Chapter 53: Farewell, President Fang

While having his meal, Zhou Chen’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen; it was an unknown number, but it wasn’t marked as a scam or delivery call.

He put down his chopsticks and pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Xia. Sorry to bother you. I’m the assistant to President Fang.”

“President Fang?”

Zhou Chen was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized. “President Fang from Saima Group?”

“That’s right, Mr. Xia. I’m calling on President Fang’s orders. He wants to discuss the new Saima Group headquarters with you. Are you free this evening? President Fang would like to invite you to dinner.”

“Sorry, I’ve already resigned. I handed over the design plans for your new building to the company for follow-up. Is there something about my proposal that President Fang is unhappy with?”

It had been several days since he left the company. Although the formalities weren’t completely finished, given the company’s emphasis on this project, the design plans would surely have been promptly delivered to President Fang.

“No, Mr. Xia, you’ve misunderstood. President Fang was very satisfied with your design and concept. It’s just that there are some details he’d like to personally discuss with you.”

Zhou Chen hesitated. “I’m no longer an employee of the company. If President Fang has any thoughts, he can discuss them with the company’s designers. There’s no need to involve me.”

“Mr. Xia, this is President Fang’s order. I’m just the messenger. If I don’t handle this well, President Fang will blame me. Please, help me out and don’t make it difficult, okay?”

Zhou Chen frowned. Having dealt with Fang Yuanyang several times, he knew how difficult the man could be. His instinct was to refuse.

But then he saw Nan Li across from him raise her hands, nodding and signaling him to agree.

He trusted Nan Li without question and swallowed his refusal. “Alright, then.”

“Great, Mr. Xia. Thank you so much. We’ll send a car to pick you up.”

“No need. Once you decide on the time and place, just send me the details. I’ll go by myself.”

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Xia.”

“You’re welcome.”

After hanging up, Zhou Chen asked Nan Li, “Li Li, why did you want me to say yes?”

Nan Li replied, “Fang Yuanyang of Saima Group is a major player in Jiangzhou’s business circles with extensive connections. If you were still working at the design institute, I wouldn’t advise this. But since you’ve resigned and want to do business on your own, you have to build your network. With someone like Fang Yuanyang, it’s best to get on his good side. You never know when you might need to call on him.”

Zhou Chen said, “I understand what you’re saying, but the fact is, Fang Yuanyang is really hard to please.”

“Sometimes you have to tolerate difficult people. That’s business. As long as it’s not too much, there’s room for negotiation. You can talk with him first—there might be a breakthrough. Don’t overcomplicate things. Many connections are formed just like that.”

Nan Li patiently explained, aware that her husband lacked experience in these matters and often needed her reminders.

“Alright, I get it.”

Seeing Zhou Chen’s reluctant expression, Nan Li chuckled softly.

“My husband is the best. Cheer up—there’s a reward tonight.”

Zhou Chen’s eyes lit up immediately. “Really? Then it’s a deal.”

“You’re such a tease. Always thinking about something else.”

“You, huh?”

Nan Li smiled sweetly and gave him a playful shove before asking, “You said you want to collaborate with Zhong Yi. Has he agreed?”

“No reply yet, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” Zhou Chen was fairly confident about Zhong Yi’s attitude.

Nan Li said, “Working with Zhong Yi is fine, but you must make it clear upfront: he only handles teaching matters, not management. His personality just isn’t suitable for management. As for shares, give him a smaller portion. After all, according to your plan, the investment is ours. His contribution is basically technical.”

“As for teachers, I’ll keep looking too. We can’t rely solely on Zhong Yi. If all the teachers come through him, it’ll cause big problems down the line.”

“But before that, the most important thing is to rent a place. Only with an office and a classroom can you officially start enrolling students. If parents ask and you don’t even have a fixed location for classes, who would trust sending their kids?”

“There’s just over a month until the summer cram school begins. After renting, there’s also renovation. That won’t be a problem for you. When renovating, choose desks and wood panels with low formaldehyde content, and ensure safety measures are in place. Student safety must be the priority.”

“Besides renting, the various permits needed to run a cram school are also tricky. I’ll take some time to handle them personally. If it can’t be resolved, we might have to pay for help, so prepare the funds in advance.”

“...”

Nan Li rattled off a long list, and though Zhou Chen understood it all, he scratched his head, wanting to say just a few words:

Damn, this is so complicated!

Nan Li clearly saw through his thoughts. “Forget it. I’ll try to finish the preliminary proposal today. You just follow it.”

“Alright, no problem.”

Nan Li took on the hard work, and Zhou Chen had no reason to refuse.

“You’ll be attending a banquet tonight. If Huanhuan needs looking after, if I’m free I’ll take care of her. If I’m still working, Mom will.”

Nan Li reminded him: “Remember, no matter what you think of others, always maintain a polite smile and courtesy. Avoid offending anyone if you can.”

“Got it.”

Zhou Chen felt uneasy. It seemed Nan Li was speaking like a parent, and he was listening like a child.

That afternoon, Zhou Chen began typing diligently. He knew he’d be busy soon, so he wanted to build up a backlog of writing while he still could.

Around five o’clock, Zhou Chen changed clothes and drove to the location sent by Fang Yuanyang’s assistant—a star-rated hotel.

Led by a waiter, he arrived at a private room. Upon entering, he saw that only Fang Yuanyang was seated inside, with a man standing behind him—presumably his assistant.

“Designer Xia, you finally came. It’s been a bit difficult to meet you,” Fang Yuanyang stood up and said.

Zhou Chen quickly replied, “President Fang, you flatter me. I’m just an ordinary guy with a crew cut, nowhere near your status.”

Fang Yuanyang beckoned him over. “Come, have a seat.”

Zhou Chen took the invitation without hesitation. The private room held just the three of them, and the dishes were already served. The assistant immediately poured wine for both men.

“Thank you,” Zhou Chen said.

He then addressed Fang Yuanyang. “President Fang, honestly, you didn’t need to contact me. I’ve already handed the design to the company. They’re fully capable of executing it.”

Fang Yuanyang smiled. “Designer Xia, no need to rush into that. Let’s eat first. We’ll talk after the meal.”

Zhou Chen couldn’t quite figure out Fang Yuanyang’s intentions, but recalling Nan Li’s advice, he decided to be patient and dine with him.

“Designer Xia…”

“Please, just call me Xia.”

“Alright, Mr. Xia. Try these dishes. You might not know, but when I first came to the city from the countryside to work, I dreamed of eating at a restaurant like this. But I didn’t have the means. A meal here was worth several months’ wages…”

“Now, seeing these dishes I once dreamed of, I’ve lost my appetite. People always crave what they don’t have, but once they get it and get used to it, it becomes dull.”

“I’m not a cultured man. I can’t produce elegant phrases like you talented scholars from prestigious universities…”

“President Fang, you flatter me. I’m nothing but an ordinary person, nowhere near your level.”

Zhou Chen listened intently. He understood why Fang Yuanyang was sharing this—his design had been based on Fang Yuanyang’s background, which evidently resonated with the man. This was likely why he took the initiative to open up.