144: Chapter 144 Extortion and Bribery

Qiao Linlin led him to the third window. A woman in her twenties sat inside, wearing black-rimmed glasses with her hair tied back tightly, looking down and scrolling on her phone.

A stack of documents was spread across the desk, and the top page was clearly the software enterprise certification application form for "Fanyu Technology".

"Hello, I'm from Fanyu Technology. I came here to submit materials before," Qiao Linlin said.

The young woman looked up, glanced at Qiao Linlin, then at Chen Fan, and said expressionlessly, "The materials are still under review. Go back and wait for notification."

"It's already been two weeks," Qiao Linlin said in a calm tone. "I was told it would take only a week to get the results."

The young woman didn't reply and lowered her head to continue scrolling on her phone.

Chen Fan leaned against the counter and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk twice. "Is there a problem with the materials?"

"No problem," the young woman said without even looking up.

"Then what's the holdup?"

The young woman looked up at Chen Fan. Perhaps because his tone didn't sound like someone begging for a favor, she paused before saying, "The boss hasn't approved it yet, and there's nothing we can do."

Chen Fan stared at her for two seconds. The young woman felt uncomfortable under his gaze, placed her phone face down on the desk, and picked up her cup to take a sip of water.

"Is your boss here?" Chen Fan asked.

"The boss isn't here."

"When will he be back? I'll wait for him."

After saying this, Chen Fan sat on a nearby chair, took out his phone, and showed no intention of leaving.

The young woman opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

A man in his thirties walked down from the staircase not far away. His hair was slicked back with oil, and he held a thermos in his hand, his chin slightly raised as he walked.

His eyes lit up when he saw Qiao Linlin.

"Isn't this Miss Qiao? And who is this?" He looked at Chen Fan, who was beside Qiao Linlin.

"Director Zhao, this is our company's boss, President Chen." After introducing him, Qiao Linlin looked at Chen Fan and said, "Boss, this is Director Zhao Zhiyuan from the Software Association, who is mainly responsible for the initial review of software enterprise certifications."

Hearing this, Chen Fan looked at the Director Zhao that Qiao Linlin mentioned.

He looked to be in his thirties and had decent features, but Chen Fan felt he was quite greasy.

To be honest, Chen Fan didn't like this person at all.

However, he didn't show it.

Instead, he took the initiative to greet him: "Hello, Director Zhao."

Zhao Zhiyuan's gaze lingered on Chen Fan for a moment, scanning him up and down—young, dressed casually, couldn't tell what kind of background he had.

A flash of contempt crossed his eyes; just a green kid.

"President Chen, nice to meet you, nice to meet you." He extended his hand, a fake smile appearing on his face.

"I wonder what brings you two here today?" Zhao Zhiyuan's gaze darted between them, eventually landing on Qiao Linlin.

"Section Chief Zhao, it's about our company's software enterprise certification. We wanted to ask when the initial review will be passed." Qiao Linlin got straight to the point.

"Software enterprise certification? In that case, let's go to my office to talk."

Zhao Zhiyuan ushered them into his office, leaving the door slightly ajar. He walked around to sit behind his desk, leaned back into his swivel chair, and twisted the lid of his teacup open and closed, making a slight plastic friction sound.

"Sit, sit." He raised his chin, pointing to the two chairs opposite him.

Chen Fan sat down accordingly.

"Section Chief Zhao, I want to know what the situation is regarding our company's software enterprise certification."

"Oh, you mean that—" Zhao Zhiyuan drew out the sound, slowly unscrewed the lid of his thermos while holding it, blew on the steam, took a sip, and then spoke unhurriedly, "That's not very easy to handle."

Chen Fan frowned slightly.

Qiao Linlin couldn't help but interject: "Director Zhao, haven't all the materials been submitted?"

"Although the materials are complete, your company has been registered for too short a time, not even a year."

Qiao Linlin wanted to say something else, but her phone suddenly rang. She glanced down at the screen, frowned slightly, said to Chen Fan, "Boss, I'll take this call," and walked out the door.

Watching her walk away, Chen Fan turned back and said in an indifferent tone, "Director Zhao, I asked before, and the policy does not stipulate a registration time requirement."

Zhao Zhiyuan glanced at him, twitched the corner of his mouth, and said blandly, "Policy is policy, and practical operation is practical operation."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Fan: "President Chen is a business owner, you should understand this logic, right?"

Looking at his bureaucratic posturing, Chen Fan really wanted to say: I understand your bullshit. But he held it back.

Seeing Chen Fan fall silent, a smile appeared on the corner of Zhao Zhiyuan's mouth.

"You know, when we do things here, we emphasize stability and risk control. A company established for only three or four months, who knows if it can last? The materials are complete, but stability, credibility, and operational capability—these invisible things are the key."

"Stability?" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Since my company was registered, we've paid taxes monthly, our cash flow is normal, and all employee social security contributions are paid, with vouchers attached to the materials. Is this not stable enough?"

"Vouchers are vouchers, and reality is reality." Zhao Zhiyuan leaned back, folded his hands over his belly, and said slowly, "Look, in previous years, the pass rate for new enterprises like yours has been very low. It's not that we're blocking you, but there are guiding opinions from above—for those established less than a year, we must strictly control it in principle. We're afraid of shell companies, subsidy fraud, and qualification fraud, and in the end, aren't we the ones left to clean up the mess?"

Chen Fan was silent for a few seconds, staring into Zhao Zhiyuan's eyes.

He had already realized that this bastard was deliberately holding him back.

But Chen Fan didn't understand; he hadn't offended Zhao Zhiyuan, and hadn't even known him before today.

Why was he making things difficult for him?

Zhao Zhiyuan felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, picked up his cup to take a sip of tea, and softened his tone: "President Chen, how about this: you first prepare another copy of the bank statements, tax payment proof, and social security payment vouchers for the last three months, all stamped with the official seal. Then write a statement explaining the company's operational status and development plans clearly, and I'll help you submit it and see."

He paused, his eyes drifting toward the door.

Qiao Linlin had gone out to take a call earlier and hadn't returned yet.

"Just have Miss Qiao bring these materials over later." Zhao Zhiyuan picked up his thermos and took another sip, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "She's been here a few times, so we know each other. If there are any problems, I'll tell her directly, saving the trouble of passing messages back and forth. Besides—" He smiled, drawing out his words meaningfully, "some things are easier to communicate in person. President Chen, you're busy, there's no need to run here personally every time."

Chen Fan looked at him without speaking.

Zhao Zhiyuan put down his cup, leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk, and lowered his voice: "President Chen, let me tell you the truth. This matter of yours, it's hard if you say it's hard, and simple if you say it's simple. It all depends on who handles it and how. Miss Qiao has been here a few times, and we've had some good chats. If she could find some time, for example, to have a meal after work, we could discuss the situation in detail. I could give her some pointers on how to prepare the materials and how to submit them, which would be much better than her fumbling around by herself."

Hearing this, Chen Fan understood.

It turned out that Qiao Linlin's pretty face had given Zhao Zhiyuan some improper ideas.

However, Chen Fan naturally couldn't blame Qiao Linlin for this.

The root cause was Zhao Zhiyuan himself, who, relying on having a little power, thought he could manipulate others. Seeing a pretty girl, he wanted to invite her to dinner, and if he couldn't, he would block her application.