Chapter Six
Besides Peng Kun, the people who came out to inspect the factory this time also included Ge Donglin, the purchasing director. This middle-aged man was tall, slightly overweight, bald, with a round face and dark skin, making his head look like a large hard-boiled egg.
He was dressed in a suit and tie, with a cashmere coat draped over his arm and his leather shoes polished to a shine, clearly having dressed up carefully before his trip. Peng Kun, standing next to him, was as unkempt as ever.
In the airport arrival hall, a tall, stylish woman stood at the exit, holding a sign with the words "Polar Blue Sky" printed on it. Seeing someone walking towards her, she smiled and went up to greet him, looking at Ge Donglin with a confident expression, and asked, "Hello, you must be General Manager Peng?"
"No, no, no, this is General Manager Peng," Ge Donglin hurriedly clarified.
"Ah, Mr. Peng is so young, I really didn't expect that." The woman reacted quickly, but everyone knew that she mistook him for someone else not because Peng Kun was young, but because Ge Donglin's attire gave him a more boss-like air.
“I am Zhang Hong, the marketing manager,” she continued.
"I am Ge Donglin, the Director of Purchasing." Ge Donglin introduced himself.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhang Hong said with a smile, "I'll take you to the hotel first. Our General Manager Stephen will be hosting a banquet for you all tonight."
To avoid further embarrassment, after arriving at the hotel, Ge Donglin kept urging Peng Kun to change his clothes. Although he spoke tactfully and carefully, his meaning was clear: as the chairman and general manager of the company, it would be impolite for him to meet a future business partner dressed like this, and it would be misunderstood that he did not respect the other party.
Finally, Peng Kun was persuaded and went to a shopping mall near the hotel, entering a men's clothing store on the third floor.
The waiter glanced at him, said listlessly "Welcome," and then continued to play on his phone.
"Hello, I'd like to try this outfit on." Peng Kun picked out a charcoal gray suit.
The waiter put down his phone impatiently, slowly walked over, and asked absentmindedly, "This one?"
"right."
"What about the size?"
"180/96A".
"Just a moment," the waitress said curtly. She clearly didn't think this country bumpkin could afford a suit costing tens of thousands of yuan, so she was indifferent and cold towards him until Peng Kun swiped his card. Only then did a bright smile bloom on her face: "Sir, would you like to get a VIP card? Members can accumulate points..."
"No need," Peng Kun said decisively.
"Get one, it's a good deal, you'll get a 5% discount on your next purchase."
“I’m sorry, there won’t be a next time,” Peng Kun said cruelly.
Dinner was held at a high-end French restaurant within a five-star hotel. The ambiance was elegant, the decor luxurious, even the tableware gleamed, and a central sound system played sophisticated jazz and blues. All the patrons were impeccably dressed, adorned in luxury brands, and spoke in soft, gentle voices. Looking at all this, Ge Donglin felt his previous actions had been remarkably prescient. But soon he would realize that even dressing his boss in a bespoke Kitton suit would be a waste of effort.
At the spacious six-person dining table, besides Peng Kun and Ge Donglin, there was Zhang Hong, the marketing manager who had picked them up from the airport that afternoon, General Manager Stephen, and his translator.
When ordering, Zhang Hong recommended the restaurant's French foie gras: "President Peng should try the foie gras here. It's delicious, tender, and melts in your mouth."
Unexpectedly, Peng Kun frowned almost imperceptibly and waved his hand to refuse, saying, "Foie liver is basically just fatty liver of a goose. It is said that those farmers insert iron pipes into the throats of geese and force-feed them food in order to make them grow fatty liver. The liver can then expand rapidly in a short period of time, growing to several times its normal size."
Zhang Hong smiled awkwardly and recommended another dish: "By the way, the sirloin steak is also good. All the beef here is imported from Angus."
Peng Kun shook his head. The cattle industry contributes a significant portion of greenhouse gases to the planet; news reports have documented an explosion at a German farm's cowshed caused by excessive methane released from cow farts. The environmental costs of producing beef are too high, so he doesn't eat beef.
"Bluefin tuna?" Zhang Hong asked again.
“I won’t eat it.” Peng Kun continued to shake his head. Due to overfishing by humans, bluefin tuna has been eaten to the point of becoming an endangered species.
"Uh... this restaurant has quite a lot of dishes." Ge Donglin coughed awkwardly twice, trying to smooth things over, "Let President Peng choose for himself."
Seeing Peng Kun's increasingly unpleasant expression, Zhang Hong felt her heart pounding. Not wanting to lose this major client, she tried her best to salvage the situation: "If Mr. Peng doesn't like Western food, let's have Cantonese food tomorrow. I know a Cantonese restaurant that makes excellent shark fin soup."
As an environmentalist, how could Peng Kun not know that shark fin is made by cutting off the fins of live sharks and then releasing the sharks, which have lost their ability to swim, back into the sea to bleed to death on their own?
He looked up from the menu. The woman in front of him had exquisite makeup and a light Dior 1947 fragrance. Her Max Mara low-cut cashmere sweater accentuated her curves, and she wore a Tiffany & Co. rose gold diamond ring on the middle finger of her right hand. On the chair next to her were a Burberry suede backpack and a mink shawl.
Zhang Hong seemed to sense the gaze upon her. She smoothed her hair, trying to make herself look more attractive, but unfortunately, the other person completely missed her signal.
In the end, Peng Kun only ordered two of the most ordinary dishes, and the meal was rather bland.
On the way back, he asked Ge Donglin, "Which other cathode material suppliers are available?"
Judging from his tone, it seemed he wanted to give up on this foreign company. Ge Donglin was overjoyed and quickly said, "The company I mentioned to you last time can also be considered."
"Beijialongtai Materials Co., Ltd."
“Yes.” Ge Donglin nodded.
After a moment of contemplation, Peng Kun said with concern, "The manufacturing process of cathode materials for ternary lithium batteries is quite complex. We must find companies with both excellent technology and high-quality products. Currently, the material quality of some upstream companies is substandard, posing many safety hazards."
"Don't worry about that. Although this materials company hasn't been established for long, several domestic car manufacturers that produce lithium batteries have partnered with it, so the quality is definitely not a problem," Ge Donglin said confidently.
"Yes, cathode materials are a key factor in improving the energy density of lithium batteries. Our latest lithium battery has a single-cell energy density of over 240Wh/kg, which significantly improves the driving range. Now, what we need to ensure is the quality," Peng Kun said.
“Yes, but Mr. Peng, while emphasizing quality, we also need to consider price. You saw it tonight, that old fox Stephen is very stubborn, repeatedly emphasizing the price increases of raw materials like cobalt and lithium, and how low their profit margins are. If we really buy from him, there probably won't be much room for negotiation. Right now, upstream and downstream companies are squeezing our profits. If we can't control costs, our products will lose their advantage in price competition.” After Ge Donglin finished speaking, seeing that Peng Kun didn't agree or disagree with his opinion, he asked in a different way, “How about changing the anode material to natural graphite?”
“No, natural graphite’s rate performance is not as good as that of artificial graphite, so the anode material cannot be changed,” Peng Kun said firmly.
“But artificial graphite is more expensive, so…” Ge Donglin hesitated before continuing.
"Let's go to the factory for an inspection tomorrow and then we'll talk about it." Cathode materials account for a large proportion of the cost of lithium batteries, and Peng Kun has always been very cautious in choosing manufacturers. Of course, he wouldn't act on impulse.
Back at the company, Peng Kun asked his assistant Qin Zhenzhen to investigate the situation of Beijialongtai Materials Co., Ltd., and Qin Zhenzhen agreed absentmindedly.
She just checked her mobile banking and found that her account balance was only 4,200 yuan. A few days ago, the number was over 7,000 yuan. There are still three days until the rent is due, and she is 2,700 yuan short for the next quarter's rent.
It's all her fault for being so impulsive with her spending. One weekend, while shopping at the mall, she stumbled upon a sale at a designer shoe store and couldn't resist spending over a thousand yuan on a pair of leather boots. Her pursuit of fashion and love for designer brands has fostered a habit of extravagant spending, leaving her constantly struggling financially.
Qin Zhenzhen came from a modest family. During her university years, the living expenses provided by her parents were far from enough. She worked as a salesperson, a courier, and even a tutor. After starting work, although her income was not low, it was still not enough to maintain her high-quality lifestyle. When she encountered things she wanted to buy but couldn't afford, she only regretted that she was too poor to support her excessive material desires. Almost every time she swiped her credit card, it was behind the prospect of facing financial hardship.
At this moment, Qin Zhenzhen was at her wit's end. Trying to cover the rent within three days was simply a pipe dream. Was she going to be kicked out and have to sleep on the streets? She thought with immense fear.
That day at the mall, Qin Zhenzhen was wearing the same plaid winter coat that had made her eat vegetarian food for a month and lose five pounds. When she entered the shoe store, she initially intended to just browse and not buy anything, but after trying them on, she couldn't resist the temptation of the discount and the salesperson's persuasion: "Miss, you have such good taste! These shoes look so elegant on you… These chunky-heeled knee-high boots go perfectly with your coat, the colors match too. They're on sale now, the price is especially good, less than half the original price…"
Qin Zhenzhen was torn. After buying the plaid coat, she realized she didn't have any suitable shoes to match it. When she came across these boots, it was as if fate was deliberately testing her self-control. After a fierce internal struggle, she finally gave in to her inner desires and swiped her card to buy the shoes.
She wore a new coat and new boots, paired with a chunky knitted vintage sweater and black leather shorts, with thick stockings that went all the way up to her feet. Although she had gone to great lengths and was freezing cold, wearing designer clothes made her feel more confident.
She admitted that she was fickle and prone to getting bored with the old and seeking the new. People are fickle and prone to getting bored with the new, whether they are men or women. The reason why male animals have always been blamed for this throughout history is probably due to the uniqueness of their physiological structure. Especially in ancient societies where contraception was relatively backward, women had to pay a greater price for having an affair.
When she arrived at the company, her outfit received widespread praise, and the compliments made her feel very satisfied, as she felt that this investment in her appearance was well worth it.
But just half an hour later, a date reminder set on her phone caused her mood to plummet, and she completely forgot about the rent!
Qin Zhenzhen hid in the tea room and called her friends one by one. However, most of her friends who were living paycheck to paycheck had the same consumption desires as her that did not match their income. Moreover, they were already well aware of her habit of borrowing money as soon as it was time to pay rent. Every year at the end of the season, they avoided her as if she were a plague.
Qin Zhenzhen dialed three numbers in a row, but apart from one classmate who hung up on her before she could finish speaking when she heard that she needed to pay rent, the other two did not answer at all.
"You heartless bastard!" Qin Zhenzhen angrily put down her phone. Just as she was worrying, the door to the tea room was pushed open, and Ge Donglin walked in with a big smile: "Little Qin, so you're here."
Qin Zhenzhen quickly composed herself and asked with a smile, "Director Ge, what can I do for you?"
"What's wrong, Xiao Qin?" Ge Donglin heard everything from outside.
"No, nothing."
"Just tell me what's wrong. We're colleagues, maybe I can help." Seeing Qin Zhenzhen still hesitating, Ge Donglin asked directly, "Are you having any financial difficulties?"
“Uh…” Qin Zhenzhen stammered, feeling awkward. With her hands unsure of what to do, she could only clutch the buttons on her coat and say, “Actually, it’s nothing, it’s just that I’m a little short of the rent for the next season.”
"How much more is needed?" Ge Donglin asked cautiously, as if afraid of scaring her away.
"Two, more than two thousand," Qin Zhenzhen stammered.
"Okay, wait here for me for a while."
Ge Donglin withdrew three thousand yuan from the ATM downstairs in the office building. When he came up to hand it to Qin Zhenzhen, he was worried that she would refuse, so he said in a flattering tone, "I'm a kind-hearted person. If I can't help my colleagues if they have any difficulties, I won't be able to sleep soundly at night." After saying that, he put on a kind face like a philanthropist donating to children who have dropped out of school.
Qin Zhenzhen accepted the money, not because she was worried that he wouldn't sleep well, but because she really needed it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
