The two of them chatted about the collaboration details before Duan Zhong decided to leave.
He realized Chen Tianming's manipulations during their chat. He didn't expect Tianming would know to use such methods at such a young age.
However, there was nothing he could do about it. The collaboration was already a done deal. Even if he regretted it, he might have to sacrifice even more to back out of the agreement.
Since he'd already come this far, he would make the best of it!
He just had to be careful of this Mr. Chen in the future.
Therefore, when Duan Zhong was leaving the building with Duan Fei, he suddenly thought of something and brought Duan Fei back to the office.
As the age-old practice goes, 'proffer a birch and ask for a flogging.' They hadn't even properly asked for forgiveness, so how could they leave?
If they left without a proper apology and caused Chen Tianming to go back on his word, they would lose more than they gained.
So Duan Zhong pressed Duan Fei to the ground and picked up the rattan cane thrown on the floor just now. He handed it to Chen Tianming and said, "Mr. Chen, my son must be punished for his mistake. You can whack him a few times with this cane!"
"Not only will he learn his lesson, but it will also be our apology to you."
When Duan Fei heard Duan Zhong's statement, he was filled with incomprehension, and he loudly demanded, "You call yourself my dad? How could you let an outsider hit me? What if I get seriously injured if he doesn't do it properly? If anything happens to me, the Duan family won't have anyone left to carry on its legacy."
Duan Zhong rolled his eyes when he heard Duan Fei's diatribe. However, he ignored him; he was waiting for Chen Tianming's response.
Chen Tianming naturally understood what Duan Zhong meant; the man was afraid that he would go back on his word.
'Since Duan Zhong had made this request, what kind of person would I be if I didn't agree?'
Chen Tianming took the proffered cane and was about to hit Duan Fei when he suddenly stopped and handed it back to Duan Zhong.
"I think you should do the deed; it would be inappropriate for me to strike a man while his father watched."
Duan Fei felt insulted at Chen Tianming's remark; why were they passing the task of beating him to each other?
To make the matter even more ridiculous, the two discussing the issue were the person he was closest to and the person he hated the most.
Duan Fei didn't know what to say in this situation; he could only wait for the final result in resignation.
He simply had to close his eyes and endure it, and the whole matter would be settled; there was no need for him to make his father unhappy by being willful.
Duan Zhong knew what Chen Tianming meant; he feared that if he were to injure Duan Fei, the Duan family would extort the Chen family under the guise of compensation.
Chen Tianming wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. Even Duan Zhong would think the same if he encountered such a situation.
Furthermore, the two of them had just agreed to collaborate. If any more problems occurred, their contract would be affected again.
So, in order for their collaboration with the Chen Corporation to run smoothly, Duan Zhong picked up the rattan cane and fiercely whipped Duan Fei.
Instantly, a patch of red appeared on Duan Fei's back. Duan Fei bore the hit with aplomb; when that cane lashed his body, he didn't make a sound.
Others might not realize it, but Chen Tianming could tell that although Duan Zhong seemed to be wielding that cane with great force and his every strike split the skin, in reality, the damage caused to Duan Fei was minimal.
It was possible that the lashes didn't even cause Duan Fei much pain; the wounds were only skin deep.
Therefore, Chen Tianming just watched the scene and treated it like the show it was. He harbored no illusion that the pair were sincerely apologetic.
However, he still had a long life ahead of him; if he destroyed the two of them now, he would miss out on much entertainment.
Duan Zhong ruthlessly whipped Duan Fei, and after a while, he threw the bloody rattan cane on the ground and then slapped the back of Duan Fei's head:
"Do I need to tell you what to do? Hurry up and apologize to Chen Shaoye!"
Duan Fei heard Duan Zhong's cold tone and quickly apologized to Chen Tianming, "Tianming, I'm the one in the wrong. I hope you can forgive me!"
Chen Tianming had achieved his goal, so he wouldn't make things difficult for Duan Fei.
Hence, he nodded and expressly warned Duan Zhong, "Mr. Duan; sometimes it's best to keep a low profile!"
"I believe you and I both understand the principle of keeping your money close to your chest, especially when doing business."
Chen Tianming left the office after saying that. He had to sign the investment contract with the chairman of the restaurant as soon as possible.
He was afraid that if he didn't move quickly, Jiang Bei might get involved somehow; after all, he was the one who got this contract in Tianming's past life. Things would become unpredictable if that were the case.
With the contract in hand, even if the outcome of the restaurant project weren't ideal, he would at least get compensation.
When Su Xiaonuan saw Chen Tianming had obtained the collaboration project at such a generous price, she finally understood the intention behind his actions today and was surprised at his strategy.
Su Xiaonuan was very grateful to Chen Tianming for helping her seek justice. However, when she first joined the Chen Corporation, most staff described Chen Tianming as a 'rich and spoilt brat.'
He was a fool who would fall all over himself to please women and knew nothing about the company; he had no interest in it at all.
If Chen Tianming's father hadn't been in top form and still going strong despite his age, the Chen Corporation would have been destroyed by Chen Tianming when he inherited it.
But now, it seemed that Young Master Chen wasn't as useless as the rumors said. He had learned a lot about the wheeling-and-dealing and machinations of the business world.
He would have easily forgiven the Duan father and son today if he hadn't.
Although she felt sorry for Duan Zhong, it didn't mean that Su Xiaonuan found him and his son innocent of any wrongdoings.
As the saying goes, 'to feed without teaching is the father's fault.' If Duan Zhong had raised his son correctly, Duan Fei wouldn't have said such ridiculous remarks.
However, all's well that ends well. They got the project they wanted at a price 3.5 points lower than its market value.
Su Xiaonuan also discovered Chen Tianming's potential today. She looked forward to her days in the Chen Corporation.
Su Xiaonuan had just sent Duan Fei and his son off when she received a call from the restaurant's chairman.
"It's a pleasure to work with you, Ms. Su! Mr. Chen said he has handed over all the matters of this project to you, so you'll be the one I contact in the future."
Su Xiaonuan was stunned when she heard this. 'I'm just an assistant. How can I take on such a big project?'
Su Xiaonuan worried about it for a long time and decided to reject Chen Tianming's suggestion. After all, many people were more educated and capable than her in the company. She was unfit to be responsible for this project!
With this thought in mind, Su Xiaonuan walked toward the resting area where Chen Tianming was.
She'd just reached him and was about to open her mouth when he beat her to the punch and spoke.