Chen Zhe sent the price list given by Song Tiejun to Gu Jingyan, and Gu Jingyan called him back shortly afterward.
"Mr. Chen, this price list does seem fine from a market price perspective, but in reality, if you calculate it carefully, the cost is actually twice as much."
Gu Jia is in the building materials business; they are professionals when it comes to engineering.
Chen Zhe was not surprised at all; he knew that old bastard Song Tiejun was definitely going to trick him.
"If you were to do this, what would the budget be?"
"If you want us to do it, we can do it without making a profit, with a budget of around 1 million."
Chen Zhe smiled and shook his head. That old bastard Song Tiejun had quoted him over 3 million, almost 4 million. That old bastard is really greedy.
"I'll give you a budget of 2 million. I wouldn't dare introduce you to a business that doesn't make money."
Gu Jingyan was taken aback for a moment; "President Chen, there's no need for that much. We are now part of the Linglong Chamber of Commerce and receive a lot of support from the Chamber. We can manage 1 million; we won't lose money."
"Just not losing money isn't enough. Since I'm introducing business to you, you should be able to make some profit."
Chen Zhe wouldn't do anything that would cause others to suffer losses. While such things might seem beneficial in the short term, if he did them too often, people would become hesitant to ask for his help in the future.
However, Gu Jingyan was still a little flattered; "How about this, President Chen, 1.5 million, we can earn 1.5 million, but 2 million is really too much."
"It's alright, Young Master Gu. This money is for you to earn. With you overseeing things, I feel very reassured."
Gu Jingyan was pleased to receive Chen Zhe's affirmation.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen. Since you put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony. I will definitely arrange this matter for you."
"This is troublesome."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhe went to Silin Group.
When Chen Zhe arrived at the company building, he saw a large group of workers gathered there. He paused for a moment and noticed that many of them were looking at him with hostile eyes.
As soon as he entered the company, Song Tiejun rushed over to find him.
He didn't even knock; he just pushed the door open and walked in.
"Mr. Chen, it was unclear over the phone just now. Let's discuss it properly now. I think it's more reassuring to have our own people do this project."
Chen Zhe smiled.
"Vice President Song, please don't be in a hurry, have a seat first."
"Mr. Chen, if you think the budget is too high, then we can lower it a bit. At worst, we'll let our own workers suffer a little loss. Safety and quality are our top priorities, and we don't trust others to do it."
"Look, you're in a hurry again. I'm not looking for just anyone, I'm looking for the Gu Group in the North District."
"The Gu family??"
Song Tiejun was stunned. He frowned slightly and his eyes darted around.
"They made an offer?"
He knew his quote was inflated, so he was a little worried.
Chen Zhe looked at him with a smile; "He did give me a quote."
Song Tiejun's heart skipped a beat, then he calmed himself down slightly; "President Chen, you get what you pay for."
"Vice President Song, I haven't even mentioned the price, how do you know they're cheap? Did you quote me a high price?"
"Well... I'm just guessing. I think since you're contacting them, it must be because of the price."
"Actually, that's not the case. The price they quoted was about the same as the price you quoted me."
Hearing this, Song Tiejun breathed a sigh of relief, and his confidence returned. "President Chen, then I have to say something. Since the prices are the same, why not choose our own company? We have many construction teams that are currently idle. As the company president, you should consider your company's employees first, right? When the construction teams heard that you were going to award the project to another company, they all came to us wanting an explanation..."
Seeing that he was about to continue speaking, Chen Zhe immediately interrupted him.
“Vice President Song, you’re right. I chose other companies because I was thinking about our company’s employees.”
"Huh? Mr. Chen, I don't understand what you mean. It's a bit contradictory."
"Hehe, actually it's not contradictory. As you just said, we have many construction teams that are still idle. These people need to eat, but there isn't much work right now. The biggest project in Donghai right now is the development of Lijing Park. Our company can't participate in this project, which I've always felt is a bit of a pity. So I'm actively communicating to try and get some more work for our employees. How can we eat if we only focus on our own food?"
Song Tiejun was initially angry, but upon hearing this, he suddenly became interested. Compared to having one or two million yuan deducted from his own project, the development project of Lijing Park was the real prize.
He pulled out a chair, sat down, and leaned forward slightly. "Mr. Chen, can we get involved in this?"
"It's not confirmed yet. I'm communicating with the district head. If it's confirmed, our construction team will be very busy, which is why I don't want to use our construction team for our own business."
Song Tiejun accepted this explanation.
"What Mr. Chen said makes sense, but... what if it doesn't work out? Then our workers won't have any work to do either."
“Vice President Song, nothing in this world is absolute. Even a contract that has been agreed upon can be breached. If we can only do something if we are 100% certain, then good things will never come our way.”
"That's true... but how long will it take?"
"The district head said he would give me an answer in a month."
"Huh? Does it really take a whole month?"
Song Tiejun was clearly getting anxious.
“Vice President Song, a month is not a long time. If we can participate in the development project of Lijing Park, it will be a secure job. It’s worth waiting a month.”
Song Tiejun hesitated for a moment.
"Alright then, I can only go back and talk to the brothers. Mr. Chen, you don't know, when the brothers found out you were going to award the project to another company, they had a lot of complaints about you. Many of them wanted to confront you and demand an explanation, but I suppressed them all. I'm actually in a very difficult position..."
Chen Zhe sneered inwardly. This old man was obviously trying to curry favor with him by saying such things. Without a doubt, those workers downstairs were the ones he had brought over. If he hadn't just thrown out the big prize of Lijing Park to entice him, those workers would probably have rushed up to him demanding an explanation the next second.
"Of course I know that. I can understand very well how hard Vice President Song works. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't be able to manage the company on my own."
This explanation was very acceptable to Song Tiejun.
“I’ve been with Chairman Chen since the company was founded and have witnessed the glory of Silin Group firsthand. I have a very deep affection for the company, and I am willing to do anything for it. My only wish is that the company can continue to operate well…”
Chen Zhe sensed that he was about to launch into another long speech, so he immediately stopped him; "Vice President Song, you've worked hard. Call over the managers of those construction teams, I have something to say to them."
"Huh? What do you want to say?"
"It's so hot outside, it must be tiring for them to come all this way. Shouldn't we invite them up to enjoy the air conditioning?"
"Okay, then I'll call them."
Song Tiejun went out and made a phone call. Not long after, the managers of the three construction teams knocked on the door and came in.
After they came in, they naturally stood on Song Tiejun's side.
Chen Zhe noticed this detail and then said to Song Tiejun, "Vice President Song, please go out and take care of your work for a while. I want to have a good talk with these managers."
When Song Tiejun heard that he was to leave, he hesitated for a moment; "President Chen, I don't have anything else to do for the time being."
"If there's nothing else, that's perfect. I've already looked at this document, and some things aren't clearly marked. Could you please go and complete it for me?"
Song Tiejun remained unmoved; "President Chen, this is a small matter that can be handled by the secretary. The procedures are not difficult to complete."
“Vice President Song, I clearly trust you more than my secretary.”
"this……"
Chen Zhe had already said all that, so even if Song Tiejun didn't want to go out, he had no choice but to go.
He stood up, took the document, and then glanced at the managers of the construction teams.
"You all need to speak to President Chen properly, and don't be disrespectful, understand?"
The managers nodded.
Song Tiejun then walked out.
After the door closed, Chen Zhe smiled at the managers and said, "What are you still standing for? Find a seat."
The managers of the construction teams seemed a bit uneasy. They rarely had the opportunity to come to the company headquarters, spending most of their time on construction sites. This was the first time they had entered the president's office.
A dark-skinned man waved his hand; “No need, Mr. Chen, we’re just rough men, we can stand here. Just tell us what you need.”
"Please sit down. It must have been tiring for you to come all this way in this heat. I saw the guys downstairs taking their clothes off because of the heat. You've come to the company today for some business, right?"
The managers exchanged glances, then pushed out the dark-skinned man from before.
"Mr. Chen, it's a small matter. I heard you're going to outsource one of our own renovation projects to another company, and we're a bit confused about it. After all, many of our employees are out of work right now, and we need to eat too..."
Another manager added, "However, Vice President Song just told us that President Chen has made arrangements, which we understand, so we are planning to go back."
Chen Zhe had already figured it out.
If he hadn't brought up the Lijing Park offer earlier, these managers probably wouldn't be so easy to talk to now. Song Tiejun clearly had this in mind, which is why he suppressed the matter again.
"May I have your name?"
Chen Zhe asked the dark-skinned man, whose expression froze. Thinking Chen Zhe was going to cause trouble, the man's face fell slightly. "Mr. Chen, I really didn't come here today for any other reason than to help my brothers earn a living. I really didn't mean to offend you..."
"Don't worry, I didn't say you offended me, I just asked for your name."
"I...I am called Li Dapao."
"Hmm? Cannon? Is that your nickname or your real name?"
"That's my nickname, that's what they all call me."
"So what is your real name?"
"My real name is Li Daneng."
"Oh, Brother Neng, right?"
The title "Brother Neng" startled Li Dapao quite a bit; "No, no, Mr. Chen, just call me Dapao."
"Haha, then I'll call you Brother Pao. Brother Pao, I completely understand why you're here today. Please believe me, my decision is not to neglect my own brothers. I just told Vice President Song that I have a big project to do later, so don't worry, I, Chen Zhe, will not treat my own brothers unfairly."
When Chen Zhe said this, he used a definitive tone, which was completely different from the ambiguous tone he had used when speaking to Song Tiejun earlier.
The managers were slightly stunned. Chen Zhe had guessed it. The old man hadn't told them what he had just said. He probably wanted to keep it to himself and let the construction teams continue to be dissatisfied with him. Luckily, he had managed to keep them.
Upon hearing about the major project, the managers visibly became excited.
"Mr. Chen, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course, I speak with my own words, but... our company has many construction teams, and I'm still considering which team will be assigned to me..."
...
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