King of the Wilderness

Chapter 449: Chapter 247: Seizing the Initiative

"Mr. Lin," Marcus’s voice rang out again, no longer as courteous as before, with a hint of frankness, "I understand how you feel. We indeed made a mistake, and a huge one at that. But we are willing to pay a hefty price for this mistake!"

"Our legal department has drafted a brand-new contract for you." His pace increased, attempting to regain the initiative in the negotiation with tangible benefits.

"A three-year global brand ambassador contract, paying 8 million dollars annually, after tax."

"No mandatory commercial activity requirements, no restrictions on content updates or live broadcasts. All we need is for you to continue choosing our products during your great adventures and creations, and authorize us to use your likeness and works for brand promotion worldwide."

Marcus emphasized, "This... is the highest specification contract Archaeopteryx has ever offered to an individual. We believe this is enough to show our sincerity!"

million dollars a year, after tax.

This number is enough to drive 99% of the world insane! In the living room, Aliya and Emily, even if they didn’t understand all the commercial terminology, felt the immense impact from that clear number, their eyes full of shock.

However, Lin Yu’an’s reaction once again exceeded Marcus’s expectations.

"8 million?" Lin Yu’an chuckled lightly, his laugh carrying an unabashed mocking tone, "Mr. Weber, it seems you still haven’t grasped the crux of the problem."

"What?" Marcus’s voice carried a hint of incredulity for the first time.

"The crux of the problem has never been about money." Lin Yu’an’s voice began to cool down.

"If all I cared about was money, I wouldn’t have come to Alaska at all. The crux of the problem lies in your evaluation system, your business logic. Fundamentally, you don’t understand and even look down upon what I am doing."

He leaned back in his chair, his tone becoming distant and filled with irony.

"I remember, more than a year ago, after ’Alone in the Wilderness,’ when I first interacted with Archaeopteryx, representing you back then was a brand director named Catherine Walker. Do you know her, Mr. Weber?"

On the other end of the phone, Marcus’s heart sank sharply. Catherine was precisely one of the main persons responsible for this evaluation report.

Lin Yu’an didn’t wait for him to answer but continued speaking to himself, his memory astonishing, almost reciting verbatim:

"She said, Mr. Herman, your performance perfectly interprets our brand’s concept of pursuing top performance in harsh environments. We also know that you turned off the tipping function, valuing long-term reputation, which coincides with our Archaeopteryx’s philosophy of relying on product solid strength and serving core users well."

"She also said that what we want to discuss with you is not a simple product promotion, but a long-term partnership as a brand friend."

Lin Yu’an paused for a moment, his voice suddenly turning cold, like a sharp blade unsheathed: "Now then, Mr. Weber, seriously tell me."

"How did the ’valuing long-term reputation’ and ’philosophy aligning’ me from back then turn into the commercial exposure deficient, non-renewable outcast in your evaluation report just a year later?"

"Is it because I stopped updating for half a year, or because my ’solid strength’ and ’long-term reputation’ have become worthless in your latest data model?"

These heart-piercing questions, like the sharpest scalpel, precisely dissected the most hypocritical and utilitarian aspect behind capital!

"I..." Marcus was completely at a loss for words.

He found that all his proud business techniques and negotiation strategies seemed so powerless in front of this man.

The other side was simply not conversing with him on the same dimension. He talked about interests, and the other party talked about respect, understanding, and original intentions.

"Mr. Lin, I... I understand how you feel, but..."

"No, you don’t understand." Lin Yu’an rudely interrupted him, "You are just executing a crisis public relations, a business act to compensate for errors with money. And I have no interest in becoming a part of your brand’s redemption ticket."

"Moreover..." Lin Yu’an’s tone became more playful, "It seems like you are not the only ones interested in me, right? I hear Norway’s scenery is pretty nice too."

This sentence, like the last straw, completely crushed the psychological defense line that Marcus had painstakingly constructed.

The phone once again fell into a long silence. This time, Lin Yu’an could clearly hear the heavy and suppressed breathing on the other side.

After a long time, Marcus’s voice came again, and in it, there was no longer any pride of a commercial director, only a kind of pure, almost pleading sincerity.

"Mr. Lin, you win."

"Yes, I admit. Our previous actions were foolish, arrogant, and unforgivable. Our previous evaluation system indeed couldn’t truly measure your value."

He took a deep breath, making a major decision: "As for the Catherine Walker you mentioned... I can promise you that after the internal review of this incident concludes, she will no longer be responsible for any projects related to brand ambassadors."

"We at Archaeopteryx will pay the price for this foolish misjudgment! Please rest assured on this point."

"So, please allow me, in my personal capacity and not in the capacity of Archaeopteryx’s director, to make a renewed request."