Duan Yukai stepped through the door. Before he could even greet Xie Feng, who had already stood up, his eyes locked onto Lu Zheng, who was calmly sitting there like an old fisherman waiting for bites. Duan Yukai froze, dumbfounded.
“It’s you?”
Lu Zheng nodded and shrugged. “As you can see, none other than me.”
Duan Yukai’s mouth twitched. He clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and surprisingly nodded. “Hello!”
Eh?
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. Why was Duan Yukai acting so differently today?
Where was that chairman persona who would start cursing the moment he opened his mouth, with no regard for anything?
Duan Yukai nodded at Lu Zheng, then turned back to Xie Feng with a slight smile. “President Xie, I’m Duan Yukai from Nansheng.”
“Pleasure to meet you, President Duan!”
The Huairen Hall brand in Nandu was indeed bigger than Nansheng Pharmaceutical Group, but Xie Feng was only a major shareholder, whereas Duan Yukai was the chairman of Nansheng. In terms of status and wealth, Duan far outranked him, so Xie Feng did not dare put on airs.
“President Wang!”
After nodding to the other man, Xie Feng greeted him, then turned back, looking at Duan Yukai and Lu Zheng with curiosity and a touch of worry.
“You two know each other?”
“We do.” Duan Yukai kept his composure and smiled. “I just never expected President Xie to know Mr Lu as well.”
“Mr Lu?”
Xie Feng’s eyes flickered. That form of address…
Thinking about how the two had just spoken to each other, and noticing that Lu Zheng had not even bothered to stand, Xie Feng’s mind raced…
Could it be that Duan Yukai had failed to buy herbs from Lu Zheng? Or been refused? Why did his tone sound a little resentful?
At that thought, Xie Feng suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of superiority.
Duan Yukai nodded. “I met Mr Lu once before. He left a very deep impression on me.”
Xie Feng nodded, taking it as perfectly natural. “Of course.”
In Xie Feng’s view, anyone who saw Lu Zheng produce a century-old wild ginseng weighing over a jin would be deeply impressed.
“Hm?”
Duan Yukai’s eyes flashed. The look he gave Xie Feng clearly said, “Just as I thought.”
Raising his glass, Duan Yukai stared hard at Lu Zheng, who was still seated and showed no intention of rising. “Mr Lu is truly remarkable!”
Lu Zheng could not help laughing. He raised his own glass. “I’m only average, really. President Duan flatters me too much!”
He had a rough idea what Duan Yukai was thinking.
Duan Yukai narrowed his eyes again, turned to Xie Feng, and suddenly asked, “President Xie, how effective are the medicines Mr Lu supplies?”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. Xie Feng’s pupils contracted, and his heart sank.
He knows!
Duan Yukai must have asked Lu Zheng for medicine, been refused, and now harboured resentment. Seeing them together today, he had immediately guessed that all Lu Zheng’s goods went to Huairen Hall.
He had only just found out, had he not? Had the great President Duan not almost failed to control his expression? And Lu Zheng staying seated was clearly giving him no face at all!
In that case…
As Lu Zheng’s business partner, Huairen Hall could not let him lose face, especially since Huairen Hall itself was bigger than Nansheng.
So Xie Feng nodded with dignified restraint. “Thank you for your concern, President Duan. President Lu’s medicines are extraordinarily effective, instant results. Every customer who has used them says they are excellent.”
Duan Yukai’s eyes bulged. “He sold you a lot? And you’ve already resold them to many others?”
Duan Yukai’s question was extremely rude, so Xie Feng’s face darkened. “What? Does Huairen Hall now need to report its business to Nansheng Pharmaceutical Group?”
Seeing Duan Yukai and Xie Feng turn hostile after just a few words, President Wang, who had come in with Duan, hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm down. We’re all friends. Whatever it is, we can sit and talk it out, right?”
His own status was far lower than either of theirs, so all he could do was mediate.
Watching Xie Feng flare up, Duan Yukai suddenly recalled how Zhao Xiaodao had exploded that day, both of them protecting Lu Zheng so fiercely. Just what kind of ability did this jianghu conman possess?
Duan Yukai grew intensely curious. He glanced at Lu Zheng and found the man still smiling at him.
Bloody hell? So utterly unafraid?
“Calm down! Stay calm! Must not get angry!”
Duan Yukai took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “Of course not. It’s just that last time I tried to buy Mr Lu’s medicine and failed. I didn’t expect President Xie to have more face than me.”
Seeing Duan Yukai back down, Xie Feng did not press the advantage. He waved his hands repeatedly. “Not at all. President Lu gave me face, that’s why he sold to me.”
“Indeed!” Duan Yukai nodded. Not long ago it had been the same with Zhao Xiaodao, Lu Zheng had given her face and let her have the medicine.
This man really knew how to build a perfect persona!
One Zhao Xiaodao, one Xie Feng, Duan Yukai now treated Lu Zheng as a genuine opponent and was on full alert.
“May I ask how much Mr Lu charges President Xie for his medicine?” Duan Yukai asked.
Xie Feng frowned inwardly. Did this chairman not know that was a trade secret? How could he ask so casually?
Still, their status was similar, so Xie Feng could not refuse to answer. He could only be vague. “President Lu gives me face. The price is never high, just a few million each time.”
Duan Yukai’s eyes nearly popped. A few million!?
Duan Yukai could no longer hold back. Xie Feng was a major shareholder of a huge pharmaceutical group. How could he do something like this?
“Did you test Mr Lu’s medicines? And then just sold them to others?” Duan Yukai could not help asking.
Xie Feng frowned. Of course they had tested every wild herb bought from Lu Zheng, the effects were astonishing!
But saying that out loud might seem like they did not trust Lu Zheng. After all, Lu Zheng was not strictly an industry insider; he might not understand routine testing procedures.
So Xie Feng changed tack and said to Duan Yukai, “President Lu’s medicine needs testing?”
Duan Yukai: !!!???
What kind of bewitching soup had this man fed him? No testing at all and they dared sell it on? Did Huairen Hall no longer care about its reputation?
Duan Yukai was so angry his chest hurt, his vision went black in waves.
His own grandfather was a grandmaster of Chinese medicine, and his Nansheng Group was pouring effort into researching Chinese patent medicines to revive the tradition.
But Chinese medicine did not mean abandoning all standards and testing. Basic pharmacology and toxicology tests were still essential, at least to prove there were no severe toxic side effects in significant proportions. Otherwise, who would dare take it?
Huairen Hall was an established name in Chinese medicine. Did they not even have this basic common sense? What on earth were they trying to do?
“You! You!”
Duan Yukai pointed at Xie Feng, then at Lu Zheng. His brain spun, half his body went numb, his legs gave way, and he toppled sideways to the floor.
“President Duan?”
President Wang jumped in fright and reached out to help him.
“Don’t touch him!”
Lu Zheng’s clear shout stopped President Wang.
“Why?”
“Because he’s having a cerebral haemorrhage.” Lu Zheng said, utterly speechless.
Did he really have to get this angry? Was it worth it?
