The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

So, what exactly is Zoro up to?

Xu Xi squinted his eyes, his mind racing, and began a brainstorming session.

Zoro's meaning was clear: he would provide the venue, while the Si Nian Group would provide the technology and funding.

Zoro will definitely make a fuss about this.

Yang Ming, sitting beside Xu Xi, remained silent for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, leaned close to Xu Xi's ear, and lowered his voice.

"Mr. Xu, I have a feeling this isn't quite right."

"Although North America allows private companies to mine minerals, all the relevant procedures, qualifications, and mining permits must be approved by the state government. There are too many intricacies involved, and a lot of room for manipulation."

"The Soron family has been in business for generations, deeply rooted in North America for many years. They have secretly funded the rise of many politicians, and their influence in the political arena is not to be underestimated. If we cooperate with them to develop oil fields on their turf, we will be constrained at every step and will not gain any benefits at all. Instead, we are more likely to fall into their trap."

Xu Xi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze calm, and nodded gently. Yang Ming's thoughts coincided with hers.

The initial decision to temporarily cooperate with the Sauron family was intended to leverage their political influence to avoid the turmoil in North American politics.

North American politics has always been chaotic, with major parties fighting and vying for power. Once a new party comes to power, it will overturn all the policies of the old party, and changing policies frequently is the norm.

For these businessmen who do long-term business, such an unstable environment is enough to destroy all their plans.

Moreover, the current president is a profit-driven businessman who will stop at nothing to gain profits, and is even capable of doing absurd things like using tariffs to speculate on stocks. The stability of his policies is out of the question.

Once the Sinian Group signs the contract and invests funds and equipment, the Solon family only needs to whisper a few words in the ears of their political acquaintances and find any pretext to exert pressure, and the entire oil field project can be brought to a complete standstill.

At that time, the huge amount of money and equipment invested by the group will be trapped on this foreign land, like a wheel stuck in a swamp, unable to move forward or backward.

If it really comes to that, Sinian Group will have no other choice but to withdraw its investment, exit the market, and cut its losses in time.

If she wasn't mistaken, Prince Zoro would likely include an astronomical figure in the breach of contract clause.

As he was pondering, Zoro raised his hand and clapped his hands. The bodyguard standing to the side immediately stepped forward and handed him a neatly bound contract document.

He reached out and took it, smiling as he handed it to Xu Xi: "Ms. Xu, my decision to cooperate with the Sinian Group actually has a bit of ulterior motive. My father is still in talks with several other energy giants in North America, but I specifically arranged to meet with you first because of our friendship, so you wouldn't miss this sure-fire opportunity."

"Once this contract is signed, our Solon Group will dedicate all its resources to working with the Sinian Group to develop this oil field. Huge wealth will be within our grasp."

Xu Xi opened the contract and calmly scanned the terms.

The first half of the content was very standard, no different from a typical business cooperation contract.

The Solon Group provides land and manpower, while the Sinian Group provides capital and technology. The two parties jointly develop the oil field, and the profits are split 50/50. It seems fair and reasonable, with no flaws whatsoever.

But when she turned to the second half of the contract terms and compensation clauses, everything changed, just as she had expected.

The terms stipulate that if Sinian Group fails to complete the mining preparations and start production on schedule, it will have to pay a huge penalty, which is exactly the same as Sinian Group's current total market value.

Xu Xi smiled slightly, closed the contract, and looked up at Zoro: "Young Master Zoro, the amount of this breach of contract penalty is enough to buy my entire Sinian Group. What is your intention?"

Prince Zoro's expression remained unchanged, still displaying his calm and composed demeanor.

"Ms. Xu, oil field development is a matter of great importance and involves extremely high costs. Since I have chosen Sinian Group, I naturally do not want the project to go wrong. The establishment of a penalty for breach of contract is also justified. The total value of this oil field is exactly twice the penalty for breach of contract. If Sinian Group breaches the contract during the joint development, it is reasonable and justifiable to compensate half the value of the oil field."

He paused, then continued, "Of course, I don't want it to come to the point of paying breach of contract penalties. I've always trusted Ms. Xu's work ethic, and I'm sure she won't go back on her word and let the project fall apart halfway through."

As he finished speaking, his smile deepened, but his eyes betrayed undisguised scheming and greed.

In fact, Xu Xi's conjecture was entirely correct.

Solon had planned this from the very beginning. He was waiting for Xu Xi to sign the contract, and for the Sinian Group to have all the funds and equipment in place and fully invested in the project. Then, he would secretly contact people in the political arena to push for legislation to prevent foreign companies from mining local energy resources.

When the Sinian Group is in a difficult situation and unable to push forward the project, he can use this contract to exert pressure with an exorbitant penalty for breach of contract, and then legitimately swallow up the entire Sinian Group.

He stroked the ring on his finger, squinted, and looked down at Xu Xi's slender, fair hand, eagerly anticipating her picking up the pen and signing her name.

Once he can acquire the Sinian Group, the cold, decisive, and outstanding President Xu in front of him will also become his possession.

The thought of her usual aloofness and arrogance, yet with a hidden charm, stirred a filthy thought in his heart.

If he can't openly pursue something, he'll take it by force; this has always been his guiding principle.

The more he thought about it, the more smug he became, unable to hide the smile on his lips, as if he could already see Xu Xi surrendering and the Si Nian Group becoming his own. He exuded an arrogant confidence that he had victory in his grasp.

Xu Xi placed the contract on the table, glanced at him indifferently, and said, "I am truly honored that Young Master Soron would choose to cooperate with the Sinian Group, rather than other energy giants. It's just a pity..."

She changed the subject: "The core business of the Sinian Group has always been focused on e-commerce, with little involvement and experience in energy extraction. It is not a suitable partner. I would like to ask Prince Solon to find another partner to jointly develop this oil field."

Zoro seemed to have anticipated her refusal, showing no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he sighed with feigned regret, his tone carrying a deliberate seduction.

"It's such a pity that Miss Xu personally turned down a great project that could have doubled the company's market value. Such an opportunity will never come again once it's missed."

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying a deeper meaning, and said slowly, "However, if Miss Xu is unwilling to cooperate, there are others who are willing to cooperate with us."

As he finished speaking, a confident smile appeared on his lips. He glanced at the clock on the wall, as if waiting for something.

Seeing his confident yet strange expression, Xu Xi frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

In the brief silence, Xu Xi's mind raced through various possibilities. Details she had previously overlooked suddenly came together, her heart sank, and she instantly understood the other party's backup plan.

Oh no, it's Xu Nian!