Chapter 293 - 109: Zhao Xia Gives a Red Envelope, a Move Upwards

Zhao Xia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You’ve already had the baby?"

’She wasn’t even showing the last time we played mahjong,’ she thought. ’That was fast.’

Jiang Li rubbed her nose. "Yeah, I did. He’s exactly 100 days old today."

It all clicked for Zhao Xia. ’No wonder Jiang Li was at Jinyuan earlier. She must have been holding the hundred-day banquet there.’

She frowned in disapproval. "And here you are, always calling me ’sis,’ yet you don’t even tell me about something as huge as having a baby."

Jiang Li laughed sheepishly. "I just thought that if I told everyone individually, it would feel like I was just asking for gift money, so I didn’t mention it."

Zhao Xia immediately pulled her phone from her handbag and transferred ten thousand yuan to Jiang Li. "This is just a little something from me. No refusing."

’Putting everything else aside, just for developing an anti-cancer drug, Jiang Li was like a true sister to her from now on.’

’That meant Jiang Li’s son was practically her own nephew.’

’And if he was her nephew, she had to give him a generous gift.’

Jiang Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, then. On behalf of Zhaozhao, thank you, Aunt Zhao."

They ended up finding the nearest coffee shop and getting a private room.

Once everyone was seated and had ordered coffee, Xu Lian could no longer hold back and asked, "Xiao Jiang, I was wondering what you plan to do with the anti-cancer drug you have on hand?"

Jiang Li answered candidly, "Actually, I’d like to cooperate with the government. I never intended to make money when I was researching the drug. I just wanted to help reduce the number of people who are sick."

Xu Lian’s heart was about to leap out of his chest. "So, what kind of cooperation did you have in mind?"

Jiang Li laid out her plan. "I can provide the formula to the government for free, but you have to guarantee two things: the drug must be covered by national health insurance, and each vial can’t be priced higher than 5,000 yuan."

’Rather than trying to produce it herself, it was better to just hand the formula over to the government.’

Xu Lian couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. He had met all sorts of people and handled countless affairs, both major and minor, but Jiang Li’s words left him momentarily speechless.

’This wasn’t a partnership; it was a completely one-sided contribution from Jiang Li.’

After several seconds, he finally let out a long breath. "May I ask, what’s the approximate production cost per vial?"

Jiang Li glanced at the researcher, as she didn’t know the answer herself.

"One vial costs around 3,500 to produce."

In other words, if a vial was sold for 5,000, the net profit would be roughly 1,500.

And once it was covered by national health insurance, the profit margin would be even lower.

While Xu Lian was still thinking, Jiang Li asked, "How about it, Mayor Xu? Do we have a deal?"

Xu Lian’s fingers tapped on the tabletop. "You invested so much in the early stages. For you to just give me the formula for free like this... it doesn’t seem very fair to you, does it?"

Jiang Li shrugged nonchalantly. "You can just say I have more money than sense."

"Besides," she added, "if I were to produce it myself, it would take at least five or six years to bring it to market. I can afford to wait, but I’m afraid the patients can’t."

’She had already looked into it, which was why she was so determined to work with the government.’

’After all, it’s always easier to get things done with the government’s backing.’

Xu Lian had to agree. This was an anti-cancer drug, after all. The approval process alone would take a very long time. It would be impossible to have it on the market in less than six or seven years.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, let me make a phone call first."

Jiang Li smiled. "Of course."

The moment Xu Lian left, Zhao Xia grabbed Jiang Li’s hand and sighed in admiration. "You’re a truly incredible person, you know that?"

Jiang Li was a bit embarrassed by the praise. "I’m not that incredible. I have my own reasons, too."

’If it didn’t take so long, she might have chosen to produce it herself.’

Zhao Xia patted Jiang Li’s hand. "If this really goes through, you’ll be a godsend for our family."

’Xu Lian had worked diligently for over a decade, but his career had stalled due to a lack of major political achievements.’

’But this was different. This was an anti-cancer drug, something that could save countless people.’

’If this succeeded, Xu Lian could at least land a position as a provincial party secretary.’

Xu Lian’s phone call took nearly an hour. In the meantime, Jiang Li and Zhao Xia chatted about everything from family to beauty, and from beauty to fashion.

Zhao Xia was stunned. "So, that super popular brand, Qingyan LAVUE... that’s yours?"

’She’d heard people talk about it,’ she thought, ’but she wasn’t one to follow the crowd. The more hyped up something was, the less she liked it.’

’Qingyan LAVUE had been all the rage lately, so even if she had liked its designs, she had stubbornly refused to spend a single penny on it.’