Chapter 68

Before long, it was the day of the celebration banquet for Hengyang Group's restructuring.

Early in the morning, Yang Chen was woken up from his sleep by Jin Meifeng. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a brand new black suit placed at the head of his bed. Before Yang Chen could fully wake up, Jin Meifeng said, "You're not going anywhere today. You're coming with me to entertain the guests!"

"..." Yang Chen was taken aback and protested, holding his head, "I have plans today, you know..."

Unfortunately, Jin Meifeng didn't give Yang Chen a chance to argue. She left a message and went downstairs, "Try on this suit and see if it fits. I want to see you at the hotel by 9:30! Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences!"

Faced with his mother's domineering ultimatum, Yang Chen had no choice but to smile bitterly and agree.

The suit was clearly tailored for him. Although he was not used to such formal attire, when he looked at himself in the mirror, he found that he actually looked quite good in a suit... It made him seem less casual and more authoritative.

The celebration banquet for Hengyang Group's restructuring was held at Jinhu Hotel, about a twenty-minute drive from the Yang family's current villa. Yang Chen checked the time; it was just past eight...

On the dining table, there was a cup of warm milk and a sandwich with ham.

Just as Yang Chen sat down and reached out to satisfy his hunger, a loud car horn sounded outside: "Beep beep beep..."

Yang Chen was startled, and the car horn sounded three more times.

He got up from his chair and walked to the door, only to find a few young men standing there, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Yang Chen come out, Zhao Zeran, who was also wearing a silver-gray suit today, exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled at Yang Chen, "You haven't been out to play for a while, so you don't even recognize the signal anymore?"

Hearing this, Yang Chen couldn't help but laugh. He took out a pack of soft Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, walked down the steps toward Zhao Zeran and the others, and while passing out cigarettes, he said with a smile, "Where are we going to play? I should tell you that I won't have time before three in the afternoon..."

These few people were all rich kids who used to play with Yang Chen. They hadn't been in touch for a while, but today Zhao Zeran had brought them over, clearly treating Yang Chen as one of their own again.

"I know, your Hengyang Group has a celebration banquet at noon... We're here to support you, otherwise, why would we dress up like this?" Zhao Zeran took the cigarette Yang Chen offered and put his hand on Yang Chen's shoulder with a smile, "But before we go to Jinhu Hotel, I have something to talk to you about."

Yang Chen's smile remained unchanged as he lit a cigarette for himself.

"What is it? Speak up."

"A few days ago, everyone found out what you did. Honestly, it was quite satisfying. That Song Shijie has always been a pain in the neck, and I've never liked him either." Zhao Zeran first affirmed Yang Chen's actions, then said a bit awkwardly, "But, you know, we're all from Jinzhou, and we see each other often, right?"

"Are you here to speak on Song Shijie's behalf?" Yang Chen looked at Zhao Zeran curiously; this didn't seem like his style!

"Pfft, as if he could get me to do that?" Zhao Zeran spat, then continued, "It was Fu Jinhui from the provincial level who had someone pass the message to me... You know Fu Jinhui, right?"

Fu Jinhui? Hearing this name, Yang Chen knew what was going on.

The circle of rich kids was also divided into levels, much like the many unspoken rules in the political arena. Just as Zhao Zeran and his friends didn't bother with the locals from the towns below Jinzhou, the sons and daughters of the provincial level also looked down on Zhao Zeran and his group.

Fu Jinhui was a well-known figure in the rich kids' circle of Nanhu Province, and Yang Chen couldn't be unaware of him.

He nodded and said softly, "The Fu Jinhui from the provincial committee?"

"Yeah, that's him." Zhao Zeran nodded helplessly, spreading his hands, "Song Shijie must have pulled some strings to get Fu Jinhui to back him up... I'm at a loss, so I had to come to you."

This kind of layered approach was often the preferred method for rich kids to resolve disputes.

Knowing that Zhao Zeran was in a difficult position, Yang Chen didn't intend to make things hard for him. He nodded and asked, "What do they want?"

"To have you set up a table and apologize to Song Shijie in person, and pay for the repair of his Maserati. Then this matter will be considered settled..." While speaking, Zhao Zeran kept observing Yang Chen's facial expression. Seeing that Yang Chen's expression didn't change, he continued with relief, "It's not a big deal, there's no need to clash with Fu Jinhui, right?"

"What time?" Yang Chen smiled without committing, setting up a table to apologize? They really thought he was someone important!

But Zhao Zeran thought Yang Chen had agreed to the terms and felt relieved inside. His tone became more relaxed, "The time isn't set, but it should be done within a week."

"Tell them to bring it on." Yang Chen chuckled and shook his head, "Set up a table and apologize to Song Shijie? Are they dreaming, or did I hear wrong?"

"Eh?" Just when everything was going well, why did it turn sour so quickly? Zhao Zeran smiled bitterly, "Your Hengyang Group just completed its restructuring, and everything is still in a mess... Getting on Fu Jinhui's bad side won't do you any good! Don't be impulsive, as the old saying goes, a step back makes the sky wider and the sea broader..."

"Old Zhao, why are you getting more and more timid these days?" Yang Chen looked at Zhao Zeran with disdain, tilting his head, "A single message can scare you like this? That's not the Old Zhao I used to know..."

"You... sigh, do as you please!" Zhao Zeran was speechless, then smiled bitterly, "I've delivered the message. What you do is up to you, I can't control everything."

"That's right, friends come for a drink, enemies get a bullet! Why worry so much?" Yang Chen laughed and patted Zhao Zeran's shoulder, "Besides, why do you think I can't handle Fu Jinhui?"

Yang Chen's last words made Zhao Zeran's eyes light up, "Your meaning is..."

"Don't read too much into it, I was just making a metaphor."

"..."

The group of rich kids didn't have much to do when they gathered, especially since Yang Chen had to be at Jinhu Hotel by 9:30. In such a short time, there was no way to plan any good entertainment.

In the end, Yang Chen invited Zhao Zeran and the others into his living room, fetched a deck of cards, and started playing a game of Three-Card Poker.

While raking in money, Yang Chen asked, "What have you guys been up to lately?"

Zhao Zeran, who had lost four rounds in a row, pouted and said, "I was tricked by someone surnamed Meng to set up an auction company, hoping to make some money from the bankruptcy auction of your Hengyang Group... Now it's all gone to waste, and I'm living off my savings."

Another young man sitting next to Zhao Zeran sighed, "The financial crisis from last year hasn't fully passed yet. The company isn't getting any big orders, and we're just surviving on small ones... I can't even get my allowance anymore!"

Yang Chen had some memory of this young man and looked at him more closely, asking, "Isn't your family in the kitchenware business? What does the financial crisis have to do with your company?"

Qian Meiyi scratched his head and said, "Who says it doesn't? My dad complains every day when he comes home... The domestic market isn't selling, and foreign orders have sharply decreased. If this continues, our company will go bankrupt soon!"

"Is it that serious?" Zhao Zeran asked in surprise, "I remember Ruihua Company's revenue broke 100 million last year... Why has it declined so much this year?"

"Last year's revenue was mainly from the backlog of orders from the previous year and the first two quarters," Qian Meiyi looked at his hand of cards and continued to sigh, "The domestic market is saturated, and brand recognition is becoming more important. Unfortunately, my dad's focus was on the international market for the past two years... The opportunity was missed, and it's hard to get it back."

Although the few people present were either from official families or rich families, they were quite knowledgeable about business.

Zhao Zeran smacked his lips, shuffling the cards while asking, "Doesn't Ruihua Company have some patent technology? Why can't it sell in the domestic market, and why isn't it doing well in the international market either?"

"Don't mention that patent, it's just a gimmick..." Qian Meiyi smiled bitterly, "Non-stick pans rely on the coating on the surface, but the market competition is insane... Our factory has been in operation for almost four years. Last year, a Japanese company came out with a 'super nano-ceramic coating' that's selling like crazy in Europe and America..."

Zhao Zeran understood and asked, "Think ahead, hasn't your dad put effort into technological innovation?"

"How could he not?" Qian Meiyi threw down his cards and gritted his teeth, "Those researchers who just take money and do nothing have been through several rounds in the past four years. All they've produced is a bunch of useless papers!"

Yang Chen, who was listening, lightly pressed his cards on the table, "So, you're saying that Ruihua Company is at a disadvantage because of the coating technology?"

"Of course!" Qian Meiyi said proudly, "The sales network we've built over the years is no less extensive than that of the Japanese company... If the product quality were better, we wouldn't be in such a tight spot!"

Yang Chen nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully...

Coating? Qian Meiyi's words reminded him of something...

"What coating does Ruihua Company use for its non-stick pans?" Yang Chen asked.

"What else? Besides nano-ceramic, it's Teflon... Our company doesn't have the nano-ceramic coating technology, so we use Teflon," Qian Meiyi said, frowning, "As long as it's not dry-heated, Teflon is completely harmless..."

"But it's too soft," another young man, who had been silent, said with a sneer, "I bought a non-stick pan from Ruihua, and a light scratch with a spatula left a mark. It's useless after a month..."

"It's not just Ruihua! Why did you use a metal spatula? Just wipe it with a cloth and it's fine!" Qian Meiyi defended, "If Teflon is properly maintained, it can last a long time..."

"But most consumers in China don't have that kind of maintenance awareness!" Zhao Zeran pointed out, "Non-stick pans are widely used, but if you can't use a spatula on it, it's better to use a cast-iron pan!"

"That's why a few years ago, someone developed the nano-ceramic coating technology. Although the coating hardness improved significantly, it still lost its non-stick effect after a few months..." Qian Meiyi said helplessly, "The new technology developed by the Japanese company can increase the coating hardness to over 6H, with a lifespan of about one and a half years in Europe and America, and about ten months in China."

"That's still much better than Ruihua's lifespan of a month or two..."

The non-stick pan market was completely unfamiliar to Yang Chen, but Ruihua's success in recent years proved that the market potential was huge.

After a moment of thought, Yang Chen suddenly asked Qian Meiyi, "What is the cost of the coating for a regular aluminum pan produced by Ruihua?"

Qian Meiyi hesitated and replied, "It depends on the process. Some pans need printing, which increases the cost, while others don't, which makes them cheaper... Overall, the coating cost ranges from 6 to 18 yuan, with a lot of variation."

Yang Chen nodded and silently calculated in his mind.

Zhao Zeran looked at Yang Chen with a probing gaze and asked, "Does Yang Chen have any ideas?"

"I do have some ideas..." Yang Chen gathered his thoughts and nodded, "I have a coating technology that, according to what Meiyi said, can definitely outperform the Japanese company's product..."

"What technology is so powerful?" Qian Meiyi was pleasantly surprised.

Yang Chen smiled, "Let's call it... Super Super Nano-Ceramic Coating!"

The others were taken aback.

Qian Meiyi smiled bitterly, "I'm not joking with you..."

"I'm not joking either." Yang Chen thought for a moment, then said, "How about this: in a week, come to my place, and I'll bring a sample for you to test on the spot?"

"That's fine, but you should give me some details first!" Qian Meiyi was getting frustrated, "What's the hardness of the coating? And the lifespan?"

"The hardness should be over 9H, comparable to corundum... As for the lifespan, it should last at least six years."

"9H hardness! And above!" Qian Meiyi was shocked, "Bro, are you messing with me? Diamonds are only 10H!"

"Why would I mess with you?" Yang Chen rolled his eyes, "This coating is the result of decades of research by a top scientist... Anyway, wait and see the sample!"

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