Chapter 306: Extreme Tug-of-war, Ma Jinsong Painfully Cuts His Losses!
11:08 AM.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class slowly stopped in the spacious parking lot in front of the Wangfu Teahouse.
This capital city is truly a gathering place for tycoons.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class that would be considered flashy in Jiang Tao’s hometown of Ping County is just average here in the capital.
Just in the parking lot in front of the Wangfu Teahouse,
at a glance, there were seven or eight luxury cars more extravagant than the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Among them were a yellow Lamborghini Aventador and a striking red Ferrari that Jiang Tao couldn’t name.
And a blue Cullinan were undoubtedly the most eye-catching vehicles present.
As the saying goes, compare goods and you’ll throw them away.
Pushing the door open and getting out, seeing so many luxury cars before his eyes.
Jiang Tao also felt an urge to buy a new car!
After all, whether it was the Mercedes-Benz GLS driven by his third sister, Jiang Bing,
or the Mercedes-Benz G-Class he was currently driving,
neither was bought by himself.
One was a gift from Du Ennan, and the other was from Du Ennan’s father, Du Taiming.
Only that 4.2-meter truck and that used Beiqi EU5 were paid for by himself.
“A man has to be tough on himself; earning money is for spending.”
“When my birthday comes this year, I’ll reward myself with a car too!”
After thinking this to himself, Jiang Tao then walked towards the main entrance of the Wangfu Teahouse.
“Good afternoon, sir, welcome to Wangfu Teahouse.”
“May I ask… huh, you… are you Mr. Jiang?”
A female attendant wearing a tailor-made qipao with a blue and white porcelain pattern saw Jiang Tao’s face and her expression immediately became somewhat surprised.
“Huh? You know me?”
Jiang Tao looked at the female attendant, a look of confusion on his face.
The girl was about 1.6 meters tall, neither tall nor short, an average height for girls.
Her appearance was about a seven out of ten, looking very delicate, giving a refined and gentle impression.
Looking at the girl in front of him, Jiang Tao couldn’t recall who she was for a moment.
“Mr. Jiang, you have a good memory, we met during the Spring Festival.”
“My name is Wang Xiaobai, I delivered a popcorn bucket to you.”
Wang Xiaobai was not disappointed or angry that Jiang Tao didn’t recognize her; she still greeted him with a smile.
In her heart, Jiang Tao was a boss with unique vision.
She, a mere waitress, could only look up to him.
“Oh! So it’s you! Aren’t you in sales? Did you move to the capital?”
After Wang Xiaobai introduced herself, Jiang Tao immediately recognized the “money-bringing boy” who had once delivered goods to him.
During the Spring Festival, he and his third sister earned nearly 2 million by selling Flying Pig popcorn buckets.
This classmate Wang Xiaobai made a significant contribution.
Moreover, Wang Xiaobai’s younger sister, Wang Xiaohong, was currently dating his nephew, Jiang Shijie.
Therefore, Jiang Tao’s attitude towards Wang Xiaobai was much more polite than towards other strangers.
“Ahem, yes, it was a bit difficult to find work in sales, so a friend introduced me.”
“Are you meeting someone? Please come in, I’ll take you upstairs.”
Wang Xiaobai respectfully gestured for Jiang Tao to enter.
As Jiang Tao followed Wang Xiaobai, he said:
“Ma Jinsong arranged to meet me, at the Fengting Private Room.”
“Alright, Mr. Jiang, please follow me.”
Wang Xiaobai had been working at Wangfu Teahouse for over a month and was quite familiar with the place, leading Jiang Tao upstairs.
As they walked, Jiang Tao curiously observed the teahouse’s interior.
The ancient-style teahouse exuded understated luxury everywhere.
The rosewood decorations and Ming and Qing dynasty-style furniture were lustrous, the porcelain pieces on the display shelves were exquisite, and even the faint sandalwood scent wafted through the air.
Jiang Tao rarely drank tea and had never been to such a high-end teahouse before.
If he had come to such a fancy place for the first time when he was driving a truck, he would have inevitably felt a bit nervous, afraid of making a fool of himself by not knowing the rules.
But the Jiang Tao of today was not the same as before.
With the rapid growth of his assets, not only was his backbone stronger, but his inner self had also become more resilient!
No matter where he went, he would do whatever made him comfortable.
Who cared about rules? He himself was the rule!
“This way, Mr. Jiang.”
Wang Xiaobai led Jiang Tao to the second floor, passed through a screen painted with landscapes, and headed towards a more secluded private room in the back.
Soon, they walked down a corridor of over twenty meters and arrived at the door of the Fengting Private Room.
Wang Xiaobai lightly knocked on the room door, and a deep male voice responded from inside.
“Please come in.”
Creak~
Wang Xiaobai gently pushed open the door and gestured for Jiang Tao to enter.
“Please enter, Mr. Jiang.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Tao smiled and nodded, then stepped into the private room and immediately saw Ma Jinsong, who had stood up to greet him.
Ma Jinsong had clearly dressed up for the occasion today.
He wore a dark gray casual suit that appeared low-key but was actually very expensive.
On his exposed wrist, he wore a golden IWC watch.
However, no matter how splendid his attire, it couldn’t hide the red veins in his eyes and the unconcealable anxiety on his brow.
“General Manager Jiang! You’re finally here! Please sit, please sit!”
The moment Ma Jinsong saw Jiang Tao, his old face immediately broke into an enthusiastic and somewhat ingratiating smile.
“Manager Ma, thank you for waiting.”
Jiang Tao teased Ma Jinsong with a smile and casually sat down in the seat opposite him.
His gaze casually swept over the array of exquisite tea sets and several plates of delicate tea snacks on the table, his expression calm and collected.
“General Manager Jiang is joking. I’m just a humble lecturer; I can’t compare to a big boss like you.”
Ma Jinsong no longer had the arrogance he displayed towards Jiang Tao yesterday; his expression became extremely respectful.
“This is a good place for tea. Lecturer Ma, you’ve spared no expense.”
Jiang Tao’s tone was very flat, betraying no emotion.
“Not at all, Mr. Jiang, your willingness to grace us with your presence is a great honor to me, Ma Jinsong!”
As Ma Jinsong spoke, he picked up the small zisha teapot and, with slightly clumsy movements, poured golden tea soup into the tasting cups in front of Jiang Tao.
“This is the best Jin Jun Mei from Wangfu Teahouse. It’s said that only a few pounds are produced annually. General Manager Jiang, please try it and see if it suits your taste.”
“Lecturer Ma, let’s speak frankly. What do you want to say directly?”
Jiang Tao didn’t touch the tea; he looked directly at Ma Jinsong, his eyes holding a hint of intimidation.
Ma Jinsong felt a bit unnerved by his gaze, let out a dry laugh, sat down himself, and rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly.
“Mr. Jiang, I apologize for offending you at Black Ox Barbecue yesterday. It was my fault.”
Ma Jinsong looked at Jiang Tao and said sincerely:
“After a few drinks, I lost my composure and spoke nonsense. I deeply apologize for any offense!”
“General Manager Jiang, you are magnanimous, please don’t hold it against me!”
“I already said these things on the phone earlier, so there’s no need to repeat them.”
“Lecturer Ma, you didn’t just invite me to Wangfu Teahouse today to have tea, did you?”
Jiang Tao leaned back slightly in his chair, looking at Ma Jinsong with a playful expression, directly guiding him to the main topic.
He wasn’t close to Ma Jinsong and had no time to waste here.
“Mr. Jiang is truly straightforward! Then I’ll get straight to the point.”
Ma Jinsong’s smile froze for a moment, then he smiled even more eagerly, though his smile seemed insincere.
He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:
“I heard you have a very close relationship with General Manager Du of Wanxiang Hui, Du Taiming?”
“Old Du?”
Jiang Tao raised an eyebrow. “We’re okay. I’ve met him a few times, had meals together. His granddaughter is my goddaughter.”
As expected!!
Hearing that Du Taiming’s granddaughter was Jiang Tao’s goddaughter, Ma Jinsong became even more convinced that the obstruction of his company’s project was due to him.
Who else could he have offended but the godfather of the client’s granddaughter!
“General Manager Jiang, to be honest!”
Ma Jinsong said ingratiatingly, “Our Xingdong Education has been cooperating with Wanxiang Hui for 5 years. We have always been responsible for the training projects of their middle and senior management personnel.”
“The last five-year contract just expired, and the cooperation had always been pleasant. To better proceed with the next five-year cooperation, we invested a lot of effort and revised the plan several times.”
“Everything was almost finalized, but for some reason, yesterday General Manager Du’s attitude suddenly became… a bit vague.”
Ma Jinsong cautiously observed Jiang Tao’s expression. Although he claimed not to know the reason, he already understood the situation.
“So?”
Jiang Tao feigned ignorance, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.
The tea tasted quite good, clearly not cheap.
Ma Jinsong didn’t beat around the bush with Jiang Tao and asked directly:
“General Manager Jiang has a very good relationship with General Manager Du. Could you please put in a good word for us with General Manager Du?”
“As long as our project can proceed smoothly, I, Ma Jinsong, will never forget your great kindness!”
Jiang Tao looked at Ma Jinsong with a playful smile and said, “Lecturer Ma, we don’t seem to be that close yet, do we?”
“Ahem, of course, this won’t be a free favor for General Manager Jiang.”
As he spoke, Ma Jinsong held up two fingers.
“After this is done, I’ll give you 200,000 for your troubles, and consider it my apology!”
Jiang Tao looked at the two fingers he held up and slowly leaned back, completely sinking into the chair.
His face showed no expression, only a barely perceptible upward twitch of his lips.
His expression seemed like a smile, but it was more like a silent mockery.
The room was so quiet that only the faint “gurgling” sound of the teapot on the small stove could be heard.
“Thank you for the tea, Lecturer Ma, but I have something to attend to and need to leave.”
Jiang Tao stood up without any warning, the legs of the chair scraping lightly against the floor.
After saying this, he turned and walked towards the private room door, his movements crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
System Brother said Ma Jinsong’s maximum was 2 million.
This old guy is trying to bribe him with 200,000 like he’s a beggar!
“General Manager Jiang, please wait!”
Seeing Jiang Tao about to leave without a word, Ma Jinsong panicked and quickly stood up to stop him.
He sprang up from his chair so abruptly that his knee hit the heavy tea table, causing him to wince in pain, but he ignored it.
Ma Jinsong practically jogged around the tea table and opened his arms to block Jiang Tao.
The old Ma, running these few steps, had already broken out in a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.
“General Manager Jiang! General Manager Jiang, please wait! Wait! Let’s talk things over properly.”
Ma Jinsong said anxiously, “We can negotiate everything! If you’re not satisfied with the price, we can discuss it further! You name your price!”
Jiang Tao stopped and looked at Ma Jinsong’s old face, etched with urgency, panic, and calculation.
His own face was expressionless, his eyes calm to the point of being unsettling.
He couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words with Ma Jinsong.
He directly reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, opened it, and pinched out two hundred-yuan banknotes.
“Thump.”
Jiang Tao’s palm slapped, placing the two red hundred-yuan bills on the smooth and shiny wenge wood tea table beside him.
The bright red color stood out starkly against the dark wood grain and antique tea set.
Ma Jinsong’s gaze involuntarily followed the red color, fixating on the two hundred-yuan banknotes.
His brow instantly furrowed, and his pupils involuntarily contracted.
Two hundred?
What did this Jiang fellow mean?
Was it to pay for the tea he just drank?
No!
After Ma Jinsong considered a possibility, his heart suddenly tightened!
200!
Couldn’t this Jiang fellow want 2 million from him?
Why didn’t he just go and rob someone!
This wasn’t just a large expenditure.
This was like treating Old Ma as a fat sheep to be fleeced, directly wanting to cut off a leg!
Anger!
At that moment, Ma Jinsong was burning with rage, but he dared not show it, his old face turning beet red.
Ma Jinsong looked up, trying hard to force a smile, but it was uglier than crying, his voice dry and trembling:
“Mr. Jiang… isn’t this, isn’t this a bit too much? Our project doesn’t have that much profit in total.”
“Then I can’t help you. Mentor Ma, you all work hard yourselves. I’ll take my leave.”
After saying this, Jiang Tao casually pushed aside Ma Jinsong, who was blocking his path.
But the force he applied to Ma Jinsong felt immense to him.
Ma Jinsong stumbled, almost losing his balance, and was pushed aside by Jiang Tao.
Seeing Jiang Tao walking towards the door without any hesitation.
Ma Jinsong knew that Jiang Tao wasn’t playing hard to get.
This Jiang fellow really had no intention of continuing the discussion!
Just as Jiang Tao’s hand reached the doorknob, about to turn it.
Ma Jinsong’s heart was pounding wildly, practically in his throat.
The Wanxiang Hui project, with a total value of over twenty million for each five-year term!
And after one five-year term ended, there would be a second, a third five-year term!
If he hesitated to spend these 2 million today, the loss would not be limited to the twenty million fee for the first term!
For Xingdong Education, a high-quality enterprise with the strength of Wanxiang Hui was a gold mine that could bring them continuous income!
Click~
The sound of the door opening completely shattered Ma Jinsong’s psychological defenses. He quickly called out:
“Mr. Jiang, please wait! 200! I’ll give you 200 to help me!”
Ma Jinsong almost shouted, his voice hoarse and abrupt due to excitement and heartache.
Jiang Tao slowly turned around, finally looking directly at the panting, ashen-faced Ma Jinsong.
“Mentor Ma, what are you talking about? 200 what?”
“2 million!”
Every word was squeezed out from between Ma Jinsong’s teeth.
Although his heart bled with pain, he didn’t dare to show it on his face and still had to smile at Jiang Tao.
“As long as you can help facilitate the training cooperation between Xingdong Education and Wanxiang Hui, I am willing to pay you a hardship fee of two million!”
“I can pay you half the deposit today! The rest will be paid in full on the day the contract is signed!”
Hearing Ma Jinsong’s words, Jiang Tao slowly withdrew his hand and put it back into his pocket.
A smile, whose meaning was indiscernible, appeared on his face.
“Director Ma, if you had been this straightforward earlier, we wouldn’t have wasted everyone’s time.”
Seeing Jiang Tao relent, a heavy stone in Ma Jinsong’s heart finally landed.
His withered face forced a smile, though his heart was already bleeding profusely.
Half an hour later, a brief but clearly stipulated agreement was placed on the wenge wood tea table.
Jiang Tao quickly scanned it, found no issues, and signed his name.
The agreement was signed.
Ma Jinsong took out his phone and transferred the entire one million yuan to the account specified by Jiang Tao in front of him.
Looking at the “Transfer Successful” notification on his phone screen.
Ma Jinsong felt as if Jiang Tao had brutally cut off a large piece of his flesh, causing him immense pain.
