DASFAM_45

Zhouye Investments.

Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu drove over and happened to run into Chu Yate, who had arrived at the same time. The two parties exchanged a glance and headed straight for the conference room where the team members had gathered.

"Mr. Chu."

Kai Ling, the deputy team leader, stood up with a tense expression and greeted each of them in turn, "Young Master Bai, Mr. Shang."

Bai Xu casually pulled out a chair, "Sit down and talk."

In this project team, Kai Ling and Xie Qi respectively led their team members in preliminary preparations for different aspects, which would eventually be consolidated and handed over to Bai Xu and the others.

As his most trusted subordinate, Chu Yate had full confidence in Kai Ling's work capabilities. If she hadn't encountered a difficult problem that was hard to resolve, she definitely wouldn't have disturbed them easily.

Thinking of this, Chu Yate immediately asked for specifics, "Kai Ling, what exactly is going on?"

The message earlier in the group had been sent by Kai Ling as a last resort. Fearing that details might get lost over text, she had called for another meeting.

Kai Ling glanced at the other team members, who understood her meaning and quickly handed the list of building material suppliers gathered over the past two days to Bai Xu and the others.

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, "I've seen this draft list of potential partners. There weren't any issues with it?"

According to the requirements of the relevant authorities, bidding for large-scale amusement park projects not only requires providing extremely detailed project proposals but also listing the building material suppliers to be used during construction.

All the suppliers on this list were companies that met the review qualifications.

The current focus was on sending out cooperation invitations to these companies and considering their rough quotes to 'compare options', though the final decision-making authority lay with Zhouye Investments.

Kai Ling furrowed her brows, "Young Master Bai, that's exactly where the problem lies."

"As soon as these building material suppliers heard we were from Zhouye Investments, without exception, they all refused."

"......"

"The reasons they gave were all very high-sounding."

Some were more polite, excusing themselves by saying their company's business volume for the second half of the year was already sufficient and they wouldn't take on additional external orders;

Others were more dismissive, straightforwardly stating they were unwilling to cooperate with a newly established small company like Zhouye Investments.

A team member who was also responsible for the negotiations in this area muttered quietly, "It's only July or August, how could they possibly be fully booked for the entire year's orders already? They’re clearly making excuses."

Bai Xu sensed something off in the situation, his eyes changing slightly.

Shang Yanxiao closed the list folder and pressed further, "Have you contacted building material suppliers not on the list?"

Kai Ling had already done this step, "We've contacted them too, but the answers were more or less the same. Some smaller building material suppliers caught wind of it and actively approached us for cooperation, but their scale isn't large enough. They’re not within our predetermined selection range."

Bai Xu hit the nail on the head, "It seems someone is playing tricks behind the scenes, clearly wanting to stall our Zhouye Investments project in the preliminary preparation stage."

Kai Ling was just about to mention this matter, her hesitant gaze shifting slightly toward Chu Yate, "The secretary of Mr. Zhou from Yuansheng Steel and I have a good private relationship. She, she hinted that..."

A team member hearing about this for the first time couldn't help but ask, "What did she say?"

Bai Xu looked at Chu Yate simultaneously, already aware, "What else could it be? In Singapore, which companies have such high 'say' that make various building material suppliers willing to refuse external orders and ingratiate themselves?"

The usual joking expression on Chu Yate's face vanished completely, replaced by a cold smile, "It's Chu Yuncheng causing trouble behind the scenes."

Thinking of Chu Yuncheng's demeanor, Bai Xu felt both disgusted and a headache coming on, "Off to a bad start. We've run into this right away..." In front of everyone, he swallowed the not-exactly-uncivil words.

First, there was the AW project from Juesheng Medical, then the competition with Eaglet Cinema—his feud with Chu Yuncheng was only deepening.

Bai Xu was somewhat speechless, "Last time we met at the restaurant, he still looked down on us, thinking Zhouye Investments competing for Eaglet was overreaching. Now he turns around and holds such a grudge, on guard to this extent?"

He actually went so far as to use his own group's status and connections to strangle their competition in its cradle.

"The companies with bidding intentions are gradually becoming clear now," Shang Yanxiao said, analyzing calmly without personal bias, "From the perspective of those building material suppliers, they will definitely choose Chu Group, which is more likely to succeed, rather than placing this lucrative bet on us."

After all, on the surface, Chu Group's chances of winning the bid seemed greater.

For a newly established, unknown company whose capital strength was unclear—to offend a large, well-known, deeply-rooted group in Singapore? It wasn't worth it.

"That's certainly true to say."

Bai Xu approached the issue with equal calm. He looked at the stern-faced Chu Yate across the table, "Good thing Chu Yuncheng still doesn't know we have you as a cooperative ally behind us, otherwise his defenses and precautions would be even tighter."

Kai Ling was concerned about progress, "Bosses, what do we do now?"

Their preparation period was already short. If they kept getting stuck on this matter, not to mention hoping for a successful bid, even just compiling a complete set of bidding documents would be a struggle.

Chu Yate frowned, "If we can't find a suitable building material supplier within Singapore, then look overseas?"

But the downsides of that were obvious—

Once overseas shipping costs rose, their quoted price would lose its advantage, and profit margins could easily be squeezed.

"How about making two preparations simultaneously for now?"

"First, continue to stubbornly pursue building material suppliers in Singapore. People die for wealth, birds die for food. We should try to increase our quoted price as much as possible while preserving our profit margin."

At the very least, it shouldn't exceed the cost of importing from overseas.

Bai Xu paused, his hesitant gaze turning to Shang Yanxiao.

Shang Yanxiao seamlessly stepped in for him, "Second, I'll use my own connections to search for building material suppliers with suitable prices in China and neighboring countries. If, including shipping costs, the total price is almost the same as the increased quotes we offer locally, then we can also choose the second option."

Chu Yate had no objections, just found it amazing, "I think from now on, for meetings, one of you coming is enough? The level of shared thinking between you two is unmatched."

Bai Xu curled his lips slightly, not refuting.

He then addressed the project team members present, "These problems don't stem from you. Everyone, don't carry a psychological burden. Even though time is tight, I firmly believe we can resolve it. No problem."

Kai Ling's tense nerves relaxed a bit, "Alright, Young Master Bai, we'll be ready to cooperate at any time."

Since the supplier issue temporarily stalled progress, forcing overtime would be pointless. It was soon the end of the workday. Bai Xu spoke on behalf of the other two.

"It's already Friday. Leave on time, everyone. Take this weekend to rest and recharge properly. We'll regroup and start fresh on Monday."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Bosses."

The project team members packed up their belongings and left work in small groups.

Chu Yate remarked with feeling, "Bai Xu, you’ve really got a way with words, quite suited to being a top-level boss."

Bai Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, not being modest, "I could be one anyway."

As he spoke, he glanced again at Shang Yanxiao—

The other man was holding a water glass with his left hand. His right shoulder, injured just last night, still looked very stiff. It seemed he didn't dare move it casually.

Chu Yate, sitting opposite, asked another question, "Hanging out tonight?"

Bai Xu shifted his gaze back and set his sights on him, "Chu Yate, do me a favor."

Seeing the 'mischievous' smile in Bai Xu's eyes, Chu Yate was taken aback, "What?"

Five minutes later, Chu Yate looked into the rearview mirror at Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao, who had gotten into the back seat, and pursed his lips.

"Making me, a dignified second young master of the Chu family, act as a chauffeur for you two. Bai Xu, you really are—" He gave a thumbs-up gesture backward, "Incredible."

Bai Xu swatted his thumb back without any hesitation, "Isn't this just an urgent situation with no alternative? Yanxiao's shoulder is still injured, and I don't have a driver's license here."

Chen Yufei and the others were all off duty today, so it wasn't appropriate to call them in to work and drive.

As he spoke, Bai Xu clicked the seatbelt into place, "We'll just have to trouble the Second Young Master Chu for a ride to the hospital."

Chu Yate shifted his gaze back, "Ahem, letting me be the driver is fine, but there's one condition—"

"What?"

"No showing off your affection for each other in the back seat."

Having said that, he suddenly hit the gas and sped off.

...

The results of the X-ray examination were better than expected—

Shang Yanxiao's right shoulder was not injured to the bone; it was just swollen and bruised. Rubbing it with medicated liquor daily would be enough for recovery. However, in the short term, he still shouldn't engage in overly intense 'heavy lifting' to avoid causing a second contusion.

Bai Xu didn't trouble Chu Yate to help them back; instead, he called a designated driver to return to the villa. The two simply enjoyed the dinner prepared by the housekeeper before each went back to their rooms to freshen up.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

Bai Xu spoke without looking up, "Come in."

Shang Yanxiao opened the door and walked in. His bathrobe hung loosely on his upper body, and he was holding the anti-swelling medicated liquor brought back from the hospital—the meaning was quite clear.

"Young Master Bai, could you help me?"

"Have a seat."

Bai Xu agreed readily.

He took the medicine bag handed over by Shang Yanxiao and, using the technique he observed at the hospital, began to gently massage and disperse the medicated liquor bit by bit, "Does it hurt?"

Shang Yanxiao met his gaze directly, "No."

Warmth spread from the palm, slowly seeping into the skin, making the slight pain seem insignificant instead.

Bai Xu noticed the smile in Shang Yanxiao's eyes, and his own heart warmed slightly. He quickly changed the subject, "Has the Old Master's flight not landed yet?"

The direct flight distance from Singapore to the capital of China is about six and a half hours.

"Not that fast. Still thirty or forty minutes to go," Shang Yanxiao was also concerned about Old Master Shang and added, "I've already notified Queyan in advance. The landing time is so late, he'll take a driver to pick him up."

Bai Xu felt somewhat relieved, "That's good."

Shang Yanxiao saw through his earlier slight unease and proactively switched to work topics, "The third branch previously collaborated with quite a few building material suppliers on projects. I'll have Xie Qi compile the list tomorrow."

"It's not convenient for me to handle the contacts directly right now. I'll have Queyan assign other personnel to negotiate, aiming to confirm intentions for all of them before next Wednesday."

"Alright."

Bai Xu agreed, but his mind still leaned more toward local Singapore building material suppliers, "I'll ask Chu Yate again tomorrow to see if there's a way to arrange for me to meet with those supplier executives?"

"At worst, it's like with Chairman Zhang last time. I'll meet them first and then work hard to change their impression and discuss cooperation."

"Even if there's no way, we can host our own banquet to invite them and create an opportunity ourselves."

Bai Xu had always believed in man's ability to overcome fate. As long as he wanted to, there was no project he couldn't complete!

Shang Yanxiao believed in his ability, "Alright, follow your thoughts. I'm responsible for cooperating with you."

Bai Xu poured a little more medicated liquor into his palm and teased upon hearing this, "What great virtue do I have? To have Mr. Shang cooperate with me?"

Shang Yanxiao chuckled, "Aren't I your bodyguard and assistant externally? It's only right. Moreover, I'm honored to have Young Master Bai apply the medicine for me."

Bai Xu snorted a laugh and withdrew his hand, "Alright, wash up and sleep. Put the medicine away yourself."

"Okay."

Bai Xu entered the bathroom and meticulously washed off all the medicated liquor from his hands. When he turned around, he realized Shang Yanxiao had been leaning against the doorway the whole time, not having left.

Bai Xu was firmly held by his gaze and felt momentarily confused, "What's wrong?"

Shang Yanxiao moved closer, "There's something I need to confirm with you."

The distance between them suddenly became very close. Bai Xu tried to escape the control of Shang Yanxiao's gaze, but his slightly turned body went in the wrong direction, his back directly pressing against the wall.

Bai Xu's throat tightened, "What?"

Shang Yanxiao kept his eyes fixed on Bai Xu's face, testing the words one by one, "Grandfather told me today at the hotel that you admitted in front of him that we're a couple?"

"I..."

Bai Xu instantly took a slight breath but couldn't utter any words of denial.

Shang Yanxiao had originally only inferred the possibility from Old Master Shang's words. Now, seeing Bai Xu's reaction, he knew his guess was mostly correct.

The delight in Shang Yanxiao's eyes instantly deepened, and he lowered his head to move a bit closer, "Young Master Bai, weren't we just friends with benefits? How come the story is different in front of others versus behind their backs?"

"......"

Hearing the barely concealed smugness in Shang Yanxiao's voice, Bai Xu uncomfortably raised a hand to push him, "Shang Yanxiao, get out of the way."

"—Hiss!"

His palm unconsciously pressed against the right shoulder that had just been medicated, causing Shang Yanxiao's expression to change slightly.

Seeing this, Bai Xu quickly tried to withdraw his hand again.

Shang Yanxiao swiftly caught it with keen reflexes, persistently pressing on, "I'm asking you a question. Answer first, are we a couple or friends with benefits?"

Bai Xu still stuck to his original statement, "Of course it's the latter."

Hearing this expected answer, Shang Yanxiao's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Bai Xu avoided his gaze, explaining on his own, "It's not like you don't understand the Old Master's personality? If I dared to say we were friends with benefits in front of him, he'd definitely kick me out of the hotel the next second."

Shang Yanxiao didn't respond, just kept staring at him.

Bai Xu felt inexplicably guilty under the stare, "Have, have you looked enough? Don't take advantage of your injured shoulder. I don't dare to be rough with you. Let go."

Shang Yanxiao didn't comply. Instead, he lowered his head to nuzzle Bai Xu's nose, "A'Xu."

Bai Xu's earlobes suddenly grew hot, and his next exhale became somewhat unsteady, "Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

Shang Yanxiao asked knowingly, "Aren't we just friends with benefits? Should we care about verbal terms of address?"

Bai Xu muttered, "Don't twist logic."

Shang Yanxiao's voice deepened slightly, "Then I want to do something that only friends with benefits would do right now."

"......"

"I want to kiss you."

The extremely ambiguous invitation reached his ears, making Bai Xu even more flustered.

His mind was a jumbled mess, and he deflected offhandedly, "Between friends with benefits, why would we kiss for no reason?"

Shang Yanxiao, already almost kissing his lips, couldn't help but laugh and ask in return, "Who exactly is twisting logic here?"

"......"

Bai Xu lost the will to push him away, his long eyelashes fluttering as they lowered.

Shang Yanxiao saw the change in him clearly but forcibly reined in the impulse to kiss him, taking a step back from the brink, "Alright."

The lingering warmth of their breaths faded. Bai Xu opened his eyes in confusion, suddenly meeting the bright smile in the depths of Shang Yanxiao's gaze.

Shang Yanxiao turned the tables, teasing him, "Then we'll respect Young Master Bai's opinion, no kissing."

Bai Xu was stunned for a moment, looking at him with full uncertainty in his eyes.

"Goodnight, sleep well," Shang Yanxiao pretended not to see, forcefully turned, and returned to his own room.

Click.

The small connecting door between them closed, taking the ambiguous atmosphere with it.

Only then did Bai Xu realize he had been 'teased' by Shang Yanxiao. He took a couple of surprised deep breaths before squeezing out a grumble, "Go to sleep already!"

He'd just see who couldn't hold out in the end!

...

Before they knew it, Monday had arrived.

Bai Xu scanned the list of building material suppliers that had been resubmitted, cross-referencing each with the background information on his tablet, as he considered which one to start approaching.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

His phone vibrated with an incoming call.

Seeing the name 'Chu Yate' on the screen, Bai Xu answered smoothly, "Yeah, Second Young Master Chu."

Chu Yate's voice came through the phone, carrying a hint of excitement, "Bai Xu, are you free? Regarding the building material suppliers, I found a way to meet and negotiate with them in person."

Bai Xu instinctively tightened his grip on the phone, "What?"

Chu Yate got straight to the point, "The official Construction Investment Association in the Singapore holds regular events every year. The content varies, but it invites many major investors, building material suppliers, and real estate developers in the construction industry to participate."

Bai Xu caught on, "A large-scale industry team-building event?"

Chu Yate replied, "You could think of it that way, but the the directors, senior executives, and CEOs invited are all well-known figures. For example, from our list of building material suppliers..."

There was a two-second pause on the other end of the line, "...Mr. Zhou from Yuansheng Steel, Chairman Alice from Saint Paulona, and Mr. Cheng from Ling Steel."

These three prominent names were indeed at the top of the building material supplier list.

Bai Xu understood the purpose of Chu Yate's call, "Can I get into this event?"

Chu Yate laughed confidently, "Why else would I call you? The Chu Group receives an invitation every year. Chu Yuncheng isn't interested in this kind of thing, so my dad leaves it to me to handle."

"I'm just letting you know. If there are no issues, why don't you and Mr. Shang come along?"

Bai Xu naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity, "Alright, what about the specific time and location?"

Chu Yate replied, "I'll send you the relevant details later."

"Okay."

The call ended.

Bai Xu immediately went to find Shang Yanxiao next door and relayed all the information from the call to him, "Do you want to come along?"

As soon as the words were spoken, Chu Yate sent over the confirmed attendee list for the event.

Shang Yanxiao gave it a quick glance, "I'll go."

Bai Xu still showed some hesitation on his face, "What if someone recognizes you?"

"This project was never your task alone. I can't just stand by and do nothing," Shang Yanxiao had thought it through clearly and no longer harbored the same worries as before, "The number of people attending this 'team-building' event isn't large. These companies haven't had any business dealings with the Shang Group in the past. If you ask Second Young Master Chu to give me a different surname and identity, not many people should pay much attention."

Even if the cover identity ultimately 'falls off', it wouldn't necessarily make its way back to the Shang family. And even in the worst-case scenario—if it reached the ears of the first and second branches of the family—the head of the family, Old Master Shang, would have already known in advance. As for the things Shang Yanxiao needed to investigate, he would continue to do so.

Bai Xu respected Shang Yanxiao's decision, "Alright."

Shang Yanxiao asked in return, "What's the theme of this event?"

Bai Xu looked at his lit phone screen, "Let me see. Second Young Master Chu just sent me the event planning and schedule."

Within a few seconds, his eyes unexpectedly lit up, "I must say, the activities of the wealthy are truly diverse and colorful."

Shang Yanxiao was curious, "What is it?"

Bai Xu turned his phone around to show him the content, clicking his tongue in admiration, "Team-building on an uninhabited island. The association's planning team is quite bold with their ideas."

...

Although it was nominally a wilderness training activity on an uninhabited island, the attendees were, after all, the executives of various companies. The association’s planning team had still made thorough preparations.

Early Friday morning, Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao arrived at the event gathering point—

Deep Island Pier in Singapore.

The sea breeze at the harbor drifted over, easing the muggy heat brought by the climate.

Shang Yanxiao scanned the crowd gathering ahead, "Where's Second Young Master Chu?"

"Look for the one dressed the most like a playboy in the crowd," Bai Xu got out of the car, his eyes sharp, "See, blue and white floral shirt again."

"Let's go over."

"Alright."

The two walked over side by side.

Chu Yate, busy chatting in the crowd, noticed them and quickly waved them over, "Come, Young Master Bai, let me introduce you both."

"This is Mr. Zhou Yangfan from Yuansheng Steel, and this is Mr. Cheng Ye from Ling Steel Group."

The former was chubby, standing at around 175 cm, while the latter was leaner, estimated to be over 180 cm tall in bare feet.

To shield their eyes from the glaring sun, both wore sunglasses. Though they were CEOs of well-known building materials companies, the two standing together created an unexpectedly contrasting picture.

Unable to see their expressions clearly, Bai Xu could only nod politely, "Hello, both of you."

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Cheng, this is Bai Xu, Young Master Bai from Zhouye Investments, and—" Chu Yate exchanged a subtle glance with Shang Yanxiao, "and Mr. Yan Xiao, who works with Young Master Bai."

"......"

Credit to them for coming up with that.

Bai Xu seized the moment to cough softly, hiding his suppressed laughter.

Shang Yanxiao accepted this fabricated identity, greeting them in a lowered voice.

Cheng Ye, behind his sunglasses, scrutinized Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao, who weren't on the list. He seemed to remember something and deliberately glanced at Mr. Zhou.

Zhou Yangfan also had a guess in mind and asked with a smile, "Young Master Bai's Zhouye Investments... it sounds somewhat familiar?"

If he remembered correctly, wasn't it the investment company that Chu Yuncheng had secretly demanded be excluded?

Chu Yate continued with his previous explanation, "Bai Xu is a friend I met in Germany. He had some free time this trip, so I invited him to join us for some fun. I hope the two bosses don't mind?"

Cheng Ye was a sensible person. He had already guessed something but wasn't in a hurry to expose it, "I just heard from the person in charge that it'll take over three hours by boat to reach the uninhabited Xisheng Island. Looking at Young Master Bai's physique, will he be able to handle it?"

Bai Xu met Cheng Ye's gaze, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Cheng. I'll be fine."

The event had just begun. They weren't in a rush to immediately broach business topics. After all, during the three-day training and team-building session, there would always be a suitable opportunity.

Time quickly passed to ten o'clock, with the sun beating down fiercely.

The association's head organizer, holding a loudspeaker, called out, "All board members and bosses, the boat for departure is ready. Please board!"

People walked onto the boat in twos and threes. Bai Xu, Shang Yanxiao, and Chu Yate unhurriedly brought up the rear.

Watching the various company board members boarding one after another, Bai Xu lowered his voice to ask further, "By the way, what about that Chairman Alice you mentioned?"

Chu Yate replied, "She sent the company's general manager to attend instead. However, I found out their company has already secured a deal with a foreign-funded enterprise, so there's no need for us to waste our efforts."

Bai Xu nodded, his interest piqued, "Now that it's this moment, I'm actually getting a bit excited."

Thinking back, it had been a long time since he last chartered a boat to go out to sea.

Shang Yanxiao looked at the size of the boat before them and turned to Bai Xu with concern, "This boat isn't very large. Given today's wind, it'll probably rock quite a bit during the voyage."

Bai Xu understood the concern hidden in those words but dismissed it, "It's fine."

With genuine excitement about the upcoming sea trip, he said confidently, "I don't get seasick."

–

TL: Muji

Previous | TOC | Next