Chapter Sixty-Three: Let Me Marry You! A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing!

When day once again wrestled night down onto the bed, the sun rose.

Perhaps it was the excessive drinking the night before, but Su Xue and Chu Jun were still sound asleep at eight o’clock, especially Su Xue, whose extremely unseemly sleeping posture completely killed Wang Zheng’s appetite for breakfast.

Off to work!

As it was still early, Wang Zheng strolled leisurely along the road, a stark contrast to the hurried crowds rushing to their jobs. With his hands in his pockets, whistling, and eyes half open as if he hadn’t woken up, he looked more like an idler than someone gainfully employed.

Just then, Wang Zheng’s phone rang—it was Lin Xiaolei.

“Hey beautiful, what’s up? If you’re calling to wake me up, save it. I’m already on my way,” Wang Zheng said as he answered.

There was a brief pause on the other end before Lin Xiaolei replied, “Come to the office quickly, I can’t handle everything by myself!”

Wang Zheng glanced at his watch—it was only half past eight, still half an hour before work officially started. Was she already at the office?

“What’s going on?”

“All the people who passed the interviews yesterday have already arrived, and today a buyer is coming to discuss business. You need to hurry,” Lin Xiaolei’s anxious voice came through.

“Really?” Wang Zheng chuckled. Couldn’t those buyers hold out any longer? This was the best news he’d heard in days. “But it’s not even working hours yet. Shouldn’t coming in early count as overtime? Is there a reward?”

“What kind of reward do you want?”

“What do you take me for? I’m not the type to ask for things. As for a reward, well, that depends on your sincerity. You think about it!” Wang Zheng laughed, then hung up. Looking around, he saw that he was not far from the company. He put away his phone and broke into a jog.

When he arrived at the entrance of Yong’an Tower, he stopped to check his reflection in the glass doors, straightened his clothes, and walked in as if nothing was amiss. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he could already hear the crisp, pleasant chatter. Entering the office, he saw a group of well-dressed women standing outside the work area, with Lin Xiaolei busily instructing them.

“You’re finally here!” Lin Xiaolei’s face broke into a smile when she saw Wang Zheng.

“What’s wrong? Missed me after just one night?” Wang Zheng teased.

“Enough nonsense, help me assign some tasks to them and handle the contracts. I need to prepare documents—the buyer will be here any minute!” Without waiting for Wang Zheng’s response, Lin Xiaolei handed him a stack of files and hurried into her office.

Leaving the beauties to me—now that’s a wise decision! Wang Zheng thought as he looked at the women before him, most of whom he had hired the day before, though he couldn’t recall much about them—the interviews had been rather rushed.

“Ladies, welcome to Zhongtian Import & Export. Choosing this company is choosing your future!” Wang Zheng borrowed a line from an ad. “Please line up. I’ll help you with your contracts and assignments.”

It took some effort to organize everyone and explain the details, especially as they were all new. Fortunately, half had arrived yesterday afternoon, or the morning would have been even busier.

After half an hour, Wang Zheng had everything sorted, found desks for each of the new hires, and surveyed this bouquet of beauties with a contented heart—this was the work environment he had always dreamed of, a garden in full bloom. His heart sang one word—bliss!

“Some of you may not know me yet, so let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Zheng, assistant to the general manager. You can call me Assistant Wang, but I’d prefer if you called me Brother Wang…”

“Wang Zheng, come in for a moment,” came a sudden call from the general manager’s office, interrupting his self-introduction. Lin Xiaolei stood at the door, her voice clear and commanding.

“If you have any questions, you can ask me. They call me Little Encyclopedia,” Wang Zheng quipped, then walked into Lin Xiaolei’s office.

Lin Xiaolei sat in her chair, pretending nonchalance as she organized some documents. “You look quite happy.”

“Just getting to know the new colleagues, building some team spirit!” Wang Zheng laughed, sitting down across from her, feeling as if every woman in the world was a lover.

“Is that so?” Lin Xiaolei eyed him suspiciously, her brows knit together and her eyes narrowed to slits.

“Absolutely.” Wang Zheng grinned, enjoying her expression. It felt just like a wife suspecting her husband of infidelity.

“Enough joking, let’s talk business.” Lin Xiaolei’s expression turned serious. “Last night I got a call from a buyer named Kevin. We’ve worked with him in the past. After asking about prices a month ago, this is the first time this year he’s requested a face-to-face meeting. He originally wanted to invite me to lunch today, but I thought it would be better to have him come to the office. On one hand, it helps dispel the negative rumors about Zhongtian, and on the other, I want to gauge how urgent he is.”

“He wouldn’t have agreed to come if he wasn’t in a hurry to secure this batch of tea. You made the right call. If it were me, I wouldn’t have answered his call at all—let him sweat a bit,” Wang Zheng said.

“I’m not as wicked as you,” Lin Xiaolei replied, though she was clearly pleased with his approval. Just then, there was a knock at the door and a smartly dressed young woman entered. “President Lin, an American named Kevin is here to see you. He says he has an appointment.”

Lin Xiaolei and Wang Zheng exchanged a glance. That guy certainly showed up fast.

“Have him wait a moment, bring him in two minutes,” Wang Zheng instructed. In this company, the assistant seemed to wield more authority than the boss.

“Understood,” the woman nodded and left.

“You two are old acquaintances—should I excuse myself?” Wang Zheng asked.

“You’re my assistant, stay. I feel more at ease with you here, and I’ll need you at a crucial moment,” Lin Xiaolei said. As the architect of the plan, Wang Zheng knew every detail, and his presence gave her both reassurance and confidence. After all, it was Wang Zheng who had pulled her back from the brink when she’d nearly given up.

Wang Zheng stood, leaned over, and whispered in her ear, “If I’m so important to you, why not marry me?”

Lin Xiaolei froze, her cheeks instantly flushing to a rosy red. The scent of her perfume tugged at Wang Zheng’s self-control, but the time wasn’t right—a hot dish must never be rushed.

At that moment, a knock shattered the charged atmosphere. Had two minutes passed already? He should have made that guy wait an hour.

Startled, Lin Xiaolei jumped up, but Wang Zheng’s hand pressed gently on her shoulder, urging her to sit.

“Don’t panic. We hold the upper hand—act like a big player. Got it?” Wang Zheng whispered.

“Mm,” Lin Xiaolei nodded, closed her eyes to compose herself, and when she opened them again, all traces of anxiety were gone, replaced by calm confidence and poise.

Seeing she was ready, Wang Zheng withdrew his hand, straightened his jacket, and called out, “Come in!”

A foreigner in his forties entered, brown-haired and brown-eyed, smartly dressed in a suit—Wang Zheng wondered how he wasn’t sweating. Behind him walked a woman of about thirty, blonde and blue-eyed, with a tailored blouse that accentuated her ample bosom like two stuffed apples.

“Miss Lin, we meet again!” Kevin said warmly in awkward but intelligible Chinese.

“Mr. Kevin, hello. I’m sorry, work has kept me too busy to join you for lunch, so I must trouble you to come here instead,” Lin Xiaolei replied with a polite smile. After the usual pleasantries, everyone took their seats, and a staff member poured Kevin some water before leaving.

“Mr. Kevin, here is the price list you requested,” Lin Xiaolei said, handing him a sheet of paper.

Kevin was surprised by her directness, but after a brief pause, took the list and began reading. His brows soon furrowed.

“The prices for the other teas match the international market, but why is green tea so much higher?”

Wang Zheng smirked inwardly—Kevin had already asked Mr. Huang the same question, but was now trying his luck here. Clearly up to no good.

Lin Xiaolei smiled graciously at Kevin. “The green tea price is higher because this year’s harvest was low and stocks are short, plus European buyers have been active lately, so prices have only gone up. As the saying goes, scarcity makes things precious. There’s really no cause for complaint—after all, our black tea is priced below the international market.”

Of course, this story had been crafted by Wang Zheng. Was green tea really in short supply, with low inventory and high demand? Not at all—this was simply a smokescreen.

The buyers, believing that low supply and high demand were driving prices, would feel compelled to sign contracts quickly to avoid missing out or facing even higher prices.

They had their doubts, but with four companies controlling over ninety percent of Jinghua’s tea exports, the buyers were unable to learn the real situation except by comparing notes or talking with other clients. And the information was always the same: green tea was in high demand, low supply, and dwindling stock—it was now or never.

No wonder they were anxious.

Just then, the phone on the desk rang. Lin Xiaolei apologized and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello?” Lin Xiaolei frowned slightly—no one spoke on the other end. The unexpected call made her heart race. It was the worst time for a distraction. She glanced at Wang Zheng, signaling him with her eyes.

Wang Zheng nodded, picked up the other phone, and launched into a string of fluent, unfamiliar language.

Lin Xiaolei and Kevin were both stunned, not understanding a word, but the foreign woman, after a brief pause, leaned over and whispered to Kevin, her blouse gaping open and giving Wang Zheng a tempting view.

Black, wild, and alluring!

Wang Zheng continued chatting animatedly, sometimes flattering, sometimes laughing. After three minutes, he hung up.

“President Lin, Mr. Fat from Morocco says the batch of green tea he brought back is excellent. He’ll be coming to China again soon and wants to buy another hundred tons,” Wang Zheng reported.

“Is that so?” Lin Xiaolei feigned surprise, then smiled. “Wonderful! Mr. Fat is the most generous buyer I’ve ever met. I’m always happy to do business with him.”

“Miss Lin, who is this gentleman?” Kevin asked.

“Oh, this is Wang Zheng, my assistant,” Lin Xiaolei introduced.

“Mr. Wang, have you lived in Morocco?” Kevin inquired.

“Yes, I have.”

“No wonder your Arabic is so good. My assistant, Amyia, also spent a period in Morocco.”

“What a coincidence!” Wang Zheng smiled, then turned to the blonde. “Since Ms. Amyia has lived in Morocco, she must be fond of Chinese tea, too?”

“Yes. Moroccans are true tea connoisseurs—everyone loves to drink it, but the country doesn’t grow tea, so they’re very particular and prefer Chinese tea. Over ninety-five percent of Morocco’s tea imports come from China. When I was living there, I drank Chinese tea every day and became a fan,” Amyia replied in fluent Chinese.

“Morocco, in tropical Africa, is hot and humid. With so much sweating, people need to replenish fluids constantly. Also, most Moroccans are Arab and follow Islam, so strict religious rules prohibit drinking and smoking—tea is an essential part of daily life. But I must say, apart from her love for tea, Ms. Amyia is a linguistic genius. Besides English, Chinese, and Arabic, you must speak other languages as well?”

“French, Spanish, Japanese,” Amyia replied. “And you, Mr. Wang?”

“I’m not nearly as talented,” Wang Zheng said modestly—truth was, even he didn’t know how many languages he spoke, especially the various African dialects. Sometimes he wasn’t sure what language he was even using.

While Wang Zheng and Amyia chatted, Kevin seemed to be listening, but his mind was on the tea deal. Zhongtian was the fourth company he’d visited in recent days. He had misjudged the situation and missed the best timing. Before, these Chinese suppliers had vied for his business, but now the supply seemed tight—maybe those invitations were just a show of enthusiasm.

Yet every company and buyer told him the same thing: green tea stocks were low, demand was high, and prices were rising. Now with a Moroccan buyer in the mix—Morocco being China’s largest green tea importer—if this trend continued, wouldn’t all the green tea be snatched up? Was he waiting in Jinghua for nothing? After some thought, he realized he’d better sign a purchase contract quickly, before prices went up or stock ran out.

“Miss Lin, may I see some tea samples?” Kevin asked.

“We only have black tea samples—green tea is very scarce, and with so many buyers, there are no loose samples left,” Lin Xiaolei replied with a smile.

“Oh, let me see the black tea then. As for green tea... if your company can guarantee quality, I’m willing to place a large order—as much as last year’s, say, three hundred tons?”

“Three hundred tons? That’s three hundred thousand kilos...” Lin Xiaolei hesitated, her brow furrowing in apparent difficulty. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Mr. Kevin, you must know how tight the green tea market is, and prices are sure to rise...”

“Miss Lin, you’re not thinking of raising the price, are you?” Kevin asked.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m just saying green tea is in short supply—three hundred thousand kilos... Why not substitute some with black tea?”

“I’ll buy both—three hundred thousand kilos of each, how about that?” Clearly, Lin Xiaolei’s hesitation made Kevin value the green tea even more, and to secure his order, he was willing to buy an extra twenty thousand kilos of black tea as bait.

Lin Xiaolei gave Kevin a look of helplessness and forced a bitter smile.

“President Lin, since Mr. Kevin is so sincere, let’s agree. I just learned that Amyia and I actually lived in the same city in Morocco,” Wang Zheng interceded.

“In that case... very well.”