The Hongyun Rice inspection certificate display area.
"No harmful heavy metals detected..."
"No pesticide residue..."
"..."
"Rich in 36 trace elements beneficial to the human body... Th-this... Is this even something you find in rice?"
Komaruko Ueshiba looked through the stack of inspection certificates for Hongyun Rice, one after another, her expression growing increasingly surprised.
This rice was so perfect it was in a league of its own. Even Ying Zhiguang, the pride of Japan, couldn’t compare to it in a single aspect.
’To think that rice this perfect could be grown on Earth... It’s truly a gift from the heavens to mankind!’
"Sir, may I taste your company’s rice?" After finishing the last inspection certificate, Komaruko Ueshiba set it down gently and asked Wu Jun, her breath coming in short, quick gasps.
’The test data was flawless, and she had already experienced its fragrance. If the texture was also first-rate, then this rice would be an absolute bargain at sixty yuan per kilogram.’
’Using rice of this quality, combined with my family’s premium kōji starter, I could definitely brew a higher-quality, best-selling sake.’
"Xu Fei, please get a bowl of rice for this young lady," Wu Jun said, turning to Xu Fei. Xu Fei brought a bowl of rice over, handed it to Komaruko Ueshiba, and invited her to have a taste.
"It smells amazing," Komaruko Ueshiba said, completely captivated by the unique fragrance of Hongyun Rice as she held the bowl close.
’If the sake could retain even a tenth of this fragrance, it would absolutely sell for a premium. Another high-end sake would be created by the Ueshiba family.’
Seeing Komaruko Ueshiba’s expression, Wu Jun felt that this was promising.
"The texture is first-rate as well. Unbelievable..." Komaruko Ueshiba praised after taking a small bite. After that, she couldn’t stop herself and finished the entire small bowl of rice.
Ogami Shin grew curious as well. He asked an attendant for a bowl of rice, and after a single bite, he couldn’t stop muttering "Nani? Sugoi!" After finishing the bowl, he even wanted a refill.
"Excuse me, sir, could you arrange for me to meet the person in charge?" Komaruko Ueshiba asked, putting down her rice bowl. Noticing Wu Jun looking at her with a strange expression, she felt a bit embarrassed.
’What did I just do? I actually ate a whole bowl of rice in front of all these people. How embarrassing.’
’It’s all the rice’s fault for being too delicious!’
Wu Jun said, "I am the person in charge. You can discuss it with me."
"That’s wonderful!" Komaruko Ueshiba said excitedly. "I want to order 1,000 tons of your rice. Is that possible?"
Komaruko Ueshiba spoke in Chinese, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the Hongyun Rice exhibit erupted.
"This foreign broad must have never seen anything good before! Ordering 1,000 tons of such expensive rice all at once!"
"A shill! She’s definitely a shill hired by the seller. If not, I’ll livestream myself chopping it off!"
"One thousand tons? How much would that cost? Let me do the math..." Someone pulled out their phone, opened the calculator, and after finishing, exclaimed, "Holy shit, 60 million!"
Ogami Shin’s feelings at that moment were complicated. On the one hand, the three-million-yuan commission Meng Zalang had promised him had just gone completely down the drain. He felt a little like crying.
On the other hand, hearing the crowd call Komaruko Ueshiba a shill made him want to laugh...
In the end, Ogami Shin let out a dry chuckle. The rich and complex expression on his face could have given Kimura Takuya a run for his money.
"A huge 1,000-ton order!" Qian Na exclaimed, grabbing Bian Xuedao’s arm so excitedly she nearly dislocated it.
"To sell so much in one go! I never would have dreamed of it!" Dong Lizhu was also thrilled. This was the largest order they had received since the price hike—a single sixty-million-yuan deal, worth several times more than all the rice the company had sold recently combined.
To be honest, even Wu Jun hadn’t expected this "little lamb" to be so rich...
She looked slim and spoke softly, but she turned out to be a big shot with deep pockets, talking about a sixty-million-yuan order as if it were six thousand.
"So, Mr. Distributor? Is it possible?" Komaruko Ueshiba asked again when Wu Jun remained silent.
Wu Jun asked calmly, "Miss, are you serious? You’re not a shill sent by certain people, are you?"
"PFFT!" Hearing Wu Jun’s words, Ogami Shin did a spit-take that sent water flying two meters. ’Does Miss Ueshiba really look that much like a shill?’
The onlookers couldn’t stay calm either. ’We suspect the woman is a shill, but the seller suspects she’s a shill too? What kind of bizarre play is this?’
Lately, Meng Zalang had been relentlessly trying to sabotage Hongyun Rice with all sorts of dirty tricks. Wu Jun was genuinely suspicious that this woman, who had just dropped a massive order out of nowhere, was a shill sent by his competitor.
’His own inventory was limited; he couldn’t even fill an order this large. If he negotiated with her, he’d have to turn away any subsequent customers. What if she was just pretending, planning to drag out negotiations and then back out? Wouldn’t that leave him with nothing to show for it?’
Hearing Wu Jun’s words, the rest of his team grew wary as well. Meng Zalang had nearly put their company out of business recently, so they had to be on guard.
"What is a ’shill’?" Komaruko Ueshiba asked, her face a mask of confusion.
"Ahem..." Ogami Shin coughed twice, stepped forward, and handed Wu Jun his business card. "I am Ogami Shin, the embassy’s representative for Ji Bei Province. Miss Ueshiba would absolutely not joke with you like this, sir. I guarantee it on my personal honor."
Wu Jun took the business card and glanced at it. The title, phone number, and office details were all there, and the address was correct. A quick search online confirmed it: the name and photo were on the embassy’s official website. This couldn’t be a fake.
He had come here hoping to land a big fish, but he ended up catching a fat lamb instead. Wu Jun immediately told his team to pack up and head back to the office.
Seeing the Hongyun team start to pack up, the crowd finally believed that Komaruko Ueshiba wasn’t a shill. There was no need to make the act this realistic. Chinese-grown rice was being sold internationally, and at an absurdly high price!
Just moments ago, they were saying no one would buy it, and now the company had just sold 1,000 tons.
Even though this rice distributor had just proven them all wrong, the feeling was... incredibly satisfying!
This was a peak moment for Chinese-grown rice, a banner for the entire domestic industry.
Without any promotion, Hongyun Rice—which just days ago was the subject of rampant online rumors—went viral all over again. This time, it was met with a wave of praise.
Of course, the specific details of the partnership couldn’t be discussed in such a public venue. Wu Jun invited Komaruko Ueshiba back to the company, and she readily agreed.
After leaving the convention center, Wu Jun’s last doubts vanished when he saw the car Ogami Shin was driving. It was an unfamiliar model, but it had a black license plate with white text that started with "235" and ended with the character for "Embassy."
It was an embassy plate, and the country code 235 corresponded to Japan.
"Such a coincidence. This is Mis-ter Wu’s car? It seems our destiny is very strong," Komaruko Ueshiba said in her broken Chinese, very surprised to see their cars were parked next to each other.
"Haha... yes, it is." For the sake of a sixty-million-yuan deal, Wu Jun’s smile was quite sincere. After giving Ogami Shin the address, he drove off with his six-person crew to lead the way to their company office in Shimen City.
In a nearby BMW X6, He Qingfeng and He Qiang were so furious their livers ached. But seeing the "F6" crew following Wu Jun, they knew there was nothing they could do to him.
"Brother Feng... we’re just going to let it go like that?" He Qiang asked indignantly, turning to the smoking He Qingfeng as he watched Wu Jun’s car drive away.
He Qingfeng’s face was viciously grim. "This Hongyun Rice distributor seems to have popped up for the sole purpose of opposing me," he snarled. "One mountain can’t hold two tigers. In this city of Shimen, it’s either him or me."