Chapter 370: Secrets and Deals in the Corporate World

Lin Zheng Ran sat in his executive chair, carefully reviewing this month’s work files.

Meanwhile, somewhere unknown, Jiang Jingshi was busy with her temporary secretary duties.

“Boss, are you satisfied with my work today, Jingshi?”

Lin Zheng Ran flipped through the materials and said deliberately, “Don’t talk, just get back to work.”

Jiang Jingshi’s cheeks flushed red; she didn’t dare speak again and simply replied in a gentle secretary-like tone.

“Yes.”

At the same time, outside Zheng Shi Company.

An Audi car approached slowly from the distance and carefully parked at the roadside near the intersection.

The people in the car got out—a married couple, a man and a woman.

Both in their early thirties, they looked travel-worn.

The man wore a suit, and the woman was also neatly dressed.

“Honey, do you have everything?”

The woman nodded: “Yes, don’t worry. But this company is really huge.” She looked up at the massive seven-story building in front of them.

The man glanced around and nodded: “It’s a real big company. If we can close this deal today, we won’t have to worry about losses this year.”

“The main thing is we don’t know them well—just make sure nothing goes wrong.”

The man said a bit nervously: “It should be fine; we’ve already made contact.”

So the couple walked up to the security guard, and the husband said, “Hey, brother, I’m here to discuss business with Director Liu. My last name is Han.”

The security guard sized them up, seeing they were here to meet someone, and from their accent, he could tell they weren’t locals: “Director Liu? Which one? Our administrative department director?”

“Yes, that’s the one—Director Liu from the administrative department.”

“Why discuss business with the administrative department?”

The man chuckled: “It was arranged through someone else.”

“Alright, I’ll call Director Liu for you. Wait a moment.”

“Thanks.”

After the security guard finished the call and hung up, he relayed the message: “Okay, someone will come down to get you soon. Just follow her in and fill out a registration form.”

“Thanks a lot.” As the man filled out the form, he politely pulled a cigarette from his pocket: “Here, have a smoke, brother.”

The security guard took it with a laugh, noticing how easygoing the man was, and asked, “You don’t sound local. From the south? And you’re a couple?”

The man and woman exchanged a glance, and he said, “Yeah, my wife and I just got here last night. We drove for two days.”

“That must have been tough.”

“That’s just how business is.”

After filling out the form and chatting a bit, the security guard went back to his post, and the couple waited for someone from the office to come down.

While waiting, the man asked his wife, “Once we’re done, let’s go see Wen Wen. It’s on the way anyway.”

His wife agreed: “Sure, after the business talk, I’ll call Wen Wen.”

Strangers might not recognize this couple, but if Lin Zheng Ran or Han Wenwen were here, they’d instantly know they were Han Wenwen’s uncle and aunt, who had traveled all the way from the south for this deal.

This year, the market in the south was tough, and the couple had gone all out to connect with this major company.

After a short wait, a young woman came down from the office, and the uncle quickly went over to her.

The woman asked, “Are you Mr. Han? Here to see Director Liu?”

“Yes.”

“Director Liu is in a meeting right now and might take a while to return. I’ll take you upstairs first.”

“No problem.”

Leading the uncle and aunt into the Zheng Shi Company building, they took the elevator up.

Gazing at the impressive building, the uncle and aunt felt a wave of nervousness.

This deal was crucial for their entire year’s business; the uncle had pulled a lot of strings and given many gifts just to connect with Zheng Shi Company’s administrative director.

They couldn’t afford any mistakes.

They arrived smoothly at the administrative department’s office door, where the woman had them wait on the sofa for a bit.

The couple nodded humbly and didn’t say more.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man in his forties strode into the administrative department—it was Director Liu.

Though the uncle was there to meet Director Liu, he didn’t know what he looked like and just sat quietly.

Director Liu asked his staff, “Didn’t someone say they were here to see me?”

The woman who had brought them glanced at the sofa: “They’re here! Right over there.”

Director Liu turned and saw the couple; the uncle realized this was the man he needed and quickly stood up to shake hands: “You must be Director Liu? Hello, hello. I’m Han; I called you yesterday.”

Director Liu shook his hand casually: “Mr. Han, right? Okay, let’s talk outside.”

The three went to an empty spot outside the office.

Director Liu said, “I’m pretty busy, so let’s keep this short. Do you have samples? Let me see them, and tell me how many you’re selling and at what price. If it’s right, I’ll connect you with procurement.”

The aunt quickly pulled a pack of mechanical small parts from her bag: “Here they are. Take a look—our products are well-made and cheap. We’d sell a set for three hundred, way below market price.”

“Too expensive,” Director Liu said after a quick glance, though he knew it was already cheap. “Way too expensive. Make it cheaper.”

The uncle said, “It’s really already cheap; at this price, we’re barely breaking even.”

“I said it’s expensive, so it is. How could I not know if you’re making money? You two came all this way—didn’t you think about the price before? If that’s your attitude, I can’t help you connect.”

“Well…” The aunt glanced at her husband, and the uncle nervously handed over a file folder: “This price is fair, Director Liu. We’ve worked hard to reach you, so please help us out and make the connection.”

Director Liu looked around to make sure no one was watching, took the envelope, glanced at it, and his face lit up with a smile:

“Alright, alright. Seeing you two are in a tough spot, I’ll help you out. I’ll connect you with procurement, but keep in mind, this stuff isn’t easy to move. Not many companies will take it all at once. I’m just making the introduction—the rest is up to you.”

The uncle nodded humbly at first, but then paused and asked with a smile, “We’ve got you on our side—how could it not work out?”

Director Liu frowned: “What kind of talk is that? Do you think anyone can just connect with our procurement? We have fixed clients! Here, take this back; I’ll withdraw my help if you keep this up.”

The aunt saw him about to return it and quickly waved her hands: “No, no! My husband doesn’t speak well—don’t get mad. We’ll handle the rest ourselves once you connect us. Thank you.”

“That’s better. Your wife is sharper than you. Head straight to the procurement department on the fourth floor; someone will meet you. Our two bosses are here today, but I’m swamped, so I won’t go with you. And remember, know what to say and what not to.”

The uncle replied awkwardly: “Got it, got it. You go ahead with your work. Thanks so much.”

The aunt added as he left: “Take care.”

Director Liu, envelope in hand, headed back to the administrative department.

The straightforward uncle sighed: “Doing business is really tough.”

The aunt comforted her husband: “That’s just how it is when you need favors. You’ll get used to it. Let’s go to the procurement department and see what they say.”

The uncle and aunt took the elevator down, while in the administrative department, Director Liu returned to his office as Pan Lin entered with Han Wenwen.

Seeing Pan Lin, the director who had been so authoritative moments ago suddenly became humble: “Secretary Pan? What brings you here? And this is…”

Pan Lin said seriously: “Director Liu, let me introduce you. Her name is Han Wenwen; she’ll be Lin’s personal secretary from now on, handling all his affairs.”