chapter 7
The first time they met was at the end of 2021, at a Medical Summit, when Fang Jibai helped him out of an awkward situation. Daniel’s impression of Fang Jibai had always been that she was simple, passionate, and naĂŻve-
And shallow, a face-obsessed girl, easy to win over, a pure and innocent young lady.
Until that day, when Lily, a teammate, submitted a potential order just before the end-of-month assessment. Word was, she’d secured it during the previous Medical Summit.
Wasn’t it just because she was a pretty woman, using underhanded tricks to seduce the Client into giving her the order?
Now, it seemed the promotion next month was sure to go to Lily.
He was already 32 years old-when would he finally make it?
Daniel, dead drunk, stumbled back to his apartment, and in a haze, seemed to hear Fang Jibai’s voice…
The next morning, he woke up stark naked, his head splitting, beside Fang Jibai, hearing her whisper softly in his ear: “Uncle.”
-That was her pet name for him, learned from Korean dramas-
“It’s just an order, don’t let it upset you so much.
“Want me to help you snatch it back?”
Everything that happened after seemed so bizarre to Daniel, it felt like a hangover-induced hallucination:
That afternoon, he first received a call from the Procurement Department at Liantai District Central Hospital, saying they wanted to purchase a batch of consumables from him. The total wasn’t high, about 50,000 yuan.
Immediately after, Lily stormed into the Marketing Vice President’s office, accusing the company of shady dealings, claiming her performance had been credited to a “connected person,” and demanding an explanation.
Daniel and his colleagues spent the afternoon gossiping, until Lily emerged from the office, eyes red, tore off her badge and threw it in his face, gritting her teeth:
“Fine, I can’t beat you, you’re amazing, even the Team Leader position goes to you-I’m done here!”
Afterwards, Daniel pieced together the truth from snippets of gossip:
The order that had suddenly landed in his lap was actually the deal Lily had negotiated at the Medical Summit!
He was the “connected person”!
But he was just a rural kid who excelled at exams-where would he get connections?
…Where else could they come from.
As soon as he got home, Fang Jibai threw her arms around him: “Well? Happy?”
Happy was an understatement-Daniel was almost stunned: “How did you do it?”
Fang Jibai wrapped her arms around his neck: “Didn’t I tell you my dad is the President of a hospital?”
…Liantai District Central Hospital, the very Client Lily had negotiated with! What a coincidence!
“But,” Daniel was still in disbelief, “last time we met, your dad clearly hated me.”
Of course President Fang disliked him: he was twelve years older than Fang Jibai-a whole zodiac cycle! Other than his looks, he had nothing going for him.
If Fang Jibai hadn’t always spoken well of him, even arguing with her father-
If his young girlfriend had wavered even a little, her dad would have broken them up on the spot.
“I feel sorry for you, and Dad feels sorry for me.” Fang Jibai looked smug and spoiled.
“Didn’t you always say the leaders are stupid, colleagues are competitive, clients are vulgar, and as a top graduate from Tongxi Medical Department, you have nowhere to shine?
“Well, with me here, your hardships are over!”
Those words-“your hardships are over”-almost brought tears to Daniel’s eyes.
In that moment, he felt the pure and steadfast love this young woman had for him.
As for this last-minute interception, not only did it force Lily to switch jobs, it also “exposed” his well-connected girlfriend. Even Huang Mao Yang Vice President looked at him differently, and the next day announced Daniel’s promotion to Haishi Sales Deputy Manager.
Daniel was overjoyed, and finally remembered to thank his future father-in-law.
He went to some trouble to get two packs of Liqun Fuchun Shanjū, and showed off to Fang Jibai:
“How about this? Is it presentable enough for your dad?”
But Fang Jibai glanced at them, her expression odd, picked one up and held it to the light, then casually tossed it into the trash.
It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over his head-Daniel’s excitement instantly vanished, replaced by anger and frustration:
“What are you doing? These cigarettes are hard to get-I spent 50,000 yuan! You really don’t know quality!”
Fang Jibai replied, “Good thing I saw them first. If you don’t throw away fakes like these, giving them to anyone is embarrassing.”
Daniel’s heart skipped a beat, his face turning pale.
He didn’t dare argue. Because this wasn’t the first time he’d bought fakes.
Trying to keep up with his well-off girlfriend, but always short on cash, Daniel’s gifts to Fang Jibai were mostly second-hand luxury items, often called out by her sharp eye as high-quality knockoffs.
Whenever this happened, she would always coax him helplessly: “Uncle, if I want something, I’ll buy it myself. Since I chose to be with you, I won’t mind that you can’t afford these things.”
“Just behave, and stop giving me fakes that make my head hurt, okay?”
Being “tolerated” and “coaxed” like this by a girlfriend so much younger than him-she might as well have said, “Don’t pretend to be rich if you’re poor”-Daniel felt nothing but grievance and resentment.
Yes, he was poor, a rural kid who didn’t know luxury goods.
She was lucky, born into privilege-couldn’t she spare his dignity and just pretend not to notice?
Did she have to point it out and embarrass him?
He was a man! He had his pride!
Of course, he never dared say these things to Fang Jibai’s face.
But those dark, muddy feelings of inferiority made Daniel, who always considered himself “the pride of heaven” and “the hope of the village,” often feel that Fang Jibai looked down on him a little, maybe didn’t love him as much as he thought.
This relationship was far from what he had imagined-“using his age and experience to completely outclass a pure young girl.” On the contrary, he felt somewhat anxious and insecure.
Buying a gift for his future father-in-law was an opportunity; he wanted Fang Jibai to acknowledge his capabilities.
Besides, he believed that girls didn’t understand cigarettes, alcohol, or cars. This time, he should finally get to be the authority.
Who would have thought Fang Jibai actually knew.
She picked up the cigarettes, showed him the anti-counterfeit watermark on the packaging, opened the inner box to check the offset printing on the cigarettes and the uniformity of the filter color, and had him smell the tobacco…
Once again, he was lectured from above, his pride shredded and tossed into the trash along with the fake cigarettes.
Yet, when Fang Jibai said, “Forget it, transfer me 50,000, I’ll buy the real thing for Dad. It’s your money, so just consider it your gift. Don’t pretend to know what you don’t in the future,” Daniel still meekly transferred the money.
So humiliating… so humiliating!
After they get married, won’t she just walk all over him?
No matter how many years this woman could save him from struggling, Daniel made up his mind:
50,000 worth of cigarettes for a 50,000 order-once he’s repaid President Fang’s favor, he’ll break up!
He’s poor, but he has dignity!
“Hmm, not bad.”
The second time they met, President Fang looked at the two golden hard packs and, for once, showed a hint of a smile. “You’re fairly sensible.”
Daniel was about to break up with her right then and there, when he heard President Fang say, “Then I’ll feel comfortable handing you the next few orders.
“Xiaobai is my daughter, after all. If she’s set on you, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll do my best to help, so you won’t end up unable to buy a house when you get married…”
President Fang got him an order.
A big one-over a million.
Daniel was so happy he was practically dumbfounded!
Break up?
What break up?
How could he break up?
Fang Jibai might not treat him kindly, but it was clearly for his own good!
She was just young and didn’t know how to express her feelings, but that was fine-he could patiently teach her.
But a woman who loved him enough to plan for his future like this-how rare!
This order was a tender.
Daniel’s foreign company had just entered the domestic market before the Pandemic, and many qualifications hadn’t been obtained yet. Usually, they could only sell to private clinics.
He knew all too well-the company dreamed of getting a foot in the door of public hospitals! If this deal went smoothly, his position in the company would definitely rise.
However, things weren’t so simple:
In bidding, qualifications are a hard requirement-no room for negotiation.
But having qualifications doesn’t mean having production capacity.
The currently favored bidder was just such a middleman: lots of certificates and qualifications, but no production capability, relying on buying and reselling to make a profit.
After all, it’s just procurement-wherever the goods come from, it’s still procurement.
President Fang made some moves, and the middleman was designated to buy from Daniel’s side. Daniel got a commission bonus, the middleman made a profit, everyone was happy.
But since it was “under-the-table dealings,” some rules-like those two packs of Liqun-were indispensable.
Daniel knew this was an unwritten rule in sales; many “connections” depended on these things that couldn’t be brought to light.
Connections-the lifeblood of sales!
He used to be proud, thinking he was the only one in the sales team with a proper academic background and could win over clients with talent alone;
Later, he realized the company hired him for his academic history, hoping he’d use his medical school connections.
But ever since he failed his graduate entrance exam, Daniel was ashamed to keep in touch with classmates and teachers. After all, those who did well in his class were already associate directors; while he was still a lowly sales rep earning 6K a month.
His work stagnated in this prideful, awkward state.
Fortunately, Fang Jibai fired the first shot for him, proactively connecting him to a “relationship” that didn’t cost him his dignity and was strong enough.
The middleman was a company called Chengzhou Medical Technology from out of town. The procurement rep got straight to the point, slapped the contract down, and made a bold demand:
“If it weren’t for President Fang’s introduction, we could buy from anyone. Your price is high, cutting into our profit, so my bonus will shrink-I can only ask you for it. 100,000, transfer the money and I’ll stamp the contract immediately.”
Daniel reported truthfully, and the company replied:
“The hospital’s procurement results haven’t been announced, so we can’t confirm if the other party is trustworthy. If you’re confident, please pay out of pocket; the company will reimburse you accordingly afterward.”
In other words, he’d have to bear the risk himself.
Daniel was troubled.
100,000 wasn’t a small amount for him, but he knew that sales reps covering kickbacks-especially for first-time clients-was pretty common.
Chengzhou Medical was pushing hard, saying if they didn’t get the money and sign the contract, they’d have reason to buy elsewhere.
Daniel gritted his teeth, borrowed money to cover the kickback, and kept a close eye on the contract until it was signed.
After a week of anxiety and surviving on instant noodles, the government website published the procurement announcement: Chengzhou Medical Technology’s name was right there.
Daniel was as happy as when he got his college acceptance letter, waving the contract as he went to the company to ask for his money.
The company replied:
“Promotion, raise, and from now on, any ‘business expenses’ you report will be highly trusted by the company. As for the 100,000 yuan, once the other party pays for the goods, the company will reimburse you immediately.”
Although he hadn’t gotten the money yet, the promotion and raise were real. Daniel decided to do as Fang Jibai said-“look at the long term”-and focus his energy on the next deal.
Yes, thanks to the pleasant and smooth cooperation this time, President Fang was very satisfied and introduced him to even more deals.
These deals mostly came from tenders at Liantai District Central Hospital, with occasional ones from other hospitals, ranging in value from tens of thousands to over a million. The winning suppliers were mostly second-hand dealers or shell companies registered in other provinces, possessing only the necessary qualifications on paper.
And the evidence that could prove the authenticity of these orders was that President Fang always informed Daniel of the winning company in advance through Fang Jibai-
Every time, it matched the official announcement published later, never once making a mistake.
Both the company and Daniel believed that this time, they had finally found an “insider.”
Even though the delivery and payment periods for each order were long, the company still responded actively to these procurement demands for the sake of “greater future goals,” preparing to enter the public hospital procurement system, with kickbacks paid by the company.
In just one year, Daniel’s order business volume reached nearly ten million. His position kept rising, and finally, after the Regional General Manager in Haishi was transferred, the former Regional Vice President was promoted, and Daniel took over the Vice President position, with his annual salary increasing by several times.
For Daniel, 2022 was a year of dramatic ups and downs, but overall, he was riding high and moving fast.
He wanted to settle the marriage with Fang Jibai before the New Year and bring his young and beautiful fiancée home to show off!
The proposal went smoothly, and the engagement banquet was organized entirely by Daniel.
In the past, Fang Jibai had repeatedly denied his taste, vision, and insight.
Now, he was the Regional Vice President in Haishi, dressed in luxury brands he once couldn’t even recognize, and even President Fang smiled at him.
He wanted to prove to Fang Jibai that he was no longer the poor boy she used to belittle.
He wanted her to love him, respect him, and acknowledge him!
He could be her sky!
Everyone was there: Fang Jibai’s family, his own family, colleagues, and even classmates and teachers who had long lost contact were invited to witness his double success in career and love!
…But at six thirty, the guests were all seated, and the heroine had yet to arrive.
The crystal chandeliers in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s banquet hall sparkled brilliantly, casting a long, deep shadow behind the solitary Daniel.
President Fang answered the phone with a stern face. Even without speakerphone, the girl’s loud shouting on the other end was audible to those nearby:
“Dad! Dating is just for fun, but how could I marry a man who couldn’t even get into graduate school?”
President Fang’s face turned ashen. He covered the receiver and went aside to scold her, then hung up after a long time, revealing the exhaustion and sadness of a father.
He told the long-waiting Daniel that Fang Jibai had already applied to a well-known medical school abroad.
“She didn’t go before because the Pandemic made it impossible to travel; now that things have eased, she still feels that academics are more important than love… She asked me to convey her apologies to you.”
“This child, afraid I’d scold her, made up some lousy excuses. Don’t take it to heart, she’s just… sigh…”
The onlookers whispered, hiding schadenfreude smiles.
Under the dazzling, dreamlike lights, Daniel felt dizzy, as the dark, muddy self-doubt quietly crawled out from the depths of his soul, opening its bloody maw to swallow him whole.
He thought that was the darkest moment of his life.
Little did he know, darker times were still ahead.
After the “engagement banquet” became a laughingstock, Daniel discovered on TV that “President Fang” was just an actor.
Only then did Daniel realize: he had been deceived!
Soon, when the delivery date for Chengzhou Medical Technology’s order of over a million arrived, the company couldn’t reach the procurement representative, the prepared goods had no known destination, and there was no hope of payment.
Daniel took the contract and went straight to Chengzhou Medical Technology’s registered address in another province, only to find a massive production facility-
They were not second-hand dealers or shell companies at all!
It was just that the company had been established recently, and since Daniel’s foreign company had entered the Chinese market and been confined to Haishi by the Pandemic, he had never heard of this distant enterprise.
The contract seal was fake, the procurement representative couldn’t be found, all other order contacts had disappeared, and except for the first genuine 50,000 order, all remaining orders were confirmed to have forged seals…
Fake, fake, all of it was fake!
As the truth was revealed, the once high-flying Regional Vice President Daniel was brought back to reality:
Fired? He still owed over a million in “kickback” debt-how could the company let him go?
He was demoted all the way down, back to being a small, unsuccessful salesperson.
Unlike before, now he didn’t even have a 6K base salary.
If he didn’t recover the debt, he’d be working for free for the company forever.
Daniel considered calling the police.
“Call the police? With over a million in commercial bribery, are you trying to take the company down with you?”
The Corporate Legal Counsel told him bluntly: “You know how powerful the European Headquarters Group’s legal department is. If you dare call the police, they’ll have the means to pin all the blame on you.”
“By then, whether the money is recovered or not is uncertain, but you’ll definitely go to jail.”
“Still have time to argue with me? Hurry up and find someone!”