Chapter 38: A Visit to the President of the United States' Office: Part 2

Upon hearing Gao Yueming's words, Zhang Xiangyang, who had a military background, immediately changed his expression and asked sternly, "Director Gao, what do you mean by that?"

"Second Brother, don't get so worked up. Director Gao probably didn't mean anything by it," Chen Geng waved his hand, signaling Zhang Xiangyang to calm down. Regardless of what Zhang Xiangyang was thinking, one thing was certain: he was so agitated because he was afraid this matter would cause him trouble. But how could such a thing bring him trouble?

Chen Geng looked at Gao Yueming with a half-smile and suddenly laughed, "Director Gao asked so many questions about the President of the United States' office and now wants me to help with the restoration. Are you trying to seek good luck?"

"Seek good luck? What kind of good luck?" Yang Lei asked curiously.

Chen Geng casually explained, "It means renovating the office of their bureau chief according to the appearance of the President of the United States' office."

Gao Yueming's face turned pale, which was equivalent to admitting it.

No way! Renovating their bureau chief's office to look like the President of the United States' office? Upon hearing Chen Geng's explanation, Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang were dumbfounded: Is this guy crazy?

Gao Yueming was mentally prepared for Chen Geng to mock him, and even if Chen Geng cursed him and stormed out, it wouldn't surprise him. However, Chen Geng's reaction was something Gao Yueming never expected.

Not only did Chen Geng not curse or mock Gao Yueming, but he nodded calmly, "From a renovation perspective, the President of the United States' office is simple and elegant. The fact that it hasn't changed for so many years is enough to show the classic nature of this layout. In my view, it's a template for government leaders' offices. I think it's quite clever for Director Gao to use the President of the United States' office as a reference for the bureau chief's office."

Gao Yueming's eyes widened!

No matter how he thought about it, he never expected Chen Geng to react this way. Shouldn't a young man like you be pointing at me and cursing me? How could it be like this? You're not playing by the rules.

Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang also widened their eyes.

Gao Yueming couldn't understand, and neither could Yang Lei and Zhang Xiangyang.

The only difference was that Yang Lei was still young and more impulsive. He was about to say something but was quickly grabbed by the wrist by Zhang Xiangyang, who had been in society for over a year. Yang Lei looked at Zhang Xiangyang in surprise, and Zhang Xiangyang slowly but firmly shook his head, giving Yang Lei a look that said, "Trust me!"

After a brief shock, Gao Yueming took a deep breath: No matter what Chen Geng was thinking, it had nothing to do with him. Since Chen Geng was willing to help him, that was a good thing.

Moreover, Chen Geng's words directly lifted a heavy burden from Gao Yueming's heart. Gao Yueming felt much lighter, but that wasn't the main point. The main point was the meaning behind Chen Geng's words: he was really willing to help him with this. This was what excited Gao Yueming the most. He carefully asked Chen Geng, "Mr. Chen, what you mean is..."

"I will definitely help you with this," Chen Geng nodded affirmatively, "but let me clarify one point: we can use it as a reference, but completely copying it is impossible. For example, the President of the United States' office is covered with high-end carpets..."

Gao Yueming quickly interrupted Chen Geng, "No carpets, no carpets."

Ha! The bureau chief is just the head of the finance bureau. Laying wooden floors would be fine. Even the party secretary's office only has wooden floors. How dare you, as the head of the finance bureau, lay carpets in your office?

Isn't that asking for trouble?

Isn't that causing trouble for the bureau chief?

If the bureau chief is in trouble, won't I, as the office director, be in trouble too?

"That's good, then there's only one issue left: the cost," Chen Geng said, "Renovating such a large office, the interior setup, and office furniture all need to be of high quality. The cost won't be cheap..."

Before Chen Geng could finish, Gao Yueming quickly said, "Mr. Chen, you can rest assured about the cost."

The government's financial situation is so tight, yet you're willing to spend so much money on renovating the office for a leader. Chen Geng cursed inwardly but kept a calm face, "Director Gao, you didn't understand my point. You've been busy with this office for a while, haven't you? But have you found satisfactory office furniture in the market? Don't you feel that the furniture available isn't quite satisfactory?"

Gao Yueming nodded subconsciously: Chen Geng's words hit the nail on the head. He had almost visited every furniture store in Haizhou but couldn't find a set of office furniture that satisfied him. But what did Chen Geng mean by this?

Chen Geng finally revealed his intentions. He looked at Gao Yueming with deep meaning and said, "Coincidentally, I visited many multinational giants with German experts and saw how their offices were decorated and what kind of office furniture they used. Drawing a design and having a craftsman make it isn't a problem, but this way, all the furniture will be custom-made for you..."

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over Gao Yueming's head, and he suddenly became clear-headed.

He finally understood Chen Geng's intention: he wanted to take on the job of renovating the bureau chief's office, and all the office furniture had to be custom-made by him!

To be honest, Gao Yueming was unwilling. How could you, Chen Geng, just take it without my consent? Losing face is secondary; the important thing is that the bureau chief entrusted me with the task of renovating the office, which means I can... (hehehe...)

This is a renovation budget of 30,000, and he was very reluctant to give it up! Under the condition that the renovation results satisfy the bureau chief, how much benefit could he get from these 30,000 yuan?

2,000?

3,000?

Such a large sum of money, he really couldn't bear to give it up, but being reluctant was one thing. As a qualified official, Gao Yueming's mind was clearer. Money wasn't the main issue; the key was to make the bureau chief satisfied with his work. As for the rest, it was secondary. Besides, with Chen Geng's intelligence, would he not know to leave a share for himself?

After quickly calculating the gains and losses in his mind, Gao Yueming, after confirming that this matter couldn't be separated from Chen Geng, tentatively offered a price, "As long as Mr. Chen can come up with a satisfactory plan, it's not impossible to entrust this project to you, but only 15,000..."

"15,000? Are you joking with me?" Chen Geng interrupted Gao Yueming, his face turning unpleasant, "Director Gao, without mentioning the trouble of custom-making the furniture, the bureau chief's new office is at least 70 to 80 square meters. For such a large area, how much would it cost just to lay the floor? Your price isn't very sincere."

Chen Geng's reaction didn't surprise Gao Yueming. The 15,000 yuan he offered was just a test. Now that Chen Geng said this, Gao Yueming immediately asked, "15,000 is a bit low, so let's make it 20,000..."

"Director Gao, stop testing me. Let me be honest with you. To achieve the effect you want, even 20,000 won't be enough. It would take 45,000..."

"Stop!" Realizing that Chen Geng wanted to take the entire 30,000 and that this guy was being so impolite to him, Gao Yueming finally got angry and threatened, "Mr. Chen, even 25,000 won't do. Referencing the President of the United States' office is just my idea; it doesn't have to be this way..."

"I have a good relationship with Director Sun from the administrative office," Chen Geng suddenly interrupted, smiling, "Tell me, if I mention to Director Sun during a meal that the bureau chief plans to renovate his office to look like the President of the United States' office, what would Director Sun do?"

Gao Yueming was stunned, and a wave of sadness washed over him: Damn! I've been stuck with this guy!

Sun Dacheng was the manager of the regional administrative office, and most importantly, he had a good relationship with the bureau chief. If Sun Dacheng found out that the bureau chief planned to renovate his office to look like the President of the United States' office, he would definitely ask about the progress of the renovation.

It wouldn't matter if the bureau chief didn't know, but if he found out that he once had the chance to have his office renovated to look like the President of the United States' office and it ended up being something else, the result would be...

The bureau chief was a "American fan" and often said, "How do Americans do it?"

But the worst part was that he couldn't do anything to Chen Geng. Chen Geng was from the military system and had little to do with local affairs. Even if the finance bureau was powerful, it couldn't control military personnel.

Gao Yueming was so regretful that his intestines turned green: I'm an old hand in the political arena, how did I get stuck in a pit dug by this guy?

You're a tough one, I admit defeat!

Gao Yueming gritted his teeth and said, "The bureau chief only approved 30,000, and I can't get any more."

"Director Gao, rest assured, I won't make you difficult," Chen Geng suddenly changed his tone, smiling and holding up two fingers, "25,000! We only need 25,000! As long as we get 25,000, I'll definitely do a great job... Also, how you report to the bureau is up to you. You can report 26,000, 27,000, or 28,000, it's your business."

Gao Yueming's face turned red and then white. Chen Geng was openly telling him that whatever amount he could get from the bureau, the part beyond 25,000 was his. This promise made Gao Yueming's heart race, but for a 40,000 project, he only wanted 25,000?

Gao Yueming gritted his teeth and said, "What other conditions do you have? But let me make it clear, I won't do anything illegal. I'm willing to take a scolding from the bureau chief if necessary."

"I won't make you do anything illegal. It's actually quite simple. Our factory has a 212 Jeep modification project. All you need to do is 'introduce' the units with 212 Jeeps to us."

Chen Geng smiled like a cunning fox.

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End of Chapter 38

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