Xu Weiwei felt a bit embarrassed as she delivered the news to Ye Cangtian.
She had promised last night that Guo Hai would surely face legal consequences, but after a series of maneuvers, the other party had managed to distance himself from the matter.
Ye Cangtian didn't blame Xu Weiwei. He knew her character; once the law was invoked against someone, she would investigate it to the end.
But it was clear she had done her best.
After hanging up, Ye Cangtian sat by the security room, smoking. After much hesitation, he finally relayed the news to Li Dazhuang.
Li Dazhuang fell silent upon hearing it.
Ye Cangtian saw a fleeting hint of unwillingness in the eyes of this honest, simple man the moment he heard the news.
After a long silence, Li Dazhuang looked up, a憨厚 (hān hòu - honest and sincere) smile on his face, "Big Brother, it's okay! People like that will eventually be brought to justice!"
It was like a compromise with life. What good was unwillingness? One could only endure.
Ye Cangtian knew Li Dazhuang was deeply disappointed, but the man didn't show it, instead displaying an air of acceptance.
He took a deep breath, exhaled a smoke ring, and patted Li Dazhuang's shoulder, "You're right. People like that will get their comeuppance sooner or later, and I believe that day will come soon!"
Guo Hai was out, but was he truly in the clear?
That depended on whether Ye Cangtian agreed.
He had seen the malevolent and hateful look in Guo Hai's eyes last night, so he was certain the man would seek revenge.
He wasn't worried about Guo Hai's retaliation, but what about Li Dazhuang? What about Li Ya?
While contemplating these matters, Li Dazhuang suddenly nudged Ye Cangtian's arm and whispered, "Big Brother, Sister-in-law is out!"
Ye Cangtian looked up and saw Tang Xinwan standing not far away, watching him.
After not seeing her for several days, the girl seemed to have lost weight. Could Aunt Zhang have been serving very poor meals lately?
Seeing Tang Xinwan staring at him, Ye Cangtian felt awkward and managed to ask, "Are you... have you been well these past few days?"
Tang Xinwan waited for him to say more, but after a long pause, he uttered just that. She immediately snorted coldly, "What does it have to do with you whether I'm well or not?"
"And didn't I tell you not to come back to the company again?"
This girl again!
Ye Cangtian felt a surge of speechlessness and replied indifferently, "Do I need your permission to visit my friend?"
Tang Xinwan frowned, then turned and called out, "Li Dazhuang, it's working hours. How can outsiders be allowed to loiter at the company entrance? This won't happen again!"
After speaking, she ignored Ye Cangtian and walked directly outside.
This girl was really grasping at straws, actually blaming Li Dazhuang! Ye Cangtian was left amused and speechless.
After Tang Xinwan walked away, Li Dazhuang turned back with his usual憨厚 smile, "Big Brother, what's going on between you and Sister-in-law?"
Ye Cangtian chuckled and said, "Nothing much. Alright, your sister-in-law is going out, follow her and keep an eye on her!"
"Understood!" Li Dazhuang nodded, stood up, and followed at a distance.
He had promised Ye Cangtian that if Tang Xinwan went out alone, he would follow and protect her discreetly.
...
Tang Xinwan didn't know why she suddenly got angry or why she had inexplicably spewed out a string of reprimanding words.
Perhaps, after all, she couldn't bring herself to say the words that would make Ye Cangtian return.
At this moment, she arrived at a coffee shop, not far from the company, only a few hundred meters away.
"President Tang, I've been waiting for a long time!" As soon as she entered the coffee shop, a middle-aged man's voice called out from a distance, speaking with a hearty laugh.
Tang Xinwan composed herself and smiled, "The company affairs are busy. I apologize for keeping Chairman Tao waiting!"
Tao Chuanping was the president of the Jiangnan Province Pharmaceutical Commercial Association, and also the chairman of the Tao Group, which was primarily engaged in the pharmaceutical business.
In essence, the two parties were competitors!
In the past, the Tao Group was the largest in Jiangnan Province's pharmaceutical industry, having monopolized more than half of the sector and considered a true leading enterprise in pharmaceuticals.
However, due to the Tao Group repeatedly inflating prices in recent years and the emergence of new companies like Haitian Pharmaceuticals, the Tao Group was gradually losing its former glory.
But it still remained the largest pharmaceutical group in Jiangnan Province.
At this moment, Chairman Tao smiled and said, "Haitian Pharmaceuticals has been quite influential lately, and President Tang herself appears more radiant and beautiful than ever!"
Tang Xinwan sat down and ordered a cup of coffee, smiling faintly, "Chairman Tao, why don't you speak your mind directly? You wouldn't have come to Yangzhou just to have coffee with me, would you?"
Chairman Tao nodded and stopped beating around the bush. He took out a document from his briefcase.
As he handed it to Tang Xinwan, he said with a smile, "President Tang, please take a look at this agreement first. If you find no issues, we can discuss further!"
Tang Xinwan frowned. She had no cooperation with the Tao Group, so why was he suddenly presenting an agreement?
However, she still took the agreement and began to read it carefully.
After reading only half the document, her expression subtly darkened. As she continued reading until the end, Tang Xinwan's face showed clear signs of anger.
She looked up and questioned, "Chairman Tao, what is the meaning of this?"
Chairman Tao smirked and said, "President Tang, Haitian Pharmaceuticals' recent momentum has been too strong, seriously affecting the development of our other enterprises. Yangzhou is your domain, President Tang, and we can't interfere, but you're even encroaching on the provincial capital. How are the rest of us supposed to survive?"
Tang Xinwan's face turned grim. Haitian Pharmaceuticals' market was naturally not limited to Yangzhou; they had orders in the provincial capital, various cities, and even nationwide.
In the past, Haitian Pharmaceuticals only held a small market share elsewhere. Recently, due to increased influence, orders from the provincial capital had indeed increased, but all of this was within the rules.
However, the other party was proposing so many unreasonable demands, how could Tang Xinwan remain calm?
"My demands are actually simple. If there's money to be made, let's all make it together!"
Chairman Tao smiled and continued, "How about this: Haitian Pharmaceuticals can sell in the provincial capital and other areas, but I wish for the operational rights to be transferred to the Tao Group. This way, President Tang can worry less and still earn money!"
Although the other party spoke nicely, Tang Xinwan was no novice in the business world and naturally understood the hidden agenda.
Transferring the operational rights to the Tao Group?
That would be like cutting off her own future. In no time, Haitian Pharmaceuticals' market share in the provincial capital and other regions would completely belong to the Tao family!
Therefore, Tang Xinwan absolutely could not agree!
She stood up and said coldly, "Chairman Tao, I'm sorry, I will not sign this agreement, nor will I give up any operational rights!"
She had suspected that his visit would not be for a good cause, but she hadn't expected him to harbor such intentions.
Tang Xinwan turned and left!
The smile on Chairman Tao's face gradually turned gloomy. After a moment, he couldn't help but sneer, "This woman isn't foolish after all. It seems I'll have to resort to some special means!"
He picked up his phone from the table and quickly dialed a number.
"Help me hire a few people!"