Marriage Can Wait - Chapter 38 - The Shortcut to Success Leads to an Abyss!

The scenery outside the car window flew by rapidly, a reminder that today would be anything but easy.

Xiang Meilan, reviewing the newly received documents, said to Xiang Yi, “I need you to take me to today’s event.”

The event was the year-end conference, gathering nearly all the notable companies in the domestic artificial intelligence sector, along with top global AI capital.

This event was crucial for Xiao Chen.

The host, Jinshi Asia Fund, had invested in several metaverse concept companies, which would have a huge demand for VR products in the future. Xiao Chen, with his VR product, had already gone through three rounds of talks with them and was entering the contract negotiation stage. If successful, Xiao Chen would not only break into the metaverse field but also secure substantial orders.

As a supplier in a fiercely competitive market, Xiao Chen had He Songshi’s considerable support behind the scenes to thank for his success.

So Xiang Yi was cautious: “Take you to the event, and then what?”

“I just need to meet someone.”

“Why does it have to be at this event?”

“I only have three days. I can’t afford to waste a second,” Xiang Meilan replied, and it was true.

At that moment, Xiang Yi and Xiao Chen were also on their way to the event venue.

After hanging up, Xiang Yi discussed it with Xiao Chen. Upon arriving at the hotel where the event was held, they saw Xiang Meilan waiting at the entrance of the bar downstairs. Xiang Yi hung her name badge around Xiang Meilan’s neck. “The event has limited spots. Wear my badge and go in with Xiao Chen.”

“You’re not going?”

“No, I have another meeting in Hangzhou¹ tonight, and I’m already pressed for time. Besides, I can’t offer much help during Xiao Chen’s talks. We might as well divide and conquer.” Before leaving, Xiang Yi reminded, “You’re going in my place, don’t embarrass me.”

“Got it, got it.” It reminded her of university days when Xiang Yi would impersonate Xiang Meilan in classes, never the other way around.

After bidding farewell to Xiang Yi, Xiao Chen entered the venue with Xiang Meilan.

The venue was dazzling with lights and crowded with guests, numbering in the hundreds.

Within twenty minutes of entering, Xiang Meilan found her target, the entrepreneur and technical lead of the invested company, Liu Zhen.

After exchanging WeChat contacts and a few pleasantries, she got straight to the point: “You’re focused on research, but your vision doesn’t align with Jinshi’s. With their investment, they become the major shareholder. Do you know what that means?”

Though phrased as a question, Xiang Meilan didn’t give Liu Zhen a chance to answer, instead imposing her perspective: “It means projects that can’t be commercialized in the short term will be cut, like your prized Alzheimer’s disease detection project. They’re interested in retinal detection for health risk assessments for insurance companies.”

With that, Xiang Meilan handed over her phone, displaying a confidential document submitted to the Regulatory Authority. It showed Jinshi Asia Fund had reached a preliminary agreement with the two largest insurance companies in the country to co-build Health Check Centers.

“They’re considering investing in you because you have a project that can be integrated into these centers,” Xiang Meilan noted Liu Zhen’s slight eyebrow twitch, “They’ll only keep that project. In the end, your company will just be a name on the list of partners for the Health Check Centers, becoming part of something else. Your ideals mean nothing to them. Your employees will have to leave.”

Behind thick lenses, Liu Zhen’s eyes glanced at Xiang Meilan, wary but intrigued. After hesitating, he took the phone, scrolling through the document with growing seriousness, his brow furrowing deeper.

Xiang Meilan watched his expression closely; the more concerned he appeared, the more likely she was to succeed.

A few steps away, Xiao Chen leaned quietly against the wall, observing them. To him, Xiang Yi and Xiang Meilan looked alike, but their demeanors were vastly different. Xiang Yi was always calm and gentle, while Xiang Meilan was vibrant and confident.

After about fifteen minutes, Xiang Meilan approached Xiao Chen with a satisfied smile.

Xiao Chen asked, “How did it go?”

Xiang Meilan replied, “It’s just the first step. He needs to reject Jinshi before considering me.”

Xiao Chen shook his head with a smile, “Who would reject Jinshi? In the entire AI field, Jinshi is the dream backer, both in terms of background and funding.”

“But this backer is too big, too powerful. With such a disparity in strength, they could crush you like an ant,” Xiang Meilan said. “Jinshi recently invested in two startup companies, and apart from the core team of a few, everyone else was laid off, including the CFO who secured the financing.”

This incident had caused quite a stir in the industry, and Xiao Chen had heard about it. The CFO who facilitated the deal ended up with only an N+1 compensation, a rather unfortunate outcome.

Xiang Meilan continued, “The one in charge of investing in and managing those two companies is Jinshi’s investment director, Pei Liang. He’s a heavyweight at Jinshi, known for his tough, no-nonsense approach. It was he who announced the mass layoffs after the investment. And it’s this Pei Liang who’s now accepted Liu Zhen’s investment offer and conducted preliminary due diligence.”

Xiang Meilan implied that Liu Zhen’s company, under Pei Liang’s control, would likely have little room to maneuver.

Xiao Chen sighed, saying nothing. The market was ruthless, survival of the fittest, ever-changing. A single day could mean life or death. He had tread carefully for years to reach this point, always feeling the pressure.

Xiang Meilan looked up at Xiao Chen, “I told him the real reason Jinshi wants to acquire him, and he realized that his company would inevitably face drastic changes. Liu Zhen is idealistic; he’s not just looking to make money and retire.”

“Yes, if it were me, I wouldn’t want my partners to suddenly find themselves out of work,” Xiao Chen smiled, “especially when I was the one who brought in the investors.”

Seeing Xiao Chen’s troubled expression, Xiang Meilan patted his shoulder with a smile, “Don’t worry, your investor is Mr. He. He’s not like that. And with Mr. He backing you, Jinshi won’t give you a hard time during contract talks. They have to respect him.”

Xiao Chen nodded, “That’s true.” He seemed reassured, then noticed a stain on Xiang Meilan’s dress, “What happened here?”

Xiang Meilan shrugged it off, “A lady accidentally spilled wine on me during the conversation.” The lady had been quite apologetic, trying to clean it with a napkin for a while, “This fabric, once stained, doesn’t clean easily.”

“Shouldn’t you wash it off?”

“No need, I’m done here. If you don’t need anything, I’ll head back.”

Xiao Chen nodded, politely saying, “Take care on your way home.”

Xiang Meilan left to catch a ride home, feeling light-hearted. But as soon as she stepped inside, before she could even change, she received a WeChat message.

It was from a friend at a Regulatory Authority.

“Meilan, did you forward the document I sent you to someone else?”

The question was polite, but Xiang Meilan’s mind buzzed. She immediately replied, “No.”

Her friend said, “The agreement document between Jinshi Fund and the insurance companies has leaked and is spreading like wildfire.” Forwarding confidential documents could be a minor issue or a major one. If it was just for private viewing, it was fine, but once it spread, it was a breach of discipline, a leak, with serious consequences. Her friend would face a strict review, and any prospects of promotion or a raise would be affected.

If it really leaked from Xiang Meilan, she would have caused significant harm.

Judging by her friend’s tone, though not explicitly stated, it seemed they already believed it had leaked from her.

Xiang Meilan was still thinking of how to clear her name when she received a call from Xiao Chen. “The entrepreneur you were interested in, Liu Zhen, got into a fight with Pei Liang.” The noise from the venue was loud, with occasional shouts.

Each shout felt like a stab to Xiang Meilan’s heart, leaving her breathless.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Liu Zhen has a document.”

Xiang Meilan’s heart skipped a beat, “How did he get that document?”

Xiao Chen couldn’t answer her, only anxiously saying, “He just publicly accused Pei Liang of breaking promises, claiming they agreed to continue the research project but actually planned to sell him to the Health Check Centers.” The scene had been quite ugly.

More importantly, Liu Zhen, unfamiliar with Xiang Meilan, remembered the name badge she wore, repeatedly attributing his enlightenment to “Xiang Yi,” claiming “Xiang Yi” gave him the document, which was the proof. Pei Liang knew Xiao Chen was Xiang Yi’s boss, putting Xiao Chen in a difficult position.

Xiang Meilan retraced her steps, realizing Liu Zhen must have secretly forwarded the document from her phone while she was distracted by the stain on her dress.

She quickly checked her phone, finding a forwarded message. It was like a smoking gun, making her hands tremble.

Xiao Chen’s call hadn’t ended when Xiang Yi’s call came through.

“Xiang Meilan! What did you do?” Unlike Xiao Chen, Xiang Yi didn’t hold back, unleashing a torrent of scolding, “They think I incited that man to embarrass Pei Liang and Jinshi Fund at their own event! Do you know you’ve ruined Xiao Chen’s negotiations with Jinshi?”

Betraying a friend, leaking confidential information, and under her sister’s name, she had caused trouble for Xiao Chen.

“I didn’t know he was like that.” She couldn’t defend herself, nor did she know what to do.

It was the first time Xiang Meilan faced such a situation. Sharing confidential documents privately was no big deal, but she never imagined someone would spread it so widely. Since entering the industry, everyone around her, including herself, operated in a gray area, always maintaining peace.

Only now did she realize that the people she dealt with were professional financiers who adhered to unspoken rules. But now, she encountered an entrepreneur who, while honest and straightforward, was “unprofessional” in the business world.

Because she trusted an “unprofessional” person, her reputation in the industry would inevitably plummet, branded as “unprofessional.”

That brief fifteen-minute conversation had dragged Xiang Meilan and Xiang Yi’s reputations and careers into the abyss.

Xiang Yi scolded, “You didn’t know?! You didn’t know what kind of person he was, and you still wanted to invest in him? Are you out of your mind?”

Only then did Xiang Meilan realize the magnitude of her mistake. When she first entered the industry, Zhou Yanyin personally taught her to evaluate people before investing. But because this entrepreneur was recommended by Zhou Yanyin, she had skipped that step.

Xiang Yi continued, “Do you know that without this order, we might not survive? Do you know how much Mr. He will lose because of this? Forget the money; the impact of this incident on Xiao Chen and Mr. He in the industry is devastating! You’ve ruined everyone! You go and explain to him!”

Footnote:

1. Hangzhou(杭州): The capital city of Zhejiang Province in eastern China, renowned for its historical significance, natural beauty, and its iconic West Lake.