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Chapter 1118: Chapter 977: We’re Even
This order.
Even if we can’t consume it all,
at least Microcrystalline Technology will be able to secure a significant portion.
If someone wants to get a piece of the action, that’s not a problem; just offer up something appropriate in return. In the capital world, there’s nothing that can’t be negotiated, as long as you’re willing to pay a sufficient price.
Tang Qing was quite enlightened.
Freeloading off me? No way.
If you want a share, bring something of equal value to the table. Dream on if you think you’re going to take advantage of me.
"Ayman, thank you. I will have someone look into it," Tang Qing said.
"This project has not been announced publicly yet, but it will be soon. At that time, you can get in touch with Alison, or I can do it too. All right, I’ll let you get back to work, won’t keep you any longer.
I need to pick up some fruit wine; this visit has used up my two-month supply."
Speaking of this, 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
a look of frustration spread across Ayman’s face. To save face, he had overspent his allocation from Tang Qing by two months—that is, this month and the next. As for having any stock left, not a single bottle.
If he had kept any, his father would certainly have ’extorted’ a portion of it. After being taken advantage of several times, he simply decided to keep none at all. With Tang Qing as his friend, he wouldn’t be without fruit wine.
The first time meeting his future father-in-law,
he definitely had to bring an appropriate gift. Other than traditional Arab gifts, fruit wine was undoubtedly a gift that would never lose face in high society around the world and had become a new solution for gift-giving.
Visiting a friend, bring fruit wine.
Visiting relatives, bring fruit wine.
Visiting a patient, bring fruit wine.
Meeting an important figure, bring fruit wine.
It was a gift appropriate for all classes, even if the recipient was the President, handing it over would never be a faux pas. It was like a panacea.
Absolutely solid.
...
After the call,
Ayman walked out of the door, chuckling.
The time difference between the two places was different; Saudi was five hours ahead of Huaxia. It was only just past lunchtime for Ayman. He walked to the garage and got into his beloved car—a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
This was something he begged from his father, the Prince, since he hadn’t managed to reserve one for himself.
Driving through the streets of Riyadh.
In Ayman’s opinion, the infrastructure here wasn’t up to par with Huaxia’s Shanghai. The distinction between the new and old city districts was very stark, showcasing two extremes: the extreme opulence of the Commercial District, while the Old City District was quite a mess.
Although the number of skyscrapers couldn’t compare to those in neighboring Dubai, Ayman felt this place was much better than Dubai. The development was more balanced with a larger urban area; Dubai was just a nouveau riche in comparison.
Arriving at the Commercial District,
Ayman headed straight for the fruit wine dealership.
As a premium product,
it naturally was located in the most bustling part of town.
In a commercial area where land was worth its weight in gold, the fruit wine boldly occupied the space of three store fronts and had a sign at the door saying "out of stock." It meant only those who had reserved could pick up their orders.
Every month,
the supply for the entire month would be reserved on the first day.
This made the job here very laid-back; the employees’ daily task was simply to deliver the fruit wine from the warehouse to the customers. To protect the fruit wine, the storage in the store was guarded 24 hours a day.
The security personnel outnumbered the staff.
The main purpose was to prevent any inside job theft.
"Ayman, you robber."
Just as he reached the entrance, Ayman was blocked by a figure. The Bodyguards tensed momentarily then stepped aside, as Ayman recognized the person blocking his way—it was his cousin, Im Abdul, who had sold him ARM shares at the beginning of the month.
Hearing the nickname ’robber,’
Ayman replied sheepishly, "What are you talking about? I haven’t stolen anything from you."
Still not as cunning as an old fox and with rather thin skin, Ayman hadn’t evolved yet. The shares of ARM had surged by more than thirty percent within that month, which meant that Ken had made a big loss.
Ayman truly felt ’embarrassed’. His only aim was to make the twenty percent premium he was after.
"Did you already know that ARM’s stock was going to rise, and that’s why you bought from me?" Im Abdul sounded utterly dejected. Selling his stocks just before a surge, especially an explosive one, was a major tragedy in life.
For the past few days, he had lost his appetite and couldn’t sleep at night.
"I swear, I absolutely didn’t know it would rise like this," Ayman quickly defended himself.
"You knew ERV was going to acquire ARM and didn’t tell me—it’s really not cool of you. I’m your cousin. You shouldn’t treat me like this; it hurts my feelings. Tell me, how will you compensate me?" Im Abdul changed his tone.
He wasn’t actually angry about Ayman making money; he was upset about being kept in the dark. If Ayman had just shared the information with him after getting the stocks, he too could have made some money on the stock market.
Now he hadn’t made a cent from it.
"I didn’t know ERV was going to acquire ARM, I swear," Ayman shook his head.
"You didn’t know?" Im Abdul was taken aback, "Then why did you buy my shares? Don’t tell me it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, or, did someone tell you to buy them?"
Im Abdul wasn’t foolish.
Although he lost several hundred million in Las Vegas last month, it was just bad luck (the enemy was too powerful).
"You could say that these stocks were purchased on behalf of someone else. Other than that, I can’t disclose any more," Ayman explained.
Hearing this,
Im Abdul looked deeply at Ayman, it seemed that Ayman wasn’t lying.
If that was the case,
then it all made sense.
The other party might have known about ERV’s movements, hence the early preparation, and they didn’t tell Ayman. However, on reflection, on the latest ARM shareholder list there was only Ayman’s name, no one else’s.
Could it be...
"You haven’t transferred the shares to him yet?" Im Abdul’s eyes lit up.
"Mm," Ayman nodded.
"How much did he offer?" Im Abdul asked curiously.
"I can’t say."
"Then you could’ve asked for more money," Im Abdul said.
"That’s not possible."
"If you hold onto them until ERV goes public, you can definitely sell them for a good price."
"We’ll see."
"Is this person very influential?"
"All I can say is: I don’t want to lose his friendship, and my father agrees with my approach."
"Understood, but I really took a big loss, cousin. Are you here to pick up fruit wine?"
"Yes."
"Two bottles, and I’ll forgive you."
"No problem."
Having said that,
Ayman walked into the store.
A Chinese store manager quickly came up.
"Hello, Prince Ayman, how can I assist you?"
"I’m here for my fruit wine," Ayman said.
"This... I recall that your allocation has been overdrawn for two months and we can’t extend any further. We might not be able to provide..." The store manager, clearly remembering that Ayman was a special customer, was in a dilemma.
In all of Saudi,
Ayman’s allocation was unique, even better than the King’s. He had heard it was because of headquarters, but he wasn’t clear on the exact reason. Ayman’s last overdraft was also approved by headquarters.
"This is my card, give it a try," Ayman handed over a card.
To reserve fruit wine, one needed to have a card, just like a bank card, and even when picking up the wine, a password was required.
"Let me check."
The store manager reluctantly went to the machine.
With a swipe,
where he expected an empty reservation, the information ’Five boxes of fruit wine—Paid’ suddenly appeared. Ayman leaned over and was thrilled to see the information, Tang Qing’s efficiency was truly remarkable.
The store manager thought he had seen it wrong.
But upon closer inspection,
It was true.
And there was a note attached: Adjustment order, can be collected at any fruit wine dealership.
The Chinese store manager looked up at Ayman. Not only was his allocation special, but being able to continue purchasing despite an overdraft suggested an extraordinary background, possibly a close relationship with the headquarters’ boss.
"Please wait, we will prepare it right away." Special approval from headquarters meant the store manager didn’t dare to delay.
Quickly, five boxes of fruit wine were brought out.
Im Abdul was dumbfounded.
Five boxes.
He only got two boxes a month.
No wonder Ayman had agreed so readily. Im Abdul looked around and suddenly felt it was a great day for some sport, grabbing a box of fruit wine and dashing out of the store.
"Thank you," he shouted as he left.
"..."
"..."
Everyone inside the store was dumbstruck.
A robber?
The security guard was about to give chase.
"Let it be, that’s my cousin," Ayman said with a wry smile.
In this way, they were even.
