In the previous chapter, I translate Liang Deyou's illness as second stage illness but after I recheck back in this chapter, I realize it actually was chuunibyou, I'm sorry. I've corrected the previous chapter. Enjoy this chapter （‐＾▽＾‐）.
Chapter 24: The little expert in digging pits.
In the evening, the three of them discussed how they were going to deal with tomorrow's bidding without offending the local company. After the discussion, they retired for the night.
When Lu Chengyu came out of Yan Mu's room, Chen Jin and Liang Deyou were no longer in the corridor. Even if they were, those two people probably wouldn't want to see him that much either. It was better for the two sides to not meet often since they were both tired of each other.
Early the next morning, Lu Chengyu and the other two went downstairs to the restaurant for breakfast. At the buffet, Lu Chengyu realized that Liang Deyou was standing beside him. He laughed and whispered, "Mr. Liang is here to partic.i.p.ate in the bidding this time?"
Liang Deyou sneered and did not look at Lu Chengyu: “Why? You don't dare to fight with us Liang Shi[1]?”
[1]氏 [shì]: clan name
"Mr. Liang doesn't know that my current employer is Huading International, the Huading that is well-known in the industry?" He took two steamed dumplings on the tray and sighed slightly, "Although Liang is rapidly developing these recent years, it is still far behind our Huading. With Huading here, Mr. Liang, you are doomed to run for nothing."
“What, Huading?” Liang Deyou sneered, “The company, whose share prices had fallen to the lowest level in the stock market some time ago, have the nerve to compare with us Liang Shi?"
"Huading is a big family that has been handed down for many years. As the saying goes: 'a lean camel is bigger than a horse'," Lu Chengyu put down the tongs and glanced at Liang Deyou, flashing him a smile. "Mr. Liang probably has little contact with the upper circle of Beijing and doesn't know what it values. Yan Jia[2] is not comparable to some enterprises that have made a fortune in a short period of time.”
[2] 家 [jiā]: family; household; home; a person or family
Lu Chengyu's sentences were enough to dig at Liang Deyou's heart. Although the Liang family had made a lot of money in recent years, it had not officially entered the upper circle of Beijing. On the basis of fame, it was not as good as Huading's Yan Jia. For this kind of thing, it was okay if not said out loud, but once someone does, it simply made Liang Shi lose face.
He gritted his teeth and sneered, "I want you to see which is stronger in the end: a dying camel or a galloping horse."
"Oh, I'll rub my eyes and wait[3], but it's better for Mr. Liang to not be too confident." Lu Chengyu smiled at Liang Deyou, gracefully striding to the side for the milk. As for Liang Deyou's face, what did it have to do with him?
[3] 拭目以待 [shìmùyǐdài]: lit. to rub one's eyes and wait (idiom); to wait and see; keep your eyes open and wait for the eager expectations or close attention to the movements and outcomes of the situation.
Yan Mu was looking at them in a happy face, he hope to get married with Chengyu soon
Not far away, Cao Jingshen pushed up his gla.s.ses, looking sympathetically at the Liang Deyou who was rushing out of the breakfast hall in anger. He walked to Lu Chengyu and asked, “Hey, what did you say to that young master to make him look like that?”
“I told him a story about a camel and a horse. He didn't like camels and went off angrily. Who knew he had such a small stomach [4]?” Lu Chengyu put a gla.s.s of milk on Cao Jingshen's tray and smile brightly at him, “A gla.s.s of milk in the morning is good for your health.”
[4] small stomach: low tolerance; narrow-minded and relatively stingy.
Looking at the milk on his tray, Cao Jingshen raised his eyebrows. The more he got to know Lu Chengyu, the more he felt that this person was not all graceful or elegant. A sharp-tongue, mean-minded expert in pitting people is who Lu Chengyu really was.
Yan Mu, who had already picked his breakfast, sat at the table waiting for Lu Chengyu and Cao Jingshen. After they sat down, he asked in a low voice, “What's wrong?”
"Just digging pits and waiting for someone to jump in," Lu Chengyu said in a low voice as he looked around. "That Liang young master has such a wonderful personality. If I don't dig a little pit for him, I'll feel sorry for my conscience."
Cao Jingshen looked at him suspiciously. A thing like a conscience, did Lu Chengyu really have it?
Yan Mu nodded and didn't comment on Lu Chengyu's behaviour. But, after a while, he suddenly said, “Liang is our rival in the industry. If Liang's successor keeps doing this, sooner or later, he will waste all of his father's efforts.”
Lu Chengyu, while drinking milk, did not speak. He didn't know much about Liang's family in his previous life but vaguely remembered that Liang Deyou took over after a few years. At that time, Liang Deyou's temperament was much calmer than it is now. Although his EQ was not high, his IQ obviously increased throughout the years.
Liang Deyou might experience something in the future that would temper his att.i.tude. Otherwise, with his current manners, he would kill himself even before Huading lifted a finger.
Cao Jingshen suddenly whispered, “Although the economy here is not very developed, the hotel's grade is not low.”
“Ordinary people can't afford to spend money, but there are always people willing to spend money that is not their own,” Yan Mu tone was somewhat complicated. “Sometimes, the direction is determined as good, but if someone decides to abandon that direction, the result can only be lost."
Lu Chengyu and Cao Jingshen both knew what Yan Mu was alluding at. At the thought of Yan Mu's mother's family background, they both exchanged glances and led the topic elsewhere. There were things that they couldn't afford to hear and couldn't afford to interfere with.
Yan Mu didn't seem to want to continue this topic. He drank a mouthful of milk and began to eat what was on the plate. Halfway through the meal, he observed that Lu Chengyu liked to eat Luo Hanguo fruit, so he gave him the Luo Hanguo on his plate and continued to eat silently.
Luo Hanguo
Noticing his movements, Cao Jingshen looked at Lu Chengyu, who was sitting beside him. When he saw that Lu Chengyu naturally said thanks to Yan Mu, Cao Jingshen quietly took back his sight.
Jingshen already know his boss has fallen in love with Chengyu and buried his feelings
M County's bidding venue was about 20 minutes away from the hotel. Because there weren't as many vehicles on the road compared to Beijing, leading to no traffic jam, Lu Chengyu and the others arrived a little earlier than expected.
The reception staff saw the company brand hanging on their chest. Realizing that they belonged to a big company in Beijing, they eagerly and enthusiastically arranged them for them the front seats.
Lu Chengyu looked around the luxurious and s.p.a.cious venue as he sat down with Cao Jingshen on his right and Yan Mu on his left. He put his notebook on the table and plugged in his wireless Wifi adapter, waiting for the bidding to begin.
After a few moments, the bosses of both large and small companies arrived; it seemed like the market interest of M County attracted many people. Listening to the noise around him, he whispered in Yan Mu's ear, “Boss, the boss of Shengrong Company in S County also came.”
Yan Mu raised his head and saw Shengrong Company's boss, Sheng Shaoyuan, walking toward him with a beaming smile on his face. In response, he stood up and shook hands with the other party. After saying a few words, they both sat down politely. There was nothing to indicate that they were both compet.i.tors at all.
Sheng Shaoyuan actually in love with Jingshen although he knew he has no money.
Sheng Shaoyuan was not a simple person. From the polite conversation, Lu Chengyu had heard just now, Sheng Shaoyuan seemed to be implying that the investment in M County was just a pa.s.sing event. Was this a demonstration of his position, or was this person aware of the hidden risks that came with bidding in M County?
He turned to look at Yan Mu and found that the man wasn't at all surprised by his opponent's behaviour. He even vaguely felt that Yan Mu knew why Sheng Shaoyuan would say such words.
M County was selling a lot of land in this bidding compet.i.tion. As an opener, they began by selling the land that didn't have much development value. Yan Mu and Shengrong's boss bought a small piece of land that wasn't worth much. Then, they no longer actively bid, as if they are waiting to get the last big heads: the two pieces of land in the North District.
After more than an hour of bidding, it finally time for today's highlight. The bidding of Land A in the North District was first. The three largest real estate companies present and two other companies that joined together became the main bidders.
Shengrong was the first company to give up, followed by the two cooperating companies.
Only Yan Mu did not seem to take Liang Deyou in his eyes from beginning to end. Every time Liang Deyou called out a price, he would add another 100,000 yuan to it.
Liang Deyou flushed with anger at Yan Mu's behaviour. He bit his teeth and continued to raise the price. Then he looked at Yan Mu, wanting to see how the president of Huading would bid.
Chen Jin looked at Liang Deyou in embarra.s.sment. This price had already exceeded the company's fixed base price. Land A in the North District had soft soil, which required a great investment in development, and was abandoned by a few bidders.
Although this place would be developed in the future, the price was enough to buy the same area of land in third-tier cities, not to mention the cost of demolition and construction in the later period. To estimate, it would cost a lot of money. M County was a remote and spa.r.s.ely populated county. How could it be worth this price?
Yan Mu seemed to be aware of Liang Deyou's vision. His mouth hooked up to an imperceptible smile, and he stopped bidding.
Land A's site finally belonged to the Liang family. Sheng Shaoyuan applauded slowly and said to the Secretary beside him, “Huading's boss' hand is very poisonous. Young master Liang is still too tender. Sooner or later, he will be killed by Mr. Yan.”
The Secretary wondered, “Isn't Mr. Yan really trying to buy this land?"
“Don't look at this person's decent and serious appearance,” Sheng Shaoyuan scratched his chin with his clean and slender forefinger. “That's a wolf-dog that can't bark but bites hard.”
The secretary was silent for a while, “I don't think Mr Yan would like your metaphor very much.”
“I like it, and he can't hear it anyway,” Sheng Shaoyuan glanced at the secretary. “I'm sure you won't say it, will you? “
The Secretary frowned. “Boss, did you say something just now?” [T/N: Good secretary will wipe their memory according to boss's instructions…]
Then, they looked at each other and laughed. Loud and continuous applause sounded for Liang's success in buying Land A, which was really a great joy to celebrate.
Read this at Shunraikitranslation, I use my tear, sweat and blood translating for free.
When Liang Deyou successfully won the bidding of Land A's site, he looked in Lu Chengyu's direction and found that the latter was clapping at him with a smiling face. He couldn't see the slightest bit of annoyance. As if a fly had entered his throat, Liang Deyou felt uncomfortable to the point of wanting to vomit. Even his sense of achievement began to drop sharply.
The remaining Land B was taken by two other real estate companies. In the midst of all the excitement, the bidding meeting ended satisfactorily.
Organizers prepared a hearty buffet lunch for investors at the hotel. Lu Chengyu looked at expensive fruit and luxury dinner, and remember a few words from the great poet Du Fu, a poem mocking Zhu Menfujia[4], and then excitedly chose what he liked to eat.
[4] I forgot where I read about this poem, but from what I understand, the poem reveals the social reality of the disparity between the rich and the poor.
“Before, our side had investigated Liang Shi's bottom price, and it doesn't seem to be this high,” Cao Jingshen said while clipping the two lobster b.a.l.l.s to his plate. He continued to speak to the Lu Chengyu beside him, “Is there some problem with this?”
"Didn't you say that he has eighth-grader syndrome[5]?" Lu Chengyu put some scallops on his plate. "It's not the bottom price that has a problem but the young master's brain."
[5] eighth-grader syndrome: or known as chuunibyou, j.a.panese colloquial term, typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur, who so desperately want to stand out that they have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunibyo
Cao Jingshen looked at Lu Chengyu suspiciously. If no one stimulated Liang Deyou's syndrome, it wouldn't have been so severe. Just who was it that made the young master lose his reason?
As if he hadn't seen Cao Jingshen's suspecting eyes, Lu Chengyu tasted the scallops and frowned. “If you want to eat aquatic products, it's better to go to the Linhai area.”
Cao Jingshen, “Ha ha.”
Lu Chengyu turned to look at him, raised his chin, and motioned him to look to the left, “Boss is coming.”
Cao Jingshen knew that Chengyu was not going to explain it to him for the time being, so he said, “I saw it. Do you need me to thank you for your reminder?”
“You're welcome,” Lu Chengyu said, smiling. “I've always been a warm young man.”