Xu Guangrong from Xiao Xu's family came to buy shares but to no avail. He and Zhong Liming looked at each other and watched Ye Zhao leave helplessly.
"This mainland girl looks so gentle, but why is she so spicy?" Xu Guangrong sat down and wanted to smoke. "Do you have cigarettes?"
Zhong Limin took out a half-pack of cigars from the drawer: "Top quality, delicious, try it."
Zhong Limin lit a cigar for Xu Guangrong. In the past, the Zhong family and the Xu family had conflicts over territory, but this is how the circle is. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Now that the two companies are cooperating, the relationship between the two is as good as that of brothers.
Zhong Limin said: "I'll help you think of a solution."
Xu Guangrong smoked a cigarette and said, "I think this mainland girl is a bit difficult to deal with. Will she agree to sell the factory land to us at a low price in the future?"
"She definitely won't sell it if we just ask her to. We have to find another way. Hey, we can't handle this mainland girl. Tonight I'll take you to a mainland girl who can handle it, a girl with big breasts!"
Xu Guangrong laughed, "What a fool! It's really not possible for a middle-aged man. I can't even satisfy the tigress at home, so how can I have the energy to play with women?"
"No way, Old Xu! Next time we're together, I'll introduce you to something good. I guarantee you'll feel great after eating it. It's harder than a popsicle!"
"Stop bragging!"
The two middle-aged men were telling dirty jokes when someone knocked on the door and Qi Lian An pushed it open and came in.
Qi Lianan asked with a smile: "Boss Zhong, are you looking for me?"
Zhong Limin waved his hand and said, "Boss Qi, come here. I want to discuss something with you."
Qi Lian'an closed the door and walked in. "What's the matter? You guys are smiling so happily, is there something good going on?"
"Can you find a way to convince your boss Ye to let Mr. Xu buy some shares?"
Xu Guangrong said: "I don't ask for much, just give me 5 million shares, I have the money ready."
Qi Lian'an didn't sit down either. He stood aside and said with a smile, "I am a nobody and my words are not taken seriously. How can I persuade the boss to do anything?"
Zhong Limin: "You can do it. Won't the young couple listen to you?"
Qi Lianan: "No, no, no, Mr. Zhong, you can't say that. The Luo family has strict rules. If the old lady hears it, I will lose my job."
Zhong Limin rolled his eyes at him and said with a smile, "Pretend. What are your conditions?"
"I don't have any conditions." No conditions means there are conditions. Qi Lian'an didn't say it himself because he had mentioned it before and was rejected by Zhong Liming.
Zhong Limin remembered, and he said, "Hey, Mr. Qi, didn't you say last time that you have banking connections? I'll give you all the financial affairs for the land at Shoal Point, and give you the opportunity to earn commissions. How about that?"
Zhong Liming said this while looking at Xu Guangrong. Previously, Xu Guangrong didn't want Qi Lian'an to come in and eat meat with them, but this time, for his own benefit, he compromised.
Xu Guangrong said, "Okay, it's better to give this commission to our own people than to others. Mr. Qi, what do you think?"
Qi Lian'an smiled a little embarrassedly. After a long while, he said, "I'll give it a try. Don't hold your hopes too high."
During this period, Zhong Limin asked Qi Lianan to communicate with Luo Shenye Zhao. As long as Qi Lianan agreed, there would be follow-up steps. He patted Qi Lianan on the shoulder and said, "As long as you take action, this matter will definitely be accomplished."
"The boss may not listen to my advice, but I can think of a solution."
"It's up to you." Zhong Limin picked up the cigar box on the table and asked, "How about one?"
"We can't smoke." This is the rule of the Luo family. The servants' smoking will have a smell, and they are afraid that it will disturb the master.
"You are not a servant anymore, you can beat me if you want."
Qi Lian'an smiled and took a cigar from Zhong Liming, but did not smoke it. He chatted with the two of them for a while before leaving.
Xu Guangrong blew out a smoke ring and said, "Can you trust him to handle the financial affairs? After all, he is a henchman of the Luo family."
Zhong Limin said calmly: "He is also a fox, very cunning, but for the money, it should be no problem. Who would have trouble with money, right?"
Qi Lian'an came out of the company and went directly to the hotel where Ye Zhao was staying. At this time, Zeng Xiang also came back from school, and the two were having dinner in the buffet restaurant downstairs.
Qi Lianan also went to get the food and sat down to eat together. The three of them sat in a booth in the corner. Qi Lianan said, "Just as you expected, Zhong Limin agreed to let me help him with the financial procedures this time."
Zeng Xiang put the peeled nine-segmented shrimp on Ye Zhao's plate and said, "Uncle Qi, you have to work harder to fit into his little circle."
Qi Lian'an smiled and said, "I'm trying hard, but it's a bit strenuous. As for Xu Guangrong's subscription of shares..."
Zeng Xiang: "Tell him that Boss Ye reluctantly agreed."
Ye Zhao smiled as he ate shrimp and vegetables. "It's quite reluctant. But in order to lure them into a trap, let's give them a little advantage. Uncle Qi, don't rush to reply to them. Leave them alone for a few days."
"OK, I see."
After Qi Lian'an finished his work report and watched his eldest son diligently peeling shrimps, he quickly picked up his plate and said, "I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
Zeng Xiang raised his head: "Are you full?"
“I’m full!”
Looking at Qi Lian'an's leaving back, Ye Zhao smiled and said, "You scared him away."
Zeng Xiang: "He can't do this job if he doesn't know what's good for him."
"Stop peeling shrimp for me. I want to eat something else."
"Whatever you want to eat, I'll get it for you."
"I want mashed potatoes and fried ham."
Zeng Xiang wiped his hands, stood up to get food for Ye Zhao, and turned to the other side of the restaurant, where he found his aunt Guo Xuyan and Song Xinyi also having dinner. He silently picked up the food and did not go forward to say hello.
Tonight, Guo Xuyan was going to the nearby theater to watch an Italian opera. As it was still early, she asked Song Xinyi to come over for dinner first.
Song Xinyi said, "The show will start in more than an hour, so we can eat slowly. Who are you going to watch with today?"
"Who else?" Guo Xuyan was in good spirits today. She said, "When you go to college in the United States, there will be no one to eat with me."
"I'll be back during the winter and summer holidays and spend time with you every day."
"Have you received an offer from Gothenburg University?"
"I got it. I also reported it to Stanford University and am waiting for news."
Guo Xuyan looked at her and said, "You haven't given up yet?"
"Auntie, don't get me wrong, I just want to stay in the same place with him. I won't take the initiative to provoke him." Ever since Song Xinyi knew that Ye Zhao was Guo Xuyan's daughter, she has been very conflicted. She doesn't know what Guo Xuyan's real thoughts are. She is afraid that she will make a mistake and be disliked by Guo Xuyan.
After all, no matter how much she disliked Ye Zhao, she was still Guo Xuyan's biological daughter, and she didn't even have the title of goddaughter.
Guo Xuyan ate a few slices of bitter chrysanthemum and said, "If you really want to go to Stanford, I can help you. But have you thought it through? Luo Shen will only stay at Stanford for one year..."
"Only for one year? Shouldn't it be two years?"
"He didn't want to, and his family didn't convince him."
Song Xinyi: "Even if it's only for one year, I still want to go to Stanford. I'll get familiar with Stanford first and wait for him to come."
"Then I'll help you arrange it. Give me the information tomorrow. It might be too late if you're late."
"Auntie Aileen... why are you so nice to me?" Song Xinyi was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.
Guo Xuyan forked up a small piece of meat and put it into his mouth: "I haven't been very good to you. You are like me when I was young. I wanted to pursue my dream but failed. I hope you can achieve your wish."
"But... But isn't Ye Zhao your daughter?"
Guo Xuyan paused with the knife and fork in his hand and swallowed. "I... I gave birth to her, but I never raised her. There is no mother-daughter relationship between her and me."
The lack of mother-daughter affection can be cultivated. Song Xinyi didn't understand, but she didn't dare to ask more questions for fear of offending Guo Xuyan.
She didn't dare to say anything bad about Ye Zhao, she just smiled and said, "She is very beautiful, just like you, both are great beauties."
Guo Xuyan said disdainfully: "She looks like her father."
Song Xinyi didn't dare to say anything more and quickly changed the subject: "Auntie Aileen, do you want orange juice? I'll go get you a glass!"
"No, I'll just drink ice water."
On the other side, Zeng Xiang returned to the booth. He and Ye Zhao were originally sitting opposite each other, but he sat directly outside her, and the two sat side by side. In this way, even if his aunt Guo Xuyan passed by, Ye Zhao would not be able to see her.
After they finished eating, Zeng Xiang suggested going back to the room to rest. He was afraid that she would wander around and meet Guo Xuyan.
Ye Zhao wanted to go out for a walk. "I heard there's a theater nearby. Let's go check it out. If there's a show, we can watch a play."
Zeng Xiang had no choice but to help her carry her bag and take her out through another door.
When we arrived at the theater, there were many people waiting outside to enter. Looking at the posters on the wall, it was the first time that a famous Italian opera troupe came to Hong Kong to perform.
They went to the window to ask if there were any tickets left, and the ticket seller said, "We just happen to have two refunded tickets for upstairs box seats. The price is more expensive. Do you want any?"
"want."
The two bought two cups of Coke outside, walked around again, rented a telescope, and arrived at the so-called VIP box on the top of the mountain just before the show started.
Today, Old Lady Luo and Guo Xuyan came to watch the opera. They booked a box early. The theater manager personally delivered flowers and a fruit plate, and they were chatting inside.
Hearing someone coming in, Sister Hong asked the theater manager next to her: "Didn't we book this box?"
"Yes, it's booked."
"Why are there other guests coming in? Listen."
The theater manager walked out and saw Luo Shen. He hurriedly stopped him and said, "Hello, let me see your tickets."
Zeng Xiang handed the ticket to the other party. The theater manager took one look and said, "Your box is across the street."
Zeng Xiang said dissatisfiedly: "It was your waiter who brought us in."
The theater manager quickly apologized: "Sorry, sorry, I'll take you there."
Just as she was about to go out, Sister Hong heard her eldest son's voice and rushed out, "Young Master! Young Master!"
Zeng Xiang turned around and saw that it was Sister Hong. He was surprised and said, "My grandma is here to watch the show?"
"Yes, what a coincidence." Sister Hong said to the theater manager, "He's one of us. He's my eldest son."
Sister Hong was talking to someone else, but her eyes were on Ye Zhao. She smiled and nodded at Ye Zhao.
The theater manager apologized again: "The flood washed away the Dragon King Temple. It's my fault, my fault."
He asked Ye Zhao in a low voice: "Shall we go?"
Ye Zhao has been to Gangcheng so many times, but has never taken the initiative to visit Xiangge's grandmother at Luo's house. If he avoids her when they meet by chance this time, it would be a bit impolite in terms of etiquette.
"Since you're here, just say hello politely."
"My aunt might be there too."
When Ye Zhao heard this, he didn't want to leave anymore. "I said, I won't hide from her. If she wants to hide, she can do it herself."
When Old Lady Luo inside heard that Luo Shen had brought his girlfriend to watch the opera, she stood up, turned around, and her eyes met Ye Zhao's.
Zeng Xiang hurriedly introduced the two sides: "Grandma, this is my girlfriend Ye Zhao. Xiao Zhao, this is my grandma."
"Hello, grandma! I didn't expect to see you here."
Old Mrs. Luo looked at Ye Zhao and found that she was indeed a beauty, and she looked quite blessed.
The old lady usually had a bit of airs, but today she was like an ordinary grandmother. She looked at her grandson's girlfriend and smiled kindly, "Xiao Zhao, right? Shen'er often mentioned you to me. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but I was afraid of disturbing you. You see, I didn't make any arrangements, but God made them himself."
Ye Zhao knew where Old Lady Luo was from, but he still made small talk: "Grandma, where are you from? Your Mandarin is even better than mine."
"I was born at the foot of the emperor. Unfortunately, I haven't been back for decades. Do you like watching Italian opera, too?"
Ye Zhao didn't like it very much, nor did she dislike it. She came here today just to kill time by dating Brother Xiang. She smiled and said, "I'm OK."
"Then you and your aunt have something in common. Your aunt is an opera fan." As she said this, Old Lady Luo pointed at Guo Xuyan beside her.
Guo Xuyan didn't expect to meet Ye Zhao today, she was not mentally prepared at all.
From the moment she caught a glimpse of Ye Zhao's shadow, she felt like sitting on pins and needles, feeling uneasy and restless, but Old Lady Luo was there, so she couldn't leave, nor could she show that she was unwelcome. This was not like the last time when she could do whatever she wanted in her own home.
Guo Xuyan smiled awkwardly and said, "I don't know much."
"You are too modest. Did your aunt treat you well for me during the New Year?"
Ye Zhao looked at Guo Xuyan. For some reason, Guo Xuyan swallowed nervously, coughed lightly, and glanced away.
Her biological mother had slightly curly hair and a long skirt today. She looked like a willow in the wind. She was really beautiful. Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Aunt roasted a whole lamb for us. What a great treat."
"Really? Come and sit down. It's about to start."
They sat down in a row of four, with Old Lady Luo and Zeng Xiang in the middle, and Guo, Xuyan, and Ye Zhao, mother and daughter, sitting the farthest distance apart on both sides.
As soon as they sat down, Mrs. Luo leaned over and whispered to Guo Xuyan, "I'm totally unprepared today. Go to the gold shop next door and buy me a gift."
Guo Xuyan: "..."
Old Lady Luo coaxed, "Sister Hong has poor taste, I only trust you. There is another show tomorrow, I will accompany you to watch it. Be good. Go."
Asking her to run errands to pick a gift for Ye Zhao, Guo Xuyan was so depressed that she wanted to die, but she couldn't get angry, so she could only ask softly: "I can choose anything?"
Old Mrs. Luo smiled and said, "Choose the one you like and has good taste."
Guo Xuyan had no choice but to take the handbag and go out.
The person who really wanted to watch the opera was sent out to buy a gift that Ye Zhao, whom she despised the most, liked. After leaving the theater, Guo Xuyan felt ironic.
She stood outside for a long time, found a place to smoke a cigarette, and then went to a nearby gold shop to buy gifts.
I randomly picked out a set of unique brooches and pendants at the gold shop. Just as I was about to pay, Sister Hong called and said, "Ms. Guo, the old lady said that just having good taste is not enough. You still have to choose something more expensive."
In a fit of anger, Guo Xuyan bought the most expensive gold-inlaid jadeite necklace in the gold shop.
When they returned to the theater box after buying the gifts, it was intermission. Ye Zhao actually switched seats with Luo Shen and sat in the middle, chatting with Old Lady Luo.
They were talking about Kunqu Opera, which was Grandma Luo's favorite. The director of the orphanage who taught Ye Zhao to play the erhu was a Kunqu Opera enthusiast. Ye Zhao had been influenced by it since he was a child and had a deep understanding of Kunqu Opera. He and Grandma Luo had common topics.
The two also made an appointment to go listen to Kunqu Opera together next time.
I don’t know what’s wrong with this Ye Zhao, he is simply a killer of the elderly.
When Old Lady Luo saw Guo Xuyan coming back, she took the jewelry box and secretly opened it to take a look. She was very satisfied, then turned around and handed it to Ye Zhao, "Xiao Zhao, this is a gift from grandma to you. I didn't prepare it in advance, so I asked your aunt to go out and pick it out. Take a look and see if you like it."
Ye Zhao looked at Guo Xuyan. Although Guo Xuyan had a smile on his face, she could feel that he wanted to die at the moment. She didn't want to embarrass Guo Xuyan, so she smiled politely and said, "Thank you grandma, thank you aunt."
When he opened the jewelry box, he found a jade necklace of very fine quality. Ye Zhao didn't know much about jewelry, but he could tell that this gift was very valuable.
"It's too expensive. I can't accept it."
Old Lady Luo held her hand. No one could tell whether she really liked Ye Zhao or was just being polite. She smiled and said, "This is a gift from grandma. Take it quickly. If you don't take it, your aunt will cry. We can't let her make this trip in vain, right?"
Zeng Xiang also said to her: "Please accept it. It's a gift from grandma."
If Ye Zhao refused again, it would seem pretentious, so he could only accept it first and then think of a way to return the gift to the old lady.
Old Lady Luo said, "Put it on and see."
Zeng Xiang put it on Ye Zhao, and everyone said that Ye Zhao had fair skin and looked really good in the jade necklace.
After all, Ye Zhao was a newcomer, and everyone's eyes were on her. Guo Xuyan just smiled and didn't say much. She was very tired. She had wanted to watch the opera well, but it was ruined like this.
The second half began soon and the opera ended at almost ten o'clock. Because it was too late, everyone chatted for a while in the box. Ye Zhao and Zeng Xiang sent them downstairs to the car and watched them leave.
The next day at noon, Mrs. Luo remembered that she had promised Guo Xuyan yesterday to watch the opera again, so she asked Sister Hong: "Have you reserved the box in the theater?"
Sister Hong smiled and said, "Are you really going?"
"Xu Yan didn't watch the first half yesterday. She's a big fan of the show, so I promised to watch it again with her."
Sister Hong: "Why don't you call Miss Guo and ask her if she still wants to see him. I guess she will say she is not feeling well and won't go."
Mrs. Luo hesitated for a moment, picked up the phone and called Guo Xuyan. As expected, Guo Xuyan said he was not feeling well and did not want to go out today. After hanging up the phone, Mrs. Luo said, "It seems that he is really angry."
Sister Hong whispered, "I noticed yesterday that Miss Guo doesn't seem to like Miss Ye very much."
Old Mrs. Luo sighed: "Does it matter whether we like it or not? I am not important..."
"What's more, it's her," Old Mrs. Luo didn't say it out loud.
Sister Hong just smiled and didn't dare to make any comments.
Old Lady Luo thought for a moment and said, "You can have someone buy a piece of jewelry of the same price and send it to Xu Yan's house. She is old now and I still have to coax her."
On this sunny day, Su Yingmin was chatting with Director Lan in his office at the Irene Toy Factory.
The fan on the top was spinning slowly. After reading the information Su Yingmin had given him, Director Lan said, "I've heard before that this Hui is really powerful. She's not working alone. It seems that the salesperson from Gangcheng in Zhaohua is helping her contact our old customers. People from Gangcheng are good at English. How can they compare with us? They have a natural advantage! Is it against the rules for her to ask outsiders for help? This is unfair!"
Su Yingmin said, "Do you think this is really a competition? An exam? In the eyes of the boss, is the process important? Is it important who helped Xu Hui find the customer? None of them matter. The boss only cares about the amount of the order."
Director Lan sighed and said, "Boss Su, now that things have come to this, we have to go all out! We can't lose! The boss said, the winner takes all, and the loser is eliminated."
Su Yingmin: "Are you sure you can win?"
Director Lan: "I see that although she has signed a lot of old customers, they are not particularly large orders. As long as we can get a few big customers, we should be able to beat her."
Su Yingmin sighed, regretting that he had taken a big step. When Ye Dingguo was around, he had endured it for so many years, which made him sick. He shouldn't... But as time goes by, as Ye Zhao becomes more experienced, he will be more difficult to deal with. Why is it so difficult to achieve a breakthrough of more than 5% of the shares!
"Director Lan, even if you win in terms of performance, we are still the losers in the end, do you understand?" Su Yingmin frowned. If Director Lan can still win when Xu Hui signed such a large order, it means that they did not try their best before. In Ye Zhao's heart, he, Su Yingmin, would have a great responsibility.
If Director Lan loses, it means that there is really a problem with the ability of the people in the marketing department, and it has nothing to do with him, Su Yingmin.
At this point, from Su Yingmin's point of view, losing would be more beneficial to him.
Director Lan had no idea what Su Yingmin was thinking. He said, "Boss Su, if we lose the performance, our brothers will lose their jobs. I must try my best!"
Su Yingmin nodded helplessly, having already decided in his heart to sacrifice the car to save the king.
"Let me remind you that although the boss has agreed to increase the commission and rebate to customers to 10%, my principle is to reimburse according to the actual amount. If it is 5%, report 5%, and if it is 6%, report 6%. On this key point, do not embezzle the rebate. Don't report the actual 5%. Report 10%. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I won't be able to help you."
Isn't this going back on one's word? Director Lan said, "Boss Su, what about the previous ones? We had already agreed to give them to the brothers, but now you don't give them. I'm afraid they will rebel and expose the matter."
Su Yingmin: "You figure it out yourself. Just don't drag me into this if anything goes wrong."
"Don't worry, Mr. Su. I'll find a way. I won't drag you into this."
At this time, Ye Zhao was also signing various documents in his office on the third floor. Secretary Liu has now become Director Liu. While she stood aside waiting for Ye Zhao's signature, she briefly reported to Ye Zhao the major events that had occurred in the factory that week.
Ye Zhao looked down at a salary increase application form in his hand. The factory had recently laid off employees, and those who stayed had to take on more work, so some people were given a raise.
She flipped through it and didn't see Director Liu's name, so she asked with a smile, "Sister Liu, why is your name not there?"
Director Liu smiled and said, "I just got a raise when I transferred to this position..."
"It's different. You now hold two positions at the same time, so your name should be on the list. Add your name and make a new form." Ye Zhao said as he handed the document back to Director Liu.
Director Liu felt a little embarrassed and said, "Thank you, boss."
"You're welcome. It's my duty. Those who are capable should work harder, but the more they work, the more they will be paid."
Director Liu sincerely sighed that it was really great to have Xiao Zhao as his boss. In the past, Ye Dingguo was notoriously stingy, and Su Yingmin was cunning and only cared about himself. He would never provide benefits for people he did not need to win over.
"Xiao Zhao..."
"What's wrong?"
Director Liu hesitated and said, "There is one thing I don't know whether I should say it or not."
Normally, Ye Zhao would definitely say that she shouldn't say it, but Director Liu was different. This was someone she wanted to work hard to get to be her eyes and ears. She hurriedly asked, "What's the matter?"
Director Liu bit his lip and said, "I was the first one to arrive at the hospital on the day your father passed away."
Ye Zhao stared at her and asked, "And then?"
"I heard Mr. Su call his wife and ask her to clean the house thoroughly and not leave any fingerprints..."
Sure enough, it was just as Ye Zhao had guessed before.
Ye Zhao asked doubtfully, "Didn't Aunt He go to the hospital together?"
"She came later. I heard President Su say on the phone... and also said... something like 'We should have sent her to the hospital later. She almost survived after CPR'..."
(End of this chapter)