Chapter 37 Inside the presidential suite, Li Xingzhou…

Inside the presidential suite, Li Xingzhou was holding his weekly meeting with managers from various departments of Sunac.

He had a Bluetooth earpiece in his ear, his eyes fixed on the computer in front of him, where the finance manager was giving a report to Li Xingzhou.

According to Sunac's 2023 financial report, the product with the highest sales growth rate was Qidian, a spiritual product launched in the second half of the year, which accounted for 93% of the total revenue. Sunac's revenue in 2023 was RMB 15 billion, a significant increase compared to RMB 9.5 billion in 2022. This growth rate indicates that Qidian has strong profitability and reflects the company's good condition.

Listening to the voice coming through his earpiece, Li Xingzhou glanced at the documents beside him and said, "Let's analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Singularity in the market in detail."

He asked the head of the planning department. Upon hearing Li Xingzhou's question, the person seemed to sense something was amiss, but did not appear flustered.

After just a moment's thought, he answered logically: "Singularity's advantages in the field of AI are mainly reflected in these aspects. The key lies in the fact that Sunac has its own R&D team, which can be self-sufficient in everything except chips, and its continuous innovation in technology, which also has a great advantage in cost control."

The head of the planning department glanced at Li Xingzhou, seeing that he still remained unmoved, and perhaps unsure of his own situation, lowered his voice slightly, "On the downside, although Qidian captured a large portion of the market share as soon as it was launched in the second half of the year, its sales in overseas markets are not optimistic. According to financial reports, Qidian's sales in overseas markets account for less than five percent of its total revenue."

"What about the solution?" This question was directed at the head of the marketing department.

As the core of the company, the head of the marketing department knew that Li Xingzhou valued the Qidian project highly, so he dared not be vague or perfunctory: "Given that Qidian is still in the early stages of entering the spiritual field market, and the key market share is in China, firstly, in terms of positioning, Qidian is Sunac's most cost-effective product. High cost-performance is one of the ways to attract consumers. Secondly, we can leverage the existing strong user base to closely follow user needs and market dynamics, and continuously optimize products and services. Through these points, Qidian can accurately target the market."

While listening to the marketing manager's report through his earpiece, he flipped through the documents in his hand. After the other party finished speaking, he waited a while before asking, "Is there anything else to add?"

None of the executives on the screen spoke; each of them looked down at the documents in front of them, as if there were omissions that needed their annotation.

Their expressions revealed the unspoken meaning behind Li Xingzhou's words.

Very dissatisfied.

"High cost-performance ratio? What about the risk assessment?" After stopping there, Li Xingzhou glanced at the marketing department head on the screen and continued, "Let's change the marketing strategy. I looked at the financial report data, and e-commerce sales account for 60% of the total revenue. We'll use internet public opinion to make the next market prediction. I need to see the marketing plan tomorrow."

The marketing manager immediately responded with a "yes," clearly understanding where to begin.

However, Li Xingzhou believes that a company should first identify where its long-term development opportunities lie before it can implement its strategies there. In this process, it should also continuously evaluate the efficiency of its marketing activities and make some optimizations in order to fully seize the opportunities.

Then it was the purchasing department head's turn to report: "Mr. Li, the foreign chip supplier proposed that if Sunac wants to continue the cooperation, the price will increase. However, after our investigation, we found that this is just a unilateral business decision made by them against Sunac, and it is not caused by force majeure external factors. If we agree to their request, Qidian's profits will decrease by 10%."

Sunac has its own R&D team, but chip technology is not their strong point. Moreover, chip R&D costs are very high. When he was working abroad in the early days, he witnessed a company invest a lot of money in a project that might not be profitable, but unfortunately, it was a complete failure.

Therefore, he directly rejected this project, which was not guaranteed to be developed and had an astonishing cost. He firmly believed that professional teams should do professional things, so he simply outsourced the chip manufacturing to the largest chip foundry in the world. Little did he know that this would leave his lifeline to someone else.

Li Xingzhou thought about it. Sunac's core chip uses 3nm technology. Domestic chip manufacturing companies are not yet mature enough in this area. The batch of chips delivered this year still uses 3nm technology, but what about the next batch? Could it be a case of false advertising? This would be deceiving consumers and undermining Sunac's credibility. He decisively passed on it.

He glanced at the sales figures on the platform, which were constantly hitting new highs every month. Compared to other products from that chip manufacturing company that had entered the Chinese market, Qidian's product had skyrocketed to the top of the charts, becoming the most popular product among consumers in the spiritual realm. Li Xingzhou understood why the other party was doing this.

However, if he does not accept the price increase proposed by the other party, then the other party will cut off the chip supply to Sunac at the end of this month. The consequences are predictable: without goods, what will they sell, and how will they deliver to consumers?

This is probably why that chip manufacturing company dared to be so arrogant and challenge Sunac.

“They’re taking advantage of my misfortune.” Li Xingzhou’s tone was lazy and nonchalant. “When I get back to China, help me make an appointment with the CEO of Qixing.”

Qixing is a semiconductor manufacturing services company that provides chip manufacturing services to many companies, but it mainly manufactures products such as mobile phones and camera lenses.

Although Qixing started as an OEM manufacturer, its founder's ambitions extend beyond that. In a speech, he announced several major decisions, one of which was to establish a dedicated chip R&D department in addition to continuing the OEM route. He stated that Qixing's mission is not only to provide OEM services for various industries, but he also hopes that Qixing can independently develop chips that belong to the Chinese people, then go global, and take foreign chip companies as role models to emulate.

Not long ago, Li Xingzhou had heard rumors that Qixing's self-developed 3nm chip was already in the testing phase, but the outcome was unknown; the other party was extremely tight-lipped, and he couldn't get any information out of them. Now, the opportunity had arrived. If Qixing's self-developed 3nm chip could successfully match Qidian's, he would most likely abandon the foreign chip company. After all, the other party had given him a choice between two options and even threatened to cut off his supply. Therefore, under these circumstances, he certainly wouldn't sit idly by and give others the opportunity to strangle him.

The head of the purchasing department understood Li Xingzhou's meaning and replied, "Yes, Mr. Li, I will try to negotiate with their contact person to get conditions that are favorable to Sunac. If the other party's attitude is tough, I will convey Sunac's message to their contact person."

Li Xingzhou's jaw dropped.

"And there's this financing plan," the investment manager said. "Based on the current project evaluation, the long-term value of this project does not match the later rate of return, the investment cycle is too long, and the rate of return is unstable."

Li Xingzhou knew he was referring to the business plan (BP) submitted by Huang Shiyu. Putting himself in the shoes of an investment manager, he could easily sense that the other party thought he was not rational enough and that there was an element of gambling involved.

Li Xingzhou was not surprised at all by this. After all, investors' vision is considered second only to Erlang Shen's third eye. They do not only make sure-fire money projects, but also long-term investments with visible profits.

“You’re right. The essence of a businessman is to make money, and the purpose of an investor is also to make money grow.” He didn’t directly deny the other person, but said quite seriously, “But in the investment field, investors are also the most important decision-makers. They are responsible for increasing the discount rate of a company’s future in the disclosed data, helping them to go further.”

The investment manager insisted, "But the investment committee probably won't approve it."

Li Xingzhou smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll give them a good discount rate."

Faced with Li Xingzhou's firm stance, the investment manager had no choice but to give up.

Next, Li Xingzhou continued to discuss the company's profitability with the management of various departments for a while. Just as everyone's smiles were starting to fade, Li Xingzhou's phone rang.

He had only intended to glance at it to see if it was an urgent message, and if not, he planned to reply later. However, after glancing at it, he found that it wasn't.

It was a text message from Huang Shiyu.

Li Xingzhou: "?"

The cooperation plan was certainly important, but he was more interested in what had happened to Huang Shiyu that made her so anxious, and he even had a slight feeling that she was desperately seeking any solution.

He didn't make the call immediately. After a moment of silence, he began issuing orders to the management team on the screen: "Thank you all for your hard work. I'll treat you to dinner once this project is finished. If there's nothing else, the meeting is adjourned."

Upon hearing his words, everyone's expressions changed, clearly showing relief and a sense of having escaped a disaster.

Meanwhile, at the coffee shop on the other side.

Sam approached and was surprised to see that Huang Shiyu was not the only person at the table.

However, for someone who has been in the workplace for a long time, the change in facial expression is comparable to the face-changing in Sichuan opera. In just a moment, she was still Sam, who always had a smiling face no matter what happened.

However, the moment Lin Xinyu saw Sam appear, she couldn't contain her shock. Her hand holding the coffee froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and slowly sipped the coffee. It was a little cold, but the coolness did nothing to ease the irritation in her heart. She didn't know if it was because she had seen someone she hadn't seen for many years or because of her inappropriate nervousness.

As she finished her drink and looked up, her eyes met those of Sam across from her. Lin Xinyu glanced at him briefly before her gaze, along with the coffee in her hand, fell onto the table.

Sam, however, had no intention of pretending to be a stranger. He said to Lin Xinyu, "Hi, Talita, long time no see."

Lin Xinyu glanced at her and slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth: "You really are still as sharp as ever."

The coffee shop is bustling with people, yet it seems as if the pause button has been pressed here, leaving only the interplay of glances, a sense of estrangement and emptiness, where silence speaks louder than words.

This cold and desolate atmosphere was finally broken by a phone call from Huang Shiyu.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't you know there was something wrong with that batch of materials?!"

Her words were rambling and left Li Xingzhou on the other end of the phone completely bewildered.

Li Xingzhou: "?"

"What! You're going easy on me just because of the price?! Don't try to shirk your responsibility." After Huang Shiyu finished speaking, she raised her eyes and looked at the two people at the table. Seeing that both of them were looking at her with pity, she knew that she would have a good reason to leave later.

It was best for her not to get involved in this battle, lest she get herself into trouble. She had a feeling that both of them had some secrets hidden inside, and that excessive curiosity would kill the cat. She didn't want to get involved in this mess.

"No, what happened..." Li Xingzhou asked.

Huang Shiyu glanced at her phone screen and gestured to the two men with her eyes, indicating that she was busy. Sam and Lin Xinyu also gave her understanding looks, indicating that she should continue handling the matter and that it was okay.

If I had known, she would have just said she had something to do and left, and I wouldn't be in this awkward situation now. I wanted to leave without making a scene and leave with some leeway, but I never expected to plant a landmine for myself.

Huang Shiyu could only continue to smile and say into the phone, "What? Don't refuse to admit your mistake! What does this have to do with Amy? Who is Amy? You're wrong, that's all. I've given you several chances already, but I can tell you your mind isn't on this at all. I'm out now, I'll talk to you in detail when I get back."

She even put the phone on speakerphone. She knew Li Xingzhou wasn't stupid, so she was completely at ease. Now it was up to her to see how Li Xingzhou would cooperate with her.

Li Xingzhou remained silent on the other end of the line. Just when Huang Shiyu thought this nonsensical phone call was over and she had a reason to leave,

Unexpectedly, Li Xingzhou was a man who quietly accomplished great things. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he amazed everyone present. However, the one who should have been most stunned was Huang Shiyu himself.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ve booked a room at the Marriott, want to come and take a look?”

Huang Shiyu didn't dare to linger for too long and immediately hung up the phone. She also glanced at Lin Xinyu and saw that apart from being stunned, the other party had no other emotions.

She felt a little relieved, after all, the two of them had been blind dates before. However, the way they spoke on the phone was different from their usual voices. She figured they probably couldn't tell, so she kept trying to reassure herself because it was really embarrassing.

"..." Huang Shiyu was silent for a long time before he mustered up his courage and said, "Hehe, this guy is definitely drunk. I always tell him that a little drinking is good for the mood, but too much drinking is bad for the body, but he won't listen. He must have gone drinking again last night. I just said a few words to him about his work attitude. Look, what kind of situation is this? There's no way to talk to him."

Lin Xinyu looked at her sincerely, nodded, and smiled, "It's okay, don't keep them waiting."

Sam's eyes were exactly the same as Ruby Lin's.

That loving look in her eyes startled Huang Shiyu, as if to say, "You don't need to suppress or hide anything; we all know these little tricks." For a moment, Huang Shiyu was both amused and exasperated. She had truly shot herself in the foot. So she decided to let it go and leave the scene, no matter how the two of them interpreted it.

When Huang Shiyu walked out of the coffee shop, the sky in Vancouver was still overcast as always, with hardly any sunshine. Fortunately, it wasn't raining, otherwise she didn't dare to imagine how gloomy she would feel.

She wasn't in a hurry to leave. She stood there, looking into the distance. The surrounding buildings seemed to stand lifelessly, as if the gloomy weather had affected them.

She used to travel frequently for work and had been to Vancouver a few times, but always in the summer. Winter in Vancouver was too unfamiliar and too deserted for her. There were only a few pedestrians on the streets, and it was quiet even in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Huang Shiyu thought it was perfect for a walk.

Li Xingzhou appeared at this moment. He had just walked up to her and wanted to give her a surprise, or rather, a shock. But Huang Shiyu's eyes were not just for show; she had seen him long ago. She just didn't expect to run into him again so soon.

"You're really funny, Li Xingzhou," Huang Shiyu glanced at him and teased.

Knowing that she was referring to what had just happened, Li Xingzhou simply smiled and looked at her, saying, "It's still early, want to go for a drink?"

"What are you up to now?" Huang Shiyu really didn't understand at all what Li Xingzhou was up to now.

Li Xingzhou looked at her quietly for a while and said, "I guess I saved your life again, Mr. Huang. You won't even buy me a drink?"

"Again?" Huang Shiyu seized on this word, squinting at him. After Li Xingzhou finished speaking, he looked at her with a leisurely air, not with smugness, but with a hint of ingratiation. This surprised her a little. It was quite strange that Li Xingzhou would try to please someone.

Now she understood what he meant by "again"—it referred to the financing proposal. It was just a drink, not much money, and she was still willing to treat him.

"I think I should go get a drink." Huang Shiyu thought to himself, "I need to clear my head."

After saying that, she walked forward without looking back. Li Xingzhou, who was behind her, watched her straight back in the cold wind and smiled silently. After watching her walk away, he slowly followed her, thinking to himself, "What a heartless little thing, she didn't even wait for me."

The wind kept howling, chilling you to the bone, but it didn't deter the two people strolling along the road.

Huang Shiyu listened to the footsteps following closely behind her, but did not turn around or say anything. Feeling the cold wind of Vancouver's winter, her eyes reflected the giant Chinese supermarket in the distance with its gray and white tones, as well as a few large trees with only bare branches by the roadside. She watched them struggle in the howling wind, standing there unmoved no matter which way the wind blew, gazing at the wind.

She opened her arms, feeling the wind pass through her palms and then slip away quietly. Just as she was about to grasp this not-so-gentle, cold wind, a flurry of raindrops swirled rapidly in the air before plunging down. The wind whipped the rain like a sharp blade, rampaging through the impenetrable sky, finally crashing against the glass window in front of Lin Xinyu. The pattering rain was quite spectacular. In her eyes, the city resembled an ink wash painting, hazy and tranquil.

Sam noticed that Lin Xinyu had been gazing out the window ever since she sat down, and had maintained this posture for quite some time. So, to ease the awkward atmosphere, Sam smiled and asked, "Are you here in Vancouver on a business trip?"

Hearing her question, Lin Xinyu didn't even look at her directly, and her voice was somewhat sarcastic, "You're really funny. Otherwise, why would I come here? Would I have gone all the way across the border just to have a cup of coffee?"

Sam, still sporting that ever-smiling face, asked, "How did the cooperation talks go?"

Ignore her behavior and tone.

"Hmm, no comment." Lin Xinyu smiled slightly. "If you were an employee of my company, I would definitely tell you everything I know."

She stared intently at Sam across from her, her stubborn gaze appearing to Sam as relentless and piercing.

Then she watched as Lin Xinyu got up, walked to her side, stopped, and then looked at Lin Xinyu, who tilted her head slightly towards her and gave her a not-so-friendly smile. But the words she spoke made her heart melt inexplicably, as if the thin film of reinforced concrete that had silently stood between the two of them had shattered and melted away with a thud.

Lin Xinyu: "Oh, by the way, it's been a long time." She glanced at the coffee on Sam's table. "It's fate that we met in a foreign land. Consider this my treat for you."

Sam could only watch her departing figure with his eyes.

The drizzle fell silently on the glass, making it wet and cold, but thankfully the heating inside was strong enough.

She and Li Xingzhou each held a towel and deftly wiped their hair, faces, and necks, leaving no exposed part untouched. Their wiping movements were so synchronized and uniform, it was as if they were looking in a mirror.

After the cleaning was finished, the waiter brought over the drinks and snacks they had just ordered. The music in the store was soft and the heating was just right, which made people feel pleasant and sleepy.

She took a sip of her drink. "How many times have we drunk together now?"

"The second time, what's wrong?" He raised his chin, took a swig of wine, which was sweet and not strong enough.

"Things shouldn't happen more than three times." She put down her wine glass and looked at him.

"What? Are you implying something to me?" Li Xingzhou twirled the wine glass in his hand, his eyebrows lowered. Behind him was a wall of wine, made of transparent glass, through which one could see countless bottles of wine. Decorative lights were placed on the bottles in a staggered manner, attracting attention. The white lights and the color of the wine intertwined, adding a touch of magic. The visual effect was excellent and eye-catching.

“What am I implying?” she asked.

"I'm afraid that if this goes on for too long, you might fall in love with me."

Li Xingzhou answered naturally, which made Huang Shiyu glance at him several times. However, the person in question just kept looking at the wine glass in his hand leisurely, with an indifferent expression, as if he had just said it casually.

Huang Shiyu wasn't stupid; she knew that Li Xingzhou was testing her, or rather, teasing her.

"You should worry about yourself instead," she teased him.

The old-fashioned Western restaurant was mostly filled with couples. It could be said that, apart from her and Li Xingzhou, everyone looked like a couple. Their laughter rose and fell softly. The environment wasn't quiet. The couple at the table in front of them, perhaps influenced by the soothing music, started kissing right in front of them, oblivious to everyone else. They slowly went from light kisses to deeper ones, their eyes burning with passion. This intense emotion was stared directly at Huang Shiyu.

She knew that foreign countries were very open, but she never thought that she could start so single-mindedly, without regard for the occasion or others.

The surrounding area was filled with wild cheers, rising and falling, shouting, ambiguous and crazy.

Huang Shiyu felt a slight itch in her throat and needed to drink some wine to soothe it. She took a big sip, smacked her lips slightly, and noticed that the taste was different from what she had just drunk. Looking at the wine glass in her hand, she seemed to realize something was amiss. Whose wine had she just drunk? Her own wine didn't seem to be this sweet, did it?

She clearly had the answer in her heart, but for some reason, she wanted to look at someone. To her surprise, Li Xingzhou was holding a wine glass with one hand on his arm, looking at her with a half-smile. The wine in his hand was the one Huang Shiyu had just drunk.

"I really did take the wrong one," Huang Shiyu thought to himself.

"Would you like me to order you another one of the same?"

Li Xingzhou glanced at her, put down his wine glass, and smiled. "No need. I'm not like some people who like to stage accidents."

"Why didn't you remind me?!"

Huang Shiyu's twitching forehead was almost pressed down.

"It's dark inside, and my eyesight isn't good."

With just a casual remark, Huang Shiyu really couldn't do anything to him. After all, she was the one who took the wrong drink, and she had also glanced around the restaurant and noticed that the lighting was indeed dim.

Then look at that table of couples, still kissing silently, the atmosphere growing increasingly intense.

In this environment, the two received a game invitation from the restaurant owner, who said that today was a special couples' day for the restaurant every year, and couples would be randomly invited to come on stage to play games.

Huang Shiyu looked around the restaurant and saw that every couple was bathed in the orange glow of the lights. She marveled at how good the owner was at business, and how she and Li Xingzhou had picked a great restaurant for themselves, choosing one that was perfect for couples.

Just as Huang Shiyu was about to say that they shouldn't participate in the activity, Li Xingzhou whispered in her ear, "Are you afraid to play this game? Or are you just afraid to play with me?"

Li Xingzhou struck the perfect balance, maintaining a distance that was neither too ambiguous nor off-putting.

For some reason, Huang Shiyu felt like laughing. She winked at Li Xingzhou and twitched the corner of her mouth, "You really are quite humorous. I was just afraid you couldn't stand it if we made eye contact. Okay, who's afraid?"

To Li Xingzhou, the laughter seemed to carry a mocking tone.

“Our table will join us too,” she said to the restaurant owner.

Even the person who responded carried the air of someone wanting to acquire the other company.

Because of Huang Shiyu's boastful remark, she and Li Xingzhou are now standing on the stage with a group of couples, lined up in a row. The restaurant has about thirty tables, and there isn't enough room for everyone, so they have to be divided into two rows. The two of them are standing at the very back, waiting for the game to start. Even though it's a corner that everyone ignores, Huang Shiyu still feels that standing on the stage is no different from being treated like a monkey. Thinking about it, she shouldn't have been so quick to speak and so argumentative.

The next second, before the game even started, Li Xingzhou grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Before she could react, she turned around and found that she and Li Xingzhou had switched places.

Huang Shiyu thought this person was really strange. She was just standing there, why did he have to nudge her? Was he deliberately picking on her?

She looked at Li Xingzhou without saying a word, wanting him to give her an explanation.

“I don’t like you standing next to other men,” he said succinctly, glossing over the point.

Upon hearing his words, Huang Shiyu did not speak immediately. Instead, she turned her head to look at him in surprise. Only then did she realize that the person standing to her right was a man, the same couple who had been kissing earlier. Thinking about it, she realized that she had been so busy feeling annoyed that she had completely ignored the person next to her.

The game had just started. The restaurant owner took out a palm-sized napkin and handed it to the first couple, announcing the rules: tear the napkin mouth to mouth, and both people must keep the napkin in their mouths before passing it to the next person. Otherwise, they would lose the game and be punished.

Huang Shiyu looked at the girl in the first couple, shook the tissue in front of the audience, and said, "The tissue is so thin, it feels like it will break if it touches my lips." This caused a burst of jeers from the audience. The girl smiled, put the tissue in her mouth, ignored the noisy atmosphere, reached out, grabbed her boyfriend's neck, and pressed her against him. Due to the angle, it looked to Huang Shiyu as if the two had already kissed.

"What does it feel like to stand at a high place?"

She looked up at him, wondering why he would ask that question.

The face under the lamp had lost some of its sharp edge and gained a gentler look. Li Xingzhou, with his eyes lowered, looked at people through a thin layer of light, and his eyebrows and eyes had a somewhat cold meaning. The intense peony painting was suddenly transformed into a light and breezy one, as if it had concealed all the strong emotions in his life.

Huang Shiyu: "Are you very nervous?"

"Why do you ask that?" He frowned slightly.

Huang Shiyu thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Isn't that just you making conversation for the sake of it? What are you pretending for?"

He gazed at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Then don't stop. It's a bit cold standing here. If you stop, I feel like I'm going to get rheumatism and won't be able to stand."

“This height is nothing.” Her tone wasn’t exactly friendly, and she even chuckled. “Next time, try standing at the top of the Shanghai Tower and looking down. The feeling is completely different. You can’t see anything at all; you just feel that Shanghai is huge, and your rheumatism is nothing.”

"Then after your project is launched," Li Xingzhou said, "how about we go up there to celebrate?"

She hadn't figured out how to answer him yet, whether to say yes or no. Hesitating and hesitating, she finally gave up. She didn't know when it started, but the palm-sized piece of paper had now become a thin little piece, gently dangling on Li Xingzhou's lips.

Li Xingzhou waved his hand, and Huang Shiyu noticed his movement and instinctively stepped back. She had only taken one step back when his large hand landed on the back of her head with lightning speed, holding her head, or rather, locking her head.

With his other hand in his pocket, he stared into her eyes, his gaze long and intense, as if it could stretch into silk. His burning heat was palpable. Huang Shiyu raised her neck to resist, but Li Xingzhou gave her no chance to fight back.

He held her neck tightly, then slowly bent down. This action gradually magnified in Huang Shiyu's eyes. She wanted to move but couldn't, and could only let that shadow crush her vision. The two breaths collided and intertwined at this moment.

A soft hiss escaped through the air as two thin lips met briefly before parting.

He borrowed a kiss.