"Alright, turn it off!" From within the quiet chairman’s office, Liu Fugui snapped his fingers and instructed Huang Yong behind him.
Obeying the order, Huang Yong imdiately bent over to press the red button on the panel, and soon the room once again fell silent.
Picking up the delicately crafted purple clay teapot, Liu Fugui poured himself a little over half a cup of tea. After taking a couple of sips, he cleared his thoughts, slapped his hands on his legs, and stood up.
"Alright! It’s ti to go et the new guests."
At this mont, in the guest room, the survivors were idly passing the ti, each in their own way. Xu Renjie stood by the window, smoking a cigarette, staying alert to the happenings outside below; Tang Xiaoquan rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought, while the rest, Wang Qiang, Hu Xiaodong, and Wei Dazhuang, were chatting aimlessly and lazily.
Just when their idle boredom was starting to beco unbearable, Liu Fugui finally pushed open the door to the guest room, appearing before the survivors.
"Sorry, Xiaopeng just got back, I was busy settling him in and neglected you all, my apologies, my apologies!"
The polite opening and humble attitude of Liu Fugui were sowhat unexpected to the survivors, given that he was, after all, a well-known figure in DZ County, the kind of person that even local governnt officials would have to lower themselves to serve carefully.
Otherwise, on an unhappy day, he could very well have them lose their official hat.
So Liu Fugui’s down-to-earth approach to hosting was sowhat overwhelming for the survivors.
"Haha, Mr. Liu, you’re too polite. It’s us who are intruding here, delaying your eting with Xiaoliu. If anyone should apologize, it should be us!" Hu Xiaodong, being closest to the door, was the first to reply appropriately.
Wang Qiang felt a bit awkward now. At that mont, he was sitting in the chief seat; although he had quickly adjusted his posture to sit upright the instant Liu Fugui entered, his less-than-elegant posture had not escaped Liu Fugui’s notice.
However, the latter didn’t seem to mind. Instead, one of his entourage, a big man, was almost glaring at Wang Qiang with murderous eyes.
To this, Wang Qiang awkwardly scratched his head, then chuckled and waved it off: "Haha, well, Mr. Liu, please take the seat."
"Haha," Liu Fugui laughed heartily, waving his hand grandly: "It’s fine, it’s fine, young man. Stay where you like; you’re most welco to sit there!"
Wang Qiang’s nature was to reciprocate kindness magnanimously.
So without further ado, he pulled out a wooden chair beside the chief seat and plopped right down into it.
As soon as his buttock hit the chair seat, Wang Qiang unexpectedly felt a wave of comfort.
Yet, the big man following Liu Fugui continued to glare at Wang Qiang with an intimidating intensity, making it seem like he wanted to tear Wang Qiang apart.
The big man took just a few steps to reach the chief seat, quickly straightening the skewed chair that Wang Qiang had left, and then used his sleeve to brush away the shoe dust on the wooden table. Once everything was tidied, he stepped back, bowed slightly, and made a welcoming gesture.
"Mr. Liu! Please sit!"
"Mm!" Liu Fugui nodded mildly, then stepped towards the chief seat with an air that was unmistakably aristocratic.
Once seated, Liu Fugui motioned for everyone else to sit down as well, and then said with a smile:
"Thank you all so much for escorting my son here, it must have been hard for you. I, Liu Fugui, co from a business background, so I believe in doing things straightforwardly, without detours. I know you must have your reasons for coming here, so let’s be upfront; go on, tell what you need."
For a mont, Tang Xiaoquan was stunned; he hadn’t expected Liu Fugui to raise the matter so forthrightly.
He had been pondering how exactly to bring up the issue of resource supplies.
Who would’ve thought...
"What? You aren’t really planning to return to the villa empty-handed, are you? Hahaha!" Liu Fugui looked around at the group with interest, quite satisfied with the surprised expressions on their faces. He liked the feeling of controlling the situation.
"Co on, don’t hold back. Since Mr. Liu has spoken up, let’s get to it and state your purposes!" prompted the big man, whose impatient nature was evident.
To this...
"Hahaha!" A deep laughter suddenly erupted in the guest room.
The big man’s eyebrows lifted instantly, and as he looked around, he found the source of the shrill laughter—in the last row at the round table—was none other than Xu Renjie.
"What the hell are you laughing at?" shouted the big man out of nowhere, his voice matching his large and muscular physique—solid and resonant.
Yet, before he could make another move, Liu Fugui at the chief seat casually remarked: "He Lei! What kind of attitude is that! Is this how you treat guests?"
Once these words were out, He Lei instantly recoiled like a frost-bitten cabbage, then obediently replied, "Yes, Mr. Liu, you’re right to reprimand !"
Ignoring He Lei beside him, Liu Fugui shifted from his stern deanor to a pleasant smile, apologizing to Xu Renjie:
"Sorry, my brother here is quite coarse, not very well-mannered, and I apologize for his behavior."
"Haha, Mr. Liu! In my opinion, weren’t you the one benefiting from his actions?"
"Hey, watch your mouth!"
"Insolence!" For the second ti, He Lei was halted as Liu Fugui calmly asked with a smile: "May I ask, sir, why you say that?"
eting Liu Fugui’s pointed gaze, Xu Renjie crossed his arms and gestured around: "Mr. Liu, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve already heard every word we said in this room through the monitoring devices you’ve installed here. If that’s the case, why bother asking us what we need again?"
Upon hearing this, all the survivors were taken aback. The quick-witted Tang Xiaoquan quickly pieced things together and understood Xu Renjie’s point.
Indeed, considering Liu Fugui’s business acun, it was entirely possible that he had installed surveillance devices in the guest room.
No wonder he had appeared so perceptive since entering the guest room, having already grasped the group’s intentions inside-out.
A true veteran he is! It seems the situation ahead is going to be tricky!
"Clap, clap, clap!" Suddenly, Liu Fugui began applauding.
"Good, very good. You truly are from a military background, Lieutenant Xu. I admire your keen insight and straightforwardness. That’s right, in this entire room, more accurately, in the entire factory, I’ve installed surveillance equipnt. You might find this approach a bit underhanded. But the business world is like a battlefield; it’s only by seizing the initiative that you can always be invincible in warfare. I believe, Lieutenant Xu, you can understand this perspective, right?" (To be continued. If you like this story, feel free to vote and give monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.)
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