Chapter 63 – Parallel Extra 02: He’s Hard to Handle

The next morning, after finishing his morning routine, Ye Zhou selected the most expensive formal attire from his wardrobe to wear.

Today, an important client was coming, and the future financial prospects of the company depended on it. He was instructed that, as the ace salesperson, he must personally receive them. So, Ye Zhou could take a day off on any other day, except for today.

Although he had gone to bed early last night and felt much better after a good sleep, to ensure everything went smoothly, Ye Zhou swallowed two pills to suppress his pheromones before leaving the house.

When he arrived at the company, Fang Ji immediately approached him: “Ye Zhou, I heard about yesterday. Are you alright?”

Ye Zhou smiled at him: “I’m fine.”

It was a coincidence that the company where he worked was named Zhoujishi, unrelated to either Ye Zhou or Fang Ji. But precisely because of this coincidence, it gave both of them a strange sense of belonging, and they had stayed loyal to this company. He and Fang Ji had joined the company at the same time and got along very well. They competed against each other and encouraged each other, quickly becoming good friends and colleagues.

They had started from the bottom, as low-ranking salespeople who often faced rejection when visiting clients. Now, they had achieved success and dealt with clients of a different caliber, mostly high-level company executives. The cases they handled involved transactions worth tens or hundreds of billions, truly deserving the title of ace salespeople.

Although this case was handled by Ye Zhou, Fang Ji wasn’t jealous at all, because when he needed help, Ye Zhou had extended a helping hand and accompanied him through difficult times. Therefore, they had long developed the habit of discussing things together, reminding each other of precautions.

Fang Ji asked, “Good to hear you’re fine. Have you reviewed the client’s information?”

Ye Zhou nodded: “Yes, I have.”

Ye Zhou was someone who prepared in advance. He had begun preparations months ago. This major client was prestigious, personally handled by Guan Heng, the youngest son of the Guan family’s financial empire. The Guan family’s financial empire originally started as a family business, which gradually expanded into a group company and a multinational corporation, exerting profound influence and being a coveted partner for many companies in the industry. In such wealthy families like the Guans, there was no shortage of internal power struggles and gossip. Speaking of Guan Heng, he had an older half-brother named Guan Zhao. On the surface, the brothers seemed harmonious, but who knew what sort of secret competition they engaged in behind closed doors.

Especially Guan Zhao, as the eldest son, every move he made received extra attention. Rumors had it that this case was initially handled by Guan Zhao, but after the recent scandal involving leaked intimate photos with a female celebrity, severely damaging the company’s image, their father angrily removed Guan Zhao from his position and entrusted this crucial task to Guan Heng. If Guan Heng succeeded in this position, his prestige and status would inevitably surpass Guan Zhao. It was rumored that the successor of the Guan family might change. Therefore, Guan Heng’s visit was highly anticipated, and everyone was waiting to see the final outcome.

Inheritance struggles in wealthy families were extremely complex, and ordinary people typically avoided them. But sometimes, avoidance wasn’t possible, especially for people like Ye Zhou who worked in sales. They couldn’t escape issues related to benefits, and sometimes they were forced to choose sides. Even if they didn’t want to be drawn in, it wasn’t something they could decide for themselves.

He understood this truth long ago and never thought of dodging. If he were a Beta or an Omega today, he might choose to protect himself, but he was an Alpha. Alphas were ambitious and loved challenges; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen a career in sales. Since the first day of his job, he knew what he was supposed to do. Over the years, his goal remained unchanged—to do his utmost to ensure that every case he handled resulted in a successful transaction.

Compared to Guan Zhao, who frequently caused trouble and made headlines, Ye Zhou actually had a better impression of the youngest son of the Guan family. However, Guan Heng was too low-key, rarely appearing in front of the media, leaving Ye Zhou clueless about his preferences and unable to tailor his approach accordingly.

At this moment, Fang Ji continued, “I received a tip-off, quite reliable, suggesting that Guan Heng is hard to deal with.”

When they didn’t understand the client, they could only rely on their networks to gather information. Ye Zhou and Fang Ji both had their own networks, and Ye Zhou didn’t doubt the source of Fang Ji’s information: “How so?”

“He has a client who met Guan Heng once at a cross-border meeting. He said Guan Heng has a severe case of OCD. He won’t touch anything others have touched, works meticulously, is picky, and is very strict with his subordinates, allowing no mistakes…”

Ye Zhou stroked his chin, deep in thought, pondering how to handle a client of this type.

“Plus, don’t you think the timing of Guan Zhao’s scandals is too coincidental? Not just this time, but also the previous time when Guan Zhao was hospitalized… And the time before that, all after Guan Heng was sidelined…”

Ye Zhou wasn’t one to beat around the bush. There were no secrets between him and Fang Ji, so he directly asked, “Do you suspect Guan Heng did it?”

“Possibly, but no one has evidence.” Salespeople inevitably encountered gossip about their clients. Fang Ji wasn’t just spreading rumors; he and Ye Zhou were pragmatic individuals skilled at analyzing client behavior patterns to prepare for potential scenarios: “If Guan Heng really did it, then he’s far too cunning and secretive…”

Ye Zhou suddenly relaxed his stance, folding his arms across his chest: “I don’t see it that way. If Guan Zhao hadn’t stirred up these incidents in the first place, none of these rumors would have followed.”

Fang Ji was taken aback: “That’s true…”

Ye Zhou lost his parents at a young age and had experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature. He wasn’t naive and often understood the harsh realities of life better than others. Ye Zhou didn’t care about these rumors or seek the truth; he knew his duty was to complete his work, and the clients’ privacy or gossip didn’t concern him.

When the agreed-upon time arrived, Ye Zhou waited early at the company’s main entrance to greet his distinguished guest.

The weather was hot recently, and approaching noon, the sun was scorching. Ye Zhou, dressed formally, was almost sweating from the heat. Standing there for a while, he began to feel a slight discomfort in his body again.

Fortunately, the client’s car arrived soon, and the secretary stepped out of the vehicle first. Then, a long leg emerged from the car, followed by a tall figure stepping out.

“Welcome…” Ye Zhou bowed slightly, wearing his signature smile. Despite preparing mentally, he was still surprised when he recognized the visitor, “Oh, it’s you.”

When Guan Heng saw Ye Zhou, he paused, his eyes never leaving him. He then made an unexpected move, reaching out to grab Ye Zhou’s wrist.

Ye Zhou was slightly startled but quickly reacted. He immediately clasped Guan Heng’s palm, assuming a handshake posture to diffuse the awkward situation: “My apologies, Vice President Guan. My name is Ye Zhou, the project manager responsible for this project. I didn’t expect such a coincidence… Do you remember me? Yesterday, near the convenience store in the business district, you gave me a handkerchief.”

Many people trying to curry favor with Guan Heng would secretly call him President Guan, not only sounding impressive but also subtly supporting his rise to power. But Ye Zhou, not knowing Guan Heng’s character, wouldn’t take risks or act rashly. He chose to address him by his official position within the company, the safest and most conventional approach.

Indeed, Guan Heng disliked flattery the most, and Ye Zhou’s natural and composed demeanor was very pleasant. It couldn’t be denied that Ye Zhou’s quick thinking was impressive. Guan Heng had indeed acted a bit out of character, and he reciprocated the handshake, his index finger lightly brushing against Ye Zhou’s warm palm, almost reluctant to let go: “I remember.”

Even the secretary, watching from the side, was astonished. Guan Heng’s conduct was precise and perfect, almost robotic, and he had hardly ever seen him behave impolitely.

Yesterday, Ye Zhou had been on a temporary business trip, so his attire was relatively casual. Today, however, he wore a perfectly tailored custom suit. Although it wasn’t a luxury brand, it accentuated his physique’s advantages, the V-shaped upper body, the firm muscles under the suit, the slender waist, and the long legs with a perky butt.

But the most captivating feature of Ye Zhou was his smile, highly infectious. He hadn’t expected that yesterday’s chance encounter would turn out to be a turning point, a promising start: “What an honor. It’s hot outside, so it’s better not to stand here for too long. Please come inside.”

Guan Heng stared at Ye Zhou’s neck, where beads of sweat had formed. The lines of his neck and shoulders looked incredibly sexy, tempting him to lick and bite.

So many years had passed, and Guan Heng had imagined various appearances for Ye Zhou, beautiful or ugly. But Ye Zhou turned out to be more to his liking than he had imagined, igniting a stirring desire within him. He was still pondering where to find the person yesterday, but unexpectedly, the person appeared right in front of him today.

This time, he would tightly grasp the person and wouldn’t let go again.