Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Hope for the best
'So work isn't fun after all,' Zheng Jiayi said, sitting in the back row and looking out at the street scene with a little bit of melancholy.
Feng Yiping was at a loss for words in response to the young lady's words. Work and fun are like the fish and the bear's paw—you can't have both. Or it's like two parallel lines that will never meet.
'Actually, we're still pretty lucky. For ordinary employees, it's really troublesome when something like this happens!' Huang Jingping understood more than Zheng Jiayi.
'What's most annoying is people like this who have no class,' Zheng Jiayi said. 'Why does he think that the young girl responsible for reception has to go along with him?'
Feng Yiping felt that this remark sounded familiar, as if Xiao Zhijie had complained about something similar just yesterday. 'Just because he's from a big city and a white-collar elite, in his eyes, with his qualifications, you two little country girls are still a piece of cake,'
'You're the little country girl,' the two girls said in unison.
'What is a white-collar elite?' Zheng Jiayi asked again. Contextually, it definitely wasn't the demon that Monkey King killed.
'It's short for white-collar backbone elite,' Huang Jingping explained to Zheng Jiayi, giving Feng Yiping a glare. Who knew where he got all these strange words from?
'Haha, in that case, it's still a good word to praise someone,' Zheng Jiayi said to Huang Jingping with a smile. 'You're the white-bone demon,'
'You're the white-boned demon,'
Feng Yiping coughed. Girls are the most powerful, with unparalleled skills at derailing a conversation. Just now they were talking about Shi Lu, and now they're joking around. 'Young lady, do you still want to go to dinner there tonight?'
'Yes, why not? I've helped you all day, so I'm sure I won't get paid, but I can still eat, right?' She imitated Shi Lu's tone just now, 'Or at the Oriental Garden Hotel, that's a five-star hotel.'
'Right, that Shi Lu can't please anyone!' She leaned over Feng Yiping's seat and asked.
'You've already told Jin Ling, how can he please anyone? Isn't that a rhetorical question?'
'Then we definitely have to go. I want to see what expression he'll have on his face when we meet again.'
Shi Lu's expression was now very conflicted. Manager Wang was joking with him, and the more he thought about the three of them, Feng Yiping in particular, the more he felt that they were not simple people. He could also guess that he must have done something wrong, but should he take the initiative to tell General Manager Jiang in advance?
He analysed the situation and concluded that if he told Jiang in advance, Jiang would still lose his temper and have to deal with the matter. However, if Jiaya did not take the initiative to mention it to General Manager Jiang, then would it mean that nothing had happened?
It's better not to confess, so he decided to take a chance.
Now he really regrets it. He was blinded by greed and did something irrational.
He knows that Manager Wang is here to meet some partners with the two CEOs of Youjia, and General Manager Jiang is definitely one of them. He dares not be rude and goes up to knock on General Manager Jiang's door. 'General Manager Jiang, Youjia's CEO Jin and CEO Zhou are here and will probably come to visit in a while.'
'Oh,' Jiang and Chen were still having a lively chat, and on hearing this, Chen said, "I'll go back to my room then, we can continue this tomorrow.'
Jiang also had to get ready, so he asked Shi Lu to bring out samples of the new products and this year's new sales policies. It was rare for the two bosses to meet, so they had to talk about something substantial.
'What are President Jin and President Zhou like?" he asked Shi Lu.
'I don't have much contact with General Manager Jin. She graduated from Harvard Business School and has worked for a state-owned enterprise after returning to China. She should have a common language with you. I have met with General Manager Zhou a few times. He is a native of Shanghai and was previously the top manager of our city's largest supermarket chain. He is very skilled in business and people, and is very tactful.'
'What about Manager Wang, who communicates directly with you? What is his work style like?'
Shi Lu understood the meaning behind General Manager Jiang's question: 'He has never made any personal requests of me.'
'What is the market share of our products among similar products on the market?'
'More than one fifth,' freēwebnovel.com
'That means there is still a lot of room for growth. And they never default on payments, right?'
'Never. They pay first and then receive the goods,' Shi Lu thought of adding, 'but they also demand the most affordable prices.'
'Such demands are only natural. Such customers are the ones we need to focus on maintaining. You must serve them well.'
'Yes, I know.'
In the past, Shi Lu would have been very happy to hear Jiang Zong say such things, but now, thinking about the attitude of Manager Wang and Presidents Zhou and Jin towards those three young people, and the cold glare from Jin Ling earlier, he really hoped that Jiang Zong would not look favourably on Youjia.
In his anxiety, Manager Wang accompanied Zhou Xinyu and Jin Ling to the visit, and Shi Lu served tea and water attentively, really bringing out the spirit of service to treat God. However, Jin Ling, who was communicating with General Manager Jiang, never looked at him from beginning to end. Of course, she also did not mention what happened before in General Manager Jiang's presence.
The visit was short. Jin Ling and Zhou Xinyu accepted the information that General Manager Jiang had offered and then excused themselves to visit the next company. The formal negotiations were scheduled to begin after the conference.
When seeing them out the door, Manager Wang also patted Shi Lu's shoulder and said to General Manager Jiang, 'Manager Shi is an excellent marketing specialist and works well with us,'
'Haha, of course,' Shi Lu observed. General Manager Jiang looked quite happy, but Jin Ling, who was walking in front of them, seemed to have not heard the remark, as she was talking to Zhou Xinyu on the side.
The evening dinner was really high-end. Jia Bao had booked the ballroom of the Oriental Garden Hotel, and only eight people were seated at each table. Many of the participants knew each other well. President Jiang kept saying hello to people, exchanging business cards, and exchanging information about last year's situation. He was in a good mood and also introduced Shi Lu to some other industry peers, which made Shi Lu feel a lot more at ease.
Jin Ling, in his capacity as President of Jiasheng Group and General Manager of Youjia, gave a short speech. Afterwards, a vice-president surnamed Mei also took to the stage to speak. Just as he was speaking, Shi Lu noticed that, far away from his table, the three young people from earlier that afternoon were sitting at a table together. His heart sank immediately.
At that table, there were two other young men, a young woman with a child, and a girl who seemed to be very close to the young driver. In short, it seemed to be a family dinner.
Thinking back to some of the clues, Shi Lu surmised that the people I had offended in the afternoon could not have been the family members of the bosses of Jiaya or Jiasheng Group.
Although Xiao Zhijie and Wang Changning were dining in a five-star hotel restaurant for the first time, they were able to adapt perfectly. Last summer, when they went on a trip to Jiangnan, they ate and played all the way, and they also patronised many high-end restaurants. Compared to this banquet hall, it is just a bit bigger and the decorations are a bit more luxurious.
The two of them were very interested in the other guests at the tables, who were also considered the elite of their respective companies.
They were even more envious of Jin Ling and Mei Yiliang, who were speaking on stage, and secretly thought that one day they too would be like them.
'Xiao Sheng is getting better and better at speaking,' Feng Yuxuan said to Cai Hong with a smile.
'Don't be fooled by how well he spoke just now, he's been practising in front of the mirror for several nights on his own.' Everyone at the table is family, so Cai Hong doesn't hold back, "He says he's fine speaking at work, but this time he's speaking in front of our partners, so he can't lose face for the group. I don't think he put in this much effort when he was wooing me.'
Feng Yiping picks up a small piece of honey-glazed barbecued pork and offers it to Hui Hui, "Did Mum say anything when Dad was practising at home?'
'Yes,' Hui Hui loves this sweet meat, "Honey, you're so handsome!" He imitated his mother's speech.
'Haha,' everyone laughed, except Cai Hong, who couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
Feng Yuxuan almost choked, Zheng Jiayi laughed so hard she pounded the table, Huang Jingping laughed so hard she leaned back in her chair, and Xiao Zhijie and Wang Changning, those two guys, laughed so hard they started to convulse.
When Hui Hui saw everyone laughing, she laughed along, 'Mom also said, honey, I love you so much!'
'Puff,' at this, even Cai Hong herself laughed.
......
The construction of a clean and honest government was not yet as tightly grasped as it would later become. Towards the end of the year, those in high positions or those with real power were always busy every night, having to go to several parties in one night.
As Vice President Zhang of the Provincial Business Group was rushing to his next social engagement, his car passed the Oriental Garden Hotel and he saw the banner hanging above it, 'Warmly celebrate the grand opening of the 99th Annual Youjia Convenience Supplier Conference.'
Youjia? He instructed his secretary, who was sitting in the passenger seat, 'Find a list of the attendees and notify the Purchasing Department to have them submit a list of attendees for our supplier conference tomorrow.'