Chapter 36
"You shouldn't have called him Manager Xu right away, even though he looked like that." Somehow, Zheng Juyong suddenly recalled Guan Ying's words, and when shaking hands with him, he changed his address to "Mr. Xu, nice to meet you."
Manager Xu's expression changed, and he smiled happily: "Ahaha, I don't deserve that. Just call me Old Xu!"
Zheng Juyong also laughed along, pretending to be unaware of his actions behind his back, and said warmly, "Haha, then little Zheng is overstepping his bounds, Brother Xu."
Li Gong watched from the side and thought: This second-generation rich man looks like a dandy young man who has never done any housework, but he is unexpectedly worldly-wise and smooth in dealing with people. Little did he know that this was a lesson learned by Zheng Juyong after the loss he suffered in Dubai.
"Oh, look at your suitcase. What's the hurry to leave? You're leaving right after we just met. I, Old Xu, will be very dissatisfied, hahaha!" Manager Xu wanted to keep him and also wanted to find out where he was going.
"Haha, to be honest, Brother Xu, my girlfriend and I have been having a fight lately, so I have to take advantage of the weekend to go to Guangzhou to accompany her." The other party did it but refused to admit it. It was probably the same as Mr. Chen from Fenghua, who regarded himself as an inexperienced playboy. Zheng Juyong was anxious to find an excuse to get away, so he just became a rich fool.
Li Gong looked at Zheng Juyong suspiciously.
"Oh~ Girlfriend is the most important! Manager Guan, the same goes. When did you go to Guangzhou? That's the territory of our Southern Steel. You've come to our territory, why didn't you say hello to me, Old Xu?" Manager Xu not only misunderstood the relationship between Guan Ying and Zheng Juyong, but also had something else to say.
"Oh...hi...she's not...she didn't go to Guangzhou...hehe." As for who his girlfriend was, Zheng Juyong was concerned about Qiao Qi's identity and it was inconvenient for him to tell others. He just made a few vague excuses, his tone was a little embarrassed, and he spoke incoherently.
Zheng Juyong's hesitant look made it seem like he had said something wrong and was in a hurry to cover it up.
Manager Xu's heart began to beat fast. From the moment he'd met Xiao Zheng at the Dubai Port, he'd seen him as a vain, pretentious idiot. His girlfriend, Guan Ying, was the real mastermind behind the scenes. The Fenghua project's technical team was currently dispatching personnel to Guangzhou Nanfang Steel for an on-site inspection. Next week would be the crucial internal review and finalization stage. Xicheng Steel, barging in now with such a slim chance of success, couldn't possibly have sent a idiot like him? Could it be that Guan Ying was playing a trick? Using this idiot to distract him while Guan Ying was hustling over the Guangzhou inspection team? Oh no! The way he was stumbling over his words, it must be the case!
"I still remember the friendship we had with that batch of goods last time, and I still owe Manager Guan a meal! It's rare for us to meet in China, it's a great fate. How can I, Old Xu, just sit by and watch you two having a quarrel? I have to play the role of a good host! So, Boss Zheng, you wait here for me, I'll be down soon, and we'll go back to Guangzhou together!" Manager Xu was very enthusiastic, grabbed Zheng Juyong's hand, and invited him earnestly, not allowing him to be refused.
Without even giving Zheng Juyong time to react, Manager Xu turned and ran away, not even waiting for the elevator, and went straight to the escalator.
Engineer Li was in a dilemma: "This...this guy is really pestering us. What should we do? Is he really going to Guangzhou?"
Zheng Juyong's mind raced. "Engineer Li, didn't you say that a Fenghua technical team has already been in Guangzhou to inspect Southern Steel?"
Engineer Li: "Yes, but the final decision was to return to Shenzhen. For such a high-cost technical project, we also need to comprehensively evaluate the strength of local policies and the financial credit of both parties. We currently only have some advantages in this area."
Zheng Juyong: "In other words, if we only magnify these advantages, we can try to get Fenghua to send people to Jingxi for an inspection. Then we'll have a chance of winning the comprehensive assessment."
Engineer Li: "Yes, this time we come here, as long as we can enter the project cooperation candidate pool, there will be a chance to turn things around."
Zheng Juyong made up his mind. "Mr. Li, you're an expert on local policies, and you're persuasive enough here. As for the finances, our budget is strong enough to demonstrate our sincerity. I'll leave it to you. I'll go to Guangzhou with him!"
"Huh?" Although Engineer Li had not expected that he could be of any help on this trip, it was too inappropriate for him to think so. He could not even imagine what would happen to the West City Steel Plant if it was handed over to him one day.
Zheng Juyong urged, "Engineer Li, go find Engineer Chen first. We'll keep in touch!"
Mr. Li left with his briefcase, happy not to be traveling with this second-generation rich guy.
Manager Xu quickly packed up and came downstairs, settled the room fee, and turned around to ask him, "Where's your colleague?"
Zheng Juyong said frankly: "Oh, he is not my colleague, he is a third party. It's the weekend, so he won't accompany me and has returned to Jingxi."
Manager Xu nodded. It was consistent with the information he had gathered in advance. He thought the focus was indeed in Guangzhou. "Is that so? That's right. It's the weekend, so there's no need to follow us around."
......
That night, at the Guangzhou Tower, Manager Xu hosted a banquet for Zheng Juyong and Guan Ying.
Manager Xu sat across from them, clearly prioritizing his relationship with Guan Ying. He feigned anger and said, "Manager Guan, you're being disrespectful. You look down on me, Old Xu, don't you?"
Guan Ying poured himself a glass of white wine: "Boss Xu, I'm just a junior, I'm really sorry to disturb you, and I didn't expect that you would rush back from Shenzhen just for our matter. This makes me even more embarrassed! I won't say anything more, I'll drink a glass myself to apologize to you!" As he said that, he drank two taels of white wine in one gulp.
"Hey, Manager Guan, you are so generous. I have admired you since I was in Dubai for your ability at such a young age. It is really rare. If my daughter can be as successful as you in the future, I will be blessed!" Manager Xu raised himself up in a few words, and it was obvious that he was resentful and wary in his heart.
Guan Ying had no choice but to pour himself another glass: "Boss Xu, since you think highly of me, I will also call you Brother Xu. This glass of wine is to thank you for trusting me so much last time in Dubai!" He drank another two taels of white wine.
Manager Xu lowered his head and picked up a piece of Fuqi Feipian: "Okay! I, Old Xu, am ten years older than you. I won't be polite today, Xiao Guan, Xiao Zheng, hahahaha!" When they arrived in Guangzhou, Manager Xu took the opportunity to act like a host. They were just two young people, and he didn't believe that he couldn't suppress them.
"Speaking of that batch of goods, you really don't have to thank me! I know that you, Xiao Guan, must have a way to make a profit with the cargo damage rate, and it is no problem to make a small profit of one or two hundred thousand. But didn't I tell you long ago that those are your resources, Xiao Guan, and I, Old Xu, recognize your ability! If it weren't for you, Xiao Guan, I wouldn't know how much I would have lost. We are all businessmen, and we can calculate this account!" Manager Xu looked up at Guan Ying at this time, and said that there was no need to thank him, but in fact every word he said revealed his gratitude and indifference.
After hearing what he said, Guan Ying knew that he was still not satisfied, so she poured him another glass of wine.
Manager Xu stared at her wine glass and smiled. "Ultimately, it's that old man Sabur who's dishonest! You see, we're all Chinese. Steel exports have been tough in recent years. We can't be fighting among ourselves. We should all be united and help each other! Xiaoguan, isn't that right?"
"Yes, you are right. We should not fight against each other. Brother Xu has a big vision. We youngsters have not done enough. Please give us more guidance in the future!" Guan Ying lowered the mouth of the glass and gently touched the rim of Manager Xu's glass. "I'll drink it first, you can do whatever you want." He drank it all in one gulp!
Zheng Juyong was standing by, watching her down three glasses of liquor. He felt a little worried. He picked up a piece of dried pork and cucumber slices, dipped them in sesame sauce, and put them in her bowl: "Don't just drink, eat something too."
Manager Xu waited until she had drunk three glasses of wine before picking up the glass and taking a sip of half of it.
Guan Ying knew that he was satisfied, so she felt at ease to eat something.
"What advice can I give you? There are tariffs, anti-dumping, carbon labels, and rising iron ore prices... It's obvious that this business is impossible to do. A pound of steel can't be sold at a bargain price. We lose money on every pound we sell! Alas, the local authorities blame us for polluting the environment. They want us to clean up here and stop and modify there. We are all in the same industry. Tell me, if the blast furnace stops, how many people's jobs will be lost? We have responsibilities on our shoulders. Can we just stop it? Modifications require money. Borrow money! But once the bank opens the floodgates, how many people will be counting on you? Well, the responsibility is even greater. We can't stop even if we want to. We can only move forward with debt... Alas, in the future, it still depends on you young people." Manager Xu began to complain. He was not very old, but when he said this, he was no different from the sixty-year-old Old Zheng and Old Guan.
Generally speaking, this is a common dilemma faced by private steel companies, and everyone is no different.
Zheng Juyong listened and said, "Brother Xu, wouldn't it be better if the bank injected funds into the company? Why would we continue to go into debt?"
Manager Xu laughed at his naiveté and didn't bother explaining any more. He changed his mind and said, "Well, let's not talk about these annoying things. Today is Saturday, let's just have a happy meal! By the way, why are you two quarreling? Xiao Guan is such a good girl. It's a blessing for you, Xiao Zheng, to be with her!"
When it comes to the part that Zheng Juyong finds difficult to explain, he can only laugh it off: "Yes, it's my blessing..."
"Come on, why don't you give Xiaoguan a drink as compensation!" Manager Xu tried to mediate.
Zheng Juyong had no choice but to pick up the wine glass and apologize to Guan Ying, then drink the wine. However, he really couldn't drink much, and his face turned red after one glass.
Seeing that he couldn't hold his liquor, Manager Xu got even more excited and urged him to have another drink: "Tsk, Xiao Guan didn't say anything, which means you're not sincere enough. Another drink!"
Guan Ying couldn't continue acting, but she couldn't stand watching him get drunk, so she quickly said, "Forget it, for Brother Xu's sake, I'll let you go this time."
They seem like a pair of little enemies.
Manager Xu was so amused that he refused to let it go: "Brother Zheng, I have to teach you this. Women always say one thing and mean another. If she says you don't have to drink, you have to drink!"
Zheng Juyong couldn't bear it anymore and had to drink again.
This went on and on until Manager Xu got Zheng Juyong drunk!
Before the party ended, Manager Xu put his arm around Zheng Juyong's shoulders, as close as a brother, and said with a smile: "If you don't enjoy yourself tonight, little Zheng, you need to practice your drinking tolerance. Let's continue drinking tomorrow!"
Zheng Juyong was drunk and confused: "I need to practice... Brother Xu, tomorrow, let's drink more tomorrow!"
Late at night, Manager Xu's driver took the two to the hotel and then took Manager Xu away.
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