Chapter 836: Was This Surprise Big Enough?

Lu Yuanwei sneered disdainfully and said coldly, “Coincidentally, I’m also not interested in your project. I just don’t want to see my friend get scammed.”

A young brat with practically no experience—what kind of big project could he possibly have? It’s simply laughable.

They specialize in urban planning. Is this kid expecting them to work on that? Ridiculous. They’ve worked for the government for so many years and have never been hired by a private person.

In fact, private enterprises don’t have the ability or qualifications to invite them, nor the venue to make use of their talents.

Xu Shaochen outright disregarded him and looked at Song Shicheng, saying, “Mr. Song, why don’t we sit down and have a talk?”

Song Shicheng glanced around and noticed that the other patrons in the café were all staring at them. He nodded and reluctantly dragged Lu Yuanwei to sit down.

Lu Yuanwei sat down, his face still full of undisguised disdain and mockery.

He wanted to see what kind of ridiculous ideas this young brat had today.

Xu Shaochen took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Song Shicheng, saying, “Mr. Song, this is my card.”

Song Shicheng accepted the card and only took one glance at it. Instantly, his expression changed drastically as he looked at Xu Shaochen in disbelief.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing this, Lu Yuanwei found it odd. He casually took the card from Song Shicheng and glanced at it nonchalantly.

But then, his expression froze. His eyes widened as he looked from the card to Xu Shaochen. The thin card in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The name Xu Shaochen, along with his impressive list of titles, was blindingly prominent.

As people who often enter high-end venues and receptions while working for the government on urban development, the name Xu Shaochen was well known to them. But they hadn’t expected the man himself to be sitting right in front of them.

If their employer was really Xu Shaochen, this might actually be a significant project.

“Mr. Song, the main reason I’m troubling you today is because I purchased an island. It’s a bit bigger than Hong Kong Island, and I want to build a city on it. Brother Sun recommended you to me.”

Xu Shaochen spoke calmly while gesturing to the waiter, “Two coffees, one with cream, no sugar.”

“Hiss—”

Both Song Shicheng and Lu Yuanwei inhaled sharply, their eyes wide with disbelief, staring at him.

“Mr. Xu… did you say… build a city?”

Song Shicheng stammered, his hands trembling as he stirred his coffee. He tried to calm himself down, but he simply couldn’t control his shaking.

Lu Yuanwei’s heart was pounding with excitement. Building a city? If they could land this project, they would become famous in the industry. They might even end up in textbooks.

But thinking back to his previous attitude, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had doused the fire in his heart.

He was overwhelmed with regret. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have spoken so rashly. Now that he’d ruined such a golden opportunity, he felt like he’d just screwed up big time.

“Phew—”

Song Shicheng took a deep breath and looked at Sun Hai with a bitter smile, “Brother Sun, why didn’t you give me a heads-up? At least I could have mentally prepared myself. You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I just wanted to surprise you! So, what do you think? Was the surprise big enough? I believe with your abilities, you’ll definitely be up for the task.”

Sun Hai chuckled.

Song Shicheng shook his head helplessly, “It’s more of a shock than a surprise. You almost knocked me out.”

“If Mr. Song agrees to take on this project, I’ll form a planning team centered around you.”

Xu Shaochen said as he looked at Song Shicheng. As he spoke, the waiter served their coffee.

“Thank you for the trust, Mr. Xu. I won’t let you down. I’ll be sure to complete this task to your satisfaction.”

Song Shicheng said with conviction, feeling energized and eager to get started.

“Um, Mr. Xu, I… I…”

Lu Yuanwei stared at him with a flushed face, feeling as if he had been slapped hard.

Xu Shaochen pretended not to see it, continuing to talk with Song Shicheng, “Then, Mr. Song, settle your personal matters first. In a couple of days, I’ll take you to the island.”

Completely ignored, Lu Yuanwei’s face turned red and white in shame. He felt utterly embarrassed, like he wanted to crawl into a hole.

But he didn’t have the nerve to show any temper, as he was well aware he didn’t have the standing to act out in front of Xu Shaochen.

Still, he was desperate to be part of this project. He didn’t care about getting paid—just being involved would make him famous, and fame brings money.

But with Xu Shaochen outright ignoring him, all he could do was cast a pleading look at Song Shicheng, hoping he would speak up for him.

“Mr. Xu, I have a small request. I hope you won’t hold any grudges and overlook Yuanwei’s earlier behavior. Can you let him join the project as well? Rest assured, his skills are also top-notch in our field.”

Song Shicheng turned to Xu Shaochen and requested.

“Mr. Xu, it was my fault earlier. I acted foolishly and made a joke out of myself. I hope you can give me a chance. I don’t even want any payment—I really want to be a part of this project.”

“There’s no alcohol here, so I’ll use coffee instead. I apologize for my earlier behavior.”

Lu Yuanwei quickly lowered his head and apologized humbly, holding his coffee cup up in both hands.

After speaking, he downed the cup of coffee in one go, then looked at Xu Shaochen with a pleading expression, waiting for his response.

Xu Shaochen smiled gently and said lightly, “This isn’t a one-man job. Having more people can certainly help.”

Although Lu Yuanwei had annoyed him earlier, Xu Shaochen had to show some respect for Song Shicheng and Sun Hai. Rejecting him would make both of them look bad.

Besides, if Lu Yuanwei was on the same level as Song Shicheng, then he definitely had some skills. It wouldn’t hurt to use the free labor.

“Thank you, Mr. Xu! Thank you! Rest assured, Mr. Xu, I will give it my all and make sure I complete the job to your satisfaction.”

Lu Yuanwei finally breathed a sigh of relief and was overjoyed as he continuously expressed his gratitude toward Xu Shaochen.

From then on, the mood between the four of them became much lighter. The conversation mainly revolved around the development of the island.

After all, transforming an island into a city and satisfying the employer’s demands would be an enormous project.