After hanging up the phone, Shi Heng said to the driver, "Drive faster."
Si Wenjie glanced at him and asked, "You haven't told Youran about the Seven Days Tan incident yet?"
"There's no need to make her worry." Shi Heng flipped through the documents. "Pujiang Brain Science Center's core laboratory, I need you to evaluate whether their neural remodeling technology is truly feasible."
Si Wenjie nodded. "Their chief scientist, Chen Mingyuan, is internationally renowned, but the clinical success rate of neural memory reconstruction is only 30%."
"Not enough, I want 100%."
“There are no absolutes in medicine.”
"Then throw money and people at it until we have something." Shi Heng closed the file. "When we get there, we'll go directly to see their dean."
…
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
A black car slowly stopped in front of the Pujiang Brain Science Center building.
Si Wenjie looked at the modern building through the car window. "Is this the forefront of domestic neurological medical research?"
Shi Heng nodded. "President Zhou has extensive connections in the industry, but we need to see for ourselves whether their technology is viable."
As the two of them got out of the car, a middle-aged woman in a white coat came up to them and said, "Mr. Shi, Dean Si and Dean Zhou are already waiting for you in the office."
The middle-aged woman took the two of them to the top floor.
In the office, Dean Zhou, who was in his sixties, stood up and said with a kind smile, "Mr. Shi, I've long heard of your name."
Shi Heng shook hands with him and got straight to the point. "President Zhou, we're here to learn about your center's neural remodeling technology, especially the progress of its memory-retention program."
Dean Zhou sighed, "To be honest, this project does exist, but it's still in the experimental stage, and the clinical success rate... isn't ideal."
Si Wenjie took over the conversation, "What are the specific figures?"
Dean Zhou hesitated for a moment. "The success rate of animal experiments is currently around 30%. We've only done three human trials, and one of them showed memory loss..."
Shi Heng's eyes darkened. "Let me see the data report."
Dean Zhou looked embarrassed. "This involves commercial secrets. It must be approved by the board of directors before it can be accessed."
Just as Shi Heng was about to speak, the office door was suddenly pushed open.
A middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit strode in with his assistant, his smile confident and flamboyant. "President Zhou, our meeting has been moved up. Do you mind?"
He glanced at Shi Heng and smiled meaningfully, "Hey, isn't this Mr. Shi? What a coincidence."
Shi Heng slowly stood up and said calmly, "Mr. Gu is also interested in neuromedicine?"
Gu Chen laughed and walked over to sit next to Dean Zhou. "Chenxiao Medical started developing brain science three years ago, and we contacted Dean Zhou half a month earlier than President Shi."
Dean Zhou quickly tried to smooth things over, "Mr. Gu did have some initial contact with us, but we haven't reached any formal agreement yet."
Gu Chen took a document from his assistant and placed it on the table with a "pop". "Dean Zhou, this is Chen Xiao's letter of intent to acquire Pujiang Center. He offers 1.5 billion to fully acquire the center."
Shi Heng's eyes suddenly turned cold.
The man in front of him was Gu Chen, 45 years old, the founder of Chenxiao Medical Group. He started out as a medical device agent in his early years, and later transformed into medical investment. He was ruthless and good at capital operation.
He likes to use the method of "high-priced acquisition + resource integration" to swallow up competitors, and his reputation in the industry is polarized. Some people admire his business acumen, while others call him a "vulture in the medical field."
At this moment, he crossed his legs and looked at Shi Heng with a half-smile, "Mr. Shi, your Kangrui Hospital has developed rapidly in the past year, but in the field of brain science, Chenxiao Medical has been planning its layout much earlier than you."
Shi Heng said in a cold tone, "Early planning does not mean strong technology."
Gu Chen didn't care and turned to Dean Zhou, "Our Chenxiao Medical not only offers high prices, but also provides top international medical resources."
"For example, your researchers can go directly to the cooperative project with Hawkins Hospital in the United States for further studies."
Dean Zhou's eyes lit up, "This... is indeed very attractive."
Si Wenjie interrupted, "The resources Mr. Gu mentioned, are you referring to the illegal gene editing scandal in Country M last year?"
Gu Chen's face froze, but he quickly regained his smile. "President Si, business competition is competition, but spreading rumors will lead to legal consequences."
Shi Heng stood up and said directly to Dean Zhou: "I need to talk to the board of directors alone."
Gu Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "Boss Shi, the highest bidder wins. This is the rule of the market."
Shi Heng glanced at him calmly and said, "Rules are made by people, so they can be changed naturally."
As he turned around, he felt a slight vibration from the inside pocket of his suit.
I took out my phone and saw a message from Gu Youran:
[The temperature in Shanghai has dropped. There's a scarf in the compartment of your suitcase.]
Looking at the screen, he smiled.
I haven't seen her for half a day, but I've already started missing her. I have to speed up.
…
An hour later.
In the conference room, nine directors sat on both sides of the long table.
Shi Heng stood in front of the projection screen, and Si Wenjie sat next to him.
"Dear directors, thank you for taking the time to meet us." Shi Heng pressed the remote control, and the detailed terms of the acquisition plan appeared on the screen.
"Kangrui Group offered 4 billion to acquire the Pujiang Center and promised three things: first, retain all existing employees; second, double all staff salaries; and third, maintain the complete independence of the research team."
Director Li, who was sitting in the middle seat, said, "Mr. Shi, this offer is indeed very attractive. However, Chenxiao Medical not only offered 3.5 billion, but also promised to open up channels for us to enter the Country M market."
"Director Li, are you referring to these channels?" Shi Heng switched the slides, and a group of news report screenshots appeared on the screen.
"In the past three years, four of the six medical institutions acquired overseas by Chenxiao Medical were investigated for illegal operations."
"Last year, the neural stem cell project in Country M was ordered to be halted due to ethical concerns."
There was a murmur of discussion in the conference room.
Zhang Li, the youngest female director, said, "Mr. Shi, the authenticity of these reports..."
"Every one of them is supported by official documents."
Shi Heng took out a thick stack of documents from the folder. "This includes the red warning issued by the M country's Food and Drug Administration and the major penalty notice announced by their country's Ministry of Health. Dean Si can provide a professional interpretation for everyone."
Si Wenjie stood up and said, "I can responsibly say that there are serious suspicions of data falsification in the clinical trials conducted by Chenxiao Medical in Country M."
“If the Pujiang Center cooperates with them, I’m afraid it will jeopardize the international reputation of the entire team.”
Director Wang, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly interrupted, "Business competition inevitably leads to negative news, but Chenxiao Medical's scientific research strength is still obvious to all."
"Director Wang is right." Shi Heng looked at him meaningfully. "Just like your young master's laboratory in Country M, didn't it just recently receive a $5 million research grant from Chenxiao Medical?"
The conference room suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked at Director Wang.
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