Chapter 26 A slap in the face

Yao Yutong took the initiative and greeted the foreign businessman in English, "Hello, I'm Ze's girlfriend. Nice to meet you." She assumed Huo Mingze wouldn't expose her lie for the sake of face and wouldn't introduce Shen Modi to the foreign businessman. After all, who would want others to know that their wife couldn't even speak basic English? Who could bear such embarrassment? Huo Mingze should understand that she was the most suitable person to be his wife. In terms of family background or personal ability, Shen Modi couldn't match her in ten lifetimes. Besides, they had a six-year relationship.

Unexpectedly, Huo Mingze, with a pure British accent, said to the foreign businessman, "Mr. Mike, when did you come to Haicheng? Why didn't you notify me? I could have arranged to pick you up. Let me introduce you, this is my wife, Shen Modi."

"Wife? You're married? When did this happen?" Mike's green eyes widened in shock. He glanced politely at Shen Modi and praised, "Wow, Ze, your wife is beautiful!" He then gave Yao Yutong a strange look, "Girlfriend?"

Yao Yutong was thoroughly embarrassed. Huo Mingze, you're too cruel.

Shen Modi gracefully said in fluent English, "Yes, Miss Yao is a friend of ours." She had excelled in English since middle school and had achieved a perfect score in her college entrance exam. Knowing that Gu Tianxi was a wealthy young master, she had worked hard to improve her spoken English, and also took Spanish and Thai courses. To master these languages, she watched movies in their original languages. She was also good at computers and often used them to find resources.

"Oh, I see, a female friend. You scared me, haha," Mike said with a big smile.

"Yes, we are all good friends," Yao Yutong forced a smile. She was so embarrassed she wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground. If not for her plan, she would have found an excuse to leave immediately. She hadn't expected Shen Modi to be so proficient in English.

Huo Mingze was amazed when he heard Modi speak English. He had always thought that, given her ordinary background, even if she knew English, it would be limited to written exercises—essentially "mute English." But she not only handled such occasions with grace but also spoke English fluently. If it weren't for her Asian face, her voice alone could be mistaken for that of a native British speaker. She was far more exceptional than he had anticipated, like a treasure with rich inner qualities, surprising him with each new page.

He reached out and held Modi's hand tightly, feeling a warmth spread through him and finding his thoughts drifting to inappropriate images.

"Ze, about the project we discussed last month, I'm willing to drop the price by half a percent. Can you make any concessions?" Mike asked. At that time, Huo Mingze, in his capacity as the CEO of the Huo Corporation, had gone to the United States to negotiate the project. However, negotiations had stalled over pricing. Now, with everyone vying for the Chinese market, Mike was no exception. He had arrived in China a week earlier and had already met with many leaders of large corporations. He found that these leaders either lacked vision or demanded high prices. Huo Mingze was unique in his forward-thinking approach.

"Well, I can also concede by half a percent," Huo Mingze said.

"But..." Mike looked pained. If Huo Mingze only made this concession, his profit would be very limited.

"Mr. Mike, let's make money together," Huo Mingze said. "Our goal in this cooperation is to make the project big and strong, not just focus on immediate profits."

"But with this project, after three years, you will have $3 billion in profits, while I will only have $1 billion," Mike said, a bit unwillingly. In this partnership, his earnings would only be a third of Huo Mingze's.

Hearing the figure of $3 billion, even Yao Yutong, who had been accustomed to luxury since childhood, was stunned. $3 billion, equivalent to over 200 billion yuan. Such profits were astronomical for any company. She had always known that Huo Mingze was very capable during their six years of dating. However, she also believed that the platform was more important. If Huo Mingze could successfully inherit Huo Corporation, his talents would naturally be displayed. Otherwise, no matter how capable he was, he wouldn't have the opportunity to shine. This was why she had insisted on going abroad and continued to observe from a distance.

Seeing that Huo Mingze wasn't yielding, she was afraid of losing the project and immediately whispered to him, "Mingze, these profits are considerable. You can concede a little." Her grandmother had said that Huo Mingze had already secured the land in the southern suburbs and an overseas project. If he secured this project as well, his position as the heir would be unshakable.

Huo Mingze completely ignored Yao Yutong and said to Mike, "My profits are indeed higher, but I will also contribute more. Take your time considering the project. Tomorrow, I will host you. In China, we have a saying: 'If a deal doesn't work out, we can still remain friends.' You are a guest, and tomorrow, I will accompany you for a full day of sightseeing. I have other matters to attend to now, so I must leave. Let's connect tomorrow."

Earlier, his mind had been filled with inappropriate thoughts, and now it was even worse. He realized he might have ingested something tainted. Business discussions would have to wait; he needed to leave immediately.

"Okay, Ze, see you tomorrow. We'll discuss it further then," Mike said politely.

"We're going home," Huo Mingze whispered in Modi's ear.

"Alright," Modi replied, feeling the warmth of his breath and sensing that something was off with him. She thought he might be feeling unwell from the alcohol and immediately supported him.

"Are you drunk? Let's go upstairs and rest for a while. Ji Zhou has an excellent hangover tea that will make you feel better," Yao Yutong said quickly when she saw Huo Mingze preparing to leave. She then turned to Shen Modi, "Help him to a room, and I'll have the waiter bring the tea."

"We're going home!" Huo Mingze insisted.

"Alright," Modi said immediately, helping Huo Mingze walk out.

Huo Mingze felt himself losing control, especially when he heard Modi's voice and smelled her fragrance. He had an overwhelming urge to pounce on her. Afraid that he might lose control and force himself on her, he tried to remain calm and called Qiu Zhan: "Where are you? Are you far from Ji Zhou?"

"Not far, about three kilometers. I'm out riding motorcycles with some friends," Qiu Zhan said cheerfully over the phone.

"Bring silver needles and come to Ji Zhou," Huo Mingze said.

"Ah, what's going on? I'll be there right away," Qiu Zhan said, quickly hanging up.

Huo Mingze told Modi, "Help me upstairs."

"Alright," Modi said, seeing that Huo Mingze was in more discomfort. She immediately helped him towards the elevator.

Yao Yutong's eyes flickered, and she quickly signaled Mu Tingting, who was not far away.