135: Chapter 135 Waldorf Gilded

"Bang!"

Su Ye slammed the marker in his hand onto the whiteboard, drew a circle around the supply chain, and said to Liu Jianjun:

"Old Liu, I'm leaving this supply chain part to you. Go find out where the Qin Family sources their legitimate alcohol. I want you to negotiate an exclusive regional transport agreement with them. The terms should stipulate 'priority transport services for our partner clients at 15% below market rates.' Compress the profit margins, and at the same time, use supermarket channels to offer 'Bulk Alcohol Purchasing + Free Delivery' services to restaurants and bars in Chengdu to lure away the distributors currently supplying the Qin Family."

"If the Qin Family's bars and KTVs want to maintain their current alcohol quality, they'll have to source from more distant distributors, which will drive up transport costs. If they lower the quality to switch to cheaper alcohol, they'll lose their high-end clientele. I want to see how the Qin Family chooses. After all, they wouldn't dare use fake alcohol right now, at least not recently."

"Still the same thing: I don't care about the year-end financial statement, as long as it's not a loss."

Finally, he asked Zhang Hua:

"How is that simple system I asked you to develop coming along?"

Zhang Hua stood up and said confidently:

"Chairman Su, no problem. In the eyes of our R&D team, this system is child's play, and it's already ready to use. Simply put, the City Commercial Traffic Analysis System uses public data—such as traffic flow in surrounding parking lots, food delivery order volumes, and social media check-in data—combined with partner merchant data like supermarket member consumption records to monitor their traffic fluctuations in real-time."

Su Ye nodded, rested his hands on the table, and looked at the three people in front of him with a burning gaze:

"Good. Let's start the operation now. The preliminary preparations must be kept confidential. I need us to stay still until the moment we strike, and when we do, I want us to strike the Qin Family down in one blow."

Watching the backs of the group as they left the office, Su Ye sat in his boss chair, turned around, gazed into the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window, and murmured:

"Now, leave everything to time. Let the bullets fly for a while."

Then he thought of Zhang Jing and felt it was time to reconnect with this regional director for South China of the multinational headhunting firm. After all, this period had truly exhausted Su Ye. If he had a Family Office, everything would be much easier, and he wouldn't have to be the central bearing connecting all aspects.

[Mr. Zhang, do you have time? Is it convenient to chat tonight?]

Zhang Jing replied four or five minutes later.

[Chairman Su, I am at your service at any time. I have already booked a private room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I will send you the room number shortly.]

Su Ye chuckled, thinking that Zhang Jing must have started planning the moment he saw the message.

After staying in the office for another half hour, Su Ye left. After all, Gu Qingyan had already been sent by Su Ye to study at the Chengdu Business Management College, so there was no point in staying at the company.

At 7:00 PM, Su Ye arrived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel parking lot, parked his car, and took the elevator straight up to the 50th floor.

"Ding-dong!"

As the elevator doors slowly opened, what came into view was not a greeter, but Zhang Jing's upright figure. At this moment, Zhang Jing had a warm smile on his face and took the initiative to step forward, extending his right hand to block the elevator door:

"Chairman Su, it's been a few days. You've certainly made quite a stir in the Chengdu circle."

After stepping out of the elevator, Su Ye paused, looked at Zhang Jing, and smiled:

"It's all just small stuff, nothing worth calling a big stir."

Zhang Jing smiled but didn't reply immediately; instead, he gestured with his hand to lead the way:

"Please, this way, Chairman Su. The environment here is quite nice, especially the Gilded Room; I think it's perfect for the two of us to chat."

Su Ye nodded and walked forward. Zhang Jing lagged half a step behind, and as they were about to reach the room, he quickened his pace to open the door for Su Ye.

It wasn't just different from the gaudy, golden splendor Su Ye had expected; it was completely different. It lacked the ostentation suggested by the words "Gilded," possessing instead a restrained elegance. The wood paneling on the walls emitted a soft, light-brown glow, with hair-thin stainless steel lines embedded in the joints. Under the refraction of the ceiling lights, they gave off a faint metallic luster, which actually felt more high-quality than straightforward gold plating.

The room wasn't large, just enough to fit a six-person acid branch wood round table. The center of the table was inlaid with a solid piece of ink-black marble, with veins that looked exactly like a wash painting of rivers and mountains. The tableware was gold-rimmed bone china, and the chopstick rests were shaped like small jade cong. When placed on the placemats, the light and shadow fell upon them, making even the edges look exquisite.

The fabric of the upholstered chairs was a deep wine red. Pressing your fingertips into it, you could feel a delicate velvety texture. The lines of the backrests were clean and sharp, and when you sat down, your waist and abdomen could fit snugly against it. It was neither uncomfortable nor stiff, yet it supported the upright posture required for business dining.

The most eye-catching feature was the entire floor-to-ceiling window. Without any unnecessary window frames obstructing the view, the skyline of Chengdu lay outside. It was just after dark, and the lights of the Twin Towers had just turned on. The warm yellow light bands wrapped around the reflections on the glass curtain wall, looking like a gold border inlaid on the night, and even the rippling light of the distant Funan River could be vaguely seen.

Su Ye looked around and felt that this place was really quite nice.

He casually took a warm towel from the silver tray engraved with the classic Waldorf pattern held by a waiter and wiped his hands.

His gaze swept across the walls—there were no superfluous decorative paintings, just a small, meticulous bird-and-flower painting hanging in the corner, with brushstrokes fine enough to see the texture of the bird's feathers. Beside it sat a celadon vase with two fresh cymbidium orchids inside. The fragrance was faint, almost imperceptible, neither overwhelming the aroma of the food nor detracting from it, but rather adding a touch of elegance.

Zhang Jing poured a cup of tea, filled to seven-tenths, held the bottom of the cup, handed it to Su Ye, and said with a smile:

"The privacy here is top-tier among hotels in Chengdu."

"I negotiated a partnership with the head of an investment bank here last year. There were even dedicated people guarding the hallway, so there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping."

While he was speaking, a waiter pushed in a food cart. The wheels of the cart were wrapped in silent rubber, and when it stopped, it made a soft "click," as if afraid to disturb the tranquility of the room—this kind of thoughtful detail was more worthy of the label "Private and High-end" than the name "Gilded."

As dish after dish was served, the waiter kept his head down the entire time, every movement clean, swift, and silent. After serving the dishes, he walked to Zhang Jing's side, leaned down, and whispered something.

After Zhang Jing nodded, he picked up the decanter nearby and poured the dark red liquid into the Bordeaux glass.

Zhang Jing said unhurriedly: "Chairman Su, today was a bit rushed, and I didn't have much time to prepare, so I could only take a decent bottle of wine from my collection."

"It's a 2010 red wine from Château Mouton Rothschild, one of the five great Bordeaux estates. It has a Parker rating of 98+. The style is between Lafite and Latour, with a unique, intense coffee aroma. I hope you like it."

"This bottle has been decanting beforehand; it has been exactly 18 minutes now, and the flavor is at its absolute perfect moment."

Su Ye held the bottom of the glass stem with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger, swirled the red wine in the glass, took a look at the legs and the clear, bright liquid, and took a gentle sniff. A rich, intense flavor rushed straight to his brain.

He raised his glass to Zhang Jing, signaled, and then took a sip.