A Gamble Worth Taking

A battle of words.

Lin Xu had never actually taken part in a proper business negotiation before, so in his mind, talks involving massive sums of money should have been sophisticated and serious.

There should have been business elites in perfectly tailored suits and gold-rimmed glasses seated on opposite sides of a long negotiating table, engaging in a meticulous verbal clash with rigorous arguments and razor-sharp language.

Thick stacks of documents should have covered the table, while charts and graphs should have filled the large screen.

Secretaries should have stood quietly to the side, ready at any moment to note the other party's weaknesses and whisper them into their boss's ear. Once the boss seized on one, it would be a lethal blow of polished rhetoric packed with "legal provisions, business practices, and economic principles."

...However, it was nothing like he had imagined.

From the very beginning, the entire negotiation had been filled with flowery insults, with so many mentions of mothers that Lin Xu almost felt as if he were at some late-night food stall where everyone had drunk too much.

The large screen had long since gone into standby mode from lack of use, silently looping an advertisement for men's hair-growth products.

The secretary did only two things.

Pour tea.

And pick up the documents furious investors threw at Ren Jian's face.

"...Ren, you motherfucker!"

"Bottom line, did you discuss this with us before making the decision?"

"We invested in you because we trusted you. Otherwise, why wouldn't we have invested in other domestic companies in the industry?"

"Fuck, I saw that test vessel of yours was coming along nicely. I thought you'd finally settled down and started doing things properly."

"But then I turn around, and you pull something this huge again!?"

"Anyway, I'm not wasting words with you today."

"Didn't you say you wanted to make chemical fibers, make materials?"

"Didn't you say you already had the technical documents and were just waiting to put them into production?"

"Then bring out the documents right now!"

"If you can't, then there's no point talking about our follow-up investment!"

"We can see your company's financials. You've got less than seventy million in cash on the books. How much will be left after next month's payroll?"

"You won't see returns for who knows how many years. If I don't invest, I'd like to see who the fuck would still dare invest in you!"

The investor, bald across the crown, was glaring and swearing nonstop, but Ren Jian remained as unmoving as a mountain.

"It's impossible to show you the documents. They're highly unusual and quite complete."

"But we haven't carried out actual production trials yet, nor have we applied for patents, so we can't disclose them in advance."

"So you don't have them?"

the bald investor demanded.

"We do, but I can't show them to you."

Ren Jian remained perfectly calm.

"What if I insist on seeing them?"

"Finalize the investment intent first."

"And if I don't invest?"

"Then you don't get to see them."

"You motherfucking... Ren, are you just impossible to deal with??"

The bald investor slapped the table and stood up, pointing at the documents on it as he said:

"You think you can use this little bit of stuff to swindle two hundred million out of us?"

"Do you think I'm a child?"

"I'm not swindling you out of anything."

Ren Jian was still unhurried.

"Our investment agreement was reached based on your confidence in Test No. 3. It has nothing to do with Skyvault Technology's current acquisition."

"If you think the terms of the investment have changed, then withdraw your investment."

"I never said you weren't allowed to withdraw."

When he said that, not only the investors across the table, but even Lin Xu was dumbfounded.

Holy shit.

Wasn't this just steering the conversation straight toward a breakdown?

The investors threatened him, and he threatened them right back?

So this was some kind of negotiation strategy too?

But it seemed... wrong.

Looking at Ren Jian's expression, he really did not seem to be pretending.

His gaze was incomparably firm, his body completely relaxed.

It was as though he did not care at all about the two hundred million in investment before him, nor did he have any intention of fighting for it.

As he sat there, his entire bearing conveyed only one unspoken message.

Invest or don't.

Lin Xu felt that if he had been sitting across from him, he probably would have been bluffed.

But the bald investor was not buying it.

"You think you can bluff me? Don't invest?"

"Fine, then I won't invest!"

"Right now, all we have is a letter of intent anyway. I'm done with this!"

"If you think you're so great, go do it yourself. I'd like to see how long the little money you have can keep you going!"

With that, the bald investor angrily rose and made as if to head for the door.

Ren Jian coughed and said:

"Wait."

The bald investor halted.

Turning back, he asked:

"Thought it over? Still want to talk?"

"If you do, bring out the complete materials for our experts to examine."

"I'll pretend what happened just now never happened. I can give you another chance!"

"No."

Ren Jian shook his head.

"I'm giving you another chance."

"You have no idea how much profit these two sets of materials could bring if they can be industrially manufactured."

"If you don't understand, ask the expert beside you."

"You may not understand, but he definitely does."

The bald investor looked toward the bespectacled middle-aged man beside him. The latter nodded, clearly hoping that he would continue the discussion.

But Ren Jian still did not yield in the slightest.

"Like I said, we've already shown you the preliminary materials. You should have some idea of the authenticity of these process documents by now."

"If you want to invest or cooperate later, make your judgment based on these preliminary materials."

"If you feel you can't make that judgment..."

"Then I'll find an investor who knows the industry better."

"...Fuck!"

Leaving behind a curse, the bald investor shoved open the door and left.

The expert he had brought stood there helplessly for a moment. In the end, he could only sigh and follow after him.

Lin Xu, who had not had a chance to speak from beginning to end, finally walked over to Ren Jian and asked:

"So... did the negotiation fall through?"

"That's right."

Ren Jian nodded slightly.

"But only the negotiation fell through. We haven't."

"Student Lin Xu, don't worry."

"Even if you don't figure something out, I still have other options."

"Isn't it just funding? Isn't it just a factory?"

"This process document is already quite complete. Can we get the patent approved within a month?"

"If we can... then we won't seek investment."

"Bringing in too much investment will also make our equity structure more complicated. That wasn't what you... what you wanted to see either, right?"

"So..."

"We might as well sell everything and take a gamble!"

"Fifty million. I'll calculate another fifty million for subsequent production, trial manufacturing, new equipment purchases, and staff salaries."

"One hundred million in total."

"I happen to have an apartment I can sell."

"What do you think, Student Lin Xu? Are we doing this or not?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xu frowned.

Were they doing this or not?

In truth, obtaining the complete technical documents was not difficult for him, nor would there be any surprises.

The greatest risks in the entire trial-manufacturing process lay in acquiring the equipment and carrying out the actual work.

Many of the advanced pieces of equipment required for the process would not be easy to obtain, and the hands-on work also needed someone experienced and skilled to take the lead.

If those two issues could not be resolved, the trial-manufacturing progress would be severely delayed.

But...

With Xu Jin's connection, perhaps it would not be too difficult?

Lin Xu took a deep breath.

It was decided.

He looked up at Ren Jian and nodded firmly.

"Let's do it!"

"And we won't make one month our target."

"Two weeks!"

"One week to secure the equipment and personnel, one week to complete the trial production and file the patent applications at the same time!"