Over ten minutes later, the convoy stopped beneath the YW Company building. With Mr. Shao opening the door, Gu Bai slowly stepped out of the car. Clad in a stern black suit, the sunlight highlighted Gu Bai’s noble demeanor to the fullest. The female white-collar workers coming and going from the building glanced at Gu Bai, their hearts slightly stirred despite being worn down by their hectic jobs. However, they were all quite self-aware, knowing that such a man was beyond their reach, and could only admire him from afar. If they truly felt lonely, they’d go to nightclubs to pick up guys and indulge themselves a bit. This was also a common way for many urban white-collar women to relieve work stress. YW’s shareholders, who had been waiting at the entrance for the Black Swan Group’s negotiators, hurriedly came up to greet Gu Bai. Although it was their first time meeting Gu Bai, they understood clearly that within the Black Swan Group, there was no one else other than the young Chairman Gu who could have Mr. Shao open the door personally. Thıs content belongs to 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵 "Chairman Gu, welcome to YW. We have been waiting for quite some time. I am Director Liu Gan of the YW Board." Hearing his introduction, Gu Bai smiled and extended his right hand. "Director Liu, pleased to meet you. If anything, I’m the one disturbing you, and to think you came to greet me personally makes me feel a bit guilty." "Chairman Gu, no such words please. Having the opportunity to meet a young talent like you is my honor." "Director Liu, you flatter me." "Chairman Gu, let’s head back to the company first. It’s a perfect opportunity to show you our company’s layout." "Please lead the way, Director Liu." "This way, Chairman Gu." After saying this, Liu Gan personally walked ahead to guide Gu Bai. In truth, with his status, he didn’t need to greet Gu Bai personally, but as a businessman, he was deeply acquainted with the ways of investment. He clearly understood that befriending Gu Bai in itself was a perfect investment. These days, Cui Hong had publicly praised Black Swan Group multiple times, and just a few days ago at the Shanghai Theatre Academy’s anniversary, Wang Rengang, as Shanghai’s top leader, personally supported Gu Bai. Liu Gan was a long-established businessman in the Shanghai Circle, with a keen sense for changing scenarios. He clearly knew that Gu Bai had some undisclosed background, otherwise, a capital company would not receive such significant attention from above. As for Gu Bai, although somewhat puzzled by Liu Gan’s enthusiasm, there is an old saying about not hitting a smiling face. He was here to conduct legitimate business, so Liu Gan’s good attitude was certainly a positive for him. During their conversation, the group arrived at the YW Company on the 16th floor. With Liu Gan’s introduction, Gu Bai took a tour inside YW Company. It’s undeniable that YW has potential to become one of Hua Country’s leaders in the field of fashion magazines. The company’s staff, though not large in number, had clear responsibilities and worked diligently. Despite Gu Bai’s inspection, no one showed excessive interest, as they were busy with their own tasks. After completing the tour, Liu Gan smiled and asked Gu Bai, "I wonder if Chairman Gu is satisfied with our YW’s working environment." Gu Bai smiled and nodded slightly. "YW is indeed a rising force in Hua Country’s fashion magazine field. Just its office environment is full of fashion vibes. Moreover, your company’s management system is quite fascinating, and even if our cooperation this time doesn’t succeed, I’ll arrange for our management team to learn from you here." Regarding the latter half of the sentence, Gu Bai left it unsaid. Should the cooperation succeed, the entire YW would fall under the Black Swan Group, and there would be no need to talk about learning. At that time, they could simply replicate the management system directly. "Then I very much look forward to the two companies achieving a partnership." Seeing that Gu Bai was quite satisfied, Liu Gan also showed a smile. "Chairman Gu, shall we go to the conference room?" As Gu Bai and the others departed, the employees finally dared to start whispering. "Is the rumor that our company is being acquired true?" "Could it be false? Did you not see Liu Gan’s flattering expression? When has he ever shown such a face?" "Will the acquisition affect us old employees? I’ve been searching for this job for a long time; I don’t want to look for another job again." "Who can say for sure? All we can do is focus on our work." For the employees, the company was their economic lifeline. Who owned the company was unimportant as long as they were paid; who the boss was didn’t matter. They were more worried about keeping their jobs post-acquisition. In YW’s office, Ai Shengnan was visibly tired, her delicate features appeared somewhat haggard. Her assistant softly spoke by her side, "President Ai... President Gu of Black Swan Group has arrived. Isn’t it inappropriate not to at least see him?" Ai Shengnan raised her head, glanced at the assistant, and sneered, "Isn’t there still a few minutes before the scheduled negotiation time? Besides, isn’t Liu Gan in charge of the company now? As the general manager, I don’t even have a say in the company’s ownership, so what qualifies me to represent the company?" The young assistant hesitated, understanding Ai Shengnan was upset, and kept her head down, tidying up the documents without further comment. Ai Shengnan noticed the assistant who had been by her side and recognized she shouldn’t vent her anger on her. However, these days, she was nearly driven mad by the company’s shareholders, making her emotions extremely unstable. Sighing, Ai Shengnan saw the young assistant still helping her organize documents and spoke in a warmer tone. "No need to tidy up. It’s about time now; let’s head to the conference room. By tomorrow, the company might belong to someone else; there’s little worth organizing." After speaking, Ai Shengnan rubbed her face to refresh herself before walking out of the office. As for the young assistant, she quickly followed upon seeing Ai Shengnan’s back. Elsewhere, in the meeting room, Liu Gan had been chatting with Gu Bai for a few minutes. He knew Ai Shengnan was strongly resistant to this acquisition, but he didn’t expect her to be so disrespectful, ignoring his three invitations to join them. "Chairman Gu, please wait a moment. President Ai must be dealing with something urgent and should arrive soon." Gu Bai heard this and gave Liu Gan a faintly smiling glance, but said nothing. It seemed this acquisition wouldn’t go smoothly. At the very least, the internal conflicts at YW Company had become apparent. Liu Gan was clearly in favor of the acquisition, indicating that Ai Shengnan was on the opposing side. Just as Liu Gan was about to rise and personally fetch Ai Shengnan, the meeting room door opened. Without expression, Ai Shengnan entered, followed by an assistant holding documents. "I wasn’t late, was I?" Ai Shengnan said coolly. Gu Bai glanced at the 6002G on his wrist; it was two minutes to two o’clock. With a neutral tone, "No, not technically. There are still two minutes until the agreed time. President Ai, you are indeed punctual." Having been left waiting for nearly ten minutes, Gu Bai’s dissatisfaction was evident on his face. The acquisition meeting had yet to begin, yet tension hung thickly in the air. "There were some matters that required urgent attention, causing a bit of a delay. I hope Chairman Gu won’t mind." Gu Bai nodded slightly, his face showing no unnecessary expression. Facing Gu Bai, Ai Shengnan realized she might have gone overboard and spoke, hoping to ease the mood: "Chairman Gu, this is our second meeting, isn’t it? I didn’t expect our second encounter to be under these circumstances." Gu Bai was never a magnanimous person. Since Ai Shengnan had shown him a cold face, he naturally wouldn’t offer her any kindness. "We can reminisce later. It’s now two o’clock, the scheduled time for our negotiation. Let’s formally start the acquisition talks." Ai Shengnan paused, her expression returning to blankness. With both leaders announcing the start of negotiations, the lawyers on both sides spread out their documents. The entire conference room turned exceptionally serious.