Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 319 Lin Wei
After finishing his conversation with Li Zhe, Su Mingyuan left somewhat dejectedly.

Li Zhe took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it with a lighter. Smoke slowly rose, swirling around his eyes.

At this moment, Shen Yanan walked over with light steps, sat down in the chair opposite Li Zhe, and asked, "I saw you and Da Zhuang chatting quite enthusiastically, what's going on between you two?"

Li Zhe took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and then briefly told Shen Yanan about Wang Ting's desire to study abroad. His tone was flat, revealing little emotion.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanan immediately said, "Hey, studying abroad is a great thing! If you're worried about not getting a spot, I can help you figure something out."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhe's eyes lit up with curiosity, and he leaned forward slightly: "Second Sister, is there some other explanation behind this?"

“Of course there are!” Shen Yanan said confidently. “Generally speaking, these kinds of overseas study spots are reserved internally, and most of the spots are actually determined before they are announced.”

It's already a bit too late to start looking for connections after the official quota is announced.

"If you had told me earlier, I would have been 80-90% sure I could get you a spot. Now... it's about 50-50." She looked up at Li Zhe, her eyes questioning, "So? Do you need me to help you figure something out?"

Li Zhe shook his head slightly, his tone casual: "No need, let it be."

Sending Wang Ting abroad to study wouldn't benefit Li Zhe at all, so it wasn't worth the trouble.

Seeing this, Shen Yanan didn't continue the topic and changed the subject: "Brother, I talked to that friend who wants to buy off-season vegetables again, and she wants to meet you in person. It would be great if we could reach an agreement, but even if we don't, we can still be friends. What do you think?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Zhe readily agreed: "Sure. You can set a time; it's convenient for me."

"Let's not make any more appointments, let's do it today." Shen Yanan glanced at her watch, then stood up and said, "I'll call her and tell her to come over now. Order some drinks for yourself, and we can talk in detail when she arrives."

After Shen Yanan left, Li Zhe waved to a waiter not far away. Soon, a waiter in a neat uniform approached and respectfully asked, "Mr. Li, what would you like to order?"

"Give me a latte," Li Zhe said. Drinking something sweet occasionally can lift one's spirits.

The waiter replied, "Okay, please wait a moment," and then turned to prepare the food.

Li Zhe leaned back in his chair, the words Su Mingyuan had just said replaying in his mind.

According to Su Mingyuan's description, Wang Ting's chances of going abroad are actually slim, which is good news for Li Zhe.

But this incident served as a wake-up call for Li Zhe—when faced with a situation, everyone only considers things from their own perspective.

Take Wang Ting's desire to go abroad as an example. From the perspective of Wang Ting's parents, there is nothing wrong with it. Who doesn't want their child to have a brighter future?

Even from their perspective, Li Zhe's actions in preventing Wang Ting from going abroad did indeed jeopardize Wang Ting's future.

As Wang Ting's boyfriend, Li Zhe's reluctance to let Wang Ting go abroad was not wrong; he simply did not want to be separated from his girlfriend.

As for Wang Ting herself, it is perfectly understandable that she wants to go abroad to pursue better development.

Normally, this matter would have ended there, but Li Zhe thought much deeper.

He and Wang Ting aren't even married yet, and they've already had this disagreement. If they do get married in the future and similar disagreements arise, how will they resolve them?

At that point, a simple breakup wouldn't be enough to solve the problem; his career and company could be severely impacted, which Li Zhe absolutely could not accept.

Thinking of Wang Ting, Li Zhe couldn't help but think of Tan Jingya as well.

During the time he spent with Tan Jingya, Li Zhe found her to be gentle, considerate, and exceptionally sensible. He really enjoyed their current way of getting along.

But he also knew in his heart that Tan Jingya was not suitable for marriage either.

The reason is simple: as one's identity changes, one's mindset also changes.

If Li Zhe really marries Tan Jingya, then Tan Jingya's mentality will most likely change. She may no longer be as gentle and considerate as she is now, always going along with him and clinging to his coattails.

Moreover, Tan Jingya had experienced a failed marriage, which made her somewhat distrustful of relationships.

If she and Li Zhe have disagreements after marriage, she might be even more ruthless than Wang Ting. Therefore, Li Zhe feels that his relationship with Tan Jingya is good as it is now, and there is no need to take it any further.

Sometimes, excessive indulgence of those around us, which may seem like love, can actually harm them.

Of course, all of these ideas are just Li Zhe's speculations, and perhaps they contain some malicious intent.

Based on our current interactions, both Wang Ting and Tan Jingya are exceptional women.

If it were in his past life, Li Zhe would have been overjoyed to wake up every night no matter which one of them he married.

But people's hearts can change, and Li Zhe himself is no exception.

Just as Li Zhe was lost in thought, the same waiter came over with a latte and gently placed it on the table in front of him, saying, "Mr. Li, your coffee."

"Thank you."

Li Zhe took a sip of coffee and continued to ponder: If Wang Ting and Tan Jingya are not suitable for marriage, then what kind of woman is he suitable to marry?
Li Zhe thought for a long time, one image after another passing through his mind, but suddenly, he felt that it seemed that marrying any woman might cause problems and could affect his career.

If every woman is unsuitable for marriage, then it's not the women's problem, but Li Zhe himself who is unsuitable for marriage!

The essence of marriage is nothing more than husband and wife helping each other, overcoming difficulties in life together, and making their lives prosperous and happy.

But with Li Zhe's current financial resources and abilities, he could live a very good life even without marriage. Moreover, as Li Zhe's career continues to develop, this desire not to get married is becoming stronger and stronger.

Looking at it another way, as long as they don't get married, Li Zhe can get along well with both Wang Ting and Tan Jingya. With his abilities, he can certainly provide them with the lives they want.

In this way, all the problems seemed to be perfectly solved.

Li Zhe took another sip of his latte, savoring its rich aroma. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, and the lingering unease in his heart vanished.

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs on the second floor of the restaurant.

Li Zhe looked up and saw Shen Yanan leading a woman in her early twenties up.

The woman was tall and slender with a well-proportioned figure. She had almond-shaped eyes and her hair was styled in the currently popular "big waves," with strands casually draped over her shoulders, adding to her charm.

She was wearing a stylish floral dress paired with black high heels, looking beautiful and fashionable, clearly not from an ordinary family.

Shen Yanan walked to Li Zhe's table and said with a smile to the two of them, "Come on, let me introduce you. This is my friend Lin Wei, the person I told you about who wanted to buy off-season vegetables."

Then, she turned to Lin Wei and pointed to Li Zhe: "Lin Wei, this is Li Zhe, the general manager of Sijiqing Company." Li Zhe stood up, extended his hand to Lin Wei, and smiled politely: "Ms. Lin, hello."

Lin Wei also extended her hand and gently grasped Li Zhe's hand: "Hello, Mr. Li. I've heard my second sister mention you before." After exchanging a few polite words, the two sat down.

Shen Yanan waved to a waiter not far away, and when the waiter came over, she said, "Two glasses of juice, please." The waiter agreed and then left.

Li Zhe skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Miss Lin, I heard from my second sister that you're in the foreign trade business?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei took out a business card from her handbag and handed it over: "Mr. Li, this is my business card."

Li Zhe took the business card, glanced at it, and saw the words "Lin Wei, Deputy General Manager of Shengda Foreign Trade Company" printed on it, along with the company's address and contact number.

Lin Wei said, "Mr. Li, we heard that your company can grow fresh vegetables in winter. Our company would like to purchase a batch of off-season greenhouse vegetables from you for export to the South Peninsula."

Our company is very sincere. You can name your price; as long as it's within a reasonable range, we can discuss it.

Li Zhe nodded slightly: "President Lin, actually, compared to raising vegetable prices, I care more about long-term cooperation and future development potential."

I would like to know how your company allocates and uses the foreign exchange earned after selling vegetables to the South Peninsula?

Lin Wei was taken aback when she heard the question, but she didn't hide anything: "Currently, the country's management of foreign exchange is still quite strict."

After our company earns foreign exchange, we can keep a portion of it, but this portion of foreign exchange must be deposited into banks or other relevant financial institutions in accordance with regulations, and it is not entirely at our discretion.

If you wish to use this foreign exchange, you must apply to the relevant department in accordance with the prescribed foreign exchange usage procedures, and it can only be used after approval.

You are my second sister's friend, so I won't hide it from you.

After exporting off-season vegetables, we use the foreign exchange earned to import electronic components from the South Peninsula and ship them back to China.

After listening, Li Zhe asked, "If I want to use some foreign exchange to import some goods from abroad, I wonder if it's possible to do so through your company?"

Lin Wei frowned slightly and said, "Theoretically speaking, this is very difficult to achieve. Because foreign exchange cannot be used arbitrarily, and imported goods also need to undergo strict approval; it's not something you can just import whenever you want."

However, there are always exceptions, and it's not impossible that the country's policies might be relaxed in the future.

"If we can establish a cooperative relationship, I can help you make arrangements if such an opportunity arises in the future."

Hearing Lin Wei's words, Li Zhe temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​acquiring foreign exchange. Even if he could earn foreign exchange through cooperation, the approval process would be difficult to pass, and he still wouldn't be able to use it freely, which would be of little significance to him.

He changed the subject and said, "Mr. Lin, if I need to use electronic components in the future, I wonder if I can buy them from you?"

Lin Wei immediately replied with a smile, "Of course! If you are my partner, I will definitely sell to you first if you need it in the future."

Otherwise, if you cut off my supply of off-season vegetables, I will also lose the ability to earn foreign exchange, and I won't be able to import electronic components either. That's what we call a mutually dependent relationship.

Li Zhe nodded and then asked another question: "There's one more thing I'd like to ask. Which company in the South Peninsula will your company sell the off-season vegetables you buy from me to?"

"Sanyuan Company," Lin Wei answered directly without any concealment.

Li Zhe then said, "I would like to meet with the person in charge of Sanyuan Company. I wonder if you could help arrange it?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wei frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes: "Mr. Li, could you tell me why you want to meet with them? Isn't our cooperation the same?"

Li Zhe smiled and said, "President Lin, I can tell from your speech and demeanor that you came from a well-off family. You probably have never grown crops or sold vegetables before, right?"

Lin Wei immediately understood: "You think I wasn't professional enough when negotiating with Sanyuan Company?"

Li Zhe smiled and patiently explained, "President Lin, please don't misunderstand."

As I mentioned before, I value long-term cooperation and future development potential more than raising vegetable prices. My desire to meet with the head of Sanyuan Company is also to explore the possibility of deeper cooperation between our two sides.

For example, if Sanyuan Company needs off-season vegetables in winter, can it also import more vegetables from our company in summer?

There are also specific details regarding the varieties, prices, and standards of exported vegetables. If we discuss these directly, we might be able to reach more cooperation and achieve mutual benefit.

Rest assured, I never intended to bypass you, nor could I. Your company will earn every penny it is entitled to.

After listening to Li Zhe's explanation, Lin Wei fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke: "Mr. Li, you may not know this, but our country and the South Peninsula have not yet established formal diplomatic relations. Under these circumstances, it may be difficult to arrange a meeting between you and the person in charge of Sanyuan Company, and the process will be quite complicated."

“I understand.” Li Zhe nodded slightly, his smile still on his face, but his tone was very firm: “Then let’s talk about cooperation after diplomatic relations are established.”

Lin Wei gave a wry smile: "This doesn't sound like you understand me, it sounds like you're giving me a difficult problem."

Seeing this, Shen Yanan, who was sitting to the side, quickly tried to smooth things over: "Oh, even if a deal doesn't go through, we can still be friendly! Even if we don't reach an agreement today, it's okay. Let's get to know each other, and there will be other opportunities in the future."

"I'll treat you to lunch. Let's open a bottle of red wine, have a couple of drinks, and treat it as a get-together among friends."

"I've heard from friends that my second sister's restaurant is the best Western restaurant in Beijing. I'm really in for a treat today," Lin Wei smiled and turned to Li Zhe.
"Mr. Li, please have a seat. I'll make a call and see if I can find a way to arrange a meeting between you and the person in charge of Sanyuan Company as soon as possible."

Li Zhe nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Lin."

Lin Wei got up, took her handbag, and went downstairs.

Shen Yanan leaned closer to Li Zhe and whispered, "Brother, just watch, this is definitely going to work out. You sit here and wait a bit, I'll go to the kitchen to arrange lunch."

Li Zhe simply smiled and remained silent.

Negotiations are inherently a matter of truth and deception. Lin Wei said that arranging a meeting was difficult, which could be due to genuine difficulty or simply unwillingness—regardless of the situation, he would not back down.

A few minutes later, Lin Wei returned after finishing her call and sat down opposite Li Zhe again, a relaxed smile on her face: "Mr. Li, I just contacted a friend and asked him to help me arrange a meeting between you and the person in charge of Sanyuan Company."

Li Zhe looked at her and smiled, "I hope to meet someone who can make decisions at Sanyuan Company, otherwise it's just a waste of time."

"Of course, you can rest assured about that. I've already confirmed it with my friend," Lin Wei said confidently.

Li Zhe picked up his coffee and raised it towards Lin Wei: "President Lin, I wish us a pleasant cooperation in the future."

Lin Wei picked up the juice that had just been delivered and replied with a smile, "It's a pleasure working with you!"

(End of this chapter)