Chapter 130: This Isn’t Just About Eating Barbecue—They’re Out to Devour Us!

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Chen Rui stared at the list in his hand. No matter how calm he was by nature, he found himself unable to sit still.

“President Chen, could you please explain why you have this list?”

The list itself was quite simple—just names of anime titles. However, these were anime not yet released domestically, all either about to premiere or currently in production in Sakura Country.

The most prominent among them was "King of Bones," an anime Chen Rui himself held in high regard.

The reason for Chen Rui’s shock was that this was a critically important project for their company.

After all, their company was a video website focused on the ACG (animation, comics, and games) community, and a large portion of their users demanded anime content.

Currently, domestic anime was still in its development phase and not yet up to par. To attract enough users, they had to introduce high-quality, official anime from Sakura Country.

But as Chen Rui had suspected, their modest platform didn’t have the funds to acquire the rights to those popular anime titles—the licensing fees were simply too high for them to bear.

Therefore, they had chosen a different path, planning to bring in anime that were relatively unknown in Sakura Country but might become hits domestically, with "King of Bones" as a prime example.

Yet this plan was still in its preparatory stage, known only to himself and two vice presidents. How had Chen Luo come to know about it?

“This list was my own idea,” Chen Luo said, his gaze burning into Chen Rui’s without a trace of evasion.

“These titles are anime I am very confident in. Introducing them through your company could generate enormous revenue for your website.”

Beside him, Wen Wan placed a hand gently on Chen Luo’s, speaking aptly, “If Chen Luo had truly stolen this so-called list from you, do you think he would have shown it to you?”

Chen Rui was momentarily speechless at this. Indeed, if Chen Luo had deliberately stolen the list, why would he reveal it to him?

More deeply, with Wen Wan’s financial backing, Chen Luo could easily go solo—start his own video platform to import these anime. Why would he bother telling Chen Rui at all?

“Alright, Madam Wen, I understand.”

“But, President Chen,” Chen Rui turned to Chen Luo, “no one offers gifts without conditions. I assume your so-called gift comes with strings attached?”

Chen Luo smiled faintly but didn’t speak immediately; he merely looked at Chen Rui quietly.

That confident gaze and handsome profile made Wen Wan beside him utterly captivated. She couldn’t help but sneak a hand to lightly stroke the inner thigh of Chen Luo.

“Hmm?”

Chen Luo almost called out but merely turned his head slightly, shooting Wen Wan a reproachful glance.

Come on, Wan’er, you nearly ruined my composure.

Wen Wan looked a little guilty, reluctantly withdrawing her hand.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

“Ahem!”

Chen Luo cleared his throat and picked up his chopsticks to offer a piece of roast duck to Chen Rui.

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“Since President Chen is so straightforward, let’s get straight to the point.”

“We propose to jointly introduce these anime. We provide the funds for acquisition, the copyrights will be co-owned by both our companies, and the priority for adaptations will belong to our company. How does that sound?”

Chen Rui, after listening, felt some hesitation before replying.

“No, President Chen, this makes me feel like our company is getting the short end of the stick. You provide the funds, yet you don’t take the copyrights—only the adaptation priority. Isn’t that a bit low on your side’s gains?”

“You could see it that way, but I don’t feel like I’m at a loss.”

“Moreover, once this cooperation is established, Wanluo Company will officially become your strategic partner. There will be many more collaborations in the future.”

Here it came—the real meat of the matter.

Chen Rui’s heart skipped a beat. The words “strategic partner” were precisely the purpose of his visit today.

He had hesitated on how to bring up the topic because the gap between them was too wide.

Unexpectedly, Chen Luo brought it up himself, and with hardly any excessive demands.

But as the saying goes, no merchant is without guile. Business is about careful accounting, weighing costs and benefits.

Often, the free lunch is the deadliest poison; a pie falling from the sky can easily crush you.

If he agreed rashly, there could be enormous hidden dangers.

“Don’t rush. Let’s eat first. Take your time to consider.”

Chen Luo didn’t pressure him to decide quickly but began to eat.

From the beginning until now, he had been chatting with Chen Rui and barely eaten a bite. Now his stomach was already growling.

“Here, have some soup to soothe your throat.”

Wen Wan handed over a bowl of soup. Chen Luo took it, and the aroma of lamb immediately wafted up.

“This restaurant’s lamb soup is famous. I specially ordered it for you. Try it.”

Chen Luo sipped the soup; the fragrance was overwhelming, and he suddenly felt a warm flush throughout his body.

“The soup tastes good, but why does it make me feel so hot inside?”

At that moment, Wen Wan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “The lamb is stewed with astragalus and Chinese yam.”

“The effect, of course, is to tonify yang!”

The two words “tonify yang” carried a teasing tone. Chen Luo gave a wry smile.

Good heavens, the nourishment starts now. Looks like a long night of battle is inevitable.

“Alright, I’ll drink! Since you prepared it, I’ll have a few more bowls!”

Chen Luo drank two bowls consecutively, then looked up at Chen Rui. Just then, Chen Rui also looked up, their eyes meeting.

“President Chen, have you made a decision?”

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Chen Rui gritted his teeth and blurted out two words: “Deal!”

As he spoke, his heart raced. He knew he was taking a huge risk.

One misstep might lead to his entire family business being swallowed up.

But at this moment, his company desperately needed such funding and such a powerful backing.

To be honest, this could save his company at least five years of detours.

Even if it was a poisonous pill, he had to swallow it—the temptation was too great!

Besides, even if they eventually became a subsidiary, it would still be under a super large conglomerate.

As long as his shares remained, there was still a chance to further expand his wealth and legacy.

“Good. Thank you for your trust, President Chen. Let’s drink to celebrate our cooperation.”

Chen Luo and Wen Wan stood simultaneously, clinking glasses with Chen Rui. The three drained their cups in one go.

After sitting down again, Chen Luo enthusiastically poured another glass for Chen Rui and sat beside him.

“President Chen, take things one bite at a time, one matter at a time.”

“I hope all our course projects can soon be launched on your platform.”

“Alright, I’ll immediately arrange for the relevant department heads with a team to come to Hangzhou and strive to complete all uploads before tomorrow evening!”

“Excellent! President Chen, your execution is impressive! Here’s a toast to you.”

Wen Wan, sitting opposite, watched the two men link arms and smile, a faint smile playing at her lips.

In her mind, she already pictured Ye Linna’s astonishment when the courses went live.

This little treasure of theirs was growing more mature by the day, her charm deepening.

Looking into Chen Luo’s eyes, she first saw fascination, which slowly turned into intense longing and a somewhat pathological fervor. She lowered her head and took out her phone to send a message to Mo Lan.

“Have the kitchen prepare some late-night snacks; we’ll eat when we get home.”

“Understood. Madam Wen, what would you like to eat?”

“Barbecue tonight: garlic oysters, grilled lamb kidneys, roasted sea cucumber, chives, and a pot of goji berry chicken soup. Drinks: strong liquor and Red Bull.”

Seeing Madam Wen’s menu, Mo Lan nearly dropped her phone.

This isn’t just barbecue—it’s a feast to devour someone!

Chen Luo, you’re on your own tonight!