Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 43

The rainy season was finally over, and the sky became unusually bright and clear.

Qi An lay on the bed, showing off her relationship to Lu Youran, and then looking at her own dark, messy profile picture, she felt uncomfortable no matter how she looked at it. So, she went to her album and rummaged through it for a long time.

Various pictures were cluttered in the album. Qi An caught sight of a little yellow chick dancing with its hands and feet, with a backdrop of green grass.

Hmm, it looked very much like her, excited after getting out of single status.

After changing her profile picture, Qi An felt like something was still missing. Although she said they would date secretly, the necessary details must be there.

So, she opened her Moments again and posted a cryptic message: “Crumbly, little seaweed.”

Hahahahahaha, Qi An was secretly thrilled. Except for Sister Si Tan and Lu Youran, who had already heard her complaints, absolutely no one would understand what this meant.

When she ate that chicken yesterday, Qi An discovered that it actually came with crushed seaweed as a condiment. The chicken had a sour taste, and then sweet crushed seaweed was sprinkled on top.

One could only say that besides Chinese people, Southeast Asians also eat very elaborately.

Perhaps the atmosphere last night was too good, but Qi An found this combination very wonderful. The lemon juice was very refreshing, and the crushed seaweed made the chicken taste rich in texture.

So, when they kissed, they smelled the fresh scent of lemon and tasted a hint of sweetness.

After posting to Moments, Qi An habitually scrolled down and found that Sister Si Tan had also posted a message.

Judging by the time, she must have posted it right after getting up. Hmm, it seemed she wasn’t the only one relishing the moment.

Sister Si Tan posted a picture of the lemon chicken she brought back last night, which was bright yellow and very tempting.

Her caption was “Very delicious.”

Qi An saw Su Wei comment below: “It was worth recommending, wasn’t it?”

Speaking of which, should she notify Su Wei too? After all, at Luo Murong’s class reunion before, Su Wei and Zhou Yangle had also openly shown their affection.

Thinking this, Qi An put on her slippers and shuffled into the kitchen, intending to ask Sister Si Tan if she could tell Su Wei.

In the kitchen, Zhang Si Tan, wearing an apron, was making steamed egg custard. Seeing Qi An approach, she asked, “Is your cold better?”

“Mhm, much better.” It was indeed much better, and her voice no longer sounded stuffy.

“Good. Go wash up first. The meal will be ready soon.”

“Oh.” Qi An leaned closer, “Sister Si Tan.”

“Hmm?”

“I told Lu Youran about us being together.”

“Mhm, tell her, it’s fine.” Zhang Si Tan didn’t consider Lu Youran an outsider, so telling her was okay.

“Can I also tell Su Wei?” Qi An asked, gathering her courage.

Zhang Si Tan fell silent. Qi An thought she was unwilling, after all, Su Wei was a physician and had one foot in the pharmaceutical industry.

Then, Zhang Si Tan said calmly, “I told her.”

“Ah? When?” Qi An looked at her in surprise.

Zhang Si Tan lowered her head, looking at the egg soup in the pot, which was gradually steaming up: “This morning.”

“Oh.” Qi An held back a laugh. It turned out that Sister Si Tan, like her, was eager to show off and proclaim ownership.

During the meal, Qi An showed Zhang Si Tan her phone, smiling mischievously: “I also think that lemon chicken is super delicious.”

Zhang Si Tan also smiled and teased her: “Then why did you post ‘little seaweed’?”

“Hehehe, the seaweed is sweet.” Qi An whispered softly, automatically omitting the following words: “Sister Si Tan is sweet too.”

Zhang Si Tan scrolled through Qi An’s Moments, seeing that she had finally changed her profile picture, and couldn’t help but secretly smile. She asked, “Is this signature, ‘little biscuit,’ the one in your background image?”

She remembered the last time Zhang Si Tan looked at Qi An’s Moments at the time, Qi An had set it to be visible for three days, so she couldn’t see anything, only the signature and a blurred, dark background image that looked like a biscuit.

Qi An scratched her head a little embarrassed: “It was a little biscuit I made. I didn’t quite manage the heat.”

Zhang Si Tan smiled: “Hmm, maybe I can try making some next time.”

In late August, Qi An and Zhang Si Tan came to Qingdao again.

With a pile of documents and a thoroughly revised PPT on her computer, Qi An looked at the clear blue sea outside the window and felt very peaceful.

And yet, very unpeaceful. A trip to Beijing had unlocked a sweet romance.

Qi Shenli still came to greet them. Perhaps the aesthetic medicine effect had stabilized; she looked younger, smiled at Zhang Si Tan, and then looked at Qi An with satisfaction.

“Si Tan, long time no see.” She shook hands with Zhang Si Tan.

“Welcome, Assistant Qi.” She then shook hands with Qi An.

This formality made Qi An unaccustomed, yet she also felt great. She felt like she could truly stand on her own, sit at the negotiation table, and confidently articulate some highly targeted remarks.

They entered the office and began discussing some issues involved in the negotiation.

The representative of Senbao Pharmaceuticals flew in from Germany and wouldn’t stay in Qingdao for long. Since both parties already had a strong willingness to cooperate, this negotiation wouldn’t be protracted.

This was Qi An’s first time as a co-negotiator. She was a bit excited and also a bit nervous. She listened carefully as Sister Si Tan discussed the techniques and issues, trying hard to remember everything.

Finally, on the day of the negotiation, Qi An woke up early, couldn’t sleep, and simply went over her script again. Then, she took out the suit Qi Shenli had custom-made for her and put it on.

Zhang Si Tan was woken up by her rustling sounds, looked up at her, and smiled: “It does look quite sharp on you.”

Qi An smiled, looked down at herself, and prepared to put on some makeup later.

“Sister Si Tan.” She leaned over the edge of the bed, looking at the still somewhat sleepy Zhang Si Tan.

They were still staying in the same studio apartment as last time. Qi Shenli had asked her to go home, but she insisted on staying there.

“After the negotiation is over, I want to formally introduce you to my mom.”

Zhang Si Tan opened her eyes, feeling much more awake. She looked at Qi An’s bright eyes and nodded: “Okay.”

Although outwardly calm, she actually had many concerns. She was Qi An’s superior, and Qi Shenli held many pharmaceutical resources. If Qi Shenli disagreed, Zhang Si Tan didn’t know if she could persevere, as reality was indeed much harsher.

Qi An didn’t consider these things and happily went outside, took out her makeup bag, and started fixing her face.

“What is a ‘specialty drug’? Are you embarrassed to call it a specialty drug at ‘a few coppers’ price? This is the price this is the confidence of a specialty drug.”

“To put it bluntly, you only have one life. You have to spend everything you have to get people to take this medicine. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have the word ‘specialty’ in it. If you think it’s expensive, feel free to go to the pharmacy and get some random medicine. See if it cures your disease.”

At the negotiation table, the opposing representative was passionate, vigorously promoting his theory. The reason for the word “specialty” meant that its expensive existence had been specially authorized.

Zhang Si Tan looked at Qi An, signaling that she could speak.

Qi An blinked and took a deep breath: “The reality is that many people can’t afford specialty drugs even if they spend everything they have. The treatment period for specialty drugs is generally very long, and many people cannot afford a full course. Life is indeed more important than money, but not everyone has the power of choice.”

Her voice trembled a little at first, but her condition quickly improved. After seeing Zhang Si Tan nod to her, Qi An became even more confident, looking at the opposing representative with bright, flashing eyes.

Another representative from the opposing side took the microphone, his thoughts relatively steady: “New drug research is a crucial part of human disease prevention and treatment. The research and development of a medicine, up to its production, often consumes a lot of human resources, and it usually takes about 10 -15 years before it can be launched. At the same time, the failure rate of new drug development is very high, and research funds often go down the drain. Protecting the price of a new drug is protecting human talent.”

Zhang Si Tan took over the conversation: “This is a new form of hegemony. The production cost of specialty drugs is indeed high, and we are also willing to pay for talent and knowledge. However, you are about to enter the Chinese market. How big the Chinese market is, I believe you have all witnessed since 2000.”

“Japan’s drug pricing now refers to China’s prices. I think your representative should understand the reason. Because our VBP has driven down drug prices significantly, the Japanese are very smart; they don’t want to mobilize manpower and directly refer to our pricing, which gives them more profit.”

“Rural construction in China is now showing remarkable results, and the pressure on rural people to see a doctor is much lighter than it was twenty years ago. As for your statement, ‘specialty drugs, take it or leave it,’ I ask: without the vast Chinese market, do you really have the confidence to say that?”

“We are unwilling to be led by hegemony. Your arbitrary pricing, the belief that as long as the efficacy is there, any price will find buyers isn’t that also being subjected to hegemony? I’m sorry, we really won’t pay the price, because you are also very clear that China’s pharmaceutical researchers are becoming younger and more vibrant these years. We also have our own original research drugs.”

This speech left the opposite side speechless, and ultimately, both parties happily signed the contract.