Chapter 17: Perfectionist ①
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
The branch company accepted their first project and the internal processes and operations of the company slowly got on track. Chen Yifei also had a taste of how difficult it was for Yan Yu when he first started out. This time, Chen Yifei was dying to get an assistant for himself.
Chen Yifei was extra meticulous with their first business. He was afraid that the other party would intentionally put up obstacles just because they were a new branch office. As such, when the other party asked for samples, Chen Yifei personally confirmed the sample’s data several times before sending it over.
Chen Yifei only felt slightly relaxed after sending the samples and invited Xu Yunfei out for dinner at night.
It had been almost half a month since Chen Yifei had arrived. He would set aside an hour every night to have a call with Yan Yu, but since it had been too busy at the branch office recently, Chen Yifei did not have as much energy. Yan Yu didn’t want him to be too tired either, so they often hung up after only a few sentences.
Xu Yunfei and Jiang Ge had continued to message each other, too. According to the former, it seemed like their conversations were going pretty well, they had even made an appointment to meet up during the holidays.
Chen Yifei felt that with Jiang Ge’s personality, he might have only treated Xu Yunfei as a pastime. But Chen Yifei did truly wish for them to come together. Xu Yunfei treated relationships quite seriously. At the very least, he had never seen Xu Yunfei initiate a breakup before during their university years.
The two arrived at the night market’s food stalls and ordered some barbecue and beer. Xu Yunfei opened a beer, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp before he let out a breath, feeling refreshed. He knocked the beer bottle lightly on the table and said mysteriously, “You know what, Chen Yifei? I have a premonition; I really do.”
“What premonition?” Chen Yifei asked.
“A premonition about love.”
Chen Yifei nearly choked on his beer, “You’ve not even met him face-to-face yet.”
“That’s why I called it a premonition,” Xu Yunfei said. “I feel like we can definitely be together.”
Chen Yifei nodded, “Best wishes to you both.”
Just as they were enjoying themselves to the fullest, Chen Yifei’s phone rang. Xu Yunfei teased, “Yoo, is the CEO calling you, again?”
“He doesn’t usually call this early.” Chen Yifei replied. He took out his phone and saw the caller ID, it was from the office, “Hello, this is Chen Yifei.”
Chen Yifei listened for a while as his expression gradually turned heavy. Xu Yunfei realised that there must be something wrong with the call and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Chen Yifei hung up the phone, the eyes which were usually calm and unflustered were currently filled with worry and anxiety. He stood up, “There seemed to be a problem with the samples. The other party is deliberately trying to make things difficult and take advantage of this to decrease the price. I need to go back and have a look at it myself.”
Xu Yunfei’s expression turned heavy, too, “That can’t be. Didn’t you check it yourself?”
“That’s why I find it odd.”
Chen Yifei did not believe he would make a mistake in the verification of data by comparing data. He could not accept that he would make a mistake in such a small area. He rushed back to the office with Xu Yunfei while their office’s side was hard-pressed to apologise to the other party.
They were a newly opened branch office, the other party had been targeting and making full use of that fact to find trouble with them. Even if they sent them a perfectly correct sample over right now, they would still be nit-picking at everything. It seemed like there were no alternatives other than reducing the prices.
However, if they were to reduce the prices right now, it would be extremely difficult for them to increase the price next time. If the prices between the branch office and the main office became too big, there would be a huge problem.
Although the department responsible for the sample had tried to apologise and explain themselves as best as they could, Chen Yifei was responsible for this, too. The final check was, after all, through him.
Chen Yifei apologised to the other party directly and guaranteed to give them favourable conditions but the other party remained stubborn, complaining that they were not sincere enough, their demands were completely unreasonable.
When the samples were sent back, Chen Yifei compared the data again and couldn’t find any problems with it at all. After asking around for more details, he realised that the other party had not been satisfied with the samples and the result of the product’s compatibility test.
There were no problems when the samples were tested, so the specification and data were decided then, but when the product was installed, there were indeed some small problems. They were negligible and had a lot to do with probability, but the other party was targeting that stubbornly to force them to give them what they wanted.
They could not control outcomes that were reliant on probability, but it just so happened that it happened on their samples and now, they could only suffer in silence. Chen Yifei was vexed. He had considered all angles, but still, he had overlooked such a small part.
The price negotiation went on until the night, but they could not agree on a satisfactory price. Chen Yifei tried his best to meet their demands and the price was reduced by quite an amount. Chen Yifei returned to his accommodation, completely exhausted. He had no idea how Yan Yu settled such problems when he met them.
Yan Yu already knew about what happened at the branch office. He was neither angry nor anxious. He had faced such obstacles before, he knew that there would be many negotiations and follow-ups.
When Yan Yu called that night, it was the first time Chen Yifei felt hesitant to answer the call. The last time he made a mistake, Yan Yu had given him a good scolding. Who knew how Yan Yu would be this time?
Chen Yifei gave in, “Hello?”
Yan Yu sounded concerned, “You must be exhausted today.”
Chen Yifei was quiet for a long time, and then, “...... Sorry.”
“This is not your fault. I’ve seen plenty of such things before. They’re only exaggerating the severity because they’re bullying y’all.” Yan Yu’s tone was relaxed as he continued, “You’ll get this sorted out eventually, and it’s fine to reduce the prices for now. There are loads of other companies to cooperate with even if they don’t want to do business with us.”
Chen Yifei knew that Yan Yu was trying to console him, but he did not feel relieved at all. He had high expectations for himself from when he was young. The perfectionist in him was already deeply ingrained into his bones, so he could not simply let this mistake go.
Chen Yifei began thinking about all the unreasonable people he would be facing in the future. The thought soured his mood so much that he ended up not speaking much during the phone call.
Chen Yifei knew that Yan Yu probably considered him as partially a family member, thinking that things can be shared among them and that his mistakes could be forgiven. However, in Chen Yifei’s heart, Yan Yu was strictly Yan Yu, and that it was his fault if he caused any losses to Yan Yu and his businesses.
The next morning, Chen Yifei arrived at the branch office with his emotions and thoughts in check and arranged for a meeting with the other party’s person-in-charge to discuss this issue properly.
Chen Yifei was mentally prepared to be more humble given that it was his mistake, but the person-in-charge’s attitude turned out to be unexpectedly positive. The discussion didn’t last too long before they came to an agreement. The reduction in prices was not as high as Chen Yifei had originally thought.
Chen Yifei thought it through but couldn’t understand the other party’s sudden change in attitude. He briefly mentioned the company’s main branch, which led to the person-in-charge telling directly about how Chairman Yan had contacted them last night and how the main company had already offered them a higher than usual cash discount.
Chen Yifei’s heart sank but did not show it in his expression or behaviour as he was still in front of the person-in-charge. Chen Yifei could only send him off with a smile.
Chen Yifei called Yan Yu right after, asking the instant the call connected, “You called the other party?”
“I did, they weren’t that hard to deal with…” Yan Yu admitted without hesitation.
Chen Yifei was extremely upset. He felt that he could have settled this issue and there was no need for Yan Yu to step in, personally. With this, Chen Yifei felt as if he had been proven incompetent.
Although it was a good thing that the issue had been sorted out, Chen Yifei could not help but find himself useless. Yan Yu solved the issue with merely a call, while he ran around like a headless chicken struggling as he searched for a solution.
Chen Yifei didn’t think he was anywhere worse than Yan Yu, but why couldn’t he solve the problem as perfectly as Yan Yu had?
He was Yan Yu’s assistant, and yet, he created more of a mess for Yan Yu to clean up after, rather than helping him relieve his burden.
Yan Yu knew very well that Chen Yifei would start self-negating given his personality, so he quickly said, “Don’t overthink it, I’m only helping you this one time because I’m your boyfriend. You have to rely on yourself next time.”
“I’m your boyfriend, but I’m also your assistant.” Chen Yifei answered, his voice low, “I think my position as an assistant is more important.”
Yan Yu knew Chen Yifei was not in a good mood and he didn’t mean anything negative by that, but he could not help but feel hurt.
Yan Yu sighed, “Regardless of whether you’re my boyfriend or assistant, you’re the most important to me.”
Chen Yifei always insisted that he needed to be a good assistant before being a good boyfriend. He took a deep breath, his voice filled with dejection that was different from usual, “Thanks. Let’s talk again later.”
The crisis passed pretty quickly, the company was also a lot more cautious having learnt from their experiences. Chen Yifei became more strict with the requirements of the company’s internal tests, which led to the feelings of helplessness among the employees of the product and merchandise departments.
One day, during his lunch break, Chen Yifei went out to meet another executive for a business lunch. Xu Yunfei had a quick and simple lunch at a fast-food restaurant opposite the office building. He could clearly see the entrance of the office as he paid at the cashier.
Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be many people at the office entrance at such a time, but Xu Yunfei could see a man in sportswear lingering near the entrance. That person would sometimes look into the building suspiciously, while looking left and right, and alarmed, other times.
The man was wearing a hoodie with his hood over his head. He even had a pair of sunglasses on and looked extremely suspicious. Xu Yunfei creased his brows as he stared at the man and walked over to pat him on his shoulder.
Xu Yunfei asked, “Mister, do you need something?”
The man was clearly surprised by Xu Yunfei, his facial expression turning anxious as he pulled his hood lower. He asked hesitantly, “Er… Hello. Are you an employee here?”
Xu Yunfei was astonished to discover how familiar the man’s voice was. He tried to recall where he had heard it from. Before his post here as a department manager, he remembered that he had attended an assembly regarding the establishment of the company. Many people attended that meeting, and Chairman Yan had given a speech then.
Chairman Yan’s voice was unique, He sounded much younger than his actual age, so it left a deep impression on Xu Yunfei.
Xu Yunfei widened his eyes, “Chairman Yan?!”
Yan Yu never thought he would be recognised by others. He looked around anxiously and pulled Xu Yunfei to the alley on the side, “How did you recognise me?”
Xu Yunfei replied, “I am the manager of the marketing department, Xu Yunfei. I have attended the company’s establishment assembly but you may not remember me.”
Yan Yu nodded slowly, “So, you’re Xu Yunfei?”
Xu Yunfei was stunned, “Do you still remem-... Did Chen Yifei tell you?”
Yan Yu confirmed, “He did mention you before.”
Xu Yunfei felt grateful from the bottom of his heart that his buddy would say good things about him in front of their boss. He replied happily, “You are here for Chen Yifei, aren’t you? He just went out to meet with CEO Zhao so he’s not in right now. Shall I help you contact him?”
Yan Yu quickly replied, “Don’t contact him yet, I have something to ask you. Come with me.”
“... Ask me?”
Yan Yu called for a taxi and went to a cafe near the office. Xu Yunfei was slightly nervous, thinking whether it could be about the issue from last time? Even then, Yan Yu shouldn’t be looking for him…
After being seated, Yan Yu took off his hood and glasses, and asked, “How is Chen Yifei’s mood recently? Is there anything different about him?”
Xu Yunfei guessed it right, Yan Yu was indeed here because of Chen Yifei. Judging from what he saw, Chairman Yan had probably come here in secret.
Xu Yunfei answered honestly, “His mood has not been that good since the issue last time. The standards for the company’s internal tests have also been increased a lot.”
Yan Yu sighed, “I’m worried because I knew he would be like that. I should have told that company not to tell Chen Yifei about my call.”
Xu Yunfei laughed bitterly, “Chairman Yan, you should know how Chen Yifei’s personality is. Even if you don’t tell him, he would have found out. He is just that sharp.”
Seeing Yan Yu’s worried expression, Xu Yunfei tried to comfort him, “You don’t have to worry too much, Chen Yifei always has high expectations for himself. He will adjust to it after a while.”
Yan Yu felt that Xu Yunfei was a good partner whom he could rant to and he grumbled, “He actually said his work as an assistant is more important than being my boyfriend!! I swear, I’m gonna die from the excessive anger he causes me!!”
Xu Yunfei could tell Chairman Yan did really take Chen Yifei to heart, “He must have not watched his words when he was self-reflecting… You should not mind him…”
“Anyway, don’t tell him that I’m here. He’s going to be even angrier if he knows.”
Xu Yunfei could only nod in agreement.
If Chen Yifei only made that statement due to his heightened emotions, Yan Yu might still find it acceptable. But if that was really what Chen Yifei thought in his heart; that a boyfriend was nothing compared to his work, Yan Yu would feel completely heartbroken.
Chen Yifei at that very moment was driving back to his office. His car passed through the business street and stopped at the red light. Chen Yifei glanced up coincidentally and saw two people walking out of the cafe at the corner of the street.
Chen Yifei first saw Xu Yunfei, and then noticed the person beside him who was in sportswear. That person was just going to put on his sunglasses.
Chen Yifei was stunned the instant he saw Yan Yu, not even realising that the traffic light had turned green until the car behind honked at him. Only then, did Chen Yifei start driving and turn into the street where he saw Xu Yunfei and Yan Yu.
Xu Yunfei and Yan Yu were walking along the business street while Chen Yifei was driving his car very slowly, following closely behind them with a heavy expression.
Chen Yifei did not even have to think to know what Yan Yu was here for. To think he would delay his work at the main office to come all the way here for his little mood swings, Chen Yifei did not even know how he should be angry with him.
Chen Yifei called Yan Yu on the phone and asked in a deep voice, “What are you doing?”
Yan Yu panicked a little to have received a call from Chen Yifei at this time. He quickly asked Xu Yunfei to remain silent and pretended to be calm as he answered, “I am preparing to eat lunch with CEO Zhang and the others. What’s wrong? Why did you call me at this time?”
Chen Yifei raised his brow, “Why is it so noisy around you?”
“We’re going to eat outside, there are quite a lot of people on the road.”
Chen Yifei let out a long sigh. He hung up the call and started honking. Yan Yu was just feeling puzzled as to why Chen Yifei hung up on him so suddenly when he was shocked by the car honks sounding behind him.
Yan Yu turned around. The moment he saw Chen Yifei through the windscreen, Yan Yu went blank.
Chen Yifei parked the car properly and alighted. He glanced coldly at Xu Yunfei, the latter immediately turned his head away, guilt evident on his face. Yan Yu, who was caught red-handed, was stunned speechless. He could only watch as Chen Yifei walked towards him, step by step.
Chen Yifei stopped right in front of him and smiled slightly, “Where’s CEO Zhang?”
Haha, caught! Thanks for translating!
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