Jiang Nan Fang felt much more relaxed having finally made true friends with Ke Teng, and she enjoyed her lunch without any lingering worries.
Knowing that Ke Teng was close to getting married, the considerate Jing Yu sent a message to Zhan Bei Jue to update him.
Zhan Bei Jue praised him for his good work.
"Keep supervising for me, and report any news to me immediately."
Jing Yu then shared the latest update: "Mom is going on a business trip tomorrow, did you know?"
Zhan Bei Jue did not.
He was determined to win the bid for the Disney project and had even formed a dedicated project team to personally oversee it.
He hadn't had the energy to check on Jiang Nan Fang for days.
"Where is she going? Who is she going with?"
Jing Yu replied, "She was supposed to go with two R&D engineers from her studio, but they couldn't schedule it, so Mom decided to go by herself."
"I overheard Mom on the phone. Apparently, it's for a very rare spice."
"That spice is only produced seasonally to ensure its quality. Domestic inventory is limited, but imported ones aren't as good as those from that particular company..."
Since it was a normal business trip, Zhan Bei Jue had nothing to say.
He praised his son a few more times and ended the call.
The city Jiang Nan Fang was traveling to was Jiang Cheng, famous for its medicinal herbs.
A spice produced only in Jiang Cheng was needed for a new product her team was developing.
Among the various spice factories in Jiang Cheng, there was only one company renowned for its craftsmanship and quality in the industry.
Wang Lang had collaborated with this company before and was considered a client. He was surprised by their poor attitude towards an old customer.
The procurement department had communicated with them about purchasing the spice, and the company had increased the price tenfold.
Furthermore, they imposed harsh terms, refusing after-sales service.
This kind of business practice was akin to a monopoly, a show of arrogance.
However, there was nothing they could do as the company held exclusive technology, giving them leverage.
If you needed something from them, you had no choice but to endure it.
Actually, Jiang Nan Fang had another purpose for this trip: she hoped to buy out the production technology for the spice.
If she wanted to continue developing in the perfume industry, she didn't want to be controlled by others.
Though it was a bold idea, money could make the world go round.
She was a woman with 1 billion yuan in funds. Regardless of success, it was worth a try to negotiate.
Upon successfully arriving in Jiang Cheng, she went to the company the next morning. She had expected not to be able to see the general manager without an appointment.
She greeted the receptionist and sat in the waiting area.
As long as the boss came to work, he would have to pass by her. With her proactively bringing money to the company, she didn't believe anyone would turn her away.
The first day didn't go as smoothly as she had anticipated.
She sat there all day, drinking countless cups of water. As it was nearing the end of working hours, the boss still hadn't appeared.
Jiang Nan Fang asked the receptionist and received the unsurprising answer: "I'm sorry, Mr. Tang is busy and didn't come to the company today."
Jiang Nan Fang smiled, "That's alright, I'll come again tomorrow."
The receptionist probably already knew her purpose and wanted to test her patience and sincerity. She had to show her sincerity.
The next day, she specifically brought her laptop to the spice company.
The receptionist again asked her to wait in the resting area. This time, it was better; less than an hour after work started, Jiang Nan Fang met her target.
She quickly put down her laptop and went to greet him, introducing herself with a smile.
Mr. Tang was not surprised by her appearance; he had likely received prior notification.
However, after Jiang Nan Fang finished speaking, he politely refused to communicate.
"I understand why you're here, but I don't have time today. How about this, you can schedule an appointment with my assistant."
Jiang Nan Fang had left her children to go on this business trip and didn't have much time to waste. She wanted to get straight to the point and finish quickly.
"Mr. Tang, I've come with great sincerity to discuss cooperation. I know you're busy, and I don't want to take up too much of your time."
"Could you give me five minutes? Just five minutes. If, after five minutes, you're not interested in my proposal, I think..."
Mr. Tang interrupted her, "I have to rush to a meeting, I'm already late. How about this, you wait here. I'll fit you in, and when I have time, I'll have my assistant call you out."
Jiang Nan Fang was overjoyed, thanked him, and sat obediently in the lobby to wait.
However, another day passed. It wasn't until the receptionist left for the day and urged her to leave that she realized she had been deceived.
"Won't Mr. Tang still be working overtime? He said he would meet me today."
The receptionist replied expressionlessly, "I'm sorry, madam, Mr. Tang had other matters in the afternoon and left early."
Two days had passed, and she had been made a fool of. Jiang Nan Fang couldn't help but feel defeated.
She even thought, "It's not like you're the only company. If it doesn't work, I'll switch to another one!"
"It's just about improving the process and moving forward. It's not like it's guaranteed to fail. What makes you so special?!"
But after calling her children back at the hotel and hearing them say, "Mommy is the best, Mommy can do it," she regained her motivation.
She couldn't give up after just two days without hearing a single harsh word. She couldn't be so useless!
On the third day, she woke up early, circled the company premises twice, thoroughly familiarized herself with the company's layout, rented a car, and started waiting by the back entrance.
Indeed, perseverance paid off. After waiting for most of the day, she finally saw him at 4 PM.
Mr. Tang's car drove ahead, and she followed, looking for an opportune moment to talk to him no matter what.
Who knew the rented car was so useless? Less than ten kilometers after getting on the highway, a tire blew out.
At a speed of 110 km/h, with so many cars around, if she hadn't had many years of driving experience and a steady hand, the consequences were unimaginable.
It seemed like everything about this business trip was going wrong, and she had almost lost her life.
Seeing that things had hit a dead end, Jiang Nan Fang's mood plummeted. After a lot of trouble, she returned to the hotel. She didn't want to eat dinner and sat by the window with a bottle of wine, staring blankly at the unfamiliar city night view.
She suddenly felt very sad, and the feeling of being isolated and helpless, yet having to force herself to be strong, during her early days of starting a business in Dan country, resurfaced.
She thought of many things, of Tang Xueying and her failed friendship, then of Zhan Bei Jue and her failed marriage.
Her emotions were out of control, and she felt extremely frustrated.
She put down the wine, took a photo of the wine bottle and the night view, and posted it on her social media: "Damn life!"
Meanwhile, in Nancheng, the bid document was in its final preparation stages. Two data points needed adjustment, which meant everyone in the project team had to redo some of their work. Everyone was working overtime.
Zhan Bei Jue was also there.
As long as he didn't leave, his little assistant Zhou Jin Bei dared not leave either.
However, there wasn't much she could do besides keep him company; she could only play on her phone to pass the time.
As soon as Jiang Nan Fang posted it, she saw the social media update.
Holding her phone, as if she had just experienced a major earthquake, she rushed into the office.
"Second Brother, Second Brother!"