DF Chapter 102

Chapter 102: This silence even carried a hint of Valma’s awkwardness.

Chapter 102 This silence even carried a hint of Valma’s awkwardness.

Soon the day ended, although the sun hadn’t yet set, the time told them that it was already nine o’clock in the evening in the Eastern Time Zone. Song Ji’an moved from the room downstairs to the suite on the twelfth floor to rest.

Sheng Jia came up with her.

Sunlight and daylight do make it difficult to fall asleep, and one could even say they keep you extremely awake.

Sheng Jia was sitting on the sofa remotely handling company affairs, while Song Ji’an sat by the window looking at the sea outside. The room was playing a small Nordic film about two little girls who grew up with their grandmother on a farm. It had a hazy picture quality and a somewhat dull sound, as if an old man was slowly recounting his past. Most of the images covered with a veil were her memories.

The room was very quiet. Song Ji’an didn’t ask Sheng Jia why she was handling Song’s internal affairs so unguardedly in front of her.

Before reuniting with Sheng Jia, she always felt that Sheng Jia might not want her to be exposed to any internal matters of the Song family. So for those five years, it was both avoidance and respect, and she never inquired about anything related to the Song family.

It wasn’t until she stepped onto Tromsø and this cruise ship that the feeling of being a partner with Sheng Jia gradually emerged.

Probably because this was a completely unfamiliar and closed-off ship, and the only people on the ship they could trust were each other, and they could only trust each other. This was a very typical suspension bridge effect.

Song Ji’an left the familiar city and came here in the name of helping Sheng Jia. On this cruise ship, the cooperation between the two became closer, almost staying together twenty-four hours a day. The psychological defenses that still existed almost disappeared in this situation, bringing Song Ji’an an infinite sense of reality—she was becoming a partner with Sheng Jia to accomplish a major event.

For Sheng Jia, it was also the same.

So she openly handled documents in front of Song Ji’an, even not caring whether Song Ji’an was watching. This was her candor towards her partner.

Song Ji’an suspected that if she leaned over, Sheng Jia might pass her some of the less difficult tasks to handle, so she sat far away by the window, preferring to empty her mind rather than approach her.

Regarding how to treat partners, Sheng Jia, the initiator, seemed to open her own walls faster than her, even revealing areas that she would never have revealed in the past.

This time, the person who felt hesitant and seemed less sincere turned out to be Song Ji’an.

Song Ji’an wandered aimlessly in thought, and then heard a youthful and bright cheer from the television behind her. It was the two little Norwegian girls in the film and their grandmother leaving the farm together, paddling a kayak to the seaside. Small fish swam beside them. They were already fifteen years old and extremely curious about the outside world, deciding to embark on a wonderful adventure with their grandmother.

Amidst the sound of the sea waves that rang out from time to time, Song Ji’an’s door was knocked.

Song Ji’an glanced at herself in the glass window and took the initiative to walk towards the door.

The woman standing outside the door had red hair and wore a wide windbreaker over a turtleneck sweater, even wearing a mask and sunglasses on her face, practically covered from head to toe.

“You are?” Song Ji’an asked knowingly.

“Someone who can help you,” the woman’s voice under the mask was a bit hoarse.

Song Ji’an smiled, “We don’t deal with strangers without names.”

The woman paused, then took off her glasses and mask and said, “Valma.”

Song Ji’an blinked, “You’re Valma?”

“Are you sure you want to discuss this matter with me in a corridor where people might appear at any time?” Valma raised her chin, her posture arrogant.

So Song Ji’an replied, “The one who is in competition with you is Hilda, and the one who is supposed to talk to us is also Hilda. Your being here must be to compete with her, so the one who should be worried about being discovered is you, not us.”

“You!” Valma glared at her, lowering her voice angrily, “Are you Sheng Jia? And what right do you have to make decisions? Do you know how much benefit I can bring her? Wasting time with you here!”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t get so easily annoyed,” Song Ji’an replied calmly, then stepped aside, “Please come in, Ms. Valma Opter.”

Valma glared at her again before swaggering into the room.

Sheng Jia had already put away her laptop. She was rolling up the sleeves of her shirt, revealing a section of her fair arm and slender, nimble hands as she mixed drinks by the wine cabinet. When Valma approached, she pushed a cocktail with a red top and blue bottom towards her, “Ms. Valma, hello.”

“I heard that this is the bartender’s specialty on this ship, Hellfire. Whenever the sun sets, the sunset and the sea reflect each other, presenting such a color, as if the gates of hell have been opened,” Sheng Jia said slowly, “Ms. Valma, try it.”

Valma glanced at the drink, then turned her gaze to Sheng Jia, saying somewhat critically, “I don’t drink this kind of wine, let alone wine mixed by amateur bartenders.”

The seat beside her became heavy as Song Ji’an sat down beside her and let out a chuckle. The glass in front of Valma was taken away, and then Song Ji’an took a light sip, “The taste is not bad.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it!” Valma immediately glared at Song Ji’an again, sarcastically saying, “Why does Ms. Sheng Jia have such impolite subordinates around her?”

“Subordinates?” Sheng Jia shook her head, “She’s not my subordinate, she’s my partner.”

Saying that, her tone carried some equal sarcasm, “I think Ms. Valma should understand that you are the one who has come to my door seeking something, and unfortunately, this Ms. Song Ji’an beside you also has the right to decide whether or not to cooperate with you, or even listen to your intentions.”

“So, you better respect her a little. Otherwise, you might be kicked out directly by me or her.”

“She is Song Ji’an?” The surprise in Valma’s eyes almost overshadowed the anger she felt at being ridiculed. Then she looked at Sheng Jia with a suspicious gaze, as if questioning whether there was something wrong with the other party’s brain.

She had been fighting tooth and nail with Hilda for power and profit. She couldn’t believe that Sheng Jia would bring Song Ji’an, who had once occupied her position for eighteen years and was just as dangerous as Hilda, onto the ship, and even give her such great power.

This even made her wonder if it was right for her to come here today. The first thought that came to her mind when she discovered Song Ji’an was to question Sheng Jia’s ability.

If she were standing in Sheng Jia’s position and Hilda was standing in Song Ji’an’s position, then she would definitely use all the power in her hands to make sure that Hilda would never have any chance to turn over.

“Valma, don’t look at us with that kind of gaze,” Song Ji’an tapped the table, “Since you don’t drink, why don’t you just talk about what you want to do here?”

Only then did Valma remember her purpose this time. Her usually flamboyant red hair was now hanging docilely by her neck. Just thinking about how Hilda had disgustingly brought over a plate of unappetizing sea fish to disgust her this afternoon and treated her rudely made her want to kick the other party into the sea.

Before arriving in Honningsvåg, she had to find a way out for herself, at least to disrupt her cooperation with Sheng Jia. Otherwise, once she was kicked off the ship by Hilda, she would never have a chance to turn over. Thinking of her years of tit-for-tat with Hilda, she couldn’t imagine how miserable she would be if the other party became the head of the Opter family.

So Valma took a deep breath, prepared herself mentally, and lowered her noble head to Sheng Jia, sincerely saying, “Sheng, although I already deeply apologized to you five years ago, I still want to apologize to you again now that we meet again. I’m very sorry that the war between me and Hilda has affected you. But I have already looked at the cooperation contract you submitted to Opter Headquarters. You need to know that the old stubborn members of the board of directors will definitely not agree to your request, but I think your request is not too excessive, so I am willing to lobby for you, at least to help you achieve 80% of your expectations.”

In her expectation, the two people on the opposite side had no reason not to agree to such favorable conditions, but the reality was that after her words fell, the room fell into silence.

This silence even carried a hint of Valma’s awkwardness.

“Are you kidding me?” Sheng Jia broke the silence, but the content she said made Valma even more embarrassed, “Five years ago, weren’t you already driven out of the core of the Opter family? What guarantee do you have that the Opter shareholders will agree to our request? Moreover, this ship has always been under Hilda’s control. You even have to sneak around to find us to discuss cooperation. Don’t you think that what you say has no credibility at all?”

Valma’s face turned red under her words. She stood up somewhat angrily, but then a pair of hands pressed on her shoulders. Song Ji’an pressed her back down, and she said slowly, “Ms. Valma, are you angry? Just because we told the truth? I told you, you shouldn’t get annoyed. When the client in a cooperation questions your ability, what you should do is calm down and prove yourself.”

Valma’s chest heaved, but because of Song Ji’an’s words, she did calm down a bit.

This also made her realize very clearly that she was no longer the unbridled Valma of the past. Even if she had been avoiding reality for the past five years, she could not hide this reality. She no longer had the right to randomly get angry at people, especially in front of Sheng Jia.

She bit her lip, clenched her fists, and said hoarsely, “Although Hilda has been in the core for a few years, I have been working in the core for five years longer than her. Even if I did something wrong, the old grandmother still favors me. My connections and my power will wholeheartedly help you get what you want this time. You only need to repeatedly urge Opter to make a decision, and use other oil and gas groups to create a sense of pressure. The rest I can solve. Ms. Sheng Jia, dozens of emails and revealing a bit of intention can achieve your goal. It’s an absolutely cost-effective deal for you.”

“Sounds like Ms. Valma, you are very confident that you can persuade the shareholders?” Sheng Jia pondered for a moment, “What are your requirements?”

She didn’t believe Valma would do charity.

“I want you to help me bring down Opter’s business in the Chinese market,” a fierce light flashed in Valma’s eyes, “At the same time, I want you to designate me as the only cooperation partner of your three companies.”

Only in this way could she return to the core position.

“Okay,” this time Sheng Jia did not hesitate, she said leisurely, “As long as Opter sends a contract agreeing to cooperate to our company, our company will immediately designate you as the only cooperation partner.”

Sheng Jia never did unprofitable deals. If Valma could really facilitate this cooperation, then what about letting her be the cooperation partner?

As for dragging down Opter’s business? It was almost obvious at a glance that Valma’s idea was to make Hilda suffer two losses in a row, so that she could openly go to China to take over the business in the other party’s hands.

Valma lowered her eyes slightly. This time, she did not bargain. She nodded, “Okay.”

“Within a month, I’ll give you the result.”

She did not stay here for long and soon chose to say goodbye.

Song Ji’an sent her to the door, and before she left, she lifted her collar for her and said in a low voice, “Ms. Valma, you may want to add a sweater with a higher collar.”

Hearing this, Valma quickly turned her head to look at the glass strip on the door, only to see that a large area of skin above her collar was covered with hickeys. Originally, her collar was covering just right, but in the conversation just now, the collar slid down her neck, revealing the traces she had tried so hard to cover.

A rare look of panic appeared in Valma’s eyes, but her face was full of calmness, and she said in a low voice, “It’s just a few hickeys. Having a romance on this ship is the easiest thing. If Ms. Song Ji’an wants to try, you can go to the fifteenth floor to try your luck.”

After saying that, she turned and walked downstairs.

Song Ji’an raised her eyebrows and closed the door.

Sheng Jia was wiping the glass by the wine cabinet, the cocktail glass that Song Ji’an had just drunk from. She was using a silk cloth to wipe off the lip prints left on it.

Song Ji’an paused slightly, feeling that her lips were also a little hot for some reason.

“Did she leave?” Sheng Jia didn’t look up. She moved quickly, put the goblet back on the shelf, and slowly put down her sleeves.

“She left,” Song Ji’an put the strange feeling back in her stomach and sat back in her original position, “She left in a hurry, probably calculating the time, Hilda is coming back soon.”

They had never thought of underestimating Valma. Since she owned half of the ship, it was not difficult to find an opportunity to transfer Hilda away and then come up to find them. That’s why Sheng Jia didn’t return to her room. They had been waiting for her.

But after contacting Valma, they could only say that perhaps Valma owned half of the power, but she probably couldn’t outsmart Hilda. It was even possible that Hilda was deliberately letting her come out this time.

She was indeed a girl spoiled by her grandmother. If they had to describe her, if no one was behind her to protect her, not to mention meeting those cunning elders, even meeting their peers with too many schemes would easily be eaten clean.

It was because the gap was too big that even if Valma was extremely rude at the beginning, it could not cause them the slightest displeasure.

If they were Opter’s old grandmother, they would probably choose Hilda to be their successor without any hesitation.

Of course, they were not. However, Hilda had already been eyeing Valma from the side, and even the hickeys that Valma had inadvertently revealed were Hilda’s malicious display of power.

This was not for Valma to see, this was for Sheng Jia and Song Ji’an to see, directly informing them that Valma was already under her control.

“Then you still agreed to her?” Song Ji’an said, supporting her chin with one hand, “Aren’t you afraid of choking by eating from both sides?”

“Only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of an opportunity,” Sheng Jia curled up a shallow smile, “She offered herself up, so what if we cooperate with her if Valma can really do it? She’s easier to deal with than Hilda.”

“Whether it’s her or Hilda, they can only choose to cooperate with us. Even if Hilda knows that we have agreed to Valma, she can’t give up cooperating with us.”

So she could only choose to compete with Valma, persuading the board of directors before her and winning this natural gas field.

No matter how they calculated, the only beneficiaries were Sheng Jia and them.

“You don’t just think that,” Song Ji’an pointed out, “You even secretly want to give Valma a push, right?”

She shook her head helplessly, “The stronger Valma is, the more Hilda will feel a sense of urgency, and the faster the goal you want to achieve will be realized. Actually, the person you really want to cooperate with is still Hilda.”

“You found out,” Sheng Jia’s tone didn’t fluctuate much. She only chuckled briefly, “I still prefer dealing with smart people.”

Confronting Valma, the sense of accomplishment produced by winning was not much.

The pointer pointed to eleven thirty. Sheng Jia didn’t plan to stay here any longer. After she finished speaking, she walked out of the wine bar, picked up the coat on the sofa, and prepared to say goodbye.

Song Ji’an leisurely fiddled with the glass in her palm in front of the bar. In the second before she left, she suddenly spoke, “Valma told me just before she left that staying in the room all the time is meaningless. She recommended that I go to the fifteenth floor to play. Do you want to go together?”

Sheng Jia’s hand holding the doorknob paused slightly, then she said, “I still have to go back to deal with some matters, so I won’t go. Have fun.”

Then there was the crisp sound of closing the door.

Song Ji’an sighed with a smile. She didn’t know why she would say such an invitation, but since Sheng Jia refused, then she decided to go upstairs to play by herself.

Being too drunk from having too much fun at the disco and waking up late the next day was always better than not being able to sleep in the suite and relying on high-concentration alcohol to help you sleep, resulting in waking up late.

She didn’t plan to let Sheng Jia know that she had difficulty falling asleep most of the time.