Studying at Western University starts with a knife-forging competition

Chapter 96

Matt stood still. He gripped the book, his knuckles slowly loosening, then shook his head.

"I can't call my dad directly."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"If things don't escalate to that point, my dad will take legal action, which could easily make things worse." Matt tucked the book under his arm and put his hands in his pockets. "I'll handle it myself first. The fact that she came to you means she hasn't made a move yet; she's just testing the waters."

If she were planning to play her card now, it wouldn't be as simple as handing over a business card. Since she's still waiting, I still have time.

"What are your plans to do?"

"Invite her out for a talk," Matt said. "Not at school, but off-campus. See what she really wants. If it's money, having a figure in mind will make things easier. If it's something else—we'll see."

Lin Yuan thought for a moment and didn't object. "When?"

"Tomorrow. I'll email her tonight and ask her to meet tomorrow afternoon." Matt took his hand out of his pocket, turned and took two steps toward the dormitory entrance, then stopped and looked back at Lin Yuan. "I'll handle this. If we can't reach an agreement, I'll talk to my dad about it."

Lin Yuan nodded and followed him into the dormitory building.

Matt didn't go to the forge the next day. When Lin Yuan left, Matt's door was closed, and the sound of typing could be heard from inside. In the afternoon, Lin Yuan received a message from Matt: "It's arranged, tomorrow at four o'clock, at The Fo bar outside the school."

""

Lin Yuan replied with a single word: "Okay."

TheFo bar is located two miles south of the school, not on the main street; you have to turn onto a side street to see its sign. The storefront is small, with peeling paint on the wooden door frame and a row of beer brand stickers on the windows. It's not very crowded during the day, but it gets lively at night.

Matt arrived at 3:50 PM. He pushed open the door and went inside. The only people in the bar were an old man sitting against the wall reading a newspaper, and a bartender wiping glasses at the bar. He chose a booth further inside, took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, and sat down to wait.

At exactly four o'clock, the door was pushed open.

Catherine came in dressed differently. She wasn't wearing the dark blue coat she'd worn yesterday; instead, she was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a grey blazer over it, and her hair was loose, hanging down her shoulders. She glanced around the bar, spotted Matt, walked over to him, and sat down opposite him.

"You chose this place." Catherine placed her bag on the chair next to her. "It took me twenty minutes to drive here from school, and the traffic was okay at that time."

"What would you like to drink?" Matt asked.

"White wine. Do you have any?"

Matt turned and waved towards the bar. The bartender came over, and Matt ordered a glass of white wine and a beer. The bartender nodded and turned to prepare them.

Catherine leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms on the table, and looked at Matt.

"You asked me out, not to catch up, right?"

"No." Matt placed his phone on the table, screen down. "You went to see Lin Yuan yesterday."

"Yes," Catherine didn't deny it. "I ran into him at a coffee shop and we chatted for a bit. His videos are pretty good; I think they have commercial potential."

"What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to collaborate," Catherine said calmly. "Your video went viral. But your business email doesn't have any commercial protection. If someone registers a trademark first, you'll be in a very passive position."

Matt's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"It means I checked." Catherine took out her phone from her bag, swiped a few times, and then turned the screen to Matt. The brand name "LinyuanForge" had not been registered in the database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Your domain name linyuanforge.com is also available for registration. While you already have social media accounts, they are not trademark protected. Anyone can register this name as their trademark on USPT at this time.

Matt stared at the screen for a few seconds, then looked up.

"You mean you'll register?"

"What I'm trying to say is that your current situation is very dangerous." Catherine put her phone away. "It doesn't have to be me; anyone could do this. You've gained popularity on YouTube, and your brand value is building, but you have zero legal protection."

Once someone registers your trademark, all your social media accounts will be frozen by the platform because your name infringes on someone else's registered trademark. You'll then either have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on litigation or change your name and start over.

Matt picked up the beer that had just been delivered, took a sip, and said nothing.

Catherine also picked up her glass of white wine, took a sip, and put it down.

"I'm not here to scare you," she said. "I'm here to give you solutions. Give me the title of 'Brand Consultant,' and I'll take a 10% cut. I'll help you with trademark registration, domain name protection, and brand planning."

I won't handle your business emails; you're responsible for shipping and payment collection. I'll only be responsible for legal protection for the brand and liaising with high-end clients.

Matt placed his beer glass on the table and stared into Catherine's eyes.

"10%? Do you know what our revenue is right now?"

“I don’t know. But I know Doug Macheda has had knives made by you, and I also know that Nelson and David Baker have placed orders. Your average order value is at least in the five figures in US dollars.” Catherine’s tone remained unchanged. “10% sounds like a lot, but you have to do the math—without brand protection, if you grow big and someone else registers your trademark, you could lose everything. 10% is insurance, and it’s also a service fee.”

"The previous debts are settled," Matt said. "You took my $20,000 and promised not to cause any more trouble. Now you're trying to talk about cooperation? What kind of nonsense is this?"

Catherine's expression didn't change, but her fingers twirled slightly over the wine glass.

"That $20,000 was hush money. I took it, and I haven't said anything more about you. That doesn't mean I can't do business with you." She paused. "Matt, you've got it wrong."

"I'm not here to threaten you. If I were, I wouldn't be sitting here discussing revenue sharing. I would register the trademark directly, and then come back to you to discuss licensing fees once you've grown your business. That price won't be 10%, it will be 30% or even higher."

Matt tightened his grip on the beer glass.

"So what are you doing now?"

"I'm giving you a chance," Catherine said. "I'm letting you buy brand security for 10% of the cost. You think that's too expensive?"

Go to any professional brand agency, they'll charge no less than me, and they don't understand knives, the gaming industry, or art marketing. I do.

Matt remained silent for a long time. The old man reading the newspaper in the bar had left, leaving only the bartender behind the bar counter wiping it down. The air conditioner vents hummed, blowing out a faint smell of smoke.

"What if I don't agree?" Matt asked.