Chapter 470: Alliance Against Teng and Human Prejudice (Two-in-One)

The first day of the Lunar New Year, Alibaba Group headquarters in Hangzhou.

Inside the office, Ma Jieke stared at the data report in his hand, his face gloomy as if water was about to drip out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Pearl Harbor was attacked."

He had a bad feeling when WeChat launched the "shake red envelope" feature during the Spring Festival Gala last night. He rushed to the office early this morning, and when he saw the estimated data, he couldn't help but feel dizzy.

Ma Jieke looked solemn, thinking about how to deal with the increasingly powerful Tengda, when Cai Chongxin knocked on the door and walked in hurriedly.

As soon as he entered the office, he couldn't wait to ask, "Jack, how was the WeChat red envelope situation last night?"

"Look for yourself." Ma Jieke shook his head and handed over the report.

Cai Zhongxin quickly took it and scanned it, his pupils shrinking slightly, his face filled with disbelief: "WeChat has 48 million new users!

The total number of WeChat users has almost reached the upper limit of the number of smartphones in China! WeChat red envelopes have been sent over 1.2 billion times, and the number of bank card-linked users has exceeded 60 million! This data is terrifying!

Ma Jieke couldn't help but sigh, "Users have been sending WeChat red envelopes non-stop since last night. The popularity is unprecedented. Tenda is winning this time!

The key is that the Spring Festival Gala benefits they give to the audience are all paid for by sponsors like JD.com and Haier. This is a really clever move.”

Cai Zhongxin pulled out a chair and sat down slowly: "Jack, when I was paying New Year's greetings to the leaders of ICBC last night, I got some news that I wanted to tell you."

After a pause, he said in a deep voice, "Tengda has reached a consensus with ICBC and will launch the WeChat version of 'Yu'e Bao' after the new year."

"It's finally here." Ma Jieke nodded gently, his expression calm, "When Song Ci met with the presidents of the four major banks years ago, I knew this day would come.

WeChat's balance fund pool far exceeds that of Alipay. Tenda cannot just leave such a large amount of funds unattended and must make use of it."

He then gave a wry smile: "Alipay has been used as a pawn, bearing the first wave of anger from the Big Four banks for Tengda."

At this point, if he still can't see through Tengda's layout, he would be too stupid. Since the launch of Yu'ebao, Tengda has been behind it every step of the way.

Cai Zhongxin sighed: "WeChat Pay is gaining momentum, while Alipay is declining.

If we want to retain our users, we can only use the profits from Yu'ebao to retain them, but doing so will inevitably infringe on the bank's interests and will inevitably lead to sanctions. This is a blatant conspiracy by Tengda!"

At this moment, Ma Jieke pulled out his phone and quickly scrolled through his WeChat Moments. He had registered for WeChat last night specifically to experience Tengda's Spring Festival Gala in person, and the content he had stumbled upon earlier had left him feeling down.

"Zhongxin, look!" Ma Jieke paused on a certain content in the WeChat Moments and turned the screen to Cai Zhongxin, "This is the real threat!"

Cai Zhongxin took a closer look and frowned suddenly: "This is the 'nine-square grid recommendation' for JD.com on WeChat Moments!"

Ma Jieke nodded and put down his phone: "The nine-square grid is WeChat's 'golden advertising space' and is a strategic resource for Tengda.

This time, it was specifically opened to JD.com, and coupled with the publicity from last night's WeChat red envelopes, JD.com's user base will undoubtedly see explosive growth, which will definitely have a significant impact on Taobao and Tmall."

"Traffic, it all comes down to traffic! This is what e-commerce lacks!" Cai Chongxin sighed.

"Tenda relies on social barriers to control more than half of the Internet's traffic channels. It is easy for them to support or suppress whomever they want."

The office was silent for a moment. Ma Jieke's expression was gloomy and unclear, and he was obviously weighing the pros and cons intensely in his mind.

After a long moment, he slowly raised his head, his eyes etched with determination as he spoke solemnly, "Shizhongxin, Tengda is now heavily supporting JD.com. We can't let it grow too strong. I've decided to restart the 'Hundred-Arab Alliance.'"

Cai Chongxin hesitated to speak, and finally swallowed the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue.

Tenda has already built a super ecological closed loop of "social + content + payment", almost monopolizing all core tracks.

If other companies want to survive, they can only form alliances, but each company has its own interests. Such alliances are only temporary measures and will not be a long-term solution.

"To break through the trend, we must build an 'anti-Tencent alliance' centered around 'traffic + data + scenarios'."

Ma Jieke spoke in a serious tone. Without any hesitation, he immediately opened his phone's address book and dialed Li Yanhong's number from Baidu.

The call was quickly picked up, and a powerful voice came from the receiver: "Mr. Ma, Happy New Year! What's going on today that you actually contacted me?"

Ma Jieke didn't take Li Yanhong's teasing seriously. He chuckled and replied, "Mr. Li, Happy New Year! Isn't this the Tengda red envelope craze that's blown all the way from Peking to Hangzhou? Like a north wind blowing south, it's sweeping across the country!"

Li Yanhong was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Boss Ma, if you have something to say, just say it."

Ma Jieke's expression froze, and he got straight to the point: "Mr. Li, Alibaba plans to resume placing billion-level keyword ads on Baidu!

The traffic entrances of Taobao and Tmall will also be embedded in the Baidu search page, and the landing page will be directed to Yitao.com, forming a diversion relay station.

In his vision, Alibaba will take over Baidu's search traffic as a "traffic wholesaler" and then distribute it to small and medium-sized sellers, thereby cutting off JD.com's search traffic source.

As a seasoned businessman, Li Yanhong, who never hesitates to act, immediately asked, "So what does Baidu stand to gain?"

Ma Jieke had already prepared the price tag: "Baidu search privileges allow access to Alibaba content, thereby obtaining valuable consumer records."

"Not enough." Li Yanhong took the opportunity to raise the price. "We need to bundle Alipay and Baidu Wallet so that users can use Baidu Wallet to pay when shopping on Taobao..."

Before he could finish his words, Ma Jieke rejected it passionately: "Impossible!"

E-commerce payment scenarios are the foundation of Alipay's survival, and the basic foundation of the entire Alibaba Group's mobile payment. It is absolutely impossible to share even a little bit.

Li Yanhong said quietly, "Mr. Ma, if Alibaba doesn't show some sincerity, it will be difficult for us to continue our cooperation."

"Mr. Li, let's change the terms." Ma Jieke considered it again and again, and finally chose to speak frankly, "Ma, I have a piece of advice for you: Baidu should give up mobile payment!

WeChat Pay is backed by social media, and Alipay is backed by e-commerce. Baidu simply doesn't have a corresponding application scenario. Even if you pay several times the price, acquiring customers may not be successful.

Rather than wasting a lot of money, it’s better to choose a vertical track for breakthrough. At present, food delivery and ride-hailing are both promising niche areas.”

After a long while, a weak voice came from the receiver: "Thank you, Mr. Ma. I will consider it carefully."

The negotiations seemed to have reached a stalemate.

Just as Ma Jie was thinking about what conditions could impress Li Yanhong, the other party took the initiative to speak up and put forward a new request.

"Mr. Ma, Baidu can package its search traffic and give it to Alibaba, but in the field of cloud computing, we hope to cooperate with Alibaba. Baidu plans to enter the cloud service market."

"Okay." This time Majieke didn't refuse.

Tenda Group's cloud computing technology leads the world. If Alibaba wants to catch up, it needs to cooperate with large companies with technological accumulation like Baidu to achieve innovative breakthroughs.

"Great!" Li Yanhong beamed, and then extended an invitation, "When is Mr. Ma free? Come to Beiping and we can discuss it in person."

Ma Jie Ke calculated the schedule in his mind and said, "Let's meet at the end of the month."

The National Conference will be held in Beijing in March. As a member of the consultation council, he has to go to Beijing to attend the conference. He also has to visit several leaders a few days in advance, so he can leave at the end of the month.

"I will certainly prepare a bed for you."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, discussing how to divide the territory of taxi-hailing, food delivery and other businesses and join forces to fight against Tenda, and then ended the call.

Cai Zhongxin listened to the entire conversation and couldn't help but chuckle: "This Li Yanhong, who used to scoff at cloud computing, is finally getting impatient now that Tenda Cloud Computing has become the world's second largest cloud computing company. He wants to leverage Alibaba's strength to make a difference."

With Baidu's traffic support, Ma Jie felt relieved, his brows relaxed a little, and his tone became more determined: "I have never been against technical cooperation.

However, in the business world, there are no permanent alliances, only eternal competition. In cloud computing collaboration, who can gain the upper hand depends entirely on their own abilities.

"That's right. Whoever wins depends on their own methods." Cai Zhongxin echoed, then changed the subject, "Jack, do you want to consider joining forces with Penguin..."

Before he could finish his words, Ma Jieke waved his hand and said, "No need! If Alibaba and Baidu join forces, Tenda may not take it seriously; but if they join forces with Penguin, they will definitely be targeted by Tenda.

Social networking is the moat that Tenda values ​​most. Anyone who dares to touch it will be regarded as a thorn in its side.

Currently, Tenda WeChat dominates the mobile side, and Penguin QQ dominates the PC side. The two maintain a delicate balance, and there is no need for us to get involved."

"I understand." Cai Zhongxin thought for a moment and understood Ma Jieke's concerns. Social networking was a weak spot for Tengda, and with Tengda currently at its peak, no domestic company dared to touch its sensitive nerves.

At the same time, Baidu headquarters in Peking.

Li Yanhong put down his phone, looked at Wang Jin, Baidu's Vice President of Technology, who was sitting opposite him, and said with a chuckle:

"It's like searching for gold everywhere, but finding it is effortless. With Alibaba's support, our company's cloud computing technology should soon achieve a breakthrough."

Wang Jin breathed a sigh of relief, the pressure on his shoulders instantly lifted. Ever since Tengda released its annual report at the end of last month, Baidu had officially decided to fully enter the cloud computing field, with him taking the lead.

But cloud computing is not something that can be developed just by wanting to develop it. It requires extremely deep technical accumulation. Tenda Group has been deeply engaged in this field for eight years to achieve today's achievements. Baidu has neither technical reserves nor relevant talents in this regard.

When he was worried about this and at a loss, he didn't expect that Baidu could reach a cooperation with Alibaba and get support in the field of cloud computing. At least he didn't have to worry too much about the entry stage.

"Mr. Li, I've been thinking about cloud computing recently and have done a lot of market research. I have some ideas."

"Tell me quickly." Li Yanhong sat up slightly and looked focused.

Wang Jin gathered his thoughts and continued, "I've discovered that whether it's Tenda or overseas companies like Amazon and Microsoft, their current cloud computing applications are focused on enterprise users, while personal cloud services are generally neglected."

"Individual users!" Li Yanhong's eyes lit up. "Do you think there's a market for personal cloud computing?"

Yes!" Wang Jin responded with a resounding voice, "Individual users actually have a very strong demand for cloud services.

For example, documents edited on a computer can be automatically synchronized to mobile phones and tablets, and can also be viewed offline;

Photos, videos, and contacts in your phone can be backed up to the cloud in real time to avoid permanent data loss due to device loss or replacement.

The essence of personal cloud services is to use storage as the entry point and gradually penetrate into the entire chain of users' digital life.

Whether it’s professionals, students, home users, creators, or developers, they all rely on these services.”

After listening to his subordinates' analysis of personal cloud computing application scenarios, Li Yanhong fell into deep thought.

After a while, he spoke with a hint of regret: "Misaligned competition may be a way out.

Tenda has been deeply involved in the enterprise cloud space for many years and holds a leading position throughout Asia. Baidu, which started late, is struggling to compete. Focusing on personal cloud services may indeed open up a new market segment.

Since he had made up his mind, he immediately made the decision: "Wang Jin, let's follow your idea. The company and I fully support you. We will provide you with money and people. I hope you can achieve results as soon as possible."

With the chairman's full support, Wang Jin instantly became more energetic: "Mr. Li, the first step in developing cloud computing is to build a large data center, which requires heavy asset investment.

I plan to deploy 10,000 servers in Yangquan first..."

Li Yanhong raised her hand to interrupt him. "Since I've promised my full support, I won't go back on my word. Just submit a report with the budget you need, and I'll approve it immediately."

Wang Jin was overjoyed. Although the company's execution had sometimes been weak and its strategic positioning unclear, Li Yanhong, at the helm, possessed every bit of the necessary courage.

After discussing the personal cloud service, Wang Jin was about to leave when Li Yanhong suddenly asked, "Now that WeChat Pay and Alipay have become a duopoly, do you think Baidu still needs to develop mobile payments?"

Wang Jin glanced at the chairman, unsure of his true thoughts. He hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to speak rashly.

"Don't worry, tell me what you think," Li Yanhong urged, adding, "I want to hear the truth."

Wang Jin pondered for a moment before cautiously suggesting, "Mr. Li, I personally recommend giving up Baidu Wallet."

"What's the reason?"

Seeing Li Yanhong's expression normal, Wang Jin gritted his teeth and decided to speak his mind for the sake of the company's development: "Mr. Li, there are many reasons. First, the company entered the market too late and has missed the first-mover advantage.

Secondly, compared with Tengda and Alibaba, Baidu lacks core transaction scenarios. Alipay is tied to Taobao's e-commerce transactions, and WeChat Pay relies on social red envelopes and offline QR code scanning, both of which are naturally supported by high-frequency scenarios."

Li Yanhong felt a mixture of emotions. Ma Jieke had just said something similar to him, but hearing it from his subordinates was a completely different experience.

Follow-up question: “Are there any other reasons?”

"Yes," Wang Jin replied, "Baidu's products are primarily focused on information consumption, and it's difficult for users to establish a trusting relationship between 'search accounts' and 'financial payments.'

In addition, some of the company's products, such as iQiyi, Tieba, and Finance, have independent accounts and the data cannot be connected.

Alipay and WeChat Pay can cover multiple scenarios with the same account. No one would use a search app to manage their money! "

Wang Jin felt that this was a rare opportunity, so he explained it more thoroughly.

He has always believed that the company's development of mobile payments is a waste of resources. Mobile payments is essentially an ecological war, and Baidu's attempt to achieve a single breakthrough will be difficult to compete with.

A trace of struggle flashed in Li Yanhong's eyes, and although his heart was full of unwillingness, it finally turned into a heavy sigh.

After a long silence, he asked again: "Which of the two sectors, food delivery and ride-hailing, do you think the company should enter?"

Wang Jin thought quickly and analyzed cautiously: "Food is the most important thing for people. From the perspective of business importance and ecological moat, it is better to develop takeout.

However, Tenda has been planning this area for a long time. If you want to compete with Tenda's Today's Selection, you have to be prepared for a protracted war and need to invest massive subsidies.

Although the ride-hailing business faces various regulatory challenges, fortunately, all major companies are currently on the same starting line. As long as they operate properly, they may not be unable to stand out.

"Thank you. Your advice is very good and has benefited me a lot."

Li Yanhong looked puzzled. Today's conversation had truly profoundly impacted him, forcing him to reevaluate Baidu's future development path.

The second and tenth day of the first lunar month.

Wang Zhongjun, who usually rarely shows up at the company early in the morning, was uncharacteristically present at Huayi Company early that day.

The first thing he did after arriving at the company was to ask his younger brother Wang Zhonglei to come to the office immediately.

"How's the box office performance for Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons?"

Wang Zhonglei couldn't hide his delight, and responded excitedly, "It's incredible! After it was released on the 5th, following 'Lost in Thailand', it easily set a record for the opening day of a Chinese-language film with a box office of 76.85 million on its first day.

After that, it was unstoppable, with the box office reaching 220 million in three days, 430 million in four days, and will definitely break 500 million today. The total box office is expected to exceed 1.2 billion!"

"It looks like the third billion-dollar Chinese-language film is about to be born!" Wang Zhongjun was ecstatic and laughed out loud. Then he asked with concern, "How is the screening schedule?"

"The film schedule accounts for more than 40%, with an average of one show every 50 minutes."

"Good! Good! Good!" Wang Zhongjun said three "good"s in a row. After his excitement subsided a little, he reminded, "Keep this number of screenings. The box office of Journey to the West may not be able to surpass Lost in Thailand.

Add 20 million RMB for publicity and promotion, press releases need to keep up with the hype, don’t hesitate to buy trending searches!

"I've already given the order and it's being done!" Wang Zhonglei also looked very proud.

"Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" was a huge box office hit, and Huayi Company's stock price has hit the daily limit for several consecutive days, clearing away the gloom brought about by the losses of "1942".

Wang Zhongjun was delighted and changed the subject: "By the way, how did you deal with the contract with Zhou Xingxing?"

"We tentatively reached an agreement before the New Year, but the contract has been delayed and hasn't been signed. I asked the finance department to use the excuse that they won't be working during the New Year holiday, so they're still delaying it."

Wang Zhonglei narrowed his eyes and thought quickly in his mind.

According to the dividend plan advocated by Stephen Chow, based on the total box office of 1.2 billion, Huayi will have to pay an additional 80 million in profits in addition to the basic share of 88 million.

If this is the case, isn't Hua Yi working for Stephen Chow after all his hard work?

After all, money is everything. Wang Zhongjun steeled his resolve and said, "First, stabilize Zhou Xingxing's side and drag the film through the golden period of the Spring Festival. We must not affect the box office revenue during this period."

"I know what's going on!" Wang Zhonglei quickly agreed, but then a look of uncertainty appeared on his face. "But doing this will undoubtedly completely offend Zhou Xingxing. What if..."

Wang Zhongjun snorted coldly: "What if? The worst that can happen is a falling out! Contracts are meant to be used for falling out.

Without a signed contract, what can Zhou Xingxing use to compete with Huayi? Can he rely on the declining Hong Kong capital? Huayi will definitely take the 80 million!

Since his elder brother had already made the decision, Wang Zhonglei no longer hesitated. He was also reluctant to part with the 80 million. Although Zhou Xingxing was famous and had many fans, in the eyes of the capitalists, he was just that.

Time flies, the Spring Festival holiday is gone in a flash, people put aside the holiday laziness and return to their previous busy life.

The entertainment industry is also very lively, with many crews starting filming at the same time.

The highly anticipated 400 million yuan blockbuster "Joy of Life" started shooting in Hengdian, followed by writer Han Han's transitional work "No Regrets" and the movie of the same name "My Deskmate", one of Tengda Culture's youth trilogy, also started shooting one after another.

In addition, projects of major film and television companies such as "Palace Lock and Key" and "Gu Jian Qi Tan" are also operating in full swing.

Obviously, driven by the two billion-level blockbuster movies "Lost in Thailand" and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", the popularity of the entire film and television industry is increasing.

In late February, the spring chill still lingered. In the early morning hours of the East China Sea, the crew of "See You Tomorrow" was already busy.

On the set, the staff members were each doing their job, and director Han Han was concentrating on adjusting the camera and lighting.

On the side, the three leading actors, Qiao Zhengyu, Hu Ge and Zhao Liying, had their makeup ready and were waiting for the director's order to start filming.

Hu Ge secretly glanced at Zhao Liying beside him, and seeing that she looked normal, he couldn't help but secretly praise her in his heart: This person is really strong inside.

In the past two days, with the start of filming of many new dramas, the publicity campaign in the entertainment industry has become increasingly fierce, with all kinds of materials and press releases flooding in.

Previously, a fan of Yang Mi mistook Zhao Liying for Yang Mi. Zhao Liying responded on Weibo, "Can't you even recognize your own idol?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Mi's fans immediately attacked her, accusing her of "touching the top star."

Zhao Liying is now also a first-line actress, backed by Tengda Culture. She pays great attention to fan maintenance on a daily basis. Her fans "Fireflies" will naturally not watch their idol being attacked and will immediately launch a counterattack.

However, public opinion inexplicably showed a one-sided trend, and Zhao Liying's "black material" was exposed one after another:

First, she was accused of falsifying her academic qualifications, and then someone dug up clips of her past participation in variety shows and accused her of having bad character.

What's more, even her daily posture of drinking water and taking a break on the set were screenshots, mocking her for being "rustic" and "uneducated".

Zhao Liying noticed that Qiao Zhengyu and Hu Ge looked at her from time to time, as if they were about to speak but hesitated, so she took the initiative to ask, "Brother, Teacher Hu, is there anything wrong?"

Qiao Zhengyu and Hu Ge exchanged a glance, and it was Qiao Zhengyu who spoke first to comfort her, "Liying, don't take those things online to heart. The company will handle it."

Hu Ge also quickly agreed: "Yes, the innocent will be innocent. Don't take the words of the haters to heart. Don't let those dirty words affect your mood."

"So you're talking about the internet smear campaign against me!" Zhao Liying said with a carefree expression, "I can't control what others say, but shutting them up is my real skill."

After hearing this, Hu Ge immediately gave a thumbs up and looked at the seemingly weak female star in front of him with admiration.

Zhao Liying looked calm, as if she was not the one being blackened by the entire network, and chuckled fearlessly: "My agent talked to me a lot yesterday.

With the rise of social media, being "black and red" seems to be the key to traffic. New female stars who want to improve their status always seem to have to go through the stranglehold of public opinion. This is probably the current industry ecology."

After hearing this, Hu Ge and Qiao Zhengyu couldn't help but sigh. They didn't expect Zhao Liying to see things so clearly.

"I'm a rural girl with no formal education and no high level of education. I've managed to make it in the entertainment industry. This in itself breaks the rule of 'hereditary resources'. It's no surprise that I've become a target of public criticism."

Speaking of this, Zhao Liying couldn't help but sigh.

She knew very well that most of the actresses who could gain a foothold in the circle graduated from the three major institutions of higher learning: Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, and Shanghai Theatre Academy.

At the very least, they graduated from art and media related colleges. But I am just a grassroots with a junior college degree from an electronic information engineering school, so it is inevitable that I will be envied by others.

Qiao Zhengyu and Hu Ge both agreed with her.

Zhao Liying is currently being attacked by the entire Internet. Ultimately, it is prejudice that is at work. Many people in the circle are angry and wonder how a grassroots person could have climbed to her current position.

Zhao Liying took a deep breath, her eyes revealing a tenacity: "Right now I don't have any representative works to show for myself, so I can only 'not have time to pay attention' to those voices for the time being.

But I believe that hard work itself is the most ruthless counterattack against malice."

Hu Ge looked at the determination on her pretty face, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind: Perhaps in the future, she would become the strongest rival of his ex-girlfriend.

The pattern of the four 85 flowers, "Double Liu, Yang and Zhao", seems to be subtly changing.

Seeing Zhao Liying's mood getting depressed, Qiao Zhengyu quickly changed the subject: "Have you heard about 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'?"

Hu Ge nodded. "Zhou Xingxing and Huayi had a falling out. They went to court before the movie even finished showing."

Zhao Liying was curious. She had been in her hometown during the Spring Festival and was not very well informed. She asked hurriedly, "Brother, please tell me, what's going on?"

Qiao Zhengyu explained: "The total investment in Journey to the West was 106 million yuan, and Huayi, as the mainland distributor, paid a guarantee of 88 million yuan.

So in reality, the producers, represented by Stephen Chow's Bigo Group, only need to bear a risk of 18 million."

Zhao Liying was even more puzzled: "Based on the current box office of Journey to the West, shouldn't the producers and distributors be making a fortune?"

"Huayi made a killing," Hu Ge added. "Huayi first collected 12% of the gross proceeds as a distribution agency fee, and then agreed with the producers that if the net proceeds exceeded 20 million, they would receive 70% of the net proceeds."

Zhao Liying did some calculations in her mind and couldn't help but gasp, "So, Huayi is really making a killing! Could it be that Zhou Xingxing is jealous and can't stand Huayi making so much money, so he's causing trouble?"

Qiao Zhengyu shrugged. "Who knows? Zhou Xingxing said that the producers and Huayi also signed an additional profit supplement agreement, but it was delayed due to the Chinese New Year and was not officially signed.

But Huayi denied it, saying it never happened, and the conflict was exposed.”

Hu Ge analyzed, "Zhou Xingxing can't compete with Huayi because he has no evidence. What he said was all a verbal agreement. If we really go to court, it won't serve as evidence at all."

"That's right," Qiao Zhengyu nodded in agreement. "I guess Zhou Xingxing himself knows that this lawsuit is basically impossible to win, so he publicly stated that he will never cooperate with Huayi again."

As they were talking, director Han Han had already adjusted the lighting and called out to the main actors to come in. The three of them quickly stopped chatting and immersed themselves in the filming.

At the same time, at Dewen Manufacturing Headquarters, Song Ci and Tang Jun were listening to reports from think tanks and international public relations experts on a systematic plan for acquiring KIST's fiber adsorption technology through Samsung Group.

Public relations director Liu Hong said solemnly, "Mr. Song, Mr. Tang, Samsung holds the patent for the hybrid catalyst filter.

It involves the composite technology of nanofibers and particulate catalysts, which is compatible with KIST's fiber adsorption technology.

Furthermore, Samsung Electronics is promoting the use of recycled materials and urgently needs metal recycling technology to form a closed loop.”

Tang Jun glanced at Song Ci and urged, "Just tell me the plan!"

Liu Hong didn't dare delay and quickly said, "Mr. Song can push the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and KIST to jointly build a 'Joint Laboratory for Circular Materials' and start cooperation under the name of 'jointly developing rare earth recycling technology for electronic waste'."

Song Ci's tone was flat: "Get to the point."

"Let Samsung take the lead in establishing the China-Korea Circular Economy Fund, and let Dewen invest in it through a demonstration factory. The fund's terms should clearly require KIST to provide verification support for the underlying material technology.

Afterwards, the three parties jointly signed an application for an international PCT patent, and Samsung's offshore company then held the patent rights outside of Korea."

Tang Jun scoffed, "After all this talk, the core still depends entirely on Samsung? Are they stupid? Will they let Dewen manipulate them?"

Liu Hong looked embarrassed. It was already extremely difficult to obtain a technology patent controlled by a country.

"Mr. Song, Samsung Electronics generates 20,000 tons of electronic waste every year, and KIST's technology can help them reduce recycling costs by 40%.

If Dewen is willing to assume all industrialization risks and promise to supply more than half of the first production line's capacity exclusively to Samsung, while also sharing full-dimensional data, perhaps they will be impressed.

Song Ci closed his eyes, tapping the tabletop rhythmically with his fingertips, clearly weighing the pros and cons: "Is there no other way?"

"This is the most reliable solution we've come up with after considering all the data we've gathered. This approach not only mitigates political risks, but also allows us to tie Samsung to market interests, and secures mass production capabilities and a path for continuous improvement."

Tang Jun interjected, "The safest option? Are there any other options?"

Seeing Song Ci also looking over, Liu Hong continued, "Either we lobby the South Korean Ministry of Industry to include this technology in the 'Carbon Neutral Core Technology Export White List'.

Or they could secretly launch a reverse engineering contingency plan, acquire a Korean waste treatment company, combine it with KIST's published papers to reproduce the basic process, and then bypass the patented self-developed technology."

Tang Jun was speechless. The last two plans were obviously more outrageous and difficult to implement.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Song Ci, waiting for his decision.

Song Ci frowned. Acquiring technology across borders was indeed extremely difficult. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Well, let's use both the first and third options simultaneously."

It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Ultimately, you have to rely on yourself to achieve technological breakthroughs to gain a firm foothold. I will personally go to South Korea to visit the chairman of Samsung."

(End of this chapter)