Chapter Four: The First Money—and the Patent Is Not for Sale

“Line Two's yield is forty-one percent. Dongchen will inspect in three days. When Qiyao fails to deliver one hundred thousand cells, the six-hundred-million claim will trigger a technical-validity review by your banking syndicate. This forensic report could then freeze all 9.6 billion of Qiyao's credit.” “Nonsense.” “Then let Dongchen inspect now.” Yan shot to his feet, but his lawyer's phone rang first. Within seconds, outrage drained from his face. Dongchen had moved its inspection to that afternoon. Half an hour earlier, Jiming had anonymously submitted evidence of the quality problem. Yan sat down again. “How much?” “The patent is not for sale.” Yanqiu drew out a blank sheet. “Xuanheng licenses the base formula to Qiyao for eighteen months.