"Sigh…"
Luo Ye quickened his pace to greet the man, extending his hand from afar. Even before their hands met, he greeted him enthusiastically, "Brother Li, you're here for a meal too?"
"Brother Luo!"
Boss Li also hurried his steps, showing no airs whatsoever, his face lit with a friendly smile. "What a coincidence! I just arranged to meet someone for a meal. Are you here treating someone as well?"
"Yes, treating two friends—real close ones."
Luo Ye deliberately lowered his voice toward the end, making sure only the two of them could hear, the implication in his words self-evident. Then, he warmly began introducing them. "Come, let me introduce you. This is He Dong, doing business in Huashenbei. We're from the same hometown—though a generation apart, we grew up playing together. His business is doing really well; in a year, he makes more than we do even if we work ourselves to the bone."
"This here… is Brother Li. Don't let his young age fool you—he's only nineteen this year, but he's incredibly capable. Those three machine tools in my new factory—you were just marveling over them yesterday, remember? He's the one who got them for me."
"And this is Xu Duo."
Luo Ye deliberately introduced Xu Duo by name alone, a clear sign of the importance he placed on her and her special status. As if suddenly remembering something, he added, "Brother Li, weren't you planning to upgrade your production capacity? You could try talking to Sister Xu!"
"Oh, and Sister Xu also buys waste products at high prices. She's a really generous person!" Luo Ye's final remark carried a deeper meaning. Whether the other party picked up on it wasn't his concern.
"My surname's Li, given name Yang—just one character."
Li Yang introduced himself politely, shaking hands with He Dong and Xu Duo in turn. He then said humbly, "I'm in the business of making phone screens—old-style ones. Just making a living. Actually, there are all kinds of connections between my business and Brother He's Huashenbei."
"Don't believe his modesty," Luo Ye chimed in from the side. "What do you mean, just making a living? He's a big boss!"
"If Boss Li's just scraping by, then the rest of us must be beggars on the street," He Dong joked, making everyone laugh in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
"Hahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
The group burst into hearty laughter together.
"Sister Xu, those machine tools you got for Brother Luo were amazing. They're like brand new, all top imported brands with top-notch quality."
Li Yang, having laughed, turned serious and regarded Xu Duo with more respect. "I'm actually looking to upgrade my capacity and maybe break into the LCD screen sector. You know how hot that market is right now—everyone's trying to get a slice of it. I've been late to the game, and now I've been begging everyone for help just to get a production line. Just in the past half month, between the end of last year and the beginning of this one, I've drunk at least 300 pound of liquor trying to build connections—I even ended up with a bleeding stomach—but still made no progress." As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Xu Duo.
"An LCD screen production line, huh?"
Xu Duo felt a wave of excitement but kept a composed expression, pretending to be unsure. "Boss Li, don't believe everything Brother Ye says. I'm not that capable. I just got lucky and met the right people—I'm really just a middleman making a small margin. As for the LCD screen production line, I can't say for sure yet. I'll have to ask around. Give me three days—no more than three. Leave me your number, and whether I have news or not, I'll give you a definite answer." She really wanted to close the deal but knew how difficult it could be.
"No need for thanks. Here's my business card—let's stay in touch!"
Li Yang handed over his card politely. If Xu Duo had claimed upfront she could definitely get the production line, he wouldn't have believed her and would've taken her for a braggart with no substance. But her cautious response actually made him trust her more. "By the way, I've got five old screen production lines. I was about to scrap them. If you've got time, come check them out. If they're still worth anything, you can handle them however you want. That would be doing me a big favor. The machines are a bit old, but they still run fine." He figured he might as well hand them off—he was planning to get rid of them anyway.
"No problem. If they're worth recovering, I'll give you a better price than anyone else. If not, we'll just treat them as scrap."
Xu Duo's tone warmed up a lot. If she could take back the old lines, refurbish and upgrade them, wouldn't that become a new LCD screen production line? She was already formulating a plan. The only question was whether these old lines could actually be upgraded into LCD screen production lines.
"I say let's not wait—come by tomorrow. I'll be waiting at the company!"
"Alright!"
Xu Duo agreed without hesitation.
"Well then, time's about up—my guests should be arriving soon. I'll go greet them."
Since Li Yang was expecting important guests, he didn't suggest sharing a table. Instead, he turned to Luo Ye and said, "Brother Luo, don't fight me over the bill this time. This meal is on me. Otherwise, pretend you don't know me—we'll leave it at that."
"Come on, Brother Li, I'm the one hosting this thank-you dinner. If you steal the bill, how am I supposed to show my gratitude to my friends?"
Luo Ye firmly refused. After all, he had invited them first. "We'll owe you this one. Once Sister Xu helps you get that LCD production line, you can treat us then—I promise I won't fight you for it."
"Great, that's the spirit! Whether it works out or not, we're friends now. This meal's on me!"
Li Yang had a knack for social finesse. After all, it was just a meal. No big deal.
…
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。