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Chu Ning quickly began the work handover with Mingyao Sci-Tech. On Ying Jing’s side, efficiency was even higher. As soon as his competition qualification was approved, he was required to go to Jiuquan for centralized training. It was similar to a seven-day intensive training camp, with the entire team participating together.
This matter came suddenly, and he left in a hurry, without even a single day of leisure.
Rushing over to Chu Ning’s place last night was a brief farewell.
“I won’t be able to contact the outside world for the next few days. Phones are managed centrally. If anything happens, find my brother-in-law. I’ve saved his number for you on WeChat,” Ying Jing carefully instructed, giving her a stream of intermittent advice.
Chu Ning didn’t think much of it, amused: “What could possibly happen that I’d need to find your brother-in-law for?”
“It’s best if nothing happens,” Ying Jing was quite serious. “It’s always good to be prepared. He’s also training in Beijing recently, so he can help. Even if my brother-in-law can’t solve it, my father is above him.”
Chu Ning chuckled: “Oh, that tone!”
The conversation from last night was vivid in her mind; remembering it, Chu Ning couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.
________________________________________
Pulling her thoughts back, there was important business to attend to today. A meeting was scheduled with Tang Yao for a formal discussion.
Chu Ning took this very seriously, dressing formally and applying delicate makeup. She rehearsed countless times in her mind, anticipating every challenging question Tang Yao might ask. She had expected Tang Yao to bring a think tank, but upon arrival, she found he was alone.
Chu Ning was quite surprised.
Tang Yao was dressed casually, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up a few times, revealing muscular forearms. His wrists were bare, not even wearing a watch.
“Sit,” he looked up at her, his expression calm.
Chu Ning was equally composed. “Hello, Mr. Tang.” Then she gracefully took her seat.
Tang Yao looked at her with interest, relaxing himself, leaning against the chair back, legs crossed, his left arm resting on the top of the chair back. He suddenly smiled, “First meeting, and we’re skipping the handshake?”
Chu Ning was wary, watching him, only smiling, saying nothing.
Tang Yao, however, took the initiative, stood up, and extended his right hand steadily across the table. “Hello, I’m Tang Yao of Mingyao Sci-Tech. Regardless of any previous opinions, from this moment on, let’s have a good start. I hope we can achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.”
His words thoroughly dispelled any previous barriers and prejudices.
Chu Ning took the cue, naturally giving him full respect. She shook his hand briefly and firmly, saying, “Thank you for your trust, Mr. Tang. I look forward to your guidance and support in the future.”
Once the prelude was over, the rest of the conversation flowed easily.
Tang Yao had not brought any colleagues. This time, he was more focused on Chu Ning’s views on the work plan after the cooperation. Her train of thought was very simple: to make finished products, reduce reliance on market sales models, not let the guest become the host, not reverse the primary and secondary roles. All her sales channels, methods, and customer expansion were based on Ying Jing’s research direction.
“His ideas are the prerequisite; I will prioritize him,” Chu Ning concluded her presentation.
Tang Yao listened very carefully, his gaze sharp, but not aggressive. In his attitude, you could feel a sense of caution and seriousness.
He asked, “CEO Ning, with all due respect, when you made the investment decision for this project, the conditions were not mature and the prospects were unclear. What was your basis?”
Chu Ning smiled frankly, relaxing. “If I told you it was three parts impulsiveness, two parts sentimentality, and five parts an adventurous, restless urge to try new things, would you believe me?”
Tang Yao curled his lips faintly. “I would.”
“I’ve been asked this question too many times, but I can’t really explain it myself.”
Chu Ning held a compassionate view of the most miraculous choice in her life. Without asking why or what the outcome would be, the moment she decided to move forward, there was no turning back.
This applied to Ying Jing, and it applied to her as well.
Tang Yao lowered his brows in silence and, like a true gentleman, refilled Chu Ning’s tea, saying, “I can tell you my thoughts on this.”
Chu Ning was quite interested. She sat up straighter, listening attentively.
For half an hour, Tang Yao spoke eloquently. His professionalism and insight in this field were something Chu Ning had never achieved. Compared to her previous trepidation of “crossing the river by feeling for stones” (摸石頭過河 - a Chinese idiom meaning to cautiously explore or experiment), Tang Yao’s experience and foresight were undoubtedly a guiding light.
“Mingyao Sci-Tech has always cherished talent. As long as he works hard, I can provide him with the conditions,” Tang Yao concluded. “Whether it makes money or not is no longer the most important thing for Mingyao at this stage.”
He didn’t have to say too much; Chu Ning was a smart person and understood immediately.
Now, thinking about it calmly, this decision was so important.
Finally, Tang Yao shook hands with Chu Ning once more: “CEO Ning, Vice President Zhou will officially contact you next week, and the legal department will submit the contract draft as soon as possible. We look forward to our formal cooperation.”
________________________________________
Stepping out of the tea house, the sun shone brightly.
Tang Yao’s car was a black Mercedes, and the driver had already opened the door. Before getting in, Tang Yao looked at Chu Ning and said, “The World Aviation Competition is at the end of the month in Beijing. If you’re interested, I’ll save you a ticket.”
Chu Ning smiled, “You’re too kind, Mr. Tang. Goodbye.”
Tang Yao nodded slightly and got into the car.
Once the car left, Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. From now on, things were finally moving in a good direction.
The day after Ying Jing went to Jiuquan, Mingyao Sci-Tech invited Chu Ning to join them in Hangzhou for a technology industry forum. Accompanying her was Tang Yao’s capable vice president. The forum’s foresight regarding the future development of smart high-tech fields was exceptionally advanced.
Chu Ning gained a lot, making daily situation analyses and compiling them to send to Ying Jing. Even though he couldn’t use communication devices right now, many key points would be helpful. Three days later, Chu Ning returned to Beijing. She had just finished a routine meeting at Ningjing Investment headquarters in the morning when her secretary said someone was waiting in her office.
Chu Ning pushed open the door and said playfully, “Oh, a rare guest! Haven’t seen you in ages. What brings you here today?”
Guan Yu stood up from the sofa and scoffed, “You make it sound like I’m so cold-hearted.” She surveyed Chu Ning, genuinely complimenting her: “Nice, this outfit looks great today!”
Chu Ning was wearing a white business suit. Under her short skirt, her legs were long and fair. She carried herself well in high heels, walking with a confident stride, her back straight.
Sitting down behind her desk, Chu Ning still had some work to do. She signed documents without lifting her head, a smile playing on her lips: “When am I not good-looking?”
Guan Yu propped her elbows on the table, cupping her face like a blooming flower, tilting her head and smiling at her: “Today you look especially good.”
Chu Ning looked up at her, then lowered her head to sign, asking, “Are you free later? I’ll treat you to a meal after I finish work.”
“Sure,” Guan Yu stretched her neck, peering at the documents next to Chu Ning’s hand. “Oh, Ke Ming Real Estate, you’re even collaborating with such a big company?”
“Small project,” Chu Ning said casually, then asked with interest, “You’ve been looking for me quite frequently lately. What’s up, not spending time with your glasses-wearing brother anymore?” As she spoke, she casually picked up a meeting notebook and covered the stack of contracts.
Guan Yu pursed her eyebrows, “He’s busy. What about yours? I haven’t even had a meal with Ying Jing. Call him out today.”
“He’s busy,” Chu Ning replied calmly, tossing the answer back.
Guan Yu gave an awkward laugh and didn’t press the matter further.
“By the way, Ning’er, I’ve seen in the news these past few days that the country is strongly supporting the aviation industry now. What was it called? The Aviation Powerhouse Policy, yes, that’s it—it’s practically tailor-made for Ying Jing.”
Chu Ning didn’t lift her head and didn’t respond immediately, appearing to be concentrating on reviewing the contract. About ten seconds later, she answered, “There are many people in this industry; he’s nothing special.”
“So what are your plans next? You can’t sustain this alone indefinitely,” Guan Yu smiled, adding, “Women who work too hard age faster, you know.”
Chu Ning finished signing the last document, calmly capped her pen, and clasped her hands on the table, remaining silent.
Guan Yu leaned closer, asking mysteriously, “Ning’er, have you ever thought about having more people share the burden with you?”
“Hmm?”
“More people, more power, right?” Guan Yu perked up, her words quickening: “I heard you were looking for funding before. Have you ever considered that domestic businessmen generally have bad habits? Either they like to hoard decision-making power and blindly direct everything, or they just want to create hype, like spending money on advertising to gild their company. Frankly, they’re not really people who do practical work.”
She spoke heartily, and Chu Ning didn’t interrupt, looking quite serious.
Guan Yu paused for two seconds, then cut to the chase: “But foreign companies are different.”
Chu Ning suddenly said, “Go on.”
“The emperor is far away from heaven, once the money is invested, they can’t really control it. At most, they’ll ask for regular reports. How to spend the money, how you want to spend it, isn’t that all up to you?”
Chu Ning simply said, “Oh,” plainly: “Do you have any good suggestions?”
Guan Yu’s eyes brightened when she saw Chu Ning’s interest. She straightened her back and leaned forward, eager to speak: “I actually have a suitable one here. A European company. My maternal cousin, who’s in foreign trade, has dealt with them. They want to open up the market here and aren’t short on money, but they lack projects. Ning’er, you see, you two can both get what you need.”
Chu Ning didn’t interrupt, a smile always on her lips.
Guan Yu pursed her lips, then changed her tone: “Isn’t this perfect? Just consider it information I’m providing; the decision is still yours.”
Chu Ning’s smile broadened. “Sounds pretty good.”
Guan Yu nodded along: “Right? How about I arrange a meeting for you? Tonight? We could have dinner together.”
She even made a show of reaching for her phone.
“But what else can it offer me besides money?” Chu Ning suddenly asked.
Guan Yu was startled: “What else do you want?”
“It’s not what I want, it’s what Ying Jing should get.”
Her words were cryptic; without being on the same wavelength, one couldn’t grasp their underlying meaning.
Chu Ning didn’t intend to explain. She leaned back in her chair, sinking into it languidly, completely relaxed: “I’m not short on money.”
“But collaborating with a foreign company would also help your publicity.”
“I don’t need publicity. As long as Ying Jing is here, that is publicity.”
Chu Ning rarely made such arrogant and direct assertions. Extreme confidence implied extreme suppression. Guan Yu was completely speechless, her face slightly changed, and her voice became strained: “Ning’er, I think you’re being emotional.”
“I am indeed emotional about him,” Chu Ning even nodded cooperatively. “Profoundly so, in fact.”
Guan Yu remained silent for a moment, feeling awkward, her words choked back.
Chu Ning’s smile vanished, her eyes dark, her expression stern: “If I were doing this for money, I wouldn’t have taken on Ying Jing’s mess in the first place. I don’t deny that I act on emotion, but I never regret my decisions! I managed to get through that difficult path—let alone now.”
Guan Yu: “Is your ultimate goal not to make money?”
“Of course,” Chu Ning admitted generously. “Who doesn’t like money? But right now, I like my boyfriend more.”
Guan Yu was speechless, her composure almost breaking.
“Let me put it this way: I’ve been clear-headed enough for the past few years, and I’ve played enough clever tricks. Now, I just want to live freely for once, whether it’s a desperate measure or an emotional decision, at worst, we’ll see where it goes. How this path is walked, I’ll only follow his steps.”
Chu Ning spoke firmly, leaving no room for negotiation. Her eyes were filled with an unwavering stubbornness.
She let out a very slight, mocking scoff: “I really don’t believe it, is foreign company money exceptionally fragrant?”
Her words were neither heavy nor light, but they clearly dismissed Guan Yu’s face.
In a moment of urgency, she blurted out, “Chu Ning, I don’t think you’re being appropriate. It’s really bad for our company!”
Chu Ning’s eyes turned cold, highly sensitive.
Our.
Guan Yu knew she had let something slip, but she showed no remorse or regret, instead adopting an attitude of “nothing left to lose.”
“Ning’er, I know it’s undignified and not very straightforward to bring this up now. But I genuinely care about you, and you can trust the company I’m recommending. Their overall strength is definitely outstanding. As long as the objective is achieved, isn’t it all the same which one you choose?”
Chu Ning chewed on the word “objective” repeatedly, then suddenly asked coldly, “Then what about your objective?!”
A knife-edge query, subtly glinting with cold light.
She didn’t possess a sweet and amiable temperament to begin with. When she wasn’t smiling, she appeared cool and aloof, let alone now, when her sharpness was fully revealed.
Chu Ning looked at Guan Yu. The strange atmosphere that had begun upon entering the room now officially marked the start of their true confrontation.
The two stared at each other in silence.
After a few seconds, Guan Yu forced a smile, then suddenly acted as if nothing had happened. “Ning’er, you’re so serious when you work! You scared me.” After speaking, she even patted her chest dramatically.
“I don’t want to be a strong woman. I’d rather go and act cute with my Old Zhao. See, you just take things too seriously; you’re almost incapable of taking a joke.”
She played both sides, saying what was needed. Chu Ning followed her lead, not letting the atmosphere remain awkward, and smiled, “If I were really serious, I wouldn’t be like this now. Still want dinner?”
As she spoke, she picked up her phone. “If so, I’ll reserve a table now.”
“No, I won’t. I was just joking. I have a dinner engagement,” Guan Yu clapped her hands and stood up, carrying her bag casually. “I won’t bother CEO Ning anymore. Bye!”
Chu Ning nodded, “No need to see you out. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Alright!” Guan Yu turned around, her smile instantly dropping, her expression unreadable.
The second before her hand touched the doorknob, Chu Ning suddenly called out to her: “Xiao Yu.”
Guan Yu turned her head.
“If you want money, just tell me. But don’t touch my bottom line.”
Chu Ning looked at her, her voice light, but her meaning heavy.
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