Chapter 9: The Bid Room

Shu Fan walked into the Su boardroom at ten o'clock sharp with his chin up and his best suit on.

Shen Li followed one pace behind him with a leather folder, smiling at the carpet.

Shu Fan had rehearsed this.

He had told his team in the lift that the Su Group was a lazy giant.

He had said he would take the harbour contract by lunch.

Then he saw who was sitting at the head of the table.

He stopped so suddenly that Shen Li walked into his back.

"Su Yu?"

"Mr. Shu," Su Yu said. He did not get up. "Please sit down."

Lu Chen sat at his right with the notebook open.

Chairman Su sat at his left with his arms folded and the expression of a man at his favourite play.

"What are you doing in that chair?" Shu Fan said.

"Sitting," Su Yu said.

"My son is our vice president," the Chairman said, pleasantly. "He signs the tender."

He tilted his head. "Mr. Shu, your timing is excellent."

There was a long silence.

Shu Fan's face went through four expressions, none of them kind, and settled on a smile.

"I see," he said. "So the whole time, you were"

"Asleep, mostly," Su Yu said.

"You hid this from me. For a year. In my own house."

"You never asked what my name was worth," Su Yu said. "I thought that was the nicest thing about you."

Someone at the far end of the table coughed into a fist.

Shu Fan sat down, because there was nothing else to do.

His team sat down around him with the careful movements of people leaving a car crash.

Shen Li slid the leather folder across the table with both hands, and still smiled.

"Our bid," he said. "Forty-seven pages. We hope the vice president finds it thorough."

Su Yu looked at Lu Chen, who had not said a word.