Chapter 85: Binding Interests

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Binding Interests

A little after six-thirty in the evening, Yu Zhiming was in his Cayenne hybrid, driving Teacher Qi to meet Gu Qingran at their appointed location.

A private kitchen restaurant on North Pujiang Road.

"Zhiming, what do you make of the investigation notice that Jingda Medical School released?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "I feel like they rushed it out. It’s just a perfunctory, bureaucratic statement with no real substance."

"With a notice like that, it would’ve been better to just pretend they didn’t know about the online discussions and ignore the whole thing."

Qi Yue also chuckled softly. "That’s true. They really would’ve been better off not issuing that notice at all."

"Now the netizens aren’t buying it. They’re demanding the release of the original follow-up interview videos to see just how outstandingly those two performed."

Qi Yue shook his head and sighed. "They already responded once. If they ignore this louder outcry, they’ll likely be accused of having a guilty conscience."

Yu Zhiming said flippantly, "It’s been four or five years. They can just say the video was past its retention period and has been deleted."

He couldn’t help but add gleefully, "Jingda Medical School really got caught in the crossfire this time. It’s a total disaster for them, and they didn’t even do anything."

"Who knows how they’re all secretly cursing my name right now."

Qi Yue’s voice was also animated. "Well, as the saying goes, ’do no evil, and fear no ghosts knocking.’ If their conscience is clear, they have no reason to fear criticism..."

The teacher and student chatted casually as they arrived at their destination: Qin’s Private Kitchen Restaurant.

It was a three-story, standalone building with an unassuming facade that looked to have quite a bit of history.

A waiter led the two of them into an elegantly decorated private room on the second floor, where they saw Gu Qingran, who had already arrived.

With him was a friend he’d brought along: Hua Si Fan, the general manager of Huayu Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

This President Hua looked to be forty at most. He was tall and strikingly handsome. Standing next to Gu Qingran—the very model of a mature, steady, and handsome older gentleman—the two of them gave off the air of an encounter between well-matched rivals.

"Huayu Medical Technology?"

Qi Yue repeated the name, then asked for confirmation, "The defibrillators?"

Hua Si Fan nodded slightly. "Director Qi, you remember correctly. The defibrillators used in many hospitals today are one of Huayu’s flagship products."

"In addition, our company also independently manufactures automated external defibrillators, or AEDs."

Hearing this, Qi Yue couldn’t help but glance at Gu Qingran.

’This guy really came prepared.’

The principles behind an automated external defibrillator were very similar to their Waking Device, which was still just in the conceptual stage.

As for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, or ICDs—which were far more intricate and had much higher technological and material requirements—no domestic company was yet capable of producing them; they all had to be imported.

Gu Qingran laughed heartily. "Director Qi, Dr. Yu, I’ve always been a reliable man."

"I’m very serious about this partnership. This wasn’t some reckless decision I made on a whim."

"Come, let’s sit down. We can talk while we eat..."

Gu Qingran gestured warmly, inviting everyone to take a seat.

Suddenly, his gaze shifted back and forth between Hua Si Fan’s and Yu Zhiming’s faces.

"Hey, Director Qi, take a look. Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"I feel like President Hua and Dr. Yu look a little similar. Almost like they could be family."

At Gu Qingran’s words, Hua Si Fan and Yu Zhiming couldn’t help but size each other up again.

Yu Zhiming noticed that aside from the general shape of their eyes, he and the other man didn’t share much resemblance.

Qi Yue also compared the two men carefully.

"There is a certain resemblance. Perhaps it’s because they’re both such handsome men. When you reach the peak of good looks, faces tend to converge."

"That must be it. ’Talented and handsome’—the phrase was made for enviable men like these two."

Gu Qingran chimed in with his own bit of flattery, and once again gestured for the three of them to sit down...

This private kitchen restaurant was best known for its Shanghai-style cuisine.

Yu Zhiming thought their specialty dishes—like the Eight-Treasure Duck, braised sea cucumber with shrimp roe, sliced foie gras terrine, crystal shrimp, white-cut chicken, and steamed perch—were all quite delicious.

The only downside for him was that the flavors were a little light and leaned toward the sweet side...

The group talked as they ate, quickly and smoothly finalizing several key terms of their partnership.

For the R&D phase of their collaboration, the division of labor was as follows:

Qi Yue and Yu Zhiming would be primarily responsible for identifying universal and typical indicators in narcolepsy patients that were monitorable with existing technology, specifically those that appeared right before the onset of a sleep attack.

Huayu Medical Technology would be responsible for programming the Waking Device’s chip-control software, as well as designing and fabricating the prototype.

As for Gu Qingran, he was the moneybags, responsible for footing the bill.

Regarding the profit-sharing:

During the R&D phase, Qi Yue and Yu Zhiming could draw research and development funds from Gu Qingran as needed.

Once the product was officially launched, they would each receive a 6% royalty on total sales revenue.

Yu Zhiming was quite satisfied with this profit-sharing agreement.

Although there was no money upfront, once the product was successfully developed and launched, the cash would start rolling in continuously.

After all, the number of new narcolepsy diagnoses each year was in the thousands, if not tens of thousands.

Through the course of this dinner negotiation, Yu Zhiming discovered that Gu Qingran was quite easygoing and easy to bargain with.

As for Hua Si Fan, he maintained a cool, aloof demeanor for the most part, an air that said ’don’t bother me,’ and he rarely spoke.

But when he did speak, his words carried the weight of a final verdict, leaving no room for compromise.

A little after nine in the evening, with their bellies full and their business concluded, Yu Zhiming, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, drove Teacher Qi away from Qin’s Private Kitchen Restaurant.

As he departed, Yu Zhiming also left with another arrangement he’d made with Gu Qingran.

He would work one day at Ning’an Hospital every other Saturday.

This meant that for the next few months, Yu Zhiming would only have a one-day weekend...

Huayu, who had come out to see them off, watched the Cayenne hybrid merge into the flow of traffic and disappear before turning to Gu Qingran beside him.

"Why not a one-time buyout?"

"I could tell they were both leaning toward a buyout, especially the younger one, Yu Zhiming."

"It would’ve been a few million at most. That’s a much better deal than paying them a percentage every year from here on out."

"Don’t tell me you’re not optimistic about this project?"

Gu Qingran put on an exaggerated expression. "A rare sight indeed! I can’t believe I got to hear you say so much at one time."

Huayu snorted coldly, disdaining to say another word.

Gu Qingran smiled and said slowly, "Of course I’m optimistic about the project. But what I value even more is Yu Zhiming himself!"

"Is he worth it?" Huayu asked, puzzled.

Gu Qingran nodded. "Huayu, for the sake of our twenty-year friendship, I’ll tell you what’s truly on my mind."

"I have very high hopes for his future."

He added with a faint smile, "The best way to strengthen a relationship is to bind your interests together."

Huayu said mockingly, "You want to invest in his future? Aren’t you afraid he’ll just leave once he’s full?"

Gu Qingran chuckled. "If you want someone to treat you with sincerity, you must first be sincere with them."

"More importantly, Yu Zhiming is a man of integrity and principles. He’s someone worth knowing, someone who wouldn’t let a friend get the short end of the stick."

After a moment’s pause, Gu Qingran changed the subject. "Have things at home and at the company all been settled?"

Huayu’s voice was chilling. "The ones who needed to be arrested have been arrested. The ones who needed to be fired have been fired. And the ones who needed to leave have left. The dust has finally settled."

"From now on, there won’t be anyone else telling me what to do..."

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