President Zhong had long prepared for a protracted battle.
If Chen Pingjiang didn't agree, he would use every trick in the book.
"Hehe, Mr. Chen, please don't misunderstand. We aren't that ambitious; three to five hundred million yuan would be fine. Please rest assured, all necessary rules will be followed strictly. If your company has funding needs in the future, feel free to come to me."
Chen Pingjiang internally wanted to laugh.
What Zhong Chi said amounted to nothing new; he didn't know how many bank presidents were queuing outside the door.
Ignoring the various poses struck by the black-stockinged yujie, Chen Pingjiang shrugged his shoulders and said,
"I can feel President Zhong's sincerity, but I'm truly sorry. As a company, we prioritize fund security and have our own considerations for choosing banks. We've also been very happy working with our previous partners."
This was equivalent to issuing an eviction notice.
Reality was like this.
How could Chen Pingjiang just throw money around and deposit it everywhere?
At his scale, would he really still care about those small favors?
Fund security is paramount.
In this regard, he must find reliable and trustworthy major banks.
President Zhong still smiled, not disheartened.
Everyone was an adult, and having mentally prepared himself long ago, he naturally knew things wouldn't be easy to negotiate.
After seeing the two of them off, Chen Pingjiang called the front desk:
"Hand all these banks that follow over to Mr. Shu for handling."
Chen Pingjiang was too lazy to entertain them or deal with them; handing it over to Shu Mang was just right.
He truly couldn't stay in the office that day.
All sorts of phone calls, text messages, media interview requests, and entrepreneur cocktail parties and salons relentlessly sought him out, directly driving Chen Pingjiang to withdrawal.
Chen Pingjiang directly hid in Ge Mengshi's office on the 15th floor.
Ge Mengshi smiled, made a cup of coffee, and handed it to Chen Pingjiang:
"You just leave those people hanging like that? There have been many rumors and gossip about you from the outside world lately. Aren't you afraid people will say you're arrogant?"
Chen Pingjiang scoffed,
"What do I have to fear? Only the weak need to be cautious; the strong don't need to explain."
Women all admire strength, and even Ge Mengshi, who usually appeared aloof and capable outside, was no exception.
The untamed arrogance and masculine charm emanating from Chen Pingjiang struck her forcefully.
Sometimes, a person's temperament truly refines and grows with their environment, status, and experience.
"Regarding the funding for the catering business..."
Ge Mengshi was about to speak but was interrupted by Chen Pingjiang waving his hand:
"We'll talk about this later, it's a small matter. No work talk today."
Ge Mengshi, interrupted, momentarily didn't know what to say.
Both fell silent.
A short while later, looking over again, Chen Pingjiang had actually fallen asleep.
Shaking her head amusedly, Ge Mengshi found a blanket and covered Chen Pingjiang with it.
Although the office air conditioning was on full blast, it was already late December after all.
Looking at his handsome face so close, and the masculine aura emanating from Chen Pingjiang, Ge Mengshi's hand, as she covered him with the blanket, suddenly trembled.
Impulsively, Ge Mengshi's heart stirred.
She leaned down and gently kissed Chen Pingjiang's forehead.
Her movement was very light, for fear of waking Chen Pingjiang.
In this romantic atmosphere, Ge Mengshi's chest heaved violently like a thief's.
She felt like she could barely breathe, yet dared not pant heavily.
Her pretty face flushed crimson, and after kissing him like a chick pecking rice, she left like lightning.
"Ge..."
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
Qin Suqin poked her head in, then, after seeing clearly what was happening inside the office, her mouth dropped open in surprise.
The discovered Ge Mengshi raised her head in astonishment and met Qin Suqin's face, which was full of strange, knowing smiles.
"No..."
Ge Mengshi had just uttered two words when she feared waking Chen Pingjiang.
She quickly tiptoed out, and only after closing the office door did she quickly pull Qin Suqin aside.
Not until no one else was around did she, with a flushed face, say,
"I just helped him cover himself with a blanket."
"Oh!"
"Don't misunderstand!"
"Oh."
Ge Mengshi looked at Qin Suqin's expression, her teeth itching with irritation:
"Are you even listening to me?"
Only then did Qin Suqin say in a muffled voice,
"If you say so, then it is. I didn't see anything."
But her face was still full of smiles.
Knowing she had been teased, Ge Mengshi, embarrassed and angered, went up to tickle her.
"Hehe, stop tickling, I was wrong, I was wrong."
After frolicking for a while, Qin Suqin then said with a smile,
"Sister, you need to find a man. Although it's only just early winter, you're experiencing spring fever. But we can understand. If it were me, I probably couldn't resist either, hehe."
She hadn't expected to be caught by her best friend just for secretly kissing Chen Pingjiang.
It was truly embarrassing, and she couldn't even explain it clearly.
"Don't tell anyone outside, otherwise, someone's going to die."
Qin Suqin nodded like a chick pecking rice and asked with a hint of curiosity,
"So what are you going to do? Just hide it in your heart like this? This isn't like the decisive Ge Mengshi I know. You're someone who resigned from such a good job as a senior executive at a listed company just like that."
"He... he has a girlfriend. And we're in a superior-subordinate relationship, and there's such a big age difference. It's impossible."
As she spoke, a complex expression appeared on Ge Mengshi's face.
Qin Suqin expressed understanding and sighed softly:
"Emotionally speaking, any woman encountering such a young, successful, and handsome man might be unable to resist. This is almost the perfect template for mate selection for all women. If you were a few years younger, I would highly encourage you to pursue a relationship, even one without a future. But now..."
"Rationally speaking, just like you said, a superior-subordinate relationship, an age difference, and he already has a partner. I don't deny your charm, Shishi, but this is destined to be an unrequited love without a future. Even taking the remotest possibility, even if you got together, he's still so young and so ambitious. You wouldn't be able to wait for him."
"Of course, it's easy for me to say. Living day in and day out with someone you like, it must be hard to suppress the surging emotions within. In any case, think it over carefully yourself. As your good friend, I will support whatever choice you make."
Qin Suqin's analysis was very good.
Ge Mengshi knew this perfectly well herself.
For a moment, both fell silent.
"Don't worry,"
Ge Mengshi said softly after a long while.
"I'll only keep it in my heart. I won't show it, and certainly won't have any improper thoughts. As for the rest, let fate decide."
......
Chen Pingjiang slowly opened his eyes, looked at the blanket covering him, and chuckled:
"I can't believe I fell asleep."
Ge Mengshi's voice came:
"It shows that your fundraising efforts have been tiring lately. Of course, the main reason is the high mental stress. It's easy to fall asleep after suddenly relaxing in a different environment."
"In a few days, I plan to host a fundraising cocktail party for the catering group. I'll invite some friends. You prepare for it then. You'll be the main character that day."
"Oh?"
Ge Mengshi said, a little surprised,
"You have so many resources from investment institutions at your disposal. Why don't you approach them?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled:
"This time, Renren.com's fundraising offended quite a few people; they might not bite. The catering sector doesn't have as much imaginative appeal as internet companies, and its bargaining power is limited. Since that's the case, it's better to raise some money in Dongjiang and within the province."
Ge Mengshi nodded, thinking it made sense:
"The catering sector involves relatively fewer complexities, so it's fine to find individual investors and small investment firms."
Not until Chen Pingjiang left Ge Mengshi's office, and seeing that Chen Pingjiang hadn't noticed anything, did Ge Mengshi secretly let out a sigh of relief and gazed blankly at Chen Pingjiang's retreating back.
That evening, Chen Pingjiang hosted, calling together the President of Finance University, Ning Yongde, Dean of the School of Industrial Management, Kuang Minghong, Counselor Zhu Guangtong, as well as Song Chengyuan and Chu Zhongcheng, all for dinner.
The reason for organizing this gathering was partly to express gratitude for the school's care and consideration during the conflict on campus a while ago.
The other reason was to maintain connections, after all, when Renren.com was founded, everyone had provided a lot of help.
During the dinner, everyone drank freely.
No one looked at Chen Pingjiang with the eyes of a student anymore.
In fact, with his rising status and wealth, even Zhu Guangtong, the most junior among the attendees, was a bit overwhelmed.
He naturally knew that Chen Pingjiang was paving the way for him.
Kuang Minghong, flushed from drinking, repeatedly shook his head and exclaimed,
"Pingjiang, you are the most outstanding student I have ever mentored in my life. Because of you, when I now attend seminars and academic conferences outside the university, many people call me Chen Pingjiang's teacher, which gives me great honor."
Chen Pingjiang smiled and picked up his glass, then poured another drink for the old man:
"I should still thank Dean Kuang for his care and support for Renren.com and me back then. Without you back then, Renren.com might not have developed."
Facing Chen Pingjiang's humility, Kuang Minghong, with a good sense of self-awareness, waved his hand:
"It has nothing to do with me. Even if it wasn't Renren.com, if it were a project by students from another department, I would still help if I could. This is also a regulation made by our President Ning to allocate resources towards on-campus entrepreneurship projects.
Besides, we've supported many projects, but which one's development can compare to Renren.com? The key is still your own hard work and talent."
Kuang Minghong was also a shrewd person.
With one sentence, he praised both Chen Pingjiang and Ning Yongde, and yet it was impossible to refuse.
"I once told you, 'Today you are proud of Finance University, and someday Finance University will be proud of you.' I never thought it would become a reality."
During the dinner, no one mentioned Li Xiao'en and his group, because there was no need.
It could be said that as long as Chen Pingjiang doesn't break the law or violate regulations now, no one in Finance University would stop him from doing anything; they would even applaud him from behind.
Reality is often more real than fiction.
"To thank all the teachers for their earnest guidance and various assistance during the early days of Renren.com, I will personally donate ten million yuan to establish an innovation fund at my alma mater, hoping to play a positive role in fostering an innovative atmosphere at the school and further enhancing the enthusiasm of teachers and students for innovation and entrepreneurship."
Immediately, various words of gratitude overflowed.
These are the benefits and resources that renowned alumni can bring to a school.
If it were a university like Project 985, it might not matter much.
But as an ordinary second-tier university, it is foreseeable that in the future, it will be completely tied to Chen Pingjiang and will enjoy a series of benefits brought about by Chen Pingjiang's fame and achievements.
(End of Chapter)