However, faced with such temptation, Yang Hongtao still curled his lip in disdain, said, "Sorry, I'm not interested..." and then walked over without looking back, opened the car door, and drove away in his newly bought Mercedes-Benz.
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 37 The Father-in-Law Arrives
When Yang Hongtao returned to the villa, he saw that the lights were still on in the living room on the first floor. He guessed that Wang Xuewei had come back and was probably waiting for him. Otherwise, even if Wang Xuewei was in the villa, she would definitely lock herself in her room and would never face Yang Hongtao unless absolutely necessary.
Looking at the light coming from the living room, Yang Hongtao suddenly felt a bit warm. After being trapped in a small bullet for three whole years in the desolate execution ground, Yang Hongtao's emotions seemed to have become much colder.
After being reborn as a human, he considered many things, including how to develop his career and how to trample his enemies underfoot.
But he never thought of his elderly parents or his sister who had doted on him since childhood.
It wasn't until this moment, seeing that warm light in the living room, that a feeling of home welled up in Yang Hongtao's heart, making him miss his family again.
Yang Hongtao bit his lip hard, and at that moment he made up his mind that after a while, he must go back to Zhongdu to see his family. Even if he could not reunite with his family for the time being, he must see them from afar.
After parking the Mercedes in the garage, Yang Hongtao turned around and stepped out of the garage with the car keys in his hand. He saw Wang Xuewei rushing towards him with a happy expression on her face.
"You're back!"
Wang Xuewei turned her head to look at Yang Hongtao's newly bought Mercedes-Benz, and finally realized that Yang Hongtao probably didn't borrow the car from someone else to show off.
After all, no one wants to lend their new car to others casually. It's understandable if a friend needs to drive it occasionally in an emergency, but how could you expect a friend to drive your new car home and leave it there for no reason?
Seeing this, Wang Xuewei frowned slightly. It seemed that her nominal husband's financial situation wasn't as bad as she had imagined. So... what kind of offer would the company have to make to entice him?
"Yes... I'm back!" Yang Hongtao smiled slightly and said, "What, were you waiting for me?"
Wang Xuewei gave a soft "hmm" and nodded, saying, "I don't know why your phone keeps failing to connect. We've been waiting for you here for ages!"
"you?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao glanced towards the living room with a puzzled expression and said, "What? Professor He is here too? Didn't I tell him to come tomorrow afternoon?"
Wang Xuewei said with a wry smile, "That's what I originally said too, but... but Professor He got so excited when he saw the chemical equation you showed him, like he'd won five million... oh no no no... he was like he'd won a five hundred billion lottery, he was so excited his mustache was practically standing on end! I'm worried that if I don't bring him here right away, he'll tear our company building down tonight!"
"It can't be that exaggerated!"
Although Yang Hongtao said this, he had some understanding of the research enthusiasm of those old scholars because he had merged with several remnant souls who were dedicated to academics. Naturally, he could guess what Professor He's mood was at this moment.
"Alright then! Since he's already here, let him talk to me first!" Yang Hongtao said, then turned and walked inside.
"Wait a moment……"
Wang Xuewei quickly stepped forward to block Yang Hongtao, hesitated for a moment, and then said somewhat awkwardly, "And... my father... he's here too..."
"Your father?" Yang Hongtao asked, somewhat puzzled. "What's he doing here?"
As soon as Yang Hongtao said this, he realized that Wang Xuewei's father was apparently his nominal father-in-law. He realized that what he had said... seemed a little impolite!
He quickly changed his tune, saying, "Oh... Dad's here! Oh dear... what a mess! You didn't even tell me beforehand. I didn't prepare anything. How rude of me! Hmm... how about I call Yipinxian across the street and have them deliver some food and drinks?"
As Yang Hongtao spoke, he took out his phone and pretended to call the hotel, but... he had just bought this phone, and his contacts were empty. Where was he supposed to find the hotel's phone number?
"Come on! You know perfectly well that my dad doesn't like seafood, yet you still let some... some Yipinxian deliver it!"
Wang Xuewei glared angrily at Yang Hongtao and said, "Stop pretending! My dad is here to talk business with you, not to have dinner."
"Your dad's here to talk business with me?" Yang Hongtao was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized and slapped his forehead, saying, "You mean... the patent issue with the fur cleaning solution?"
Wang Xuewei nodded and said, "Yes... Although the formula for the fur cleaning solution hasn't been tested yet, but... seeing how much Professor He trusts you, we estimate that this formula shouldn't be a big problem for you. So... before the formal development, we still hope to clarify the patent ownership of this formula... Of course... the formal agreement can only be signed after the formula experiment is successful, but it's still very necessary for us to sign a letter of intent first."
"You just want to buy the ownership of this patent first, right?"
Yang Hongtao smiled slightly and said, "If that's the case, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed... I will not transfer this patent!"
"What...you're not going to transfer this patent?" Wang Xuewei was furious upon hearing this. She glared at him, stamped her feet, and said with tears in her eyes, "If you're not going to sell it, then why did you give us this hope in the first place?"
No one understands Xinda Daily Chemical's current situation better than Wang Xuewei. Although Xinda Daily Chemical has a history of more than ten years, the company's existing products have been squeezed out of the market by new products from competitors.
The company's production has now basically come to a standstill, and to maintain everything the company has, millions of dollars have to be poured into this hole every month.
Now, all the company's hopes are pinned on the research and development of the high-end fur cleaning solution project. So far, Xinda Daily Chemicals has invested millions of yuan in the research and development of this project, but the research and development team led by Professor He has only made a little progress.
If things continue at this pace, it will probably take at least another six months before the project is fully completed.
Although the research funding required in the later stages was not much because there was no investment in expensive research equipment, the company still needed to spend millions every month to maintain it. If this continued for a few more months, Xinda Daily Chemicals would probably go bankrupt long before Professor He's research was successful.
Although the entire Wang family was aware of this situation, if they didn't continue their research on fur cleaning, it seemed that Xinda Daily Chemicals would only be heading towards bankruptcy! Wang Xuewei's father had personally started his business and struggled for over ten years to build it to its current scale. Regardless of how much money he made, he still had some affection for his company and couldn't bring himself to shut it down. Helplessly, he could only grit his teeth and keep it going for now.
But no one in the Wang family ever expected that the one who would bring them endless hope would be Zhou Ziwei, the rich kid they had always looked down on!
After all, he was their son-in-law, so Wang's father was quite clear about Zhou Ziwei's background. At first, he refused to believe that "Zhou Ziwei" could be an applied chemistry expert.
However, when he saw Professor He's frantic excitement when he received the chemical equation written to him by Yang Hongtao, Wang's father was unsure whether to believe this miracle.
Professor He was an old friend of Mr. Wang's father. The two had a good relationship for more than ten years. Mr. Wang's father knew Professor He quite well and knew that the old gentleman's greatest hobby in life was scholarship, and that he always regarded money, fame and fortune as fleeting clouds.
So if it were someone else, they might have conspired with "Zhou Ziwei" to swindle money from the Wang family, but Professor He would never do that.
Finally... Mr. Wang made up his mind that, regardless of whether his precious son-in-law had actually come up with the formula for the cleaning solution, he would first try to get his hands on the patent.
Of course... Wang's father has been in the business world for so many years, so he is not so simple. He had already discussed it with Wang Xuewei. No matter how much money Yang Hongtao asks for, they must get the ownership of this patent.
However, they can only pay some experimental expenses and a deposit for part of the patent transfer at most. As for the full patent transfer fee, it can only be paid after the patent formula is officially verified.
Wang Xuewei was initially quite confident about the negotiations, because Zhou Ziwei had acted as if he were really broke recently. Just a couple of days ago, she overheard him on the phone with his younger brother, Zhou Zixu, nagging about borrowing 30,000 yuan for an emergency.
Therefore, Wang Xuewei estimated that offering Zhou Ziwei a transfer fee of one or two million yuan would be enough to easily acquire the patent ownership.
But when Wang Xuewei saw Yang Hongtao casually driving home in a Mercedes-Benz worth over a million yuan, she suddenly felt a little insecure.
Now, when Yang Hongtao explicitly stated that the patent would not be transferred, it felt like the sky had fallen!
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 38: Negotiation
Yang Hongtao knew from Wang Xuewei's expression that she had misunderstood, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Hey... why are you crying! Although I didn't plan to transfer the formula patent, I didn't say that I couldn't cooperate with your company!"
"Cooperation...you mean..."
Wang Xuewei was taken aback for a moment before she realized what she meant and tentatively asked, "You mean... technology-based equity participation?"
Yang Hongtao raised his hand and snapped his fingers, nodding approvingly and saying, "Smart... That's right, that's exactly what I meant, we want to take a stake in the technology. How about it... Do you want to discuss it with Dad first? If you're interested, we can talk about it in more detail. If you don't want to give up any shares at all, then... just pretend I didn't say anything."
"No, no, no... I think Dad won't object to this suggestion. Let's... let's go in and talk to Dad!"
In fact, Wang Xuewei and her father certainly hoped that they wouldn't have to spend cash to buy this formula patent.
After all, if this research project is successfully completed, the company will need to replace the production equipment for this new product and make some related investments. It is estimated that it may take another 10 or 20 million yuan to make up for it.
Xinda Daily Chemicals is already basically operating at a loss, and it's unclear where they'll find the money to invest another ten or twenty million yuan! So where will they get the money to pay the expensive patent transfer fees?
Of course... if Yang Hongtao is willing to transfer the formula patent for one or two million, then they wouldn't mind selling everything they own to acquire the patent.
Having been in this industry for a long time, I naturally understand the vast market potential this project will have if it succeeds.
As long as they acquire ownership of the patent at a low price, even if they don't have the money to invest in production, they can easily sell the patent for tens of millions of dollars.
However... now we don't know how much Yang Hongtao will ask for to transfer the patent. It would be best if we could get it for one or two million. But if Yang Hongtao is also aware of the value of this formula patent and asks for tens of millions, then even if Xinda Daily Chemical really sells everything they own, they probably won't be able to raise that amount of money!
However, if Yang Hongtao agrees to use this patent as a technology investment, things will be much easier. In this way, Xinda Daily Chemical will not have to pay any patent transfer fees and can invest all its funds in the production equipment for the new product.
Moreover, since Yang Hongtao actively chose to obtain the benefits of research and development in this way, it proves that he is very confident in his formula.
This further rules out the possibility that Yang Hongtao and Professor He colluded to swindle money. Otherwise, if Yang Hongtao's formula wasn't worth real money, he would never have chosen to participate in the technology investment. Instead, he would have swindled a transfer fee first, regardless of the price.
Hearing Yang Hongtao say this, Wang Xuewei's worries immediately turned to joy, and the gloom that had been weighing on her heart for so long was slightly relieved.
She couldn't help but smile at the "fake husband" she used to despise, and said, "Thank you! After this agreement is signed, I'll treat you to a big meal as a token of my gratitude! Also... when you see my dad later, don't let him realize that we haven't... okay?"
"What? Not yet... Oh! I understand..." Yang Hongtao was stunned at first, then naturally realized that his cheap father-in-law probably didn't know that his precious daughter and his prospective son-in-law were still as innocent as scallions blocking tofu!
Thinking of this, Yang Hongtao glanced at Wang Xuewei's stunningly beautiful face, which made him feel ashamed of his own beauty, and his body suddenly began to feel uncontrollably hot again.
Sigh... It's really strange! How did that lecherous Zhou Ziwei manage to get through this past year? He had such a beautiful wife by his side every day, how come he never had any wicked thoughts like having sex with her?
As soon as Yang Hongtao entered the living room on the first floor of the villa, he saw an old man with snow-white hair pacing around like an ant on a hot pan! Another old man, on the other hand, seemed to be indifferent to everything, leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, humming a little tune as if he had nothing better to do.
"You're...Teacher Zhou?"
The white-haired old man, who had been lounging on the floor, immediately grabbed Yang Hongtao's arm without a word as soon as Yang entered. He dragged Yang to a nearby coffee table as if to kidnap him, excitedly grabbing a tattered piece of scrap paper. Pointing to the dazzling array of chemical equations on it, he said, "Professor Zhou, the equation Xiaowei brought me today was incredibly inspiring! Seeing that equation made me realize our research… oh no, your research results are almost ready! And the logic behind this equation has also sparked some new ideas for two other topics I've been researching for several years. Could you take a look… if I were to apply this equation here, would I need to solve it like this…?"
At first, Yang Hongtao felt quite strange being forced to call someone old enough to be his grandfather "teacher." However, when Professor He forced him to study the equations on that tattered piece of paper, his expert and scholar nature, which had been completely integrated into his soul, was also aroused. His eyes were completely drawn to those messy chemical equations, and he no longer cared about the issue of how to address Professor He.
Although the equations on Professor He's tattered paper were as messy as the overgrown weeds in the garden outside the window, Yang Hongtao still managed to figure them out after scanning them from beginning to end.
After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly snatched the pen from Professor He's hand, quickly scribbled a few more strokes on the tattered grass, and wrote out a new equation, saying, "It wouldn't be impossible to apply my equation here, but that would be putting the cart before the horse. However... if we modify this equation slightly... then... do you think it would be about right?"
"Ah... Teacher Zhou, you're amazing! So that's how it is... Wow... I didn't know it could be done like that..."
Yang Hongtao's words were like a wake-up call, striking Professor He like a thunderbolt. He first let out two strange cries, then held the piece of scrap paper and fell into deep thought. The old man sitting on the sofa called to him several times, but Professor He seemed to be bewitched, not responding at all, just standing there in a daze.
"Dad...please stop calling him!"
Although Yang Hongtao had no impression of his nominal father-in-law, there were only two old men in the room. He guessed that the old man who was obsessed with chemical equations and seemed like an idiot was definitely Professor He, and the one who was calmly pretending to be his "father-in-law" Wang Guohui was definitely his father-in-law.
As Yang Hongtao spoke, he forcefully pulled the white-haired old man, who was lost in thought, and tossed him onto the long sofa next to him. Then he turned to the other old man and said, "Professor He's research these past few days has gone astray. He's currently trying to sort out some of his unclear thoughts... Well, judging from his intelligence... I estimate it won't be able to sort them out in less than half an hour. Before that, even if you bought a string of firecrackers, lit them, and threw them at him, I guarantee he wouldn't react at all."
"No...it can't be that exaggerated!" Wang Guohui was rather dismissive of this, but he wouldn't be so bored as to buy a string of firecrackers and throw them at Professor He to see what would happen.
Anyway, the reason he brought Professor He here was to further confirm whether his beloved son-in-law really had the ability to develop this fur cleaning solution formula, and judging from Professor He's reaction, at least that part should be fine.
Since that's the case, it doesn't matter whether Professor He can remain a bachelor or not, since Professor He won't be needed in the upcoming negotiations anyway.
Thinking of this, Wang Guohui stopped paying attention to Professor He and instead looked at his precious son-in-law with great interest. The more he looked at him, the more he felt that he couldn't see through him.
Wang Guohui was certainly aware of his son-in-law's character. In his mind, his son-in-law was utterly worthless, a dissolute spendthrift and a spoiled brat who seemed to have no talent for anything other than visiting prostitutes and gambling.
The reason he married his beautiful daughter to this pile of cow dung was out of necessity, forced by circumstances.
He had originally made up his mind that he would rather let Xinda Daily Chemical go bankrupt than sell his daughter, but to his surprise, his daughter was very enthusiastic about the marriage and did not show any resistance.
He even tried to persuade his daughter several times, but although he didn't want to push her into a pit of fire, since she was so determined, he had no choice but to agree to this marriage that he considered utterly absurd...
And now it seems... the son-in-law Wang Xuewei chose back then isn't as bad as the rumors say! He actually managed to develop the formula for high-grade fur cleaning solution all by himself! This is really hard for Wang Guohui to believe... But even if the formula wasn't actually developed by Yang Hongtao, it doesn't matter. Anyway, since Yang Hongtao was able to get the formula, even if he used some other means, it's still a remarkable thing.
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 39 Vaporizing Laundry Detergent