The next day, Feng Yi left early in the morning, scampering about to handle the compensation payments to several partner companies.
It wasn't until three o'clock in the afternoon that Feng Yi could finally snatch some time to hastily eat a meal, take a brief rest, and then hurriedly head to the last company—Qianli Group's Rong City division.
Qianli Group owns several domestic first-tier clothing brands, and Feng Yi had only worked with one of those brands; his current status and position didn't allow him contact with the top management of Qianli Group.
However, as he was preparing to leave after settling the debts, Feng Yi was informed that someone wanted to see him.
Lu Yue, the head of Qianli Group's Rong City business development team, had graduated from the same university as Feng Yi. Lu Yue had been invited by the university to give a talk when Feng Yi was a sophomore, so he was aware of this figure.
Qianli Group was a family business, and Lu Yue, not yet thirty, already wielded significant clout within the group. His current position was owed to more than just family ties.
Yet, the fact that Lu Yue, a busy man, would take the time to meet with a junior he didn't know was surprising to Feng Yi. As much as the studio's affairs were a major concern for him, they weren't serious enough to warrant a personal intervention from someone of Lu Yue's caliber.
Feng Yi was right; had it been another time or another person, Lu Yue wouldn't have bothered to ask. It was just that today, when discussing a project, Lu Yue had talked about Feng Yi's studio.
Lu Yue was aware of the incident where after Feng Yi's partner had cheated him and then fled with the money. Hearing that Feng Yi was dealing with the compensation today and having some rare free time and being in a good mood, Lu Yue felt a rare impulse of kindness and decided to call Feng Yi up for a chat, to impart some life lessons and perhaps to show a bit of pity from a successful individual to someone who faced failure in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
Lu Yue sympathized with Feng Yi's unfortunate plight. But that's how the business world is; sympathy is not worth much. He wondered if Feng Yi would be able to recover from this setback. A compensation totaling over twenty million was indeed a huge pitfall for someone just starting in business, and he hadn't heard of any notable family backing for Feng Yi, but the fact that he was able to fill such a hole, no matter by what means, was a feat in itself.
After all, everyone has their unspeakable helplessness.
Thinking of how to comfort his junior in a way that wouldn't hurt his self-esteem, Lu Yue paused when he saw Feng Yi enter the office.
First, he was surprised by the junior's appearance.
Second, and what mattered most to Lu Yue, was that Feng Yi appeared to be in great spirits, with no trace of resentment or desolation in his eyes, nothing like someone whose career had just suffered a major blow.
"President Lu," Feng Yi said.
"What 'President Lu'? Call me Brother Lu. I'm only a few years older than you, we're both graduates of the same university, no need to be so formal," Lu Yue replied.
Lu Yue's smile became much warmer as he shifted from the mode of a distant school alumnus to that of a potential business partner.
Just as he had thought, the fact that Feng Yi had surmounted this hurdle, by whatever means, was a testament to skill. So, cultivating this alumni relationship was indeed necessary.
Hence, under the intentionally cozy atmosphere created by Lu Yue, the conversation shifted from the school's anniversary to employment rates, from entrepreneurial experiences to philosophies of the marketplace.
Most of the time it was Lu Yue who spoke, with Feng Yi playing the supportive audience.
In front of Feng Yi, Lu Yue felt a clear sense of superiority, and his words reflected the concern and guidance of a life's winner toward a junior who had stumbled in his career.
After finishing the conversation, Lu Yue looked at his wrist to check the time.
Feng Yi understood it was time for him to leave.
"I've taken your words to heart, Brother Lu. Thank you and sorry for taking up so much of your time..."
As he spoke, Feng Yi's gaze suddenly sharpened, and the words of farewell he was about to utter halted.
Noticing Feng Yi's peculiar reaction, Lu Yue followed his gaze to his own wrist and couldn't help but smile.
"Nice, isn't it? It's the new D&B watch. My girlfriend gave it to me. It came in a gift set with a matching wallet, a limited edition, quite hard to get," Lu Yue said proudly, stretching out his wrist towards Feng Yi to show off his new limited-edition watch.
Of course, Feng Yi knew the D&B brand, a global first-tier luxury name that had risen during an unusual economic time and managed to outperform many established brands, holding onto a commanding position in the market that it had yet to relinquish.
Being a high-end luxury brand, especially a limited-edition product, the watch on Lu Yue's wrist wouldn't come cheap.
But Feng Yi wasn't concerned about that.
After observing Lu Yue's reaction, Feng Yi hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother Lu, may I take a closer look at your watch?"
This was a first for Lu Yue, but not wanting to make Feng Yi feel awkward, he unstrapped the watch and handed it over.
Feng Yi drew a piece of tissue from the tea table nearby and, holding the tissue, received the watch being passed to him.
Lu Yue: "..."
He, Lu Yue, was certainly not so petty as to prevent someone from touching his watch, nor did he have any obsession with cleanliness. But his junior was really quite meticulous, which was good.
Just as he thought this, Lu Yue watched as Feng Yi slightly bent the watchband and peered closely at it, even sniffing it.
Lu Yue: "..."
Awkward.
It really wasn't necessary, truly unnecessary!
"Although it's a limited edition luxury item and hard to get, there's no need for all this fuss!"
Lu Yue sat there with a stiff face, utterly baffled by Feng Yi's actions. He wanted to say something but refrained, then picked up his teacup to drink some water, easing the awkwardness.
"Ahem, would you... like to take a look at the matching wallet as well? They come in the same gift box."
At this, Feng Yi nodded and said, "That would be great. Thank you."
Lu Yue felt conflicted.
He had just thought that this younger schoolmate was quite discerning, but what's with this move now? I was only making a suggestion, and you actually took me up on it!
Sighing inwardly, Lu Yue took out his wallet from his pocket and passed it over.
Wallets, being personal items, shouldn't be casually shown to others, even if there's nothing inside that's embarrassing.
The wallet had a distinct design, with the fine and wild texture of snake skin. A fancy LOGO adorned it, combining luxury with the kind of casual rebelliousness favored by young people.
The exceptional quality of the high-end leather, along with the halo of being from an international first-class brand, exuded an air of money.
However, Feng Yi's concern wasn't about these things.
After inspecting the exterior of the wallet carefully and returning it to Lu Yue, Feng Yi spoke seriously, "Brother Lu, the leather of both the watch strap and the wallet, it's real. Real snake skin."
Lu Yue's facial expression froze as if he heard something unbelievable, then he burst into laughter, "This is biomimetic leather! The 7th generation Medusa biomimetic snake skin. Just search it on your phone, and you'll know."
"Medusa" is the name given by a company that specializes in making biomimetic leather for their line of snake-skin materials, which is extremely popular among major brands.
After the strictest conservation laws were implemented, companies producing biomimetic leather rose to prominence, soaring in popularity with the trend for environmental conservation. Amidst market competition, technological innovation rapidly advanced, and with the introduction of the 7th generation, even experienced craftsmen struggle to distinguish it from real leather. Some of the mid to low-end machines can't even accurately detect it.
"You might not be very informed. It's understandable if you made a mistake, no need to be embarrassed. I appreciate the thought, haha. Our Qianli Group specializes in clothing accessories, and we pay close attention to new materials. There was a huge media buzz when 'Medusa Generation 7' first came out. The new biomimetic leathers are incredible!
"Besides, the biomimetic leather supplied to D&B is world-class, and I don't need to say much about D&B's reputation. They would never use real snake skin."
Climatic abnormalities over the past two decades have led to the extinction or endangerment of many species. With the strictest conservation laws now in place, the market is tightly regulated to prevent the use of materials like snake skin, crocodile skin, ostrich skin, and other animal leathers in merchandise. As luxury brands have made statements and switched to using biomimetic animal skins—whether for new market opportunities or for political correctness—real leather has become scarcely seen in the luxury goods market.
New materials have risen too quickly and dominated the market so swiftly that after merchants hyped it up, consumer attention also shifted towards new materials.
Therefore, against such a backdrop, if the luxury goods you purchased are made with real snake skin, they must be counterfeit!
By saying it's real snake skin, Feng Yi is telling Lu Yue that his watch and wallet are both fakes!!
Of course, Lu Yue didn't believe it!
Feng Yi looked serious, "I've been able to distinguish between real and fake snake skin since I was a child. I might be wrong about biomimetic cowhide, synthetic sheepskin, rabbit fur, and the like, but not snake skin. I bought products made with Medusa Generation 7 material just last month, so I'm aware of this new biomimetic snake skin material.
"Brother Lu, the leather used on your watch and wallet is real snake skin."
Lu Yue looked at Feng Yi as if he were a stubborn, willful child who didn't understand. Shaking his head heavily, he sighed, "Alright, I get it. Young people should watch the news more and stay up to date with scientific progress. Don't think a little ability means you can see through the whole world!"
Even as he said that, the look on Lu Yue's face was all dismissive, and he then put on a detached, courteous smile as he ushered Feng Yi out of the office. Standing at the door, he watched Feng Yi enter the elevator, greeted the company staff passing by, and returned to his office, closing the door.
All the smiles dropped from his face instantly.
Lu Yue locked the door behind him and went back to his desk, his gaze dark and fixed on the wallet and watch lying there, his expression fluctuating.
Then, from a drawer, he produced a paper cutter, carefully cutting sections from both the inner and outer linings of the wallet, as well as from the watch strap, and placed them in a small, opaque paper bag. He folded it neatly and slipped it into the inner pocket of his coat.
The luxurious limited edition set that he had just bragged about to Feng Yi was unsparingly rolled up and stuffed into an emptied black thermos.
After packing everything, Lu Yue put the cup in a drawer beneath his elbow, took out his phone to make a call, tidied his desk, unlocked the office door yet again, and resumed his work as if nothing had happened.
It wasn't until the end of the workday that Lu Yue, as usual, left with a thermos in hand, smiling and greeting the staff as he went.
Lu Yue had been ill after a business trip recently and was still coughing a bit. With several meetings coming up, he had been using this thermos to brew throat-soothing tea, carrying it everywhere, and everyone was accustomed to this by now.
Half an hour after leaving the company, Lu Yue handed the small paper bag from his coat's inner pocket to the person he had called on the phone, "Test this, and tell me the results as soon as possible!"
Meanwhile.
Feng Yi, having left the Qianli Group's Rong City branch office building, had no idea what had transpired after his departure.
In any case, what's said is said, and it was out of his hands whether the other party took heed or not. At least speaking out made him feel more at ease.
Putting that aside, Feng Yi's spirits lifted. He had dealt with all his debts!
Time to set out! To Snake Mountain!