Chapter 334: How slick is Mr. Lu's rogue ways
Lu Chengwen shouted angrily, "Why did you barge into my office!?"
Qi Meishao turned around. "I was wondering why you've been avoiding me lately. Turns out, you've been messing around with women!"
Chen Mengyun was stunned. "What does she mean by that?"
Lu Chengwen quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand! She has nothing to do with me, I swear."
Then, glaring at Qi Meishao, he demanded angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about!?"
Qi Meishao said coldly, "Let me ask you: when is the amusement park project going to start!?"
Lu Chengwen replied, "Go ask the engineering department! Why are you asking me? I don't personally oversee every single project!"
"This is a major project! How can you not personally oversee it and just hand it off to others!?"
"I even handed off the shantytown project to others!"
"They've been stalling me! I've been here for several days, and all they do is fiddle with all kinds of documents. Nobody has mentioned actually breaking ground!"
"That's just how the preliminary work is! How can you start construction without clarifying the situation? Do you know whether the terrain is flat or uneven? How tall can buildings be constructed based on the geology? Should soil be added to fill in, or should ditches be dug deep? Where will the amusement park go, and where will the shopping center be located? If you don't figure all that out, how can you begin construction?"
"But everything keeps going back and forth! Today, they say it's fine, and tomorrow, they say it's not. They're playing word games with me! I'm there every day, printing and reviewing materials… not accomplishing anything meaningful!"
"That's just how the early stages are. You don't understand because you've never done business before."
"That's nonsense! I asked people about it, and you're deliberately delaying!"
"Wow, listening to you talk, it sounds like I don't even like making money."
"Give me a straight answer! When will the construction start!?"
"How can I give you one? I don't know much about this project. You'll have to ask the engineering department."
"They've been stalling me the whole time!"
"How exactly are they stalling you?"
Qi Meishao widened her eyes, thinking, Do I really need to explain it all over again!?
"Lu Chengwen! You're doing this on purpose!"
Lu Chengwen pulled out a cigar, lit it with a grin, and said, "Of course not."
"If not, then get started with the construction! At the very least, the foundations should already be underway."
"You should talk to the engineering department about that!"
"Stop passing the buck, Lu Chengwen! They listen to you, and you need to give the order for this to happen!"
"Actually, a lot of the time, I have to listen to them."
"You're lying!"
"I'm not."
"You… Are you planning to renege on the deal?"
Looking at her, Lu Chengwen thought, This girl is adorably foolish.
You already know I'm planning to back out, and yet you come here to argue with me. Do you think you can win?
Normally, I might humor you and pretend to care. But when it comes to money, the entire Dasheng Group listens to me!
Start construction? I'll start with that thick skull of yours!
Qi Meishao, furious, suddenly rushed forward. Grabbing Lu Chengwen's arm, she twisted it and used her other hand to grab him by the throat. "Say it! Are you going to do it or not!?"
Lu Chengwen panicked. "Calm down! Calm down!"
Qi Meishao snapped, "If you keep stalling, I'll kill you!"
Chen Mengyun was horrified. "Don't do anything crazy!"
Lu Chengwen laughed. "Calm down. How about this? If you do what you did last time, I'll immediately order them to start construction."
"What are you talking about!?"
"You know what I mean."
"In your dreams!"
"Then just strangle me to death."
"You… Don't think I won't dare!"
"I'm betting you won't."
Qi Meishao was livid. "Call them! Right now!"
"do as i say, or I'm not calling."
"You… you… you're a pervert!"
"Yep. By now, you should know that about me."
Qi Meishao had no choice. Finally, she said, "Do you promise to keep your word?"
"Of course."
Qi Meishao let go of him, humiliated, and once again… let him have his way.
Lu Chengwen, holding the prized item in his hand, grinned. "This is nice."
"Make the call! Or I'll kill you!"
Lu Chengwen picked up the phone and dialed the engineering department.
"Mr. Lu."
"Amusement park project. Start construction."
"Yes, sir."
Lu Chengwen hung up the phone and smiled at Qi Meishao.
Qi Meishao was stunned. "That's it?"
"What else?"
"Just one sentence, and it's done? Why didn't you make the call earlier? Why did I have to barge in and beat you up to make you do it!?"
Lu Chengwen waved the trophy in his hand. "If I called them directly, would I have gotten this good stuff?"
"You… you're shameless!"
"Yep, I'm scum, trash, a pervert, a lecher… In short, I'm a horrible person. Take care, and don't let the door hit you on the way out."
…
Three days later.
Qi Meishao was about to explode with anger.
The massive construction site was fenced off.
But!
At the site, there were only three old men, each carrying a shovel and pretending to work.
After each of them dug a single shovelful of dirt, they'd stop to smoke and chat.
Old Man A: "How many lifetimes will it take us three to finish this job?"
Old Man B: "Don't even think about it. We three definitely won't finish it. When I die, my son will take over. With this job, I think my family won't need to look for work for the next dozen generations."
Old Man C: "When I first took on this job, I was skeptical. But now…"
He looked around: "Hey, let's play for a while, huh?"
Old Man A and Old Man B said in unison, "Alright!"
Then, the three old men started playing Dou Di Zhu (a Chinese card game).
Qi Meishao called Xu Xuejiao, but her assistant answered again. As soon as she asked, she was told Xu Xuejiao was swamped and had no time.
Qi Meishao, furious, stormed into Lu Chengwen's office, grabbed a sword, and took him hostage to the construction site.
Lu Chengwen got out of the car, and Qi Meishao gave him a hard kick on the butt, sending him sprawling to the ground, both hands in the dirt.
"Look! Look! Take a good look for yourself!"
Lu Chengwen took a glance: "Oh wow, this plot of land is actually quite big!"
Qi Meishao roared, "I'm telling you to look at the people!"
Lu Chengwen nodded, walked over, and said, "Old Zhang! Old Li! Old Liu!"
The three old men immediately came over.
They were all very excited.
Old Zhang: "Ah, the kind and benevolent President Lu is here!"
Old Li: "President Lu! On behalf of my descendants, thank you! Don't worry about the job; leave it to us. We'll stretch it out. I believe that for the next hundred years, this plot of land won't see any changes!"
Old Liu: "President Lu! How about we bring you some local specialties for the New Year? I've never had such an easy job in my life!"
Lu Chengwen smiled warmly, "Haha, no need, no need. Don't overwork yourselves. The project isn't important; your health is what matters most!"
Old Zhang: "We won't get tired. I've actually gained weight recently!"
Old Li: "Each of us digs just ten shovels of dirt a day. We won't move an extra one!"
Old Liu: "President Lu, I really admire you. How did you know we're experts at this kind of work?"
Lu Chengwen held Old Liu's hand: "I've done my homework! The three of you, taking advantage of your age, have become seasoned slackers on construction sites! Last time, one of you faked a heart attack and extorted 20,000 yuan from us—was that you?"
Old Liu, embarrassed: "I should've asked for more!"
"This time, I specifically invited the three of you to showcase your talents! And as expected… whether you're here or not, it makes no difference! Hahaha!"
Old Zhang said, "President Lu, you really have a discerning eye for talent! For this project, you don't need anyone else. The three of us can work till we drop!"
Old Li: "I truly love this land! Can I be buried here when I die?"
Lu Chengwen nodded, holding his hand kindly: "Of course! When construction starts, we'll use an excavator to dig you back up and scatter your ashes so you and the land can truly become one!"
"Oh, then forget it."
Old Liu said, "President Lu, there's no place to rest here! We sit on the ground playing cards every day, and it's bad for our backs."
Lu Chengwen nodded, "You three really have no shame…"
Qi Meishao grabbed Lu Chengwen by the ear and dragged him aside: "You're the shameless one! Lu Chengwen, what do you mean by this? What's the meaning of all this?"
Lu Chengwen said, "Sis, in the entire city, including the surrounding counties, most of the labor force is already working on slum redevelopment. We really can't hire anyone else!"
"You're lying! You're doing this on purpose!"
At this moment, Zhao Gang arrived, panting and leading some men.
Zhao Gang was holding a stick: "Where are they?! Where's the one who dared to take our President Lu hostage?! Damn it!"
Zhao Gang rushed over, pointed at Qi Meishao, and said, "President Lu, is it her?"
Lu Chengwen nodded, "Yes."
Zhao Gang, stick in hand, walked up to her, rolling up his sleeves and glaring at her:
"A woman? And she dared to rough up our President Lu? Bold, very bold! President Lu, this lady looks familiar!"
Lu Chengwen calmly said, "She's the bodyguard of Long Aotian, one of the Four Great Gates' experts. Zhao Gang, she's all yours."
Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment, thought it over, and said, "Oh, we're all on the same side! Hahaha!"
Zhao Gang leaned close to Lu Chengwen, covering his mouth with one hand: "President Lu, she's already been subdued by my aura. You go ahead, and I'll leave with you!"
Lu Chengwen shoved Zhao Gang aside.
"Anyway, all the initial funds have been spent on design, planning, and imported materials. You can have Xu Xuejiao check the accounts. I really don't have any money left to start construction. Even the wages for these three old men came from cutting down on my dinner expenses."
"I don't even have money for dinner now."
Qi Meishao was so angry she almost cried.
You don't have money for dinner? Who would believe such nonsense? Who!?
The three old men were stunned.
Old Zhang, crying: "President Lu! President Lu, you can't skip dinner!"
Old Li, also crying: "President Lu, hang in there. I'll go home and have my wife steam some buns for you!"
Old Liu was crying too: "President Lu, I've got some pickled vegetables at home. I'll bring you a couple of jars!"
Qi Meishao snapped: "You three, get out of the way!"
Old Liu clutched his chest: "You're yelling at me… Oh no, my heart condition is acting up! That'll be 60,000 yuan compensation!"
Qi Meishao, tears streaming down her face in rage: "You're extorting me! Last time it was only 20,000!"
Old Liu weakly replied: "This time it's the three of us!"
Lu Chengwen chuckled, "Go, go. Have your heart attack over there."
"Okay." The three old men picked up their shovels and walked off.
Qi Meishao stared at Lu Chengwen, gritting her teeth: "What exactly do you want?"
"Hmm…" Lu Chengwen said, "Without money, there's no way to do anything. How about… you go back and tell my big brother to invest another 7 billion?"
"I promise! As soon as there's another 7 billion injected, we'll start construction immediately! And I'll personally cover all remaining costs!"
Qi Meishao instantly understood.
She, along with her young master, had been played.