Chapter 211 Intimidation
Before Lin Jie could speak, the suited assistant beside him shouted, "How do you run your company? Don't you know who we are?"
His tone was very unhappy.
Lin Jie observed Zhou Fanyi's expression from the corner of his eye, but saw that she looked calm and there was no trace of emotion in her eyes, which made him even more shocked.
He is so patient, does he have any backing?
"Xiao Zhang, stop messing around." He stood up and extended his hand pretentiously. "It's Mr. Zhou. I've long heard of you. I'm Lin Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. I'm here... on orders from my superiors to take over your company's material processing technology."
"Instructions from a higher-up?" Chi Li raised her eyebrows slightly, pulled the chair next to her back, sat down calmly, and looked directly at Lin Jie. "Tell me, which higher-up? Did they issue a takeover order?"
The others stared in disbelief.
I thought the company employees were already being indifferent enough, but I didn't expect the company president to be even more arrogant. Just imagine, if the name of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were known, wouldn't any entrepreneur be terrified to serve them?
Is this woman crazy, or just an idiot?
Lin Jie looked at Chi Li with a forced smile, a flicker of anger in his eyes. He slowly lowered his hand from mid-air and gestured to the man in the suit beside him.
The suited assistant opened his briefcase, took out a document, and slammed it unceremoniously on the table in front of Chi Li. "This is the takeover order signed by the leader."
He smiled arrogantly, "Mr. Zhou, I know that the material machine you developed at Sky Dome raked in nearly 20 billion in profit from a single auction. It's truly impressive. However, this level of technology isn't something you can control on your own. You'd better hand it over to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
Chi Li crossed her arms across her chest, not even glancing at the document. She said calmly, "The leader personally signed it? That's truly an honor."
Lawyer Du Xiao took the document and quickly looked through it.
Seeing that the male assistant had finished playing the good cop role, Lin Jie started playing the bad cop role. He smiled gently and said, "Mr. Zhou, we're not unreasonable people. As long as you sign the contract now, we're willing to acquire 80% of Material Machine's equity for 5 billion. Of course, if you don't want to cooperate, you won't get a penny."
Chi Li's eyes suddenly darkened. "Just 5 billion and you want to take away the material machine technology? What's the difference between that and giving away beggars?"
The production orders for this batch of second-generation material machines alone could bring in that much, not to mention the larger contracts with other partners. The material machines could bring their company hundreds of billions in profits. It could be said to be a money-printing machine... no, it was the ultimate weapon, turning competitors' banknotes into worthless paper.
She looked up at Lin Jie and said coldly, "How about I pay 10 billion to buy all the patented technologies in your laboratory?"
The smile on Lin Jie's face froze instantly. He slammed his hand on the table and said sternly, "Zhou Fanyi, I'm warning you, don't be so shameless!"
Chi Li sneered, "So you know this is called shameless?" She looked at the other person with contempt in her eyes.
Lin Jie was used to being complimented, but had never been ridiculed like this before. He was so angry that his eyes turned red and veins popped out on his forehead. "You——!"
Just as he was about to explode in anger, Du Xiao interrupted him, "Academician Lin, with all due respect, this takeover document is legally untenable. It lacks the official approval of the Supreme Council, nor has it been reviewed by the Science and Technology Review Ethics Committee. If you insist on forcibly taking over, we will have no choice but to pursue legal action and sue the Head Office and the National Academy of Sciences for abuse of power in the Imperial Supreme Court."
Lin Jie's pupils shrank slightly, and he swallowed back the curse that was about to come out of his mouth.
If it were an ordinary person, he would certainly not take it seriously, but Du Xiao is an ace lawyer in the litigation world who has never lost a case. In addition, she has a strong background and her mother is a prosecutor. There will definitely be no good results if he goes against her.
The most important thing is that this is a secret operation and it will not be good for him if it becomes a big deal.
Just as Lin Jie was pondering how to respond, Chi Li stood up, put one hand in her pocket, and said coldly, "Everyone, please go back. I have a meeting later, so I won't see you off."
Everyone's faces flushed red at Chi Lan's arrogance, their chests heaving, yet they dared not lash out. Lin Jie glared at her fiercely, knowing full well that they would return empty-handed this time, and that it was pointless to stay and argue further.
He stood up suddenly and walked out of the meeting room. However, as he passed by Chi Li, he couldn't help but say something harsh, "You will regret this!"
The others stood up and left one after another. In an instant, the conference room was empty and silent.
Chi Qi looked indifferent as she watched them leave with cold eyes, a hint of murderous intent in her eyes.
It seems that the position of the head has to be replaced... I still have to cultivate my own connections in the political circle so that Tiankong Technology can develop steadily.
But where can we find these talents?
The original novel only focuses on the emotional entanglement between the heroine and the heroine, and does not mention the legal system, technological development, and political landscape of this world.
What is even more speechless is that the male protagonist in the story is like an outlaw who kills whoever he wants. Even Qiao Zhizhang's death is related to him.
At the beginning, she had not yet obtained the main god system, so she failed to kill the male protagonist Qiao Yanzhi, but this time, she will not fail again.
Chi Qi raised the corners of her mouth, and a brilliant idea came to her mind.
But before that, she had to thank Du Xiao. If it weren't for her, this group of people would not be so easy to deal with.
Chi Li personally sent Du Xiao to the door, but when they were leaving, she casually said that she would give her a second-generation material machine. Du Xiao declined, saying "I don't feel comfortable doing that", but her eyes showed surprise.
However, it was precisely because Tianqiong was so sincere and offered generous conditions that were irresistible that this legal elite was willing to serve as Tianqiong Technology's legal advisor.
"I'll have to trouble Sister Du to take care of the company's affairs in the future."
Only then did Du Xiao accept the gift with peace of mind and leave.
Chi Yan returned to the office and called Huang Yan, the human resources director, to tell her about her plan. "I'm planning to set up a foundation. Please help me find someone to lead it."
Huang Yan asked, "Does Mr. Zhou have any specific requirements for candidates? For example, do they prioritize academic background, government connections, or fundraising ability?"
When Chi Ling made her request, Huang Yan's eyes immediately widened in surprise.
After a long silence, he swallowed hard and agreed reluctantly, "...Okay."
————
In the quiet bedroom, the curtains were drawn tightly, not letting in any sunlight.
Lin Wei curled up in the chair with her legs hugged, staring at the computer screen motionlessly.
But the computer wasn't turned on. She stared blankly at the blurry face on the screen. Her once vibrant face was now haggard and numb. Her messy curly hair fell, covering her cheeks, and a pair of bloodshot eyes peeked through the hair.
Who would have thought that a month ago she was the youngest investment director of Baihua Capital, but was banned by the entire industry because of an anonymous letter of complaint.
"ah--!"
Suddenly, a terrified scream came from outside the door, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.
Lin Wei's distracted pupils suddenly focused. After recognizing the voice as that of her girlfriend Liu Ming, she suddenly jumped off the chair and rushed out without even having time to put on her shoes.
"A Ming, what's wrong?"
As she finished speaking, she saw the scene in the living room clearly and her pupils suddenly shrank.
Liu Ming was seen standing stiffly at the entrance with a pale face. In the overturned express box at his feet, a blood-stained white dove was struggling weakly.
Lin Wei walked over quickly and took the trembling paper from Liu Ming's hand. A line of shocking red words came into view -
Lin Wei, if you don’t want to die, tell that reporter to shut up!
Her heart tightened, her brows furrowed, and she tore the paper in her hand into pieces. "They are really too rampant."
Liu Ming hugged her arm tightly and whispered, "The podcast I just published has been taken down, and all online reports about Li Qiren have been deleted... No matter how I edit it, it won't be published... They've mobilized the entire network's review authority. This is not ordinary PR at all... Now, there's nothing we can do..."
Even though she pretended to sound calm, Lin Wei could still feel her body trembling.
Lin Wei hugged his girlfriend, not knowing whether to comfort her or himself, and whispered softly, "It's okay, it's okay... One day, we will definitely be able to bring those evil people to justice."
She lowered her eyes to glance at the express delivery and thought, they can’t stay in this house anymore, but where else can they hide?
Just as he was frowning in thought, a familiar name suddenly came from the TV.
"...the education aid program established by Birch Capital founder Li Qiren has invested a total of 80 million yuan over the past decade, continuously supporting girls in need to complete their education. This fully demonstrates the commitment and responsibility of an entrepreneur!"
The two of them looked up at the same time and looked at the TV screen. They saw Li Qiren facing the camera and talking freely, as if the online turmoil had not affected him at all. He was still the kind and righteous entrepreneur.
Lin Wei looked at his greasy smile and thought about the things he had done. She felt nauseous and took the remote control to turn off the TV.
Over the years, she'd forged a formidable path in the male-dominated financial sector with her unwavering ability. The persistent gazes, the unbridled obscenities at drinking parties, and even blatant harassment left her feeling nauseous. The oppressive work environment had led her to develop mental illness, forcing her to constantly consult a psychiatrist for anti-anxiety medication.
Later, she finally got the position of investment director, but her boss asked her to tamper with the accounts and hinted that she would have no chance of keeping the position if she did not go along with the corrupt practices.
From then on, Lin Wei had the idea of resigning, but she was reluctant to give up her high income, so she was unable to make up her mind.
Lin Wei knew the feeling of poverty all too well. Born an orphan, she relied on student loans to complete her education, leaving her with nothing. Her girlfriend had long since broken up with her family to be with her, and her job as an investigative reporter wasn't very lucrative; her base salary couldn't even cover rent.
Without this high-paying job, they will have a hard time.
But before she could resign, she was kicked out of the company and even banned from the entire industry.
It was the night a month ago. She was working overtime at the company and went to get a document as asked by her boss, but accidentally took the wrong USB flash drive.
When she clicked to open the strange folder, she found that it contained her boss Li Qiren's money laundering account book, as well as his transaction records of helping powerful people find students under the guise of financial aid.
Looking at those photos and videos, Lin Wei's mind exploded.
Without hesitation, she copied the contents of the USB drive and then calmly returned it before Li Qiren found out.
Afterwards, she anonymously reported her boss's illegal behavior to the law enforcement bureau and submitted relevant evidence. However, she did not expect that what she got was not an investigation by the law enforcement bureau, but revenge from Li Qiren and the powerful people behind him.
Liu Ming also received a threatening express delivery because he spoke up for her in the media.
Although Lin Wei reassured Liu Ming that she didn't need to be afraid, she was terrified. Logically, the company didn't know the address of the house, but they still sent a threatening courier to her door.
She suspected that no matter where they hid, they would not be able to escape the pursuit of those people.
Unless she died, those people would let Liu Ming go.
Lin Wei returned to the bedroom, and a dangerous thought emerged from the bottom of his heart, the voice becoming louder and more urgent.
If she killed Li Qiren, would the matter be made public?
Just then, the email reminder rang.
She didn't want to pay attention to it, but out of professional habit, her fingers almost instinctively opened the phone. When she saw what the title said, her eyes widened instantly.
It's an interview invitation from Tianqiong Company.
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