Thirsty Skin - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – “Chizhou, Come And Sit Next To Me”

According to Lin Wan’s level, he could fly first class on business trips, but Zhu Chizhou’s level could only allow him to fly economy class.

Zhu Chizhou felt that he couldn’t stretch his legs in economy class, so he would pay for first-class tickets every time.

But this time he bought a first-class ticket for Lin Wan, and he himself traveled in economy class.

When Lin Wan saw Zhu Chizhou’s boarding pass, he was puzzled for a moment, 【Has this kid been financially curtailed by his family?】

‘I wish you had a heart attack. I was economically curtailed?! It’s just so that we can sit separately!’

Lin Wan didn’t say a word and boarded the plane through the priority channel.

Zhu Chizhou queued up obediently and refused the free upgrade at the boarding gate.

The seat was crowded, and Zhu Chizhou could barely sit down with his long legs. A little kid with a diaper next to him kicked on his trouser leg, leaving a fresh shoe print.

The flustered mother hurriedly apologized to him, scolded the child and fastened the seat belt for him.

Zhu Chizhou maintained a smile and said it was okay, silently patting away the shoe prints.

During the nearly three-hour flight, the energetic little kid kept Zhu Chizhou awake for every minute.

He was forced to watch Peppa Pig with the child for an hour, and initially mastered the basic skills of making milk powder. He also had close and friendly contact with the child for a few minutes when the child’s mother went to the toilet.

After getting off the plane, Lin Wan was waiting for him on the air bridge and saw him coming out with a young woman with a child. The child was holding his hand.

Lin Wan thought expressionlessly, 【I didn’t realize he likes children so much.】

Zhu Chizhou said goodbye to the mother and child, walked over to Lin Wan, and started the conversation awkwardly: “The child is so cute.”

Lin Wan walked forward and said, “You are quite a community hero.”

Zhu Chizhou added, “I asked the lady about the best water temperature for mixing milk powder.”

“Oh?” Lin Wan’s curiosity was aroused. “Why do you want to ask this?”

Finally bringing the conversation to this point, Zhu Chizhou said, “I like children very much, and I will definitely need this in the future.”

He looked at Lin Wan’s profile and solemnly stated his bottom line to his boss: “After all, I am a straight man.”

Lin Wan hummed and said, “Very good.”

At this moment, Lin Wan was very calm. Zhu Chizhou’s bottom line did not cause any ripples in his heart. Lin Wan was even thinking, 【I wonder if the car that came to pick us up has arrived. I’ll call them after I get my luggage.】

Zhu Chizhou fell back half a step in frustration.

‘Tsk, this guy is really stubborn!’

The person who came to pick them up at the airport was Pan Min, a middle-aged woman in her forties, not very tall, with short hair and a light green business suit. At first glance, she looked very capable.

This was the first time that Zhu Chizhou met her. When Lin Wan introduced Zhu Chizhou, he did not say that this was my assistant, but said: “He is my colleague who is in charge of your case with me.”

This is because 【they were afraid that Zhu Chizhou would be neglected by them】.

Zhu Chizhou pursed his lips in a reserved manner, and then he immediately heard Lin Wan thinking, 【It’s mainly because Mr. Zhang asked me to take care of him.】

Zhu Chizhou: …

In the silver-gray seven-seater business car, Pan Min took the initiative to sit in the passenger seat, while Lin Wan and Zhu Chizhou sat on the left and right in the second row.

Pan Min turned around and said to Lin Wan, “Mr. Lin, we have prepared all the materials according to the due diligence list.”

After hearing this, Zhu Chizhou realized that they were here to do due diligence. Generally speaking, due diligence is done by interns or new employees who have just joined the company.

Zhu Chizhou has never been an intern. Although he is a newcomer, he was directly promoted to the position of assistant director. He had read a lot of due diligence reports written by others, but this is the first time he was doing due diligence on site by himself.

It seemed that Lin Wan really attaches great importance to this project, and he even came here in person.

Lin Wan was talking to Pan Min when Pan Min’s cell phone rang. She turned her head back and answered the phone: “Secretary Chen.”

It seemed like someone was in a hurry over there. There was some sound coming from the phone, but it was not clear.

“Going to the government to make trouble again?” Pan Min said sternly, “Call them back… I know, you should comfort them… Yes, tell them that you will make up their salary as soon as the money arrives.”

After hanging up the phone, Pan Min and Lin Wan complained: “They haven’t received their salary for two months, and they have protested seven or eight times. Whenever they make a fuss, the government comes to me. I am under a lot of pressure!”

Lin Wan looked out the window and smiled slightly, “It’s okay. The government is also under great pressure.”

More than an hour later, the business car stopped in front of a restaurant, and the person who greeted them was Chen Liming who had just called.

Chen Liming pretended not to know Zhu Chizhou, and Zhu Chizhou remained calm. The two exchanged greetings again as if they were meeting for the first time.

While eating and chatting at the table, he got a general idea of the company’s recent situation, which could be regarded as a preliminary interview.

After dinner, Pan Min asked the driver to take them to the hotel for a short rest, and agreed to go to the company to review the materials at 2:30 p.m.

The hotel was booked by Zhu Chizhou. He thought the hotel booked by the company was not good enough, so he found a five-star hotel about one kilometer away from Qiuge Industry. There were two small suites, one in 3305 and the other in 3306.

After checking in, they went upstairs. There were only two of them in the elevator.

The door closed. Lin Wan looked at Zhu Chizhou in the mirror door and suddenly asked, “Do you know Chen Liming?”

Zhu Chizhou was distracted, thinking about looking at people in the mirror. It turned out that he couldn’t hear his inner voice. He was stunned for a moment, but then he thought it was not a big deal. He looked directly at Lin Wan in the mirror and said, “Yes, I have met him once, at a friend’s dinner party. How did you know?”

Lin Wan: “Because he didn’t ask you if you wanted anything to drink, he just ordered you a bottle of mineral water.”

Zhu Chizhou: “…”

It was indeed Zhu Chizhou’s habit not to drink beverages, and he also didn’t like to drink tea while eating. But he didn’t expect Lin Wan to observe so carefully.

Lin Wan asked, “After I rejected their investment, did he come to Shenhai to look for you?”

Zhu Chizhou suddenly remembered that he had misunderstood Lin Wan as accepting kickbacks, and had a big quarrel with Lin Wan. So far, he has not apologized.

‘I was going to apologize, but then I heard some incredible things…’

“I…” Zhu Chizhou felt embarrassed again and had to say, “He did look for me.”

Lin Wan hummed, as if thinking about something: “He wanted you to help?”

Zhu Chizhou said hurriedly: “I rejected him on the spot.”

“How much did he promise you?” Lin Wan asked.

Zhu Chizhou’s scalp was numb. He had done nothing, but Lin Wan’s question made him feel like he was being exposed. Lin Wan looked at him straight, so he could only say, “Five percent of eighty million.”

Lin Wan frowned slightly, lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Having said that, Zhu Chizhou felt that if he didn’t apologize, he would have no chance in the future. After holding it in for a long time, he rarely called out respectfully, “Mr. Lin.”

“Hmm?” Lin Wan raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Chizhou in the mirror. His eyes behind the lenses were calm.

“I’m sorry about what happened last time.” Zhu Chizhou said, “I haven’t apologized to you yet.”

Lin Wan had obviously forgotten: “What is it?”

Zhu Chizhou said awkwardly: ” I had an argument with you in your office last time.”

Lin Wan raised his eyebrows, revealing a look of realization, “Do you think I asked them to start the project just for Chen Liming’s 4 million?”

Zhu Chizhou: “… Yeah.”

Lin Wan was curious, “So today you finally found out that I didn’t take the money?”

“Not today,” Zhu Chizhou avoided Lin Wan’s gaze. He couldn’t bring up his relationship with Lei Zhengting, so he had to push the blame onto Zhang Hengyan. “After that, President Zhang told me that this was the company’s arrangement, and I realised I had misunderstood you…”

The boy stood there tall and big, but his eyes were evasive, and his eyebrows were wrinkled in anxiety. Lin Wan raised the corners of his mouth, with a barely perceptible smile in his eyes, and said softly, “It’s okay.”

Zhu Chizhou was dazzled by the smile, and before he could see clearly, they arrived at the floor, the elevator door opened, and Lin Wan was the first to walk out, dragging his suitcase.

Arriving at 3305, Lin Wan took out the room card and opened the door. He said to Zhu Chizhou who was lagging behind, “Take a rest. We’ll leave at two o’clock.”

Zhu Chizhou responded with an “OK”, and the door of the next room closed in front of him.

When they arrived at the company in the afternoon, Chen Liming specially set aside a small meeting room for them and arranged for a girl to serve them tea and water.

Lin Wan opened his laptop, rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, and looked like an emperor reviewing memorials. He said, “No need. You all go out. I’ll call you if I need any information.”

Chen Liming took the girl away, and Zhu Chizhou sat down opposite Lin Wan, with a conference table more than one meter wide between them.

Lin Wan glanced at him and said, “Chizhou, come and sit next to me.”

Zhu Chizhou paused as he turned on the computer, always on guard. The person in front of him was his boss who wanted to take advantage of him. He said solemnly: “I’ll sit here.”

“Come over.”

Lin Wan only gave him two words, then lowered his head and began to look at the thing in his hand.

Director Lin looked really scary when he had no expression on his face. Zhu Chizhou dared not disobey his orders due to his power and sat down next to Lin Wan obediently holding his computer.

“This is the due diligence checklist,” Lin Wan handed him the paper in his hand. “Read it one by one in the order above, and take notes as you read. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Zhu Chizhou took the list and said, “Oh.”

Lin Wan was concentrating on his own work. When he was almost done, he remembered that Zhu Chizhou had been quiet and silent.

‘Are there no problems, or are there just too many to figure out?’

He leaned over to look at Zhu Chizhou’s computer screen and found that Zhu Chizhou was doing a very good job. Not only could he pinpoint the key points, but he could also analyze the ins and outs of the matter. He also marked his own ideas and solutions to the problems next to each key point.

Lin Wan was a little surprised and asked him, “Have you ever done due diligence before?”

“No,” Zhu Chizhou buried his head in the materials, “but I have read due diligence reports written by others.”

Just from reading reports written by others, it is amazing that you can achieve this level.

At first, Lin Wan thought Zhu Chizhou was just a rich second-generation who was forced by his family to experience life. He would leave after a few days when he felt tired. Later, he found that this was not the case, and Zhu Chizhou was actually quite able to endure hardships.

And now it seems that Zhu Chizhou is still very talented.

Lin Wan moved a little closer, stretched out his arm to hold the mouse, turned the page to read what Zhu Chizhou had written, and pointed out areas for improvement as he read.

One taught seriously, the other listened attentively, and both of them focused on their work. No one noticed that they were already leaning head to head and shoulder to shoulder.

“Here,” Lin Wan selected a sentence on the document, “your statement is ambiguous. You may be misled by yourself when you sort out the information later.”

Zhu Chizhou actually discovered this problem, but he hadn’t thought of a good way to phrase it just now. Now he had an idea, so he said, “I’ll change it.”

After saying that, he tried to grab the mouse, but didn’t notice that the mouse was still held by Lin Wan, and his big hand just covered the back of Lin Wan’s hand.