West Sanzhuang Villa District.
Junheng Trading Co., Ltd., second-floor conference room.
Ueshiba Komaruko curiously sized up the company’s decor. She had never seen a company that operated out of a villa instead of a typical office building.
After Chen Lin came in and poured three glasses of water, Wu Jun cut straight to the business of their collaboration.
Ueshiba Komaruko wanted to place a one-time order for 1,000 tons of Hongyun Rice, but Wu Jun couldn’t actually scrape that much together on such short notice.
Thanks to the recent membership card promotion, the small amount of inventory they had built up during the rumors and price hikes had been significantly depleted over the past two days.
Dong Lizhu had just shown him the latest ERP report. The combined inventory of their Xiao’anshe and Alliance Road warehouses was only 628 tons, leaving them more than 300 tons short.
After his last experience nearly defaulting on the deal with the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Wu Jun had no desire to go through another heart-pounding race against time.
"Miss Ueshiba," Wu Jun began, mixing truth with a bit of a bluff, "our company’s rice also supplies over 800 restaurants in Shimen, which amounts to several dozen tons per day. These restaurants are all long-time customers. To be honest, if you order 1,000 tons at once, we don’t currently have that much in stock. We’ll need time to prepare it. We can’t just abandon our current restaurant market for one large order from your company. I hope you can understand."
"I understand completely," Ueshiba Komaruko said with a smile. "A gift from the heavens like this is bound to be extremely popular. I’m not surprised at all that your company has so many customers."
’So loaded, yet so reasonable and easy to negotiate with.’ Wu Jun’s impression of this plump lamb, Ueshiba Komaruko, was excellent.
"Well, thank you for your understanding, Miss Ueshiba," Wu Jun said. "Give me one week, and we can get this shipment ready."
"That’s acceptable," Ueshiba Komaruko said. "Doesn’t your country have a proverb? ’A good meal is worth waiting for.’ For high-quality rice like the kind your company provides, waiting a few more days is well worth it."
Since she was so agreeable, Wu Jun didn’t waste any time either. They discussed the specific details of the cooperation, such as the port of departure and who would bear the shipping costs. By a little after five in the afternoon, they had reached a consensus and signed a formal procurement and supply contract.
Wu Jun had assumed that for such a large sum, Ueshiba Komaruko would need a few days to prepare the funds. Instead, she took out a jet-black bank card on the spot and settled half of the payment.
Dong Lizhu, the company’s de facto accountant, received the first massive payment of her life: 30 million yuan from Ueshiba Komaruko.
Bian Xuedao leaned in excitedly and whispered to Wu Jun, "Boss Wu, this woman is something else! That card of hers is the legendary Centurion Credit Card. It’s standard issue for the super-rich. You can’t apply for it; you can only get one through an invitation from a bank president. It has a credit limit in the tens of millions. Swiping this much is nothing for a card like that."
"It’s that amazing..." Wu Jun was a little tempted. ’I should get one to play around with someday,’ he thought.
"Mr. Wu, I’m very pleased we could reach an agreement. Here’s to a pleasant cooperation," Ueshiba Komaruko said after signing the contract, extending a slender, delicate hand.
"To a pleasant cooperation," Wu Jun replied, taking her hand for a brief, light shake before letting go.
With the deal concluded, Wu Jun escorted Ueshiba Komaruko and Ogami Shin downstairs.
"Mr. Wu, I have a question that might seem a bit forward, but I’m too curious not to ask," Ueshiba Komaruko said, turning back to Wu Jun just as she was about to get into the car.
"What is it? Please, Miss Ueshiba, feel free to ask anything." Having just secured a massive profit, Wu Jun was in an excellent mood and agreed without a second thought.
"I was wondering, where is the place of origin for such high-quality rice?" Ueshiba Komaruko asked with a smile. "If I had the chance, I would love to see it for myself. It must be a land of beautiful rivers and green mountains, a true Shangri-La. Only such a blessed place on earth could produce such wonderful rice."
Hearing Ueshiba Komaruko’s words, Wu Jun’s heart skipped a beat. ’Even a foreigner is getting curious about the rice’s origin?’
The reputation of Hongyun Rice was growing louder and louder. Just a little while ago, Xu Fei had secretly shown him her phone; posts about Hongyun Rice "carrying the banner for domestic rice" were spreading like wildfire across social media, even more widely than the previous rumors.
’As more and more people learn about Hongyun Rice, I have to solve this origin problem, and fast. Something that appears out of thin air, a ’river without a source,’ is bound to attract unwanted attention from the authorities if it doesn’t have a plausible backstory.’
’I’ve made a good amount of money now, and I even have the seeds that can adapt to any soil and grow rice of the same quality as in the game. It’s time to start solving the problem of its origin once and for all.’
"The harvest season is already over, so the fields are barren right now," Wu Jun said with a smile, his mind racing. "The most beautiful time is when the scent of rice blossoms fills the air across thousands of acres. Why don’t I invite you to visit then, Miss Ueshiba?"
"Oh, I see. That’s a real shame," Ueshiba Komaruko said, a little disappointed. Then she suddenly smiled. "Mr. Wu, in Huaxia you have a proverb that a gentleman’s promise is something even a team of four horses can’t take back. I hope I’ll receive your invitation when the time comes."
Wu Jun gave a noncommittal reply, "Of course. I’ll be sure to invite you then."
Having gotten Wu Jun’s promise, Ueshiba Komaruko thanked him, waved, and slipped into the car. Wu Jun turned and walked back toward the company entrance.
Closing such a massive deal today was a momentous achievement for a newly established company like Junheng Trading Co., Ltd.
None of the employees had left for the day yet. At Wu Jun’s signal, Dong Lizhu even summoned the warehouse staff back to the company headquarters to prepare for a proper celebration.
"Congratulations, Boss Wu!"
"Boss Wu, you have to treat us today!"
"Congrats on landing the huge order, Boss Wu!"
The moment Wu Jun walked in, all the employees swarmed him, showering him with congratulations as if it were his wedding day. The young women in the company looked at him with eyes that could eat him alive.
They had thought they were just joining a small company that sold rice, but it had only been open for a few days and had already landed a 60-million-yuan order. At this rate, their annual revenue would easily break 100 million.
Bian Xuedao egged him on from the side, "Boss Wu, say a few words to everyone!"
"Come on, everyone, a round of applause! Let’s have Boss Wu say a few words!" Qian Na chimed in, backing up her husband. The entire company was swept up in the moment and joined in the call.
"Alright, I’ll just say a few words," Wu Jun said with a resigned smile. He held up a hand to quiet the crowd, and the excited group instantly fell silent, ready to listen.
"Landing such a huge order this time wasn’t my achievement alone. Everyone here played a part."
Wu Jun spoke from the heart. "I want to thank all of you for choosing to stay with Junheng when we were under siege by rumors, for choosing to believe in Junheng, and for sticking with us through thick and thin..."
Wu Jun wasn’t one for sappy speeches, but he shared his feelings from the recent period, speaking for over half an hour straight.
The entire staff, stomachs rumbling, looked at Wu Jun with adoration. ’Boss Wu is so humble,’ they thought. ’And he called that "just a few words"?’
Finally, with a grand wave of his hand, Wu Jun declared that no one would be left out. The entire staff of Junheng Trading Co., Ltd. was going out for a celebratory dinner at a high-end hotel owned by Dong Shanshan.