Big Head said somewhat discontentedly, "What's there to talk about with him? Don't let it turn into a fight."
"You two eat here in peace, and don't go to the office, understand?" Lu Feng hurriedly disheveled his clothes, rubbed his hair and eyes, and asked, "Do I look haggard now?"
Han Dong nodded. Lu Feng had been drinking last night, and his eyes were bloodshot, making him look a bit haggard.
"All done!"
Lu Feng turned around and went straight to his office. He sat in his boss's chair, placed the ashtray in the middle, lit a few cigarettes and blew them into the room, leaving his folders in a mess.
It takes seven or eight minutes to walk from the door to Lu Feng's office. Ren Qianbo knocked on the door and then pushed it open. As soon as he opened the door, he was choked by the strong smell of smoke and covered his mouth.
"Cough cough cough!"
"Did you start a fire?"
Lu Feng lay half-reclined in the office chair, his eyes bloodshot, his clothes disheveled as if he hadn't slept all night, and the cigarette in his hand was still burning. He looked utterly dejected.
"President Ren, please come in and have a seat!" Lu Feng's voice was weak as he forced himself to sit up.
Ren Qianbo walked in, and seeing the scene, he was utterly shocked. He put his bag on the table and asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing much, I've just suddenly grown up." Lu Feng took a deep drag on his cigarette, which choked him and brought tears to his eyes. He said with a slightly melancholy tone, "People say that a man's growth begins with borrowing money, and I understand that now. Mr. Ren, I was arrogant last night, and I hope you'll forgive me."
Ren Qianbo originally intended to come and probe his background and make a few sarcastic remarks, but seeing him like this, he couldn't bear it. He was too young, with no relatives or friends to rely on, and had to start from scratch. He had also started his own business before, and he knew what that was like!
"It's no big deal. You're still young. It would be a miracle if you could get through this. Can't you find the money?"
“I used to think I was so great, that I looked down on everyone, and that I could change the world. But now I realize that I can’t influence anyone, or even change myself. My parents live in the countryside, and I don’t even have the ability to make their lives a little better.”
As Lu Feng spoke, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.
"I'm such a useless piece of trash. I wanted to give my wife and kids a better life and to live a decent life. I thought opening a factory was easy. I thought having a few hundred people under me, driving a car, carrying a bag, and I was a big boss!"
"Brother, don't say anymore, I understand!" Ren Qianbo bit his lip, grabbed Lu Feng's hand, and looked like he was opening his heart.
“President Ren, I was ignorant before and caused you trouble. Now I’m in this state. I only have a few thousand yuan left in my account and I can’t do anything. I used to think I could build a relationship with that Bank Manager Ma, but I overestimated myself. He doesn’t even look at me. As for President Huang, forget about him.”
Ren Qianbo nodded. These three people were okay at getting things done through connections, but as for money, forget about it.
"So what are your plans next?"
“Sigh…” Lu Feng sighed and said, “This factory is worth some money if it is sublet. The machines can be sold, the workers’ wages can be paid, and some money can be made. But it comes quickly and goes quickly. It’s all for nothing.”
"It's okay, keep trying. Life is full of ups and downs. When I was your age, I was still working in the village brigade." Ren Qianbo comforted him, "It's okay, really!"
It was quite a rare sight to see Ren Qianbo comforting Lu Feng. However, in Ren Qianbo's eyes, Lu Feng was already ruined. Since the two no longer had a direct conflict of interest, his words naturally softened. Moreover, the current Lu Feng reminded him of his former self.
"Brother Ren, I want to ask you for a favor."
"Tell me, and I'll agree to anything you say." Ren Qianbo spoke with the same magnanimity he would show when listening to Lu Feng's last words.
"I want to recoup some of the profits from the retail market. There's still some stock in the warehouse, so I'll try to make as much as I can. Once it's all sold out, I'll disband the business and minimize my losses," Lu Feng said sincerely.
Ren Qianbo thought for a moment, and realized that people's words are good when they are about to die. He had also suffered considerable losses during this period, and he was most happy to be able to stop the losses. He nodded and said, "Okay!"
"Thank you, brother, you're so kind!" Lu Feng choked up, buried his face in Ren Qianbo's arms, and burst into tears.
In other words, none of the three people—Ren Qianbo, Da Tou, Han Dong, and Gao Zhiwei—would believe what they were seeing. They had only ever seen a fox laugh, never cry!
Ren Qianbo walked out of the factory gate, looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and after getting into the car, he thought to himself that he hoped that many years later, when he looked back on this, he could smile and tell others about his hardships.
Whether Lu Feng will laugh as he recounts his hardships is unknown, but when Ren Qianbo gets old and thinks of Lu Feng, he will definitely curse him.
When General Manager Ren returned to the factory, the first thing he did was to inform Liu Biao that starting tomorrow, they would take back a portion of the profits from the retail market and not offer too much discount.
"President Ren, did you completely ruin that kid with your talk?" Liu Biao asked excitedly.
"Is there even a need for a talk? When I arrived, he was already mentally broken. I had a heart-to-heart talk with him, cried my eyes out, and now he just wants to cut his losses. He's not competitive anymore. I've been exhausted these past few days!"
"That tender grass dares to challenge you? He really doesn't know his own limitations." Liu Biao naturally gave him a good thrashing.
Ren Qianbo knew that the city's business community had been paying attention to him recently. Now he was going to release this news to tell everyone that no one, no matter how insignificant, could challenge his position in the children's food industry.
After making several phone calls, around three or four in the afternoon, the entire business community became agitated, with people constantly exchanging phone calls.
When General Manager Huang received this news, he was very surprised and initially found it hard to believe. However, the story was told in great detail that Lu Feng's factory's sales department had suspended operations today, which was certainly true.
Secretary Niu felt that President Huang valued Lu Feng too much, and said, "Under this kind of pressure, no one can do it. Market competition is all about money. I think this is a reliable idea."
General Manager Huang had always believed that Lu Feng was not a boastful person. After pondering his words from last night, he said in a deep voice, "Crocodile tears, Xiao Zhao will probably have to stay as the driver!"
Secretary Niu didn't understand, but President Huang already knew in his heart that the outcome was already decided, and it was only a matter of time. Ren Qianbo was not as ruthless as Lu Feng, so he was naturally eliminated.
Although he still didn't know how Lu Feng got the funds, judging from his state last night, it seemed like a sure thing. Once Ren Qianbo reduced his profits, Lu Feng would be unstoppable once he got the money.
Mr. Huang sighed. As an outsider, he was terrified watching this unfold. Sometimes he even found it amusing that Ren Qianbo, who was almost fifty, was so naive.
As evening fell, Lu Feng stood in the corridor, a gust of cold wind blowing in his face, giving him goosebumps. He touched his face and muttered, "It's really cold. Time flies. It's already late autumn before I knew it!"
Standing on the second-floor corridor, with a perfect view of the scenery outside the door, Lu Feng saw Gao Zhiwei return and his face was full of a satisfied smile.
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