Chapter 7: World One [7]

Jing Ke concealed her overly direct appreciation and praise. She didn’t explain much more to Shang Siyu, nor did she reveal her fondness for her.

Jing Ke merely emphasized that if she’d had the chance to choose from the very beginning, she would have chosen Shang Siyu, not Xue Fan.

For Shang Siyu, the fact that Jing Ke admitted her connection to Xue Fan so readily was already beyond her expectations.

Hearing Jing Ke so frankly state that she wanted to choose her later on also filled Shang Siyu’s heart with an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

It seemed her view of Jing Ke as a friend wasn’t just wishful thinking on her part; Jing Ke also quite appreciated her.

[Let me remind you, halting construction for half a month will only keep Xue Fan busy for a while. It won’t do him any fundamental damage.]

[The fact that Xue Fan can secure government-related projects means his connections are not poor. Otherwise, after offending certain officials, the consequences would be far more than just failing a fire safety inspection.]

“Alright, I’ll remember that. I’m planning to proactively cooperate with official entities after making some achievements,” Shang Siyu said.

This idea wasn’t really related to Xue Fan. Shang Siyu had considered cooperating with relevant departments very early on.

Shang Siyu was well aware that the patents in her hands had a strong potential for monetization, especially for those wealthy and influential individuals with physical disabilities. They would be very interested in these patents.

The prosthetics they used might be very sophisticated, but they definitely couldn’t achieve the level of a direct neural connection. They basically remained at the stage of electrical stimulation of neurons, requiring a long period of adjustment after use.

As for the technology in her own hands, if further research and development were to continue, it might one day truly achieve a deceptively realistic effect.

However, the spending power of the rich is different from that of ordinary disabled people. Unless Shang Siyu only wanted to promote her patents among the middle class and above, cooperating with relevant departments was only a matter of time.

The day after Shang Siyu revealed her identity, Xue Fan received the news through his channels. But at that time, he was being troubled by the fire department and couldn’t spare the time immediately.

By the time Xue Fan spent money to solve the problem and allowed the construction site to resume work, Shang Siyu had already set up the framework of her company.

Those enterprises that had once invested in the lab, upon hearing the project was a success, disregarded their previous unpleasantness and extended olive branches to Shang Siyu one after another, leaving Xue Fan no opportunity to act.

Thinking that the information he’d paid for was not only false but had indirectly offended certain officials, Xue Fan’s face inevitably darkened.

Xue Fan wouldn’t reflect on his own impatience, nor would he think that his actions were fundamentally wrong. He only attributed all the errors to Shang Siyu.

It was all Shang Siyu’s fault for deliberately telling him incorrect information and intentionally coordinating with her ‘uncles,’ which was why they deliberately made things difficult for him and caused him to suffer a setback.

“Any news on the matter I asked you to inquire about?” Xue Fan summoned his usual assistant to his office and asked grimly.

“President Xue, that circle is very closed off. I could only find out that New Life Technology has currently secured around thirty million in investment,” the assistant said, head lowered.

“That’s it? You didn’t find out which specific companies are investing?” Xue Fan was very unsatisfied with this information. “New Life Technology only holds some patents right now. Their production lines and market haven’t been rolled out at all. Don’t they need to consider more before investing?”

“President Xue, you might not be aware, but the patents New Life Technology holds are one-of-a-kind,” the assistant said cautiously, controlling his tone.

Assistant: “New Life Technology’s tech isn’t just domestically leading; it’s highly advanced even internationally. If they don’t invest early, they won’t get the opportunity later, even if they want to join.”

The assistant was a graduate of a prestigious university with a master’s degree. Compared to Xue Fan, who hadn’t even finished high school, his knowledge and vision were much broader. He could clearly recognize what a unique, world-class patent signified.

“Enough. How’s the other thing I had you do going? With so many people, isn’t there a single one willing to transfer their patent rights?” Xue Fan interrupted the assistant.

The assistant paused. “President Xue, we didn’t previously make any investment in the laboratory. Even if we are willing to buy patents at a high price, we still need the primary investor’s permission. We can only acquire them after they forgo the option to purchase.”

“This won’t work, that won’t work! Do you draw such a high salary just to do nothing?” Xue Fan couldn’t help but slam a document onto his desk.

“President Xue, if patent acquisition is completed while concealing the investor’s identity, the patents would lose their legal protection the moment the other party files a lawsuit,” the assistant continued.

“Then go public! Make all their research data public!” Xue Fan said irritably. “I don’t need those patents to be profitable. Once I get the data, just release it all online.”

“President Xue, that would make us the defendant and we would be held legally responsible,” the assistant lowered his gaze. Thinking of his six-figure monthly salary, he patiently continued to explain. “If President Xue wants to hinder New Life Technology’s development, why not cooperate with companies focused on researching and promoting myoelectric signal-controlled prosthetics? They also want to stop New Life Technology’s rise.”

Hearing his assistant’s suggestion, Xue Fan’s irritable mood calmed slightly.

“Then go contact those companies. I can provide the connections and capital. It would be best if we can make New Life Technology suffer a loss first, and then collaborate to acquire them,” Xue Fan said, simultaneously beginning to miss the System.

If he hadn’t lost the System, how could he have fallen to this state? He would have long seized the initiative and obtained patents like these far in advance.

Xue Fan was actually already regretting things. If he had known earlier that Shang Siyu’s research project would succeed so quickly, he definitely wouldn’t have given up such an excellent investment opportunity back then.

Unfortunately, there were no ‘ifs.’ Without the System’s prophetic abilities, the only thing Xue Fan could rely on was himself.

“We can’t cooperate anymore? Why? Wasn’t it already negotiated before? The letter of intent was already signed.” When Cui Xiangxiang informed her that the chosen factory had broken the contract, Shang Siyu instinctively frowned.

“Kangxin Group has made statements in the industry, demanding that factories cooperating with Kangxin cannot work with us,” Cui Xiangxiang pinched the bridge of her nose.

Cui Xiangxiang elaborated, “Kangxin is an established veteran enterprise with strong influence in the industry. Factories with advanced machinery are mostly willing to do them this favor.”

A thoughtful look flashed in Shang Siyu’s eyes, and she couldn’t help pondering mentally. “Is it just the factories breaking the contract? Are any investors pulling out?”

There was indeed a business conflict between Kangxin and New Life. If New Life Technology could mass-produce prosthetics, encroaching on Kangxin’s existing prosthetic market would only be a matter of time.

Cui Xiangxiang shook her head. “Not for now. Our investors all have a deep understanding of our patents and technology. They are farsighted people with great confidence in us.”

“Sister Cui, if we were to purchase our own machines and build our own production line, how feasible would that be?” Shang Siyu asked.

Cui Xiangxiang considered it, then shook her head. “The cost is too high. A complete production line would require at least nine figures of capital. We don’t have that much investment currently.”

Cui Xiangxiang: “According to the original plan, building New Life Technology’s own production line was scheduled for two years after the initial profitability phase.”

Cui Xiangxiang: “To raise enough funds for a production line, we’d have to accept more investment. That way, the shares held by us would decrease, and the controlling shareholder wouldn’t be us anymore.”

Shang Siyu frowned as well. “Then what do we do? Are we just supposed to wait helplessly like this?”

“Anyone who understands the relevant knowledge knows the benefits of neural connection. Kangxin, as an old-guard enterprise, definitely won’t be stuck in its old ways. Their current obstruction is most likely to gain more bargaining chips for future negotiations with us,” Cui Xiangxiang analyzed seriously.

“We currently have two relatively good options. One is to wait for Kangxin to approach us proactively, then fight for as many benefits as possible in the negotiations.”

Cui Xiangxiang paused, then continued, “As for the other option, it’s to find a way to raise capital and purchase the machinery.”

“The difficulty of setting up a brand-new production line is very high. But if we cooperate with a suitable factory to retrofit an existing production line, there’s still a chance to succeed while controlling costs.”

“Of course, this isn’t something one person can decide. Siyu, you might want to consider holding a shareholder meeting to discuss this matter.” Cui Xiangxiang laid out all her thoughts and placed the decision-making power in the hands of Shang Siyu, the current majority shareholder.

“Alright, thank you, Sister Cui. I will consider it carefully,” Shang Siyu said.

Cui Xiangxiang nodded. “I’ll also be contacting some people on my end. If there’s a change in the situation, I’ll contact you immediately.”

After seeing Cui Xiangxiang leave her office, Shang Siyu let out a soft sigh.

After emptying her mind for a moment, Shang Siyu started calling out to Jing Ke. “Jing Ke, are you there?”

[I’m here.]

“I’d like to hear your advice. Which option should I choose?” Shang Siyu asked for guidance.

[My suggestion is to find a partner who is reliable enough and choose to build your own production line.]

[Kangxin Group is massive. Rather than cooperating with a newly founded company, they would be more inclined to swallow up New Life Technology. Cooperating with them is like seeking a tiger’s skin.]

Shang Siyu: “But the cost of a production line is very high. If New Life Technology accepts a large investment, the majority share won’t be in our hands.”

[That problem is easily solved. I can recommend a sufficiently reliable cooperation partner to you.]

[She will provide you with enough investment to build a production line from scratch and only ask for a twenty percent stake.]

“Only twenty percent?” Shang Siyu couldn’t hide her astonishment.

One had to know, New Life Technology had already given up roughly fifteen percent of its shares when it accepted the thirty million investment.

And building a production line from scratch required at least two hundred million in investment. That much money would be enough to directly acquire all of New Life Technology.

[Yes. I’ve also already arranged the meeting time for you.]

[The afternoon of the day after tomorrow is your rest time. If you trust me, you can go to this place to meet your future business partner.]

“Alright, I will arrive on time.” After the initial shock passed, Shang Siyu agreed. “Jing Ke, thank you.”

[You’re welcome~]

Hidden within Jing Ke’s words was a subtle, cheerful excitement. However, Shang Siyu, busy pondering who she might meet the day after tomorrow, didn’t notice.