After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

The air in the conference room of the Kempinski Hotel was even heavier than it had been the night before; it was so thick you could practically wring water out of it.

Thomas shoved a thirty-page contract in front of Ye Zhen, a businessman's signature smile on his face—perfect, yet tinged with hypocrisy.

"Ms. Ye, this is a cooperation agreement drafted by the board of directors after overnight discussions." Thomas interlaced his fingers, his tone as sincere as a priest. "Siemens is willing to provide you with the complete DSA equipment prototype you need, including even that bidirectional C-arm that is still under confidentiality. In exchange, we need to establish a joint research and development laboratory for that 'drug-eluting stent' technology."

This kind of nonsense might fool some country bumpkins who've just come abroad.

Ye Zhen didn't even open the contract cover; her gaze only swept over the eye-catching "Joint Venture," and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Joint research and development?"

She picked up the pen on the table and tapped the cap lightly on the solid wood table. The two crisp "tap, tap" sounds were like the sound of a judge's gavel, striking Thomas's tense nerves.

"Mr. Thomas, if I understand correctly, the so-called 'collaboration' means that I provide the core technology, you provide some machines and facilities, and all the resulting patented achievements are jointly owned by both parties?"

Ye Zhen leaned back in her chair: "You think you can get something for nothing?"

"How can you call that getting something for nothing!" Hans exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table, making his coffee cup rattle. "Do you know how much it costs to set up a polymer materials lab? Do you know how complicated the FDA approval process is? We provide the means to monetize! Without Siemens, your coating formula is just a piece of waste paper!"

"Yeah?"

Ye Zhen completely ignored Hans's roar, grabbed a piece of sticky note, and quickly wrote a line of German.

"A copolymer of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA) is used as a carrier."

With a flick of her finger, the note slid to Hans's face. Her tone was as calm as if she were discussing the price of radishes at a market: "Mr. Hans, you're an expert. You should know very well that the real challenge with drug-eluting stents isn't applying the medication, but rather—controlling its release."

Hans glanced at the note and froze instantly.

"If the carrier degrades too quickly, the explosive release of the drug can cause severe vascular inflammation; if the degradation is too slow, the carrier itself can become a new source of thrombosis." Ye Zhen stared into Hans's eyes, emphasizing each word and pressing him further, "Can Siemens' current materials science lab control the degradation rate of the copolymer within a micrometer-level linear error?"

Hans opened his mouth, but it felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he fell completely silent.

This is indeed a fatal flaw in materials science. Nonlinear degradation is a physical characteristic of polymers, and getting it to behave is harder than training a husky to do embroidery.

"It seems not."

Ye Zhen shrugged and pulled a folded sketch from her handbag, unfolding only one corner.

It was a microscopic structure diagram with intricate and complex lines.

"A porous microsphere structure, combined with a special honeycomb surface treatment process." Ye Zhen's voice was soft, yet full of allure, like top-grade bait thrown to a hungry school of fish. "By altering the physical structure, we counteract the nonlinearity of chemical degradation. Mr. Hans, would you like to see the full picture?"

Hans's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the blood vessels in his eyes instantly became congested.

He's a tech fanatic; just looking at that corner of the "honeycomb structure" is like being struck by lightning, leaving his head numb.

genius!

That's an absolutely brilliant idea!

By utilizing the constraints of physical space to control the rate of chemical reactions, the inherent defects of the materials are completely bypassed!

Hans suddenly reached out his rough hands to grab the blueprints, but Ye Zhen flipped her wrist and deftly took them back, placing them back in her palm.

"This is my bargaining chip." Ye Zhen looked at Thomas, whose face had turned pale. "Do we still need 'joint research and development'? Your laboratory, which still needs another ten years of evolution, is not worthy of my blueprints."

"Give it to me! Give it to me!" Hans completely lost his temper. He grabbed Thomas's tie, spitting all over his boss's face. "Sign it! Thomas, you idiot! Say yes! If GE gets this blueprint, we'll really be stuck repairing tractors!"

Thomas was being strangled so badly that his eyes rolled back, and he struggled to push away the frenzied Hans.

He straightened his disheveled collar, took a deep breath, and his eyes were terrifyingly grim: "Ms. Ye, you are very intelligent. But you must understand that business is not just about technology. Without Siemens' production lines and global sales network, your technology cannot leave China. We can compromise and you can keep the patents, but Siemens must have permanent exclusive rights to use them, and..."

"And without paying a single penny in patent fees?"

Ye Zhen coldly interrupted him. Before she could continue, Gu Zheng, who had been silent all along, moved.

"Click".

A cluster of blue flame shot up from the lighter, which was particularly glaring in the dimly lit conference room.

Gu Zheng had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, but he didn't light it. He was just fiddling with the lighter, the metal cap clicking and closing with a crisp, pleasant sound. He raised his wrist, glanced at the worn military watch, his movements languid, yet exuding a menacing, bandit-like aura.

"Honey, two more minutes."

Gu Zheng exhaled a non-existent smoke ring, grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and looked at Thomas as if he were a pig waiting to be slaughtered: "Downstairs in the coffee shop, that American guy named Jason has already had three cups of coffee. He said that GE's board of directors authorized him to write any check he wants as long as you nod. Even if you want to move the production line to the moon, they'll reimburse you."

Thomas's face twitched violently.

General Electric (GE).

That was Siemens' biggest rival in the medical field. The Americans' industrial foundation was no weaker than the Germans'; if Ye Zhen really did go downstairs with that blueprint…

"Oh, right," Gu Zheng casually added, as if suddenly remembering something, "I heard that people from Philips are on their way too? They seem to be carrying a letter of honor from the Dutch Royal Family?"

This is practically holding a knife to your throat and forcing you to resign!

The private room was deathly silent.

Zhang Guohua sat in the back row, his palms sweating, his heart pounding in his throat. Looking at Gu Zheng's roguish "I've got you all figured out" attitude, he felt an unprecedented sense of security welling up inside him.

This is what they call "the wicked must be tormented by the wicked"!

Thomas stared intently at Ye Zhen, trying to find a trace of panic on her face.

Ye Zhen remained calm and even took a sip of her tea, as if this multi-billion mark deal was just like buying scallions at the market.

"Three." Gu Zheng began to count down, his voice low and deep, like a countdown on a battlefield.

"two."

"Okay! I'll sign!"

Thomas slumped heavily against his chair like a deflated balloon, his voice hoarse as if he had sand in his mouth, "Siemens is abandoning the joint R&D. We will provide the complete set of equipment as a replacement for the first batch of technology licensing. For each subsequent bracket produced, we will pay the Chinese side...3% of the patent fee."

"5%." Ye Zhen put down her teacup, her tone decisive. "Moreover, the exclusive overseas usage rights are only for 20 years."

"This is robbery!" Thomas jumped up, his elegant demeanor completely gone.

"You don't have to give it," Ye Zhen pointed to the door. "Mr. Jensen should be happy to give 10%."

"...Deal." Thomas gritted his teeth, feeling his heart bleeding.

This isn't a backward country asking for help; it's clearly a big shot coming to the supply and marketing cooperative with a permit to pick up goods! They've turned the tables and are the ones in charge!

"Wait, there's one more condition."

Ye Zhen took out a prepared slip of paper from her bag, placed it in the center of the table, and slowly pushed it over.

"On the nameplates of all Siemens equipment that uses this technology, a line of text must be engraved in both German and Chinese in the most conspicuous position."

Thomas took the note, glanced at it, and saw it written in two languages—"The technology originated in China." His expression instantly turned extremely strange, as if he had swallowed a fly.

"This...this is impossible!" Thomas exclaimed, as if he had been deeply insulted, the veins in his neck bulging. "Siemens is the pride of German industry! How can Chinese characters be engraved on our equipment? This will ruin our brand image! European customers will not accept it!"

In this era, "Made in China" often meant cheap and low-quality. To engrave Chinese characters on German precision instruments was simply challenging their bottom line of understanding.

Ye Zhen stood up.

She was not tall, and her figure appeared slender compared to the several tall German men. But at this moment, her aura was like a towering mountain, making the German elite feel breathless.

"Mr. Thomas, get one thing straight."

Ye Zhen placed her hands on the table, her gaze piercing, her voice clear and firm, carrying an undeniable power:

"Right now, it's Chinese technology that's getting your products approved. This isn't a request, it's an order."

She looked down at Thomas and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Either carve it, or replace it."

These six simple words, when translated into German, each syllable is like a heavy hammer, slamming into the face of arrogant Western industrial civilization.

Hans frantically winked at Thomas, meaning: as long as he could get the blueprints, he'd do anything, even carve "Loyalty to the Country" on his back! Technology is God!

Thomas looked into Ye Zhen's eyes, which burned with cold fire, and then at Gu Zheng, who looked like a menacing star beside him. Finally, he lowered his noble head in dejection.

"...As you wish."

……

Half an hour later, the contract was signed.

Seeing the bright red seal stamped on the white paper with black words, Zhang Guohua could no longer hold back. He turned around, wiped his face hard with his rough hands, and his eyes were red.

At this moment, all the COCOM embargo and technological blockades became worthless.

This marks the first time in Chinese medical history that a Western giant has bowed its head and willingly become a "transporter" of technology. That line of Chinese text will be installed in hospitals around the world along with Siemens equipment.

Stepping out of the conference room, the wind in the corridor was a bit cool, dispelling the lingering smell of tobacco.

Xu Wenqiang's legs were still a little weak, and he felt like he was holding a bomb as he held the contract. He even walked with a limp: "Dr. Ye... Dr. Ye, did we really get Siemens on board? That's Siemens!"

"It's done."

Ye Zhen tightened her coat around her neck. The long game had left her feeling deeply exhausted, but her spirits were higher than ever before. Her spine stood straight at that moment.

Gu Zheng walked over and naturally stood in front of her, blocking the wind with his tall frame, like a wall against the wind. He reached out his large hand and put his arm around her shoulder, the force so strong it felt like he wanted to meld her into his bones.

"Honey, that 'either engrave it or change it' line just now was damn awesome," Gu Zheng chuckled softly, his eyes full of doting and pride. "When we get back, I'm calling the old man and telling him to bring out those bottles of Moutai he's been saving for twenty years to celebrate your victory. This battle really showed the might of the Chinese people!"

Ye Zhen leaned against him, feeling the solid warmth and the familiar scent of tobacco. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she let down her guard.

At that very moment, in the phone booth downstairs, an overseas call was being made: "Yes, sir. Siemens has betrayed the alliance. That Chinese woman has obtained the prototype. I suggest activating... Plan B."