First update,

...

Qin Fang had found that playing such small tricks was very useful, especially after Zhu Pangzi sent someone to have the Dahongpao appraised at an auction house and got the results, his chubby purplish face almost burst with rage.

Although Qin Fang didn't know how Zhu Pangzi had convinced Tang Feifei and Xiao Muxue, Zhu Pangzi's people ended up getting the key to the main gate of Qin Fang's sawmill factory. A very professional construction team officially moved in to thoroughly clean up Qin Fang's warehouse, and Qin Fang's private cabin officially began renovation. As for what it would turn into, that was no longer Qin Fang's concern, and even Mouse Qiang had hinted that Zhu Pangzi, in order to make up for this blunder, would cover all the renovation costs…

Qin Fang didn't bother with these matters and was instead dragged away by Chen Jiangnan, who said that the laboratory collaboration had reached a preliminary agreement and, as a result, Chen Jiangnan had invested over a million in advance.

"Brother Jiangnan, if it's just such a cooperation agreement, I think there's no need for you to front this part of the funds for me. I'll handle it myself…"

However, Qin Fang wasn't so easily deceived. After a quick glance at the agreement, he noticed that the research institute, of course, agreed to assist with product optimization, technical support, and so on, but the personnel would still be deployed by the institute themselves, which was obviously a significant deviation from Qin Fang's requirements.

"Xiao Qin, I've done my best. The research institute operates under an official arrangement. To have them exclusively take charge unless they resign and join a new lab… And if we go that route, we can't guarantee the experiments' equipment, instruments, qualifications, personnel, and so on!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiangnan's complexion slightly changed, but he still expressed his difficulties.

"I understand! If it weren't for this, why would I ask Brother Jiangnan to intervene personally? I know you must have a way…"

Qin Fang didn't address that point, as he had already contacted Lin Hai before coming and briefly understood the situation, knowing that Chen Jiangnan still had tricks up his sleeve.

The personnel establishment of the lab was indeed a problem, but presently, research staff at the institute, apart from those devoted to their research like Lin Hai, mostly had collaborations with other institutes, labs, or even companies with research capabilities.

So the difficulty Chen Jiangnan brought up was actually not much of a problem at all—it was simply an attempt to use Qin Fang's young age and lack of experience to reduce his own investment.

As for restructuring the lab, that was even less necessary. The research institute could even offer lab rental services, including research personnel, which was possible, but at a much higher cost—at least three times more.

Chen Jiangnan had a not-insignificant wealth of several tens of millions, but since he was involved in financial speculation, much of his funds were tied up in the stock market. Given that the current market conditions weren't very good, it was quite painful to reallocate funds. For him to pull out three or four million at once to set up a lab over which he had no control was something he was very reluctant to do.

"Alright, I'll try…"

Seeing how determined Qin Fang was, Chen Jiangnan could only sigh resignedly and nodded silently in agreement.

"I know you can do it… By the way, if possible, I hope it can be done quickly. In just over a month, the Nan Yue Provincial Capital will host a conference for the world's top lithium battery manufacturers, and several Japanese lithium battery companies will participate, so…"

After finishing these topics with Chen Jiangnan, Qin Fang left straight away, but before leaving, he gave a particular reminder that made Chen Jiangnan's eyes widen in astonishment.

The entry threshold for the lithium battery industry isn't high, but domestic counterfeiting is severe. Purely in terms of production volume, we could definitely be considered number one in the world, but in terms of quality, only third.

Among lithium battery manufacturers, Japan is at the top, with companies like Sanyo, Sony, Panasonic, and NEC ranking among the world's leading enterprises. Almost all are dominated by Japanese corporations, with even European and American companies unable to compare.

Actually, Korea is next, followed by Dragon Country. Some manufacturers rank high but mostly are pushed out of the world's top ten.

This conference was indeed real, initiated by a leading company in Dragon Country, and was considered a high-end meeting of the lithium battery industry, with all major manufacturers sending delegates to attend.

Qin Fang suddenly mentioning this clearly intended to finish the revised proposal quickly and then leverage the conference to sell it.

Manufacturers among the world's top twenty would participate, and with such a revised proposal, undoubtedly, it would be a very eye-catching affair and could fetch a very high price. If missed… the price might indeed be hard to predict.

Being a financial speculator, Chen Jiangnan naturally understood this principle the best. With a significant money-making opportunity in front of him, if he let it slip away, that would be truly regrettable, perhaps even enough to make him cry himself awake from sleep.

At the same time, Chen Jiangnan also realized that Qin Fang was putting pressure on him, wanting to reap a large sum of money but being stingy in what he was willing to invest. Qin Fang fully had the reason to kick him out of the deal.

The truth of this news wouldn't be hard for Chen Jiangnan to verify with a little inquiry, and Qin Fang wasn't afraid of him checking it out, because it was indeed true. The information he specifically sought from Xiao Nan could certainly not be wrong.

"Why are you free to look for me today?"

Staring at the young man sitting calmly across from her, Ning Yumo asked with some curiosity.

"Naturally, I miss you, my dear older sister!"

Qin Fang smiled slightly, his face beaming with youthful radiance, giving off a very comfortable feeling.

"Don't give me that nonchalant act, tell me the truth... Did you and Feifei have a fight? Do you need me to put in a good word for you?"

Ning Yumo wasn't buying his story, tossing a coquettish look before she asked with some concern. Though she was a few years older than Qin Fang, Ning Yumo found a very harmonious connection with him.

If anyone else dared to speak to her with such frivolity, Ning Yumo wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson with her fists, but Qin Fang's words, however, made her feel quite calm, indifferent, and even a little reassured.

"How could that be? Feifei and I are good!"

Qin Fang shook his head and then looked around at the surroundings before straightening his face. He leaned slightly towards Ning Yumo's ear, "Sister Ning, I want to ask you to investigate some people…"

"Hmm?"

Ning Yumo was momentarily startled, her flirtatious eyes flashing with surprise, clearly a bit confused about Qin Fang's intentions.

"A few days ago, I encountered some people, and I suspect they were sent by Li Feng to deal with me, so…"

Qin Fang promptly described the attire of the men in black he had encountered with Fan Ning, but the excuse he used referred to his enemy, Li Feng.

The conflict between Li Feng and Qin Fang was already known to Ning Yumo, and she had even offered to warn Li Feng herself, only to be stopped by Qin Fang. As for the people Li Feng sent to handle Qin Fang, the two underlings had fled, but the real perpetrator had long since become a cold corpse, lying inside Qin Fang's Props Box.

"Have you really seen these men?"

Ning Yumo listened quietly to Qin Fang's description, her face showing a touch of astonishment before she asked again, not quite certain.

"I have seen them, truly seen them!"

Seeing Ning Yumo's expression, Qin Fang faintly felt that these people might be more important than he had imagined, or perhaps they had some secrets unknown to him.

"Leave this matter to me, I'll look into it for you, but you must keep it a secret! If you encounter these people again, call me immediately!"

Ning Yumo waved her hand, not allowing Qin Fang to ask any further questions and stressed her point with utmost seriousness, her tone not without a hint of warning, causing Qin Fang to be even more perplexed about the origins of these people.

Unfortunately, at that time, he was being kissed by Fan Ning and had his back to those men until they had all left. It was only then that he turned around to look, but by then those men had already gone beyond his range of reconnaissance, and naturally, he was unaware of their rank and other details.

The tattoo that had suddenly appeared on his arm had caused Fan Ning to turn against him on the spot, and their dispute had become quite tense. The more this happened, the more intrigued Qin Fang became about the tattoo.

Clearly, Fan Ning's identity was also shrouded in mystery, harboring secrets unknown to Qin Fang, and those secrets seemed to be linked to the men in black suits who were professional bodyguards. This made the situation even more complicated.

Qin Fang did not wish to unwittingly invite any trouble but remain oblivious, especially if one day these people targeted him and he was left in the dark, or worse, fell victim to an assassination and died unjustly.

To investigate Fan Ning was far too impractical for Qin Fang alone. Not only did he lack the time, but also the energy and ability to do so. Most importantly, he was entirely clueless about these people's background.

So, the first person Qin Fang thought of was Ning Yumo. With her unique identity and the men in black being professional bodyguards who had undergone strict training, Fan Ning must have taken something very important given their urgency during the chase. Fan Ning too seemed extremely nervous and afraid at the time, as if capture would leave her with no way out but death.

This made Qin Fang even more concerned. He thought of involving Ning Yumo in this matter, hoping to glean some useful information and at least uncover some secrets that were still hidden from him, which might serve as a kind of protection for himself.

"I understand, Sister Ning. Please make sure to inform me if there are any updates. This is a matter between Li Feng and me, and I would like to settle it on my own..." (To be continued. If you want to find out what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, and support original reading!)

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