Chapter 569 - Accident
Chapter 569 of "Super Soldier in the City" starts revealing surprises: Chapter 569: Chapter 581: AccidentWu Fengnian, the head of Zhenglong Machinery Company, was fifty-two years... Read on!
Chapter 569: Chapter 581: AccidentWu Fengnian, the head of Zhenglong Machinery Company, was fifty-two years old. He started doing business at thirty and transformed a small machinery factory on the brink of bankruptcy into a large company with an annual sales volume of three billion and assets of over one billion. He was certainly a man of considerable strength.
Even though the companyâs annual turnover reached three billion, Wu Fengnian still highly valued the deal with Li Yifei and his colleagues. After all, a single deal worth around fifty million was not something they came across very often in a year.
At noon, everyone had lunch together. Seeing that Li Yifei and Michelle were both so young, Wu Fengnian couldnât help but look down on them somewhat. He thought that these two youngsters, a boy and a girl, could hardly compare to an old hand like him, so he somewhat showcased his seniority during the meal.
Li Yifei and Michelle didnât take it to heart; they were just managers in the company, while Wu Fengnian was the boss. It was quite normal for someone of higher status to speak to them in a condescending tone.
During lunch, no one talked about the cooperation. In the afternoon, Wu Fengnian arranged for Qian Wantong to take Li Yifei and Michelle out to have fun. Although Michelle was reluctant to waste such time, Li Yifei hinted to her not to be in a hurry to talk about the contract, as that would only put them in a passive position.
Michelle was indeed serious about her work, but she wasnât as smooth as Li Yifei. She naturally followed Li Yifeiâs lead. Having the rare opportunity to spend time with Li Yifei without Xu Yingying around was a treat for Michelle, so she ended up having a great time with him in the afternoon.
The next day, the negotiations officially began. Both Michelle and Li Yifei recognized the machinery factoryâs capability; the main issue was the difference in price. The Zhenglong side stuck to a price of fifty-five million, while Li Yifei and his team were unwilling to pay that much and only willing to offer forty-five million.
The gap of ten million between the two parties led to a stalemate in the negotiations.
Although the negotiations didnât conclude immediately, Li Yifei and his team were still treated to a lavish dinner that evening. After Li Yifei and Michelle returned to the hotel, Qian Wantong paid them a visit.
"Letâs speak frankly," he said. "A price of fifty-five million is definitely reasonable under normal circumstances. If you agree to this price, our boss has said that he can give you a five percent rebate."
Michelle was immediately shocked, her mouth agape. Five percent of fifty-five million was two hundred and seventy-five thousand. This meant if they agreed to the price, she and Li Yifei could gain two hundred and seventy-five thousand for nothing.
Her own annual salary and bonus combined wouldnât exceed one hundred thousand. The prospect of so much money was truly shocking.
Seeing Michelleâs astonished expression, Qian Wantongâs face broke into a smile, knowing that such an amount of money would definitely stun the two of them. Li Yifei and Michelle were so young; they surely hadnât seen much money. He didnât believe they would refuse such a rebate.
Li Yifei said with a chuckle, "That really isnât a small amount, two hundred seventy-five thousand. We wouldnât earn that much in twenty years." Then he turned to look at Michelle.
Michelle shook her head rapidly and said, "No, no, we canât take that money."
Qian Wantong immediately said, "Manager Mi, taking such a rebate is completely normal. You donât need to have any scruples about it. Think about it, thatâs more than two hundred thousand in an instant. You and Manager Li would each have over a million. In the blink of an eye, youâd be millionaires, and buying a car or a house would be a breeze. If you rely on your salaries, it wonât be that easy to save so much money."
Michelle continued to shake her head, saying, "Vice-President Qian, we work for the company, and we canât harm the companyâs interests for our own benefit. We will absolutely not agree to such a thing."
Qian Wantong laughed heartily and said, "Manager Mi, no offense, but we work to consider the companyâs interests. As long as it doesnât do any major harm, why not look out for your own benefits as well?"
Michelleâs expression grew even more serious as she replied, "Vice-President Qian, thank you for your kindness, but for others, taking a kickback might be normal. For me, taking such money is equivalent to stealing from the company. It would make me feel very uncomfortable, so I absolutely canât accept it. If you can truly offer us a rebate, it would be better to give us a discount on the price instead."
Qian Wantong furrowed his brows, not expecting Michelle to be so firm. He said, "Manager Mi, you should really think this through. If we canât finalize the deal this time, your company might send someone else, and then the benefit will go to them."
But Michelle still shook her head, "I canât control what happens if others come in to negotiate, but as long as Iâm the one negotiating, I absolutely wonât agree. Although our company urgently needs this equipment, there are definitely other companies in our country that can produce it. If you donât agree, then we may consider approaching other companies."
Qian Wantong tried another approach, "We can add two more points and raise the total rebate to four million."
"Even if you offered us a ten million rebate, we wouldnât agree. We only want the real price. I hope Vice-President Qian can understand."
Qian Wantong, his nose put out of joint, had no choice but to leave. However, he knew that to seal the deal, they would have to do it fair and square at the negotiation table. Trying to rely on such methods was definitely not going to work.
After Qian Wantong left, Li Yifei sighed and said, "Michelle, you let my two million fly away."
Michelleâs face turned red, and she said with a pout, "Brother Li, you really wanted it that badly?"
Li Yifei said, "Of course I did. It was two million weâre talking about. Even Yingyingâs annual salary isnât that much, and this would have been pure profit."
Michelle looked at Li Yifei in astonishment, then suddenly burst out laughing and said, "I donât believe it. Brother Li is not someone who can be brought down by money."
"Am I that noble?" Li Yifei touched his nose.
Michelle puffed up her chest proudly and said, "Of course you are; I absolutely believe that."
Li Yifei chuckled and replied, "Alright, alright. Just for that comment, I guess Iâll have to be noble just this once."
In the next two days, both parties haggled back and forth, finally agreeing on a price of forty-seven million. Michelle let out a long sigh of relief. The companyâs bottom line had been fifty million, so she had saved the company three million, which was something to be proud of.
With the contract negotiated, Michelle was naturally overjoyed. A five-day trip was now shortened by a day, and at the warm invitation of Zhenglong, Li Yifei and Michelle spent an extra day sightseeing in North Ocean, also buying some souvenirs to take back. After all, they were on a business trip; it was customary to bring something back for colleagues.
This time they were accompanied by Qian Wantongâs female secretary and a driver. The driver was only responsible for driving them around, while the secretary generally took care of things like buying tickets. As for joining in the sightseeing, she did not, seemingly to avoid getting in the way of the two of them.
Michelle was having a blast today. Firstly, the business negotiations had gone smoothly, and Xu Yingying was quite pleased when informed over the phone. Secondly, being out and about with Li Yifei alone, though he only occasionally and gentlemanly took her hand, made her very happy.
By three oâclock in the afternoon, as they were riding back, Michelle felt tired and fell asleep in the car, while Li Yifei also dozed off with his eyes closed.
With a piercing screech of brakes accompanied by a violent crash, Li Yifei and Michelle both felt a sudden jolt, completely unable to control their bodies as they were thrown onto the back seat.
The accident came so unexpectedly that Li Yifei had no time to prepare. Without waiting for the car to stabilize, he quickly surveyed the situation: a taxi was skewed against the side of their car, with only a driver inside and no passengers, which immediately put him at ease, recognizing it as an ordinary accident.
Hurrying to help Michelle up, she was pale-faced, clenching Li Yifeiâs arm without knowing what had happened.
Li Yifei patted the back of her hand with his other hand and said, "Itâs okay; we just had a car accident. How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
"I ... I think Iâm okay, oh, my ankle hurts." As soon as she mentioned the pain, sweat beaded on Michelleâs forehead, clearly in a lot of pain.
Li Yifei promptly lifted Michelleâs leg and rolled up her trousers to reveal her calf. There were no external injuries, but when he pulled down her socks, her ankle was somewhat bruised.
"Can you move it at all?" Li Yifei asked.
Michelle tried to move it and immediately inhaled sharply, wincing in pain, "It hurts."
Li Yifei, not wanting to move her recklessly, said, "There are two possibilities: itâs either a sprain or there is a slight fracture, but either way, itâs not a big issue. Weâll get it checked at the hospital in a bit."
By then, the secretary and the driver had also come to their senses. They were uninjured and quickly inquired about Michelleâs condition before swiftly arranging for another company vehicle to take her to the hospital.
By that time, Michelleâs ankle had swollen up, and she dared not put her foot down. Li Yifei helped her out and then turned his back to her, saying, "Come on, let me carry you."
This took Michelle by surprise, her face flushing, but she obediently lay on Li Yifeiâs back. He firmly held onto her thighs and lifted her up, immediately feeling how her leg muscles tensed up.