"Welcome, everyone! We're back at the New York Beef Show today. It's the second day of the event, and we're entering the semi-finals of the King of Bulls competition. Today, all sixteen bulls will be judged in turn, and the top eight with the highest scores will move on to the finals. Now, please cheer for the bull from Roger Paltrow Company in Kansas, which ranked sixteenth in popularity yesterday—Super Baby!"
As the host finished speaking, a sturdy bull walked onto the stage. The announcer continued talking, introducing the bull.
Backstage, Jiang Hai and his team were sitting together. The others around them, along with the bulls, seemed excited.
It was understandable—everyone here represented their own company, but Jiang Hai represented only himself.
Additionally, Jiang Hai didn't have the best relationship with the local boss, Carlett Company. Because of this, no one was willing to risk offending Carlett to befriend him. Of course, if they knew Jiang Hai owned 20,000 cattle with premium A-grade beef, they would probably drop Carlett's name in an instant.
This is the double-edged sword of capitalism. It's a game—a crocodile game—where everything is driven by "money."
Jiang Hai didn't care about the attitudes of these people. Instead, he focused on his phone with his men.
"Boss, even if we don't win the Bull King this time, our manor has still made a name for itself. Out of the sixteen cows, two of ours are in the running. This is a rare achievement." Robbins had been practically drooling since he found out that his manor had two shortlisted cows. For him, this was something he never dared to dream of before. It's not an exaggeration to say that the United States is the world's largest beef cattle producer. The stock of beef cattle here is several times larger than in second-place China, even though the U.S. population is only a quarter of China's.
Because of this population ratio and stock volume, beef in the U.S. is much cheaper than in China, even when converted into RMB.
Americans are crazy about beef, and besides cowboys, plantation owners, and supermarket workers, middlemen—livestock companies—are also quite profitable.
In today's society, advertising is crucial, and the best advertisement is a competition.
Let others see that your cattle are better than everyone else's, and do it in the most fair and open environment possible.
It's in this environment and market that politically connected businessmen have started organizing various beef competitions. State and municipal governments are also getting involved. As more competitions are held, some poor-quality competitions are weeded out, while those with official backing and good reputations continue.
The New York Beef Show is one such competition. New York, as the financial hub of the U.S. and even the world, has a long history of cattle farming. While large-scale cattle farms are nearly gone from New York State, every action here affects the fate of the beef industry in the U.S. After all, it's here that beef cattle prices and forage prices are set.
While animal husbandry in the eastern U.S. isn't as developed as in the central or northwestern states, the beef cattle exhibitions here rank among the top five nationwide.
To be among the top sixteen in such a competition is no small feat, and the advertising effect is significant.
In the past, this was a pie reserved for large animal husbandry companies. Now, Jiang Hai has carved out a slice for himself—and he took two pieces at once. It's no wonder they're upset, especially since they might want to sell him a favor.
"It's our turn soon. Bell and I will lead the bull out first, and when the tenth one comes, Cece and Robbins will take the bull out," Jiang Hai said, preparing for his team's turn. After hearing the host introduce the sixteenth-ranked bull, "Super Baby," Jiang Hai's team was next.
"Okay," the others agreed, nodding in approval of Jiang Hai's plan. The distribution was fair—each group had a cowboy, and someone who could handle the situation.
As they stood up to leave, heading toward the cowshed in the distance, they noticed a group of people rising from the other side. Leading them was Paul Kaye.
"I never thought you'd make it to the semi-finals by bluffing, but your luck ends here," Paul Kaye sneered, his expression cold. At first, he had been somewhat intimidated by Jiang Hai. When they bet against each other, Paul had been confident that Jiang Hai might have some kind of Bull King. But after learning more about Jiang Hai's bulls the previous day, he realized they were nothing special. To his untrained eyes, Jiang Hai's cattle appeared nearly identical—nothing about them stood out.
Without comparisons, it's hard to judge the quality of anything. When two-meter-tall people stand side-by-side, you don't notice how tall they are. But put one two-meter-tall person next to a group of 1.8-meter-tall people, and the difference becomes obvious. Since Paul and others couldn't see through the density and fat content of the cattle, they figured Jiang Hai's cattle must be ordinary—just like any other.
He believed Jiang Hai didn't have a Bull King.
"Get ready for a million," Jiang Hai replied, glancing at him with pity.
If Paul could live in his dream forever, it would be a beautiful thing. But Jiang Hai wasn't about to let him sleep soundly.
"You!" Paul Kaye glared at Jiang Hai, angry at his response.
"I'd love to see how your ordinary cows can beat our bulls," Paul retorted. Carlett Company had ranked second in popularity yesterday, and in their eyes, their bull was the king, just second to Suzuki's.
Americans are known for a degree of discrimination and nationalism, and as long as their cows weren't far below the Wagyu in quality, they believed the champion was theirs.
"But Jiang Hai's just not in the picture," Paul added.
"Confident, huh? Want to raise the bet?" Jiang Hai chuckled, eyeing Paul.
"Humph!" Paul wanted to agree, but reason told him it was risky. What if the judges today were swayed, or worse, bought by Jiang Hai?
Before he could respond, a familiar voice came from behind Paul. It was the manager of Carlett Company.
"Manager?" Paul Kaye was stunned. Why was the manager backing him now?
The manager, Roslin Carlett, smiled at Jiang Hai. "We accept your bet. But I'm not betting on who can win the Bull King between us—I'm betting that you can't win."
Roslin had gathered information about Jiang Hai's cattle. After checking with his father the night before, he knew he could afford the $10 million. Most importantly, he saw this as a chance to crush Jiang Hai, make $10 million, and advertise himself for free.
Despite being sure Jiang Hai's cattle were ordinary, he played a word game. He wasn't betting on who could win the Bull King. He was betting that Jiang Hai's cattle couldn't even win.
"Fine. Let's make a bet," Jiang Hai said, smiling at his opponent.
The lawyer from Carlett handed over the printed contract, which stated the bet: $10 million in cash. If anyone lost, the money would be transferred within an hour of the winner being announced. Failure to comply would result in a breach of contract and a $100 million penalty.
Jiang Hai took a photo of the contract and sent it to his lawyer, Moses Adams. Moses, knowing Carlett was likely doomed, confirmed the details. After verifying that there were no traps, Jiang Hai signed the contract, followed by Roslin, who stamped it with the company seal.
As the contract was finalized, the host at the front desk announced the score for the first cow, and the staff urged Jiang Hai to prepare. Calmly, Jiang Hai tucked the contract into his pocket and nodded at Bell Lester.
Bell opened the trailer door, and with a hydraulic hiss, a massive bull walked out. The sight left everyone stunned.
"No way. Didn't they say he only had fifteen ordinary cows? What's this?" someone muttered in disbelief.
Roslin's eyes widened. Yesterday, they had only seen the bulls from a distance, blocked by a three-meter iron fence. Now, up close, he was stunned. This cow was a beast.
Jiang Hai reached out, grabbing one of the cow's horns. The bull, initially resistant, quickly settled under Jiang Hai's forceful grip.
"Now, we're here to compete. Don't forget to prepare that $10 million," Jiang Hai said with a wicked smile at Roslin. To Jiang Hai, it was the perfect moment to wake Roslin up from his delusions.