Chapter 35 At 30,000 feet, from above…
At 30,000 feet, the flight from Shanghai to Vancouver takes less than eleven hours.
After finishing his in-flight meal in business class, Huang Shiyu picked up his phone and focused intently on editing a video.
She eventually agreed to go on the business trip to Vancouver with Li Xingzhou. What finally made her agree wasn't the milk tea, but rather her desire to learn more about Sunac's successful business model in order to make up for her own shortcomings.
Because there are so many entrepreneurial opportunities on the market, and not every opportunity can make money, she is also thinking that after this project is successful, she plans to sell to overseas markets. However, she is not very familiar with the overseas markets yet, so it is a good opportunity to go and investigate.
While Huang Shiyu once again refused the flight attendant's offer to ask what she wanted to drink, she finally finished editing the video. Unfortunately, the plane she was on did not provide Wi-Fi, so she could not immediately post the video to her own account and could only admire it silently to herself.
The video was on silent mode. In the business class cabin with dozens of people, no one would know that there was a narcissistic and arrogant person at that moment, admiring himself in the video as he vividly recounted his entrepreneurial and career journey.
The light citrus scent in the air is also very relaxing.
The video is short, only twelve minutes at the end of the video, which fits the characteristics of short videos: fast-paced and full of valuable content. In the full twelve minutes, she didn't say a single wasted word, but talked about her entrepreneurial experience with nothing and no resources. It is the kind of material that ordinary people who want to start a business would look for.
The flight was now halfway through. The afternoon sun pierced through the clouds, casting a thin layer of light on her, as if covering her with a veil. Her brows were slightly furrowed, but her expression was gentle and non-aggressive. As the plane passed through another cloud, the sunlight suddenly became intense. Only then did she squint and raise her head.
She blinked involuntarily, and only then did she realize that she had unknowingly watched the video several times.
Meanwhile, Li Xingzhou, who was standing next to her, had been curious about what she was doing since she was editing the video. He had been glancing at her out of the corner of his eye for a long time, but she was too focused on what was on her phone to notice the person next to her.
After her eyes adjusted, Huang Shiyu felt that her neck was a little sore from looking down for too long and wanted to move around. When she turned her head, she met Li Xingzhou's gaze.
Huang Shiyu blinked again and said, "Do you have Douyin? Follow me."
She usually posts some daily life content on her account, and has accumulated a few followers here and there, but not many, just a hundred. If you add Li Xingzhou, it will only be a hundred and one.
"do what?"
"Building a personal brand."
Li Xingzhou: "?"
She's not wrong. In today's rapidly developing world, especially with the internet booming, many business leaders choose to create a personal brand account as a social calling card to quickly establish connections. This is a long-term investment to build credibility.
Li Xingzhou obviously knew this too. He took out his phone, and the two of them used a very old-fashioned method. Huang Shiyu gave him the account number, and he opened the notes app to write it down. He also casually said, "I didn't realize you had such a good idea."
Huang Shiyu smiled and said, "Because I am very ambitious."
“Having ambition is a good thing.” Li Xingzhou looked at her, his face expressionless, but his eyes were particularly deep. “Desire can inflate a person’s ambition and also motivate them.”
Hearing this, Huang Shiyu somehow felt that it sounded somewhat like she was comforting someone. She raised her eyebrows and said, "What can I do? I don't have an operations team, so I have to do everything myself."
Li Xingzhou remained silent on this, then changed the subject, asking, "Have you decided on a name for the company yet?"
"Yes, it's called joint innovation."
“Joint Innovation,” Li Xingzhou repeated, his voice languid. “Jointly integrating the latest resources and dedicating ourselves to the innovation of the latest technologies to jointly promote the progress of the industry—not bad, a good name.”
Huang Shiyu paused in swallowing, then turned to look at Li Xingzhou. The corners of his lips were slightly upturned, hidden in the light, very faint, a smile that was not quite a smile.
Huang Shiyu just chuckled dryly at Li Xingzhou's praise. She hadn't thought that much about it. The name was simply because the three of them had come together to work on this project, and innovation was essential to gain a foothold in the industry. That was all there was to the name.
Huang Shiyu didn't realize that the meanings they each attributed to each other were actually the same, tacitly understood and agreed upon.
She then remembered what Li Xingzhou had promised her last time and asked, "By the way, didn't you say before that you would find the best for the chip issue? Which company?"
Li Xingzhou hadn't forgotten what Huang Shiyu had asked. He always had a good memory, and over the past few days, he had looked at quite a few chip companies, but none of them were to his liking. After all, with that foreign chip company being such a shining example, the others seemed a bit lacking. He planned to continue looking and then tell Huang Shiyu when he found a suitable option.
So he didn't directly answer Huang Shiyu's question: "How do you gauge the morale of the troops?"
"Can't I just say it directly?" Huang Shiyu thought to himself.
In fact, Huang Shiyu is very familiar with Li Xingzhou's approach of asking questions instead of answering. She likes to use this tactic when negotiating with others. She will not directly say yes or no to her partner. She is both reserved and firmly in control of the conversation.
However, with the roles reversed, she clearly disliked the feeling of being suppressed.
She prefers to control the course of the game rather than be a piece on the board.
"If I weren't so desperate, I wouldn't have asked you so many times to give me some chip quota. You know I'm not good enough for any foreign chip company. Could you please give me a little bit of chip quota? I just need a tiny bit."
She spoke with a hint of helplessness, but she wasn't trying to elicit sympathy from Li Xingzhou; she was simply stating the facts. The foreign chip company's patented technology was unmatched in the industry. They were the ones choosing their clients, not the other way around. Even a large company like Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group couldn't have the absolute power to challenge or interfere. Moreover, that chip company only cooperated with Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group in China, not giving Huang Shiyu any other options. That's why she wanted to start with Li Xingzhou.
However, to Huang Shiyu's surprise, the other party did not react to her words. Instead, she heard him say, "Why don't you just say you're planning to kill me?"
Why would she want his life?
She wasn't trying to extort money from her.
"You dare to give me Mr. Li's life, but I wouldn't dare to take it." Huang Shiyu hesitated, wanting to say something more, but not knowing what to say at this moment.
But she herself had no intention of letting the matter rest and did not want to end the topic. She wanted to try again. "You know I really want the chip share of that foreign company. I only need one-third." Huang Shiyu glanced at him quickly and said, "Give me money. I'll give you three times the money. I only need next year's share."
Asking for next year's share is a compromise, since her project hasn't even started yet and she doesn't have any physical equipment. Asking for too much share would definitely lead to inventory buildup. After all, you can't have too high expectations when starting a business. The economy has cycles, and the market fluctuates. If too much inventory is left over, cash flow will inevitably face difficulties.
Moreover, she felt that Li Xingzhou wouldn't turn down money, since offering three times the price wouldn't be more profitable than him selling a single product.
Li Xingzhou knew what she was thinking. In order to get a share of the chip market, she even resorted to the stupid method of sending him money. He smiled slightly and said, "To be honest with you, I can't make a decision about the chip market share."
She scrutinized him several times, trying to determine if Li Xingzhou was passing the buck.
Huang Shiyu stared at him and asked, "Then who can make this decision?"
“Li Mingsheng, you have to talk to him,” Li Xingzhou said truthfully, without beating around the bush.
Seeing that he had brought up Li Mingsheng, Huang Shiyu was too lazy to beat around the bush and said directly, "How about this, you come with me to talk to your dad."
Li Xingzhou was taken aback by Huang Shiyu's words. He had imagined countless times what Huang Shiyu would say, but he never thought she would ask him to take her to talk to Li Mingsheng.
Why does it feel like I'm bringing my partner home to meet my parents?
After a moment of silence, he slightly curled the corner of his mouth and said in an extremely gentle tone, "Well, and then?"
Huang Shiyu said, word by word, "Tell him that you are willing to give me a little bit of your share of the chip business."
That's really daring of them.
This is not how you ask for the moon. Does Huang Shiyu usually negotiate business deals like this?
While she is indeed very ambitious, as she said, she is not afraid of achieving too much too quickly.
“I can’t budge an inch. Sunac’s orders are still waiting to be used. Not a single penny will do.” He spoke in a tone that was not one of negotiation, but a clear refusal.
Although his tone was the same as usual, his eyes gave Huang Shiyu a deep sense of disbelief, as if the people below could not see through the plane flying in the clouds, so unfathomable.
They stared at each other for a while, and finally, Huang Shiyu looked away first and immediately said, "Okay."
That's what she said, but her little brain started working overtime again, frantically trying to come up with a solution.
Although Wang Ping told her last time that he was looking into chip technology companies, she also knew that apart from that foreign chip company, the others were all of dubious quality and difficult to control, and most importantly, they didn't have the 3nm technology she wanted!
She thought about it again and realized that Li Xingzhou wouldn't lie to her. After all, the order volume of Sunac Qidian was indeed very large. She had been paying attention to Qidian since its listing. Since they were all projects in the same field, she naturally had to do a good job of market research. Otherwise, how could she further learn from each other's strengths and make up for her weaknesses?
Li Xingzhou turned his head to look at her.
"If you want chips from that foreign company, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
As he spoke, it was as if he had swallowed each word, letting it roll around in his throat before slowly placing it on the table. The tone of each word's ending was rising. Huang Shiyu couldn't help but glance at him again, then commented on him from top to bottom, "No, didn't you invest in my company? How can you just ignore everything and let it die like this?"
"I wondered where she could find such a good angel investor when she asked Lu Xiao. It turns out that free things are always the most expensive," Huang Shiyu thought to herself.
Hearing Huang Shiyu's words, Li Xingzhou felt somewhat helpless, and also wanted to laugh.
Is this person really a finance major?
How naive!
Or is it that she knows he likes her, and thinks he would do a losing deal, even if it's something he'd be happy to do?
His rationality as an investor and his judgment of the market are not yet in such a precarious state.
“I’m contributing my technology as equity. I’m providing you with the most advanced medical team, personnel, and data. If you can’t even solve this small problem, then I don’t know what gives you the courage to want to make it strong and big, and I don’t know where the value of investing in you lies.”
After he finished speaking, there was a long silence in the business class.
Under this shroud of silence.
Their eyes met, neither of them looking away first.
Li Xingzhou seemed to realize he had spoken too harshly, so he quickly changed the subject, trying to ease the extremely tense atmosphere, "Is the juice good?"
"Don't you have one yourself?" Huang Shiyu was too lazy to pay attention to him, or rather, she wanted to calm down for a while. She admitted that Li Xingzhou was right. In business, you have to be a businesswoman yourself. If you don't strive for something of value and don't make any changes or fight for it, you can only wait to be eroded and devoured by the market. But right now, the most important thing is for her to calm down first. She reopened her phone and started editing text in the notes app. The content was similar to the practical tips she shared in the video, only more refined. She felt that the impact of the text was incomparable to that of the video.
"It's a bit sour, not sweet enough. I'll ask the flight attendant to add some sugar when she comes." Li Xingzhou held the cup, looking at her.
Huang Shiyu remained silent, quietly doing his own thing.
Li Xingzhou raised an eyebrow and thought: Her temper is still the same as before. She won't say anything when she's angry. She just keeps it bottled up and struggles with herself. In the end, she's the one who's unhappy.
She's really stubborn.
But he also had to admit that what he liked most about Huang Shiyu was precisely this stubbornness, as if even at the bottom of the valley, he was not afraid, and he could go down a dark road, never looking back even after hitting a wall, and he would not stop until he broke through the wall.
Huang Shiyu rested her elbows on the armrests of her seat, her hands constantly switching between typing. Whether she was typing too enthusiastically or too engrossed, just as she finished typing a paragraph, the rumble of an airplane filled her ears, and the plane suddenly lurched slightly in front of her.
The phone that was in her hand was now slipping from her grasp and falling rapidly. Before she could react, she saw a large, well-defined hand firmly grasp her phone.
At this moment, the shaking plane returned to normal. Li Xingzhou glanced at the phone in his hand, intending to check its condition, but his eyes lingered on it for a while before handing it back to Huang Shiyu. As Huang Shiyu took the phone, he casually asked, "Are you angry?"
He gazed at Huang Shiyu silently.
"I think you're overthinking it. I'm not angry, and it's not worth getting angry over such a small thing. I have no reason to be angry with you either. We're both business people, and I understand that. Naturally, we should prioritize our own interests first. If I were in your shoes, I would do the same. There's nothing wrong with that."
This is what you call not being angry?
It's not like he's lost his five senses and can't hear it.
Look at that expression, it's completely tense, those beautiful eyes are practically sparking with energy.
Huang Shiyu knew she was in the wrong. After speaking, she put her phone in her pocket and looked out the window. The plane was shrouded in clouds, and the window was blurry. She could see her face, which looked like it was covered by a veil, reflected in the windowpane.
Those eyes, which naturally held aloofness when they looked at people, softened in the windowpane, appearing even more gentle.
Li Xingzhou looked at her.
She was wearing a light gray cardigan today, a very ordinary outfit in the crowd, but she has fair skin and a good temperament, so she looks good in anything.
"What have you learned in the business world over the years?"
Li Xingzhou's tone was actually the same as before, but this time his tone slowed down, and he seemed somewhat nonchalant.
"Of course, profit comes first. Mr. Li, isn't it a bit unnecessary for you to ask this question?" Huang Shiyu's tone was still sarcastic.
“I was just saying it casually, you don’t need to get so worked up like a cat whose tail has been stepped on.”
Li Xingzhou's voice was deep and resonant, blending seamlessly with the diverse voices around him without sounding out of place or silent.
After a moment, Huang Shiyu said, "No, it's just that businessmen are more focused on profits."
Hearing her words, Li Xingzhou narrowed his eyes slightly. By now, the plane had recovered from the slight turbulence. He could see the plane's wings gleaming with a golden halo in the sunlight outside the window, dazzling and radiant. He asked, "Why did you study finance in the first place?"
Huang Shiyu looked into his eyes, noticing the faint halo around them, and blurted out, his tone serious, "It can make money. Nine out of ten people think like me."
Li Xingzhou remained noncommittal: "Your point of view is not wrong either; being profit-driven is indeed the nature of businessmen."
Huang Shiyu clasped her hands together on her lap, her gaze fixed on the window, on the gleaming wings of the plane outside the glass. "Then why did you switch to studying finance?"
She had wanted to ask before but had no reason or standing to do so. Now that the topic had come up, she simply followed her heart and asked.
When Li Xingzhou heard her ask this, he was taken aback for a moment before saying, "Actually, the essence of finance is similar to that of musicology. Both involve putting a string of numbers into software tools for calculation. But people always miss the details. The three most important elements of music are melody, rhythm, and harmony, while the most important thing in finance is key data. This data will have a relevant impact on major decisions. I don't have any great ambitions or ambitions. I just want to know if those companies that have fallen by the wayside and been abandoned by the times also did so because they lacked key data."
Huang Shiyu turned to look at him and blurted out, "So that's why you chose the green medicine?"
Green Medicine was the predecessor of Sunac, a pharmaceutical company acquired by Li Xingzhou.
It was once a dominant force in the market, comparable to the current Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group. However, as the medical market gradually opened up, a steady stream of pharmaceutical companies entered the market to seize market share. At that time, the CEO of Green Medicine Company did not take these competitors seriously and had no sense of crisis.
After all, in the eyes of the CEO of Green Medicine Company, he possessed the first 3D printing technology in China, so how could he possibly be defeated by these fledgling companies?
They underestimated the other party too much and overestimated themselves, so it was only a matter of time before their downfall was inevitable.
Li Xingzhou leaned back in his chair. "That's one of the reasons. I just wanted to give it a try."
Although Green Medicine was a terminally ill camel when Li Xingzhou acquired it, it's no joke that even a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Its former glory was gone, but its technology and pharmaceutical resources remained. Green Medicine was only constrained by the vision of its leader. As long as a new decision-maker was brought in and suitable sales channels were introduced, Green Medicine could still stand on the cusp of opportunity, and its development would naturally improve. This is why Li Xingzhou was interested in acquiring Green Medicine.
Huang Shiyu, leaning back in his chair, glanced at him after hearing his words and said, "President Li is truly one of the few businessmen with a conscience. I want to learn from you."
He could tell that Huang Shiyu was mocking him. Aren't all businessmen driven by profit? That was Huang Shiyu's opinion. He chuckled to himself.
"Studying isn't necessary, and whether you have a good heart is hard to say." He leaned back in his chair, his arms draped over each other. "But it's rare to see you have any other emotional fluctuations."
Huang Shiyu sensed that Li Xingzhou's gaze had fallen on her as he spoke—not on her face, but on her body. Feeling offended, she deftly met his gaze.
"I am a human being, of course I have emotions and desires, unlike some people who are cold-blooded and heartless."
This is an allusion to denying her a share of the chip quota.
They still hold a grudge about it.
Li Xingzhou just smiled and continued, "You can mock me if you want, or think I'm heartless if you want. I really can't give you the chip share, but finding you the best chip company isn't just empty promises. Of course, I don't need your gratitude. I just need you to use your abilities and market judgment to make the project a success and let me see its value."
Li Xingzhou is actually very much in line with the typical businessman's style, especially with what he just said. He said he would find the best chips for her and the top medical technology team. If the project fails and does not meet market expectations, it is not his fault as an investor, but rather her ability, vision, and decision-making that are lacking. If the project ultimately fails, there is really no reason to blame Li Xingzhou for the failure, after all, he provided her with the best resources. If it doesn't work out, then it really is her problem.
To be honest, Huang Shiyu feels quite a bit of pressure right now.
If you have nothing, you can start over. But when you have hope, are the center of attention, and are highly anticipated, you feel anxious. But she can't say it out loud. It's too complicated. She doesn't know where to begin or how to explain it.
"You don't need to tell me that. Give me five years and I'll show you how the project can be successfully listed on the stock market."
Huang Shiyu spoke with conviction, as if five years was a long time for her.
Listing domestically is quite difficult, and the approval process is relatively slow. The company needs to maintain a net profit of over ten million yuan per year.
"Quite the boast," Li Xingzhou thought to himself.
However, he didn't feel that Huang Shiyu's words were arrogant or offensive in the slightest. On the contrary, these words really struck a chord with Li Xingzhou. He looked at Huang Shiyu, who was still the same as before, with his hands clasped on his lap. The light in his eyes was faintly swallowed and blended by the sunlight behind him, but he could still see that there was a firm belief in them.
Li Xingzhou had no intention of stirring things up further; after all, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
"That would be perfect, but I must remind you not to overlap with the singularity."
Upon hearing this, Huang Shiyu's expression changed, and he wanted to say something.
Li Xingzhou didn't give her a chance to argue, and directly pointed out: "Don't even think about replicating it, otherwise these two products will only become competitors in the end."
Li Xingzhou knew she was researching singularities; that was her first thought.
I just don't know how he found out.
She also understood what Li Xingzhou meant by those words: the market is diverse, and products should also be diversified. We shouldn't just focus on the present, but take a long-term view of the future.
Li Xingzhou knew that she planned to launch a product with similar style and functions to Qidian first. She had indeed thought about using Qidian's mature user system to make a good start.
It was nipped in the bud before it could even be implemented.
"You noticed," Huang Shiyu said, only these few words.
"I hope that the projects I invest in can be evergreen in the market, rather than fast food, flash in the pan, as if they are only there for a moment of brilliance."
He emphasized the last word, and his sharp, almond-shaped eyes gleamed with a piercing gaze.
“You’re right, I don’t deny your point of view,” Huang Shiyu said. “However, Mr. Li doesn’t need to worry about how I make the products.”
Li Xingzhou listened quietly, and after a few seconds, he made a decision: "I can give you one-third of the chip share, but I need you to sell 50,000 orders for the projects you have on hand first. No matter what method you use, you have five minutes to think about and refuse. If you haven't made up your mind after five minutes, then don't mention this to me again."
Huang Shiyu looked at him, puzzled as to why Li Xingzhou had suddenly relented. She had tried to reason with him about this many times before, but Li Xingzhou's answer was always that there was no room for negotiation. Why was he suddenly agreeing now?
Li Xingzhou glanced at his phone to check the time and said, "It's 1:15 now, there are three minutes left in the five-minute time limit."
He added, "I'm giving you five minutes because every minute and second is precious. Mr. Huang, you're a businessman, you understand that."
Li Xingzhou has already said all this; if she still gives him the cold shoulder, then she's ungrateful.
Huang Shiyu readily agreed, "Sure, deal."
As the landing announcement sounded, Li Xingzhou knew they were about to arrive at Vancouver International Airport. He turned to her, lowered his voice, and asked, "Is the plum blossom important to you?"
For her, plum blossoms held countless stories and untold stories, yet she didn't know where to begin.
She murmured, "Does it matter? It's a kind of destiny."
After getting off the plane and crossing the jet bridge, the two got into the hotel's car. They were tired from the long journey and had no interest in going out. After eating some food at the hotel and washing up, they went back to their rooms to rest without saying another word.
The next day, around eight o'clock sharp, Huang Shiyu had already finished washing up. Actually, her biological clock had woken up at six o'clock, but now that she was in a foreign country, she couldn't help but want to stay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking about what time it would be back home, what she would be doing at this time back home, and other such mundane things.
When she came out of the room, she didn't see Li Xingzhou in the living room, so he must still be asleep.
They stayed in the presidential suite, which Huang Shiyu was happy with. After all, each of them had their own room, so they didn't interfere with each other's lives. The bedding in the room was also very comfortable, and she was very satisfied.
She had just poured herself a glass of water when she heard Li Xingzhou call her name.
She took a sip of water and responded to him indistinctly. Perhaps because she couldn't hear him clearly, Li Xingzhou called out even louder this time, "Huang Shiyu."
"Hmm? What's wrong?" she replied.
"My stomach isn't feeling well, so I'll have to trouble you to go to Manager Lin's appointment for me today."
Huang Shiyu was taken aback. "Huh? But I've never seen this project or the plan before, and I have no idea how far the two companies have progressed in their negotiations."
"You came on this business trip with me because you wanted to learn about Sunac's success model, right?" he said slowly. "The opportunity is right in front of you; it just depends on whether you can cherish it."
The two had signed a confidentiality agreement before they arrived, so Li Xingzhou wasn't worried at all that Huang Shiyu would leak secrets.
Just as Huang Shiyu finished drinking the water in her glass, Li Xingzhou's voice rang out again, reaching her ears through the crack in the door. Despite the concrete and steel barrier, it was exceptionally clear: "There are still thirty minutes until nine o'clock. I have already sent the plan and project to your email. You still have time to review the details and situation."
After listening, Huang Shiyu stood with her water glass for a while before slowly putting it down. She raised her eyes, looked at the closed door for a long time, picked up her phone, and turned to leave.
She went out.
As soon as Huang Shiyu stepped out of the hotel, he hailed a car and headed to his destination.
After getting into the car, she immediately dialed a number in China, "Wang Ping, I hope I didn't bother you."
It is already nighttime in China.
"No, what happened?"
While reviewing the information sent by Li Xingzhou, Huang Shiyu told Wang Ping the key point of the call: "You have a wide network of contacts, so help me find out Lin Xinyu's information. It needs to be very comprehensive."
After Wang Ping agreed, Huang Shiyu hung up the phone and quickly read through the materials. Looking at the dense text on her phone, she felt as if countless ants were swarming in front of her.
Sometimes, when she was confused, she even had the illusion that the ants were crawling into her eyes!
This isn't the first time she's been forced into this situation. From her school days to her current job, she's experienced it countless times. However, she's gone from being flustered and anxious at the beginning to being able to handle these things calmly now. This is a valuable experience and a rare improvement for her.
She never harbored resentment towards these things; on the contrary, she felt they were powerful medicines that accelerated her growth.
Just as Huang Shiyu finished reading the documents, the car arrived at its destination. After paying, she got out of the car and went to the place where Li Xingzhou was supposed to meet her that day.
When she first saw him, she thought she was seeing things and never imagined that he was actually Li Xingzhou's blind date.
The world really is a small place; we met again after going around in circles.
"Hello, Huang Shiyu." She extended her hand, looking at the person who was drinking coffee.
But this person didn't seem interested in her. He glanced at her outstretched hand, slowly put down his coffee, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth. "I know you."
Then, her upturned lips quickly drooped down. "You're not from Sunac."
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