Chapter 98 That seemingly mild scene just now…
Chapter 98
Late at night, most offices in the office building were dark, with only a few lights still on. On the floor where Zhang Luyuan was located, apart from his office, the rest of the place was silent.
His silhouette was reflected on the floor-to-ceiling glass, blurring and overlapping with the city lights in the distance. Those lights were densely packed, including the warm yellow light from residential buildings, the colorful neon lights of shop signs, and the cold white light from streetlights, all mixed together.
Zhang Luyuan loosened his tie, as if to throw away the day's fatigue along with it. On the computer screen, a detailed document filled the entire screen, clearly showing his profile.
His eyes were somewhat deep, occasionally flashing with something that quickly disappeared. His gaze moved across the contract line by line, pausing when he saw a particular schedule, his brow furrowing slightly before continuing to read.
Finally, he picked up his phone. The moment the screen lit up, he squinted, then dialed a number.
"Check the data again," the words were particularly clear in the quiet office. "Partners, cash flow, check them one by one."
He put down his phone and leaned back, but his shoulders were still a little tense. His gaze returned to the screen, and after a while, he looked up at the night outside the window.
The city is still awake, with lights everywhere, but from this height, everything looks far away and small.
"Whether it's work or life, there are always gaps," he said, his voice low, as if he were talking to someone, or perhaps talking to himself.
After a few seconds' pause, he said again, "The wave hasn't come yet."
The lights outside the window continued to flicker silently, like the city's ceaseless breathing.
The rain had just stopped early in the morning, and the air was still damp and cool. Xia Zhiyao was the first to arrive at the Heyi headquarters building, followed by her assistant Lin Qianfan and several managers in charge of the project. Everyone looked quite serious.
“Use yesterday’s latest version of PPT,” she said, opening her laptop. “Let’s test it on the projector.” Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the mouse, a habitual gesture when she was nervous.
Zhang Luyuan also walked in with his team. Zhang Luyuan walked in first, and the two men's eyes met briefly in the air, as if they were testing each other.
Xia Zhiyao simply nodded slightly, then turned back to look at the projection screen. Zhang Luyuan didn't say much either, raising his hand to signal his assistant to hand the prepared materials to the client's representative. He wore a standard business smile, but his eyes were cold.
The person in charge of Party A, surnamed Li, was in his fifties and sat at the head of the long table. He cleared his throat and said, "Thank you all for your hard work. You've come so early." His voice carried the tone typical of officialdom. "Today, we're mainly looking at the planning proposals from both companies for this clean energy demonstration zone project. We'll focus on cost control, feasibility analysis, and risk management."
The conference room lights dimmed, the projector emitted a slight hum, and then the screen lit up.
Xia Zhiyao stood up and walked to the projection screen. Her voice was steady and her rhythm was excellent: "Our team conducted three months of field research and data analysis..."
As she flipped through the slides, the data charts and graphs were detailed and beautifully presented. Her explanations were thorough, with every number supported by evidence and every conclusion logically grounded.
Zhang Luyuan sat opposite him, leaning slightly forward, seemingly listening attentively. Occasionally, he would turn his head and whisper a few words to his assistant beside him, his voice so low that others could not hear him.
When Xia Zhiyao talked about the cash flow nodes, mentioning installment payments and risk reserves, Zhang Luyuan's eyelids lifted slightly, as if he had grasped some key point.
Xia Zhiyao's presentation lasted for more than twenty minutes. The last page was a project summary and expected benefits. She put down the laser pointer and returned to her seat.
"Thank you for the excellent presentation, Mr. Xia's team." Mr. Li, the person in charge of the client, nodded with a smile, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The data is very detailed, and the plan is very comprehensive. Now let's take a look at Heyi Company's plan."
The meeting room was quiet for a few seconds. Zhang Luyuan tidied up the documents, stood up, and moved slowly, as if he was giving himself time to think.
"Distinguished leaders," he began, his voice unhurried, "our team's approach to this project can be said to complement Mr. Xia's proposal very well."
He didn't rush to flip through the PPT, but first talked about his understanding of local policies. He spoke fluently about the clauses, subsidy details, and approval procedures, as if reciting a text, but not in a rote manner.
“According to the latest clean energy support policy, we expect to receive special funds in the first phase,” he said, glancing at Xia Zhiyao’s side. “This figure is 15% higher than the usual budget.”
Sitting next to her, assistant Lin Qianfan unconsciously took a breath. She understood that this was an implication that the figures Xia Zhiyao had just reported were too conservative.
Xia Zhiyao appeared calm, her hands clasped tightly together again as she pressed her knuckles one by one. Zhang Luyuan continued his explanation, occasionally glancing up at her.
His PPT was also very well-made, but the style was completely different from Xia Zhiyao's. She used a calm blue tone, while he used a more aggressive orange-red. The data charts were more intuitive and the contrasts were more obvious.
"Regarding cash flow control," Zhang Luyuan turned to page seven, "we designed a three-tiered risk control mechanism, with each tier having an independent monitoring node."
After saying this, his gaze swept over Xia Zhiyao again. She had mentioned two levels of risk control in her report, which he now subtly compared to her.
The senior executives from Party A began flipping through documents, occasionally whispering to each other in hushed tones, but their words could still be faintly heard in the quiet meeting room.
Xia Zhiyao's gaze fell on the water glass in front of her. She could feel that her colleagues behind her were very nervous. Some of them were shifting their positions slightly, and the leather of the chairs made a very soft rubbing sound.
After Zhang Luyuan finished his report, he returned to his seat. He looked very relaxed, leaning back in his chair, his long fingers tapping lightly on the table, but his eyes remained sharp.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat heavy. Everyone was waiting for the client's response. General Manager Li closed the thick proposal and then slowly glanced at the teams on both sides of the long table.
“The proposals are all very good,” Mr. Li stood up. “We need to discuss them internally, for about half an hour.” He looked at the other executives: “Let’s go to the next conference room.”
The leaders from Party A left one after another, leaving only the two teams in the large conference room. Xia Zhiyao's colleagues behind her looked at each other, and someone whispered, "President Xia, would you like to take a break?"
Xia Zhiyao shook her head: "Let's wait here."
Zhang Luyuan's side didn't move either. The four people remained seated in their original positions. The meeting room was awkwardly quiet, with the two groups sitting across the long table from each other, as if they were engaged in some kind of silent standoff.
Xia Zhiyao finally raised her head, her gaze passing over the table and meeting Zhang Luyuan's eyes. Neither of them spoke, but there seemed to be something moving in the air.
About half an hour later, the conference room door was pushed open again, and General Manager Li strode in, followed by several senior executives.
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting." President Li sat down in the main seat and looked around the conference room. "I just had a discussion with the board of directors."
Both teams sat up straight, and Xia Zhiyao and Zhang Luyuan also withdrew their gazes from each other.
Mr. Li cleared his throat: "After comprehensive consideration, we believe that both proposals are very valuable. Tianxing's technical architecture is indeed more advanced and has advantages in long-term development; Heyi's market strategy is also very effective and its grasp of user needs is very accurate."
“However,” Mr. Li paused, “considering the overall strategic positioning of the project, we have decided to adopt Tianxing’s overall solution framework.”
A hint of smugness flashed across the faces of Zhang Luyuan's team, while Xia Zhiyao's team looked somewhat disappointed.
“However,” Mr. Li changed the subject, “we hope that Heyi will take the lead in the specific execution of the project. Mr. Xia, your team has more experience in project management and marketing, and we believe that you can better implement Tianxing’s technical solution.”
This result surprised everyone present. Xia Zhiyao paused for a moment, then nodded: "Understood, President Li."
Zhang Luyuan's expression became complicated, showing both satisfaction at having his proposal adopted and resentment at losing control. He could only smile slightly, a very standard business smile, but something was flashing in his eyes.
He leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on the table: "Since the client has such an overall plan, we will of course fully cooperate." He paused for a moment, "but for better coordination, Tianxing may need to provide a detailed implementation framework within a week, broken down to the quarter, specific cities, and each budget item, so that we can allocate resources accordingly."
Xia Zhiyao looked up at him, her tone still steady: "This part involves coordination and communication between various departments and systems, so we may need to allow some time."
“Of course I understand,” Zhang Luyuan nodded, a slight smile curving his lips as if making a concession. “Then let’s make it two weeks. However, it would be best to provide a basic draft by tomorrow, so that we can make resource matching and personnel arrangements in advance.”
The words were spoken gently, but Xia Zhiyao understood their meaning. It was almost impossible to create a prototype in a day, but if they couldn't, it would leave the other party with the impression that they weren't cooperative enough.
Mr. Li nodded: "This arrangement is reasonable and will help us control the entire project."
Xia Zhiyao lowered her head. The feeling of being used by others in the business world was familiar, but it still made her uncomfortable every time she encountered it. The words were all very peaceful, but behind each sentence was a test and a game of strategy.
Xia Zhiyao raised her head and met Zhang Luyuan's gaze. There was a familiar look in his eyes—a look of confidence mixed with a hint of provocation.
“Providing the prototype tomorrow is no problem.” Xia Zhiyao’s voice was calm. “However, since this is a collaboration, I think transparency is very important. Mr. Zhang, could you send us your technical documents and core parameters tonight? That way we can ensure the prototype is on the right track.”
Zhang Luyuan's smile paused slightly.
“In addition,” Xia Zhiyao continued, “since we need to match resources, we also need to understand the scale of manpower and technical support that Tianxing is prepared to invest, so that we can formulate a reasonable project schedule.”
Mr. Li watched the exchange between the two with great interest: "This request is very reasonable, Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Luyuan was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "Of course. However, our core technology involves some confidentiality agreements, so we may need to sign the relevant confidentiality documents first."
"I understand." Xia Zhiyao nodded. "Then please send the confidentiality agreement tonight. We'll process it overnight, since time is tight, isn't it?"
Her tone remained gentle, but every word reminded everyone present: the time pressure you put on me, I can put it back on you in the same way.
After the meeting, Xia Zhiyao closed her laptop slowly. She took a deep breath, letting her tense shoulders relax. Her gaze inadvertently fell on her reflection in the glass wall. Her brows showed unconcealed fatigue, but her eyes remained clear and firm.
She knew very well that the seemingly mild exchange just now was merely the prelude to a much larger game.
On the other side, Zhang Luyuan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to make a phone call. As the sun set, the city's silhouette was cast as a blurry shadow on the glass.
As the others in the conference room gradually left, Zhang Luyuan put away his phone, turned around and leaned against the conference table, his posture casual yet exuding an aura: "If you have any plans for tonight, please postpone them. A few partners from the investment and financing department are going back to Beijing and have arranged a dinner."
Xia Zhiyao raised her head, her brows furrowing slightly: "So last minute?" Her tone carried a hint of weariness and doubt.
“He just contacted me.” Zhang Luyuan’s lips curled up slightly, making it seem as if he had expected this question. “He said he wanted to know about Tianxing’s technical support for this project, and also wanted to hear about Tianxing’s execution strategy. You are the project leader, so if you are absent…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
Xia Zhiyao knew very well that if it were just an ordinary client invitation, she could easily find an excuse to decline. But when it came to investors, especially the key investors who were introduced through Hay Group, her absence was almost tantamount to voluntarily giving up her say.
Moreover, Zheng Xiaotian has been on a business trip in the United States recently, so she has to take care of these things as well. Xia Zhiyao picked up her phone and looked at her evening schedule, which was indeed blank. She could only agree: "Okay, send me the time and address."
A barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed in Zhang Luyuan's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a gentle smile: "We can go together, and we can also go over the key points we need to discuss tonight on the way."
Xia Zhiyao's gaze was clear and resolute: "That's not necessary, but I can drive there myself." Her refusal was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Zhang Luyuan gazed at her, a fleeting, unfathomable light flashing in his eyes before he regained his gentle, welcoming expression: "Alright, then we'll meet at the restaurant."
Xia Zhiyao lowered her head again and continued to meticulously organize the documents page by page, her movements even more focused than before, as if she wanted to build an invisible barrier between herself and him in this way.
The conference room lights slanted through the blinds, casting a soft glow on her profile. The interplay of light and shadow conveyed both the competence of a career woman and a poignant sense of loneliness.
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