Chapter 40.2: He's Really Awesome
He told Zhou Hanhai that he had received another call from
the reporter, another threat. This time, the threat might be true or false. He
asked Zhou Hanhai if, if the so-called heavy thunder was real and there was
still one, would Zhou Hanhai be willing to compromise and meet with the
reporter to discuss terms. A meeting might ultimately result in a hefty hush
money payment to the reporter.
Zhou Hanhai's face was sullen, and each word was resolute:
"I will never compromise with such a scumbag! My company, Zhou Hanhai,
pays taxes without stealing or robbery. Why should I be threatened by such a
person?! I don't want to go public by keeping it a secret. If that's the way
it's going to go public, I'd rather not go public! Let him expose any problems,
and I'll fix them! Once they're fixed, I'll go public again, and feel at ease!
I will never pay for silence; it's humiliating!" "
Chu Qianmiao was stunned by Zhou Hanhai's words.
She was even a little overwhelmed. She thought Zhou Hanhai
was truly the most open-minded and positive business owner she had ever met.
She glanced at Ren Yan. He smiled. It was a faint smile, yet
as beautiful as spring blossoms.
"Mr. Zhou, I actually agree with you." Ren Yan
smiled faintly, the confidence and decisiveness in his smile reflecting his
newfound handsomeness. He smiled faintly and said to Zhou Hanhai, "This is
actually a common tactic before going public. Some people will specifically
research loopholes in a prospective listed company, hoping to extort money from
it before the listing. My belief is that if a company truly has problems, even
if they spend money to cover them up and go public, regulators will still take action
if they discover them later. By then, not only will they lose money, but
they'll also be embarrassed. It's better to, as you just said, find and resolve
problems early." "
After a pause, he offered another possibility: "What if
this is another setup? We agree to pay to resolve the issue, and this reporter
then turns around and reports our attempted cover-up to the regulators. That
would be even more serious."
Zhou Hanhai smiled magnanimously upon hearing this:
"Since the release has been postponed, why don't we all just have a good
meal tonight and wait and see what else that jerk can do!" "
Zhou Hanhai kept his word. That evening, he treated everyone
to another feast at the Grand Restaurant. The feast was even more sumptuous
than the one Hanhai Home Textiles had hosted on the day of the company's
meeting.
Chu Qianmiao felt that this banquet was the most meaningful
and memorable of all the ones she had ever attended.
It was like a reward for the troops before a major battle,
like a marching meal before a battle. It invigorated, uplifted, and fearless
all those preparing for battle.
She even felt a touch of heroism in this meal.
The day after Ren Yan hung up on the reporter, a new press
release about Hanhai Home Textiles was released.
The press release stated that in addition to the directors'
violations, Hanhai Home Textiles had also committed significant intellectual
property infringement. One of Hanhai Home Textiles' most important patented
technologies had actually been plagiarized from another company in the same
industry, Gelaner Home Textiles. Gelaner has now sued Hanhai Home Textiles for
intellectual property infringement.
The press release concluded with a rather clichéd statement:
Hanhai Home Textiles has run into numerous issues, revealing
its own inherent problems. Such a company shouldn't be allowed to go public. If
such a flawed company were to go public, it would be irresponsible to the stock
market and its investors.
Many comments, whether real or fake, applauded the press
release and denounced Hanhai Home Textiles as a junk company.
Chu Qianmiao felt that these "righteous" netizens
were probably the most irrational people in the world.
A meeting was held to discuss countermeasures. Now, the
person they suspected was behind the scenes had finally come to light. But
their appearance wasn't the most troublesome issue. The most troublesome issue
was that, if Hanhai Home Textiles were embroiled in litigation, regardless of
whether there had been actual patent infringement, it would have to postpone
its IPO during the proceedings.
In its lawsuit, Gelaner Home Textiles stated that it had
previously independently developed Gelaner Technology A.
Later, Hanhai Home Textiles upgraded a key patent, Hanhai
Home Textile Technology B.
However, Hanhai Home Textiles' upgraded patented technology,
Technology B, was largely plagiarized from their own, Gelaner Technology A.
They presented extensive evidence to prove that Gelaner
Technology A predates Hanhai Home Textiles' Technology B.
Chu Qianmiao felt that if this were the case, it would
appear as if Hanhai Home Textiles had plagiarized Gelaner's technology through
some means, then copied it to upgrade their existing technology.
Following the press release and the lawsuit, Hanhai Home
Textiles' IPO remained on hold.
Ren Yan immediately convened another meeting to discuss
countermeasures.
At the meeting, he asked Zhou Hanhai, "Mr. Zhou, I
trust your integrity, but I still have to ask you, as a matter of routine: Was
our patent upgrade plagiarized?"
Zhou Hanhai solemnly replied, "If I had instructed
their R&D department to actively copy, I would never have been able to go
public." After a pause, he said, "I'm worried that someone, like they
did before, will set up a trap for the R&D department, causing us to
inadvertently commit plagiarism."
This was also what Ren Yan was worried about.
Zhou Hanhai had Yu Yue summon everyone from the R&D
department to his office. He asked them one by one: Did they plagiarize anyone
else's technology when upgrading the patented technology?
Everyone in the R&D department swore they had never
plagiarized anyone, and that the upgrade of the patented technology was the
result of everyone's collective wisdom and hard work. They were furious that
their inventions were being accused of plagiarism. They said they had initially
rushed to develop and upgrade the existing technology out of consideration for
Di Chong's departure, to prevent him from leaking the patented technology
without any scruples. That way, even if Di Chong sold the technology to others,
it would be outdated.
After the R&D staff left, everyone was even more
baffled.
Chu Qianmiao even wondered: Was this really a technical
misunderstanding?
Her mind was filled with doubts.
Everyone else was also confused and lost, as if they were
lost in a fog, unable to find a way out.
It was almost six o'clock, so Ren Yan announced, "It's
late today, everyone, go home and get some rest. Although we haven't come up
with any ideas today, don't be discouraged; the problem will be solved
satisfactorily."
His resolute attitude was like a shot in the arm, dispelling
the fog and calming everyone.
Ren Yan added, "Mr. Yu, Qianyu, tomorrow, we'll go to
the market to conduct an investigation." He turned his gaze to Chu
Qianmiao, "Lawyer Chu, please go to the R&D department tomorrow and
talk to each technician individually. Who knows, we might discover something
new."
After arranging the division of labor, he dismissed everyone
and told them to go home and get some rest. He said it wasn't a serious matter,
so everyone should stay focused and not get discouraged. His confident look
once again calmed everyone's hearts.
The meeting ended.
Chu Qianmiao went to the bathroom first to relieve herself.
Her stomach had been acting a bit badly lately—she'd get a little diarrhea
whenever she felt stressed or overly nervous.
When she emerged from the bathroom, the building was empty.
The sky outside the window darkened.
She walked leisurely out of the Hanhai Home Textiles office
building.
She thought everyone had left, but when she looked up, she
saw Ren Yan.
He was standing there on the most balmy evening of Beijing's
spring, in the twilight between dawn and dusk, puffing slowly, one cigarette at
a time.
His suit was draped over one arm, his tie loose, hanging
slightly loose around his neck. The buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. His
Adam's apple rose and fell as he puffed and drew out the smoke.
She suddenly felt a little sad.
He wasn't without pressure. On the contrary, the pressure he
bore was greater and heavier than anyone else's.
Furthermore, he had to endure immense pressure while also
maintaining morale.
No wonder he was smoking again tonight.
Chu Qianmiao walked over and gently called him
"Senior," as if afraid to scare him.
Ren Yan was startled for a moment, then tilted his head to
look at her. He actually smiled at her. "Why do you call me 'Senior' so
heartfelt today?"
Chu Qianmiao smiled too.
It was so nice to see him smile at this moment.
She chatted with Ren Yan, asking him if he was feeling a bit
stressed.
Ren Yan lightly reached behind her with the arm covered by
his suit jacket, then gently moved her from his left arm to his right.
Chu Qianmiao was stunned by his movement. His fingertips
touched her back through her clothes. It was a light movement, but she felt
incredibly sensitive to the touch, as if it had hit a certain acupoint.
—This project is the result of the hard work of countless
people, and now that all that hard work is in my hands, how could it not be
stressful? He said to her, his lips curling slightly as he puffed on his
cigarette.
His words brought her attention back from the
acupoint-pressing sensation. She realized why he had moved her. Just now, she
was standing downwind of the gentle spring breeze. He was afraid the smoke
would choke her, so he quietly moved her upwind.
He was so considerate.
"So, if someone in Hanhai truly plagiarized someone
else's technology, what should we do?" she asked, calming herself.
"Compensate the other party, negotiate with them, and
get them to withdraw the lawsuit. We'll do our best to prevent the listing from
being affected." He exhaled a small cloud of mist into the twilight,
looking at her and saying.
"What if it turns out that Hanhai didn't plagiarize,
and it was the other party who was playing tricks on us? If we find evidence,
will we retaliate and sue them?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her
ears as he stared at her.
"Lawsuits are a double-edged sword during the listing
process. It's best to avoid confrontation if possible. So, the best approach is
to negotiate with the other party, get them to stop playing tricks, and
withdraw the lawsuit as soon as possible," Ren Yan said.
Chu Qianmiao looked at Ren Yan, listening to his words. The
same calm, controlled attitude, faced with two different outcomes, surprisingly
felt indestructible. She felt his eyes were especially bright tonight; when he
looked at her, she could barely resist his gaze.
At that moment, he gave her the impression of being truly
wonderful. Although he was under pressure, he never lost his composure.
She heard his voice, a faint smile lingering in her ear.
"I'm in a good mood now. Let's go. I'll take you home
first," he said, stubbing out his cigarette in the extinguisher.
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