Chapter 148: The One Who Speaks First Loses!

Chapter 148: The One Who Speaks First Loses!

Cheng Dahao used to be just a construction worker. He slowly built his own construction team and gained a reputation for the quality of his work and his ability to seize opportunities.

When Mr. Huang called and said he would take him to the Liyuan Farm, Cheng Dahao quickly pushed away the girl who was with him and hung up the phone. Without a second thought, he hurriedly put on his pants and limped out the door.

He had heard that Mr. Huang had a special relationship with the Liyuan Farm and had already taken on several projects for them, including the current restaurant project.

If Mr. Huang was taking him to the Liyuan Farm, it meant he might get a chance to work on one of their projects. This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

Although he had his own construction team, it was still a small one with limited competitiveness, even in a small place like Youcheng.

In the construction business, clients often delayed payments, and many teams went bankrupt because of it. As a result, they were cautious about which projects to take on.

But if he could work on a Liyuan Farm project, he wouldn't have to worry about payment issues. Plus, with the farm's reputation, there might be other small projects he could get involved in.

Cheng Dahao rushed to Mr. Huang's office and greeted him with a fawning smile. "Mr. Huang, you look even handsomer today. Must be the new secretary, right?"

"Cut the crap and let's go!" Mr. Huang didn't waste any time, leading Cheng Dahao out to his car and heading to the Liyuan Farm.

In the car, Mr. Huang said, "Mr. Cheng, I know your work quality is excellent. I'm bringing you to the Liyuan Farm to introduce you to a project."

Cheng Dahao, despite already guessing the reason, couldn't hide his excitement. "Mr. Huang, rest assured, I'll make sure to thank you properly."

"No need for thanks," Mr. Huang quickly reminded him. "If I were after the money, I would take the project myself. Just do the job well and ensure quality. Don't mess up and make me lose face with my old classmate."

Cheng Dahao, curious, asked, "Mr. Huang, who is your old classmate?"

"The owner of Liyuan Farm!" Mr. Huang didn't hide it.

"Mr. Huang, you can count on me. The quality will be top-notch," Cheng Dahao guaranteed immediately.

He understood why Mr. Huang didn't need his kickback. With such a connection, maintaining the friendship was more important than a bit of extra money.

He had to do this project well, not just to get a foothold with the Liyuan Farm, but also to avoid any trouble from Mr. Huang.

Mr. Huang quickly brought Cheng Dahao to the Liyuan Farm office.

"Mr. Huang, have a seat. Introduce me to your friend," Zhang Lin said with a smile, recognizing the man as the one Mr. Huang had mentioned.

"Mr. Zhang, this is Mr. Cheng, Cheng Dahao. He has never had any issues with his projects, and his work quality is renowned in Youcheng," Mr. Huang introduced.

"Mr. Zhang, it's an honor to meet you!" Cheng Dahao shook Zhang Lin's hand enthusiastically, feeling a mix of emotions. He had heard that Zhang Lin was the real owner of the Liyuan Farm, and the online rumors about him being a "driver" were partly true, though Zhang Lin clearly didn't want the attention.

Cheng Dahao understood why Zhang Lin kept a low profile. Once you achieve something, people start to see you as a valuable asset, and he had faced similar issues in the past. When he was struggling with delayed payments, a former friend had asked him for a loan, which he couldn't provide. The friend was unhappy and spread rumors about him, damaging their friendship.

People only see the good side of your life; they don't know the struggles you face. As a result, he had fewer friends since starting his construction team.

Zhang Lin got straight to the point. "Mr. Cheng, we have a project at the farm. We need to build a water channel from the mountain to bring down the spring water and construct a reservoir at the farm. Since Mr. Huang brought you here, I assume your work quality is excellent. Are you interested in this project?"

Cheng Dahao didn't hesitate. "Mr. Zhang, I would be honored to take on this project and ensure it's done to the highest standards."

How could he not be interested? Building a water channel from a mountain wasn't just about digging a ditch; it involved laying special pipes and constructing a reservoir. This project would likely cost several million yuan, a significant sum for a small team like his. For such a project, even large teams would be eager, especially with the guaranteed payment from the Liyuan Farm.

He couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

"Great. Mr. Cheng, let's go up the mountain to check out the spring water source," Zhang Lin said, leading the two of them to the northern mountain.

Mr. Huang, who was also along, was already out of breath halfway up the mountain.

"Mr. Huang, what happened to your stamina?" Zhang Lin teased. "A man like you shouldn't be so out of shape. Is there something wrong with your health?"

"Get lost, you're the one with health issues," Mr. Huang retorted. "Try being me—sucked dry by the secretary during the day and by my wife at night. I even take supplements to keep up."

"I was thinking of using a business trip as an excuse to stay at your farm for a couple of days. Could you reserve a tent for me? It would be convenient to oversee the restaurant construction."

"Um," Zhang Lin didn't know how to respond. He had never experienced such issues. He was a prodigy who had lost his virginity in high school, earning admiration from his friends, but he hadn't dated anyone since then.

At 26, he was still single, while Mr. Huang already had children.

"Mr. Huang, you know how to have fun, but you need to be careful," Cheng Dahao advised earnestly.

"Huang Tao, you have the nerve to lecture me? What have you been up to all day?" Huang Tao said with a scowl.

Not long after, Zhang Lin returned to the mountain spring's source and said to Cheng Dahao, "Mr. Cheng, this is the mountain spring's source. I hope the construction can be expedited, and ideally, a temporary water channel can be set up first to bring the water to the farm."

"I have a project that requires mountain spring water for comparative purposes."

The special mountain spring water required for the construction scroll didn’t specifically demand a complete water channel. Therefore, theoretically, setting up a temporary open channel should meet the construction requirements.

Of course, this was just a shortcut. A complete water channel was still necessary, otherwise, if the mountain spring water resort were built, all sorts of snakes, insects, and other contaminants would be brought to the farm, making it impossible to operate the resort effectively.

A complete water channel with filtration systems could prevent such issues.

Cheng Dahao immediately responded, "Mr. Zhang, this is easy. I'll have a temporary small channel built as soon as I get back."

Zhang Lin nodded, "Alright, let's finalize it this way. I'll have the contract prepared, and Mr. Cheng can sign it at the farm tomorrow."

Hearing this, Cheng Dahao's face lit up with joy, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, thank you!"

With the matter settled, the three of them descended the mountain. Zhang Lin returned to the farm, while Cheng Dahao followed Huang Tao back to the county.

On the way, Cheng Dahao repeatedly expressed his gratitude, "Mr. Huang, I really appreciate it. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten the Liyuan Farm project. Give me a chance to thank you properly."

Huang Tao quickly replied, "I said, no need for this. Just ensure the quality of the project, and that's the best thanks you can give me."

Cheng Dahao immediately said, "Mr. Huang, let's put the kickback aside. Can't I at least treat you? I'll arrange for two girls at the Extreme Bar tonight."

Hearing this, Huang Tao not only didn't feel happy but was somewhat annoyed, "Mr. Cheng, when we get to Jinmao Tower, you can just roll away!"

As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his waist.

After returning to the office, Zhang Lin instructed Lin Mengyao to prepare the contract for the mountain spring water channel.

In large enterprises, such contracts are usually handled by a dedicated contract management department or a legal department. Since the Liyuan Farm didn't have these departments and didn't need to establish them, he decided to have the HR department handle it. They could use a reference template, and once it was ready, he would send it to Chen Xin for review.

Next was the issue of contracting.

The mountain spring water collection also required a contracting process, which was different from the usual forest land contracting.

Just as he was thinking about this, Zhao Han, the Tourism Bureau director, arrived with a set of contracting documents, "Mr. Zhang, take a look at these mountain spring water collection contracting documents. I've run to the Forestry Bureau to get them for you. You just need to sign them."

Zhang Lin took the documents and said in pleasant surprise, "Director Zhao, you seem more eager than I am!"

"Mr. Zhang, I just hope your project will be successful," Director Zhao said with a smile.

"Thank you, I won't let you down," Zhang Lin replied confidently. After all, how could a project with the game system's construction scroll fail?

Seeing Zhang Lin's confident demeanor, Zhao Han felt reassured and returned to the Tourism Bureau. He needed Zhang Lin's confidence.

Lin Mengyao quickly prepared the contract for the mountain spring water project and sent it to him. The contract, based on a template, definitely had some loopholes.

He sent the contract to Chen Xin for review.

Chen Xin was very quick and promptly returned the revised contract, "I've fixed the issues in the contract. Just rework it and it should be fine."

"Thanks, Brother Chen," Zhang Lin replied. He sent the revised contract back to Lin Mengyao and then saw a message from his brother, "Zhang Lin, I feel like I'm being toyed with by a woman. What should I do?"

Zhang Lin was taken aback, "Is it Lin Mengyao's sister?"

"Yes, it's her!" Chen Xin admitted directly.

This made Zhang Lin quite incredulous.

Lin Mengyao had mentioned that her sister was emotionally immature, still clinging to her ex-boyfriend, even after he had moved on.

Now, this woman had the ability to toy with someone?

More importantly, how could Brother Chen, who seemed so experienced, be toyed with? Was he still a romantic novice?

Zhang Lin couldn't help but ask, "Brother Chen, what's the situation?"

Chen Xin explained, "I went to meet her, and she started crying, saying her ex got married. We ended up drinking, and I stayed with her. You know, it was hard to resist, even though she was still calling out her ex's name during it."

"The next morning, I said I'd take responsibility, but she was ambivalent. Now, I send her flowers and gifts every day, but she won't give me a clear answer."

"..." Zhang Lin didn't know what to say and hung up the phone.

Brother Chen had no chance of being saved. He was a hopeless romantic.

By offering to take responsibility, he had already lost, completely and utterly. If the woman was beautiful, had a good figure, and he liked her a lot, there was nothing anyone could do to help.

Zhang Lin could only hope Brother Chen would find his own way out and not be emotionally hurt.

After hanging up, Zhang Lin sent the revised contract to Lin Mengyao, asking her to finalize it. Tomorrow, when Cheng Dahao arrived, the company could handle the signing process without Zhang Lin's direct involvement.

The day passed, and by evening, all the tourists except those staying at the campsite had left the farm. The farm employees also went off duty.

Zhang Lin was about to leave the office when he received an unexpected call.

It was from this person. How surprising!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end