Chapter 13
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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
nThe cold moonlight gleamed through the window; there were few stars in the night sky.
nLin Qian was in her pajamas. She sat on the bed with her legs crossed, chin held in one hand, staring blankly ahead of herself.
n“I trust you.” Li Zhicheng’s voice, low and clear, was still lingering in her ears and swirling around her head.
nThere was no denying that Lin Qian was starting to feel a little off.
nThe feeling had actually started when he’d said, “Someone suggested to me that we get the Ming Sheng Group project.”
nHer uneasiness had amplified when he’d said, “I made my decision at noon.”
nWhen he had lightly said “I trust you,” the somehow-overwhelming feeling had finally made her realize that the uneasiness and excitement inside her was flattery.
nHer entire career she had been valued no matter where she was. Her university professor used to depend heavily upon her, and she had been the backbone of several student organizations. While at **Q, she had been such an excellent employee for three years in a row that the boss, Chen Zheng, had valued her a little bit too much…
nIt seemed a completely different story being valued by Li Zhicheng.
nLi Zhicheng didn’t have any experience from the business industry; he was a soldier, a man of action.
nLin Qian hadn’t once heard him acknowledge his employees except for this instance of him telling her “I trust you.” It made her feel more valued than hearing it from someone else would have.
nLin Qian felt like she had become a crafty, misleading worker. But wasn’t this the truth? The young boss, dazed and confused, relied heavily on her, and had a misleading representation of her in his mind. She had forced her flawed idea onto the company by sweet-talking him, in a way. This was the result of him traveling around the company incognito and knowing her beforehand; the result of him appreciating her character as well as her talent. Another thought popped into her head, ludicrous and ambitious, but she ignored it.
nWhatever it was called, all these opportunities had placed her in the perfect position to become important to Aida.
nThe thought made her pick up her phone and dial Lin Mochen’s number.
nHearing her request, Lin Mochen smiled slightly. “Why? You came across so much trouble during the three years you worked at **Q and you never once asked me for help. You’ve been the assistant of Aida’s president for just three days and you’re already asking me to help your boss?”
nLin Qian laughed, “I’ve got everything under control. Don’t you trust my judgment?”
n…
nThe next morning, Lin Qian sat at her desk, holding a working plan for the Ming Sheng Project. It had been finished over a few nights by the marketing department.
nFollowing what Xue Mingtao had said the other day, it was mentioned in the working plan that the biggest challenge at the moment was building a relationship with the clients. And the most important part of that relationship was obviously their senior managers.
nMing Sheng played a decisive role in the country, and their senior leaders were important figures in the national business industry. A private enterprise like Aida didn’t even come close to their standard.
nConsidering they had just started, the best case scenario would be connecting with the same level as the office manager and procurement director. To reach the senior level, it would definitely take some time and a few key opportunities. The worst case scenario was that they wouldn’t be able to contact them and meet with their senior managers before Ming Sheng officially started the bidding. That would be a failure for the project.
nXue Mingtao walked out of Li Zhicheng’s office with a few marketing directors. They all looked serious and in a hurry as they rushed out. Lin Qian took the advantage. She went into the office after knocking on the door.
nInstead of sitting behind the big desk, Li Zhicheng sat in the middle of the couch. He was deep in thought, with his arms resting on the knees, and fingers crossed, holding the chin.
nConsidering it was quite rare to see him so focused, Lin Qian slowed down. She first put away the paper cups, then added some hot water into his large canteen before bringing it to him.
nHe then finally looked up and stared at her, quietly waiting for her to say something. Li Qian smiled, “President Li, regarding the Ming Sheng Project, maybe I can—” Before she could finish, the door was pushed open. Gu Yanzhi walked in. Seeing them in the office together, his facial expression remained the same. He walked straight to the couch next to Li Zhicheng, “Let’s have another discussion about it.”
nLi Zhicheng remained silent; he turned to Lin Qian, “You can continue.” Gu Yanzhi also raised his eyebrows, staring at her.
nLin Qian paused a little before cutting to the chase. “My older brother is working for an investment company in America. His previous employer, DP Investment Group, was the foreign shareholder that held part of Ming Sheng’s tradable shares. He is on good terms with them. I’m thinking, if it’s convenient, we could have him help us connect. Maybe that way we could arrange President Li to meet up with the senior managers from Ming Sheng.”
nLin Qian noticed Gu Yanzhi’s eyes clearly brighten even before she finished talking. She knew that she’d done exactly the right thing, and was secretly feeling delighted.
nThey both turned to Li Zhicheng.
nLeaning against the couch, he had already straightened his posture, looking peaceful. Without any obvious signs of relief on his face, he seemed to be considering her suggestion.
nHowever, after the brief silence, in a low voice, “I don’t need your connections.” There was almost a hint of stubbornness in his calmness.
nLin Qian was speechless.
nIt also took Gu Yanzhi by surprise. After sharing brief eye contact with Lin Qian, he smiled slyly. “Lin Qian, your dear President Li is too used to the military,” he bantered. “He hasn’t left it behind yet. His least favorite thing would be taking advantage of… um, nepotism, to reach his goal. ”
nLin Qian was still speechless.
nNepotism?
nGu Yanzhi sounded half-joking, leaving Lin Qian confused for a second. But, Boss wouldn’t be this stubborn, would he?
nShe turned to Li Zhicheng. He was staring right at her.
nLin Qian said, “I’m offering this because it’s quick and convenient. Plus…” Li Zhicheng’s jet-black eyes were like bottomless pits. Staring at him, Lin Qian suddenly thought of what he had said to her the other day. “I trust you.” The memory made everything around her heart feel warm.
n“Plus what?” Li Zhicheng suddenly asked, breaking from his normal silence.
nLin Qian glared at him, responding in a low voice, “Plus, throughout the ages, nepotism has always been useful and practical.”
nStunned, Gu Yanzhi, standing next to them, immediately burst into laughter.
nEven Li Zhicheng’s eyes widened, which was followed by the rare upturn of the corners of his lips. His stern face appeared much softer.
nLin Qian felt a hint of warmth on her face.
nGu Yanzhi then stood up. “Alright, since Lin Qian had to use such wise words, as leaders, we have to be grateful. I’ll be in charge this time. Zhicheng, you can stay out of it. The decision has already been made. Lin Qian, you can start on that now.”
nLi Zhicheng remained silent. Without looking at him, Lin Qian quickly responded, “Sure.” She turned around and left.
n…
nConsidering his one and only younger sister had reached out to him, Lin Mochen didn’t wait for her to get permission from her managers first. As soon as Lin Qian walked out of Li Zhicheng’s office, her brother was already calling. “The appointment has been booked. Four o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
nAmazed, Lin Qian immediately started to praise him, “You’re truly amazing.” But secretly she thought to herself, You’re still that freaking bossy! What if Li Zhicheng turns it down?
nLin Mochen was pretty clear on this. Regarding her kind offer, the president of Aida would have to accept it whether he liked it or not.
nAccording to Lin Mochen, the president of Ming Sheng, Kang Mingcong, would be back from his business trip from Beijing tomorrow at noon. Lin Qian thought about this; she believed that the timing of her brother’s plan was perfect. Since Ming Sheng closed at 5:30 pm, there couldn’t be many arrangements scheduled in between his landing and closing time, allowing them to communicate for 60 to 90 minutes. It would be a rare opportunity with plenty of time for them.
nTaking her time at her desk, Lin Qian then returned to Li Zhicheng’s office to give them the information. Cheerful, Gu Yanzhi immediately called in the staff from the marketing department. Li Zhicheng remained quiet, glancing at her.
nHe isn’t upset, is he? Lin Qian worried. He should be… content, right? After all, the situation is looking better after using a connection.
nIn the evening, Xue Mingtao left the office with his trusted staff just like earlier. Only this time, everyone was clearly in a good mood. Lin Qian looked up with a polite smile. Surprisingly, Xue Mingtao walked towards her, reaching out his hand.
n“Assistant Lin, I heard the story from President Li. Thank you so much. You solved a huge problem for our marketing department.”
nLin Qian quickly stood up, grinning.
nHuh? Boss gave me a compliment?
nShe waited until after they left, then walked across the room. Lin Qian was peeking through the latched door into the office. Still not planning on leaving? Are you even pleased?
nIn the middle of her thoughts, a cold and clear voice came through the office. “Come in.” It almost felt like he had been watching her as well.
nShe pushed the door open to see Li Zhicheng’s eyes were fixed on her as he stood by the desk.
n“Can I help you with anything?” she asked, smiling.
nThere was silence as though he were deep in thought. He then turned, walking towards her.
nThe late afternoon sun fell slanted and gloomy through the window. But the rays of bright sunshine looked like ripples shimmering above his head, leaving his facial features gentle and glowing.
nHe stopped a step away from her; he just stood there, glaring at her.
nThe jet-black eyes of his were deep without any expression. Lin Qian began to worry a little. Why’s he standing so close to me? I thought he never approached strangers.
nShe composed herself under his penetrating gaze.
nIn a low, calm voice, he asked, “Why are you helping me like this?”
nSlightly stunned, Lin Qian responded honestly, “Because you deserve it.”
nHe stared down at her, eyes appearing to become more peaceful.
n“Thank you, Lin Qian.”
nBlinking, Lin Qian knew he was honestly expressing his gratefulness.
nShe looked down at the small distance between them, then looked up at his stern, handsome face.
nBoss, considering how close you’re standing, are you trying to show me your sincerity and formality? You are just… too humble.
nLin Qian paused, returning his clear gaze.
nIt was a skill to appropriately accept compliments from the boss. You could neither act too proud nor too humble. So she gave him a little smile, adjusted her posture, and casually waved her hand. “My pleasure, sir.” She then saluted him like a proper soldier.
nAs expected, this was received well by him.
nLi Zhicheng’s dark eyes appeared to be smiling. So did Lin Qian’s.
nPeople always said that employees should be able to manage their superiors, so she was doing a great job, wasn’t she?
nSuch an emotionless person, but he had smiled at her twice.
nJust as she was becoming excited, he said, “I’ll return the favor. From now on.”
n…
nThe afternoon of the next day quickly came.
nA Cadillac slowly cruised through the city. Lin Qian was sitting in the passenger’s seat, and Xue Mingtao was behind the wheel. In the back sat Gu Yanzhi and Li Zhicheng.
nThe car was heading towards the west CBD district. The skyscraper for Ming Sheng’s headquarters could be seen amongst other skyscrapers from afar, appearing dark and mysterious.
nGreeting them was Ming Sheng’s associate director, a lean man in his forties. He appeared to be moderate and well-mannered. After a short conversation, they were led to a small meeting room located on the top floor in the general manager’s office area.
n“It won’t be long,” he said. “There is a visitor with President Kang. I’ll take you in once the meeting is over.”
nThe associate director then headed out after seeing that Aida was okay with waiting.
nIt was 3:45 pm. They were a little early, and spent the time quietly looking around at each other and the room. Gu Yanzhi broke the silence.
n“Later, it would be great if President Li could do a little more talking,” he joked with Li Zhicheng. “I’ve heard that President Kang graduated as an engineer, and is also very quiet. Just make sure it’s not completely silent in there.”
nBoth Lin Qian and Xue Mingtao burst into laughter. Li Zhicheng raised his eyebrows, deadpanning, “Very well. We are like-minded and know silence is golden.”
nLi Zhicheng’s lack of facial expression astounded Li Qian and Xue Mingtao. They didn’t figure it out until seeing Gu Yanzhi cackle. Unless… Boss is being funny? It brought everyone to laughter once they realized.
nEven though it was a joke, what Gu Yanzhi had just mentioned was really consuming Lin Qian. Should Li Zhicheng meet up with someone of his equivalent level? It was unlikely to expect the Boss to be socially active. She truly had no idea how this would turn out. The clock was ticking.
nAt four o’clock sharp, the same assistant manager walked in. Everyone including Lin Qian stood up. With a smile on Xue Mingtao’s face, he asked, “Can we?”
nSurprisingly, his smile seemed apologetic. “President Li, and Manager Gu, I’m sorry but President Kang’s last visitor is still there. They are in the thick of it. I’m afraid I can’t interrupt.”
nImmediately Gu Yanzhi answered, “No worries. We’ll just be sitting here for a little longer. Thank you.”
nSmiling, the assistant manager nodded and left.
nBut 4:40 pm eventually came. Impatient, Gu Yanzhi sent Xue Mingtao to double check, only to discover that was a wild goose chase. In contrast, Li Zhicheng appeared calm and patient. The waiting also slowly took a toll on Lin Qian.
nMin Sheng would close at 5:30 pm and, according to the assistant manager, President Kang was also scheduled for dinner in the evening, right after work.
nThere were less than 40 minutes left for them.
nThis was a terrible start already. Knowing the importance of meeting their senior managers, if they failed to leave a great impression on them, it would be unlikely for them to schedule another meeting after this. Let alone expect President Kang to favor them for this project.
nWhy were they having such bad luck? It was already incredibly hard to schedule an appointment. Who could possibly cut the queue and talk with the president for so long?
nIt was almost 5 pm. “I’m going to the bathroom,” said Lin Qian. Just when she pushed the door open, she saw a group of people leaving the other side of the office lounge, all decently dressed. President Kang’s office was in that direction. The group was led by someone who was tall, handsome, and smiling… who else could it be besides Chen Zheng?
nFollowed by a group of employees, he shook hands with the assistant manager. “Thank you so much, Mr. Liao. You can stop right here. The meeting with President Kang was such a pleasure, hopefully it didn’t take too long. We’ll meet up for tea sometime.”
n“You’re welcome. I’ll walk you out,” said the assistant manager with a broad smile on his face.
nSuddenly Chen Zheng seemed to notice something. He looked up towards the door. With Lin Qian standing outside, it was too late to hide. She could merely stand there and stare at him from a distance.
nIt didn’t catch Chen Zheng by surprise that Lin Qian was there. The corner of his lips slightly raised, he left surrounded by his staff.
n…
nAt the moment, the president of Ming Sheng, Kang Mingcong, was sitting on the big comfy couch in his office, rubbing the space between his brows.
nAs an entrepreneur in his fifties, he looked stern and severe. Usually he was reserved, but for the people who had known him for a while, coming from an engineering background, he had a lot of plans and excellent ideas for the management and development of the business.
nThe procurement project this time was to acquire the same briefcase for tens of thousands of staff members working at the branches of the company from over 30 provinces. He believed that when it came to their image as a whole and the way they treated their staff, despite the size of the project, quality was always what was most important.
nDealing with New Bori and **Q made him realize that regarding the former, despite their great quality and top rank in the industry, their prices were rather high. Considering New Bori supplied multiple state-owned businesses, the listed price could only be higher. Therefore, it had already been eliminated by him.
nEven though **Q wasn’t as competitive as New Bori, they were willing to provide them high-quality products at the lowest prices on the market. When he had first met Chen Zheng, he hadn’t been the biggest fan of the superficial young man. But they got along, and as they spoke, Kang Mingcong had slowly gotten used to him. In addition, **Q and Chen Zheng had both received positive reviews from his managers from other departments; so, Kang Mingcong didn’t have much problem leaving the project with him.
nHe had scheduled a meeting with Chen Zheng after being told it was a serious matter they needed to discuss. The first thing Chen Zheng had done was give an introduction on the new core product from **Q. He had also gifted an antique GO manual to Kang Mingcong.
nKang Mingcong was hooked after flipping through just a few pages. There was no denying that this gift was right up his alley.
nAs to Aida, introduced by the foreign shareholders? He had heard that they were on the edge of bankruptcy—god knew how they had connections with the foreign shareholders. He might as well meet up with them so he could put an end to it.
n…
nIt was a few minutes past five when Gu Yanzhi and Li Zhicheng entered President Kang’s office.
nLin Qian sat the small meeting room. Divided by a wall, she stared at the shut door of President Kang’s office, praying that they come out as late as they could.
nShe worried that they would be told to leave only ten minutes or so into the meeting. She was also simultaneously blaming Chen Zheng for their late start. It was such a simple, clever thing that he had done, making the meeting with President Kang so long right after his flight. He must’ve been exhausted. Plus, he had dinner scheduled at 5:30 pm, so their meeting couldn’t last any longer than 25 minutes.
nSoon it was 5:30 pm. Lin Qian’s eyes were fixed on the door.
nThe assistant manager also noticed the time. He walked up, knocked on the door, and poked his head in the office. She couldn’t be sure what he was saying, but soon enough he retreated, gently pushing the door shut.
nUmm?
nLin Qian made eye contact with Xue Mingtao; both were quiet.
nAt 5:45 pm, they were still inside.
nAt 6:00 pm, they were still inside.
nThe assistant manager knocked on the door, stuck his head in just like last time, and once again left quietly. Lin Qian supposed that his dinner was canceled when she saw him calling someone in another office.
nLin Qian and Xue Mingtao both couldn’t help getting excited. It looked like the meeting was going well? It must have been. Even though Li Zhicheng wasn’t the best at conversation, with of Gu Yanzhi’s sophistication and knowledge in the business industry, maybe they were winning Kang Mingcong over.
nThe clock read 6:30, and they were still inside.
nWhen it was 7:00 pm, the doorknob clicked, and the door was pushed open. Gu Yanzhi walked out of the office first, smiling. He was followed by Li Zhicheng, who had a slight grin wrinkling his soft brows; he appeared to look up in her direction. Lastly, Kang Mingcong walked out of his office, looking cheerful.
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