While Jiang Tong and Lu Wei were nursing low-quality *baijiu* in that small eatery, several kilometers away, Fang Zhixing sat in a landmark sky bar. He watched helplessly as Xiao Fengtai downed a shot of tequila in one go. The ice sphere in Fang Zhixing’s own whiskey had nearly melted away; he had hardly touched his drink, secretly hoping Xiao Fengtai hadn't noticed. Si Fan had just returned from a business trip, and Fang Zhixing had been forcibly dragged out to go bar-hopping by Xiao Fengtai. The fact that his candlelit dinner had been ruined was frustrating enough, but he had also hoped to save some energy for a "reunion is better than a honeymoon" night with his partner.
Xiao Fengtai raised his hand and called for another tequila. Fang Zhixing clutched his whiskey, trembling inwardly, wishing his boss would just drink alone until he passed out and forgot he was there.
He almost thought his wish would come true until Xiao Fengtai suddenly turned his head. His smile was slightly tipsy, looking ambiguous and alluring under the dim lights.
"I haven't asked in a while," Xiao Fengtai said, leaning in slowly, his voice still steady and calm. "How are things with that Lin Daiyu of yours?"
"His name is Si Fan," Fang Zhixing replied, shrinking back as Xiao Fengtai moved forward. "We’re doing great."
Xiao Fengtai placed a hand on Fang Zhixing’s thigh. Fang Zhixing shuddered, unable to retreat further. He closed his eyes like a revolutionary martyr facing execution, his face a mask of unyielding loyalty. "Boss, you’ve had too much to drink."
Xiao Fengtai burst into laughter. "You’re so much fun."
Suddenly, his smile vanished. "Fang Zhixing, let me ask you. In what way am I inferior to Si Fan?"
"I was so good to you back then. Why did you reject me so quickly?"
"If you don't try, how do you know I won't do?"
This was a death trap of a question! Fang Zhixing’s buzz vanished instantly. He tried to dodge the subject. "Boss, you... you’re really drunk."
"Answer me, or I’m docking your bonus."
How could he play the money card! Fang Zhixing steeled himself; since money was on the line, he didn't care anymore. "Because you aren't him."
Xiao Fengtai froze.
Fang Zhixing threw caution to the wind. "Yes, to an outsider, you’re better looking than Si Fan, richer than him, and more socially adept. But—but you aren't as lovable as he is."
"He is just himself. He has flaws and strengths; he’s just an ordinary person. But when I see him smile, my heart brightens up. When I see him frown, I feel like the whole world has turned gloomy. During that time when I thought I’d lost him, I suddenly realized that everything I used to care about meant nothing... I would give up everything I have just to have him back."
"Stop," Xiao Fengtai said softly. "I’ve recorded all of it."
Fang Zhixing was stunned. "What?"
Xiao Fengtai grinned and waved his phone. "Did you think you were filming an idol drama? That was so cheesy it set my teeth on edge. Do the due diligence on Huaqing properly. If there’s another oversight, I’ll play this recording on a loop at the office."
"Get out of here, don't waste my time." He underwent a total personality shift, suddenly acting impatient to drive him away. "A big guy like you sitting here looking like a fool—other people will think we’re a thing and won't dare come over."
Talk about the villain suing his victim first! Filled with grief and indignation, Fang Zhixing grabbed his coat and left. He was the one who had dragged him here in the first place!
However, Xiao Fengtai was indeed acting strange tonight. Before stepping out the door, Fang Zhixing had a momentary lapse of conscience and thought about staying for one more drink.
He looked back, only to see that his seat had already been filled by a stunning woman with an S-curve figure. She wore a tight, backless miniskirt, her eyes shimmering with a gaze so intense it seemed she wanted to peel a layer of skin off Xiao Fengtai. And Xiao Fengtai—his young, handsome, and visibly wealthy boss—sat steadily at the bar. He smiled slightly and said something, making the beautiful woman laugh so hard she nearly fell into his arms.
*Worrying about him is like a dog chasing a car—pointless!* Fang Zhixing whipped his coat over his shoulder and turned to leave the bar.
While Fang Zhixing cursed Xiao Fengtai wildly behind his back, he didn't dare slack off on work. He had the biology PhD in his team responsible for clinical projects find and study all of Jiang Tong’s papers. He also sent Huaqing’s corporate information to partner pharmaceutical funds for background checks. A week later, the past and present of Jiang Tong and Huaqing were condensed into a thirty-page PPT and sent to Xiao Fengtai’s inbox.
"Huaqing’s two pipeline products indeed have investment value, and Jiang Tong isn't running the company with a 'scientist-at-play' hobbyist mindset... Even so, my recommendation is that we should not participate at this stage," Fang Zhixing summarized during the conference call.
"Why?" Across the entire Atlantic, Xiao Fengtai’s voice was translated through radio waves, sounding flat and calm, devoid of emotion.
"The reason Jiang Tong withdrew from clinical trials was less a technical issue and more a management one. He was stabbed in the back by a former team member." Fang Zhixing flipped the shared screen to the slide introducing the management team. "Lu Wei, the former CFO and CSO of Huaqing. Three months ago, he jumped ship to Yongping Pharmaceuticals, taking basically all the R&D backbone from the VP level up with him. A month later, data for the Phase I clinical patient enrollment for BTK27 was exposed as fraudulent, and the experimental results were voided. Huaqing withdrew its Phase II application and is now looking for a new CRO to redo Phase I."
"He took the people and still won't give his old boss a break?"
"My guess is that Lu Wei doesn't necessarily want to be relentless, but Yongping has its sights on Jiang Tong. Even if BTK27 has to restart Phase I, Huaqing’s progress is still leading among domestic pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, if CD30 succeeds—though our consultants say the chances are slim—it could become a milestone invention in the international field of cancer diagnosis and treatment."
Xiao Fengtai mused, "Did Yongping change its chairman last year?"
"Yes. The new chairwoman, Zhang Yuan, is the founder’s daughter. She has an overseas background and is considered a member of the reformist faction within Yongping. After taking power, Zhang Yuan bought pipeline products from several overseas companies at high prices. For the past few months, the company has been aggressively recruiting and building an R&D team in the market. It seems they are serious about transitioning into innovative drugs."
"The old Chairman Zhang has three children. This 'Little Zhang' is known as the 'Eldest Princess.' The fact that she could defeat the Chairman’s only son to take the throne shows how ruthless her methods are. Zhang Yuan first put in the effort to poach Lu Wei, and then used her resources to coerce and entice Jiang Tong to surrender; she is clearly determined to win. Now that Huaqing’s capital chain is about to break, if we intervene, we might not even be able to save Huaqing, and we will definitely offend Yongping."
Doing business in the primary market is about navigating human relationships and favors. Aside from a few visionary "Zhuge Liangs," most investors follow the crowd, fawning over the successful and stepping on the fallen. Established companies have investors falling over themselves to curry favor, while obscure small enterprises face countless closed doors. To offend a deeply rooted giant like Yongping in the Chinese pharmaceutical market for a CD30 project that might not even succeed was, in Fang Zhixing’s view, a move with a severely unbalanced risk-reward ratio. It was practically suicidal.
He sighed inwardly for Jiang Tong, waiting for Xiao Fengtai’s final judgment. Although Xiao Fengtai had clearly shown interest in Huaqing, with the pros and cons laid out, Fang Zhixing believed the choice was obvious. In their years of working together, when it came to calculating gains and losses, no one was more cold and decisive than Xiao Fengtai.
However, the other end of the line remained silent. Fang Zhixing could even hear the static from the phone due to an unstable signal.
"Boss?" he asked hesitantly. "Is there anything else?"
Xiao Fengtai didn't speak. In the darkness, he stared at the photo of Jiang Tong on his iPad screen. It was 6:00 PM UK time, and the London sky was pitch black. The lights in the car were off, and the neon lights from outside occasionally swept through the interior—flashes of orange-red and bright white that vanished into silence. The iPad was the only light source. Perhaps because of the brightness, Jiang Tong’s photo was startlingly high-definition. Xiao Fengtai could see the wrinkles at the corners of Jiang Tong’s eyes when he smiled and the small, unpressed creases on his white lab coat. Jiang Tong was sitting casually on a high lab stool, holding a pipette in one hand, turning toward the camera with a smile that held a hint of the awkwardness and shyness of someone unaccustomed to being photographed. Xiao Fengtai sat expressionless in the dark, meeting the gaze of the smiling Jiang Tong on the screen.
"We can look at this project a bit longer," he said in a low voice.
Fang Zhixing didn't process it immediately. "What?"
Xiao Fengtai suddenly became irritable. "Didn't you hear me? I said let this project live a while longer. Go do a scenario analysis and calculate what our cost price range should be."
"But..."
"Like you said, until a lead investor is found, no fund will risk offending Yongping to invest in Huaqing. When Jiang Tong comes to find you, I want you to notify me immediately and prepare a comprehensive negotiation plan. I want the price pushed as low as it can possibly go."
He didn't give Fang Zhixing a chance to argue and hung up the phone.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 司繁 | Si Fan | Fang Zhixing's partner. |
| 林黛玉 | Lin Daiyu | A character from "Dream of the Red Chamber," used here as a metaphor for someone delicate or sickly. |
| 华清 | Huaqing | Jiang Tong's pharmaceutical company. |
| 永平 | Yongping | The rival pharmaceutical giant. |
| 路巍 | Lu Wei | Former CFO/CSO of Huaqing, now at Yongping. |
| 张远 | Zhang Yuan | The "Eldest Princess" and new chairwoman of Yongping. |
| BTK27 | BTK27 | A drug pipeline/product name. |
| CD30 | CD30 | An innovative drug target/product. |
| 尽职调查 | Due Diligence | Often abbreviated as DD in business. |
| 领投方 | Lead Investor | The primary investor in a funding round. |
| 仿创药 | Imitation-innovation drugs | Often refers to "me-too" or "me-better" drugs that improve upon existing ones. |
| 一级市场 | Primary Market | The market where securities are created (e.g., VC/PE investing). |
| 资本链 | Capital chain | Cash flow or funding sequence. |
