The commotion at the door did not attract the attention of other guests in the restaurant. However, a few waiters ran over and led the two of them to the private rooms deep in the hotel with nods and bows.
In view of their plain and unpretentious attire, they were bound to receive some eye rolls and ridicules along the way, and some people's disgust and disgust were palpable. Fortunately, Li Jianguo and Huang Si were not people who cared much about other people's opinions.
The private room is at the end of the left-turn passage in the hall. The door is a circular moon-shaped door. Two partitions are lifted from the door. When the partitions are pushed open, there is a small octagonal pavilion with pleasant flowers and plants around it. In the pavilion is an exquisite small square table. , the water is gurgling beside the pavilion, and the rocks are scattered at random, which is very elegant.
Huang Si looked around the room cautiously, and after confirming that there was no danger, he immediately said with a naive smile: "My lord, please eat inside. I am a rough man, so I won't go in."
Why is this so embarrassing?
Li Jianguo said repeatedly: "Don't mention it, let's eat together. Anyway, Hades will reimburse us. What are you afraid of? Come on, come on."
Huang Si thought for a few seconds, then took a step forward, tiptoed close to Li Jianguo's ear, and secretly took out a few invoices from his pocket: "Sir, if it's convenient for you, how about you submit this invoice for me..."
Um, this... isn't good, right?
While the two were fighting, another waiter came over in a hurry: "Mr. Li, our boss would like to ask you to come up and talk to us."
Li Jianguo was afraid of trouble, and he was really hungry, so he refused: "It's okay, the environment here is pretty good, I won't go. I happened to be here, order food."
The waiter was startled, thinking that he had not made it clear, so he added in a low voice: "Master Li, our boss... is Po Meng!"
Po Meng... What's wrong with Po Meng?
Li Jianguo looked at Huang Si doubtfully.
Huang Si's eyes shone.
"Sir, Po Meng, that's the big boss of the No. 1 financial group in the underworld! Little people like us will never be able to meet her once in our lives. Ah, no, we might have been able to meet her once in our previous lives, but not now. Sir, big boss, even if you rub some dead skin off your hands, it will be enough for us to use for several years!"
ah?
When did Po Meng become the richest man in the underworld?
Huang Si nodded pretending to be profound: "Sir, haven't you heard that saying? Monopoly brings profits, and extreme monopoly brings extreme profits. Looking at the three worlds and outside, all over the world, what else can compare? Where is Meng Po Tang more monopolized?"
Li Jianguo thought carefully.
Indeed, within the Three Realms, any god can be replaced, only Po Meng is completely irreplaceable!
Mengpo soup is a key prop for soul reincarnation and a consumer product that everyone must buy. Its market is extremely sinking and there are no competing products at all. The market share is 100%. The commercial value of Mengpo soup far exceeds that of ginseng fruit. , Big flat peach!
No wonder Cui Ling told him just now that he would help bring down the price of Meng Po Soup...
Li Jianguo almost instinctively felt disgusted with Po Meng: What kind of profiteer would keep raising prices on such a product that is closely related to everyone, in order to seek huge profits that can endanger the peace of the three realms?
Li Jianguo had already sketched out a dark underground empire in his mind: the evil Meng Po used Meng Po Soup as a starting point, using the soup to command the princes, corrupting the underworld bureaucrats with huge profits, and establishing underworld organizations all over the underworld. Perhaps, in the face of public criticism, Meng Po’s words should be like this: Why is it so expensive? It’s been this price for so many years, okay, don’t talk nonsense with your eyes open, it’s hard for a time-honored brand! Sometimes I also look for my own reasons. After so many years, the price of Mingcoin has not increased. Have I seriously entrusted my dreams to the higher-ups...
Although the opportunity to have dinner with the richest man is very rare, Li Jianguo still instinctively feels a little uncomfortable. In addition to the above reasons, he vaguely feels that he always resists meeting the other party.
He tried to recall the scene when they met before. How many years ago was that?
Regardless of this, since Granny Meng has given the invitation, let’s go!
I hope the food is really prepared above.
It seems that all capitalists have kind faces, are affable and approachable. No wonder so many people want to call them dad when they see them.
Po Meng... is an exception.
Her office is on the highest floor of the hotel, with luxurious floor-to-ceiling glass on the back. From there, she can overlook the entire Fengdu and the ten thousand-year-old ancient city.
In other words, now she can see a large area of dark illegal buildings in Fengdu and the dazzling bright spots dotted among them, just like the dregs rising up in the waste ditch, it is very... eye-catching.
Li Jianguo and Huang Si, led by the waiter, boarded a viewing elevator. As the height continued to rise, the wind outside the window seemed to be whistling.
The deep darkness was approaching Li Jianguo's head like a rock. This was the first time that Li Jianguo gazed at the dome of the underworld so closely. The sky seemed to be composed of dense sand, rolling slowly like a huge whirlpool.
Li Jianguo couldn't help but admire Meng Po's strong psychological endurance. Anyone with a little bit of fear of heights, trypophobia, or claustrophobia would not be able to stay in this place for half a minute.
The priceless velvet carpet was spread from the elevator entrance to the mahogany door of the office. Li Jianguo watched Huang Si who was walking with him very carefully. He seemed to be very interested in the velvet under his feet.
Huang Si stood still at the door as usual, with no intention of going in. Li Jianguo gently opened the door. There was no thick BGM of "squeaking" as expected. When the door was opened, it was soft and silent. There was even an inexplicable fragrance that came to him, refreshing, as if he was plunged into the room. into the girl's arms.
"We rarely see heavenly officials here," a girl's voice came lazily from behind the desk, like a sophisticated music box, as if she was preparing to tell the visitor a long-standing story: "To Mr. Li It's my fault that I didn't entertain you well, but why are you so proud to come to my humble abode?"
Behind the desk...is a man dressed in elegant black clothes, covering an exquisite face.
This is...Meng Po?
Is Po Meng a girl?
This face is incomparable, it is so beautiful that you cannot forget it once you take a look at it. The corners of her eyes are raised slightly, and her eyes are as gentle as water. You can seem to see ripples flowing in her eyes, but you can't tell whether the waves are calm or turbulent.
Fortunately, Po Meng invented Meng Po Soup, Li Jianguo thought to himself, otherwise, how many people in the world would have had another girl they dreamed of.
Li Jianguo looked down and saw a huge desk with various documents neatly placed on it, and many books densely packed on one side. Although the books have been opened, they look very new, and the owner probably hasn't read them much.
There were only two cups of tea on the table, and it looked like they were not going to serve food.
Are you talking about this?
Li Jianguo was a little irritable.
I was already dissatisfied with Po Meng, so what if she was good-looking? Not being an evil capitalist yet, working on an empty stomach is a bit difficult.
But as long as the opponent knows that he is Lord Li, it should be easy to deal with, and my set of buffs should still be there. If the negotiation succeeds, the price of Meng Po Soup will be reduced; if the negotiation fails, I will go downstairs to eat. No matter which one, everyone is happy.
After the door was closed, Li Jianguoping suppressed his emotions and said to Po Meng with the attitude that he thought was the most neither humble nor arrogant:
"I, Li Jianguo, you, lower the price."
Mrs. Meng raised her eyes and glanced at Li Jianguo, lowered her head and pondered for two seconds, then smiled lightly and said: "It turns out that the man in heaven chose you in the end. Sit down."
I?
Don't play by the rules?
Wait, Po Meng knows me?
Does choosing me... have any other meaning?
Li Jianguo looked surprised and sat down following Mrs. Meng's gaze: "Have you... seen me?"
Mrs. Meng's eyebrows dropped again, she stretched out her hand, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea for Li Jianguo and herself, and said with a smile: "I have met many people a few times, but it was only a few years ago. Just an impression. Drink tea."
Li Jianguo held the tea cup in his hand. The temperature was suitable and the tea was fragrant. Li Jianguo put the tea cup to his mouth and sipped. It was indeed good tea!
Although he knows nothing about tea tasting, this tea was drunk by Meng Po, so it should be good, right?
"This tea is called "Returning to the Light of the Day,"" Po Meng gently picked up the teapot and filled it with another cup. She introduced it in a warm voice, "Although the current situation is dangerous and the glory is gone, who doesn't want to turn back time and take another cup?" Where is Shengshi?"
Li Jianguo remained silent, wondering what Mrs. Meng meant. Do rich people like to play riddles?
Feeling Meng Po's eyes on him, Li Jianguo remembered that there was still business to do. This time, Li Jianguo restrained himself a lot and asked seriously: "Mr. Meng Po, regarding the price reduction of Meng Po soup..."
"Sir, you don't have to say anything," Meng Po looked into Li Jianguo's eyes and said calmly, "It's absolutely impossible."
Li Jianguo was not surprised, just a little sad.
Is he really another miser Grandet?
Then he thought with a little resentment in his heart: Pohe Meng has been in the underworld for so long, maybe the miser is her bloodline, right? Then she can be regarded as stingy.
Possibly Po Meng saw through Li Jianguo's beard-blowing and staring expression. She turned to face the glass window, looking at the spots in Fengdu City and the endless stream of people wandering around Fengdu, and continued:
"Sir, do you know the evolution of the financial crisis in Hades?"
Li Jianguo only knew that there was a crisis in Hades, but did not know the development context of the crisis, so he shook his head honestly.
So he told this story about the past and present in a calm tone:
"Before inflation, there were very few people in Fengdu. The process for most people to come down was very simple: enter the underworld, take the money burned in the underworld, go to the Ten Palaces of Hell to report, use most of the underworld coins to browse the customs of the underworld, and repay the underworld. The signed debts are stored in the family treasury, and a few ghost coins are used to buy Mengpo soup, and the reincarnation is carried out. Except for those who have obsessions or are waiting for their families, there are not many people in Fengdu. It is not so much a city as it is here. It's just an inn, a foothold for the soul to move forward again.
"When inflation first started, it was us businessmen who discovered this matter first. I immediately reported this matter to Yama, the Tenth Hall of the Underworld, hoping that they would take it seriously. In the end, only Bao Zheng and his group of people knew about this matter. importance of things.
"Then inflation became more and more intense, and all the people who came down rushed to take money to buy Mengpo soup and hurriedly left this place of right and wrong. The underworld is different from the heaven. Officials here are rarely worshiped by the underworld, and taxes are still It is an important means to maintain government spending. Now people are rushing to leave, and the Hades coin can only buy a bowl of Mengpo soup, with no tax source at all. During that time, I gave all my income to Hades, and I paid nearly half of my family wealth. But it doesn’t help at all.”
Po Meng turned her gaze to Li Ben and continued:
"I made the prompt decision to significantly increase the selling price of Meng Po Soup. This will ensure that people have to work and stay in the underworld to pay for a bowl of Meng Po Soup. This will ensure that the underworld has a sufficient population and sufficient tax sources. . As long as the inflation problem can be solved, it is still too late. But the Hades authorities... are indifferent. Even so, I still support the Hades authorities to get close to my three-year income, but it only delays the inevitable process of this matter."
Po Meng's eyes were dancing. She didn't seem to be looking at Li Jianguo, but looking through Li Jianguo's body and looking at the dark background of Hades, like a small boat watching the expanding whirlpool on the sea:
"Sir, it may be different from what you imagine. As the first god of Hades who watched Fengdu grow, I still have feelings for the land under my feet. Bao Zheng and I, as well as many others who care about this city, We have done a lot of work. But the problem has not been solved. Please tell me, where is the root of the problem?"
Seeing that Li Jianguo didn't answer, Po Meng continued to say quietly: "The root of the problem lies in the rigid management system of the Ten Palaces of Hell, and also in the casual attitude of the people in heaven towards the issue of Hades. Even if we don't delve into it, inflation and the rigidity of the system are two factors. As long as these two problems can be solved, the price of Meng Po Soup will naturally come down. But Mr. Li also knows how difficult it is to solve these two problems, right? The old illnesses that have persisted for so many years cannot be eliminated overnight. Well, are you right, Mr. Li?"
Although Meng Po's words were aggrieved in every possible way, her expression was calm and composed. Obviously, she was sure that Li Jianguo could not solve these two matters. She gently picked up the tea cup, looked at the tea in her hand, opened her red lips and took a sip.
"Um, that's what you said," Li Jianguo nodded in agreement, and then changed the topic: "But... I have solved both the problems of inflation and rigid system."
Mrs. Meng's hand holding the teacup froze in the air for half a second, then she put the teacup down calmly.
Po Meng smiled and said: "Master Li is joking. There is a problem that has not been solved in Hades for a century. You have just arrived two days ago and you must not understand the situation very well. How can you solve it? Master Li may not be aware of these two problems." , please allow me to explain to you, these two questions are..."
Li Jianguo waved his hand briskly: "No, no, I know. I proposed two plans. One is to establish a central bank, and the other is to establish a rotating king of hell system. The documents were drafted and implemented within two days."
Po Meng stared at Li Jianguo with a smile, and immediately realized that Li Jianguo was not telling lies. She suppressed her smile, took out an old-fashioned phone from the drawer, and whispered something into the phone.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the office door, and a man holding a thick stack of information respectfully placed it on Mrs. Meng's desk. Po Meng picked up these documents and read them carefully from beginning to end.
Mrs. Meng browsed very quickly. When she looked up at Li Jianguo again, although her eyes were still calm, there was also a twinkling light in her pupils.
Po Meng poured another cup of tea for Li Jianguo and humbly handed the tea to Li Jianguo with both hands: "Please allow me to introduce myself again. I am Po Meng. Nice to meet you, Mr. Li."
Li Jianguo was flattered and took Po Meng's tea. Po Meng continued to say politely: "Master Li is indeed extraordinary. In less than a day, he actually proposed such a shocking and effective plan. After three days apart, I am really impressed."
Li Jianguo smiled: "It's not a big deal. Just now you said that if these two things can be solved, you will lower the price, right?"
Mrs. Meng did not hesitate as Li Jianguo expected, but said calmly: "Of course, we will immediately start formulating a price reduction plan, and the two systems of Hades will be issued together."
Li Jianguo took a sip of tea and nodded.
This negotiation... isn't that difficult!
