My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

"Huaxia’s top university graduates are really on another level. Makes me feel like a commoner," Pei Youwen muttered in self-deprecation.

"’Breaking the energy monopoly’—that wasn’t my idea."

"Then whose was it?" Chen Yuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Your father’s," Ji Hai said softly. "He was a pioneer on this path, and we chose to follow him."

"Him?"

Chen Yuan was completely taken aback.

Without a doubt, his perception of Jiang Zhengfeng had shifted once again.

...

「1:00 PM.」

A long table in the cafeteria was laden with delicacies, surrounded by a whole row of Yushen Technology Company’s senior executives.

Chen Yuan and his two companions were surrounded, forced to make polite, perfunctory conversation.

They had agreed to "just grab a bite," an idea the project director from Yushen Technology had readily accepted. But the feast spread across the cafeteria table was anything but casual. The grouper sashimi alone was hardly a dish you’d expect to find in a company cafeteria.

"Chairman Jiang, you’ve seen our production floor. Our branch company has over thirty workshops at this state-of-the-art level, and the area they cover is immense. That’s just our base in Xinwan; we have a total of six bases of this scale across the country. Once we reach an agreement, our people and resources will work around the clock to push the project forward. We’ll only need one year and eight months to get it fully implemented."

The director—a man with black-rimmed glasses and a white shirt stretched over a beer belly—explained this to Chen Yuan with considerable excitement.

"But the project we’re collaborating on needs adjustments. With the configuration you’ve described, the required investment is too high."

"That’s exactly why! The investment is large and the project is demanding. It’s the reason we’ve turned down so many other companies while eagerly awaiting your visit as representatives of the Jiang Corporation. We’re not interested in the smaller players. Our goal is a partnership between powerhouses!"

"Let’s discuss this later. First, let’s eat."

Chen Yuan wasn’t the only one being cornered at the table. Pei Youwen and Ji Hai were also subjected to a relentless stream of explanations, forcing them to nod along in agreement.

The group ate and talked, and on the surface, everything seemed amicable.

In reality, each person harbored their own thoughts.

’I don’t doubt this company’s capabilities,’ Chen Yuan thought, ’but based on the terms they’re likely to accept, the Jiang Corporation would never be content to simply invest without taking an equity stake.’

’AI is the future, the direction the world is heading. No one can swim against this surging tide.’

’Startups like this are always hungry for investment, but few companies can satisfy their massive appetites. As the party holding the leverage, the Jiang Corporation is far more interested in acquiring a stake and bringing them into the fold, not just bankrolling them.’

By the end of the meal, Chen Yuan was mostly full.

In the afternoon, they met with the company’s other executives for further negotiations.

It was already four in the afternoon, nearly evening, by the time their car pulled away from the Yushen Technology Company.

"So?" Pei Youwen lowered the car window, pulled out a lighter, and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag before asking, "What’s your take, Chairman Jiang?"

"We’ve seen everything we needed to. Now we just have to go back, write an honest report, and wait for a response from headquarters. I don’t know what kind of terms my dad is willing to accept, so we can’t really negotiate yet. All we can do is string them along with promises." Chen Yuan stretched, his back aching from all the walking.

"All I can say is, landing this project is critical for our Bauhinia Company. The partners over there hinted that they want us to act as a sort of lubricant in the deal. The shareholder named Wang is very keen to cooperate, but the other partners are on the fence. He needs some solid information from our side to rally support within his company." Ji Hai turned around and held his hand out to Pei Youwen.

"What for?"

"Gimme a smoke."

"Didn’t you quit smoking?"

"I do. I quit every day."

"..." Pei Youwen dug into his pocket and passed the pack over.

Chen Yuan lowered his own window, letting the unpleasant smoke drift out of the car.

"What are you getting at? Are you trying to get me to sweet-talk headquarters?"

"No," Ji Hai said earnestly. "I’m saying that if we have resources at our disposal, maybe we could sound out headquarters’ opinion ahead of time."

"Aren’t we supposed to go through the proper channels? Company policy forbids bypassing the chain of command."

"I’m not asking you to bypass the chain of command, Chairman Jiang," Ji Hai said, holding up his hands. "I’m just suggesting you ask the big boss if he’s had dinner yet. Is that so outrageous?"

"Okay, fair enough."

Chen Yuan understood what Ji Hai was getting at and reluctantly pulled out his phone.

In truth, even if this hadn’t come up today, it was about time he called Jiang Zhengfeng to check in anyway.

’What kind of father and son go months without speaking?’

The last entry in Chen Yuan’s chat history with Jiang Zhengfeng was from their last trip. Since then, they had only spoken on the phone three times, and one of those was an accidental butt-dial.

When his father answered, he’d just said "wrong number" and hung up...

The car fell silent.

The other two men looked away, but both had their ears pricked, waiting for Chen Yuan to make the call.

The BEEP, BEEP, BEEP of the phone dialing filled the silence.

...

「Kyoto.」

The conference room at the Jiang Corporation headquarters.

"Regarding Director Liu covering for his subordinate and submitting a false report, we must take strict disciplinary action..."

An intensely serious atmosphere filled the conference room, which held several dozen people. Jiang Zhengfeng sat in silence in the chairman and CEO’s seat, his expression grim.

A clear, sharp voice of reprimand echoed through the room, and everyone present was as silent as the grave.

BUZZ, BUZZ. A call notification lit up his phone screen.

Jiang Zhengfeng’s gaze swept over to the screen. The caller ID read: Son. His eyebrows shot up, and he reached over to grab the phone.

He didn’t answer immediately, instead looking at the executive who was delivering the rebuke.

He let the phone ring until it went silent. A few minutes later, during a lull in the executive’s speech, Jiang Zhengfeng cut in.

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