25: Chapter 26: Investing in Yifei is also investing in Shen Nian.

With a preliminary consensus reached in the negotiations, what followed was a clash between the professional teams.

Three days later, the atmosphere in the offices of Tinglan Capital was tense and busy.

On Yu Bo's side, besides himself, there was Lawyer Wang, whom Yin Tianxue had temporarily transferred from the Yin family's legal department to assist. She was a woman in her forties, experienced and sharp-eyed. There was also Zhao Min, the Financial Director who had been headhunted from a well-known accounting firm and had just completed her onboarding; she was in her early thirties, professional and rigorous.

On the side of Yifei Intelligence, Shen Nian led the team personally, bringing their co-founder and CTO Chen Jin—a slovenly but bright-eyed engineering guy—as well as Mr. Li, the head of financial advisory from a boutique investment bank they had worked with for years, along with their own legal counsel.

The conference room was not large, and with over ten people seated, it was slightly crowded. The air was filled with the scent of coffee, printed documents, and new furniture.

Lawyer Wang pushed up her glasses and took the lead, her speech rapid and clear: "President Shen, regarding the scope of the board observer's right to information, we need further clarification. 'All operational, financial, and technology-related original documents'—where is the boundary of this 'all'? Does it include the source code of core algorithms, undisclosed test data, and confidential communication records with potential clients?"

Shen Nian looked at her CTO. The CTO immediately shook his head, his tone agitated: "The source code is our lifeblood! Impossible! We can provide desensitized analysis reports for the test data. Client communication? That involves trade secrets!"

"We need to judge the true progress of the technology and the possibility of commercial implementation," Zhao Min interjected, flipping through the reports in her hand. "Looking only at desensitized reports makes it impossible to verify the authenticity of the data and the rigor of the experimental design. As for client communication, we can sign additional non-disclosure agreements to only look at the framework and progress, without seeing specific quotes and details."

Both sides engaged in a fierce debate over the boundaries of the right to information. Mr. Li tried to mediate, proposing a compromise. Yu Bo remained silent for the most part, only interjecting at critical moments to clarify the core demands of Listening to the Waves. Shen Nian calmly weighed the pros and cons, needing to protect the company's core secrets while also giving investors enough transparency to earn their trust.

And this was just about the right to information. Regarding the notice period for auditing, it was finally set at 24 hours of written notice; the format and participants of quarterly meetings, and the choice of accounting firm for annual audits were agreed to be a third-party institution mutually recognized by both sides... Every single detail was a back-and-forth tug-of-war.

The draft contract was rapidly modified on the lawyers' computers, with clauses added and removed. The meeting ran from nine in the morning until one in the afternoon before they barely managed to reach a consensus on the first few core clauses. Lunch was a simple working meal eaten at the conference table, and while the atmosphere eased slightly, the topic never strayed from the contract.

By three or four in the afternoon, although the atmosphere in the conference room was weary, it was drawing to a close. The main clauses were basically finalized, and the lawyers and finance teams from both sides were checking the final details, preparing to wrap up.

Just as Lawyer Wang adjusted her glasses, preparing to make her closing remarks, the conference room door was knocked on three times, neither lightly nor heavily. Before anyone inside could respond, it was pushed open from the outside.

Everyone looked up in surprise.

Yang Junyi walked in, wearing a casual linen suit, with his habitual, seemingly gentle yet actually arrogant smile on his face, accompanied by two assistants, a man and a woman. He had invited himself in. His gaze swept across the conference room, finally landing on Shen Nian and Yu Bo, his smile deepening.

"Yo, so lively? It seems I've come at just the right time," Yang Junyi said in a relaxed tone, as if he had just stumbled in by mistake. "President Shen, Chairman Yu, I'm not interrupting you, am I?"

The conference room instantly went quiet. Chen Jin, the CTO of Yifei Intelligence, looked bewildered, while Mr. Li immediately stood up, a professional smile plastered on his face: "President Yang! How did you come here in person? Please, have a seat, have a seat!"

Shen Nian and Yu Bo exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding and vigilance in the other's eyes. Shen Nian stood up, wearing a polite smile, but her eyes were distant: "President Yang, a rare visitor. We are holding an internal meeting; I wonder what brings you here?"

"An internal meeting?" Yang Junyi raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Lawyer Wang and Zhao Min on Yu Bo's side, then looking at the documents spread out on the table. "Looking at this setup, it doesn't seem like a purely internal meeting. You're discussing a financing agreement, right? President Shen, this is where you're in the wrong—why didn't you call an old friend when there's something good going on?"

He walked straight to an empty chair, sat down without ceremony, crossed his legs, and assumed the posture of a host. The two assistants he brought stood to his left and right behind him, expressionless.

Yu Bo remained in his seat, watching Yang Junyi's performance with a calm expression. Lawyer Wang and Zhao Min frowned, but neither said anything, looking towards Yu Bo.

"President Yang, you are very well informed." Shen Nian sat back down, her tone indifferent. "We are indeed discussing financing. However, it is basically already settled."

"Settled?" Yang Junyi put on a look of surprise. "So fast? With whom? Tinglan Capital? Chairman Yu?" Only then did he act as if he had just seen Yu Bo, nodding at him. "Chairman Yu, you're very fast. I admire that."

Yu Bo nodded at him in acknowledgment but said nothing.

"President Shen," Yang Junyi leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table, his tone becoming "sincere." "We are old acquaintances. I know Wing Flight is a good project, and I've been following it closely. I wanted to talk to you in detail at the cocktail party last time, but unfortunately, I didn't find the opportunity. So, I won't beat around the bush."

He paused, looking at Shen Nian with burning eyes: "Enlightenment is very interested in Wing Flight. I heard your valuation for this round is about 200 million? No problem, we accept this valuation. Moreover, we are willing to lead the investment, and the amount..." He held up one finger and said slowly, "30 million. For 15%. How about that? It's 10 million more than Chairman Yu's side, and the percentage is higher too. Besides, you know about Enlightenment's resources and connections. This is crucial for the next stage of Wing Flight's development."

The conditions he threw out were more generous than the 20 million for 12.8% that Yu Bo had previously offered—the amount was larger, and the percentage was higher. Most importantly, he explicitly proposed "leading the investment," which meant he wanted to replace Yu Bo's position.

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly dropped to freezing point. Chen Jin, the CTO of Yifei Intelligence, widened his eyes, looking at Yang Junyi and then at Shen Nian, seemingly stunned by this sudden high offer. Mr. Li, the FA, showed a look of mixed surprise and conflict on his face. Shen Nian's legal counsel watched her boss nervously.

Lawyer Wang and Zhao Min's expressions darkened, and they looked at Yu Bo, waiting for his instructions. This was already a blatant attempt to poach the project and a provocation.

The smile on Shen Nian's face disappeared. She looked at Yang Junyi, her eyes complex, filled with both annoyance and deep thought. Her hand under the table tightened slightly.