That'll Scare Him Off! (Please Vote)

Things at the Factory were going smoothly. Once the money came through, the land paperwork was completed in no time.

Because funds were tight, Shen Bing had only leased ten mu of land for a term of ten years.

It wasn't cheap. The land alone cost two hundred thousand yuan—and that wasn't for ten years. That was the annual rent.

Wang Sheng then hired a Construction Company to build the factory, paying five percent up front and the balance upon completion.

Of course, the planned building was only a shell. The interior facilities and layout would have to wait until the equipment was finalized and its supplier provided construction plans.

Three days later, Shen Bing got up early, made himself look especially sharp, and headed out.

He also carried a briefcase. There were no documents inside, though—only a Cat Demon, Little Doudou.

He had someone to meet today.

Over the past few days, besides handling matters at the factory, Wang Sheng had hired two people.

One was an accountant named Zhuang Xin, responsible for the company's finances. She was a woman under thirty with a graduate degree and decent ability, though she lacked experience. Fortunately, the company was still small enough for her to manage.

The other was a salesman named Wei Changjia, an old hand at sales. He looked perfectly respectable, but once he opened his mouth, he could talk anyone into anything.

Wei Changjia had brought them news of this opportunity. He had been working on the Nancy Building project for days, and the person they were meeting was connected to it.

That person was the Procurement Department Manager for the Nancy Building project department. It was a lucrative position, and no one without the right connections could have landed it.

According to Wei Changjia, after seeing the Phantom Immortal Company's product, the Procurement Department Manager was inclined to use Illusion Immortal Glass for the building's curtain wall.

Of course, as Procurement Department Manager, he couldn't make the call alone on a project this big. But he could recommend it to the higher-ups.

Once Phantom Immortal glass reached them, it would surely win them over completely.

Wei Changjia had gone through the Procurement Department Manager because he was the highest-ranking person a salesman like him could reach. He couldn't even get a meeting with anyone above him.

There was no helping it. Small companies being overlooked was perfectly normal.

Wang Sheng was already waiting at the entrance to the Residential Compound.

Wang Sheng drove an Audi A4 and was fairly well-off. After all, he had once been a corporate executive and had some savings.

If an unexpected incident hadn't forced him to resign, he probably would never have climbed aboard the good ship Phantom Immortal Technology.

"Boss, since I'm using my own car for company business, shouldn't I get an allowance?" Wang Sheng asked with a grin as he started the engine.

A voice came from the back seat. "Exactly, boss. I'm practically half a Sales Department manager already, aren't I? Yet I don't even get a company car. That's a pretty poor look for a company with as bright a future as Phantom Immortal Technology."

The speaker was an energetic-looking young man: Wei Changjia.

They were all young, so outside formal settings, they joked around without much restraint.

That suited Shen Bing just fine. If every meeting felt stiff and lifeless, getting along with people would be no fun at all.

"Don't worry. The bread will come, and so will the milk. I told you when you applied: if you land the Nancy Building project on your own, you'll become the manager of the Phantom Immortal Technology Sales Department. A company car will be no problem then."

Shen Bing had no qualms about making big promises. Besides, if Wei Changjia really did land a deal worth over a hundred million yuan on his own, what was one car?

"Boss, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I looked into that Procurement Department Manager. He won't lift a finger unless there's something in it for him. Given where we stand, I'm afraid we'll have a hard time satisfying his appetite," Wei Changjia said worriedly.

"Tell me more about him." Shen Bing was remarkably calm. Wei Changjia had already mentioned this to him before.

Wei Changjia continued, “That guy's name is Chang Lu. I've met him a few times over the past few days and asked around about him. Two words sum him up: cautious and greedy. He knows exactly which way the wind is blowing and never reaches for anything when it isn't safe. I even suspect he prefers our Phantom Immortal Glass because ordinary glass curtain-wall prices are too transparent for him to skim much off. As for greedy—whenever a supplier is small enough for him to push around, he takes his cut. They're lucky if they come away with their skin intact.”

Wang Sheng frowned. "How can the Nancy Group allow a parasite like that to stay?"

"That's where he's clever," Wei Changjia said helplessly. "On major purchases, or anything with transparent pricing, he follows procedure to the letter. No outsider can find fault. But with smaller projects or materials whose prices are hard to pin down, he starts playing games. Even if someone raises questions, he can talk his way out of them. And here's the most important part: apparently, he's the brother-in-law of one of the Nancy Group's directors. Family connections. As long as he doesn't cause a major problem, who wants to offend someone like that?"

The three men fell silent. Illusion Immortal Technology Company's product happened to fall squarely into the hard-to-price category. It was the only one of its kind on the market, so its price was whatever Phantom Immortal Technology said it was.

Normally, that would be a good thing. But to someone with other intentions, it presented an opportunity.

Worse, Phantom Immortal Technology was an unknown little company—a tiny workshop, really. To outsiders, it looked easy to squeeze.

"We'll play it by ear," Shen Bing said.

Chang Lu had already chosen the meeting place: Wei Family Restaurant.

It was a fairly well-known Private Restaurant in Rongcheng, and he had arrived ahead of them.

It wasn't because Chang Lu was courteous or held Phantom Immortal Technology in high regard. He wanted to make sure no one secretly installed a camera.

He was even less worried about recording devices. He carried a small jammer; even the best voice recorder would be useless against it.

His counter-surveillance instincts nearly rivaled those of a veteran detective.

Chang Lu was excited. He hadn't felt this way in over a decade.

As Procurement Department Manager for the Nancy Building Project department, he could pocket only a few hundred thousand yuan a year.

With the building's main structure nearly complete, he had thought his chance to profit was coming to an end. Then an enormous opportunity had dropped into his lap.

Someone from a little Glass Factory had approached him with a wondrous kind of glass he had never seen before.

He had assumed it was some expensive decorative product. Instead, they told him it was for a Glass Curtain Wall.

He would bet anything that if the entire building used it, the Nancy Building would become a dreamlike landmark that stunned the world.

With a little publicity, headlines at home and abroad would come pouring in.

What mattered most to a commercial building?

Fame, of course. Distinctive design, a magnificent exterior, every other conceivable gimmick—it was all about making a name for itself.

Wasn't the fierce race to build the world's tallest building about prestige too?

With this Dream Glass, design and skyscraper records could go to hell.

Replacing the ordinary glass curtain wall with this dreamlike one would add twenty or thirty million yuan to the budget, but compared with the effect it would have, that was pocket change.

Chang Lu was certain the Nancy Group's top brass would approve the change unless they'd lost their minds.

And when they did, he would get the lion's share of the credit.

But with an opportunity this good, why would he settle for recognition? Money was what he really wanted.

He had investigated the Glass Factory himself. It was a small outfit that had lucked into this miraculous glassmaking technology, but it had neither strength nor backing.

Wasn't that an opportunity heaven had delivered to his doorstep?

If Chang Lu couldn't pocket at least several million yuan from this deal, he would feel as though he had let heaven down.

Just as Chang Lu was imagining himself rich overnight, the private room's door opened and a server led three people inside.

Chang Lu stood at once, smiling warmly. "Manager Wei, you got here so quickly! Please, have a seat. Server, bring out the food."

Wei Changjia hurried forward a couple of steps and shook his hand enthusiastically. “Manager Chang, you got here even earlier than we did. Let me introduce everyone. This is our boss, Shen Bing, and this is our General Manager, Wang Sheng. Boss, Mr. Wang, this is Manager Chang, the man I told you about.”

They exchanged greetings and handshakes all around. Everything seemed perfectly cordial.

There's definitely something off about this guy. What procurement manager acts this friendly?

Shen Bing had reached his conclusion.

Once everyone was seated, they chatted briefly before getting down to business. By then, all the dishes had arrived.

Every dish was a house specialty, and the cost made Shen Bing wince. Did this guy think his money grew on trees?

No wonder the bastard was so fat.

"Boss Shen, I've seen your product. It's excellent. But this is complicated. We've already reached an understanding with another glass curtain-wall manufacturer. We haven't signed a contract, but they're friends with our chairman's son, and they've spoken to Director Chen in our project department. You understand why that puts me in a difficult position," Chang Lu said with a troubled expression. His eyes, however, all but cried, Come on, beg me. Beg me.

Wei Changjia smiled. "Manager Chang, you're the procurement manager. Surely what gets purchased is up to you?"

The flattery clearly pleased Chang Lu, but he showed no sign of giving ground.

They went back and forth, with Wei Changjia and Chang Lu doing most of the talking. Wang Sheng chimed in, and Shen Bing occasionally added a word or two. All three kept their manner humble.

The man held the fate of their first deal in his hands. If they had to grovel, they had to grovel.

Several rounds of drinks later, they still hadn't gotten anywhere.

That was normal in business. Never mind a deal worth over a hundred million yuan—even one worth a few hundred thousand couldn't be settled over a single meal.

But Shen Bing was new to all this. He had never had to beg anyone so humbly, and his temper suddenly flared.

"Manager Chang, we're all adults. Let's stop beating around the bush. How much do you want?"

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned strange.

It was like a man and woman courting each other. Even if both ultimately wanted to end up in bed, you couldn't just say so the moment you met. You'd scare the other person off!

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