Qin Hanguan snapped his fingers crisply and decisively in Zheng Yu'an's brow, impatiently saying, "What are you daydreaming about?"
Zheng Yu'an, a cigarette between his fingers, glanced at his superior, slowly exhaling a smoke ring. He pressed his thumb to his temple and asked, "Have you decided on the interest rate?"
Qin Hanguan: "Such a large amount needs to be confirmed by the branch. I've already reported it."
The sub-branch is responsible for business, and the branch is responsible for decision-making. This is the general workflow of banks. Qin Hanguan's willingness to report indicated that JZ Bank could meet WE GO's requirements. There was no reason to let such lucrative business go to outsiders, especially after so many years of cooperation.
"We still need to meet this week to discuss it," Qin Hanguan said, extinguishing his cigarette. "I'll go this time too."
Zheng Yu'an's attitude was indifferent. Mainly because the last meeting hadn't yielded anything substantial. After he finished the cigarette that Yan Shuwang had offered him in the lounge, he returned to find that Zhang Jin and Luo Yan were gone, leaving only him and Yan Shuwang.
The man's face, hair, the scent of his cigarette, his voice like fine wine, and the way his gaze always seemed to fall on him afterward.
"What are you reminiscing about?" Qin Hanguan frowned. "Found a good woman?"
Zheng Yu'an's eyebrow twitched. He glanced at Qin Hanguan, annoyed, and said, "I'm not like you, with no morals in either my lower body or my mouth."
Qin Hanguan pointed at him. "Show some respect. I'm your superior." After a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "What did you think of Yan Shuwang?"
Zheng Yu'an smoked his cigarette without betraying any emotion. "What 'what did I think'?"
Qin Hanguan: "Don't play dumb. How good-looking is that man?"
Zheng Yu'an seemed to be forced to recall, before saying, "There's a term in anime."
Qin Hanguan: "?"
Zheng Yu'an: "Pop out man."
Note: 撕漫男 (mànsīnán) - Pop out man.
Qin Hanguan: "What the heck is that?"
Zheng Yu'an stubbed out his cigarette in the trash can, and said lightly, "It's a man who walked out of a comic book. He doesn't seem real."
In the days following the WE GO meeting, Zhang Jin was the one who contacted him. He had Zheng Yu'an's direct office line and often called to bother him, half the time discussing work, and the other half chatting about other things.
"Is your interest rate almost settled?" Zhang Jin asked.
Zheng Yu'an leaned back in his office chair, relaxing, and reached for his cigarette case. "We're offering maximum sincerity, brother. We're giving you whatever you want. Should we consider you for equity and debt as well?"
Banks also invest in high-quality companies, similar to venture capital, but this depends on the company's attitude. If they don't want their equity diluted too much, companies hesitate.
"That's not my call," Zhang Jin said honestly. "You have to ask our Director Yan."
When Yan Shuwang was mentioned, Zheng Yu'an was strangely silent for a few seconds, but Zhang Jin didn't notice, and kept emphasizing "Director Yan," "Director Yan."
"Don't be nervous, brother," Zheng Yu'an said, cigarette in his mouth. He smiled. "We're having dinner this week. What kind of wine does CFO Yan drink?"
Zhang Jin laughed and scolded, "How wild is your drinking capacity, kid?"
Zheng Yu'an didn't light the cigarette. He gently touched the cigarette butt with his tongue, flicking the cigarette up and down between his lips, smiling casually. "We'll find out when we try."
Since the dinner was already set, they would definitely choose something Yan Shuwang liked.
There were many high-end restaurants in the park, costing from 600 or 700 to 1,000 or 2,000 yuan per person. An Dai had recommended a few to him. Zheng Yu'an picked and chose, finally selecting one that specialized in Fujian cuisine.
Qin Hanguan didn't have such sophisticated taste. When he arrived at the restaurant in Zheng Yu'an's car, he only thought the decor was nice, with almost entirely white private rooms. At the entrance, there was a 3D welcoming pine tree, surrounded by artificial scenery. The rockery and pond looked expensive.
Zheng Yu'an had just finished selecting the dishes when Yan Shuwang and his team arrived.
Zhang Jin and Luo Yan didn't have too many inhibitions after getting off work. Luo Yan had clearly touched up her makeup, with red lips and seductive eyes. She called out, "Little Zheng," and they gave the best seats to Yan Shuwang. Zheng Yu'an noticed that the latter wasn't wearing a suit for once.
He didn't let the server take the menu away, but instead handed it to Yan Shuwang, smiling and asking, "Does CFO Yan want to choose some more?"
Yan Shuwang glanced at him, but didn't take it. "Whatever Mr. Zheng decides is fine."
Zheng Yu'an added a few cold dishes, telling the server to open the wine first.
Qin Hanguan and Zheng Yu'an both had high tolerances, especially Zheng Yu'an. As long as he didn't mix drinks, he never left any wine in his glass. He always finished it. After three glasses of Mengzhilan, Zhang Jin's legs were already a little weak.
"We haven't even eaten yet," Zhang Jin conceded. "Let's not go so hard right away! Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health!"
With Zheng Yu'an taking the lead, Qin Hanguan only needed to liven things up from behind. Since he was sitting next to Yan Shuwang, he had to drink with him, so he took the initiative to raise his glass, wanting to toast Yan Shuwang.
"Director Yan," Qin Hanguan looked a bit like a rogue. "Happy cooperation."
Yan Shuwang gave him face and took a sip. Qin Hanguan wanted to offer him a cigarette, but Yan Shuwang refused.
"I don't smoke Nanjing," he said.
Qin Hanguan's specially opened pack of Supreme 95 cigarettes was treated coldly. He didn't mind, laughing and taking one for himself.
Zheng Yu'an subconsciously got up to light his superior's cigarette. After Qin Hanguan was smoking, he took out his own cigarette case, shook out a cigarette, handed it to Yan Shuwang, and said with a smile, "Director Yan, try mine."
This time, Yan Shuwang didn't refuse. He reached out, his fingertips like slender, white jade.
Even Zheng Yu'an sometimes felt that Nuwa, the Chinese goddess of creation, wasn't fair when creating people. Not only did she give him such a face, but even his fingernails were perfectly shaped.
Zheng Yu'an's seat was separated from Yan Shuwang by Qin Hanguan, making it easy to hand over the cigarette, but not so easy to light it. Yan Shuwang held the cigarette in his fingers, but didn't move, only looking at him quietly.
Qin Hanguan laughed heartily. "Let me light Director Yan's cigarette."
Yan Shuwang didn't say anything, tilting his head and putting the cigarette in his mouth.
Qin Hanguan helped him light the cigarette, and Yan Shuwang slowly took a puff.
He picked up his wine glass, calling Zheng Yu'an "Little Zheng," like Luo Yan, and said, "I'll toast you."
Zheng Yu'an was flattered, and naturally poured the entire glass into his mouth. Turning back, he saw that Yan Shuwang had also finished his drink. Zhang Jin refilled his glass.
"Little Zheng has a lot of face," Zhang Jin said with a smile. "Our Director Yan is toasting with you."
Zheng Yu'an appreciated his kindness, and picked up his glass again, saying, "Then shouldn't I drink two glasses?"
Qin Hanguan was really afraid that he would get drunk, and advised, "Take it easy."
Zheng Yu'an still drank the wine, his expression unchanged, and said, "It's fine."
The dishes were served one by one. One of them, a seafood rice soup, was a personal favorite of Zheng Yu'an's. The server poured soy milk into the seafood pot. The edge of the pot was very hot, sizzling, and soon it turned milky white, with a rich, fresh aroma.
Qin Hanguan was still discussing business with Yan Shuwang. Yan Shuwang didn't say much. When he listened to people, he would focus on their eyes, a cigarette between his fingers, only taking a puff occasionally.
Although Qin Hanguan talked a lot, he wasn't annoying. After he finished talking about business, he mixed in other things, which was quite interesting to listen to.
The server brought serving spoons and bowls. Zheng Yu'an took them, saying softly, "I'll do it."
He divided the porridge for everyone, pushing the Lazy Susan to each person. Luo Yan took a sip and sighed, "Little Zheng is so considerate."
Qin Hanguan laughed. "Our Zheng started from the counter, so his service level is top-notch."
Yan Shuwang looked at him. Zheng Yu'an made a "please" gesture, saying, "Director Yan, try it."
Yan Shuwang really took a sip.
He gave him so much face, making Zheng Yu'an very nervous. Even Qin Hanguan's expression became playful, casually asking, "Did Director Yan know our Little Zheng before?"
Yan Shuwang only smiled, not explaining specifically.
Once beauty becomes excessive, doing things and speaking seem to have a soft-focus filter applied. Yan Shuwang was even more like a high-magnification, slow-frame movie poster. No one else dared to ask him for anything more, afraid of upsetting the beauty.
They had eaten their food and drunk their wine. The first to fall was naturally Zhang Jin. He couldn't even walk straight, leaning on Zheng Yu'an's shoulder and complaining, "You kid really has a wild drinking capacity!"
Zheng Yu'an's face didn't turn red when he drank. His expression hadn't even changed. He helped Zhang Jin call a driver, and helped him into the back seat. "Get some rest, brother. We'll drink again next time."
Zhang Jin only had the strength to wave his hand, afraid that he would throw up if he spoke again.
Luo Yan hadn't drunk, and was preparing to drive herself home. Zheng Yu'an gave her a few instructions before returning to the entrance of the restaurant. Qin Hanguan was leaning against the wall, smoking, and raised an eyebrow when he saw him.
"Sent them all off?" he asked.
Zheng Yu'an nodded. "I called a driver for you too."
Qin Hanguan sized up his face. "You really have a bottomless stomach for alcohol."
Zheng Yu'an smiled. "Actually, I drank a lot, but I can handle it."
Qin Hanguan didn't seem to believe him, and went downstairs to wait for his car alone.
Because the restaurant was built in a building, the restrooms were outside. Zheng Yu'an cupped his hands and splashed water on his face, leaning on the counter with his eyes closed, shaking his head.
He really wasn't being modest to Qin Hanguan just now. He really had drunk too much today.
His breath was full of the aroma of white wine. Zheng Yu'an unbuttoned his collar, and bent over to scoop up water again. When he raised his head again, he suddenly noticed another person in the mirror.
Yan Shuwang had a cigarette in his mouth, looking at him in the mirror.
Zheng Yu'an woke up a bit, subconsciously showing a smile, nodding and asking, "Director Yan, haven't you left yet?"
"Pissing," Yan Shuwang held the cigarette in his hand. He used a blunt and crude word, his eyes fixed on Zheng Yu'an's face. "Drank too much?"
Zheng Yu'an hesitated. He didn't want to reveal the extent of his drinking capacity to his business partner, but he instinctively couldn't lie to Yan Shuwang, so he could only ambiguously hum "yes."
Yan Shuwang lowered his head and lit his cigarette.
His hair was very long. When he lit the cigarette, the ends of his tied-up hair would slide down to the front of his shoulders, and then he would brush them back behind his neck.
Zheng Yu'an's gaze was unconsciously drawn to him. Among the girlfriends he had dated, there were also those with hair about this long, but even when doing the same action, Yan Shuwang didn't seem feminine at all.
"What are you looking at?" Yan Shuwang raised his eyes. He didn't have Zheng Yu'an's obvious double eyelids, but slender, upturned eyes, beautiful like a demon in a Liaozhai story, dedicated to sucking the yang qi of scholars.
Notes:
Liaozhai (聊斋) refers to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural stories published in 1740.
Yang qi (阳气) refers to positive energy or vital force in traditional Chinese medicine.
Feeling that he had been rude, Zheng Yu'an said softly, "Sorry."
Yan Shuwang didn't ask him what he was apologizing for, but suddenly took a few steps closer, leaning in.
Even if Zheng Yu'an was slow to react because he was drunk, he wasn't completely unable to move. He supported himself on the sink with one hand, and pressed on Yan Shuwang's shoulder with the other, but the other's strength was greater than he expected.
Zheng Yu'an closed his eyes as if possessed. Yan Shuwang chuckled in his ear. "What did Mr. Zheng think I was going to do?"
Zheng Yu'an: "?"
Yan Shuwang reached out with his long arm, pulling out a tissue from the opening at the bottom of the vanity mirror.
Zheng Yu'an: "..."
Yan Shuwang seemed to find it very interesting. He laughed again, turning his head and handing the tissue to Zheng Yu'an, saying, "Wipe your face, sober up."