Chapter 209: A New Model of Cooperation

Seeing her mother like this, Shen Ci teased playfully, "I've rarely seen you get teary-eyed since I was little. Why have you started crying at the drop of a hat now?"

"People just get more sentimental as they age. In a few more years, Mom will be like a child again."

"Nonsense. People only start living in reverse after sixty. Mom, you're still young," Shen Ci said.

Shen Jingjing broke into a smile through her tears and gave her daughter a nudge. "You've certainly learned to be glib in Longcheng. Go wash your hands, quickly."

Once they had washed their hands and sat down at the dining table, Shen Jingjing had already served rice for everyone and brought out a separate bowl for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

She scooped the largest sea cucumber from the pot and served it to Pili. "Here, Pili, eat up."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Pili stood up to take it, and looking at the golden, delicious treat in the bowl, she subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "This is my first time eating Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."

"Then you've come at the right time. This is my mom's signature dish; it has no rival in the whole world," Shen Ci said.

Hearing this, Shen Jingjing gave her daughter a playful glare before smiling. "Don't listen to A-Ci's nonsense."

Shen Ci, however, said earnestly, "I'm serious. I've eaten at quite a few restaurants in Longcheng, big and small, including the one Uncle Jiang often visits, and none of them taste as good as yours."

At this moment, Gu Lianxing had already impatiently taken a spoonful, and her eyes lit up immediately. "It's so fragrant, Auntie. It's really delicious—better than what they make at those high-end hotels in Longcheng."

Shen Ci agreed with a wink. "Mom, look at that. Even a real princess of Longcheng says so."

Shen Jingjing was so delighted by the children that she nodded with a beaming smile. "Fine, fine, as long as you all think it's good. If it's good, eat plenty."

After saying this, she sat down slowly beside Shen Ci and looked at her daughter, asking, "When will A-Li finish filming this TV series?"

"Soon, Mom. The agency's schedule says she will definitely wrap up before the New Year."

"Wrap up... wrap who?"

Shen Ci: "..."

Gu Lianxing said with a smile, "Auntie, 'wrapping up' means the actors have finished all their filming work; it doesn't mean killing anyone."

"Oh." Shen Jingjing nodded in understanding, then turned to ask Shen Ci, "Then what about her school? She won't have time to take exams, right?"

"Mom, don't you worry about that. The Film Academy has specific arrangements for students on set; neither their coursework nor their exams will be delayed. Once A-Li wraps up and returns, I'll take her back to Shengang to spend the New Year with you and Xingxing."

"When you get back, give me one of your sister's signed photos. I have a feeling your sister will definitely become a big star, so I'll keep it as a collectible," Gu Lianxing suddenly said.

Pili also realized this and said, "Give me two as well. Even though I don't watch dramas, who knows, they might sell for a good price later."

Hearing this, Shen Ci pouted. "Eating my mom's cooking and already thinking about my sister?"

"So what? Auntie invited us here."

"Didn't you teach me that if you want to make money, you have to seize every invisible business opportunity?"

"Learning on the fly, are we? And using it on our family?"

"Is that not allowed..."

Watching the children bickering and making noise, the warmth in Shen Jingjing's eyes softened even further. She could see that her daughter was living very happily in Longcheng, with good studies, a good career, and good friends and a boyfriend.

All of this made her feel incomparably at ease.

A week later, Shen Ci and Luo Tianrui arrived once again at the "Artificial Intelligence" department of the Jiang Group.

It was the same meeting room as last time, and they sat in the same positions.

Jiang Yuanyu sighed before he even spoke, and Shen Ci immediately understood that the result of this second meeting was certainly not satisfactory.

Before Jiang Yuanyu could even figure out how to start, Shen Ci asked straight to the point, "How much?"

Jiang Yuanyu looked at Shen Ci for two seconds and said in a low voice, "530."

After saying this, Jiang Yuanyu was eager to explain, "Miss Shen, you should know that although our Jiang family..."

Shen Ci raised her hand to interrupt Jiang Yuanyu. "I know. For the Jiang family, this isn't a question of money. You are a large company, a large group, and everything has its own upper and lower limits. I fully understand that."

"Then look, our second quote is 80 higher than the first. Can you show some sincerity and take a step back? We really think highly of your project, and I personally know that this project is fully worth a higher valuation, but the facts are what they are. This is our maximum sincerity."

Shen Ci didn't rush to respond to Jiang Yuanyu, but instead gave Luo Tianrui a look. Luo Tianrui understood, took a folder out of his bag, and handed it to Jiang Yuanyu. "Vice President Jiang, we have also been actively thinking about solutions to facilitate this cooperation over these past few days. This contains a new model of cooperation. Would you like to take a look first?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yuanyu looked at the two of them, then reached out to take it, opened the file, and began to read without a word.

After a while, he looked up and said, "A decrease every two years?"

Shen Ci nodded. "Yes. Senior Brother Luo and the others have discussed it; we can accept that the technology will depreciate over time. For the first two years, we'll charge 600 yuan per year; for the third and fourth years, it will be 500 yuan; and from the fifth year onwards, it will drop to 400 yuan."

"If this technology still has room for survival after five years, then we can accept it dropping to a final minimum of 100 yuan per year."

This was not a new trading model; there had been precedents for this type of cooperation in many industries.

New things are expensive, but after two years, the new becomes old, and newer technology might appear at any time, perhaps even completely replacing the previous technology.

Luo Tianrui and his entire team were technical personnel; they could certainly accept that technology would depreciate as time passed.

Shen Ci had also discussed this with them, and they themselves could not guarantee that this technology would be able to stand in the cutting-edge field for five years without being replaced.

However, this made the interest relationship somewhat complicated. Jiang Yuanyu's brain couldn't process it for a moment, and he couldn't distinguish whether they were losing or gaining under this model because there were too many uncertain factors.

"Miss Shen, Mr. Luo, we still need to hold a meeting to discuss this," Jiang Yuanyu said.

"Of course, no problem. However, I still hope Vice President Jiang's team can reach a result as soon as possible so we can finalize the cooperation before the New Year," Shen Ci said.

"Good, we will hurry."

As she was leaving, Shen Ci ran into Jiang Yuanliang in the lobby on the first floor of the Jiang Group building.

"Uncle Jiang!"

"A-Ci!"

Jiang Yuanliang was wearing a sophisticated custom-made suit, and upon seeing Shen Ci, he couldn't help but reveal a kind smile. "Still running around here? What's the matter? Has the cooperation with our group not been settled yet?"

Uncle Jiang being willing to give her an opportunity was already a huge help. Shen Ci naturally wouldn't let Uncle Jiang use his position to open a back door for her, so she responded with a smile, "Good things take time. However, the talks with Vice President Jiang have been smooth. Today we offered a new model of cooperation, and I'm sure there will be a result soon."

The implication was that there was no need for Uncle Jiang to worry about this anymore.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 210 =====