Jiang Nan Fang had lunch with great pleasure, now that she and Ke Teng were truly friends again and she no longer carried any psychological burden.
Knowing that Ke Teng was getting married soon, the sensible Jing Yu sent a message to Zhan Bei Jue to report.
Zhan Bei Jue praised him for doing a good job.
"Continue to supervise for me and report any news to me immediately."
Jing Yu then shared the latest news with him: "Mom is going on a business trip tomorrow, do you know?"
Zhan Bei Jue did not know.
He was determined to win the bid for this Disney project and had specifically established a project team to oversee the matter personally.
He had not had the energy to inquire about Jiang Nan Fang for several days.
"Where is she going on the business trip? And with whom?"
Jing Yu said, "She was originally supposed to go with two R&D engineers from her studio, but they couldn't get appointments for a long time, so Mom decided to go alone."
"I overheard Mom on the phone, and she said it was for some very rare spice."
"To ensure its quality, that spice is only produced for one season a year. The domestic market has limited stock, but the imported quality from abroad is not as good as that company's..."
It was a normal business trip, so Zhan Bei Jue had nothing to say.
He praised his son a few more times and hung up.
The city Jiang Nan Fang was traveling to was Jiangcheng, renowned for its production of medicinal herbs.
A spice was needed for the new product her team was developing, and it was only produced in Jiangcheng.
Among the many spice factories in Jiangcheng, only one company was well-known in the industry for its craftsmanship and quality.
Wang Lang had collaborated with this company before and was considered a client. He was surprised by their poor attitude towards an old client.
The procurement department had communicated with them about purchasing the spice, and the company had increased the price tenfold.
Furthermore, they imposed draconian terms and refused after-sales service.
Doing business to this extent was somewhat like a monopoly, bullying others with their power.
But there was nothing they could do; their technology was exclusive, giving them the leverage.
If you needed them, you had no choice but to endure it.
Actually, Jiang Nan Fang had another purpose for this trip: she hoped to buy out the production technology for this spice.
If she wanted to continue developing in the perfume industry in the future, she did not want to be controlled by others.
Although this idea was bold, money could make the world go round.
She was a woman with 1 billion yuan in funds. Whether it succeeded or not, she could at least try to negotiate.
Upon successfully arriving in Jiangcheng, she went to the company the next morning. She was mentally prepared that she wouldn't be able to see the general manager without an appointment.
She greeted the receptionist and sat in the front lobby's waiting area.
As long as the boss came to work, they would have to pass her. If she was willing to come to the company to deliver money, she didn't believe anyone would turn her away.
The first day did not go as smoothly as she had anticipated.
She sat there all day, drinking countless cups of water. As it was nearing the end of the workday, the boss had still not appeared.
Jiang Nan Fang went to ask the receptionist and received the unsurprising answer: "I'm sorry, Mr. Tang is not in the company today due to other matters."
Jiang Nan Fang smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll come again tomorrow."
The receptionist probably already knew why she was there and wanted to test her patience and sincerity. She had to show her sincerity.
The next day, she deliberately brought her laptop to the spice company.
The receptionist still asked her to wait in the resting area. Today was better; less than an hour after work started, Jiang Nan Fang saw her target.
She quickly put down her laptop and went to greet him, introducing herself with a smile.
Mr. Tang was not surprised by her appearance; he must have received notification.
However, after Jiang Nan Fang finished speaking, he politely refused to communicate.
"I understand your intention, but I don't have time today. How about this, you make an appointment with my assistant."
Jiang Nan Fang had left her children to go on this business trip and didn't have much time to waste. She wanted to get straight to the point and finish quickly.
"Mr. Tang, I have come with great sincerity to discuss cooperation with you. I know you are busy, and I don't want to waste too much of your time."
"Could you give me five minutes? Just five minutes. If after five minutes you are not interested in my proposal, I think..."
Mr. Tang interrupted her: "I have to rush to a meeting and am already late. How about this, you wait here. I'll let you cut the queue. When I have time, I'll arrange for my assistant to call you."
Jiang Nan Fang was overjoyed, thanked him, and sat obediently in the lobby to wait.
However, another day passed. It wasn't until the receptionist was leaving and asked her to leave that she realized she had been tricked.
"Could Mr. Tang still be working overtime? He said he would meet me today."
The receptionist's expression was blank: "I'm sorry, madam, Mr. Tang had other matters this afternoon and left early."
Two days of effort had resulted in being played for a fool, and Jiang Nan Fang couldn't help but feel frustrated.
She even thought, "It's not like you're the only company. If it doesn't work out, I'll find another one!"
"It's just about improving the process and moving forward through trial and error. It's not like it's impossible to succeed. What's so great about you?!"
But after returning to the hotel and having a phone call with her children, hearing them say: "Mommy is the best, Mommy can definitely do it."
She found her motivation again.
"After only two days, I haven't even heard any harsh words, and I want to give up? I can't be so useless!"
On the third day, she got up early, circled the company front and back twice, thoroughly understanding the company's layout, rented a car, and began waiting at the back door.
Indeed, hard work pays off. After waiting for a large part of the day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, she finally got her chance.
Mr. Tang's car was in front, and she followed behind, preparing to find a suitable time to talk to him no matter what.
Who knew that the rented car was so useless? Less than ten kilometers after getting on the highway, one of the tires burst.
At a speed of 110 kilometers per hour, with many cars around, if she hadn't had quite a bit of driving experience, the consequences were unimaginable.
It seemed like everything about this business trip was going wrong, and she had almost lost her life.
Seeing that things had reached a dead end, Jiang Nan Fang's mood was extremely bad. After all the trouble, she returned to the hotel, didn't want to eat dinner, and sat by the window with a bottle of wine, staring blankly at the unfamiliar city night view.
She suddenly felt very sad, and the feeling of being isolated and helpless but having to force herself to be strong, like when she first started her business in Dan Country, returned.
She thought a lot, thought of Tang Xueying and her failed friendship, then thought of Zhan Bei Jue and her failed marriage.
Her emotions were out of control, and she felt very agitated.
She put down the wine, took a photo of the wine bottle and the night view, and posted it on her Moments: "Go to hell, life!"
At this time in Nancheng, the bid was in the final preparation stage. Two data points needed to be adjusted, meaning everyone in the project team had to revise some of their work from the beginning. Everyone was working overtime.
Zhan Bei Jue was also there.
As long as he didn't leave, his little assistant Zhou Jinbei dared not leave either.
However, there wasn't much she could do. Besides companionship, she could only pass the time by playing on her phone.
As soon as Jiang Nan Fang posted it, she saw it on her Moments.
Holding her phone, as if she had encountered a major earthquake, she rushed into the office.
"Second Brother, Second Brother!"