Chapter 18: Reaching an Agreement, One Million in Hand

The young woman had been running around all day, utterly exhausted. Without even asking whose seat it was, she grabbed a set of cutlery and sat down at the table, eating heartily.

“Where have you been? You’re sweating buckets,” Qin Lin looked at her with concern written all over his face.

“I went to help a friend. He was being bullied.”

“If you need help, just ask your father. I’ll handle it for you.” Qin Lin waved Li Chenggong away and personally served his daughter some food.

Gao Ran shook her head and, after swallowing her mouthful, replied, “I’m already twenty-one. I can’t always rely on you to solve my problems. For the big things, I’ll come to you, but the small stuff, I can handle on my own.”

“Ranran’s grown up, knows she has to take care of things herself now.”

“I’ve always known, okay? Back when I was in school and someone tried to pursue me, I could’ve dealt with it myself, but you just had to make a scene until the whole school knew.”

Qin Lin managed a bitter smile. “Bringing that up again? Haven’t I apologized? I haven’t made the same mistake since, have I?”

“I know, I was just saying.”

After polishing off an entire steak, Gao Ran finally relaxed a little and leaned back in her chair. “My friend is a very talented writer. The jewelry he designed and his novel were plagiarized. Not only did those people refuse to pay him, they even mocked him.”

“I spent the whole afternoon out, calling all my girlfriends to tell them not to do business with those little vendors at the wholesale market.”

Qin Lin’s mouth twitched—there was no doubt about it, it was that little rascal Zhang Tianfeng.

Damn brat, it was one thing to trick me into coming to Xiyan City, but now you’ve got your eye on my daughter!

If Gao Ran weren’t sitting right here, Qin Lin would have given that scoundrel a piece of his mind.

“Your relationship with him…” he ventured.

“Just ordinary friends. I admire his talent, that’s all, so I helped him out.”

Gao Ran patted her stomach. “No more chatting, I’ve still got things to do. I definitely won’t have time tonight. Tomorrow I’ll take you to meet him.”

“Go on, go on. If you need anything, just tell me.” Qin Lin was only too eager for her to leave; with her here, he couldn’t confront Zhang Tianfeng.

But fate works in mysterious ways. Because Zhang Tianfeng had drunk too much, the air conditioning couldn’t cool the restlessness in his heart. He went to the restroom and splashed his face with cold water several times.

Just as he walked out, he bumped straight into Gao Ran.

“What are you doing here?” they both blurted out at the same time.

Behind them, Qin Lin covered his face and sighed. Well, so much for dealing with that brat tonight.

“My dad’s having dinner here, so I came to mooch a meal. What about you?”

“Your dad invited me.”

Zhang Tianfeng was floored. He never would have guessed Gao Ran was Qin Lin’s daughter.

But Qin Lin’s surname is Qin, and hers is Gao… The social circles here are really something.

When they returned to the table, Gao Ran’s arrival had already altered the atmosphere of the banquet.

“Why are you all looking at me? Eat,” she said.

“Eat, eat, eat.”

“I thought you were here to talk business. Are you finished?”

“No, we’re still organizing our thoughts.”

Qin Lin was used to being managed by his daughter—he was, after all, a doting father. As for Zhang Tianfeng, he was still reeling from the shock.

He took another sip of baijiu and said, “Boss Qin, you must have had someone verify that business proposal by now. Is it worth the price I’m asking?”

“It is, but I want to see the whole business plan, every detail laid out. Otherwise, you’re not getting the money.”

“How much is it?” Gao Ran whispered.

“A million.”

She inhaled sharply, then gave a thumbs-up. “You have a good eye. My dad is shrewd in business and has plenty of money. You can’t go wrong with him.”

Qin Lin, sitting to her right, felt a pang of sadness—as if his precious daughter was being stolen by a pig!

That little rascal—he never should have invited him to dinner.

“Where’s the plan? Let me take a look. I studied economics, after all.”

Li Chenggong hurried over, handing Gao Ran two pages of the proposal.

Zhang Tianfeng chimed in, “I haven’t written the rest yet. Boss Qin should know why.”

“If I have to provide the full content before getting paid, then forget the deal.”

“You should know that if you refuse to work with me, no one in Xikang Province will dare do business with you,” Qin Lin said, laying down his own authority.

No sooner had he finished than Gao Ran looked up, glaring at him. “Dad, speak nicely to my friend.”

Qin Lin hastily corrected himself. “What I meant was, there aren’t many people in Xikang Province who’d appreciate this proposal.”

“I know. But Xikang Province was never my battlefield. I’ll be heading to the coast at the latest in two days.”

“You’re going to the coast too?” Gao Ran brightened. “Give me your pager number. I’ll be heading there for school next semester.”

“Which university?”

“Haizhong University. I’m going to study economics.”

Indeed, fate is a strange thing.

Just as the two were about to exchange pager numbers, Qin Lin quickly called a halt. “Let’s talk about that later. We should discuss the partnership model first.”

“I’ll give you half up front—five hundred thousand. Finish the plan, and I’ll pay the rest.”

“Boss Qin, neither of us is a fool. Once the entire proposal is out, there’s no taking it back.”

Zhang Tianfeng rose. “Frankly, I’m inclined not to work with you. There are plenty of discerning people in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. I’ll sell to them if necessary. Thank you for your hospitality; I’ll take my leave.”

“Don’t be hasty,” Gao Ran said, pulling him back. “The problem here is just who pays first.”

“Dad, why don’t you give him the money first, and I’ll supervise him writing the rest? I have to get used to the new environment anyway, and I can check out where to buy a house.”

Qin Lin was torn. This car body advertising plan had him completely hooked, and it fit perfectly with his fleet—it was like money being delivered to his door. If he agreed, his daughter would go too, and if anything happened between them, he’d be heartbroken. But if he refused, he’d be missing out on a fortune.

Zhang Tianfeng said, “You know how much this deal is worth. I want a million, paid in full up front. If you don’t trust me, assign someone to keep an eye on me. As for Miss Gao, there’s no need for her to follow.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You find me annoying, or are you afraid I’ll steal your business secrets?” Before Qin Lin could react, Gao Ran was already indignant.

Zhang Tianfeng smiled and nodded. “Exactly, I’m worried you’ll steal my secrets. I’ll have a lot to do on the coast, and it could get risky. You’re not suited to follow me around.”

“Dad, just assign someone to watch him. If not, I’ll do it myself.”

“You should focus on your studies. Someone will keep an eye on him.”

If I let you go, would I be upgrading to grandfather next time you come back?

Feelings are unpredictable, especially when it comes to talented men—their charm is irresistible.

Qin Lin didn’t dare take the risk. At least, not yet.

Soon, Li Chenggong returned with a golden card. “This is a VIP card from Deep City Bank. You can withdraw the money directly when you get there.”

“Thank you. I’ll take my leave, then. I’ll deliver the full plan for the car body ads within ten days. Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome. Need me to send someone to drive you?”

“No need. My fourth uncle is waiting downstairs.”

Standing up, Zhang Tianfeng said, “Miss Gao, I’ll be off.”

Gao Ran called out, “Now that you have money, how soon can you finish Summer Love? I’m waiting to read it.”

Zhang Tianfeng hesitated. “The day after tomorrow. I’ll be busy tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting. If you’re late, I’ll have you locked up until you finish writing.” She waved a small fist, trying to look menacing but only managing to be adorably silly.

Zhang Tianfeng laughed and nodded, striding away.

Once the doors closed, Qin Lin spoke. “Ranran, do you have feelings for him?”

Gao Ran shook her head with a smile. “No, I have feelings for his business proposal! It doesn’t seem like something anyone from Xikang Province could write.”

Qin Lin nodded vigorously. He realized he knew far too little about Zhang Tianfeng. It seemed his investigation hadn’t been thorough enough—he’d have to dig deeper.