Chapter 31 My Partner
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the night was as dark as ink. Chen Jiashu stood by the window, stroking the cane with his fingertips, his gaze fixed on the outline of a building in the distance.
Zhu Ao stood beside him, holding the report.
The mirror-like windowpane reflected the figures of two people, one tall and one short. Zhu Ao was only two or three centimeters shorter than Chen Jiashu, but this man's proportions were excessively good, especially his long, straight legs.
Chen Jiashu parted his thin lips slightly: "Does this company have any other popular products?"
Zhu Ao tapped the report cover twice with his fingertips and replied, "The company has been established for 11 months and currently only has this one flagship product."
He flipped to the second page of the patent analysis report and quickly scanned the data: "Our technical department's reverse engineering results show that the core module uses a self-developed encryption chip, which has significant technical barriers."
"How is the NPS (Net Promoter Score)?" Chen Jiashu asked again.
Zhu Ao: "NPS reached 62, repurchase rate was 18%. Online sales exceeded 10,000 units."
After a moment's hesitation, Chen Jiashu turned halfway around, tapping the ground with his cane: "Do you think this product is qualified to be sold in home appliance stores?"
Zhu Ao: "Comparing the mainstream products on the market: the data of Dongwei Body Fat Scale 58, Fengjing Smart Scale 61, and Hengyu 62 are indeed leading."
With a barely perceptible twitch of his strong eyebrows, Chen Jiashu asked with considerable interest, "Putting blood oxygen, blood pressure, and heart rate all into an electronic scale... I'm curious how this software solves the long-standing problem of inaccurate measurements?"
Zhu Ao glanced at the lingering smile on his lips. Having a child really changes things; he was so lively and energetic, it was all on his face.
He visited the child last month. The child has round, chubby eyes like the mother, but looks like the father in other ways. He'll definitely grow up to be a handsome young man.
"Let's witness a 'miracle' at the roadshow at the end of the month." Zhu Ao raised his hand, put his arm around Chen Jiashu's back, and accompanied him to look at the night view: "Want to go take a look?"
The roadshow Zhu Ao mentioned is the quarterly Emerging Technology Summit, a grand event that brings together innovative artificial intelligence companies from across the country, providing each selected company with a 15-minute presentation.
The judges in the audience are big names from various fields such as medical care, home appliances, and electronic technology. They hold not only scoring sheets, but also industry resources and investment channels.
A brief flashback of the summit last year appeared in Chen Jiashu's mind; his eyesight was still good back then.
He chuckled softly: "These CEOs seem to be just different faces, saying the same lines all the time."
Zhu Ao chuckled, adjusting his glasses: "This year's list of attendees is quite interesting. Several companies have some real talent, including 'Hengyu Technology' which I just mentioned."
"You said the same thing last year."
After saying that, Chen Jiashu returned to his desk. He didn't sit down, but picked up his phone, swiped to his housekeeper's number, and dialed it.
The aunt answered the phone quickly.
Chen Jiashu: "Did Zhaoye and Chengcheng sleep together?"
The answer I received was: "She's asleep."
Putting his phone back on the table, Chen Jiashu looked at the black figure and said, "If the data is accurate, we'll invest first to reserve a spot. If the data can maintain this growth rate, we'll launch the acquisition in ten months."
A hit product is enough to prove capability; what Chen Jiashu wants is the entire technical team. Zhu Ao smiled knowingly and took out his phone to check the founder's resume.
*
The New Talent Summit was held in Lanchuan City, on the first floor of the Lanchuan International Conference Center.
Chen Cheng and his team arrived early. Apart from the staff putting name tags on the judges' and guests' chairs, there were only a few other startup founders like him looking for their numbers in the audience seats.
The central aisle, carpeted with red cloth, was about two meters wide, flanked by rows of nine chairs by nine. Above, at equal intervals, stood a giant chandelier, its light dazzling. The organizer of this event was Yangjiang Group, a leading domestic electronics technology enterprise.
Chen Cheng had bought this black suit two years ago and only wore it to important occasions. He had only worn it five times. For some reason, the sleeves were worn white, but fortunately it was only the bottom, so no one would notice.
With his laptop bag resting on his lap, Chen Cheng unzipped it and pulled out a stack of product manuals inside. The manuals contained detailed records of all the data from the [Smart Health Monitor] over the past six months, including NPS, which was of utmost concern to investors.
The previously empty guest seats gradually filled with investors. Taking advantage of the lull before the event started, Chen Cheng and three members of his team divided up the product brochures and split into three groups to distribute flyers.
Of course, they weren't the only ones. There were quite a few entrepreneurs standing at both exits of the guest seating area. They weren't blocking the exits; they were all standing sideways, handing out 'product manuals' and announcing their company names. Some people would take them if they were interested, and others would just walk past if they weren't.
Two men entered through the east gate, dressed in black business suits and standing ramrod straight. The one on the left, however, was surprising. He was holding a white cane and waving it slightly from side to side. His eyes were exceptionally clear, and he didn't look like a blind person at all.
Chen Cheng was not alone in his curiosity; several people nearby whispered among themselves:
"Chen Jiashu? What happened to your eyes?"
"They said it's a worsening of his eye condition..."
"Is that Zhu Ao?"
Chen Cheng glanced at it a couple more times.
A week ago, while working on the "Home Appliance Resource Integration Solution," I came across the name Chen Jiashu on the guest list. He is the founder and chairman of Qiaoshu Group.
Although Qiaoshu Group is not as well-known as the three major domestic companies, it has nearly a thousand directly operated stores in the country and enjoys a high level of public recognition in the local area.
As the two men approached Chen Cheng, he habitually handed them the product brochure, adding, "Welcome to learn about Hengyu Technology's medical-grade health monitoring solutions."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jiashu stopped, turned to the side, and looked at him: "Is the health monitoring device your company's product?"
Chen Cheng nodded confidently and replied, "It is indeed our company's flagship product."
Chen Jiashu smiled kindly, expressing his anticipation: "A fist? Let me see how hard it is later."
Zhu Ao raised his eyebrows: "Jia Shu, let's go."
There was a half-meter gap between each row of the guest seats. Chen Jiashu put away his white cane and hung it on his wrist. Zhu Ao was behind him, his hand on his shoulder, gently pushing Chen Jiashu forward.
Chen Cheng withdrew his gaze, feeling that Chen Jiashu looked familiar, as if he had seen him in the news before.
Someone approached him, and Chen Cheng immediately handed over the instruction manual, repeating the same phrase. The investor took his 'instruction manual' and flipped through it, looking for the right part.
An hour into the presentation, the lights came back on, and the host announced with a smile, "Next, please welcome the CEO of Konka Medical to share their 'Little Smart Common Disease Diagnosis Robot'."
A small group of people in the audience discussed the matter.
"Today is the fifth medical diagnostic robot company. They all claim a 99% diagnostic rate. Which one is exaggerating?"
"Here comes another 'disruptive' move in healthcare."
"If I had to praise it, each PPT presentation is more exquisite than the last, comparable to a blockbuster movie."
After the CEO who revolutionized the medical field stepped down, Chen Cheng walked steadily onto the stage, stood in front of the lectern, adjusted his breathing, gripped the edge of the table with both hands, and leaned towards the microphone:
"Dear investors, I am Chen Cheng, CEO of Hengyu Technology..."
Upon hearing this name, Chen Jiashu looked up at the tall figure on the stage.
"Everyone has used a weighing scale before, but today I'm going to show you how it's different." Chen Cheng held the page-turning pen, turned to the side, and a pinkish-white 'weighing scale' appeared on the projection screen behind him, with eight lines of small text on the left indicating its main functions.
"We've managed to fit a calibration algorithm worth millions in hospitals into this little box that costs only 159 yuan."
His confident gaze swept calmly over the judges and investors below the stage, then suddenly, his eyes paused and fixed on the main entrance.
Then, their eyes met.
The surroundings seemed to fall silent until the crowd murmured in confusion, prompting him to quickly return to his senses.
With a press of the page-turner, Chen Cheng flipped to the next slide and continued, head bowed: "Through dynamic pressure sensing, we achieve data sampling from 60 areas on the soles of the feet, ensuring that every time you stand up, it's a full-body scan..."
Only after that slender and intelligent figure settled into the last row did Chen Cheng feel at ease enough to withdraw his gaze and continue speaking, making the most of every minute of those fifteen minutes.
"This is our online sales data and customer satisfaction. Without a doubt, the most honest examiner is the market..."
He turned to the fifth page of data feedback, and everyone in the audience watched the screen in silence. "Our intelligent health monitoring device is challenging a stubborn belief: health monitoring will inevitably become a necessity for all mankind, not a luxury costing tens or hundreds of thousands..."
Loud applause erupted from the audience. Chen Cheng put down his page-turning pen and was ushered off the stage by the applause.
Before his excitement had subsided, he hurried to the last row.
"Sister Qiao, what brings you here?"
The host on stage invited the next CEO, and the lights that had been turned off came back on.
The woman's smiling face was illuminated by the light, like the first snow of winter, pure white and without any impurities.
"Just got off work, stopped by on my way to take a look."
When she said this, the president had not yet taken the stage, and the stage was quiet.
Therefore, Qin Qiao's voice reached Chen Jiashu's ears, even though they were nearly ten meters apart.
Chen Jiashu turned his head at the sound, his eyes slightly puzzled. He looked over the sea of heads but saw nothing.
At the final awards ceremony, Chen Cheng received the Rising Star Award. He quickly ran onto the stage and accepted the award with four other people. In addition, he also received letters of intent for investment from three investors present.
Among them was a letter of intent from Zhu Ao for the 'Qiaoshu Group'.
In his acceptance speech, Chen Cheng gave the usual thanks to his parents, the organizers, and the investors. Finally, he wanted to thank the woman who had stood up and was looking at him with admiration:
"Finally, I would like to thank my angel investor, Ms. Qin Qiao."
People followed his gaze and moved closer.
The woman was beautiful, with medium-length hair, and had an elegant demeanor like an orchid.
Almost at the same time, a man suddenly stood up, turned around, looked in the direction people were looking, his back slightly stiff, and his body leaned forward slightly, as if he was confirming something.
This person was none other than Chen Jiashu of the Qiaoshu Group, and everyone present recognized him.
The delayed applause arrived late, like waves upon waves. Amidst the applause, Zhu Ao, urged on by Chen Jiashu, was helped by him as they walked past the crowd.
"Qin Qiao is gone," Zhu Ao told Chen Jiashu.
Chen Jiashu was impatient. They chased after the figure until they reached the outdoor platform, where they finally caught up with her.
Night fell, the sky was filled with stars, and the evening breeze was chilly and desolate.
Chen Jiashu's tone was somewhat unpleasant: "Why are you running?"
Strands of hair were tangled around her cheeks; Qin Qiao brushed them aside and tucked them behind her ear.
To be honest, she didn't know why she was running away. Maybe she was worried that her colleagues would recognize her, or maybe it was because of Chen Jiashu.
Qin Qiao explained, "...I was just afraid that if my colleagues took pictures, it would cause unnecessary trouble."
Zhu Ao wisely let go: "Qin Qiao, Jia Shu is yours. I'll go in first."
Before Qin Qiao could even utter a word, the man strode past her and into the conference center, passing by Chen Cheng who was running out.
A dim yellow light shone overhead, casting Chen Jiashu's tall figure on the ground, his shadow long and thin, which further accentuated his cold and stern expression: "Are you short of money?"
Qin Qiao's eyelids twitched.
Chen Cheng arrived just in time. Qin Qiao grabbed his arm and pulled him to her side: "Chairman Chen, let me introduce you to my partner, Chen Cheng."
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