Chapter Twenty-Four: Who Is the True Fox

The two of them entered the private room one after the other. Manager Chen was already seated inside. When he saw Jiang Xiwen, he was not at all courteous; his expression was rather cold, playing the part of a superior. In his view, there were plenty of companies eager to compete for the electronic cashier system project, and to make matters worse, the candidate recommended by Fan Qiang was merely a child.

When Fan Qiang entered, Manager Chen did stand up, dropping much of his airs. He had known Fan Qiang for a year now and realized that taking on private business always came with its own perks. Of course, there was no way the real decision-maker could be the boy, Jiang Xiwen. Fan Qiang, in his mind, was the one who could truly offer him benefits.

"Principal Fan, so this is the genius student you mentioned?" Manager Chen said with a smile, his demeanor entirely different from the indifferent look he had shown Jiang Xiwen a moment earlier.

"Principal Fan, this must be Manager Chen from the department store," Jiang Xiwen replied with a smile, stepping forward and extending his hand—a gesture he had often used as a software project manager in his previous life, composed and sophisticated.

Manager Chen was taken aback by Jiang Xiwen’s poise and, almost involuntarily, reached out to shake his hand.

Fan Qiang was surprised. He couldn’t understand how, in just a few hours, Jiang Xiwen had changed so much. His mind spun in circles, but he could not find an answer, so he decided to set it aside for now. "Yes, yes, this is Jiang Xiwen. Xiwen, this is Manager Chen. Let’s discuss things over some tea. The cloud mist tea here is famous."

Once the three of them were seated, a server came in to prepare the tea, performing each step with meticulous care. Fan Qiang, wishing to show off, narrated the essentials of brewing and tasting tea as the server worked.

Manager Chen echoed with praise, while Jiang Xiwen looked around the room, paying no attention at all. Fan Qiang felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Xiwen, not interested in all this? Well, yes, these are old men’s pastimes. Young people should have more vigor..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Xiwen cut in, "Principal Fan is not even thirty yet—hardly an old man. I’m just a kid, I don’t really understand much. But aren’t we here to talk about the electronic cashier system? Why get sidetracked about tea? You seem so interested, and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just looked around—my apologies."

"Uh..." Fan Qiang was left in an awkward spot by Jiang Xiwen’s bluntness in front of Manager Chen and could only laugh it off. The boy’s sudden change caught him completely off guard. Manager Chen quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Business must be discussed, but tea should be enjoyed too. Xiwen, now that we’ve tasted the tea, let’s talk about the software."

He no longer looked down on Jiang Xiwen as he had moments before. The boy’s words and mannerisms were elusive and hard to grasp. He had visited Tianxing School and seen the computer lab management system this child had written—an impressive piece of work. At the time, though, he had dismissed him as a technically gifted youngster, naïve to the ways of the world.

This new system would cost around 160,000 yuan. Manager Chen understood Fan Qiang well; even if Fan Qiang offered him a cut, he was sure Fan Qiang had already arranged to earn a hefty sum himself.

But now it seemed there was some rift between Jiang Xiwen and Fan Qiang. If Fan Qiang could not represent this prodigy, perhaps he could negotiate directly with the boy, bypassing Fan Qiang entirely and pocketing an even larger share. The only uncertainty was Jiang Xiwen’s family background; if his parents found out, the price for the system would certainly not be the mere 40,000 yuan that Fan Qiang had suggested.

He and Fan Qiang had agreed on a deal: the department store would pay 150,000 yuan, they would give Jiang Xiwen 40,000, and split the remainder between themselves. Of course, he didn’t know that Fan Qiang, ever the cunning businessman, planned to keep half of that 40,000 as well.

"Xiwen, I’ve seen the computer lab management system you developed. You’re exceptionally talented. Your parents must have put a lot of effort into your education. By the way, what do they do? Do they know you’re taking on business projects at such a young age?" Manager Chen ignored Fan Qiang and started chatting with Jiang Xiwen.

"They don’t know, and they don’t understand computers. If they found out, they’d probably think I was neglecting my studies and give me a good scolding!" Jiang Xiwen replied with a helpless look. "They just hope I’ll get into a good university."

Manager Chen chuckled and shook his head, "Yes, your parents are old-fashioned. If it were me, I would fully support you pursuing this path..."

Jiang Xiwen acted as if he had found a kindred spirit, sighing emotionally, "Uncle Chen, thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best on the electronic cashier system for the department store. Why don’t I start tomorrow? We can head over to the department store later, review the site, and write down all the requirements together. Once I’ve finished the trial version, you can use it for a while, just like at Tianxing School. When you’re satisfied, we’ll sign the contract and launch the official version."

Damn, this kid is not as simple as he looks—Fan Qiang must’ve been trying to fool me. I’ll have to talk to Jiang Xiwen alone this afternoon; sorry, Fan Qiang. With this in mind, Manager Chen nodded, "Alright, you’re decisive and efficient, young man. Let’s go now."

Seeing Manager Chen so eager to engage with him and ignoring Fan Qiang, Jiang Xiwen knew his act had worked. Manager Chen now realized this deal had nothing to do with Fan Qiang. Since Fan Qiang had tried to fix the price at 40,000, it was clear he expected a hefty reward.

Manager Chen, for all his cunning, would not miss the chance to grab a bigger share. But with Jiang Xiwen, he would not get a single cent. Jiang Xiwen had long prepared his countermeasures; there was no way anyone would buy this system for an unfair price.

Fan Qiang was increasingly uneasy. He felt that Manager Chen was trying to sideline him, and Jiang Xiwen was nothing like the naive youth he had imagined. Outwardly calm but inwardly anxious, he said, "Alright, I’ll come with you." He could not allow Jiang Xiwen and Manager Chen to be alone together.

But Fan Qiang’s insistence could not deter Manager Chen from his plan. The three of them got into Manager Chen’s Santana and spent over an hour at the department store, gathering all the requirements. Afterwards, both Manager Chen and Fan Qiang offered to take Jiang Xiwen home, but he refused them both. Fan Qiang tentatively remarked, "Old Chen, I think the kid’s onto us. We might not get as much out of this as we hoped."

"Fan, you’re overthinking it. He’s just a kid, like you said, with a knack for programming and nothing more." Manager Chen found it odd that Jiang Xiwen would hint that Fan Qiang was just an unnecessary middleman, yet never tried to meet with him alone. Of course, he couldn’t voice this doubt to Fan Qiang, so he simply brushed it off with a laugh.

Old fox, Fan Qiang thought, glancing at Manager Chen before taking his leave.

Manager Chen made no effort to stop him. Watching Fan Qiang’s retreating figure, he was struck by a sense of unease—this Jiang Xiwen might turn out to be more than either of them could handle.

Bah, what am I afraid of? After so many years in business, would I be bested by a child? Manager Chen shook his head, mocking himself, and returned to his office.