Video Editor

In the underground parking garage, on level B2, Gao Sicong had just parked his car when he saw Lan Qianyi get out of the car next to him.

Lan Qianyi was wearing flat shoes and carrying a thick cardboard box that looked quite heavy.

"Lan Qianyi, let me help you carry it?" Gao Sicong walked over quickly.

"No need, thank you." Lan Qianyi stepped aside, her face full of stubbornness.

At Youwei Capital, she was accused of relying on a man because she was dating her boss, a rising star in investment banking.

Therefore, Lan Qianyi became somewhat overly protective of men and began to reject them, especially outstanding men like Gao Sicong.

“This box looks quite heavy, it’s hard for you to carry by yourself…” However, Gao Sicong, who had just started dealing with Lan Qianyi, had no idea about her mindset.

“I can do it.” Lan Qianyi interrupted him, carrying the box and heading straight for the elevator.

Gao Sicong stood there, looking a little embarrassed.

He wanted to follow, but he was afraid that Lan Qianyi would think he was being persistent.

If I don't go along, it makes me seem like I lack gentlemanly manners.

After all, there are always people coming and going in the company. If someone saw him making his female colleague carry heavy things herself...

After hesitating for a few seconds, Gao Sicong decided to wait for the next elevator.

This way, Lan Qianyi's displeasure was avoided, and no one was given a reason to criticize.

Soon, the elevator doors opened on the first floor, and as soon as Sun Yiqiu walked in, he saw Lan Qianyi standing in the corner carrying a large box.

"Good morning," Sun Yiqiu greeted.

Lan Qianyi nodded in response.

The elevator was going up when it suddenly swayed.

The box in Lan Qianyi's hand tilted, and the top few documents slipped out.

Sun Yiqiu reacted quickly, bending down to catch it and then picking it up from the ground.

"Thank you," Lan Qianyi said, unusually politely.

"You're welcome." Sun Yiqiu helped her steady the suitcase. "What is this? It's so heavy."

“Industry analysis report,” Lan Qianyi said. “This is homework that every intern in the technology group has to do: analyze five sub-sectors and write a report of more than fifty pages.”

"Fifty pages?" Sun Yiqiu clicked his tongue in amazement. "So many..."

"Basic requirements," Lan Qianyi said calmly, "Isn't your group going to do them?"

"I...I'm still learning the basic operations," Sun Yiqiu said embarrassedly. "I haven't even started on the report or anything."

When the elevator reached the 19th floor, Sun Yiqiu helped Lan Qianyi carry the box to the door of the technology group.

Perhaps because Sun Yiqiu was recognized as the weaker party by Jin Chen Capital, Lan Qianyi was surprisingly not too disgusted.

"Thank you," Lan Qianyi said again.

"You're welcome." Sun Yiqiu waved his hand and returned to Group Four.

Watching his retreating figure, Lan Qianyi's eyes flickered...

This Sun Yiqiu didn't have the deliberate attentiveness of Gao Sicong. He helped without saying much, which made people feel quite comfortable.

However, Lan Qianyi did not realize that the same thing can vary greatly depending on the person.

……

Back in the office of the fourth comprehensive team, Sun Yiqiu had just sat down when he saw Wu Kezhi walk in from outside with a sullen face.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Lin Yuming asked.

"There's a commotion in Mr. Wang's office." Wu Kezhi threw his bag on the table. "The client has backed out on the 'One Bowl of Fresh' project and wants to add conditions."

"A bowl of fresh food? Isn't that a project personally overseen by Director Qu?" Lin Yuming frowned.

“Yes. Now the client is suddenly demanding higher performance targets for the performance-based agreement, otherwise they won’t sign.” Wu Kezhi sat down and rubbed his temples. “What President Wang means is that someone has to take the blame.”

"Who's going to take the blame? Isn't this project under Director Qu's responsibility?"

“How could President Qu possibly take the blame?” Wu Kezhi sneered. “In the end, it will definitely be pushed onto the person who carried it out.”

Lin Yuming understood: "So... it's our group?"

“Highly likely,” Wu Kezhi said. “We co-wrote the project proposal and conducted the due diligence. If the client is now backing out, they can say that we didn’t negotiate well and that the terms were poorly designed.”

"But the original terms were personally drafted by President Qu!"

"So what?" Wu Kezhi looked at Lin Yuming. "Do you think President Qu will admit that he made a mistake in his decision-making?"

The office fell silent.

Sun Yiqiu sat at his workstation, barely daring to breathe.

Although he didn't fully understand, he could sense the seriousness of the situation.

Suning also stopped what he was doing and listened quietly.

"So what do we do now?" Lin Yuming asked.

“I’m going to talk to General Manager Wang.” Wu Kezhi stood up. “I’ll take the blame.”

"Boss!" Lin Yuming exclaimed anxiously, "This is clearly not our fault!"

"Does it matter?" Wu Kezhi retorted. "In this company, right and wrong aren't important; what matters is who takes responsibility. No one in the entire company knows how to take the blame better than me. Haven't I taken the blame a lot over the years?"

He spoke calmly, but Lin Yuming felt a pang of sadness.

Indeed, Wu Kezhi is capable and performs well, but because he doesn't take sides or try to please others, he has become the company's professional "scapegoat".

They won't get any benefits, but they'll definitely get the blame.

“But this time…” Lin Yuming still wanted to persuade him.

"Stop talking," Wu Kezhi waved his hand. "I know what I'm doing."

He left the office and went to see General Manager Wang.

Mr. Wang's office door was closed, but you could hear a heated discussion inside.

Wu Kezhi knocked on the door and went inside.

Inside sat General Manager Wang, Qu Zhonghui, and several other senior executives.

Seeing Wu Kezhi enter, Qu Zhonghui spoke first: "Kezhi, you've come at the right time. You were in charge of the specific implementation of the 'One Bowl of Fresh' project, weren't you?"

They set the tone right from the start.

Wu Kezhi said calmly, "That's right! I was cooperating with you, President Qu, to carry it out."

“Now the client is making new demands, saying that the original terms were unfair to them,” Qu Zhonghui said. “This shows that our negotiation work was not done well.”

“There are many reasons why customers might back out.” However, Wu Kezhi said calmly, “It could be due to market changes, or their internal adjustments; it’s not necessarily a problem with our terms.”

“But they specifically said there were problems with the terms and conditions,” General Manager Wang interjected. “General Manager Wu, this project is very important to the company, and General Manager Qu has put a lot of effort into it. Now that this has happened, we need an explanation.”

Wu Kezhi sneered inwardly, "You've put in a lot of effort?"

Qu Zhonghui only held two meetings; the rest was all done by his group.

Now that a problem has arisen, it's become a case of "putting in a lot of effort".

But he didn't argue; he simply said, "I understand. If someone needs to take responsibility, I can."

Qu Zhonghui was taken aback by the directness of the words.

I thought Wu Kezhi would argue his case, which would give me a reason to make a fuss, but I didn't expect Wu Kezhi to admit it directly.

“Ke Zhi is quite straightforward,” Qu Zhonghui said. “However, taking responsibility is one thing, solving problems is another. The company still hopes to win this project.”

"What are the new conditions proposed by the client?" Wu Kezhi asked.

Mr. Wang handed over a document: "The shareholding has been reduced from 30% to 15%, but the investment amount remains unchanged. Isn't this just extortion?"

Wu Kezhi flipped through the documents, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

This condition is too harsh.

While Yiwanxian is a good company, such conditions are almost impossible in the current market environment.

It was a contract that both parties had agreed upon, but they reneged at the last minute, making outrageous demands.

“These conditions… are hard to accept,” Wu Kezhi said.

“I know it’s difficult,” Mr. Wang sighed, “but Mr. Qu’s point is that this project must be completed. Mr. Wu, can you think of a way?”

“What can I do?” Wu Kezhi looked at Qu Zhonghui. “Mr. Qu, you had a good relationship with the client back then, why don’t you try to communicate with them again?”

“I’ve already communicated with them,” Qu Zhonghui said. “The client’s attitude is very firm. Kezhi, aren’t you always full of solutions? You need to show some real skills at this time.”

Having said that, Wu Kezhi understood.

This not only made him take the blame, but also presented him with a difficult problem...

The project must be completed, but the conditions are so stringent that it is almost impossible.

If it's successful, the credit belongs to Qu Zhonghui.

If he fails, the responsibility lies with him.

A classic dead end.

But Wu Kezhi didn't get angry; he just nodded and said, "Okay, I'll try again."

"How long will it take to get a reply?" Qu Zhonghui pressed.

"One week."

"It's too long, three days."

Wu Kezhi looked at Qu Zhonghui and remained silent for two seconds before saying, "Okay, three days."

As Wu Kezhi walked out of President Wang's office, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Yuming and the others waited in the corridor: "Boss, how did it go?"

“I’ve taken the blame, but I still have to solve the problem.” Wu Kezhi said as he walked. “I have three days to figure out how to get Yiwanxian to accept the original conditions and then obediently sign the contract.”

"How can this be?"

"It has to be possible, even if it seems impossible." Wu Kezhi pushed open the door of the fourth comprehensive group. "Get ready, we're going to Yiwanxian Company this afternoon. This time it's going to be a tough battle."

……

In the office, Sun Yiqiu looked at Wu Kezhi's tired back and felt a mix of emotions.

This was the first time I had witnessed the undercurrents in the workplace firsthand. It was clearly not Mr. Wu's fault, yet he was made to take the blame.

The task was clearly very difficult to complete, yet they only gave us three days.

"You think it's unfair?" Su Ning suddenly asked.

Sun Yiqiu was startled: "Brother Su..."

“That’s how the workplace is,” Su Ning said calmly. “Right or wrong isn’t important; what matters is who can bear the consequences and who can solve the problem.”

"But Mr. Wu..."

“Mr. Wu’s decision to take the blame has its reasons,” Su Ning said. “Sometimes taking a step back is not about admitting defeat, but about moving forward in a better way.”

Sun Yiqiu seemed to understand but not quite.

But he remembered this scene from today...

I remember Wu Kezhi calmly taking the blame, I remember Qu Zhonghui's aggressive behavior, and I remember the cruelty of the workplace.

Perhaps this is what growth is all about. From not understanding to understanding.

From feeling it was unfair, to learning to find opportunities within fairness.

He touched his new suit; he was in his battle robes, and the battle had begun.

But the battlefield was more complex and cruel than he had imagined.

But he won't run away, at least not today.

……

At this moment, Lin Yuming gathered the company's interns in a small conference room.

“The company has questions about the customer traffic data for the ‘One Bowl of Fresh’ project.” Lin Yuming drew a few dots on the whiteboard. “Today, everyone needs to go to their stores to conduct on-site verification. Each person will be responsible for one area and record the customer traffic during the lunch and dinner periods.”

He assigned tasks: "Gao Sicong, two stores in the XH district. Zeng Hao, CN district. Hao Shuai, JA district. Qiu Shuang, HP district. Li Xiaoxian, YP district. The furthest one in the PD district..."

The interns looked at each other. The store in Pudong was in the suburbs, and it would take three or four hours to get there and back.

“I’ll go,” Sun Yiqiu said, raising his hand.

Lin Yuming glanced at him and reminded him, "Pudong is far away and transportation is inconvenient. Are you sure?"

“Confirmed.” Sun Yiqiu nodded.

“Alright, Pudong is yours.” Lin Yuming noted on the form, “Note that you need to count not only the number of people entering the store, but also observe the customer types, the duration of their stay, and the table turnover rate. The more details, the better.”

"clear."

"Also," Lin Yuming looked at Lan Qianyi, "Qianyi, you have another task. I need you to get a purchase order for a bowl of fresh seafood."

Lan Qianyi was taken aback: "Purchase order? They wouldn't just give that out randomly, would they?"

“So we need to find a way,” Lin Yuming said. “Their biggest supplier is at the Tongchuan Road Seafood Market. Go there and see if you can get any information from them.”

"Okay." Lan Qianyi nodded.

With tasks assigned, the interns set off on their respective journeys.

……

Meanwhile, Wu Kezhi was already at the headquarters of Yiwanxian, sitting face to face with President Qiao.

“Mr. Qiao, the customer traffic data provided by your company differs from our preliminary verification,” Wu Kezhi said bluntly.

Mr. Qiao, who was in his forties and quite plump, smiled broadly: "Mr. Wu, the data is definitely not a problem. Our Yiwanxian has been operating in Shanghai for over ten years, and our reputation is there. Our customer traffic has always been very stable."

"It is stable, but the data you provided shows a year-on-year growth of 25%, which is a bit too optimistic given the general slowdown in Shanghai's catering market."

"We have our own competitive advantages," Mr. Qiao said with a laugh. "Mr. Wu, have some tea, have some tea."

Meanwhile, Lin Yuming and Su Ning remained at the company to provide support from behind the scenes and communicate with the interns in real time.

"Boss is under a lot of pressure this time." Lin Yuming was organizing the documents. "President Qu only gave us three days. We must get solid evidence today, otherwise the negotiations cannot continue."

“There are indeed problems with Yiwanxian’s data.” Suning looked at the previous due diligence report. “Their table turnover rate data, calculated based on that customer flow, simply doesn’t match up.”

"So we must get real data," Lin Yuming said. "I hope the interns can do a good job."

"Does Director Qu have a problem with Director Wu? It feels like he's training a hawk."

"You noticed it too?"

"Of course! Mr. Wu is very capable, but Mr. Qu is clearly suppressing him."

"Sigh! It's a long story! You'll understand what happened soon enough."

……

Pudong, Yiwanxian branch.

When Sun Yiqiu arrived, it was just dinnertime.

He first observed from outside and found that although there was a queue at the store entrance, many people left after waiting for a while.

He approached the server handing out numbers and asked, "Excuse me, how long will it take now?"

"About half an hour." The waiter replied without looking up.

Sun Yiqiu noticed that the waiter had already given out number 85 on the queue slips, but not that many customers actually entered the store.

He thought about it and decided to go into the store to take a look.

The restaurant was indeed packed with people, but the table turnover rate was slow.

On average, a table of customers takes forty to fifty minutes to eat.

Sun Yiqiu silently calculated in his mind: at this rate, the table will be turned over a maximum of three times in two hours at noon.

He took out his phone, pretending to play on it, but actually he was recording the dining time and number of people at each table.

Twenty minutes later, the security guard came over and said, "Sir, you've been sitting here for a long time. Aren't you going to order anything?"

Sun Yiqiu panicked a little: "I...I'm waiting for someone."

"Please wait outside if you're waiting for someone; there's limited space inside," the security guard said firmly.

Sun Yiqiu was asked to leave. He stood outside the shop, looking at the torrential rain, feeling somewhat dejected.

But then I thought, I can't just give up like this.

So he found a spot where he could see the store entrance and continued to observe and count.

The rain was getting heavier, and a car sped by, splashing him with water.

Sun Yiqiu wiped his face and continued counting.

At the Tongchuan Road Seafood Market, Lan Qianyi changed into simple clothes and carried a canvas bag, looking like a recent graduate.

She found the freshest seafood supplier, "Old Li Seafood," whose owner was a man in his fifties.

"Boss, I'd like to ask you something." Lan Qianyi took out her student ID. "I'm a student at Shanghai Business School, doing research on the catering supply chain. I heard that Yiwanxian is one of your major clients. Could you briefly tell me about their purchasing situation?"

The boss gave her a wary look: "Student? Researcher?"

“Yes, it’s for writing papers.” Lan Qianyi pretended to be serious. “It doesn’t involve trade secrets. I just want to know what kind of goods they usually buy and the approximate quantity.”

The boss hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Lan Qianyi looked like a student and didn't seem like a corporate spy, he relented: "A bowl of fresh seafood mainly consists of tiger prawns, abalone, and grouper. The daily quantity... depends on the situation, more on weekends."

"So, how many kilograms do you usually weigh per day?"

"Well..." the boss thought for a moment, "They have seven stores, so they probably need seven or eight hundred catties of seafood a day."

Lan Qianyi quickly calculated in her mind: based on this purchase volume, the customer traffic was significantly different from the data provided by Yiwanxian.

"Boss, could I see their purchase order? Just the format, I need to cite it in my thesis," she asked tentatively.

"You can't just look at the purchase order without permission," the boss said, shaking his head.

"I'll just glance at the format, I promise I won't take any photos." Lan Qianyi took out a small notebook from her bag. "I'll just copy it by hand."

Seeing her sincerity, the boss reluctantly agreed: "Just one glance."

He pulled a stack of receipts from the drawer, which Lan Qianyi quickly scanned.

She memorized all the key data: date, product name, quantity, and unit price.

"Thank you, boss!" Lan Qianyi finished writing and closed the notebook.

……

The negotiations with Jin Chen Capital have reached a stalemate.

Mr. Qiao insisted that the data was correct, but Mr. Wu insisted on re-verifying it.

Just then, Lin Yuming called.

Wu Kezhi answered the phone, listened for a few words, and his expression changed.

He hung up the phone and looked at President Qiao: "President Qiao, our people just went to the Tongchuan Road Seafood Market. We found that Yiwanxian has seven stores, and they buy about seven or eight hundred catties of seafood every day."

President Qiao's expression changed slightly.

“Based on this purchase volume, and considering the average spending per person and the proportion of seafood on your menu, we can infer the customer traffic…” Wu Kezhi paused, “and it differs from the data you provided by at least 40%.”

"This...this is nonsense!" President Qiao was a little flustered.

“Furthermore,” Wu Kezhi continued, “our staff have also counted the customers at each branch. Especially at the Pudong branch, the actual number of customers entering the store was 132, with a table turnover rate of 2.5 times. Based on this data, your single store’s daily customer traffic should be around 350 people, not the 500 people you reported.”

Mr. Qiao was sweating profusely.

“Mr. Qiao, investment is all about integrity.” Wu Kezhi leaned forward. “Falsifying data has serious consequences. Not only will we withdraw our investment, but once the news gets out, other investment institutions will also avoid you.”

"Mr. Wu, please let me explain..."

“I only have one question,” Wu Kezhi interrupted, “What is the real data? If we tell you now, we can still talk. But once we find out for ourselves, there will be no more discussion.”

The room was eerily quiet.

Mr. Qiao wiped his sweat and finally relented: "Actually... the actual year-on-year growth is about 12%. The average daily customer flow per store is... 380 people."

"12% and 380," Wu Kezhi noted. "What about the financial statements? Aren't they inflated too?"

"A little... but the profit from our main business is real, it's just that we overstated the scale a bit..."

"How much is one point?"

“About 30%.”

Wu Kezhi nodded. "I think President Qiao should know what to do, right?"

"Okay! Mr. Wu, I'll sign."

Then, with a sullen face, President Qiao signed the original contract, and Jin Chen Capital won a great victory.

As Wu Kezhi stepped out of the conference room, he breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Yuming and Su Ning were waiting outside.

"Boss, is it all done?" Lin Yuming asked.

“We got it,” Wu Kezhi said. “If they didn’t agree to the data fabrication, they wouldn’t be able to stay in investment banking.”

"That's great!" Lin Yuming exclaimed excitedly.

"The interns performed well," Wu Kezhi rarely praised them. "Especially Lan Qianyi, getting the purchase orders was key. Sun Yiqiu's data was also accurate."

"I'll tell them to stop work right away."

In the evening, the interns returned to the company one after another, all of them exhausted.

Suning personally drove to the Pudong store to pick up the soaking wet Sun Yiqiu, and was very happy to hear that he had done a great service.

Although Sun Yiqiu was soaked to the bone, his eyes were still bright: "Brother Su, I've counted them. There were 132 people at noon. I haven't counted them yet, but it should be about the same."

"That's enough, the data has been put to use. Well done. I brought you some dry clothes, go change." Su Ning gave him her approval with a smile.

"Thank you, Brother Su." Sun Yiqiu looked at Su Ning with gratitude.

"You're welcome!"

Looking at these young people in front of him, Wu Kezhi felt a sense of emotion.

Today's victory was not due to his negotiation skills alone, but to the cooperation of the entire team.

Although the interns were inexperienced, they were hardworking and thoughtful.

Sun Yiqiu and Lan Qianyi, in particular, exceeded his expectations.

Realizing that everyone has their own strengths, perhaps we can give Sun Yiqiu some opportunities in the future.

...(End of chapter)