"Check the group's surveillance again for this bid, leave no stone unturned regarding Xi Xianya's every move on camera," Tianyi felt something was amiss.
An Jing acknowledged with a sound and also left his office.
He sat in his office, thinking that losing the Huangfu Group's project was not a big deal.
Their group did not rely on this project for survival, and Huangfu Group's money was not that easy to earn.
He guessed that Huangfu Group intended to use this project to make a deal with Zhao Jianhua, likely related to the annexation of Xie Corporation.
It was good that Aoxiang did not get involved in this mess; it would be a loss if they didn't make money and also got implicated.
However, he still needed to find out how Zhao Jianhua knew the reserve price to prevent future trouble.
...
Zhao Jianhua was elated after winning the bid, feeling he had finally held his head high.
As soon as he left the bidding site, Huangfu Sishu contacted him, arranging a meeting.
Zhao Jianhua happily agreed immediately.
They met in a private VIP room at a high-end teahouse that Huangfu Sishu had mentioned.
Tea and snacks were laid out on the table. Huangfu Sishu was leisurely sipping his tea. Upon seeing Zhao Jianhua enter, he did not move but smiled and said, "I didn't go back on my word, did I? I said I'd make sure you won this bid, and here you are."
Zhao Jianhua walked over, extended his hand, and shook Huangfu Sishu's respectfully, saying, "Yes, yes. I didn't disappoint you either. My bid was lower than Aoxiang Group's."
Huangfu Sishu gestured for him to sit and said, "Price is only one aspect. By convention, the decision should be based on comprehensive scoring. This time, only the bid price was considered solely for your company."
"Indeed, indeed." Zhao Jianhua felt a pang of resentment. If his bid hadn't been lower than Aoxiang's, how could Huangfu Group have let him win so easily? The Huangfu family were truly cunning old foxes.
Huangfu Sishu smiled and poured him a cup of tea, asking, "You promised me you'd tell me any other leverage you have on Xie Corporation. It wouldn't be like last time, with trivial matters that are of no value and can't achieve anything, would it?"
Zhao Jianhua thought that last time, the issue concerning Xie Corporation's shipping had already caused a stir within Xie's. It was Huangfu Group that failed to seize the opportunity, yet they blamed his information for being valueless.
But he couldn't say these things directly and had to force a smile, saying, "Don't worry, I keep my word. This time, Xie Corporation will definitely have no chance to recover."
"What exactly do you know?"
Zhao Jianhua cleared his throat with feigned mystery and whispered, "You can start with Xie Zhendong's son-in-law. Xie Zhendong originally promised his second daughter that he would help the Bai family overcome their difficulties, and in reality, he incorporated the Bai family's company into Xie Corporation. His son-in-law has been resentful about this and has secretly caused quite a stir, but Xie Zhendong is still unaware. You'll understand if you investigate."
"Are you saying there's a problem with the Bai family's company?"
Zhao Jianhua nodded and said, "The Bai family's company was already rotten. However, the Bai family's company is no longer theirs; it's under Xie's name. Their problems are Xie Corporation's problems. A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's nest; you should understand now, right?"
Huangfu Sishu understood and smiled happily, saying, "I understand, I understand. In a few days, prepare your qualifications and come to the group headquarters to sign the contract with my elder brother."
"Alright." Zhao Jianhua proudly picked up his teacup and began to sip his tea elegantly, just like Huangfu Sishu.
At this moment, he felt he had finally gained the recognition of these wealthy families and was no longer seen as a nouveau riche in their eyes.
...
The next day, he personally went to the network company, only to find it empty. Only a security guard and the receptionist were present, leaving him stunned. He slammed his briefcase onto the receptionist's desk and asked, "What's going on? Where are the people? Where are the network engineers?"
The receptionist girl didn't know what had happened and shook her head, saying, "Mr. Zhao, everyone was working normally yesterday, but this morning none of them showed up. We contacted the manager, but he didn't answer his phone either."
"What! How could this happen?" Zhao Jianhua turned to his assistant and asked, "Who was in charge of liaising with Xie Corporation's network department? Get them to contact Xie's network department immediately!"
"Yes, okay." The assistant walked aside and immediately found the person who had been the point of contact when the network company was established.
Zhao Jianhua found an empty desk and sat down angrily, not understanding what these people were up to.
His assistant made several calls and finally clarified the situation, then came to him and said, "Mr. Zhao, Xie Corporation's acting chairman has recalled all the personnel from the network department."
"Recalled them? Xie's acting chairman, did the Xie family matriarch do this?" Zhao Jianhua asked.
The assistant replied, "No, the person temporarily managing Xie Corporation is Xie Zhendong's wife. I heard that the Xie family matriarch is not in good health and has retreated behind the scenes."
"Zhan Jiayi?" Zhao Jianhua stood up, slapping the table in anger. He hadn't expected this woman to have no regard for past favors and to deliberately set him up!
He took out his phone and directly dialed Zhan Jiayi's number.
Zhan Jiayi sat in the CEO's office. She glanced at the caller ID on her phone but did not answer. Instead, she called her secretary in.
"Please answer it for me and tell the caller I'm in a meeting. If he says he wants to see me, tell him my schedule this week is fully booked and he needs to make an appointment in advance."
The secretary nodded busily and said, "Okay," then answered the phone in front of her.
As soon as it connected, Zhao Jianhua said loudly and arrogantly, "Zhan Jiayi! What do you mean by this? Don't forget who helped you climb the social ladder..."
"Excuse me, may I ask who you are? I am Ms. Zhan's secretary," the secretary asked in a gentle tone.
"Secretary? She has a secretary now, how impressive! Where is she? Have her take the call! Tell her, I am..."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Zhan cannot take the call. She is in a very important meeting. May I ask your surname?" the secretary continued in her consistently gentle and polite tone.
Zhao Jianhua's outburst faltered. He said, "Tell her, I am Zhao Jianhua, and tell her to come see me as soon as the meeting is over!"
"I apologize, Ms. Zhan's schedule is fully booked for this week. If you wish to see her, you will need to make an appointment first. Let me see when she is available next week." The secretary spoke as if she were genuinely looking at a schedule on her desk.
Zhao Jianhua was furious. He was being told to wait until next week. The contract was supposed to be signed with Huangfu Group the day after tomorrow. Without technical personnel and a concrete plan for the network platform, how could the contract be signed?
"I need to see her today, I must see her!"
The secretary said gently, "This is not in accordance with protocol, but I will relay your message to Ms. Zhan. Goodbye."
Zhao Jianhua wanted to emphasize the urgency, but the other party had already hung up.
Zhan Jiayi gave her secretary a thumbs-up and said, "You handled that well. If this person rushes over demanding to see me later, remember to stop him. Absolutely do not let him into the office. Take him to the conference room."
"Understood."