What is the other side of a city?
Is it the brightly lit streets after dark, or the deafening music?
There was once a folk legend that when night falls, the gates between the Yin and Yang realms open, and the city's terminator line seems to divide the two worlds.
Tan Jincheng's impression of Guancheng was that of an industrial hub, with factories, and manufacturing workers in uniforms walking the streets.
He had never seen Guancheng under the night sky look like this.
From Yangcheng to Guancheng, it's about 70 kilometers, less than an hour and a half by car.
This afternoon, Tan Jincheng took advantage of a break to rent a seven-seater SUV, and the group of five drove to Guancheng.
Besides Tan Jincheng and his two companions, James also brought an accompanying staff member.
For such a private event, this person must be a trusted confidant whom he is willing to bring along.
The place for entertainment was arranged by Cheng Yongjun.
Cheng Yongjun entrusted it to his business partner, saying that they could just contact them upon arrival.
Tan Jincheng wasn't sure about the specific arrangements at this point.
Tan Jincheng didn't know if James had ever been to Guancheng, but he himself certainly hadn't.
However, he couldn't lose face.
"Tan, where are you taking me?"
James asked from the passenger seat.
"To drink, of course. I believe, James, you will remember this night,"
Tan Jincheng winked.
They were all men; what needed to be understood was understood.
Along the way, Tan Jincheng didn't know why, but he felt there were an unusually large number of cars heading to Guancheng.
Was this the Canton Fair effect?
Boosting the surrounding economy?
After about an hour and a half, they arrived at the location Cheng Yongjun mentioned.
It looked like a hotel.
As soon as the car stopped, a doorman came to ask if they needed help with parking.
The service attitude was truly excellent.
Tan Jincheng wasn't one for pretense.
He handed the car keys to the doorman and glanced at the tall guy beside him.
This fellow was looking at the hotel with some curiosity, but it was just curiosity, not much surprise.
It seemed this old boy had been out and about quite a bit.
"Damn, looks like I'll be spending a fortune tonight. Forget it, consider it giving him back a bit of the money I'll earn from him."
Soon after, a staff member in a suit walked towards Tan Jincheng.
This should be the contact person Cheng Yongjun mentioned.
Tan Jincheng had already called when they were close to arriving.
Upon meeting, it was indeed the case.
Without any unnecessary talk, the staff member led Tan Jincheng and the five others towards the private room.
Along the way, he quietly introduced various services to Tan Jincheng, leaving Tan Jincheng wide-eyed.
Perhaps seeing Tan Jincheng's younger appearance, or perhaps someone had briefed him on the situation in advance, the staff member didn't address Tan Jincheng as Boss Tan, but instead called him "Handsome Guy" repeatedly.
Boss Tan briefly lost himself amidst these "Handsome Guy" calls.
It truly lived up to its reputation; just hearing about it, even without seeing it, felt incredibly exciting.
"James, how about we follow Mr. Su's arrangements today? Guaranteed to give you a unique experience?"
Pointing to the staff member, Tan Jincheng asked James in fluent English.
James shrugged noncommittally and pouted,
"You're the host, I'll follow your lead, just don't abandon me when it's time to leave."
"Then it's settled, Mr. Su, please make the arrangements for us."
Good.
If it's as the staff member described, they probably wouldn't need to drink much tonight.
Tan Jincheng, who had an average alcohol tolerance, actually disliked the drinking culture where people were constantly pressured to get drunk.
After James and his companion left, Tan Jincheng said to Sun Yuming and Liu Wenbin,
"You two go have fun too. When you get back, keep your mouths shut and don't exaggerate things to Boss Zhang."
The two chuckled.
They were sales representatives.
They hadn't been to Guancheng before but had certainly heard about it.
They didn't expect such a perk; they had originally thought they would get completely drunk tonight.
"Thank you, Boss, we're off then."
"Go on."
Consider it a company benefit, though old Zhang might suffer for it; next time, definitely next time; but they probably wouldn't be able to go back tonight, so he'd have to tell Zhang Xupeng.
The night passed without incident.
The specific pleasures were best left unsaid, but Tan Jincheng still held onto his bottom line.
As a reborn person, to give in for the first time here would be a bit low.
The next morning, Tan Jincheng, full of energy, woke up early and came to the restaurant.
After waiting a while, he saw James and his three companions walk into the restaurant, looking listless but with very excited expressions, suggesting they were satisfied.
"Good morning, Mr. James, and Mr. Howard, have some breakfast to replenish your energy,"
Tan Jincheng said mischievously.
James and Howard exchanged glances, then both burst into hearty laughter.
"Thank you for the warm hospitality, Tan, who lost himself. I toast you with this glass of milk,"
Howard said, raising the milk on the table.
James seemed genuinely hungry and was devouring breakfast, though he also nodded repeatedly.
Who says foreigners don't understand these things?
They understand very well!
From last night until this morning, Tan Jincheng hadn't brought up any topic about orders, nor had James and his companion, but it was clear that everyone understood tacitly.
But there was no doubt that James would still bargain when it was time.
Tan Jincheng was mentally prepared for this; a reasonable range was acceptable, but that's how business was.
Even if you could foresee the future, when the situation was weak, you still had to bow your head.
After breakfast, the group didn't plan to stay any longer; business was important.
Sun Yuming and Liu Wenbin led James and his companion to the parking lot, while Tan Jincheng went to pay the bill.
Looking at the bill in his hand, he felt a pang of pain.
Damn, if every client wanted to entertain like this, how much gross profit would be lost?
Perhaps this was an inevitable step in doing business.
Later, when business became increasingly difficult, retaining regular clients would require such entertainment expenses.
So no matter what, he still had to become stronger himself.
At least, in the future, when encountering such matters, he wouldn't need to drive himself or pay the bill himself.
With a wave of his hand, someone would arrange everything perfectly for him.
On the way back, those two rascals, whether genuinely sleep-deprived or feigning sleep, actually fell asleep in the car.
Tan Jincheng, who was driving, couldn't tell if they were truly asleep or just pretending.
It wasn't until they reached the exhibition center that James and Howard opened their eyes.
Before getting out of the car, James turned to look at Tan Jincheng, who was turning off the engine.
Tan Jincheng also noticed his gaze and likewise turned, smiling, to look at James.
"Tan, how about just the two of us find a place to talk tonight?"
"No problem, I'd be very happy to, Mr. James."
Alright, it seems Americans are no different from Koreans.
The Korean clients he dealt with in his previous life loved this approach; it worked every time.
(End of chapter)
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