"Developing a system? And testing it? Are you kidding me?"
"If she can organize an engineering team to master this technology in fifteen days, I'll eat this ring!"
A young man threw a diamond ring onto the coffee table in front of him, lounging carelessly on the sofa with a look of disdain.
Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, whose large frames added a touch of scholarly elegance to his appearance. His calm eyes flickered with an indescribable light, seemingly unfazed by the young man's words. He said indifferently, "If you act like this in front of Mr. Tanaka, I'll have to consider sending Xiao Yang in your place."
The young man immediately jumped up, shaking his head vigorously.
"No, father. You know me. I'm very good at making an impression in public. I won't embarrass you."
"I hope so." The middle-aged man looked at him: "This matter is very important, and your task is extremely challenging. Do you understand what to do?"
"I understand!" The young man sat up straight, repeating his father's instructions word for word: "First, I need to establish a good relationship with Mr. Tanaka. After arriving in W City, I will actively communicate and coordinate the transfer of technology, trying my best to create a positive impression of our Chen Group in Mr. Tanaka, to facilitate the smooth conclusion of the contract."
"But... why do we have to do this?" The young man seemed puzzled.
The middle-aged man glanced at him: "Continue."
"Oh." The young man's questions vanished instantly, and he continued: "Second, deliver father's personal letter to Mr. Chen Zhongxuan, the chairman of the Chen Group. And look for an opportunity to formally propose to Miss Chen Xin with the ring. I like this part. Father, are you agreeing for me to flirt with Chen Xin?"
"It's not a delivery; it's a formal proposal." The middle-aged man corrected him calmly.
"A proposal?" The young man's interest vanished immediately, and he sneered: "Flirting is fine, but proposing is a bit much. I don't want to tie myself down so early."
"You don't have a choice." The middle-aged man looked at the young man: "This is the only opportunity. You must do this well. Even if the proposal is not successful, you should leave a good impression on Miss Chen, to facilitate the next meeting."
"But father..." The young man complained with a bitter face: "I'm really not good at proposing. I've given many rings to others, but this is my first time proposing. I... I'm not mentally prepared for this."
"You don't need to be prepared. I will explain the proposal in my letter to Chen Zhongxuan. You just need to find an appropriate occasion to do it." The middle-aged man, seemingly well aware of his son's nature, continued, "And don't try any clever tricks. Your tactics may be immature, but they still work on young girls. Put in the effort, and if you need anything, go directly to the finance department and take it from the company's account."
"Any amount is fine?" The young man's interest was piqued.
"As long as you can win over Chen Xin, I'll cover any expenses." The middle-aged man nodded, speaking quite casually.
"Deal." The young man agreed readily. "But father, I have one condition. Even if the proposal is successful, I hope to set the wedding date four years later. After all... I'm still young, and I haven't had enough fun yet."
"That's fine."
"Thank you, father!" The young man lay back on the sofa, appearing somewhat bored. "But father, why do you insist on me getting Chen Xin?"
The middle-aged man replied indifferently, "Because Chen Zhongxuan is a son-in-law."
"A son-in-law..." The young man suddenly understood, thumbing up. "Father, you are truly amazing. I was wondering why out of all the companies in China, you were focusing on the Chen Group. Now it makes sense."
"Understood, then do it well. Our chance to restore our surname depends entirely on you this time." The middle-aged man's expression suddenly darkened: "I don't care how you do it, but you must win over Chen Xin, and it can take as long as you need. But be careful not to alert or suspicious the Chen family, especially to avoid any misunderstandings. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand." The young man waved his hand dismissively, seemingly impatient: "Father, you can rest assured. I... Oh, Liu Shao invited me to a gathering."
The young man cast an inquiring glance at the middle-aged man opposite him.
"Father, me?"
"Go ahead, finish early, and be careful."
"Will do."
With a clear answer, the young man cheered and, grabbing his clothes and car keys from the side, dashed out the door.
A moment later, the middle-aged man heard the roar of an engine starting up, which soon faded away.
"This kid." The middle-aged man shook his head slightly, picked up the still-lit cigar next to him, took a deep drag, and exhaled a circle of ethereal smoke.
"Chen Group... my feelings for you..."
The voice that followed was too low to be heard.
...
"Chen Xin is developing a new system? Haha, do you believe that?"
In the headquarters of the Chen Group in Beidu, several shareholders were sitting together, drinking tea and chatting. One of the shareholders suddenly let out a sneer.
"If developing a new system was so easy, our group wouldn't have been stuck on this tiny software for three years with no progress, and it almost ruined the entire group's cash flow. So, just take it as a young girl's naivety."
"Chen Xiao, you shouldn't say that. After all, our little niece is still working hard for the group. Although I think her conditions this time are very immature, if we don't do this, how can we negotiate a technical cooperation with Japan's W company?"
"Speaking of which, we really have to thank Chen Xin this time. Otherwise, that old fox Chen Zhongxuan wouldn't have given in so easily."
"Even my dear brother..." Chen Yuren's gaze suddenly shifted to the man sitting in the middle who had asked the question, "Chen Yuqiong, rejected me and my sister! He rejected his own sister and brother!"
"Now, under the leadership of the chairman, the company's performance has been soaring. The shares in each of your hands have increased by tens, hundreds, even thousands of times! You are living a noble life, living in the best villas, driving the most expensive cars, eating the finest food, buying the most luxurious goods. Who gave you all this? Tell me!"
The crowd felt awkward, seemingly unable to meet Chen Yuren's gaze, and they all lowered their heads. Only Chen Yuqiong was not afraid, instead, he showed a hint of irony.
"What you said is correct, second brother. All this was indeed given to us by the chairman, by my dear brother-in-law! But, as you can see, the current situation of the group is dire: restricted research and development, shortage of funds, unable to develop a large amount of land, various assets being tied up, and even bank loans have shrunk. All this indicates that the group has come to a dead end. If we don't restructure, there's only one way out: death!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, at that time, it won't be as simple as losing our fortunes, but we will be in debt! Huge debts! Everything we have now will disappear overnight! Thousands of employees who rely on us for their livelihood will lose their jobs!"
"I and the other directors collectively believe that Chairman Chen Zhongxuan has lost control of the group's direction, and the investment in the technology sector has already caused the group great harm. If the group is to survive, we must change our strategy."
"What strategy?" Chen Yuren sneered: "Do you want the group to develop according to your plan?"
"The only way to save the group now is to introduce technology." Chen Yuqiong's gaze was cold and stern, "In the long run, only by completely withdrawing from the technology sector and fully investing our assets in the real estate sector, speeding up the return of funds, can we give the group a chance to be reborn!"
"Withdraw from the technology sector?" Chen Yuren's face showed disdain: "And then? Withdraw from the transportation sector? The service sector? The retail sector? My brother-in-law spent decades getting the group out of its reliance on real estate, and now you want to revert the group back to its original form with just one sentence?"
"This is the only way to save the group!" Chen Yuqiong looked around and stated: "According to my calculations, the demand for real estate in the entire Huaxia is still rising, and the market is still expanding. It's a great period for dividends! If we can fully invest in the real estate market now, we will quickly reap a wave of dividends, enough to elevate the group to a new level!"
The shareholders nodded in agreement, and for a moment, the room was filled with noise.
"Enough!" Chen Yuren shouted, "All of you are short-sighted! You only see the interests in your own plates, but ignore the mountains of gold and silver in the distance! You use your niece to save the group, and I didn't object, because it's for the good of the group; you united to pressure the chairman to agree to product testing and negotiations, and I didn't object either. But now, I strongly object to your proposal to oust the chairman!"
"To save the group, the most basic thing is to adhere to the current direction of the group, which is the tone set by the chairman himself! No one can change it until your goals are achieved!"
The crowd seemed to be silenced, and for a moment, no one spoke, not even Chen Yuqiong, who sat back down with a calm expression.
"Chen Yuren, if you're finished, let me say a few words." A middle-aged woman stood up, "Whether it's short-sighted or farsighted, that's not what we're here to discuss today. What we need to discuss today is the product testing in half a month and the upcoming negotiations with the Japanese company. The chairman has already gone to W City to oversee the negotiations, but I think we should also pay attention to the testing. What if our niece succeeds? Wouldn't we be able to take this opportunity to promote our brand and open up the market?"
The crowd burst into laughter, as if the middle-aged woman had said something humorous. Chen Yuqiong stood up again, signaling the woman to sit down.
"What Xiao Ling said makes a lot of sense. One must have dreams in life, and the same applies to doing things. We should have dreams, after all, what if... what if we succeed?"
The crowd laughed again.
"For the product testing in half a month, anyone with ideas can speak up."
As soon as he finished speaking, a shareholder stood up.
"I propose that in addition to summoning the company's engineers and experts, we can also invite some media, and even some friendly businesses and potential customers. If we succeed, we can place orders on the spot."
"Yes, yes, exactly. I also propose that we can invite notary publics and patent affirmation personnel to the scene. If it really is a new type of system, we can apply for patents on the spot, haha."
"Good idea, I also propose..."
"I propose..."
...
Chen Yuren looked at these so-called shareholders in front of him, his chest filled with anger but not knowing who to vent it on, so he just snorted and turned to leave the meeting room.
Chen Yuqiong watched Chen Yuren's departing back, a hint of a sneer on his lips, as if mocking someone's overestimation of their abilities.