“Their construction quality is poor, so we want to change construction teams. Besides, with your nephew here, we will definitely choose to cooperate with you.” Mr. Chen seemed quite dissatisfied when talking about the other construction team.
Ren Jin then asked, "How often are payments made for the project?"
"Road construction is very fast; usually, the payment is made all at once once the project is finished."
"Payment will only be made after the project is completed?"
Ren Jin was surprised. He had been in the construction business for so long, and each construction site would receive payment according to the progress of the project. Otherwise, the investment in a project would be too large, which would easily lead to cash flow problems and would not be worthwhile.
Mr. Sun thought Ren Jin had concerns, "Don't worry, with your uncle-in-law here, are you afraid of not getting the project payment?"
Ren Jin just smiled and asked in return, "So I have to pay for the entire construction myself from start to finish?"
The group looked completely at ease, saying, "This is standard practice in the industry."
Ren Jin remained noncommittal, asking, "How many percentage points of profit will I get after the project is completed?"
Mr. Sun held up two fingers. “You’re Zhou Ke’s nephew, so I’ll definitely take care of you. 20 points is fine, right?”
Ren Jin thought that 20 points was neither too much nor too little; it wasn't a favor, but rather that Zhou Chuanyong and his group hadn't taken too much of their money yet.
However, Mr. Chen then patted the middle-aged man next to him who was in charge of taking orders that night and said, "This Mr. Su is in the business of sand and gravel building materials. He will be responsible for supplying you with materials for the entire project, including cement and sand. This way, you only need to bring your construction team to do the work and you will make money. You don't have to worry about anything else. It's worry-free and effortless."
Ren Jin couldn't help but laugh in anger after hearing only half of it. It seemed that he shouldn't speak too soon. Zhou Chuanyong and his gang weren't just ruthless; they were treating people like fools.
He didn't spend a penny and just sat there waiting for his share of the project payment. He found someone to be responsible for providing the money and labor to ensure the quality and quantity of the project. But that wasn't enough. They wanted to make a killing on every single penny. They had exclusive access to the sand and gravel materials, with no choice in quality and no room for negotiation on price. The so-called 20% profit margin, after deducting the cost of the materials, would probably only leave him with enough for the workers. He would be working for nothing, and all the profits would go into Zhou Chuanyong's pockets. But if any problems arose during the subsequent construction, they would shift the blame onto him, and Ren Jin would even owe Zhou Chuanyong a favor for helping with the business.
Zhou Chuanyong truly lives up to his reputation as a cunning old fox.
Mr. Sun thought that Ren Jin had been persuaded by them. "I will have someone draft a contract and send it to your company tomorrow. We can start work once we sign the contract."
Mr. Sun smiled and exchanged a glance with Zhou Chuanyong. They were just waiting to start work and receive their first progress payment.
However, Ren Jin refused, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle and all the bosses, for thinking of me, a junior, when you have good opportunities. But because the project at Xuji is not yet finished, I am not capable enough to handle it. I cannot do this project."
In truth, Ren Jin never believed Zhou Chuanyong would favor him. Although they were relatives, they had barely spoken a few words. What reason would Zhou Chuanyong have to suddenly offer him such a huge windfall? And if it were truly a profitable business, why didn't the construction teams they had previously worked with take the job, even turning down projects offered to them? His former construction site boss had gone bankrupt after winning a government building project but never receiving payment after completion. Therefore, since starting his own construction business, he had never taken on government projects.
The reason he cooperated with Zhou Chuanyong and the others in discussing cooperation was simply, as Gu Yueji said, because he found the meal boring and wanted to hear their stories, just to have some fun.
Ren Jin's refusal surprised the group. After a moment of silence, General Manager Sun pretended to regretfully persuade them, "This project doesn't require many people, and you can make money in just two months. You'll miss such a good opportunity."
Ren Jin pretended to be in a difficult position, "Actually, everything else is easy to discuss, but I have to advance the entire project myself, and the sand and gravel materials are supplied by General Manager Su, so I definitely can't buy on credit. This amount of money is too much for me."
Because Ren Jin's every reason touched on their areas for personal gain, the group didn't know what to say for a moment. In the end, General Manager Chen could only ask, "Shouldn't Xuji have received progress payments for the project?"
Ren Jin chuckled inwardly. They all knew that others received progress payments for the project, but they had even pocketed those payments without wanting to contribute a single penny. Even if there were real money to be made, he wouldn't cooperate with such people because they were too greedy.
"The progress payment for one project probably won't be enough to support me in doing two projects. I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with these bosses again next time," Ren Jin stated.
Zhou Chuanyong looked somewhat displeased. He had originally thought that Ren Jin would be grateful and accept such a lucrative business opportunity that others would be eager to take advantage of, but he hadn't expected Ren Jin to refuse.
The project has already been tendered, and if it doesn't start soon, he won't be able to explain it to his company. The previous construction team refused to work with him again because of the low pay, and the outside construction teams were asking for too much money and wouldn't use the materials they supplied, which would mean they would get half the money. That day, he overheard Ren Yayong saying that Ren Jin was now working on a project at Xuji. He was both surprised and delighted. He vaguely remembered seeing that thin young man in Ren Yamei's hometown. He didn't expect that Ren Jin could get projects on large construction sites through his own hard work. He was quite capable. However, he felt that Ren Jin, who hadn't even graduated from high school, had limited experience. He thought it would be easy for him to take on this project, which would solve their problems and give him a good reputation for taking care of his nephew. That's why he asked Ren Yamei to invite Ren Jin out to dinner under the pretext of celebrating Ren Yajuan's birthday.
Zhou Chuanyong looked at Ren Jin with an ignorant look, "Xiao Jin, I introduced you to this good thing because I thought you were family. Outsiders would try every means to get it."
Ren Jin played the humble junior and then said with a double meaning, "It's my incompetence that has let down my uncle's good intentions. I'm just afraid that if there are any problems with the project later, and I tell others that you are my uncle, wouldn't that affect your image? And it wouldn't be good if I ruined your good plans."
Ren Jin deliberately emphasized the words "You are my uncle-in-law." Since Zhou Chuanyong was so insistent on using him to make money, he would make him understand that he was still Zhou Chuanyong's wife's nephew. He was so determined to drag him down, but in the end, he might not be able to get away completely.
The meal ended unsatisfactorily for both Ren Yamei and Zhou Chuanyong, who hadn't achieved their goals. On the way home, Ren Jin explained Zhou Chuanyong's underhanded tactics at the dinner table to Gu Yueji. Gu Yueji was quite surprised. She had never interacted with people in officialdom before. Although she didn't think Zhou Chuanyong would favor Ren Jin for no reason, she still found it strange that Ren Jin, who rarely refused others in public, would directly refuse Zhou Chuanyong at the dinner table. She hadn't expected that what seemed like a good thing was actually a trap.
There are too many rules in this world that she doesn't understand. The longer they live together, the more Gu Yueji believes in Ren Jin's decision and understands how hard he has worked over the years. Because no one ever taught him these rules; he learned them little by little by navigating this society.
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