Nan Chen coolly said, “Of course I went there to deal with the project that was suspended.”
“You settled it by yourself?” Nan Zhengde eyed Nan Chen as he queried.
“Yes. It is such a big matter, so I had to deal with it myself,” Nan Chen insisted.
“And?”
“It is in the process of resuming to its normal operations.” Nan Chen answered his question calmly.
Suddenly, Nan Zhengde laughed.
“Grandpa, you don’t believe me?” Nan Chen raised his brows.
“No, I believe you.” Nan Zhengde assured while waving his hands.
“If anyone were to tell me this, I would not believe them. However, since you are the one telling me this, is there any reason for me to doubt it?”
Touched, Nan Chen exclaimed, “Thank you for having so much faith in me, Grandpa.”
“I believe you because you are Nan Chen, not because I am your grandpa. When you came back today out of the blue, you still came down to see Ouyang Duo after you knew he was here. I was sure that you have thought of a way to settle it. However, I did not expect you to have done everything by yourself!” Nan Zhengde happily commented.
“Is that why you insisted on giving away only thirty percent of the profits if our company and Ouyang Duo’s works together? You knew that he would never agree to take such a small cut, and by saying all that, it is a hint that you are not willing to corporate with his company.
“Yes.” Nan Zhengde nodded.
“Grandpa, you have so much faith in me. Aren’t you afraid that I would mess this up?” Nan Chen was curious.
Nan Zhengde explained, “I was worried for a brief period. Then, I realized that you must have come up with a solution, judging by your attitude. Besides, even if we did not have a solution, I would never agree to give away half of our profits to Ouyang Duo.”
“Yes, I thought so too. He is basically looting, trying to take advantage of our weakness. I can never let someone like him bully me!” Nan Chen affirmed.
“I guess we always share the same sentiments, and this is why I trust you. The thing is, how did you solve the entire issue?” Nan Zhengde asked curiously.
“Ouyang Duo was confident only because he had the support of a high-ranking official, Mr. Huang, in Vietnam. With such strong backing, it was why his transactions always went so smoothly. However, Mr. Huang was not even ranked among the top five officials. Given so, I figured that I had to find someone who is more powerful than that Mr. Huang,” Nan Chen explained.
Elated, Nan Zhengde could not wait for him to finish and clapped. “Yes!” This is a great idea!
“Although it was a financial problem, the main factor that impacts the direction of this project is authority. Chen, you saw the problem but did not stick to just analyzing it from the financial perspective; instead, you thought from a different angle to find a solution. What a genius! Please continue!”
Nan Chen continued, “The reason for leading this Vietnam project was because I have done my research and investigation. During that process, I contacted a few high-ranking officials involved in Vietnam’s political scene. Among them, I was in contact with the Vice President quite often. Coincidentally, we were schoolmates. He used to be the director of one of the top three investment banks in the world, and he is a talented and visionary man. Years later, he pursued a career in politics. After a few years of hard work, he finally became the Vice President.”
From there, Nan Zhengde understood what Nan Chen implied. “Did you manage to find him?”
“Yes, I was lucky. Since the Vice President was in one of the provinces, I pulled some strings to meet him. He still remembers me, so he allocated ten minutes for our meeting. We had a few exchanges of ideas on the Vietnam project, and I told him that this project would positively influence Vietnam if it were completed. Then, I also told him the negative impact involved it if doesn’t work out.”
He sighed, “Due to the limited time we had, we could not finish our meeting, so I went back to Vietnam with him to continue our discussion. The Vice President had a financial background and was especially good at macroeconomics. He had a better understanding of finance than most experts and is probably the most knowledgeable about financial markets amongst all the other politicians. After I promised to support him in the next elections, he expressed that he would also do his best to help our project. With the Vice President’s support, Mr. Huang can only follow his orders.”
Nan Zhengde clapped and cheered, “This is brilliant! You have a clear direction and strategy, and the method is suitable…”
“Alright, Grandpa. I was just lucky that I know someone like him. Besides, thankfully he still remembers me because it helps to make things proceed smoothly. You don’t have to keep praising me,” Nan Chen stated humbly.
“No, this is a perfect solution! I love it! This is your first confrontation with Ouyang Duo, and you managed to beat him. That shows how capable you are!” Nan Zhengde praised.
“See, Grandpa, you are praising me again, but I was simply lucky. Oh, it’s getting late. I think you should get some rest instead of continuing with your writing.” Nan Chen looked at the clock.
Yawning, Nan Zhengde agreed, “Yes, I should head to bed. I can finally sleep in peace now. As I said, I have good judgement of people, and I know you can lead our company through any crisis.”
On the way home, Ouyang Duo was still infuriated.
“Qing is ridiculous! How can she do such things to embarrass our family? I can’t even face them anymore!” he shouted.
Immediately, Feng Jialing explained, “Perhaps, it did not happen like that. The two children may be slandering Qing on purpose!”
“Children don’t lie. The girl’s tone and attitude were just like Qing’s, so I don’t think it’s a lie. That was really shameful!” Ouyang Duo was furious.
“How is that something to be ashamed about? My daughter even went to the police station trying to protect those children. Yet, they dared to ridicule us. They are such bullies!” Feng Jialing was just as angry as Ouyang Duo.
However, while she blamed the Nan family, Ouyang Duo thought Ouyang Qing played a part too.
“Whatever, you should stick to teaching our daughter well. If it does not work out, I want her to come home in case she embarrasses us outside.” Ouyang Duo commanded.
“What are you trying to say? Is she not your daughter? What did she do wrong? She graduated from a top school and always scored straight ‘A’s, and you used to always praised her. And now, you despise your daughter just because of two children? Do you think she is an embarrassment? Whose side are you even on? In hindsight, even if our daughter was lacking, she is more than a good match for Nan Chen. Aren’t you holding onto the Nan family’s weakness? If they continue to reject you, then you should not cooperate with them and let them end up in the rut,” Feng Jialing ranted.
She spoke confidently because she knew that her husband had dirt on the Nan family.
Ouyang Duo complained, “You know what, that old man in Nan family even proposed to give us only a thirty percent cut. Otherwise, he will not cooperate.”
“Seventy-thirty? I thought it was an equal split?” Feng Jialing questioned.
“That’s why I think that old man is crazy. He must be getting old and senile,” Ouyang Duo huffed.
