Sun Baixi was also working overtime when he saw the text message Zhuang Li sent to Su Ming.
He started learning how to manage the family business from his father when he was fifteen or sixteen years old. He joined the company right after graduating from university and started from the most basic position.
He was by no means a playboy; quite the opposite, he was a leader among the younger generation of City C. When they went out to play, everyone was happy to surround him, to entertain him, to listen to him, and to follow him wherever he led.
Zhuang Shimiao, on the other hand, stood out from the crowd. Coming from a prominent family, he was known for his aloof personality, quiet and unsociable, with Sun Baixi as his only friend.
If Zhuang Li had not come, Zhuang Shimiao would not have gone abroad.
He and Sun Baixi will be the most dazzling people in this circle.
For Zhuang Shimiao, Zhuang Li was a thorn in his throat and a poisonous thorn in his heart.
Sun Baixi had loved Zhuang Shimiao for ten years, so he was willing to remove this thorn for Zhuang Shimiao. He used every dirty trick he could, including tracking, eavesdropping, setting up traps, and pretending to be in love.
However, even so, he never took Zhuang Li seriously. It was only yesterday that he began to realize that Zhuang Li was a person, not a plaything.
He knew that Zhuang Li had gone to the company with Zhuang Hong today, that he had become the vice president, and that he had discussed a big project.
But even though he saw Zhuang Li, he still didn't realize what kind of person Zhuang Li was.
He thought that Zhuang Hong had already negotiated the big project, and choosing this time to sign the contract was just to flatter Zhuang Li.
So now, when he saw the document that Zhuang Li sent to Su Ming regarding the cancellation of cooperation with his own company, Sun Baixi shook his head and smiled contemptuously.
"This guy is so pretentious." He threw his phone on the table, pretending he saw nothing.
Canceling the cooperation with the Sun family before the contract expired meant Hongtu had to pay the Sun family a lump sum of 2 billion. Zhuang Hong was a profit-oriented person and there was no way he would agree to such an absurd decision.
The Sun family's batteries are of the highest quality and have the strongest cruising capabilities. Apart from being a bit expensive, they have no other drawbacks. If Hongtu abandons the Sun family's batteries and switches to something else, the quality of Hongtu's machinery will surely decline significantly.
This will trigger a series of disastrous consequences.
For all these reasons, Sun Baixi was convinced that Zhuang Li wouldn't dare do this. First, he wouldn't be able to get past Zhuang Hong; second, the board of directors wouldn't stand by and watch him act recklessly.
"Only a clueless idiot like Su Ming would believe what Zhuang Li said." Sun Baixi's face was full of sarcasm, but his heart was filled with an indescribable bitterness.
He never knew that Zhuang Li was so good at coaxing people, so relaxed, and so charming.
Yes, he had to admit, Zhuang Li was charming, a charm that encompassed both sexual allure and a unique personality. He was evil, yet he could also be sweet and soft. He was simply full of contradictions.
If Zhuang Shimiao is an iceberg, then Zhuang Li is a colorful world.
I found myself filled with theories, good, bad, known, unknown...
Sun Baixi wiped his face and felt exhausted. He had no intention of working now, so he could only pack up and go home.
Maybe after a few days, when these memories fade, he will slowly get better.
Didn't Zhuang Li want to break up? Then let him do it. No one would care.
---
Su Ming, carrying a lunch box in his left hand and a huge bouquet of roses in his right hand, and wearing a brand new suit, walked into the headquarters building of Hongtu Technology nervously.
"I'm Su Ming, I'm here to find—"
He walked towards the front desk and just as he gave his name, the staff member stood up and pointed to the innermost elevator and said, "Boss Zhuang has already given instructions. Please follow me. I will help you swipe the elevator and take you to the top floor."
The receptionist took out a pass and helped Su Ming open the CEO's special elevator.
Su Ming, unmolested, slowly regained his composure. He stood upright in the elevator, his eyes fixed on the smooth mirror in front of him, secretly examining himself in the mirror to see if there was anything wrong with his attire.
He had spent a fortune on this outfit for today's date. Fortunately, he had a top-notch figure, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long, straight legs, and a steel-like aura tempered in the military camp, which made him look particularly noble and majestic.
People who don’t know him might think he is the president of a large international company.
He reached the top floor and stepped out of the elevator.
Zhuang Hong, who was coming towards him, knew that this man was not a CEO at all, but just an unemployed young man.
Zhuang Hong frowned and looked Su Ming up and down.
Su Ming quickly moved aside, bent down slightly, and respectfully called out "Mr. Zhuang".
Zhuang Hong snorted coldly when he saw the food box in his hand and the huge rose in his arms.
No need to guess, this guy must be looking for his grandson on a date. Look at his beaming face, red ears, and sparkling eyes; he's a complete naiveté who's never been in love. What a sin! When his grandson gets tired of playing, he won't know how these two will end.
Zhuang Hong was lost in thought while shaking his head and sighing. His gaze towards Su Ming unconsciously changed from sharp to gentle, and then from gentle to compassionate.
"Are you here to see my Xiao Li?" he asked gently.
"Yes." Su Ming hurriedly pressed the down key for the old man, and the cellophane wrapped around the rose rustled.
"My little Li loves to play and make trouble, and his temperament hasn't settled down yet." Zhuang Hong mentioned implicitly.
"I know, since he likes to play, I will play with him." Su Ming answered seriously.
He seemed to understand the old man's advice, but also seemed not to understand it. But who cares? Who hasn't met a few scumbags in their youth? Thinking of this, Zhuang Hong walked into the elevator with ease.
Su Ming stood at the elevator entrance, watching him descend. He waited until the doors completely closed before straightening up and letting out a barely perceptible sigh of relief. Was this a disguised way of meeting the parents?
He walked briskly towards the vice president's office.
"You're here? Come and help me organize the design drawings. I've marked numbers on the lower right corner of each page, and you just need to stack them according to the numbers." Zhuang Li raised his head and gave the order as a matter of course.
Su Ming stood at the door and didn't dare to go in, because the office was covered with design drawings. The table and the floor were all white. Each drawing was drawn with complicated lines and written with long strings of formulas.
"Did you make this?" He could only put the roses and lunch box at the door and walk inside picking up the design drafts as he went.
"Yes. I will submit the complete design tomorrow morning." Zhuang Li quickly drew the blueprint using the software he wrote.
Su Ming exclaimed: "You are amazing."
"Not as good as you." Zhuang Li teased subtly.
Su Ming's ears turned red, and he picked up the manuscripts much faster.
Zhuang Li looked at him carefully and praised him: "You look so handsome today. I like the way you look in a suit."
Su Ming's ears seemed to be about to smoke in the next second.
"I look more handsome in military uniform. Do you want to see it?" he asked expectantly.
"Yes, take it out and let me see it." Zhuang Li finally stopped the work at hand and looked at the man in front of him wholeheartedly.
Su Ming picked up all the manuscripts and piled them on the table. Then he took out his cell phone and walked to Zhuang Li, pulled up the photos, and flipped through them one by one.
Zhuang Li had long known how charming he looked in military uniform, but he was still drawn in every time he saw him. He untied his tie and asked in a hoarse voice, "Would you like an appetizer?"
Su Ming was stunned, and then quickly realized what appetizer meant.
His Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he immediately replied, "Yes."
Zhuang Li took his hand and walked towards the lounge opposite...
An hour later, the two walked out slowly, heated up the cold steak in the microwave, and started to eat dinner. After dinner, they sat in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the neon lights outside and slowly drank a glass of red wine.
Slightly tipsy, they kissed in front of the window, holding each other's hands tightly.
After the kiss, the two hugged each other and laughed softly, then lay back on the sofa, quietly cuddling in the night. This moment of joy was enough to wash away the fatigue of the whole day.
Then, Zhuang Li sat back in front of the computer to continue working, while Su Ming picked up the manuscript paper and sorted it out one by one.
It’s late, and the night is still long.
---
Sun Baixi suffered from insomnia again.
He lay on the bed with his eyes open, his mind in a mess. His thoughts were completely out of his control.
He would always pick up his phone to look through the text messages and calls Zhuang Li had sent that day.
He wanted to know what Zhuang Li and Su Ming would say and do when they were together.
For some unknown reason, he turned on the monitoring function of the Trojan program, then placed the phone next to his pillow and stared at it without blinking.
Zhuang Li said in a hoarse voice: "Baby, you are great, I love you!"
Su Ming responded with a low laugh.
A chaotic cacophony of sounds echoed in the room, like the swirling of clouds, the ebb and flow of waves, the surging of waves crashing against the shore. It was someone's sweat rolling down, someone's blood boiling within their body...
Sun Baixi listened with his eyes closed, imagining the scenes in his mind. A flash of white light flashed in his mind, shattering his rationality.
He sat up suddenly, hugged his head tightly, and refused to think. He was stunned for a long time before pounding the bed hard.
Why is this happening? Damn it!
He punched again and again, his eyes turning red. When he heard Su Ming's voice on the phone, he grabbed the phone and wanted to smash it against the wall, but finally put it down gently.
He chose to turn off the monitoring software and clear out all the disturbing sounds.
But his own heavy breathing echoed clearly in the room.
This feeling of impotence and rage exhausted Sun Baixi. He cursed fiercely and walked into the bathroom in a state of humiliation.
It was a very difficult night.
---
The next morning, Sun Baixi walked into the restaurant with dark circles under his eyes.
Father Sun glanced at him and asked in surprise, "You couldn't sleep last night? Why? Are you still worried about Zhuang Li?"
Sun Baixi picked up the orange juice without saying a word.
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of it." Father Sun still loved his son and consoled him, "Let's just forget about this matter. Let's not talk about it again. Zhuang Li isn't someone worth associating with. There's no need to put yourself in this situation just to help Zhuang Shimiao. Zhuang Shimiao will still be the young master of the Zhuang family once he's gilded his laurels. Why are you so anxious?"
"I understand." Sun Baixi responded in a hoarse voice.
Father Sun put down the bread, brushed off the crumbs on his hands, and said firmly: "Don't get involved in the affairs of the Zhuang family. Zhuang Li can't beat Zhuang Shimiao."
For some reason, Sun Baixi retorted, "Not necessarily. Zhuang Shimiao joined Hongtu before Manager Zhuang did. He started as Vice President yesterday."
Father Sun snorted and chuckled, "Vice President is just a position without real power, just for show. Zhuang Li doesn't understand mechanics, AI, or business management. What can he do? Can he really influence Hongtu's decision-making?"
Sun Baixi shook his head and said nothing.
At this moment, Sun's father's phone rang. As soon as he answered it, the person on the other end quickly said, "Mr. Sun, please come over quickly. Hongtu wants to end its cooperation with us early."
The coffee cup that Sun's father had just picked up fell to the table with a clang. Brown liquid splashed all over the table and soaked his trouser legs, but he didn't react at all.
He gripped his phone tightly, gritted his teeth and asked, "Why? Our two companies have been working together for over a decade and have a tacit understanding. Why would Hongtu terminate our contract without even sharing any information?"
Hearing this, Sun Baixi, who was busy avoiding coffee, was stunned.
Actually, there was a rumor that Zhuang Li had sent the termination agreement to Su Ming last night and threatened to break up with him. But at that time, Sun Baixi didn't believe it at all.
He didn't believe that Zhuang Li's absurd idea could pass Zhuang Hong's review; he didn't believe that Hongtu would rather lose 2 billion than give up its partnership of more than ten years.
How did all this happen? Why?
Sun's father also asked the reason for the termination of the contract.
The other end hesitated, "It is said that it was Manager Zhuang who proposed the termination, and Zhuang Hong signed without a word, and the board of directors did not stop him. They have found three battery manufacturers to replace us, and the contracts are already being negotiated. Those three manufacturers are..."
At that moment, Father Sun felt a burning pain on his face. He had just said that Zhuang Li could not possibly influence Hongtu's decision, but reality slapped him in the face.
He listened intently for a moment, then angrily said, "Has Zhuang Hong lost his mind? The quality of these three manufacturers is inferior to ours; their only advantage is price. If Hongtu only pursues cheapness, their products will lose their existing advantages and become commonplace goods. Doesn't he understand this? How could he let a child mess around?"
"I don't know either. I'm also asking Hongtu's people about the situation. Mr. Sun, please contact Mr. Zhuang and have a good chat. Your two families have been friends for decades."
The phone call was hung up, but Sun's father was gasping for breath in anger.
However, no matter how angry he was, he had to force a smile when he called Zhuang Hong, and his tone became extremely humble because he knew that Sun's enterprise was supported by Hongtu.
Having lost Hongtu's order, if Sun Group cannot find a bigger customer than Hongtu in a short period of time, it will surely be doomed.
Sun's father took his phone and went to a secluded place. He didn't want his son to see him groveling and losing all his dignity.
But Sun Baixi could fully imagine how his father would beg in a humble manner.
For some reason, a sentence Zhuang Li once said suddenly popped up in his mind: "If I cancel this order, the Sun family will soon go bankrupt."
A chill crept up from the soles of his feet to his scalp. Sun Baixi belatedly realized that Zhuang Li had actually done it! He'd actually gotten Hongtu to cancel the order.
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