Chapter Thirty-Two: Voluntary Cooperation

With a dull thud, Chen Peng and Ella both silently knelt before Su Zheng and Chen Muxue.

“I’m sorry. This time, I was blind and foolish. I deserve whatever comes to me,” Chen Peng said, his head bowed, unable to conceal his bitterness.

Beside him, Ella could do nothing but cover her face and weep, utterly at a loss for words.

“Damn it! What kind of attitude is that?” one of the bodyguards couldn’t stand it any longer. He strode forward and kicked both Chen Peng and Ella to the ground.

“Enough. Let’s not make things harder for them,” Chen Muxue interjected. After all, she shared blood with Chen Peng, and her heart couldn’t bear to witness this scene.

At her words, the bodyguard immediately ceased his aggression and retreated to stand behind Li Yanjun.

Now, everyone who had mocked Su Zheng was gathered, each standing silently to the side, heads hung low, each wrestling with their own regrets.

“Mr. Su, this was my failure. I beg your forgiveness,” Li Yanjun apologized sincerely, stepping forward and producing two car keys he had already prepared.

“Your car has been brought to the entrance. And this other vehicle is our dealership’s newest concept car—one we’ve long wished to present to you, but never found the chance. Please, Mr. Su, do us the honor of accepting it.”

He placed both keys with utmost politeness on the table before Su Zheng.

Su Zheng paused, considering, but did not immediately refuse. His wife’s current car was indeed a bit beneath the standard when negotiating business; a replacement might have unexpected benefits.

Those standing by watched the car keys on the table and felt a deeper pang of regret for having offended Su Zheng. None more than Chen Peng, whose feelings were now impossible to describe. Not long ago, he’d ridiculed Su Zheng for being unable to afford a car here, yet now the Li family was giving him one outright! These cars were worth millions, a sum even Chen Peng himself couldn’t muster at present.

“We can’t accept such a valuable gift. I’ve already forgiven them for what happened—there’s no need for this, Mr. Li,” Chen Muxue said, frowning.

She had long wanted to change cars, but now dared not accept. The Li family was no ordinary clan; if they had ulterior motives, accepting could bring endless trouble.

Seeing her reluctance, Su Zheng calmly addressed Li Yanjun, “I appreciate the gesture, but we must decline the cars. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”

With that, he took Chen Muxue by the hand and headed out.

Panic flickered in Li Yanjun’s heart—he feared that Su Zheng and his wife were blaming him. He shot a glance at Qiao Lan, hoping she would speak up on his behalf.

Qiao Lan only shook her head slightly, stopping Li Yanjun. Since Brother Zheng had made up his mind, it was best not to push; forcing it might only backfire. There would be time enough in the future to slowly win his favor—there was no need to rush.

Su Zheng left with Chen Muxue, the car keys untouched.

Li Yanjun waited until their car had merged into the traffic before turning to the bodyguard behind him, anger in his eyes.

“Go tell the administration: dismiss every employee in this shop, and they are never to be rehired. Also, anyone who previously offended Mr. Su—put them all on the company blacklist!”

“Yes, sir!” the bodyguard responded loudly.

Manager Li of the dealership felt his vision darken with regret. He blamed the fools in his store for dragging him down, not realizing that his own daily conduct had led the staff to develop such arrogant habits. As their leader, he bore inescapable responsibility.

Once the orders were given, Li Yanjun and Qiao Lan departed, both heavy-hearted, leaving behind only the dejected figures of those who now wondered if they would ever find a place in Qingyang again.

Su Zheng and Chen Muxue did not go straight home but instead made their way to the company.

Haoyuan Trading.

Located in the eastern part of Qingyang, they rented an entire floor of a somewhat aged office building. With just over twenty employees, the company specialized in acting as agents for waterproofing products, collaborating with various construction projects.

Due to her disfigurement, Chen Muxue had been absent from the company for some time. Now, with her face healed and her car returned, she naturally hurried back to her duties.

With the project funds from Hongxin having arrived, the company’s finances had recovered—now was the perfect time to expand.

Su Zheng, unfamiliar with business matters, sat quietly on the sofa in Chen Muxue’s office, watching her busily move back and forth. He resolved to devote more effort to helping his wife in the future.

That afternoon, Su Zheng received an unexpected call from Shen Qingqiang.

This surprised him—he’d never given Shen Qingqiang his contact information. How had the man managed to call?

“Mr. Su… it’s Qingqiang. I offended you last time with my foolishness, and I haven’t formally apologized. It was my fault, my fault—heh…”

As soon as the call connected, Shen Qingqiang’s tone was exceedingly polite.

“If you have something to say, get to the point,” Su Zheng replied, frowning, unable to discern the man’s motives.

“It’s like this: I’ve heard your wife owns a company dealing in waterproofing materials. As it happens, I have a project starting soon and haven’t found a suitable partner. I was hoping we could perhaps work together,” Shen Qingqiang said, choosing his words with utmost respect.

Su Zheng was taken aback—cooperation?

That was certainly worth discussing. As for whether Shen Qingqiang might default on payments as he had before, Su Zheng wasn’t worried in the least. Even if the man dared to break the rules, Su Zheng had more than enough ways to make him pay up.

Besides, now that Muxue’s company had cash flow and was looking to expand, there was no reason to refuse.

“We can discuss it,” Su Zheng replied coolly after a brief pause.

“Ah! That’s wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Su, for this opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down. I’ll immediately list Haoyuan Trading as my company’s top-tier partner, just to ensure there are no mishaps in our cooperation!”

Overjoyed to receive Su Zheng’s agreement, Shen Qingqiang thumped his chest in assurance. He continued, “How about this, Mr. Su? I’ll wire one million to Haoyuan Trading’s account right now as an advance payment. Once we’ve signed the contract, I’ll transfer the balance. Is that all right?”

Su Zheng was momentarily stunned. His initial impression of Shen Qingqiang was that of a slippery, crafty sort, yet now the man was offering an advance payment before the contract was even signed?

The cooperation hadn’t even begun—and he was in such a hurry?

Though Su Zheng had never done business before, he knew enough to find it odd for a buyer to pay upfront so eagerly.

“What’s your rush? Tell me exactly what the project is, and then we can talk details,” Su Zheng snapped impatiently.

He had no intention of exposing Muxue’s company to unnecessary risks. Money was good, but if there was some hidden agenda, that would be a different matter entirely.