30: Chapter 30 Test, Beginning

November 1st was a Friday.

When Chen Xin stepped into the company branch, it was already 9:30 AM, and the entire first-floor venue was basically set up.

The lobby was bustling with people, but they were mostly staff members wearing badges. Outsiders were rare. Occasionally, a few reporters carrying cameras sat in the corners, chatting listlessly and yawning from time to time.

As for the important figures of the group, they had not yet arrived at the venue, and the nameplates had not even been placed on the tables in the center of the hall.

Chen Xin scanned the room briefly and found a seat near the back.

She took out the book she was carrying, opened it, and the noisy environment nearby seemed to have no effect on her.

However...

"Miss Chen, why are you sitting here?" a surprised voice came.

Chen Xin looked up, and when she saw who it was, her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

"You must be wondering why I'm here, right?" young man said with a smile, looking very sincere. "As the representative of W Company for the Central China region, and also as an accompanying member of W Company's negotiation team, I was naturally included in your company's invitation list to accompany Mr. Tanaka to participate in your company's new product test and bidding conference."

"Why you are here has nothing to do with me," Chen Xin said indifferently. "You are disturbing my reading."

"Then I am very sorry." young man raised an eyebrow, glanced at the book in Chen Xin's hand, but showed no sign of apology as he said, "I am actually very interested in you, Miss Chen."

"The last incident... I was a bit reckless. My father criticized me deeply after he found out and ordered me to apologize to you, so..."

young man's eyes held a questioning look, appearing very sincere: "I wonder if you have time tonight, Miss Chen, to let me..."

"No," Chen Xin replied without even looking up.

"Miss Chen, you are as frank as ever." young man chuckled. "I really admire you more and more."

"Young Master Matsumoto Bieyun, please respect yourself." Chen Xin's voice was calm. She closed her book, looked up, and stared into young man's slightly mocking eyes. "You and I currently have no relationship, and even if we did, it would have to wait until the results of the test conference come out. You... might not be the final partner."

"Haha." young man called Matsumoto Bieyun laughed. "Miss Chen, your confidence is indeed admirable, but you are being a bit too confident."

Matsumoto Bieyun wore a slightly mocking smile. "I do know that you have taken some actions, but if I may be blunt, even the massive Chen Group, and even thousands of companies and research institutes across China are helpless against this. What method could you possibly have that is better than all of them? Relying on the team behind you? Haha."

Seeming to recall something, Matsumoto Bieyun shook his head with a smile. "Unless every member of the team behind you is a master in the fields of systems engineering, computer engineering, and digital modeling, otherwise..."

"That is impossible. No matter who is behind you, I dare to conclude that they are not capable of supporting a system architecture and supporting engineering."

"So, Miss Chen, don't you understand this test? This is a step your father is giving to W Company; it is a show that belongs to W Company. As long as Mr. Tanaka can get everyone to recognize the strength of W Company's CNC control system, then the cooperation between our two sides is guaranteed."

young man scanned the surroundings confidently. Watching more and more people walk into the venue and sit in their respective seats, he lowered his voice. "These people are just here to make up the numbers. Miss Chen, your test conference is just happening to coincide with it."

"You are too confident, Young Master Matsumoto Bieyun," Chen Xin said indifferently. "The exchange meeting is about to start. Young Master Matsumoto Bieyun should have important things to do, so I won't see you off."

"Miss Chen, you are too polite." Matsumoto Bieyun smiled slightly, leaned close to Chen Xin, and whispered, "I really... I really admire you more and more, Miss Chen. If I am lucky enough to obtain the qualification today, then at eight o'clock tonight, at TACO AMOR, I hope you will grace me with your presence."

"I believe you will come, Miss Chen!"

After saying this, without waiting for any reaction from Chen Xin, Matsumoto Bieyun laughed and left the back row, walking toward the VIP seats in the front.

The interaction between the two finally attracted the attention of the people around them. Some people seemed to recognize Chen Xin and began to whisper to each other, and from time to time, a few people showed expressions of sudden realization.

"Is the one in front the daughter of the Chen Group, the second Miss Chen?"

"What? You don't recognize her?"

"I didn't know before, but I've heard of her recently."

"Ha, brother, you also watched that video, right?"

"One video wiped out nearly 50 billion from the Chen Group's market value. That's really something."

Chen Xin frowned slightly, watching Matsumoto Bieyun, who had returned to the front row and sat down. Her pretty face had already turned cold.

She gripped her bag tightly, bowed her head again without a word, and turned a deaf ear to the whispers around her.

Regret? Not at all. From childhood to adulthood, Chen Xin had never regretted anything she had done, even though she had made this incredible decision to try to save the entire group single-handedly. She had never regretted it. If she could do it all over again, she would make the same choice.

But fate played a joke on her again. The appearance of Wang Shuo gave her a chance to spin the roulette wheel again, and the chips were in her backpack.

This time, on one side was a college freshman who was very likely deceiving her, and on the other was her own future and that of the Chen Group. If she won, she and the group would embark on a different path. If she lost, she would have nothing left, become a laughingstock in the entire circle, be despised and pointed at, and the group would lose its only lifeline because of her, leading to a catastrophic collapse and vanishing into the river of history forever.

This was ten thousand times worse than her previous choice.

Should she raise the stakes? If she did, would she win?

Chen Xin, who had always been strong-willed, was filled with confusion at this moment.

On the other side.

Matsumoto Bieyun returned to his seat with a smile on his face. Just as he sat down, a slightly bald Middle-aged man next to him spoke.

"Mr. Bieyun, what... did you go do?"

The pronunciation was strange, but it did not hinder understanding.

"Mr. Tanaka, I've kept you waiting." Matsumoto Bieyun looked apologetic. "I just saw an acquaintance and said a few words."

"No... problem." Tanaka paused slightly, seemingly searching for words. They hadn't brought a translator with them this time.

"I want to ask... Mr. Bieyun."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Tanaka."

"Do you think... the Chen Group... will show how much sincerity... in exchange?"

Matsumoto Bieyun smiled slightly. "That is an easy question to answer, Mr. Tanaka. I have introduced the situation of the Chen Group to you before; they are currently encountering huge technical difficulties, which affect whether their company can still operate normally. So... Mr. Tanaka, as long as it is within a reasonable range, you can increase the price as much as you want; don't worry about them not accepting."

"But... previous contacts... were not... smooth."

"That is just playing hard to get." Matsumoto Bieyun smiled confidently. With his father backing him, he wasn't afraid of showing incompetence. "Just like when we go to buy a chicken, you offer seven, I offer five, and pretend to walk away—these are all tactics to force us to make concessions. If we hold firm and don't give in, I believe they will be the first to get anxious."

Tanaka nodded thoughtfully.

"So, Mr. Tanaka, the next part depends on you." Matsumoto Bieyun leaned close to Tanaka's ear and said, "As long as you can make everyone here sit up and take notice, and give up on bidding, then we can name our price. After all, good things deserve a good price."

"What you said... is correct." Tanaka continued to nod. "Then how much... do you think... we should increase?"

"We can... raise it by fifty percent!" Matsumoto Bieyun's eyes shone with light.

"Mr. Bieyun is truly... a great talent." Tanaka nodded in approval. "You Chinese... have an old saying... called... like father... like son, it is really... true."

"Mr. Tanaka, you got it wrong. The saying is 'a tiger father has no dog son,' which means a tiger cannot give birth to a dog-like son..."

Just as Matsumoto Bieyun was explaining this old Chinese saying, the time reached ten o'clock.

The Chen Group executives, who had been ready off-stage, went up on stage on time. Appearing with them were the experts, professors, and scholars that the Chen Group had spent a lot of money to invite.

The reporters present were all ready, and for a moment, camera flashes went off one after another, non-stop.

"Alright, friends, please quiet down."

The buzzing in the venue slowly died down.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend our company's product test and bidding conference. I am Chen Zhongxuan. For the sake of everyone's time and experience, we will try to speed up the process."

"The main purpose of this product test and bidding conference is to provide everyone with an intuitive platform so that you can understand our company's new products in more detail and clarity."

Chen Zhongxuan waved his hand, and the staff nearby pulled open the curtains of the three tall cubes that had been placed in the center. Immediately, three multi-axis Machining Centers with a metallic texture were exposed.

"This is our company's latest developed five-axis multi-functional Machining Center—the VMC-30018 model."

"This Machining Center adopts the latest three-rotary axis and two-linkage axis system, is equipped with an imported electromechanical hybrid system, and is configured with a dedicated tool magazine and automatic tool changing function. The overall precision has reached an advanced domestic level."

The hall was suddenly filled with buzzing, and a reporter in the audience raised a hand.

Chen Zhongxuan pointed to him.

"Hello, Chairman Chen, I am a reporter from the South China Daily. I would like to ask, you have introduced many specific performance aspects of this machining platform, but you have not mentioned the system control level. Are there still difficulties that have not been overcome?"

"This reporter friend asked a good question." Chen Zhongxuan nodded. "This is the biggest reason why we gathered everyone here today to participate in the product test and bidding conference, and it is also the biggest reason why I am here today."

"We hope to use this format, which combines a press conference, product evaluation meeting, exhibition, and bidding conference, to equip our currently best product with the best saddle!"

"Today, we have invited experts and technicians in the computer field, customers from downstream manufacturers, representatives of domestic system manufacturers, and Mr. Tanaka, a technician from the famous Japanese W Company."

Every time Chen Zhongxuan introduced a group, he used his hand to guide the eyes of everyone present to where that group was sitting. It wasn't until he introduced W Company at the end that the reporters started taking pictures rapidly.

Matsumoto Bieyun was elegant and natural.

Tanaka smiled.

"We hope to select the most suitable manufacturer among all the system suppliers for our new product! To provide a solid guarantee on the software level for the good and smooth operation of our new product."

"To save time, our staff, under the guidance of technicians from various system manufacturers, have already installed the corresponding control system programs on the three prototypes on-site. Our test will begin immediately."

"Next, our staff will introduce the specific process of the test to everyone."

After speaking, Chen Zhongxuan handed the microphone to someone beside him.

"Thank you, President Chen." The young technician smiled slightly and introduced himself: "I am Li Siyu, a technician from Zhongzhi Pengcheng Technology Co., Ltd. Now, I will introduce the specific process and evaluation criteria of the test to everyone."