Chapter Fifteen: Astonished—An Eight-Million Deal

Qin Muxue was so astonished by these words that she found herself momentarily speechless.

Who?

Hua Ding Group?

Was it truly the Hua Ding Group, reputed as the foremost corporation in Jiangdong Province?

They wanted to cooperate with her?

Qin Muxue was so stunned that she remained silent for quite some time.

This led the purchasing manager from Hua Ding Group to call her name twice: “Miss Qin, Miss Qin.”

At last, Qin Muxue snapped out of her daze, her eyes alight with surprise and delight. “Oh, I’m here. Are you certain you haven’t dialed the wrong number?”

The purchasing manager from Hua Ding chuckled. “President Qin, we are a major enterprise. If we dialed the wrong number, it would cost us a penalty.”

Qin Muxue understood his implication and quickly replied, “No, that’s not what I meant.”

He continued, “Just joking earlier. In any case, President Qin, I’ll make sure to arrive at your company before four this afternoon. We can discuss the details then. But to give you some advance notice, this time our Hua Ding Group intends to purchase at least eight million’s worth of goods.”

How much?

Eight million?

On hearing this, Qin Muxue involuntarily drew a sharp breath.

Eight million was, without a doubt, an enormous order for Tianmu Company, which previously dealt only in contracts worth a hundred or two hundred thousand, with a maximum of five hundred thousand.

Qin Muxue was brimming with joy, though she struggled to compose herself.

Still, she couldn’t help but burst into delighted laughter. “Wonderful, wonderful! By the way, may I ask your name?”

“My surname is Wang.”

“All right, Manager Wang. I shall be here, awaiting your distinguished arrival,” Qin Muxue said excitedly.

The purchasing manager replied promptly, “No need for such formality, President Qin.”

“In any case, you are most welcome here,” Qin Muxue replied with a smile.

“Very well, then. It’s inconvenient to discuss specifics over the phone. I’ll hang up for now. We can talk in detail when we meet,” the purchasing manager said politely.

Qin Muxue hurriedly agreed, “Yes, yes, of course.”

After the purchasing manager hung up, Qin Muxue’s face was already radiant with joy.

But after her initial happiness, a practical question quickly came to mind: why would such a colossal enterprise as Hua Ding Group take an interest in her modest little Tianmu Company?

By rights, if Hua Ding were seeking a partner, countless prominent companies would be begging for the opportunity to work with them. There was no reason they would choose her small operation.

Suddenly, Qin Muxue thought of someone.

That person was, naturally, Chen Yang.

As she thought of Chen Yang, Qin Muxue couldn’t help but murmur incredulously, “Could it really be Chen Yang’s doing?”

Overwhelmed by curiosity, she immediately picked up the phone and dialed Chen Yang’s number.

At that very moment, in a private office at Hua Ding Company, Chen Yang took out his phone. Seeing the call from Qin Muxue’s office, he instantly guessed her reason for calling.

The reason Hua Ding Group had proactively sought to partner with Tianmu Company was, of course, because of Chen Yang’s behind-the-scenes efforts.

He also guessed that Qin Muxue’s call must be to inquire about this matter.

Chen Yang answered, and sure enough, he heard Qin Muxue’s curious voice: “Just now the purchasing manager from Hua Ding Group called me and said they want to work with Tianmu Company. Was this your doing?”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t expect President Shen to be so efficient,” Chen Yang replied.

Qin Muxue was taken aback. “It really was you? You asked President Shen for help again?”

“Yes, my dear, surprised?” said Chen Yang, his face beaming with a smile.

On the other end, Qin Muxue was still a little incredulous, voicing her doubt, “Was it really you?”

Chen Yang sighed, “If you don’t believe me, you can call President Shen and ask.”

“No need,” Qin Muxue said at once.

After a deep breath, she collected herself. She was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness. Chen Yang had once again, albeit indirectly, rendered her a great favor. Naturally, she felt deeply grateful. Without hesitation, she spoke, her voice earnest, “If it truly was you, then thank you.”

“No need to thank me, my dear. By the way, about last night—when I kicked Song Kuohai—are you still angry at me?” Chen Yang asked with a laugh.

Qin Muxue thought for a moment. Song Kuohai had, after all, crossed the line with her on many occasions. Getting beaten up by Chen Yang this time was nothing less than he deserved.

In a gentle voice, she replied, “Let’s just say you’ve made amends.”

“That’s good. That old man certainly won’t dare bother you again. If he does, just give me a call,” Chen Yang said lightly.

“All right, I have lots to prepare for my meeting with the Hua Ding Group manager. I’ll hang up now,” Qin Muxue said, eager to get ready.

Chen Yang nodded. “All right.”

After their call ended, Chen Yang began reviewing some of Hua Ding Company’s contract documents. He found this work most satisfying, as it allowed him to quickly understand the company’s operations.

Unwittingly, the end of the workday arrived.

As soon as it was time to leave, Chen Yang departed from Hua Ding Company.

After all, he hadn’t told anyone yet that he was now the company’s president, so he conducted himself with utmost discretion.

He decided to walk home this time, both to relax after a long day at the office and to ease his fatigue.

But as he was walking along, a black business sedan suddenly screeched to a halt beside him.

The car door slid open, and eight street thugs armed with iron rods leapt out, instantly surrounding him.

Chen Yang glanced around and saw that he was near the Guangming gas station. It was dark, on the outskirts of the city, with few cars or pedestrians nearby.

He turned his gaze back, a cold smile playing on his lips. “Gentlemen, what’s the meaning of this?”

A young man with yellow-dyed hair raised his iron rod and barked, “Are you Chen Yang?”

Chen Yang’s lips curled. “That would be me.”

“Cut the act, punk. I hear you’ve been acting pretty cocky lately. Get on your knees!” threatened the yellow-haired youth.

Chen Yang smiled coolly. “Sorry, but my knees are too stiff to bend.”

The yellow-haired thug’s eyes bulged with fury. “Oh, you think you’re tough, huh?”

With that, he swung his iron rod at Chen Yang.

But in a flash, Chen Yang caught the rod firmly, yanked it from the thug’s grasp, and smashed it down onto his head, splitting his scalp.

Clutching his bleeding head, the yellow-haired youth’s eyes filled with shock and rage.

The other thugs, seeing their leader attacked, all brandished their rods and charged at Chen Yang.

Chen Yang kicked the nearest one flying, then swung the iron rod with fierce precision. In short order, he had knocked the entire gang to the ground.

Tossing aside the iron rod, a satisfied smile curled Chen Yang’s lips.

In truth, ever since he and his mother had been cast out of that family in Yanjing, Chen Yang had practiced martial arts at her insistence.

He had now trained for a full ten years.

Even after his mother’s death, when he was forced to eke out a living delivering food, he had never abandoned his training.

A decade of discipline had elevated his skills to the level of a true master.

These street punks had no hope of besting him.

He tossed aside the rod and strode unhurriedly toward the yellow-haired thug, kicking him hard in the ribs. “So, you’re jealous because I’m confident, is that it?”

With two ribs broken, the yellow-haired youth was wracked with agony.

Brow furrowed, he pleaded, “Fine, fine—you win, you’re the boss.”

“Who sent you?” Chen Yang asked coolly.

He needed to get to the bottom of this.

Desperate to avoid further pain, the thug wasted no time in betraying his employer. “It was... it was Qin Hao, Young Master Qin.”

“That brat,” Chen Yang thought with disdain. “Clearly, he still hasn’t learned his lesson.”

“Anyone else besides Qin Hao?” Chen Yang pressed, checking if there were any accomplices.

“No one else. He’s the only one we ever dealt with,” the yellow-haired youth replied.

“Calling him ‘Young Master’—what a joke. Does he deserve such a title?” Chen Yang sneered coldly.

With no desire to waste more words, he sent the thug rolling with a kick and barked, “Get lost.”

Leaving the scene, Chen Yang immediately called Wu Guangde, instructing him to catch Qin Hao tonight by whatever means necessary—he intended to deal with him personally.

Wu Guangde readily agreed, sounding completely at ease.

After all, Qin Hao was a minor player in his eyes; catching him would be child’s play.

Chen Yang returned home and spent the evening on the sofa, watching television with his father-in-law, Qin Guoshan, until past nine.

Suddenly, his phone chimed with a new message.

Taking out his phone, he saw it was from Wu Guangde: the target had been apprehended, and was now at the bus stop in the northern suburbs.

Chen Yang knew the place. Rising, he told Qin Guoshan, “Dad, I’m hungry. I’m going to get something to eat.”

Without waiting for further questions, he hurried out of the villa.

Half an hour later, he arrived at an abandoned construction site in the northern suburbs. There, he saw Qin Hao, hands bound, flanked by Wu Guangde’s two men and wearing a black hood.

Chen Yang approached and signaled for one of the men to remove the hood from Qin Hao’s head.

With a swift motion, the hood came off.

Seeing Chen Yang in front of him, Qin Hao’s face turned pale with shock. “Ch—Chen Yang...”