Chapter 36: A Visit to the President of the United States' Office: Part 1

Chen Geng thought that securing the contract from the Finance Bureau would be a piece of cake, given that the bureau had plenty of money. However, after a brief chat with Gao Yueming, the bureau's office director, Chen Geng was taken aback.

The bureau chief's car was a "mere" six-year-old Shanghai brand sedan. Ignoring this for now, the Finance Bureau was known for its ample resources, so it was natural for the chief's car to be better than those of other departments. What surprised Chen Geng was that the deputy chiefs' cars were also quite decent. None of them drove Jeeps; apart from the vice chief in charge of daily operations, who drove a Volga GAZ-21 that was over a decade old, the other deputy chiefs all drove Changhe minivans!

In those days, minivans were considered more luxurious than Jeeps. They were spacious, comfortable, and quiet, though they lacked off-road capabilities. However, it wasn't wartime, and who would actually use a 212 Jeep for off-road driving?

Without its off-road capabilities, the 212 Jeep couldn't compete with the minivans.

Since there was no business to be done, Chen Geng decided to find an excuse to leave. However, Gao Yueming, who had received Chen Geng and his team, was not willing to let him go so easily. With a hint of pride, he asked, "Mr. Chen, do you know anyone who is knowledgeable about office renovation?"

"What? Are you planning to renovate your office, Director Gao?" Chen Geng joked, "You should really give it a good makeover; otherwise, it won't match your status, right?"

"I'm just a service provider for the leaders; I don't need to renovate my office," Gao Yueming waved his hands, "It's for our bureau chief."

"Oh..." Chen Geng responded, listening to Gao Yueming continue.

"Our bureau chief's office has been in use for almost 20 years. It's in a terrible state. Because of this office, the chief has been criticized many times by the district and municipal leaders, saying it disgraces our Hai Zhou. This isn't even the office of a bureau chief; it's worse than the office of a village or township leader," Gao Yueming praised the chief's noble character, but almost blew his cover: "If it weren't for the rain a few days ago, which caused the office to leak, the chief wouldn't have agreed to the renovation..."

It seemed like a story of an extremely clean and dedicated official, but could a finance bureau chief be this frugal? Who are you kidding? As Gao Yueming continued to complain, it became clear that the current furniture was outdated and couldn't reflect the chief's prestigious image. He couldn't find any grand and dignified flooring, which would surely disappoint the leaders...

Though it sounded like a complaint, anyone listening could only hear one thing: boasting!

"Our Finance Bureau has money!"

"We're not afraid to spend money to renovate our chief's office!"

But the problem is, even if we spend money, we can't find the right furniture!

It's not that our leaders have high standards or that I, as the office director, am incompetent. It's just that our country's conditions are too poor. We can't even properly renovate an office for our leaders. Sigh, our country is poor, and we are far behind other countries.

In short, Gao Yueming was complaining but actually boasting to Chen Geng.

Yang Lei frowned, clearly disapproving of Gao Yueming's behavior, but Chen Geng's mind was racing: The finance bureau chief plans to spend a lot of money to renovate his office?

That's great news!

"Office renovation is quite an art," Chen Geng said with a deep understanding, "An office is not just a place to work. Besides lighting, color, and decoration, the most important thing is to reflect the user's taste, social status, and even unique aesthetic views.

Different industries have different requirements for office renovation. For example, a corporate leader's office should be luxurious and grand, emphasizing wealth and grandeur. A government leader's office should emphasize dignity and authority... Don't underestimate the importance of an office. There are many details to consider."

"Wow... I didn't expect you to know about this, Mr. Chen?" Gao Yueming, who was really troubled by this, was immediately more enthusiastic when he heard Chen Geng's detailed explanation.

"I wouldn't say I know much," Chen Geng humbly waved his hands, "But during my internship at Volkswagen, I visited many branches of world-renowned companies in China. Their office renovations are beyond imagination. Do you know how much the manager of Motorola's China office spent on his renovation?"

"How much?" Gao Yueming asked subconsciously.

"200,000 yuan!" Chen Geng held up two fingers, "Exactly 200,000 yuan!"

"Damn!" Gao Yueming was almost shocked to the ground, "200,000 yuan? Did he pave the floor with gold?"

"Not with gold, but his toilet was air-freighted from the United States, and it cost over 1,000 dollars."

"..."

Chen Geng had never mentioned this to Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang before. Now, hearing Chen Geng's serious tone, they were stunned: We struggle to earn a living, and they spend 200,000 yuan on an office renovation?!

They couldn't imagine what kind of office would require 200,000 yuan to renovate.

As for Gao Yueming, he didn't know what to say. He had prepared 30,000 yuan for the renovation, and he was already worried about how to spend it. Now, he heard that a toilet cost 1,000 dollars... Damn! That's 1,000 dollars, and it was air-freighted from the United States!

Gao Yueming, who had never seen a luxurious office, was no better off than Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang. His eyes widened, "So... how luxurious must it be inside?"

He couldn't imagine what a 200,000 yuan office would look like.

"It's truly luxurious, but not tacky. There are no gaudy gold decorations, but the materials are very high-quality. For example, Mr. John's office at Motorola China, his desk is made of rosewood, and just that desk costs tens of thousands of yuan. The layout and placement are extremely meticulous. It's luxurious, but the key is that when you walk in, you feel a sense of awe without the other party saying or doing anything. It feels like walking into the office of a central leader..."

"But if we talk about grandeur, we must mention the Oval Office of the President of the United States. The interior is quite simple, just a presidential desk, and a few meters in front of it are two facing three-seater sofas. But each of those sofas costs tens of thousands of dollars..."

Chen Geng was exaggerating, and Gao Yueming was itching to hear more. When Chen Geng mentioned the Oval Office, Gao Yueming initially thought he was bluffing, but as Chen Geng continued, he seemed so serious that Gao Yueming couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chen, have you seen the President of the United States' office?"

"I've seen it," Chen Geng nodded, "I didn't have the chance to visit the President's office myself, but Mr. John did. He showed us photos of the Oval Office during one of our conversations..."

"Mr. Chen... Mr. Chen, please wait!" Gao Yueming, trembling, interrupted Chen Geng, "Mr. John actually visited the White House? The President's office? Then... Mr. John must be a very important person, right?"

He couldn't imagine an ordinary person being in the President's office, just as he couldn't imagine an ordinary person being in the office of the top leader of the Republic. If Mr. John could be in the President's office, he must be a big shot in the United States.

Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was the President's office. If they could renovate the bureau chief's office to resemble the President's office, it would be extraordinary in both meaning and symbolism!

If they could renovate the bureau chief's office to look like the President's office, the chief would be overjoyed!

Because of this, Gao Yueming's enthusiasm for Chen Geng and his team increased significantly.

Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang were also excited, trembling with anticipation: Our brother is amazing, knowing such a capable person! We are really going to make it.

Gao Yueming clearly misunderstood, and Chen Geng chuckled to himself: Empiricism can be deadly! He smiled and explained to Gao Yueming, "Not exactly. The situation in the United States is a bit different. The White House is regularly open to the public on certain days, called Open Days. There are specialized travel agencies that organize tours of the White House, and visitors are allowed to take photos.

If the President is not in the White House on an Open Day, there is a chance to visit the President's office. Mr. John was lucky; he visited the White House when the President was on a foreign trip and had the opportunity to see the Oval Office and take many photos. When Mr. Kandler and I visited, he showed us those photos..."

"Then, Mr. Chen, do you still remember the layout of the President's office?" Gao Yueming immediately asked, his heart pounding, praying: Please remember, you must remember...