"I can confirm that. I called him again a while ago and told him I'd agree to any terms if he just said yes, but he hung up on me. It's like talking to a wall," Zheng Wucheng said.
Xu Qiang found it strange. "That's too odd. Did you or your boss ever offend him?"
Zheng Wucheng became a bit embarrassed. "We didn't exactly offend him. It's just that our previous attempt at cooperation with him failed, so we approached his cousin instead. My boss happened to have other business dealings with his cousin's company. So, my boss put pressure on his cousin, hoping he could persuade his elder brother. He threatened to cancel the cooperation if he couldn't. Unfortunately, he failed, and in a fit of anger, my boss canceled the partnership."
"I knew there had to be a reason. You basically threatened him. If his vegetables are that good and taste so delicious, they'll sell themselves. Doing what you did was like burning all your bridges."
Zheng Wucheng sighed again. "It's too late to say anything now. That's why I said, if I get fired someday, you've got to look out for me. I'm counting on you to help me out!"
"Oh, come on. Even if you can't work at this hotel anymore, plenty of other hotels would hire you as a general manager. My place is too small to accommodate someone like you," Xu Qiang chuckled.
They had just finished their conversation when they arrived at the car dealership. He parked the car by the roadside and walked in with Zheng Wucheng.
Meanwhile, Feng Shengnan had lost all patience. "Are you going to sell me a car or not? If not, I'm leaving. It's not like I can't get a car from anywhere else!"
Liu Yifeng was also getting impatient. He was here to buy a car, not to be insulted. Not only were they not selling him the car he liked immediately, but they were also pulling this stunt. If the manager hadn't told him that this was the last car in stock and that ordering another would take months, he would have left long ago. Most importantly, he refused to back down. He was the first one to spot the car. Why should he give it up? He had the money to buy it, so why should he concede… He wanted to see how the dealership's manager would handle this situation. Would they sell the car to him according to protocol, or to this unreasonable regular customer?
"Please don't be in a hurry. Our manager said he's on his way. He's probably stuck in traffic. You know how bad it gets during rush hour," the salesperson said, nervously pacing back and forth. He was clearly struggling to manage the situation. His eyes were fixed on the entrance until he saw the manager arrive. "Manager, you're finally here! Please go and handle this. Both of them are getting impatient."
The manager glared at him. "What good are you? You can't even handle a simple situation like this."
With that, he followed the salesperson to the Porsche and saw Liu Yifeng and Feng Shengnan. He didn't recognize Liu Yifeng, but he had met Feng Shengnan several times before, as he had bought his cars from this dealership. He immediately reached out to shake Feng Shengnan's hand. "Mr. Feng, why didn't you call me when you came? If you liked a car, you could have just called me, and I would have held it for you. You didn't need to make this trip."
"Spare me the pleasantries. I've heard enough. You know the whole story. Now, tell me, are you selling this car to me or to him?" he asked, pointing at Liu Yifeng, but looking at Xu Qiang.
Xu Qiang smiled apologetically. "Mr. Feng, please don't get agitated. I'll definitely give you a satisfactory answer." Then, he turned to Liu Yifeng. "Sir, I know you saw this car first. But could you please let Mr. Feng have it? I'll introduce you to other cars and use my personal authority to give you the biggest discount. What do you say?" He believed Liu Yifeng would be tempted by his offer. After all, he was the general manager of this dealership, and even a small discount could save tens of thousands of yuan.
However, Liu Yifeng was unmoved. He wasn't short of a few thousand yuan. He replied with a cold expression, "I'm sorry, but I've set my sights on this car!"
This put Xu Qiang in a difficult position. He wanted to keep both customers, as the dealership's performance was tied to his bonus. Just then, Zheng Wucheng, who had just taken a phone call at the entrance, walked in. He immediately recognized Liu Yifeng. Although they had never met in person, he had seen his photo when he had investigated his background. "Mr. Liu, what a coincidence, meeting you here."
Liu Yifeng looked at the unfamiliar face, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Who are you?"
Zheng Wucheng introduced himself. "I'm Zheng Wucheng, the general manager of Jingxuan Hotel. We spoke on the phone a few days ago." Liu Yifeng remembered then, but he showed no signs of awkwardness. It was his right to choose whom he wanted to cooperate with. He replied gracefully, "Hello, Manager Zheng," and nothing more.
Seeing that the two knew each other, Xu Qiang looked at Zheng Wucheng, inquiring about their relationship. Zheng Wucheng explained, "He's the Mr. Liu I was telling you about in the car, the one who's an expert at growing vegetables."
"Ah, I see! Mr. Liu is truly young and promising. He's able to support a five-star hotel with his self-grown vegetables!" Xu Qiang exclaimed, finally connecting the dots. However, Liu Yifeng felt something was off about his words. It didn't sound like praise, but rather like sarcasm.
"Mr. Liu, would you really not consider cooperating with our hotel? We can increase the price, and I guarantee you'll earn more than you would from Longteng Hotel. I sincerely hope we can establish a long-term partnership, and perhaps we can even become friends." He lowered his stance significantly, hoping to sway Liu Yifeng.
But Liu Yifeng had no intention of backing down. His refusal to cooperate with Jingxuan wasn't solely to help Kaichen. The main reason was that Wan Hui from Longteng Hotel had treated him very well and had helped Kaichen establish himself in the company. If he were to sell his vegetables to Jingxuan Hotel, it would undoubtedly hurt their business. Money wasn't the most important thing to him; it was about loyalty and friendship. He would repay kindness tenfold. With that thought, he said expressionlessly, "Manager Zheng, I apologize, but there's no destiny for cooperation between us!"
"Mr. Liu, can't you help us out? Because of your vegetables, our hotel's business has plummeted. If this continues, we'll be on the verge of bankruptcy. If you could help us now, my boss and I would be very grateful," Zheng Wucheng pleaded, unwilling to give up.
"Firstly, I don't need your gratitude. Secondly, your bankruptcy has nothing to do with me. I think you shouldn't blame my vegetables entirely for your predicament. Instead, you should identify your own shortcomings. Without my vegetables, can't you research new dishes? Develop a few signature dishes to attract customers, and your business will improve. Instead of doing nothing and just blaming my refusal to sell you vegetables for your bankruptcy," Liu Yifeng stated. He didn't believe his vegetables were that influential; they merely exposed the hotel's weaknesses.
Zheng Wucheng, seeing Liu Yifeng's unyielding stance, changed his attitude. "Let me tell you, don't think your vegetables will be popular forever. One day, your vegetables will be replaced by others. Nothing in this world is eternal, and you're not in a position to lecture me." Zheng Wucheng knew cooperation was unlikely, so he dropped all pretense.