C55 The Longer the Better

"Could we discuss a three-year term?" Lee Xueqi asked Ma Chen, hesitant to suggest a longer duration.

"Three years?" Ma Chen's face darkened upon hearing this.

"I've blown it. I've asked for too much time," Lee Xueqi inwardly chastised herself, feeling as though she had overstepped.

"Perhaps one year would suffice?" she ventured, scaling back her initial proposal