The camp bar.

The three of them sat around a table, the atmosphere slightly tense. A waiter approached with a drink menu. Feng Mountain took it and placed it in front of Xu Hongxin.

"Give it a try. The drinks here are pretty good. My treat."

"That won’t be necessary." Xu Hongxin directly asked the waiter to recommend a drink.

The middle-aged man with her saw this and quickly pulled out a few 20 US Dollar bills, handing them to the waiter. His movements were swift, as if he were long accustomed to such scenes.

After the waiter walked away.

Feng Mountain leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and adopted a leisurely air. "Alright, spit it out. What do you want from me?"

"A partnership!" Xu Hongxin frowned as she looked at Feng Mountain’s sloppy posture. Her eyes revealed her dissatisfaction with his attitude, but she tried hard to control her emotions.

In her opinion, Feng Mountain’s behavior was rather inappropriate for such an important occasion.

However, now was not the time to fuss over such things.

Xu Hongxin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"A partnership for what? It doesn’t seem like there’s any room for cooperation between us." Feng Mountain played dumb, his eyes narrowing slightly. He leaned back in his chair, a guarded alertness hidden beneath his seemingly relaxed posture.

His gaze swept back and forth between Xu Hongxin and the middle-aged man as he secretly tried to guess their intentions.

"There is. Uncle Xiang." Before Xu Hongxin could finish, the middle-aged man beside her took out a file and placed it on the table. "Mr. Feng, this is my partnership proposal."

A proposal!

Feng Mountain seemed to have guessed why they had come.

He sat up straight and picked up the exquisitely designed document.

He flipped to the first page, where a conspicuous line of text read: Crown Territory Seafood Partnership Proposal.

Seeing the title, Feng Mountain thought to himself, ’Just as I expected.’ He then placed the document back on the table and looked at the two of them.

"I have a good relationship with Young Master Xu, so there’s no need to beat around the bush. I’m very curious—you’re his cousin, yet you’ve come here to poach your own cousin’s business. Do you really think that’s appropriate?"

Hearing the dissatisfaction and accusation in Feng Mountain’s tone, Xu Hongxin put on a puzzled expression and picked up the document.

"Business is business, and family is family. The two have nothing to do with each other."

"You signed a consignment agreement with my cousin. I don’t believe it fully utilizes the River Beach’s true potential. If we follow the plan in this proposal, your profits are guaranteed to be several times higher than they are now."

"I’ve done my research on the sales of the River Beach’s seafood products. They’re incredibly popular with consumers, to the point where supply can barely meet demand. If we can improve the sales strategy and work on packaging and promotion, profits will absolutely skyrocket."

"Of course, if you don’t like this kind of partnership, we can also follow the same arrangement you have with my cousin. I can offer a 30 percent increase on the original purchase price."

Ha!

Feng Mountain laughed. This young miss in front of him had certainly done her homework on those crabs.

It was true that supply couldn’t meet demand in the market.

After all, those crabs had been enhanced by the Breathing Technique, so they tasted better than ordinary crabs and were more profitable.

"Miss Xu, have you ever considered why I don’t sell them myself, but instead let your cousin sell them? You came here to snatch your cousin’s business without understanding the reason why. I think it would be better for you to give him a call."

"Anyone can add flowers to a brocade, but few will deliver charcoal in a snowstorm."

"Welcome to the Crown Territory. The scenery and food here are quite nice. You’re welcome to stay for a few more days and experience the polar night."

With that, Feng Mountain stood up and walked straight out of the bar without a second glance at the pair.

’So I guess the negotiation failed?’

As she watched his back disappear through the doorway, Xu Hongxin’s face slowly flushed. She replayed every moment of their meeting from start to finish in her mind.

Logically, she hadn’t made a single mistake.

She had offered both respect and profit in ample measure.

She had even taken the initiative to offer a higher price.

So why did this man reject her so decisively?

’Charcoal in a snowstorm?’

What had Xu Hongying done to make Feng Mountain willing to forsake profit just to protect him?

"Miss, why don’t we ask the Old Master to have a word with the Alaska State Government and put some pressure on this kid?" the middle-aged man said indignantly, pulling out his phone.

"That won’t be necessary. If I can’t even handle something like this, how am I supposed to take over the family business? Grandpa always said that true ability is proven without relying on the family’s help."

Xu Hongxin shook her head, picked up her glass, and took a small sip.

The next moment, a glint appeared in her beautiful eyes. She followed it with a large gulp, savored the taste for a long moment, and then waved to the waiter.

...

’That little brat. She knows nothing and still comes here to poach from me.’

’Do I look like I care about that little bit of money?’

After leaving the bar, Feng Mountain went to the edge of the Ice River, found a bench to sit on, and pulled out his phone to call the elusive Master Xu.

After a few rings, the call connected.

Young Master Xu’s hazy, drunken voice came through the receiver. "Brother Feng, you’re out? Come party in Anchorage! Jiajia knows a bunch of hot foreign girls. Anything goes! Come on!"

"Your cousin is here!" Feng Mountain frowned and held the phone away from his ear, as if he could smell the thick stench of alcohol from the other side.

"What?"

The voice on the other end suddenly shot up in pitch, followed by a woman’s shriek and the sound of a bottle dropping.

"Which cousin?" Young Master Xu’s voice was filled with anxiety.

’Now he’s scared. Should have thought of this sooner.’

Feng Mountain said into the phone, "Xu Hongxin. She brought a partnership proposal."

"I’m coming back to the Crown Territory right now! Wenwen, stop messing around! Someone’s trying to cut off my cash flow!" Hearing that name, Young Master Xu sobered up instantly.

"Who... who dares... Let’s... let’s fuckin’ get ’em," Su Ziweng’s voice slurred, thick with drunkenness.

Listening to the commotion on the other end of the line, Feng Mountain sighed to himself.