Qiankun Group is a comprehensive listed conglomerate integrating finance, trade, manufacturing, real estate, information technology, and logistics. Although it was already past 11 PM, many offices in the building were still lit. For urban white-collar workers, overtime had become the norm.
Brother Dao led Chen Yang into the magnificent, high-ceilinged lobby on the first floor of the building. The receptionist had already left, and a security guard sat on one side of the lobby. Upon seeing Brother Dao, the guard quickly stood up to greet him:
"Hello, Brother Dao!"
"Ahui, how many times have I told you? Call me President Qin in the company!" Brother Dao frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Yes, yes, yes! Look at my memory..." Security guard Ahui scratched his head sheepishly, saying, "Brother Dao... President Qin, this way please!"
After saying that, Ahui quickly led the way, pressing the elevator button for Brother Dao.
Brother Dao led Chen Yang into the elevator, while Acheng stayed in the lobby to wait. The elevator ascended smoothly and stopped on the thirty-fourth floor of the building.
A row of crystal wall lamps cast a soft glow on both sides of the elevator lobby walls. A thick red carpet covered the floor, feeling incredibly soft and comfortable underfoot. On one side of the lobby was a desk, where a beautiful young woman in a black business suit was writing something, her long, black hair cascading down her back. Hearing the noise, the girl looked up. Seeing it was Brother Dao, she smiled and stood up, saying,
"Hello, Mr. Qin!"
Brother Dao nodded and asked casually,
"Xiaowen, is Lao Leng in?"
Xiaowen smiled and nodded,
"Mr. Leng is in his office. He's already instructed that if Mr. Qin arrives, there's no need to announce him; just go in directly!"
After saying this, Xiaowen stood up, knocked on the office door behind her, then gently turned the handle and pushed the door open, gesturing for him to enter.
Brother Dao strode into the office, and Chen Yang, without asking any questions, followed him inside. As Chen Yang passed through the doorway, his secretary, Xiaowen, gave him a polite nod, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
President Leng's office was enormous; Chen Yang estimated it to be at least 200 square meters. Behind the massive, dark red solid wood desk was a full-length glass wall, offering a panoramic view of Xiamen's captivating nightscape and even extending to the distant sea—a truly expansive vista.
A man sat in a large executive chair, his back to the office door, gazing intently at the Xiamen night view. The chair's high back completely obscured his face; Chen Yang could only see his right hand holding a wine glass, gently swirling it, the amber wine shimmering alluringly under the lamplight.
As soon as Brother Dao entered, about to speak, the man sitting in the executive chair turned around and spoke first:
"President Qin, hand the man over to me! Chairman Ning has already given the order!"
Chen Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. The middle-aged man before him was slender, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had a refined, scholarly air. He was dressed in an extremely elegant, expensive white silk shirt and a well-fitting black suit. Even in his own office, he wore a tie meticulously, in a very formal Windsor knot, exuding a gentlemanly demeanor.
While Chen Yang was observing the middle-aged man, he was also sizing Chen Yang up, making no attempt to hide the curiosity in his eyes. Brother Dao shrugged and turned to Chen Yang, saying,
"Kid, let me introduce you. This is Leng Junfei, CEO of Qiankun Group. He's in charge of the second test. Just follow his instructions!"
After saying that, Brother Dao turned to Leng Junfei and said,
"Old Leng, I'm leaving him to you. I'll be going now!"
Leng Junfei nodded elegantly and smiled, saying,
"Please do as you please!"
Just as Brother Dao was about to leave, he thought for a moment, then put his arm around Chen Yang's shoulder and whispered in his ear,
"Kid, don't let Old Leng's refined appearance fool you. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve! You'd better watch out for this test!" After saying this, Brother Dao patted Chen Yang on the shoulder and strode out. Before leaving, he turned back and smiled at Chen Yang, saying, "Kid, good luck! I believe in you!"
Chen Yang smiled and nodded to Brother Dao. After watching him leave, he extended his right hand to Leng Junfei and said, "Hello, Mr. Leng!"
Leng Junfei shook hands lightly with Chen Yang across the table and said, "Young man, please have a seat!"
After saying this, Leng Junfei pressed the speakerphone button on the table and said, "Xiaowen, please call Manager Fan and the others in!"
"Yes, Mr. Leng!" came the voice of his secretary, Xiaowen, from the other end of the line.
After ending the call with his secretary, Leng Junfei opened a folder on the table and began to read it carefully, without greeting Chen Yang again.
Chen Yang, however, looked at Leng Junfei with a hint of curiosity—a name he had heard of in his previous life. Leng Junfei, a native of Xiamen, is a renowned professional manager. A graduate of the School of Business Administration at Beijing University, he later pursued further studies in the United States, earning an MBA from Harvard Business School. For the past ten years, he has worked for only one company: Qiankun Group. Under his leadership, Qiankun Group has grown from an unknown small company a decade ago into a national star enterprise and a financial behemoth. It can be said that 80% of the credit goes to the elegant Mr. Leng before him.
Of course, none of this was enough to impress Chen Yang in his previous life. What impressed him most about Leng Junfei was that before attending university, he was a petty hoodlum, working for Ning Kuncheng's henchmen. He was involved in everything from smoking and drinking to fighting. Before Ning Kuncheng decided to clean up his act, he consciously selected a group of these henchmen and sent them to various universities for further education—Ning Kuncheng, though a rough and uncultured man, had a profound understanding of the importance of talent.
Leng Junfei was the most dazzling star among this group of underlings. Not only did he complete his undergraduate studies with outstanding grades, but he also secured an offer from Harvard Business School. Ning Kuncheng naturally valued such talent highly. Two years later, Leng Junfei returned from his studies in the United States, and Ning Kuncheng immediately appointed him as the executive vice president of Qiankun Group. A year later, Ning Kuncheng stepped down to become chairman, handing over the CEO position to the young Leng Junfei.
Leng Junfei did not disappoint Ning Kuncheng's trust. In just a few years, he expanded Qiankun Group's assets exponentially, and three years ago, the company successfully went public.
Even the arrogant Chen Yang of his previous life admired Leng Junfei greatly. Now, meeting this legendary figure face-to-face, Chen Yang was naturally filled with curiosity. It was truly difficult to reconcile this middle-aged man, whose every move exuded the air of a successful person, with the image of a petty thug who spent his days drinking, gambling, and committing violence a decade or so ago.
The wait was short. A gentle knock came at the office door. Xiaowen entered and walked a few meters to the desk, bowing slightly as she said,
"Mr. Leng, Manager Fan has arrived!"
Leng Junfei looked up from his folder and nodded slightly, saying,
"Please let them in."
Xiaowen nodded, turned gracefully, and left the office. A moment later, the knocking returned, and Xiaowen led two people in.
A middle-aged man in his forties followed behind Xiaowen. He was slightly balding, and his plump figure gave him a kind appearance. He carried a blue file folder under his arm, his back slightly hunched, appearing somewhat reserved.
The other man, a young man in his twenties, trailed half a step behind the balding man. He wore a well-tailored suit, his hair meticulously styled, and exuded confidence. He appeared to be the middle-aged man's subordinate, but his demeanor was far more relaxed.
"Good morning, Mr. Leng!" The middle-aged man stopped a few meters from the desk and bowed to Leng Junfei.
"Hmm! Manager Fan, please have a seat!" Leng Junfei nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Mr. Leng!" Manager Fan bowed repeatedly, carefully sitting down next to Chen Yang, his back ramrod straight, his whole body appearing somewhat stiff.
Xiaowen led the two into the office, served tea to the three of them, then closed the door and left the office. Leng Junfei put down the documents in his hand and smiled at Chen Yang, saying:
"Xiao Fang, let me introduce you. This is Manager Fan Tianning of the Sales Department of Qiankun Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the group. This is Assistant Manager Zhuang Tao."
Chen Yang turned and smiled, extending his right hand to Fan Tianning, saying:
"Hello! Manager Fan!"
Although Chen Yang was very young and dressed extremely plainly, even somewhat disheveled, covered in dust from climbing up a cliff, and his cheap t-shirt had several tears, Fan Tianning dared not be negligent. Someone who could sit leisurely in President Leng's office drinking tea, even if dressed in a rustic manner, was worth Fan Tianning's obsequiousness. Moreover, Chen Yang inadvertently exuded the air of a wealthy family, making him look nothing like a country bumpkin. Fan Tianning quickly grasped Chen Yang's hands with both, saying warmly,
"Mr. Fang, hello! Hello!"
He wanted to probe Chen Yang's background, but given they were in Leng Junfei's office, he didn't dare ask too many questions.
Standing behind Fan Tianning was his assistant, Zhuang Tao, who remained much calmer. He merely nodded slightly when Chen Yang looked at him, neither overly enthusiastic nor arrogant.
After the introductions, Leng Junfei looked at Fan Tianning and asked,
"Manager Fan, are the materials ready?"
Fan Tianning quickly stood up, handing the folder he had brought to Leng Junfei with both hands, saying,
"President Leng, all the information on Plot 1 in Luwan District and our sales department's overall marketing plan are here. Please take a look!"
Leng Junfei nodded, took the folder, and carefully began to review it. Fan Tianning felt a little uneasy. As the president of the group company, Leng Junfei always focused on the big picture and rarely interfered in specific matters. Although the No. 1 plot in Luwan District is known as the "land king" and is a crucial project for Qiankun Real Estate, Qiankun Real Estate is merely a subsidiary of Qiankun Group. From the perspective of the company's overall strategy, the project isn't particularly critical.
Could something be wrong with this project? Fan Tianning wondered to himself, becoming increasingly cautious.
From the moment he finished introducing Fan Tianning, Leng Junfei ignored Chen Yang, not mentioning the second test. Chen Yang wasn't in a hurry, simply smiling and leaning back in his chair. He had already figured out that Ning Qiaoqian was probably safe; her haste in summoning him to Luwan Island was likely related to this inexplicable test. Therefore, Chen Yang felt reassured and prepared to deal with whatever came his way.
Time ticked by. Leng Junfei watched for a full ten minutes before looking up and saying something that shocked both Fan Tianning and Zhuang Tao.