Moments after I sent the message, Mi Cao replied with a voice message, singing me a song from “The Smurfs.” This was another song deeply imprinted in our childhood memories.
She has a unique characteristic when singing children’s songs; even if you try hard to discern, her childish voice remains flawless. This might be related to her naturally clear and bright voice, something someone like me, who smokes regularly, could never replicate.
I listened and smiled, while beside me, Jian Wei curiously asked, “Who is singing?”
“Mi Cao.”
“Oh, is this a little game between you two?”
I looked up at Jian Wei, then nodded slowly after a pause.
Jian Wei didn’t offer any further comments. She glanced at her watch and said, “Let’s head to Shanghai earlier. It’s fine for us to wait for them, but they shouldn’t have to wait for us.”
I nodded, paid at the counter, and left the breakfast shop with Jian Wei.
…
Our driving speed was not fast, yet even so, we arrived in Shanghai at around ten o’clock, still an hour and a half before the agreed time.
Jian Wei booked a hotel room by the hour for me to rest while she went home, saying she hadn’t seen her mother in a long time and wanted to take this opportunity to visit.
After she left, I stayed alone in the hotel room. In between, I received a text message from A Feng, who told me that quite a few merchants were willing to join our “Perfect Travel Plan.”
Immediately, I asked him, “Did you promise these merchants anything?”
“I just mentioned there might be a feature advertisement for this plan. Of course, I didn’t promise them anything right now.”
A Feng’s response eased my concerns slightly. In fact, my sensitivity was precisely a reflection of my lack of confidence. This lack of confidence wasn’t due to fear of facing Yang Congrong, but rather because of Jian Boyu, since I had once been so utterly worthless in his eyes.
…
An hour quickly passed, and I left the hotel, driving toward the restaurant where we had agreed to meet. Upon arrival, I parked my car in the open-air parking lot across from the restaurant.
As I was about to open the car door, a black Mercedes-Benz 350 also entered the parking lot, followed closely by Jian Wei’s Cadillac CTS.
I took a deep breath, opened the car door, and stood in the noon sunlight waiting.
Jian Wei was the first to get out of her car and came to my side, whispering, “The people in that car are Uncle Jian Boyu and Uncle Yang Congrong.”
I nodded, indicating I understood.
After the driver of the Mercedes-Benz parked the car, he hurriedly got out and opened the rear doors on both sides. Then, two middle-aged men stepped out. One was the Jian Boyu I recognized, so the other must be Yang Congrong.
Jian Wei helped me smooth out the wrinkles in my suit and gave me an encouraging look, signaling me to go and greet them first.
I looked at Jian Boyu. Three years of time seemed to have left no mark on his face. Although he was already over fifty, he looked like a man in his early forties. His Italian-style short hair combined with his business suit made him appear even more capable, a result of years of honing in the business world.
Jian Wei indeed hadn’t told Jian Boyu that the person he was meeting was me. Therefore, when he suddenly saw me, his expression was not only surprised but also fluctuated between different emotions.
I forced myself to call him “Uncle Jian,” but I couldn’t forget the past, standing there stiffly.
At this moment, Jian Wei finally spoke. Looking at me and addressing Jian Boyu, she said, “Let me introduce this gentleman to you, Mr. Jian. This is Mr. Zhaoyang. The theme of the ‘Shattered Life’ promotion you mentioned earlier was his idea, created for the company where your protégé works, Golden Tripod Real Estate.”
This seemed to be a way out that Jian Wei had prepared for us, so I stood on this platform and said to Jian Boyu, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jian.”
Jian Boyu merely nodded, then cast a reproachful glance at Jian Wei, clearly displeased with her arrangement for the meeting.
I then greeted Yang Congrong, who seemed unaware of our past conflicts. He extended his hand toward me in a friendly manner and said, “I’ve heard about that ‘Shattered Life’ promotion theme. Although it was only a concept, it was still a typical example of breaking conventional thinking… I heard you actually smashed a cup in front of the client to explain this theme.”
I nodded, confirming the event.
Yang Congrong gave me a thumbs-up and said, “That kind of determination is rare even among young people. I hope you can give me a surprise this time.”
Before I could speak, Jian Wei quickly took over the conversation, saying, “Uncle Yang, I believe Zhaoyang is well prepared. Let’s wait and see.”
Yang Congrong nodded with a smile.
Jian Wei then turned to Jian Boyu and asked, “Mr. Jian, what’s with the silence? You’ve been troubled by the development bottleneck of Easy Travel Network for a long time. Aren’t you even a little bit looking forward to this?”
This obviously targeted question made Jian Boyu visibly uncomfortable. After a while, he said to Jian Wei, “If I wasn’t looking forward to it, I wouldn’t have come. Let’s go inside and talk.”
…
Inside the private room of the restaurant, everyone sat around the dining table. For easier communication, I sat next to Yang Congrong.
We skipped the small talk and efficiently transitioned into a business discussion. He said to me, “Talk about your views on Easy Travel Network.”
I nodded and said, “Easy Travel Network is China’s largest self-guided travel website, but compared to its competitors, its advantages are not obvious. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing because it’s also the strongest motivation for you, Mr. Yang, to break through the development bottleneck.”
Yang Congrong nodded and said, “You’re right. The continuous catching up by competitors has indeed given us a strong sense of crisis. Please continue.”
“I’d like to talk about the current development situation of Easy Travel Network within the broader context. Currently, the website is merely an information publishing platform. Due to the lack of productivity, its functions are very single, which is the biggest problem causing the bottleneck.”
I paused briefly before continuing, “The website’s main functions now are only publishing travel information and selling tickets for various scenic spots offline. Because it lacks its own production capability, it’s difficult to challenge the pricing system of manufacturers. Therefore, in many cases, it’s passive. To put it bluntly, it’s merely a sales channel for tourism producers and lacks core competitiveness!”
My words were extremely blunt, essentially negating the current business model of Easy Travel Network from the ground up.
Yang Congrong’s face darkened, causing Jian Wei to look at me with a tense expression, as if complaining that I had spoken too directly without sufficient preparation.
The oppressive atmosphere didn’t burden me much psychologically, as I silently waited without showing any emotion…
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