YM778.TV Chapter 423 - 423: Negotiations!
After spending two days in Monte Carlo with Abdullah, Zhou Chao decided to experience the charm of an Fl race car. With his exceptional driving skills, he drew loud screams from many onlookers.
“Are you ready to return to London?”
“Yeah, they’ve been calling me to come back. I’m afraid if 1 delay any longer, someone will become restless,” Zhou Chao said with a meaningful tone.
“Alright then, 1 won’t keep you.” Abdullah nodded without saying much.
Zhou Chao, accompanied by Lin Wu and others, got into the car and headed for the airport.
Soon, a large private plane took off from the Monte Carlo airport.
Lin Wu, have you arranged everything in London?” Zhou Chao asked as he looked at the gradually shrinking buildings outside.
It’s all set. Miles has also arrived at the hotel!”
“And Todd, how about your end?”
“It’s all coordinated. We have five teams ready at any moment!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao nodded. It was important to be prepared for security measures. In case someone tried any tricks, he wanted to be able to defend himself. As for his public persona, Zhou Chao wasn’t worried at all, after all, he had strong backing!
The plane soon landed in London. As Zhou Chao’s private plane touched down at the airport, in a certain council chamber, they were discussing the matters of the scepter and the crown. The Duke of Somerset was among those present.
“We’ve received information from the airport. The plane has landed,” John Moses, who was the Duke of Somerset, spoke up.
“Let’s discuss how to proceed. The purpose of these two items is very clear they want the Chinese artifacts from the Great Eagle Museum!” The middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table said.
“Let’s negotiate. These two items hold immeasurable cultural value.”
“Why don’t we just capture him? Since he’s here with us, he won’t be able to leave without those items,” a young man sitting at the back proudly suggested.
The others silently cursed him in their minds, “What a fool!”
“John, you go talk to him first. See what his demands are. We can discuss it further later!” The middle-aged man at the head of the table sighed and said helplessly.
“Yes, Your Grace!” John Moses quickly stood up and replied.
“Let’s disperse.”
The rest of them nodded in response to Zhou Chao’s words, and one by one, they got up and left. The Duke of Somerset walked at the back, deep in thought.
As he walked out of the council chamber and headed towards the outside, the Duke of Somerset didn’t turn his head back. His car was waiting for him, and behind him was the prominent structure of Buckingham Palace.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chao had already arrived at the hotel. After briefing Miles’ assistants and ensuring that they were clear on the plan, he instructed them to gather information related to the Chinese artifacts in the Great Eagle Museum to check for any discrepancies.
Just as he had settled down on the couch and was resting for less than five minutes, his phone rang.
“Guan Lao, what’s up?”
“Have you arrived in London?”
“Yeah, how did you know?” Zhou Chao was a bit surprised that Guan Ze knew he was in London.
“The Duke of Somerset just called me, saying he wants to meet with you this afternoon in a quiet place to negotiate. 1 suspect that they have already agreed to your terms, but I don’t know where their bottom line is.”
Zhou Chao remained silent for a moment. He hadn’t expected that someone would be keeping such a close eye on him. He couldn’t help but smile and said, “No matter what their bottom line is, I’m going to ask for all 23,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts in the Great Eagle Museum to be returned!”
Guan Ze was taken aback by Zhou Chao’s audacious demand. He muttered to himself, “This isn’t just a big ask; it’s a complete package deal!”
However, Guan Ze didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, this matter was under Zhou Chao’s responsibility, and he was just an assistant.
“Well then, I’ll schedule the meeting for this afternoon.”
“Sure, we can meet at my hotel. We can find a private room and have our discussion.”
“Alright, 1’11 call the Duke of Somerset and propose it. Let’s meet at… 3 PM,” Guan Ze checked his watch and suggested.
“Sounds good.” After hanging up the phone, Zhou Chao contemplated for a moment. There was nothing else to prepare for at the moment, so he casually tossed his phone aside.
“Do you want me to call the others over, boss?” Todd asked from the side.
Zhou Chao waved his hand to indicate that Todd didn’t need to do that for now.
Time quickly passed, and it was now 2:45 PM. During this time, Zhou Chao had Lin Wu reserve a small meeting room in the hotel.
At this moment, Zhou Chao and Guan Ze were sitting in the meeting room, sipping tea and chatting.
“How much do you think they’ll be willing to compromise?” Guan Ze asked, looking at Zhou Chao who appeared calm and composed.
“I’m not sure either, but the most important items will definitely be returned. Otherwise, I’ll go back to China and build a museum specifically to exhibit those few items they have!” Zhou Chao sighed with a hint of helplessness.
“They will probably return them. By the way, that thing you mentioned last time is already spreading. 1 believe it won’t be long before the news about the Victoria Scepter and King John’s Crown comes out.”
“Yeah.” Zhou Chao nodded in agreement.
Knock, knock! The door was pushed open, and Lin Wu walked in.
“Boss, they’ve arrived.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Duke of Somerset’s figure entered through the door, accompanied by his daughter, Alice.
“Nice to see you again, Mr. Zhou,” the Duke of Somerset greeted with a smile.
“Haha, please have a seat,” Zhou Chao gestured with his hand.
The meeting room had a long table, with Zhou Chao and the Duke of Somerset sitting on opposite sides, and Guan Ze sitting at the head of the table as an observer.
Once everyone was seated, Miles also took a seat next to Zhou Chao, holding a document in his hand.
“Duke of Somerset, have you had a chance to consider our proposal?” Zhou Chao asked, wearing a smile.
Is it negotiable?” the Duke of Somerset said, but he didn’t elaborate further, making it clear that he wanted Zhou Chao to state his conditions first.
“I wonder what you have in mind for the exchange,” Zhou Chao emphasized his words.
All of them were knowledgeable and understood the situation, but none of them wanted to be too explicit.
“Zhou, let’s speak frankly. You can state your demands directly, and if they are reasonable, 1’11 agree.” the Duke of Somerset didn’t want to drag things out.
“Father, the Victoria Scepter and King John’s Crown originally belong to our country. They should be unconditionally returned to us!” Alice said with a resentful expression.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Somerset knew that trouble was brewing!
And indeed, the next moment!
“Bang!” Zhou Chao’s hand slammed heavily on the long table, startling everyone in the meeting room. Alice was even more shocked, almost falling back in her chair.
Zhou Chao looked coldly at Alice and said, “Miss Alice, based on what you just said, does it mean that all the Chinese artifacts exhibited in your Great Eagle Museum and Great Eagle Library should also be unconditionally returned to us?”
“I…,” Alice opened her mouth but didn’t know where to begin.
“Alice, please leave for now,” the Duke of Somerset said sternly. He had brought Alice along to teach her a lesson, but he didn’t expect her to speak without thinking.
“Father…” Alice looked at the Duke of Somerset with teary eyes.
“Leave!” His tone became more serious.
“Zhou, 1 apologize for my daughter’s behavior. She’s still a child and doesn’t understand.”
“Duke of Somerset, we have an old saying in China: ‘If the child is not taught, it’s the fault of the parents.’ 1 believe you wouldn’t want your daughter to bring shame to the Moses family.”
Upon hearing this, John Moses’s face turned considerably grim, but he quickly regained his composure.
“I’ve learned my lesson, and 1 will educate her properly. Let’s get back to the main topic. Zhou, what are your conditions?”
Zhou Chao smiled and said, “My condition is simply that all 23,000-plus Chinese artifacts from your Great Eagle Museum should be returned.”
“Impossible!” the Duke of Somerset directly shook his head in refusal.
“That’s my only request for now. Whether you agree or not is up to you. 1 have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave,” Zhou Chao said, standing up and heading towards the exit. In the view of the Duke of Somerset, Zhou Chao subtly winked at Guan Ze before leaving.
Before the Duke of Somerset could react, Zhou Chao had already left the meeting room.
As Zhou Chao passed by Alice, he glanced at her and was thankful for the unexpected assistance she had provided.
“Guan, you need to figure out a solution for this.”
At this moment, the Duke of Somerset was sitting next to Guan Ze, wearing a troubled expression.
“John, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but as a Chinese, I also hope that our lost cultural artifacts can be returned to our country.”
“You know this is an extremely difficult matter. If it were just a few items, it might be possible.”
“I understand. You’re right; I need to figure this out on my own. I might not be able to rely on your help,” Guan Ze pretended to be in a dilemma and sighed as he spoke.
“You don’t need to help me directly. Just try to mediate the situation, and I’ll go back to discuss it further.”
“How can 1 mediate in this matter when you haven’t even presented a concrete proposal? I can’t just use words to mediate,” Guan Ze said, pretending to be in a dilemma, sighing.
“I’ll go back for a meeting now, and i’ll call you later,” the Duke of Somerset said hastily before leaving.
After the Duke of Somerset left the meeting room, Guan Ze couldn’t help but mutter, “He wanted to take advantage of me. 1 don’t know where he thinks his intelligence went!”
While he spoke, Guan Ze also followed suit and left, giving the Duke of Somerset a courteous send-off.
Once they saw the two of them off, Guan Ze returned to the hotel.
“Do they still not have a plan?”
“Well, it seems like they’re just trying to gauge the situation for now.”
Zhou Chao nodded thoughtfully.
“Guan Lao, keep an eye on the calls he makes to you. 1 won’t attend the next negotiation. I’ll have Lin Wu and Miles handle it. We’ll give them some time to think.”
Guan Ze thought for a moment and nodded.
“Alright, we’ll let them stew for a bit. It’s best if they don’t think we’re too eager.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. And let’s have Victoria’s Scepter make a public appearance as well!”
Zhou Chao and Guan Ze exchanged glances and burst into laughter..