One, two, three, four...
The cells in the petri dish were all dying, one by one!
None of them lasted even half an hour!
They didn't even survive as long as the previous bottle!
Min Ziqiong's father was dumbfounded.
The two Baojie representatives were also dumbfounded.
Only the testing expert wore an expression of "I told you so" and said, "The preservation conditions for this bottle of bathwater were clearly flawed, so it's not as effective as the previous bottle of bathwater. However, it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black; there's basically no difference, they're both counterfeit and shoddy products."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible..." Min Ziqiong's father collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Before he came, he had already planned how to spend the 16 billion!
He wanted to buy villas, yachts, planes, sports cars!
In short, he wanted to buy everything in the world that represented status!
And now, his dream was shattered!
Let alone villas and yachts, he couldn't even afford a doghouse or a dinghy!
Moreover, he would have to face claims from Baojie Company!
The two Baojie representatives looked at the dead cells with deep disappointment.
In fact, they would have preferred to be proven wrong by Min Ziqiong's father, to prove that they were indeed wrong before, but they didn't expect reality to strike them so hard.
The Yuan liquid provided by Min Ziqiong's father was fake!
It was bathwater!
"Mr. Min, I think we need an explanation!"
The two Baojie representatives said with extremely grim expressions.
If this mission failed, they would also be punished.
Demotion and pay cuts would be the least of it; they could even be fired!
However, before they were fired, they would never let Min Ziqiong's father, who had deceived them, get away with it!
Min Ziqiong's father's face was dejected, his eyes vacant, clearly still trying to figure out what had happened.
After a long while, he murmured, "Perhaps... maybe... it was... my preservation method that was incorrect? Or perhaps I preserved it for too long, causing the Yuan liquid to decay?"
"Yes! That must be it!"
Min Ziqiong's father slapped his thigh, seemingly having found the reason.
In his opinion, Ying Chen would never dare to deceive him.
After all, he held evidence of Ying Chen's murder.
Most importantly, after he left, Ying Chen's words when facing his wife's "corpse" had no flaws, and he did indeed say he wanted to use the Shenjing Yuan liquid to silence him.
Since Ying Chen was not at fault, the fault must lie with him.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out. The preservation and transportation of this type of Yuan liquid indeed require specific environments and containers. A casually used bottle like this is indeed not very suitable for preserving Yuan liquid."
At this moment, the testing expert spoke.
Min Ziqiong's father immediately looked as if he had found a savior and quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, it must be due to the preservation!"
The two Baojie representatives' expressions softened slightly, but they still snorted, "Even so, you did not obtain qualified Yuan liquid! This does not change your fraudulent behavior!"
"Don't worry, gentlemen. I still have a way! As we say in our Dragon Country, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' The Yuan liquid is just the fish; it doesn't matter if one fish is spoiled and rotten, as long as we master the skill of fishing!"
Min Ziqiong's father's "fish" and "fishing" analogy confused the two Baojie representatives.
They waved their hands and said, "Alright, stop beating around the bush. Quickly tell us your plan! If it's feasible, we don't mind resuming our cooperation talks."
"It's like this. I do have a plan, but the solution is not entirely in my hands. There might be some twists and turns, and it might require more sincerity and effort..."
Min Ziqiong's father looked at the two Baojie representatives with an embarrassed expression.
"Simply put, it means – adding more money!"
Upon hearing that Min Ziqiong's father wanted to add more money, the two Baojie representatives were furious.
Their noses were practically flared with anger, but out of consideration for the Shenjing Yuan liquid, they suppressed their rage and asked, "How much more money?"
Min Ziqiong's father replied, "I can't say for sure. The situation is this: my daughter, to show fairness, gave the Yuan liquid and the formula separately to me and my wife. And as it happens, my wife and I are currently going through a divorce, and she's adamant about keeping the formula and won't let me see it. If we can get the formula, we can then replicate it one-to-one, and the newly manufactured Yuan liquid will not have any decay problems. So, for the next steps, you will have to negotiate with my wife. I can't play a decisive role, at most I can act as an intermediary and introduce you."
When the two Baojie representatives heard Min Ziqiong's father's words, they were utterly enraged.
Their gazes could only be described by a popular online saying: the desire to stab someone cannot be hidden.
They were not three-year-old children, nor were they inexperienced office newcomers. What kind of situations had they not experienced? What kind of negotiators had they not dealt with? They could tell at a glance that this was Min Ziqiong's father's tactic to drive up the price! They even suspected that this entire matter was orchestrated by Min Ziqiong's father himself! He deliberately provided bathwater masquerading as Yuan liquid to pave the way for the subsequent price hike! However, to complete their headquarters' mission, they had to endure it. After exchanging glances, the two representatives nodded in unison: "Agreed! Then we'll trouble Mr. Min to introduce us to Madam Min and put in a good word for us at the appropriate time."
"No problem, no problem, after all, this is my fault. Let's go, we'll go to my place now!"
After speaking, Min Ziqiong's father led the way out of the office.
The two Baojie representatives followed close behind.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the Min residence.
Min Ziqiong's mother seemed to have already known they were coming, as she was sitting in the living room waiting.
However, Min Ziqiong's mother's expression was not very good.
With a stern face, she coldly looked at Min Ziqiong's father as he entered and said, "You still remember to come back? According to the divorce agreement, you're leaving with nothing; this home has nothing to do with you anymore! Please leave now! Otherwise, I'll call the police!"
Seeing this situation, the two Baojie representatives quickly said, "Madam Min, please don't be angry. Your Dragon Country has a saying, 'A hundred days of kindness from a year of marriage.' You've been married to Mr. Min for so many years, can you really bear to separate? Furthermore, Mr. Min still loves you very much. Look, he's willing to give up his own share and instead recommend us to acquire the Shenjing formula from you. As for the price, it's the same as before, 8 billion plus 20% equity. What do you say?"
Min Ziqiong's mother let out a cold laugh, "So that's why he dared to come home, he brought reinforcements!" "But it's useless! No need to waste your efforts! I will never change my mind! A mere 8 billion is not enough to buy me off so easily!" "Let alone 8 billion, even 10 billion, 12 billion, it's all in vain!"
*Swish!*
The two Baojie representatives' faces turned noticeably paler.
Good heavens, Min Ziqiong's mother had instantly raised the price to 12 billion! This was clearly an act of extortion!
"Old woman, don't take your anger with me out on others! 8 billion is not a small sum, just agree to it!" Min Ziqiong's father pretended to persuade her.
Min Ziqiong's mother, however, sneered, "Do you think you are the only ones who can buy this in the world?" "I'm sorry, but United Sun and Moon Company has already contacted me! They are willing to offer a higher price than you to acquire the formula!" "So, go back where you came from! There's nothing for me to discuss with you!"
"What?" The faces of the two Baojie representatives changed drastically. They finally couldn't sit still.