Chapter 38 Blatant Favoritism
The next afternoon, the atmosphere in the Chen Group's conference room was even more tense than in the chairman's office the day before.
Chen Ran personally attended the meeting, but Su Nian didn't come, instead appointing Attorney Zhong. The small amount of anticipation in his heart was like a punctured balloon, withering halfway.
Li Yuan from Yuanxin Studio had his head buried under the table the entire time, his fingers rubbing against the latch of his briefcase as if he were polishing it. He Qian didn't even dare to come.
Chen Ran sat in the main seat, and when he glanced at the other two parties, his eyes were filled with scrutiny, yet there was a subtle complexity hidden in them.
"Lawyer Zhong," Chen Ran spoke first, "Regarding the design copyright issue, it was an oversight on our part. On behalf of Chen's Garment Company, I would like to apologize to Ms. Su Nian."
Lawyer Zhong did not respond, but just looked at Li Yuan in Yuanxin Studio.
Li Yuan was startled by the look on his face and quickly said, "The design that Yuanxin Studio collaborated on with Chen's Clothing Company is not the original award-winning design." He tried his best to ignore Su Nian.
As soon as he said this, he was retorted by the head of Chen's design department, "Our original contract was very clear. It was a cooperation based on their studio's award-winning design." The chairman's attitude was very clear. He could see which way the wind was blowing and could not target Su Nian.
Li Yuan saw this and realized that Chen had no intention of protecting him, so he quickly changed the script: "Our Yuanxin Studio is collaborating with Chen on this award-winning design, and Su Nian is aware of it! Su Nian was also involved in the studio's inception. Many of my classmates and friends can attest to this."
Lawyer Zhong spoke up, "Mr. Li Yuan, you claim Su Nian knew about this. Do you have any evidence? Or can you produce a statement from Su Nian relinquishing the copyright to the winning design? Furthermore, although Su Nian participated in the studio's early days, she was at most helping out as a friend. From the beginning, you were the legal representative of Yuanxin Studio, and she wasn't a contributor. Could friendship really count as registered capital?"
He paused, his eyes suddenly sharp as a knife, and continued, "Furthermore, Miss Su Nian has a complete set of draft materials for the winning design, from conception to final draft. According to the WeChat conversation between Miss Su Nian and Mr. Li Yuan, it can be seen that Mr. Li Yuan only participated in the entire design and modified a small, insignificant detail at the end."
Chen Ran was a little surprised. So this is the truth. How could Su Nian be willing to suffer such a loss? It seems there is a story behind this! She is still too young.
Li Yuan's face turned pale, but he still insisted: "No evidence! Who knows if that draft was a later draft?"
Lawyer Zhong slammed a stack of documents and said, "Here's the evidence. From conception to finished draft, it's more complete than your skin. But you, on the other hand, dared to sell the design without the copyright owner's consent. This is like stealing someone's wallet and then swiping your card at the owner's store. You're so bold."
Li Yuan's forehead was covered in sweat, as if he had just run out of a sauna.
Chen Ran watched this farce, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise. Su Nian, this girl, was not only talented, but also very capable. He admired Su Nian's intelligence even more in his heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose slightly.
Chen Ran raised his hand to stop the subsequent argument: "Let's talk about the compensation plan."
Zhong Jie pushed the proposed agreement over, and the compensation amount was divided into two parts: Chen's Clothing Company and Yuanxin Studio.
Li Yuan was completely dumbfounded when he saw the amount of compensation. He was about to object when Chen Ran stopped him with a look.
"We accept Ms. Su Nian's claim against Chen's. Our cooperation with Yuanxin will cease immediately, and Chen's company's legal department will then file a claim against Yuanxin Studio."
After hearing this, Li Yuan's face was as pale as an eggplant hit by frost, completely wilted.
Chen Ran looked at Zhong Jie and said, "I have a suggestion. Chen's company has a program to support emerging designers. We can sign a contract with Miss Su Nian."
Zhong Jie paused, not expecting such a proposal. Chen's preference for Su Nian was obvious!
He continued calmly, "You can discuss this directly with Miss Su Nian herself. But now, Miss Su Nian has entrusted me to insist that Yuanxin Studio publicly apologize and immediately stop selling all infringing products."
Chen Ran nodded: "Okay. We can stop production and sales immediately." He looked at his assistant Fang Shuo.
Fang Shuo stood up and walked out quickly.
The issue with Chen was perfectly resolved. Zhong Jie looked at Li Yuan again, "So, Mr. Li, do you want to reconcile or wait to be sued by us?"
Sweat dripped down Li Yuan's forehead like beads from a broken string. He hesitated for a long time before finally giving in. "Reconcile...reconcile. We're willing to make a public apology, but the amount of compensation is simply too much for a small studio like ours to bear."
Lawyer Zhong's eyes were firm. "Mr. Li, this compensation amount is reasonably calculated based on the losses. If you find it difficult, you can propose a compensation plan that you can accept, and we can negotiate."
Li Yuan gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, and then spoke cautiously, "Can you reduce it by half and pay it off over two years?"
Before Lawyer Zhong could respond, Chen Ran spoke first, "Mr. Li Yuan, you infringed the rights first, so this compensation is the minimum. If you fail to pay compensation in full and on time, we at Chen will pursue legal action against you."
Li Yuan's face turned pale. Knowing that there was no room for maneuver, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Chen Ran looked at Lawyer Zhong and said, "Please tell Ms. Su Nian that I respect you and hope to discuss the support plan with her as soon as possible."
Zhong Jie smiled and nodded, "I will convey it truthfully. If Miss Su Nian is interested, she will contact Mr. Chen."
At this point, the copyright dispute meeting came to a temporary end.
Chen Ran walked out of the meeting room. He suddenly looked forward to meeting Su Nian next time. He wanted to see how this smart and stubborn child would react when facing him.
At this moment, Su Nian was filled with regrets - why did she agree to Si Yan's request to come to Jishiditang to get some "calming tea" for Ms. Su Hong? If she had known that Zhang Minghua was in session today, she would never have come.
Si Yan was busy discussing the medical records with the intern, so he placed Su Nian in Zhang Minghua's private lounge.
But how could this future mother-in-law let her stay in peace? Even after work, she didn't feel tired and called her over to take her pulse.
You know, she has some concerns about seeing a Chinese doctor taking her pulse.
Now she was like a lamb to be slaughtered, pressed on the mahogany chair in Zhang Minghua's clinic.
"Stick out your tongue so I can see it." Zhang Minghua placed his fingers on her pulse, frowning slightly. "Niannian, why are you so angry? Did you have an argument with someone recently? Is it that Si Yan who made you unhappy?"
Su Nian almost blurted out "I'm in a lawsuit recently", but the words turned into: "Maybe... staying up late to draw the design..."
"Design?" Zhang Minghua's eyes suddenly lit up. "Is it the one you designed for the old man and the old lady?"
The door to the clinic suddenly opened. Si Yan, dressed in a white coat, magically held two glasses of juice in his hands. "Mom! Don't just treat anyone... Come, Nian Nian, have some juice."
"I'm almost done, just wait a little longer. Why don't you wait at my place?" Si Yan was really worried about Su Nian being here.
"You go ahead, I'll stay here and talk to my aunt." Su Nian thought that as long as she didn't need to take my pulse, she would just wait here. The previous topic was not finished yet.
"My grandparents love the clothes you designed for them," Zhang Minghua said with a smile.
Su Nian immediately responded, "Auntie, if you don't mind, I can design one for you too. You can go to my mom's shop. She's an amazing cheongsam maker. I learned all my handcrafting skills from her."
Zhang Minghua's face lit up when she heard her daughter-in-law wanted to design clothes for her. She even became more yearning for her in-laws' tailor shop. "I must go take a good look when I have time."
The last time the two families met, she noticed the shantung silk dress Su Hong was wearing and had been thinking about it ever since.
It turns out that no matter how powerful a female professor or doctor is, she is no different from an ordinary woman when it comes to beautiful clothes.
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