Chapter 250 Fighting with fists is the lowest form of winning.
A man in a dark cashmere suit stepped forward and said, "Miss Ji, Mr. Pang would like to invite you upstairs for a chat."
Ji Ying immediately glanced at the coffee shop.
The man who looked like a secretary said with a faint smile, "Wherever Elder Pang is, it's very safe."
Ji Ying was startled; he even knew she was looking for Jiang Ran.
Outside the coffee shop, Jiang Ran stared at several men in black suits, her teeth grinding together.
Her hand, which had been hanging down, clenched into a fist, and she tried to swing it several times.
The leading man gestured with his chin toward the sniper's position, reminding her again, "If you move more than half a meter, the person you're trying to protect will die. We always keep our word."
Seeing Ji Ying helpless on the other side, Jiang Ran felt a burning anger surging in his heart, fiercely intertwined with a huge sense of powerlessness, making him feel as if his internal organs were out of place.
Seeing her like this, the other person's smile widened.
"Little friend, fighting with fists is the lowest form of winning or losing, have you learned that?"
When Jiang Ran didn't appear, Ji Ying knew she had fallen into Gu Yanchen's trap. Panicking was useless, so she sat still and didn't even look at the person who had spoken.
"I'm just an ordinary person, and I've never had any dealings with Old Master Pang. I really can't think of anything that would make the old gentleman want to talk to me about. So what does he intend to discuss with me?"
The secretary was a quick-witted person and immediately understood the deeper meaning in her words. She took a half step back, her posture changing to purely businesslike respect, and said with a slight smile, "President Ji, please."
Ji Ying wiped her hands with a hot towel and got up.
Although she didn't even glance at Gu Yanchen, the act of throwing the towel on the table clearly demonstrated her anger towards him.
After being searched by a device, Ji Ying, "escorted" by several people, walked through the coffee shop and headed towards a VIP elevator that required a special card to activate.
The elevator doors closed, leading directly to a higher, more private area of the building.
On the top floor of the club, behind the elevator doors is an extremely elegant Chinese-style study.
A rosewood desk, writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; a banner reading "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision" hangs on the wall. An elderly man with gray hair, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, stands with his back to her, admiring the night view of Beijing outside the window.
"Mr. Pang, the person has been brought here," the secretary said, stepping forward.
Pang Daiyao slowly turned around, his technologically advanced face showing far fewer signs of aging than his peers.
"Miss Ji, please have a seat."
Pang Daiyao's voice was gentle, carrying a sense of composure that comes from long-standing positions of power.
He pointed to the rosewood chair opposite the desk, "It was presumptuous of me to invite you here in this way. I hope I haven't startled you."
Ji Ying showed no fear. She took off her coat, draped it over the back of the chair, and then sat down.
"Old Master Pang has put so much thought into this plan, so there's no need for further pleasantries. If 'abruptness' could be so meticulously planned, then there would be no 'accidents' in this world."
The strong perfume she wore overpowered the aroma of the expensive tea, which cost four figures per ounce; it was a bit intoxicating.
But Pang Daiyao wore a kind smile on his face.
"Thank you for the compliment. Young people with such talent and vision as Miss Ji are extremely rare."
Pang Daiyao personally poured her a cup of hot tea.
“I’ve read the technical report for ‘Qixia.’ It was entirely developed under your leadership and is truly a labor of love. It’s remarkable. However, such technology shouldn’t be monopolized by an individual or a small company. It should belong to the nation and to a more powerful platform to realize its full potential. It’s a pity that it’s in your hands.”
Ji Ying sneered inwardly; as expected, the true intentions were revealed.
She looked into Pang Daiyao's seemingly cloudy but actually shrewd eyes and spoke sharply.
"Does Mr. Pang mean that 'Qixia' is also following your family's most successful investment model, using 'technology sharing' as an entry point, just like those companies that were 'empowered' back then, to use the name of sharing to carry out takeovers, and ultimately make Qingsui your own?"
Pang Daiyao's smile faded slightly. After taking a sip of strong tea, his tone remained unreadable.
"It seems you investigated me first. However, your handling of matters is not tactful enough, which will not be good for your future."
Ji Ying laughed at his words, "I'm the kind of person who judges people very well. If we click, we can chat happily no matter what; if we don't click, every word is a waste of my time and energy. Mr. Pang, which one do you think you are?"
Pang Daiyao was not furious, but his gaze toward her became very deep.
"Your stubborn expression and tone of voice remind me of someone."
"Madam Shen?"
Ji Ying uttered these three words in an extremely calm tone, but Pang Daiyao shook his head.
“He was a colleague of my son’s before he passed away. They shared common interests and goals, and were like brothers. But later, his friend became successful, while my son passed away.”
Ji Ying suddenly realized, and said calmly, "Then please accept my condolences."
Her tone made Pang Daiyao feel slightly displeased.
"The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. You are a smart person and should understand that without a strong enough tree to shelter you from the wind and rain, even the best seedling may perish in the storm."
Pang Daiyao's voice was no longer gentle.
Ji Ying held the teacup, but instead of drinking from it, she gently swirled it around.
"Old Master Pang is a god who can see in all directions. As long as someone catches your eye, even a dog can become Erlang Shen's divine hound."
Ji Ying paused slightly, her eyes darkening.
"You remind me of the various times I've been hunted down in Kun City over the past few months, with the mastermind getting away with it. In the end, we tried everything to put him in prison, but he was silenced before he could be convicted. There must be a powerful figure like you behind him to be so arrogant."
Upon hearing this, Pang Daiyao's facial muscles twitched slightly, but his eyes remained completely unmoved.
"Then you should know even more how important it is to 'share' Qixia's technology."
At this point, Ji Ying was certain that the person Gu Yi had emptied the entire Gu family coffers to support and rely on was the one standing before her.
She smiled slightly, "I appreciate the old man's 'kindness' in inviting me, but I'm sorry, your Pang family should think of other ways to make money. If I were to give you even a penny, I wouldn't even be a Ji."
The air in the study suddenly seemed to freeze.
Ji Ying ripped away the mask of hypocrisy, and the composure that Pang Daiyao had displayed in his eyes, which had been shrouded in experience, vanished, revealing only the naked, sinister glint of a predator.
“Steel is easily broken. I have some new ways of ‘cooperating’ for you to choose from, such as making your brain incredibly ‘obedient,’ so that you will willingly recite all the technical details, and then for the rest of your life, you will crave to work for me as much as you crave oxygen. How about this way of cooperating?”
A chill ran through Ji Ying's heart, but a strange, almost mocking smile appeared on her face.
"If you want me to answer your question, why don't you answer mine first, Mr. Pang? What do you think of the perfume I'm wearing today?"
The moment she entered, she took off her coat in front of the strangers, which was already strange. Coupled with the unusually strong perfume, Pang Daiyao's suspicions finally came to fruition.
He frowned. "You mean the fragrance on you is poisonous?"
Ji Ying smiled faintly, "It's a good idea to have Gu Yanchen trick me into coming here, but you overlooked one thing: I hate him, so I'm wary of him."
Pang Daiyao pondered for a few seconds with a shrewd and calculating air, then relaxed his brow and smiled.
"No way, you're bluffing me."
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