Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

He let out two cold laughs.

Lu Yang slammed on the brakes and stopped the car in front of the villa.

"get off."

After saying that, he started unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Wait a minute."

Yin Mingzhu was a little anxious, and for some reason, she suddenly reached out and impulsively grabbed Lu Yang's hand as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

We've only just met.

Lu Yang was only stunned for a moment before she quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted.

Keep your head down.

Blushing.

She dared not look at Lu Yang.

He whispered, "I haven't finished speaking yet. Please, give me a little time. I just need a little bit of time. If you feel I'm wasting your time after you finish listening, I apologize. Really, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you invest, you definitely won't lose money. I won't harm you. Please trust me this once, okay?"

Lu Yang had known for a long time that this woman was very pragmatic. Although she was proud, she was also flexible and adaptable. As long as it was beneficial to her, she could completely put aside her pride, but only if the return was worth her effort.

After Yin Mingzhu finished speaking, she stared intently at Lu Yang's expression, fearing that he might reject her again, in which case all the pride she had just managed to let go of would have been for nothing.

A thoughtful look flashed in Lu Yang's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel curious. What kind of project was it that made this woman travel all the way to find him?
Furthermore, if things go smoothly, what benefits will this woman gain from it?
"That's all."

"Now that you're here, you're here."

"Give her a chance and let her finish speaking."

"Anyway, I wasn't planning on agreeing."

"It's just to satisfy my curiosity and see what kind of project is worth this woman abandoning her pride and self-respect to bow down to me."

Thinking of this.

Lu Yang said with a nonchalant expression, "Alright, enough nonsense. Go ahead and tell me. I'll give you one chance. Tell your story within one minute. If you take more than one minute, I'm getting off the bus."

Upon hearing that she only had one minute, but considering that this guy had at least promised to give her a chance, Yin Mingzhu quickly took a deep breath and organized her thoughts, saying:
"Here's what happened. A while ago, a leader from the station assigned our program team to track down a local state-owned enterprise's restructuring project. At first, our team didn't take it too seriously, treating it as just another regular program. Later, we learned that it was actually a restructuring project that was an attempt at cooperation between a foreign company and a state-owned enterprise. And the state-owned enterprise that participated in this attempt was a well-known company. The Arctic Ocean soda, which occupies a near-monopoly position in our northern market, is produced by this state-owned enterprise."

At this point, she noticed Lu Yang's expression suddenly froze, and assumed that Lu Yang looked down on a mere soda factory, so she quickly explained, "You may not have heard of this soda brand in the South, and you may not know what it means, but for many young people like us in the North, the name Beibingyang is a generation's memory that accompanied their growth. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Yang raised his wrist and checked the time. "One minute is just right. Now I'll answer your question."

As he spoke, he looked at Yin Mingzhu, who was full of anticipation, with a blank expression and said, "First of all, what does the word 'Arctic Ocean' mean?"
Hmph, I know better than you do.

Secondly, you've been rambling on and on, but what's your point?
Aren't you a top student who graduated from Peking University?

How come you can't even grasp the main point?
Why did you come to me?

Who sent you?

And what gives you the right to think I can participate in joint venture projects with state-owned enterprises?

A series of questions, along with Lu Yang's disdainful look.

This caused Yin Mingzhu to panic instantly.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and she turned her head, wanting to escape the car and get away from the man as quickly as possible.

But her rationality forced her to overcome her cowardice and hold back her tears.

quite a while……

She lowered her head, not daring to look at Lu Yang, but then mustered up her courage and looked up at him again, saying, "Can you give me another chance? I'll make sure I explain myself this time. Don't worry, if I still can't explain myself, I'll leave on my own."

As she spoke, she turned her face to the side, waiting for Lu Yang's reply. If Lu Yang disagreed, she would immediately get off the car, book a flight back to Beijing, and honestly return to her job as a program host.

"puff"

Lu Yang responded with a laugh that he almost couldn't hold back.

I'm really impressed by this woman.

Indeed, no matter how high your education or IQ is, if you lack emotional intelligence and communication experience, you can easily end up in a ridiculous situation.

"No, I'm right here in front of you. Instead of taking advantage of the fact that I haven't gotten off the bus yet, you're asking me if I agree to let you speak, without even giving you a chance. Aren't you kidding me?"

Yin Mingzhu looked adorably silly at that moment.

This reminded Lu Yang of some memories from his previous life when he was a working-class person.

Back then, technology far surpassed what it is today. Communication was done through enterprise messaging apps like DingTalk or WeChat. Even elderly farmers who hadn't received much formal education had smartphones.

Things like clocking in for work, assigning tasks, and requesting leave are all done on DingTalk or WeChat for businesses.

Lu Yang remembered many clever people, just like Yin Mingzhu in front of him. They would not say what they wanted to say, but instead ask if the leader was there. They would only talk about what they wanted to say after the leader replied that the leader was there.

It's like the leader is his subordinate.

Later, even a small group leader would specifically tag someone in the group chat and say, "@Everyone, get straight to the point. Don't ask if I'm online. I won't reply to anyone asking if I'm online. Please reply 'Received' if you get this message."

Lu Yang himself was also one of the victims.

After decades of working as a laborer, he finally got old and was promoted to a small contractor with more than a dozen people under him. He had said things like the one mentioned earlier, but there were always some clever guys under him who never learned their lesson. Even if they wanted to ask for leave, they would ask if you were there first. You had to reply that you were there before they would say they wanted to ask for leave. If you didn't reply, they would stay silent and keep quiet. Even if they didn't come to work, it would be considered absenteeism.

Then wait until the next day.

You ask him why he didn't come to work yesterday and why he didn't ask for leave.

He will question you about why you didn't reply to him on WeChat yesterday, making it impossible for him to ask for leave.

You said, "I clearly tagged everyone a long time ago, telling you not to ask if I'm online, just get to the point. Is that so hard? I'm not available 24/7. What if you ask if I'm online, and I'm not? I have to wait two or three hours to reply, and you don't receive my reply at first because you're busy with other things. Then several hours later you see my reply and ask if I'm still online. And then I have to wait a while to reply... and if I am... does that mean we'll waste a whole day? What about getting our business done?" That makes sense, but they'll definitely retort, "What? I'm just being polite and asking if you're online, and that's wrong?"

Yes! It was just a polite gesture, but it wasted everyone's time.

"Get to the point, don't ask if I'm online." This has become a hard rule in many companies' WeChat groups in later generations, aiming to improve corporate efficiency. Often, the most bizarre rules are created because of a group of bizarre people.

Just like now...

Yin Mingzhu almost fled, her face covered, after being provoked by Lu Yang's few words.

Even now, she doesn't think she did anything wrong; she believes Lu Yang is nitpicking and deliberately humiliating her.

"asshole."

"I'll be polite."

"am I wrong?"

Yes, she was just being polite!

She's not wrong.

She only wasted Lu Yang's time.

So Lu Yang wasn't going to play with her anymore. Seeing that she had her head down and didn't seem to be reflecting on her actions, he thought, "Oh my god, is she angry?"

sisters.

You need to understand this.

We're not dating right now.

We're talking business.

You can't expect me to comfort you like this, can you?

Lu Yang shook his head, pushed open the door and got out of the car cleanly and neatly. It wasn't until the "bang" of the door closing that he woke up Yin Mingzhu, who was looking down with tears in her eyes, feeling wronged.

She suddenly looked up and saw that Lu Yang had already gotten out of the car. With her eyes red and glaring, she could no longer care about the grievances she had just suffered. She immediately opened the car door, got out of the car, and chased after Lu Yang, who was walking towards the gate of the villa.

"Wait a minute...I..."

She held Lu Yang's hand.

Lu Yang stopped, looked down at her hand that was holding his, and said, almost speechless, "Can you please stop panting when you speak? Say everything at once. Also, stop pulling and tugging, okay? If your sister sees this, we won't be able to explain ourselves."

If Lu Yang hadn't just heard the words "Arctic Ocean" and found them genuinely interesting, he vowed he would never have given the other party a friendly look.

Yin Mingzhu blushed, let go of Lu Yang's hand, and whispered, "I'll tell you, don't be mean to me, it's like this..."

The Arctic Ocean soda factory is currently in talks with a foreign company called PepsiCo about financing. According to their preliminary agreement, PepsiCo will invest $800 million, while the Arctic Ocean soda factory will provide the formula and brand, plus $300 million, to jointly establish Pepsi Arctic Ocean Soda Co., Ltd.

Now comes the problem.

Because the foreign company PepsiCo has a high investment ratio, they are also demanding a high shareholding ratio. If the cooperation is reached, this foreign company will hold a controlling stake in the new joint venture.

Although there was a promise.

It will still be managed by our Chinese personnel.

However, many people are now worried, especially a group of former senior managers of the Beibingyang Soda factory. They are concerned that if the cooperation is finalized, the foreign company will take over the management of the new company and then undermine its own resources, using our platform and sales channels to promote their own soda brand. As for Beibingyang Soda, they can simply shelve its brand, because according to the agreement, for 15 years, our Beibingyang Soda formula and trademark are for the joint venture company to use for a fee. So I thought…”

"You do not want."

Lu Yang interrupted her directly, "Stop with these roundabout talk. I understand now. Someone must have seen through your identity and knows your relationship with me. They want to use you to contact me, their benefactor, and see if they can sabotage the cooperation between Beibingyang Soda Factory and Pepsi, right?"

Where there are people, there are power struggles. Pepsi's acquisition of Beibingyang soda might have been orchestrated by certain local leaders in Beijing responsible for attracting investment. $800 million in investment is a significant sum even in Beijing today; it's a major political achievement. As for whether the Beibingyang soda brand will still exist after the collaboration, that remains to be seen.

Does it matter?

It definitely won't have any impact.

At most, when netizens discuss it in later generations, they will say with regret, "How could those old domestic products just disappear like that?"

But as the saying goes, where there are people, there is a world of its own. As for the leaders of the Beibingyang Soda factory, they have done a great job over the years, almost occupying most of the soda market in the north, and their sales have been rising year by year. They are living a comfortable life, so why would they want a mother-in-law to suddenly appear on their heads?
But it's a state-owned enterprise.

However, one cannot disobey the instructions of superiors.

You should weigh things carefully. At the very least, you should study it seriously. If you want to reject this unexpected good thing, you should at least have a suitable reason, right?
If Lu Yang wasn't mistaken, he was indeed the troublemaker, no, the stumbling block, or rather, the third party who sabotaged the cooperation, that some high-ranking executives at Arctic Ocean Soda had painstakingly found. Hmm, that name is right, it has that flavor.

Yin Mingzhu said softly, "Since you know everything, do you think there's any possibility of cooperation?"

Lu Yang smiled and said, "Then it depends on how sincere they are about Arctic Ocean soda. If they just want someone to cause trouble, I can grant their wish. At worst, I can spread the word that my Century Group is also interested in acquiring their soda factory. Well, consider it a favor, making friends, so they can get a good price, and you can have an explanation when you go back."

Yin Mingzhu quickly shook her head, "No, that's definitely not how it is. President Liu promised me that as long as you agree to invest, instead of seeking a controlling stake like Pepsi, he can help to persuade the leadership to let Pepsi out and have you replace Pepsi in this corporate restructuring."

Lu Yang might not believe it.

Yin Mingzhu quickly added, "This Mr. Liu from Beibingyang also said that their Beibingyang soda currently only dominates the northern market, but has no influence in the south. If we can cooperate with your Century Group to open a branch factory of Beibingyang in Shenzhen, and then produce their Beibingyang soda directly in Shenzhen, I believe we can quickly open up the southern soda market. This is even more effective than cooperating with Pepsi. If we submit this statement, we will definitely be able to convince the higher-ups."

Lu Yang snapped his fingers. "Bingo, I didn't realize you were so well prepared."

As he spoke, under Yin Mingzhu's expectant gaze, Lu Yang nodded, "Then let's give it a try. We're just killing time anyway. I don't know what benefits you'll get from this. What Beibingyang promised you is what they promised, but if the cooperation succeeds, and I think this is worthwhile and can make a fortune, I won't be stingy. I'll give you a commission as the intermediary, according to business rules..."

Yin Mingzhu opened her mouth, wanting to refuse firmly, but ultimately lacked the courage. After a short while, she gave up and simply acquiesced to Lu Yang's words.

"Let's go, this isn't urgent. Come in with me to see your sister first. She's about to give birth and has been wanting to see you and Mom for a while. Stay at my house for a bit and take care of her. As for the cooperation with Beibingyang, give me that person's phone number, and I'll have my secretary contact him directly. If the cooperation goes well, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."

In business, things are business, and that's what Lu Yang thought too. If money can solve everything, it's better not to owe this woman a favor.

Of course, this is all on the premise that there's actually something to gain this time. (End of Chapter)