TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 21

Zhuang Yanyu was surprised. “He said I’m your little brother?”

Wen Chenxi’s tone was calm. “Yes.”

Zhuang Yanyu had never encountered the term “little brother” before in his life.

At least, when he was with his Dragon Ao Tian host, no one had ever called him that. However, the host had many little brothers.

Though “brother” and “little brother” both referred to younger males, the meaning was different. What did “little brother” mean in this context?

Zhuang Yanyu: “Oh…”

Wen Chenxi feigned confusion and asked, “Does that seem strange?”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “A bit, it’s the first time I’ve heard it.”

Wen Chenxi’s expression remained unchanged. “It’s a normal language habit from different places.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “Right.”

A country as vast as theirs, with so many ethnicities, had different language habits; it was completely normal.

Zhuang Yanyu glanced at Supervisor Xu, who was waiting for him to start the meeting. “I’ll go to the meeting now.”

Wen Chenxi replied, “Okay, I’ll get back to work too. See you tonight.”

Zhuang Yanyu: “See you tonight.”

After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Yanyu stood there, furrowing his brow and thinking for a while. He still couldn’t recall where he’d seen that term before.

However, as a former excellent system, Zhuang Yanyu relied on data to understand things. If he didn’t know, he could always gather data for reference.

He quickly looked it up on his phone and found that many sources indeed showed that “little brother” was often used as a term of endearment or closeness.

Zhuang Yanyu immediately felt relieved; if he was called that, it meant his brother had a closer relationship with him.

Supervisor Xu noticed that when Zhuang Yanyu looked up, his expression had softened. His lips were slightly pressed, and his face wore a light dimple, looking very happy and holding back a smile, but trying not to laugh out loud since others were around.

Supervisor Xu, feeling a bit nosy, asked, “What’s making you so happy? It’s just a phone call.”

Zhuang Yanyu glanced at him, lips pursed, eyes bright, and replied, “I got closer with my brother.”

Hearing this, Supervisor Xu immediately lost interest in the gossip. He thought that Zhuang Yanyu must have been talking about his significant other.

“Oh,” Supervisor Xu replied nonchalantly. “Well, if you’re calling each other brothers, then your relationship must have been good from the start.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “You wouldn’t understand.”

Supervisor Xu looked at him with a fond expression. “Alright, I don’t understand. Get ready, we’re going to the meeting room for a small meeting.”

Zhuang Yanyu replied, “Okay.”

–

The collaboration with the Harbor Group was quite straightforward.

The Harbor Group was responsible for the construction of the dock, while Azure Technology handled the system engineering.

The dock covered a vast area, as it was designed for full automation with no interfaces. Therefore, systems for unmanned operation, automatic programming, and remote control were essential.

At the very least, they had to ensure that every crane on the dock operated safely, maintaining precise speed control while ensuring efficient and accurate sorting, preventing cargo pile-up, and speeding up the import and export process.

The systems involved required a tremendous amount of computing power.

Although Zhuang Yanyu had developed the program, the cost for building the system was quite high.

In the afternoon, during a meeting with the Harbor Group, Chen Kang directly provided Azure Technology’s quote.

The price wasn’t significantly high, as H City wasn’t just building this one dock. The passenger docks, oil docks, and others also required system upgrades, offering potential future collaboration.

Considering these potential collaborations, Chen Kang, after informing Wen Chenxi, gave a reasonable quote.

At least for the market, the quote was on the lower end. If it were another company with this technology, they would have charged a much higher fee.

Chen Kang was thinking long-term; after all, the system engineering project was still in progress, and they wouldn’t know the final result until the construction was completed.

If the outcome exceeds expectations, major ports across the country would actively approach Azure Technologies, requesting to retrofit Zhuang Yanyu’s QZD system.

Chen Kang’s approach here is not just to cultivate potential collaborations but also to use this partnership with the Harbor Group to create a “showroom” model.

However, when the Harbor Group heard Azure Technologies’ quoted price, they looked visibly troubled.

Vice President Zhang gave a wry smile and said, “Mr. Chen, this price is really too high. Look, we’re all familiar here, no need for roundabout talk. Let me be straightforward—we’ve also won the bid for a passenger terminal project. Naturally, we’ll need partners for that too. If you give us some convenience now, we can continue working together in the future, right?”

Chen Kang responded smoothly, “Mr. Zhang, you’re right. It’s precisely because we see future collaboration opportunities that we’re offering such a low price now. Otherwise, you could check with City A. Do you know how much they invested in their terminal back then?”

Vice President Zhang swallowed but remained noncommittal, vaguely replying, “In that case, I really can’t make the decision alone. I’ll need to discuss it with the others.”

As he spoke, his gaze occasionally drifted toward Zhuang Yanyu.  

As the lead engineer for the system, Vice President Zhang figured this young engineer might be easier to negotiate with. They had planned to approach him directly.

However, during the meeting, Zhuang Yanyu had practically acted like a background decoration, leaving all the speaking to Chen Kang without saying a word.

Although the pricing negotiations reached an impasse, Vice President Zhang still invited them out for a local specialty dinner.

Initially, Zhuang Yanyu didn’t want to go, but Chen Kang pulled him aside and whispered, “Come on, why turn down a free meal? Don’t be silly!”

Zhuang Yanyu replied earnestly, “There’s an old saying: ‘If you eat someone’s food, you’re obliged to help them.’”

He didn’t want the meal to turn into leverage for further bargaining.

Chen Kang, however, gave a knowing smile and said, “Don’t worry about that. Besides, tonight, they’re likely aiming for you.”

“Me?” Zhuang Yanyu was puzzled.

“Yes, you,” Chen Kang replied. “Stay sharp tonight.”

Still confused, Zhuang only realized what Chen Kang meant during dinner when he went to the restroom to wash his hands. There, Vice President Zhang suddenly appeared.

“Mr. Zhuang, could I have a word with you?”  

Glancing at him, Zhuang turned off the faucet and dried his hands with a paper towel before replying, “If this is about the QZD system, you should talk to Mr. Chen. I’m not in charge of that.”

Having waited for this moment to catch Zhuang alone, Vice President Zhang decided not to beat around the bush. “Not exactly. You’re the engineer for this system. If you could just tell them to trim the costs a bit…”

Before he could finish, Zhuang cut him off. “Mr. Chen’s price is already the lowest.”

Smiling, Vice President Zhang pulled out a red envelope and said, “Mr. Zhuang, here’s a small token—a card inside. If you could help us save costs, we’ll give you a proportionate rebate afterward. The amount is substantial, worth years of your salary.”

No wonder Chen Kang had warned him earlier. Someone more financially vulnerable might have been tempted by this offer.

With a colder tone, Zhuang replied, “I told you, Mr. Chen’s price is the lowest.”

His usual impassive demeanor turned commanding, surprising Vice President Zhang into stillness, the envelope still in his hand.

“You think setting up servers costs nothing? Or maintenance?” Zhuang asked, pushing the envelope back. “Not only won’t I reduce the cost—I’d raise it.”

Nobody takes advantage of my team!

Saying this, Zhuang walked out of the restroom, leaving Vice President Zhang frozen mid-protest.

When they returned to the private dining room, both men’s expressions were less than pleasant.

Chen Kang and Supervisor Xu exchanged glances, smirking to themselves. Vice President Zhang’s sour look confirmed that Zhuang had not only rejected the offer but likely offended him too.

Feeling frustrated, Zhuang messaged Wen Chenxi about the incident.

Wen Chenxi soon replied:  

“This is normal. The rebate he offered you is a drop in their total budget.”

“Wen Chenxi: He profits, you profit—it’s a win-win situation.”

“Zhuang Yanyu: But you wouldn’t profit.”

Wen Chenxi paused, his lips curving slightly upward.

Understanding Zhuang’s point, Wen Chenxi realized he was referring to past projects where others might have taken kickbacks, reducing Wen Chenxi’s earnings.

With a faint smile, Wen Chenxi typed:  

“The final decision for this project goes through approvals. A small kickback isn’t significant.”

“Wen Chenxi: So, Xiaoyu…”

Wen Chenxi: Don’t worry, I’m still very wealthy.

Wealthy enough to build hundreds of water parks for that fish, at least.

Seeing his good friend reassure him like this, Zhuang Yanyu finally relaxed a little.

Zhuang Yanyu: Mm, I’m not angry anymore.

Wen Chenxi chuckled softly and called him.

Glancing at the others, who were busy ordering food and paying no attention to him, Zhuang Yanyu quietly picked up the call.

Wen Chenxi’s voice came through with a hint of amusement, “That easy to cheer up?”

Zhuang Yanyu was puzzled. “Did you just cheer me up?”

“I didn’t, but I can if you want,” Wen Chenxi replied with a smile. “How should I cheer you up?”

Zhuang Yanyu thought for a moment and said, “Then… call me that name again.”

Wen Chenxi was momentarily confused. “Hm? Which name?”

“The one where you called me your little bro,” Zhuang Yanyu answered, his face slightly flushed.

Wen Chenxi’s smile froze.

“I… um, I actually liked it,” Zhuang admitted, his face growing warmer.

Wen Chenxi: “…”

–

Author’s Note:

Zhuang Yanyu: I checked; it’s a term of endearment to show closeness.

Wen Chenxi: …Can we rewind time???

Feel free to donate for earlier/bonus chapter releases! Thanks for supporting me and enjoy reading 😀