They chatted until time slipped away. Late at night, Susu wanted Su Yifeng to stay at her place, but Su Yifeng insisted on returning to the hotel.
Tianyi had no choice but to have his driver, Xiao Lin, take him back to his hotel in the city. They would meet again at the group the next day to continue discussing the bidding proposal.
The next day, Huangfu Sishu informed his elder brother about the conditions proposed by Zhao Jianhua.
This also surprised Huangfu Sisong. He had thought Zhao Jianhua was merely a nouveau riche, someone who would be satisfied with immediate gains.
"It seems I've underestimated Zhao Jianhua. He's got some skills. He actually wants our financial network service platform project. What a nerve!"
"Indeed. This man appears rough and unintelligent, but he's actually cunning and greedy. It's truly a question whether we should associate with someone like him," Huangfu Sishu asked.
"Greedy and cunning," Huangfu Sisong said with a slight smile. "As long as he's greedy, as long as he has desires, I'm not afraid he won't betray Xie Zhendong. Did you turn him down last night?"
"No, I just said that if he meets the qualifications, there should be no problem participating in the bid."
Huangfu Sisong asked, "Then what did he say?"
"He said he would have his secretary prepare the relevant qualifications and send them to me. He also said, he also said he not only hoped to participate in the bid but also hoped to win it." Huangfu Sishu asked, "Are we really going to let him win this project to swallow up Xie Group?"
Huangfu Sisong didn't answer him and said, "Did he send you his network company's qualifications?"
"He should have. I haven't checked my email yet this morning." Huangfu Sishu couldn't quite figure out his elder brother's thoughts.
Huangfu Sisong said, "Check his qualifications and tell him he can participate in the bid, but we need to know what valuable assets he truly possesses first."
"Okay."
"Also, tell him that whether he can win the bid depends on whether he can truly help us. We need to see some substantial benefits. Even if he doesn't reveal his hand, he shouldn't expect to get this project from us."
"Understood." Huangfu Sishu was about to leave to handle it but said with some concern, "Zhao Jianhua has just transitioned into network technology. If we really hand over such a large project to him, I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it, nor do it well."
"There's no rush. Our bidding process will proceed as usual. Let's first probe his capabilities. Ultimately, who wins the bid and who undertakes this project will always be decided by us."
Huangfu Sishu nodded with relief, knowing it was fine to proceed as his elder brother suggested.
...
A few days later, Tianyi saw the list of companies that had passed the bidding qualification review online.
Their company, Aoxiang, was on the list, along with some well-known network technology companies, which was within expectations.
However, seeing Zhao Jianhua's company on the list surprised him.
Also, Xie Group was not on the list. As far as he knew, Xie Group had not submitted any qualification review documents to the bidding company this time.
It seemed Xie Zhendong had given up on this project from Huangfu Group. He probably knew that his divorce from Feng Rou and remarriage would displease the Huangfu family, so he didn't want any dealings with them.
Tianyi curiously consulted the bidding company about why Zhao Jianhua's construction company had also passed the qualification review.
The bidding company replied that Zhao Jianhua's group had recently established a subsidiary that also primarily dealt with network technology.
Tianyi immediately investigated that subsidiary and found that it was indeed a network technology company, but it had only been established recently, had no technical advantages, and had not yet undertaken a single network operation platform design.
It seemed Zhao Jianhua was just there to join the fun and was not a threat at all.
While Tianyi noticed Zhao Jianhua's group participating in the bidding, Xie Zhendong also saw it online.
Xie Zhendong wasn't unwilling to take on this project, but he knew that Feng Rou had a very good cousin who was Huangfu Sishu's wife. If Xie Group were to participate in the bidding under its own name, the Huangfu Group would likely not let him win.
Why bother inviting suppression from the Huangfu Group? However, he was still paying attention to the bidding progress of this project.
He didn't expect Zhao Jianhua's subsidiary to be able to participate in the bidding. This was an unintentional act that yielded results. If Zhao Jianhua's subsidiary could win the bid, it would be no different from him obtaining this project.
After all, Zhao Jianhua was now his dog, and that subsidiary was also established with his help.
The technical personnel of Zhao Jianhua's subsidiary were sent from Xie's, meaning they were all his people.
Zhao Jianhua's awareness of participating in such a bid showed his flexibility.
Xie Zhendong immediately contacted Zhao Jianhua and asked, "Mr. Zhao, I didn't expect your subsidiary to pass Huangfu Group's bidding review."
Zhao Jianhua said with a laugh on the other end of the phone, "Mr. Xie, I didn't expect it either. I just heard the news and sent the subsidiary's information to the bidding company to try my luck. I think it's likely that any company that submitted documents passed the review. Someone like me, who has never done a network platform, is just here to make up the numbers."
"That's not necessarily true. Since you've passed the review and can participate in the bidding, you should try your best to win this project."
"Mr. Xie, please don't joke with me. My subsidiary doesn't have this capability at all. I'd be content just to be a runner-up and gain some experience," Zhao Jianhua said with a tone of utter disbelief.
"I can let Xie's entire network technology team go to your subsidiary. You don't need to worry about the technical aspects at all."
Zhao Jianhua quickly thanked him, "Mr. Xie, really? That's too kind. This subsidiary was originally established with your money and effort to help me transition. I can't have you send people to help me again..."
"It's alright. If this Huangfu Group project is successful, I'll give you thirty percent of the profits."
Zhao Jianhua was silent for a moment. It was his project, so why should he share the profits with Xie Zhendong?
Moreover, Xie Zhendong wanted the larger share of seventy percent. What right did he have?
"Okay, okay," Zhao Jianhua said, agreeing quickly on the surface.
Xie Zhendong spoke in the tone of addressing a subordinate, "Have you prepared the bidding proposal? Send it to me when it's done so I can take a look."
"Not yet," Zhao Jianhua said, feigning urgency. "Participating in the qualification review was just for fun. I didn't expect to pass. I haven't prepared any proposals."
Xie Zhendong said plainly, "How about this? I'll have someone prepare the proposal and send it to you when it's done. Come to Xie's when you have time today, and we'll sign a contract. If your subsidiary happens to win the bid, we won't have any disagreements then."
"Mr. Xie, this... let's forget about it. I don't want to trouble you further. I'll find a way to prepare the proposal myself." Zhao Jianhua was reluctant to sign any contract.
Xie Zhendong said coldly, "Who helped you build your network technology company? I can help you build it, and I can destroy it at any time."
"Mr. Xie, don't be angry, please don't be angry." Zhao Jianhua retorted, "Since you are so interested in this project, why didn't you let Xie Group directly participate in the qualification review? Xie Group bidding directly would be a hundred times stronger than me."