Wu Jun had learned from Jiang Yi that the bank manager’s full name was Luo Zhengang.
Luo Zhengang, Luo Weimin—they both had the surname Luo.
And now, Luo Zhengang’s work ID had just happened to turn up in Luo Weimin’s car. What a coincidence!
"Old Luo, what’s this...?" Wu Jun asked Luo Weimin, holding the ID card in his hand.
Luo Weimin glanced at it out of the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back to the road. "Oh, my son probably left that in the car. He came with me to the hospital for a check-up this morning."
Wu Jun exclaimed excitedly, "Luo Zhengang is your son?"
Luo Weimin chuckled. "What about it? Do you know my son?"
"I don’t, but I’d love to!" Wu Jun was thrilled. He raised his hand, about to clap Luo Weimin on the back, but stopped himself just in time. ’Old Luo is getting on in years, and he’s driving. A slap like that might give him a heart attack.’
Wu Jun placed Luo Zhengang’s ID card on the dashboard under the windshield. Calming himself, he said, "Old Luo, your timing today is impeccable."
"You’re so jumpy. What’s gotten into you?" Luo Weimin was completely baffled by Wu Jun’s behavior and let out a soft chuckle.
It was also the first time Xu Fei had seen Wu Jun so agitated, and she watched from the back seat, puzzled.
Wu Jun said, "I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. For now, just focus on driving."
’Just when you think you’ve hit a dead end, a new path appears!’
’My number was blocked. If I tried calling from a new one, I’d probably get one line in before being shut down again.’
Wu Jun had been racking his brain for a way to contact Bank Manager Luo and get a chance to present his case, and now, his father had shown up on a silver platter.
With Old Luo as a connection, he could finally face his rival—the one who was old classmates with Luo Zhengang—head-on.
’So who’s the one with connections now, huh?’
Since Xu Fei was anxious to get back early, Luo Weimin simply found a small restaurant after driving out of the residential complex.
He drove the car up onto the curb in front of the restaurant. The three of them got out and stepped inside.
While they were ordering, the restaurant’s proprietress saw Wu Jun pull a bottle of Feitian Maotai from its box and felt a wave of contempt. ’He’s just showing off.’
’Bringing a three-thousand-yuan bottle of liquor to a little dive where you can eat till you burst for three hundred? It must be one of those fakes they sell on the radio, 888 yuan for a case of six.’
’You have to pick the right place to show off. Is there any point in a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician trying to impress a bunch of kindergarteners who can’t even count to ten? Seriously!’
A group of men drinking at a nearby table also saw Wu Jun’s Feitian Maotai and began whispering among themselves. They kept glancing over at Wu Jun’s table, likely sharing the proprietress’s sentiments.
"Wu Jun, that’s about enough. If you order too much, we won’t be able to finish it. Let’s not be wasteful," Luo Weimin said, holding up a hand to stop Wu Jun, who had already ordered seven or eight dishes.
"Alright, this is it for now. If it’s not enough, we can order more later," Wu Jun said, handing the order slip back to the proprietress. He then turned to Xu Fei and asked, "Xu Fei, what would you like to drink?"
"I’ll just have some hot water," Xu Fei said, handing a small aluminum teapot from the table to the proprietress. "Could you please fill this with water for me? Thank you."
"Please wait a moment, your food will be out shortly." The proprietress took the small teapot from Xu Fei, said a few words, and turned to walk toward the kitchen.
"The doctor said you can’t drink, and you’re driving anyway, so I won’t tempt you. Sugary drinks aren’t good for seniors either. You can just have hot water with Xu Fei," Wu Jun teased Luo Weimin good-naturedly. He gently pulled the red ribbon, tore the wrapping film from the bottle, and twisted off the cap.
The moment the cap came off, a rich, mellow fragrance filled the air. Wu Jun sniffed appreciatively and gave Luo Weimin a thumbs-up. "Old Luo, you’re a true friend. Thanks to you, I get to taste some fine liquor today."
Luo Weimin laughed and retorted, "You little rascal, you’re incorrigible! You’re doing this on purpose to tempt me, aren’t you!"
Wu Jun grinned. "Old Luo, you’re maligning a good man. The doctor said you can’t drink it, but he never said you can’t smell it, right? I brought this bottle mostly for you. I’d be perfectly happy with the cheap stuff myself."
Xu Fei watched the old man and the young man trade barbs, smiling silently. Although she didn’t drink at all, she had to admit the liquor smelled quite fragrant, not pungent like ordinary baijiu.
At the next table, the group that had been whispering earlier turned to look over again and again after catching the scent of the liquor.
"Hey buddy, is that the real deal? It smells incredible!"
"Drinking such fine liquor in a little joint like this... you’ve got style, man."
After smelling the rich aroma, the men were thoroughly convinced. If a counterfeit could be made this well, the forger would have already started their own brand.
Generous as he might be, Wu Jun wasn’t about to invite a bunch of strangers over for a taste. That would just be foolish.
The men weren’t shameless enough to ask for a drink, either. After their comments, they turned back around and went on drinking their own cheap liquor.
While they were waiting for the food to arrive, Luo Weimin asked, "Wu Jun, are you looking for my son to get a loan? How much do you need? If it’s a million or so, I can just lend it to you myself. Save you the trouble."
Wu Jun: "..."
’A million or so, just like that? He’s known me for less than a month. The man is incredibly generous.’
’Looks like I underestimated Old Luo’s means. Like father, like son, indeed. It’s no wonder his son is a bank manager.’
"I’m not looking for a loan," Wu Jun said after a moment. "I want to discuss some business with your son, but I haven’t been able to get in touch with him. I was hoping you could act as a go-between and help me get an introduction."
Luo Weimin asked, "What kind of business?"
"It’s about a bulk purchase of gift products. You saw it when you visited my supermarket today—I’m a distributor for a brand of rice..." Wu Jun then explained the whole situation with the bank branch’s tenth-anniversary rice procurement to Luo Weimin.
"A trivial matter. I’ll call him right now. If he dares not to come, I’ll break his legs when he gets home." After hearing the story, Luo Weimin laughed heartily, pulled out his phone, and made the call. It connected quickly.
Luo Weimin spoke into the phone, "Come over to the Tianyuan Complex area. My car is parked out front."
After that one sentence, Luo Weimin hung up the phone, looked at Wu Jun, and said, "It’s handled."
Wu Jun: "..."
Xu Fei: "..."
The two of them were rendered speechless by the communication style between Luo Weimin and his son. It was so blunt and direct!
Less than five minutes after Luo Weimin finished his call, the first of the dishes Wu Jun had ordered was brought to the table.
"Eat, eat! Wu Jun, Xu Fei, you two are the hosts. Why are you being so formal?" Luo Weimin picked up his chopsticks and urged Wu Jun and Xu Fei to start eating.
Wu Jun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Let’s wait a bit. We should start after Bank Manager Luo arrives."
Luo Weimin waved it off. "Don’t worry about him. We don’t need all that ceremony. If he’s late, we’ll just make him drink two penalty shots."
Wu Jun said, "Is that really a good idea...?"
"Uncle Luo, let’s just wait," Xu Fei said. Seeing that Wu Jun wasn’t moving his chopsticks, she didn’t either. Even though she was anxious to finish dinner and get back to the supermarket, she felt it would be rude to start eating before everyone had arrived.
"Alright then, we’ll wait." Seeing that neither of them was eating, Luo Weimin felt a bit awkward eating alone and put his chopsticks down again.
About half an hour later, just as all the dishes Wu Jun had ordered were served, Luo Zhengang arrived.
He looked to be in his forties, dressed in a crisp, formal black suit.
His thick, dark hair was impeccably combed. The moment he stood there, it was clear he was in a different league from the other diners in the restaurant. He naturally carried the air of an important leader.
"Dad, what are you doing all the way out here? And these two are...?" Luo Zhengang asked with a puzzled expression as he walked straight to the table after spotting Luo Weimin. He looked at Wu Jun and Xu Fei, who were seated with his father.
"Hello, Bank Manager Luo. I’m Wu Jun." Wu Jun stood up to greet him and extended a hand. After introducing himself, he introduced Xu Fei. "This is my friend, Xu Fei."
"Hello, Bank Manager Luo." Xu Fei stood beside Wu Jun and gave Luo Zhengang a polite nod.
"Hello," Luo Zhengang replied, giving Wu Jun’s hand a light shake. He was inwardly puzzled.
’Wu Jun looked young, maybe only twenty-four or twenty-five, and Xu Fei seemed even younger. Their combined ages were probably less than his father’s. How did three people with such a huge age gap end up together?’
Luo Zhengang simply couldn’t figure it out.
"You’re here, so sit down. We can talk after you’re seated," Luo Weimin said to the three of them. They then took their seats.
Luo Weimin said, "Wu Jun, I’ve brought the person you wanted to see. Whatever you have to say, just say it to him directly."
’He was looking for me specifically?’ Luo Zhengang’s confusion deepened upon hearing his father’s words.
"Bank Manager Luo, I heard your bank is planning to procure a batch of rice for gifts. I’m a distributor for Hongyun Rice, and I hope you will consider us and give us a fair chance to compete with the other suppliers. Hongyun Rice absolutely will not disappoint you," Wu Jun said, getting straight to the point.
"Hongyun Rice..." Hearing Wu Jun state his business, Luo Zhengang remembered. The call he had received that afternoon had also been from someone claiming to be a distributor for Hongyun Rice.
’I blacklisted him this afternoon, and by evening, he’s managed to trot out my own father. He’s certainly resourceful.’
Luo Zhengang’s first impression of Wu Jun wasn’t very good. He felt the young man was too much of a schemer.