Chapter 72: Pride and Prejudice

Life as Wukong’s junior disciple was truly a spectacle of three women on one stage, with Liu Yunfei as the sole, long-suffering audience. The worst part was, not only did he dislike the show, he couldn’t even get a word in edgewise, and even if he wanted to leave, he couldn’t. He watched as Yu Qing and Shalena chattered on, offering precise critiques of nearly every famous brand of clothing, cosmetics, and handbags; then engaged in a profound academic debate over whether 2.5 cm or 1.5 cm high heels were superior; and when topics ran dry, they would drag Liu Yunfei into their verbal and physical sparring for entertainment. Watching Lam absorb it all so earnestly, even nodding from time to time, he thought to himself, “Such corruption of young minds!”

At last, his days of torment ended when his savior appeared. The butler called from outside the door, announcing that a lady from the Aurora Castle Foundation had come to visit the young master. Liu Yunfei couldn’t remember when the butler started calling him “young master.” In any case, he hadn’t objected the first time, and now the servants and drivers all addressed him so, which he rather enjoyed. In this castle, he was the one in charge—even the old prince had to stay in the guest room when he visited. If he wasn’t the master, who was?

Descending the stairs, the first thing to catch his eye was the statuesque Bettia, her figure as striking as ever and her attire as scanty as ever. Without looking, Liu Yunfei knew that the three women following behind him must be glaring daggers of envy. He was about to greet the beauty when suddenly someone sprang out beside him. “Yunfei, brother! It’s me, your big brother—I’m here!”

“Henry, old pal, how many beauties have you hooked lately? Had your fill of fun? What brings you to see your little brother? Out of cash already?” Liu Yunfei remembered the last time he’d given Henry so much money—he’d put on airs then, but later regretted it terribly.

“Every day, my friend! With the sum you gave me, I could keep a model or a movie star for ages! Those women—”

“Humph.” Bettia snorted derisively, cutting off the lewd words Henry was about to utter. Liu Yunfei hadn’t greeted her first, and she was already a bit displeased—after all, he’d kissed her before, so she was half his woman, in a manner of speaking. Yet he’d ignored her, and now, instead of acknowledging her, he and Henry were discussing prostitutes and models. Although she disliked being called a model, whenever others mentioned the word, she always felt it was an allusion to herself. With her tall stature and pride, Bettia always looked at others from the corners of her eyes. Liu Yunfei, seeing her aloof, untouchable demeanor, was annoyed.

Liu Yunfei stepped back slightly, as if just noticing Bettia, circled her twice, and exclaimed, “Wow, I didn’t realize there was already a model here. Is this the model you were just bragging about? A woman of this caliber is truly a rare catch—one night with her is worth a hundred with any other. It’s like instant noodles—the more you savor, the softer and tastier they get.”

Bettia wanted to kick this scoundrel, but she’d already tried and had only ended up at a disadvantage, so today she decided to change tactics. Instead of getting angry, she smiled. It was the first time Liu Yunfei had seen her smile, but to be honest, it looked so unnatural—perhaps because she rarely smiled and had forgotten how.

“Please, miss, stop smiling. If you keep it up, I’ll start crying. You look better with a straight face—I’m used to it,” Liu Yunfei said, losing his mood to tease her further.

Bettia instantly composed herself. “We’re here to discuss business today, about a partnership. We’d like to have a serious conversation with you.”

“Xiao Qing, why don’t you take Shalena and the others out to have some fun? And make arrangements to invite our two guests to dinner,” Liu Yunfei said, then led Bettia and Henry into the small lounge at the back.

Listening to their purpose, Liu Yunfei realized that they and Lawrence had been locked in a stalemate over the share distribution of an investment. It was a sure-win business, so everyone wanted a bigger piece. The old prince was set on taking 51%, and the rest had been locked in hard negotiations with Lawrence over the remaining 49%. After countless rounds with little progress, they’d come to Liu Yunfei, the intermediary, to help broker a compromise.

“Of course you’re going nowhere—each side wants to give not an inch and take as much as possible. With that attitude, how can you make a deal? Lawrence is an old fox—he’ll agree to anything except giving up his own interests. You might as well kill him. Negotiation is a process of coordination, cooperation, and achieving common goals. You need to seek a win-win solution. Do you understand?” Liu Yunfei, a high school dropout, was now lecturing Harvard Business School elites.

“Easier said than done! Both sides want more. We’re not here for a lecture!” Bettia thought to herself, “I learned all this in school five years ago.”

“Then, Henry, tell me your fundamental goal,” Liu Yunfei pressed, thinking, “I refuse to believe that a top student in both arts and sciences can’t persuade you.”

“Grandfather said we should use our stake in Tongda Petroleum as a foothold to establish ourselves in Italy, then, over a few years, expand into various industries, and ultimately gain full control over and take charge of the Italian Mafia,” Henry recited, word for word, as he always did with Gao Renhou’s instructions.

Liu Yunfei glanced at Bettia. He hadn’t said it outright: make concessions on shares, but increase demands in those shady underground businesses. He believed that a hint should suffice—if Bettia still needed him to spell it out, then she was unfit for her role.

While Henry was speaking, Bettia caught the implication. Once he finished, she had already mapped out the rest of the negotiation in her mind. Looking at Liu Yunfei with a sense of newfound respect, she didn’t challenge him, but smiled gently. This rascal—why did he always seem like a child? Yet, in truth, he was smarter than she was. She’d practiced her skills for over twenty years, played the piano for over twenty years, and yet, in business negotiations—her greatest pride—here she was, seeking his advice. She realized, perhaps, she’d misjudged him before.

Seeing Bettia smile again, Liu Yunfei lost all inclination to tease her. “Sorry, I hope I’m not being rude, but you’re quite beautiful—why does your smile look so awkward?”

“It’s nothing. It’s not that I don’t want to smile. When I was young, I had a rare condition called facial muscle syndrome. I didn’t smile for years. The illness was cured, but I never relearned how to smile.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, I misunderstood you—I thought you were just aloof and proud.” Liu Yunfei felt a little guilty for having wronged her and deliberately teased her because of it.

“No hard feelings. I am a bit aloof and proud, and I’ve had my prejudices against you Arab princes. I should apologize as well.” Bettia was equally sincere.

“Then I suppose we’re the new version of Pride and Prejudice,” Liu Yunfei joked.

“Well, I’d say you’ve never read it. It’s about Mr. Pride and Miss Prejudice, but in our interactions, both pride and prejudice seem to belong to me alone.” Bettia smiled again, a little embarrassed.

“No, no, I’d say you haven’t truly understood Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy isn’t actually proud—it’s just Elizabeth’s prejudice. Just like you, your attitude stems from your unusual childhood experiences. If you’d like, I can teach you some facial muscle exercises.”

Liu Yunfei had already started moving his facial muscles as a demonstration.

“That’s not it, not at all. You’re nothing like Pride and Prejudice—they’re a pair of lovers, and Yunfei already has a wife,” Henry interjected, eager to show he’d read the book too.

Liu Yunfei almost wanted to smack him. A wife? Since graduating college, he’d emigrated to Saudi Arabia, worried that even four of him wouldn’t be enough to handle all his wives.