Chapter 4: Awkward Formality

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Awkward Formality

Looking again at Bai Hongguang beside her, she remembered back when she first started being his secretary. He was still a handsome and high-spirited man, and it was also because Bai Hongguang was good-looking and wealthy that she agreed to be his mistress and have his child.

Only, time, that merciless knife, had turned the once handsome man into a middle-aged uncle with a receding hairline, completely unrecognizable from before. Comparing this Bai Hongguang to Leng Yichen, Gu Manli just felt bitter.

With that, Gu Manli raised her glass and, with a radiant smile, said to Leng Yichen, "Mr. Leng, I toast to you."

Leng Yichen symbolically took a sip from his glass, not overly responding to Gu Manli’s enthusiasm towards him.

Bai Hongguang chuckled as he spoke, "Speaking of which, I’m 48 this year, a full 20 years older than you, Mr. Leng. From now on, I’ll just call you Little Brother Leng."

Leng Yichen found Bai Hongguang’s forced familiarity somewhat off-putting, slightly frowned but didn’t express much, "President Bai is truly warm-hearted."

Bai Hongguang laughed, "Little Brother Leng, don’t keep calling me President Bai, it’s too distant. Just call me Brother Bai, we’re all brothers here!"

Distant? We’re not even that close...

"I heard that Little Brother Leng’s company has a big project up for bidding recently?"

Leng Yichen sneered internally, so that’s what he’s been waiting for, and answered lightly, "Yes, that’s right!"

"Then, Little Brother Leng, how about my company? We’ve been collaborating for years; instead of bothering with tenders, why not just let me handle it? We’re so familiar with each other, after all."

Leng Yichen chuckled lightly, "These matters are always handled by Wang Wei, Huamei’s operations director. If you want to know more, you can directly contact Wang Wei; usually, he can fully handle projects under five hundred million."

Bai Hongguang’s face froze, Leng Yichen’s meaning couldn’t be clearer — don’t bring such small business deals to him; come back when you’re capable of handling projects over five hundred million.

At the table were not just Bai Hongguang and Gu Manli’s family, but other company presidents as well. Otherwise, with just someone like Bai Hongguang, Leng Yichen wouldn’t have come. But now Leng Yichen had no intention of staying any longer, so he stood up and politely smiled at the other presidents.

"I have another meeting later, so I’ll be leaving first."

Bai Family

"Look at that Leng Yichen today, didn’t give me any face! Who does he think he is!" Bai Hongguang sat on the sofa smoking.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Gu Manli came out of the dressing room after getting changed, "Who does he think he is? He’s a big client, who at that dinner table could compare to him? Why don’t you look at what you’ve got, does he owe you any face?"

"We’ve at least been business partners for so many years, right?"

"Oh, just drop it, you heard Leng Yichen yourself; anything below five hundred million doesn’t reach him. Does he care about your little tens of millions of deals? Besides, there are so many companies wanting to work with Huamei, does he care about you?"

Facing Gu Manli’s unreserved words, Bai Hongguang felt a bit awkward, "Don’t paint me as so worthless."

Gu Manli sat beside Bai Hongguang, "I’m not saying you’re worthless, I’m saying you’re using the wrong method, calling him Little Brother Leng, you really have the nerve!"

"I was trying to get closer to him, wasn’t I? So, what do you suggest?" Over the years, Gu Manli had been a great help in Bai Hongguang’s business, almost like his strategist, so Bai Hongguang was willing to listen to her advice.