Lin Feng was now somewhat hysterical; he had never expected to lose. Moreover, he had been hired by Chen Daqiang at a high price. Losing here meant that he couldn't face Chen Daqiang when he went back, which is why his reaction was so intense.
The scene was a bit chaotic, but mostly, people were laughing at Lin Feng's misfortune. Even if there really was foul play involved, there was nothing he could change at this point. Yelling and shouting here was only going to make himself a public spectacle.
"Which company are you from, friend?" Li Chengyuan asked.
"Changfeng Company!" Lin Feng paused before continuing, "Manager Li, I am challenging the fairness of your judgement. Since we are all openly bidding, we all have the right to know. I think, given the reputation of Dayue Group, you wouldn't make things difficult for our company just because of my challenge, right?"
"Hehe..." Li Chengyuan chuckled and said, "Of course, our public bidding is all about fairness. We won't let any truly capable contenders go unnoticed. I have personally reviewed the proposals today. From Changfeng Company, right? I've looked at your proposal too. You're right—what you've done is indeed better than Das Group's!"
At these words, the crowd immediately became noisy. If their proposal was better, then why did Das Group win the bid?
A look of triumph appeared on Lin Feng's face as he said, "That's what I don't understand. If mine is better, why didn't my proposal win the bid? Manager Li, where exactly is this fairness you speak of?"
Li Chengyuan replied, "It's precisely because we're talking about fairness that your proposal cannot win the bid!"
Now everyone was even more confused, including Lin Feng, who frowned and said, "Manager Li, what exactly do you mean?"
"Your company's proposal, to be honest, is quite impeccable. And it's a bit too impeccable!" Li Chengyuan looked at Lin Feng and continued, "In your proposal, you included many requirements that we hadn't publicized. These were only mentioned in an internal staff meeting a few days ago and were never made public.
I don't understand how your company was able to infer these additional requirements from the ones we had disclosed?"
With these remarks, the room immediately erupted into chaos. It was clear that Lin Feng must have cheated in the process.
Manipulating a public tender naturally drew everyone's scorn.
Lin Feng's face was red with shame. He had obtained the project requirements from a friend. Confidently coming here today, he hadn't cared about any specific requirements that Li Chengyuan publicly disclosed. Instead, his proposal included too much, giving himself away.
People all around were looking over, and Chen Daqiang was also flushed with embarrassment and frustration. He had thought that Lin Feng had a surefire way to secure the project for the company, but it turned out that this bit of cleverness not only cost the company the project but also their reputation.
Li Chengyuan said, "Frankly, your company's actions involve fraud, which according to the rules, would bar you from participating in future bids. However, in the interest of fairness, we have awarded the twenty-ninth project to your company. The proposal for the twenty-ninth project was indeed well done by your company.
If you have any objections, please speak up, and we can address them on the spot!"
Lin Feng didn't have the face to speak now; he wished he could just disappear.
Chen Daqiang quickly turned his head away, trying to pretend he didn't know Lin Feng. But it was no use trying to hide. He had walked around the venue with Lin Feng, arrogant and conspicuous, and now everyone knew Lin Feng was his subordinate. Cheating in this open competition spelled disaster for his reputation too.
Half an hour later, the results of the bidding were announced. It could be said that today, Das Group was the most conspicuous winner.
Although the three projects they won amounted to just over seven million, less than any of the top ten items by themselves, it was still a significant accomplishment for a company like Das Group which wasn't very large—and, most notably, they secured the highest number of projects today.
After the meeting, many people came up to congratulate Liu Yuan. He was exceedingly excited, now utterly convinced of Ye Qing's alumni status from Northern University.
"Manager Liu, who would have thought—you really have hidden dragons and crouching tigers in your team!" a manager familiar with Liu Yuan joked, looking at Ye Qing with envy.
"Hahaha..." Liu Yuan laughed heartily, not responding directly. He was ready to make an offer to Ye Qing to join his team, indifferent to the cost.
"I heard you only applied for three projects, and you won all three. That's a success rate of one hundred percent!" the manager commented, then noticed Chen Daqiang with his head down, passing by, and immediately reached out to stop him, "Hey, isn't that Director Chen? How did it go? I wasn't really paying attention just now; how many projects did Changfeng Company land this time?"
Chen Daqiang's face went red; he had thoroughly embarrassed himself this time and dared not linger. Seeing Liu Yuan standing by the door, he had planned to slip out while blending into the crowd. But just as he got close, someone grabbed him, and now he was stuck.
"Getting a few projects isn't the key; such things are about the participation, right?" Chen Daqiang said weakly. This wasn't a sports event; talk of 'participation' was meaningless here.
"Director Chen really sets a high standard; that's why I've always had a great deal of respect for him," the manager chuckled. "It's all about participation, but looking at the many people here today, there are few who can reach such a level."
"Hehe..." Chen Daqiang forced a laugh, unwilling to make eye contact with Liu Yuan, and waved his hands, "That, I'm busy, my company... I have things to deal with, so I'll be leaving now..."
"Why the rush, Director Chen? Your Changfeng Company is prominent and wealthy, with plenty of talented people under you. Why would you need to toil away? Isn't this the capable graduate from Zhonglu University? If there's anything that needs to be done, just let him handle it.
If nothing else, he's certainly well-informed!" This manager obviously held a grudge against Chen Daqiang, intentionally bringing up sensitive subjects to make him look foolish.
Chen Daqiang was extremely embarrassed, and Lin Feng beside him was even more red-faced. Thinking back on how they'd belittled Ye Qing and Liu Yuan just earlier, this was truly karma - and it had come back far too quickly.
Liu Yuan looked on at Chen Daqiang with a faint smile, without saying a word. However, at this moment, his silence was making Chen Daqiang even more awkward. If Liu Yuan had spoken up, Chen Daqiang might have been provoked into an argument, which wouldn't have been as embarrassing. Without a confrontation, Chen Daqiang couldn't argue back at Liu Yuan.
Standing there, he only felt as if everyone's eyes were on him, his back drenched in sweat.
The manager sneered at Chen Daqiang a few more times before finally letting him leave.
As Chen Daqiang walked away, his steps were unsteady, his figure looking defeated, a stark contrast to his earlier arrogance.
Watching Chen Daqiang's retreating back, the manager spat out scornfully, "Bastard, let's see if he dares to be so arrogant in the future!"
Liu Yuan felt a great surge of triumph in his heart. This was the first time he felt vindicated since leaving Changfeng Company, and this time, it had completely washed away the shame of his past!
Turning to Liu Yuan, the manager smiled and said, "Old Liu, it's almost the end of the day; you must be in a hurry to report back. I won't keep you any longer, but remember to look out for your brother if there's any material related to the project that involves my company."
"Don't worry, what kind of relationship do we have?" Liu Yuan smiled and nodded before he and Ye Qing left together.
Sitting in the car, Liu Yuan finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. Today, he was truly overjoyed!
"Ye, I really have to thank you this time!" Liu Yuan said to Ye Qing, "A seven million project, according to the rules of our company, I can get an eight percent commission, which is more than fifty thousand. This time, it was all thanks to you. Once the money is distributed, I'll share half with you!"
Liu Yuan was seriously investing in his relationship with Ye Qing this time. Half of that was two or three hundred thousand!
However, Ye Qing shook his head and said, "No need."
Liu Yuan insisted, "Ye, this is a token of my appreciation, and you deserve it. If you don't take it, you're looking down on me!"
With an indifferent expression, Ye Qing said, "I helped you because you once gave me the chance to revise a proposal. Having promised to help you, I won't accept any reward. If you truly want to thank me, just ensure the materials related to these projects involving our company are supplied by us. That's the best thanks you can give!"
Liu Yuan was stunned for a moment; Ye Qing's request seemed too modest. But reflecting on how long he'd known Ye Qing, it became clear that his thinking was out of the ordinary. Ye appeared to have little interest in material gains, instead valuing promises and gratitude more. Were there actually people left in society?
Liu Yuan said, "Ye, I promised to give those projects to your company, and that will not change. This commission is what you deserve; you should take a share!"
Ye Qing decisively shook his head, "As I said, my word is my bond. We didn't talk about money before, so I won't take it now."
Liu Yuan observed Ye Qing for a long while in silence, then nodded, "Ye, I've encountered all sorts of people in Shenchuan City over the years, but I've never met anyone like you. I've nothing else to say; your friendship, I cherish deeply."
As Liu Yuan spoke, he took out the papers for three projects from the back of the car and said, "I've gone over them, and among these projects, there's materials worth about two hundred thousand linked to your company. You don't need to worry about writing any proposals. Just draw up a contract, and the business is yours. As soon as Director Mu signs off, everything on my end is guaranteed!"
A sincere smile finally appeared on Ye Qing's face as he said, "Manager Liu, thank you!"
"I should be thanking you!" Liu Yuan laughed heartily, "Oh, and about that order from this morning, you should check with Director Mu too. Don't worry, for these contracts, I'll release eighty percent of the project funds to you first, so Director Mu can start work with confidence!"