He then smiled and said to Chen Rou, "I heard you were coming to visit, and I was so happy that I smoked three packs of cigarettes in a row."
These words were said to Chen Rou, but the person being targeted was not her, but Liang Lisheng.
Chen Rou disliked people smoking the most, but Liang Lisheng was a heavy smoker. He immediately felt that Minister Guo was a kindred spirit. However, with Chen Rou in front of him, he had to put on an act, so he said, "Smoking is harmful to your health, so you should smoke less."
Minister Guo appeared to be humbly accepting of instruction, but then changed his tune and said, "I'd like to too, but Double Happiness cigarettes paired with Niulanshan Erguotou, plus some meat and peanuts, a sip of smoke and a sip of liquor, I just want that one to make me happy."
Liang Lisheng used to enjoy smoking cigars, but after arriving in mainland China, he discovered that the tobacco here was quite good, so he switched to cigarettes. He also discovered that the liquor here was really good after arriving in mainland China, and he became a connoisseur of alcohol.
In fact, with Chen Rou's detached observation, Minister Guo had long since figured out his hobby. He was weaving a net to catch him. But Liang Lisheng, having met mostly simple and honest people since arriving, was unguarded and immediately regarded Minister Guo as a confidant: "Yes, yes, yes, I also have a taste for that."
If Minister Guo made any mistake, it was only in one thing: he underestimated Chen Rou.
But when it comes to flattery and cultivating relationships, even Chen Rou has to admire him and say he's amazing.
He stepped forward and said with a smile, "But compared to Double Happiness, I prefer Yunyan cigarettes from my hometown. They're even cheaper than Double Happiness, only two yuan a pack. As for Erguotou, I've recently discovered that Red Star seems to have a better flavor."
Double Happiness cigarettes aren't expensive, only three yuan a pack, but the other kind he mentioned was even cheaper.
Currently, there are more Niulanshan liquors sold in Shenzhen than Hongxing Erguotou, but they are all of the same price. Even if Liang Lisheng is wary, he wouldn't be wary of something that costs only a few dollars.
So he said, "Yunyan, right? Do you have any here? If not..."
Minister Guo counted on his fingers: "What a coincidence! My uncle took a three-day, three-night train journey to see me, and he happened to bring two packs with him. How about this, I'll bring you one tomorrow so you can try it first?"
Liang Lisheng readily agreed, but said, "How about the day after tomorrow? After I'm done with my work, I'll invite you to try my cigars."
If they continued chatting, they would become best friends.
Fortunately, Secretary Wang replied at that moment, smiling and saying, "Ms. Chen, I have conveyed your message."
Chen Rou smiled and said thank you, then glanced at Liang Lisheng before heading back to the pavilion where they had been chatting. Of course, Minister Guo and Secretary Wang, seeing that she had other business to attend to, tactfully left.
Chen Rou, of course, wouldn't directly ask the question. Instead, she first asked, "Uncle Liang, what do you think of that Mr. Guo?"
Liang Lisheng retorted, "Do you know how much a bottle of Erguotou costs? A small bottle is 50 cents, a large bottle is 2.5 yuan, but it's made from pure grains, and you have to serve it with a plate of peanuts..."
Chen Rou kindly reminded her, "Your gout will only get worse the more you drink alcohol."
Liang Lisheng nodded repeatedly, but also said, "I only buy two ounces at a time, and I need to drink it for three days."
Chen Rou said with a smile, "But if Minister Guo drinks with you, compliments your hairstyle, and praises your muscular physique, you'll be so happy that you'll drink more than two ounces, you'll probably drink two jin (1 kg) instead."
Liang Lisheng was quite frank: "If it's the weekend, it's not a bad thing to indulge a little."
But Chen Rou's words made him stop smiling. She said, "He has a younger brother who works at the First Construction Company. I guess the First Construction Company must have submitted a lot of bids to you, but you rejected them all. If you found out about their family relationship, you would have told him how to make the bids, and you would have thought that he would definitely change them accordingly, right?"
The construction company recommended by the government to Nie was Yijian. Although the bid budget was very low, everything from sand to cement to steel bars was substandard and unsuitable for high-rise buildings, which is why Liang Lisheng withdrew the bid.
But Minister Guo's younger brother works at the First Construction Company?
Liang Lisheng was a straightforward person. After thinking for a moment, he said, "As long as they can get things done..."
Chen Rou interrupted him, saying, "Not only are they bad at it, they'll also do shoddy work. Don't be fooled by how Minister Guo makes you feel like he's a confidant with just a few words. He can make our old man like him with just a few words, but when it comes to the project inspection, if you dare to hold him back, he'll just shut you down."
Liang Lisheng's smile was still on his face, and he had just taken out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
He stared at Chen Rou for a long time, then crushed his cigarette and said, "Damn, she's so cunning!"
Having navigated the Hong Kong business world for decades, he was undoubtedly a shrewd man. Otherwise, Nie Zhao wouldn't have entrusted him with the mainland market; he would have sought another suitable candidate. Yet, he was almost tricked and only realized it too late.
If Minister Guo and his brother intentionally fabricated evidence, it would be a devastating blow to the Nie family.
Because they were undertaking a landmark building project, which was attracting attention from all over Asia, if something went wrong, all of Nie's family would lose their jobs. After thinking for a moment, Liang Lisheng said resentfully, "Very well, I'll remember him."
After making all these assumptions, Chen Rou was about to talk about the Guo brothers' plan to target Nie Rong.
Since it hasn't happened yet, it's hard to say for now. She only said, "Ah Zhao said that he wants to use Minister Guo to improve Shenzhen's city image. You should also be prepared to cooperate with him no matter what he plans to do."
The more Liang Lisheng thought about it, the more frightened he felt, and the happiness he had felt when he saw Nie Yao earlier vanished.
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