Chapter 53: Meeting a Soft Rebuff
When Qin Wan woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
His body didn’t feel particularly sore or tired, but his fingers were aching.
He got up and, after confirming that Gu Xinglan was not in the room, changed his clothes, washed up, and went downstairs to get something to eat.
Nanny Zhang and Uncle Wang were standing in the main hall. Seeing Qin Wan come downstairs, the two of them walked toward him as if by chance.
Both appeared nonchalant as they surreptitiously observed his expression.
Seeing that his complexion was good today—fair with a hint of a healthy flush—the two of them breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Yesterday’s Qin Wan had truly kept them worried all day.
Although they didn’t know the specifics of what had happened, they understood that the two must have had another falling out, and it seemed quite serious.
However, when their Young Master came to the dining room for breakfast this morning, he was in a good mood, looked refreshed, and had even eaten an extra piece of steak.
Uncle Wang and Nanny Zhang figured there were two possibilities.
One: the Young Master and Mr. Qin had reconciled and cleared the air.
The other: the Young Master had used forceful means to unilaterally bully the boy all night again.
Therefore, after Gu Xinglan left, Uncle Wang and Nanny Zhang had been waiting in the hall with some concern.
Seeing that Qin Wan was also in a good state now, they were finally at ease.
Qin Wan greeted them with a beaming smile and went into the dining room to eat.
The first thing Gu Xinglan did upon arriving at the office was to call in his special assistant, Tan Feng.
Tan Feng knew exactly why the CEO was calling him so early in the morning.
“President Gu, I’ve already looked into the matter regarding the scar removal medicine. Yesterday, I was busy searching for Mr. Qin, so I didn’t have time to report back to you.”
“President Shen of Longsheng Group recently imported a topical medication from abroad for his wife. The results are excellent.”
As he spoke, he handed over a small box.
“President Shen’s wife mentioned they happened to have two unused, unopened tubes left at home, so she had her special assistant, Yue Ping, deliver them over.”
Gu Xinglan took the small box and opened it.
Inside were two tubes of topical medication.
The corners of Gu Xinglan’s lips curved slightly.
“Shen Yanzhou usually acts like a ‘no-entry’ zone for strangers, but his wife is quite approachable.”
“Fine, I’ll take this as a favor from him. I’ll thank him personally later.”
He suddenly remembered something and asked, “Assistant Tan, I recall hearing some rumors previously… they say President Shen’s wife was someone he took by force?”
Tan Feng: “…”
He immediately caught the drift, understanding his boss’s intention in a split second.
He realized that his boss had likely developed real feelings for the beautiful little waiter he had kidnapped halfway through.
Otherwise, a cold and aloof master who usually never cared about anyone’s gossip would never ask about another couple’s private affairs.
Tan Feng replied, “Mhm, I’ve heard Assistant Yue mention it. The way Mrs. Shen and President Shen met was indeed quite accidental. Their time together also involved some ups and downs.”
“But those who are meant to be will surely end up together. A pair of lovers who have weathered storms often end up with an even more unbreakable relationship.”
Tan Feng gave himself a perfect score for this speech.
He had not only answered the boss’s question but also provided him with a sense of security, sang a song of blessing, and painted a bright blue-print for the future to make the boss happy.
With a faint smile, Tan Feng mentally gave himself a thumbs-up: As expected of me!
Sure enough, after hearing this, Gu Xinglan nodded slightly.
A layer of deliberately suppressed joy rippled within his deep, phoenix-like eyes.
However, the next sentence out of his mouth made Tan Feng’s smile vanish.
“Assistant Tan, what do you mean by ‘also’? Where did this ‘also’ come from?”
Tan Feng: “Uh…”
It was rare for Gu Xinglan to see an expression of awkwardness on the face of the shrewd Tan Feng, but he was seeing it now.
However, since he was in a good mood, he didn’t press the matter: “Alright, you’ve worked hard. I’ll have the finance department give you a ten-fold overtime bonus.”
Tan Feng quickly bowed in thanks.
“There’s one more thing I need you to handle. Contact the hospital and finalize the arrangements for Zhou Rong’s surgery as soon as possible.”
“Understood, President Gu.” Tan Feng nodded and exited the CEO’s office.
By noon, the highly efficient Tan Feng returned to report on the situation.
“President Gu, a donor has been found. However, there’s a bit of a problem.”
Gu Xinglan was reviewing documents in his office.
“Mhm, speak.” He closed the file and looked up.
Tan Feng reported that Sheng’an Hospital had put in a lot of effort to locate a matching kidney source.
However, when they went to coordinate the handover this morning, they were told that the organ had already been reserved by someone else.
After some inquiries, it turned out that another wealthy family in the Imperial Capital, the Sun family, had also set their sights on this donor.
“President Gu, I’ve checked. The Sun family’s application was actually submitted after Zhou Rong’s.”
“They used their connections to jump the queue and got there first.”
Hearing this, Gu Xinglan’s gaze darkened.
“The Sun family?”
“Yes, President Gu.”
The Sun family was also a prominent wealthy clan within the Imperial Capital circles.
Although their influence was a tier below the Gu family, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Gu Xinglan said, “Go contact Sun Liming. Tell him I want that thing, and have him give it up.”
His distinct knuckles tapped against the desk several times.
“Sun Liming is currently negotiating the Bar Street project with Wande, right? Tell him I will urge President Zhang of Wande to yield four percentage points to them as a reward.”
Tan Feng nodded and withdrew.
Two hours later, Tan Feng stepped back into the CEO’s office, his expression looking somewhat grim.
“President Gu, President Sun… he didn’t agree.”
Gu Xinglan looked at the dejected, defeated expression on Tan Feng’s handsome face and knew that he must have met a significant rebuff from Sun Liming.
Tan Feng was a very smooth operator with exceptional administrative abilities.
His tongue was gifted enough to make flowers bloom, and he was skilled at navigating social situations.
For him to look this helpless meant the Sun family’s attitude must be very firm, with absolutely no room for negotiation.
Gu Xinglan leaned back against his wide chair.
“Didn’t agree…” he murmured softly.
“Yes. President Sun said that his family’s old patriarch is waiting for this to save his life. No amount of money will make him give it up.”
“President Sun… he flew into a rage at me…”
As Tan Feng spoke, he felt a bit aggrieved.
Gu Xinglan’s face darkened further.
“I understand. You’ve worked hard. Take the afternoon off and get some rest.”
Hearing this, Tan Feng bowed his head: “Thank you, President Gu!”
After Tan Feng left, Gu Xinglan picked up his phone and dialed the number for the head of the Sun Group, Sun Liming.
“President Sun,” he greeted politely.
On the other end of the line, Sun Liming had already guessed why the other party was calling.
Although he was over a decade older than Gu Xinglan, in the business world, age didn’t matter—only strength did.
Thus, his voice was very courteous: “Hello, President Gu.”
“President Sun’s time is valuable, so I won’t beat around the bush. I need a favor.”
“My special assistant might not have explained clearly. I need that kidney source. I hope President Sun can help me out.”
“As for the conditions, we can negotiate until President Sun is satisfied.”
Sun Liming was silent for a moment on the other end: “President Gu, reasonably speaking, since you’ve lowered yourself to call me personally, I have no reason to refuse.”
“But this matter is extraordinary. My old man is waiting for that kidney to save his life. President Gu, tell me, what condition could possibly compare to the old man’s life?”
Sun Liming had thrown back a soft rebuff.
Translator’s Note: The phrase “soft rebuff” (软钉子 – ruǎn dīng zi, literally “soft nail”) refers to a polite but firm refusal that leaves the other person with nowhere to push. Poor Qin Wan’s fingers are sore… I think we all know why! Stay tuned for the next chapter to see how Gu Xinglan handles the Sun family. Love you all!
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