Lu Li angrily took out his phone, intending to call President Liu, but as soon as he pulled it out, he paused.
Deputy Manager Zhang and Xiaoyu were asking President Wang for benefits, but they hadn't taken any action yet. In this case, even if he reported to President Liu, without evidence, not only would he fail to deal with the two, but he'd also earn a bad reputation for tattling.
No way! He couldn't do it like that!
Lu Li thought it over; he had to get solid evidence.
What exactly should he do?
While he was deep in thought.
The super hearing picked up specific details from the business car.
Lu Li leaned in and listened for a while, his eyes gradually brightening.
He had an idea!
He turned off his X-ray vision and super hearing and walked slowly towards the company.
...
At nine o'clock in the morning, in the small meeting room.
Lu Li, Manager Wang, Deputy Manager Zhang, and Xiaoyu met with President Wang of Tianheng and his entourage.
"Manager Wang, Deputy Manager Zhang, Leader Lu, Mr. Qin, hello."
"Hello, President Wang."
"Please have a seat."
Lu Li invited everyone to sit down.
He appeared very calm, as if he knew nothing.
The normal procurement process requires the involvement of a purchasing manager, procurement experts, and purchasing clerks.
President Liu just took over the company.
The company's suppliers are being recruited anew.
The procurement department is extremely busy and short-staffed.
Additionally, this time setting up the live stream room is a small project.
Therefore, the procurement department only sent the procurement clerk Xiaoyu to assist.
Of course, if the deal is really made, the company's legal and financial departments will get involved to complete this cooperation well.
Everyone sat down.
Xiaoqing acted as an assistant, serving tea and water to everyone.
Lu Li flipped through the documents that President Wang handed over.
The ink on these documents was still wet, as if they had just been made not long ago.
He knew why, of course, and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
Lu Li secretly laughed to himself, looked up, and said, "President Wang, I was just appointed by President Liu to the live streaming project, and I'm not very familiar with the equipment. Why don't you tell me about it?"
Manager Wang and Deputy Manager Zhang, as the heads of the department, were attending the negotiation mainly to listen in, and under normal circumstances, wouldn't speak up, and Xiaoyu was in a similar situation; ultimately, Lu Li would have the final say on whether to cooperate.
Therefore, these people did not speak.
"Alright." President Wang personally stepped up.
He stood up energetically and said, "Due to the booming live streaming industry, large-scale live streams have become a sought-after marketing tool for companies and individuals. However, preparing the equipment behind these awe-inspiring live stream events is crucial."
Lu Li nodded slightly.
It must be said, President Wang was quite eloquent.
Xiaoyu, Deputy Manager Zhang, and Manager Wang were also listening intently.
President Wang continued, "Building a large-scale live stream room often requires the following types of equipment: hardware, cameras, lighting, network tools, and a series of others, all of which are essential, or they will affect the live stream..."
He went on at length.
Lu Li occasionally compared the information with the documents to understand.
Manager Wang, Deputy Manager Zhang, and Xiaoyu were doing the same.
After more than ten minutes.
President Wang not only explained the live streaming equipment thoroughly but also talked through how to set it up and the effects to expect.
From the introduction, Lu Li couldn't find any faults.
"That's about it."
President Wang finished, saying expectantly, "Leader Lu, what do you think?"
Lu Li picked up his cup of tea, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "Sounds pretty good; what about the price and equipment?"
When this was brought up, Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang became noticeably more serious, seemingly ready to make a move at the right moment.
President Wang smiled and said, "I mentioned the price to you on the phone before, Leader Lu, the entire live streaming room setup comes to seventy-three thousand nine hundred."
"As long as the price hasn't changed, that's fine." Lu Li remained calm, "What equipment do you plan to use for our company's live streaming room? Discuss each piece in detail; I need to hear the specific models."
President Wang seemed a bit nervous, glancing at Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang.
He quickly looked back and introduced, "Let me first talk about the LED screen; this thing is relatively expensive."
Lu Li nodded, "Please go ahead."
President Wang organized his thoughts for a moment, "Your side requests a twenty-five square large screen. This type of large screen is generally priced at twenty thousand per square in the market, which totals five hundred thousand for twenty-five square. This doesn't even include the equipment like the control system and graphic workstations. Since I have discussed with Leader Lu before, our quote is relatively low, at fourteen thousand per square."
Lu Li smiled.
The price was detailed, but he didn't mention the model or specifications.
He deliberately asked, "What's the pixel pitch?"
President Wang's heart tightened as he forced himself to reply, "The pitch is precisely P1.5."
Lu Li dragged out an "Oh."
Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang thought Lu Li understood these things and were a bit nervous, preparing to interject with a quip or two.
Unexpectedly, Lu Li quickly said, "Hmm, let's discuss other equipment."
Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang promptly shut their mouths.
President Wang breathed a sigh of relief, "Next is the integrated live broadcast machine..."
He seemed afraid that Lu Li would ask more questions, so he quickly mentioned the prices of almost all products in one breath.
He also casually mentioned some equipment's specifications, but for some equipment, he discussed the specifications and prices only after a long while, intentionally being vague.
Normally, people who didn't understand these aspects would be left confused and would think President Wang spoke very thoroughly.
After about an hour, President Wang finished discussing all the equipment prices and specifications, and even promised Lu Li that the live broadcast room would be set up within half a month.
Normally, setting up a large live broadcast room takes one to two months, so half a month shows great effort and investment.
Anyone hearing this information would probably be overjoyed.
At this point, President Wang asked, "Leader Lu, I've finished discussing the equipment specifications and prices, what do you think?"
Lu Li didn't respond immediately but turned and asked, "What do you all think?"
Manager Wang smiled, "I'm just here to listen, I don't understand these things well enough, you make the decision."
He respected Lu Li a lot, knowing who was responsible for the project and who needed to make the final decision, so he didn't voice his own opinion.
Deputy Manager Zhang was different. With a gleam in her eye, she said with a smile, "I heard the company wants to set up a live broadcast room and became very interested, so I consulted a professional. Generally speaking, setting up a large live broadcast room takes time, usually one to two months. President Liu wants the broadcast room set up quickly, and President Wang's company can expedite the process. The equipment is also very good and is priced much lower than the market. I personally think it's feasible."
Xiaoyu nodded in agreement and added, "Yes, President Liu is pressuring us to act fast. It's best to set up the live broadcast room quickly to avoid delaying her business plans. But of course, as the project leader, it's your call whether to sign the contract."
He spoke gracefully, seeming supportive of Lu Li's decision.
If Lu Li hadn't already overheard the kickback matter, he might not have thought much of it.
However, knowing about the kickbacks, he could understand the underlying message in Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang's words.
These two were using President Liu's urgency in setting up the broadcast room to pressure him!
Normally, a young person who had never led such a project before, upon hearing from the boss about the urgency, plus the seemingly decent product specifications and prices from the collaborator, wouldn't they typically rush to sign the contract?
Lu Li did not give an immediate reply; instead, he glanced at Manager Wang, Deputy Manager Zhang, and Xiaoyu, "How about I discuss it privately with President Wang before making a decision?"
Manager Wang frowned slightly.
Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang exchanged a glance.
Everyone thought Lu Li wanted to openly solicit a kickback from President Wang in the company!
Otherwise, why would he ask them to leave?
Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang thought to themselves, didn't realize this youngster had more guts than us, daring to solicit benefits from the partner company right in the company?
Of course, whether or not to give benefits was up to President Wang, Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang wouldn't interfere.
Manager Wang, a person of integrity, gave a slight warning, or rather a reminder, "It's okay for you to talk privately, but let me remind you, our company is quite reputable, everything must follow the rules, don't let President Wang complain to President Liu!"
Lu Li understood Manager Wang's hint, smiled, "I understand."
Manager Wang said nothing more, got up, and said, "Alright, then Xiaozhang, Xiaoyu, let's step out and let Xiaolu and President Wang have a chat."
"Okay."
"Xiaolu, take your time talking with President Wang, no rush."
Xiaoyu and Deputy Manager Zhang stood up, secretly pleased, and walked out.
They assumed that if Lu Li was prepared to openly solicit benefits from President Wang, then the cooperation was almost certain, and their kickbacks should be safe.
Everyone left.
The meeting room was only left with Lu Li and President Wang.
Lu Li's gaze followed Xiaoyu as he closed the conference room door, then activated his perspective vision to observe everyone's movements.
Once he confirmed that Manager Wang, Deputy Manager Zhang, and Xiaoyu took President Wang's accompanying staff to the lounge, Lu Li looked toward President Wang.
President Wang also thought Lu Li was preparing to solicit benefits, even though he quietly sighed inside, Tianheng Company's smaller scale really needed this cooperation. He was prepared to accept it, even if it meant offering some of the profit to Lu Li.
Thinking this, President Wang displayed an accommodating smile, "Leader Lu, if you have anything to..."
The sentence was unfinished.
Bam, a loud bang from slapping the table suddenly resonated!
Lu Li squinted, staring unwaveringly at the other's face, speaking with ill intentions, "President Wang, you have quite the nerve! Daring to collude with our company people in illegal acts, aren't you afraid of jail?"
President Wang's heart skipped, and his once bright smile quickly froze!