Another week passed. Early that Friday morning, Ye Zhao came back from school and drove directly to the Fortune Building. Lin Dong and others were waiting for her to finalize the design plan at the construction site.
After arriving at the construction site, Gan Xiaofeng brought her a safety helmet to wear. Ye Zhao looked up at the Fortune Building. The exterior facade was made of golden reflective glass, which looked very luxurious. If you want to replace the entire building, the cost will be too high.
Lin Dong stood by holding the blueprint and said, "It would be fine if it was champagne color, but it's light gold, and the four sides of the frame are inlaid with rose-red metal strips and tiles as edging, which makes the whole style look very rustic."
Lin Dong was a man who spoke his mind, and Gan Xiaofeng laughed when she heard him.
Lin Dong: "Our Fortune Building is on this road. It is really conspicuous and ostentatious."
Ye Zhao asked him: "How do we change it now?"
Lin Dong pointed to the edge of the building's facade and said, "Replacing the glass is too expensive. Our current suggestion is to replace the metal strips and tiles on the edges, and change the rose red to black. After the replacement, the whole style will be improved."
When Gan Xiaofeng heard about changing the color to black, she hurriedly shook her head: "This building has always been said to have bad feng shui. Would changing it to black be even more taboo?"
Chen Jiongming agreed with Gan Xiaofeng's point of view. He suggested: "How about changing it to dark gray? Would it be better?"
Lin Dong frowned slightly: "Dark grey is fine, but it's definitely not as good-looking as black."
Everyone looked at Ye Zhao. Deep down, Ye Zhao didn't believe in Feng Shui. She didn't believe it, but future tenants might not be as rational as she was. However, black was the least conspicuous and the most suppressive color as an inlay.
If you think about it, Feng Shui rumors are temporary, while facades are almost permanent.
Ye Zhao said: "If we change it to dark gray, the tenants may not think it is auspicious. It is better to use black, which is more thorough. At least the combination of gold and black is noble. After the Fortune Building is built, our company will move in first, and we will dispel this rumor ourselves."
Zhaohua Industry, Zizhulin Real Estate, Songrongji and Shengheji's branches in Shenzhen should first make the building popular and then find ways to market it. It will not be difficult to reverse the situation.
Lin Dong said: "Yes, in the Qin Dynasty, black was precious. Black represented the most stable and solemn color... In the foreign fashion world, black is also beautiful..."
Lin Dong talked a lot, leaving Gan Xiaofeng and others stunned.
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Lin Dong, you can become an advertising master now."
"I really think black is the best color. You can see that our Zizhulin BoBoPark uses a lot of black and white. The simplest colors are the most beautiful. When the time comes, our design company will also move in! We support you!"
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Thank you."
Gan Xiaofeng said: "It's not impossible for us to move in first to dispel the rumors."
As everyone was chatting, there was a commotion outside the wall. Not long after, Old Mac said, "Hey, you know me, I'm just going in to get something."
The security guard who stopped him said, "The boss is here today, so it's inconvenient. Please come back another day."
"I know the boss. Please let me in, Aqiao, Aqiao..."
A-Qiao hurried over to offer the security guard a cigarette, but the security guard didn't dare to take it and stopped Old Mai from entering.
Chen Jiongming heard the noise, but he didn't understand what was going on, so he walked over and asked loudly, "What's going on?"
Old Mai quickly nodded and bowed to greet him: "Mr. Chen, it's me! It's me! Manager Mai!"
Old Mai took the opportunity to squeeze in and greet Chen Jiongming. When he saw Ye Zhao, his face froze. Could the boss the security guard was talking about be Ye Zhao? Or was he talking about the man next to Ye Zhao
It couldn't be Ye Zhao. It should be the man next to her, Ye Zhao's friend!
Old Mai trotted over and extended his hand to Lin Dong in a familiar manner, saying, "Hello! Hello!"
Lin Dong looked puzzled: "Who are you?"
Old Mai introduced himself: "I am one of the material contractors here before. My last name is Mai, and everyone calls me Manager Mai! Oh! You are indeed a big boss. You can tell at first glance that you are different, with an imposing manner!"
Lin Dong was embarrassed, "I'm not the boss, I'm a designer."
"Didn't the security guard say the boss was here?" Old Mai looked at Lin Dong, then at Chen Jiongming, and then at Ye Zhao, his heart in turmoil.
Chen Jiongming asked him: "What do you want to talk to our boss about?"
Lao Mai: "I don't make any profit from that batch of cement. I'll give it to you at cost price, okay? I'll pay for the shipping!"
Gan Xiaofeng said directly: "No, I told the construction company that they will not accept your goods of unknown origin."
Old Mai knew that Gan Xiaofeng was Ye Zhao's subordinate. He gritted his teeth and asked for help, but dared not say anything: "Little girl, it's not easy to make a living. I haven't offended you. Why bother? This is not your company. Can you turn a blind eye and stop stretching your hands so long?"
Gan Xiaofeng said angrily, "What do you mean by don't stretch your hands so far? My boss bought the Fortune Building and he said he doesn't want to use your cement. Why are you saying so much?"
"Your boss bought it?" Old Mai looked at Gan Xiaofeng, then at Ye Zhao, and asked in disbelief, "You bought it?"
Chen Jiongming asked: "Who do you think bought it?"
Old Mai reacted very quickly, and slapped himself in the face with a loud slap. "It's my fault, I'm totally wrong! Boss Ye! I was mean before, but you are so kind as to not bear grudges..."
Ye Zhao smiled slightly, glanced at him, and said, "And then?"
Old Mai said with a bitter face: "I really didn't know you bought the Fortune Building."
"You respect me because I can afford the Fortune Building, but you can just step on me if you can't afford it?"
"No, no... Oh, I just said something careless, I didn't mean any harm."
Ye Zhao sneered and said, "Then I can only treat you with the same attitude. When you are capable, I will respect you again. You can get out now."
Old Mai was reluctant to leave. He begged, "I borrowed money from others to buy the cement. You can't kill me, right? I have three children in school and two elderly people to support. It's not easy."
Ye Zhao knew that Lao Mai was pretending to be pitiful. The locals in Shenzhen couldn't even support their families? You must be kidding!
She laughed and said, "You need to borrow money to buy such a small amount of cement. Where did the money you earned last year go? I didn't buy this building. Do you think you can get the money for the materials to celebrate the New Year? You didn't wait for the builder to place an order for you, but rushed to buy cement while the price was low. Didn't you assess the risks before doing this? As an adult, you should bear the consequences of your actions. Don't pretend to be poor. We in Zengwuwei don't know your background. You can't even support three children and two elderly people? I really look down on you."
Seeing that Ye Zhao's tone was quite gentle, Old Mai thought he still had a chance to persuade him, so he said, "You really don't have any money. I haven't even made back the money I earned last year after investing it."
"Look, there's money to be made from investments everywhere, but you're not allowed to act poor in front of me, Boss Mai!"
Lao Mai: "No, no, no, what boss! Call me Lao Mai. I'll give it to you at a low price. I won't make a penny from the shipping fee!"
"We don't need it. Go ask other construction sites. Don't talk about paying for the freight. If you want to recover your investment, pay 20% and sell it!"
"No... Boss Ye..." If other construction sites were willing to accept the job, would he have to beg her
Chen Jiongming said: "Let's go quickly, we have changed the builder and we don't need cement at the moment."
Old Mac refused to give up: "How can you not need cement? You haven't renovated the house yet?"
"Security!" Chen Jiongming called for security.
The security guard quickly came and pulled Old Mai away, "Don't let me lose my job, Boss Mai."
The modification plan for the exterior facade was basically finalized this morning, and the bidding for the project has also been completed. The two companies are working simultaneously on the exterior facade and interior decoration, and the project will be completed by August at the latest.
After coming out of the Fortune Building, Ye Zhao went directly to the Irene Toy Factory. Now Sister Hui is the boss here.
After Ye Zhao arrived, Director Liu followed in to report to her.
"The finance department has already calculated Mr. Su's shares, which are worth RMB 820,000 in total. Mr. Su's brother has come twice to take the money away."
Ye Zhao thought for a moment and said, "This money cannot be given to brother Su Yingmin."
Who knows if this uncle has any selfish motives.
After all, Yunyun and her siblings are innocent. The best way is of course to help them save money, pay their tuition and living expenses every year, and then return the remaining money to them when they graduate from college.
But this undoubtedly increases Irene's responsibilities, and there may be other troubles in the future.
Ye Zhao said: "The 820,000 will be divided into two parts and deposited into the accounts of the brother and sister respectively, and then they will sign and put their fingerprints on it."
Director Liu asked again, "Where is the Audi? We sent someone to ask for it a few days ago, but Mr. Su's brother refused to give it to us. He said the car belonged to his brother."
Ye Zhao asked in confusion: "Didn't the Audi crash?"
"The car that was hit was Mr. Su's own car. The Audi is in their garage, and Mr. Su is usually reluctant to drive it."
"Go and drive it back. Call the police if he dares to stop you."
Director Liu was waiting for Ye Zhao to say this, "I know how to handle this."
The weather has been gloomy recently. It wanted to rain, but it didn't. Ye Zhao left his car at Irene and didn't drive home.
As soon as she entered the house, she saw Zeng Xiang had returned from Hong Kong and was sitting on the sofa fiddling with his camera.
"broken?"
"It seems so. The film can't be stuck."
Ye Zhao put down her bag and sat down. On the table were several magazines that Zeng Xiang had brought back from Hong Kong City. She casually shouted and asked, "How are your aunt and the others?"
Zeng Xiang said: "Grandpa Guo is in hospital..."
"What disease?"
"Angry."
That’s right, who wouldn’t be upset if they had a daughter like this
In Ye Zhao's opinion, Guo Xuyan took two major wrong steps. One was to hook up with Ye Dingguo, which indirectly killed Jin Jingzhi; the other was to abandon his daughter, which harmed the original owner.
But in Mr. Guo’s opinion, there may also be issues with sexual orientation and behavior between men and women, which are also unforgivable in the eyes of the old man.
Ye Zhao asked: "Is Grandpa Guo okay?"
Zeng Xiang said: "It's okay, the doctor said I just need to rest for a while."
"Where's Guo Xuyan? When will she go to Australia?"
Zeng Xiang: "Let's wait until Grandpa Guo and Grandma Guo return to Beijing. She also wants to take Jin Jingzhi's ashes with her. It will probably take the second half of the year."
Ye Zhao sighed and asked, "Do you think Guo Xuyan really loves Jin Jingzhi?"
Zeng Xiang thought for a moment, "Love, right? Auntie's view on love may have nothing to do with men and women. She only loves Jin Jingzhi."
"She loves Jin Jingzhi so much, after all these years, why doesn't she come back to pay tribute?"
"I guess you're afraid of being seen by your father or other acquaintances."
"So, she still loves herself the most." Ye Zhao leaned on Zeng Xiang and asked, "If it were you, would you let me sleep alone on a deserted island?"
Zeng Xiang glanced at her and said, "I won't let this happen."
Ye Zhao smiled.
With a "click", the camera seemed to be ready. Zeng Xiang put the film in it and planned to take a close-up photo of Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao looked at the camera and moved back: "Why are you taking such a close shot?"
"Don't move, you're weak."
Ye Zhao smiled and didn't move. Zeng Xiang took a picture of her profile.
After the photoshoot, he said, "Your profile is very pretty and photogenic."
“Aren’t other places nice?”
"It looks good. It looks good everywhere."
Ye Zhao asked with a smile: "What's the good view?"
Zeng Xiang came over and tried to kiss her, but Ye Zhao pushed him away from behind and said with a smile, "Go away, you hooligan."
The two little kids who were fighting just now were now sitting upright on the sofa. Ye Zhao was flipping through a magazine, while Zeng Xiang put away the film box in his bag.
Aunt Qiao pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I'm going to help Fatty Ying cook. Come down by yourselves in half an hour. Don't make me call you."
Ye Zhao said "Oh" obediently.
The kitchen at Aunt Qiao's house is leaking and the pipes are being renovated. This weekend, they all had dinner at Fatty Ying's house.
Fatty Ying killed a big rooster, added dried mushrooms and fish maw, and boiled a pot of fragrant chicken soup. She then steamed some salted fish and pork belly, stir-fried some vegetables, and made a dish of tofu with green onions. Everyone gathered around the table to eat.
Zeng Xiuquan failed to get into university, so she repeated her senior year for half a year, but could not continue. Now she works as a clerk in Zhaohua Company with Gan Xiaofeng.
Fatty Ying asked Zeng Xiang: "Last week I saw you driving into the Irene Toy Factory. Who were you with? An old man, an old woman, and a beautiful woman who looked familiar."
Zeng Xiang drank the chicken soup and said, "My aunt and her parents."
"Auntie Qi, they are not my biological parents." Zeng Erqiao said, and then changed the subject: "You made this salted fish and pork belly very well. What kind of salted fish?"
"Mackerel, can't you taste it?"
“Delicious, very filling.”
Fatty Ying asked again: "Hey, Ye Zhao, when will the house in Zizhulin be built? We only paid a deposit of 10,000 yuan, and we haven't been notified to pay the rest of the money yet."
Ye Zhao said: "It hasn't been put out to bid yet. You can pay the house price after the bidding is finalized."
“How long will it take to build?”
"Two years."
"So long?"
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Our structure is very solid. We must build it slowly and carefully."
Zeng Xiuqun said, "Mom, you haven't seen the renderings. Wow, it's so modern, like a sky garden. It's different from all the houses we've seen."
Fatty Ying didn't understand: "What effect picture?"
Zeng Xiuqun explained: "It's the design draft drawn by the designer, it's more beautiful than you can imagine."
Fatty Ying: "You know I can't imagine it, why don't you bring it back and show it to me."
Zeng Xiuqun ate chicken feet and said to her mother, "You think you are the boss? I brought it back to show you! Sister Xiao Zhao was willing to buy two sets for us because of Auntie's face and charity."
Fatty Ying scolded her: "Why don't you say it's for your own good?"
"Of course, it's written with my name."
The fat woman said heroically: "I won't buy it! You ungrateful little bastard! I have to write your name on it if I buy it."
Zeng Xiuqun didn't believe her mother's nonsense, "You're willing not to buy it?"
Fatty Ying poked her daughter's forehead with her finger: "You are the one sent by the King of Hell to piss me off."
There were knocks on the door at the gate of the yard. After the tenants of the small west building were cleared out, the security door of this yard was usually closed.
Ye Zhao heard what sounded like Old Mai's voice. She said to Zeng Xiang, who was sitting outside and about to open the door, "If it's Old Mai, just say I'm not here."
Fatty Ying asked, "What does Lao Mai want you to do?"
Aunt Qiao said, "What can he do? He came to beg for mercy. I heard that he has transported more than ten truckloads of cement and can't sell them now."
Fatty Ying also hated Lao Mai. She said, "Don't give that Hexi guy any face. Let's see if he dares to show off in our Zengwuwei again."
Soon, Zeng Xiang came back, "It's Old Mai, I sent him away."
Lao Mai tried to sell the cement everywhere but failed. He knew that Ye Zhao was deliberately refusing to see him, so he went to ask Lao Kai and Ni Meng to plead for him.
Ni Meng originally didn't want to get involved, but he had to come because he couldn't save face.
Ye Zhao actually didn't care about how Lao Mai treated her in the past. She did this to establish her authority and set rules. People who would work with her in the future would at least have to be honest and friendly so that everyone could benefit from it.
Finally, under Ni Meng's mediation, Lao Mai reduced the price by 20%. Ye Zhao didn't want to offend these locals, so she let the construction company take the money and donated the difference to the elderly center in Zengwuwei. It was considered a good deed.
In the blink of an eye, it was May, and Mr. and Mrs. Xu from the Xu family celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. They invited relatives and friends to the gathering.
Ye Zhao also received an invitation personally delivered by Mrs. Xu. She came with Zeng Xiang.
Old Mrs. Luo hadn't gone out for a long time. It was rare that Mr. and Mrs. Xu were people she admired, so she, Guo Xuyan, and Guo's father and mother all came together.
At Xu's house, everyone gathered together in a lively atmosphere.
In fact, Mrs. Xu didn't invite many guests, only four or five tables. They were all well-known figures from wealthy families in Hong Kong, and everyone was very familiar with each other.
Only Ye Zhao is a newcomer.
These prominent people are not only well-informed and have a keen sense of smell, but they are also good at judging people.
Even without the Luo family as a strong backer, with Ye Zhao's ability to fight in Hong Kong City, she can still become a rising star in the business world that everyone is very willing to make friends with.
So in the whole place, there were only three gathering points: one was Old Lady Luo's, one was Ye Zhao's, and one was the gathering points of Mrs. Xu's relatives. Mrs. Xu was running all over the place, making arrangements everywhere.
Ye Zhao exchanged business cards with many business tycoons today, and they all said there was a chance to work together.
Guo's mother stood beside Ye Zhao for a long time before she found a chance to talk to her, "Xiao Zhao!"
Ye Zhao smiled politely but with distance: "Grandma Guo."
When Guo's mother heard this title, she was a little disappointed. She also knew that Ye Zhao would never recognize her as her grandmother.
Mother Guo said, "I didn't expect to see you here today."
Ye Zhao asked politely, "Is Grandpa Guo feeling better?"
"He's much better." After Guo's mother finished speaking, she saw that Ye Zhao didn't respond. She stood there awkwardly for a while before saying, "We may return to Beijing next month, and we don't know when we will meet next time. Let's take a photo together as a souvenir? Is that okay?"
When Xu Tai, who was standing next to him, heard this, he said enthusiastically, "Want to take a photo? I'll call a photographer for you."
In this way, Guo's father and mother, as well as Guo Xuyan who was dragged here by them, took a photo with Ye Zhao. This may be their only family photo.
After taking the photos, Guo Xuyan whispered thank you to Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao smiled slightly and thought of her as Zeng Xiang's aunt.
Mrs. Xu loves to take charge, so she went to find Mrs. Luo, Luo Shenlai and Ye Zhao to take a photo together.
Afterwards, Mrs. Xu and Ye Zhao took intimate photos.
Mrs. Xu asked her, "I heard that you bought the wealth building of the Xu family?"
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Mrs. Xu, you are well-informed."
Mrs. Xu: "Isn't it said that the feng shui of that building is bad? How dare you buy it?"
Ye Zhao: "I specially asked a master to look at it. The land of Fortune Building was originally a Feng Shui treasure land for prosperity. Because it was not used well, the direction of the door was wrong... I listened to the master and changed the direction of the door and the facade."
Xu Tai asked curiously, "Have you asked a master to take a look?"
"Of course. I bought it only after he looked at it. Later, I was afraid it might not be accurate, so I invited a master from Beijing, and the result was the same. They all said it was a place to make money." Ye Zhao spoke nonsense without hesitation.
"How do you feel now?"
“It feels pretty smooth.”
"I can see that you have a rosy complexion even without drinking."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "No, no..."
Mrs. Xu gave her a thumbs up and said, "You are awesome. You got a great bargain. I wanted to buy it at that time, too. It's all Old Xu's fault. He stopped me."
Ye Zhao said: "It's okay, we will move in first after we finish the decoration. We want to get some of the good fortune first. Mrs. Xu, if you are interested, you can move in as the second batch, and in order to gather wealth, we will waive rent for the first year."
"Rent exemption?" Xu Taiyi was interested. The richer the people, the more stingy they are. "How long will the rent be exempted for?"
Ye Zhao said: "No rent will be collected until June next year."
That means the rent will be free for at least half a year. Xu Tai said immediately, "Our trading company in Shenzhen can move there."
“A warm welcome.”
"Then can I introduce a friend to rent it?"
Ye Zhao deliberately made fun of Qiao and said, "We only pick big companies."
Xu Tai said: "Don't worry, my friend, which one of you is not the boss of a big company?"
Ye Zhao and Xu Tai were chatting happily, and they were still chatting until the meal started.
After dinner, Guo Xuyan and his family went back first because Guo’s father had just recovered.
Although Old Lady Luo was surrounded by a group of people today, she had actually been secretly observing Ye Zhao. When the banquet was over, she did not rush to leave as usual, but stayed until the end.
Sister Hong knew what Old Lady Luo meant, so she whispered, "Do you want me to call Miss Ye over?"
Old Mrs. Luo took a sip of juice and said, "Don't worry."
Sister Hong sighed, "This Miss Ye is very good at socializing."
Mrs. Luo: "She is not afraid of the stage. She is a capable person. Just look at who Mrs. Xu talks to the most, and you will know who has the most promising future in this circle."
Sister Hong said, "That shouldn't be the case. Mrs. Xu probably did it for the sake of our Luo family."
"How much is the Luo family's reputation worth? All the guests who came today are well-known. You can only see this small circle at the mouth of the well."
Sister Hong smiled and said, "Who in Gangcheng dares not to look at our Luo family's face? Unless they can do without the port, who can bypass the Luo family?"
Old Lady Luo: "We can only boast if we can take over the port of Shenzhen. Otherwise, who can predict the future trend?"
When Mrs. Luo saw Ye Zhao coming towards her, she smiled and went to greet him: "Let's go together and take our car."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "I came here in Brother Xiang's car."
"It's okay, let him drive back by himself. Let's go." Old Mrs. Luo took Ye Zhao's hand and walked out.
Ye Zhao could see that Old Lady Luo had something to say to her.
(End of this chapter)