183: Chapter 183 Meeting

After hanging up the phone with Jiang Chen, Shen Xi didn't delay for a moment. She immediately pulled up the corporate filing information for Xingtu New Materials and dialed the office number of the founder, Chen Ji.

The moment the call connected, the voice from the other end carried an irrepressible exhaustion and anxiety.

Having been weighed down for days by the heavy pressure of debt litigation, a broken capital chain, and banks withdrawing loans, Chen Ji was already physically and mentally exhausted.

"Hello, this is Chen Ji from Xingtu New Materials. May I ask who is calling?"

"Hello, Professor Chen, I am Shen Xi from Chenxing Capital." Shen Xi's voice was professional and gentle, carrying the steady aura of a top-tier capital executive.

"Our CEO Jiang has learned of Xingtu's current predicament and deeply understands the hard work your team has put into the research and development of Hard Carbon Anodes over the past eight years. He has specially tailored a complete solution involving a full acquisition, capital injection to cover liabilities, and industrial empowerment. The boundaries of rights and responsibilities are clearly defined, maximizing the retention of one hundred percent R&D autonomy for the technical team."

Chen Ji's heart jolted slightly.

In recent days, those who had come knocking were either industry giants looking to buy at rock-bottom prices and forcibly control the technical direction, or speculative capital intending to split patents and dismantle the core R&D team.

He had long since seen through their schemes, and his heart was guarded. His tone couldn't help but carry a hint of distance and wariness. "Manager Shen, you might as well be direct. How does Chenxing Capital intend to cooperate? I've seen too many of the twists and turns in industry capital acquisitions."

Shen Xi was composed and methodical, relaying every single one of the four major cooperation conditions, funding details, patent licensing rules, management and R&D responsibility boundaries, and subsequent specialized investments for mass production that Jiang Chen had instructed.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, with the faint sound of papers rustling; Chen Ji was clearly quickly sorting through the terms and weighing the pros and cons.

A full acquisition of all patents and technical achievements for 68 million in cash, a 40 million cash capital increase to achieve full ownership, and a separate subsequent injection of 50 million for specialized mass production investment.

After the patent acquisition, Xingtu would be granted a free, permanent, and exclusive license for its own use, with no fees, no restrictions, allowing for technical iteration, mass production implementation, and global market expansion.

The investor would only provide operational backing, clear all debts, bring in top-tier customers, and plan the path to IPO, while also providing high equity incentives to deeply bind the core personnel.

This wasn't capital harvesting a company in distress at all; it was clearly paving a unique path to survival for a desperate Xingtu.

Having spent half his life deep in scientific research, what Chen Ji valued most was never personal wealth, but the eight years of blood and sweat in the laboratory, the core team that had pulled all-nighters with him, and especially the seven full-chain patents for Hard Carbon Anodes polished over several years.

He absolutely could not allow his life's work to fall into the hands of a giant, only to be maliciously shelved or locked away.

Presently, with suppliers suing and applying pressure, banks calling in loans and freezing assets, and the team's morale flagging, he was already standing on the edge of a cliff, yet he had remained unwilling to compromise on the harsh controlling terms of capital.

But this proposal from Chenxing Capital had precisely avoided all his concerns and addressed all his bottom lines.

Shen Xi slowed her tone at the right moment, her voice steady and carrying an indisputable sense of reality: "Professor Chen, you are currently burdened with debt and your capital chain is completely broken. Industry giants are all watching coldly, waiting for you to collapse so they can plunder your core patents at a low price."

"You don't have much time to hesitate or maneuver. Our CEO Jiang's sincerity is on the table: no interference in R&D, no sidelining the team, only providing capital backing and resource empowerment across the entire industry chain."

"Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, we sincerely invite you to visit the Chenxing Capital meeting room on the thirty-seventh floor of the Changjiang International Center for a face-to-face talk."

"Our legal, financial, and technical due diligence teams are all on standby. Additionally, we have specially invited an exclusive private bank relationship manager to be present to handle the entire process of large-scale fund transfers and oversight."

"All acquisition agreements, letters of intent, and patent licensing legal documents will be prepared in advance. You can verify and negotiate them line by line in person."

Chen Ji pondered for a long time, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, before finally saying in a deep voice, "Fine. Tomorrow at 2:00 PM, I will arrive on time for the appointment."

Having finalized the meeting time, Shen Xi immediately began synchronous coordination on two fronts.

On one hand, she notified the legal department, financial department, and the new energy industry technical due diligence group to work overtime through the night.

They organized the patent ownership due diligence report, the 28.4 million debt audit details, the equity transfer agreement, long-term service agreements, and the equity incentive draft. Every document was polished line by line, the terms rigorous and seamless.

On the other hand, she specifically contacted the private bank manager, Lu Manqi, informing her to attend the meeting the next afternoon at 2:00 PM to take full responsibility for the entire set of financial matters for this nearly 158-million-level large-scale fund, including account oversight, transfer, and compliance implementation.

When Lu Manqi received Shen Xi's call, a secret trace of joy instantly flashed through her heart.

She had been worried about not finding an opportunity to meet Jiang Chen, and she hadn't expected the opportunity to come just like that.

Shen Xi had explained the attendance arrangements clearly over the phone.

The account oversight, transfer, and compliance implementation for the large-scale fund of nearly 158 million—the entire set of financial matters—would be her responsibility throughout.

This meant she could not only legitimately appear at the scene of Jiang Chen's major capital negotiations but also participate closely in the project he personally laid out in her capacity as the official financial liaison.

Professionally, this was her job, a coordination in her professional field; personally, this was clearly the heavens sending the opportunity she had been longing for right before her eyes.

Lu Manqi's fingers tightened slightly around the phone. She accepted with a calm expression, but her heart secretly skipped a beat.

She readily agreed immediately. After hanging up, she didn't hesitate at all and instantly canceled all unrelated appointments on her schedule.

The next afternoon, she arrived at Chenxing Capital half an hour early. Her outfit was carefully selected, her makeup was repeatedly considered, and even her standing posture and gait had been rehearsed several times in her mind.

She didn't want to seem deliberate, yet she didn't want to miss any detail that could make him look at her once more.

The trace of expectation hidden in her heart was like a private matter pressed under the documents on a desk; others couldn't see it, and only she knew that the secretly surging emotion had already spread into a silent tide.

At 1:50 PM the following day, Chen Ji arrived at the Changjiang International Center alone and went straight to Chenxing Capital on the thirty-seventh floor.

The entire floor of the office building was minimalist luxury with an open layout. Outside the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, the river view was surging and vast, exuding the steady aura of a top-tier capital giant within its restrained design.

Shen Xi was already waiting at the front desk and calmly led the way.

Standing beside her, Lu Manqi was dressed in a finely tailored professional suit, her makeup light and appropriate. Her temperament was gentle yet carried the efficiency of the workplace, with a hint of carefully restrained tenderness hidden in her eyes.

She followed quietly, but her gaze occasionally drifted toward the meeting room as if unintentionally.

The three of them walked into the exclusive riverfront meeting room together.

The furnishings were simple and grand, the marble tea table was as smooth as a mirror, and the aroma of tea curled in the air.

Jiang Chen sat in the main seat, wearing a custom-made dark suit. His posture was relaxed and languid, his fingertips lightly resting on the edge of the table. His expression was calm and composed; he didn't take the initiative to solicit them, only quietly raising his eyes to look at the newcomers.

The natural aura of a superior surrounding him was restrained rather than ostentatious, yet it carried the confidence of having everything under control, like a player sitting steadily on a high platform quietly observing the chessboard, having already calculated the overall pros and cons and the psychological game perfectly.

After entering the room, Lu Manqi quietly stood in a corner to the side, deliberately choosing a position where she could silently gaze at Jiang Chen.

She maintained a professional composure on the surface, but in her heart, ripples were already surging secretly.

At this moment, she stood at the edge of the chessboard he had laid out, witnessing him casually deploy hundreds of millions in funds while the entire legal, financial, and technical due diligence teams stood ready.

Even every link of the large-scale fund transfer had been arranged in advance. The layout was thorough, every step calculated, and his steady demeanor was heart-stoppingly impressive.

She increasingly felt that Jiang Chen was unfathomable.

It wasn't the kind of ostentatious or overt dominance, but a composure where everything was under control yet he didn't deign to speak of it.

He truly lived up to being a first-generation wealthy man who had made his own way; behind every bit of steadiness was the experience and confidence that others couldn't see through.

The admiration originally hidden in her heart grew even more intense at this moment, and she unconsciously fell a bit deeper.

She quietly gazed at his profile, her lips pursing ever so slightly, tucking all her emotions properly beneath a professional smile, without letting a single bit leak out.