Chapter 75: The Deal is Settled

  Duan Yue and Jin Xin waited in the store for less than a minute before the short, stout porter who had just made a phone call walked in.

  "Boss, except for a few items I checked on the list, most of the equipment has been settled. Shall we go and talk to the owner now?" The broker handed the list back to Duan Yue and explained.

  Duan Yue was overjoyed when he saw this, as he had not expected that most of the key equipment would be in stock. This would save him even more time. The out-of-stock devices could be custom-made by domestic manufacturers and would not affect the installation and debugging of the test base.

  "You lead the way!" Duan Lei nodded at the porter, indicating that he agreed with his plan.

  Seeing Duan Yue nodding, the guest couldn't help but show a pleased expression. If everything goes smoothly, he will have a good time for the next few months.

  He turned around and took Duanyan with him to walk out of the market, the owner asked to meet at a nearby teahouse to discuss business, after all, this kind of transaction is not likely to be conducted in public.

  Knowing that Duan Lei is a big client, the driver was extremely enthusiastic along the way and handed his business card to Duan Lei. The title on it read "Sales Engineer", it seems that times have indeed progressed a lot.

  This broker, named Hou Jian, saw Duan Lei hand over his business card to Jin Xin and knew that the person he would need to deal with in the future was this assistant and bodyguard. He made up his mind to get closer to him later. Although this boss is young, he has a calm demeanor, and it's likely that he won't appear in person at the chemical market to purchase equipment and raw materials often, but will have his subordinates handle it instead.

  Following Hou Jian out of the chemical market, along the green path to a teahouse by the river, Duan Lei couldn't help but sigh that even black market transactions now pay attention to atmosphere and appearance, and scenes in TV dramas where people secretly meet in dark rooms are all fabricated by screenwriters.

  "The owner is waiting for you in the 'Chrysanthemum Hall', please go!" Hou Jian said respectfully to Duan Yue as they arrived at the main hall of the teahouse.

  "Uh-huh!" Duan Yue nodded and then said to Jin Xin: "Old Jin, you stay here and chat with Mr. Hou for a bit, I'll be right back!"

  "Boss?" Seeing Duan Lei going up to the third floor alone, Jin Xin was somewhat worried.

  "It's alright, just stay here and watch over it!" Duan Yue pointed to the password box in Jin Xin's hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry about himself.

  Duan Duan went upstairs, and Hou Jian hurriedly pulled Jin Xin into a nearby teahouse. He tried to get close to Jin Xin, but except for asking Jin Xin's name, Jin Xin didn't say anything else, not even touching the tea that Hou Jian had ordered.

  Hou Jian knew that this was also a subconscious defensive psychology of people, and he didn't rush to do anything. He started chatting casually about everything under the sun, without seeming as urgent as before.

  …………

  As Duan Lei walked up to the third floor from the antique staircase, he heard the faint sound of a guqin and smelled the light fragrance of sandalwood in the air, which immediately made him feel calm. It seems that the owner of this teahouse is also a refined person, able to make such an establishment without any hint of commercialism; if there's an opportunity, it would be nice to get to know them.

  Pushing open the door to enter the "Chrysanthemum Hall", Duan Lei found that all the furniture inside was antique, and except for the electric lights hidden in the dark, there was no sign of modernization at all. It seems that the boss also spent a lot of thought on it.

  "Boss Du? Please sit down!" The owner of the goods sitting in the teahouse looked at Duan Lei and was taken aback by his youth, only then standing up to invite Duan Lei to take a seat.

  When Duan Lei saw the appearance of the goods owner, he was also a little surprised. After all, the other party had a big difference with the underground world members he imagined. A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white shirt would have been thought to be a teacher or something if met outside by Duan Lei.

  "It's actually Director Zou, nice to meet you!" Duan Lei took the business card from the other party and found that it was printed with "Far Navigation Logistics Executive President" Zou Hexiang, which was quite consistent with the other party's dress and temperament.

  "Mr. Duan is young and promising, we hope that through this contact, we can deepen the exchange between the two companies and expand the scope of cooperation!" Zou Hexiang had already learned about Duan Lei's recent stability in the chemical market through some channels before coming, and he was not an official person on the surface, so he felt at ease to show up in person.

  "This is exactly what we have been looking for. You are a professional, and you also know that even the instruments that can be bought domestically are of general quality. If we can cooperate with you in the long term, I will save a lot of trouble!" Upon hearing Zou Hesheng's words, Duan Lei was also quite moved.

  "Yuanhang Logistics" is a company that Duan Lei has also heard of, not only does it have regular logistics business, but it's also rumored to occupy a considerable share of smuggled goods in the underground world of Haicheng, and it's well-connected in both the white and black markets. If we can establish a good cooperative relationship with "Yuanhang Logistics", then all the equipment, reagents and other things our company needs in the future can be found through them, not only will it save us trouble, but also guarantee quality!

  After some small talk, Zou Hesheng took over the list from Duan Yue and began to discuss with him the details of price, delivery method, etc., his professionalism also made Duan Yue speechless.

  Zou Heshang was originally the chief engineer of a chemical plant, but in the 1990s he was involved in a safety accident and was pushed out as a scapegoat, serving five years in prison. After his release, he tried to find legitimate work but was rejected everywhere, and with no other options, he turned to a powerful underworld figure he had met in prison. Over the years, Zou Heshang relied on his high education and exceptional abilities to gradually establish himself in Haicheng's underground world.

  Today, one of his subordinates mentioned a deal involving some equipment, and since he was in the vicinity, Zou He Xiang suggested that he would personally receive them to see what kind of client would need such advanced experimental equipment. For Zou He Xiang, even though he had been in the underworld for many years, he still had the mindset of a tech worker at his core; otherwise, a deal worth less than 10 million wouldn't require him to show up personally.

  "Mr. Duan is indeed knowledgeable and has a good grasp of the forefront of the chemical industry, now I am full of confidence in the cooperation between the two parties!" After exchanging with Mr. Duan, Zou He-xiang found that Mr. Duan was a buyer with real skills and materials, and his expectations for development were even higher.

  There's a saying that goes "literary people belittle each other", but of course, there's also another saying that goes "people with similar interests appreciate each other"! When Zou He Xiang saw Duan Lei, he saw his own young self, and his fondness for Duan Lei rose exponentially.

  "Zou is also dignified, I'm just a latecomer in the business world, and there are still many things I need to learn from you!" Zou Hesheng's demeanor, knowledge, and conversation had all won over Duan Lei, who was now eager to befriend him.

  "Alright, alright, from now on you can just call me Brother Zou. Calling me Director Zou makes it sound too formal!" Zou He Xiang said straightforwardly, having also become somewhat bold and uninhibited after frequent interactions with those hot-blooded men in the underground world.

  "Then I'd better obey!" Duan Yue cupped his hands and said: "From now on, Brother Zou can just call me Shi Tou, we'll have a chance to communicate again sometime!"

  The two people ended their first meeting in this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, as for the subsequent transaction, the tone had been set by both parties' leaders, and the follow-up work details would be handled by subordinates.