Pharmaceutical Negotiator - Chapter 7

Leaving the Qi family residence, the sky was approaching dusk.

Sitting in the back seat, Zhang Sitan continuously stroked the manila envelope in her hand, feeling a soreness in her eyes that mirrored the darkening sky.

The topic that Zhang Sitan felt was inappropriate to broach at the dinner table was also a concern for Qi Zhiguo.

He invited Zhang Sitan to the study but didn’t say much, simply handing her this one file.

She didn’t need to open it to know it was a statement regarding the whereabouts of Atenolol.

But whether this statement was true or false, and if traced to the very end, where the responsibility would lie.

Would it be with Zhang Sitan, who presented it at the negotiation table, or with the unsuspected mastermind, Qi Zhiguo.

Zhang Sitan took a deep breath. Yet, without this document, it would be difficult to explain the reason for the massive shortage of Atenolol. Such a huge flaw at the negotiation table was a guaranteed loss.

Upon reaching the location, Zhang Sitan opened the car door herself, greeted Qi An, and entered the apartment building.

The lights in the lobby were motion sensored. Zhang Sitan deliberately stepped a little harder, and the small bulb above her head suddenly lit up.

Just as she pressed the elevator button, she saw Qi An running out of the car.

“Sister Sitan.”

Qi An approached Zhang Sitan, seemingly hesitant.

Zhang Sitan forced a smile, but her eyes were weary and reluctant to deal with anything. Zhang Sitan helped her open the unit door and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qi An didn’t dare look Zhang Sitan in the eyes, mumbling, “Sister Sitan, you just said… said you were leaving at the end of June?”

Zhang Sitan nodded as a reply.

“Then… can I still continue to be your assistant?”

As soon as she finished the question, Qi An seemed to panic a little herself, quickly adding, “I… I’ve learned a lot during this time. I think Sister Sitan is especially gentle.”

“I can go to Beijing!” Qi An’s words were a bit disjointed, and the last sentence, “go to Beijing,” suddenly rose in pitch.

Zhang Sitan kept watching Qi An. The hair she had clipped up earlier when going to the Qi family had been let down, and the claw clip was put away in her bag.

She smoothed her hair back. The strands flowed through her five fingers, a voluminous lock, slightly wavy, and a pure natural black brown color.

“You’d have to ask HR about that. You might need to pass a civil service exam.” After saying it, Zhang Sitan herself seemed to negate it. “Or is it a contract system? I don’t know either.”

Qi An looked bewildered, blinking, slightly unsure if Zhang Sitan was refusing or genuinely suggesting contacting HR.

The elevator “dinged” at that moment, and a group of people stepped out. Zhang Sitan pulled Qi An aside to make way.

“If you want to work in Beijing… you should discuss it with CEO Qi first, right?”

“No need! I can decide for myself.” Qi An thought Zhang Sitan was agreeing to take her, and her voice was a little excited.

Zhang Sitan paused, “Hurry back. Be safe on the road.”

Qi An nodded vigorously, as if she had received a satisfactory answer, pushed open the unit door, and walked away.

Zhang Sitan pressed the elevator button again amidst a “Goodbye, Sister Sitan.”

Was this the fearlessness of a newborn calf? Zhang Sitan curved her lips slightly. Only a freshly graduated “university chick” like Qi An could have this mindset full of aspirations for the workplace, treating her superior as a friend, and being unguarded and trusting toward people.

However… such innocence was indeed precious.

Zhang Sitan entered the elevator, the file bag in her hand clenched a little tighter.

Whether Qi An went to Beijing or not had nothing to do with Zhang Sitan. If Qi’s mother was willing to let her venture out, she would surely arrange a better path for her. If she wasn’t, an arm couldn’t twist a thigh, and Qi’s mother wouldn’t let go so easily.

Either way, it was none of Zhang Sitan’s business. Instead, this file bag at hand was more pressing.

Zhang Sitan wanted to discuss it with Su Wei.

Zhou Yangle had been drinking earlier, so Su Wei drove her car to take her back to the hotel, and she wasn’t in the apartment right now.

This hot potato was like a bomb that could explode at any moment. Used well, it could blast a channel and open a path. Used poorly, it could lead to self-destruction.

Atenolol, which could be bought for ten-something yuan on Taobao, was in massive shortage when the manufacturer was Tai Yong Group.

Where did the missing stock go? Did Qi Zhiguo take it for experiments? Did Qi Shenli know?

A string of question marks filled Zhang Sitan’s mind, coupled with the fatigue from today’s dinner party. Zhang Sitan was genuinely tired.

She leaned against the dining chair, looking at the bouquet of white magnolias placed in a plastic bottle on the table. The flower buds had opened up a little more. The white petals, like cicada wings, wrapped and pulled at each other.

Zhang Sitan felt a thick layer covering her face. She hadn’t reapplied her makeup all day. She had eaten greasy food at the dinner party, and her makeup must have faded.

She disliked makeup, finding both the application and removal troublesome, but various social occasions required her to maintain a bright image. When busy, she often forgot about reapplying makeup.

She recalled Qi An once reminding her, “Sister Sitan, your makeup looks old.”

“Makeup looks old.” Another description only a “university chick” would use.

Thinking of this, Zhang Sitan suddenly let out a relaxed, soft laugh. Just then, her phone vibrated. Su Wei had messaged her, saying she was back at the apartment. Zhang Sitan got up and went to the apartment across the hall.

Su Wei’s apartment had the same layout as Zhang Sitan’s, a one-bedroom, two-living-room unit. Perhaps it was a commercial property; the area was small, and the flow of movement wasn’t very smooth.

“Miss Zhang.” Su Wei was waiting for her at the entrance, handing Zhang Sitan a pair of disposable slippers.

Having collaborated twice before, Zhang Sitan skipped the formalities. She sat on the sofa, handed the file bag to Su Wei, and went straight to the point:

“I deliberately investigated several small pharmacies earlier. Atenolol manufactured by Tai Yong Group is severely understocked.”

“This was given to me by Qi Zhiguo. I just opened it and saw some irrelevant data. To be honest, the authenticity is questionable.”

“Atenolol?” Su Wei frowned. “That shouldn’t be. Such a common medicine… is it only missing in small pharmacies?”

Although Su Wei was a clinical expert, she was quite knowledgeable about medication usage and supply, and her question hit the nail on the head.

“Yes.” Zhang Sitan’s expression was now serious, and she nodded.

“I specifically looked for pharmacies in small villages. Later, I went to several pharmacies in the city, and they didn’t lack this medicine.”

Only the peripheral, smaller places were lacking afraid of being discovered by someone with intentions. So, this was shady.

Neither Zhang Sitan nor Su Wei dared to voice this conclusion, but they both knew it tacitly.

Su Wei took out the thick stack of documents, flipped through a few pages casually, and then put them back on the coffee table.

The data was indeed irrelevant.

To put it nicely, this data could be used to fool people. At the negotiation table, if the opponent presented solid evidence of an inconsistency in Atenolol sales, this document could be used as an opening.

But to put it bluntly, if data of this quality was proven fraudulent, Zhang Sitan’s career would truly be ruined.

“Are you planning to use it?” Su Wei asked.

Zhang Sitan was silent for a moment.

If she didn’t use it, once the opponent pointed out the Atenolol sales problem, the negotiation was a guaranteed loss.

If she used it, it was illegal.

“My suggestion is,” Su Wei pondered, “to bring the matter to CEO Qi.”

“When something can’t be solved, escalate the situation and let others solve it.” Zhang Sitan slightly raised a corner of her mouth, somewhat agreeing with the statement.

“We’ll assume CEO Qi is unaware, and that Qi Zhiguo just took the medicine for experiments.”

After returning from Su Wei’s place, the first thing Zhang Sitan did was remove her makeup.

The cleansing balm emulsified in her palm. It felt cool and refreshing as she rubbed it on her face, quickly lathering up.

The night was thick. The bathroom’s soundproofing wasn’t very good; she could hear the “whoosh” of the toilet flushing upstairs.

After removing her makeup, Zhang Sitan felt her face could breathe easier. She opened her computer, preparing to draft a report on the small pharmacy investigation she had done earlier.

The data and charts were already prepared, so drafting the report was easy.

After printing the report, Zhang Sitan picked up the file bag Qi Zhiguo had given her, intending to put them together.

She had only inserted the top of the report when Zhang Sitan paused. She bent down, took a new manila envelope from the drawer under the desk, and put the report inside separately.

Finally, with the report on top and Qi Zhiguo’s document underneath, placed on her desk, Zhang Sitan finally relaxed completely, lay sideways on the bed, and started scrolling through her moments (WeChat/social media feed).

Because this single apartment was a one-bedroom, two-living-room layout, the design wasn’t very practical, so the bedroom and study were essentially one a large desk placed right next to the bed.

As Zhang Sitan scrolled through her moments now, she happened to see photos Qi An posted that evening of their dinner party at the Qi family residence.

Two simple photos: one of the table full of dishes made by Qi’s mother, and one was Qi An’s selfie.

Zhang Sitan didn’t click to look closely. She expressionlessly tapped “Like” and continued scrolling down.

Speaking of which, Zhang Sitan had never intentionally clicked into Qi An’s moments before. But she could probably imagine the content posted by a wealthy, idle, newly graduated college student.

She turned off her phone, smoothed her hair behind her ears, lay flat, and prepared to sleep.

The next day, Zhang Sitan went running downstairs again.

The morning air was still cool. Zhang Sitan wore straight-cut sweatpants.

Coastal cities always had wind in the morning, but it was clean and refreshing, not sticky. The wind made the green leaves on the trees sway. They would sway a few times and then stop, then sway a few times again.

Fine beads of sweat had formed on Zhang Sitan’s nose. The sunlight began to intensify, a golden streak shining on the ground. Zhang Sitan raised the back of her hand to shield her forehead, and just then, she saw Zhou Yangle walking towards her.

“Good morning, Team Leader Zhang.” This time, Zhou Yangle did greet her, her voice sweet, but she didn’t react further, carrying a bag of breakfast and walking past Zhang Sitan.

Zhang Sitan nodded at her. Because she was facing the sun directly, the light made her eyes narrow into a crescent shape.

Su Wei was a famous clinical expert, and she probably had a few apprentices. This one had a very unique personality.

Getting a word out of her felt like winning the lottery.

Zhang Sitan chuckled softly and sent Su Wei a WeChat message: “Your little apprentice brought you breakfast. Looks like she’s in a good mood, she spoke to me voluntarily.”

Su Wei instantly replied with a crying-with-laughter emoji.

After teasing Su Wei, Zhang Sitan walked a few more laps around the park.

Mothers leaning against the fitness equipment to rub their backs, elderly men standing by tree trunks seriously practicing palm movements, and a small dog with its hind leg cocked but seemingly not needing to pee.

This park must be shared by several communities; it was noisy but lively.

Finally, when the sweat had subsided and her heart rate had calmed down, Zhang Sitan turned into a breakfast shop.

The aunt at the counter asked Zhang Sitan how many oil sticks (fried dough sticks) she wanted. Zhang Sitan looked at the oil sticks on display, which were thicker than five fingers joined together, and replied, “One.”

When the breakfast was served, the long oil stick was cut into two segments. Half a stick was the equivalent of what Zhang Sitan usually ate.

The portion was generous. Zhang Sitan picked up an oil stick and dipped it into the tofu pudding, letting it soak completely.

Most people in the breakfast shop ordered for takeout, but Zhang Sitan was one of the few relaxed diners.

After breakfast, Zhang Sitan started walking back. On the way, she received a WeChat message from Su Wei, inviting her to lunch it was Su Wei’s birthday today.

Zhang Sitan replied to Su Wei and began to think about what gift to get her.

She still had a watch in her suitcase…

Another watch? Zhang Sitan felt she was becoming a watch wholesaler.

She finally decided to choose a tablet for her. Zhang Sitan had previously noticed that the case of Su Wei’s tablet was old, and the screen had a scratch.

With her mind made up, Zhang Sitan went to a flagship store and picked out the latest model tablet.

Su Wei chose an upscale restaurant. Zhang Sitan changed into a panelled maxi dress with a diamond-shaped cutout at the waist and put her hair up in a bun.

In the car, Zhang Sitan sat in the back seat, and Su Wei turned back from the passenger seat to talk to her. Su Wei was very talkative, and Zhang Sitan was good at keeping the conversation going. They chatted all the way from the car to the restaurant.

Zhou Yangyue hadn’t said a word. When it came to the gift giving segment, she simply shoved a black box forward “A set.”

Zhang Sitan’s eyebrow twitched. She felt Su Wei’s student was deliberately trying to annoy her. She tightly held back her smile and handed the paper bag to Su Wei

“Professor Su, I noticed your old tablet was getting a bit dated. I heard this model has powerful performance. I wish you more success in your clinical research.”

Su Wei had been slightly embarrassed when Zhou Yangyue threw that small black box at her. As soon as Zhang Sitan handed over the paper bag, she quickly took it and thanked her.

The box Zhou Yangyue gave her was small and square. Su Wei placed it at the bottom, covering it with the paper bag Zhang Sitan gave her, as if it was something to hide.

The meal was pleasant. Zhou Yangyue didn’t speak but was diligent in adding sauce and mixing the salad.

Later, Zhang Sitan got up to go to the restroom to touch up her makeup. After patting the powder puff a few times on her face, Zhang Sitan saw Qi An’s friend in the mirror.

She thought her name was Lu Youran. She was also looking at Zhang Sitan through the mirror, probably finding her familiar too.

Zhang Sitan turned around, her eyes curved, and smiled as she greeted Lu Youran: “Hi, Youran, do you still remember me?”

“Remember, remember, Sister Sitan! An’an talks about you all the time.” Lu Youran was excited to be recognized. “You actually remember my name!”

Zhang Sitan’s eyes curved even more: “Youran jian nan shan (leisurely seeing the southern mountain). A very meaningful name.”

Lu Youran held her phone to her chest, excitedly preparing to contact Qi An: “An’an is here too, I’ll call her, I’ll call her.”

Zhang Sitan wanted to say no, but she didn’t want to dampen Lu Youran’s enthusiasm, so she went to the corridor with Lu Youran.

Qi An quickly ran over, clutching her phone, her big eyes smiling at Zhang Sitan from the moment she arrived.

“Oh my, haven’t seen each other for a while, look how much our An’an misses you,” Lu Youran teased from the side.

“It’s Professor Su’s birthday today, we came here to eat together,” Zhang Sitan said, looking at the sincere eyes, suddenly picking up the conversation.

Qi An nodded, perhaps a little stunned that she saw Sitan here, and gave a dull “Ah” sound.

“I… I came to eat too.”

Zhang Sitan smiled: “Mhm, enjoy your meal. I’ll go back now.”

“Ah, ah, okay…” Qi An’s voice was a little low, buzzing softly.

After Zhang Sitan left, Qi An and Lu Youran also returned to their table.

“Are you dumbstruck?” Lu Youran tapped Qi An’s head.

“Aiya, I really don’t know what Sister Sitan is thinking.”

“I’m telling you, these career-minded people have deep thoughts, of course, they’re not on a level that people like us can easily guess,” Lu Youran stuffed a large mouthful of meat into her mouth. The thin slice of meat was rolled into a cylinder, filled with black truffle, crushed nuts, and caviar. The taste was very rich.

“She’s going back to Beijing at the end of June, and I want to go with her, but my mom disagrees,” Qi An said. While she was talking, Lu Youran stuffed another mouthful of meat. Qi An laughed at her, “Leave one for me!”

“Hahaha.” Lu Youran quickly stuffed another one, mumbling through her full mouth, “Why do you want to go to Beijing, to continue being her assistant? Is she willing?”

“Of course, she is. Sister Sitan is so nice. It’s just my mom’s side now…”

“By the way, are you falling for Sister Sitan?” Lu Youran stopped chewing, brought her face close to Qi An, and asked gossiping.

“What? Of course not…” Qi An was startled and hurriedly explained.

“Then why are you so determined to go to Beijing?”

“I told you, Sister Sitan is very good to me, and I want to continue being her assistant!” Qi An was a little angry and embarrassed.

“Oh” Lu Youran deliberately drew out the sound, looking at Qi An with a teasing expression. Qi An was so annoyed that she stuffed all the remaining meat rolls on her plate into her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she glared at Lu Youran.