Chapter 71 Prepayment
Liu Yuan ate more for lunch than Ye Qing did; two dishes weren't enough, so he ordered another. Had Ye Qing not reminded him not to overeat, Liu Yuan would have definitely eaten so much that he would have needed the wall's support to walk.
With a full stomach, Liu Yuan felt incredibly content. This feeling made him even happier than securing three projects the day before. After all, he hadn't had a proper meal in years. This time, he finally had his fill.
Ye Qing took two hours to refine the remaining project proposal and reviewed all three from top to bottom. Confident they were ready, he ceased writing.
"Manager Liu, these three proposals should be free of issues now; you can have Dayue Group look at them. If there's anything that needs to be revised, just give me a call," Ye Qing said.
"There won't be anything to revise!" Liu Yuan waved his hand and said, "Ye brothers, I can't thank you enough for this. I wanted to give you half of my commission, but since you don't want the money, I don't know how to thank you properly!"
Ye Qing fell silent for a moment before saying, "Manager Liu, if you really want to thank me, could you do me a favor?"
"What favor?" Liu Yuan looked at Ye Qing and said, "Just say it; if there's anything I can do, I'll help."
"Well..." Ye Qing scratched his head and said, "The projects that our company signed with you, could you speed up the prepayment transfer? Our company is a bit tight on funds right now, and we need this prepayment to invest in production."
Having visited Mu Qingrong's factory the day before, Ye Qing saw the situation and knew about the trouble Mu Qingrong was facing. Thus, he wanted to help alleviate some of Mu Qingrong's burden by asking Liu Yuan for this favor.
The concern Ye Qing expressed was something that could be discussed internally within the company but should not be mentioned to outsiders, especially business partners. A single phrase could make others reconsider your company's condition and whether it has the capability to collaborate. If your capital was cut off and production halted, what would become of their investment?
However, when Liu Yuan heard Ye Qing's request, he felt differently. Ye Qing had always given him an impression of honesty and loyalty. This very request proved that Ye Qing was indeed innocently adorable, to speak so candidly!
For Liu Yuan, even if Mu Qingrong's company were to collapse and his prepayment was lost, he would have no regrets. He could earn over fifty thousand from commission alone on a seven-million project, all thanks to Ye Qing's assistance. And the prepayment to Mu Qingrong Company was less than two hundred thousand, which was insignificant by comparison.
To express his gratitude to Ye Qing, even if he knew the money might be wasted, he would still throw it over without hesitation!
Liu Yuan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll have the finance department transfer the money right away. You'll definitely receive it by the end of work today."
"Manager Liu, thank you!" Ye Qing earnestly replied.
"What's all this 'thank you' between us?" Liu Yuan clapped Ye Qing on the shoulder and said, "And stop calling me Manager Liu, it's too formal. I'm two years older than you, just call me Big Brother Liu from now on."
Ye Qing nodded, "Big Brother Liu."
Liu Yuan was overjoyed and said, "Ye, I'll be busy for a while. Once I'm done, I'll definitely invite you over to my place. Alright, I won't keep you any longer; hurry back and have Director Mu check if the payment has arrived."
As soon as Ye Qing entered the company's main gate, he felt that the office atmosphere was off. Everyone was just sitting in their chairs, staring blankly. Usually, at this time, they would be preparing to leave for the day. But this time, their expressions seemed rather dejected.
Unaware of what had happened, Ye Qing walked into Mu Qingrong's office where Mu Qingrong was sitting face-to-face with Wang Xuan. Their expressions were grim, especially Mu Qingrong, who looked downright sorrowful.
"Director Mu, Manager Wang," Ye Qing greeted as he approached them. This time, Wang Xuan did not mock Ye Qing but instead turned her head away, ignoring him.
Mu Qingrong nodded at Ye Qing but said nothing, looking completely deflated.
"Director Mu, the contract with Das Group has been signed, please take a look," Ye Qing offered the contract.
"Just put it aside," sighed Mu Qingrong, without a glance at the contract.
Ye Qing hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Director Mu, I was told by Das Group that by the end of work today, the prepayment would be in our account... do you... do you want to check?"
"What?" Mu Qingrong perked up, looking at Ye Qing and said, "They... they're sending the prepayment today?"
Wang Xuan too stared at Ye Qing in disbelief. They were making a swift payment, and not just any payment, but eighty percent upfront! What was going on?
"Yes," Ye Qing nodded and checked the time, "It's almost their closing time, so I guess they should have made the transfer by now."
Instantly, Mu Qingrong stood up and called out loudly, "Lin Na, Lin Na!"
The finance director, Lin Na, walked in, her expression also filled with dejection, and said, "Director Mu, what's the matter?"
Mu Qingrong said, "Check our company's accounts and see if Das Group's prepayment has been transferred."
"What prepayment?" Lin Na still didn't understand. Alw@a$y^s* re-a-d f#rom+ the sour!c&e#:! M|+V&|^LE#4.MP@Y#R.
"Das Group's prepayment, the one for the contracts we signed today," Mu Qingrong explained.
Lin Na said, "The contracts were just signed today, how could the payment be made so quickly? It hasn't arrived, has it?"
"Just go and check," Mu Qingrong, not bothering to elaborate, directly instructed.
Lin Na nodded and left. Before long, she ran back into Mu Qingrong's office, her face unable to hide her excitement, and exclaimed, "Direc... Direc... Director Mu, the money... the money really has come through!"
"How much!" Mu Qingrong pressed urgently.
"A total of two hundred thousand, which is a bit more than we estimated!" Lin Na reported.
Mu Qingrong's despondent look immediately halved, replaced by a sense of efficiency as she nodded, "Good, then prepare to distribute this month's salaries to everyone!"
"Okay, I'll start calculating right away!" Lin Na happily walked out, no longer downtrodden.
Wang Xuan remained stunned, the eighty percent prepayment had been sent as soon as the contract was signed, and moreover, the amount was even more than the company had estimated. These three events, each more improbable than the last, had actually happened right before her eyes. What on Earth was going on?
Looking at Ye Qing, Wang Xuan's heart filled with resentment. She could tell that Mu Qingrong had a special sparkle in her eyes when she looked at Ye Qing, a sparkle she had never shown towards him!
Could it be that she was really going to be outdone by this veteran who hadn't even been to college?
Filled with bitterness and spite, Wang Xuan glared at Ye Qing covertly, then turned to Mu Qingrong and said, "Director Mu, although we didn't seal the deal with Feiyun Group, the business from Das Group is enough for our company's development this month. In this period, we'll reach out to a few other clients, and I'm sure the company's growth will go smoothly.
Don't take the Feiyun Group matter too much to heart. In business, no one can be assured of victory!"
Only now did Ye Qing realize why the atmosphere in the company was so. It seemed that they had lost the business from Feiyun Group. The company had invested half a month's time and a considerable amount of money into securing the deal, but in the end, they failed to get the business, which would certainly leave anyone feeling disheartened.
Mu Qingrong took a couple of deep breaths and nodded, "Manager Wang, you are absolutely right. The company must continue to move forward. With Das Group's business, we can overcome this crisis. Go tell the sales department not to be disheartened; the future of the company will definitely get better!"
"It's best to have this kind of mindset, Director Mu," Wang Xuan nodded, then pretentiously patted Ye Qing on the shoulder and said, "With an excellent employee like Ye Qing, the future of our company will undoubtedly keep improving!"
Mu Qingrong did not respond to Wang Xuan's words, fully aware that he was just trying to probe her, wanting to see how much she truly valued Ye Qing. Wang Xuan was capable, but his envy was strong, and his methods unscrupulous; this was the main reason why Mu Qingrong always remained wary of him.
Wang Xuan walked out of Mu Qingrong's office with a faint smile, but the moment he reached the door, his facial expression instantly turned cold. He had deliberately sabotaged the deal with Feiyun Group, intending to push Mu Qingrong to a dead end, then come out and save the company himself, winning her favor. Unexpectedly, Ye Qing had resolved the issue beforehand.
The sabotage he had orchestrated did nothing but dress Ye Qing in bridal garb, so his resentment was understandable.
"Ye Qing, I want to see just how capable you really are! Mu Qingrong is mine, and I will make sure you die an ugly death," Wang Xuan clenched his teeth and seethed inwardly.
The prepayment from Das Group swept away the gloom within the company. After all, Das Group had provided cold, hard cash, which alleviated much of the disappointment from failure to secure Feiyun Group's business.
As the workday was about to end, Mu Qingrong received another call from Aunt Xia. In the morning, she had discussed the revisions to the design drawings with Aunt Xia, who then had her team work on it, resulting in a significant improvement in product quality and an excellent outcome.
Today, having received two major pieces of news—first the loss of Feiyun Group's business and then the arrival of Das Group's prepayment—Mu Qingrong went from shock to joy and had nearly forgotten everything else. Aunt Xia's call reminded her of the design drawings.
Unexpectedly, the changes Ye Qing made to the design drawings were actually very effective.
Mu Qingrong felt even more puzzled: what had Ye Qing done in the past? Not to mention his business skills, but he even understood electrical work, which was not something non-professionals could handle at all!
Could it be that Ye Qing really was a brilliant graduate from Northern University?
With various doubts in her mind, Mu Qingrong was packing up to leave when suddenly, a loud bang came from outside. Mu Qingrong felt her body sway and she fell to the ground.