Chapter 24 - Meeting Gao Feng

The two faced each other, eyes locked in mutual defiance.

Li Zhaojun scoffed disdainfully, turned her pretty face away, and arrogantly lifted her polished, delicate chin like a peacock spreading its feathers.

Ye Fan also shifted his gaze and settled into a more comfortable position, lazily stating, “Just speak your mind, we are both uncomfortable sitting here anyway.”

“Meet my grandfather tomorrow at five in the afternoon,” Li Zhaojun said, her voice calm and aloof.

“Don’t be missing when the time comes.”

Tomorrow was Saturday, and she was worried Ye Fan might wander off somewhere and be unreachable, so she had to mention it a day early.

“Meet the old man?” Ye Fan responded, “No problem.”

Li Zhaojun slightly turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Ye Fan, and said coolly, “Please clean yourself up when you meet grandfather, don’t look like a refugee.

It’s embarrassing!”

Ye Fan straightened up immediately and retorted, “What refugee?

I’m just low-key and frugal!

The old man will be too busy praising my simplicity to say anything else.

If you’re so capable, try wearing your usual clothes and see if he even lets you in the door tomorrow!”

Li Zhaojun was momentarily at a loss for words and huffed, “Flatterer!”

With that, she stood up and headed towards the stairs.

Ye Fan, unable to tolerate Li Zhaojun’s attitude, vengefully stared at her graceful departing figure.

Gulp—

Ye Fan couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, then suddenly came to his senses, slapped himself, and cursed under his breath, “What am I debasing myself for?

The world is full of beautiful women, like Sister Man, who’s quite nice.

Hmm, Tantai Wanrong is quite appealing too.”

The next morning, Ye Fan indulged in a luxurious lie-in, only dragging himself out of bed after nine o’clock.

Thankfully, it was Saturday, so he didn’t have to go to work and worry about being late.

After washing up and enjoying a hearty breakfast, Ye Fan took his cellphone to the living room couch and made a call.

The phone rang a few times before the person on the other end finally answered.

“Hello, who is this?” A deep, middle-aged man’s voice came from the phone.

Ye Fan smiled into the phone and said, “Hello, Mr.

Gao Feng, I am Ye Fan from the HR department of Emali Group…”

Before he could finish, he heard the phone disconnect with a beep.

“Uh?

Seems like Mr.

Gao Feng has a rather large grievance against Emali Group,” Ye Fan said with a smile, not upset in the slightest, “But it’s as I expected, definitely He Jiaqiang’s doing.”

Continuing to smile lightly, Ye Fan redialed Gao Feng’s number.

The phone rang several times, but Gao Feng didn’t answer.

Ye Fan crossed his legs and dialed again.

This time, as soon as the call connected, Gao Feng cut it off immediately.

Ye Fan didn’t give up and kept calling.

After a couple more attempts, Gao Feng, now thoroughly annoyed, answered the phone and snapped, “Emali Group, haven’t you had enough?!”

“Hehe, Mr.

Gao Feng, please be patient,” Ye Fan said with a light chuckle, “I’m not the same kind of person as He Jiaqiang.”

“I don’t care about your differences; I just don’t want any contact with you Emali Group people!” Gao Feng said.

“That won’t do.

I still want to arrange a meeting with you,” Ye Fan maintained his light tone.

“Impossible.

Forget about it,” Gao Feng flatly refused.

Ye Fan laughed, “It seems a phone call isn’t enough sincerity.

Alright, to show my sincerity, I’ll come in person to Yuhe Group to find you.”

“No!” Gao Feng sounded a bit panicked.

As an HR staff member of Emali Group, Ye Fan visiting Yuhe Group personally to find people meant revealing to Yuhe Group’s leaders that Emali Group was headhunting Gao Feng.

If Ye Fan was indiscreet, Gao Feng could face a difficult time at Yuhe Group under the suspicion of its upper management.

Ye Fan, legs still crossed, casually smiling, said calmly, “So, let’s still meet up.

Some things are better discussed face-to-face.”

“Fine, I’ll meet you once,” Gao Feng said helplessly, “but just this once.

If you bother me again after this meeting, I’ll let the group know and I’ll never deal with you again!”

“Good,” Ye Fan smiled, “Twelve o’clock, same place at Kai De Coffee House on Tianyuan Road, don’t be late.”

After saying this, without waiting for Gao Feng’s approval, he hung up the phone.

“Humph, hanging up on me like that, I’ll just hang up on you too,” Ye Fan said smugly, then kicked up his legs and hummed a little tune contentedly.

At twelve o’clock, at the Kai De Coffee House on Tianyuan Road in Liu Jiahui, Ye Fan finally met Gao Feng.

Gao Feng was average-looking, wearing a pair of black half-frame glasses, his forehead slightly shiny, of medium height, with a slightly protruding belly.

His face was grim, clearly showing he did not intend to give Ye Fan a warm welcome.

Seeing Ye Fan made his face even more sullen.

Previously, the person contacting him from Emali Group had been an assistant manager; now, Emali Group had let some shabbily dressed, frivolous young guy contact him.

“Emali Group, you’re pushing too far!” Gao Feng thought bitterly.

He had some renown in the industry and was considered a senior talent; to recruit him, at least a vice president should have made the offer.

After sitting face-to-face, Ye Fan introduced himself, then got straight to the point, “Mr.

Gao Feng, I suppose you already know the benefits of switching to our group, and you’ve thought it over carefully, but I still want to emphasize it once more.”

He repeated Emali Group’s high regard for the new project, ‘Biomedical Project,’ disclosing the scale of investment, and then he analyzed the benefits and prospects of Gao Feng switching to Emali Group.

These points had already been mentioned several times by He Jiaqiang.

Gao Feng had thought them over thoroughly.

Ye Fan repeated them in order to strengthen Gao Feng’s internal desire and to lay the groundwork for the persuasion to follow.

Indeed, when it came to such career-critical matters, Gao Feng patiently listened, and during the listening process, his expression gradually softened and was no longer utterly antagonistic.

After analyzing the benefits and prospects of Gao Feng switching to Emali Group, Ye Fan smiled and said, “Before meeting you, I put myself in your shoes and considered it carefully.

You’re forty-two years old, with elderly parents to support, and children to put through university.

The pressure is enormous.

Though our group has offered you better pay and brighter prospects, the pressure from your family makes you hesitant to take risks.”

Gao Feng couldn’t help but nod, sighing, “You’re not wrong.”

“That’s why I wanted to meet you today, to help resolve your worries,” Ye Fan said, and then took out a check from his briefcase, continuing, “This is one million.”

Saying that, he handed the check to Gao Feng.

Gao Feng’s face visibly shocked, he took the check and scrutinized it carefully, and it appeared genuine, at least he couldn’t spot anything fake about it.

He looked up and asked Ye Fan, “Are you saying your group is willing to advance me one million?”

“No,” Ye Fan smiled and shook his head lightly, “This check is mine.”

That check was indeed what Liu Tianxi, the general manager of Sky Wolf Security Company, had given him as an apology.

“Ah!” Gao Feng exclaimed in surprise, looking incredulously at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan, dressed in cheap street market clothes, barely in his early twenties, how could he possibly possess a million?

“How about it?

Don’t believe it?

You can take it to the bank and check,” Ye Fan said with a light smile.

Gao Feng took this lead, silently handed the check back to Ye Fan, and asked, “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple, I want to make a bet with you.

You switch to our group, I’ll give you one million.

Within three years, if our biomedical project succeeds, you return this one million to me.

If the project fails and you are forced to leave, the one million is yours.”

“Are you sure?” Gao Feng was instantly tempted.

With this one million as security, and the salary 20 percent higher than what Yuhe Group offers, what concerns could he still have?

Moreover, switching to Emali Group would give him a brighter career prospect.

It seemed like a good deal all around.

“Of course I’m sure,” Ye Fan said, “I will sign a bet contract with you, to be notarized at a law firm, protected by law.”

“This…” Gao Feng hesitated, “Let me think about it.”

“Of course, you may.

However, you only have one day to decide.

By tomorrow morning ten o’clock, I need a definitive answer from you, or the deal is off!” Ye Fan said, pausing slightly.

He then added, “For now, come with me to the bank to verify the authenticity of the check.

I see you don’t quite believe it’s real.”

“Heh,” Gao Feng gave an embarrassed smile, stood up, and followed Ye Fan out of the coffee house.