Shi Yang said seriously, "Regarding the mall leasing issue, I want to ask for your help to smooth things over."
Zhang Xin sneered, "Still thinking about leasing it, huh?"
Shi Yang nodded, "Yeah."
Zhang Xin reached out to open the car door, humming lightly, "You really held on! With no news, I almost thought you guys planned to shift to something else."
Shi Yang explained earnestly, "As for the mall leasing, I definitely want to fight for it. But now the installation side is indeed quite busy; before, I was running around for the mall while Chaozi was in charge of installations. Recently, I’ve been so busy that I had to help out for a few days."
Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow at Shi Yang, "Come on! Stop using the excuse of being too busy to pressure me! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Isn’t it just that you’ve noticed I’ve almost finalized the lease talks? Now you’re acting all confident, just waiting for me to serve you the prized piece."
Shi Yang flashed a white-toothed smile and admitted freely, "If you really help me get this done, we will be friends from now on. I acknowledge you as someone with principles."
Zhang Xin eyed Shi Yang sideways, "Don’t bother, I’m not interested in your acknowledgment. If you can get Chaozi to recognize me, believe it or not, I can let you choose any spot in the mall freely, even building the Naughty Castle in the first-floor hall wouldn’t be a problem."
Shi Yang turned to look at Zhang Xin, "Let’s stick to the business at hand. If you help me secure the lease location, I can give you a commission. As for Chaozi, let me make it clear again: he’s my brother, and I will never use him to achieve my objectives. So don’t even think about it; it’s not happening with me."
Zhang Xin sincerely praised, "Alright, you’re loyal enough!"
Shi Yang just smiled wordlessly, then got out of the car together, helping Zhang Xin carry things to the hotel room. Just as they entered, his phone rang.
Shi Yang glanced at the caller ID – it was Zhao Meimei calling, so he quickly answered, "Hey, Meimei."
Zhao Meimei: "Bro, are you really not coming to pick me up? I was hoping you’d take me for an all-you-can-eat seafood dinner tonight!"
Shi Yang: "You’re still at school?"
Zhao Meimei: "Yeah, bro, where are you?"
Shi Yang: "Wait for me a bit; I’ll drive over to pick you up."
Shi Yang hung up and said goodbye to Zhang Xin, "I’ve got to go if you don’t have anything else."
Zhang Xin escorted him out the door, "Thanks for today."
Shi Yang chuckled, "Just call me if you need anything, as long as it’s something I can help with."
Zhang Xin let out a cold snort, "I haven’t even agreed to help you yet! Don’t act like we’re so familiar!"
Shi Yang laughed, "Alright then, I’m off. See you later."
After Shi Yang left, Zhang Xin casually locked the door. Her calm expression instantly changed. Upon closer inspection, one would notice a layer of sweat forming on her forehead and neck, soaking into her hair, sticking messily to her neck.
Zhang Xin resisted the dizzying palpitations, quickly picked up her bag, fished out a medicine box, and poured out a handful of colorful pills. She popped them into her mouth, washing them down all at once with the bottled water provided by the hotel.
Sweet, bitter, and various unpleasant tastes mingled in her mouth, but she gritted her teeth and endured it, gulping down two more sips of water before putting the bottle down. She massaged her temples, walked over to the bed, lay down, and waited for the almost tearing frenzy to pass.
In her grogginess, she kept hearing the phone ringing non-stop.
Ugh! Zhang Xin, extremely annoyed, crawled out of bed, unsure whether she had fallen asleep earlier.
She glanced at the caller ID—it was Zhang Zhao calling. She hung up the call directly, and the phone immediately went silent. Zhang Zhao didn’t dare call back.
Zhang Xin checked the time—only half an hour had passed, just five o’clock.
She took a quick shower, blow-dried her hair, did her makeup, and picked a mauve dress from her luggage. Grabbing her handbag and phone, she left the hotel in high heels.
The seafood buffet was bustling with people. Shi Yang sat at the seat watching their stuff, while Zhao Meimei carried a plate around picking her favorite food. Only when she veered into the grill area did Shi Yang put his phone away and called Qu Chaozong.
The call rang for a while before connecting, and he immediately heard Qu Chaozong’s panting voice on the phone: "Hey! Shi Yang!"
Shi Yang chuckled, "What are you up to, panting like that?"
Qu Chaozong complained, "Don’t even mention it! It’s because of that sly old Li the sly fox!"
"He dragged me to five kindergartens in one breath today, all of which he had already negotiated and received deposits for. You wouldn’t believe how he handles the deals! This guy is something else! He fills every nook and cranny with stuff according to the areas planned by the kindergarten, regardless of how troublesome the installation is. He just focuses on selling all the toys."
"That’s not even the worst part. Today he pulled out a contract for me to sign. When I looked at it, my goodness, this old fox not only wants to earn the installation commission, but he’s also plotting to pocket the deposit, implying that it is payment for the goods, unrelated to our installation fee! It’s his sale money!" Follow current novᴇls on NoveI~Fire.net
"If we calculate it this way, what will be left for us after his deductions?"
Shi Yang’s expression darkened gradually. He hadn’t expected Li Shuren to suddenly demand such an exorbitant price; the wealthier this man got, the more cunning he became!
Qu Chaozong, filled with righteous indignation, said, "I didn’t sign the contract. I told him that I’m just a runner in our company, and you make the decisions. You should find time to come over in a couple of days."
Shi Yang’s brows furrowed, soothingly said, "Don’t worry, even if he wants to exploit us, it depends on whether he can succeed. I’ll check on Tianyu’s side tomorrow, and if there are no issues with the goods, I’ll come over in the afternoon."
Qu Chaozong was genuinely angry, holding back a stomach full of complaints, and vented to Shi Yang. After hanging up, Shi Yang realized he forgot to mention running into Zhang Xin today.
As Shi Yang was about to call back, he saw Zhao Meimei returning with two plates full of food. He quickly put his phone away and dashed over to help her. In an instant, he forgot about the earlier matter, focused entirely on attending to Zhao Meimei’s meal.
The weather in the provincial capital was quite pleasant, with several small stalls appearing along the streets at night. The hotel where Qu Chaozong was staying was convenient, just a block away from the night market. Sleeping at night was quiet, and if he wanted to grab some local snacks, he just had to cut through the neighborhood, making it very convenient.
That night, Qu Chaozong found an excuse to decline Li Shuren’s invitation. After returning, he first detoured to the night market to fill his stomach. Once back at the hotel, he showered and lay in bed, aimlessly flipping through TV channels. Accustomed to staying up late working, he couldn’t sleep until his usual time.
After finding an interesting show to watch for a while, his phone rang, and he reached over to check the caller ID, stunned.