The smile on my face did not diminish, but I was pondering in my heart whether the president of the dignified Rongji Group invited a young representative of me to dinner just because of his warm hospitality. If I were the only one on this trip, I would be a bit unprepared for such a situation.
Fortunately, Liang Sheng was still outside. I thought about it, stood up, bowed, and said, "I feel honored to have dinner with Mr. Xuan, but I still have a friend."
Just after a pause, Xuanji stood up and immediately answered: "It doesn't matter, let your friends come with you."
It’s not enough to eat alone. I breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Then can I go out and ask my friend’s opinion?”
As soon as this sentence came out of my mouth, I was wondering if it was a bit abrupt. Unexpectedly, Xuanji didn't mind at all and just smiled and said: "Okay."
I nodded to him and backed out.
Back in the lounge, Liang Sheng and Jin Chengen were talking and laughing while smoking. When they saw me coming in, they both put out their cigarettes immediately with a tacit understanding.
Liang Sheng stood up and asked me, "How are you doing?"
I suppressed a smile and tried not to look too proud: "Signed."
Liang Sheng raised his eyebrows: "Is it so smooth?"
I nodded.
Jin Chengen probably understood the meaning, but he was not sure, so he asked me: "Has the contract been signed?"
"Thank you for your warm reception. The contract has been successfully signed." I raised the folder in my hand and answered with a smile.
Jin Chengen reflexively spoke in Korean, and his accent sounded like he was surprised. I asked Liang Sheng, "What did he say?"
Liang Sheng looked at Jin Chengen and translated for me: "He said that Mr. Xuan never negotiated a contract for more than ten minutes. If you haven't come back for fifteen minutes, he knew there was something going on."
"No more? Didn't he speak for a long time?" I always felt that Liang Sheng's translation was too concise, as if a lot of content was omitted.
Liang Sheng laughed and said, "He praised you."
"What do you praise me for?"
"Good luck." He smiled.
"."
Liang Sheng readily accepted Xuanji's invitation. On the way there, Jin Chengen explained to me the meaning of the previous paragraph in English. It turned out that he was praising me for being smart and lucky. I glanced at Liang Sheng, and Liang Sheng Sitting upright with a lot of leisure, but smiling and saying nothing.
It is already six o'clock in Seoul time. The night in Seoul is as prosperous as Shanghai in China, and as leisurely and romantic as Haicheng. Jinbi Fang at night is quiet and retro. It is a well-known local Chinese restaurant.
Originally, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to eat Korean food. After all, I don’t like spicy food very much and I don’t really like the taste of Korean pickled peppers. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw three Chinese characters on the signboard. I was so excited that tears filled my eyes. Liang Sheng stood beside me and glanced at me, which meant, 'This is all you can do.' I deliberately looked away. Look at him lest he deepen his sarcasm.
Jin Chengen warmly invited us into the store. The lobby manager of Jinbifang had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw us coming up, he immediately greeted us with a smile.
"Welcome guests from China." The manager spoke fluent Chinese, which made me feel more cordial. He made an inviting gesture towards us: "Please come inside."
The luxurious and spacious private room is naturally gorgeous. The hanging crystal lamp exudes orange light, and the rotating LED light occasionally sweeps over the exquisite Chinese dishes and chopsticks on the table. Everything is crystal clear and bright.
Guided by the lobby manager, we entered the private room and sat down respectively. After serving tea, we quietly waited for the mystery of our late arrival due to work.
Jin Chengen continued to talk to us in English. Compared with the initial formality, it was now much more casual. Occasionally he would joke with me and talk about mysterious things.
Liang Sheng seemed to be quite interested in mysteries, and from time to time he would ask Jin Chengen about his habit of not disclosing mysteries to the public.
Jin Cheng'en said that Xuanji's natal name was actually 'Hyunji'. Xuan took his mother's surname, and the word 'ji' was transliterated from Korean. Because Xuanji loved traditional Chinese culture, he changed 'Hyunji' to 'Xuanji'.
Hearing this, I subconsciously said: "So I like China."
Liang Sheng and Jin Chengen both turned their heads and looked at me, "What?"
"It's nothing." I smiled. "When we were negotiating the contract just now, Mr. Xuan was speaking Chinese to me from beginning to end. I thought... I thought he was hospitable."
In fact, I was narcissistic and thought that he was taking special care of me.
Liang Sheng glanced at me and changed the subject: "He should be forty this year."
Jin Chengen said 'um' in standard Korean pronunciation, and then said in English: "I will be 41 in two months."
"Forty-one?" I said in surprise. Realizing that I was losing my temper, I nodded and lowered my voice and said, "He looks like he is only thirty."
Jin Chengen smiled and rolled his eyes: "Our Mr. Xuan pays great attention to maintenance on weekdays. He likes Chinese health culture and exercises regularly. It may be related to being single, so he looks young."
"Single?" Liang Sheng tasted the word carefully, with some elusive light shining in his eyes.
Just as he was talking, the box door was opened, and the lobby manager led Xuanji in. Xuanji apologized to us as he walked in, still using his unskilled Chinese: "I'm sorry, I read a document temporarily and kept you waiting for so long. ”
Jin Chengen helped him pull out the chair. After he sat down, he glanced at the teapot on the table and said politely: "It is your Chinese tradition that anyone who is late is punished with three drinks as a penalty?"
"And tea instead of wine?" He paused for a second and then added.
I pursed my lips and smiled. Naturally, I would not take the initiative to answer such a topic at the wine table. Generally, as long as Liang Sheng was present, I would stay as silent as possible.
The smile in Liang Sheng's deep eyes did not diminish, "I have heard for a long time that Mr. Xuan loves Chinese culture. Today, when I see him, his reputation is well-deserved. Today we are in South Korea. There is a saying in Chinese culture that if you do as the Romans do in the country, you will be exempted from the penalty of drinking."
This time it was Jin Chengen's turn to be confused. Because the three of us all spoke Chinese, he became the one who couldn't understand a word, so he had to sit aside blankly. He laughed when we laughed, and stayed silent when we were serious.
Xuanji nodded happily: "Yes, we still do as the Romans do, but today you are guests, and I will drink tea instead of wine. Well, do you do it first as a courtesy?"
He picked up the teacup on the table, and after careful consideration he said, "Do it first to show respect." It was obvious that he was trying to accurately apply the Chinese words or sayings he had learned.
After three cups, Chinese dishes were served one after another. In strict accordance with the standards of domestic five-star hotels, there were cold dishes first, then hot dishes, a combination of meat and vegetables, and balanced nutrition. Each dish was delicious, delicious, and even better than domestic ones. Many of the hotels are more refined.
Liang Sheng chatted with him, "Mr. Xuan likes Chinese food very much?"
Xuanji nodded, put down his chopsticks, and answered seriously: "I like all the Chinese ones, because my father is Chinese."
Liang Sheng seemed a little surprised, "Isn't your father President Jin?"
'gold'
I instinctively thought of Jin Chengen's 'jin', it should be the same one.
"That's me, stepfather? No, stepfather!" Xuanji said the wrong word for the first time, but we can also understand 'stepfather'.
It turns out that he also comes from a divorced family, which surprised me a bit.
Jin Chengen suddenly interjected like he was complaining. He was speaking in Korean, which I didn't understand at all. I was about to ask Liang Sheng when Xuanji took the initiative to translate for me, "He said, let's talk Chinese again, and he will find a translator."
I glanced at Jin Chengen subconsciously. At this moment, he pouted a little like a Korean boy, and then said in English: "I don't understand anything you said now. Brother, why can't you translate for Miss Shen?" Translate for me?”
elder brother? I immediately took a sip. I had felt that the two of them were very similar in some way. It turned out that they were brothers. No wonder their fathers' surname was 'Jin'.
Xuanji lowered his head and smiled without saying anything. When he raised his head again, he warmly greeted us to eat our food.
Liang Sheng was often silent, quietly observing the mystery. When the time was almost right, he put down his chopsticks and said, "I wonder if I can ask why Mr. Xuan signed Hua Yi's contract so readily?"
It turns out that he has been struggling with this
But I also wanted to know. After all, I knew best. For the entire fifteen minutes, I didn’t have any special negotiation skills. I didn’t even explain some details of the project content. I took care of his Chinese almost the entire process.
(End of chapter)