Ning Nanxue walked over to him, her fingers gently stroking the documents on the desk. "Tingchen, is there anything you haven't told me?"
"Xue'er, you're so perceptive." Jiang Tingchen sighed softly, "There is indeed some news, but it's not certain yet. My foreign partner mentioned that Howard's recent investment trends are somewhat unusual, but the details are still unclear."
"You could have just told me."
"I just don't want to distract you." Jiang Tingchen held her hand. "I'll tell you after I confirm it, okay?"
Ning Nanxue nodded and turned to the window. "Fu Chen will go all out this time. We must be fully prepared."
Inside the Fu Group, news spread like wildfire. In the staff cafeteria, groups of people chatted in low voices.
"Have you heard? President Ning and President Fu faced off at the board meeting, and President Fu lost miserably."
"Is this true? I also heard that Howard is coming to the company. Is he going to cooperate with us?"
"Cooperation? You're too naive. You're here to accuse me! It's said that our new energy project infringes on their patents."
"Then what about President Ning? She just gained a foothold on the board of directors..."
In the office corridor, the heads of various departments had different expressions. Some deliberately approached Ning Nanxue's camp, some remained on the sidelines, and some even began to show goodwill towards Fu Chen.
Inside Fu Chen's mansion, Xu Zhiru paced excitedly in the living room. "Ah Chen, Howard will be here tomorrow, and Ning Nanxue will be humiliated!"
"Don't be too happy too soon." Fu Chen shook his wine glass calmly, "Ning Nanxue is not an easy character to deal with. There is a mysterious figure named Jiang Tingchen behind her."
Xu Zhao stood aside, tapping his phone screen. "Brother-in-law, I've confirmed with Howard that he'll bring his legal team directly to the company tomorrow and publicly accuse Ning Nanxue of infringing on the project."
"I hope your arrangements are foolproof." Fu Chen put down his glass. "This is our last chance."
Xu Zhao nodded slightly, turned and walked to the balcony, and dialed an encrypted number. "Everything is going according to plan. See you tomorrow." He hung up the phone and looked out at the distant cityscape at night, his lips curled up in an inscrutable arc.
Jiang Tingchen returned to his hotel room and checked the message from abroad again.
The text on the screen made him frown: "There have been unusual changes in Howard's investment direction. We recommend paying attention."
Jiang Tingchen read the message over and over again, his intuition telling him that the matter was not simple. He quickly dialed an encrypted number and after a few whispered words, his expression became solemn.
He quietly put the phone back into his pocket and decided not to disturb Ning Nanxue who was thinking.
Early in the morning of the third day, Howard's private plane landed at the international airport on time.
A well-tailored suit outlined his muscular figure, and although he was in his forties, he still maintained an athletic physique. Three assistants in suits and ties followed closely behind him, each holding a folder and looking serious.
"Mr. Howard, welcome." Fu Chen personally greeted him in the lobby, followed by Xu Zhiru who looked expectant.
"Mr. Fu, I've heard a lot about you." Howard shook hands with great strength. "It seems your company is very busy today."
Fu Chen was slightly stunned: "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, I just feel the atmosphere is a little...peculiar." Howard glanced around meaningfully. "Can we arrange a meeting directly? I'm short on time."
"Of course, I have notified all core executives to be present." Fu Chen led the way, his steps more hurried than usual.
Xu Zhiru followed closely behind the two of them and whispered to Fu Chen: "Ah Chen, is everything going according to plan?"
"Shut up and don't make trouble at this time." Fu Chen warned in a low voice.
In the conference room, Ning Nanxue and Jiang Tingchen were already seated, with several documents neatly placed in front of them. When Howard entered, Ning Nanxue stood up and politely extended her hand.
"Mr. Howard, it's nice to meet you."
Howard paused for a second, a strange look flashing across his face, and then he shook her hand: "Mr. Ning, I've heard of your great name for a long time."
Fu Chen sat down next to Howard, quietly adjusted his tie, and glanced provocatively at Ning Nanxue and Jiang Tingchen. Xu Zhiru leaned close to Fu Chen, as if asserting her sovereignty, her eyes full of pride.
As the directors arrived one after another, the atmosphere in the meeting room became so tense that it almost froze.
"Everyone," Howard looked around and said in a steady and powerful voice, "First of all, thank you for Mr. Fu's invitation."
Fu Chen leaned forward slightly, a confident smile on his face, ready to continue Howard's words.
"Regarding some recent...rumors, I think it's necessary to clarify." Howard took a document from his assistant. "We are indeed paying attention to your company's new energy projects and have noticed some unusual data fluctuations."
Fu Chen immediately responded: "As we expected, there are serious problems with the project that Mr. Ning is in charge of—"
"Mr. Fu," Howard raised his hand to interrupt, "please allow me to finish what I am saying."
The conference room fell into dead silence.
"After our technical team's analysis and elimination of data that was clearly tampered with," Howard said calmly, "we are very interested in the new energy project led by President Ning."
The expression on Fu Chen's face froze.
"What?" Xu Zhiru couldn't help but blurt out, and was then glared at by Fu Chen.
"In fact," Howard continued, "the purpose of my visit is to explore the possibility of cooperation with the Fu Group, more specifically, with the team led by President Ning."
Jiang Tingchen secretly observed Howard's expression and movements, and had already made a rough judgment in his mind.
Fu Chen clenched his hands, his knuckles turning white: "Mr. Howard, I'm afraid there is some misunderstanding. What we were discussing before was-"
"Mr. Fu should be very clear about what we are discussing." Howard's tone suddenly turned cold. "I have always been sincere about business cooperation, but I am not very interested in using me to attack competitors."
Xu Zhiru felt dizzy and looked at Fu Chen in panic. The latter looked as pale as death.
"Mr. Howard," Ning Nanxue said calmly, "We are honored by your interest. I wonder which area of cooperation you are more interested in?"
"Technology sharing, market expansion, and capital injection," Howard said directly. "Of course, the details need further discussion."
Jiang Tingchen raised his eyebrows slightly: "What about the patent issue?"
"What patent issue?" Howard asked. "We've analyzed your company's technology and found it's completely independent research and development. It has nothing to do with our patents."
Xu Zhiru couldn't help herself any longer and stood up hastily: "This is impossible! A Zhao clearly said..."
"Ms. Xu," Howard turned to her, "I don't know any 'A Zhao'. I only contact formal channels."
After hearing these words, the people around him were struck by lightning. What did he mean?
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