Since Mi Cai asked, I decided not to hide it, but I chose to say it in a tactful way, “Seeing you and Wei Ran together, I thought you must have something important to discuss, so I didn’t interrupt.”
Mi Cai leaned on my shoulder again, with a hint of apology, she said, “Yesterday was Wei Ran’s birthday, he held a birthday party, I originally planned to invite you, but…”
“But you were afraid I wouldn’t fit in that glamorous setting.”
Mi Cai didn’t respond directly, but asked me, “Do you really dislike me being with Wei Ran?”
“Of course I mind, but you two are just friends, right?”
Mi Cai nodded, “Yes, you are my boyfriend.”
I stroked her hair, whispering in her ear, “Let’s forget about the unpleasantness of these days, let’s be good to each other, okay?”
Mi Cai nodded, echoing, “Let’s be good to each other, no more trouble!”
I opened my arms, holding her in my embrace, and asked with concern, “Does your stomach still hurt?”
“A little.”
“I’ll make you some brown sugar water when we get home.”
“Okay.”
We left the bench on the street, but Mi Cai stopped and grabbed my hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Carry me.”
I smiled, then bent down for her. Mi Cai leaned on my back, I lifted her up, and then walked towards her car under the reflection of the street lamp. At that moment, the long-lost sense of happiness once again filled my heart, and I’m sure Mi Cai felt the same way.
Back in the old house, I made brown sugar water for Mi Cai. She nestled in the corner of the sofa, drinking it, her legs resting on mine. We shared some recent interesting stories until the night was quiet, until she fell asleep in my arms.
I gently carried her into the room, covered her with a blanket, gazed at her for a long time, and couldn’t help but kiss her beautiful face. I wished that we could live like this day after day, year after year, and then, without realizing it, we would grow old together without any worries…
If there’s anything I desire in my life, this is it.
……
Three days passed, during which I temporarily bid farewell to the previous unpleasantness and devoted myself to the upcoming negotiations with Jinding Real Estate. In order to understand this real estate company, I not only searched for relevant information online, but also visited several projects under construction multiple times, so that I could truly know myself and my opponent during the negotiations.
That afternoon, I went to the advertising company where Jian Wei worked, and teamed up with a real estate planner and designer to attend the meeting. As I was about to leave, Jian Wei came out of the general manager’s office with her handbag and called me.
I looked at her puzzled, thinking she had something else to explain.
But she just smiled and said to me, “I’ll go with you, I want to see how you perform in the negotiation.”
I immediately refused, saying, “No, it’s not like we’re going to fight wolves. If too many people go, it will give the client the impression that we’re not confident.”
“I don’t think so. On the contrary, if I go personally, it will show our company’s emphasis on this project, right?”
In front of so many of Jian Wei’s employees, I couldn’t not give her a way out, so I finally nodded and said, “Then we’re grateful for your presence, General Manager Jian.”
Jian Wei smiled confidently, then put on her sunglasses and walked towards the exit of the company with great momentum.
……
A group of us took Jian Wei’s Cadillac CTS to Jinding Real Estate. First, the client manager of Jinding Real Estate received us, and then we met with the director of their planning department.
The director of the planning department seemed to know Jian Wei and kindly called her “General Manager Jian”.
Jian Wei smiled and said to us, “This is Director Wang of the planning department of Jinding Real Estate.”
We greeted him one by one, and then Jian Wei introduced us to him, and everyone took their seats.
Jian Wei whispered in my ear, “I’ve had dinner with Director Wang a few times before, so we have this opportunity to negotiate. He’s very strict, but I hope you can maintain a good attitude and be able to adapt to the situation and complete this negotiation.”
I nodded, and then Jian Wei introduced me to Director Wang again, stating that I would be fully responsible for the upcoming negotiation.
I calmed myself down, quickly relaxed, and with a professional smile, I said to Director Wang, “Hello, Director Wang, first of all, on behalf of Simei Advertising, I would like to express our sincere desire to cooperate with Jinding Real Estate, and at the same time, I wish your company’s ongoing projects can achieve great sales performance.”
Director Wang smiled and asked, “Tell me, what are the ongoing projects of Jinding Real Estate?”
I calmly named several ongoing projects.
Director Wang nodded and said to me, “Then talk about your personal views on these ongoing projects.”
I quickly recalled the understanding of the projects I had made before, and still calmly expressed some of my views to Director Wang.After listening to my account, Mr. Wang nodded, but his expression suddenly became serious. He said, “This year, our Jin Ding Properties has three projects in Suzhou, with an advertising budget of 5 million. This is a highly tempting business for any advertising company. However, it’s not easy to get our business. You should know that our company once had a public tender, but all the advertising companies that bid failed. So, you must give me a compelling reason to choose your Si Mei Advertising.”
I was taken aback. I had previously estimated the advertising budget to be between 1 and 2 million, but I never expected it to be a staggering 5 million. Jian Wei was indeed bold, or perhaps she was overconfident. Such a large advertising business could sustain a small to medium-sized advertising company. Without substantial strength, it would be unthinkable. How strong could Jian Wei’s newly established advertising company be?
I felt the pressure, even forgetting that if I could secure this business, I could earn a commission of 500,000.
Mr. Wang didn’t give me a chance to think. He said oppressively, “Don’t tell me about how many top planners and designers your company has. The companies that came to bid before were all up to the standard of 4A advertising companies. What we don’t lack are top planners and designers.”
After Mr. Wang finished speaking, even the planners and designers who accompanied me looked at a loss, let alone me, the one directly communicating with him. At this moment, I could confirm that Mr. Wang had mastered the negotiation tactics of advertising companies. If I followed the usual negotiation procedures, I would definitely fail.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Jian Wei. Even her face showed signs of nervousness. I guess if she were in charge of the negotiation, she would also be thrown off by Mr. Wang’s unconventional tactics, disrupting the rhythm of the planned meeting.
I tried my best to stay calm and quickly thought about what unique advantages Si Mei Advertising, Jian Wei’s company, had over other advertising companies. But the result made me even more panicked because I couldn’t think of any unique advantages, but a lot of disadvantages.
I knew that there would only be one chance for such a negotiation. If I didn’t seize it this time, there would be no chance to make up for it later. So, I forced myself to overcome my nervousness, trying to buy myself some time to think.
I smiled and said honestly to Mr. Wang, “Mr. Wang, to tell you the truth, I’m very nervous right now because your understanding of the advertising industry has completely disrupted my negotiation strategy. Our company doesn’t have any obvious advantages compared to other advertising companies, even more disadvantages. But there is one thing that other advertising companies don’t have.”
Mr. Wang seemed to enjoy my comment about his understanding of the advertising industry. He smiled and patiently said to me, “What advantage? Let’s hear it.”
At this moment, I wasn’t sure what the advantage was. I said that just to buy myself some time to think. So, I asked Mr. Wang, “May I smoke?”
Mr. Wang nodded and made a gesture of invitation, “I understand, go ahead.”
I took out a pack of Zhongnanhai cigarettes from my pocket, but to my surprise, Mr. Wang made a gesture for me to give him one as well.
I handed him one and lit it for him. He took a puff and said, “I used to stay in Beijing for a while, and I always smoked these. I miss it.”
I nodded, lit one for myself, and took the opportunity to think again about that unique advantage. Rather than thinking, it was more like fabricating, because that so-called unique advantage didn’t exist at all. But I still wanted to make this last attempt.
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