Chapter 534: Three-Axed Attack

Huang Zhi had no ulterior motives.

It was just that when the old lady's best friend wanted to play matchmaker between Tang Nanyu and Li Huaiyu, the message was relayed incorrectly, causing a misunderstanding between the two families. Huang Zhi had always wanted to make amends, but struggled to find a suitable intermediary.

Since Lin Sicheng had such a good relationship with the Tang family, he could certainly be asked for help. There was no need to involve the elders; just invite Tang Nanjin and Tang Nanyu for a meal to clear up the misunderstanding.

"Alright, then you go. General Manager Zhao, let's drink a little less too!"

Zhao Xiuneng smiled: "It doesn't matter to me, it mainly depends on Professor Wang."

Having spent most of his life in the world, he could tell at a glance what that woman Fang Yin was up to: nine times out of ten, she wanted to work on Wang Qi Zhi.

That was why he had joked with Lin Sicheng the moment they met.

Seeing at a glance that Zhao Xiu was up to no good, Wang Qi Zhi couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind.

If he were so easily corrupted, he would have been corrupted eight hundred times over already...

On the other side, Fang Yin flipped through the documents, which prominently featured a photo of Wang Qi Zhi.

Ancestral home in Shaanxi, Beijing household registration, then later moved to Shaanxi.

He had been in charge of National Level projects at the Cultural Relics Research Institute, led research groups at the Shaanxi Bronze Cultural Relics Research Institute and Xida, and published many papers; his influence in the industry was not low.

Only in his thirties and already a Master's Graduate Tutor at a well-known university—this was even rarer.

But no matter how rare, that only applied to academia. Just because he could use a machine didn't mean he understood it.

There was even less need to worry about that General Manager Zhao.

Fang Yin had seen countless people and could tell at a glance that he was self-taught. He probably didn't even know which instrument performed which test. As for that kid surnamed Lin, the Person in Charge of the Center, he could basically be ignored.

Still a student, the number of instruments he had come into contact with could probably be counted on one hand.

Fang Yin closed the file: "Can you tell what kind of background those three engineers have?"

"They should be equipment managers from some unit; they know a little, but their knowledge is limited."

"A unit?" Fang Yin paused. "A state-run institution?"

"Yes, the vibe they give off is too authentic!" Engineer Qin nodded. "But they were just invited to help; it basically has nothing to do with them."

Even if they discovered there was a problem with this batch of instruments, it would be a very, very long time from now. And that would only be under the premise that they participated in the maintenance throughout the entire process, recorded the logs themselves, and conducted regular checks.

But since it was a state-owned institution, they certainly wouldn't come over to perform maintenance for a private center; at most, they would just take a look occasionally. Therefore, there was a 99 percent probability that the client wouldn't even notice when the machines broke down or became paralyzed.

"Engineer Qin, Engineer Xu, it's better to be cautious!" Fang Yin rubbed her brow. "You can make some extra money, but the premise is that you can't capsize the boat." Strictly speaking, Su Yin was only the Sales Director of the Beijing branch of Saishi Technology (China) Co., Ltd. But it was an international giant, and even as just a branch, her annual salary exceeded 600,000.

The two engineers responsible for maintenance and upkeep were much lower, at about 300,000 a year.

But the problem was that the average salary for employees in Beijing right now was less than 3,000 yuan. Their annual salary was more than ten times that of an ordinary person. If they capsized the boat, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing a high-paying job; Saishi Company would definitely use them as a sacrifice.

Not only would they have to pay for economic and reputational losses, but they would also 100 percent have to go to jail.

But the two engineers were not very worried: "General Manager Fang, don't worry, even if you wanted to capsize the boat, you couldn't do it this time."

Because this batch of goods was truly the most advanced, latest generation of testing instruments in the world to date.

So new that several of them had only just passed the production line and were barely in mass production.

So advanced that, apart from the manufacturer's R&D engineers, no one understood how to operate them fully, let alone understood the optimal performance coefficients.

They weren't bragging: in the country, only the two of them had undergone systematic training. No matter who else was brought in, let alone acceptance, whether they would even know how to operate them was a question.

This meant that during acceptance, how each procedure was debugged and what the standards for each performance metric were would be entirely up to them.

What's more, Fang Yin had just used a mix of threats and bluffs to shorten the acceptance period to within three days. It would be too late for the client to even invite acceptance engineers from the original foreign factory.

The two explained patiently, but Fang Yin was still a bit uneasy: "If the client discovers it, what is the shortest time it would take?"

"Three to four years, and that's under the premise that Engineer Xu and I teach the client's maintenance engineers everything we know without reservation!"

Engineer Qin calculated, "Secondly, the same machine won't enter the country for at least two years! So, even if the client occasionally discovers a problem, they won't have a reference point!"

Just counting it as three years, by then things would have long since changed. You say it's a defective product, I'll just say it was caused by your improper operation leading to unnecessary wear and tear. By then, it would be a muddled account, and with Saishi Company's foreign-funded background, the client would just be throwing money away by suing.

"State-owned institutions won't buy them either?"

"Of course! To be precise: the more state-owned the institution, the less likely it is."

Engineer Qin counted on his fingers, "First, the price of the original machine is too high, seven or eight times higher than domestic alternatives. Second, the maintenance and upkeep costs are equally high; just take one point: all parts need to be imported from the original factory.

Most state-owned institutions have relatively rigid mechanisms, and the approval process alone takes months. Add in shipping and installation, and it means that as soon as a machine has a problem, work has to stop for two to three months.

Rather than using purely imported ones, it's better to use domestic goods with slightly worse performance; even if they break and can't be fixed, you can just haul them away and replace them in a week or so. Third, the original manufacturer signed an agreement with us, and after-sales maintenance is exclusively represented by Saishi. Apart from us, they won't accept any maintenance training for the users. This means that once the machine has a problem, over 70 percent of the repairs and maintenance need to be handled by us.

State-owned institutions are afraid of being held hostage by us, and secondly, over time, the costs for this are not a small amount."

"That's good then!" Fang Yin breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you two take care of it!"

"Don't you worry, General Manager Fang!"

If this operation goes well, they could swindle the client out of at least nine million or more.

Each of them would take ten percent, equivalent to three years of salary.

The remaining amount, Fang Yin should also be able to take ten percent. The other six million would go to those above.

With such a big matter, without the instruction of the leaders at the headquarters, they wouldn't dare to do it even if they were given ten times the courage.

One can only say, the leaders are truly dark.

Thinking of this, Engineer Xu said in a relaxed tone: "General Manager Fang, don't worry too much; even if we take a step back, if something really happens, there are taller people to take the fall." Fang Yin was noncommittal: that might be true, but an annual salary of several hundred thousand was real. If something happened, even if she didn't go to jail, where else could she find such a good job in the future?

"It's still better to be careful!"

The two engineers didn't take it to heart, but still nodded.

As they spoke, the four cars arrived at the hotel.

The decoration was extremely good, golden and brilliant, rich and imposing.

On the sign above the third floor, several large characters shone with golden light: Xingji Pullman Hotel.

Fang Yin made a gesture of invitation and introduced them simultaneously: "This is the first French five-star hotel in the Yizhuang Development Zone, opened last October, and the environment is particularly good."

"The dishes are also very distinctive: French cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and Thai food; it is second to none in Beijing."

It was unclear whether her "second to none" referred to the variety of cuisines or the quality of the food. The few people just nodded and entered the lobby.

The renovation is indeed quite nice, and the service is decent too. Whether it's a Mercedes-Benz or a Santana, there are valet drivers to park them.

Three greeters stepped forward quickly and pressed the buttons for three elevators.

Upon reaching the private room, there were reception staff arranged by Saishi Company. Fang Yin introduced them one by one, and among them, a pretty girl with a slender figure sat down next to Lin Sicheng.

"General Manager Lin, nice to meet you. My name is Wang Heming, and I am an intern at Saishi Company!"

"Hello!" Lin Sicheng nodded slightly. "I am a graduate student at Xida, not yet graduated!"

"General Manager Fang just said so, praising you for being young and promising!" The girl smiled. "I graduated last year, from Beijing Institute of Technology!"

Lin Sicheng smiled. "That's very good."

It wasn't just "very good," it was quite excellent. Even though Beijing Institute of Technology is a prestigious school, Saishi is not that easy to get into.

But he just felt that this girl didn't quite seem like it.

It wasn't her age, but her temperament; she didn't look like a college student who had just graduated, but rather like someone who had been out in society for many years.

In the words of Senior Brother Zhao: full of worldly dust...

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng exchanged a glance: Lin Sicheng was being given special treatment here.

However, Lin Sicheng simply didn't buy into it.

Just as he was thinking this, Fang Yin sat down next to Wang Qi Zhi. Another female salesperson accompanied Zhao Xiuneng.

But no one found it strange, including the three invited from the Cultural Relics Research Institute: foreign-funded companies still practice social networking, and sometimes, they play even wilder than domestic companies.

Shortly after, the waiters began serving the dishes. The dishes were ordered by Wang Qi Zhi; as long as he saw a name he didn't recognize, he ordered it.

There was Chinese food, French food, and also Thai food and Japan food. To put it nicely, it was a combination of Chinese and foreign; to put it bluntly, it was a hodgepodge.

Lin Sicheng tasted them one by one and felt the taste was average.

If compared to the Small Courtyard of Huang Zhi, it was a far cry.

The girl was very enthusiastic and very considerate, picking up food, portioning fish, handing over a Towel, and changing bone plates, taking care of Lin Sicheng meticulously.

Lin Sicheng did not refuse, but he would say thank you.

He didn't drink when urged, but he did respond to conversation, with every sentence having a follow-up.

But Wang Heming always felt that there was a wall between the two of them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get an inch closer.

It was almost three o'clock when the banquet ended.

They didn't let Saishi Company send a car; it was still those two Santanas. One carried the three Engineers from the Cultural Relics Research Institute, and the other carried Lin Sicheng, Wang Qi Zhi, and Zhao Xiuneng.

Fang Yin waved her hand, watched the cars drive out of the hotel, and exhaled a breath of alcohol.

She didn't expect that Professor Wang could actually drink so much?

If she hadn't been quick to react, Fang Yin would have collapsed long ago.

That General Manager Zhao was no less impressive; his top salesperson, with a capacity of a full 750 grams, had only managed a draw.

Wang Heming was even worse; she hadn't managed to persuade him to drink a single glass.

Fang Yin rubbed her numb face: "Xiao Ming, your performance today was a bit off?"

A student from a prestigious university, so pretty, and able to let go. In the past, whenever she went out, she was invincible.

Today, let alone persuading him to drink, she couldn't even get a useful word out of him.

The girl lowered her head: "General Manager Fang, he doesn't seem like a college student!"

Doesn't seem like a college student?

Fang Yin was stunned for a moment: "Like you?"

Also a fake degree packaged up?

"No, he knows so much, it feels like he knows everything; his education must be very high." Wang Heming thought for a moment. "I'm talking about his personality..."

She hesitated for a moment, and the second half of the sentence remained unsaid: This kid is too difficult to deal with, more difficult than any client she had ever encountered.

Especially those eyes, like a Needle, capable of piercing into a person's heart. Wang Heming suspected that her identity as a fake college student had already been seen through. Fearing that Fang Yin would scold her, she didn't dare to say it.

Fang Yin, however, misunderstood: That kid really didn't say much. But as a rich young master born with a silver spoon, it was normal to be a bit reserved. "Xiao Ming, keep close, keep in touch..."

As the old saying goes, how can home flowers be as fragrant as wild ones?

She didn't believe that with meat delivered to his mouth, someone could resist not eating it.

At this age, his Fire Qi is at its peak; he could pierce through a steel plate...

In the Santana, Zhao Xiuneng kept wiping his sweat.

His constitution was just like that: the more he drank, the more he sweated, and the more he sweated, the more he could drink.

When in good condition, he had once drunk Wang Qi Zhi under the table.

After finishing half a box of tissues, Zhao Xiuneng still looked like he had been fished out of water. Lin Sicheng pulled a Towel from the armrest box and handed it over. Zhao Xiuneng wrapped it directly around his neck, too lazy to even wipe.

He leaned back, looking emotional: "Today I've really learned something; are these the so-called three axes of foreign-funded companies?"

If you ask what the three axes are, of course, it's drinking, singing, and foot washing.

Wang Qi Zhi opened his mouth, not knowing how to explain.

Ordinary foreign-funded companies basically wouldn't be so unreserved.

But it wasn't that absolute: it wasn't as if there were no news stories of sales staff from giant companies taking the client's Engineers and Scientists to a sauna. Wang Qi Zhi just felt that today's Saishi Company was a bit too direct.

He wasn't surprised at all: if Lin Sicheng hadn't been there today, and if he and Zhao Xiuneng had drunk a little more, their destination today would, nine times out of ten, have been a hotel room.

The only difference would be whether there was one person or two lying next to them when they woke up.

Wang Qi Zhi thought for a moment: "It could also be that they wanted to test our bottom line: after all, we are just a small private Center, and it's normal to worry about whether we will act according to the Contract and whether we can pay off the final payment on time."

Lin Sicheng was noncommittal.

Whether it was or wasn't didn't matter, as long as they could deliver on time.

Of course, when one should be careful, one still needs to be careful.

Setting aside their identities as teacher and Senior Brother, they were still well-known Experts and scholars. If some scandal were to be exposed, that would be a huge joke. He directed the driver: "Driver Zhang, back to the hotel!"

"Don't, take me to the construction site!" Wang Qi Zhi hurriedly stopped him, "The equipment is arriving this weekend, I have to go urge the construction team!"

In this state, you can't even walk steadily, yet you still want to go to the construction site?

"Teacher, you and Senior Brother go back to rest, I'll go instead!"

"Aren't you supposed to go find Huang Zhi?"

"I can go later!"

Tang Nanjin and Nan Tangyu didn't arrive until evening; the only reason Huang Zhi wanted him to go over in the afternoon was simply to put their heads together.

It doesn't matter whether I go or not...