Chapter 204: Feeling of Being Undervalued
"Big bad wolf? Not a bad nickname, quite fitting for him," Xiao Lian said with a smug smile.
Lin Yifan ignored Xiao Lian and hurriedly made eye contact with Zhou Jiajia, signaling her to think of the big picture.
Receiving the message from Lin Yifan's gaze, Su Qingqing realized her behavior had been a bit much and immediately snapped back to reality, full of apologies, saying, "President An, I'm sorry, let's sit down and talk about this. I'm very interested in your project."
Only then did An Qi stop in her tracks.
Now that she was the one seeking help from others, she couldn't afford to be as wilful as before, so she suppressed the anger in her heart, turned around with a smile, and said, "Then let's sit down and discuss it together."
"What's there to talk about, the deal is already sealed anyway," Xiao Lian muttered under her breath disdainfully.
"Cough cough!" Lin Yifan coughed twice, hinting that his sister ought to be more careful with her words.
An Qi had done favors for their family; they couldn't treat her with such an attitude.
"Xiao Lian, you can't be so impolite," Su Qingqing chided, turning around to scold.
By this time, An Qi's complexion had darkened to the extreme, afraid that Xiao Lian would continue and drive their guest away.
"Fine! I shall seal my mouth and say no more." Xiao Lian made a zipping gesture over her lips and then quieted down.
At this moment, An Qi regained a bit of color in her face.
With a heart full of grievances and anger, An Qi quietly took out her project proposal from her briefcase and handed it to Su Qingqing; then she explained the project plan alongside, each phase's workload, and so on.
Having briefly skimmed through it, Su Qingqing closed the document and said, "Your project is excellent. My company has decided to invest in it."
It was merely a formality for her to be there, so it didn't really matter whether she looked or not; and with Lin Yifan so confident, she had no worries.
"Just like that? Ms. Su, aren't you going to take a closer look?" The happiness came so suddenly that An Qi felt dazed.
On the other hand, Zhou Jiajia also didn't expect the negotiation to go so smoothly. Was it really just because of Lin Yifan's connection? It couldn't be that simple, could it?
"If Mr. Lin says it's a good project, I think it can't be too far off the mark; so there's no need to look further, let's just sign the contract," Su Qingqing answered.
"Just because he says it's good, you can confidently hand over 1.5 billion to me?" An Qi was still surprised.
After all, 1.5 billion was not a small amount, and for it to be handed over so casually really surprised her.
"What's inappropriate about that? I trust Mr. Lin's character," she replied, then looked at Lin Yifan with an ambiguous gaze, her face brimming with a sweet smile.
An Qi and Zhou Jiajia, watching this scene, both felt jealous, each thinking, "Could she be attracted to Lin Yifan?"
Lin Yifan, on the other hand, broke out in a cold sweat the moment he caught that ambiguous look; if his identity were exposed so soon, it would spoil the fun.
"Boss Su, are you interested in him?" An Qi unconsciously probed, trying to see if things were as she suspected.
Gazing at Lin Yifan's anxious eyes and tense face, Su Qingqing finally spoke softly, "He's just a bodyguard, do you think I would be interested in him?"
"Of course, of course, he's just a lowly bodyguard, how could Boss Su possibly fancy him." An Qi breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it wasn't true.
And Zhou Jiajia's tightened heart also relaxed.
Su Qingqing, however, smiled without saying a word, seemingly implying something else.
On the other hand, Xiao Lian, who was an observer, instantly noticed that there was something off about An Qi's tone and demeanor; if it was someone not interested in her brother, they wouldn't have this relieved expression as if they had dodged a bullet, reveling in secret fortune.
Could she also like my brother? This... Three women and one play, my brother is not going to have peace in the future. I wonder if my brother knows his boss is interested in him.
"Enough chit-chat, let's sign the contract right now." Having said that, Su Qingqing asked Xiao Lian to take out the contract they had prepared and hand it to An Qi to sign.
An Qi hadn't expected the other party to have printed the contract already; clearly, they came prepared. Now, she finally understood what Xiao Lian meant earlier—it had been a done deal all along.
"What tricks did this big pervert use to make the young and beautiful Boss Su so readily hand over 1.5 billion? Could it be he sacrificed his charms and pledged himself to her?" Imagining the chaotic scenario, An Qi went crazy, "Ptui! Ptui! Ptui! It can't be like this, stay calm, stay calm, have faith in the big pervert, have faith in the big pervert."
Suppressing her discomfort, An Qi quickly skimmed through the contract, and upon finding no issues, she signed it.
Afterward, she reached out her hand, saying with a smile, "Boss Su! It's a pleasure to do business with you!"
"It's a pleasure to do business with you!" Su Qingqing reached out and shook hands, then added, "Now that the business is settled, it's time for dinner; General Manager An, let's enjoy this dinner together."
"Boss Su, there's no need for dinner; I have other things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." An Qi wanted to leave but was stopped by Su Qingqing.
"General Manager An, are you not giving me face? Leaving right after concluding business, isn't that quite impolite?" Su Qingqing asked, her tone reproachful.
An Qi felt her behavior was indeed impolite; such actions made it seem as if she was using people and discarding them afterward, treating them as mere tools without any value or status.
However, she had always detested discussing business over meals. Yet, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. To preserve this deal, even if she was reluctant, she could only endure and stay, responding, "Boss Su, I truly have important matters to attend to; but since Boss Su is so gracious, I will stay and join you for dinner."
"That's more like it!" Su Qingqing said with a triumphant smile, then gestured to Zhou Jiajia and Lin Yifan, "You two sit down as well and join us for the meal."
Zhou Jiajia had intended to decline, but seeing that An Qi stayed and was personally invited, it was difficult for her to refuse, so she decided to stay.
But just as she walked over and tried to sit down, she was stopped by Su Qingqing, "Sister! Sit here."
Su Qingqing chose an adjacent seat for Zhou Jiajia, so it would be easier to interact and get acquainted with this older sister.
Sitting in the seat next to her, An Qi felt that this business deal wasn't about her project at all, which left her feeling slighted and annoyed. However, since she needed something from them and couldn't afford to throw a tantrum, she had to silently swallow her irritation.
Staring at Su Qingqing's attentive gaze, Zhou Jiajia was filled with question marks, wondering why this stranger, Boss Su, was so eager to become close to her.