Chapter 211 - 209: A New Cooperation Model

Seeing her mother like this, Cecilia Sterling playfully teased, "I’ve rarely seen you get misty-eyed growing up. Why are you suddenly so weepy?"

"People regress as they get older. In a few more years, Mom will be a little kid."

"Nonsense. People only start acting like kids after they’re sixty. You’re still young, Mom," Cecilia said.

Jasmine Sterling’s tears turned to laughter, and she gave her daughter a gentle push. "Looks like you learned how to be a smart-mouth in Lorcain. Go on, wash your hands."

After they all washed their hands and sat down at the dining table, Jasmine Sterling had already served them bowls of rice. Then, she took another bowl to ladle out the God Jumps Over the Wall.

She scooped the largest sea cucumber from the pot into Blair’s bowl. "Here, Blair, have some more."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Blair stood up to take the bowl, looking at the glistening, golden delicacy and subconsciously swallowing. "This is my first time having God Jumps Over the Wall."

"Then you’re in for a treat. This is my mom’s specialty. She has no rival in the entire world," Cecilia said.

Hearing this, Jasmine Sterling shot her daughter a mock-reproachful look before smiling. "Don’t listen to Cecilia’s nonsense."

But Cecilia said seriously, "I’m serious. I’ve eaten at countless restaurants in Lorcain, big and small. I’ve even eaten at that restaurant Mr. Jennings always goes to, and none of them are as good as yours."

Just then, Estelle Goodman, who couldn’t wait any longer, took a spoonful. Her eyes immediately lit up. "This smells amazing, Auntie! It’s so delicious, better than what they make at those high-end restaurants in Lorcain."

Cecilia’s eyes widened in agreement. "See, Mom? Even the real princess of Lorcain says so."

Jasmine Sterling, absolutely delighted by the children’s banter, beamed and nodded. "Alright, alright. As long as you think it’s good. If you like it, then eat up."

After speaking, she slowly sat down next to Cecilia and looked at her daughter. "When will Lily be done filming this TV series?"

"Soon, Mom. Her agency’s schedule has her finishing the shoot for sure before the New Year."

"Shoot... shoot who?"

Cecilia: "..."

Estelle Goodman laughed and explained, "Auntie, ’finishing the shoot’ means the actor has completed all their filming work. It doesn’t mean shooting someone."

"Oh." Jasmine Sterling nodded in understanding, then turned back to Cecilia. "Then what about her school? She probably doesn’t even have time for her exams, right?"

"Mom, don’t worry about all that. The Film Academy has special arrangements for students on set. Her coursework and exams won’t be affected. Once Lily wraps and comes back, I’ll bring her to Veridia to spend the New Year with you and Ethan."

"Get me an autographed photo of your sister later. I have a feeling your sister is going to be a huge star, so I’ll collect it now," Estelle Goodman said suddenly.

Blair chimed in, "Get me two, as well. I don’t watch dramas, but who knows, they might sell for a good price later."

Hearing this, Cecilia pouted. "You’re eating my mom’s food and already thinking about profiting off my sister?"

"So what? Auntie was the one who invited us."

"Didn’t you teach me that if you want to make money, you have to seize every hidden business opportunity?"

"Learning and applying it on the spot, are we? And on my family, no less?"

"Is that a problem...?"

Watching the kids bickering and laughing, the warmth in Jasmine Sterling’s eyes softened even more. She could see that her daughter was very happy in Lorcain. She had a good education, a good career, and good friends and a boyfriend.

All of this put her heart completely at ease.

*

A week later, Cecilia Sterling and Timothy Rowe returned to the AI department of the Jennings Group.

They were in the same meeting room as last time, sitting in the same seats.

Reginald Jennings sighed before he even spoke, and Cecilia knew at once that the outcome of this second meeting would not be satisfactory.

Before Reginald Jennings could even figure out how to begin, Cecilia cut straight to the chase. "How much?"

Reginald Jennings looked at Cecilia for two seconds before saying in a low voice, "530."

As soon as he said it, Reginald Jennings rushed to explain, "Miss Sterling, you should know that even though we’re the Jennings Group..."

Cecilia raised a hand to cut him off. "I know. For the Jennings Group, this isn’t about the money. You’re a large corporation, a massive group, and everything has its upper and lower limits. I completely understand that."

"So, look, our second offer is 80 more than the first. Can’t you also show some sincerity and give a little? We’re really optimistic about your project. Personally, I know this project is worth a much higher price, but this is the reality. This is the most sincerity we can offer."

Cecilia didn’t respond to Reginald Jennings immediately. Instead, she gave Timothy Rowe a look. Timothy, understanding perfectly, took a folder from his backpack and handed it to Reginald Jennings. "Vice President Jennings, we’ve also been actively thinking of solutions to make this partnership happen. This contains a new cooperation model. Would you like to take a look?"

Hearing this, Reginald Jennings glanced at the two of them, then took the folder and began reading it without a word.

After a long moment, he looked up. "A biennial decrease?"

Cecilia nodded. "Yes. Rowe and his team discussed it, and they can accept that the technology will depreciate over time. For the first two years, we’re asking for 600 dollars a year. For the third and fourth years, 500 dollars. And from the fifth year onward, it will drop to 400 dollars."

"If this technology still has a place in the market after five years, we can accept a final, lowest price of 100 dollars a year."

This wasn’t a new kind of transaction model; there were precedents for this type of cooperation in many industries.

New things are expensive, but after a couple of years, the new becomes old. And there’s no telling when newer technology might emerge, perhaps even replacing the previous tech entirely.

Timothy Rowe and his entire team were tech people; they could certainly accept that technology depreciates over time.

Cecilia had discussed this with them, and they themselves couldn’t guarantee that this technology would remain at the cutting edge for five years without being replaced.

It was just that this made the financial implications a bit more complex. For a moment, Reginald Jennings’s mind couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t determine whether they would lose or profit under this model because there were too many uncertainties.

"Miss Sterling, Mr. Rowe, we’ll need to have another meeting to discuss this," Reginald Jennings said.

"Of course, no problem. But we hope that Vice President Jennings’s team can reach a decision as soon as possible. We’d like to finalize the partnership before the New Year," Cecilia said.

"Okay, we’ll be quick."

As she was leaving, Cecilia ran into Randall Jennings in the first-floor lobby of Jennings Tower.

"Mr. Jennings!"

"Cecilia!"

Randall Jennings, dressed in an elegant custom-made suit, couldn’t help but smile kindly when he saw Cecilia. "Still running around here? What, haven’t you sealed the deal with our group yet?"

’Mr. Jennings giving me this opportunity was already a huge help.’ Cecilia certainly wasn’t going to ask him to use his position to pull strings for her, so she smiled and replied, "Good things take time. But the talks with Vice President Jennings are going smoothly. We proposed a new cooperation model today, so I’m sure we’ll have a result soon."

The implication was that there was no need for Mr. Jennings to worry about it any further.