CH 3

The next day, Feng Yi left early in the morning and ran around to handle the compensation of the partner companies. At three in the afternoon, Feng Yi was finally able to have a quick meal and rest before rushing to the last company — Qianli Group Rongcheng Branch.

There were many top domestic clothing brands under Qianli Group, and Feng Yi had only cooperated with one of them. With his current status, he wasn’t able to have contact with the real power executives of Qianli Group. But when he was about to leave after dealing with the repayment, Feng Yi was told that someone wanted to see him.

Lu Yue, the head of the business development team of Qianli Group Rongcheng, graduated from the same university as Feng Yi. When Feng Yi was a sophomore, Lu Yue was invited by the school to give a speech. That was how Feng Yi knew such a person.

The Qianli Group was a family business. Lu Yue was not yet thirty, but he already had a lot of influence. To be in his current position at this age was not just based on family blood. However, Feng Yi was surprised that a busy person like Lu Yue would find the time to meet a junior he didn’t know. This surprised Feng Yi. The matter of his work studio was a big deal in his eyes, but it was far from something that someone of Lu Yue’s level needed to deal with personally.

Feng Yi’s thoughts were correct. If it had been someone else or another time, Lu Yue wouldn’t have bothered to ask. It was just that today, when Lu Yue was discussing a project with someone, Feng Yi’s work studio was mentioned. Lu Yue also knew that Feng Yi’s associate had run away with the money after cheating him. Then he happened to hear that Feng Yi had come to repay the compensation today. Since he had some free time and was in a good mood, Lu Yue decided to show some rare goodwill and asked someone to call Feng Yi upstairs. He wanted to have a chat with this young junior brother and teach him some life lessons. As someone who had everything, he also felt a little sorry for this business loser.

Lu Yue heaved a sigh after thinking about what happened to this young junior brother, Feng Yi. But that was the corporate world, and no amount of sympathy was going to help. After suffering a setback this time, he wondered if Feng Yi would be able to bounce back. A total of more than three million in compensation was a significant pitfall for someone who had only recently started his business. He’d never heard of this junior brother having any kind of background, but now that he had repaid it all, it didn’t matter what methods he used as long as it worked.

Everyone had their secrets.

Lu Yue considered how to console this junior brother without undermining his self-esteem, but when he saw Feng Yi enter the office, he was taken aback.

First, the appearance of this junior brother surprised him. Second, and what Lu Yue was concerned about the most, Feng Yi’s current mental state seemed excellent. There was no trace of resentment or depression in his eyes. He did not appear to be someone who had recently suffered a major setback in his career.

“President Lu…” Feng Yi said.

“What are you talking about? Call me Brother Lu. I’m only a few years older than you. Besides, we graduated from the same school, don’t be so formal!”

Lu Yue’s smile became much more enthusiastic, instantly switching from meeting an unfamiliar alumni mode to bringing up a potential business partner mode. Just as he thought, Feng Yi was able to overcome this hurdle. No matter what methods he used, the result was all that mattered. Therefore, it was necessary to deepen this alumni friendship.

In the friendly atmosphere that Lu Yue deliberately created, he talked about school celebrations, employment rates, entrepreneurial experience, and business philosophy. Most of the time it was Lu Yue who spoke, with Feng Yi chiming in at intervals. Facing Feng Yi, Lu Yue had a clear sense of superiority. Even though his words were full of care and guidance, his tone was that of a winner in life speaking to a young junior brother who had suffered a setback in his career.

After he finished speaking, Lu Yue checked the time on his watch.

Feng Yi knew that he should leave. “I will remember what Brother Lu said, thank you and sorry for taking up so much of your time…” As he spoke, Feng Yi’s eyes froze and he stopped just as he was about to say goodbye.

Sensing Feng Yi’s strangeness, Lu Yue followed his gaze and landed on his wrist. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Looks good, doesn’t it? It’s the latest product from D&B; my girlfriend gave it to me. It came in a gift box set, and there’s also a wallet of the same series. It’s a limited edition and isn’t easy to buy.” Lu Yue’s face was full of pride as he extended his wrist to Feng Yi, showing off the watch.

Feng Yi of course knew of the brand, D&B, the world’s top luxury brand. It rose during the abnormal climate period, and even overwhelmed many old and powerful brands. After occupying the highest ground in the market, they haven’t retreated since. Considering it was a top luxury brand and a limited edition, the watch Lu Yue wore wouldn’t be cheap. But that wasn’t Feng Yi’s concern.

Observing Lu Yue’s reaction, he hesitated for a moment before saying, “Brother Lu, can I take a look at your watch?”

This was the first time Lu Yue had encountered such a situation. After being surprised, he took off the watch and handed it to Feng Yi without embarrassing him.

Feng Yi took a paper towel from the tea table beside him and used it to hold the other party’s watch.

Lu Yue: “…”

He, Lu Yue, wasn’t so stingy that he wouldn’t let others touch his watch, nor was he a germaphobe. But the young junior brother seemed to be quite particular about it, which was fine. As soon as he thought that, he saw Feng Yi slightly bend the strap of the watch to take a closer look at it, and even sniffed at it.

Lu Yue: “…”

Awkward. He didn’t have to go that far, really!

Even though it was a luxury limited edition and hard to get, he didn’t have to do that!

Lu Yue sat there with a stiff face, completely unable to understand Feng Yi’s actions. He hesitated to speak, and then picked up a teacup to drink water to relieve his embarrassment.

With a small cough, he spoke. “Do you… want to look at the wallet that’s from the same series? They came in the same gift box.”

After hearing the words, Feng Yi nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

Lu Yue felt complicated. Just now, he had thought that this junior brother was very particular, but what was going on now? He only said it casually, but Feng Yi actually dared to accept it! Sighing inwardly, Lu Yue took out the wallet from his pocket and handed it to him.

A personal item like a wallet couldn’t be shown to others casually, even if there was nothing suspicious in the wallet.

The texture of the snakeskin was delicate, yet gave off a wild vibe. The embellished floral logo was luxurious and had the leisure and freedom that young people liked. The whole thing reeked of money. None of that, however, was what Feng Yi was concerned about.

After carefully inspecting the outer skin of the wallet, he handed it back to Lu Yue and said with a serious expression, “Brother Lu, the leather of the watch strap and the wallet is real leather. Real snakeskin.”

The expression on Lu Yue’s face froze as if he had heard something unbelievable, and then he laughed out loud. “This is synthetic leather! Medusa 7th generation bionic snakeskin, you can find it by searching on your mobile phone.”

“Medusa” was the name given to the snakeskin used by a company specializing in synthetic leather and was very popular among major brands.

After the promulgation of the strictest conservation law, synthetic leather companies arose and took advantage of the environmental protection trend to take off. Under the competition of the market, technological innovation progressed rapidly. By the time the seventh generation was released, it was difficult for experienced masters to distinguish it from genuine leather. Some low-end machines couldn’t even detect it accurately.

“You may not pay much attention to this area, so you can be forgiven for making a mistake. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s the thought that counts,” Lu Yue laughed, though it sounded forced. “Our Qianli Group makes clothes and accessories, so we pay close attention to these new materials. When the ‘Medusa Seventh Generation’ was first released, there were overwhelming reports that the current synthetic leather was super awesome!”

“In addition, the synthetic leather company that supplies D&B is the world’s leading company. I don’t need to say more about D&B’s reputation. It’s impossible for them to use real snakeskin.”

The abnormal climate had caused many species to become extinct or endangered in the past two decades. After the introduction of the strictest conservation law, the market supervision was extremely strict, and the use of snake, crocodile, ostrich, and other animal skins to make goods and sell them was prohibited. And when the major luxury brands expressed their opinions, the raw materials used were also changed to synthetic animal skins, regardless of whether it was for a new market or political correctness. All in all, it was difficult to see genuine leather in the luxury market.

Consumers’ attention would shift to new materials when the emergence of new materials was too rapid, occupying the market too soon, and after merchants banded together to hype it up. Therefore, considering such a background, if the luxury goods bought used genuine snakeskin, it must be a fake!

By saying that it was real snakeskin, Feng Yi was telling Lu Yue that the watch and wallet in his hand were all fakes!!

Of course, Lu Yue didn’t believe him!

Feng Yi looked serious. “I have been able to tell the difference between real and fake snakeskin since I was a child. I may be mistaken when it comes to synthetic cowhide, sheepskin, rabbitskin, etc., but I will not be mistaken for snakeskin. I also bought Medusa seventh generation last month, so I know the existence of this new synthetic snakeskin material.”

“Brother Lu, your watch and wallet are made of real snakeskin.”

Lu Yue looked at Feng Yi like he was looking at a stubborn and ignorant child. He shook his head and sighed heavily. “Okay, I get it. Young people should read more news and the latest scientific research, don’t think you know everything with just a little knowledge!”

Having said that, the expression on Lu Yue’s face was completely superficial, and then with a distant and polite smile, he sent Feng Yi out of the office. As he watched Feng Yi enter the elevator, he greeted the company employees who came to him before returning to the office and closing the door.

The smile on his face immediately disappeared.

Lu Yue locked the door and walked back to the desk. He stared at the wallet and watch on the table with his eyes deep in thought, his face clouded and uncertain. Then he took out a paper cutter from the drawer and cut a piece of leather from the inside and outside of the wallet and the watch strap. He carefully placed them in a small opaque paper bag, folded it, and placed it in the inside pocket of his coat.

The limited edition luxury gift set that Feng Yixian had just shown off was mercilessly rolled up and stuffed into an empty black thermos cup. After he finished, Lu Yue put the cup in the drawer under his elbow. Then he took out his phone and made a call, cleared the table, unlocked the office door, and resumed his work as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t until the end of the workday that Lu Yue left as usual, holding a thermos cup and greeting the employees with a smile on his face. Some time ago, Lu Yue went on a business trip and got sick. He still had a cough. Since there were still a few meetings to be held lately, he had been using this thermos to make soothing tea and took it everywhere he went, so everyone was used to it.

Half an hour after leaving the company, Lu Yue handed the small paper bag in the inside pocket of his coat to the person he had called. “Test it and let me know the result as soon as possible!”

On the other side.

Feng Yi, who left the Qianli Group Rongcheng branch, did not know what happened after he left. In any case, he had said his piece. It wasn’t up to him whether the other party listened or not. At least, he felt more at ease after he said it. Putting it aside, Feng Yi’s mood lifted. All debts were paid! It was time to go to Snake Mountain!