With the contact information for Filiya Company, Su Wanqing was determined to leave no stone unturned in snatching away Gao Weiguo’s orders.
It would be best if it made him furious enough to see stars—since he wasn’t acting like a decent person, he might as well not be treated like one. And as for Su Daqiang and his son, a mere apology and self-criticism wouldn’t be enough.
She returned to her seat, scheduled an afternoon meeting with Smith’s secretary, and also arranged to meet with Black from Filiya Company. She planned to get everything done in one go that afternoon.
Soon, it was lunchtime. Su Wanqing went to the cafeteria and found Xia Yue. “Don’t get your own food—I promised to treat you,” she said, decisively ordering three meat dishes and one vegetable dish for Xia Yue while sticking to her usual 2-1-1 combo for herself.
Xia Yue said, “You’re so frugal with yourself, yet you ordered so much for me.”
Su Wanqing replied, “I’m trying to lose weight, so I’m eating less.”
Since arriving here a few days ago, her high-intensity daily activities had already helped her shed quite a bit of weight—her pants were looser now. Eating healthier had also improved her complexion.
Xia Yue nodded. “Before you got married, you were the factory flower, much prettier than that Song Tian’e. Back then, so many of our coworkers had their eyes on you. But marrying Lu Changfeng wasn’t a loss for you.”
Su Daqiang had schemed to match Lu Changfeng with her precisely because of his family background, seeing him as a long-term source of support for the Su Family.
Su Wanqing picked up a bite of food and said, “So don’t worry about me going hungry—I won’t shortchange myself. I’m even thinking about buying a TV lately, but I don’t have the coupon for it.”
Xia Yue said, “I have one! I was named an outstanding employee last year, and the factory gave me one, but with my family’s situation, how could I afford a TV?”
Su Wanqing was so thrilled she almost wanted to hug and kiss her. “How much for the coupon? Sell it to me.”
But Xia Yue refused to take any money. “You’ve been giving me rides every day—it’s too much trouble. Just take it as a gift.”
Su Wanqing insisted, “That won’t do. Your family is struggling, and giving you rides is just a small favor. I didn’t bring enough with me today, but tomorrow I’ll give you a hundred.”
Xia Yue panicked. “Don’t give me that much! Forty is enough.”
“Deal!”
After lunch, Su Wanqing rode her bike to the Rockefeller Company. Smith was in his office and greeted her warmly when she arrived.
Su Wanqing said in English, “Lu Changfeng can’t come for now—he’s tied up with a project. But he’s working overtime to finish it as soon as possible so he can come and help.”
Smith asked, “Then what about the debugging needed during the initial delivery?”
Su Wanqing reassured him, “Don’t worry about that. Our factory will send Lu Tao, the head of the Technical Department—the engineer who answered your questions the other day.”
Smith’s expression turned inscrutable. Su Wanqing added, “This is the best I could arrange. Since Lu Changfeng is my husband, he’s very eager to work at your company long-term—it’s close to home.”
Upon learning they were married, Smith found the situation quite novel and couldn’t resist some gossip. “Mr. Lu is so handsome—how did you two fall in love?”
Su Wanqing didn’t want to go into detail and explained briefly, “I gained weight after having a child, but I used to be very pretty. Mr. Lu liked my looks and my talent.”
Smith laughed heartily, acknowledging Su Wanqing’s talent. “What man wouldn’t like a woman who’s both smart and beautiful? Miss Su, you should lose weight as soon as possible.”
Su Wanqing thought to herself, This foreigner is so nosy. Seizing the moment while he was in a good mood, she asked, “So, have you agreed to my proposal?”
Smith nodded, “Just have Mr. Lu come as soon as possible.”
He noticed that Lu Changfeng was listed as the chief development engineer in the technical manual, Lu Changfeng. Moreover, he felt that Lu Changfeng came from a distinguished family background and must possess excellent intellect and insight.
After leaving Smith’s office, Su Wanqing borrowed his secretary’s phone to report to Wang Dafu, “Director, Smith has agreed. We can send Lu Tao initially, and Lu Changfeng can come over after he finishes his project.”
Wang Dafu said with satisfaction, “Comrade Su, you are always reliable.”
Su Wanqing paid no mind to the praise—it wasn’t a bonus, after all—and continued, “I have an appointment with Black from Filiya Company this afternoon. I’ll return to the factory later, so I’m letting you know.”
In Wang Dafu’s eyes, Su Wanqing’s habit of timely reporting showed her maturity and understanding, which pleased him even more, “Alright, go ahead and take care of your business.”
After reporting, Su Wanqing rode her bicycle to Filiya Company to meet Black.
When she arrived at Filiya Company, a colleague said he was in the break room.
Black was hand-grinding coffee beans, preparing an afternoon tea for himself. He didn’t like the coffee his secretary made.
In her previous life, Su Wanqing had been a serious coffee enthusiast. Seeing the coffee machine from this era, her eyes lit up.
At this time, coffee latte art hadn’t been invented yet. Su Wanqing said in English, “Hello, my name is Su Wanqing, from Red Star Machinery Factory. I can make you a beautiful latte.”
Impressed by Su Wanqing’s fluent English, Black handed her the coffee grinder.
Su Wanqing rubbed her hands together excitedly—she had missed coffee so much.
Extracting the coffee, frothing the milk, and creating the latte art, she did it all in one smooth motion.
When she presented it to Black, the beautiful leaf pattern made him exclaim, “Miss Su, this coffee looks absolutely amazing!”
Su Wanqing smiled, “Give it a try.”
Black took a sip and praised, “Fantastic!”
Su Wanqing licked her lips, and Black said, “Why don’t you make one for yourself too?”
Using the same technique, Su Wanqing brewed a cup for herself, this time creating a heart pattern.
She took a sip, finally satisfying her longing for coffee.
She complimented, “The flavor of these beans is really good.”
Black asked, “How did you learn to make such beautiful coffee?”
Su Wanqing replied, “Just practice. I can teach you when I have time.”
Black said happily, “That would be great!”
Su Wanqing took the technical documents from her bag and handed them to Black. Black said, “Someone from your factory has already contacted me. Why are you here now?”
Su Wanqing explained, “Because they aren’t professional enough. I’m here on behalf of our director to talk with you. Recently, our director just reached a cooperation agreement with Mr. Smith from Rockefeller Company.”
With the backing of a major company, Black indeed regarded Su Wanqing more highly. “Alright, have your director bring a technician to meet next Monday at 10 a.m.” Moreover, he knew that with two parties competing, there would be more room for negotiation.
Su Wanqing asked, “Which model are you planning to purchase?”
Black waved his hand, and his secretary came over and handed the documents to Su Wanqing.
After glancing at them, Su Wanqing said, “No problem.” She raised her coffee cup and clinked it with Black’s, “Thank you for giving us this opportunity. We won’t let you down.”
Black smiled and said, “I hope Miss Su remains as professional as ever.”
After finishing their coffee, she taught Black how to crochet for a while. Black exclaimed, “Oh my, this is too difficult, I can’t learn it. Miss Su’s hands are truly skilled.”
Su Wanqing said, “It’s fine, you’ll get the hang of it with a bit more practice.”
No sooner had Su Wanqing left Feiliya Company than Gao Weiguo received a tip-off.
“Deputy Factory Director Gao, that fat woman from your factory came to see Black. The two of them seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.”
Gao Weiguo gritted his teeth in anger. “That damn fat woman, daring to ruin my plans. Just wait, I’ll teach her a lesson.”