Chapter 10 (Part 1)
Wei Chi's assistant brought Cheng Zhao and Yu Huan into his office. Wei Chi was busy at his computer when the door opened and people came in, but he didn't even look up. "Boss Wei, Boss Cheng and the others are here." Wei Chi finally turned his head and nodded modestly. "Are you here? Sit down. Give me two minutes." Cheng Zhao looked at him like he was just putting on an act, but after all, he was the client! "It's okay, Boss Wei, take your time. We're not in a hurry." Cheng Zhao smiled and invited Yu Huan to sit on the sofa. The assistant asked what they would like to drink. Yu Huan shook his head, and Cheng Zhao said, "Coffee, please. I'll wake me up." The three of them sat in the office in silence, the atmosphere somewhat eerie. Yu Huan took out his phone and looked at Cheng Zhao. Cheng Zhao looked around with an amused expression, as if he was determined to accompany them to the end. Yu Huan hesitated and put the phone back. Coffee arrived, two cups. The assistant held them in front of the two men one by one, and Yu Huan hurriedly thanked him. With coffee in hand, at least there was something to do. The assistant left. Cheng Zhao was blowing his coffee with his head down. Wei Chi tapped the keyboard vigorously and said in an excited voice, "Alright!" Cheng Zhao quickly put down his cup and stood up with Wei Chi. Wei Chi walked over to shake hands with the two men and sat down on the sofa opposite. His smile was indifferent and his attitude was reserved, completely different from usual. Cheng Zhao naturally judged the situation and could no longer be on a friendly terms with the other party. "Mr. Wei, you have been very busy lately, right? Manager Yu has tried to make appointments with you several times but failed." "Yes, I'm busy. I'm working overtime every day. It's all about the bidding." "The qualification review should be almost done, right?" "Yes, the results will be out this week." Cheng Zhao quickly leaned forward and said sincerely, "I don't want to ask anything, but I heard yesterday that Huashi's bid was rejected. If there is anything we need to pay attention to, can Mr. Wei give us..." Wei Chi raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile on his lips, glanced at Cheng Zhao, and then at Yu Huan. That expression made Cheng Zhao think that this man really deserved a beating. "How about we talk for a few minutes alone?" Cheng Zhao understood, turned around and pouted at Yu Huan, who quickly stood up and walked out. After the door closed, Cheng Zhao stared at Wei Chi eagerly, waiting for his instructions. Wei Chi's face was completely devoid of any smile, and it was cold enough to freeze. "For the sake of our past friendship, I'm giving you a clear explanation. Forget about this project. You won't be part of it." The smile on Cheng Zhao's face slowly froze. "Why?" "Why?" Wei Chi sneered. "Shouldn't you explain it to me?" "Boss Wei, you've got me confused." Cheng Zhao spread his hands. Wei Chi pointed to his healed...
Wei Chi's assistant brought Cheng Zhao and Yu Huan into his office. Wei Chi was busy in front of the computer. He didn't even raise his head when the door opened and people came in.
"Boss Wei, Boss Cheng and the others are here."
Wei Chi then reluctantly turned his head and nodded reservedly, "Are you here? Sit down first. Wait for me for two minutes."
No matter how Cheng Zhao looked at him, he seemed to be pretending, but who made him the Party A?
"It's okay, Mr. Wei, take your time, we're not in a hurry."
Cheng Zhao smiled and asked Yu Huan to sit on the sofa. The assistant asked what they wanted to drink.
Yu Huan shook his head, and Cheng Zhao said, "Give me a cup of coffee. I'll wake myself up."
The three of them sat in the office without saying a word. The atmosphere was a bit weird. Yu Huan took out his cell phone and looked at Cheng Zhao. Cheng Zhao looked around with a rather amused expression, as if he was determined to accompany him to the end. Yu Huan hesitated and put the phone back.
The coffee arrived, two cups, and the assistant placed them in front of the two men, one by one. Yu Huan hurriedly thanked them. With coffee in hand, at least he had something to do.
The assistant left, and Cheng Zhao was blowing his coffee with his head down. Wei Chi tapped the keyboard hard, his voice excited, "Alright!"
Cheng Zhao quickly put down the cup and stood up with Wei Chi.
Wei Chi walked over and shook hands with the two men, then sat down on the sofa opposite. His smile was indifferent and his attitude was reserved, completely different from his usual self.
Cheng Zhao naturally judged the situation and decided not to be on friendly terms with the other party.
"Mr. Wei, have you been very busy lately? Manager Yu has tried to schedule an appointment with you several times but failed."
"Yes, I'm busy. I work overtime every day, and it's all because of the bidding."
"The qualification review should be almost done, right?"
"Well, the results will definitely be out this week."
Cheng Zhao leaned forward and said sincerely, "I'm not asking for advice, but I heard yesterday that Huashi's bid was rejected. If there's anything I need to pay attention to, could Mr. Wei tell us..."
Wei Chi raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile on his lips, glanced at Cheng Zhao, then glanced at Yu Huan. That expression made Cheng Zhao feel that this man really deserved a beating.
"How about we talk for a while alone?"
Cheng Zhao understood, turned around and pouted at Yu Huan, who quickly stood up and walked out.
After the door closed, Cheng Zhao stared at Wei Chi, waiting for his instructions.
All the smiles on Wei Chi's face disappeared, and he felt so cold that he could freeze.
"For the sake of our past friendship, I'm telling you this: forget about this project. You won't be part of it."
The smile on Cheng Zhao's face slowly froze.
"Why?"
"Why?" Wei Chi sneered, "Shouldn't you explain it to me?"
"Mr. Wei, you have confused me." Cheng Zhao spread his hands.
Wei Chi pointed to his healed calf and said, "I know it was you. You did this to me."
Cheng Zhao smiled, "Where should I start?"
"I've come back to this forum many times, and it couldn't be anyone else except you."
"Didn't I explain to you already? This is a last-minute car, and I don't know the driver..."
"Hmph! Stop it!"
"Besides, the driver didn't do anything to you! He said you were drunk and insisted on getting off the car, and then you ran around after getting off... If he really wanted to hurt you, why would the driver take you to the hospital?"
Wei Chi remained silent with a stern face, showing an uncompromising expression.
Cheng Zhao said kindly, "Boss Wei, I understand that drunk people tend to misremember things, but mixing the bidding process with this matter is a bit strange. What do you think?"
"I have a very good intuition. Tell me first, was it you who arranged this?"
Cheng Zhao was helpless, "You're going to bite me to death? Can you believe me if I say it's not true?"
"You can't fool me!"
"Okay, okay! For the sake of business, I'll take the blame."
"Since you've taken the blame, I can't discuss this business with you."
Cheng Zhao laughed, "Oh, you were blackmailing me just now!"
"Why are you trying to hurt me?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You just admitted it yourself."
Cheng Zhao rubbed his face hard with his hands, then spread his hands out to indicate that he had nothing to say.
Wei Chi suddenly said, "Do you think you're fucking worth it?"
Cheng Zhao was stunned. "What?"
"Gan Ling! You attacked me just to vent your anger on her!"
Cheng Zhao said nothing.
Wei Chi showed a smug look on his face. "You've known her since childhood. I strongly suspect that you're interested in her, so I said a few unpleasant words to you that day, and you felt unhappy. So, what do you think? My reasoning ability is not bad, right? What I don't understand is that you would actually risk your business for a woman..."
"A woman? She's your ex-wife."
Wei Chi laughed, "Just a woman I abandoned."
Cheng Zhao lowered his head for a while before looking it up again. "If it was really me who did it last time, guess what I'm thinking now?"
Wei Chi smiled provocatively and waited for him.
Cheng Zhao narrowed his eyes, half smiling, "You were too gentle."
Wei Chi laughed loudly, his smile exaggerated, yet not without malice, "I'm waiting for you to give me a hard time. If there really is a next time, I won't let it go so easily."
Cheng Zhao chuckled, stood up, walked over to Wei Chi and patted his shoulder vigorously. Wei Chi moved aside with some disgust.
"Boss Wei, I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously! But—" He lowered his head and leaned close to Wei Chi's ear, "You are such a fucking bastard!"
Wei Chi smiled frivolously, very satisfied, "Mr. Cheng, if there is a chance for cooperation next time, I hope you won't be so lustful again - I won't see you off, goodbye!"
When Cheng Zhao went out, he deliberately slammed the office door, attracting several pairs of onlookers. His mysterious smile made people puzzled and confused.
Yu Huan was pacing back and forth at the corner of the corridor. Seeing Cheng Zhao coming out, he hurried over to him and asked, "How's it going?"
Cheng Zhao gritted his teeth and whispered in a low voice, "I regret it! I should have crippled him that day!"
In the car, Yu Huan's face turned pale when he learned of Wei Chi's attitude.
"What should we do then? We've been running around for two months, and it was all for nothing?"
"Drive carefully, why are you panicking?" Cheng Zhao flicked the ash off his shirt. "I'll find a way."
Yu Huan felt relieved when he heard this, "Brother Cheng, then I'll take you to Xiaoxi Lane, okay?"
They had come to see Wei Chi at five in the evening. They had originally planned to treat him to dinner, but that was no longer possible. The evening was free. Cheng Zhao would have gone to the bookstore whenever he had a free moment. But Gan Ling's attitude that night made him feel irritated.
"Why are you going to Xiaoxi Lane?" he asked angrily.
Yu Huan scratched his head, "Isn't it to go to the book..."
Seeing the boss's grim expression, he stopped talking in time, "Then where should I take you?"
"Go back to the company! There's still work to do!"
Dinner was a fast-food meal at the company. To remedy the situation, Cheng Zhao made a few phone calls, obtained some updated information, cross-analyzed it, identified key points, reorganized it, and fed it back to key individuals. His remedial work was now mostly complete.
Yu Huan, who had been accompanying him the entire time, understood his boss' plan. Seeing that the ball could be saved again, he was overjoyed and kept praising Cheng Zhao, "Brother Cheng, you're amazing! If this were a war, wouldn't you be a perfect military strategist!"
Cheng Zhao glanced at him and asked, "Do you think it's simple?"
"Your arrangement seems quite simple, but it shouldn't be... that simple, right?"
Cheng Zhao smiled, "Learn this and always remember, before the market opens, don't trust Party A's promises easily, and don't put all your eggs in one basket!"
There were only the two of them left in the office. Yu Huan turned off the lights and came over to wait for Cheng Zhao to leave together.
"Do you want me to take you there, Brother Cheng?"
"Need not."
"Then I'm back!"
"Um."
The two of them walked to the elevator together. It was late, and the sky was completely dark. Although there were lights in the corridor, they were not bright enough, and it seemed dark and desolate. Cheng Zhao suddenly felt lonely.
"Yu Huan, is there anything wrong when you go back?"
"Nothing much, just play some games, then take a shower and go to bed!"
"Then don't go back yet, come with me for a drink!"
Cheng Zhao took Yu Huan to a bar called Yikeshu, located in the city's western commercial district. It wasn't a particularly impressive bar, perhaps a bit quieter than other bars before nine o'clock, but once ten o'clock rolled around and the DJ took the stage, it was just as raucous.
The bar's interior walls were deliberately mottled and weathered. In an inconspicuous corner, a poem was projected onto the wall, its verses scrolling endlessly. Two years ago, when Cheng Zhao first walked in, he sat across from the "poem" wall and read the entire poem alone.
A Flowering Tree - Xi Murong
How do I make you meet me
In my most beautiful moment
For this
I have prayed to the Buddha for five hundred years.
Ask it to let us have a relationship
The Buddha then transformed me into a tree
Growing by the road you must pass
Carefully blooming flowers under the sun
Every flower is my hope in my previous life
When you get closer, please listen carefully
The trembling leaves are the passion of my waiting
And when you finally walked by without paying any attention
Falling behind you
My friend, those are not petals.
It's my withered heart
Cheng Zhao was not a poetic man, but something in this poem touched him. Perhaps it was the strong sense of loss that struck his heart and caused a strong resonance.
He came a few more times later, always alone and always with a touch of disappointment. After resuming his relationship with Gan Ling, he considered bringing her here to read the poem, or perhaps even reading it to her himself. However, he didn't do either; he couldn't, feeling it would be pretentious.
They arrived early tonight, so the bar wasn't crowded yet. But Cheng Zhao's favorite seat was already taken. He took Yu Huan to sit directly under the poetry wall. They could still read the poems by looking up, but it was a bit difficult and dazzling.
Yu Huan didn't notice the poem at all, and Cheng Zhao didn't look up either. He didn't feel particularly lost today, but more annoyed.
The drink menu listed a long list of drink names, most of which were in foreign languages and you had no idea what they were.
Cheng Zhao pushed the order to Yu Huan, "Whatever you want to drink, just order."
Yu Huan pushed it back to him, "Brother Cheng, you order. I'll drink whatever you order."
Cheng Zhao ordered a few random dishes: a martini, a gin and tonic, a screwdriver, and a salt dog. He also ordered some snacks. Looking around, he saw mostly couples, their eyes locked, some gazing at each other with affection, some laughing. Only at their table were two men, neither looking at the other, one bored and the other uneasy.
There wasn't much to talk about; all the serious business had been discussed in the office. But sitting there in silence was awkward. Yu Huan racked his brains for topics, but the conversation kept revolving around company matters.
Yu Huan was hired after Cheng Zhao's company got on track. He was different from his buddies in the early days of the company. The biggest difference was his attitude towards Cheng Zhao. Although he also followed the crowd and called him "Brother Cheng", he didn't dare to be as casual as others.
Yu Huan, however, was a very good drinker. He drank a few glasses without blushing or fluttering. However, he became more and more talkative, no longer sticking to the main topic, and began to talk about his family troubles, such as the conflicts between his mother and relatives. Cheng Zhao followed his talk, just filling in the blanks, nodding when his eyes met Yu Huan's to show that he was listening.
However, after spending nearly an hour like this, the emptiness in my heart did not heal, but became bigger and lonelier.
Yu Huan's phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up and saw someone in the WeChat group had sent him a long string of messages. He frowned slightly, looking very embarrassed.
"What's wrong?" Cheng Zhao asked.
"Ahem, a gaming group is urging me to come online!" Yu Huan said embarrassedly, "We agreed to start at 9:30. Now we're short of one person."
Cheng Zhao looked at his watch. It was exactly half past nine.
"You want to go back?"
"Uh, if Brother Cheng, you're alright..."
Cheng Zhao waved his hand and said, "Go!"
"What about you?"
"I'll wait a moment."
"Let me find you a designated driver!"
"No, I can find it myself."
Yu Huan hesitated for a moment, but obviously didn't want to waste any more time. He stood up and said, "Brother Cheng, be careful. Call me if you have any problems."
Cheng Zhao laughed: "Calling you? Are you willing to drop your game to pick me up? Fine! Go play your own game!"
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