Chapter 749
Mistaking a Friend for an Friend and Remaining Silent
When Xu Bo'an finished his business in the bonsai world and came out of the private room to his seat in the banquet hall, the banquet had already begun and people were eating.
During the gathering, the alumni praised Chen Qinzhi for his success, saying that they wouldn't have to worry about getting their money back in the future. Not only that, they also discussed raising funds for Chen Qinzhi, thinking that it might be a great way to make a fortune.
Xu Bo'an was really puzzled. Just before he left, everyone was eager to ask Chen Qinzhi for money. How could people's attitudes change so much in such a short time?
Xu Bo'an wanted to warn everyone not to be fooled, but he had to leave temporarily because of the Bonsai World matter and didn't have time to say anything. He didn't expect that they would actually want to raise funds now. If these alumni really do that, then the money they have worked so hard to earn will probably go down the drain.
Just as Xu Bo'an was about to speak up and advise his classmates, one of them, Li Pengcheng, a graduate student, spoke up first, saying to Xu Bo'an, "Bo'an, you just misunderstood Chen Qinzhi. He asked us for money because he's about to get the regional agency rights for Kangtai Pharmaceutical's hangover remedy. And just now, Chen Qinzhi said that he also invited senior leaders from Kangtai Pharmaceutical tonight. That's really impressive!"
"Yes, Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory was on the verge of bankruptcy before. Unexpectedly, some big shot suddenly appeared, not only acquiring the factory but also launching a hangover remedy, making Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory famous again in a short period of time!" another classmate said!
"Yes, yes, I know about that too. Rumor has it that the hangover remedy is far more effective than any other hangover product on the market. 'Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory' is quite famous now!" someone else said.
"Wow, this big boss is not only incredibly wealthy but also a rare technical talent! It's simply amazing!"
"It seems that 'Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory' has unlimited potential for future development! Who knows, it might even be able to return to its former glory!"
"What?! You underestimate them. I heard a rumor recently that Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory's hangover remedy was sold out in minutes as soon as it started being distributed in a store. Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory may become the most dazzling presence in Dongjiang in the future."
"It's hard to say for sure. After all, the more popular alcohol is, the more popular hangover remedies become. It seems that the business landscape of Dongjiang City will be reshuffled soon!"
"While Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory hasn't grown that big yet, why don't we apply for jobs there? Who knows, we might even benefit from Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory's success and make a small fortune!" one of the students suggested.
“Most of us here are civil engineering graduates, and we’ve been in this industry for many years. We have a certain foundation and network. If we were to switch jobs to Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory, the best we could do would be sales, and we’d have to start from the bottom. It’s not as comfortable as we are now! Our civil engineering industry is quite good!”
"Yes, although Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory has good future prospects, given our current position in the civil engineering field, it's not worth switching jobs!"
“Yes, yes, we can’t just look at the present when it comes to work. We have to think about the long term. Our company is a state-owned enterprise, while Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory is just a private company in the development stage. If you ask me, if everyone really wants to make money, there’s no need to switch jobs. We can invest more once Chen Qinzhi gets the agency rights, and then we can share the profits. That’s much safer!”
"That analysis is correct! I agree."
Hearing the murmurs around them, Xu Bo'an couldn't hold back any longer. If he didn't remind them, and they actually invested more, knowing Chen Qinzhi's character, he figured they would lose everything, not even their underwear. Xu Bo'an couldn't bear to see them get scammed.
However, Xu Bo'an couldn't say it directly, so he reminded everyone in a very tactful way: "Alumni and students, investment is risky. I advise you to be more cautious and not to invest your money in untrustworthy people."
Upon hearing Xu Bo'an's words, everyone turned their gaze toward him.
One of the classmates said directly to Xu Bo'an, "Are you saying that Chen Qinzhi is untrustworthy?"
Xu Bo'an chuckled and said, "You're all adults, as long as you understand what I mean!"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment after hearing Xu Bo'an's words. One of them even said directly, "Do you even need to guess? The person Xu Bo'an is talking about is definitely Chen Qinzhi. But why are you saying this? Chen Qinzhi is about to get the regional agency rights for Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory. You're not just saying this because you're jealous, are you?"
Xu Bo'an was speechless when he heard this man's words. He had kindly reminded him, and this man actually spoke to him like that. He really didn't know what was good for him.
Xu Bo'an said, "Heh, me, jealous of him? Chen Qinzhi borrowed money from you using my name and even said he wanted to cooperate with me on contracting projects, but I knew nothing about it. Doesn't that show his character? I'm telling you this because I'm afraid your hard-earned money will go down the drain. I'm just kindly reminding you. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do! Anyway, I don't lose anything."
The student who spoke earlier said, "Hehe, Bo'an, I was embarrassed to say anything to you earlier, but you said you had already risen to the position of chief engineer at Dongjiang No. 2 Construction Company, which is higher than the positions of all of us here, and yet you still resigned from Dongjiang No. 2 Construction Company. Most people would never do such a thing. How can we believe what you said? To put it bluntly, who can know whether you resigned voluntarily or were fired?"
Although this student's words were a bit harsh, if we put ourselves in their shoes, there's some truth to it. After all, it's quite puzzling that someone who had reached the position of chief engineer would resign. It's not unreasonable for everyone to assume that they were fired by the company.
Even if someone was a good person in the past, who can guarantee that they will still have the same original intentions after years of life and work?
Moreover, this group of people could only be said to have gotten to know each other relatively well back then. They didn't really know each other that well to begin with, and they hadn't seen each other for more than ten years since graduation. Most of them were working in different cities. Even among classmates who had a good impression of each other back then, no one dared to completely trust each other.
Most importantly, they felt that Xu Bo'an's claim of voluntarily resigning was even more absurd than Chen Qinzhi's deception of them and acquisition of the regional agency rights for Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory, so they preferred to believe the latter.
Xu Bo'an spread his hands, saying in a helpless tone, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. Just pretend what I just said was nonsense!"
After saying that, Xu Bo'an stopped talking and went back to eating.
Xu Bo'an had already said all that; the other person was just giving everyone a heads-up. Seeing that Xu Bo'an was no longer speaking, the man also stopped talking and continued eating.
After finishing his meal, Xu Bo'an felt there was no point in staying any longer. After all, Chen Qinzhi had only invited him to his son's first birthday celebration because he had gotten carried away chatting with his graduate students and hadn't informed him beforehand. Xu Bo'an didn't even think about saying goodbye to Chen Qinzhi and prepared to leave.
Just as Xu Bo'an got up to leave, he suddenly saw an old acquaintance walk out of the private room that Chen Qinzhi had reserved for the guests. Xu Bo'an took a closer look and saw that it was Liu Quan, who looked like he was about to leave.
Chen Qinzhi followed closely behind Liu Quan. Liu Quan walked briskly ahead with an expressionless face, while Chen Qinzhi jogged closely behind, seemingly trying to catch up with Liu Quan.
As Liu Quan walked briskly past Xu Bo'an's table, Xu Bo'an called out, "Liu Quan?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Liu Quan stopped and turned around. Seeing Xu Bo'an, he exclaimed with surprise and delight, "Mr. Xu, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"
Xu Bo'an pointed to Chen Qinzhi standing to the side and said, "Look, I'm here to attend my classmate's son's first birthday party! What about you?"
Liu Quan said, "I'm also attending his son's first birthday party!"
Xu Bo'an said, "Oh? What a coincidence! What's your relationship with this old classmate of mine?"
Liu Quan said, "He's a distant relative of my wife's!"
Before Xu Bo'an could speak again, Chen Qinzhi smiled awkwardly and introduced Liu Quan to the people at Xu Bo'an's table, saying, "This is my brother-in-law. He works at Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory! Moreover, he is the quality director of Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory, which is an important position second only to the top leader!"
Upon hearing Chen Qinzhi's explanation, everyone immediately understood. Chen Qinzhi said that he was able to obtain the regional agency rights for Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory because of his brother-in-law's connections. After all, it's easier to get things done if you have connections in high places!
Liu Quan initially didn't want to pay much attention to Chen Qinzhi, but considering that Chen Qinzhi was Xu Bo'an's classmate, and out of respect for Xu Bo'an, he put on a smile and waved to Xu Bo'an's group.
At this moment, Liu Quan stood there somewhat awkwardly. Just now in the private room, Chen Qinzhi wanted Liu Quan to use his authority to help Chen Zhiqin secure a regional agency right for Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory's hangover remedy at a lower price, but Liu Quan refused.
Although he holds the most important position at Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory besides Lin Kangtai, which is indeed equivalent to being second only to the top leader, the reason he was able to hold such an important position is entirely because of Xu Bo'an. Xu Bo'an has always helped and promoted him, and it is because Xu Bo'an trusts him that he has placed him in such a core position. If he were to use his position to do things that harm the company's interests, would he still be considered a human being?
The two couldn't reach an agreement, so Chen Zhiqin quietly gave Liu Quan a warning. Liu Quan could tell from Chen Zhiqin's words that if he wasn't given regional agency rights, he would tell his family that he had resigned from the state-owned Dongjiang No. 2 Construction Company to work for a private company.
Chen Zhiqin knew that Liu Quan was a very filial person, and he also knew that Liu Quan's parents and in-laws, the older generation, cared about this the most. When he heard that Liu Quan refused to agree, he threatened him with Liu Quan's weakness.
If Liu Quan agrees, that would be ideal, but if Liu Quan doesn't, Chen Zhiqin's actions will make Liu Quan pay the price.
Although Liu Quan was filial, he was not a spineless coward. He had worked his way up in the workplace for many years, so how could he be threatened by a few words from him? If that were the case, everyone would threaten him, and he would be a useless leader.
Hearing Chen Qinzhi threaten him with such words, Liu Quan looked down on Chen Qinzhi even more. Liu Quan would not agree to such a tasteless person even if he offered a high price to acquire the agency rights for the hangover liquid, let alone try to acquire it at a low price. How could Liu Quan tolerate him threatening him after failing to acquire it?
He came here to attend the first birthday celebration, not to be threatened. Hearing Chen Qinzhi's words, he stormed out of the private room, which is why he walked so fast.
Chen Qinzhi chased after his brother-in-law only after he saw that his brother-in-law was really angry.
Upon hearing that Chen Qinzhi's brother-in-law was a high-ranking executive at Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory, one of the classmates at the dinner table smiled and said to Chen Qinzhi, "Oh, you're really something else! No wonder you managed to secure the distribution rights for Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory's hangover remedy. With such a great brother-in-law, it would be strange if you couldn't!"
"Wow, Chen Qinzhi is awesome! We'll all follow you from now on!"
At this moment, the students no longer felt the anxiety they had felt earlier about Chen Qinzhi not being able to repay the money. Instead, they were thinking that they might be able to make a profit by chance.
Chen Qinzhi felt a little guilty after what his classmates said. Only he knew the truth, but he had borrowed money from many of his classmates. How could he tell them the truth? That would be like slapping himself in the face.
So Chen Qinzhi smiled ingratiatingly and said to his classmates, "You're all right!"
Liu Quan assumed Chen Qinzhi was Xu Bo'an's classmate, so he didn't expose Chen Qinzhi out of respect for Xu Bo'an. Xu Bo'an, on the other hand, assumed Chen Qinzhi was an important relative of Liu Quan, otherwise he wouldn't have come to the first birthday banquet. Out of respect for Liu Quan, he didn't expose Chen Qinzhi immediately either.
Chen Qinzhi only knew that Liu Quan was a senior manager at Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory, but he did not know that Xu Bo'an was the real leader of Kangtai Pharmaceutical Factory. When he saw that Liu Quan did not refute his and his classmates' words, he thought that Liu Quan regretted rejecting him earlier, and he was secretly pleased.
Liu Quan was in a very complicated mood. Although he felt that Chen Qinzhi was Xu Bo'an's good classmate and he should give him face, he was worried about how Xu Bo'an would perceive him for saying in front of him that he had obtained the distribution rights for the hangover remedy through his connections. (End of Chapter)