Thirsty Skin - Chapter 33

Chapter 33 – ‘Maybe You Can Rely On Me?’

Time passed slowly, and they read the project proposal together for fifteen minutes in this hugging posture.

However, he did not turn the page, and Lin Wan did not answer Zhu Chizhou’s question.

Five minutes before ten o’clock, Lin Wan gently left Zhu Chizhou’s body. The feeling of pulling away from the warmth made his heart suddenly tighten.

He put his fist to his nose, cleared his throat, and whispered, “It’s time for a meeting.”

“Yeah.” Zhu Chizhou stepped back slightly: “Then let’s go.”

Lin Wan closed the project proposal, sorted out his emotions, and said as naturally as possible: “I need to think about this question again. Can I talk to you after the meeting?”

Zhu Chizhou’s eyes fell on the table, he straightened up and took a half step back, leaving enough distance to show respect to the other party, and said simply, “Okay.”

Lin Wan took his pen and notebook and stood up, calling Zhu Chizhou’s name in a gentle tone. When Zhu Chizhou’s eyes met Lin Wan’s again, he said to Zhu Chizhou: “Let’s go.” 【Thank you.】

Zhu Chizhou said “hmm”, and for some reason looked a little nervous. He picked up the book on the table and walked out of the office first.

The two walked to the conference room one after the other. Zhu Chizhou’s back was so tall and reliable, like a wall that could protect Lin Wan from the wind and rain. When Zhu Chizhou’s strong arms wrapped around his shoulders, he really felt that he was protected and cherished, which was an experience he had never had before.

Lin Wan suddenly had a very absurd thought— could it be that Zhu Chizhou came to ask him questions just to appease him?

But how is this possible?

There was no way Zhu Chizhou knew about his illness.

He has trained himself to be like an ascetic over the years so as not to be discovered under any circumstances.

So it’s just a coincidence?

Although fifteen minutes was short, it was enough for Lin Wan to accumulate strength to deal with the meeting.

He followed Zhu Chizhou and relaxed step by step on the way from the office to the meeting room.

At 9:58, the conference room was full of people.

Mr. Zhang and several other members of the Investment Committee sat around the rectangular conference table. Lin Wan smiled at them apologetically and took the host’s seat.

Zhu Chizhou was sitting in a row of chairs behind the conference table as an audience member. When Lin Wan was speaking, his eyes swept across everyone and finally stopped at Zhu Chizhou. Their eyes met for a moment in the air through several people.

Lin Wan was wearing a finely crafted three-piece suit today. The well-tailored design highlighted his good figure, with a slim waist and long legs. Every detail was just right.

Perhaps because he was dressed too formally, he seemed a little more serious than usual.

He spoke quietly but steadily, at a moderate speed, confidently and calmly. No one could have imagined that twenty minutes ago, he was still trembling and gasping in Zhu Chizhou’s arms.

A total of three projects were brought to the meeting today, namely intelligent rehabilitation equipment, telemedicine service system and Ri’an Xinke’s artificial skin. The investment manager in charge of the project would first make a report. After the report, the investment manager would lead the project team to answer questions from the Investment Committee.

Thanks to the thorough preparation the previous night, the entire Q&A session ended smoothly and the project members answered the questions of the Investment Committee perfectly.

Lin Wan concluded by saying: “Since its establishment, Gengyan Capital has been committed to investing in the field of science and technology. The three projects we discussed today are all integrated innovations of science and technology and medicine. These projects not only have huge commercial value, but more importantly, they can provide new hope for people who cannot live a normal life due to illness or disability through innovative technologies. The meaning of science and technology is to help people live a more dignified life. This is the direction we are moving forward and the ultimate goal of all our efforts.”

To everyone present, whether the original intention of entering the industry was to make money or to really create value for human society, Lin Wan’s words sounded particularly moving. Zhu Chizhou had several “reserve investors” around him, and they couldn’t help but applaud Director Lin’s words.

Zhu Chizhou was somewhat moved, because he knew that Lin Wan really thought so in his heart.

Considering that Lin Wan himself is a person who “cannot live a normal life due to illness”, is his choice to invest in this industry more or less for the purpose of self-help?

Next is the internal voting stage of the Investment Committee. Except for the members of the Investment Committee, all other participants needed to leave first.

Zhu Chizhou was worried about Lin Wan’s condition, so he looked at him several times before leaving. Seeing that Lin Wan was fully devoted to his work and did not seem to be troubled by his skin thirst at all, Zhu Chizhou left with peace of mind.

The voting results of the investment decision meeting are usually announced on the second working day after the meeting, so everyone involved in the project is on edge. The heads of the three project teams returned to their workstations and calmed down without saying a word.

After the project is voted on, there will be five possible results. The first is full approval, which is the most anticipated win-win situation for investment managers; the second is conditional approval, which means that the project has minor flaws and can be fully approved after adjustments, which is also a good result; the third is to postpone the decision, requiring the team to provide more comprehensive data or improvement plans; the fourth is re-evaluation; and the fifth is to refuse to invest.

Although rejection of investment is the worst outcome because it means that all months of hard work will be wasted, the fourth outcome is the most heartbreaking.

Once they are voted to re-evaluate, they will have to make major adjustments to the entire project plan, go back to the initial stage, and go through the previous process again. Moreover, there is a possibility that it will not pass again at the meeting. This process is very torturous.

Of course, if it is fully approved, it would be something worth celebrating with drinks for the entire investment department.

It was after lunch that Zhu Chizhou saw Lin Wan again.

When Lin Wan appeared in Zhu Chizhou’s sight, Zhu Chizhou heard the good news that all three projects were fully approved.

But he couldn’t share this news with his colleagues yet, so Zhu Chizhou could only keep it to himself for now, and if he wanted to be happy, he could only do so secretly. When Lin Wan came closer, he and Lin Wan met each other’s eyes, and he couldn’t help laughing.

Lin Wan looked at him expressionlessly, 【Why is this kid smiling so beautifully?】

Lin Wan walked to Zhu Chizhou’s workstation, stopped, and took the initiative to say, “Chizhou, come to my office and bring the investment proposal book with you. I will tell you if there are any problems.”

Zhu Chizhou’s smile froze at the corner of his mouth. At that time, Lin Wan was leaning tightly in his arms. His heart and eyes were filled with Lin Wan’s breathing and heartbeat. How could he have the time to carefully look at what question he was going to ask? He just flipped through it casually.

What’s more, he has now even forgotten which project’s investment proposal he got!

Lin Wan had already walked to the office door and turned back to signal Zhu Chizhou to come in. Zhu Chizhou had no choice but to follow him empty handed.

“Boss Lin,” Zhu Chizhou began, “After listening to the meeting this morning, I think I have some understanding of the issue. I don’t need to bother you to explain it again.”

“Really?” Lin Wan glanced at him and raised his eyebrows slightly: “Then what do you understand? Can you share it with me?”

Zhu Chizhou: “…”

Zhu Chizhou bit the bullet and improvised the part that impressed him the most from the investment decision-making meeting: “My understanding is that when choosing an investment project, the first thing to consider is not its short-term economic benefits, but its positive impact on society, so as to gain broader social support and more stable market demand.”

“Yes, that’s a good insight.” Lin Wan nodded in agreement. “Sustainability is the key to the long-term value of a project. A project that has a sustainable and positive impact on society is a good project.”

Zhu Chizhou continued: “But this also requires the entrepreneurial team to have the same long-term values. This kind of project may have dismal returns in the early stage, and most people will not be able to stick with it.”

Lin Wan said: “Yes, this requires entrepreneurs to have enough internal motivation. For example, the smart rehabilitation equipment, their CEO Lu was originally a dancer, but had to give up dancing due to an injury. She did this project just to be able to return to the stage, so even though she didn’t make any money in the first two or three years, she still persisted. If the internal motivation is not enough, you may give up after one or two years.”

Zhu Chizhou couldn’t control his mouth and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind since just now: “Do you have a similar internal motivation when investing in medical technology projects?”

Lin Wan was silent for a while.

【Maybe, but so far, no technology can solve my problem.】

Lin Wan said calmly: “I haven’t thought about this in particular. My driving force may come more from the market expectations of the medical technology industry.”

This answer was as official as it could be, and it was obvious that it was not sincere. Lin Wan was obviously unwilling to discuss this topic with Zhu Chizhou, and his attitude became more distant.

Zhu Chizhou regretted it as soon as he asked.

Having heard what Lin Wan was thinking so many times, Zhu Chizhou already knew Lin Wan very well. In fact, he should be able to guess what attitude Lin Wan would use to answer this question.

In fact, Lin Wan is not really open to everyone in the company. Even with important partners who he can trust without reservation at work, he would always choose to remain distant regarding his private life and is unwilling to let others know too much about him.

Not to mention talking about his illness face to face.

However, Zhu Chizhou couldn’t help feeling upset because of Lin Wan’s avoidance.

He had been to Lin Wan’s home, played cards, played ball, and slept with Lin Wan, followed Lin Wan to meet his high school classmates, and even went back to his grandparents’ home in Rong City with Lin Wan. He felt that he should be more than just Lin Wan’s colleague.

Not to mention how close they are physically, at least emotionally, he could be on par with Zeng Xubai, right?

‘Since you don’t want to touch anyone but me, why are you still unwilling to tell me about your illness?’

‘Have you ever thought that maybe you could rely on me?’