Chapter 86: Quite the Smooth Talker

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Quite the Smooth Talker

Chen Xiao watched the scene unfold. As the instigator, all he could do was hold back his laughter!

He motioned for the server to pour the drinks. Four carafes were filled to the brim, though Zhao Xiangjun wasn’t drinking.

She didn’t like to drink, and Chen Xiao didn’t like her drinking, so she didn’t have to!

At the table, Zhao Xiangjun was quiet. Wu Ting would occasionally and cautiously try to make small talk with her.

The conversation was mostly between Chen Xiao and Zhang Shijie, with Liu Haoran occasionally chiming in!

At one point, Zhang Shijie joked, "President Zhao just injected another two billion. We have so much cash on the books now, I don’t even know how to spend it."

"So I’m also here to report our next steps to President Zhao!"

Zhao Xiangjun replied in a clear, crisp voice, "I don’t understand this stuff. Just talk to Chen Xiao. I’ll listen to him!"

Zhang Shijie froze. Her words were "I’ll listen to him," not "You should listen to him." The implications were completely different!

The former meant that Chen Xiao could make any and all decisions on her behalf, while the latter would have been a simple directive to get Chen Xiao’s opinion on this one matter.

’Good grief, this President Chen is just a bit handsome, that’s all. There are plenty of guys more handsome than him in the world. What on earth did he do to get President Zhao so utterly devoted to him!’

Chen Xiao didn’t stand on ceremony, smiling as he said, "I don’t know the first thing about retail, so I won’t get in President Zhang’s way."

"I’m in artificial intelligence. Right now, the retail industry is under immense pressure when it comes to labor, both in terms of cost and recruiting!"

"If we could produce a humanoid robot that could replace traditional sales associates, the market for that would be in the trillions!"

If he could actually create them, it truly would be a trillion-dollar market. The problem is, with AI as it is today, robots can only replace people in a few, simple scenarios.

Take factory robots, for example. Each one is only responsible for a few fixed movements.

But the environment a sales associate works in is incredibly complex and dynamic. Completely replacing them with robots is probably impossible, at least for the next ten years.

But what about the future? The future is unknowable; anything’s possible!

Zhang Shijie understood all of this, which was why he didn’t know how to respond. He thought Chen Xiao had to be joking!

’The R&D direction is good, and it really is a trillion-dollar market, maybe even larger. But the key question is, who can afford to fund it?’

’The investment would be at least in the hundreds of billions, maybe even trillions. And it could be years before we see any results. This isn’t something one or two companies can handle on their own.’

He could only let out a couple of dry laughs and play along. "President Chen’s vision is certainly excellent, with vast prospects!"

Of course, Chen Xiao could tell what he was thinking. He simply continued, "Actually, the R&D can be done in stages. We can start by solving problems in a few simple application scenarios!"

"For example, we can first handle fixed scenarios like checking out, signing up members, maintaining relationships with regular customers, and sending out event notifications. Then, we can gradually develop the more human-like functions."

"That way, the results from the initial investment can be converted into productivity and bring real benefits to the stores!"

"Oh, and if stores start using robots now, they’ll definitely become ’check-in’ spots for young people. They’d be a huge draw for foot traffic!"

He went on and on, his old salesman habits flaring up, oblivious to the fact that Zhang Shijie’s head was starting to spin.

’This President Chen is completely unreliable,’ he thought. ’If I, Zhang Shijie, actually went through with this project, I’d probably be fired by tomorrow! The board would say I’ve lost my mind!’

’Besides, if you want to do it so badly, do it yourself! Isn’t President Zhao loaded? Why else would she toss another two billion into the company!’

Liu Haoran was even less inclined to speak up. For one, he didn’t understand artificial intelligence. For another, he was completely baffled by the situation!

’President Chen introduced himself as being in AI, and now he’s talking about developing robots to replace sales associates... You’re not seriously thinking of partnering with the Yino Group for robotics R&D, are you?’

’But the Yino Group is a retail company! How many traditional retailers get into high-tech R&D?’

’This is just absurd! Complete nonsense!’

Even Zhao Xiangjun thought his professional habits were just flaring up again. She simply listened, offering no opinion of her own!

Once Chen Xiao finished his spiel, he raised his glass for a drink with the others and then cut right to the chase.

"President Zhang, do you think the project I just described is worth pursuing?"

Zhang Shijie could only continue to play along. "It’s an excellent project!"

"Great. Let’s partner up, then!" Chen Xiao declared, sealing the deal.

Zhang Shijie was completely stunned. He turned to look at Zhao Xiangjun, his expression screaming, ’Boss, what do you think? He’s got to be joking!’

Zhao Xiangjun, sharp as ever, immediately understood his unspoken plea. She said, "I listen to Chen Xiao in everything."

’Good heavens, my lady, you listen to *everything* he says? What kind of potion did he give you?’

But he didn’t understand Zhao Xiangjun. To her, wealth was truly a trivial, external matter. She had no concept of money, nor did she care for it!

All she knew was that Chen Xiao’s happiness was all that mattered. As for the outcome? Was that even important?

The big boss had made her stance clear. Resigned, Zhang Shijie turned to Chen Xiao. "How does President Chen propose we do this? Yino is a retail company. Venturing into high-tech R&D seems a bit far from our core business."

"You can’t look at it that way, President Zhang. You have to see things from a developmental perspective," Chen Xiao said. "How about this: I propose Yino put up one hundred million to form a joint project with Dr. Feng’s Robot."

"We’ll establish a separate company for this project. Dr. Feng’s Robot will provide the technology, and the Yino Group can provide the real-world application scenarios!"

"The two parties will collaborate, and the funding for ongoing R&D can be secured through future financing rounds!"

Holy shit. One hundred million, just like that. Both Zhang Shijie and Liu Haoran were floored!

The investment to open a single one of their stores was only a few million, yet here he was, asking for one hundred million right off the bat—and for a venture completely unrelated to retail. If this project failed, Zhang Shijie would be torn to shreds.

He shot a desperate, pleading look at Zhao Xiangjun, but she just sat there, completely unconcerned.

’Boss! He’s asking for a hundred million, not one million! Are you really not going to do anything?’ Zhang Shijie was on the verge of tears!

When had the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company ever been put in such an awkward position?

If he refused, he’d be going against the big boss’s tacit approval. If he agreed, how in the world would he explain it to management and the board of directors!

"If President Zhang is worried about resistance from the board, you don’t have to be!" Chen Xiao could understand his predicament.

’Other than President Zhao, probably no one else would agree to this,’ Zhang Shijie thought. ’The resistance is going to be massive.’

"If the board doesn’t agree, President Zhao will continue to inject capital until she has absolute control!"

Zhang Shijie was dumbstruck. ’Just listen to him,’ he thought. ’Just listen to the words coming out of his mouth.’

’So you’re telling me you’d have President Zhao invest billions more, just for a hundred-million-dollar deal?’

"President Zhang, I’m not trying to take your money, I’m trying to help you make it. Have you considered what the future valuation of this project could be?"

"By then, the board will be falling over themselves to thank you!"

’Thank me? Yeah, right,’ he thought. ’Only President Zhao would let you get away with this nonsense.’

’Fine. You’re forcing me to pick a side. Do I even have a choice?’

Finally, Zhang Shijie capitulated. "President Chen, I’ll start moving on this when I get back. We’ll probably need President Zhao to lend her support when it comes to the board!"