Chapter 326 They all think they are winning, so who is winning?

“This investment project is very important. In the past three years, their AI driving technology has shown considerable potential. Last year, it was ranked among the top five emerging technology companies in China. It stands to reason that such a large project would not be the first for a small company like us to cooperate.”

Inside a luxurious extended Bentley.

Ji Hai introduced the situation of the destination company.

He rustled out a box of mints from his pocket, opened the lid, took out one and put it in his mouth, then said:
“In fact, they want to cooperate with Jiangshi Heavy Industry. In the future, they can use unmanned AI driving technology to realize energy supply work in uninhabited areas and front-line war zones, which is exactly what we lack. You know, now we are working on energy supply in dangerous areas. Many times, we hire local natives with high salaries, and it is difficult to find people because the chance of death is too high.”

Ji Hai shrugged. Pei Youwen beside him nodded and said, “What are you eating? Give me something.”

“I’ll have one too.” Chen Yuan also stretched out his hand.

Ji Hai showed a helpless smile and took out a mint candy and gave one to each of them.

“Are you two really listening to me?”

“I understand. Jiang wants to send our small company as a vanguard to conduct an on-site inspection.”

“That’s about it. AI driving technology has already reached cooperation with major companies such as Yuantong Express, Zhongtong Express, and Huawei. They want us to invest in a new project specifically for laying energy pipelines and popularizing electricity resources in remote and barren areas. In the future, not only can we save the process of hiring human resources, but we can also reduce the danger of these basic construction operations…tragedies like Mr. Liu’s will not happen again.”

“Which Mr. Liu?”

“Mr. Jiang, you don’t know that a few years ago, our Jiang Group sent a group of elites to Feibin to work with the local government to improve the problem of residents’ lack of access to electricity. That place has the world-famous coastal shantytowns, the largest slum. Mr. Jiang, guess how much their monthly electricity consumption would cost if converted to our exchange rate?”

“double?”

“For a family of three in our ordinary city, the electricity bill is only over 1,000 yuan a year, with lights, washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, and other electronic products. But they have to pay more than 1,000 yuan a month for electricity.”

“So exaggerated?” Pei Youwen and Chen Yuan said in unison, staring at each other.

“Because their social resources are monopolized by local gangs and clans, and the social system is very backward, others are arbitrarily raising prices, and as civilians, there is no way to resist, unless we don’t want to. As a world-leading energy company, Jiang’s is committed to changing this situation after reaching an agreement with the local government. They also provided military protection. But when Lao Liu, the general manager of the Feibin project, was planning to go to the no-man’s land of the slums to survey the route, the local gangs fought against the army. They were so bold… Lao Liu also died.”

In the car.

Suddenly the three of them fell silent.

Only Ji Hai sighed softly.

Some children, born in a shabby place like the Feibin slum, have a worse start than the online rumor of “reborn in a technical secondary school toilet, with a mentally ill younger sister”. It is hard to make a living there, let alone study and take exams to change their lives.

“Then what should we do when we inspect this project?” Chen Yuan calmed down his inner shock and asked seriously.

“That’s right, Mr. Jiang. We just need to keep good records and report to the headquarters truthfully. Because AI driverless technology is a hot new technology, there are many similar concepts on the market. Our investment in cooperating with them will cost a lot of money, so we should try to select the most mature technology and not let the headquarters waste money.”

The driver was driving the vehicle on the extremely wide lane of the highway, and during the one-hour conversation, half of the journey had already been completed.

These three people, plus Monana who did not come, are currently the core members of Bauhinia Company.

There is no need to hide anything when speaking.

Pei Youwen thought for a moment and suddenly said:

“Sometimes it’s not that I’m selfish. Being sent to another country as a project manager can be good or bad. Going to the Middle East, where gangsters are rampant, is not the same as going to Northern Europe.”

“Someone has to go.” Ji Hai raised his eyebrows, obviously disagreeing.

“Minister Ji, do you have a wife and children?” Pei Youwen asked.

“No.”

“When you have it, you definitely won’t want to go. When a man reaches a certain age, his life is not just his own.”

“The company does have such a policy. Those with families can refuse to be assigned to projects in dangerous areas.” Ji Hai suddenly smiled and said calmly, “Then Mr. Pei thinks that I am young and promising, and it is the right age to start a family. Why don’t you get married?”

“Because you have a bad personality, no girl likes you.”

“Get lost, don’t say that nonsense.” Ji Hai took a deep breath and said with a deep look in his eyes: “I just want to take on the task given to me by Jiang one day, go to Feibin to continue Lao Liu’s unfinished task, and change the current situation of those children. There are bigwigs in this world who advocate equal rights in science and technology, and my dream is to eliminate the monopoly of energy so that everyone in the world can use it equally.”

Finished.

Pei Youwen and Chen Yuan were stunned and looked at each other.

If other people said these words, they might sound a bit empty and pretentious, but when Ji Hai said them, it really made people’s blood boil from the bottom of their hearts.

“Graduates from China’s top universities are different. In comparison, I am a mediocre person.” Pei Youwen said to himself in a low voice.

“‘Eliminating energy monopolies’ is not my philosophy.”

“Whose is that?” Chen Yuan asked curiously.

“Your father,” Ji Hai said softly, “He was a pioneer on this path, and we chose to follow.”

“he?”

Chen Yuan was very surprised.

There is no doubt that his understanding of Jiang Zhengfeng has been refreshed again.

……

13:00 noon.

A long table in the cafeteria was filled with delicious food, and a whole row of senior executives of Yushen Technology Company sat inside and outside.

Chen Yuan and three others were surrounded and could only pretend to socialize.

The project manager of Yushen Technology agreed to just eat whatever they wanted, but the dishes on the table in the cafeteria did not seem “casual” at all. The grouper sashimi on the table alone did not look like a dish that could be made in a cafeteria.

“Director Jiang has seen our production workshop. We have more than 30 first-class workshops like this in our branch, covering an absurdly large area. This is only the Xinwan base. There are a total of six bases of this size across the country. Once the cooperation is reached, our personnel and configuration will race against time to catch up with the project progress. It only takes one year and eight months to implement the project.”

The minister, wearing black-framed glasses, a white shirt and a beer belly, introduced himself to Chen Yuan excitedly.

“But the project we are working on needs to be improved. With the configuration you introduced, the investment amount is too large.”

“It is precisely because of the large amount of money and the heavy project that we rejected so many companies. We have been looking forward to your visit on behalf of Jiang’s. We don’t care about those small ones. Our goal is to form a strong alliance!”

“We’ll talk later. Let’s eat first.”

At the dinner table, not only Chen Yuan was pestered, but the rest, Pei Youwen and Ji Hai, were still listening to the endless introduction and nodded in affirmation.

Everyone was eating and talking, looking very happy.

In fact, everyone has different thoughts in their hearts.

Chen Yuan did not deny the company’s capabilities, but given the terms acceptable to the current partners, Jiang would never be willing to just invest without taking a stake.

AI is the general trend and the direction of the times. No one can go against this rolling tide.

This type of new company is eager to invest, and few companies can satisfy their huge appetite. As the party holding the initiative, Jiang is very interested in acquiring the shares of this company under his control, rather than simply providing nutrients.

Chen Yuan was only 70% full during the meal.

In the afternoon, I went to meet with other leaders of the company for consultation.

By the time the vehicle they were riding in drove out of the Yushen Company, it was already four o’clock in the afternoon, approaching evening.

“How is it?” Pei Youwen lowered the car window, took out a lighter and lit a cigarette, took a deep breath and said, “Director Jiang, what do you think?”

“I’ve seen everything I should see. I’ll write a report and submit it honestly and wait for a reply from the headquarters. Now I don’t know what level my father can accept, so it’s difficult for us to negotiate and we can only make promises.” Chen Yuan stretched lazily, his waist was sore from walking.

“I can only say that winning this project is very important to our Bauhinia Company. The partners revealed that they hope we can play the role of a lubricant. The shareholder named Wang has a strong intention to cooperate, but the other partners are wavering in their opinions. He needs accurate information within the company to gain support.” Ji Hai turned his head and stretched out his hand to Pei Youwen.

“What?”

“Have a cigarette.”

“Didn’t you quit smoking?”

“Yes, I quit every day.”

“……” Pei Youwen reached into his pocket and handed over the cigarette box.

Chen Yuan also lowered the car window to dispel the unpleasant smell of smoke in the car.

“What do you mean by that? Are you trying to persuade me to say something nice to the headquarters?”

“No,” Ji Hai said seriously, “If we have available resources, perhaps we can ask the headquarters for their opinions in advance.”

“Don’t we have to follow the procedures? The company stipulates that no one can report to a higher level.”

“I didn’t ask you, Mr. Jiang, to report to your superiors,” Ji Hai spread his hands, “I just wanted you to ask the leader if he had dinner. Is that too much?”

“Well, it’s not too much.”

Chen Yuan understood what Ji Hai meant and took out his cell phone helplessly.

In fact, if it weren’t for what happened today, he should have called Jiang Zhengfeng to say hello.

How could a father and son not contact each other for several months?

Chen Yuan’s chat history with Jiang Zhengfeng currently stops at the time of his last trip. After that, he only made three phone calls, and there was even one time when he clicked the wrong button and called Jiang Zhengfeng.

After the call was connected, he said it was a wrong number and hung up…

The car suddenly became quiet.

The two looked away, but both pricked up their ears, waiting for Chen Yuan to dial the number.

Accompanied by a series of “beep beep” dial sounds.

……

Kyoto.

Jiang Group headquarters conference room.

“We must deal seriously with Director Liu’s issue of shielding his subordinates and making false reports…”

There were dozens of people in the conference room and the atmosphere was extremely serious. Jiang Zhengfeng sat in the position of chairman and CEO in silence, and his face did not look good either.

The clear and beautiful scolding sounded in their ears, and everyone was silent.

There was a “buzzing” sound and an incoming call notification appeared on the phone screen.

Jiang Zhengfeng glanced over and saw the word “son” at a glance. He raised his eyebrows and raised his hand to take it.

He did not answer the call immediately, but looked at the executive who was giving a lecture.

After the phone stopped dialing, a few minutes later, Jiang Zhengfeng interrupted the executive while he was speaking.

“Go on, I’m going to take a call.”

“Okay, Mr. Jiang.” The executive said respectfully.

He walked out of the conference room and called back in the corridor.

“Hello…Xiao Yuan?” Jiang Zhengfeng adjusted his speaking manner and tried to make his tone softer.

At the same time, Chen Yuan’s reply came from the other end of the phone.

As expected, he actually took the initiative to ask Jiang Zhengfeng if he was free now and where he was.

“I was in a meeting just now… It’s okay, I won’t bother you. Just tell me if you have anything to say.”

……

“Oh? You just went there? How was it?”

……

“The key to the problem is not financial support, but the decision-making power of the project and the probability of our controlling stake. The board of directors also has different ideas on this matter. I think…”

……

“Yeah, Ji Hai’s idea is good. He can make concessions when necessary, provided that we can see his sincerity.”

……

rare.

Even though he was calling to inquire about serious matters, Jiang Zhengfeng felt genuinely happy in his heart. He deliberately slowed down his speech, hoping that Chen Yuan could understand.

the end.

“That’s it for now, Dad. I know you’re busy, but don’t forget to eat well… I might go to Kyoto in a few days. Aren’t the heads of each branch going to have a meeting together? Then you can find some time to chat with us.”

Chen Yuan’s slightly shy words came from the microphone.

Jiang Zhengfeng was stunned for a moment, and then a smile broke out on his wrinkled face. “Okay… okay, I’ll definitely… remember to eat well too.” As the helmsman of the entire Jiang Heavy Industry, this man actually answered somewhat stiffly.

The call was immediately hung up.

Jiang Zhengfeng maintained the action for a long while before reluctantly putting the phone back into his pocket.

……

Do not know why.

I just went out to answer a phone call.

Everyone in the conference room was curious as to why Jiang Zhengfeng looked so happy and walked more briskly when he came back.

He sat back in the main seat and even crossed his legs.

“Boss Jiang… I’ve finished speaking. What do you think of the outcome?”

“How to deal with it?”

“Dismissed.”

“Why should I be dismissed?” To everyone’s great surprise, Jiang Zhengfeng gave a completely different answer from before: “Just work hard and make up for your mistakes.”

this sentence.

The several middle-aged men who had been lowering their heads to be scolded suddenly raised their heads and looked at him in surprise.

“Director Jiang?” the female executive asked in confusion.

“It’s normal for them to be stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice when they get older. After this lesson, I think they will sincerely change their ways. Just cancel their three-month vacation and year-end bonus. That’s it, let’s adjourn the meeting.” He stood up and said with a smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Jiang! I will definitely cherish this opportunity.” Among the few people, the forty-year-old man with a lot of white hair said hurriedly.

How can I not be grateful?

A few people almost ruined a project that was the result of more than two years of hard work by thousands of people, but they were only fined and their year-end bonus was taken away.

“Don’t thank me. I have another errand for you. It’s going to be a good day in two days. On that day, I’ll use your year-end bonus as a punishment to draw a lottery. All employees who have been employed for more than three months can participate. No empty prizes are allowed. Go ahead.”

“Understood! President Jiang!”

……

Chen Yuan was standing on the viaduct, gazing at the changing lights of the distant buildings. Countless office buildings were brightly lit, the taillights of the cars in front were shining, and the sound of horns one after another stimulated people’s inner restlessness.

Pei Youwen next to him lit up another cigarette.

It was dark and they were trapped on the viaduct.

I was enjoying myself just now, listening to songs and watching the sunset, but in the blink of an eye, the road was so congested that I could hardly move, with cars carrying students home from school.

Through the car window, Chen Yuan saw a junior high school girl with a ponytail in the Passat next to him.

“Come on, the traffic jam will take at least an hour. I should have known not to take the elevated road. I forgot today is Friday.”

“It’s good to take a break. I’ll be working overtime on the report when I get home.”

“Let me think about how to write it now.”

The two people in the car were talking to each other.

Chen Yuan didn’t say anything. He took out his cell phone and opened the green bubble. The “click, click, click” sound of typing filled the space inside the car. He had to report to each of his two girlfriends.

It has gradually become a habit.

……

Fengting Community.

Jiang Yao, wearing plush slippers, walked out of the bedroom and leaned against the kitchen.

“Sister, the young master said he was stuck in traffic and would be back in about an hour. He said we don’t need to wait for him for dinner.”

“Are you hungry?” Jiang Ning turned around and asked.

“Not hungry.”

“Then wait for him to come back and eat together. I’m not very hungry.”

“He didn’t even tell me where he went this afternoon. It’s not easy to have a job like this, leaving early and returning late every day.”

“That’s good too. As for men, you can’t really keep them at home with their girlfriends every day.”

“Do you know where the young master went?”

“Um… I’m not sure either. It seems like they mentioned it as an inspection project.”

Jiang Ning turned on the faucet, lowered her head and told a little lie. She did not tell Jiang Yao that she was Chen Yuan’s secretary. This was also an agreement between the two.

Otherwise, Jiang Yao would definitely be angry if she told him about it. Deciding on such an important matter meant that she would choose Jiang Ning instead of Jiang Yao in the future. One could imagine how Jiang Yao would react after hearing the news.

In Ning Ning’s cognition.

This is also considered… a white lie.

Although they agree with the method of choosing one of the two, this agreement is only under the premise that they are the winner, so their feelings are definitely complicated.

On the one hand, there is the thrill of victory, and on the other hand, there is the guilt of not wanting the other party to get hurt.

“Gurgle—”

Jiang Ning was thinking when she suddenly heard a strange sound. Her watery eyes looked over and fell on Jiang Yao’s belly as she lowered her head.

After a moment, she chuckled.

“You said you weren’t hungry, but your stomach is growling. Forget it, I’ll make you an appetizer first. There’s no need to put yourself in a difficult position just to wait for Chen Zai, Yaoyao.”

“Hehe, I am indeed a little hungry~”

Jiang Yao’s face turned red, and she went into the kitchen and picked up her sister, acting coquettishly.

Jiang Ning gently stroked her sister’s hand, took out the glutinous rice balls she had bought a few days ago from the refrigerator, poured oil into the pot, and opened the food packaging.

Seeing her busy, Jiang Yao looked around, picked up a washed tomato on the table and put it in her mouth.

“I am so tired from live streaming today, sister. You don’t know, there is a black fan who is so annoying. I blocked her but she kept opening a small account to mess with my live streaming room. I guess she is a fan of other anchors. She kept attacking me for my poor professional skills… The whole live streaming room was full of scolding her, but she refused to leave.”

Yaoyao ate and said vaguely: “I don’t want to respond. The more I respond to this kind of person, the more excited she becomes. I can only pretend not to see it. It almost affects my mood for live broadcast.”

“People like these are like flies flying around everywhere. When you become a big anchor in the future, there will be more similar things. Remember to learn to control your emotions instead of being controlled by them.” Ningning warned.

“Is it possible? I’m already a big anchor now.”

“Look at how powerful you are. You won’t be modest.”

“To be honest, I’ve made a lot of progress this year,” Jiang Yao said as the glutinous rice floated in the frying pan with a sizzling sound. She quickly left the kitchen and continued, “I’ll play a new song I learned for you when I have time. It’s at least half the level of a master. It’s so smooth and fluent~”

“Stop grumbling there and help your sister close the kitchen door to prevent the smell of cooking fumes from drifting into the living room.”

“Tsk.” Jiang Yao curled her lips, feeling a little disappointed.

In the final analysis, a sister is different from a boyfriend. If she said this to Chen Yuan, he would definitely pretend to be amazed and say “Wow, our Yaoyao is so amazing” instead of asking her to stay away…

Jiang Yao quietly stuck out her tongue at Jiang Ning’s back and made a face to show her dissatisfaction.

Then he strolled around the house alone.

After a while.

Jiang Ning had just put the fried rice cake into the bowl when she heard footsteps in the living room and Jiang Yao’s scream.

“Sis! When did you bring our Christmas bear here? I missed it so much. I kept thinking about it when I went home for the New Year but I couldn’t find it.”

Separated by a layer of glass in the kitchen.

Jiang Yao was holding a brown bear with a bell and an elk pendant, holding it high with a surprised smile on her face.

“Yes, I brought it back specially. Did you find it from the suitcase? I had forgotten about it.”

The last time Jiang Ning went to school to apply for a degree, she found this little bear at home. It was covered with dust, so she washed it and then dried it.

“Where did you find it?”

“What are you talking about? It was stuffed in the bottom drawer of the closet, covered by a pile of clothes. If I wasn’t looking for my degree certificate, I wouldn’t be able to find it because it was moldy.” Jiang Ning felt angry and amused.

When Jiang Yao left Mingzhu City and moved to Lanjing, she was very immature. Although she is still immature now…but she really looked like a sixteen-year-old girl at that time.

I deliberately left the Christmas bear behind, telling it to guard the room and I would come back to pick it up later.

As a result, I haven’t been back for two years and I have forgotten where I hid it.

I feel a little sorry for Little Bear. After all, he accompanied the two sisters through most of their childhood, and he was always placed between them when they slept.

at this time.

Jiang Yao looked at the Christmas bear in her arms and was suddenly filled with emotion. Countless memories from the past flooded into her mind, stirring up her nostalgia for her childhood.

Spend the seemingly long vacation with my sister.

I secretly asked my uncle to take me to the amusement park to ride the Ferris wheel.

The competition for the Christmas bear finally reached an agreement to set a time, and when the time came, they would rush to ask for it back, so as not to give the other party a chance to hide it and say it was lost.

They wore their mother’s skirts together and imagined turning into Disney princesses or flying elves. Little Bear was their prince, and when they opened the door, they found him coming to rescue them.

Jiang Yao still remembers the awkward scene where she pretended to be surprised, opened the door, picked up the teddy bear and shouted “You are finally here”. It was so childish.

“I can’t believe it,” she murmured while touching the little bear, “Sister, we are already 26 years old in the blink of an eye. Time flies.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ning put down the plate in her hand and looked at her sister with complicated eyes.

All good things must come to an end. They had never thought that one day they would separate from each other, get married, start their own families, and never sleep in the same bed again. This scene could not be imagined in their minds, it was very vague.

Subconsciously, they thought that this kind of life would last forever and that the sisters would never be separated.

but.

Before we knew it, separation was at hand.

Maybe it’s a week, maybe two weeks or a month.

After Chen Yuan confessed to one of them, how long would it take them to get over their grudges? Is it possible that they would not contact each other for a long time?

It must have been a gloomy and rainy day.

There was a person who packed his luggage, silently wiped away his tears and left this lonely city.

There are traces of her everywhere in the house, but her figure is nowhere to be found.

“Sister, have you ever thought about this? This kind of life will end one day.” Jiang Yao’s sudden question interrupted her thoughts.

“what?”

“Only one of us can marry him.”

In the living room, they looked at each other, looking at each other’s cheeks.

That identical face, as if looking in a mirror.

There was a moment of silence.

After these words, neither of them spoke again, but the looks in their eyes spoke for themselves; they knew what the other was going to say and what they wanted to say.

“I’m sorry…Yaoyao,” Jiang Ning said softly, “It’s my fault for falling in love with the same person as you.”

After a while.

Jiang Yao suddenly smiled.

“How could that be, sister? I am extremely honored to fall in love with the same person as you.”

(End of this chapter)