A crazy beauty has an island, and a powerful figure from that era dotes on her.

"We can only give you forty percent at most." A different person answered the phone.

Judging from his voice, he must be at least forty or fifty years old.

Jian Qingyi guessed that it was Zheng Rui's mentor.

"I won't discuss anything less than 51%." Jian Qingyi's attitude was firm.

"Forty-five percent is our bottom line." The person on the other end of the phone took a deep breath.

"Then we have nothing more to say," Jian Qingyi said, about to hang up the phone.

"Wait..." The person on the other end of the phone seemed to see her actions through the phone line and hurriedly stopped her.

"You know what would happen if this project succeeded..."

"You said it yourself, that's 'if'. What if it's not 'if'? Or what if your 'if' never comes?" Jian Qingyi asked coldly.

"My money is just wasted."

And it's the kind of sound that you can't hear a single sound.

Upon hearing that the money had gone down the drain, the Tao family members all perked up their ears.

"Don't worry, we have great confidence in our project and will definitely not let you down," the person on the other end of the phone quickly assured him.

"Whether I'm disappointed or not, I don't know, but I do know that if I invest this money anywhere, the return will be good, and most importantly, there's no risk involved," Jian Qingyi admitted.

There have been many Waterloo-like events in the field of drug development.

If we really encounter it...

That would truly mean losing everything.

The person on the other end of the phone fell silent again.

Just as Jian Qingyi was about to hang up, the person on the other end spoke.

I agree with 51 percent of what you said.

"But you have to give us the money as soon as possible..."

A penny can make a hero fall.

“Okay, then come to the compound. We’ll settle this with a contract and payment.” Jian Qingyi readily agreed.

She never believed in verbal promises.

Only by putting things in black and white can we avoid some unnecessary disputes.

"Sister-in-law, what kind of project are you talking about? Does it require a lot of investment?" Lu Xingning asked.

"Pharmaceutical research and development," Jian Qingyi said without hiding anything.

"What kind of medicine is it?" The old man put down the newspaper he was holding.

"It's related to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases." Jian Qingyi didn't know much about it either.

All she knew was that pharmaceutical research and development was a high-stakes gamble.

One wrong move and you could lose everything.

Jian Qingyi glanced at the wall clock and called Xiao Zhang to go to the door to greet the person.

Half an hour later, Xiao Zhang brought back Zheng Rui and a middle-aged man.

Jian Qingyi stood up and shook hands with the middle-aged man.

"Let's go over there and talk!"

It was too crowded in the living room for people to talk, so Jian Qingyi led them directly to the terrace.

As soon as the three of them sat down, Wang Ma brought up tea and snacks.

"Didn't you go home for the New Year?" Jian Qingyi invited the two of them to have tea and snacks.

"I originally wanted to go back, but this experiment is urgent..." Zheng Rui took a piece of pastry and ate it.

"Yunlai's pastries are really delicious," he couldn't help but exclaim.

Upon hearing that the pastries were from Yunlai Hotel, the middle-aged man also reached out and took one.

The pastries at Yunlai Hotel are famous in Beijing, but the prices are prohibitive.

Take a bite, and a refreshing sweetness bursts on your tongue.

It's definitely not comparable to those snacks that cost two or three yuan a box.

The two finished off the plate of snacks before the three of them started talking about serious business.

After a detailed conversation, Jian Qingyi had someone bring paper and pen, making three copies for her to sign and affix her fingerprint.

One copy for Jian Qingyi, one copy for the middle-aged man, and the remaining copy was given to Xiao Zhang to be filed at the notary office.

"Should we eat before we leave?" Jian Qingyi asked the two of them for their opinion.

"No, I need to go back and make preparations!" The middle-aged man stood up.

"Alright, then wait for me a moment." Jian Qingyi got up and went back into the house.

When she came out again, she was carrying a small duffel bag.

"Here's 30,000. Please count it."

The Tao family members in the living room had been listening intently to the sounds outside the terrace. When they heard "30,000," their souls trembled.

Thirty thousand...

They just gave it away like that.

"Aren't you afraid we'll take the money and run away?" the middle-aged man asked with a smile.

“If you’re going to run away with this money, I suggest you go somewhere far away, or you’ll definitely regret it,” Jian Qingyi said with a smile as she handed over the duffel bag.

"We won't let you regret it." The middle-aged man's smile faded.

Jian Qingyi nodded with a smile.

"Just because of what you said, my 30,000 yuan was well spent."

Jian Qingyi turned her head and asked Wang Ma to bring over two boxes of Yunlai pastries.

"I'll see you off."

"Don't bother seeing me off! Don't bother seeing me off! You're carrying such a big belly, it's terrifying to look at you." The middle-aged man took the pastries, waved his hand, and walked out.

"Thanks, Mr. Jian!" Zheng Rui smiled and waved the pastry gift box in his hand.

Jian Qingyi didn't say anything, but just smiled and waved goodbye.

After watching the two of them leave the courtyard with Xiao Zhang, Jian Qingyi turned around and went back to the living room.

"Yiyi, didn't Zheng Rui help out at your shop before?" Qin Mengjie stepped forward to support her.

“Yes!” Jian Qingyi nodded with a smile. “That kid is amazing. He can memorize things that others take a week to learn by rote in just one day.”

Talent is something you can't learn.

"I remember he was quite close to one of the girls in the shop." Qin Mengjie used to bring Jian Qingyi food from the shop every few days, so she knew the shop's employees quite well.

“Those two are childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little. I heard that their parents are already discussing their engagement.” Jian Qingyi picked up the braised beef that had been placed there earlier.

"Sister-in-law, is the childhood sweetheart you're talking about Zhang Xiaomei from the Chinese Language and Literature department?" Lu Xingning asked.

“Yes, it’s her. They’re childhood sweethearts who have been playing together since they were little.” Jian Qingyi nodded with a smile.

Jian Qingyi couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Zhang Xiaomei talking about how they wore open-crotch pants when they were little.

The Tao family members frowned and glanced at Jian Qingyi.

All I can think about is that bag of 100-yuan bills.

Thirty thousand...

How many of these are there?!

They think long and hard before spending a single penny.

And her...

A phone call, a few words.

Thirty thousand yuan was spent.

The essential……

She hasn't discussed it with the Lu family yet.

They didn't even ask a question.

What they couldn't understand the most was...

Surprisingly, the Lu family didn't object.

They just let her give the money away.

And the pastries from Yunlai Hotel...

She said she'd give the box away for a few dozen yuan.

They even gave away two boxes at once.

He didn't even frown.

"Sister-in-law, is this pharmaceutical research and development reliable?" Lu Xingning asked with some concern.

She often heard people say that so-and-so's research funding had gone down the drain, or that so-and-so's research funds had been completely lost...

Thirty thousand is no small sum.

"Anyway, I think they're pretty reliable." Through their previous conversation, Jian Qingyi had gained some understanding of the middle-aged man's talent and learning.

Most importantly...

She trusts Zheng Rui.

"Who's reliable?" Lu Yujing came downstairs at some point.

He rushed over to his wife's side.

“Zheng Rui and his mentor.” Jian Qingyi looked up and smiled at the man.