“许老,您不去看看?”
“我就不了。”许济沧道,“看见美国人,我总想一刀捅进去,现在国家也不让。”
“和平了,但有些臭毛病改不掉。交给孩子弄吧,他比我更适合。”
周见深听到刚刚许济沧说他“自己”的专利要和强生合作,在那时候周见深感觉到了一丝丝的别扭,许济沧话语里的别扭。
这个决定出乎周见深的意料,他以为应该是许济沧多年磨出来的一些想法最后会给许文元。
没想到许文元这小子是一点都不想要。
人们安安静静的等着,只是有几个同声传译时而蹑手蹑脚的从会议室里进出,和省市领导汇报进度。
半个小时后,许文元和强生的人走出来。
眼看着一堆外国人从电梯里下来,除了许济之外所有人几乎都同时肃立。
许文元在人群里是那么的刺眼。
强生副总裁威廉的西装扣子解开了一颗,领带也松了,挂在脖子上,歪歪扭扭的。
他边走边笑,笑的时候眼角的褶子都堆起来,露出里面那两粒灰蓝色的眼珠,亮亮的,像刚擦过的玻璃。
看起来他很放松,和之前刚来的时候不一样,甚至连傲慢劲儿都淡了很多。
"You know what, Xu? You're a crazy son of a bitch. I've been doing this for twenty-five years, and I've never met anyone who walks into a room full of executives and tells them their experts are
garbage. Never. You know what my first boss would've said? He would've said, 'That kid's got balls the size of Texas.”
(你知道吗,许?你真是个疯狗。我干了二十五年,从没见过谁走进一屋子高管,当面说他们的专家都是垃圾。从来没有。
你知道我第一个老板会怎么说吗?他会说,“那小子的胆子太大,别去招惹他。”)
许文元笑了一下,把档案袋夹在胳膊底下,腾出手来整了整领口。
"Someone had to tell you. You guys were out there jerking around with prototypes for three years, spending millions, and still couldn't figure out why the clip wouldn't hold. I figured it out on a
Tuesday afternoon, between a polyp and a bleeding ulcer. You should be buying me dinner for the next ten years."
(总得有人告诉你们。你们在那儿拿原型瞎折腾三年,花了几百万,还是搞不明白为什么夹子夹不住。
我一个周二下午就想通了,切了一个息肉,做了一个止血,中间抽了根烟。
你们该请我吃十年晚饭。)
威廉哈哈大笑,伸手拍在许文元肩膀上,拍得一声闷响。
旁边那个戴金丝边眼镜的技术主管也跟着笑,笑着笑着,伸手摸了摸自己后脑勺,像是还在回味刚才那场谈判。
"Dinner? Hell, I'll buy you a steakhouse. A good one. You come to New Jersey, I'll take you to Peter Luger. Best steak you'll ever put in your mouth. You can tell me what you're drawing in that h
ead of yours while we eat."
(晚饭?妈的,我请你吃牛排。
好的那种。你来新泽西,我带你去Peter Luger。你吃过最好的牛排。边吃边告诉我你脑子里又在画什么。)
许文元摇头,嘴角那点笑还在。
"Nah. You guys wouldn't know what to do with real food anyway. I'll take you to my spot next time you're in town-proper Chinese food, not that sweet-and-sour crap you get in New York. But Jer
sey? Man, I don't think I can handle that. The st time I ate American food, I thought my stomach was gonna file for divorce."
(不了。你们反正也不知道什么叫好吃。下次你们来,我带你们去我常去的地儿——正经中餐,不是纽约那种甜不拉几的玩意儿。
新泽西?哥们儿,我可吃不惯。
上次吃美国菜,我都想跟我离婚了。)
技术主管笑得肩膀直抖。威廉也笑,笑完又拍了拍许文元的肩膀,这回轻了点,像是在拍什么易碎的东西。
"Alright, alright. We'll figure it out. Legal team's gonna draft something. You'll get a call by Monday."
(行,行。我们来弄。法务那边起草协议。你周一等电话。)
许文元点了点头,把档案袋从胳膊底下抽出来,递给他。
"You guys did good today. Not bad for a bunch of suits."
(今天干得不错。一帮穿西装的,还行。)
威廉接过档案袋,手指按在封口处,低头看了一眼,又抬起头。
"You ever think about coming out to the States? Just for a visit. See the bs. See what we're working on. I'll take you to the good steakhouse. No funny business."
(就没想过来美国?就转转。看看实验室,看看我们在搞什么。我带你去吃正经牛排。不整那些虚的。)
许文元把档案袋往他怀里推了推,收回手,往后退了半步。
"One of these days, man. One of these days. But right now? I got patients waiting. And my granddad's got a pot of tea cooling somewhere. You guys get that paperwork right, and maybe-may
be-I'll let you buy me that steak."
(改天吧,兄弟。改天。现在?我还有病人等着。我爷爷不知道在哪儿泡了壶茶,都快凉了。你们把文件弄对,没准——没准——我赏脸吃你那顿牛排。)
他转身,走了两步,又停下来,回头看了威廉一眼。
"And hey, tell your wyers not to screw it up. I'm not gonna expin this shit twice."
(对了,跟你们法务说,别搞砸了。老子没空说第二遍。)
威廉举着档案袋,冲他晃了晃。
"Wouldn't dream of it. Now get out of here, you crazy bastard. Go save some lives.”
(想都不敢想。滚吧,你这疯狗。救人去吧。)
许文元的英文怎么这么熟练,而且看他和威廉以及强生首席执行官之间谈笑风生的态度,就像是多年老友一般。
这.......
人群安静的像是所有人的心跳都停止了跳动。
首席执行官从后面跟上来,西装扣子系得整整齐齐,领带也打得规规矩矩。
他走到威廉身边,看了许文元一眼,嘴角带着笑,那笑里有点无奈,有点服气,还有点说不清的东西。
"You know, Xu, I've been doing this job for twelve years. Traveled to thirty-seven countries. Sat across the table from surgeons in Tokyo, London, Munich. Never once did I have a thirty-year-o
Id kid in a Mao suit tell me my entire R&D department is full of shit and then prove it in the same breath."
(你知道吗,许,我干这行十二年,去过三十七个国家,跟东京、伦敦、慕尼黑的外科医生坐过一张桌子。
从没有一个穿中山装的三十岁小年轻,当着我的面说我的研发部门全是废物,然后当场证明给我看。)
他伸出手,和许文元握了一下。握得不重,但很实。
"Look, I gotta get back. Flight leaves in four hours, and I still gotta call New Jersey and expin why we're tearing up the whole fucking timeline."
他松开手,转头看了一眼身后那个戴金丝边眼镜的技术主管,
"Dave stays. He's gonna watch your cases. See how you work. Get a feel for what else you're cooking up in that head of yours.”
(听着,我得赶回去了。飞机四个小时后起飞,我还得给新泽西打电话,解释为什么整个时间表都得撕掉重来。
戴夫留下,他要看你的手术,看看你怎么干活,摸摸你脑子里还在琢磨什么。)
他拍了拍戴夫的肩膀,拍得那个瘦削的技术主管往前踉跄了半步。
"Dave's been with us for eighteen years. Knows more about clips than anyone in the company. Probably more than anyone in the world. He's also the pickiest son of a bitch I've ever met. If he sa
ys your technique works, it works. If he says it's bullshit—”
他摊开手,笑了一下。
"well, you already told us our experts are garbage, so I guess you're not too worried about that."
(戴夫跟了我们十八年,比公司里任何人都懂钛夹,可能比世界上任何人都懂。
他也是我这辈子见过最挑剔的狗娘养的。他说你的技术行,那就行。他说是垃圾——反正你都说我们的专家是垃圾了,你肯定不担心这个。)
戴夫推了推眼镜,看着许文元,嘴唇动了动,想说什么又咽回去。
那双手不知道往哪儿放,最后插进裤兜里,又抽出来。
许文元看着他,笑了一下。技术亲近技术,这群人里面,自己最喜欢的人就是这位技术主管戴夫。
“Dave,huh? Alright. You watch close. Ask questions. But keep your mouth shut while I'm working. I don't do commentary during surgery."
(戴夫?行。你看仔细了,可以问问题。但我干活的时候闭上嘴。我做手术不搞现场解说。)
戴夫点了点头,点得很用力。
威廉把西装扣子扣上,又松开,又扣上。他看了许文元一眼,又看了人群外面站着的那位白须白发的老人一眼。
"One more thing,”他压低声音,"Your grandfather-what did he say? When we came out?”
(还有件事,你爷爷——我们出来的时候,他说什么了?)
许文元顺着他的目光看了一眼许济。老人站在人群最外面,双手背在身后,白须白发,旧中山装洗得发白,像从旧照片里走出来的人。
"He said he wanted to stick a knife in you."
(他说他想捅你们一刀。)
威廉愣了一下。然后笑了,笑得肩膀都在抖。笑完了,他伸出手,又和许文元握了一下。
"Fair enough. Tell him we earned it. See you around, Xu. And don't forget-I owe you that steak."
(公平。跟他说,我们该挨。回见,许。别忘了,我欠你一顿牛排。)
他转身,带着那几个人往外走。走了几步,又回头看了一眼戴夫。
"Try not to embarrass yourself in front of the kid."
(别在那小子面前丢人。)
戴夫站在那儿,推了推眼镜,点点头。
把一众人送上车,省市里管接待的人都愣住。