As soon as he hung up, Qin Fen beamed at them and said, "After waiting for a few days, Boss Xu has finally come knocking on our door."
Having said that, Wang Congcong handed the menu to Jiang Cheng, picking up where Qin Fen left off. "You'll definitely get that project. For the land in District, the building in Chaoyang, and those properties in Haidian, they're asking for 11 billion, but I think we can get them for 5 billion..."
Hearing this, Qin Fen exclaimed, "Brother Wang, although I'm making a profit by taking five percent, you're bargaining even more ruthlessly than I am..."
Jiang Cheng followed up, "What does Conglomerate Name lack most right now? It's not RMB; their RMB accounts have been under strict regulatory scrutiny for a long time—any income is frozen immediately. What they lack is liquid cash, free capital in overseas accounts. As long as we guarantee the money is transferred from an offshore company to their Hong Kong Island account, they will definitely accept it..."
The overseas family funds had already been squandered by Xu Zhi.
Conglomerate Name hasn't collapsed on the surface yet, but their leverage has long since been on the verge of spiraling out of control.
Before the collapse, his most urgent task was to replenish the overseas assets.
Seeing Jiang Cheng take the menu from Wang Congcong and hand it to her, Fang Yuan's ears turned slightly red as she accepted it.
From their conversation, Fang Yuan immediately realized they seemed to be acquiring projects from Daheng Group.
After all, she was currently an accountant; while managing the finances of Zhengde and Company Name, she spent every night after work self-studying online.
Although Fang Yuan understood, she just listened quietly.
She found that she really liked this atmosphere.
It wasn't that she liked the feeling of a'second-generation' gathering.
But rather the feeling of coming out for a meal with her boyfriend.
Moreover, these people spoke very naturally.
It was as if their spending and enjoying themselves were pure enjoyment, without any hint of posturing.
Even discussing business now was completely natural, with only the desire to make money in their eyes.
Soon, the dishes were served.
Seeing this, Wang Congcong said with a smile, "This restaurant specializes in fusion Sichuan cuisine, which combines Sichuan and Cantonese styles. Their most famous dish is this Braised Chicken, and that Black Garlic Stir-fried Australian Beef. They use top-grade Wagyu; after stir-frying, it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a bit of Sichuan-style spice, but it doesn't mask the natural sweetness of the beef..."
After eating a dish from the plate in front of him, Qin Fen added, "Mhm... their Sliced Pork with Garlic Sauce is also interesting. It's wrapped with fresh asparagus, so it's not as greasy. It's delicious..."
Wang Zheng nodded in agreement, "The environment is decent, and the taste is good."
Seeing that Fang Yuan hadn't started eating yet, Jiang Cheng naturally picked up some food for her.
The chicken was braised until soft and flavorful, with a rich sauce, but unlike traditional Sichuan cuisine, it wasn't too oily or spicy; it felt very comfortable in the mouth.
After finishing that, another dish was served.
In a white porcelain bowl were several small snails, each with a translucent shell revealing the plump snail meat inside. The broth was clear, garnished with a few shreds of ginger.
To show her gratitude, Fang Yuan scooped two and put them into Jiang Cheng's bowl.
"I remember seeing this as one of their signature dishes when I looked at the menu—Drunken Snails. It seems to be marinated with Huadiao wine and dried tangerine peel; it's flavorful but not too overpowering."
After saying that, Fang Yuan picked up a special small toothpick and handed it to Jiang Cheng.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng waved his hand and then wiped his hands with a sterilized hot towel.
He said, "For these snails, I feel they taste better if you suck them out."
Fang Yuan's movement paused for a moment as she looked at him.
"I've eaten similar things before, but always with a small toothpick. I've never tried sucking them out..."
"Using a toothpick is convenient—just poke it in and it's over—but you can't taste the broth that way..."
Fang Yuan nodded seriously, "Mhm, what you're saying seems to make sense..."
Wang Congcong and the others showed a half-smile upon hearing Jiang Cheng's words.
"When it comes to eating, Brother Cheng is the most expert..." Wang Congcong said.
Qin Fen followed, "I bow to your superiority..."
Fang Yuan didn't catch the hidden meaning at all and followed Jiang Cheng's actions with a studious expression.
After wiping her hands, she also picked up a drunken snail and gently began to suck on it.
Seeing that she didn't get the meat, Jiang Cheng said solemnly, "There's actually a technique to sucking. You're being too gentle; you can only get a bit of the broth, and the stuff at the deepest part won't come out at all. It's a waste of effort..."
"Generally speaking, the strength has to be just right. You can't use too much force either. If you use too much force, although it might come out, it's easy for only half to come out, leaving the rest breaking off inside. And if you suck for too long, your tongue will get uncomfortable..."
Seeing Jiang Cheng teaching her so seriously...
Fang Yuan said gratefully, "Jiang Cheng, thank you. You're really good at sucking..."
"Hey, this is just basic operation. I just like to research things related to eating. I'll teach you more when we eat together in the future..."
"Okay..."
Wang Congcong almost choked and quickly grabbed his teacup for a big gulp.
All three of them could see that Jiang Cheng and Fang Yuan hadn't broken the boundary yet.
They could only endure it and pretend not to understand.
Wang Zheng nudged Qin Fen with his hand and then said, "When it comes to Brother Cheng's mouth skills, this little brother bows to your superiority..."
Qin Fen didn't understand Wang Zheng's gesture at first.
But when he heard the word 'little brother,' he immediately punched him. "You bastard, how dare you make implications about me!"
Amidst the laughter, they chatted back to the previous project. Fang Yuan continued to eat quietly, occasionally looking up at the speaker and occasionally letting her gaze fall on Jiang Cheng's profile.
Suddenly, Wang Congcong, who was scrolling through his phone with his legs crossed, let out a "Huh?"
"Holy crap, you guys, look at this!"
He thrust his phone in front of them.
On the screen was a short video of a young girl in dance attire performing a folk dance in a rehearsal hall. Her figure was graceful, and her temperament was outstanding.
Video Title: 'Revealed! The Mysterious Performance Troupe of a Certain Trillion-Yuan Real Estate Enterprise. Is a Million-Yuan Annual Salary Real?'
Qin Fen leaned in, "Isn't this Boss Xu's performance troupe??"
Wang Congcong's eyes lit up. "Seeing this, I just remembered. I got news yesterday that Conglomerate Name's capital is tightening now, and this performance troupe is on the verge of being lost. There are hundreds of people in there, every one of them a professional dancer. Some have annual salaries starting at a million yuan and live in Evergrande's own high-end apartments."
Qin Fen took the phone and looked, pushing up his glasses. "I haven't seen these girls yet. It's said that Boss Xu personally interviews them. Height, looks, dance skills—none can be lacking."
Wang Zheng was amazed, "Hundreds of people? How much money do they burn every year?"
"A conservative estimate is 200 million," Qin Fen said. "When Evergrande was in its glory, this amount of money was nothing. Now... they have to seek offshore loans even for 3 billion..."
Fang Yuan couldn't help but interject, "I've heard of this troupe too. Was it originally that expensive?"
Speaking of the Evergrande Performance Troupe, Jiang Cheng's interest was piqued..."