On the third day, someone came directly to our door. It was a joint expert group from the Shenyang Military Region and the Beijing Military Region, along with two officers in charge of negotiations, including Lieutenant Colonel Liu from the Logistics Department of the 27th Army, who had been hung up on by Lin Yao.
Lin Yao thought to himself, "My uncle is outrageous. He actually leaked my address." He secretly blamed his uncle, Lin Hongqi, even though he knew that such information could easily be found out. However, he was still somewhat resentful that his uncle's status separated him from his family.
"Xiao Lin, I'm so glad to see you! You really are a handsome and dashing young man." As soon as the enthusiastic voice rang out, Lin Yao immediately knew that this person was Zuo Xiaoquan.
When they first met, only the two officers in charge of the negotiations introduced themselves. This meant that Zuo Xiaoquan must be a technical expert. Judging from his performance, Lin Yao felt that this technical expert, who already had two bars and three stars on his shoulder insignia, should be reassigned. This kind of person should be in the officialdom, not doing technical work. His sweet talk made Lin Yao feel a little ashamed.
Handsome and dashing? A mere youth? Lin Yao is still dressed like a hoodlum today!
"Hello, Uncle Zuo, welcome to Chengdu!" Lin Yao greeted him warmly, his smile radiant. Upon seeing Colonel Zuo Xiaoquan, he immediately changed his address to "Uncle," as he looked like an old man, despite his youthful and energetic voice on the phone.
"Very good, very good. What a polite and handsome young man. No wonder Colonel Lin praised you so highly after he went back." Colonel Zuo's words made Lin Yao unable to believe it. Was this still the pragmatic and truth-seeking technical expert?
"Please have a seat, everyone. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality." Lin Yao led the four of them to the sofa and personally served tea to the busy Alina. Only after he finished did he move a chair and sit opposite her on the sofa.
"Mr. Lin Yao, we're here to discuss technology transfer with you. Please invite your father, Luo Jimin, and mother, Lin Hongmei, over so we can all sit down and discuss it together and finalize the matter as soon as possible." The speaker was Lieutenant Colonel Liu, whose businesslike manner and tone made Lin Yao feel a slight sense of arrogance.
"Lieutenant Colonel Liu, my parents are both very busy, so they have entrusted this matter entirely to me. You can begin your discussion now." Lin Yao's attitude also became serious, no longer the boy he once was. His solemn expression made people forget his age.
Seeing that everyone was getting down to business, Alina took the two little guys who were showing off next to Colonel Zuo into the bedroom, and asked Ge Yong, who was talking to Hu Zi, to come out and entertain the guests. She was worried that her little brother Lin Yao would get taken advantage of.
"Alright, let's begin." Lieutenant Colonel Liu glanced at Ge Yong sitting next to Lin Yao. "This involves military secrets, please arrange for unrelated personnel to leave."
Ge Yong glanced at Lieutenant Colonel Liu without saying a word, the sharpness in his eyes startling the latter.
Lin Yao stared directly into Lieutenant Colonel Liu's eyes, his tone calm and firm, "There are no irrelevant people here. Ge Yong, who is standing next to me, is a senior executive of Minhong Pharmaceutical. He is qualified to participate in this kind of negotiation."
Ge Yong felt a warmth in his heart. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes became even brighter.
Lieutenant Colonel Liu glanced at Lin Yao, then at Ge Yong, frowned, and continued, "Alright, let's begin our discussion now. We believe Minhong Pharmaceutical's offer is too high; 60 million is unreasonable and should be adjusted to the previous 20 million. Furthermore, Colonel Zuo and Major Chen, who came with us, are both pharmacology experts. We must guarantee the integrity of the technology before making any payments. We request Minhong Pharmaceutical's cooperation."
Lin Yao was extremely displeased. Judging from the situation, the negotiations were being led by the Logistics Department of the Beijing Military Region. Given Kang Dikai's connection, he estimated that there wouldn't be a pleasant outcome. He thought it might be more convenient to simply give the formula to Xia Yuwen's father.
Having made this decision in mind, Lin Yao stood up, a sincere and apologetic smile on his face, and extended his right hand to Lieutenant Colonel Liu. "Welcome to Chengdu again. I would like to arrange for you all to try Chengdu's specialty hot pot. Let's not talk about the technology transfer. Our company has already made the conditions very clear on the phone. We really cannot meet your requests, so please don't waste any more time."
The four officers on the sofa were all stunned. They hadn't expected Lin Yao's attitude to be so decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. This was completely different from what they had anticipated. They had thought that the other party's intention to hand over the formula to the country was very clear, which gave them a basis for bargaining. But they never expected things to take such a 180-degree turn.
"Lin Yao," Lieutenant Colonel Liu said sternly, "this kind of technology, which is related to national security, should be handed over to state institutions. It is inappropriate for the private sector to possess it."
“You’re right, Lieutenant Colonel Liu.” Lin Yao met Lieutenant Colonel Liu’s gaze without flinching, his voice cold. “Our company has considered this point, and we don’t need your reminder. However, national institutions are not limited to your 27th and 39th Armies; there are many potential partners to choose from, so we won’t trouble Lieutenant Colonel Liu with this consideration.”
"If there's nothing else, please feel free to do as you please. I suddenly remembered that I have important business to attend to at noon, so I can't treat you to hot pot. Please forgive me." After saying this, Lin Yao moved the chair behind him back, making a gesture to see the guests out.
"Xiao Lin, don't be angry. We can sit down and talk things over. The purpose of everyone here is to find a solution that is acceptable to both sides." Colonel Zuo stood up, walked to Lin Yao's side, and placed his right hand on Lin Yao's left shoulder, his attitude very friendly.
"Uncle Zuo, I'm not angry." Lin Yao put away his serious expression and smiled. "We were having a good talk with your 39th Army, but suddenly the 27th Army appeared and broke the industry practice of technology transfer, demanding that we provide the strains and processes first. This is clearly a sign of no sincerity. In that case, either accept our new conditions or stop talking. There are plenty of national institutions; we don't need to stick our necks out and let you rip us off."
"Uncle Zuo, if you have time later, I'd like to take you to Chengdu for a visit. The historical sites here are quite nice." Lin Yao extended the invitation only to Colonel Zuo, clearly excluding the other members of the negotiation team, which made Lieutenant Colonel Liu's face very unpleasant.
"Lin Yao, let's sit down and talk again." Lieutenant Colonel Liu's tone softened, but his inner turmoil reached its peak. Although he didn't understand the technology, he had heard the expert group's opinions and knew that this method of providing the technology first and then paying was irregular. However, he had to carry out the orders given by his superiors when he left Beijing, and seeing that the conflict was irreconcilable, he began to get anxious.
"Thank you, but no need." Lin Yao refused without hesitation. "After our sincerity was ignored, we don't think there's any need to continue the discussion. When we handed over the strains and data, we didn't even ask you to sign for them. Everything was a verbal agreement, which already showed the utmost trust. Now we are very disappointed. Please don't continue. You can leave."
Colonel Zuo sighed and left with his three companions. Lin Yao only saw them off to the stairwell before turning back, as he didn't want to appear too pathetic.
Less than ten minutes after the negotiation team left, Lin Hongqi, the eldest uncle, called.
"Uncle, I'll cut to the chase and ask you just one question: do you want this prescription or not? Give me a straight answer, don't try to bargain with me." Lin Yao's tone was firm, completely unlike his usual coquettish attitude in front of his elders.
After receiving Lin Hongqi's unwavering affirmation, Lin Yao continued, "Uncle, why don't you come over in person and bring a few more experts? I think you'll develop the formula independently after you cooperate with the 27th Army. Having more experts will allow you to secure more resources. I won't go into details now; we'll discuss it when you arrive."
Lin Yao was still thinking about his uncle. Since his own relative was in charge of this matter, he should try to give his own people more credit. Thinking of the things he had arranged in advance, Lin Yao directly suggested that his uncle personally participate in the handover work.
Lin Hongqi's phone rang again 15 minutes later. This time, the caller clearly stated that he had come to Chengdu in person, accompanied by several additional experts and his superior, Liao Changlong, the commander of the 39th Army.
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Chapter 114 General Liao's First Move
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"Hello, Grandpa Liao!" Lin Yao greeted him politely, his face practically bursting with smiles.
"What Grandpa Liao? I'm only 52 years old, maybe the same age as your father." Major General Liao Changlong deliberately put on a serious face, but the pursed corners of his mouth and the smile in his eyes betrayed his seriousness. He was a very humorous and witty general, and Lin Yao liked him at first sight.
With a well-defined square face and regular features, the most striking feature is a pair of bright, smiling eyes beneath thick eyebrows. His tanned, dark red face shows that this general is not the kind of officer who stays in a comfortable place for long periods of time, as evidenced by the fact that he personally went to the trouble of making a trip for the formula.
"Alright, I'll call you Uncle Liao." Lin Yao felt good, no longer feeling the pressure of facing General Xia and General Hong, and spoke much more casually. "But you're older than my dad, so you can't call me uncle."
"Uncle is fine, kid, you can call me whatever you want, just don't call me grandpa. Being called grandpa makes me look too old." General Liao laughed heartily, and the atmosphere became relaxed and harmonious, making Lin Yao no longer feel the oppressive feeling that the Xinhua Hotel had given him before.
This meeting was a small-scale operation. In addition to the six technical experts and Lin Hongqi brought by General Liao, Colonel Zuo and Lieutenant Colonel Wang from the negotiation team also gathered here. The two members of the negotiation team came under the pretext of reporting to General Liao, while General Liao came to Chengdu under the guise of inter-military inter-regional study and exchange.
A good atmosphere makes things easier. The Chinese custom of judging people based on their character is deeply ingrained in the minds of all people, and Lin Yao is no exception. Feeling good, he handed over the documents he was carrying without being reminded. General Liao took them and passed them to a group of experts, continuing his casual conversation with Lin Yao.
This is the aura of a leader. Lin Yao secretly despised Old Man Xia, and then recalled General Hong's demeanor. He felt that among the generals he had seen, General Hong and General Liao in front of him were the most impressive.
"Reporting to the commander!" Colonel Zuo's face was serious, and his gentle, neighborly uncle-like image completely disappeared. "After studying this data, we have unanimously concluded that this technology may not be able to be mass-produced in the long term. The key lies in the fact that it involves another unknown microbial cluster. The data shows that Minhong Pharmaceutical has also failed to make any breakthroughs in cultivating this microbial cluster. At present, they can only rely on existing microbial resources for production."
"Oh?" General Liao glanced at Lin Yao in surprise, then turned to instruct Colonel Zuo, "You continue your research."
"Yes, sir." Colonel Zuo saluted with his legs together, secretly wondering to himself, "So what if we have nothing now?"