"Mr. Su, our preliminary valuation is 450 million yuan, but I can't make the decision on such a large transaction. I'll have to ask the boss before we can decide."
After calculating the price, Liang Lianjun couldn't help feeling his heart pound with alarm.
He was astonished that Su Jie had somehow gotten his hands on such high-value timber.
Timber like this was only produced in Southeast Asia, where it was also under extremely strict protection. The amount that could be felled each year was regulated. Under normal circumstances, even seeing a single precious tree was difficult, let alone dozens of them all at once.
Su Jie, meanwhile, was calculating that once the money reached his hands, his recently drained pool of funds would immediately swell again. He would no longer have to fear the Thousand-Hand Centipede's enormous appetite.
"We still need to discuss the price. Go tell your boss first."
Su Jie nodded. This price was more or less within his psychological range.
Liang Lianjun's offer was quite sincere, but naturally, it would be even better if he could raise it a little.
Liang Lianjun soon stepped aside to make a call. Su Jie wasn't in a hurry either, and began calculating how he would spend the money once it arrived.
At its current stage, even if the Thousand-Hand Centipede stuffed itself to death, it still couldn't consume poisonous insects bought with several hundred million yuan.
About ten minutes later, Liang Lianjun returned.
His expression was somewhat unnatural now. When he saw Su Jie, he gave an awkward laugh and explained, "Mr. Su, I'm truly sorry. The boss says this shipment of yours is worth too much, and the company can't come up with that much working capital for the purchase right away. He hopes you can give us a week's grace."
"You can't come up with the money?"
Su Jie's brows drew together slightly as he stared at Liang Lianjun without speaking.
The atmosphere grew somewhat delicate. Liang Lianjun wiped the sweat from his forehead, afraid of offending Su Jie, this major client. "Mr. Su, I'm really sorry. I'll continue persuading the boss. Please don't get angry."
"What do I have to be angry about? It's just a deal that didn't work out. I've never forced anyone to buy or sell."
Su Jie patted Liang Lianjun on the shoulder and looked straight at him. "My timber won't have trouble finding a buyer. If you want me to give you more time, you'll have to pay me part of the deposit. Let's calculate it at ten percent—transfer a deposit of 45 million yuan first."
"That... I'm afraid that won't be possible. The boss..."
Liang Lianjun himself felt embarrassed and troubled, because Su Jie's request was perfectly reasonable.
After all, leaving such superb raw materials untouched by other buyers was already a sign of trust in Cold Lily. Asking for a deposit as security was only the proper show of sincerity.
However, during the call just now, the boss had specifically instructed him in advance that he was not allowed to agree to any payment.
To be honest, Liang Lianjun couldn't understand why the boss had made such an outrageous decision.
Did he not know how rare this batch of superb raw materials was?
If another buyer purchased them, wouldn't that be handing the competitors free publicity?
"Heh, it looks like this cooperation isn't going smoothly. It's fine—if the deal fails, the friendship remains. Go back and discuss it with your boss first."
Su Jie's voice remained calm, but from Liang Lianjun's troubled manner, he had already sensed that something was wrong.
By rights, a batch of superb raw materials like this should have been something any furniture company desperately wanted to obtain.
Even if they truly lacked working capital, they could take out a bank loan or borrow between enterprises. With this high-quality timber as collateral, getting the money should not have been difficult.
Even if they really were in difficulty, in order to obtain this timber, they could not possibly refuse even to pay a deposit to keep Su Jie from selling it elsewhere. This was clearly a sign that they did not want the deal.
"Mr. Su, I..."
"There's no need to explain further. This isn't something you can decide. Go back."
Su Jie shook his head, forcing the words Liang Lianjun wanted to say back into his throat. Seeing that Su Jie's attitude was firm, Liang Lianjun could only leave the warehouse with his men, his face gloomy.
Standing at the warehouse entrance and watching the convoy drive away, Su Jie toyed with a tiny dragonfly in his hand. "I hope it isn't what I think it is. Otherwise..."
Buzz, buzz!
The dragonfly broke free from Su Jie's palm, beat its wings, and flew into a secluded corner, where it quietly lay in wait.
Cold Lily's headquarters building in Linping City.
After returning from the suburban warehouse, Liang Lianjun did not even have time to drink a sip of water before rushing toward the Chairman's office and knocking on the door.
A sexy female secretary opened the door and let Liang Lianjun in.
Behind the desk, a refined-looking man in his fifties was correcting documents. He wore a crisply tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses.
This man was none other than Cui Yunchun, the founder of Cold Lily, its current Chairman and General Manager. He personally controlled Cold Lily, a renowned furniture enterprise in Hannan Province, and possessed assets worth more than two billion yuan.
Cui Yunchun's rise as an entrepreneur was quite legendary. During that turbulent era when all kinds of rough-and-ready heroes emerged, he had thrown away his secure government job to start a business. He had opened the once-booming dance halls and bars, and operated local civil-engineering contracts and river-sand procurement.
It was said that because he was involved with some unsavory connections, he had been arrested and spent several years in prison. After he was released, he could be said to have been penniless.
Just when everyone thought Cui Yunchun would fall into total obscurity, he chose to start a business again and founded Cold Lily Home Furnishings Company.
After ten years of operation, he had completed a dazzling reversal of fortune and become a renowned entrepreneur in Linping City with assets worth tens of billions.
"Director Cui, why did you cancel this deal? Cold Lily clearly could have purchased this batch of rare raw materials and launched an all-out assault on the high-end furniture market."
The moment they met, Liang Lianjun could no longer suppress his emotions.
He truly loved wood. He could see how high the quality of those raw materials was and how important they would be to Cold Lily.
That was precisely why he couldn't understand what Cui Yunchun was doing.
"Manager Liang, don't rush. Sit down and talk. Xiaofei, go pour Manager Liang a cup of tea."
Cui Yunchun raised his head, pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and said with a gentle smile.
"Manager Liang, please have some."
The Chairman's secretary, Ma Lanfei, brought over the tea, but Liang Lianjun was in no mood to enjoy it.
"All right. It seems Manager Liang won't drink my tea unless I give you an explanation."
Cui Yunchun shook his head helplessly, put down his fountain pen, and spoke slowly. "Manager Liang, it's not that I don't want to purchase that timber. The price is simply too high. Buying it would drain our company's working capital."
"But once we turn those raw materials into furniture, they'll be sold and the money will come back with ease! This kind of high-end luxury furniture has always been in short supply on the market."
Liang Lianjun was puzzled. Although he was from the procurement department, he still understood the market situation very well.
"The reason I didn't purchase it is that our company has opened a new channel in South Elephant Country. We used a special connection to obtain a batch of equally rare timber. Its quality and quantity are no worse than Mr. Su's, and the price is even lower. I've already ordered the purchase, and it's currently being transported. You'll be able to see it in a few days."
Cui Yunchun explained with great patience. He seemed to value Liang Lianjun as a capable man, soothing him with kind words.
Liang Lianjun was stunned. As the procurement manager, he had not known anything about this purchase.
And what kind of channel was so powerful? Apart from Su Jie, he had never seen anyone able to bring in so much rare timber from overseas in a single shipment.
Cough, cough!
Cui Yunchun seemed to have spoken too much all at once. He began coughing uncomfortably, his throat bothering him.
"Director Cui, take your medicine. Your old ailment is acting up again."
Ma Lanfei brought him tablets and warm water. After Cui Yunchun swallowed them, his complexion improved somewhat. He smiled bitterly. "It's an old problem. This pharyngitis flares up from time to time. I can't talk too much."
"Director Cui, then I won't disturb your rest any further."
Although Liang Lianjun still had doubts in his heart, seeing Cui Yunchun in this condition, he did not feel he could continue staying there.
Before you continue