Chapter Three: What Thirty Million Cannot Buy

Either answer might turn him into ammunition in an internal war. “I reject exclusivity.” Wanqing tapped the table. “You owe 8.6 million. Your bankrupt company still owns the core code. Your only customer can cancel its interest. On what grounds do you refuse?” “The fund charter—and the fact that you need open standards more than I do. Gu's closed platform is costing you cross-border pharmaceutical contracts. Far Lantern isn't charity.” The air-conditioning was the only sound. Wanqing truly looked at him for the first time. “Fund disbursement does not guarantee cooperation from Gu. Since you reject exclusivity, none of our warehouses will open to you. That is sixty percent of Linchuan's cold-chain nodes.”