Trash!

The Huanglong Hotel was situated on Shuguang Road, adjacent to the Huanglong Sports Stadium, with Baoshi Hill directly across the street. It was one of the long-established, high-end hotels in Linjiang City. In 2008, the industry had not yet become as fiercely competitive as it would in the following decade, when even luxury hotels would have to sell group deals online. At this time, those who frequented such places were generally wealthy or influential.

By comparison, Zhang Peng’s imported BMW didn’t attract much attention, since it was surrounded by luxury cars anyway.

Li Mingjiang stood at the entrance, disgruntled and unwilling. When he spotted Chen Ling through the windshield, he forced a smile and walked over to greet the two as they got out of the car.

“Mr. Li, thank you for waiting,” Chen Ling nodded politely. “I’m sorry to trouble you, making you come out to receive us.”

Li Mingjiang waved his hand. “No need for such formality. You're a busy man now; a little wait is nothing.”

“Oh?” Chen Ling’s mind flashed, and he quickly had a rough idea of what was happening.

Li Mingjiang continued, “If President Ge hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known! Just last month I could still call you Little Chen, but now, I have to address you as President Chen!”

“You flatter me, Mr. Li. It’s nothing, just a small matter.” Chen Ling responded modestly, but his thoughts raced. From Li Mingjiang’s words, it seemed Ge Luo had a clear grasp of his situation. Clearly, this was no ordinary person.

One had to understand, Zhongrui Group had only just arrived in Linjiang City. Building a network of contacts takes time, after all. But for Ge Luo to know so much about him showed real capability.

No wonder Ge Luo had been so decisive when Chen Ling asked for help dealing with Xu Ming.

But that was for the best; the more highly the other side regarded him, the easier it would be to discuss business. This, in fact, was why so many entrepreneurs bought luxury cars—to save on communication costs. If you drove a car worth only a hundred thousand, even if you were worth a hundred million, people would still have their doubts. But if you drove a million-yuan car, even if you could barely afford the gas, people would assume you were powerful. And if you owned a prestigious Rolls-Royce, even if you were millions in debt, others would think you were a billionaire.

This kind of “face value” wasn't just for showing off; human relationships worked much the same way.

With Liu Xuefeng’s backing, having become Zhi Cheng Company’s benefactor, and now with a reputation in the industry, Chen Ling had his own “face value.” That was what made Ge Luo so pleasantly surprised.

Led by Li Mingjiang, Chen Ling and Zhang Peng entered the private dining room, where Ge Luo was waiting with tea. Seeing them arrive, Ge Luo quickly stood up. “President Chen! Long time no see. They say after three days, one must look at a person with new eyes, and I see that’s true!”

He got straight to the point. “Tell me, how much did you gain from the Zhi Cheng deal? You have no idea—word has spread through the circles that Zhi Cheng Company was on the verge of bankruptcy, but met a real expert who brought it back from the dead!”

This opening made it clear to Chen Ling that Ge Luo knew all about his recent moves. So candid a statement also revealed just how significant Chen Ling’s actions had been—significant enough to reach Ge Luo’s ears.

“Ha, just some loose change, nothing worth mentioning,” Chen Ling replied with a laugh and took a seat at Ge Luo’s invitation.

“Let me introduce my classmate, also our company’s vice president, Zhang Peng.” Chen Ling pointed at Zhang Peng, making no effort to hide anything. “I owe everything to him. He’s the future successor of Pengcheng Group.”

This revelation left both Ge Luo and Li Mingjiang momentarily stunned, but they greeted Zhang Peng politely without further comment.

Zhang Peng, shrewd as ever, nudged Chen Ling toward the seat of honor, taking a seat at the side himself.

Chen Ling couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—Ge Luo was truly impressive. Even after learning Zhang Peng’s identity, he remained calm and composed, betraying nothing. Such tact and subtlety could only be honed through years of experience.

As for Li Mingjiang, his smile was as forced as ever.

“Hmm?” Suddenly, a thought struck Chen Ling.

Ge Luo picked up the earlier thread. “President Chen, Zhi Cheng Company’s three hundred million in debt was wiped out in a stroke. Your maneuver was truly eye-opening—nothing short of brilliant!”

“You flatter me. Keep going, and I’ll be walking on air,” Chen Ling joked, and the atmosphere between them was far more congenial than it had been at their previous meeting.

Once the cold dishes had been served and the wine opened, Ge Luo changed tack. “President Chen, may I ask, was the solution you gave Zhi Cheng Company your own idea, or did you have guidance from the great minds at your alma mater?”

“I’m not that talented,” Chen Ling shook his head. “Our school relies on those few luminaries for its reputation. I’m nowhere near their level.”

“Then it was your own idea,” Ge Luo thought to himself.

With that answer in hand, he chatted a bit more idly, delaying until the hot dishes arrived, before gradually steering the conversation to the main topic.

“President Chen, it’s been a while now. How is your sales team coming along?” Ge Luo asked slowly, taking a sip of wine.

Chen Ling didn’t reply immediately. He picked up a lobster claw, dipped it in vinegar, and began to eat, nudging Zhang Peng with his elbow.

Zhang Peng nodded. “Yes, we have enough people, and they’ve all been trained. Once we finish the current project and they get some practice, they’ll be ready.”

With this single exchange, Ge Luo largely understood Chen Ling’s message, but he was still surprised.

He certainly knew about Pengcheng Group. Not only knew, he had researched it in detail. As one of the leading enterprises in Oucheng City, Pengcheng Group ranked highly in the entire province.

So this was odd—Chen Ling’s attitude made it clear that the future business of Chengjia Company would be managed by Zhang Peng. But why would the heir to Pengcheng Group work for someone whose wings had only just begun to spread? Even if Zhang Peng was willing, would his father tolerate it?

Ge Luo wondered—could it be that Chen Ling’s abilities were so great that even Zhang Linhan had been won over?

With these doubts, he decided to go straight to the point.

“President Chen, it seems our cooperation should be problem-free. However, there are still a few minor issues on the project that remain unresolved.”

Chen Ling, hearing this, tossed aside his half-eaten lobster claw, wiped his hands, and pondered for a moment.

“Is it on Mr. Li’s end?”

At this, Ge Luo’s eyes flashed, but he quickly hid his reaction. He never expected Chen Ling’s judgment to be so sharp and accurate.

Li Mingjiang’s face flushed red. He pursed his lips and stayed silent.

Chen Ling saw this and knew he’d guessed right. He continued, “It must be the village that hasn’t been settled? The director of the management office isn’t as formidable as expected?”

“My apologies,” Li Mingjiang muttered.

Ge Luo quickly asked, “President Chen, do you have any suggestions?”

Chen Ling sighed lightly. “Is there anything in this world that can’t be solved with money?”

“We’ve tried everything,” Li Mingjiang explained helplessly. “I don’t understand those villagers. The project clearly benefits them most, yet they believe that nonsense from Lian Zongxu. Today, when Mr. Ge and I went to the site, we found they’d even dug up the road.”

At this, Chen Ling snorted and spat out two words: “Useless!”

Li Mingjiang was stunned, then furious—he slammed the table. “What did you say? Say that again. Don’t need me anymore, is that it? Think you’re hot stuff now? Damn—”

But Chen Ling ignored him and turned to Ge Luo. “Mr. Ge, I won’t say more. If I can resolve this issue, what’s in it for me?”

Ge Luo blinked, and a smile instantly spread across his face.

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Wishing everyone a happy Little New Year!
The year’s end is near—may every day be joyful!
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