Chapter 60: Distracted
At 5 pm, SNK Asia Pacific headquarters held a regular meeting via video link.
Pei Song sat in the conference room and began to report on the progress of the inspection.
"After a two-day field visit, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Singapore 'Elderly Apartment' project." Pei Song's voice was clear and professional. "First of all, in terms of hardware facilities, the project uses a whole-house intelligent system, including dynamic sensing, remote monitoring and smart home control. Especially worth mentioning is their intelligent bed management system, which can monitor vital signs in real time and automatically warn."
He switched to the next PPT page and continued: "In terms of software services, the project is equipped with a 24-hour medical team and has established a three-level medical response mechanism. At the same time, there are special rehabilitation centers and entertainment facilities in the community..."
On the other side of the screen, Shi Yanchen stared intently at the person in the video.
Pei Song was wearing a light blue shirt today, and a twill tie of the same color. He looked particularly refreshing, with a hint of abstinence.
His slender neck was faintly visible in the collar of his shirt, and his Adam's apple rolled slightly as he spoke, as if he was unconsciously teasing something.
The area below the neck was perfectly covered by the tie, reminding Shi Yanchen of how he had tasted it inch by inch that night.
His hair was a little long, and his bangs would occasionally cover his eyes, and he would subconsciously use his fingers to gently push them away...
"Mr. Shi, what do you think of this budget plan?" the Asia-Pacific CFO suddenly spoke.
Shi Yanchen was obviously stunned for a moment: "What did you just say?"
The participants were all very surprised. Mr. Shi, who was always meticulous and focused, actually got distracted? And when discussing an important project?
The CFO had to repeat the question: "Regarding the budget for the intelligent system, do you think it is more appropriate to make a one-time investment or implement it in stages?"
"This..." Shi Yanchen pondered for a moment, and soon returned to his usual precise thinking. "Based on our previous market research, there are obvious differences in the willingness to pay between users in first-tier cities and new first-tier cities. It is recommended that we implement it in two phases: the first phase is a pilot in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen to verify the market reaction and user willingness to pay; the second phase is to adjust the intelligent configuration standards based on the pilot data, and then promote it to other cities."
"But according to our calculations, a one-time purchase can reduce hardware costs by 20%." The CFO added, "Phased implementation may increase overall costs."
"Cost is not the most important consideration," Shi Yanchen said in a steady voice. "The key now is to verify the business model. If users are willing to pay for intelligent services, then the extra cost in the early stage is worth it." He paused, "Manager Pei, what do you think?"
At this moment, everyone's eyes turned to Pei Song in the video.
"I agree with Mr. Shi." Pei Song forced himself to stare at the data, pretending not to notice the burning gaze, "The phased pilot can help us better understand market demand."
He quickly switched to the next page of PPT and continued his report in a steady tone: "We also benchmarked similar projects in Japan, South Korea and other places and found that the penetration rate of intelligent services is increasing year by year. It is suggested that we can maintain our technological leadership and increase investment appropriately in the early stage."
After the video conference, Zhou Feng came over and said, "You performed very well today."
"It's all thanks to the team," Pei Song said as he packed up the documents. "I'll go sort out the research report first."
He walked quickly out of the meeting room, but stopped at the corner.
Taking out his cell phone, he stared at the unread message in a daze.
Shi Yanchen: "Video at night."
Pei Song bit his lip: "I need to sort out the information."
Shi Yanchen: "Ten minutes, it's about the project."
At nine o'clock sharp, the video was connected.
Shi Yanchen was still wearing the dark gray suit, but his tie was loosened.
The office light shone softly on his chiseled profile.
"The report this afternoon was very good," he said straight to the point, "but I still have a few questions about the operation and maintenance costs of intelligent systems."
Pei Song clicked on the file: "Okay, go ahead."
"As for the staffing of the operation and maintenance team, according to your budget, one community is equipped with 15 people. How did you calculate this number?"
"I referred to the experience in Singapore," Pei Song said, pulling up relevant data. "Each of their communities has an average of 300 households, with 15 people working in three shifts. Each shift is equipped with one system engineer, two maintenance technicians, and two on-duty personnel. Based on their two-year operating data, this configuration can basically meet daily needs."
"How much budget have you reserved for the iterative updates of the intelligent system?" Shi Yanchen continued to ask.
"The update budget is calculated based on 8% of the total investment," Pei Song opened the budget sheet, "mainly considering the upgrade of hardware equipment and the continuous optimization of software systems..."
"Why don't you look at me when you speak?" Shi Yanchen suddenly asked.
Pei Song was stunned, and then he realized that he had been staring at the file: "I'm looking for relevant data."
"We can look at the data later," Shi Yanchen's voice became lowered, "I would rather look into your eyes and talk to you."
These words made Pei Song's heart skip a beat.
He slowly raised his head and met those light brown eyes: "Mr. Shi, if it's about work..."
"Call my name."
"Shi Yanchen," Pei Song took a deep breath, "If there is nothing to do at work, I will continue to organize the information."
"You are avoiding me." Shi Yanchen said directly.
"I didn't," Pei Song retorted subconsciously, "I just..."
"Just what?"
"I just feel like we are now...
Not quite suitable.
Pei Song chose his words carefully, "You are the boss of our company now..."
"So?" Shi Yanchen lowered his voice a bit, "Are you avoiding me because of my identity, or because of what happened that night?"
Pei Song's face suddenly turned red: "I told you not to mention that again."
"Why can't you mention it?" Shi Yanchen pressed on, "Are you afraid of remembering how you took the initiative to kiss my wrist? Or are you afraid of remembering..."
"Enough!" Pei Song interrupted him almost pleadingly, "Shi Yanchen, you can't do this."
"Then tell me what to do?" Shi Yanchen's voice was filled with helplessness, "Seeing you avoiding me like the plague?"
Pei Song looked at the handsome face on the screen and was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
He was indeed hiding, but he himself couldn't explain clearly what he was hiding from.
"I'm busy." He finally said dryly.
Shi Yanchen chuckled: "Okay, let's talk about work." He paused, "But I hope you know that avoiding it won't solve any problems."
These words made Pei Song freeze.
He subconsciously touched the back of his hand, and the feeling of Shi Yanchen applying medicine on him in the bathroom that day seemed to still be there.