Hearing the woman's words, the old man chuckled and waved his hand nonchalantly. "Okay, I've seen enough, so I'll leave first. Here's my business card. Remember, you promised you'd sell me beef later. Also, I've already sorted out the grain wine. Don't forget what I want."
He gave Jiang Hai a pat on the shoulder and walked away with a smile. After he left, Jiang Hai took a look at the business card the old man had given him. It only had a name and a phone number.
The name was Zhang Dehai, and the phone number wasn't the one associated with the store he knew, but a private line.
Before Jiang Hai could react, the old man was already gone, and the woman entered with someone else.
"I didn't expect to see you again. I remember I gave you my phone number, but why didn't you call me?" Pra-Walton, the woman, said as she walked in, holding her head high.
"Oh, I thought you were just being polite when you gave it to me, and I didn't think you actually wanted to buy beef." Jiang Hai casually put away Zhang Lao's business card, still glancing at Pra Walton in front of him.
"You really don't know me?" The woman, who had an air of royalty, was slightly surprised by Jiang Hai's response.
"Uh, should I know you?" Jiang Hai asked cautiously, clearly confused. He didn't recognize her.
In fact, it wasn't just Jiang Hai who didn't know her; the three people around him didn't recognize her either, or they would have warned him.
"Interesting... Regardless of whether you're pretending not to know me or not, I have to admit, you've succeeded. Your acting is quite good. Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Pra Walton, and I'm the general manager of Sam's Club," she said seriously, looking at Jiang Hai.
"Oh, hello, Ms. Walton." Jiang Hai was still confused. He didn't know what Sam's Club was, but judging by the way she said it, it seemed significant. Yet, he had never heard of it.
"Well, let's get down to business. Although you don't know me, I find your cows quite interesting," Pra-Walton said as she walked into Jiang Hai's exhibition hall.
It seemed that Jiang Hai's lack of recognition made her feel somewhat awkward. It had been years since anyone didn't know her, and it was rare for someone to be so indifferent.
Usually, wherever she went, she was the center of attention, the most sought-after person. Jiang Hai was truly an anomaly.
"I'm not bragging, but the quality of the cows here is outstanding. I can guarantee each one will have the most beautiful marble pattern. The total output of premium A-grade marbled beef will be no less than 5%. And these cows aren't specially selected—they're just like this on my farm," Jiang Hai said seriously, clearly confident in his cattle.
"Well, it's clear that these red flowers don't go well with green leaves. It's a bit monotonous," Pra-Walton observed, and surprisingly, she seemed to genuinely believe him.
"I'm still new to this," Jiang Hai responded awkwardly, realizing that Pra-Walton had a sharp eye for detail.
"You're really something. We could help you, but I hope you'll sell your beef to us when the time comes," Pra-Walton said, looking seriously at Jiang Hai.
"No problem. I came here to sell these beef cattle," Jiang Hai replied, not as surprised as he was when Zhang Lao mentioned buying beef. From Pra Walton's demeanor, it was clear that she wasn't buying for personal consumption. Jiang Hai was here to do business, and if it opened up sales opportunities, all the better.
"We want exclusive sales rights," she said, turning to face him with determination.
"That might be a problem. I've already promised Zhang Lao that if he wants to buy, I'll make sure he gets enough," Jiang Hai said, shaking his head. "I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket."
"Interesting, boy," Pra Walton said with a smile. "Here's my business card. Don't forget what you promised me." She handed him a card similar to Zhang Lao's—a simple white card with just her name, Pra Walton, and a phone number printed below.
After giving him the card, she waved to her companions and cast her vote for Jiang Hai's cow, which boosted its votes by nearly 20. In an instant, the cow's rank jumped to the top 300. While it was a significant leap, being in the top 300 didn't exactly guarantee much.
"Uh, thank you," Jiang Hai said, though he knew these votes were just a drop in the ocean.
"Your cow is good, but if it keeps going like this, it'll be hard for you to make it to the semi-finals by the end of today, so you need to think of a way to stand out," Pra Walton said, stopping at the door before leaving.
"But it's too late for me to do anything now," Jiang Hai sighed in frustration. "Buying some TVs or X-waves is easy, but I don't have an app, and I don't shoot videos. I'd need time to create those banners and balloons. It takes time to organize everything. These big companies have been preparing for months. I can't just cram at the last minute."
"If you stick to the usual methods, your chances of winning the competition are slim. But Selena Gomez is in New York right now, working on new music with DJ Zed. If you're looking to make a comeback, maybe you should reach out to her," Pra Walton said, glancing back at Jiang Hai.
"Well, I don't really know her well," Jiang Hai replied after a moment of thought. Honestly, he could barely remember what Selena Gomez looked like. He recalled she wasn't very tall, but other details escaped him.
"You don't know her? Will she introduce me to you?" Pra Walton asked, surprised.
"Well, we're not exactly close," Jiang Hai said, remembering that the girl who introduced him to this woman at the cocktail party did so because of his feud with Justin Bieber, but beyond that, he had no idea.
"You really are a weirdo..." Pra Walton muttered under her breath before leaving. In her eyes, Jiang Hai was a man running a manor, selling cattle, seemingly wealthy, but unfamiliar with her, and having connections with Selena Gomez yet not even calling her. And he was close with Zhang Dehai from Haishang Group. Jiang Hai was an enigma.
"Am I weird?" Jiang Hai turned to Robbins and the others and asked.
"Well, sometimes a little..." Robbins thought for a moment before nodding. The three of them laughed.
Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh as well. He was so casual—never one to be overly ambitious. He was the type who would always lie down if he could, or sit if lying down wasn't an option. Thinking too much was a burden for him.
"Boss, the quality of the beef in this exhibition hall is surprisingly high. Although I don't know if all the beef on his farm has marbled patterns, the beef here is definitely of top quality—probably Wagyu A4 or above," a middle-aged man beside Pra Walton whispered to her after they left Jiang Hai's exhibition hall.
This man was the chief appraiser for Sam's Club, with an eye for quality even more refined than the competition judges. He was confident Jiang Hai's cattle were top-tier.
"I know," Pra Walton replied, smiling. "That's why I want him to reach the finals. I want to see just how good his cattle are." Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she casually took her assistant's phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Hello, Sister Pra, what's up?" A hurried voice answered after a few rings, accompanied by loud music in the background—likely from a nightclub, though it was still early.
"I've got something fun, and I think you'll be interested," Pra Walton said, her voice light but her eyes gleaming with anticipation. (To be continued)