Chapter 19: A Sudden Turn of Events
In front of the Hilton Hotel, Song Mingyang got out of the car and walked toward the group from Grandstone Group with a beaming smile.
Zhang Yang also stepped out of the car and casually observed the three people from Grandstone Group behind them.
The middle-aged man walking in front should be Director Hong, the marketing director of Grandstone. Behind him followed a man and a woman, both fairly young. The woman had short black hair cut to ear length. She looked elegant and capable.
Zhang Yang couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
As if sensing his gaze, the woman looked over with a slightly inquisitive expression.
Zhang Yang didn't avoid her gaze. He simply smiled and nodded naturally, as if greeting her.
"Old Hong, long time no see. Tonight we won't stop until we're drunk. I'll arrange something good for you afterward as well." Song Mingyang familiarly wrapped an arm around Director Hong's shoulder, greeting him like an old friend.
Director Hong kept a straight face. "President Song, you're too polite. Let's just have a simple meal tonight."
Hearing the distance in his tone, Song Mingyang froze slightly. However, he reacted quickly and acted as if nothing had happened, inviting their group into the hotel.
In the evening, inside the hotel's private dining room, waiters continuously brought dishes to the table. The meal was extremely lavish.
Song Mingyang opened a bottle of fine liquor and filled Director Hong's glass, enthusiastically urging him to drink and eat.
"Old Hong, come, another toast."
"Well… President Song, let's drink less. Alcohol can cause trouble. Let's talk about business instead." Director Hong covered his glass and smiled politely.
Song Mingyang's expression changed again.
If the drinking didn't warm up the atmosphere, the cooperation would be far off. What was going on?
Throughout the entire meal, no matter how Song Mingyang tried to liven things up, the atmosphere simply wouldn't rise. The other side didn't really engage. Whenever cooperation was mentioned, they diverted the conversation.
From a distance, Zhang Yang could see that Song Mingyang even seemed to have a bit of sweat on his forehead.
"Old Hong, after dinner let's go sing some karaoke and relax." After three rounds of drinks, the meal was nearing its end, and Song Mingyang warmly invited them.
"As for tonight's activities…" Director Hong opened his mouth, about to speak.
"Director Hong, we don't have anything to do tonight anyway. I haven't gone singing for a long time." The woman who came along suddenly spoke.
"This…" Director Hong looked at her and immediately agreed. "Alright, let's go."
After nine o'clock, the group found a high-end KTV and opened a private room.
Song Mingyang was a VIP there. As soon as the manager saw him arrive, he immediately bustled around attentively, bringing fruit platters and snacks.
Song Mingyang was generous as well. With a wave of his hand, he ordered plenty of expensive liquor.
Inside the private room, the lights were dim. Zhang Yang sat to the side eating fruit while watching Song Mingyang constantly urging the guests to sing.
"Director Hong, you start us off." Song Mingyang handed him the microphone.
"Well…" Director Hong looked at the woman beside him and immediately passed the microphone to her. "How about you?"
Song Mingyang witnessed this scene and immediately gave the woman a few more careful glances.
"Then I'll embarrass myself a little." The woman took the microphone without hesitation. She stood up gracefully, selected a song, and began singing softly in a corner of the room.
She sang [A traditional English folk song about lost love, often associated with a soft, melodic style and popularized globally by Simon & Garfunkel.], and her voice carried a strong British flavor.
When the song ended, Director Hong applauded enthusiastically and showered her with praise.
"Beautiful! It's almost as good as the original!"
Song Mingyang blinked, suddenly seeming to realize something. He immediately began offering compliments as well.
Amid everyone's praise, the woman sat quietly under the dim lights, her face slightly flushed with excitement.
"President Song, I'll go to the restroom." Watching several grown men crowd around a young woman and flatter her, Zhang Yang felt that his few compliments wouldn't make much difference. He stood up with the excuse of going to the restroom, wanting to step outside for some fresh air.
As he stepped out of the KTV, a refreshing evening breeze greeted him.
Although it was already fairly late, Shanghai's nightlife had only just begun. In the short time Zhang Yang stood outside, several groups of customers with flushed faces from drinking walked into the venue in small clusters.
"Hey, you… why aren't you upstairs singing?" A voice suddenly came from behind him.
Zhang Yang turned around and saw that it was the woman who had come with Grandstone.
"My singing isn't good. If I went up there, that would really be embarrassing." Zhang Yang shook his head as he watched her walk closer.
"Just sing casually. It's not a competition. By the way, you're a planner at Mingyang Advertising, right? At the dinner table earlier, you seemed to have quite a few ideas." The woman walked beside Zhang Yang and looked at him with a smile.
"I worked on the proposal for your previous Grandstone project, Azure Waters & Cloudscape." Zhang Yang recalled.
He remembered that proposal vividly. It had taken him the longest to complete since he entered the industry. It had gone through countless revisions, and the client had endless demands. The hardship behind it couldn't be explained in just a few sentences.
"I see." The woman suddenly understood. "Then let me ask you something. If you were asked to create a proposal for our new project, what general ideas would you have?"
Zhang Yang fell silent. If he had the ability to casually come up with such ideas, would he still be just a junior planner?
But seeing the girl's expectant expression and remembering that Grandstone's latest project focused on an elegant new Chinese-style villa development, he offered a few safe, all-purpose remarks.
"I've looked at Grandstone's new project. It seems the landscaping was designed by experts from the art academy, and the villas reference ancient courtyard-style residences. The theme emphasizes a carefree mindset-watching clouds drift by, quietly listening to flowers bloom and fall…"
Although his words were somewhat generic, they weren't spoken blindly. After all, he had handled Grandstone's projects before and had grasped the general style they preferred.
So what he said was concise and to the point.
The woman listened while nodding repeatedly, seemingly approving of Zhang Yang's thoughts.
"The ideas match well, and you explained them clearly. By the way, what time is it? We should probably go back upstairs soon. I'm planning to-"
"It's still early. Just past ten." Zhang Yang raised his wrist to glance at his watch.
"Huh?" The woman's gaze lingered on his wrist, her expression suddenly showing surprise. "You're wearing such a good watch, yet you're working here as a small planner. Are you experiencing life or something?"
Zhang Yang was certain that the woman's identity must be unusual. After all, in real life, there were very few people who could recognize such things at a glance.
"Work is work, life is life. They don't really conflict, right?" Zhang Yang thought for a moment. Just as he was considering whether to introduce himself more formally, the woman unexpectedly extended her hand first.
"Let's get acquainted. My name is Tang Leyi." The woman smiled as she reached out her hand.
"Zhang Yang." Zhang Yang shook the hand that clearly had never done any hard labor and casually said, "If I remember correctly, the chairman of Grandstone Real Estate also has the surname Tang."
Tang Leyi smiled but said nothing.
The two returned to the private room. Everyone's eyes immediately turned toward them-more precisely, toward Tang Leyi.
"Director Hong, Mingyang Advertising has been our long-time partner. For this new project, why don't we assign the business to Mingyang Media?" Tang Leyi spoke as if she had the authority to make the decision with a single sentence.
Director Hong quickly stood up and agreed.
Song Mingyang immediately stood up as well and asked cautiously, "Director Hong, this lady is…"
"President Song, this is actually the daughter of our chairman, Miss Tang Leyi. She is currently fully responsible for the group's marketing and publicity," Director Hong finally revealed the truth.
"So it's Miss Tang!" Song Mingyang's expression instantly turned ecstatic and excited. "Miss Tang, our hospitality has been inadequate-truly inadequate!"
Watching the boss who normally seemed so impressive in the company now acting like this, Zhang Yang once again felt how difficult it was to be a boss.
The more glamorous one appeared in public, the more…
"Not so fast. I have one condition." Tang Leyi smiled slightly but suddenly looked at Zhang Yang. "I talked with Zhang Yang from your company just now, and I think he's quite good. So for this proposal, my opinion is that he should take the lead."