Water and Fire~Chapter 11: The Eyes of Dialogue

 

Chapter 11: The Eyes of Dialogue

According to feedback from Assistant Director Yu Yue, it was the technician named Du Ran who suddenly changed his mind overnight.

Just before signing the agreement, he suddenly reneged and demanded a cash payment in addition to the shares he had already received before they would agree to transfer the patents.

Because of their sudden change of heart, the entire Hanhai Home Textiles project was delayed. Zhou Hanhai wasn't one to argue over money with his employees, but he felt the three men's demands were excessive and was unwilling to compromise. So he simply retreated, leaving the matter to Yu Yue, who was to negotiate with the three men.

At Yu Yue's request, Ren Yan attended the first negotiation. And at Ren Yan's request, Qin Qianyu and Chu Qianmiao also joined.

The negotiation scene was extremely awkward for a while. Honest man Di Chong barely dared to meet the company representatives' eyes, bowing his head and rubbing his hands awkwardly. Zeng Qiang was equally stammering, unable to articulate even half of what could be explained in one sentence due to the tense confrontation and a hint of guilt.

Finally, Du Ran, the more assertive of the three, stepped forward to negotiate on their behalf.

Du Ran was resolute, even a bit forceful, insisting that the remaining cash payment must be made, not a penny less, or the three of them would take the patent and leave.

Chu Qianmiao looked at Du Ran, almost bewildered. His demands and threats to leave were a stark contrast to the humble demeanor he had shown the day he came to consult him.

The negotiations lasted over two hours, but neither side achieved the desired outcome—the company refused to compromise, and the three refused to give in. The two groups ultimately parted ways unhappily.

After the meeting, Yu Yue banged his head in frustration. "What should I do? Oh! I tried to persuade President Zhou. I said we should just give them the money to avoid a stalemate while the imaging company goes public. Besides, if they actually run away with the patent, it would be more trouble than it's worth! But President Zhou wouldn't listen. He felt that even if the three of them were able to develop this patent, it was largely because the company nurtured them and provided them with a lot of R&D materials and technical support. How could they just turn their backs on me and ask for exorbitant prices? They're simply ungrateful! So, President Zhou firmly refused to pay more. Oh, but if I don't pay, we're stuck here. What am I supposed to do?"

When Chu Qianmiao heard one of Yu Yue's words, she suddenly turned to look at Ren Yan. Coincidentally, Ren Yan was looking her way.

Their eyes met in mid-air, sparking a glint of mutual understanding.

--Did you hear that crucial sentence he just said?

--Yes, I did!

--What's still you standing there?

After posing a rhetorical question with his eyes, Ren Yan's lips moved, and Chu Qianmiao read the words in that movement: "Eat, outside."

She immediately stepped forward and asked Yu Yue, "Mr. Yu, are you free tonight? How about we go out for dinner and chat?" She gestured to Ren Yan, Qin Qianyu, and herself.

Yu Yue's face was gloomy, his features knitted together like a Tianjin bun. "Lawyer Chu, let's do it another time. I'm so exhausted by this that I don't even feel like eating or chatting. Sigh!"

Chu Qianmiao watched Yu Yue, who was in his early thirties, forcing himself into an old man in his late eighties.

She smiled and said to Yu Yue, "Mr. Yu, believe it or not, this dinner tonight will most likely be a meal that will open your eyes to new possibilities!"

Yu Yue's eyes lit up. He glanced at Chu Qianmiao, whose eyes were sending him the message, "You're right to trust me!" He then glanced at Ren Yan, and coincidentally, Ren Yan's eyes were also sending him the message, "You're right to trust her."

He then glanced at Qin Qianyu beside him... the boy seemed a little surprised, his eyes full of the words, "Huh? We're having dinner together tonight? Yeah. Let's go."

Yu Yue nodded to the three of them and said, "Then I'll have my secretary reserve a table at the restaurant next door. We'll meet there after get off work!"

Yu Yue returned to his assistant director's office, while Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan hurried back to their due diligence office.

Qin Qianyu, who had lagged behind, quickly caught up, moving between Chu Qianmiao and Ren Yan, moving parallel to them.

He first turned to Chu Qianmiao and asked, "Qianmiao, why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Chu Qianmiao hurriedly replied, "I have to go to the R&D department!"

Qin Qianyu turned to look at Ren Yan again, only to find that his beloved leader wasn't looking at him. Instead, he glanced over his head, as if crossing an obstacle, at Chu Qianmiao. His usually expressionless face was surprisingly filled with a hint of blazing approval.

Qin Qianyu felt strangely as if he were falling out of favor within the department, and to someone who wasn't even from the company...

***

Chu Qianmiao had gone to the R&D department for a long time, returning just before closing time.

Ren Yan took her and Qin Qianyu to the restaurant next door to meet Yu Yue.

When they arrived, Yu Yue hadn't arrived yet, so the waiter brought them a pot of complimentary tea.

As Chu Qianmiao poured water from the pot to rinse her cup, Ren Yan pulled a small packet of Dahongpao from his briefcase and handed it to her.

Chu Qianmiao: “???”

After a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly realized: “I’m so honored to be able to share in Mr. Ren’s taste!”

She stood up and went to find the waitress, handing her the tea: “Please clear the tea off the table and make us this!”

Qin Qianyu, standing by, was stunned: “Qianmiao, I thought you were a fox spirit, weren’t you? You understood everything without Mr. Ren saying a word. How can you be so clever!”

Chu Qianmiao smiled modestly: “I’m more clever when it comes to taste!”

Qin Qianyu: “As soon as you open your mouth, you come back with another flattery disguised as a joke! Okay, I give up!”

Ren Yan looked at them, his lips curled slightly.

The tea arrived, and so did Yu Yue. His face was filled with worry—he scowled as he sipped his tea, gloomily praised, “Hey, this tea is good!” Then he began to scowl and complain.

"Oh, this shit is driving me crazy. I just went to talk to those three again, but they're completely unyielding. They're determined to get shares and more money—both. Nothing else. Damn it, I don't know who cast a spell on them. They were all good employees and colleagues, but once they got involved in the money, all their kindness vanished. They're so stubborn, it's impossible to change them! How could they suddenly become like this?"

Ren Yan slowly spun the teacup between his fingers and said, "It's possible that a competitor in your industry knew about your IPO plans and somehow contacted Du Ran and instigated him to do so."

Yu Yue seemed to suddenly realize something. "Mr. Ren, now that you mention it, that's a real possibility! We do have a competitor that's constantly trying to trip us up and work against us." After a pause, he asked, "So, Mr. Ren, are you saying we should start with that competitor? But where should we start? I have no idea!"

Ren Yan smiled. "You really can't do that to your competitors, because it's just suspicion, and suspicion can't be used as evidence."

Yu Yue worried, "Then what should we do?"

Ren Yan smiled again, turned his head, and nodded his chin at Chu Qianmiao. "She has a plan."

A glimmer of hope shone in Yu Yue's eyes as he looked at Chu Qianmiao.

Chu Qianmiao quickly said, "Mr. Yu, this is the same. During the due diligence, we asked about this patent. Mr. Zhou said it was developed by those three people in an off-site lab during their break, so we all thought it was an amateur invention. But after leaving the meeting this afternoon, Mr. Ren and I heard you say something."

She paused, turned, and looked at Ren Yan. Ren Yan nodded slightly, and she continued.

"You said, 'The company provided them with a lot of R&D materials and technical support.' That inspired us. So after the meeting this afternoon, I made a special trip to the R&D department. According to the head of R&D, the patent they developed is actually an extension of an existing company technology. Furthermore, although the lab isn't located within the company, President Zhou helped them connect with it, and President Zhou did provide them with many of the raw materials needed for R&D. We have receipts for these materials, so—"

Chu Qianmiao took a breath and summarized, "In short, they actually utilized an existing company technology and the raw materials provided by the company to develop this patent."

"Yes," Yu Yue nodded. "I know all that, but you'll get a more intuitive and detailed explanation from the R&D department. But what does this actually mean?"

Qin Qianyu suddenly slapped his thigh.

Yu Yue asked him what was wrong, and Qin Qianyu quickly replied, "It's nothing. I just realized the key point. Let's listen, Lawyer Chu!"

Yu Yue looked back at Chu Qianmiao.

Chu Qianmiao smiled dignifiedly, looking surprisingly like an elite lawyer. She said, "Mr. Yu, I've already mentioned the key words. This means this patent isn't an amateur invention; it's actually a work-related invention. As I said, a work-related invention is one created by the inventor using the resources of their company. And the ownership of a patent for a work-related invention belongs to the company. Even though the patent is filed in the names of those three individuals, it still belongs to the company. According to regulations, the company only needs to reward the inventors accordingly. So," she paused, reassuring Yu Yue, "you don't need to give those three people shares, let alone money, because the patent itself belongs to the company!"

Yu Yue looked at Chu Qianmiao, a little incredulous, and asked, "Really? Is that really the case?"

Chu Qianmiao: "If you don't believe me, ask Mr. Ren!"

Yu Yue looked at Ren Yan.

Ren Yan smiled at him.

"Lawyer Chu is right."

After receiving the ultimate reassurance from Ren Yan, Yu Yue's facial expression shifted in layers, from gloomy to surprised to delighted, and finally to slamming the table and yelling, "Waiter, come on! Bring me one of your signature dishes!"

Later, when the dishes were served and everyone was happily enjoying themselves, Chu Qianmiao told Yu Yue, "Mr. Yu, I have to explain. We suggested we discuss this at a restaurant tonight, not to blackmail you into paying for a meal. It's just that, as soon as we left the meeting room, Mr. Ren realized that those three might have been recruited by a competing company. Why was the competitor's information so timely and accurate? It's likely someone had infiltrated the company. So, he thought it would be better for us to discuss these things outside, in a safer environment. That's why he asked me to have dinner with you tonight."

Yu Yue nodded repeatedly. "You're right. I'll find out who the spy is later!"

Qin Qianyu, listening from the sidelines, was stunned.

"Wait, Qianmiao! I was there the whole time after we left the conference room this afternoon. How come I didn't hear President Ren talking to you about competing companies, spies, or asking you to tell President Yu to go out for dinner?"

Chu Qianmiao was also stunned. How could she explain to him that the lightning-fast glance she and Ren Yan exchanged contained all of that?

Ren Yan spoke up from the side.

He said jokingly, "Lawyer Chu understood with just one glance. She's not like you, with eyes that are completely incapable of communicating with a boss."

Qin Qianyu: "???!!!"

He felt like this was the worst case scenario ever for human eyes.

Whose eyes could communicate? Whose?!