Chapter 52 Discussing Cooperation

Chapter 52 Discussing Cooperation

Emily's POV

Business dinners always involve drinking. I thought I could count on Joshua, but after just a few drinks his face turned bright red and he passed out face-down on the table—and I was counting on him to help me dodge drinks.

Fortunately, Ethan wasn't the type to fight to the death at the dinner table. After chatting for a bit, he left in a hurry with his people. I looked at Joshua, drunk and flushed red, and frowned helplessly, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

Thinking about it, it's really ridiculous. I used to live comfortably without a care, even indirectly controlling billions in assets. Now I'm $300 million in debt, and the company is carrying $2.5 billion in debt. I'm probably the only one who could owe this much money, right? The more I think about it, the more absurd it seems. How did I even come up with that thought?

Yeah, that's me alright, most people wouldn’t be able to owe this much even if they tried.

Joshua was sprawled on the table, mumbling incoherently. I leaned in and only the words “girl” and "childhood sweetheart" then lost interest and turned away. Whatever he was saying, someone this drunk probably didn't even know what he was talking about.

Back at the company, I called Benjamin over. He brought me a sample and a test report.

I had him give me a general rundown, planning to take the sample and use the report to pitch our business.

"Ms. Johnson, I'll explain this as clearly and thoroughly as possible."

"Let me put it simply. This is military-grade specialty steel from Flint Advanced Defense Technologies. It’s five times stronger than regular steel, with six times the compression resistance and ten times the surface hardness."

Hearing him explain it this way, everything suddenly became clear, and my confidence grew.

Afterward, he continued with more technical explanations.

I felt slightly annoyed; there was no way I could remember all those details.

Joshua had drunk himself unconscious, his alcohol tolerance was even worse than an ant's.

I could only have Benjamin drive me.

My first stop would be Lincoln Baker. After all, this material is too costly for ordinary consumer cars to use.

I'd try my luck with luxury brands. One successful order alone could keep the company from collapsing.

Come to think of it, Christopher really had good judgment—he really did find a bargain.

If it weren't for that $25 billion fine, Christopher probably wouldn't have been able to buy this place.

The though of him coming back soon made me feel a little excited.

But I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my head. How could I have these kinds of thoughts about that shameless pervert?

Too scary.

Someone who seemed to be a sales manager received Benjamin and me at Lincoln Construction Group after I told them we were there to discuss a partnership.

He introduced himself as Conrad. But we'd barely sat down when his phone rang. He raised his hand apologetically, "Just a moment," then turned and walked out. I was about to take a sip of water to relax when I realized his voice was really loud—even though he'd gone outside, I could still hear his conversation.

"Who's this?"

"Conrad, I'm an employee from Summit Special Steel Fabrication, calling with good news! That steel you were specifically looking for a while back, for high-end vehicle chassis—we just mass-produced our HS-900 high-end chassis specialty ultra-high-strength alloy steel. We contacted you as soon as it went into production."

"Thanks for thinking of our company despite being so busy. Do you have the specific parameters for this steel? Send me a copy so I can report to my boss."

"Sure, I'll send you the detailed data. Do you need me to explain it in simpler terms as well? That might make it easier for you to report to your boss."

"That would be great, go ahead, I'm taking notes."

"Alright, this steel is our HS-900 ultra-high-strength alloy steel, with strength three times that of regular steel!"

"Compression resistance four times that of regular steel!"

"Surface hardness four times that of regular steel!"

"Fatigue resistance can withstand tens of millions of repeated load impacts—definitely a material that will satisfy both you and your customers."

"Conrad, what do you think?"

"Great, really great. I'll report to my boss right away. He'll definitely be satisfied."

Conrad walked back in looking pleased, swept his eyes across the conference table, and clearly paused when his gaze landed on me. I couldn't read what that expression meant—I just felt like he was looking at me the way you'd look at something forgotten in a corner, suddenly remembered and reluctantly brought back into view.

He walked over and smiled at us, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

I smiled back, "We'd like to discuss a partnership with your company regarding high-end luxury car chassis. Would you be interested in taking a look at..."

Our steel technology...

Before I could finish, Conrad cut me off.

"Sorry, I apologize, but our company already has a partner. You probably just heard that."

I got a bit anxious, "Conrad, maybe you could take a look. Our steel quality..."

Conrad interrupted again, "Sorry, I don't think you quite understand. Let me explain."

"Summit Special Steel Fabrication is a company that specifically produces chassis for military tanks. This technology was only recently released for civilian use. Even though it's a scaled-down version, do you really think your company's technology can compare with theirs?"

"Plus, Summit Special Steel Fabrication's quality and reputation have always been number one in the industry."

"I think you should understand what I'm getting at now?"

I could of course hear what he was implying—our steel wasn't worth mentioning, no need to continue the discussion. I felt indignant, but I also knew that arguing wouldn't help—I had to let the data do the talking.

I still patiently explained, "Conrad, I know this company produces excellent steel, but our company's steel can absolutely satisfy you too."

"I heard your entire conversation just now. If I'm not confident that our steel couldn't match Summit Special Steel Fabrication's, I wouldn't continue this discussion with you. I hope you can give us a chance. Let's let the facts prove it."