Chapitre 24: FLAMBOYANT COVER
The young man waiting in the gazebo seemed to realise that he was not behaving strangely. Or perhaps, he noticed the cold look that Zhong Feng sent his way. He calmed down immediately and approached them with a professional demeanour.
"Good afternoon, Mr Zhong." The man spoke in halting Mandarin.
Zhong Feng shook his hand and responded in the same way. He then turned to Hu Lei.
"My name is Furukawa Shun. Forgive my lack of fluency." He spoke with a wide smile.
Hu Lei wanted to roll her eyes, but she did not. If he did not know how to speak, why was he using complicated terms and complex sentence structures? However, she was not here as a critic. So, she smiled politely and bowed lightly while both her hands holding her purse.
"You do not have to worry about that, Mr Furukawa. I am Hu Lei, your interpreter for the day." She responded charmingly in Japanese.
"Your Japanese is perfect." The energetic man smiled even wider.
She nodded and spoke a modest word of thanks.
With the pleasantries out of the way, the party of three moved to the table, and business began.
Furukawa Shun looked like the playboy types who would be busy partying and drinking every day. However, one cannot really judge a book by its flamboyant cover. Once he began discussing business, his entire demeanour changed. His eyes became sharper, his hands stopped fidgeting and he spoke eloquently.
As the small interpreter, Hu Lei tried to minimise her presence though she had to speak more than the other two parties. Lin Man had said that an efficient interpreter should not become the centre of attention.
The business proposal was quite simple. Mushi Security Solutions was planning to expand their business to other parts of the continent. However, the company did not have their own software or hardware products. Rather, they provided managed information technology services to their clients.
With the continued rise of hacking attempts, more companies in the continent were investing a lot into cyber security. The foolish ones would only install basic solutions like firewalls, antimalware and authentication programs. However, these were not fool proof, and a good hacker would break down defences in a short period.
Mushi was at the frontline in terms of managed services in Japan, and their reputation had provided an opportunity for expansion. Furukawa Shun was in charge of setting up a branch in Supreme City and providing the services to the rest of the country. And he wanted to make use of the products created by Etude Technologies.
If the use of the security software was successful, they would implement it in other branches.
Zhong Feng did not look excited about the deal, but Hu Lei could see a glimmer somewhere deep deep inside through his body language.
According to the reports, the security software products from Etude had the lowest sales in the last few quarter, falling behind general business programs like accounting, project management and helpdesk solutions as well as games.
The meeting continued for some time, causing Hu Lei to feel like she would drop from tiredness. However, she did not show it. She resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably in her chair and fidget. She only moved when sipping with reserve on her glass of water.
Finally, the meeting ended and the two men stood to shake hands. She also stood up on unsteady feet and smiled professionally at Furukawa Shun who once again became the overly energetic idol-like playboy.
The man then excused himself because he had matters to handle. With another smile, he left quickly with his fingers tapping insistently on his phone.
Hu Lei breathed out.
Her first assignment was over, and it had not gone on poorly.
Chapitre 25: PUSH HER TO THE BRINK
Once the meeting was concluded and Furukawa Shun left, Hu Lei was ready to leave. It was past six o'clock in the evening, and she had some other matters to handle at home. Unfortunately, she was exhausted and had not eaten since the previous evening.
Typically, she did not take breakfast because she was not a morning person. If she had the energy to eat at the crack of dawn, she would rather keep sleeping. She had missed lunch because she had been occupied with Manager Lin. Soon after, she was dragged across town.
When she started to walk out of the gazebo, she felt lightheaded and stumbled with dizziness. She quickly supported herself against the table and steadied her steps. With her body feeling like it had been put through a mill, she realised that she had been neglecting her health.
Zhong Feng felt a pang of regret as he looked at her. Perhaps he should have allowed her to go home instead of bringing her to a meeting with Shun. She was clearly not a newbie at interpreting. Looking at her pale face and seeing her shallow breaths, he realised that she was overly strained.
He stretched his hand to provide support as they walked out of the gazebo. However, before he could touch her, she seemed to regain her strength. She walked out faster with steady steps on her dangerous high-heeled shoes.
He frowned as he realised that she had deliberately avoided his touch. And it was not the first time. His mind reviewed all their interactions and determined that she had avoided all contact. She never even shook hands at any point.
His eyes darkened as his mind considered the issue. However, he still pressed down on his desire to investigate the matter immediately. Perhaps he was overthinking things.
When they returned to the lounge, Zhong Feng subtly beckoned to the hostess and requested for a table in the restaurant. Like other employees at the Maven Resort, she knew to treat important guest with utmost care. Therefore, she did not hesitate to check her tablet and lead them into a nice table in the Western-style restaurant.
Once the hostess left, Hu Lei finally presented her grievances.
"I did not agree to this. It's already late and I need to leave." She spoke in a low voice.
The restaurant was almost empty, and sounds could carry. She did not want to be that girl.
"You can leave. But you must remember that it will be difficult to find transportation." Zhong Feng replied calmly.
Hu Lei ground her teeth.
She wondered if this man would push her to the brink, forcing her to learn how to drive. No, she would not be broken. It was only a meal. She would still return home and handle her matters. It would not be too bad to enjoy a full course dinner.
Zhong Feng realised that the girl had given up on her protests. His lips formed a small curve when he saw that he had won. Of course, he would not have allowed her to leave before eating. He did not want to see her burning out. He understood more than most the importance of a healthy body.
"Welcome to the Maven Restaurant. Can we start you off with drinks?" A young handsome waiter came to their table to take their order.
"Can you recommend something?" Hu Lei asked cordially.
"What are the lady's preferences?" the waiter asked with a smile.
She thought for a moment, chewing on her plump lips.
"I prefer drinks with sugar and fruits. It is better if there a tangy option." She explained.
In the past, she had believed in eating enough for survival. It would have been difficult to remain alive if she had been a foodie. She had eaten everything from everywhere. However, no one knew that deep inside that she hated countless foods. It was not a foodie thing. She just did not like eating.
The only thing that she truly loved was sugar and tangy fruits.
The young waiter immediately recommended a few drinks. She could not be bothered to ask more, so she picked one at random because it had a nice name. She turned back to her dinner companion. As expected the boring Zhong Feng ordered cold mineral water.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
15 Power
stone 
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