104: Chapter 104 Transaction Completed

After arriving at the company, Qiao Yichen had just sat down at his workstation in the Planning Department when Li Yong leaned over as usual to greet him: "Morning, boss!"

Qiao Yichen acknowledged him and opened his computer to process a few emails.

Just after 9:30, his phone vibrated. Liu Yanran sent a message in the "Sweet Spring Project Team" group: Please all members come to A3 Conference Room for a short meeting.

Qiao Yichen stood up and walked toward A3. When he pushed open the meeting room door, almost everyone had arrived.

Rarely, General Manager Zhao Qiming was sitting in the main seat.

Once everyone was there, General Manager Zhao Qiming spoke directly:

"Everyone should have received the notification about last night's results. Our team's first draft passed. On behalf of the company, I want to thank you all for your hard work over the past few days."

He paused and glanced at Liu Yanran. Liu Yanran stood up and took over:

"Previously, time was tight, so everyone was transferred here temporarily. From today on, everyone returns to their original positions and gets back to their usual work. The project team will remain, but the colleagues transferred last week will become an assistance group. Subsequent project updates will be synced to everyone; just maintain sensitivity."

General Manager Zhao Qiming added from the side: "The company won't treat you unfairly. There will definitely be rewards later, so don't worry."

Some people below nodded, and someone whispered, "Thank you, President Zhao."

Liu Yanran's gaze swept around and landed on Qiao Yichen and another person: "Qiao Yichen, Fang Shu, you two come to my office in a moment."

The meeting adjourned.

Qiao Yichen followed Liu Yanran into the office, accompanied by a colleague named Fang Shu, with whom he didn't interact much usually.

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Liu Yanran picked up two folders from the desk and handed them to them respectively: "Take a look at your group's next project first."

The two took them and stood there flipping through.

Qiao Yichen opened the cover; inside were several pages of information: Fragrant Grain Record, a local time-honored brand for zongzi, online promotion for Dragon Boat Festival gift boxes. Target audience, budget, and time nodes were all clearly listed.

After a while, Liu Yanran asked Qiao Yichen directly: "What's the current progress of the Taste Bud Memory project?"

Qiao Yichen closed the file: "It's in the final stages. It can be fully delivered within these two days."

Liu Yanran nodded: "This Fragrant Grain Record project is similar to your group's Taste Bud Memory project. Do a good job."

Qiao Yichen responded: "Okay, I'll arrange it on my end."

Liu Yanran signaled that he could leave, then turned to Fang Shu: "Your group's project from last week..."

Qiao Yichen closed the door, and the rest of the conversation was cut off behind it.

Returning to the Planning Department, Qiao Yichen beckoned to Li Yong, Meng Zhi, and Shen Bowen: "Come, small meeting room, let's have a meeting."

The three followed him in. Qiao Yichen placed the file in his hand on the table and pushed it toward them:

"A new project is here. Take a look for yourselves first."

While the three were buried in the materials, Qiao Yichen took out his phone and started dealing with the matter of the antique cabinet.

First, he clicked on Duan Peng's chat box. This person had the highest bid, 2.7 million.

He typed: "Mr. Duan, I wanted to ask, if we finalize it, how long will the payment take?"

After sending it, he switched to Zhou Huaiming's chat box. This person offered 2.55 million, ranking second.

He thought for a moment and sent: "Mr. Zhou, for the price of 2.55 million, can you add a bit more? Someone else has offered a higher price. If you can raise it a bit, I will definitely prioritize you."

After sending, he placed his phone face down on the table and looked up at the three.

Li Yong was the first to close the file, his tone relaxed: "No problem with this project. The calculated time is quite sufficient; we should be able to handle it."

Meng Zhi also nodded, pointing to the budget page: "I've seen the budget. It's more than the Taste Bud Memory one, so there's quite a lot of room for channel promotion."

Shen Bowen pushed up his glasses and said slowly: "It's doable. Once we collect some data, a framework can be produced quickly."

Qiao Yichen nodded: "Okay, then let's settle it like this for now. You three collect information first—channels, competitors, and the brand's trends over the past few years. Get a feel for it all, and we'll touch base later."

The three agreed and stood up to leave.

Qiao Yichen stayed in the meeting room and glanced at his phone again.

Duan Peng replied: "Payment will take about a week or so; there's a process to go through."

He stared at that line for two seconds. A week was too long; he couldn't afford to wait, so he didn't reply and switched directly to Zhou Huaiming's chat box.

Zhou Huaiming hadn't replied yet.

He stood up and returned to his workstation, waiting while organizing the materials on hand.

The two chatted intermittently all morning. Zhou Huaiming held firm at first, saying 2.55 million was already very high and adding more was indeed a bit difficult.

Qiao Yichen persisted, going through several rounds of persuasion, mentioning the other party's higher bid and how the item was absolutely worth the price.

By the time he sat down with Liu Yanran at their usual Cantonese Restaurant at noon, Zhou Huaiming finally relented.

The phone vibrated. He looked down—a message from Zhou Huaiming:

"2.6 million, that's my highest price. I really can't go any higher, please understand."

Qiao Yichen looked at the message and didn't hesitate, replying directly: "Okay, then 2.6 million. Signing the contract this afternoon, is that convenient for you?"

Only after sending it did he look up and speak to Liu Yanran:

"I'll take the afternoon off. The matter with the cabinet is settled, and I need to go over to sign the contract."

Liu Yanran's chopsticks paused, and she looked up at him: "Didn't you say last night there was no rush and you'd wait and see? Why are you suddenly selling it today?"

Qiao Yichen picked up some food and didn't look up: "I'll tell you the details tonight."

Liu Yanran looked at him, paused for two seconds, and didn't press further, just nodding: "Alright then, you go ahead this afternoon."

After finishing the meal, Qiao Yichen drove straight home.

On the way, he called Su Qing and asked her to help draft an antique sales contract.

The background noise on Su Qing's end was a bit loud, she was probably eating, but she still agreed readily: "Okay, I'll send it to you within half an hour."

"Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal later."

"Cut that out."

Hanging up the phone, Qiao Yichen parked the car at the entrance of the residential area and went to a print shop to wait.

Su Qing's contract was sent quickly. He printed two copies on the spot and then contacted an art logistics company by phone, arranging for them to come at 2:30 PM.

It was almost two o'clock when he got home. He read through the contract again, confirmed everything was correct, and placed it on the coffee table.

At 2:30, the doorbell rang punctually.

Zhou Huaiming stood at the door, followed by a man in his thirties, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase.

"Mr. Qiao." Zhou Huaiming nodded to him. "This is the lawyer I brought. He'll take a look at the contract. You don't mind, do you?"

Qiao Yichen stepped aside to welcome them in: "Of course, of course. The contract is ready. Please, have a seat."

The three sat down, and Qiao Yichen handed over the two copies of the contract. Zhou Huaiming took them and immediately passed them to the lawyer. The lawyer opened them and read very carefully, page by page, occasionally looking up to ask about a clause or two, which Qiao Yichen answered one by one.

After about ten minutes of review, the lawyer closed the contract and nodded to Zhou Huaiming: "No problem."

Zhou Huaiming didn't say much either; he took a pen from his bag and signed both copies of the contract. Qiao Yichen took them and signed as well.

Two copies in total, one for each.

Qiao Yichen then took out the original and a photocopy of the appraisal certificate and handed them over: "This is the appraisal report. Please keep the original; I'll keep the photocopy for my records."

Zhou Huaiming took it and flipped through, nodding with satisfaction: "As long as the item is fine, it's all good."

Just as the documents were put away, the people from the logistics company arrived. Three young men entered, moving nimbly as they carried the cabinet out of the second bedroom and wrapped it in a thick protective layer.

Zhou Huaiming glanced out the window and suddenly said: "I'll go down for a smoke and see how they load it into the truck."

Qiao Yichen stood up as well: "I'll see you out."

The lawyer followed behind.

The three went downstairs together.

On the first floor, Zhou Huaiming stood by the steps and lit a cigarette, watching the three men carry the cabinet.

After the cabinet was loaded, Zhou Huaiming put out his cigarette and turned to Qiao Yichen:

"The payment will arrive in your account by tomorrow morning at the latest. Don't worry."

Qiao Yichen nodded and extended his hand: "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Zhou Huaiming shook it. Just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly paused and looked back at him:

"The one who bid 2.7 million was 100,000 higher than me. Why did you choose me in the end?"

Qiao Yichen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said honestly:

"Because he needed to wait a week. I happen to need this money urgently."

After hearing this, Zhou Huaiming nodded and reached out to pat his shoulder: "Alright, the money will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest."

With that, he left in the car with the lawyer.

Qiao Yichen stood there for two seconds, then turned and walked back.

The elevator went up. The door opened, and he walked into the empty living room, threw himself onto the sofa, and let out a heavy sigh.

Finally sold.

He took out his phone and checked the time—4:20.

After lying down for a while, he opened Liu Yanran's WeChat and sent a message:

"The matter is done."

After sending it, he placed the phone on his chest and stared at the ceiling, thinking of nothing, just lying there.