The champagne sprayed out, splashing everywhere, and Su Su's hair and face were not spared.
Su Su finished her drink in one gulp, put down the glass, and stood up, "Heavens, how can you open a bottle like that?"
Tian Yi smiled and handed her a bottle of champagne, "You spray me back with wine, it's more fun than splashing each other in the kitchen."
Su Su held the champagne but didn't move, wanting to stop him, "Don't mess around, wasting such good wine..."
Before she could finish, Tian Yi shook the bottle again and sprayed champagne at her, soaking her clothes as well.
Angered, she had no choice but to fight back, shaking the bottle in her hand vigorously to open it.
Tian Yi reacted quickly and tried to dodge, but Su Su chased after him, shouting, "You jerk! Look, my clothes are covered in champagne, and you still want to run? Stop right there!"
As night fell, while Tian Yi and Su Su were still celebrating in their own way, Xie Zhendong arrived at Zhan Jiayi's residence.
Zhan Jiayi, feeling uneasy, welcomed Xie Zhendong in and quickly said, "Zhendong, please sit for a moment. I just stewed some bird's nest porridge, I'll get you a bowl right away."
After they left the grand hall during the day, Xie Zhendong had been wearing a dark expression, making everyone following him too afraid to breathe.
Having lost the bid, everyone in the group felt disheartened. Xie Zhendong had locked himself in his office, allowing no one to disturb him, nor did he reprimand anyone.
When it was time to get off work, Zhan Jiayi dared not disturb Xie Zhendong. She left the group and returned to her residence, making some food to soothe her mood.
She hadn't expected Xie Zhendong to come at this time, and she was actually a little scared, as she also bore some responsibility for this matter.
It was she who had discovered that Qin Tianyi was staying at that private hospital. She had thought telling Xie Zhendong this would help him, but now it had turned out like this.
Xie Zhendong actually had a belly full of unvented anger. He stayed at the group until late, not wanting to return to the Xie family mansion.
No one in that mansion could understand his feelings. He didn't want to go home and listen to Feng Rou and his mother nag. Only Zhan Jiayi's place made him feel a bit more comfortable.
He said "Okay" and sat down at the dining table.
Zhan Jiayi brought him a bowl of bird's nest porridge, accompanied by a small dish of shredded dried beef mixed with sauce.
"I just tried it, the temperature is just right."
Xie Zhendong's mood eased slightly as he ate the porridge with the side dish.
Seeing that his expression was not so grim, Zhan Jiayi took the initiative to speak, "I'm sorry, this is my fault. If I hadn't told you I saw them at the private hospital, you wouldn't have fallen for Qin Tianyi's trick."
Xie Zhendong continued to eat his porridge. Although Zhan Jiayi had told him about this, he knew it couldn't be entirely blamed on her.
It was his own underestimation and carelessness. He had thought there were no more competitors and set the reserve price too low, only to be outbid by Qin Tianyi by a million.
This made it difficult for the few people who supported him among the responsible parties to speak up for him. In his long life, he had never felt so humiliated losing a project that was almost in his grasp.
Seeing that he remained silent, Zhan Jiayi thought he was still blaming her and choked out, "It's my fault. Whatever punishment you want to give me, I'll accept it. I'll submit my resignation tomorrow..."
"Who said you have to resign?" Xie Zhendong interrupted her. "This can't be entirely blamed on you; Qin Tianyi is too cunning. As the saying goes, all's fair in war, and deception is part of it. I underestimated them."
Zhan Jiayi looked at him with teary eyes and asked, "Do you really not blame me?"
"What's the use of blaming you? Blaming you won't change anything." Xie Zhendong had intended to unleash his anger, but seeing her pitiful state and her constant attempts to appease him, his anger subsided.
"Then is there anything I can do to make amends?" Zhan Jiayi asked again.
Xie Zhendong took the hand she had placed on the dining table and said in a gentle tone, "Don't be like this. I am the decision-maker for all matters. As my subordinate, you can provide me with various information, but failing to discern the truthfulness of that information is my mistake. I will not wrongly blame or dismiss anyone because of this."
Zhan Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief and said with shared indignation, "Qin Tianyi and Gu Susu are truly difficult to deal with. However, it's no big deal that they got this urban construction project. Winning the bid is just the beginning for the entire project. Later, we can still make their project stall and see how they explain it to the relevant departments!"
Xie Zhendong put down his spoon and said, "You're right. Since they dare to compete with me for projects, we can't let them have everything go smoothly. There's no way they'll complete this project."
Zhan Jiayi nodded repeatedly, elevating him, "Once they start construction, you just need to lift a finger, and it will be enough for them to have a lot to deal with."
A cold smile appeared on Xie Zhendong's face, and he instructed her, "Alright, you still need to keep a close eye on the progress of this project. Didn't Qin Tianyi say that they would let us undertake the environmental protection part of the project? That's fine, go and talk to him in a few days about us undertaking this part."
"But are we really going to participate in their project? Environmental engineering has always been the most strenuous and thankless task, with very little profit," Zhan Jiayi said, confused.
Xie Zhendong smiled at her, "You need to have a long-term vision. Contracting this part of their project isn't about the amount of benefit, but rather that by participating, we can accurately grasp the project's progress and find their loopholes."
"I understand," Zhan Jiayi clasped his hands with hers, feeling that although he was not young, he was still very charming.
After chatting with her for a while, Xie Zhendong was no longer as agitated about losing the bid. Thinking of another matter, he asked, "By the way, Qi Ning wants to go to New York with Old Zhou to learn how to negotiate big projects. What do you think? He's been training under you for some time. Has he made any progress?"
When it came to his son's affairs, Zhan Jiayi spoke with extreme caution.
"There has been progress. He's managed to be punctual for work, learned to use some office software, and his temper has calmed down considerably."
"That's good. It seems it was the right decision to have you manage him."
Zhan Jiayi dared not take credit, saying, "I want to help you, so you don't have to worry about Qi Ning anymore. However, with his current abilities, he's definitely not capable of handling projects. But going to learn with Old Zhou is not a bad thing. He is your only son, and he should experience major business events."
"I know that's the case, but I'm afraid that once they get there, Old Zhou won't be able to control him, and he'll mess things up."
Xie Zhendong, as a father, knew his son Xie Qining's character all too well. It wasn't that he didn't want him to learn and broaden his horizons, but rather that with his identity as his son, people below him would likely not dare to offend Xie Qining when they were out.
Zhan Jiayi said with a troubled expression, "This is also a problem. Old Zhou has always been a good-natured person. Let alone Qi Ning, he doesn't dare to offend people at the same level as him within the group."