Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Making Excuses for Him
At the entrance of the flagship Gucci store, she subconsciously smoothed the high slit of her dress, ensuring her legs looked absolutely stunning.
The latest Dionysus bag glittered in the display window. The corners of her mouth curved up slightly. ’President Yang certainly is generous!’
The moment she pushed open the glass door, the fragrance system released the jasmine scent of Gucci Bloom. A salesperson immediately hurried over to assist.
"Pick one out for yourself."
’He’s willing to spend the money, but not the effort.’
Liu Shasha understood his intentions immediately, but she still made excuses for him in her mind. ’President Yang is just straightforward, not some player who knows all the right things to say to a woman!’
Women are funny that way. If one likes you, she’ll desperately make excuses for you; if she doesn’t, she’ll desperately find excuses to reject you.
The salesperson had seen this kind of scene plenty of times and understood the situation at a glance. They focused their service on Liu Shasha, introducing her to all the classic styles.
After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Shasha picked a basic Padlock handbag priced at 12,800.
’It’s our first time out,’ she thought. ’I don’t want to give him the impression I’m trying to take him to the cleaners.’
"Is this one okay?"
She walked to his side and asked in a low voice.
When she saw him shake his head, a little panic fluttered in her heart. ’Looks like the price is still too high.’ She was about to look for something cheaper.
Yang Hui took a crystal-studded Sylvie bag from the display case. "Get this one. It looks better than the one you picked."
Liu Shasha’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest. ’He actually knows this is my favorite style!’
It was the one she’d been eyeing but hadn’t dared to choose because she thought it was too expensive.
"Sir, this bag is priced at 36,800. Right this way to pay, please."
The salesperson guided Yang Hui to the register. After he paid, they handed the shopping bag directly to Liu Shasha.
He made no move to carry it for her, but she didn’t mind in the slightest. ’President Yang really doesn’t have what it takes to be a player!’
Clutching her new prize, she reached out to take Yang Hui’s arm, but he sidestepped her move without a second thought.
She was secretly disappointed, knowing the time wasn’t yet right.
"Should we eat upstairs, or go somewhere else?"
"Whatever you prefer. Let’s just grab a quick bite upstairs."
They both had an unspoken understanding: a simple meal was best, as the main event was the "rest period" planned for the afternoon.
Besides, eating too much would make the strenuous activity to follow uncomfortable.
They skipped Chinese food and went to Wang Pin Steakhouse instead.
A waiter led them to a table for two. As luck would have it, they ran into some familiar faces.
Fang Zheng and Qin Hong.
He didn’t greet them. Yang Hui was clear about who he liked and disliked. He couldn’t be bothered with Fang Zheng back at the company, and he certainly wasn’t going to start now that he had left.
As for Qin Hong, while he might have dallied with her on occasion, it was always on her initiative. He’d just been kind enough to help her... fill out a bit, but it had never progressed to the final stage.
Fang Zheng and Qin Hong saw him too. Qin Hong’s eyes darted away, looking like someone caught in the act. Little did she know, Yang Hui had long been aware of her sordid affairs.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have alluded to her being a "public bus" and a "used car."
Staring at Liu Shasha, who was younger, prettier, and sexier than Qin Hong, Fang Zheng felt a surge of resentment. ’So what if he’s a little handsome? What else has he got? Why is he never short on beautiful women!’
’I heard he already had his way with Yang Na from the company, and now here’s another one he’s managed to hook.’
He glanced back at Qin Hong. ’Someone of her caliber, and I still had to promise to make her a manager in the operations department just to get her to yield. Even now, I can only take minor liberties; she won’t allow anything more.’
It was hard to tell if he was trying to show off for Yang Hui or just build up his own image in front of Qin Hong.
Yang Hui had just sat down when he heard Fang Zheng start to brag. He was going on about how he was the regional general manager now, and how everyone in the Qingzhou business world had to show him respect.
"Xinyue Square is a big deal, right? But when I get involved, even they have to do me a favor."
"Take our contract renewals, for instance. The market rate for rent on the second floor of this very building is already 700 yuan per square meter per month. On top of that, other brands renewing their contracts this year are facing an 8% rent hike."
"But what about us? Our original rent was only 450 yuan per square meter, way below the market rate for the area. So, what kind of deal do you think I negotiated for the renewal?"
Qin Hong, ever the flatterer, immediately played along. "Well, with a normal renewal, the rent would have to go up to around 750 to be reasonable!"
Fang Zheng nodded smugly. "Exactly. Take our Ruijing Commerce store, for example. It’s 150 square meters. If the rent went up to 750 per square meter, we’d be paying an extra 45,000 yuan a month. That’s 540,000 a year!"
Qin Hong gasped. "Wow! That’s a savings of 540,000 a year on rent for just one store!"
"That’s right. And our partnership with Xinyue Square covers 21 of our stores. So with this one negotiation, I basically saved the company over ten million yuan. The COO even told all the other regional managers across the country to learn from my example!"
Qin Hong’s eyes sparkled. "President Fang, with the COO’s recognition, I’m sure Regional General Manager won’t be the final stop in your career. You’ll have a shot at becoming a Zonal Director."
Fang Zheng placed his hand over Qin Hong’s. She didn’t pull away. At the same moment, they both glanced over at Yang Hui.
"I’m only in my forties. I still have a good shot at Zonal Director. When that day comes, I hope someone from your ranks can take my place as Regional General Manager."
Qin Hong purred, "That’s why I want to get experience in the operations department. Without experience in a core department, how can I become your right-hand woman in the future? And more importantly... how could I ever take your place?"
’Take my place?’
Fang Zheng looked at Qin Hong’s seductive, silken gaze and understood her implication. A tingle of anticipation went through him.
Watching their shameless performance, Yang Hui almost spat out his food.
’Now that I’ve left Ruijing, all those preferential terms are definitely going to be canceled. Fang Zheng’s little celebration is about to turn into a tragedy.’
Yang Hui only ate his steak well-done. When it arrived, Liu Shasha took the silver steak knife. The moment the blade sliced through the meat, juices with a rosy sheen oozed out.
As she leaned over to pour him a drink, the slit of her dress brushed precariously against his trousers. The faint scent of her perfume mingled with the black pepper aroma of the steak. The sight of the deep, white valley of her cleavage made his Adam’s apple bob involuntarily.
It seemed he used money to tear away her reserve, and she used the slit in her dress to measure his desire.
Fang Zheng and Qin Hong kept glancing over, their eyes filled with envy.
Just then, another guest arrived at the restaurant.
"Well, what a coincidence!"
Fang Zheng stood up. It was the regional leasing manager from Xinyue Group—an acquaintance of his.
The leasing manager saw Fang Zheng as well and offered a polite greeting. "President Fang, fancy seeing you here."
For some reason, Fang Zheng felt the leasing manager was being deliberately distant today. ’That’s not right,’ he thought. ’Back when I was the Head of Channel Development, we got along just fine. Now that I’m the Regional General Manager, he should be showing me even more respect.’
"President Fang, please, don’t get up. I’ve got to get to my table."
Seeing the manager was about to leave after just a brief pleasantry, Fang Zheng added with a smile, "Go on, don’t let me keep you. Just remember to follow up on those contract renewals next week!"
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