Chapter 21

Song Peng'an sat in his Maybach, his joy impossible to hide.

The success of the Sujiang Group today is largely due to the strong support of the elder brother, Yuanbang Pharmaceutical.

Back then, if it weren't for Yuanbang Pharmaceutical entrusting the production of a highly popular cold medicine in the domestic market to the Sujiang Group through a patent license, the Sujiang Group would not have developed to its current scale in just ten years.

Now, the latest project between Yuanbang Pharmaceutical and the Sujiang Group is about to break ground in Jinzhou City, with a total investment of nearly 400 million yuan. It is expected that after production starts, with Yuanbang Pharmaceutical's powerful sales network, the first year's sales revenue will exceed 2.5 billion yuan!

This is an opportunity that Song Peng'an has been looking forward to for many years, an opportunity to take the Sujiang Group to the next level!

Therefore, in Song Peng'an's mind, Yuanbang Pharmaceutical is his backing. Even many of the drugs developed and produced by the Sujiang Group are sold through the vast sales network that Yuanbang Pharmaceutical has built up over decades, covering the entire country.

Similarly, as the chairman and general manager of Yuanbang Pharmaceutical, Zhu Rongqiang, one of the seven heroes of the Zhu family in Beijing, is Song Peng'an's senior. He often mentions that if it weren't for that chance encounter with Old Mr. Zhu back then, there would be no Song Peng'an today! This is not an exaggeration but an objective statement of fact.

A few days ago, he even brought his unaccomplished son to Beijing to pay respects, with the most important part of the trip being the opportunity to meet Zhu Rongqiang.

Although the day-to-day operations of Yuanbang Pharmaceutical have gradually been handed over to the next generation of the Zhu family, the opportunities for Song Peng'an to meet Zhu Rongqiang are becoming fewer and fewer.

But Song Peng'an knows that, speaking from the heart, if he were Zhu Rongqiang, he wouldn't truly let go until the day he closed his eyes... It's just that he has moved from the front to the back, which doesn't mean that Zhu Rongqiang's control over the company has weakened!

In previous years, there were still opportunities to meet once or twice a year, and during holidays, he could find a chance to visit Beijing.

But in recent years, Zhu Rongqiang's intentional or unintentional distance has made Song Peng'an increasingly uneasy.

Several times he wanted to invite Zhu Rongqiang to Jinzhou to see the scale of the Sujiang Group, which he had personally helped to develop. But Zhu Rongqiang never gave him any chance. In all these years of cooperation, Zhu Rongqiang has only been to Jinzhou twice.

Those who usually come to Jinzhou for business are always the vice presidents of Yuanbang Pharmaceutical or even lower-level department managers...

He never expected that there would be a golden phoenix hidden in his company! It even surprised Zhu Rongqiang, who was already on the plane when he called him...

When he received the call from Zhu Rongqiang, Song Peng'an almost couldn't believe his ears. After regaining his composure, he eagerly agreed.

Just thinking about the tone in which Zhu Rongqiang spoke on the phone, Song Peng'an felt he had definitely found a treasure!

"Zhu Yonggui... Zhu Yonggui... Both surnamed Zhu, could this young man named Zhu Yonggui be an illegitimate child of the Zhu family?!" Sitting in the back seat, Song Peng'an muttered to himself, "I'll have to ask him carefully later... If it's true, even if Old Mr. Zhu asks me to let him go, I won't!"

Thinking about it made him laugh out loud. Song Peng'an stretched and made a decision in his heart, "Give him the highest position possible, the highest salary possible... As long as I can keep him, I'm not afraid that the Zhu family won't include me in the future!"

The black Maybach slowly drove into the underground parking lot of the Sujiang Group building. Song Peng'an, who was mentally prepared, couldn't wait to take the elevator upstairs.

There were some things that had to be clarified before Zhu Rongqiang arrived, and adjustments had to be made quickly based on the actual situation. Only by making the raw rice into cooked rice before Zhu Rongqiang arrived would Song Peng'an feel at ease.

Zhu Yonggui was treated with great courtesy by Zhang Keyong. Not only did he take out his best tea to serve him, but he also took out two valuable cigars for them to enjoy together...

When Song Peng'an appeared before the two, Zhu Yonggui and Zhang Keyong were both startled.

Especially when they noticed Song Peng'an's not-so-good expression, Zhang Keyong quickly extinguished his cigar, stood up properly, and said, "Good morning, Chairman..."

Originally, Zhang Keyong had already told the receptionist to call him as soon as Song Peng'an came up.

But who knew that Song Peng'an didn't even bother to go through the main entrance but directly took the elevator from the parking lot to the office.

Seeing the smoky office, Song Peng'an glared at Zhang Keyong but quickly became gentle, without any of the chairman's airs. He looked at Zhu Yonggui kindly and asked, "You are Zhu Yonggui, right?"

"Yes... it's me..." Although he was mentally prepared, Zhu Yonggui was still nervous and stuttered, "Good morning, Chairman..."

"Hehe, don't be nervous, I just came to see you." Song Peng'an smiled and walked over, saying, "Sit down, it's not good to stand for too long... Zhang, you go out first and close the door."

"Yes..." Zhang Keyong looked at the extremely nervous Zhu Yonggui with envy, answered, and then left the room.

The office was left with only Song Peng'an and Zhu Yonggui.

Song Peng'an smiled and asked, "I'll call you Little Song... How many people are in your family?"

Hearing this, Zhu Yonggui's heart raced several times. Fortunately, he had already prepared a set of lies, so he could still respond, "There are five of us in my family, my grandfather, my father, my mother, and I have an older sister who is two years older than me..."

"What do your parents do?"

"My father is a bus driver, and my mother works in a supermarket..."

"A pretty harmonious family... Were you born in Fengming City?" After asking a few casual questions, Song Peng'an suddenly got to the point, looking at Zhu Yonggui with bright eyes, but the smile on the corners of his mouth didn't diminish.

Zhu Yonggui's heart raced again. Even though his mother had always told him he was born on the way to the hospital, he now showed a puzzled expression and said, "This... my family has never mentioned it to me..."

"Are your parents also surnamed Zhu?"

"Yes..."

"Oh..." Song Peng'an nodded and then fell into a long silence.

Zhu Yonggui's behavior made him feel a bit strange. Although Zhu Yonggui tried to act relaxed in front of him, how could Song Peng'an, who was so perceptive, not notice his abnormality?

Especially the guilty expression Zhu Yonggui showed when answering those seemingly casual questions did not escape Song Peng'an's eyes! But thinking about the serious tone in Zhu Rongqiang's phone call, he felt relieved. After all, he's just a child, even if he comes from a noble family, he still grew up in an ordinary family!

With this thought, Song Peng'an's questions gradually increased.

Moreover, since Zhu Yonggui had similar suspicions, he often hinted at them when answering questions, making his background seem even more confusing.

Surprisingly, Song Peng'an believed it!

He not only believed Zhu Yonggui's words but also trusted his own judgment! How could such a coincidence happen at the same time? Besides, Zhu Rongqiang was already on his way to Jinzhou, and time was not on his side...

After having lunch together, Song Peng'an smiled at Zhu Yonggui and said, "I have a general understanding of your situation... You're a capable young man, and it's time to give you more responsibility."

Zhu Yonggui's heart raced again.

After a moment of thought, Song Peng'an asked, "How about starting as a deputy manager in the marketing department to gain some experience? What do you think?"

"Sure... Chairman Zhu, I have no objections!" Zhu Yonggui was flustered and almost blurted out, "Sure, Dad," but he managed to stop himself just in time, or he might have knelt down and called him "Dad" right there!

"Regarding your salary, do you think 400,000 yuan a year is enough?" Song Peng'an asked with concern.

"4... 400,000! Is it enough?!!" Zhu Yonggui was almost overwhelmed with joy and dared not shake his head, quickly nodding, "Enough, enough... completely enough!"

"Good, good... It's good that it's enough!" Song Peng'an smiled meaningfully, stood up, and said, "That's how it will be arranged. By 5:30, I'll have someone deliver your transfer notice to your office..."

"I... I have an office?"

"Of course, how can a marketing department manager not have a proper office?"

"Then... where is my office?"

"Hmm, let's put you in 1509 on the top floor, next to my office. Is that satisfactory?"

"... Isn't that Mr. Wu's office?"

"Mr. Wu can move to the 14th floor! What, are you not satisfied?"

"No, no, no... satisfied, satisfied... I... I just..."

"No problem, young man, more training is good. It's understandable if you can't accept it right away!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"I'll leave now. I'll send someone to pick you up from the company tonight. An elder from Beijing is coming, and I'll introduce you to him for a casual dinner, okay?"

"Sure..."

"Alright, you keep busy. Call me if you need anything." Song Peng'an made a gesture of making a phone call and then left with a smile.

In Zhang Keyong's office, Zhu Yonggui was left alone, dancing and laughing to release his overwhelming excitement. If he didn't do this, he would go crazy...

Outside the door, Zhang Keyong caught up with Song Peng'an and asked in a low voice, "Chairman Song, is Zhu Yonggui really..."

Song Peng'an's smile had long disappeared. Hearing Zhang Keyong's question, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he said coolly, "Is that your business to ask?"

Zhang Keyong was startled and stopped following.

What did the chairman mean? What is he trying to say? At least give me a clear answer!

Unlike Zhang Keyong's hesitation, the excited Zhu Yonggui found that dancing alone in the office was not enough to express his joy. So he walked out of the office and headed toward the work area.

"Zhu Yonggui! Why did the chairman talk to you?"

"Zhu Yonggui! What did the chairman talk to you about? Tell us!"

"Zhu Yonggui! Mr..."

As soon as Zhu Yonggui returned to the work area, a group of colleagues immediately surrounded him, asking questions.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhu Yonggui's face turned cold, and he scolded with his hands behind his back, "What's all this noise? Get back to work! Who called me by my name just now? Can you call me Zhu Yonggui? From now on, remember to call me Manager Zhu, the marketing department's Manager Zhu!"

The work area fell silent instantly, with only Zhu Yonggui's arrogant and somewhat smug voice echoing in everyone's ears... Call me Manager Zhu... the marketing department's Manager Zhu...

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