Qin Ya’s emotions had also eased a bit. After nodding in agreement with Song Qiao, she got out of the car and returned to the factory.
Song Qiao glanced at Old Hu, who immediately understood and drove straight to the Xinyuan Restaurant, where they had arranged to meet Shu Tao.
When Song Qiao arrived, Shu Tao had already been waiting for a long time at Xinyuan.
This made Song Qiao feel a bit strange. He and Shu Tao had only met once, and there were certainly more than one person in the entire city capable of cooperating with Shu Tao. Yet, the other party seemed to be specifically interested in him.
Something unusual must be afoot. Song Qiao's internal guard was raised a notch.
He absolutely did not believe that a businessman like Shu Tao, who never did anything without a motive, would choose him solely based on his charm.
“Boss Song, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you with bated breath.”
As soon as Shu Tao saw Song Qiao, he walked up with a smile.
After they shook hands warmly, they sat down in an orderly fashion.
“Does Boss Song have any understanding of the steel industry?”
After a few simple pleasantries, Shu Tao got straight to the point.
“I wouldn’t say I have an understanding, but as a crucial industrial material for the nation, steel certainly has investment value,” Song Qiao replied calmly.
“Boss Song certainly has a good eye, looking far ahead,” Shu Tao flattered. He then lowered his voice and said, “Has Boss Song heard of low-frequency bar steel?”
“Low-frequency bar steel?”
Song Qiao couldn't help but frown. If he remembered correctly, this was a product strictly prohibited by the state.
“Boss Shu, if our cooperation is regarding low-frequency bar steel, then we have nothing more to discuss.”
“I, Song Qiao, will absolutely not engage in such illegal activities, and I advise you to stop as well.”
Song Qiao thought for a moment and directly stated his position.
“Oh, Boss Song, this is legitimate business. How could it involve anything illegal?” Shu Tao chuckled helplessly and began to explain to Song Qiao.
“Moreover, both our Party Secretary and Young Master Guo are aware of this matter and are involved. If I were to be acting improperly, do you think our Party Secretary would agree?”
As if afraid Song Qiao would continue to be suspicious, Shu Tao directly mentioned two names and then continued, “It’s precisely because I see Boss Song has a good relationship with Young Master Guo that I want to bring you in as a shareholder. Others don't even have this opportunity.”
Hearing this, Song Qiao couldn’t help but be a little tempted.
The profit from low-frequency bar steel was extremely lucrative. If it truly wasn’t a violation of current policies, there was no harm in participating.
To ensure Shu Tao was telling the truth, Song Qiao hesitated for a moment, then found an excuse to go to the restroom and called Guo Jun. He wanted to confirm whether he and the Party Secretary were indeed involved in this matter.
To his surprise, when Guo Jun received the call, he explicitly stated that he and the Party Secretary were involved. This immediately dispelled Song Qiao’s doubts.
Perhaps he had misremembered. The ban on low-frequency bar steel might not come into effect for a few more years.
This might be a rare opportunity. If he could seize it, his business might reach another level.
With this thought, Song Qiao began to assess the company’s financial situation internally. He then agreed to cooperate with Shu Tao, and proposed that the investment funds would require some time to be in place.
Seeing that Song Qiao had agreed, Shu Tao was overjoyed and quickly stated that the funds were not urgent, and Song Qiao only needed to gather the amount by the end of the year.
After chatting about some business matters, Song Qiao politely took his leave, asking Old Hu to drive him home.
As the saying goes, "Sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood." In the following week, Song Qiao not only repeatedly confirmed the cooperation methods with Shu Tao but also did not forget his original business.
With the gradual completion of the renovations, the factory’s production efficiency greatly improved. For the short term, production capacity was no longer a concern.
Song Qiao therefore promoted the multi-flavor Xiang Piaopiao stinky tofu to the mainstream and increased its market allocation.
“Boss, our sales data achieved a triple increase this week.”
At another weekly meeting, before it even began, Lin Jing excitedly said while holding the report.
Song Qiao nodded slightly. He had already anticipated this situation and was not surprised.
Although Li Lili and others had initially opposed the suggestion to increase inventory, given that the boss always made the right decisions, they said nothing more.
Seeing this, Song Qiao did not linger. He briefly arranged the tasks for the following week and then declared the meeting adjourned.
As soon as the meeting ended, Song Qiao’s phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello. Who is this?”
“Song Qiao, it’s me, Lin Ling…”
There was a moment of silence from the other end of the phone, followed by Lin Ling’s timid voice.
“Is something wrong? Are He Qiang and his group bothering you again?”
Hearing Lin Ling’s voice, Song Qiao couldn’t help but frown.
“No… Can you come to my place? I have something I want to ask your opinion on.”
Lin Ling’s voice grew softer and softer, until it eventually faded away.
Song Qiao felt a bit helpless about Lin Ling. He had clearly rejected her that night, and he didn’t expect her to not understand his intentions.
After hesitating for a moment, Song Qiao calmly replied, “Okay, I’ll be there shortly.”
Upon hearing that Song Qiao had not refused, Lin Ling on the other end of the phone let out a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Song Qiao had indeed harbored a crush on Lin Ling when he was young, but that was just youthful impulse. Now, as he grew older and already had a family, he had long since become indifferent to such matters.
He had agreed to visit Lin Ling today precisely to reiterate his stance and put this matter to rest once and for all.
This time, Song Qiao did not trouble Old Hu. He drove himself to Lin Ling’s home.
Lin Ling had been an art student in school and had loved dancing since childhood. However, due to family reasons, she did not choose an art college. Instead, she studied early childhood education, a major with relatively lower tuition fees.
Now, the debt her father owed had been paid off with Song Qiao’s help.
She had regained her freedom and specifically sought Song Qiao’s advice on how to proceed.
After observing her dance steps, Song Qiao had a basic understanding of Lin Ling’s foundation. After some consideration, he suggested:
“Lin Ling, I see you have good physical conditions. Why not choose to pursue further studies at Beijing Dance Academy? Prestigious schools naturally have better faculty.”
Song Qiao had invested in the art sector in his previous life and, with the guidance of consultants, had gained some understanding of various art institutions.
After considering everything, he felt that Beijing Dance Academy would be a better fit for Lin Ling.