Water and Fire~Chapter 43.1: The Perfect Solution

 

Chapter 43.1: The Perfect Solution

The wind suddenly died.

The information that had been flying around the room suddenly died down.

Qin Qianyu's voice echoed from the window: "You lousy wind! I need to close the window! Once the window is closed, I'll see how you can still show off!"

Chu Qianmiao looked up and bumped into Ren Yan, who was looking down at her. The distance between them was so close, so close that he seemed to be stunned for a moment, then he immediately took a step back, a natural retreat that made the distance between them almost invisible.

Chu Qianmiao's back finally recovered from its backward tilt. Fortunately, she wasn't crippled by the spring breeze.

In reality, from the moment she turned to face him, to the moment he grabbed the materials from behind her, to the moment she leaned back, and finally to the moment Ren Yan retreated, it took only a split second. Yet, she felt as if her waist was about to break.

And that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that her heart was pounding.

By the time everyone had gathered the scattered materials and brought them back to Chu Qianmiao, Ren Yan had already returned to his seat.

Everything was back to normal.

Chu Qianmiao rearranged the scattered materials by page number, neatly stacked them, and handed them to Ren Yan again.

"Senior, here!"

Ren Yan looked up and held out his hand.

As he extended his hand, his long fingers stretched out in mid-air, their tips seemingly trembling slightly.

But before Chu Qianmiao could even see if his fingertips were actually shaking, he had already extended his arm a little further and grasped the stack of materials in her hand.

His thumb was pinched above the document, his other four fingers underneath. Beneath the document, his fingers moved slightly, their fingertips touching. His hand trembled as if struck by an electric shock, and he yanked the document from her grasp with considerable force.

Chu Qianmiao: “???”

“Senior, are you sick?” Chu Qianmiao asked, looking at Ren Yan with concern.

Ren Yan glanced up at her, his face filled with disdain and indifference: “You have static electricity.”

Chu Qianmiao: “…”

…I thought you had static electricity, brother!

The next day, Zhou Hanhai, Yu Yue, Ren Yan, Qin Qianyu, and Zhang Teng, Chu Qianmiao, all rushed to the hotel for the meeting as scheduled.

They arrived at the hotel conference room almost immediately after Peng Yishen from Gelaner Home Textiles.

On her way here, Chu Qianmiao had noticed Zhou Hanhai's solemn expression, and she'd quietly made various preparations: if a heated argument broke out between them, how would she help Zhou Hanhai win?

She felt a heavy responsibility on her shoulders, for the people rushing to the meeting were all gentlemen and elites, and besides her, she felt no one was particularly adept at arguing.

So, with great power comes great responsibility. She had to help Zhou Hanhai win today's argument; she couldn't lose!

But when she saw the scene between Zhou Hanhai and Peng Yishen, she was stunned.

When they saw each other, their faces instantly lit up with warm smiles. They both extended their right hands and walked quickly toward each other. When they met, they clasped their hands tightly, their faces beaming with joy. They called each other's honorific titles with familiarity, saying, "It's an honor!" and "I'm so happy!"

They held each other's hands tightly, like good brothers who had met too late, and walked into the meeting room and took their seats.

Their conversation needed no warm-up, no unfamiliarity. They sat down and chatted, their conversation warm and lively.

The previous bitter rivalry between the two sides seemed as if it had never happened. It was as if you had never maliciously blocked my IPO, and I had never resented you for it.

Watching their cheerful conversation, Chu Qianmiao felt her understanding of the workplace and business world refreshed. She thought, businesspeople are truly remarkable. They possess countless faces. Even when they deeply wish someone dead, they can still present a warm and friendly front.

She heard Peng Yishen smilingly say to Zhou Hanhai, "Brother Zhou, your products are truly excellent! I'll give you Hanhai Home Textiles more than anyone else."

She sighed silently. She suspected Peng Yishen wasn't really thinking those flattering words. What he was actually thinking was: Zhou Hanhai, your products are nothing. How can they outsell mine?

Chu Qianmiao smiled. It turns out that the sweet words these people say are just for the ears of others, while their inner thoughts are actually the exact opposite.

No wonder Ren Yan told her yesterday to master her flattery skills. It turns out that these multifaceted people are all masters of flattery.

She thought the business world was truly a treacherous and unpredictable place; no one could tell whether behind someone's smile was a knife, poison, or sincerity.

Chu Qianmiao felt like she had received another fresh lesson in the business world. She thought she had improved, as this lesson had given her far less time to fuss than the last time she was surprised that Sui Huan had pushed the blame onto her.

After taking her seat, she quickly took in the harmonious atmosphere.

After some pleasant, almost overdue greetings, the main topic was finally brought to the table as the main course.

As soon as the negotiation began, Ren Yan subtly intervened, leaving Zhou Hanhai in the previously harmonious atmosphere.

Chu Qianmiao immediately understood this strategy. Even if Ren Yan and Peng Yishen's talks fell apart, Zhou Hanhai could still help them out. As long as someone was still smiling, there was always room for maneuver.

The negotiations gradually got to the point.

Ren Yan began to talk to Peng Yishen about patents.

"Mr. Peng, I think there might be some misunderstanding regarding the technology infringement between Hanhai and Gelaner."

Peng Yishen responded with a simple, yet effective answer: "I've delegated matters like patents and technology to my subordinates, so I'm not entirely clear on the details. I've brought my technical lead here today. Come, Xiao Cao, talk to Mr. Ren!"

A person next to Peng Yishen engaged Ren Yan in conversation.

"Based on all the current circumstances, our technology is indeed older than Hanhai's. There shouldn't be any misunderstanding about this, so there's no need to discuss it specifically. If we do want to discuss, we can actually discuss how to resolve the losses caused by your infringement and the compensation you should receive."

Ren Yan smiled.

Chu Qianmiao realized that whenever he smiled like that, he was about to start a face-slapping act.

"Mr. Cao, is it okay to address you this way? Well, you said Gelaner's technology predates Hanhai's, but Hanhai has already been releasing products using this technology for over half a year—we've been upgrading our technology and releasing corresponding products all the time."

"What about you? Do you have any finished products that match your technology?" Ren Yan asked, then paused before answering directly and logically. "Actually, we've done some research, and your company doesn't have any products on the market that utilize this technology. So, if you only have theoretical proof of the technology, you can say how old it is, even five hundred years ago."

Ren Yan paused and smiled. Chu Qianmiao felt it was a smile of authority and power.

With that smile, he continued, "So all I can say is that you only recently obtained this patented technology and haven't yet had time to produce it. I think if we were to go to court, we'd request a forensic appraisal of the technical materials you have to determine when it was actually developed. "

The Cao manager was already at a loss for words and glanced at Peng Yishen.

Peng Yishen smiled calmly, saying, "Mr. Ren's words are quite interesting. I'd like to hear more from you."

Chu Qianmiao felt that Peng Yishen was waiting to see what other cards Ren Yan might bring before deciding how to respond. She thought he was truly a skilled shrew.

Ren Yan nodded, and as Peng Yishen wished, he continued to show him his cards. "Also, Hanhai recently dismissed a technician named Di Chong. We've inquired, and we've learned that he later joined Gelaner. I wonder if Mr. Peng and Mr. Cao mentioned to him when they hired him that he and Hanhai had signed a non-compete agreement, prohibiting him from immediately joining a competing company in the same industry after leaving Hanhai. If he did so, Hanhai could sue him."

"Also, after the forensic appraisal of your technical materials, the time of their completion should roughly coincide with Di Chong's arrival at Gelaner." So, we'll also sue him for breach of confidentiality and theft of trade secrets, and for unfair competition against Gelaner." He paused, his tone growing serious. "I believe that if these matters were to get out, each one would significantly impact Gelaner's reputation."

The Cao representative, completely overwhelmed, looked back at Peng Yishen. Peng Yishen smiled and said, "What Mr. Ren says sounds plausible. The investigation may not always go smoothly, so we don't object to a lawsuit. But a lawsuit might have a greater impact on Hanhai, right? Isn't that right, Mr. Zhou?" He asked Zhou Hanhai with a smile.

Although he spoke as if the lawsuit didn't matter, Chu Qianmiao sensed that his energy had faded somewhat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically reminded Zhou Hanhai, "A lawsuit would have a greater impact on your IPO."

Zhou Hanhai smiled back, "It's okay. A lawsuit will just take a while. Waiting for the results will just delay the IPO!" He said it nonchalantly, his expression genuinely unconcerned. His veiled threat was like a punch hitting cotton, completely lost.

Ren Yan then unleashed his ultimate weapon.

"Mr. Peng, there's another matter concerning your company's sales department. While we were conducting market research, we called one of Gelaner's out-of-town distributors." "

Ren Yan pulled another recorder from his inner pocket and played a recording.

The content of the recording gradually made Peng Yishen's smile fade.