late at night

On Monday, the board of directors of Sigen Pharmaceuticals...

Sijian, M&K Capital, and Lead Capital voted on the future of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Business Unit.

Since the two capital investors invested in Sijian Pharmaceuticals, a large portion of the management team directly involved in the project has been replaced by people from M&K. Leading Capital relinquished management from the beginning, only investing capital, but its voting rights on major decisions cannot be ignored.

After several rounds of adjustments, Sijian's original shareholders were well aware that when disagreements arose, Leading Venture would generally agree with M&K's management plan.

For Zhong Yunxi, Sijian's management was fundamentally flawed; otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to turn a decades-old pharmaceutical company into its current half-dead state.

When Sijian's project was first confirmed to be in cooperation with M&K, he did not know that the person in charge sent by M&K was Wen Ying. He did not have much affection for Wen Ying, but he recognized her professional ability.

He didn't need to completely avoid their professional interactions; doing so would only make him seem like he was trying too hard to hide something. But he still entrusted the entire project to Xue Meng.

At today's meeting, Xue Meng, representing Lead Capital, was also present.

As soon as Xue Meng arrived at Si Jian's parking lot, Wen Ying called. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xue Meng went upstairs and went directly to her office.

Wen Ying handed over the coffee: "Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Xue."

Xue Meng thanked him and said, "It's my duty."

Wen Ying asked Zhong Yunxi, "Mr. Zhong, it seems you haven't been to Hong Kong lately? Are you on vacation?"

When she was in the United States, Zhong Yunxi always went skiing during this season. Recently, she saw Bai Yi post a picture of the scenery in northern Xinjiang on her WeChat Moments.

Xue Meng simply nodded, but answered irrelevantly with, "The boss is always very busy."

As an assistant, he wouldn't casually discuss his boss's private matters with others. Especially since his boss had just given him a heads-up a few days ago to handle some unnecessary matters, and that person was Wen Ying.

Even a casual question today revealed to Xue Meng that Wen Ying was indeed paying too much attention to the boss.

He wasn't unfamiliar with this situation; when the boss first returned to China, the number of women pursuing him was far more extravagant than it is now.

Xue Meng steered the conversation back to the project: "President Wen, the boss agreed to cut Sijian's traditional Chinese medicine division, but what are M&K's plans for handling the current projects in the traditional Chinese medicine division?"

Xue Meng had reviewed the data from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Business Unit. There were currently seven or eight projects under development, but they were mostly burning through money and were not worth continuing according to M&K Capital's evaluation system.

Wen Ying's brows twitched slightly, and she asked first, "Has President Zhong asked about it?"

Xue Meng only said, "President Zhong has entrusted me with handling Si Jian's matter entirely."

Wen Ying smiled faintly again: "Our investment department at M&K suggests that, based on the initial investment, it would be best to sell to a traditional Chinese medicine company."

Xue Meng said, "As far as I know, M&K doesn't understand the Chinese medicine market and lacks experience in selling important projects. You'll have a hard time finding buyers to take over these projects."

Wen Ying pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, took a couple of sips of coffee, and then said, "We will proceed with the bidding process first."

She understood what Xue Meng meant. He wouldn't explicitly state Zhong Yunxi's attitude, but having been Zhong Yunxi's assistant for so long, he would occasionally remind the partners that Leading Innovation could cooperate with M&K's decisions, but if things went wrong and resulted in losses exceeding expectations, the boss would hold them accountable.

The meeting concluded as scheduled, and everything went as Wen Ying had anticipated.

As the two were going downstairs, they ran into Bai Yi at the elevator entrance in the parking lot, which Xue Meng hadn't expected. He quickly greeted her.

Bai Yi also greeted him politely: "Hello, Assistant Xue, are you out on fieldwork?"

Xue Meng specifically mentioned the boss: "Well, I'm here on behalf of the boss to attend a meeting. Are you busy here?"

Bai Yi: "Thank you for your hard work. I'm here to see a friend."

The two exchanged a few simple greetings and then said goodbye.

Wen Ying watched Bai Yi enter the elevator and mentioned to Xue Meng, "Everyone says that your Boss Zhong is keeping a mistress."

Upon hearing this, Xue Meng simply said, "Miss Bai is rather low-key and doesn't like to show her face in public with her boss."

Wen Ying smiled and glanced at him. It was one thing for outsiders not to know, but she didn't believe that Xue Meng didn't understand Bai Yi.

"You're being quite low-key. Is it that your boss doesn't want to bring you out, or is it that he simply can't?"

Xue Meng ignored the topic of his boss's personal affairs and simply smiled and said, "President Wen, please wait. You're busy. I'll go back and report to my boss right away."

When Bai Yi arrived at the lab, Ren Xiao was sitting in the outer office, looking worried. He told her, "After the management team changed, I often heard about the moves in the biopharmaceutical and chemical pharmaceutical departments. In less than a month, almost half of the R&D staff were laid off. They said they're collaborating with CROs and outsourcing most of the positions. Today was another board meeting, and our department head said they're going to make changes to traditional Chinese medicine."

Bai Yi didn't quite understand how their pharmaceutical company operated, so he placed the coffee and the souvenirs from his trip to Xinjiang on her desk. "How's the experiment going since you and Senior Brother He optimized Solanine?"

Ren Xiao took out the coffee she had brought, took a few sips, and caught his breath: "Hmm, it's not much trouble. You've been back from Xinjiang for a week and only now you remembered me?"

Bai Yi pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her, also looking tired. "The academic conference at Runhe has kept me busy all week. My work schedule is also very busy this week. I don't want to go to work..."

Ren Xiao looked at him with resentment, "You work by doing all the hard work without any effort. Is the little money you earn enough to cover the household utilities?"

Bai Yi rolled his eyes: "Professor Wu said that I was the best student in the last batch of graduate students he supervised, and that it was his final work. If I didn't do research with him, it would be a stain on his teaching career."

She added, "The water and electricity bills are covered."

Ren Xiao almost died laughing. "So it's a sect rule. Teacher Wu is really ruthless, it's a bit like extermination."

Bai Yi is indeed smart, but lazy. She only moves when prompted. Unfortunately, Professor Wu, who has spent half his life mentoring researchers, is fortunate to have Bai Yi as his last graduate student. She's clever, charming, and manageable, even for his disobedient students. It's like a daughter he had late in his career. A little laziness is fine; Professor Wu believes he can afford it.

Bai Yi came to the local community hospital today with a manager from Runhe's marketing department to visit a client and also to see Ren Xiao. They need to rush back to Runhe this afternoon.

She's been really tired lately.

Not only the marketing department, but also the sales department has recently started to need her cooperation on many things.

On the way back, Lin Pei, the second-in-command of the marketing department, made small talk: "It's really too much trouble for Teacher Bai. We asked you to come out on fieldwork so early in the morning."

Bai Yi sat quietly in the passenger seat, her eyes listless, but her attitude was decent: "It's nothing, the Medical Affairs Department should cooperate with you."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Lin Pei chatted with a smile: "I could have handled things on my end, but the expense reimbursement process is complicated now. Without your help, I can't communicate with the finance department. Small accounts are fine, but Dongping Community Hospital, don't underestimate it just because it's a community hospital. It's very successful."

Bai Yi casually asked, "Has the company's financial system changed?"

Lin Pei shook his head. While waiting at the red light, he glanced at her, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "No, it's only our new drug."

Bai Yi: ...

Lin Pei wasn't sure if Bai Yi could understand anything. But he could only hint at it.

Everyone in the marketing department is shrewd. When Lin Pei had a business expense refunded by the finance department, General Manager Shang simply said, "The new drug marketing expenses didn't have two signatures." Lin Pei immediately understood where the problem lay.

Later, when he encountered large expenses, he would go to the Medical Affairs Department to ask Bai Yi for help. It wasn't a particularly difficult job, but it was still a hassle and required fieldwork.

He didn't know how Bai Yi, a research team sent from elsewhere, could have offended the finance department. He only knew that the marketing department had become a stumbling block for General Manager Shang in the finance department to create obstacles for Bai Yi.

He absolutely cannot afford to offend the finance department, but he's also heard that Bai Yi is a shareholder of Runhe. He's now walking on thin ice, surviving in the cracks.

In the afternoon, Meng Shuang brought coffee and desserts into Runhe's CFO's office.

"Shang Xinlan, have you lost your mind?"

Meng Shuang went to the Medical Affairs Department to find Bai Yi in the morning. Her colleague next to her said that Bai Yi had gone on a field trip with General Manager Lin from the Marketing Department.

Meng Shuang felt a chill run down her spine and went straight to the marketing department. Lin's assistant mentioned to her that recently, the marketing department had been experiencing issues with business expenses related to the marketing of new drugs, which were always being returned by the finance department. Lin was probably trying to prevent this from happening again with the expenses from Dongping Community Hospital, and asked Teacher Bai to cooperate.

Meng Shuang felt that Shang Xinlan had finally gone mad.

"I didn't do anything. It was just her job." Shang Xinlan opened the dessert box; it contained her favorite strawberry daifuku.

Meng Shuang sighed and rubbed her forehead: "You really think she's here to work? She doesn't even get paid by Runhe. Even if she's slacking off, that's the research team's job. Bai Yi is notorious for slacking off in Professor Wu's team. Do you need to order her around?"

Shang Xinlan said nonchalantly, "Just think of me as someone who doesn't like her. I'm just a villainous supporting character who wants to bully others in the workplace."

Meng Shuang: ...

"Xinlan, sometimes, you have to accept your fate."

Shang Xinlan took out a coffee from the paper bag, took a sip, and it was her favorite caramel macchiato. She laughed and said, "I only resort to petty tricks because I've resigned myself to my fate. If I hadn't resigned myself to my fate, would I have tolerated her until now?"

Meng Shuang: ...

“You really are… She didn’t bother anyone. I’m not kidding you, you only need to use the marketing department twice, you hear me? Zhong Yunxi is a shareholder of Runhe, don’t twist your ankle over something so trivial.”

Shang Xinlan took a few more sips of coffee, slowly exhaled, and reluctantly hummed in agreement.

Bai Yi was practically wilted when the marketing department dragged her out for fieldwork for the third time this week.

This damn class is so awful, the more I study there, the more I want to die.

She sent Professor Wu a WeChat message with the emoji: "[Dead man slightly alive]".

Professor Wu asked her: What's wrong?

Bai Yi: Runhe's job is so hard! [crying]

Professor Wu: If you ask for leave, I'll have Lu Xin go in your place.

Bai Yi: Never mind, Senior Brother seems to be very busy lately too.

Professor Wu: How busy can he be? Would doing more work kill him?

Bai Yi: Okay [hehe]

Then she took a screenshot and sent it to Lu Xin.

Upon seeing this, Lu Xin gasped and replied, "Junior Sister, if you can use Zhong Yunxi, please don't use Teacher Wu, okay? Zhong Yunxi is a shareholder of Runhe. Teacher Wu is too far away to be of immediate help."

Bai Yi: No, I need to earn money to pay the water and electricity bills.

Lu Xin: You two split the bills? He made you pay the utility bills?

Bai Yi: No, not at all.

Lu Xin: ...

When Lu Xin actually went to Runhe and said that Professor Wu's research team had sent an extra person to assist, Lu Lin couldn't hold back anymore.

Regarding Shang Xinlan's actions, Lu Lin had Meng Shuang remind him that he didn't want the shareholders and the finance department to be at odds in his company.

Lu Lin had a feeling that Bai Yi was unlikely to go to Zhong Yunxi, but he didn't expect that Bai Yi could solve this problem through the research team.

Most people sent out by their employers are either too docile and easy to manage, or too assertive and difficult to control. Regardless of their type, they're generally the kind of people who, once sent out, are left largely unattended.

But Bai Yi was different. When she was sent out to work and something happened, her unit would step in to protect her, which shows her status in the research team.

Lu Lin then understood slightly why she had been so indifferent to Zhong Yunxi.

She had enjoyed all kinds of favoritism, so Zhong Yunxi's affections were not particularly rare or precious to her.

Lu Lin then took Lu Xin to meet with the marketing department and also went to the finance department to find Shang Xinlan.

Shang Xinlan listened to Lu Lin's arrangement: "From now on, the liaison with the marketing department will be handled by Professor Lu, the new teacher in the research team. Professor Bai will only be responsible for the academic promotion of the marketing department."

Shang Xinlan smiled indifferently, her tone particularly sarcastic: "This armor stacking skill is impressive."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xin immediately realized that the problem with his junior colleague's discomfort here lay with the finance department. He smiled and said, "Professor Wu's team has never been one to get bogged down in details. My junior colleague has been in the Southwest for a long time, so it's understandable that she's not used to the high-intensity work environment in Yuegang. I hope your company will understand."

Before leaving, Lu Xin went back to the Medical Affairs Department's office and approached from behind her workstation. Bai Yi was playing a game. Lu Xin watched her change her character's outfit and said with a smile, "I should have taken a video of you and sent it to Teacher Wu to get you to work. You're just blatantly slacking off like this?"

Bai Yi covered her phone with a smile, glanced at her senior brother, and said with a laugh, "Teacher Wu already said, what's wrong with you doing more work?"

Lu Xin: ...

Even though he was helpless, he just laughed and teased her: "Go ahead and act like this. I'm telling you, you don't need to come to work every day. Even Zhong Yunxi's car with that engine displacement is too fuel-consuming to pick you up and drop you off. If you don't go to work, everyone will be free."

Bai Yi laughed and urged him to leave: "Go away, you're so annoying."

In the afternoon, just before leaving get off work, Ren Xiao called Bai Yi. After she hung up, she replied: "I'll call you downstairs. I'm still in the office."

After getting into the car downstairs, I called Ren Xiao. There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before he said, "Sijian's management has laid off the entire traditional Chinese medicine business unit."

Bai Yi: !!!

She was stunned for a long time before asking, "What will happen to our project? Can they just terminate the contract like that?"

Ren Xiao said, "I'm not very clear about it. In theory, it is possible. Even if the contract is not terminated, the project will still be abandoned if they stop investing funds and manpower. That would be more painful than terminating the contract."

Bai Yi frowned, feeling particularly irritable at that moment.

Although the project she was working on with Sijian was in charge of with her senior brother He, with He doing more work, she still found it hard to accept that her hard work had been cut short. Teacher Wu and He had put in a lot of effort, and if they knew about this, they would definitely be more upset than she was.

“Sijian hasn’t contacted us yet, otherwise Teacher Wu would definitely have asked me about it.”

"Why lay them off?" Bai Yi muttered dejectedly.

Ren Xiao didn't know how to explain it either; capital operations and corporate profits and losses were not things they could change.

People in different positions have vastly different views and make vastly different decisions.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the company executives have different ideas from us who do research. They only do things that make money, not things that are right."

Bai Yi: ...

She hung up the phone, and her previously good mood vanished instantly. She didn't even want to mention this feeling of helplessness to anyone.

Ren Xiao was still in her office, waiting for Wen Ying, the executive who had been parachuted into Sijian and had implemented sweeping reforms.