Chapter 54: You’re Nothing
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: You’re Nothing
Flustered and annoyed, Chen Xiao put on a stern face. "I need you to do something. Are you going to help me or not?"
Ma Jing wasn’t so easily intimidated. She blinked and said, "Tell me what it is first."
"I have a voucher for the Qianxun seafood buffet, but I don’t have time to go. Can you help me take care of it?"
The Qianxun seafood buffet voucher was worth 598 yuan. The moment Ma Jing heard this, her eyes lit up. She nodded furiously and said, "No problem!"
Chen Xiao continued, "Also, there’s this task President Hou assigned... I’ll need you to handle it for me."
Ma Jing’s smile vanished instantly. "Hmph, I knew you were up to no good."
"What do you mean ’no good’? You finish helping me with these things, and then you get to reward yourself for a hard day’s work with a seafood buffet. It’s the perfect work-life balance! What a flawless arrangement!"
She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, reluctantly agreed for the sake of the seafood buffet.
Chen Xiao went to the main conference room. A lot of people were attending meetings today. First was a round of discussions with Bai Lu and her team, and then around 11 o’clock, a group from Zhi Fei Aerospace would arrive to consult with Feng Feifei about the project.
All of this was being coordinated by Chen Xiao, so he had to attend every single session.
The kickoff meeting began with presentations from the people in charge of product solutions from both sides.
Chen Xiao listened intently as the representatives from Jiangzhou Design Institute introduced the project’s general background, mentioning that it was a project their Chairman Bai was paying special attention to.
He couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Bai Lu. The chairman’s surname was Bai, and she, a mere assistant, held significant sway in many projects. The connection between those two facts was self-evident.
He glanced at Feng Feifei, who happened to give him a meaningful nod in return. ’She must have picked up on the subtlety, too,’ he thought.
The team from Dr. Feng’s Robot, in turn, focused on introducing their company’s technical capabilities and R&D team. They also made a grand introduction for Hou Fei, a Ph.D. who had returned from his studies in Germany and possessed world-class expertise in AI video analysis.
Highly-educated intellectuals generally make a good first impression, and people are more inclined to respect them. As such, the team from Jiangzhou Design Institute was very polite to Hou Fei.
Hou Fei was beaming with pride. At that moment, he was the star of the show, the center of everyone’s attention.
The meeting went smoothly. They clarified many technical details and conducted a live assessment of the proposed technical roadmap and whether the required performance parameters were achievable.
Of course, this was also because both parties were eager to cooperate—a willing suitor and a receptive maiden.
In the end, they essentially confirmed the partnership. Dr. Feng’s Robot would be responsible for the overall research and development, which included spearheading the collaboration with the hardware supplier, Zhi Fei Aerospace.
Jiangzhou Design Institute would handle market expansion and place orders with Dr. Feng’s Robot based on business volume. At the same time, Bai Lu also agreed to provide an additional 3 million yuan in funding to Dr. Feng’s Robot under the guise of a scientific research grant after she returned.
After seeing off Bai Lu and her team, Feng Feifei, Hou Fei, and Chen Xiao returned to the office to prepare for the arrival of the group from Zhi Fei Aerospace.
Perhaps because he had landed a major project on his very first day, Hou Fei was in the mood to act the part of a grand strategist.
He said to Chen Xiao, "See that, Chen Xiao? If you want to close a deal quickly, technical expertise is crucial. Otherwise, the other party talks to you, realizes you don’t know anything, and suddenly you’re a nobody in their eyes. The deal falls through!"
Feng Feifei frowned and glanced at Chen Xiao, who was also taken aback. ’This guy has no idea what’s going on, does he?’ he thought. ’Does he really think his expertise is why the deal closed so quickly today?’
He glanced down at the recent chat on his phone with Bai Lu.
"Chen Xiao, we’re heading out. I’ll push to get this project approved in our next meeting as soon as I get back. We should be able to sign the contract then!"
Chen Xiao had replied: "Drive safe. Today’s meeting was a pleasure. Thank you for your support, Assistant Bai!"
Bai Lu had shot back a reply: "We and President Feng are all friends, no need for formalities. By the way, your new President Hou seems a bit... academic. He’s not cut out for a market-facing role!"
’Not cut out for a market-facing role’ was a diplomatic way of putting it—a criticism, nonetheless.
This was a far cry from Hou Fei’s own assessment that the meeting’s success was all thanks to his technical expertise.
But that’s just how it is. Some people are too quick to mistake polite courtesies for genuine praise.
Chen Xiao didn’t have a high opinion of the man and couldn’t stand to be around him a moment longer. He announced he was going out to greet the people from Zhi Fei Aerospace.
After he left, Hou Fei said to Feng Feifei, "That Chen Xiao seems alright, but he’s not humble enough. He’s not willing to learn!"
"Furthermore, for a deal like today’s, isn’t his commission a bit too high? He didn’t really contribute anything. He barely said a word during the entire meeting!"
A shadow fell over Feng Feifei’s lovely face. She thought for a moment before saying, "Senior Brother, Chen Xiao’s role in our dealings with Jiangzhou Design Institute goes far beyond what you saw today."
"Besides, the company has established policies regarding bonuses for every level and position. We have to abide by those policies."
Hou Fei nodded and fell silent.
Xu Wu had texted Chen Xiao while on the way and called him again upon arriving at the company’s parking garage.
So he had come out to greet them.
He arrived just in time to see Cha Lan’s minivan pull up. Someone jumped out of the front passenger seat and hurried to open the rear door for the "boss seat."
Chen Xiao scratched his head. ’I thought this van has automatic doors,’ he mused. ’Why is he pulling it open?’
Looking closer at the young man opening the door, wasn’t that Bai Jie, the guy he’d met just a few days ago?
The same Bai Jie whom Hua Jiao had described as a man of both talent and good looks, young and promising, a senior executive who supposedly carried a lot of weight at his company.
"Hey, brother! You shouldn’t have! We’ve troubled you to come out and greet us!"
To be fair, someone of his station—a general manager—warranted a greeting at the company entrance from Feng Feifei herself.
Chen Xiao stepped forward to shake his hand, gave Xu Wu a nod of greeting, and then nodded towards Bai Jie.
Bai Jie froze the moment he saw him, then stammered, "Chen... Chen... Chen Xiao!"
He was shocked to see Chen Xiao here, shocked by his own boss’s warm attitude toward him, and when he recalled what he and Hua Jiao had said to him that day, followed by the memory of seeing Chen Xiao’s car entering the Bihu Twin Seals residence, he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
Not knowing they were acquainted, Cha Lan shot him a glare. "Address him as President Chen! Where are your manners!"
Bai Jie’s head drooped so low it nearly touched his chest. His face bright red, he mumbled, "President Chen!"
"It’s fine, just my name is okay," Chen Xiao said. He held no ill will toward the man; it was common enough for people to boast a little to build themselves up.
Chen Xiao was just being polite, but Bai Jie didn’t dare call him by name again. His boss would have his hide.
Cha Lan and Xu Wu walked with Chen Xiao toward the conference room, while Bai Jie trailed behind, carrying the bags.