Chapter 61: Testing
The next evening, the delegation had dinner at a seafood restaurant near Orchard Road.
There was a lot of drinking and chatting going on at the table.
Pei Song was a little absent-minded. He stared at the unread message on his phone in a daze.
It was Shi Yanchen who asked him how the inspection went today. He edited his reply several times, but finally deleted it.
"Pei Song, why don't you drink?" Zhou Feng poured some red wine into his glass.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou. I feel a little sick tonight." Pei Song politely declined. "And I still have some information to sort out. I may have to go back first."
"Do you want me to take you there?"
"No, I just want to take a walk to digest the food." Pei Song stood up and said goodbye to everyone.
As I walked out of the restaurant, Singapore’s sultry night breeze hit me in the face.
Pei Song loosened his tie and wandered aimlessly in the Orchard Road shopping mall.
When passing by a century-old tea house, the rich aroma of cinnamon wafted out.
The store is not big, and the antique wooden counter is filled with various tea cans.
"Sir, would you like to come in and take a look?" the boss, who is over 60 years old, greeted in Chinese with a strong accent. "The Golden Phoenix Tea Garden cinnamon tea in our store is a specialty of Singapore."
Pei Song was attracted by the aroma and walked into the store.
"This cinnamon tea is made with our unique blending method," the boss said as he prepared the tea for him. "We use the best Ceylon black tea from Sri Lanka as the base, natural cinnamon from Indonesia, and Malaysian lemongrass for flavoring. The proportions of the three ingredients must be just right."
He handed Pei Song a cup of steaming hot tea: "It won the gold medal at the International Tea Exhibition last year. The most special thing is that this tea has a natural sweetness and tastes good without adding sugar."
Pei Song took the teacup and the aroma filled his nose.
He took a sip and found that the tea was indeed mellow and had a natural sweet aroma, just as the boss said.
He remembered that Shi Yanchen always drank black tea every day, which was never sugary.
Maybe he’d like this naturally sweet cinnamon tea?
Pei Song stared at the teapot in a daze, and hesitated for a moment.
Wouldn’t it seem too deliberate to give a gift suddenly like this?
Recalling Shi Yanchen's focused look at making tea, he finally picked up a can of cinnamon tea from Jinfeng Tea Garden and handed it to the boss.
After leaving the teahouse, he continued strolling in the mall.
Walking into the boutique area of Marina Bay Sands, a local watchmaker's studio caught his attention.
The window displays a variety of handmade jewelry, one pair of cufflinks that is particularly eye-catching.
A lifelike orchid is inlaid on the handmade silver base, and the pistil is dotted with South Sea pearls, which glow softly under the light.
"This is our limited edition," the clerk introduced. "It is inspired by the orchid, the national emblem of Singapore, and is made using traditional handcrafts. Each pearl is carefully selected from the South Sea, with excellent color and luster."
Pei Song looked at the pair of cufflinks and recalled how meticulous Shi Yanchen always was during meetings.
He always wore well-tailored handmade suits, occasionally with simple silver cufflinks on his cuffs.
The design of this pair of orchid cufflinks is low-key and elegant, with an oriental flavor, which is very much in line with Shi Yanchen's taste.
He stood in front of the counter for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and bought the cufflinks.
As he was paying, he looked at the credit card slip and regretted his impulsiveness.
What is his relationship with Shi Yanchen now? Boss and subordinates? friend? Or is it something more ambiguous?
Even he himself did not dare to think about the thoughts hidden in this gift.
Carrying the shopping bags back to the hotel, Pei Song threw himself into the sofa.
He took the pair of cufflinks and the teapot out of the bag and examined them carefully under the desk lamp.
The cufflinks glowed softly under the light, and the orchid petals appeared vivid, as if they had just bloomed.
The tea can is printed with the logo of Jinfeng Tea Garden, which is simple and elegant.
Pei Song sighed, rewrapped the gift, and carefully placed it at the bottom of the suitcase.
Early in the morning on the third day, the delegation arrived at the Singapore Elderly Care Industry Research Center.
"We adopt the 'full life cycle' operation concept," the center director showed a PPT, "from home care to institutional care, and then to hospice care, forming a complete service system."
Pei Song carefully recorded: "How long has this model been implemented in Singapore? What is the effect?"
"It has been five years. The biggest challenge is the large initial investment and long payback period. But in the long run, this model is more conducive to the sustainable development of the industry."
At the project seminar in the afternoon, several front-line operation managers shared their experiences.
"Intelligent systems can indeed improve efficiency, but they must also be adapted to the needs of the elderly," said a manager. "For example, the interface should be simple and intuitive, the font size should be large enough, and the operation should be simple."
"Another important issue is the training of service personnel," added another. "No matter how advanced the technology is, it still depends on people to implement it."
Pei Song kept taking notes and asking professional questions from time to time, leaving all the participants with a deep impression of this young project manager.
In the evening, Zhou Feng took Pei Song to a seaside restaurant in Marina Bay.
From the terrace you can see Singapore’s iconic building, the Marina Bay Sands, and the sea breeze brings a salty and humid scent.
The waiter brought a bottle of red wine and Zhou Feng poured it for both of them.
"You have performed very well these past few days," Zhou Feng picked up his glass, "I remember when you first came to the company, you were a little awkward, but now you can handle things on your own."
Pei Song smiled politely: "It's all thanks to Mr. Zhou's guidance."
"Actually," Zhou Feng looked at the sea view in the distance, his tone suddenly becoming gentle, "sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong decision back then."
Pei Song's fingers tightened slightly, but the expression on his face remained calm.
"At that time, you had just graduated and were full of youth and vigor," Zhou Feng continued, with a hint of nostalgia in his voice, "and you suddenly said those words to me. I refused without even thinking about it. Now that I think about it, maybe I missed something..."
"Mr. Zhou," Pei Song put down his glass, his tone calm but firm, "Let the past be the past. I just want to do my job well now."
Zhou Feng looked at his distant profile and was about to say something when Pei Song's phone vibrated.
Pei Song glanced at the screen and saw a message from Shi Yanchen: "I'll pick you up at the airport tomorrow."
There was a flicker of fluctuation in his eyes, and this fleeting change in expression did not escape Zhou Feng's eyes.
"Singapore's night view is beautiful," Zhou Feng changed the subject, "but no matter how beautiful the scenery is, it can't compare to the feeling of being home."
Pei Song nodded: "Yes, I have gained a lot in the past few days, and it's time to go back."
"Mr. Shi is very interested in this project this time," Zhou Feng said tentatively, "It can be seen that he trusts you very much."
"It's okay." Pei Song said lightly.
Zhou Feng continued to ask: "You said before that he was your roommate in Country D?"
Pei Song hummed.
"Just a roommate?" Zhou Fengyi looked at him.