But when Liu Jun visited relatives and friends during Spring Festival and passed by the real estate agency shop run by the Qian siblings, he discovered that, except for resting from the first to the third day of the new year, they operated as usual the rest of the time. A real estate agency—not a supermarket selling daily necessities—didn’t close during Spring Festival, which truly made one speculate about the booming business behind the storefront. Quite a few manufacturing companies also had thriving businesses. They didn’t follow Tengfei’s rules and always operated on the edge of labor laws. After the third day, they immediately resumed operations, and where would double wages come from—their wages were always piece-rate.
By the fifth day, business was already knocking on Tengfei’s door. A boss, introduced through industry friends, found Luo Qing requesting that Tengfei help rush a batch of motor shafts. Luo Qing looked and saw there were no blueprints, only a few requirements, indicating this boss also hoped Tengfei would provide design services. Looking again at the required specifications, he took out his phone to roughly calculate and then smiled. This was a tough nut to crack—otherwise, they wouldn’t have urgently come knocking on the fifth day of the new year.
But Luo Qing wasn’t very confident whether his company could handle this, so he quickly called Liu Jun. Liu Jun also laughed when he heard—the database that the research center had spent great effort building had the materials. They could just call it up and apply it without needing to do various tests. Theoretically, they could deliver the design blueprints tomorrow. But Liu Jun told Luo Qing over the phone: “Our schedule is completely booked after Spring Festival—we have no slots for them. We can purely provide blueprints and specify materials, letting them find their processing factory. It can be done in a day or two, but you tell him the design needs a month. Otherwise, he’ll think we’re so easy and we won’t be able to sell at a high price.”
Cui Bingbing watched her husband’s mischievous expression and said curiously: “This seems like something you learned from government offices—it’s just one stamp, but they say they need to ‘study it,’ so you have to bring cigarettes and liquor to their door. Aren’t you afraid of scaring the customer away?”
“Not afraid. The problem he gave us is quite difficult. It’s like this cookie box that must fit exactly one hundred cookies. But the cookies you usually make can only fit seventy even when crammed in, so you must use your brain—what process to use, what flour and butter to substitute, what ratio, what shape to make the cookies thin enough to fit one hundred while still not easily breaking and tasting good. My database happens to have this kind of flour-butter ratio and process that can be called up. If we didn’t have it? Then we’d have to experiment with experiment, calculation after calculation, using lots of flour, butter, and time before we could create the design. But Chinese people generally don’t acknowledge intellectual labor. If I delivered in a day or two, even if he paid three thousand, he’d think I was making excessive profit. He can’t see the capital and labor I invested in obtaining data, building the database, maintaining the database, and even confidentiality work. He also won’t see the value of the technical knowledge accumulated in our technicians’ heads. They just think something you produced in a day or two should only be worth less than three thousand. Rather than explaining to them, it’s better to be a bit clever. Hehe, I have a team of senior engineers working specifically on your design for a month—how much do you think you should pay?”
Cui Bingbing laughingly scolded him for being a cunning merchant, but didn’t take it too seriously. There were plenty of battles of wits and courage in business—she had seen it all. She watched Liu Jun cheerfully answer two more calls from Luo Qing. The last call came after a long delay, when they were already on the road preparing to pay New Year’s respects to the deputy general manager of City Investment. Liu Jun pulled the car over to take the call. After listening, he sprawled in the car seat laughing heartily. “Two hundred thousand! Luo Qing’s knife is even sharper than mine. He pretended we were reluctantly agreeing to deliver the design a week early—how difficult it is to work overtime after Spring Festival, hehe, of course, we charge extra for that. The other party was especially grateful and satisfied. You see, people are like this—if I said I’d give it tomorrow for three thousand, the other party would complain my knife was too quick. Now everyone’s happy.”
Cui Bingbing laughed: “Amazing! You two are cooperating more and more smoothly. This money was beautifully earned. Why didn’t you take on the processing part too?”
“Processing that stuff is troublesome, but doesn’t command a good price—other companies can do it too. If Tengda gets going, we can give it to Tengda to do. It’s not cost-effective for Tengfei to do it.”
“Your level is getting higher and higher, but you’re becoming less serious.”
“Compared to Yang Xun, I’m far behind. Yang Xun and I aren’t many years apart, maybe three or four at most, but in front of him, I seem transparent—he can see right through my temperament. That person truly has high-level skills, able to yield and stand firm—that’s the key.”
“People from low backgrounds have more flexible attitudes than people like us. Can’t help it—I’ve experienced it at work. I consider myself someone who can yield and stand firm, but compared to some clients’ forbearance and responsibility, it’s nothing worth mentioning. Take Dongdong, for example—even less flexible than you. Now that he can’t pursue Qu Wei, he’s willing to throw any amount of money at it, just won’t admit defeat. A couple of days ago, I said he has to get her into bed before he’ll be satisfied enough to let go.”
As Cui Bingbing spoke, she helped Liu Jun answer his ringing phone. After having a child, Liu Jun became cautious about driving—when driving at high speeds he didn’t dare answer the phone, afraid of being distracted and hurting Dandan in the car. Over time it became a habit. “It’s Hongming calling. Sounds like he has some troubles and wants you to call back when you’re free.”
“Hongming doesn’t like talking business with me anymore—says my brain, is in a concrete state with no capital consciousness. Could there be some family troubles?”
“I’m curious—doesn’t Hongming have other friends? He seems to come to you with everything, and can’t find anyone else. Sometimes when you’re so busy, he still drags you into discussing what car to buy or what red wine to drink. I want to criticize him.”
“That’s his personality—he doesn’t like confiding in others. Unlike with me, we grew up playing together, and know each other inside and out. He doesn’t need to hold back with me either.”
Cui Bingbing thought about it and said, “That’s true. He has too many things he should keep to himself. Even Jia Li doesn’t know everything. I see him working hard to maintain an elite image—putting on an act in front of people? I feel tired for him.”
Liu Jun shook his head after hearing this: “The more you can’t let go, the more you dare not let go. It’s his personality.” He dropped Cui Bingbing off downstairs at the City Investment deputy general manager’s building and called Qian Hongming, originally planning to turn around and rush to the Qian house, but unexpectedly, Qian Hongming asked him to wait where he was.
Liu Jun didn’t wait long before Qian Hongming hurriedly arrived driving his understated BMW M3. Getting into Liu Jun’s car, Qian Hongming stretched leisurely and sighed deeply. “I’m about to be driven crazy by the two women at home. My sister somehow heard about my… girlfriend situation and grabbed me for an all-night interrogation. Seeing that I didn’t come home all night but Jia Li didn’t make a single phone call, she suspects the problem lies with Jia Li. These past few days, she’s been constantly urging Jia Li to come out and work, to interact with society and absorb some human energy.”
“No wonder you wouldn’t tell A’San over the phone.”
“Your A’San’s feminism—if I told her, would I ever want to see you again? My sister found a very clever excuse, saying the agency company is getting bigger and bigger, with such large cash flows in and out that she’s scared and very worried about problems with the cashier. She hopes to have a family member handle company finances. The work isn’t heavy, but the responsibility is heavy—who else but Jia Li for this kind of thing? Jia Li doesn’t understand finance—she has a good mind, but just can’t calculate money. But she was moved by my sister’s predicament and felt she should help resolve my sister’s difficulties. No matter how I tried to dissuade her, it didn’t work. They joined forces against me, saying I have no conscience.”
“It would be quite good for Jia Li to work at your family company. Why stop it? With you all covering for her above, no one would let her suffer, and she could still take care of the home. Or you could break up with that girlfriend—isn’t that what your sister wants?”
“Under no circumstances can Jia Li go to work. The agency company is full of people who live by their tongues, much more complex than your place. Jia Li is pure-hearted—she wouldn’t even know if she was being bullied. How could my sister alone cover for her? Moreover, I don’t want Jia Li to go there and learn bad habits. You know, Jia Li is pure land—rare pure land. You help me persuade her—Jia Li trusts you. If you don’t agree, I’ll throw Jia Li into your research center to do general affairs. You cover for me—anyway, under no circumstances can she go to the agency company. There are too many kinds of people there.”
“Can’t you break up with that girlfriend? You don’t only have one—break up with one to show your sister. One at home and one outside—isn’t that enough to satisfy you?”
“Comrade, this concerns the desire to conquer—I can’t help myself. Understand? It’s like drug addiction—once you’re hooked, you can’t quit. Every day I’m restless with desire.”
“Show some restraint. Look at me—after marriage, I’m loyal to A’San, and I even have to pretend I’m not interested in beautiful women in front of A’San. You can do it too—just think more about Jia Li and Xiao Suihua. I think you need to solve this problem by cutting out the root cause—solve the problem at its source.”
“Won’t help? If you won’t help, I’ll drag Jia Li to your research center to work on the eighth day.”
“Entrusting your wife to a brother’s care—aren’t you being absurd? Hurry up and dismiss your girlfriends, be a good person, and stop talking about desires to conquer.”
“I told you, there’s no way—when I see beautiful women, I automatically spread my peacock feathers, and beautiful women never refuse me when they see me. What can I do? Please, Liu Jun. If I could solve it, I wouldn’t ask you for help. Jia Li is soft-hearted—she’ll go to work to help in the next few days. Time waits for no one.”
“Hey, how is Jia Li no longer pure land if she goes to work? A’San every day…” Liu Jun said this far when he saw Qian Hongming make a long-absent gesture—his left hand slightly curled at his mouth. He suddenly understood. What Qian Hongming wanted was for Jia Li to remain uncomplicated, not to be like Cui Bingbing, who could see through to people’s hearts at a glance, and not to be like Cui Bingbing, who would pursue matters to the bottom when catching a flaw in someone’s words. That way, when Qian Hongming came home, he wouldn’t need to hide all his past activities too much—home would be the most comfortable and relaxed harbor. Right, Qian Hongming had mentioned before that Jia Li was his harbor. This was a pitiful man. Liu Jun’s heart softened, and he agreed to work on Jia Li’s thinking.