Chapter 559: Don't Rush, Stay Steady

The wind picked up on the Huangpu River, and the rippling light danced to and fro.

The plane trees burst with catkins, floating and dancing like snowflakes.

Sitting inside the Jinbei Van, Tan Zheng looked around: Since when did domestic vans become so high-end?

There was a partition, electric seats, an onboard refrigerator, and even a wireless phone.

For such a large vehicle, the shock absorption was ridiculously good; when passing over speed bumps, the vibration was actually lighter than in a BMW.

The vehicle body was also ridiculously heavy; when going uphill, one could clearly feel the roar of the engine and the sluggishness of the car.

Recalling the unusually heavy resistance when closing the car door, Tan Zheng narrowed her eyes: This car, could it be bulletproof?

Thinking back to the burly men accompanying Lin Sicheng before boarding, a sense of extreme absurdity welled up in Tan Zheng's heart: Who is Lin Sicheng defending against?

A hitman?

But let's be clear, this isn't abroad.

Surely Saishi wouldn't kill to silence someone just because they didn't want to pay that ten million?

Don't joke around, adding two zeros would be more like it...

Thinking secretly, the car slowed down, and Tan Zheng looked outside: They had already entered the hotel's internal road, and a hundred meters ahead was the Hilton Hotel. The Jinbei came to a steady stop, and the bodyguard in the front passenger seat stepped out first, opening the door from the outside.

First came Tan Zheng and the Assistant from the second row, then Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng.

The four of them got out of the car, but Lin Sicheng was nowhere to be seen. There were only two bodyguards with their backs to the door, looking left and right.

Confirming it was safe, Zhu Heng opened the door to let Lin Sicheng out.

Actually, it was still early; there was no need to be this nervous. Even if Saishi jumped over the wall like a cornered dog and wanted to do something, they would have to wait until the first negotiation broke down and Lin Sicheng played his trump card.

But Zhu Heng had his own logic: just because there is no danger for the moment does not mean one can lower their guard. If the team members get used to being lax, what happens if danger suddenly arrives and they can't get their spirits up?

It is better to be fully focused and highly alert from the very beginning.

Lin Sicheng didn't understand and could only follow the advice of the professionals. But to outsiders, it seemed both ridiculous and baffling.

Take Tan Zheng, for example.

She was even wondering if Lin Sicheng watched too many police and gangster movies.

Also unable to understand were Sun Rui and Yao Funing.

They didn't recognize the Jinbei, but they felt these two cars were very luxurious, and there was even an Isolation partition in the middle.

It was also rare for clients to bring bodyguards, and even if they did, it was only one or two. But Lin Sicheng brought six in total.

Their physique was secondary; the key was that fierce, cold aura that seemed to overflow and rush toward them.

The two looked at each other: Wasn't it said to be just a small Center?

But looking at this posture, he had more style than the boss of a listed company.

Just as they were whispering, they saw Lin Sicheng get out of the car, and the two exchanged a glance: Out of the ten people in total, this one was the youngest.

The key was that the several burly men who looked like bodyguards were all surrounding him.

It must be him, no mistake...

While thinking this, the two walked over to greet them. Both were beautiful women, and having dressed up deliberately today, they were very eye-catching.

While still several steps away, their laughter came first: "Hello, General Manager Lin!"

The two stood one behind the other, first reaching out their hands, then introducing themselves: "General Manager Lin, my surname is Yao, Yao Funing, serving as the Legal Director of Saishi Company." "My surname is Sun, Sun Rui, I am Mr. Smith's Assistant..."

Hearing the surname Sun, and that she was a General Assistant, the four people's eight eyes all looked over at once: Last time, it was this woman who left them hanging for half a day. The gaze was very direct, and Sun Rui noticed it immediately. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly squeezed out a smile: "General Manager Lin, it was my negligence and slights last time, please forgive me!"

There was nothing to forgive: if it weren't for this woman, Lin Sicheng wouldn't have known that Saishi Company and Smith could be so slow-witted. Liu Anhua was the second-ranking Vice President of the company, holding a lethal weapon capable of controlling Smith's life and death, and even causing Saishi Company to lose hundreds or thousands of billions of dollars. But the person had been inside for several days, and they were still indifferent?

After confirming this point, Lin Sicheng acted according to the situation and investigated calmly. Only with ninety-nine percent certainty did he return to Beijing to settle the matter with Liu Anhua once and for all.

From this perspective, not only did he not blame Sun Rui, he even had to thank her.

Thinking this in his heart, a smile appeared on his face, and Lin Sicheng's tone was exceptionally gentle: "General Manager Sun, you are too polite!"

Sun Rui was stunned: In Smith's description, Lin Sicheng was sinister, vicious, treacherous, and even heinous.

But once she saw him, it didn't seem to be the case at all?

Handsome, gentle, sunny, just like the younger brother next door...

It wasn't just Sun Rui; Yao Funing could also be considered well-traveled and a judge of character, but no matter what, she couldn't connect the young man in front of her with the devil Smith had described.

Not to mention anything else, just consider this: was it really this young man in front of her who forced the Saishi headquarters into such a panic that they had to urgently arrange for the Asia-Pacific President Li Zhenghao to come and put out the fire?

No matter how Yao Funing looked at it, it didn't seem like it.

She really couldn't help herself, half-sighing and half-probing: "General Manager Lin is truly young and promising. May I be so bold as to ask, how old are you, General Manager Lin?" Lin Sicheng smiled: "Twenty-three!"

Actually, he was still more than half a year away.

And he didn't think that at this point, Saishi wouldn't have done a background check?

This Director Yao just couldn't quite believe it: was it this kid who hadn't even grown all his hair yet who poked a hole in the sky of Saishi?

As these thoughts turned, Lin Sicheng introduced: "Director Yao, General Manager Sun, let me introduce you: this is Lawyer Tan, this is Professor Wang, this is General Manager Zhao..." The group shook hands one by one.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng were fine, as they had been mentally prepared. But Tan Zheng was more than usually surprised.

Seeing Saishi Executives outside the door was not unexpected.

When encountering major clients, such as for orders of hundreds of millions or more, or high-ranking leaders, such as district heads or bureau chiefs of regulatory departments, Executives would mostly come out to welcome them to show respect.

What Tan Zheng found strange was the attitude of these two: their smiles were tinged with flattery, and their words were tinged with sycophancy.

Especially Yao Funing: in terms of background, she was actually Tan Zheng's senior. More than ten years ago, when she was sweeping through Shanghai and was infinitely glorious, Tan Zheng was still an Intern.

Later, being recruited by Saishi with a high salary made her even more famous: in the nineties, an annual salary of hundreds of thousands of dollars already placed her at the very peak of the legal profession in China.

Tan Zheng had never imagined that such a legendary figure would actually have a time when she had to bow?

But why?

While she was secretly pondering, Yao Funing extended her hand: "Lawyer Tan!"

Tan Zheng came back to her senses: "Director Yao, nice to meet you!"

Shanghai is neither small nor large. Both are leaders in the industry; although the two had no prior interaction, they at least knew of each other. Both were very polite and also very reserved.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yao Funing led the way: "General Manager Lin, please this way!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, and the group followed behind in a grand procession.

The steps were high, with over ten levels. Upon stepping onto the final one, while still quite a distance away, the two foreigners at the entrance bowed in unison: "Welcome!" With blonde hair and blue eyes, their pronunciation was crisp and standard.

Zhao Xiuneng was shocked, his face full of disbelief.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen foreigners working as doormen, but most were charcoal-skinned Indians. This was his first time seeing skin so white, eye sockets so deep, and bridge of the nose so high.

Were they Americans, or Europeans?

It wasn't just him; Wang Qi Zhi was also very curious: no matter how one looked at it, they seemed like Europeans. Why were they working as servers in China?

He lowered his voice: "General Manager Zhao, where are they from?"

How could Zhao Xiuneng possibly know?

When in doubt, ask the junior fellow apprentice. Zhao Xiuneng took two quick steps: "Junior Fellow Apprentice Lin, what country are they from?"

Lin Sicheng took a glance: "They should be Punjabis from Pakistan, a branch of the Aryan people! Although they originate from Iran, their appearance and genetic proportions are closer to Russians, Poles, and the Germanic people of Germany."

"Aren't the Aryans the upper-class people of India and Pakistan? Are there poor people among them too?"

"In India, yes; in Pakistan, not entirely. Only a small portion of Aryans are nobility; the majority are ordinary people..."

Moreover, the wealth gap is extreme, and the poor make up the majority.

Discussing people's appearance and origins right in front of them was truly a bit impolite. To show his apology, as he passed by, Lin Sicheng took out his wallet and gave one to each: "Gentlemen, my apologies!"

He did not speak in Chinese, but in the national language of Pakistan: the Indo-Aryan branch, Urdu.

The two bowed again, "Thank you, boss!"

Zhao Xiuneng followed suit, also taking out his wallet and giving one to each: "May I ask, where are you from?"

They must have been specially trained, as the two were very practiced: "Boss, we are Pakistanis, of the Punjabi ethnic group!"

Huh, so it really was true.

It was just a moment of curiosity; they didn't care about that little bit of money. But the few people beside them were very surprised.

Anyway, no matter how one looked at it, they felt no different from Xinjiang people.

What was even stranger was that Lin Sicheng actually understood their language?

Tan Zheng looked curious: "Little Lin, you understand Pakistani?"

Lin Sicheng casually brushed it off: "This is a branch of Indian languages, and it can also be considered a branch of Iranian languages; it was taught in university!"

Wang Qi Zhi twitched his mouth: Xida did indeed teach it, and only the Cultural Relics and Museology College taught it at that.

But only those focusing on "Ancient Cities of Central Asia and the Silk Road" and "Indian Buddhist Archaeology" would study this, and it was an elective course. In any case, he had never seen Lin Sicheng study it.

It was just a small interlude, and no one paid it any mind as the group entered the lobby.

Just after turning through the revolving door, the few people were stunned again: it was as if they had been waiting there for a long time; in an instant, many people surrounded them.

There were men and women, locals and foreigners.

Leading them was a man with a big nose, a smile on his face, and his Mandarin was incredibly pure: "General Manager Lin, I have failed to welcome you from afar!"

The two hands clasped together: "President Smith, you are too kind!"

The two were like old friends; after shaking hands, they even hugged lightly.

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng blinked their eyes: This was Smith?

The two should have never met before, right? But it felt like they were so familiar?

Tan Zheng was even more surprised: she had done a background check before and knew this was Smith, but she had never imagined Smith would be waiting in the lobby.

The key was this expression and this tone: although very reserved, based on over ten years of professional experience, Tan Zheng could see the touch of warmth in the foreigner's words and the hint of fawning in his eyes.

It felt no different from Sun Rui and Yao Funing just moments ago.

But why?

Having worked as a Lawyer for so many years and having fought countless lawsuits against foreign capital, she couldn't even count them herself.

But this was the first time Tan Zheng had seen a foreign person in charge of foreign capital show a smile bordering on sycophancy toward a young man nearly thirty years his junior.

Subconsciously, she recalled the situation when Lin Sicheng took out that outline:

Little Lin, you are asking for so much right off the bat; what if Saishi turns hostile?

Lawyer Tan, they won't: Saishi might counter-offer and might not pay this much, but they will definitely pay.

If they don't pay, they will only lose more...

At the time, Tan Zheng felt that Lin Sicheng's confidence was inexplicably baffling, even making her want to laugh.

But looking at it now, it felt as if Lin Sicheng held a trump card in his hand that could cost them their lives.

Thinking of this, Tan Zheng paused abruptly, a glint appearing in her eyes: That's right... a trump card?

If there was no trump card, on what basis was Lin Sicheng so confident, and how dared he ask for so much?

If there was no trump card, why were the Executives of Saishi so polite to him, even to the point of being somewhat sycophantic and fawning?

Why hadn't she thought of this before?

Because Lin Sicheng hadn't said it, and hadn't even hinted at it.

But she was his Lawyer, and anyone with even a little common legal knowledge knew: to win a lawsuit, one must have 100% trust in their Lawyer. Without reservation, whether it was good or bad.

Moreover, she had been introduced by Yun Hui, and Yun Hui's relationship with his teacher's older sister was so good; she wouldn't harm him. Yet Lin Sicheng guarded against her like a thief?

Subconsciously, Tan Zheng recalled the words Lin Sicheng said when they first met a long time ago: Lawyer Tan, don't worry, Saishi will talk, and they will take the initiative to talk to us.

Looking at him now, compared to half a month ago, there was no difference: Lin Sicheng remained calm and gentle.

Regardless of whether the other party humiliated him or fawned over him, he had the same face and the same expression.

Therefore, more than half a month ago, Lin Sicheng had already determined that this day would come.

Which meant: at that time, he already had the trump card in his hand and had already thought of the countermeasures. There was only one reason he didn't say it: the stakes were too high! Staring at Lin Sicheng's profile, Tan Zheng gritted her teeth and touched the Technology Authorization Agreement inside her bag.

She was not angry, but excited. Fearing it would show on her face, she could only try hard to suppress it.

If even Smith is like this, what are the chances of this Technology Authorization Agreement being successfully negotiated?

Compensate half... oh no, as long as they can compensate one-third, that would be "fake one, compensate three."

It is not that no Lawyer has ever won a lawsuit against foreign capital, but that no Lawyer has ever been able to represent a private institution and make foreign capital "fake three, compensate one." If she could really get them to pay that much, she would be the queen of the foreign-funded company economic dispute field in Shanghai.

The more Tan Zheng thought about it, the more excited she became, subconsciously licking her lips: as long as she could have her name attached, she guaranteed she would use 120 percent of her ability, and that was the kind that wouldn't charge a Lawyer fee.

Oh no... she would even pay out of her own pocket...

As if they shared a telepathic connection, Lin Sicheng turned his head and smiled at her.

Tan Zheng's heart stirred, and a trace of astonishment appeared on her face.

Because she understood the meaning of that smile: Lawyer Tan, don't be anxious, stay steady!