CHAPTER 1558: CHAPTER 1610: WU SHUWEI’S ANGER

Such opportunities are indeed rare, experiencing it once in a lifetime is enough. Experiencing too much might be hard on the heart. Wu Shuwei nodded to Angelina and was about to go on stage.

But at this moment, she saw Li Yifei also following her, Wu Shuwei hurriedly stopped him, whispering: "There won’t be any danger, I can go by myself!"

Wu Shuwei’s intentions were good — she was worried that if Li Yifei followed, he might be stopped by staff, which could upset him.

But Li Yifei chuckled, shook his head and said, "They will let me through."

"Ah?" Wu Shuwei was perplexed and continued, "No, I’m worried you’ll be refused by those people if you go!"

"I won’t be!"

"Then... alright, if someone stops you, please don’t get angry!" Wu Shuwei said with concern.

Li Yifei nodded with a smile and said, "Don’t worry."

At this point, an official on stage called out, "Please welcome Ms. Wu from Huaxia, and Mr. Jin from Huaxia."

Ms. Wu, of course, was Wu Shuwei, but Mr. Jin... could it be Li Yifei? Wu Shuwei blinked her eyes and looked at Li Yifei, only to see him nodding slightly. Suddenly, Wu Shuwei felt a bewildering emotion — why was he also invited up there?

Just as Wu Shuwei was about to ask why, a strong hand appeared on her waist, guiding her forward. Wu Shuwei could only turn around and focus on walking while Li Yifei’s warm, firm voice reached her ears, saying, "Stay calm, steady yourself. In times like these, it’s important not to panic. Take this time to think about the negotiation matters ahead."

Exactly, Wu Shuwei immediately recalled that since the contract needed revision, it would be necessary to discuss some contract terms anew. In haste, important matters could not be overlooked, so under Li Yifei’s protection, Wu Shuwei began to be absent-mindedly sorting out the contents of the contract in her mind.

Sarama also followed along, not caring about the minister status — she was simply determined to be with Li Yifei. As for Angelina, seeing others leaving, she stomped her feet and jogged along, saying, "Dear Sarama, take me along too, or else leaving me alone there would be too lonely."

Sarama smiled at her, nodding permission, while Angelina expressed her gratitude repeatedly.

The group did not go on stage but were led to the backstage where several officials and the Minister of Commerce were waiting, as well as the smiling Parsons. Upon seeing Wu Shuwei, the Minister stood up but didn’t shake her hand first; instead, he shook hands with Li Yifei, then looked at Parsons, seemingly saying, "I am giving you enough face."

When he saw Sarama naturally linking arms with Li Yifei, the Minister’s eyes clearly paused, thereafter showing a more respectful demeanor towards Li Yifei.

The notorious Sarama being so close to a Huaxia man undoubtedly caused Parsons to make such a recommendation — it seemed prudent in his task not to upset such individuals.

Thinking thus, the Minister’s attitude improved markedly, handing files separately to Wu Shuwei and Li Yifei. These documents were rushed out this morning, containing new treaties and additions and concessions that needed to be reviewed anew.

Wu Shuwei took the contract, though eager to review it, yet puzzled at why Li Yifei would also have a version. Such contracts should be high-level confidential documents — how was he allowed to view it?

Even if Li Yifei was extremely influential, it shouldn’t reach the level of Dubai’s officials, should it? Frowning, Wu Shuwei saw Li Yifei already reading the agreement, hence didn’t ask further, instead quickly bowing her head to look through it.

After scanning a few lines, Wu Shuwei suddenly lifted her head sharply, pointing to the section marked with equity and asked, "Why is this place like this? According to the agreement, shouldn’t we both hold fifty percent, and my party would compromise somewhat... Now how has it become my party holding only fifteen percent? This is too..."

Wu Shuwei appeared agitated, as if angry, her face flushed red. The contract indicated the Huaxia company she represented held only fifteen percent of the equity — such a small share was useless, too little, and clearly different from previous shares. Wu Shuwei absolutely would not accept such a thing. She glared at the Minister of Commerce and said, "Does your side intend to cooperate in this manner? We remit funds, manpower, efforts, designs, and still have to purchase oil, yet you only give us fifteen percent of the shares, this is too much, I won’t accept it!"

Li Yifei, hearing her exclamation, merely raised his head slightly before lowering it, continuing to read the contract. Previously, he might not have understood it, but now with his experience, he comprehended many aspects of these lengthy contracts. Some parts were traps, some were overt and clear, while others were required to be included.

Perhaps due to Parsons’ involvement, this contract was still relatively reasonable, with few aspects needing discussion and changes — it fell within a tolerable range.

Wu Shuwei continued pointing at the agreement, arguing, "The fifty percent equity now reduced to fifteen percent — I refuse to accept it. If this doesn’t change, then I certainly will not sign this contract!"

Initially, Wu Shuwei was determined to have the contract signed, so seeing Japan’s failure made her very happy. But now seeing the contract’s content, Wu Shuwei’s professional spirit arose — she would never do something that harmed the nation.

Investing so much money only for fifteen percent equity — this, Wu Shuwei wouldn’t do!

Like a little hen in combat mode, Wu Shuwei stiffened her neck, glaring round-eyed at the Minister of Commerce.

Her words continued as she efficiently listed a bunch of data, detailing both sides’ contributions, Dubai’s components, and coordinating the entire UAE’s aspects, including transportation, labor, and costs—all memorized in her head, so she could effortlessly recite them. After listing them, Wu Shuwei paused, still glaring at the Commerce Minister.

Angelina on the side was taken aback — this was confidential, but she promised herself to forget what she heard. Huaxia was indeed endeavoring for this contract, but even so, owning only fifteen percent of the equity, the opponent was excessively unreasonable.

As an observer, she couldn’t interject, so merely pursed her lips.

Sarama also frowned—Dubai’s most capricious little princess couldn’t help but say, "You guys are a bit excessive. The company Wu Sister belongs to contributed so much, yet you merely offered fifteen percent equity—it’s too little. I think giving half would not be excessive."

Parsons chuckled slightly but immediately received a glare from Sarama, forcing him to retract.

Meanwhile, Li Yifei finished reviewing the contract and lifted his head just as the Commerce Minister said, "No, this is already a very fine contract derived from precise discussions and studies. Note that the current field doesn’t match the initial explored reserves. In fact, it’s more than doubled, even incompletely surveyed. If the deal is confirmed, and the reserves increase further, we might have to renegotiate the contract."

"Even so, can you just shrink our equity by twenty-five percent? Isn’t this exploiting us? If you insist on this, I guarantee I won’t sign such a contract!" Wu Shuwei declared.

The Commerce Minister did not answer Wu Shuwei, instead glanced at Li Yifei and asked, "Mr. Jin, is it convenient to reveal?"

Li Yifei responded with a slight nod without saying much.

The Commerce Minister then turned to Wu Shuwei and said, "Miss Wu, there’s really nothing to hide here. The reason the Chief decided to sign agreements with Huaxia is because of Mr. Golden Eagle. He made the Chief change his mind and chose to sign with Huaxia to jointly develop this newly discovered oil field, and also granted many favorable policies!"

"Because of... him?" Wu Shuwei, Angelina, and Sarama simultaneously looked at Li Yifei. The latter merely shrugged his shoulders, appearing relaxed. Then the three echoed together, "Why?"

"Because Mr. Golden Eagle invested one hundred fifty billion US dollars, proportionately occupying twenty-five percent of the shares. Following the minus-one principle, his shares constitute twenty-four percent to prevent individuals from exceeding national shares. However, Mr. Golden Eagle invested a larger amount, hence the Chief decided to provide other compensations to Mr. Golden Eagle, which will be detailed to you later."

One hundred fifty billion... US dollars still? How many zeros are after a billion? Wu Shuwei’s eyes were still wide, but no longer with anger; instead, there was... confusion, dazedness, disbelief, and some questioning.

Angelina confirmed she hadn’t heard wrong. She rubbed her ears and pinched her earlobes, realizing it actually hurt a bit, knowing then what she heard was true.

No joke, this was actually real! My gosh, one hundred fifty billion US dollars—what exactly does this man do? She suddenly recalled that night when Li Yifei single-handedly entered the terrorists’ nest, exterminating those terrorists and rescuing the two of them. Such a man, moreover, a super-rich man, casually possessing over a hundred billion dollars...

This kind of man—why isn’t he my man? Angelina, rarely, began becoming materialistic and starstruck.

Sarama blinked, realizing Golden Eagle also held shares in this transaction, not surprised by the amount of money but rather happy. She grinned at Li Yifei and gave a thumbs-up, saying, "This is really wonderful. I’m going to discuss with Grandpa about converting my assets into shares of this oil company, so we can be colleagues in the future!"