Free Web NovelChapter 127: Chapter 97: The Rich and the Middle Class (Part 2)
If word got out that this place was for rent, wouldn’t people be fighting tooth and nail for it?
And yet, there hadn’t been a single peep about the Guangdong Association Hall being available for lease.
Even well-informed decoration companies like them were only just finding out about it now. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Such a prime piece of real estate had been leased out already.
As locals with deep roots, how could they not understand?
It spoke of an astonishing level of power working behind the scenes.
"President Peng, we at Langyu Decoration will definitely submit our proposal as quickly as possible."
Langyu Decoration’s Design Director, Wang Bingqin, hurriedly led his team back to the office to prepare their design proposal.
During their earlier interaction, Wang Bingqin had shrewdly realized that Peng Qingsong wasn’t the kind of middleman who could be bought with petty favors.
Rather than scheming to get on his good side, it was better to deliver a design proposal that would satisfy the client’s boss and win this major contract.
Quite a few other companies shared Wang Bingqin’s line of thinking.
This time, the client had demanded design proposals in the shortest possible time.
There was naturally no opportunity for them to take their time and craft a meticulous product.
Even if the boss was easy to fool, his subordinate was also a designer, and certainly no rookie.
He was a senior designer with at least five years of experience.
To win this contract, they could only rely on their raw capabilities.
To Qi Sheng, it didn’t matter which company handled the 25 million yuan renovation budget.
But for these decoration companies, it was a different story.
Nearly every one of them treated it as their top priority.
Their most elite teams were pulled for the job, wracking their brains to produce design proposals that had been revised over a dozen times.
During that week, Qi Sheng did little more than spend time with his girlfriends.
He didn’t go out fooling around, so he was being rather well-behaved.
Peng Qingsong ruthlessly rejected the design proposals submitted by several of the companies.
Their proposals weren’t bad, but compared to the companies that had poured their hearts and souls into the work, they clearly lacked effort.
"This proposal is good."
Qi Sheng had also used his system to import the abilities of an expert interior designer.
He screened them and selected a proposal that showed considerable effort.
"Boss, this is the proposal submitted by Director Wang from Langyu Decoration."
"I’m also personally leaning toward their design. It aligns perfectly with some of the concepts you requested."
Seeing his boss nod, Peng Qingsong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been pestered endlessly by the various decoration companies lately.
But he’d had no choice but to patiently liaise with all of them.
Now that the design was finalized, he wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.
"Good. Notify them that we’ll go to their office this afternoon to discuss the details."
Although Qi Sheng was mostly satisfied, there were still some details he needed to go over.
As this was the starting point of his career, Qi Sheng naturally wanted everything to be perfect.
"Understood."
Peng Qingsong stepped aside to call Langyu Decoration and inform them to prepare for their visit.
...
Langyu Decoration.
Upon hearing that his company’s design proposal had won the big boss’s approval, Wang Bingqin excitedly agreed, promising that they would prepare a reception in advance.
He was determined to make the big boss behind Peng Qingsong feel Langyu Decoration’s enthusiasm and sincerity.
"Chief, did our proposal get picked?"
A few designers with dark circles under their eyes asked the question eagerly after seeing Wang Bingqin hang up the phone, his face beaming with excitement.
"That’s right! Our hard work wasn’t for nothing. The client is very satisfied with our proposal and is coming over to sign the contract later."
"Everyone, tidy up a bit, and notify the administration department to prepare for their arrival."
"I’ll contact the boss right now. My position alone isn’t high enough to host the big boss."
Wang Bingqin excitedly rubbed his bald head as he gave methodical instructions to his subordinates.
Being middle-aged, he was under a lot of pressure himself.
By leading the team to win this huge contract, the commission alone would be more than enough to set him up nicely.
"Awesome! We have to go for foot massages tonight!"
Several of the single designers cheered in unison.
The client’s demands had been so high that they had been pulling all-nighters nearly every day.
Now that they were about to land a huge contract, they had to celebrate in style.
"Ahem, your sister-in-law took the kids to her parents’ place, so I’ll go with you guys tonight."
Wang Bingqin was also eager to use this opportunity to relax, and he flashed a knowing, man-to-man smile.
...
「Three in the afternoon.」
A group of people had been waiting for some time at the entrance of Langyu Decoration.
Design Director Wang Bingqin stood behind a middle-aged man of about forty, saying something from time to time with an eager smile.
"They’re here!"
Wang Bingqin saw a blue BMW 7 Series slowly approaching them.
Once the car came to a stop, a young man in his twenties got out of the back seat.
His tall, handsome looks, combined with the fact that he had casually dropped a 25-million-yuan contract, gave him the distinct air of a wealthy young master.
The owner of Langyu Decoration, Xu Qinghui, was momentarily stunned, but he quickly extended his hand with enthusiasm.
"President Qi, welcome to Langyu Decoration. Please, come inside."
Having knocked around the business world for over twenty years, Xu Qinghui’s social graces were, of course, impeccable.
"President Qi, this is our Langyu Decoration’s chairman, Xu Qinghui."
"Chairman Xu rarely comes to the office, but your project prompted him to make a special appearance."
"He even canceled his other engagements because he insisted on personally welcoming you."
Wang Bingqin wouldn’t have made it to design director if he wasn’t a smooth operator himself.
With just a few casual words, he had given President Qi plenty of face while also highlighting Xu Qinghui’s sincerity.
"Langyu Decoration’s team is very capable. That’s the most important reason I chose to work with you out of all the proposals."
Qi Sheng just smiled noncommittally.
This kind of superficial enthusiasm wasn’t going to affect his judgment.
"Thank you for your approval, President Qi!"
Wang Bingqin bowed excitedly. Being praised by the client like this in front of his own boss meant his position as design director was secure for some time to come.
"Old Wang’s design skills are top-notch here in Chengdu. I’m sure he won’t disappoint you, President Qi."
Xu Qinghui clearly valued Wang Bingqin, patting his shoulder as a sign of familiarity.
No company would ever look down on a talent who could bring in such results.
They arrived at the chairman’s office at Langyu Decoration.
It was seventy or eighty square meters in area, with a grand and impressive design.
Xu Qinghui waved his secretary out, then personally brewed tea for Qi Sheng, showing off his skills.
"Beef?"
Qi Sheng’s eyes lit up after a single sip.
"President Qi really knows his tea. That’s right, this is Niu Langkeng Cinnamon that I had a friend buy for me."
"I was planning to keep you in suspense, but I didn’t expect you to recognize it after just one sip."
Xu Qinghui was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected someone as young as Qi Sheng to be so knowledgeable about the art of tea.
"The real ’Beef’ is hard to come by. If you have a connection, President Xu, maybe you could help me get a few pounds."
Qi Sheng had only been fortunate enough to drink it once in his past life.
Just this single serving of tea cost five hundred yuan. How could an ordinary working man ever afford it?
Only tycoons worth hundreds of millions would be willing to drink ’Beef’—worth tens of thousands of yuan a pound—as their daily tea.
"Of course. I’ll send you his WeChat contact later."
Xu Qinghui would never refuse such a small request and readily agreed.
The BMW 7 Series that Qi Sheng and his group had arrived in wasn’t just any ordinary car, either.
It was a special edition model designed by BMW to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its factory.
Only 200 were made for the entire world, with just 40 available in the country.
Given the spending power of the bosses in China, those 40 cars were nowhere near enough to go around.
In the end, ownership was decided by who was willing to pay the highest premium.
Qi Sheng had spent two million to acquire this top-of-the-line BMW 7 Series.
He bought it to serve as a status symbol for entertaining clients in the future.
Besides, buying the car in the company’s name was tax-deductible, so he didn’t feel the pinch at all.
Watching Qi Sheng and his own boss chatting and laughing so freely, Wang Bingqin felt a wave of emotion.
To outsiders, he might seem impressive—a member of the middle class with an annual salary in the millions.
But in front of tycoons like Qi Sheng and Xu Qinghui, whose net worths were in the hundreds of millions, his so-called middle-class status was completely insignificant.
The projects they discussed were valued in the tens of millions.
A single serving of tea easily cost four or five hundred yuan.
This visible gap in social strata was what truly made one’s heart ache.
