Chapter 78: Company Crisis (Part 2)
late at night.
Room 1601 was completely silent. Outside the window, the city lights had dimmed considerably.
Yu Ling lay in bed, tossing and turning. Although Zhao Chen's comfort had relaxed her tense nerves, the doomsday scene at the company and the heavy report content during the day still lingered in her mind like ghosts.
She was afraid of waking up Zhao Chen, who seemed to be fast asleep beside her, so she could only open her eyes wide and stare at the dim light and shadow on the ceiling.
After an unknown amount of time, she couldn't fall asleep, so she got up quietly and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.
As I passed the study, a faint light shone through the crack in the door.
He hasn't slept yet?
Yu Ling's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. She quietly approached the study door, her footsteps light. It wasn't completely closed, leaving a gap.
She peered through the crack in the door and saw Zhao Chen sitting behind a large desk. The computer screen glowed with a faint blue light, illuminating his expressionless profile. He was wearing a Bluetooth headset and seemed to be on a call. His voice was low, but it still wafted clearly through the still night.
"...Well, just clean it up."
"On the public opinion side, have the PR department follow Plan C and direct the fire where it needs to be."
"Patent documents..." He paused slightly, his eyes sweeping across a thin brown paper document bag on the table with a "Confidential" label on it. It was the "Xinghui Technology Core Patent Transfer Letter" that Lin Feng had sent him a few days ago.
He picked up the briefcase and weighed it casually in his hand, his tone as flat as if he were discussing a takeout order:
"...Just leave it at 'Lao Wang's Print Shop' downstairs. Tell the owner it's something from Mr. Zhao, a regular customer, and have him keep it. I'll pick it up tomorrow."
Print shop?! Lao Wang Print Shop?!
Yu Ling was stunned listening outside the door! Her heart was pounding! That priceless patent document, enough to shake up the tech world, he had his assistant take it downstairs to that dimly lit, old printing shop where they charged fifty cents for a copy?! And he had the owner, Old Wang, keep it?!
Yu Ling was instantly overwhelmed by a sense of absurdity and an indescribable sense of certainty. Zhao Chen's expression of "tomorrow will be different" and his current nonchalant attitude, treating confidential documents like waste paper, overlapped in her mind!
She covered her mouth, afraid of screaming. She quietly retreated to the bedroom and lay back on the bed, her heart pounding, unable to calm down. She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep, but Zhao Chen's words, "Just put it in the print shop." kept echoing in her mind.
early morning.
The sunlight shines through the gauze curtains, gently awakening the sleeping city.
Yu Ling had barely slept the entire night and woke up with dark circles under her eyes. Zhao Chen was no longer around. After washing up, she walked into the living room and found him busy in the open kitchen.
He was still wearing the dark blue apron with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and was skillfully placing golden fried eggs and crispy baguettes on a plate.
The early morning sunlight fell on him, giving him a warm golden edge. The lines of his profile were gentle and focused, as if the man who gave orders in the study last night was just her illusion.
"Good morning." He heard footsteps, turned around, and gave Yu Ling a warm smile, his amber eyes clear and transparent. "Just in time, breakfast is ready."
Yu Ling looked at him, his peaceful home life, and thought of the "nuclear-level" documents in the print shop downstairs. She felt a mixture of emotions. She sat down at the dining table and poked at the fried egg on the plate without any appetite.
Zhao Chen seemed to be completely unaware of her abnormality. He placed a cup of warm milk next to her, picked up the tablet, and casually opened the financial news app.
"Let's see what's new today." He said it casually, as if he really cared about the morning news.
Yu Ling's eyes involuntarily drifted to the tablet screen.
The next second, the headline from the Finance app, like a powerful shot of adrenaline, instantly caught her eye! The bold headline, bright red and eye-catching, carried a powerful, heart-shaking force:
Shocking reversal! There's a ray of hope in the 'Green Source Crisis'! A mysterious capital giant steps in, licensing the core purification patent to 'Xinghui Technology' free of charge!
“Snap!”
The fork in Yu Ling's hand fell onto the plate with a crisp sound! She suddenly widened her eyes and stared at the screen in disbelief!
The news text scrolled quickly:
"Last night, Green Source New Materials, mired in the 'Green Source No. 1' pollution scandal and on the verge of collapse, experienced a dramatic turn of events! Reportedly, a mysterious capital institution called 'Horizon GreenTech' suddenly announced early this morning that it had obtained an exclusive, perpetual, free license from 'Starlight Technology' for its world-leading 'Nanoscale Heavy Metal Ion Targeted Adsorption and Harmless Conversion Technology' (NTAP technology). This technology is hailed within the industry as the 'ultimate key' to solving the problem of heavy metal pollution!"
Even more shocking is that 'Horizon GreenTech' announced that it will license this technology free of charge to Green Source New Materials Company for use in pollution control and subsequent upgrades of its 'Green Source No. 1' product!
The news was like a bolt from the blue! Green Source New Materials' stock price surged in pre-market trading on the US stock market, at one point exceeding 100%! Market confidence was instantly reversed!
Industry analysts point out that the value of NTAP technology is inestimable, and its free licensing can be described as a 'philanthropic act.' Horizon GreenTech's background is extremely mysterious, but its power is astonishing. This move not only saves Green Source, but also has the potential to completely rewrite the landscape of the environmentally friendly new materials industry..."
Below the news, there was a striking image: outside the Green Source New Materials Company headquarters, the reporters and protesters who had gathered had been dispersed. A large LED screen at the building's entrance scrolled a bright red subtitle: "Thank you Horizon GreenTech! Working together for a cleaner future!"
Yu Ling stared blankly at the screen, her mind blank! The immense shock and ecstasy washed over her like a tsunami! Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, nearly jumping out of her throat!
It's reversed! It's really reversed! In one night!
That suffocating, doomsday-like crisis...was resolved just like that...with such a casual understatement? Solved by a document...left at the print shop downstairs?
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhao Chen who was sitting across the table.
Zhao Chen was slowly and methodically slicing the baguette on his plate, his movements graceful and composed. His face was expressionless, as if he had just read an insignificant piece of entertainment gossip.
Feeling Yu Ling's burning gaze, he raised his head, his amber eyes clear and innocent, with just the right amount of doubt: "What's wrong, Lingling? Your face is so red? Is the milk too hot?"
Yu Ling looked at his "innocent" appearance, then at the pockets of his dark blue apron casually draped over the edge of the table.
The edge of the pocket was slightly bulging from the stuff inside. The pointed corner of a thin, dark brown kraft paper document bag was playfully peeking out from the edge of the apron pocket!
That color! That shape! Yu Ling couldn't possibly mistake it! It was the same document she'd seen through the crack in the study door last night—the "Xinghui Technology Core Patent Transfer Letter"!
At this moment, this priceless "nuclear-bomb-level" document, which had just created a huge wave in the capital market and saved the entire Green Source Company, was like a pack of leftover napkins, casually stuffed into the pocket of Zhao Chen's old apron stained with flour and oil, which was probably worth less than fifty yuan!
The huge impact caused Yu Ling's breathing to stop instantly! Her vision instantly blurred!
Tears welled up without warning! It wasn't out of grievance or fear, but rather an overwhelming, overwhelming feeling of emotion, peace of mind, and an indescribable happiness that was protected to the utmost!
She looked at Zhao Chen, at his handsome and gentle face in the morning light, full of "innocence" and "ordinariness", and at the small, dark brown document tip sticking out of his apron pocket...
All language has lost its power.
She stood up suddenly, walked around the dining table, and like a young swallow returning to its nest, she threw herself into Zhao Chen's arms without hesitation! She wrapped her arms tightly around his thin waist and buried her face deeply in his warm chest, which smelled of sunshine and bread!
The hot tears instantly soaked the cotton apron on his chest.
Zhao Chen was slightly shaken by her collision, and the knife and fork in his hand fell onto the plate with a crisp sound.
He was stunned at first, but then, his amber eyes instantly lit up with a warmth brighter and gentler than the morning sun outside the window. He sighed silently, and with endless doting and indulgence, he stretched out his arms and hugged his trembling little wife tighter and tighter.
His chin rested gently on the top of her head, feeling her hot tears soaking her clothes. His low voice, tinged with a smile, sounded softly, like the most beautiful love words:
"I told you, right? It's a small matter."
He paused, then gently stroked her trembling back with his flour-covered fingers.
"Next time something happens at the company..." He lowered his head, his warm lips touching her tear-soaked temples. His voice was low and tender, with a subtle hint of pride that seemed to be in control of everything. "Remember to go home first and tell me."
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