Chapter 283 - 196: Making Bad Friends (Part 2)

Chapter 283: Chapter 196: Making Bad Friends (Part 2)

Chen Xiao was stunned. He had seen the business plan for Hou Fei’s project, but he had no idea Hou Fei had also gone to Bai Lu!

’How brainless could he be? Doesn’t he know Bai Lu and Feng Feifei are good friends? Isn’t he afraid of being exposed?’

In reality, he was being a bit rigid in his thinking. How could Hou Fei possibly know that Bai Lu and Feng Feifei were close? Neither of them would ever tell him!

Chen Xiao only knew because he was close to both of them.

"What did Hou Fei want from you?"

"He said he was independently working on a project for laboratory robots and hoped the Jiangzhou Design Institute could sign a letter of intent with him!"

Chen Xiao looked confused. "How could the Jiangzhou Design Institute sign a letter of intent with him?"

"Exactly. How can a company sign a contract with an individual? I have no idea how he even got his Ph.D."

"So what did you tell him?"

"I told him that the Jiangzhou Design Institute only does business with Dr. Feng’s Robot, and Dr. Feng’s Robot only recognizes Chen Xiao!"

Chen Xiao burst out laughing. Bai Lu really had his back!

He could just imagine Hou Fei’s livid face. No wonder he looked so sullen at the annual party yesterday!

He could guess why Hou Fei wanted that letter of intent. It must have been related to his attempt to get funding from Junxiao Group. ’I don’t know what that idiot was thinking. Does he think everyone else is as stupid as he is?’

In fact, Hou Fei had been gloomy about this for the past two days.

After his last roadshow at Junxiao Investment Group, he had messaged President Xiang of the investment department a few times. The other party always said they were still looking into it, but eventually, they just stopped replying altogether.

How could he have known that when President Xiang first replied that they were "looking into it," he was still waiting for Gao Yue’s opinion? After he explained Hou Fei’s situation to Gao Yue, she replied with a single sentence: "Don’t waste time on an idiot!"

After that, President Xiang stopped paying any attention to Hou Fei. Hou Fei also messaged Gao Yue twice, but his messages vanished without a trace.

It was his own fault for not knowing his own limits. He thought his Ph.D. title could conquer the world.

Little did he know that Ph.D.s are a dime a dozen these days, not to mention he wasn’t a very bright one.

Once they moved to the new company building, Chen Xiao and Hou Fei wouldn’t even be on the same floor anymore.

The business departments would be on the same floor as the group’s corporate offices, while the other business units would each be separate.

’That’s great. Out of sight, out of mind!’

"Chen Xiao, let’s walk around a bit!"

The first-floor lobby of the Carmen Lake Hotel had several affordable luxury stores. Although their merchandise couldn’t compare to what was at Ganglong International, they were mainly there to meet the general needs of the hotel guests. ℯℯ𝘭.

Chen Xiao got up and went for a stroll with Bai Lu. When they wandered into a Coach store, Bai Lu saw a men’s outfit and insisted that Chen Xiao try it on, saying it would look great on him.

Chen Xiao didn’t want to try it on at first, but he couldn’t resist her enthusiasm, so he gave it a try.

It was true what they say: the clothes make the man. This outfit made him look much sharper than the Yi Rui business suit he was wearing before.

Bai Lu was very satisfied. She said to the salesperson, "This outfit. We’ll take it!"

Chen Xiao froze for a second. ’What’s going on? Is she buying me clothes?’

He didn’t rush to pay. For one, he was still processing what was happening. For another, once it sank in, he wanted to see if Bai Lu buying him clothes would trigger the "Opposite-Sex Blessing Fund" like it did with Zhao Xiangjun.

The result was disappointing. It didn’t trigger. ’I wonder why?’

"What’s wrong? Are you unhappy that I’m paying? Is your male chauvinism acting up?"

Chen Xiao couldn’t explain the Opposite-Sex Blessing Fund. It was a shame it hadn’t triggered, but on second thought, even if it had, there was no way Bai Lu would transfer him as much money or spend as much as Zhao Xiangjun had.

’So there wouldn’t have been much point!’

"No, I was just thinking about something. Let’s see if there’s anything you like, so I can return the favor!"

"I don’t really need anything. Let’s go look at cars. Shanyun Auto is a competitor to Junxing Auto, right? Let’s go check them out!"

Chen Xiao hesitated. The thought of seeing Jin Wuxian gave him a headache. He had no idea how a rich kid like him ended up with such a boisterous personality.

But he didn’t want to spoil Bai Lu’s fun, so he nodded and went with her.

’When this hotel belongs to me, I’ll either jack up Shanyun Auto’s rent or replace them with Junxing Auto!’

Poor Jin Wuxian had made a terrible friend and didn’t even know it.

Jin Wuxian was giving Lin Ya a tour of the Shanyun Auto flagship store’s decor. It was indeed high-end, grand, and stylish.

To create an air of luxury, Shanyun Auto spared no expense on service, brand promotion, and hardware.

Lin Ya nodded. "It feels much grander than a BBA showroom!"

Jin Wuxian said, "Of course! We’re going to take down BBA."

Lin Ya didn’t know much about cars, so she had no idea if Shanyun Auto could actually take down BBA. But hearing his bold declaration, she still said, "I hope Huaxia’s new energy luxury brands continue to get better and better!"

Jin Wuxian all but puffed out his chest and declared, "Not just better and better—we will definitely stand at the pinnacle of the world!"

"Then it’s an honor. Our Junxiao Square Second Store can be a participant in this momentous event!"

"Haha, President Lin, here’s to a pleasant partnership!"

Just then, Meng Jianshu and Lili also walked into the showroom and started looking at the cars. Lili was immediately taken with the E5, a fully electric sedan.

It was no exaggeration to say that Shanyun Auto’s design aesthetic was on point. The E5 was beautiful, but it was critically acclaimed yet commercially unsuccessful.

The reason was simple: what makes a luxury brand "luxury" is primarily its ability to provide emotional value.

Shanyun Auto hadn’t achieved that yet. That was why, in terms of workmanship and materials, the E5 was superior to a BMW 5 Series, but...

"Lili, don’t even look at that one. It only sells a few hundred units a month!"