows his true colors.
"Yes, that's right," he casually agreed, then stopped speaking and continued to look at Zhao Yong.
Zhao Yong chuckled and said in a gentle voice, "It's like this. I've studied your cooperation model, and I think it's very meaningful. Not only can it strengthen the local defense forces and contribute to social stability, but it can also provide a stable sales channel for various breeding bases..."
Li Qian also displayed a smile that met the old fox's expectations, "Uncle Zhao, being far away, you might not know. Our breeding base's cooperation with the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau has indeed been very successful, but replicating it might be more challenging."
"Oh, why is that?" Zhao Yong asked, showing a keen interest.
Li Qian explained seriously, "Whether it's the Green Scaled Serpent or the Frostfire Salamander, the breeding costs are extremely high. When we cooperated with the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau, it was indeed very successful, but replicating it might be more challenging."
"Well, I can live and research breeding and evolution in peace and stability. Now, without boasting about my achievements, I can at least give back a little. There's no need to worry about gains and losses. But if we were to popularize it, I might lose so much that even selling the breeding base wouldn't be enough."
Zhao Xixi almost couldn't help but laugh out loud at Li Qian's complaints, and Zhao Yong's mouth twitched as he listened.
Although he didn't know the exact breeding costs of the Green Scaled Serpent and the Frostfire Salamander, he had done some research and gathered some information. According to the information he found, the costs shouldn't exceed five million.
According to his knowledge, the Ling Shui City Public Security Bureau had cooperated with the Jiaoyang Breeding Base, purchasing the Green Scaled Serpent for ten million. This young man had definitely made a profit; it was just a matter of how much.
But now, he was directly complaining, saying he was supporting his hometown at a loss. His intention was already very clear.
If they wanted to cooperate, that was fine, but if they wanted to get the ten million price, they had no chance!
Thinking of this, Zhao Yong couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
(End of Chapter)
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