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Chapter 488: Chapter 478 Another Big Head of Garlic Appears
By the time the two people reached the office door, Vice Principal Tao inside had already caught sight of them. Then, he revealed that kind of ambiguous smile toward the pair.
Oh, Shen Yunfang automatically interpreted it as smugness.
Look, I personally went to fetch you, and you were so ungrateful that you refused to come. Now what, aren’t you obediently here anyway?
Shen Yunfang gave him a glance and quickly looked away, afraid she couldn’t help but laugh out loud and attract more animosity towards herself.
Mr. Yoshida, who was sitting on the sofa and casually chatting with Director Wu, relaxed his tense body when he saw the people at the door, comfortably crossing one leg over the other. His eyes swept indiscreetly over Yunfang’s figure.
He pondered in his mind that maybe this time he wouldn’t have to spend a dime.
Now that Yunfang had arrived, it was essential to quickly discuss the cooperation. Vice Principal Tao wanted to send Zhu Zhengqi away; he was just causing trouble, and with the morning’s incident, he was likely seeking an eye for an eye.
But Zhu Zhengqi was not as spineless as Vice Principal Tao, "No way, my student is here, and I must ensure her safety. Either I stay here, or I take my student with me—you choose."
"So you’re a teacher, so what? I’m still the vice principal of this school. While I’m here, nobody’s going to eat your student up," Vice Principal Tao yelled.
Zhu Zhengqi remained unmoved. It was out of the question for him not to be present. His student was a young girl; without someone to stand by her in this den of wolves, how could that be alright? Moreover, Vice Principal Tao could very likely be an accomplice—to believe him was to believe pigs could climb trees.
Shen Yunfang found a sofa to sit on and remained indifferent to the quarrel happening at the doorway.
Yoshida didn’t understand what the two people at the door were arguing about, but their argument had already severely disrupted this side. Hence, he muttered something to the interpreter, who then spoke up, "Please wait a moment, both of you. Mr. Yoshida says that if this teacher wishes to stay here, let him stay. As long as he doesn’t talk too much and interrupt their negotiation, that will be fine. Mr. Yoshida and Director Wu’s time is extremely precious—could we start soon?"
Vice Principal Tao immediately bent over, "Alright, alright, alright, we won’t disturb everyone any longer. Go ahead with your discussion." He started to move a chair to sit down, as his sofa had been taken by Shen Yunfang’s student.
Yunfang also leaned casually back onto the sofa, finding the most comfortable position, and coolly added, "Yes, my time is also very precious. If you have anything to say, please say it quickly. Could you kindly not waste my time?"
For the first time, Director Wu really looked at the only female student in the room. When Mr. Yoshida came to visit him at lunch, he had mentioned some basic information about this student, which he found rather ordinary, probably exaggerated by Yoshida.
However, the tone of the young woman when she just spoke, well, was indeed very arrogant. That’s not good, how can we show such an attitude towards international guests?
"Old Tao, I suggest that when your school recruits students, in addition to considering their grades, you should also screen their character. Some students who don’t respect their teachers, lack manners, and could tarnish your school’s reputation should simply not be admitted. This could impact the prestige of your institution," Director Wu said in an officious tone. He was feeling somewhat disgruntled. Ever since he became the head of the Investment Promotion Office last year, he had grown accustomed to being fawned over wherever he went. But here he was, in this insignificant little school, faced with someone who didn’t give him the time of day.
Shen Yunfang, of course, realized that this additional person was talking about her, but since her name wasn’t specifically mentioned, she saw no need to step forward and invite criticism. She chose to act as if he was talking about someone else.
"Yes, yes, yes—the leader’s suggestions are excellent. We will definitely take them seriously. We will include this item for discussion at the next meeting of the leadership team and treat it with the utmost seriousness," Vice-principal Tao immediately toadied up in agreement.
Shen Yunfang smiled as she watched them playact, but remembering she had to pick up her child soon, she surmised she truly didn’t have time to watch this drama unfold. So she gestured to the translator with her watch, "Tell that Yoshida that I have only an hour before school lets out. Whatever he wants to discuss, say it within this hour, I won’t have time after school."
Ten minutes later, the group finally got down to business.
"Mr. Yoshida says he’s willing to increase Shen’s share to ten percent. He hopes Shen will consider this carefully as it’s already an increase from what he initially planned due to Shen’s own merits. According to his original plan, the highest share would have only been seven percent," the translator said, taking the initiative.
Seeing that Yunfang was about to speak, he hurriedly continued before she could get a word in, "Miss Shen, Mr. Yoshida has informed himself about your family situation. He hopes you will consider the partnership realistically, without aiming too high beyond your reach. You have to understand, although everyone loves money, having too much isn’t always a good thing. Can you grasp what Mr. Yoshida means?" Beads of sweat began to form on the translator’s forehead.
Shen Yunfang’s eyes narrowed, thinking to herself, what, they’re resorting to threats because negotiations aren’t going their way?
"What do you mean? Since Mr. Yoshida has put it that way, I think we don’t need to talk about a partnership. In that case, you won’t have to spend a dime, and I won’t get a dime either. Isn’t that even better?" Shen spoke with a cold, mocking laugh. She wasn’t one to be intimidated easily—after all, one without desires is invincible. She didn’t have anything she was desperate for; what could they possibly use to threaten her?
Director Wu coughed and spoke unhurriedly, "Miss Shen, wasn’t it? I just heard today that you have even worked with Mr. Joseph from Germany. I must say, the Capital is indeed brimming with talent. However, I would still like to advise you. You are still a student and should prioritize your studies. Activities like doing business or collaborating with international friends usually fall within the jurisdiction of our Investment Promotion Department. If you trust the government, we can negotiate on your behalf and will ensure you won’t suffer any losses."
Shen Yunfang frowned. Was this person out of his mind? Why should she allow someone she didn’t even know to make decisions for her? "You’re working too hard, leader. I can handle my affairs very well on my own and don’t need to add to your workload," she rejected him outright.
Director Wu’s face darkened for a moment but quickly regained control.
"Ha, you probably don’t know me yet..." Director Wu’s gaze drifted towards Vice-principal Tao.
Immediately, Vice-principal Tao sprang up compliantly, "Shen Yunfang, this is the Director of our national Investment Promotion Department. He is friends with various ministers and has some connections with leaders in the Ministry of Education..." Tao went on talking non-stop about the myriad of connections, "The Director’s department is specifically in charge of foreign investment in our country. Now that the country is advocating for reform and opening up, the Director is very busy every day hosting friends from various nations. You should be grateful that, despite his packed schedule, the Director still makes time to help you."
"Oh, well, thanks for that. But as you’ve just said, leaders like him deal with big matters. My little issue doesn’t require such a high-ranking official to take action. Wouldn’t that be an underuse of his abilities?" Shen Yunfang said with a smile.
