Chapter 41: Enter the Game
Zheng Jue blocked Han Jin’s anger with a kiss. When the two of them left the place again, their relationship became good as ever before, and Han Jin’s attitude towards Zheng Jue also returned to its previous appearance. But amid all this, Zheng Jue’s heart became heavier and heavier.
The two of them broke up at the entrance of the club. Han Jin took his assistant’s car and left. Before leaving, he was a little reluctant to part with Zheng Jue. At the end, when Zheng Jue saw that there was no one around, he kissed him on his forehead, so Han Jin left contently.
Watching Han Jin’s car go away, Zheng Jue’s heart became a little complicated for some reason. It was only today that he realized that his feelings for Han Jin were not as simple as they were at the beginning.
Zheng Jue’s thoughts wandered until he finally turned around and got into his car then left the place.
**
Later on, they made appointments with the coal boss a few times, and then they became acquainted with each other well. Lin Su also showed up a few times, but upon seeing that Zheng Jue and Han Jin’s expressions were wrong, the coal boss was also very sensible and made Lin Su avoid them.
After being several times like this, Lin Su finally couldn’t help but act. According to Susie’s insider news, Lin Su had already approached Wen Huaan several times, while Zhou Chengan also took the opportunity to find the Wen brothers and put pressure on Wen Huaan on the other side.
In the end, their actions finally came to fruition.
**
This afternoon, Zheng Jue was chatting with Han Jin when Susie’s internal phone call suddenly came in. Han Jin irritably grabbed Zheng Jue’s hand that was going to answer the phone, then raised his head, and blocked Zheng Jue’s lips, fiercely kissing him. When he was done, he spoke with some unsteady breath, “It’s really a disappointment.”
Zheng Jue smiled and stroked the top of Han Jin’s hair but still went to answer the phone. The relationship between him and Han Jin, others don’t know, but Susie knows very well. Susie is not a person without a sense of proportion, so it must be something very important for her to be able to call him in at this time.
“Mr. Zheng,” Susie’s voice was slightly embarrassed, “I’m really sorry, but Mr. Wen just called and asked to speak to you.”
Zheng Jue lightly chuckled, “Bring Mr. Wen in.”
When Han Jin, who was sitting beside him, heard that it was Wen Hua’an, he immediately put away the carelessness on his face, straightened up, and then sat beside Zheng Jue.
Susie breathed a sigh of relief and responded respectfully. Two minutes later, the call came in.
Zheng Jue waited for the phone to ring thrice before picking it up.
“Uncle Wen,” Zheng Jue said with a smile.
“A’Jue, you are really promising. Now, even my phone calls have to be transferred to the secretary. It’s really different,” Wen Huaan’s voice was a little hoarse, but his tone contained a hint of teasing.
Zheng Jue couldn’t help but smile when he heard this, “Uncle Wen is joking. I just transferred all the incoming calls to her because I had a video conference to be held. I’m really sorry for delaying Uncle Wen’s time.”
Everyone knows that what Zheng Jue said is all nonsense, but everyone is the person in a play and can only take it as the truth.
Wen Huaan just smiled when he heard him, “Okay, it’s just a joke. Aaron, don’t mind it. By the way, I told you about the land in the north last time. Now, it happens that my friend has time. Do you want to make an appointment for a get-together tomorrow?”
Zheng Jue couldn’t help but hesitate a little after hearing these words, “This… Uncle Wen, let’s forget it. I’ll find someone myself in that area, so I won’t bother you.”
Zheng Jue has been completely torn from Wen Huaan now. If he still believes in Wen Huaan, then it’s either that Zheng Jue is crazy or Wen Huaan is crazy.
Wen Huaan became more certain in his heart when he heard Zheng Jue’s hesitation and said with a smile, “Aaron, don’t worry. Let’s not talk secretly. I did something wrong in the previous game, and you won beautifully. However, the Wen family is now in jeopardy, so can I still be angry with you? The relationship between me, the Zhou and Han families depends on you to maintain. I am not such a person who ignores the big picture.”
Zheng Jue still acted a little uncertain after hearing this and hesitated to give him an answer. Wen Huaan felt anxious though he seemingly became calmer when he spoke, “Aaron, it’s just a meeting. There’s no need to be so embarrassed. How could I force you to fail?”
Zheng Jue pondered for a moment before he finally responded.
Wen Huaan breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t show it at all. He still exchanged a few words with Zheng Jue and then put down the phone.
After Zheng Jue and Wen Huaan finished their phone call, Han Jin smiled and stuck to him, wrapping one of his arms around his neck and the other propped up his chin, then whispered, “I didn’t realize before that you’re actually so good at acting.”
Zheng Jue stretched out his hand and patted Han Jin’s hand on his chin, then glanced at him with a smile, “Young Master Han is praising me too much. When it comes to acting, of course, I’m not as good as you.”
Han Jin leaned on the sofa with his head placed on Zheng Jue’s shoulders, and there was a hint of smugness on his lips, “Of course, you still have a lot to learn from me.”
Zheng Jue pursed his lips and didn’t speak, with a bit of sadness in his eyes.
**
The next afternoon was the day for Zheng Jue and Wen Huaan to meet. Originally, Han Jin wanted to go together but was persuaded by Zhou Chengan in the end. This master, if he really went, Wen Huaan is not stupid, he can’t fool him.
The place where Zheng Jue and Wen Hua made an appointment was a restaurant next to Wen’s establishment. The environment was quiet, and the privacy was excellent. Zheng Jue went there first and investigated the surrounding environment. He didn’t want to be schemed once more by Wen Huaan this time.
It didn’t take long after Zheng Jue came when Wen Huaan walked in with a middle-aged man. Zheng Jue knew this man. He was one of the people in charge of the area in the north of Hong Kong. His name was Luo Yu, the famous goose plucker. Wen Huaan has paid a lot of money this time. He’s afraid he would probably take a lot of effort to catch up with this person.
Zheng Jue welcomed Wen Huaan and Luo Yu in with a smile, then said, “I didn’t expect that the person Mr. Wen invited turned out to be Director Luo. Please come in.”
Luo Yu looked like a Maitreya Buddha. When he smiled, there was only one slit left in his eyes. After a few polite words, he followed Zheng Jue into the private room. When everyone sat down, he smiled and said, “Before, Mr. Wen said that he wanted to introduce me to a young handsome man. I’m guessing who that man was, but I didn’t expect it to be Mr. Zheng. I have been in Hong Kong for more than a year, and the one I’ve heard the most is Mr. Zheng’s name. It really is terrifying!”
Zheng Jue humbly smiled and warmly said, “Director Luo has won the award. I’m just making a small fuss, and I need more guidance from my uncle.”
When Zheng said this, Wen Huaan immediately entered the conversation, “Aaron, you are too humble to give advice. Now, I have to rely on Aaron for your face.”
Zheng Jue’s voice paused as he silently glanced at Wen Huaan, but Wen Huaan just smiled very gently.
On the other hand, when Luo Yu heard Wen Huaan say this. He glanced at the two of them curiously and tentatively said, “Is what Mr. Wen said true? Mr. Wen has such a big family business in Hong Kong, I don’t believe Mr. Wen’s words.”
Wen Huaan glanced at Zheng Jue meaningfully and then said with a smile, “Okay, let’s not say these disappointing things. I’m just a matchmaker today. It’s better for Director Luo and Aaron to have a good talk.”
Seeing that Wen Huaan stopped making provocations, Zheng Jue didn’t say much and just pretended that he didn’t say anything, then turned to talk with Luo Yu about the land in the north of Hong Kong.
In order to be able to sell that piece of land, Luo Yu naturally did his best to praise it and said flowering words. If someone who didn’t understand listened to it, he would think that there was gold buried in the piece of land.
Zheng Jue naturally remained unmoved by these words and didn’t even lift his eyelids. It was all nonsense, and not a single word was true. He wasn’t a fool, and he was really just letting him fool around.
Luo Yu looked at Zheng Jue’s unmoving expression and knew that this was a difficult person to deal with, so he stopped talking nonsense and turned to talk about this bidding meeting. That is, at this time, the corner of Zheng Jue’s mouth finally turned into a smile.
Wen Huaan sat aside and could see it clearly, and his gaze became a little colder. Tricking him with falsehoods and truths was very slippery, but it’s a pity that he was still too young in the end.
Seeing that Zheng Jue was interested in this aspect, Luo Yu also understood it in his heart and knew that he didn’t need to add firewood to build a fire himself, so he happily talked to him about this bidding meeting. However, Luo Yu was a fine person. If he didn’t see a rabbit, he won’t throw an eagle, and he just continued speaking about scenes.
Although Zheng Jue’s tone was still calm, his expression showed a hint of impatience. Finally, seeing that Luo Yu couldn’t get up to the point, he gave Wen Huaan a wink and successfully played a thoughtful but still inexperienced young man.
Wen Huaan finally sat on the side and watched enough, and then said, “Director Luo, Aaron is actually very interested in this land. You have been here before. Why don’t you give him some pointers?”
Luo Yu took over with a smile, “Where do I have the ability to advise Mr. Zheng? That piece of land is a formal bid. Since Mr. Zheng is so capable, I am afraid that he will be able to get it. A few days ago, I also heard that the third phase of Mr. Zheng and Zhou’s real estate in the bay has already started its pre-sale. I’m afraid you already made a lot of money.”
Hearing this, Zheng Jue couldn’t help but scold the old fox in his heart. He really knows how to pinch people by three inches. The houses in the third phase in the bay area are duplexes, and a set of them cost at least six million depending on what they would choose.
“Director Luo is joking. It’s a small business, and it’s not as big as Uncle Wen’s family. However, if Director Luo likes it, I can give you a house. What does Director Luo think?” He needed to do a full set of acting. Since he wanted to attract people into the game, he naturally had to pay something.
When Director Luo heard this, he immediately smiled without showing his teeth and patted Zheng Jue’s shoulder, then said, “Well, all right, Mr. Zheng is really good-natured, a real hero out of youth. The bidding for that piece of land will be covered by me. Mr. Zheng must already be satisfied.”
Zheng Jue’s face was full of smiles, but he sneered in his heart. Such a big deal is not an achievable thing at first glance. He didn’t know how stupid he was in Wen Huaan’s heart.
After that, the three of them chatted for a while, while they talked a lot and drank a lot. He didn’t know if Wen Huaan was doing it on purpose or not. However, from the beginning to the end, he always pointed at Zheng Jue and poured it all for himself. As a result, Zheng Jue’s face turned pale, and his whole body was almost numb.
After sending Wen Huaan and Luo Yu away, Zheng Jue finally couldn’t hold back and fell down. Susie’s face turned pale from the side, and she hurriedly said, “Mr. Zheng, do you want to go to the hospital?”
Zheng Jue lay on the chair and calmed his mind, only to feel that the red and green lights in front of him were dazzling before he hoarsely said, “No need. Go back to the apartment.”
*
The author has something to say: A very hard thing happened today. I… twisted my foot… What’s even more difficult is that two days later will be the day of this civil servant interview. [Silent face…]
What the hell is going on!!!!!!
So heartbroken, it takes a little angel’s kiss for me to be able to resurrect with blood. n(*≧▽≦*)n
*
Footnotes:
1. Goose plucker (雁过拔毛) came from a saying that even when a goose flies by, it could still stretch out its beaks to pluck a few feathers (Wiktionary). This means that everything that has passed their hands will get some benefits, and they will never be let go easily.
2. Maitreya Buddha (弥勒佛的样) is the successor of the World Honored Buddha Shakyamuni and is also called the future Buddha (Baidu).
3. If he didn’t see a rabbit, he won’t throw an eagle (不见兔子不撒鹰) is a metaphor that means that if there is no clear goal, you will not take practical action (Baidu).
4. Formal bid (正规投标) is a type of bid that is obtained by written solicitation (Ventura County Community College District). These bids are received in writing by a set date and time under the company’s purchasing department. Simply put, Luo Yu is implying to Zheng Jue that ZH wouldn’t be able to get the land through a backdoor deal, even with Wen Huaan’s help. Hence, ZJ gave him an expensive house property from his third phase project with Zhou Chengan.
5. Bay (罗水湾). I’m not sure if it’s the name of a place. When I searched about it, the results displayed a river in China, which is definitely out of the setting location of this story—that is Hong Kong. If you can identify the place, please do share about it. Thanks!