From abandoned baby to CEO

What could she say in the face of Kramer's immense trust in her?

"I understand, Professor. Thank you. I'll be right there."

"Thank you for your hard work, see you in Singapore!"

The moment the call ended, the busy tone felt like a fine needle, piercing Sun Xue's heart full of joy.

She stood there holding her phone, and Aunt Zhu Ying called her to dinner from the restaurant. Looking at the expectant eyes of her family, her heart felt like it had been torn in two.

Half of it was the unbreakable bond of family, the family she had longed for, and the rare family reunion; the other half was the career she had pursued for many years, a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity, and Professor Kramer's immense trust in her.

Liu Bin noticed the unusual expression on Sun Xue's face. He put down his chopsticks, walked over, gently patted her shoulder, and asked softly, "Wife, is it about business?"

Sun Xue nodded, then forced a smile and told her family about the phone call.

The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became quiet.

Mr. Liu put down his chopsticks, paused for a few seconds, and then smiled and said, "Xiaoxue, we've got you covered at home, so don't worry. Focus on your career; this kind of opportunity is hard to come by. We'll wait for you to come back when you're done."

Old Man Sun nodded silently, "Xue'er, it's alright. There will be many more opportunities for family reunions. Just focus on your career."

When Tiger learned that his sister was going abroad, he ran over, grabbed some fireworks, and stuffed them into her hands, saying in a silly voice, "Sis, I'll save these fireworks for you, and we'll set them off together when you come back!"

Zhu Ying pulled Sun Xue to sit at the dining table. "Little Sun, let's eat and chat. If you eat your fill, you won't miss home when you leave!"

The warm words of care and understanding from her family only made Sun Xue feel more distressed.

The family began their New Year's Eve dinner amidst laughter and conversation, but behind the forced smiles lay heartache for Sun Xue's immense sacrifices for the family.

Especially Mr. Liu, watching Sun Xue silently eat her food, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his eyes.

Without Sun Xue's hard work and dedication over the past few years, this family wouldn't have the happy life they have now!

At the dinner table, everyone kept piling food onto Sun Xue's plate, and the plate quickly became a small mountain.

Sun Xue ate the meal with great reluctance.

She packed her suitcase overnight, gazing at the lights of countless homes outside the window, and didn't sleep a wink all night.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, just as dawn was breaking, Sun Xue dragged her suitcase out of her house. Behind her, her family stood at the gate watching her go, without trying to stop her, only looking at her with concern.

The car sped along the highway, and the atmosphere inside was somewhat somber.

“It’s summer in Singapore now, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 30 degrees Celsius year-round. I’ve packed sunscreen and some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water (a traditional Chinese medicine for heatstroke) in your bag. Remember to drink plenty of water there and be careful not to get heatstroke.”

Liu Bin gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed straight ahead, and slowly began to speak.

"Okay, I get it now."

Liu Bin kept nagging, "Remember not to overwork yourself, pay attention to rest, and be careful."

Sun Xue smiled casually, "It's okay, it's not like it's my first time going out, and Professor Kramer is here with me."

She turned her head and saw Liu Bin's profile, noticing his reddened eyes.

She gently placed her hand on his head and ruffled it haphazardly, joking with a smile, "What's wrong? Don't want me to leave? You're not going to cry, are you?"

"I won't cry."

Sun Xue chuckled, "You're just being stubborn."

After saying that, she laughed and laughed until her vision blurred.

She didn't want to leave her family and fly abroad alone during this time of family reunion.

However, when faced with a choice, she could only choose her career.

Her career is currently on the rise, and she needs this kind of opportunity.

Professor Kramer called again to inform her that preparations for her arrival in Singapore were complete.

As the plane soared into the sky, looking down at the city growing smaller and smaller, and watching the familiar red lanterns gradually disappear into the clouds, she was filled with emotion.

During the more than ten-hour flight, she and Pei Shaojie did not dare to slack off for a moment. They opened their laptops and began to prepare relevant negotiation materials.

Upon their arrival in Singapore, Professor Kramer and his staff were already waiting for them at the hotel.

Professor Kramer's first words to Sun Xue were a bucket of cold water:

“Sun Xue, don’t be too optimistic. The Anderson Group’s negotiation team never leaves any room for their opponents. Three top companies have already failed at their hands.”

Sun Xue nodded. She had already done her homework. The other party was not only extremely demanding about technical parameters, but also meticulous about cooperation terms, profit sharing, and risk-sharing. They were even adept at using high pressure, sudden attacks, and endless delays to break down the negotiator's psychological defenses.

The first round of negotiations took place in the top-floor conference room of the Anderson Group headquarters. Across the long table, Mr. Anderson, the group's president, sat in the center, his eyes sharp as an eagle. Behind him, the legal, technical, and financial teams were all on high alert, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

As soon as Sun Xue began to explain the project plan, the other party's technical director interrupted her directly, pointing to the data charts and questioning her sharply. He pointed out an extremely minor parameter error, which Sun Xue had repeatedly checked, but the other party deliberately magnified it and publicly criticized the plan for not being rigorous enough.

Professor Kramer immediately stood up and responded professionally, but the other party ignored him and bombarded him with tricky questions, from the risks of technology implementation to market return expectations, pressing him step by step.

For three whole hours, Sun Xue and Kramer didn't even have a chance to fully explain their plan, and the first round of negotiations ended in discord.

Back at the hotel, Sun Xue looked at the countless "problems" that the other party had pointed out, her eyes slightly red, but she forced herself to suppress her exhaustion.

Professor Kramer sighed: "They're deliberately trying to suppress us, hoping we'll make concessions and lower our bottom line."

Sun Xue didn't give up. She worked through the night to revise the plan, optimizing all technical parameters, market data, and risk contingency plans, and adding hundreds of pages of supporting materials. Professor Kramer also gave up his rest, combining his international experience to improve the technical response strategy. The two worked until dawn.

In this round of negotiations, the other side remained aggressive.

This time, they stopped focusing on technical details and instead made a fuss about the terms of the cooperation. They demanded that the Anderson Group have complete control over the project, take 80% of the profits, and have Sun Xue bear all the risks. They even proposed that if the project deviated from any plan, they would have to pay a huge penalty for breach of contract.

This was undoubtedly an unfair contract term, completely disregarding the equality of cooperation between the two parties. Professor Kramer frowned and refuted it on the spot, and Sun Xue also argued her case.

I refuted their arguments point by point, from the perspectives of project value, mutual benefit, and industry rules, but the other party remained firm and even said, "If you accept this, we can continue talking; if you don't, you can leave now."

Sun Xue was a little angry; the other party's tough attitude hurt her self-esteem.

Negotiations reached a stalemate, and Sun Xue and Professor Kramer found themselves in an unprecedented predicament.

The project was the culmination of months of hard work by Kramer's team. Giving up would mean all their efforts were in vain. Accepting the harsh terms would be tantamount to being at someone's mercy.

For two consecutive days, Sun Xue couldn't eat or sleep, wandering through the streets and alleys of Singapore to research local market demand and collect information on the shortcomings of the Anderson Group's business. Meanwhile, Professor Kramer used his international connections to gather information on the other party's pain points in cooperation.

The two slept only three or four hours a day, repeatedly rehearsing negotiation strategies, revising cooperation plans, and even preparing for the worst.