Two minutes after waiting in the lobby of the building, Wan Yunting turned his head and saw a man in his thirties wearing designer suits, a smile plastered on his face, hurrying towards them with his young secretary.
Ma Qisheng called out from a distance, laughing, "Oh, President Wan, why the sudden visit? You didn't even notify me in advance, so I could welcome you. This is truly too abrupt. My apologies, my apologies…"
Du Hua had searched for information on the chairman of Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group online and had seen a photo of Ma Qisheng, so Wan Yunting recognized him at a glance. He stepped forward with the expressionless Li Yuxiu. With a professional smile, he extended his hand to shake Ma Qisheng's. "President Ma, you jest. I'm not such a big shot that you need to come down to welcome me personally."
"Oh dear, President Wan, you are too modest with your words."
Ma Qisheng held Wan Yunting's large hand, his smile so friendly and ingratiating that he looked as if he wanted to give him a big hug. He chuckled, "Who in the entire capital doesn't know you, President Wan? Never mind your Ouyang family; just Chaoting Group alone is enough reason for me to welcome you personally, lest I be considered impolite."
Wan Yunting smiled, "President Ma flatters me. I'm just here to pay you a visit and chat."
"It's my utmost honor, utmost honor."
Ma Qisheng laughed heartily and said, "To be frank, President Wan, I specifically visited your Chaoting Group a while ago. I have a project that requires funding, and I intended to invest in your Chaoting Group. I didn't expect you to come today. You mentioned you have a project for us to cooperate on. What kind of cooperation are you looking for, President Wan?"
Wan Yunting smiled, unsure if Ma Qisheng was playing dumb or being deliberately obtuse. He had casually mentioned something to the receptionist earlier, just wanting him to come down to meet him sooner.
"Yes, we are indeed interested in cooperating with President Ma."
Wan Yunting gave a perfunctory smile. Ma Qisheng, being no fool, could tell that Wan Yunting wasn't here to seek cooperation. He chuckled, "Alright, then please, President Wan, would you grace my office with your presence for some tea and a chat?"
"Thank you."
Wan Yunting clasped his hands. Ma Qisheng then noticed the black bag he was carrying, unsure of its contents. His gaze shifted, and he then properly looked at Li Yuxiu, who was by Wan Yunting's side. Though her expression was calm, her aura was powerful. Ma Qisheng looked at her with surprise and said, "This beauty looks very familiar."
Wan Yunting turned his head to look at Li Yuxiu and smiled, "President Ma doesn't recognize Doctor Li Yuxiu?"
"Li Yuxiu!"
Ma Qisheng looked at Li Yuxiu with astonishment, nodding repeatedly. "Of course, I recognize you. You were quite famous in our capital's traditional Chinese medicine circle back then, a genius."
"However, I later heard you went overseas to develop your business, establishing Guishengtang there and making it flourish. You've become an ambassador for promoting traditional Chinese medicine abroad. Truly remarkable."
Despite the string of compliments, Li Yuxiu's expression remained unchanged. She nodded slightly at Ma Qisheng and said calmly, "I know you. By reckoning, you are my junior!"
"Oh, are you also a graduate of the Capital University of Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
Ma Qisheng's eyes widened, and he laughed heartily, "Then that is truly my honor."
Li Yuxiu's intelligent phoenix eyes gazed at him, her innate powerful aura radiating as she spoke in a plain tone, "Although you may not be academically inclined, you certainly have a sharp business mind!"
Hearing Li Yuxiu's praise, Ma Qisheng's expression became momentarily stunned. After a while, he quickly recovered and laughed, "Senior, you flatter me. I truly have no talent for studying traditional Chinese medicine, which is why I took over the company my grandfather founded. I hope to make it bigger and stronger, becoming a benchmark enterprise in our field."
Wan Yunting smiled at his rather proud demeanor.
Beside him, Li Yuxiu's face was expressionless, but a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes as she looked at Ma Qisheng, her disgust barely concealed.
"Let's not talk here. Please, both of you, follow me upstairs to my office. We can chat over tea."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile and followed Ma Qisheng and Li Yuxiu into the elevator, heading to his office…
"Xiao Li, go get my prized tea and brew some…"
As soon as he entered the office, Ma Qisheng immediately instructed his secretary to make tea, while inviting Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu to the reception area. "President Wan, Senior, please sit…"
The two did not stand on ceremony and sat together. Wan Yunting placed the black bag he was holding on the table in front of them. Ma Qisheng, sitting on a separate sofa opposite them, kept his eyes fixed on the bag. Wan Yunting noticed his subtle gesture and smiled, "It's my first time meeting President Ma, so I brought a small gift!"
This remark made Ma Qisheng laugh, "Look at you, President Wan, being so polite. Your personal visit is a great honor to me; there's no need for such courtesy."
Wan Yunting chuckled, "It's only proper."
Seeing the secretary bring over a pot of brewed tea, Ma Qisheng stood up to receive it and placed it on the table. He personally placed two teacups in front of Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu, then picked up the teapot to pour. "Here, President Wan, Senior, please try my treasured Golden Gu Gongcha. This tea is excellent. I'll get you two boxes to take back later; it's only proper to reciprocate."
Wan Yunting smiled throughout, but instead of savoring the tea, he drank the entire cup in one gulp.
Li Yuxiu, however, was not as direct or unrefined. She smelled the fragrance of the tea and said faintly, "The tea is good, but the brewing technique is poor."
Ma Qisheng's expression faltered. The secretary who had brewed the tea rolled her eyes, likely cursing Li Yuxiu in her mind, but she couldn't voice it.
From this, it was evident that Ma Qisheng didn't understand tea at all; he was merely putting on a show. He smiled awkwardly and then looked at Wan Yunting, asking, "President Wan, may I ask what business you have with me?"
Wan Yunting put down his teacup, then opened the black bag. He took out a box of Sanfeng Huoluo Pills and pushed it across the table to Ma Qisheng, smiling, "President Ma, Doctor Li and I are here to discuss these medicines with you!"
Ma Qisheng's gaze was startled. Seeing Wan Yunting take out several more medicines produced by their company from the bag, he immediately understood the intention of Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu's visit. However, he feigned a look of confusion and asked, "President Wan, Senior, are there any issues with these medicines?"
Wan Yunting raised his head, his gaze like two sharp swords piercing directly at Ma Qisheng, and a smile curled on his lips. "President Ma, I haven't even said that there's a problem with these medicines yet!"
This statement left Ma Qisheng stunned and slightly embarrassed. He chuckled and said, "The medicines produced by our Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group have always been known for their genuine ingredients and good reputation in the industry. Of course, our medicines have no problems."
Wan Yunting continued on his own, taking out a pill, opening it, and then breaking it in half with a laugh. "Actually, I don't understand. Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group has always been considered a benchmark enterprise in the industry, and as you said, its ingredients are all good quality with genuine medicinal materials, earning public recognition. Your Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group has grown step by step from a small workshop into a listed group with a market value of tens of billions."
"But now, how has this medicine changed its flavor?"
Ma Qisheng's expression shifted. He looked at Wan Yunting with bewilderment, his smile disappearing as he said seriously, "President Wan, please explain clearly how our Zhenghai Pharmaceutical's medicine has changed its flavor."
Wan Yunting handed him the broken pill and smiled, "You'll know if it's changed its flavor by smelling it."
Ma Qisheng's expression turned serious. He took the medicine and sniffed it, his brows gradually furrowing. He immediately handed the pill to his secretary, "Take this medicine to the research department immediately and carefully check the data on the ingredient proportions."
The secretary took the medicine and turned to leave… "Read books喇"
Ma Qisheng immediately picked up the packaging box of Sanfeng Huoluo Pills and examined it closely. His face became grim, and he said with a serious tone, "President Wan, this medicine was not produced by us. This must be a counterfeit drug imitating our company's products!"
This statement made Wan Yunting narrow his eyes, staring intently at Ma Qisheng, trying to discern truth from falsehood from his subtle micro-expressions. However, seeing his grim and earnest expression, Wan Yunting smiled, "Are you sure these medicines are counterfeits of yours?"
"Of course, I can be certain."
Ma Qisheng held the Sanfeng Huoluo Pills packaging box, pointing to the trademark and characters on it. "Look at this trademark and characters; they are subtly different from our genuine medicine. Ordinary people wouldn't notice unless they compared them carefully. Wait, I'll go get a genuine one for you to compare…"
Saying this, Ma Qisheng stood up and went out, calling his secretary to fetch the medicine. A moment later, he returned with a box of Sanfeng Huoluo Pills and handed it to Wan Yunting, saying sternly, "President Wan, please compare them closely and see if there are any differences."
Wan Yunting took the box of Sanfeng Huoluo Pills he was given and compared the trademarks and characters of both. Indeed, the trademark on the medicine box he brought was printed more unclearly. Upon comparison, it did look like a counterfeit.
"These counterfeiters are endless! Last year, counterfeit drugs imitating our company's products were also circulating in the market. We even collaborated with the police to investigate and crack down on those criminal gangs that counterfeited drugs. I didn't expect them to appear in the market again now."
Ma Qisheng was furious, getting up and unleashing a torrent of curses. He then said earnestly to Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu, "President Wan, Senior, please rest assured. Give me some time, and I will definitely find out those criminal gangs counterfeiting our medicines."
Wan Yunting was opening the genuine box of Sanfeng Huoluo Pills, breaking one open to smell the medicinal scent, and handed half to Li Yuxiu to smell. Both of them could discern that this medicine was indeed the authentic Sanfeng Huoluo Pills.
This made Wan Yunting slightly raise an eyebrow. Could it be that he had wrongly accused Ma Qisheng?
"How about this, let's just call the police and have the capital intervene in the investigation," Ma Qisheng said directly, seeing Wan Yunting's silence.
Wan Yunting dropped the medicine in his hand, a smile playing on his lips. He looked up at Ma Qisheng and said with a laugh, "I'm sorry, President Ma, for our somewhat abrupt and offensive visit today. I hope you will forgive us."
Ma Qisheng sat down and waved his hand, saying, "President Wan, what are you talking about? The circulation of these counterfeit drugs in the market is our company's responsibility."
"Please rest assured, I will immediately send people to contact all distributors to investigate the source of this batch of counterfeit drugs. I will definitely apprehend those detestable counterfeiters and clear them out completely, so that these fake medicines do not harm people and to restore your reputation as doctors."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile, then turned to look at Li Yuxiu and said with a laugh, "Since President Ma has said so, we have nothing more to say. Let's go."
Li Yuxiu's intelligent phoenix eyes cast a deep glance at Ma Qisheng. Her expressionless face remained silent, and she nodded before rising to leave with Wan Yunting.
"President Wan, Senior, perhaps I could host you both for a simple dinner tonight to express my apologies, what do you say?" Ma Qisheng also stood up and called after them.
Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu walked towards the exit, waving their hands and laughing, "No need, President Ma. Please resolve this matter for us as soon as possible."
Ma Qisheng, who had seen them off at the office door, showed a disappointed expression. He said regretfully, "Alright then. Please rest assured, President Wan and Senior, I will give you a satisfactory explanation as soon as possible."
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile and said no more, leaving directly with Li Yuxiu.
"Wait, this tea…"
The secretary brought over two boxes of tea, and Ma Qisheng called out.
"No need, President Ma. I don't understand tea; you keep it. Goodbye." Wan Yunting and Li Yuxiu entered the elevator and said to him with a smile before the elevator doors slowly closed.
At that very instant, the smile on Ma Qisheng's face vanished, replaced by a grim expression. His sharp eyes revealed a sinister glint. He threw the two boxes of tea to the secretary and turned back into his office, picking up his phone to call Liu He…