Chapter 9

A bottle of Forget-Worries Wine actually costs ten thousand yuan. Such a high price is rarely seen even at first or second-class booths, naturally scaring off many casual customers.

Some people left with disdainful looks, while others, after being shocked, became somewhat curious. However, whenever they expressed their intention to try a taste, Yi Xingchen would refuse without hesitation.

Many people dispersed, and some even muttered that Yi Xingchen was crazy for money.

Yi Xingchen ignored these comments and continued to wait calmly for genuine customers who truly appreciated the wine. He believed that his price was not high, and only those who truly understood wine would recognize the value of Forget-Worries Wine.

Two hours later, the exhibition center became increasingly lively.

In front of Yi Xingchen's booth, people still came and went, but only a few stopped to look at the bottles. However, Yi Xingchen was not worried at all and waited calmly.

It wasn't until around 11 o'clock in the morning that several foreigners dressed in fine clothing arrived at the entrance of the exhibition. Accompanied by officials from the city of Nianxiang, they entered the exhibition with a grand entourage, immediately drawing the keen attention of the exhibitors.

Anyone with a bit of business acumen could immediately realize that these were big clients.

Fifty-two-year-old Tom Sterling, following the company's professional wine taster, would stop at each booth and watch them taste every type of wine. He hoped that this would be the true fine wine he was looking for.

However, each time, the professional taster would shake his head, and Tom couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

Tom's company, Royale Limited, was once a famous international wine distributor in America and had a high reputation among global peers. At its peak, Royale's wines were available in fifty countries across five continents.

However, in the past two years, due to a decision-making error, Royale offended a European noble family, resulting in the loss of the agency rights for several world-renowned wines from European vineyards.

Losing the European agency rights also affected Royale's market in America. The company lost the favor of the American upper class, and as a result, Royale directly and indirectly lost 20% of the mid-to-low-end wine market globally, suffering significant losses.

Although Royale's foundation was in America, and they could still distribute a considerable number of mid-range wines, which was enough to sustain the company, the impact of the storm was significant, and the company's business clearly entered a period of decline.

Due to the refusal of high-quality premium wine producers in Europe and America to work with Royale, the company's status and reputation were affected. To turn the situation around, Tom had to bring the company's professional tasters to famous wine regions around the world to find good wine. This time, they came to China.

Tom was trying to find a wine with an excellent taste that could be accepted by the American upper class. After packaging, it would be promoted through Royale's existing channels to the high-end market, restoring Royale's reputation in the American upper class.

Unfortunately, Tom attended several wine exhibitions in various parts of China but never found a wine that left them amazed. Of course, there were good wines, but they needed a wine that suited American dietary habits.

Although Tom came to China for the exhibition, his goal was not the famous Chinese wines but to find a wine that was not well-known internationally but of high quality.

Only such a wine, after further packaging by Royale, could become a high-potential, market-impacting famous wine, generating profits for Royale.

Tom would not bother with anything that didn't bring profit.

After passing through more than ten booths, Tom and his team still hadn't found a wine that satisfied them. The tasters had already tried over thirty different wines, feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

These Royale employees were almost beginning to doubt whether they could find the good wine they were looking for at this exhibition.

"Boss, I think it's difficult to find the good wine we want in this city. Why don't you return to the company to handle the affairs, and I'll continue searching," said Luo Jiahui, the head of Royale's China branch.

Tom glanced at Luo Jiahui and the tasters behind him.

Apart from the issue of alcohol tolerance, tasters cannot work continuously. In fact, they can only try a limited number of wines at once. Too many and too varied wines would affect their taste buds and, consequently, their judgment. The variety of wines at this exhibition was extensive, and it would be impossible for the tasters to taste and evaluate all the wines accurately, let alone achieve the goal of finding truly good wine.

However, Tom was reluctant to leave China and return to the company.

After some thought, Tom made a decision. He pointed to the second and third-class booths outside the first-class booths and said, "Let's make one last effort, but we'll split up. Meet back at the entrance in an hour. If we still find nothing, we'll make other arrangements."

When the officials from Nianxiang saw Tom's decision, they knew he was not satisfied with the wines they had tasted, which made them somewhat disappointed. They certainly didn't want to miss such a big client. However, they couldn't do much to influence Tom and his team, so they could only hope for the best with the split-up search. The officials immediately arranged for translators to follow each group to assist them.

Tom's group, with their significant presence, naturally caught Yi Xingchen's attention.

Yi Xingchen's lips curled slightly. Heaven rewards those who are diligent, and the real opportunity he had been waiting for finally arrived. Tom and his team were clearly not ordinary customers and were key to his business success.

Yi Xingchen believed in the charm of Forget-Worries Wine. If Tom could come to his booth and taste it, he would surely be impressed. But Yi Xingchen wanted to quickly draw Tom's attention and make Forget-Worries Wine stand out among the many fine wines. For this, Yi Xingchen prepared a small trick.

So, Yi Xingchen, without showing any emotion, slowly opened a bottle of Forget-Worries Wine and poured two glasses...

"What is this fragrance!" Tom had only walked a few meters when a faint, strange aroma suddenly entered his nose. The fragrance seemed to spread through his bloodstream, invigorating him and clearing the fatigue, pressure, and gloom from his mind.