Siheyuan: My wife is Xu Huizhen

After a three-hour tug-of-war, Mai Jianxun's third version of the proposal was laid out on the negotiating table, with red-marked revisions resembling bullet holes on a battlefield.

When the opposing lawyer reiterated that this was the final bottom line, he glanced at the neon lights outside the window, which reflected a dark red hue on Mai Jianxun's glasses. In a daze, he recalled that twenty years ago, when he was a street vendor in Huaqiangbei, he would chase after customers for three blocks for a five-yuan price difference.

His Adam's apple bobbed twice with difficulty. He picked up the now-cold tea and took a sip, the bitterness spreading across his tongue. He loosened his tie, the silver tie clip clinking softly against the glass tabletop. "Okay."

The hoarse voice startled the secretary so much that she almost dropped the recording pen.

A sudden downpour began outside the window, raindrops pounding against the glass curtain wall, blurring the clause about "small generator sets being transferred at market prices" into indistinct ink stains. Even more problematic was the negotiation of the stock price.

The price of 3.5 yuan proposed by Mai Jianxun's team was like a thorn in He Yuzhu's side.

The data the CFO calculated overnight surged through his mind: the current closing price of Sanyuan was a key line of defense for capital operations, and every millisecond increase could trigger a chain reaction.

But at this moment, Mai Jianxun was twirling the pen with effortless skill, as if victory was assured.

He Yuzhu suddenly grabbed his mug and gulped down the scalding tea, which made his eyes redden. Back when he started his business, didn't he also grit his teeth and accept almost harsh conditions in order to secure his first order? "Just go with this price."

The moment the words left his mouth, a thunderclap boomed outside the window.

He Yuzhu stared at the 3.5 yuan figure on the agreement, recalling the video his wife had sent him that morning of their daughter participating in a piano competition.

A mere five cents fluctuation in stock price might buy a ticket for a daughter's performance at the Vienna Golden Hall, or it could be the final straw that breaks the company's cash flow.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of the business world for half his life, he had long since learned to dance on the edge of a precipice. When Mai Jianxun extended his hand, his palm was damp with a thin layer of sweat, yet he still grasped it firmly:

"Hopefully this is the beginning of a win-win situation."

The electronic clock hanging on the conference room wall showed 23:47. On the stock price chart, the red line of 3.5 yuan was faintly visible in the darkness, like the Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads.

He Yuzhu tapped his fingertips on the conference table, his gaze sweeping over the slightly tense shoulders of the other representative, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"A 7% stake at a 15% premium is my bottom line."

He took out his pen, signed his name at the end of the contract, and before the ink was dry, he reached out and shook hands with the other party. The force between their knuckles eased the tension in the air slightly.

As dusk deepened outside the window, the blue light from the electronic clock cast cold, piercing spots on the contract.

Both parties agreed to complete the equity transfer at the stock exchange at 9:00 AM tomorrow, and the legal team has already prepared the transfer documents overnight.

He Yuzhu stroked the dial of his wristwatch and added, "Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, I will send my technical director to lead a team to inspect the generator set. We will require it to be shut down for testing of core components. Please cooperate in advance."

He deliberately emphasized the word "shutdown," and seeing the other party's pupils shrink slightly, he already had a plan in mind—only by thoroughly investigating potential risks could this multi-million dollar transaction truly be secured.

This "enterprise expansion storm" is like a giant pump, causing the already strained power supply to flash red lights - data shows that in the past six months, the industrial electricity consumption in the whole region has surged by 43% year-on-year, and the transformer load rate in some areas has continued to exceed the 90% warning line.

On the electronic screen of the Haojiang Power Company's dispatch center, the real-time fluctuating load curve had already exceeded the warning threshold.

In response to the impending power crisis, the company's senior management held seven emergency meetings and finally finalized an emergency plan to purchase fuel-powered generator sets.

It is understood that this batch of imported generating units with a total power of 120 megawatts will adopt a dual-fuel intelligent control system, which can reduce pollution emissions by using natural gas as the main energy source, and can switch to fuel oil mode to ensure power supply during special periods.

The purchasing manager emphasized in an internal meeting:

"This batch of equipment must be installed and tested before the rainy season arrives; otherwise, the pressure to ensure supply this summer will be unimaginable."

The air conditioner in the conference room hummed softly. Li Yunzhen pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and drew a red line on the projection screen with the laser pointer in her hand.

As she explained, the financial statements, equipment aging rate, and regional energy planning map of Haojiang Power Company flashed by, with the yellowed photos of the generating units forming a stark contrast with the brand-new smart grid model.

"We plan to complete three phases of technological upgrades within six months, so we need to replace these old generating units that have been in operation for over twenty years through equity financing."

She tapped her fingertips heavily on a photograph of a rusty generator set, the metal tabletop creaking.

He Yuzhu rested his elbows on the leather conference table, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the cap of his fountain pen.

When Li Yunzhen said that "the debt-to-asset ratio has reached the warning line," he suddenly remembered the transport ships he had seen at the port last week—those huge blue and white ships were spitting out clean energy.

The conference room ceiling light reflected tiny spots of light onto his glasses, and a thought, like a spark ignited by the wind, burst forth in his mind.

He slowly turned his chair and looked out the window at the river surface, which was dyed amber by the setting sun. The old power plant chimney on the opposite bank was spewing gray-white smoke, which intertwined with the sunset on the horizon to form a chaotic gray-purple.

In that fleeting moment of interplay between light and shadow, an unprecedented business idea emerged as clearly as a rock after the tide receded:

The idea of ​​converting old generating units into distributed energy stations and then issuing green bonds in conjunction with new energy subsidy policies made his heart clench suddenly, and his pen drew a crooked ink mark on the meeting minutes notebook.

Tuen Mun district has recently been facing a power supply crisis. Affected by extreme weather and aging power supply equipment, the daily power shortage in the area has reached 32 megawatts, and many industrial areas have been forced to implement time-of-use power rationing.

To fundamentally solve the power shortage problem, the local government and enterprises jointly formulated an emergency plan, which aims to achieve power self-sufficiency by purchasing new high-efficiency generator sets.

However, the current situation is challenging: the modern factory building that will house the generator sets is located in the Tuen Mun North Industrial Area. Although the land leveling project is 60% complete, the main construction project is 15 days behind schedule due to factors such as complex geological conditions and construction delays caused by the rainy season.

According to the latest assessment by the contractor, the installation of electromechanical equipment and fire protection acceptance in the factory building must be carried out step by step, and it is estimated that it will take at least 8-10 weeks to meet the standards for equipment occupancy.

This led to a complete standstill in the bidding process for purchasing generator sets, the selection of suppliers, and other preliminary preparations. All related contract signings and logistics arrangements had to be temporarily suspended.

Originally, He Yuzhu's plan was to grit his teeth and acquire three brand-new imported generators—the string of red deficits on the financial statements was like a thorn, making his temples throb.