Chapter 199: Perform Well

Lu Shanshan analyzed it carefully. Based on the situation during the negotiation in the office, Zheng Qian might really not have much status.

"Forget it, Mom. Don't talk about him like that. It's already very good that Zheng Qian is willing to put in a good word for us with the high-level executives at The Group."

"Sigh..." Zhao Ying sighed helplessly.

Ding-dong.

Lu Shanshan suddenly received a message from Zheng Qian.

"Mom, he just messaged me."

"Quick, quick, quick! See what it says?"

Zheng Qian: [Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, President Chen will meet with you. Perform well.]

A meeting?

Lu Shanshan and Zhao Ying couldn't help but look at each other.

"My good daughter, what does he mean by this? Does it mean they can provide us with financing, or not?" Zhao Ying's expression changed slightly, her heart filled with trepidation.

"I'm not too sure, but there should be hope." Lu Shanshan said anxiously.

Since President Chen was willing to meet with her, it meant they had already held a meeting to discuss it. If there was no intention to provide financing, why would he bother meeting her? Wouldn't it be easier to just say President Chen didn't agree via WeChat?

"Alright, alright, my good daughter, you must prepare well. This concerns the survival of our family's business."

"If the company goes bankrupt, relying on that meager salary of your father's, wouldn't we starve to death?" Whenever Zhao Ying mentioned Lu Shanshan's father, Leader Lu Xinghe, she would get furious.

It was already past seven in the evening, and he still hadn't come home. She didn't know where he was drinking and socializing again, not even bothering to call.

It was so annoying.

"Okay, I'll prepare well. If President Chen asks me questions tomorrow and I can't answer them, that would be embarrassing." As Lu Shanshan said this, she took the document out of her bag, preparing to review it again.

She had only read a few pages when she noticed something off.

"Mom, this isn't my material, is it?"

Before approaching Zheng Qian, Lu Shanshan had carefully prepared a document. She had done the layout and design herself, so she noticed the discrepancies at a glance.

"Mom knows. I looked at your material, and it wasn't good enough. I hired several professionals to polish it up for you."

When Zhao Ying mentioned the document, she couldn't help but feel smug. She had gone to great lengths to hire an accountant to beautify the financial statements so that her daughter wouldn't be so passive in front of others and would have some confidence when speaking.

If people knew the business was on the verge of bankruptcy, who would provide them with financing?

"Mom, why did you have to do this?" Lu Shanshan felt a sense of dread and sighed softly.

This document had been overly embellished!

Even she could spot the problems at a glance. How could people like President Chen, Manager Li Tao, or even Zheng Qian fail to see them?

Originally, she had sincerely brought the materials and approached Zheng Qian, relying on their relationship as university classmates.

They knew what her situation was. When looking at materials, they didn't just look at the data; they looked at whether she was sincere.

"What's wrong, daughter? Why are you sighing?"

"Nowadays, when seeking financing, what company doesn't polish their accounts? It's standard procedure. They don't care about your situation; they only look at your data."

"Mom just wanted you to be able to speak with more confidence in front of them."

"Mom... you don't understand!"

It would have been better not to polish the financial statements. The more you polish them, the more they feel you are desperately in need of financing to save your life.

Moreover, her mother had hired someone to polish the materials far too much, perhaps even to the point of fraud.

"It's not that serious. Look, didn't Qianhe Group say they want to meet with you? That means they aren't holding it against us, right?"

"Alright, get some good rest today, perform well tomorrow, and Mom will wait for your good news!"

"Alright..."

Early the next morning, Lu Shanshan arrived at Qianhe Group.

Last night, she had specifically rushed back to the company to find her original document.

Although her mother's words had some merit, Lu Shanshan still felt that when two companies collaborated, it was better to be honest with each other.

After waiting at Qianhe Group for about thirty minutes, at five past nine, Lu Shanshan was invited into a small conference room.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Miss Lu. Please, have a seat."

There were three people in the room: Chen Weiqiang, Manager Li Tao, and today, even Liu Shiqi was there.

Three vice presidents!

They were truly giving her a lot of face.

Under normal circumstances, Manager Li Tao could have made the final decision on a 15 million financing contract alone. But today, at Zheng Qian's request to take it seriously, the top three executives were all present.

Lu Shanshan looked at the three of them, her expression very serious.

Among them, only Manager Li Tao was someone Lu Shanshan had met yesterday; she didn't know the other two at all.

"Miss Lu, let me introduce everyone first."

"This is our company's CEO and President, Chen Weiqiang."

"Hello, President Chen."

"This lady here is our company's major shareholder and Vice President, Liu Shiqi."

"Hello, Vice President Liu."

"No need for formalities. Please, sit."

Liu Shiqi was wearing a very striking red women's suit today, giving off an aura that commanded the room, almost making it hard for Lu Shanshan to breathe.

"Miss Lu, let's keep this brief. Shall we begin now?" Liu Shiqi straightened her documents and said, placing her hands on the table.

"Ah? Begin now? Are we not waiting for President Zheng?" Lu Shanshan looked around, unable to find any sign of Zheng Qian.

"President Zheng has other matters to attend to and will not be participating in this business meeting," Manager Li Tao explained.

Liu Shiqi said nothing; she didn't even lift her eyelids, just kept her head down, looking at an evaluation document.

"Oh... alright then."

Zheng Qian had once said he would put in a good word for her in front of the shareholders.

But since she didn't see Zheng Qian today, she felt a bit uneasy.

"Shall we begin, then?" Manager Li Tao asked.

Lu Shanshan gave a slight nod. She felt less like she was here to negotiate financing and more like a fresh female college graduate looking for a job—it felt just like one of those direct-hiring platforms.

Opposite her were a CEO, a major shareholder, and a director who seemed to hold a lot of power.

Any one of them alone would make Lu Shanshan extremely nervous.

If she had been wearing a smartwatch to monitor her heart rate, it would have probably started beeping like crazy by now.

Under normal circumstances, a 15 million financing deal shouldn't require the company's top three executives to meet with her.

Lu Shanshan thought it should have been a few directors at the same level as Zheng Qian.

Could it be because the company's high-level executives suspected her family's clothing company of falsifying financial statements?

Or was it that Zheng Qian's rank wasn't high enough to participate in this business meeting?

She had originally wanted to use this opportunity to proactively explain the situation regarding the document from yesterday, but she hadn't expected Zheng Qian not to be present.

"Let's start by talking about the document you showed Manager Li Tao yesterday, shall we?"

Liu Shiqi exuded an aura of total authority.