"Manager Tong, we meet again. You look even more beautiful than last time," Zhang Zhenchao said with a smile.
"Mr. Zhang, you flatter me. Just call me Xiao Tong," Tong Jialu responded with a poised smile.
"Alright, alright, Xiao Tong."
Zhang Zhenchao nodded with a smile, then turned to Chen Cheng, "Mr. Chen, you see, today I specifically arranged..."
"Lao Zhang, no need for the pleasantries."
Chen Cheng cut him off. "I’ve called Xiao Tong here today mainly to discuss and finalize the details of our cooperation with your Dao Fu company, to expedite the project. What do you think?"
Hearing Chen Cheng’s words, Zhang Zhenchao was overjoyed and nodded eagerly: "Of course, of course, we’ll do as Mr. Chen says!"
He turned his gaze towards Tong Jialu, his smile growing even warmer, "Xiao Tong, as you can see, we’re fully prepared on our side and ready to move forward with the project anytime, you see..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Zhenchao signaled someone beside him with a glance.
The person immediately took out an orange gift box and placed it in front of Tong Jialu with both hands.
"Xiao Tong, although this is not our first meeting, I’m still unsure of your preferences," Zhang Zhenchao continued, "This is just a small gift, please do not take it to heart."
Tong Jialu looked at the Hermes in front of her and smiled faintly, Chen Cheng was right all along.
"Mr. Zhang, you are too kind."
She had already witnessed Chen Cheng’s extravagant style, now such a gift clearly could not perturb her composure.
Tong Jialu did not reach out to accept the gift, but instead, placed her hands lightly on the table, maintaining a proper smile, "Our Jing Fa Bank has worked with Mr. Chen before, as long as the documentation you submit is trouble-free, there’s no need for these things."
Seeing her unaffected, Zhang Zhenchao inwardly admired her; it seems this young woman is not an easy character to deal with!
"Ha ha ha, Xiao Tong is absolutely right!" Zhang Zhenchao instructed to withdraw the gift and continued, "The documents will surely have no issues! Besides, we have Mr. Chen with us, don’t we?"
"Let’s eat first, and we’ll talk over the meal!" He called the waiter to serve the dishes.
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.
Zhang Zhenchao casually brought up the cooperation between Chen Cheng and two other company heads, his words filled with envy and admiration.
"Mr. Chen, I’ve heard from Chairman Wen and Mr. Chen that you always handle things decisively, and the cooperation with them went very smoothly."
Leaning towards Chen Cheng, he asked quietly, "Could you give me some pointers on what pleased them?"
Chen Cheng just smiled indifferently, picked up his glass, and took a light sip.
Chen Jin gave Chen Cheng a pair of "sisters," while Wen Shulin went as far as to offer herself to Chen Cheng.
This time, Chen Cheng did not want any favors from Zhang Zhenchao; his real goal was to keep the money in his account for a few extra days to earn some interest.
Seeing this, Zhang Zhenchao was even more certain that Chen Cheng was waiting for him to "make a gesture"!
"Mr. Chen, as you know, this project of Dao Fu is crucial. If we can successfully secure it, it will play a vital role in our company’s future development."
Zhang Zhenchao paused, observing Chen Cheng’s expression. Seeing no objection, he continued:
"Rest assured, if you can help us out with this favor, name your conditions, and Dao Fu will definitely not let you down!"
Chen Cheng put down his glass and said to Zhang Zhenchao: "Lao Zhang, you’re being too formal. When we talked about pricing, I didn’t bargain, did I? I gave you the same percentage as with CGG, right?"
Zhang Zhenchao nodded, "Yes, Mr. Chen is a generous man. But now..."
He looked toward Tong Jialu and then personally served another glass of wine to Chen Cheng, "Isn’t it still up to you to speak?"
Chen Cheng turned his head and asked, "Xiao Tong, what do you think?"
Tong Jialu, having been briefed by Chen Cheng about the purpose of this visit beforehand, put down her chopsticks, elegantly wiped her mouth, and said calmly:
"Mr. Zhang, you might be misunderstanding. I handle everything according to the procedures. As long as it meets our bank’s criteria, we will naturally fully support your company’s project."
She took an IPAD out of her bag, "I did not lie to Mr. Liu from your company, I brought everything with me, just waiting to review it tonight and then report."
She paused, her gaze fixed on Zhang Zhenchao, saying each word deliberately:
"As for anything else, it’s beyond my consideration."
Zhang Zhenchao was taken aback; he hadn’t expected Tong Jialu to speak so bluntly, leaving him no face.
He laughed awkwardly, raised his glass to cover his discomposure, "Xiao Tong, you misunderstood, that’s not what I meant..."
Seeing this, Chen Cheng intervened with a laugh, playing peacemaker, "Lao Zhang, Xiao Tong is right, business should be done officially and personal matters kept personal. Rest assured, since we’ve promised to cooperate, we will certainly do our best and not disappoint you."
He raised his glass to toast Zhang Zhenchao, "Let’s drink!"
Zhang Zhenchao knew Chen Cheng was giving him a way out and quickly responded with a toast, "Right, right, let’s drink!"
However, he was inwardly lamenting that it seemed he had to pay a price to get Chen Cheng to relent.
But he dared not directly ask Chen Cheng what he wanted, so he had to probe indirectly, "Mr. Chen, what are your hobbies? Or is there something you like? I’ll have someone send it to you another day."
Chen Cheng smiled and shook his head, "Lao Zhang, you’re too polite. I’m not a man of special hobbies; I just like to drink a little with friends and chat."