Chapter 72
The car drove straight into the factory and stopped beside the workshop. When Jasper saw me and Gregory getting out of the car together, the smile on his face couldn't quite hide his displeasure. "Gregory, what made you want to come see the site? Ms. Wilson, the lab data for this batch of finished products completely meet the requirements. There are no issues at all."
I nodded at him, knowing he was still a bit uncomfortable about me poaching his employees. I smiled and helped explain, "I mainly brought Gregory here to take a look. Cooperation requires honesty. My saying it's good isn't as convincing as seeing it with his own eyes. I'm sure Gregory recognizes the Brown Group's processing capabilities."
Jasper turned to me in disbelief. Worried about being too obvious, he quickly changed his questioning tone to inquiry. "Are you planning to work together?"
I nodded with a smile. "Why else would I bring him here for a tour?"
Gregory looked a bit awkward and quickly explained, "We've restructured our domestic and international sales channels. SoftGlow Biotech has a solid reputation overseas, and frankly, our company's traditional approach needs to evolve, or we'll get left behind. We're partnering with SoftGlow Biotech to drive new growth opportunities."
Jasper snorted, his tone becoming disrespectful when talking to Gregory. "The market can only hold so much. If you let SoftGlow Biotech in, what about the other brands?"
I smiled and helped Gregory out. "Mr. Brown, that's a narrow way of looking at it. Even without The Novagen Group's help, SoftGlow Biotech would still enter the market. When that happens, would you rather have someone else squeeze your market share, or would you prefer The Novagen Group to adjust the proportions internally? Everything evolves. If you don't innovate, you'll get disrupted out of existence."
Jasper's hand slowly clenched into a fist, his gaze turning cold as he looked at me. "Ms. Wilson, I can't help but feel like you're not cooperating with us, but rather using us. Won't you eventually abandon us and take all the profits for yourself?"
I laughed out loud. "Don't joke about that, Mr. Brown. I'm just a woman, new to the area. I don't understand Lumaria's market or overall environment as well as you do. Our cooperation is win-win. If Mr. Brown really minds our partnership with The Novagen Group, then... Gregory, maybe we should just forget it."
Gregory sighed, looking at Jasper with some displeasure. "Jasper, she's right. No partnership stays the same forever. What never changes is profit. I'll do my best to ensure the Brown Group's market position stays solid. The Brown Family and the Lopez family shouldn't be suspicious of each other. My dad wanted me to come do some research first. When I get back, the board will study it carefully. Plus, you're the ones doing the contract manufacturing right now. If the market really opens up, won't you get credit too when people talk about it?"
Jasper looked at me deeply, then at Gregory, who was explaining earnestly, and suddenly became flabbergasted. "I was just joking, and you two took it seriously? Come on, let me show you around inside."
I took another look at the office building connected to the production workshop. Jasper quickly explained, "Ms. Wilson, the office building is ready to be moved. There's an employee dormitory over there that's been sitting empty. A few days ago, we already had people do some simple renovations. It'll be finished soon. This will definitely be an independent production line, with no mistakes. Anyone who goes in has to wear sterile protective gear."
Gregory glanced in the direction Jasper was pointing. I looked over too.
In one corner of the factory, a row of low, three-story prefab buildings stood. Clearly, these were temporary structures built to save costs and house workers. For a publicly traded company's headquarters to be this shabby would be laughable if word got out.
"Jasper, is your company based here now? Didn't you say before you were looking for a proper office building?" Gregory asked.
Jasper looked a bit embarrassed, forcing a smile. "It's just a temporary transition. I'm definitely still looking for an office building. Once I find the right one, we'll move. Office work is the same anywhere, and being close to the factory is actually more convenient."
I smiled meaningfully in praise. "Mr. Brown's absolutely right. It's all just window dressing anyway. As long as we keep our people, we keep everything that matters."
The key point was that more than half of their technical R&D staff were already gone. Unless they found more professional technicians as quickly as possible, their product development speed would only get slower and slower.
Jasper naturally thought of this too, his smile almost frozen.
Gregory didn't understand, putting on his dust-proof suit efficiently. "The Brown Group has been publicly traded for over ten years. It's all about consistency for them. Ms. Wilson, working with them, I think you can feel confident. So working with you, I'm definitely confident too."
I looked at Gregory, my eyes flowing with admiration. "For someone so young, you're not only capable, but you've got such a sweet tongue too."
Gregory smiled brightly. "Ms. Wilson, you're only senior to me in terms of position. You're actually younger than me. It's just that your presence is so strong, people always forget you're just a girl in her early twenties."
"So I'm your elder. Got a problem with that?" I raised an eyebrow at him, tilting my head to one side.
Gregory quickly came to my side, asking with concern, "What's wrong?"
"My hair seems to be caught in the zipper." I frowned, tugging randomly at my hair.
"Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself." Gregory grabbed my wrist, stopping my movements. "Let me help you. Don't move."
The sunlight happened to shine through the window, gently falling on my face. I tilted my head slightly toward Gregory, and when I looked up, I met his eyes looking down at me. The moment our eyes met, I blushed before he did. I expressed my thanks, quickly put on my dustproof suit, and avoided looking at him.
Jasper's gaze at us was probing, but he quickly looked away, handing me a brand new shoe cover and opening the door to the workshop.
In my peripheral vision, I could see a flash of amazement on Gregory's face. Today, I specifically wore a low-cut business suit. My leaning toward him when I looked down, even my shy movements, all expressed so much emotion. I just didn't know if he had the guts to act on it.
I quickly looked away again, and as I lowered my head to put on my mask, I smiled. Gregory better not let me down. Having to put on a fake smile for someone I can't stand is cruel and unusual punishment.