This time, Shengshi is holding a bidding competition to find project partners, which has excited both companies and enterprises with strength and ambition. Over the past six months, Shengshi has proven its strength, making each of its bidding opportunities something that cannot be missed.
According to insider rumors, certain informed sources have boldly claimed in the economic and financial sections that this project may even involve cooperation with higher-level entities. However, the accuracy of these claims is only known by the major companies participating in the bidding. They have all remained tight-lipped, refusing to respond to media interviews or speculation, and have been busy preparing for the bidding event until the results are announced today.
Qi Yilin is personally in charge of this bidding project, and he maintained a gentle smile, giving others the feeling of a spring breeze. However, those present did not dare to underestimate him. In just six months since returning to the country, he has skillfully taken control amid a storm of conflict, dealing with both his stepmother and his half-brother. Although the Qi family is still not on par with the Zhushi and Shengshi, Qi Yilin has managed to elevate the Qi family to a higher level.
Today is the decision-making meeting. Through previous negotiations and discussions, only the most capable enterprises remain. All the responsible figures are already seated in their designated spots, ready for the meeting to begin.
Qi Yilin scanned the room and noticed the person in charge of Zhushi, meeting his gaze. He nodded politely with a confident smile, as if he was certain of winning this bidding competition.
The meeting room door opened, and a tall man appeared at the entrance. Sheng Huasen quickly glanced at the executives seated around the table and finally focused on the Zhushi representative, frowning slightly. He quietly asked his assistant, “Has Xingyuan been to the office today?”
Since Wei Xicheng often visited Shengshi, Sheng Huasen’s assistant was quite familiar with the young man. The assistant stepped forward and whispered, “Boss, Mr. Zhu hasn’t come in today.”
Sheng Huasen rubbed his temples. “Give him a call.”
Their conversation was so low that the other executives couldn’t hear what was being said, but they exchanged glances, wondering if someone important hadn’t arrived yet.
Qi Yilin saw the cold expression on Sheng Huasen’s face but remained indifferent. He glanced at the clock and, with the most appropriate smile, said, “President Sheng, it seems like it’s about time. Shall we begin?”
…
“Hello? What’s up?” Wei Xicheng answered the phone, rubbing his eyes. He’d stayed up too late last night hanging out with Meng Tao and the others, and now he was struggling to fully wake up.
“Boss asked me to remind you that today is the decision meeting for the bidding project.”
“Oh, I got it.”
The moment Wei Xicheng hung up the phone, he suddenly became alert. He had been too relaxed these past few days. Qi Yiming and Qi Yilin had been fighting fiercely over their inheritance rights, and Sheng Huasen had been incredibly busy, while he had been lounging around at home with nothing to do.
Yesterday, Meng Tao invited him out, and a whole group of them had gone to the bar, partying all night and only returning home at dawn…
Damn, this meeting was a pivotal moment. Even though Sheng Huasen would never partner with the Qi family, this was the perfect opportunity for him to complete his “face-smashing” task against the so-called “child of destiny.” If he missed it, his current life might truly go down the drain.
…
As Wei Xicheng hurried toward Shengshi, his mind was racing with recent events. After he had said “let’s try,” he hadn’t seen much of Sheng Huasen. However, he received five or six calls from him each day. Every time they spoke, Sheng Huasen’s voice carried a noticeable weariness.
It was probably because of the bidding project—he really must have been busy. Wei Xicheng hadn’t shown any particular concern either. This was, after all, his first romantic relationship…
Wei Xicheng pulled out the bidding proposal. He hadn’t handed this document over to his father last time, so maybe Sheng Huasen had guessed something, which was why he called to remind him instead of waiting for him to show up with the other Zhushi members.
For Wei Xicheng, this relationship hadn’t exactly been an extraordinary experience. They hadn’t gone on dates like young couples do, and there wasn’t much sappy romance going on either. The biggest feeling he had was… stability.
The kind of stability that made him feel like anything was possible.
Lost in thought, Wei Xicheng found himself already at the door of the meeting room, where Sheng Huasen’s assistant was waiting.
“You’ve arrived.” The assistant opened the door. “Please, come in.”
As soon as Wei Xicheng stepped inside, he could feel all eyes turn toward him.
“Has the meeting already started? My apologies for being late.”
“Sit,” Sheng Huasen said, “We haven’t started yet.”
The representative from Zhushi looked extremely displeased. He exchanged a glance with Qi Yilin and said angrily, “Young Master… this isn’t a game. Does the CEO know you’re here? I haven’t received any notification.”
“Of course, I know this isn’t a game, but it’s no longer your place to speak here,” Wei Xicheng said as he crossed his legs, arms folded and chin raised, acting like an arrogant young master without a care in the world—a textbook display of spoiled arrogance.
The other company executives quietly chuckled to themselves, waiting to see the drama unfold, while the Zhushi representative’s face turned darker. Qi Yilin remained calm, his expression unreadable.
The Zhushi representative, an old bald man, hadn’t been disrespected like this in years. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “This is outrageous!”
Wei Xicheng lazily lifted his eyelids and gave him a glance. “From now on, I’ll be representing Zhushi Group in this decision meeting. You may leave.”
“Who gave you this authority?”
“As of today, I am the new vice president and project manager of Zhushi,” Wei Xicheng checked his watch. “At this time, the paperwork should have already reached the company.”
“You—!” The Zhushi representative’s chest heaved in anger, unable to form a complete sentence for a long time. “You!”
“Young Master Zhu, is there a need to treat long-term employees this way? It’ll hurt the morale of your staff.” Qi Yilin said calmly, his gaze steady and hard to read.
“So, Mr. Qi isn’t calling me ‘Mr. Zhu’ anymore?” Wei Xicheng sneered arrogantly. “I wonder which family he’s loyal to? What? Is it bothering you?”
Qi Yilin didn’t respond, simply retracting his previous polite smile, now gazing at Wei Xicheng with indifference.
Sheng Huasen’s brows were already furrowed so tightly they could have crushed a mosquito.
Executives from other companies that had previously worked with Zhushi shook their heads in disapproval. If future project managers from Zhushi behaved like this young master, who would want to work with them?
There had always been rumors that Sheng Huasen had a close relationship with the young master of the Zhu family. However, seeing how completely different the two were today, it was hard to believe they were close. Judging by Sheng Huasen’s expression, it was clear that this Zhu family young master wasn’t going to have an easy time here.
Sheng Huasen never cared about someone’s status, if they disrupted his meeting and wasted his time, he wouldn’t care who they were.
“Escort this gentleman out,” Sheng Huasen said, unaffected by the scene in front of him.
The assistant and security guards entered the room, heading straight for the now-smug Zhushi representative.
“Please.”
The representative’s face shifted like a color palette, changing multiple times before he reluctantly glared at Wei Xicheng one last time and stormed out.
Qi Yilin’s eyes flashed with coldness—what an idiot.
He turned his head toward Wei Xicheng, realizing that the truth had already come out.
Wei Xicheng immediately sensed Qi Yilin’s gaze and responded with a defiant, mocking look.
The corner of Qi Yilin’s eye twitched—this young master really knew how to provoke people. His fingers glided over the document in front of him as his lips curled into a slight smile. But so what? He was confident that the plan in front of him was flawless. Even if the Zhu family kid knew about it, he wouldn’t be able to come up with something that could compete in such a short time.
The content of the decision meeting required each company’s representative to present their final project proposal for evaluation, after which Sheng Huasen and Shengshi’s executives would make the final decision.
Qi Yilin was in excellent form as he confidently stood in front of the group, speaking with clarity and ambition.
“For this bidding project, the Qi family brings the utmost sincerity. We believe this will be a truly genuine and successful collaboration with your company.”
As soon as he finished, several of Shengshi’s executives nodded in approval.
There was no doubt—Qi Yilin’s proposal was the best they had heard so far. Given the remaining companies, only Zhushi could rival Qi’s financial resources, and no other company even came close.
However, the executives’ faces showed a hint of unease. The scene from before was still fresh in their minds. This Zhu family young master had chased out his own representative. If he continued to cause trouble and ruined the bidding process, no matter how favored he was, even that wouldn’t save him.
Wei Xicheng stood up from his seat and signaled Sheng Huasen’s assistant to distribute his bidding proposal to everyone present.
“Apologies, everyone. This was a last-minute development, so please review our company’s new proposal,” Wei Xicheng said with a slight bow, shedding his previous careless attitude. His newfound seriousness prompted several older executives to nod approvingly, even offering a few smiles—he did have some decorum after all.
As Wei Xicheng began his presentation, the other representatives who had expected a show of incompetence stopped smiling.
Originally, they had entered the bidding process with low expectations, knowing the considerable gap between themselves and the Qi family. Most of them had only come to test the waters, assuming the project was already Qi’s to win.
But now, it seemed, a dark horse had entered the race.
This dark horse was none other than the Zhu family’s young master, someone they had previously looked down upon. Even the Qi family representative’s face had changed. It was clear that from how familiar the young master was with the proposal, he must have been involved throughout the entire process. Without such deep involvement, there’s no way he could have grasped the detailed content so well, let alone answer the tricky questions from Shengshi’s senior management.
If even a carefree playboy like him could produce something that rivaled their proposals, they truly had no right to mock him for being spoiled.
Wei Xicheng stood on the presentation stage. He wasn’t particularly interested in finance, but he had played countless roles as a business elite or CEO, those desperate enough to sell company secrets. To properly portray these roles, he had tirelessly studied the field. After going through several worlds, he had ingrained those experiences in his mind. Wei Xicheng joked to himself that even if he couldn’t be an actor in the future, he could always be an elite.
He understood that feeling well—the confidence of having control over everything and giving others a reason to believe in you.
Standing on the stage, Wei Xicheng seemed to be glowing.
