The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 322 A Big Step Forward in His Career
Many things, once started, can never be stopped.

Zhou Yaqin wasn't incapable of delaying the progress—she could have easily slowed down the pace and postponed the heaviest pressure until Zhao Xiaochui returned.

But this meant that she would be breaking the rules Zhao Xiaochui had set before leaving. Those were the bottom lines she was absolutely unwilling to cross.

She was still waiting for Zhao Xiaochui to come back. She wanted to stand behind that young man and embrace the second spring of her career—not be eliminated prematurely because she went against his will in this unprecedented opportunity.

So even if she could delay, she wouldn't dare.

And one of these things that cannot be delayed is happening in Jinghai.

2020年，9月9日，9:09分。

In the Haimen Economic Development Zone Management Committee building in Jinghai City, a spacious conference room has several potted plants placed in the center of a long conference table.

The chairperson of this meeting was Li Guohua, a party official and director of the management committee of Haimen Economic Development Zone.

Also present from the government were the deputy director of the district finance bureau, the director of the district investment promotion bureau, the district government's legal advisor, and a deputy secretary-general of the municipal government.

This level of treatment is incredibly generous to such a small massage parlor.

The team behind the "Easy Walk" initiative consists of its temporary special advisor, President Ling Rui, his team, and his local colleagues.

Ou Xiaokui, who had just arrived, served as the representative and remained silent during today's negotiations, only occasionally nodding slightly when Ling Rui looked at her questioningly.

Other attendees, besides a few management committee staff members responsible for recording meeting minutes, included representatives from the main creditor banks and representatives from business partners who might be involved after the agreement was reached.

Ling Rui's professionalism and work ethic are admirable. The tug-of-war that lasted for more than ten hours each day for two days enabled him to facilitate this deal and cooperation in a very short time.

9:20 pm.

All terms have been finalized.

The agreement was printed out, and the two parties' representatives—Li Guohua and Ou Xiaokui—signed their names on the document one by one in front of everyone.

A few symbolic claps rang out in the conference room.

Li Guohua was about to say a few polite words about "pleasant cooperation and creating a better future" when Ou Xiaokui looked up and quietly interrupted him:
"Secretary Li, um... now that the agreement has taken effect, please provide a list of the creditor's official bank accounts."

The meeting room fell silent instantly. The bank representative and Deputy Director Wang were both stunned, assuming it was just a formality.

Deputy Director Wang subconsciously handed over a pre-prepared account list bearing the official seal.

Ou Xiaokui took the document, glanced at it carefully, then took out her phone, took a picture of the list, and quickly tapped the screen a few times to send the document out.

Throughout the entire process, she remained silent, and the air in the conference room seemed to freeze, with only the faint sound of her phone being operated remaining.

Less than a minute later, the screen of her phone on the table lit up, and a new message popped up.

She didn't even look down; she simply tapped the touchpad with her fingertip, turning her laptop screen toward the crowd.

Instead of a bank interface, the screen displayed an extremely simple internal communication system.

The dialog box contains only one line of Song typeface text:

"The debt repayment operation of 2.4 million yuan has been completed."

Almost at the same time that line of text came into everyone's view, a bank representative's phone in the conference room suddenly rang, followed by a series of other representatives' phones also beeping.

Dead silence. The absolute silence was broken by the sudden notification sound, but it quickly plunged into an even deeper silence.

Deputy Director Wang dropped his pen onto the table. The two bank representatives abruptly stood up and, almost disregarding etiquette, pulled out their phones to confirm.

The composure on Li Guohua's face vanished completely, replaced by an incomprehensible astonishment. His gaze suddenly turned to Ou Xiaokui, as if trying to find the answer in her face.

At this moment, Ou Xiaokui seemed even more nervous than they were.

After sending the command, she seemed to have used up all her strength and let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh.

Just as everyone in the conference room was still reeling from the shock of the 2.4 million yuan debt being instantly cleared, Secretary Li Guohua suppressed his shock, cleared his throat, and steered the conversation toward the next item on the agenda.

“Mr. Ou, Mr. Ling,” his tone was now more solemn than ever before, “According to the agreement we just signed, the asset transfer process for the Jianghai Textile Heritage Park will begin immediately. To ensure that your company can put it into use as soon as possible, our district will, as agreed, fully coordinate the best construction resources, be responsible for the park’s renovation and basic decoration, and guarantee a green channel for equipment procurement.”

He looked at Deputy Director Wang of the district finance bureau: "Old Wang, your bureau must take the lead in coordinating the subsequent project and supervising the funds; this must be guaranteed..."

Before Li Guohua could finish speaking, Ou Xiaokui seemed to take a deep breath, raised her head again, and her voice, though more composed than before, still sounded slightly tense. She politely interrupted Li Guohua:
"Secretary Li, Director Wang."

All eyes immediately turned to the young girl.

“Regarding the renovation project of the park,” she said, making sure each word was clear, “please provide the special account designated by the district government for supervising the project funds.”

Deputy Director Wang was taken aback, completely unprepared for the other party to so directly and quickly get to the payment execution stage.

He glanced at Li Guohua instinctively, a hint of surprise flashing in Li Guohua's eyes before he nodded. Account information was quickly written on a slip of paper and handed to Ou Xiaokui.

The same scene played out again.

Ou Xiaokui took a photo and sent it. Then, the meeting room fell into a silent wait once again.

This time, the wait seemed exceptionally long. Several bank representatives even forgot to sit down and just stood there, their eyes fixed on Ou Xiaokui and her silent tablet.

Suddenly, the tablet screen lit up.

Ou Xiaokui immediately checked, as if confirming the final instruction, and then turned the screen back to the entire room.

Two new lines of text appeared in that simple internal dialog box:
"The first advance payment for the project: 96,000,000.00 has been paid into the designated escrow account."

"hiss--"

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

Ninety-six million!
This is almost 80% of the entire renovation project budget! According to any industry practice, the advance payment is usually only 10%-30% of the total contract price, which means that a maximum of around 30 million is the limit.

What Ou Xiaokui paid wasn't a prepayment; she slammed the vault onto the table!

“Mr.…Mr. Ou…” Deputy Director Wang’s voice trembled, almost incoherent, “This…this doesn’t follow…the financial procedures…the advance payment doesn’t need to be…it doesn’t need to be this much…it’s too high…”

Ou Xiaokui seemed startled by his strong reaction, but then she remembered President Zhou's instructions and the young boss's insistence, and she tried to make her voice sound firm:

"This...this is the first payment. President Zhou instructed that money...money is not an issue, time is. Our only requirements are...speed and quality."

Having said that, she seemed to have completed all her tasks, and almost hastily closed her laptop, lowered her head slightly, and stopped looking at the petrified officials and bankers present.

(End of this chapter)