Hate The Bright Moon Chapter 4
by“Director Chen, can we schedule the POC demonstration with Qisheng for Friday morning at ten o’clock?”
“Tomorrow is Friday, that soon?”
“They set the time.” Since it was a request from a major client, they should try to accommodate it. The assistant looked troubled. “Should I try to negotiate for next week?”
“Forget it. Is Zhou Chuang’s proposal ready?”
“He said it’s finished.”
“Then tomorrow it is. Go tell him to send me a copy of the proposal.”
The assistant accepted the task and left. Chen Shilü glanced at his phone—it was almost noon. Looking at the remaining items on his to-do list, it looked like another day of overtime. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. Work was like this: solve one problem, and immediately face a new one.
Since he had picked up his phone, he checked the “bait” he had cast last night. This was truly strange; Chi Huang had neither accepted nor rejected it. He hadn’t replied at all.
The fish was in the pond; whether it took the bait or not, it should at least make a sound. The complete silence led Chen Shilü to only one conclusion: the other party hadn’t seen his message. But that possibility was extremely small. Who goes an entire night and morning without checking their phone?
By the afternoon, that slim possibility vanished. Chen Shilü received a movie ticket collection notification, indicating that Chi Huang had not only seen his message but had also gone to see the movie. Yet, even after the movie ended, and into the evening, he still said nothing.
Chen Shilü, experienced in both fishing and being fished, was encountering this situation for the first time: the fish silently ate the bait without even bubbling the water.
He didn’t know what Chi Huang was playing at, but it seemed he wasn’t interested. Chen Shilü wasn’t surprised by this, only by Chi Huang’s inexplicable action of claiming the movie ticket. If he wasn’t interested, he could have just ignored it. Chi Huang didn’t seem like the type to take advantage of such a small freebie, did he?
The matter ended there. Chen Shilü went to bed early to rest up for the next day’s visit to Qisheng.
Qisheng Group was one of their major clients. For a client they had cooperated with for many years, spending up to nine figures with them, Chen Shilü would personally attend, even if Zhou Chuang could handle it alone, to show respect for the client.
The meeting was scheduled for ten o’clock. They arrived at the company at 7:30 AM and set off at eight.
Chen Shilü held his laptop the entire way, reviewing the proposal he hadn’t finished reading yesterday. The one-hour drive took an extra twenty minutes due to traffic, but they still arrived at Qisheng before 9:30 AM.
They waited briefly in the car, planning to go up at 9:45. Chen Shilü spent the remaining time reviewing the proposal.
“Director Chen, our entire team has checked this proposal. There won’t be any issues. You should rest for a bit.”
“It’s safer if more people look at it.”
“Even if there are minor flaws, it’s fine. We’ve worked with Qisheng for so many years, and Director Bai has such a good relationship with you. There’s no reason they wouldn’t sign with us.”
Hearing this, Chen Shilü looked up at him. “Is that your attitude toward long-term clients?”
Seeing the reaction, Zhou Chuang knew he had said the wrong thing and quickly tried to cover up. “…I just saw that you got up early and haven’t even dozed off in the car. I’m worried you’re tired.”
“You should worry about the responsibility you’ll bear if this deal isn’t signed. You’ve been maintaining the Qisheng account for the past two years. If you lose such a long-standing client, and headquarters investigates, I won’t be able to protect you.”
Zhou Chuang’s face flushed white and then red.
Chen Shilü made his point, closed the laptop, handed it to Zhou Chuang, opened the car door, and entered the Qisheng building.
The front desk staff were already familiar with them and led them directly to the conference room for the demonstration.
There were still ten minutes until the appointed time, but the Qisheng team had already arrived, making Chen Shilü and his team the last ones there. He had worried about arriving too early and causing inconvenience, but he hadn’t expected the client to be more proactive than the vendor.
Chen Shilü quickly apologized. The other party replied, “It’s fine, Director Chen. The time hasn’t even started yet. We just sat down ourselves.”
“Then let’s start right away,” Chen Shilü signaled to Zhou Chuang.
The other party said, “Wait two more minutes. Director Bai hasn’t arrived yet.”
Bai Shengguang, one of the founders of Qisheng Group.
Chen Shilü asked, “Is Director Bai back from South Africa?” Bai Shengguang had gone to Africa two months ago for business, and Chen Shilü hadn’t heard from him in a while.
It was well-known that Chen Shilü had a good relationship with his own boss, but knowing the specific itinerary of the client’s founder suggested their connection went beyond mere business.
The Qisheng staff secretly held their breath. Fortunately, he had given everyone advance notice to take today’s meeting seriously.
“Director Bai just returned yesterday.”
As soon as the words fell, the secretary pushed open the office door, and a middle-aged man in casual attire walked into the room full of people in suits. He glanced at Chen Shilü.
Chen Shilü turned to Zhou Chuang and said, “Start.”
After years of cooperation, the proposal demonstration was smooth, and Zhou Chuang handled the client’s questions with ease. Chen Shilü knew the proposal by heart, but he still listened intently, occasionally taking notes—though his notes focused on Zhou Chuang’s shortcomings during the presentation.
Midway through the meeting, Bai Shengguang got up and left, telling them to continue. A meeting of this caliber didn’t necessarily require the founder’s personal presence.
A moment later, his secretary came in and whispered in Chen Shilü’s ear, “Director Chen, Director Bai has something he wants to discuss with you privately.”
Chen Shilü followed the secretary to the tea room.
As the secretary closed the door, Chen Shilü sat down opposite Bai Shengguang. “What did you want to see me about, Director Bai?”
Amidst the rising steam, Bai Shengguang placed a cup of Tieguanyin, emitting a rich orchid fragrance, in front of Chen Shilü. Then he took out a black velvet jewelry box and pushed it toward his hand. “This is for you.”
Chen Shilü opened the lid and took out the ring inside. The setting held a sparkling blue gemstone. He couldn’t immediately tell what it was and leaned in closer.
“It’s a natural blue diamond from South Africa,” Bai Shengguang explained, seeing his confusion. “I thought the tanzanite you wore last time was beautiful. A blue diamond should suit you too. Try it on.”
Chen Shilü placed the ring back in the box and closed the lid.
“What, you don’t like it?”
“I like it. If it were a glass marble, I’d accept it.” Chen Shilü spread his hands helplessly. “The Integrity Cooperation Agreement, Director Bai. We have so much business interaction. This isn’t a gift; you’re sending me to the Police Station.”
Bai Shengguang laughed, annoyed by his words. “What business is worth me sending a gift? Besides, you’re the vendor and I’m the client. If anyone should be bribing, it should be you bribing me.”
“Regardless of who bribes whom, if there’s an exchange of interests, it gets complicated.”
“Can’t I send you something personal?”
“Send something cheap.” Chen Shilü drained the tea in front of him in one gulp. “This teacup is nice. Skip the diamonds.”
“That’s a Song Dynasty Ru ware conical cup.”
Chen Shilü cleared his throat, gently set down the unremarkable little teacup, and pushed it further onto the tea tray.
Bai Shengguang knew the integrity agreement was just a pretense. Chen Shilü wouldn’t accept expensive gifts from him, but he couldn’t control the urge to give him something.
Since he still wouldn’t accept, Bai Shengguang gave up and asked Chen Shilü, “How have you been lately?”
“Very well, thank you for your concern, Director Bai.”
Bai Shengguang frowned. “Stop calling me Director Bai. Have you forgotten what you usually call me?”
“This is at the company, Director Bai. I call you this at the company normally too.” Seeing Bai Shengguang’s frown deepen, Chen Shilü smiled. “I thought you had official business to discuss with me. After all, we have plenty of time for private matters later.”
“I do have official business.” Bai Shengguang grasped his hand resting on the table, his expression serious. “What about the offer I made last time—for you to jump ship and join me? Have you considered it?”
“I’m not familiar with your industry. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be up to the task.”
“You can slowly familiarize yourself with the industry. I can personally mentor you. But business capability isn’t something everyone can develop, and I think highly of yours.” Bai Shengguang continued, “I’ll double your salary, plus equity incentives.”
Chen Shilü tried to pull his hand back.
Bai Shengguang gripped tighter. “What kind of spell did your company cast on you that I can’t poach you?”
“To be honest, it’s very tempting. If it were anyone else, I’d accept immediately.”
Chen Shilü lowered his eyes. Unable to pull his hand away, he stopped trying, letting Bai Shengguang hold it. “An important rule in the workplace is not to have non-work relationships with superiors or subordinates. If I accept your proposal, we’ll become purely colleagues… Frankly, I’d be a little reluctant. What about you?”
He lifted his eyelids to look at Bai Shengguang.
The man, past forty and weathered by life, felt his heart stir under that gaze. Even though he knew it was a refusal, it left him speechless. A capable right-hand man in business, and a charming and interesting lover in bed—Chen Shilü wouldn’t let him have both. It was a man’s greatest dilemma and greatest regret.
“Director Bai is just as reluctant as I am, aren’t you?” Chen Shilü looked at him, his eyes full of laughter.
Bai Shengguang released his hand. “Don’t look at me with those eyes. My heart can’t take it at my age. I might have a heart attack.”
Chen Shilü withdrew his gaze and laughed out loud. “Director Bai is still so amusing.”
“Since today isn’t convenient for private matters, how about tomorrow or the day after? What are your plans for the weekend?”
Fu Lei had also asked to meet this weekend, but they had just met last week. Fu Lei had ended a relationship and said a lot of nonsensical things. Chen Shilü didn’t want to see him too often; he needed to let him cool down.
He hadn’t seen Bai Shengguang for quite a while. Spending a weekend together and hearing about his experiences in South Africa sounded quite nice.
Just as he was about to agree, his phone screen lit up on the tea table. He instinctively glanced over and saw a message from the motorcycle helmet profile picture.
It was a bit unexpected. The wait had been long, but his fish had unexpectedly taken the hook.
Chen Shilü turned his attention back to Bai Shengguang. “You just got back. You should rest well for two days and spend time with your family. We have plenty of time later.”
Not only had the fish taken the hook, but it immediately started pulling hard on the line. As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Huang’s messages started pouring in, one after another, vibrating constantly. He couldn’t check his phone in front of Bai Shengguang and put it back in his pocket.
“It seems I was too late, and someone beat me to it.” Bai Shengguang folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, his face darkening.
Those in power are accustomed to using emotional pressure to achieve their goals. A scowl often causes subordinates to psychologically crumble and automatically do what is expected. Chen Shilü knew this well, but he wasn’t susceptible to it. “These things aren’t about first come, first served.”
“Then what are they about?”
“My mood.”
As soon as he spoke, his phone suddenly rang, startlingly loud in the quiet tea room. Pulling out his phone, he saw a video call request from Chi Huang. Chen Shilü hung up without a word.
Immediately, a second video call came through. Chen Shilü frowned. This person had no social etiquette. He hung up again.
“Director Bai, about that…”
Before he could finish, the phone rang a third time.
“Go take it,” Bai Shengguang waved his hand. “It’s annoying.”
Chen Shilü stood up, apologized, and left the tea room.