Chapter 322 - 186: I Didn’t Lift a Finger, I Just Nodded

Chapter 322: Chapter 186: I Didn’t Lift a Finger, I Just Nodded

After President Li learned about Su Chen’s relationship with the owner of the mould processing factory, he beat his chest and promised that they wouldn’t have to move. He even offered to transfer some of his own factory’s orders to Chen Peng.

Su Chen agreed with this idea. Everyone had their own path to walk. Since his third brother had chosen the path of running a factory, he should be allowed to continue on it.

Su Chen’s appearance shouldn’t make him feel like he could get something for nothing. That wasn’t Su Chen’s original intention.

If he couldn’t even handle a golden opportunity handed to him on a silver platter, he might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes.

Su Chen checked the time. It was almost eleven-thirty, so he beckoned toward President Li.

President Li, who had been waiting to be summoned, immediately jogged over when he saw Su Chen’s gesture. Manager Wang, who was standing nearby, saw this and followed him.

"Mr. Su~" President Li was no longer as stiff as before, and his voice carried a hint of ease.

Meanwhile, Manager Wang, trailing behind him, was a nervous wreck. ’I wonder how Mr. Su plans to deal with me.’

"Let’s find a place to have lunch. You can have a good chat with my third brother later."

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed President Li’s eyes when he heard this. He naturally understood the meaning behind Su Chen’s words. ’It seems what I said earlier actually worked.’

"Coincidentally, a friend of mine owns a top-tier private kitchen nearby. Let’s go there."

After speaking, President Li thought of Manager Wang standing behind him and asked tentatively, "Mr. Su, how about we invite Manager Wang along? He’s in charge of the industrial park, and they’ve had plenty of dealings before. He’s a familiar face, which will make things easier down the line!"

Hearing this, Manager Wang, who was standing behind him, was incredibly moved. ’President Li is a true friend!’ His heart leaped into his throat, however. Whether or not he could escape this disaster all depended on Su Chen’s answer.

Su Chen gave President Li a meaningful look. ’So he gets to be the good guy, which makes me the bad guy, is that it?’

Still, President Li had a point. It’s like they say: give a slap, then offer a sweet. After scaring the man half to death, it was probably right to let him have a meal and calm down.

Even if Su Chen had him removed, someone else would just take his place. Rather than deal with a stranger, it was better to let Manager Wang continue in his role. At least now he understood who not to offend.

"Fine, he can come," Su Chen said, glancing at Manager Wang.

Hearing this, Manager Wang’s face bloomed into a wide smile. He bowed repeatedly to Su Chen, thanking him. "Thank you, Mr. Su! Thank you, Mr. Su!"

Chen Peng, standing to the side, was completely bewildered. ’It’s just lunch, why is he getting so worked up?’

Fu Qiaoyu, on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression on her face.

Soon, two cars pulled up to the factory gate: a Bentley and a BMW.

The Bentley was, of course, President Li’s car. Su Chen got in, chatting and laughing with him. As for Chen Peng and Fu Qiaoyu, they got into Manager Wang’s BMW. The two cars slowly drove out of the industrial park.

「In the BMW.」

Manager Wang was incredibly enthusiastic, a world of difference from his previous cold demeanor. It was so drastic that Chen Peng and his wife found it a bit overwhelming at first.

But the couple was no match for a veteran like Manager Wang. After a bit of conversation, the distance between them closed considerably, and by the end of the ride, laughter could be heard from the car.

The private kitchen President Li had chosen was called Su Yin, and it also served Huaiyang cuisine.

As soon as they walked in, the "owner friend" President Li had mentioned came forward to greet them. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with President Li, he led Su Chen’s group to the most luxurious private room.

President Li took the menu and flipped through it briefly before turning to Su Chen beside him. "Does Mr. Su have any dietary restrictions?"

"Order whatever. As long as it’s good," Su Chen said with a faint smile.

President Li nodded at his words and proceeded to order a dozen dishes, all of them signature classics of Huaiyang cuisine, like the Braised Pork Ball in Crab Roe and Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish that Su Chen had eaten in Suzhou before.

There were also a few dishes whose names alone made Su Chen want to try them, like Stir-fried Eel, a dish called "The Hegemon’s Farewell," and Jellied Pork Knuckle.

Whether it was because President Li had put in a special word or not, the food arrived incredibly fast. They waited less than ten minutes before the dishes were on the table.

Every dish was steaming hot, clearly fresh from the wok.

Interestingly, an open bottle of Maotai was placed in front of Manager Wang, and he was pouring it into a decanter. The others had soft drinks; in front of Su Chen was a glass of juice, which President Li had specially ordered after asking his preference.

President Li shot a look at Manager Wang, who understood instantly. He knew this was the signal for him to show his sincerity.

He specifically asked the waiter for a two-liang glass and filled it to the brim.

"Mr. Su, I was greatly out of line today. I will drink three cups as a penalty. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me!" With that, he raised the full glass toward Su Chen in a toast, then downed it in one go.

The second cup!

The third cup!

Soon, all three glasses of Maotai were down the hatch. A flush crept onto Manager Wang’s face. Even for someone like him who frequently attended drinking parties, downing three consecutive glasses was a bit much.

Seeing the expectant look in Manager Wang’s eyes after he had downed the three glasses, Su Chen picked up his glass of juice and took a sip.

At this sight, both Manager Wang and President Li breathed a sigh of relief. They knew the matter was now in the past. ’Of course, it’s not completely forgotten. The rest depends on our future performance.’

The room became lively. Chen Peng, in particular, seemed to become the main character as President Li and Manager Wang pulled him into conversation, drinking and laughing with him. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the three of them were the best of buddies.

"Xiaochen, thank you so much for today!" Fu Qiaoyu said, walking up to Su Chen with a glass of juice.

’If I still can’t see Su Chen’s hand in all this,’ she thought, ’I might as well go find a block of tofu to bang my head against.’

Watching the three men toasting and chatting happily, Fu Qiaoyu understood... ’Barring any surprises, their Yu Peng Mould Processing Factory is only going to get better from now on.’

"Sister-in-law, we’re all family. You’re being too formal. Besides, I didn’t really do anything," Su Chen said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.

It was true, in a way. All the subsequent arrangements for his third brother had been single-handedly taken care of by President Li. All Su Chen had done was nod his head.

The meal lasted for over an hour. Chen Peng was completely drunk, plied with liquor by the other two. As he was leaving, he was still mumbling about having another bottle.

Because Chen Peng was drunk, Fu Qiaoyu had no choice but to get a room at the hotel next to the private kitchen to take care of him.

"Old Li, here’s my card. I’m leaving my third brother in your hands," Su Chen said, pulling an exquisitely made business card from his pocket. It had nothing but his name, Su Chen, and a string of numbers.

President Li was ecstatic. He extended both hands to receive the card, accepted it gingerly, and placed it in his cardholder.

"Mr. Su, you can rest assured! I guarantee I’ll help double the size of Chen Peng’s factory within a year!" President Li promised, patting his chest.

Su Chen gave a slight nod. He didn’t really care if the factory doubled in size or not. Just a few orders leaking from President Li’s hands would be more than enough to keep Chen Peng well-fed.

One had to take things one step at a time. Rushing things could lead to painful accidents.

"Mr. Su, where are you headed now? Let me give you a ride!"

"No need. My ride is here," Su Chen said, nodding toward a business van that was approaching them.

The van quickly pulled up in front of them. A man got out of the front passenger seat—it was Su Chen’s butler, Jiang Hui.

"Sir," Jiang Hui said respectfully.

Su Chen nodded, turned to the other two with a wave goodbye, and got into the van.

Watching the van slowly drive away, the two men looked at each other and broke into a smile.