Chen Lishu said softly, "The partner this time is mainly the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Wu Lu. I can handle this small matter myself, so I won't trouble Director Fu."
Upon hearing the name Wu Lu, Fu Chen's brow furrowed slightly, and he opened his mouth to warn, "This brat is not an easy one to deal with. You must be very careful when cooperating with him."
Chen Lishu took Fu Chen's words as a reminder that Wu Lu was a shrewd individual and not to be deceived in the upcoming collaboration. The deeper meaning of his statement was not considered at the moment.
She nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Director Fu. I will be very careful in our future cooperation. I won't disturb you further, I'll be leaving."
Fu Chen waved his hand and watched Chen Lishu leave until she was out of sight. Only then did he turn to another old man behind him and say, "Old Qin, I'm afraid this young lady is going to be tricked by that fellow surnamed Wu."
Elder Qin nodded and murmured, "Indeed, this young man surnamed Wu has a poor reputation in the industry. However, he is very adept at navigating matters, and we haven't found any concrete evidence, so we can't do anything about him."
After speaking, the old man looked up somewhat puzzled and asked, "Then why didn't you make things clear just now? It would have saved the girl from taking risks and getting into trouble."
A flash of shrewdness crossed Fu Chen's cloudy eyes. He smiled and said, "Didn't I say we didn't have evidence to deal with Wu Lu? Now the evidence has been delivered.
Besides, didn't you hear the young lady say she wanted to cooperate with them? This is a big matter, so I naturally have to give her the opportunity to cooperate and help her discreetly!"
Hearing Fu Chen's explanation, Elder Qin's eyes lit up. "Sir, you are truly far-sighted! It's indeed difficult to interfere in the newspaper industry without any leverage, but with it..."
Fu Chen nodded and then ordered, "Now send a few strong young men to guard the entrance. Once there's any commotion inside, be sure to protect that child."
"Yes." After Elder Qin agreed to the task, he disappeared into the hotel, hunched over and leaning on his cane.
----
Meanwhile, on another side of the hotel.
Chen Lishu pushed open the private room door and saw Wu Lu sitting in a chair, with a good portion of the tea in front of him already consumed.
She said apologetically, "Mr. Wu, I'm truly sorry for making you wait so long. We had some issues on the road and were slightly delayed. I hope you don't mind?"
"Not at all, not at all. Since you're here, please sit down quickly." Wu Lu had changed into formal attire for the evening's gathering, his hair slicked with mousse, and even emitting a strong masculine cologne. It was clear he had prepared meticulously.
Chen Lishu pulled out the chair in front of her and was about to sit down when Wu Lu's voice reached her, "Why is Director Chen sitting so far away? Come and sit beside me. As I'm getting older, my hearing isn't as good. What if I don't hear the subsequent details of your plan?"
With Wu Lu saying so, Chen Lishu had no choice but to obediently move to sit beside him.
Lu Gen instinctively tried to sit on Chen Lishu's other side, but as soon as his hand touched the chair, Su Nian beat him to it. He frowned and glanced at Su Nian, who didn't even deign to look at him.
Since they were about to discuss important matters, Lu Gen found it awkward to create a scene. He could only grit his teeth and pull up a chair beside Su Nian to sit down.
Once everyone was seated, Wu Lu poured Chen Lishu a glass of wine and smiled, "Director Chen, since you're late, shouldn't you penalize yourself with three drinks?
This wine was specially brought from my home; it's imported. I wouldn't give it to others, but I felt an instant connection with Director Chen, so I brought it to share."
Chen Lishu smelled the aroma of the wine in the glass, licked her lips, and then extended her hand to take the wine glass, drinking it down in one gulp.
After finishing the first glass, Wu Lu poured the second, "Director Chen has a great capacity. Two more cups, and then we can discuss business matters."
Hearing this, Chen Lishu again tilted her head and drained the glass.
"Madam..." Su Nian called out to Chen Lishu with concern.
Chen Lishu waved her hand at Su Nian. She had drunk this kind of wine before. While it had a strong kick when first consumed, she had gotten used to it over time. These few cups were nothing.
After three cups, Chen Lishu slowly began, "Mr. Wu, I won't hide from you that I cannot disclose the follow-up plan, as it is company confidential.
However, I dare to assure you here that if you entrust the advertising slots to us, you will definitely not lose out. We are focusing on charitable causes this time! After dividing the profits, I will also allocate thirty percent for donations. That way, we do good deeds, make money, and gain a good reputation. What do you think?"
Chen Lishu did not speak too directly, but her words implied that Wu Lu could use the name of charity to attract more advertisers and earn money for the newspaper.
Wu Lu listened to Chen Lishu's words, propped his chin with one hand, and nodded thoughtfully, "You are correct, but..."
At this point, Wu Lu paused, shaking his head and sighing with a helpless "tsk tsk" sound, "However, I am only an editor-in-chief of the newspaper, not the editor-in-chief of the entire publication. All the profits go into my own pocket, so whether your plan makes money or not doesn't matter much to me."
Hearing this, Chen Lishu understood his meaning immediately. Wasn't he simply asking for money to grease the wheels? It was an old trick in the workplace.
Knowing Wu Lu's intentions, Chen Lishu did not appear angry. Instead, she pondered for a moment, then raised her head again and said:
"How about this? The company will give you a ten percent share of the profits, and annually, we can sponsor five students in need. We'll sponsor three from childhood and find two more who come from difficult circumstances in the top ten families in the province and struggle to afford university. And you will receive a monthly dividend of thirty thousand yuan, how about that?"
Thirty thousand yuan? This was not a small sum. Lu Gen, standing beside them, was so tempted that he wished he could accept the offer on the spot. However, Wu Lu appeared remarkably calm.
He crossed his legs and said in a leisurely manner, "To be honest, I don't lack money in this life. However, I do lack a wife who can keep me warm in bed!
I see Director Chen is pretty and delicate. Why not follow me and enjoy a comfortable life, instead of worrying about company matters every day? It's better for women to stay at home and raise children."
As he finished speaking, the desire in Wu Lu's eyes became unconcealed. He slowly leaned closer to Chen Lishu, his hand almost reaching her thigh.
Chen Lishu narrowed her eyes and quickly pulled her chair back, staggering a few steps backward, but ultimately managed to evade Wu Lu's grasping hand.