298: In business, winning once is enough.

Old Ghost's figure, along with his almost manic excitement, was clearly reflected on the one-way glass.

Lin Yu stood there, motionless.

Feng Rui cautiously shuffled half a step forward, his voice a little dry from nervousness.

"Mr. Lin, do you want to... gather all department heads for a short meeting? So everyone can... get to know you?"

This was an instinctive reaction for a corporate manager.

When a new boss takes over, there always needs to be a ceremony to let everyone know who's in charge.

However, Lin Yu didn't even turn his head.

"No need."

Two words, light as a feather, yet carrying an unquestionable resolve.

Feng Rui's latter half of the sentence instantly got stuck in his throat, choking him until his face turned red.

He completely didn't understand.

Such a large Research Institute, with thousands of top industry elites, changed owners so inexplicably, without even a single meeting?

This wasn't according to the rules!

His mind raced, and he came up with another idea.

"Then... should we go see the employee lounge area? We've provided core researchers with individual lounges according to the highest standards, and the restaurant even has a Michelin three-star chef..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

A cold gaze shot over from the side.

It was Wang Qingxuan.

She merely glanced at Feng Rui, saying nothing.

But Feng Rui shivered, instantly closing his mouth.

The meaning in that glance was clear.

Shut up, idiot.

Is Mr. Lin an ordinary person?

Would he care if the cafeteria food tastes good?

You're wasting his time.

Feng Rui's cold sweat broke out again. Only then did he belatedly realize how foolish and ridiculous his usual business tactics, which had always been successful, were in front of this Young Man.

Li Mo watched from the side, secretly relieved.

Fortunately, he wasn't the one rushing ahead to make a fool of himself.

Wang Qingxuan no longer paid attention to the two middle-aged men who were almost petrified.

She walked to Lin Yu's side, her voice cool, yet with an undeniable professionalism.

"As per your request, the entire management structure of the Research Institute has been set up."

She didn't use a holographic projection, but began reporting in the most concise language.

"The Chief Researcher is Mr. Old Ghost. All research-related projects, personnel, and budgets are handled by him, and he reports directly to you."

"Internal administration, finance, legal affairs, and security of the Research Institute are my responsibility."

"Li Mo, CEO of Qingyun Pharmaceutical, will concurrently serve as the general head of external affairs for the Research Institute, responsible for all upstream raw material procurement, downstream channel docking, and liaison with official and military entities."

Wang Qingxuan paused, then mentioned another person.

"Old Seven... originally, we wanted to arrange a logistics manager position for him. But he's not very adaptable to this environment; he feels his strengths don't lie here."

"He wants to report to you and prepare to return to the black market. He said... that's his battlefield, and he can provide you with different intelligence and support from the underground."

Lin Yu's steps still didn't stop.

He merely tilted his head slightly when he heard Old Seven's name.

"Alright."

Again, two simple words.

Everyone has a place that suits them.

Forcibly keeping a crocodile, accustomed to fighting in dark swamps, in a clean, bright glass tank would only dull its claws and teeth.

Wang Qingxuan seemed to have anticipated his answer and continued.

"All positions in the Research Institute, including security, cleaning, and chefs, are self-managed; no outsourcing. All employees, from the moment they join, have signed the highest level of confidentiality and non-compete agreements, notarized by Alchemy Contracts."

"The operating entity is an offshore company registered overseas, legally completely separate from the Four Major Pharmaceutical Companies. All patents and research results will belong to this company."

She stopped, turned to face Lin Yu, and made her final summary.

"Legally, physically, and in terms of personnel composition, this is already a completely independent place."

A completely independent place.

Lin Yu nodded.

This result was even better than he had expected.

He had originally thought that what he was coming to inspect was at most a nascent framework for a Research Institute.

Now it seemed, it was far more than just a framework.

These people had practically moved a fully equipped military fortress, ready for battle at any moment, directly to him.

It seemed that when the Four Major Pharmaceutical Companies learned that all he wanted was this, they were truly terrified, afraid that he would go back on his word, which was why they spared no expense and put in such great effort.

Professional people doing professional things, the efficiency is indeed different.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Wang Qingxuan.

Under the Little Girl's cool eyes, there was a faint but unmistakable dark circle.

Clearly, she had put in a lot of effort to build such a massive system within two days.

Just then, Wang Qingxuan seemed to notice something and added.

"Feng Rui... he insisted on coming to supervise the project himself, and his connections are indeed needed for certain special materials and equipment channels. That's why he's here."

"But his authority is limited to the engineering project itself. Here, he has no decision-making power and no access to any core information. His influence, at most, is that of a senior foreman."

Senior foreman.

These five words made Old Feng blush a little.

He stood there, head bowed even lower, deliberately slowing his breathing, afraid of making any extra noise.

Humiliating?

Of course, it was humiliating.

Feng Rui, Vice President of Wind Travel Technology, wherever he went, he was surrounded by people, and a single word from him could determine the flow of hundreds of millions of funds.

Now, in the mouth of a young girl, he had become a "foreman."

And "at most."

But he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

In fact, he even felt a twisted sense of relief.

Foreman... how good!

Isn't that much better than something like 'retreating gracefully' or 'giving up the company'?

Lin Yu did not comment on Wang Qingxuan's words.

He just continued to walk forward.

The group silently followed behind him, walking through the long corridor, the atmosphere terrifyingly oppressive.

Finally, Lin Yu's steps stopped in front of Old Ghost's laboratory.

He didn't go in.

He just quietly watched through the one-way glass.

Watching the white-haired old man jump and skip around the alchemy array on the floor like a child who had received a beloved toy.

Watching him ecstatic over a data breakthrough, then beating his chest in frustration over a misaligned rune.

It was pure, unadulterated yearning for knowledge and fanaticism for truth.

Old Ghost wasn't really a good businessman.

What he liked and excelled at was only research.

But in his messy black market business, this old man made a very crucial decision.