Chapter 47 Star Plaza
After get off work, Pei Song received a message from Shi Yanchen: "I'll wait for you in the parking lot"
Pei Song quickly packed up the documents and pressed the elevator to go down to -2F.
Shi Yanchen's slender figure could be seen from afar, leaning against the car door, wearing a dark grey shirt and suit pants, looking restrained and steady.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Shi Yanchen raised his eyes and saw him, walked to the passenger side and opened the car door.
Pei Song bent down and went in to sit down: "Let's order room service."
"I haven't eaten your cooking for a long time." Shi Yanchen's tone carried a subtle complaint, "You've been working overtime lately, and I almost forgot you can cook."
Hearing the dissatisfaction in his words, Pei Song couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, let's go to the supermarket to buy vegetables."
Shi Yanchen turned the steering wheel and drove towards the supermarket.
Pei Song turned around and asked him, "What do you want to eat?"
"You decide." Shi Yanchen started the car, "Everything you cook is delicious."
"I haven't eaten steak for a long time," Pei Song thought for a while, "How about this?"
Shi Yanchen raised his lips slightly: "Okay."
There were not many people in the supermarket. Two people pushed the shopping cart and slowly selected items in the fresh food area.
Pei Song stopped in front of the steak counter and carefully observed the texture of each piece of steak.
"This ribeye is good." Pei Song pointed to a steak with evenly distributed marble texture. "Look at the distribution of fat. It will taste good when fried."
Shi Yanchen listened carefully and followed his movements without blinking.
This usually decisive elite was now listening attentively to how to choose a steak. The scene was indescribably harmonious.
"We also need to prepare some side dishes." Pei Song picked broccoli and straw mushrooms in the vegetable section again. "These vegetables can help to neutralize the greasiness of the steak. Oh, and we also need to buy some thyme and rosemary."
When passing by the snack area, Shi Yanchen took a few bags of Pei Song's favorite potato chips and put them into the shopping cart.
"Didn't you tell me to eat less of this?" Pei Song was a little surprised.
"You can indulge yourself occasionally." Shi Yanchen said calmly.
Back in the hotel suite, Pei Song tied on an apron and began to prepare skillfully.
He carefully wiped the moisture off the surface of the steak with kitchen paper and sprinkled it with an appropriate amount of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
The cast iron skillet has been preheated and the olive oil is slightly smoking.
Pei Song gently placed the steak into the pot. With a sizzling sound, the aroma immediately filled the kitchen.
Shi Yanchen leaned against the sink and watched Pei Song skillfully control the heat.
The butter in the pot gradually melted, and Pei Song added garlic cloves, thyme and rosemary.
He scooped up the butter from the pan with a spoon and poured it on the surface of the steak. The golden fat, wrapped in the aroma of spices, gave the surface of the steak an attractive luster.
After letting it sit for a while, Pei Song cut off a small piece and handed it to Shi Yanchen: "Try it."
Shi Yanchen paused for a moment, then lowered his head and took it: "It's delicious, much better than the hotel's room service."
"Of course." Pei Song smiled proudly, "I'm a professional."
Shi Yanchen handed Pei Song a large piece of the most tender steak: "Eat well, your mother will blame me if she sees that you have lost weight."
At the dining table, the two of them ate and chatted.
"My mother is currently preparing application materials for the M University School of Art," Pei Song said as he cut the steak on his plate. "She said the instructor gave her a lot of professional advice."
"Well, he is one of the best instructors at the Art Academy." Shi Yanchen nodded. "I spoke to him on the phone last week. He said your mother's works are very distinctive and suggested that she try more new creative techniques."
"Really?" Pei Song's eyes lit up. "My mother has always been worried that her style is too traditional."
"No, that instructor really appreciates oriental art elements." Shi Yanchen picked up a piece of mushroom for Pei Song, "He also said he wanted to invite your mother to hold an exhibition next year."
A few days later, at the "Starlight Plaza" project kick-off meeting, the entire conference room was filled with a tense atmosphere.
"This is our most important commercial real estate project this year," Zhou Feng said as he stood in front of the projection screen. "We will not only build the largest commercial complex in City C, but also become a benchmark case for SNK in the Asia-Pacific region."
Pei Song looked through the project information. This complex covering an area of nearly 200,000 square meters will integrate a shopping mall, office buildings, and boutique hotels, with an investment scale of more than 5 billion.
"The budget plan is ready." Liu Yan stood up and opened the PPT he had carefully prepared. "We expect the overall return on investment to reach more than 15%."
He spoke eloquently, from market research to financial calculations, with clear logic and detailed data.
But when Pei Song looked at the financial data carefully, he found some anomalies.
The unit prices of some cost items are obviously too low, and the qualifications of some suppliers are questionable.
What concerned him most was that the procurement budget for some key equipment was nearly 30% lower than the market price.
"This budget looks very competitive." Zhou Feng said with a hint of approval, "Pei Song, the business planning part you are responsible for must be fully aligned with the budget."
After the meeting, Pei Song sat alone in his office, carefully sorting out the numbers that made him uneasy.
It was late at night. Pei Song rubbed his sore eyes and looked at his watch. The hands pointed to eleven o'clock.
Back at the hotel, Shi Yanchen looked up at the clock: "Working overtime so late today?"
"Well, there are some things to deal with on the project." Pei Song put his briefcase on the sofa and his shoulders relaxed unconsciously.
There were two insulated lunch boxes on the coffee table, still steaming.
"Eat first." Shi Yanchen handed him chopsticks, "I asked the hotel kitchen to prepare it specially."
Pei Song opened the lunch box and found his favorite braised pork ribs and vegetables.
Seeing Pei Song wolfing down his food, Shi Yanchen couldn't help but say, "Slow down, no one is snatching it from you."
After dinner, when Pei Song was cleaning the desk, a stack of documents fell to the ground.
Shi Yanchen helped him pick it up, his eyes casually sweeping over the densely packed numbers.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
Pei Song hesitated for a moment, but still expressed his doubts.
"There are indeed problems with the quotations from these suppliers." Shi Yanchen listened carefully and said, "But it is not easy to find conclusive evidence."
Pei Song sighed: "So I have been checking the data these days."
After dinner, the two sat side by side in front of the computer in the study, concentrating on studying the complicated data.
Shi Yanchen helped him build a financial model that could quickly identify abnormal transactions.
"You even understand this?" Pei Song was a little surprised.
"When I was studying mathematics at M University, financial modeling was a required course," Shi Yanchen said calmly.
At two o'clock in the morning, Pei Song made two cups of coffee, and the aroma filled the quiet study.
Shi Yanchen was typing on the keyboard attentively. Pei Song was worried that the coffee would get cold, so he picked up the cup and brought it to his mouth.
Shi Yanchen was stunned for a moment, but still took a sip from his hand.
He took the coffee cup and his fingertips accidentally touched Pei Song's fingers.
"Here." Shi Yanchen quickly changed the subject, pointing at the screen and saying, "I found several suspicious fund flows."