Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 172 Meeting Lin Keke in a Foreign Land!

The next morning, Wu Zhiyuan arrived at the office building where Ya Yun Trading Company was located ahead of schedule.

At nine o'clock sharp, Song Ya-wen appeared on time, followed by the female assistant she had met yesterday.

Today she changed into a light gray business suit, which gave her a more capable and sophisticated look, like a business elite.

"Mr. Wu, you're right on time." Song Yawen smiled and gestured for Wu Zhiyuan to sit down.

The talks began.

Wu Zhiyuan opened the PPT and introduced the specific details of the two rare coffee beans and ancient tree black tea that Sihai Company possesses, including the origin traceability, the cooperation model with growers, the picking standards, the exclusive processing technology, the quality test data over the years, and customer feedback from the current limited supply.

He not only prepared detailed text and data, but also brought samples of roasted coffee beans and different batches of black tea, as well as portable pour-over coffee and tea sets, and brewed and tasted them on the spot.

Wu Zhiyuan's professionalism, detailed data, and thorough preparation left a deep impression on Song Yawen.

He's not just a salesman, he's more like a knowledgeable product expert.

Furthermore, his tall and upright posture, handsome face, and the sunny and steady masculinity between his brows also made Song Yawen feel more favorably toward him.

"Mr. Wu has a deep understanding of the product and is very well prepared," Song Yawen affirmed. "The quality is indeed excellent, and its rarity and uniqueness align with our positioning as a high-end brand."

However, branding is not simply about having a good product; it involves a complex series of tasks such as packaging design, brand storytelling, channel development, and marketing, and requires a significant investment.

"Mr. Song is right," Wu Zhiyuan continued, "That's exactly why we're seeking cooperation with Ya Yun Trading."

Sihai's advantage lies in its source and quality control, while your company's advantages in brand operation, high-end channels and international vision are what we do not possess.

We can serve as your company's stable and high-quality raw material supplier and primary processing partner. We can even jointly establish a project team to deeply participate in the entire chain from source to brand.

We can discuss the specific cooperation model and profit sharing further.

Wu Zhiyuan's proposal demonstrates sincerity and flexibility in cooperation; it's not simply about selling raw materials, but about hoping for a deep partnership and joint market development.

This aligns better with Song Ya-wen's desire to build a career and create an independent brand.

The talks lasted two or three hours in a friendly atmosphere. They ended close to noon.

Wu Zhiyuan tentatively said, "President Song, we had a very pleasant chat today. It's almost lunchtime. Would President Song do me the honor of joining us for a simple meal?"

Let's celebrate the start of our collaboration and also give me the opportunity to ask you for some more ideas regarding the brand.

Song Ya-wen hesitated for a moment.

She rarely accepts these kinds of invitations, but beautiful women also love handsome men, and having lunch with a good-looking and well-spoken man is a pleasant experience.

"Alright. Let's just have something simple to eat then. I happen to have some questions I'd like to ask you more about."

Wu Zhiyuan was overjoyed: "Great! There's a nice restaurant nearby, it's only a few minutes' walk away."

The streets were bustling with traffic and people.

They walked and talked along the sidewalk.

Several sharp gunshots suddenly rang out from the fork in the road not far ahead.

The once bustling street instantly descended into panic, with people screaming and scattering in all directions.

Wu Zhiyuan had long heard of the rampant gangs, abundant guns, and chaotic social order in the southern part of the city, but he never expected to experience it firsthand today.

Several gunmen were seen firing wildly at another four or five people.

Both groups of people look like Chinese people, and there are quite a few Chinese people in country A.

The attacked party quickly drew their guns and returned fire, bullets flew everywhere, and the windows of roadside vehicles shattered, sparks flying.

Two people were already lying on the ground, either dead or injured.

This is a clash between local gangs.

"Watch out!" Wu Zhiyuan tackled Song Yawen to the ground immediately and quickly rolled behind a sturdy concrete flower bed by the roadside.

Bullets whizzed as they struck the flowerbeds and the newsstand next to them, sending debris flying everywhere.

The two gunmen fired back as they rushed toward the direction where Wu Zhiyuan and Song Yawen were hiding, with bullets from pursuers still flying behind them.

One of the gunmen's eyes lit up when he saw Song Ya-wen behind the flower bed.

"Damn, this chick is gorgeous! Let's take her hostage!" The thug grinned maliciously, then changed direction and pounced on Song Ya-wen with his accomplice.

"What are you doing!" Song Ya-wen screamed and backed away, her face turning pale with fright.

Wu Zhiyuan stepped in front of Song Yawen and shouted sharply, "What are you doing!"

"You're asking for it!" The assailant probably thought the other person wouldn't dare to move under the gun, so he reached out and grabbed.

Wu Zhiyuan was not afraid at all. He dodged the grabbing hand to the side, and at the same time, his left hand grabbed the other party's wrist holding the gun with lightning speed, while his right hand slashed hard at the other party's elbow joint.

Click!

With a soft click, accompanied by a scream, the pistol slipped from his hand.

Wu Zhiyuan kicked the other man's knee hard with his right foot.

The guy screamed and knelt down on one knee.

Wu Zhiyuan then delivered a vicious chop to his carotid artery, instantly knocking him unconscious.

Upon seeing this, the other assailant, in a fit of rage, raised his gun to fire.

Wu Zhiyuan reacted even faster, rolling on the ground to close the distance. Before the other party could pull the trigger, he swept him down with a fierce leg sweep, and the pistol was thrown away.

Before the other man could get up, Wu Zhiyuan's knee slammed heavily into his ribs, and at the same time struck the back of his head, completely subduing him.

The whole process takes only a few seconds.

Song Ya-wen was terrified. She never expected that this seemingly sunny and handsome salesman would have such courage and skill in the face of a gun. The power and control he displayed in that instant impressed her.

But the crisis is not over.

Three more gangsters surrounded him. Seeing their companion knocked down, they became extremely aggressive, and one of them immediately pointed his gun at Wu Zhiyuan.

"Dare to touch our people! Arrest this girl too!"

Song Ya-wen forced herself to remain calm, attempting to intimidate them with her status: "Don't you dare do anything rash! I'm Song Yao-zu's daughter! If you touch me, think about the consequences!"

Her intention was to scare the other party away; in Nancheng, Song Yaozu's name could indeed make many people avoid him.

However, she miscalculated.

Upon hearing this, the leader, a man with a scar on his face, blazed with even deeper hatred and rage in his eyes.

"Song Yaozu's daughter? Hahaha! Heaven has truly opened its eyes!"

Brothers, that old bastard Song double-crossed us back then, robbing our boss's casino and killing several of our men! Today we've kidnapped his daughter, perfect revenge!

It turns out that this group of people is another gang that has a long-standing feud with the Song Group.

Song Ya-wen not only failed to intimidate the other party, but also provoked deeper hostility.

"Grab Song Laogou's daughter! Then we brothers can have some fun together!" Scarface roared.

The two men, guns drawn, warily watched Wu Zhiyuan, while the other rushed directly towards Song Yawen.

Although Wu Zhiyuan was skilled, he was hesitant to act because the other party had a gun. He watched as the third person was about to grab Song Yawen's arm.

"Ah!" Song Ya-wen jumped back in alarm, almost falling over.

At the critical moment, Wu Zhiyuan caught a glimpse of the pistol that had fallen from the ground of the first assailant who had been knocked unconscious.

He suddenly made a feint to pounce, drawing the gunman's attention, then rolled to the ground, grabbed the pistol, and without even aiming, fired a shot based on muscle memory!

"Bang!"

The bullet struck the calf of the person grabbing at Song Yawen with pinpoint accuracy, and the person screamed and fell forward.

Almost simultaneously, Wu Zhiyuan heard a dense cacophony of police sirens coming from not far away.

"Hurry up!" Scarface glared at Song Yawen and Wu Zhiyuan resentfully, helped up his injured companion, called to the others, and quickly disappeared into the alley next door.

At this moment, several police cars arrived with sirens blaring, and a large number of police officers jumped out of the vehicles with guns drawn.

Wu Zhiyuan immediately kicked the gun in his hand away and pulled up the still-shaken Song Yawen: "President Song, the police are here. It'll be troublesome if they ask questions. Let's leave here first."

Song Yawen was pale and trembling all over, tightly gripping Wu Zhiyuan's hand.

Wu Zhiyuan led her quickly through another alley and back to the relatively safe main road.

Only after entering the crowd did Song Ya-wen breathe a sigh of relief, but she still held tightly to Wu Zhi-yuan's hand.

"It's alright, Mr. Song, you're safe now," Wu Zhiyuan comforted him gently.

Song Ya-wen then released her grip, a blush rising on her face, and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Wu."

That was really dangerous. Thank goodness for you.

"Don't mention it, it's nothing. It's good that you're alright." Wu Zhiyuan looked at her. "Are you going to eat again? Or should I take you back to the company?"

Song Ya-wen composed herself: "Let's go eat, as we agreed. But I don't want to stay near that place again, I'm a little scared."

I know a good Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The food is authentic and the atmosphere is nice. Shall we go there?

"Okay, I'll do as you say." Wu Zhiyuan nodded.

The restaurant is located in the heart of Chinatown, with antique-style decor, and is very popular.

The waiter led them to a quiet booth by the window.

"Mr. Wu, I didn't expect you to be so skilled. You've even practiced marksmanship?"

"I served in the army for two years when I was in China and learned Sanda (Chinese kickboxing)."

"I see, no wonder it's so powerful!"

"President Song, the social security situation in Nancheng is not good. Gangs fighting in broad daylight is unimaginable in China."

If you need to go out for business in the future, I can accompany you; it's always good to have more people around.

"Mr. Wu, resign from Sihai Company and become my bodyguard! As for salary, you name your price."

Wu Zhiyuan was overjoyed again; Song Yawen wanted him to resign and become a bodyguard.

However, he couldn't agree immediately.

He still needed to go back and report to Liu Mingxuan.

So he smiled and said, "Mr. Song, I'd also like to discuss a business deal with you."

Song Ya-wen smiled and said, "I close deals to earn commissions. If you become my bodyguard, I'll give you competitive compensation. Mr. Wu, I'm serious."

Wu Zhiyuan feigned hesitation and said, "President Song, thank you for your trust. Let me think about it and give you an answer tomorrow."

The dishes were served one after another, and the two ate and chatted.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wu Zhiyuan saw two people walk in through the restaurant entrance.

His heart skipped a beat!

It was a man and a woman.

The woman was none other than Lin Keke!