Chapter 97 Everything he says is golden rule
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"President Shang, as per your previous instructions, the cash flow for all cooperative projects with the Yan Group has been frozen and withdrawn, the technical interface access has been immediately closed, and data isolation has been completed simultaneously. It is expected that all the cleanup work will be completely completed within 72 hours, ensuring that the Group's potential losses are minimized and that there will be no collateral impact on any other ongoing projects."
Upon hearing this, Shangqiu Zhu responded with a very indifferent "Mm".
Lin Sheng paused briefly, flipped to a page on his tablet, and continued reporting on the next item on the schedule, "Also, Mr. Shang, Mr. Chen from Xinyuan Technology has extended another invitation, hoping to invite you to dinner tonight. They repeatedly emphasized that they used connections to reserve a table at the Yihe Banquet, saying it's... currently the most difficult-to-book, best-reputed Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, with the head chef being the last disciple of a master of Huaiyang cuisine. Do you have time to attend?"
Such invitations from suppliers are clearly purposeful; they are simply aimed at building closer relationships.
Given Shangqiu Zhu's status and personality, she would most likely refuse outright.
Lin Sheng was already prepared to record the "rejection" instruction.
The office was silent for a few seconds.
Lin Sheng waited with some surprise, thinking that the boss hadn't heard him clearly, and was about to ask again.
But Shangqiu Zhu's gaze shifted from the window back to the documents on the desk. "Reply to them that I will be there on time."
Lin Sheng paused for a moment, then quickly reacted: "Okay, Mr. Shang. I'll arrange vehicles and entourage immediately..."
"Call Yan Shuang along."
"...Yes, Mr. Shang."
Lin Sheng respectfully agreed and turned to go out to make the arrangements.
Outside the door, Yan Shuang was sitting at her workstation, with a newly created Word document open on her screen, and three words typed at the top.
Resignation letter.
Just then, Lin Sheng walked to her workstation and knocked on the partition glass.
"Secretary Yan."
Yan Shuang snapped back to reality, as if she had been caught doing something wrong, and quickly pressed the minimize key on the keyboard to hide the resignation letter.
"Assistant Lin, is there anything I can help you with?"
Lin Sheng didn't notice anything unusual about her and relayed the message in a businesslike manner.
Upon hearing that she would be accompanying Shang Qiuzhu to a dinner party that evening, Yan Shuang slowly raised her head, her face displaying a standard professional expression, but inwardly she was a hundred times unwilling.
She pondered for a moment, "Assistant Lin, is tonight's itinerary considered Mr. Shang's private trip, or is it a work-related matter?"
Lin Sheng maintained his professional smile, but his answer left her no way out: "It's a work matter, Secretary Yan. The other party is an important strategic supplier of the group, and President Shang's attendance is an extension of the business talks."
Yan Shuang's little plan failed, and she sighed inwardly, but could only nod and say, "Okay, I understand."
She then followed up with another question, "I haven't directly followed up on this supplier's projects before. Do I need to prepare any background information or meeting minutes in advance?"
"..."
A crack appeared in Lin Sheng's perfect smile.
Faced with Yan Shuang's earnest question, he was speechless for a moment and did not know how to answer.
He can't exactly say, "You just need to go, and your main responsibility is to eat," can he?
After a brief pause, Lin Sheng quickly regained his composure, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment: "Uh, this... Secretary Yan, please wait a moment. I may need to confirm the details with President Shang again regarding what needs to be prepared."
Yan Shuang paused for a moment, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.
Do you even have to ask what you need to prepare?
This is not like Lin Sheng's usual efficient and professional style.
Lin Sheng nodded slightly, turned around and walked quickly back to the president's office, gently knocked on the door and went in again.
He walked to the desk. "Mr. Shang, Secretary Yan is asking what background information or documents she needs to prepare in advance for the dinner with Chip Source tonight?"
Shang Qiuzhu raised her gaze from the documents in her hand and placed it on Lin Sheng, pondering for a moment.
He found a business-like excuse: "Just let her get a feel for the latest product line information and market prices, so she'll have a general idea."
"Yes, Mr. Shang." Lin Sheng nodded in acceptance and turned to leave to relay the message.
Just as Lin Sheng's hand was about to touch the doorknob, Shang Qiuzhu called out to him, "Wait."
Lin Sheng immediately stopped and turned around: "President Shang, is there anything else you need?"
"Let her in, I'll talk to her directly."
"...Okay, Mr. Shang."
Lin Sheng came out and coughed lightly. "Secretary Yan, President Shang wants to see you about the information he needs regarding tonight's dinner party. He'll explain it to you in person."
"Explain in person?"
Yan Shuang's fingers, which were typing on the keyboard, suddenly stopped. She looked up, her eyes filled with undisguised vigilance.
"Yes." Lin Sheng nodded helplessly.
Yan Shuang pursed her lips. "Okay, I understand."
She stood up, straightened her not-too-disheveled clothes, and walked toward the closed door as if she were heading to a battlefield.
She took another deep breath before knocking.
"Come in." A deep male voice came from inside.
Yan Shuang pushed open the door and entered.
She deliberately avoided looking at him, her gaze fixed on the file rack behind the desk: "Mr. Shang, you wanted to see me?"
He looked up at her, seeing her fully alert and businesslike demeanor, and cooperated by adopting a serious attitude as well.
Shangqiu Zhu leaned back in his wide chair, "About the dinner with Mr. Chen from Xinyuan tonight..."
He paused deliberately and, sure enough, saw her long eyelashes tremble slightly.
Shangqiu Zhu calmly turned on the projector and brought up the latest product information and market analysis report from Core Source.
“Their latest NF-707 composite material,” he continued in a business-like tone, “take a look at the performance parameters and its advantages and disadvantages.”
Yan Shuang noted down the request. Was it really just a single sentence? Did she really need to explain it in person?
She looked up at him with a hint of doubt, only to meet his deep gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly lowered her gaze again.
“Okay, Mr. Shang,” she replied softly.
Shangqiu Zhu seemed oblivious to her hesitation and continued, "This is test data leaked from within their organization, more detailed than the official website. You can look at it here."
He pointed to the sofa in front of the side of the desk.
Yan Shuang: "..."
She had originally planned to go back to her workstation and look at it slowly, but now she had no reason to refuse.
She had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk over, trying her best to keep her eyes straight ahead. She carefully sat down on the large sofa, occupying only the front half, and straightened her back.
Yan Shuang forced herself to focus all her attention on the dense data and charts on the screen, but her brain was actually buzzing and she couldn't absorb much at all.
Shangqiu Zhu didn't say anything more, seemingly giving her time to read the materials.
But he didn't look away.
Her gaze lingered on the data on the screen, her pink lips slightly pursed as she pondered.
The office was extremely quiet.
This quiet atmosphere, seemingly focused on work but actually rife with undercurrents, made Yan Shuang more flustered than any conversation.
She felt that time was passing exceptionally slowly, but in order to escape as soon as possible, Yan Shuang had no choice but to force herself into work mode.
“Their NF-707 does indeed outperform similar products in terms of fatigue resistance and high-temperature resistance,” she said, as if pondering or confirming, “but isn’t the cost premium a bit too high?”
Shangqiu Zhu originally just wanted to find an excuse to bring her over, and didn't really intend to discuss Xinyuan's business in depth.
He had already mentally rejected this supplier who wasn't cost-effective.
But at that moment, because of her focused profile with her slightly furrowed brows, he glanced at the data on the screen.
Those performance parameters that he originally thought were flashy but impractical now seemed to have gained some significance worth pondering.
He stood up, walked around the large desk, and went to her side.
As the tall figure loomed over her, Yan Shuang's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
“The premium does exist,” Shang Qiuzhu’s voice rang out above her head. He leaned down, his finger passing over her shoulder to tap on a cost component on the screen. “But look here, if they can guarantee exclusive supply and a stable yield rate, spread over long-term, large-scale projects, the overall cost may not be without an advantage.”
His fingertips almost touched her hair, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe almost imperceptibly.
Yan Shuang subconsciously tilted her head to the side, trying to ignore the overly intimate distance and focus her attention on the point he pointed out.
“However, their yield rate data comes from internal testing, and third-party authoritative certification is insufficient,” she pointed out the doubts. “Moreover, exclusive supply itself is a risk point, and it is easy to be constrained.”
She tried to keep her voice calm and analytical, but couldn't control her slightly accelerated heartbeat.
Looking at her slightly reddened ears and her forced composure, Shangqiu Zhu continued, "Yes, risk management is indeed crucial. So the key is to discuss how the contract should be binding and to prepare alternative plans for countermeasures."
Yan Shuang suddenly realized that his analysis made perfect sense and completely grasped the core purpose of tonight's social gathering.
She even temporarily forgot the awkwardness between them, raised her head, and looked up with the seriousness she had when she was working: "I understand. I will pay close attention to these aspects of the conversation and prepare comparative data to help you make a decision on the spot."
Shangqiu Zhu looked into her suddenly bright eyes, which were filled with pure conviction, as if everything he said was golden law.
He felt a slight itch in his heart, but his tone remained calm: "Is there anything else you don't understand?"
"Nothing for now," Yan Shuang shook her head. "Then I'll go out and prepare."
"Hmm." Shangqiu Zhu finally straightened up and made room for him.
Yan Shuang felt relieved and quickly walked out.
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