Chapter 337 Oddities
Boss Cao
A legendary figure with great charisma.
They have come a long and difficult way, and have even ventured abroad and reached out to the world. When they were bullied, they gritted their teeth and fought back to the very end.
Most people would have backed down from that lawsuit with the Ministry of Commerce of the United States. But not him. He was willing to spend exorbitant legal fees to fight that case, which lasted for three or four years.
It may look glorious, but it was actually a Pyrrhic victory.
When his company was in trouble, he raised funds and sold shares. He encountered a credit crisis. Those were tough times, and only by gritting his teeth and moving forward could he survive.
Of course, this is inseparable from his excellent emotional intelligence.
Later, Lao Cao became very wealthy, and many people thought he was going to go into real estate. But he said, "I'm not going into real estate because I know how to make glass. Let others do that business." He said it was easy to make money, so let him make it. He said, "I don't lack money; I just need enough to eat."
This is the epitome of loving what you do.
Xing Baohua met the legendary Boss Cao in his office. At that time, Boss Cao was still relatively young, in his forties, which was in his prime. He wasn't overweight.
The two sat down, and Xing Baohua personally served tea and cigarettes, leaving Boss Cao at a loss for what to do, though he kept a smiling face on his face.
Seeing that Mr. Cao seemed a bit nervous and not quite relaxed, Xing Baohua said, "I've wanted to meet with you for a while, but I heard you were abroad, so I didn't have the chance. Is that why you came to Hong Kong on business?"
"Hehe, after returning to China, I went to visit Boss Xing in Luzhong as soon as possible. Coincidentally, you were also out on an inspection trip. This time, I mainly came to visit several distributors in Hong Kong. The biggest business depends on whether Boss Xing will be willing to give me a chance," Boss Cao said with a smile.
"Haven't we already cooperated?" Xing Baohua poured water for Boss Cao and picked up a cigarette to light it. Boss Cao quickly took out a metal lighter from his pocket, lit it for Xing Baohua, and then placed the lighter on the cigarette case that Xing Baohua had just taken out of.
It was a small, thoughtful gesture. The lighter itself wasn't worth much, but this action showed Mr. Cao's resourcefulness.
It is said that back then, when he was running business or receiving clients, he always carried five or six lighters in his pocket.
Frequent smokers often have a little habit: when they can't find a lighter, they borrow one from someone else and then casually put it on their own cigarette pack or put it in their pocket.
It wasn't that I was greedy for the lighter's cheap price, but rather it was a subconscious action; for a moment, I felt that the lighter was mine.
Old Cao probably understood this mentality. He carried so many lighters so that he could use a spare lighter to light the cigarettes for his customers after they put them in their pockets.
This shows how cunning Lao Cao is. He easily gains people's favor, making them think he's a decent person and worth getting to know.
Mr. Cao, still smiling, said, "I heard from a friend in Hong Kong that Mr. Xing is going to build a modern building. I guess Mr. Xing's building will use a lot of glass, so I came to visit and see if we can continue to cooperate."
"Haha! No problem. To be honest, given the same quality as foreign products, I'd rather have yours. Firstly, the price is cheaper, and secondly, the location is relatively close. It's convenient to transport it by both water and land," Xing Baohua said with a smile.
Xing Baohua wasn't very familiar with glass specifications, so he said he would take Boss Cao to the designer's office that afternoon to ask.
Since he was a guest, Xing Baohua, acting as the host, offered Mr. Cao a simple lunch. However, Mr. Cao insisted on paying the bill.
Mr. Cao was also a connoisseur of fine wines, and those who knew him would often send him gifts of famous wines.
Because they had things to discuss in the afternoon, the two didn't drink freely; they only drank one bottle of wine at noon.
After lunch, let Mr. Cao rest for a while, and in the afternoon Xing Baohua took them to Safdie Studio near the University of Hong Kong.
He had called his assistant, Fang Yi, before he came.
When I arrived at the temporary studio with Boss Cao, I saw many people working in front of their easels.
Anyway, Xing Baohua couldn't understand any of this, and the chief designer, Safdie, was fiddling with the model.
Xing Baohua and Boss Cao walked over and shook hands with each other.
"How's it going, Mr. Safdie?" Xing Baohua asked with a smile.
“It’s going quite smoothly.” Safdi said, pointing to the model he was building and showing it to Xing Baohua.
The model is quite small, and its three-dimensional appearance is indeed much better than that in the renderings.
Then Safdie began to explain his design to Xing Baohua at length, from the exterior to the interior, and from the interior to the exterior.
After listening for more than twenty minutes, Xing Baohua finally explained the purpose of Boss Cao's visit.
The quality and specifications of the exterior glass need to be discussed between Mr. Cao and the designer. How to meet the other party's standards depends on Mr. Cao's craftsmanship.
Of course, Xing Baohua was the client after all, and Safdi had to give him face by introducing the supplier. Besides, he was just an auditor, not the general contractor of the construction team.
The data needed for the glass design was easy to obtain, and then Mr. Cao had to go back and make samples according to the design standards.
This building alone, with its exterior glass, must cost several hundred million. This is a big deal, and Boss Cao can't afford to be careless. He assured Xing Baohua, "Boss Xing, you can rest assured about the quality. It will never disgrace our countrymen."
“Okay, I trust Mr. Cao with his work. If anything comes up, please keep in touch with the designer.” Xing Baohua said, then left.
Fang Yi, Xing Baohua's assistant, came out to see him off. She noticed Xing Baohua standing at the door, looking in the direction of the University of Hong Kong.
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