Zheng Yuan's words were undoubtedly a stimulus to someone with a strong sense of ambition and drive.
He tried to provoke Jiang Wanqing into staying, staring intently into her eyes, not missing a single change, but she remained calm as still water.
"Comrade Zheng, you are wrong. Even if I did have the kind of intention you are talking about, you have no right or qualification to question me. Getting angry is not something a gentleman should do."
She stood slightly outside, her expression seemingly mocking him as she spoke. He tightened his grip, his whole body tense, as if he were about to explode at any moment.
"Is there really no room for negotiation? For example, I can accept the money, and we can formally finalize a mutually beneficial contract?"
"I haven't graduated yet, so I can't sign a contract. You know that, right? Besides, I didn't even have that idea. Let's part ways amicably."
A calm madness brewed in Zheng Yuan's eyes. When he realized that Jiang Wanqing wouldn't listen to his tricks, he sighed, got up, walked behind his desk, opened a drawer, took out a well-preserved letter that showed signs of being opened, and then walked towards her.
"You must be wondering why I insisted on having you join our factory and trusted you so much back then. Perhaps in your heart I've always been a strange stranger, but actually there's a reason for all of this. Take a look at this."
Jiang Wanqing frowned as she took the letter. When she saw the postmark and the words "To Professor Xue" on the cover, her heart skipped a beat.
She took out the letter paper inside; the four pages were filled with her research ideas and future plans, which she had exchanged with Professor Xue in letters before she was admitted to Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
She initially thought she had lost the letter, but didn't know where she had put it. She then wrote a new one, which fortunately contained nothing confidential, just academic discussions.
but……
"How did this letter end up with you?!" she asked in surprise.
He smiled and said, "Do you remember when you almost got into a car accident in front of the school where you taught?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqing's expression froze: "That car is yours?"
Yes, it's mine.
"What does this have to do with this letter?"
"You dropped it, I picked it up."
He made it sound so simple, as if he were being honest and upright, but the truth is he had kept it hidden until today before telling her.
"Ha, why are you only telling me now? Why didn't you return it to me on the spot?"
She was perfectly clear-headed and didn't feel grateful to him because of it. A letter wasn't a valuable item, and he could have just picked it up. But now she suspected that his motives were impure.
Or perhaps... there was another person at the scene of that car accident, Jiang Xiu, who is now in his factory. Could the two be connected?
Having lived a second life, she was extremely cautious. Seeing that she couldn't be led astray no matter what she did, Zheng Yuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, I saw that this letter was addressed to Professor Xue. I didn't know you at the time, but I admired him greatly. At that time, I was planning to start a factory, so... to be honest, I was impressed by the knowledge and talent in your letter, which led to what happened later."
"So I should thank you?" she scoffed, unmoved by his offer.
"Of course not. What I mean is that I might have a slight liking for you, but it's mostly admiration and respect. If we can cooperate and achieve a win-win situation, that would be the best outcome; otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
“I will not let you become my opponent.” His eyes sharpened: “If we cooperate, I will be a gentleman to you; if we fight, I will use my own methods.”
"You're not going to pretend anymore?"
She wasn't scared by him; on the contrary, she breathed a sigh of relief because he had revealed his true colors. At least that way, they wouldn't have to test each other anymore.
"Hahaha... Wanqing, you still don't understand. I'm not pretending. I just have different methods for different people. I value talent, you know?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know."
Jiang Wanqing coldly pushed the stack of money forward a few inches, almost stuffing it into Zheng Yuan's hand. Then she closed her bag, clearly indicating that she would never take it back, and slowly stood up.
"This concludes the article."
After speaking succinctly, she walked out of the office. Just before she left, Zheng Yuan raised his voice to call her back.
"I'll give you some more time. You'll come back to me."
She paused briefly on her toes, then continued walking forward, waving her hand behind her back without leaving any room for negotiation.
After resolving her issues with Zheng Yuan, Jiang Wanqing focused on her studies and the moisturizing cream business, upgrading products, packaging, and expanding sales channels, carrying out each task systematically.
The following days were relatively peaceful. A new person took over Guo Xueyun's job at the school, but her position remained vacant, essentially being ignored.
Jiang Wanqing became a "famous" figure at Huada University. Everyone respected her but kept their distance. Only Molly and Shen Huan knew how good she was.
Molly often sneaks into their dormitory. Just now, Yue Shuzhen came back from outside, panting, and she handed her the water with practiced ease.
"Any progress? Take a breath and tell me slowly."
Yue Shuzhen gulped down a mouthful of water, waved her hand, nodded, and finally caught her breath.
"Good news! I used my family's connections to ask the state-owned department store, and they are willing to cooperate with us. As long as we have professional production lines and production qualifications, they can put our products on the shelves."
"That's great!" Qin Meng and Shen Huan jumped up and clapped their hands with joy.
Only Jiang Wanqing and Molly exchanged a glance, looking somewhat worried.
"Don't be too happy yet. Production lines and production qualifications are not so simple. If things continue like this, we may have to set up our own factory, which is not an easy task. We are still in school."
"Huh? Is it that complicated?"
Shen Huan looked dejected. She thought her luck was about to improve, but after overcoming one hurdle, there were other hurdles waiting ahead. Who could she complain to?
“They’re right. My family’s connections can only help us get this far. If we want to set up a factory, that’s a different story. First, there’s the money. Second, even though things have been liberalized, there are still a lot of restrictions. We’ll need to find connections. Many people who are setting up factories now are former government employees. We have no foundation at all. Who can we ask for help?” Yue Shuzhen sighed.
The dormitory fell silent. Jiang Wanqing glanced at her watch and exhaled.
"I'll go back and think of a solution. It's almost time, so I'll have to go now. I hope to bring you good news another day," she said optimistically, reassuring everyone.
"Oh, oh, oh, you should hurry up. Your Mr. Cheng might already be downstairs. Don't keep him waiting." Yue Shuzhen waved her hand, looking both envious and jealous.
The others burst out laughing, joining in the teasing of Jiang Wanqing, which broke the silence.
"Alright, Wanqing's gone, so I'm heading back too. My mom wants me to go to the market to buy some local produce today, and I'm afraid they'll all be closing up shop by the time I get there. Goodbye!"
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