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The current Integrated Group 4 is in the process of handing over the project to the Energy Group, but the Energy Group doesn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

This is a project on new energy battery materials, which was originally being handled by Group 4.

Once the results were achieved, Qu Zhonghui and Ma Jianguo joined forces to snatch them away.

"A higher rank can crush you." Since Director Qu used his power to adjust the division of labor, Group Four now has no choice but to transfer the task to the Energy Group to continue its work.

This is similar to the difference between general practitioners and specialists in a hospital; it's perfectly acceptable to entrust a patient to a specialist.

To put it bluntly, it's just the energy sector grabbing projects and reaping the benefits, which is despised in the industry, yet it keeps happening.

Lin Yuming looked at Wu Kezhi with a frustrated expression and complained, "Boss, we've been working on this project for three months. We've completed the technical due diligence, the market analysis, and drafted the investment agreement. All that's left is the subsequent business negotiations and signing and execution. And now we're going to transfer it to the energy team?"

"A higher-ranking official can crush you! What can we do?" However, Wu Kezhi had long seen through the helplessness of reality.

You should know that Qu Zhonghui was fully capable of making it impossible for him to work in investment banking, so he had no choice but to continue to endure it at Jin Chen Capital.

"Boss, this is too frustrating. How about we switch jobs?"

"Hmph! All crows are black, so what difference does it make where we go? Do you think changing companies will make us weak?"

"This……"

“He wants to force me, Wu Kezhi, to leave, but I’m determined to fight him to the end.”

"..."

……

At this moment, in the office of the deputy general manager of the energy group, Ma Jianguo was checking the documents transferred by the fourth comprehensive group.

Xu Taiping and Zhao Boqian, who were outside the office, did not dare to urge President Ma, after all, President Ma was known for his bad temper.

Sure enough, Mr. Ma quickly found the problem: the supplementary agreement to the investment agreement was missing.

So, Mr. Ma called in his lackey, Xu Taiping, and asked, "Xu Taiping, where's the supplementary agreement to the investment agreement? I can't find it."

Xu Taiping was taken aback: "Supplementary agreement? What supplementary agreement?"

“It’s the one about the technology patent licensing,” Ma Jianguo said. “Without that supplementary agreement, the patent clauses in the main agreement can’t be enforced. How could such an important document be missing?”

The office fell silent for a moment.

Xu Taiping's forehead was sweating.

He pretended to think for a long time, then slapped his forehead and said, "Oh! I remember now, that supplementary agreement... it's possible that Group Four accidentally put it in another document. Maybe the new recruits in Group Four mixed it up when they were organizing it, after all, quite a few new recruits have come and gone from Group Four recently."

Ma Jianguo glanced at Xu Taiping, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

But he didn't react on the spot; he simply said, "Then let's hurry. This project is time-sensitive and can't be delayed."

"Yes, yes, it's my fault." Xu Taiping apologized repeatedly. "I'll call Group Four right away and make sure the documents are complete today."

“Call now,” Ma Jianguo said, pointing to the phone. “Call it in front of me.”

Xu Taiping reluctantly picked up the phone and called Lin Yuming.

As soon as the call connected, Xu Taiping immediately switched to a fawning tone: "Manager Lin, it's me, Xu Taiping from the energy group. Why is there no supplementary agreement in your transfer documents? Did the new recruits in Group Four forget it because they're inexperienced?"

Lin Yuming's voice on the other end of the phone was cold: "Manager Xu, the document was handed to you by General Manager Wu two weeks ago. Why didn't you check it then?"

"I checked it!" Xu Taiping said quickly, "I just didn't notice! We should still quickly make up this supplementary agreement."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Taiping looked at Ma Jianguo with a forced smile: "Mr. Ma, it's all resolved, it's nothing serious."

Ma Jianguo stared at him with a complicated look in his eyes: "Xu Taiping, your attitude of trying to smooth things over will lead to big trouble sooner or later."

"hey-hey……"

"Call Wu Kezhi right now! Let's see if he still has the nerve to argue with me this time."

"This……"

"beat!"

"..."

……

The office area is divided into four sections.

Lin Yuming put down the phone and said to Wu Kezhi, "Boss, Xu Taiping said the supplementary agreement is missing, and he even asked if our new recruit made a mistake."

"The energy group is still so shameless! They're trying to shift the blame onto us again."

"That……"

Just as he finished speaking, Wu Kezhi's phone rang. It was Xu Taiping calling.

Wu Kezhi answered the phone and, before Xu Taiping could speak, said directly, "Xu Taiping, I personally handed you the supplementary agreement two weeks ago. Don't push the responsibility onto the newcomer; I still have the receipt you signed back then."

On the other end of the phone, Xu Taiping's voice sounded somewhat helpless: "Mr. Wu, what you're saying... how could I possibly shirk responsibility? There really isn't a supplementary agreement."

“You know exactly what’s going on,” Wu Kezhi said, his tone even colder. “Come over to Group Four now, and let’s talk things out face to face.”

After speaking, I hung up.

Lin Yuming was a little worried: "Boss, are we really going to go head-to-head with the energy group? Wouldn't it be better to just add a supplementary agreement?"

"Hmph! They expect us to take the blame for this? Their energy group is utterly shameless."

Lan Qianyi and Sun Yiqiu exchanged a glance, both sensing that the situation was not good.

Soon, Xu Taiping arrived at the fourth comprehensive group with an embarrassed look on his face. "President Wu, it's not a big deal anyway. Can't we just issue a supplementary agreement?"

"Xu Taiping, I personally handed you the documents two weeks ago. You're really spineless, making me take the blame for something like this? Are you that afraid of President Ma?"

Xu Taiping's face turned red.

With many colleagues watching, he felt embarrassed. "Mr. Wu, I haven't even seen the supplementary agreement! Aren't you being a bit too aggressive?"

"I'm going too far?" Wu Kezhi laughed, a sarcastic laugh. "Losing the documents affects the project's progress, which delays company matters. And now you're talking to me about going too far?"

"Then what do you want?" Xu Taiping was also going all out. "I said I didn't see you, so I didn't see you."

Wu Kezhi stared at him and said, word by word, "Today you must admit that it was your own negligence, not a problem with our Group Four. Then, before you leave work today, obediently produce the supplementary agreement. If you can't do that, don't blame me for being impolite."

These words struck a nerve with Xu Taiping.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he blurted out, "Wu Kezhi, don't think you're so high and mighty! When it comes to making others take the blame, who can beat you? Don't you know how Ma Xiyuan died back then?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Kezhi's expression changed instantly. The matter of Ma Xiyuan had always been Wu Kezhi's Achilles' heel.

The next second, he punched Xu Taiping in the face.

There was a muffled sound.

Xu Taiping was knocked back two steps and crashed into the desk, scattering documents all over the floor.

The entire office area fell silent; everyone was stunned.

Xu Taiping covered his face, both shocked and furious: "Wu Kezhi! How dare you hit someone?!"

"I'm beating up filthy bastards like you!" Wu Kezhi's eyes were red.

He was about to step forward when Lin Yuming and Sun Yiqiu stopped him.

"Mr. Wu, calm down! Calm down!"

Xu Taiping got up from the ground and pointed at Wu Kezhi: "You just wait! I'm going to find Boss Ma and Boss Qu right now!"

Then he left, grumbling and cursing.

Wu Kezhi stood there, his chest heaving violently.

Lin Yuming was completely bewildered by the scene.

……

Wu Kezhi sat in the chair, silent, his face ashen.

Lan Qianyi and Sun Yiqiu stood to the side, not daring to breathe.

They had never seen Wu Kezhi so out of control.

Lin Yuming poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Wu Kezhi, then carefully asked, "Boss, Xu Taiping is spewing nonsense, don't pay him any attention."

Wu Kezhi did not answer, but just looked out the window.

Lan Qianyi and Sun Yiqiu exchanged a glance, both realizing that this matter was not simple.

The office was deathly silent, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Wu Kezhi closed his eyes, and the scene from many years ago reappeared before him...

A project handled by him and Ma Xiyuan ran into problems, which was originally Qu Zhonghui's responsibility.

However, Qu Zhonghui was at a crucial time for promotion, so Wu Kezhi, as his confidant, decided to take the blame for Qu, and in the end, he could only resign voluntarily.

But Ma Xiyuan, the intern who was brought in by Wu Kezhi, knew how much Wu Kezhi loved this job, so she took all the responsibility upon herself and submitted her resignation to the company.

However, a week later, Ma Xiyuan committed suicide by jumping off a building due to depression.

When President Qu learned of the news, his first reaction was: "Wouldn't she have left behind something that would be detrimental to the company?"

At that moment, Wu Kezhi felt his heart turn to ice, and from then on, he and Qu Zhonghui became complete enemies.

"Boss?" Lin Yuming's voice pulled him back to reality.

Wu Kezhi opened his eyes and took a deep breath: "I'm fine. You guys go to work."

Lan Qianyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Wu, about the project..."

"I'll handle it," Wu Kezhi said. "You just need to focus on your own tasks."

……

Soon, an enraged Ma Jianguo, accompanied by Xu Taiping, stormed into the office of Wang Yunlai, the general manager of the New Business Formats Department.

Xu Taiping's face was still swollen on one side, and there was a bruise under his eye. He looked quite miserable.

Ma Jianguo's face was ashen. He walked in and stood in front of Wang Yunlai's desk: "President Wang, look at this! Look at what Wu Kezhi has done!"

When Wang Yunlai saw this situation, he was completely overwhelmed.

He quickly stood up: "Mr. Ma, calm down, sit down. Manager Xu, your face..."

"Wu Kezhi hit me!" Xu Taiping pointed to his face, his voice filled with grievance. "I only said a few words about work, and he just punched me! President Wang, you have to stand up for me!"

Wang Yunlai cursed inwardly, but forced a smile: "It's a misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding. Wu Kezhi may have a short temper, but he wouldn't hit someone for no reason. Manager Xu, did you say something else..."

“What could I say?” Xu Taiping interrupted. “I just said the supplementary agreement was missing and asked them to have Group Four rewrite it. He exploded, saying I was shirking responsibility, and then he started a fight! So many people in the office saw it!”

Ma Jianguo snorted coldly: "President Wang, Wu Kezhi has openly assaulted a colleague, which is extremely egregious. If he dares to hit Xu Taiping today, he'll dare to hit someone else tomorrow. Keeping someone like this in the company is like a ticking time bomb."

Sweat beaded on Wang Yunlai's forehead: "Mr. Ma, you're too kind. Although Wu Kezhi has a bad temper, he's still capable at work..."

"Does having power give you the right to hit people?" Ma Jianguo interrupted him. "President Wang, I'm not here today to hear your sympathy. I want you to deal with Wu Kezhi seriously and make him bow and apologize to Xu Taiping in front of the whole company. Otherwise, I'll go find President Qu."

These words left no room for negotiation, and Wang Yunlai knew that Ma Jianguo was serious.

"Mr. Ma, how about this?" Wang Yunlai rubbed his hands together. "I'll have Wu Kezhi apologize to Manager Xu, face to face, sincerely. But a company-wide meeting... isn't that a bit much? It won't have a good impact either."

"That's too much?" Ma Jianguo stared at him. "Xu Taiping was beaten up like this, and you think that's enough? President Wang, if you don't handle this, I'll handle it myself."

Wang Yunlai had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Okay, okay, I'll call Wu Kezhi over right now."

He called Group Four, and Lin Yuming answered.

"Mr. Wang, this is Lin Yuming. What can I do for you?"

"Manager Lin, please have Wu Kezhi come to my office now."

Ten minutes later, Wu Kezhi arrived.

Upon entering and seeing Ma Jianguo and Xu Taiping, his face darkened. "President Wang, what do you want with me?"

Wang Yunlai tried to make his voice sound serious: "Wu Kezhi, how could you hit someone? Manager Xu is a colleague, can't you talk things out?" Wu Kezhi glanced at Xu Taiping: "He deserved it."

"Look at this!" Ma Jianguo slammed his hand on the table. "What kind of attitude is this?!"

Xu Taiping hid behind Ma Jianguo and whispered, "President Wang, look at him..."

Wang Yunlai sighed, “Wu Kezhi, apologize to Manager Xu. Let’s just let this matter rest.”

"Apologize?" Wu Kezhi laughed. "On what grounds?"

"You hit someone!"

"He has a foul mouth."

"You!" Wang Yunlai was so angry he couldn't speak.

Ma Jianguo stood up: "President Wang, I don't see anything to discuss. Since you can't control your own people, I'll handle it my way."

After saying that, he pulled Xu Taiping and walked out.

Wang Yunlai quickly caught up: "Mr. Ma, Mr. Ma, let's discuss this again..."

But Ma Jianguo had already left, leaving only Wu Kezhi and Wang Yunlai in the office.

Wang Yunlai sighed: "Wu Kezhi, can't you just humble yourself? You know Ma Jianguo, he's obsessed with saving face. You hit his man in front of so many people, do you think he'll let it go?"

“He wants me to apologize in front of the whole company? Dream on,” Wu Kezhi said bluntly.

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Handle it however you see fit." Wu Kezhi turned and walked out.

"Hey! You..." Wang Yunlai wanted to say something, but Wu Kezhi had already left.

……

The project handover meeting was held as scheduled at 3 p.m., but Yu Wenli, the general manager of TMT, served as a witness.

The atmosphere in the conference room was as cold as ice.

On Group Four's side, Wu Kezhi, Lin Yuming, Lan Qianyi, and Sun Yiqiu have all arrived.

On the energy team side, Ma Jianguo, Xu Taiping, Zhao Boqian, and Zhou Ming also arrived.

But one person is missing: Suning.

Five minutes before the meeting started, Su Ning sent Xu Taiping a WeChat message: "Brother Xu, my stomach is hurting badly, I need to go to the hospital. I need to take leave from the meeting."

"I know." Xu Taiping was still angry.

In fact, Suning didn't go to the hospital at all.

Instead, I hid in the coffee shop downstairs, ordered a coffee, and slowly sipped it.

He knew something bad was bound to happen at today's meeting, and going there would only make him cannon fodder, so he figured it was better to stay out of the way.

Gao Yue happened to run into Su Ning, who was leisurely drinking coffee. "Su Ning, what are you doing drinking coffee here?"

"General Manager Gao, the Energy Group and the Fourth Comprehensive Group are here for the project handover meeting today. My position is too awkward, so it's best to avoid them."

"Great! I didn't realize you were so smart."

"There's no other way! Small people have to learn to protect themselves."

"If you're a nobody, then there are no big shots."

"Mr. Gao, would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Never mind! I still have work to do! But we can have dinner together later."

"Sure! Let's exchange WeChat QR codes."

"it is good."

Then Suning and Gao Yue exchanged WeChat QR codes, and Gao Yue then left briskly.

……

The handover meeting began at this point, and Lin Yuming reluctantly introduced the project's progress.

He had to carefully observe the expressions on the faces of the leaders on both sides before he could finish speaking.

Ma Jianguo had a dark expression throughout, tapping his fingers on the table, clearly impatient.

Xu Taiping kept his head down, but occasionally glanced at Wu Kezhi with a resentful look.

After the introduction, Ma Jianguo spoke up: "Since the company has decided to transfer this project to our energy group, we will be fully responsible for the follow-up. The colleagues in Group Four can withdraw."

Wu Kezhi looked up: "Mr. Ma, we've been working on this project for three months, and there are some details you're not aware of. I suggest a transition period..."

“No need,” Ma Jianguo interrupted him. “Our team is capable of handling it. Manager Xu, what do you say?”

Xu Taiping immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, Mr. Ma is right. We will definitely be able to make the project a success."

Wu Kezhi gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.

The meeting ended abruptly.

As everyone got up to leave, Ma Jianguo suddenly said, "Wu Kezhi, stay for a moment."

Everyone stopped.

Ma Jianguo looked at Wu Kezhi: "President Wang has already talked to you about the apology, right?"

Wu Kezhi stood still: "President Ma, I acknowledge the work-related issues. But an apology is out of the question."

"Impossible?" Ma Jianguo raised his voice. "You hit someone, and you still think you're right?"

"He deserves to be hit."

"Wu Kezhi!" Ma Jianguo slammed his fist on the table. "You must bow and apologize to Manager Xu in front of everyone today! Otherwise, you're not leaving this room!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Yu Wenli quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "President Ma, President Wu, let's talk this out..."

"No way! Wu Kezhi must apologize today!" Ma Jianguo glared with his big, round eyes.

Lan Qianyi and Sun Yiqiu stood to the side, not daring to breathe.

Zhao Boqian and Zhou Ming also lowered their heads, not daring to get involved.

Xu Taiping got excited at this point. He walked up to Wu Kezhi, pointed to his face, and said, "Wu Kezhi, look at this! You've done this to me. If you don't apologize today, this isn't over!"

Wu Kezhi didn't even look at him, and said directly to Ma Jianguo, "President Ma, you stole our Group Four's project, and you want me to apologize? Dream on!"

Ma Jianguo's face turned ashen with rage: "Fine, fine. Wu Kezhi, you've got guts."

He then turned to the energy team and questioned them, "Tell me, did we take over this project legally? Does this mean we stole their project?"

This question is very direct, clearly forcing someone to take sides.

Xu Taiping was the first to speak: "Of course not! This is a normal work arrangement for the company!"

Zhou Ming quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, it doesn't count as robbery."

Zhao Boqian hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It doesn't count."

Ma Jianguo nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Group Four: "What about you? Do you think our energy group is stealing the project?"

Lin Yuming opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, while Sun Yiqiu was so nervous that his hands were trembling.

At this moment, Lan Qianyi suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Ma, shouldn't we ask the person in charge of the project about this?"

Everyone was stunned.

Ma Jianguo stared at Lan Qianyi: "What do you mean?"

“What I mean is,” Lan Qianyi said, her voice steady despite her nervousness, “that the handover of a project involves both parties, and it’s unfair to only listen to one side’s opinion. We should hear the other side’s perspective.”

Ma Jianguo was furious that a newcomer dared to speak like that: "What's your name? Which group are you in? Who told you to speak?!"

Wu Kezhi immediately pulled Lan Qianyi behind him: "Ma Jianguo, why are you yelling at a little girl? If you've got the guts, come at me!"

"So what if I yelled?" Ma Jianguo pointed at Lan Qianyi. "Who does she think she is? Does she have the right to speak here?"

"She's from my Group Four!" Wu Kezhi raised his voice. "What, people from your Energy Group can speak, but people from our Group Four can't?"

The two argued more and more fiercely, their voices growing louder and louder.

Xu Taiping fanned the flames from the side: "Mr. Ma, look how arrogant they are..."

Just as things were about to escalate, Yu Wenli frowned and scolded, "What's all the noise about? The whole floor can hear you."

She is the general manager of the TMT investment department, a rank one level higher than Ma Jianguo.

When Ma Jianguo saw her, he toned it down slightly: "President Yu, look at this! Wu Kezhi hit someone and still won't admit his mistake, is this acceptable?"

"Calm down, everyone. This is a company, not a vegetable market."

"Hmph!" Both sides glared at each other, clearly not convinced.

Yu Wenli immediately looked at Xu Taiping: "Manager Xu, what did you say back then?"

Xu Taiping stammered, "I...I meant the supplementary agreement..."

"To be honest," Yu Wenli said, her voice turning cold.

Xu Taiping dared not speak further.

Yu Wenli understood the situation. She waved her hand and said, "Alright, everyone, go home! It's not a big deal. We can just make up a supplementary agreement later."

Ma Jianguo was unwilling to accept this: "President Yu, Wu Kezhi must apologize..."

Wu Kezhi suddenly looked at Xu Taiping with a sinister expression and said, "Don't worry, I'll write you an apology letter when I get back. Write it properly."

After saying that, he left with the four groups, the sarcasm in his tone obvious to everyone.

Ma Jianguo and Xu Taiping's faces turned green.

……

Back in the fourth group's office area, Wu Kezhi sat down without saying a word.

Lin Yuming asked cautiously, "Boss, are you really going to write an apology letter?"

“Write,” Wu Kezhi said. “I not only write, but I also write with genuine emotion, which is deeply moving.”

Lan Qianyi couldn't help but say, "President Wu, I shouldn't have interrupted just now. I'm sorry."

Wu Kezhi glanced at her: "You did nothing wrong. In that situation, it was brave of you to speak up, since the people in the energy group were all too shameless."

Sun Yiqiu asked in a low voice, "President Wu, from now on, what about our relationship with the energy team...?"

"Things will remain the same." Wu Kezhi stood up. "The work still needs to be done. But remember, be careful when dealing with the energy group in the future. None of those people are good."

Meanwhile, in the coffee shop downstairs, Su Ning finished the last sip of her coffee and glanced at the time.

The meeting should be over by now, right?

He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lan Qianyi: "Little Lanlan, how is the situation?"

After a long while, Lan Qianyi replied, "They just broke up and almost got into a fight. Luckily you weren't there."

Su Ning smiled and replied, "I knew it. Let's talk about it over dinner tonight?"

"it is good."

Putting away his phone, Su Ning looked out the window.

The conflict between the energy group and the fourth group has only just begun.

He, however, had to be careful not to get involved.

...(End of chapter)