On joint ventures

Xiao Yuruo appeared somewhat bewildered, and after a long while, she spoke, "Whether it's Master Tao or any other gentlemen like Mr. Li or Mr. Zhang, as long as it benefits my Xiao family, I am willing to sacrifice everything. Moreover, compared to that Master Tao, who, at least, is better than someone like you, a villain who bullies others at every turn—"

"Cough, cough," Lin Wanrong hastily pretended to cough, interrupting her words. Xiao Yuruo's face blushed slightly as she recalled the embarrassing things he had done to her that day. She had almost spoken without thinking. If her mother knew about it, she would have died of shame.

However, Xiao Yuruo was, after all, a strong woman who had experienced ups and downs. Her expression changed, and she spoke with doubt, "In fact, I also have some suspicions. Even if Master Tao Dongcheng has feelings for me, there's no need for him to be so obvious about it. There must be something peculiar hidden in all of this." This sentence is quite refined, at least your business dealings have not been in vain, Lin Wanrong thought to himself.

In fact, from this sentence, it can be seen that she has no fondness for Master Tao. As she mentioned, she belongs to the Xiao family, and she will do anything that benefits the Xiao family, even if it means sacrificing herself.

Lin Wanrong pitied this young lady a bit, thinking, "This girl does have some spirit, but it's a pity her temper is a bit lacking. Otherwise, she would be worth befriending. Actually, it's not her fault. After all, the first time we met, I took advantage of her verbally and got caught visiting a brothel with the young master. It's only natural that she has a bad impression of me."

"In fact, in matters like this joint venture, there are only two possibilities. The first, of course, sounds good – it's about everyone making money. It's good to have such a selfless mentality, and I believe Master Tao must have promoted it this way to Miss Xiao. But being so generous, giving forty percent of the shares to the Xiao family, even if he wants to please the young lady, isn't he afraid of gossip from another family? Moreover, what if the Xiao family takes these forty percent of shares, and Miss Xiao, you end up standing him up? What will happen then?" Lin Wanrong calmly analyzed.

"Stand him up? What do you mean by standing him up?" Both women from the Xiao family asked simultaneously.

Lin Wanrong regretfully patted his forehead, damn it, he had to play the role of a righteous teacher again. After finally explaining this "foreign term," Miss Xiao blushed and said, "What do you mean by standing him up? Your expression is so unpleasant."

Lin Wanrong chuckled and shook his head, "Miss, you think that's too harsh. But what I meant is not as bad as you think." Lin Wanrong's words aroused some deep thoughts in Miss Xiao's mind. After thinking for a moment, she firmly shook her head and said, "Tao Dongcheng doesn't have such intentions. Tell me about the other possibility."

Lin Wanrong nodded approvingly, "The other possibility is that the joint venture is just a facade, and in reality, it's a game of annexation."

"Annexation?" Miss Xiao furrowed her brows, and Mrs. Xiao sighed.

"We've considered this possibility." Miss Xiao said solemnly, "Actually, my mother and I have been worried about this issue. But we can't find the crux of the matter. Even if we do nothing, we still get forty percent of the profit each year."

Lin Wanrong didn't respond to her words but asked, "Miss, how do the three families allocate resources among yourselves? In simpler terms, how do you cooperate with each other?"

Miss Xiao found it a bit strange that this servant knew so much. She answered honestly, "After the joint venture, my Xiao family is responsible for the silk spinning workshop, and the He family is responsible for freight transport." Lin Wanrong sneered, "Is the Tao family responsible for sales?"

"How do you know?" Xiao Yuruo asked in surprise, "After unifying the supply and transportation, it is managed by the Tao family. Then the shares are divided."

Lin Wanrong shook his head with a wry smile, "My dear Miss, you have been played. You might have sold yourself out to them. Once the joint venture is canceled, the Xiao family's sales network is already abandoned. What do you have to compete with the Tao family? My dear Miss, this joint venture, to put it bluntly, is like cutting off your own hands and feet, only to be devoured by others."

After analyzing for a long time, Lin Wanrong finally got to the point with this last paragraph. He took a few breaths and thought, damn it, explaining ten stories to this little girl is not as exhausting.

"Chunlan, Chunlan, quickly bring some tea." Lin Wanrong sat down carelessly and instructed the maid outside. He didn't consider himself an outsider at all.

Miss Xiao's face turned pale, and Mrs. Xiao's face didn't look good either. According to Lin San's analysis, it seemed that the Tao family's joint venture plan concealed some hidden dangers. How could they not be worried?

"Could it be that the Tao family really wants to swallow us?" Miss Xiao muttered to herself. Although she had no good feelings for that Master Tao, she couldn't say she disliked him. They were both business people, and they had met several times. However, she didn't expect him to harbor such sinister intentions.

"Of course, these are just my speculations. Miss and Mrs., there's no need to take them to heart. Maybe Master Tao admires Miss sincerely and is thinking for the sake of the Xiao family." Lin Wanrong finished speaking and grinned, trying to appear innocent.

Miss Xiao's face showed a trace of determination, and she snorted, "Regardless of his intentions, we must remain vigilant." She furrowed her brows and worriedly said, "But Tao Dongcheng's father, Tao Yu, is a textile magnate in Suzhou. We can't easily offend him."

Mrs. Xiao also had a worried expression. Among the three people, Lin Wanrong was the most relaxed. The saying goes, "What does it have to do with me? It's none of my business." Moreover, these mother and daughter didn't seek his opinion. It was best for him to remain silent.

After giving Lin San a glance, Miss Xiao thought, "This bad guy indeed has some insight. He has seen through the tricks of the Tao family, and I haven't escaped his eyes." Thinking of what Miss Xiao Shuang said before leaving, Miss Xiao Yuruo asked, "Lin San, what's your opinion on this matter?" Although she had a bad impression of Lin San, this matter was related to the future of the Xiao family, and she didn't want to let her emotions affect the family business.

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Miss, I'm just a servant of the Xiao family. How can I have a say in the council?"

Miss Xiao glared at him fiercely. This bad servant even dared to put on airs. Seeing that

 he was unwilling to answer her question, Miss Xiao's hot temper flared up again. She snorted, "Since you're unwilling to speak, I won't press you. What you said today is considered a great contribution to the Xiao family. Weighing the pros and cons, I won't pursue the matter of you intruding into the council. You can leave now."

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, gave a courteous salute, and left confidently. Miss Xiao snorted again, "This Lin San, although he's a bad person, he seems to have some skills. If he can help our Xiao family, there might be a way out."

Mrs. Xiao pondered for a while and said, "I've heard from the servants that this Lin San does have some knowledge. From what he said just now, it seems he has experience in business, and he has strategies for dealing with the joint venture. If he can assist our Xiao family, there might be hope."

Miss Xiao bit her silver teeth and said, "This bad person, he likes to do evil, but if what he said makes sense, I won't spare him."

Mrs. Xiao stared at her daughter's face and asked, "Yuruo, did he do something to provoke you?"

"No, no." Miss Xiao blushed and hurriedly said, "How would he dare to provoke me? Mother, don't worry."

Mrs. Xiao sighed and said, "You work so hard to maintain the Xiao family, and it's unclear when it will end. Yuruo, you've really suffered."

Miss Xiao's nose tingled, thinking of the hardships she faced as a woman working tirelessly outside every day. The bitterness in her heart was self-evident. She looked at her mother with determination, a firm light shining in her eyes. "Mother, rest assured. I won't let the Xiao family fail in my hands."