Chapter 437: Time Is Precious

After carefully reading through Guo Taining’s personal information once, Xiao Luo, along with Si Xueting and Liu Yiyao, headed to the city’s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital with the company’s contract document.

The hospital was located near a wet market. Its surroundings were filthy and inconvenient for cars to pass through since the streets were too narrow. Additionally, there were always stalls selling fruits and vegetables on both sides of the roads, making the whole place congested and thronging with people. When there were emergencies, even ambulances found it hard to pass through, and this was why finding a new location for the hospital was an urgent matter to consider. With support from the government, funding would not be a problem.

“Brother Luo, will we really be able to get this contract?”

Standing in front of the city’s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Si Yueting was not optimistic about their chances, for how on earth could Team Three land the deal which even Mao Jianyi and Ling Fei could not seal it?

Liu Yiyao did not say anything, but her expression clearly showed that she was very nervous and anxious. Evidently, she was just like Si Yueting, utterly unprepared for their mission.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Xiao Luo quipped as he smiled and walked into the building.

Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao exchanged glances and smiled nervously as they followed him into the hospital. However, they were trained professionals, and they started wearing smiles as soon as they stepped into the premises. No one could see through their facade and know the anxiety that was buried deep in their hearts. Outwardly, they were brimming with confidence.

As in all the other hospitals, the city’s Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital was filled with the fumes of disinfectants as sterilization was a daily routine, but when they reached the inpatient care area, the scent eased off, and, from time to time, they could hear the cries of babies in the wards ahead. On their way to the administration building, they saw many parents with their children in their arms, and they looked worried and anxious.

Out of the blue, Liu Yiyao suddenly asked, “Brother Luo, are you married?”

Xiao Luo thought for a bit and said, “Yeah, I am.”

“And do you have kids?” Liu Yiyao asked again.

“Yeah.”

Instantly, Su Xiaobei’s innocent, charming smile that turned her eyes into little crescent moons flashed in Xiao Luo’s mind.

“I heard that giving birth to a baby is like going into a torture chamber. Brother Luo, how did you feel when your wife was in the labor room?” Liu Yiyao asked yet again.

“I can’t answer that yet,” Xiao Luo laughed. Well, he couldn’t tell her what he hadn’t been through.

“So ...”

“Yaoyao, why do you have so many questions? Have you forgotten what we’re here for?” Si Yueting interjected.

“Well, this place stirs up some feelings, and I was just curious about giving birth. Plus, it relieves my anxiety a little when we’re talking about things like that,” Liu Yiyao explained.

Si Yueting thought that what Liu Yiyao said made some sense. She sighed, shaking her head, and said, “My sister told me that when she gave birth to her baby, the pain was so intense that she wanted to kill herself. It felt like her soul was torn into two halves, and she could hardly bear the pain. She also said that the labor room was filled with piercing screams of other mothers, and she thought she was in hell. So, having a child is not an option for me, I will never give birth to a child in this life.”

“That is only because you haven’t met a guy whom you really love. Once you meet him, you would be willing to have a baby with him,” Liu Yiyao responded, sounding like she was speaking from experience.

“Forget it, I wouldn’t want to suffer that pain, I’ll just adopt one from an orphanage someday,” Si Yueting said, waving her hand to make her point.

Xiao Luo could only arch his eyebrows at how the two of them were soothing their nerves and didn’t comment on anything.

In the midst of chit-chatting, the trio arrived at the administration building, and Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao promptly ended their conversation.

A well-dressed woman came up to them with a smile on her face. “Hi, this is the Administration Department, if you are here to see a doctor or to visit a patient, you should go to the building upfront,” she said.

Xiao Luo wasted no time and was upfront with their purpose there. “We’re not here to see a doctor or visit a patient, we’re here to see Director Guo,” he said.

“You’re here for our director?”

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Startled, she then asked, “And you are?”

“We’re from the Sales Department of Huayao Corporation. We came here to see Director Guo for a business deal. ”

Xiao Luo answered truthfully, for he knew from what he read that Guo Taining was an honest man, and he certainly would not appreciate half-truths or gimmicks. If Xiao Luo didn’t tell the truth about who he was, Guo Taining would undoubtedly dismiss Xiao Luo as soon as they met, and the long-term impact on Huayao Corporation would be dire.

“Didn’t your company send someone this morning?” the woman asked.

“They were in a hurry, and there are still some things that need to be clarified,” Xiao Luo replied.

“Please wait here, I will notify the director.”

“Thank you!”

Xiao Luo nodded, expressing his appreciation.

“Would Director Guo agree to hear us out? Why do I get the feeling that we won’t even be able to see his face this time?” Si Yueting muttered to herself when the woman left.

“He will see us. Guo Taining is a gentleman, he may refuse to meet with salespeople who play petty tricks, but he certainly won’t turn down any visitors who show sincerity,” Xiao Luo said. This was the conclusion he arrived at from reading Guo Taining’s information sheet, and he was quite confident he read Guo Taining’s personality accurately.

Just as Xiao Luo inferred, the woman came back a short while later and told them that Director Guo had invited them to his office.

Xiao Luo thanked the woman and led the startled Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao to Guo Taining’s office.

The office was at the end of the hallway on the third floor. As soon as they set foot in the office, they saw a middle-aged grey-haired man engrossed in reading a medical book. He looked kind and friendly.

The office was not very big; it was about 30 square meters. The office was equipped with a desk, book rack, and a bonsai at each office corner. There was no computer on the desk, but a globe and a stack of files.

“Director, they’re here!” the woman said as she knocked on the door.

The middle-aged man nodded, and with his eyes still gazing into the medical book, he asked Xiao Luo without looking up at him, “I have made myself perfectly clear with your Sales Director, why did he still send you?”

Xiao Luo spoke in a tone that was neither aggressive nor conciliatory. “Director Guo, we, representing Huayao Corporation, would like to discuss a business deal with you.”

“Alright, but don’t accuse me of not giving opportunities to the young; if you can persuade me with less than a hundred words, I’ll give Huayao Corporation the contract.” Guo Taining still did not lift his head to look at them.

With less than a hundred words?

Si Yueting and Liu Yiyao frowned, showing the worry lines on their foreheads. Sales Director Mao and the team leader, Ling Fei, had spent the whole morning trying to persuade him and failed. Now, the three of them were supposed to convince Guo Taining in less than a hundred words, how would that be possible?

“Director Guo, we sincerely want to do business with you, no matter how good are the discounts Renhe Medicines offered you, we, Huayao Corporation, can offer you twice that,” Si Yueting said.

“Yes, Director Guo, please consider Huayao Corporation, the two companies produce medical appliances and drugs with the best quality, and if you can get the same products at a lower price, isn’t it a good thing for you? You can use the money saved on the construction of the new hospital, which will be beneficial,” Liu Yiyao pitched in.

“Time is precious, so stop wasting my time. And don’t waste yours as well.”

Guo Taining gave them the cold shoulder, and he didn’t seem like he would give them a chance at all. His eyes were fixed on the medical book in his hand the whole time they were there.