Chapter 12: Step by Step Downfall

Don't assume foreigners are simple. In the capitalist world, such things are too common.

Staring at Kintler, Chen Geng said, "As long as you help me, I will cover the treatment costs and post-surgery recovery expenses for your loved one."

"I..."

Kintler swallowed hard. He had already approached several friends and banks, hoping the banks could provide a loan, but the conditions were beyond Kintler's acceptance. Unless he sold his current house, there was no way he could raise enough money to treat his wife and help her recover.

Chen Geng's voice sounded like the devil's temptation, echoing incessantly in Kintler's mind. One voice told him, "No! You can't do this. If you agree to his terms, you will be a villain colluding with others to extort your own company."

Another voice countered, "How can this be considered extortion? Using money to silence those who discover problems in the company is a long-standing tradition in the automotive industry. Chen Geng has found so many issues; even if he asks for a bit more money, it's not wrong. He helps you, and you help him. What's wrong with that?"

Then, Kintler found the first voice speechless...

"Will you really... help me?"

Kintler felt extremely ashamed. He never thought he would do such a thing, but thinking about his wife's illness, which could no longer be delayed, his guilt quickly dissipated. He had once sworn that to cure his loved one's illness, he would even go to hell.

To be honest, Chen Geng wasn't very confident about convincing Kintler. He didn't worry about the technical aspects of returning to the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory of the East China Military Region, but even a skilled housewife can't cook without rice. After much thought, he decided that the "rice" would come from Wolfsburg. Kintler was the key link, and also the part Chen Geng was least confident about. Now, under the pressure of treating his wife, Kintler was willing to "collude" with him, and Chen Geng felt a great relief.

"Of course, you have helped me a lot. Now that you are in trouble, I will certainly help you," Chen Geng said earnestly, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Kintler. "My bottom line is 500,000 USD. For every additional 100,000 USD you help me get, you will receive 10,000 USD."

This was a tactic Chen Geng learned from the Japanese. Although he had no particular fondness for the Japanese, they were undoubtedly the most skilled nation in bribery, elevating it to an art form. They made the recipient feel not like they were being bribed, but rather receiving gratitude. After seeing the Japanese's bribery techniques several times, Chen Geng was amazed and determined to learn this skill. Although he only mastered the basics, it was enough to use against Kintler.

Sure enough, seeing the gratitude in Chen Geng's eyes, Kintler felt much better. The 10% commission on the excess amount was even more tempting: If he could help Chen Geng get 1,000,000 USD, wouldn't he get an additional 50,000 USD?

Without realizing it, Kintler's attitude changed: "I will do my best."

"There is another thing I need your help with," Chen Geng continued.

"Go ahead," Kintler didn't refuse; instead, he was secretly excited.

"First, in addition to the financial requirements, I hope that Shanghai Volkswagen will provide me with 1,000 sets of Santana tires and 1,500 sets of shock absorbers annually for two years, paid in RMB."

"Tires and shock absorbers?" Kintler was completely surprised by this request, feeling a bit puzzled: "This... isn't a problem, but what do you need them for?"

Currently, Santana sedans produced domestically are still produced in CKD form, meaning all parts of the Santana, from the engine to the tires and even a single screw, are imported directly from Germany and then assembled in Shanghai. However, considering after-sales service and maintenance, a certain proportion of spare parts and consumables, such as headlights, tires, shock absorbers, and body panels, need to be available. You can't let a car break down without spare parts to fix it, right?

For Shanghai Volkswagen, 1,000 sets of Santana tires and 1,500 sets of shock absorbers per year is not much, just 5,000 tires and 1,500 sets of shock absorbers. Moreover, Chen Geng is willing to pay, even in RMB, which can be used to pay the workers at the Shanghai Volkswagen factory. As long as Chen Geng is willing to pay, there is no problem, but Kintler couldn't imagine what Chen Geng needed these parts for. Was it for resale? It didn't seem likely, given that Chen Geng was asking for a large sum of money from Wolfsburg.

"Ha ha..." Chen Geng wouldn't explain to Kintler what he needed these parts for, but continued: "Second, I will be going to a factory soon. In the future, our factory may participate in the localization plan for the Santana. Under equal conditions, I hope you will favor me."

"I will do my best to help you, but I don't think it will be a problem," Kintler agreed readily.

"Thank you very much," Chen Geng said gratefully. "By the way, I remember you worked at Bosch before joining Wolfsburg, right?"

"Yes, for about 10 years. I was a development engineer in the carburetor department at Bosch," Kintler said, with a hint of nostalgia. "Why do you ask?"

"The third condition is related to your work at Bosch. I hope you can help me purchase a complete carburetor production line with integrated production and testing capabilities in Europe. It should be advanced. How much would it cost?"

Kintler immediately understood and asked in surprise, "Is this what you meant by participating in the localization plan for the Santana?"

"Ha ha..." Chen Geng implicitly confirmed. "How about it, any problems?"

"Helping you purchase such a production line is not a problem," Kintler said after a moment of silence. "It would cost about 400,000 USD, with nearly half of it for CNC machining equipment and automatic testing equipment. Are you sure you want to do this? Also, do you have the relevant carburetor technology?"

"Yes, I am very sure," Chen Geng nodded seriously. 400,000 USD was an acceptable price. If it weren't for the good relations between the East and the West, Chen Geng would have had difficulty buying these things. When it came to the carburetor issue, Chen Geng looked like he had achieved his goal: "As for the technology, I hope you can provide the products and corresponding technical guidance for this production line."

"That's impossible!" Kintler exclaimed. "It's unethical..."

"If you are willing to help me, I will pay you an annual consulting fee of 20,000 USD." Before Kintler could finish, Chen Geng once again wielded the most powerful weapon: money.

Under the power of money, Kintler, who had already succumbed several times, immediately knelt again: "Annually? 20,000 USD?"

"Annually, 20,000 USD."

"Will these carburetors only be sold to the Santana?"

"Yes, only to the Santana."

After a moment of hesitation, Kintler said, "These carburetors have nothing to do with me."

Chen Geng looked serious, as if he were discussing a solemn matter: "Of course, there is no doubt about that."

After a brief pause, Chen Geng continued: "The remaining money will be divided into two parts. Give me 50,000 USD in cash and exchange 5,000 RMB. As for the rest, please help me open an overseas account and deposit the remaining money there."

"Easy as pie." Kintler, already corrupted by Chen Geng, was completely corrupted: "Rest assured, as long as I am in Shanghai, I will speak up for you on the Santana side."

"Thank you very much," Chen Geng said gratefully. "You have done me a great favor... By the way, how much do you know about the people from Shanghai who are coming soon?"

The Wolfsburg representatives, Philip Rössler and Cole Fritz, who had rushed to the scene, did not immediately meet with Chen Geng. Instead, they asked Kintler about the progress of the negotiations, which was only natural.

It wasn't that they didn't trust Kintler. The key was that although Kintler had done the preliminary work for the negotiations with Chen Geng, he was, after all, just an engineer and not skilled in negotiations. Wolfsburg wanted to get more money from Bosch, and giving Chen Geng less was always a good thing.

But Wolfsburg never expected that the thick-browed Kintler had already betrayed them...

"Mr. Kintler, the group headquarters thanks you for everything you have done for the company. The company's rewards will certainly satisfy you." Who says Germans only talk about work and don't know how to make small talk? Look at what Philip Rössler said.

"No need to be polite. I am also a part of the company, and this is what I should do." When Kintler said this, he felt a bit guilty.

"That is what you deserve... Time is short, and we must resolve this issue quickly. Mr. Kintler, please tell me about your preliminary work."

The information provided by Chen Geng shocked Wolfsburg. When Kintler mentioned that this was just one of several serious issues and that the C3, which Wolfsburg had high hopes for, also had several serious issues, the executives at Wolfsburg were so frightened that they wanted to rush to China and force Chen Geng to reveal all the problems with the B2 and C3.

Chen Geng never imagined how much his revelations had frightened Wolfsburg, but based on their reaction, he could roughly guess.

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