Chapter 19: Bring Disgrace to One’s Head vs Life Is Similar to Chess

Seeing Mr. Victor’s raised eyebrows, she immediately spoke up “No, but I can learn!” “Sit! If you can beat me at chess, I will give you a chance to discuss the collaboration deal with me!” “Thank you very much!” Jian Jianan sat politely in the chair opposite Mr. Victor. Looking at the chess pieces on the table, she felt instantly doomed. Her grandfather liked to play chess too. He once wanted to teach her, but she was completely uninterested. She ran away faster than anyone ever could every time her grandfather mentioned chess. If she knew that one day, she would have to play and win at chess, she would have been her grandfather’s most obedient student! Based on her information on Mr. Victor earlier, he was an expert in chess. No one could beat him in his country. What should she do now? She was a complete chess greenhorn! The board had been set up and Mr. Victor made a gesture of invitation to her. “You start first!” Jian Jianan cleared her throat and asked. “Can you give me one minute?” “Oh?” “I want to first understand the rules of this chess game!” Mr. Victor glanced at his secretary beside him. The secretary then formally explained all the rules of chess. Jian Jianan listened to her earnestly, word for word. Once the chess game commenced, it was no surprise to Jian Jianan that she lost the game in the first round. Mr. Victor chuckled slightly, but there was no warmth in his smile, “You said you didn’t know how to play chess, but I never thought you would be such an expert! Did you think if you deliberately lost, I would sign the collaboration contract with you?” Jian Jianan was speechless. ‘Did Mr. Victor think she played dumb and lost on purpose?’ she thought. “Mr. Victor, you mentioned earlier that if I won, only then, I would be given the chance to discuss the collaboration with you. Why would I deliberately lose to you and give up this chance? Don’t get me wrong, I am blessed and honored to lose in the first chess game of my life to Mr. Victor. I hope Mr. Victor can give me one more chance!” Mr. Victor raised his eyebrows. “Oh? Do you mean you can beat me in a second round?” “I will do my best!” In the second round, Jian Jianan had clearly improved her techniques. She caught Mr. Victor contemplating for longer periods of time before making a move twice or thrice. Yet, she eventually lost to Mr. Victor. “Is there anything that Miss Jian would still like to say?” Jian Jianan felt reluctant to accept this defeat. It was only when it came for her to apply the knowledge, she regretted not acquiring enough of it. Before, she was unwilling to learn chess from her grandfather, now she had to bear with the consequences! “I have lost. Mr. Victor’s chess techniques are superb. I am willing to concede to that!” Mr. Victor frowned. He did not think Jian Jianan would give in so easily and admit defeat! “However, there is an old saying ‘nothing should be more than three times’, so please have another round of chess with me!” “And bring disgrace to oneself?” “You don’t know who might win in the end!” Mr. Victor grinned, with a glint of admiration and respect in his astute eyes. The third round commenced, with every step that Jian Jianan took to move her pieces, she would start thinking of subsequent moves and the possible moves that Mr. Victor would use. She thought thoroughly about every move so Mr. Victor would not be able to see through her motives. The round lasted for almost two hours. A sheen of sweat soon covered Jian Jianan’s upper back and forehead. Mr. Victor, too, deliberated for very long in every move he made. He did not expect Jian Jianan to catch up so fast! Every move was being anticipated, and closed off pre-emptively by Jian Jianan. There were a few times he spotted his mistakes too late, and would have liked to retract his moves, but he was not willing to forsake his reputation. However, as per the Chinese idiom - ‘old ginger is spicier’, despite Jian Jianan’s effort, she still lost in the end. “I have lost. I am thankful to Mr. Victor for giving me a chance to learn chess from you. I will never forget what happened today for the rest of my life!” Jian Jianan’s demeanor was still respectful and polite. She did not show either despair or indignance at her loss. In the process of chess-playing, Mr. Victor gathered that Jian Jianan was composed, calm and focused. He could not relate her to the rumors of the unruly, obstinate girl who committed suicide and broke off an engagement with her fiancé because of another man. At first, Mr. Victor planned to collaborate with North-South Pharmaceutical because the company is Z Country’s largest Chinese pharmacy group. However, because of Jian Jianan’s suicide, North-South Pharmaceutical’s shares dropped significantly. He was also a businessman, so naturally, he had to consider his own best interests, and therefore rejected any collaboration with the company. “I do not think I have lost the opportunity to collaborate with Mr. Victor by losing this chess game!” “Oh? I remembered saying that if you won one round with me, only then would I give you a chance to discuss. I gave you a total of three chances, but you didn’t even win once! So, you should leave!” Jian Jianan’s both hands slowly clenched into fists at her sides, but her face was still smiling. “Life is like a chess game. It has to be played step by step. This also applies to people. Chess games can be full of wonders. When living life, those who understand chess would be able to discover the complicated connections between chess and life. Both of us know the reason you don’t want to collaborate with me. If my life is a chess game, then suicide would be a wrong move in my life. A wrong move does not mean I will lose in my whole life. If I manage to identify my mistakes in time, I’ll still be able to change the whole outcome!” Mr. Victor did not interrupt her talk, so Jian Jianan further explained. “Mr. Victor would have realized the position that North-South Pharmaceutical has in Z Country. Your collaboration with North-South Pharmaceutical would only benefit you if it were to be introduced to the local market. Although, indeed, the company was somehow affected by my suicide, please believe me, and believe in North-South Pharmaceutical. We will not disappoint you! Mr. Victor’s hawkish gaze registered a brief moment of surprise. He did not think that Jian Jianan could have gleaned life principles from just having three rounds of chess with him. This girl was not as simple as he thought! “Based on my understanding, isn’t Miss Jian only eighteen years old this year? This is a 30 billion deal. Do you think I would feel comfortable handing over the deal to you?” Jian Jianan smiled widely, “Gan Luo was the Qin Dynasty’s prime minister when he was 12. Zhou Yu fought battles with his comrades at the age of seven. These two people were both formidable in Country Z’s history. Although I may not be in the same league as them, I do not think that age is an issue. I am young and have the tenacity to grow and the time to learn, and I also have a great capacity for improvement. Don’t you think the future should be placed in the hands of the young people?” “Clap clap clap…” Once Jian Jianan finished her sentence, Mr. Victor clapped his hands, his eyes filled with admiration and approval. “It seems like I have underestimated you by listening to those rumors. Your performance today has changed my judgement of you. We haven’t yet eaten for the whole day. Are you hungry?” Mr. Victor’s sudden care and softened attitude caught Jian Jianan by surprise. “As for the collaboration, I think we can discuss it during the meal!” In her previous life, Jian Jianan had helped Jian Ansheng take care of the daily operations of North-South Pharmaceutical before she graduated, so discussing business with Mr. Victor was an easy task. After some great effort and convincing, Mr. Victor finally agreed to collaborate with North-South Pharmaceutical. Both of them had a lengthy discussion in the hotel. Even dinner was delivered to the hotel room by Mr. Victor’s secretary. After wrapping up the meeting, Jian Jianan again played a few more rounds of chess with Mr. Victor. By the time she reached home that day, it was already past eleven at night. When Jian Ansheng heard the fact that Jian Jianan had successfully obtained the collaboration contract with Mr. Victor, he could not stop smiling the whole night. His facial expressions ranged from excitement, happiness, and also a deep sense of pride. “You are my daughter - like quiet and unassuming firecrackers, once ignited, you surprise everyone by burning bright! Nannan, seeing you progress, your father is so glad and relieved!” Jian Ansheng had been depressed and worried about the collaboration for these past few weeks. Seeing his beaming expression now, Jian Jianan felt all her efforts had not been wasted, “Dad, North-South Pharmaceuticals’ share price has been falling drastically as of late. I would like to have a cocktail reception when we sign the contract with Mr. Victor tomorrow, and then appoint some esteemed and elite guests to grace the event. Also, I would like to invite some well-known media companies to have some write-ups done on the event, so that the public is reassured that North-South Pharmaceutical is still at the forefront and the market leader of the medicinal industry.” Jian Ansheng nodded his head and felt Jian Jianan had put a lot of thought and detail into her plans. He now viewed her in a new light. “All right, everything will just follow according to your plans then!” Jian Jianan’s conversation with Jian Ansheng at the cocktail reception felt like she was flaunting to Qi Xiuli’s ears. She was extremely furious, but still, had a smile on her face. ”Nannan, congratulations to you! Who would have thought that such a difficult person could be settled, let alone by you. Can you tell us what method you used?” ‘Settled?’ Jian Jianan thought. Qi Xiuli’s word ‘settled’ was tinged with heavy satire and sarcasm, as if Jian Jianan sold her body in exchange for this collaboration opportunity. Jian Jianan covertly scoffed with contempt. ‘Was Qi Xiuli trying to infuriate her?’ she thought. “Mr. Victor is a very friendly person. Just because Aunty Qi could not settle him, doesn’t mean he is difficult to settle!” Jian Jianan returned the word ‘settle’ to Qi Xiuli. ‘If Qi Xiuli had indirectly insinuated Jian Jianan had used her body to settle Mr. Victor, then does that mean that Qi Xiuli’s body was not qualified to settle him?’ Jian Jianan thought. Angered, Qi Xiuli’s face was hideous with rage. The atmosphere in the living room silenced. “That’s enough for now, it’s already late at night. Everyone should rest now!” Jian Ansheng said, looking at Jian Jianan affectionately. “Nannan, come to my study for a while! I have something to tell you!” Jian Jianan was only 18 years old. She had never been involved in business before. While he was happy that she had managed to win the contract, he was worried Jian Jianan would hurt herself in the process. As both father and daughter walked towards the study, Qi Xiuli furiously kicked the sofa beside her, fuming, ”Damn it, how did she managed to clinch the partnership with Mr. Victor?” With Jian Ansheng paying Jian Jianan undue attention, Qi Xiaorou felt unsettled and envious. “Mum, what should we do now? If Jian Jianan succeeds in signing the contract with Mr. Victor, then, our future…” “Sign the contract? Ha… we will have to see if Jian Jianan has that capability! Isn’t Jian Jianan trying to show off by hosting a cocktail reception? When the time comes, you need to do just this…” Qi Xiuli leaned over to Qi Xiaorou, and whispered something into Qi Xiaorou’s ear. After listening to Qi Xiuli, her eyes gleamed with understanding. A cold, malicious smile crept onto her face. ‘Jian Jianan! You will not succeed in signing this contract. I’m even going to make you lose your reputation!’