Chapter 916: Meeting Ah Xi’s Dad (2)

Su Zelin added, “There’s another way. You guys could first coordinate with Midea and decide who goes up first this year. That way you don’t have to fight to the death. But I think there’s a high chance it won’t work, because Brother Ma, you definitely don’t want to wait until next year, and I don’t think Midea will want to either!”

“Right, there’s no way we’re backing down this year. And if we really reach out to Midea to ‘discuss’ it, they’ll think Ah Li chickened out. We can only throw up a smokescreen—if that doesn’t work, then we fight!”

Old Ma was dead set on the 2006 Spring Festival Gala, so he didn’t consider this suggestion. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Younger Brother Su, to tell you the truth, our Ah Li really has prepared a budget of up to three hundred million. This is no smokescreen!”

“No way!”

Hun Zi was stunned.

If this had been before his rebirth, he wouldn’t have found three hundred million strange at all—just think about Kuaishou’s one-billion-yuan red envelopes and Douyin’s two-billion-yuan red envelopes to know how crazy it can get.

But this was only 2005. A budget of three hundred million really did have a bit of a “whatever it takes” flavor.

“Our Ah Li is just like New Era; we also need a turning point that lets people all over the country know Ah Li, know Taojin, know Alipay, know that this new way of shopping can change their lives. So if it comes down to an all?out fight, what’s three hundred million!”

Old Ma spoke with boundless bravado.

Su Zelin fell silent for a moment, understanding the longing of this helmsman of Ah Li.

Ah Li may already have gained some fame domestically, but compared with the future household?name Internet giant, there was still a big gap. Right now, the only people who shop online are some relatively cutting?edge young folks. Mention Taojin, mention Alipay, mention online shopping—countless ordinary people in Xia Country are still completely baffled.

However, if Ah Li can get this Spring Festival Gala sponsorship, the advance of online shopping in the country will definitely be greatly accelerated. Changing the lifestyle of the people of Xia Country is Old Ma’s greatest wish, which is why he’s willing to throw in such heavy money.

“Brother Ma, in that case, I wish you and Ah Li the best of luck!”

“Good. Once I return triumphant from Yanjing, I’ll drink to my heart’s content with you, Younger Brother Su!”

“Heh, Brother Ma, I’ll be waiting for that victory drink!”

“…”

A few days later, Old Ma took his team and headed up to the capital.

On the same day, Su Zelin also left Lin’an, but Hun Zi was going on a business trip to Jinling.

As a senior executive, he couldn’t just sit in the headquarters office building all day. Now and then he had to go out, keep in touch with key people in the provincial and municipal branches, and not let them feel that the higher?ups at headquarters are all aloof, dragon heads you see but never the tail, just letting them graze all day. It’s the same logic as when the big leaders in Yanjing occasionally go inspect some small place.

It just so happened that the number of stores in Gusu had broken through five hundred, an outstanding record, so headquarters had to send a heavyweight executive over to give some encouragement; meetings and speeches were inevitable.

Yang Fen and Kang Baohong were both busy, so Hun Zi had to step up. Besides, Su Zelin had quite a few classmates in Gusu and they hadn’t had a get?together in a while, so he could use this chance to catch up.

Lin’an is only about three hundred kilometers from Jinling, not that far, so he just drove.

For most cities within the Jiang?Zhe?Lu region, Hun Zi was used to choosing self?drive.

But since the Ning?Hang Expressway hadn’t opened yet, it took more than four hours of driving to reach his destination.

As the capital of Gusu Province, Jinling is also a fine place. Ever since Wu of the Three Kingdoms made it their capital, and later the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen all successively set up their capitals there, it earned the reputation of “Ancient Capital of Six Dynasties,” with a history even older than Lin’an’s.

He arrived in Jinling around noon, and the regional head, Li Feng, immediately arranged a hotel for him to settle in. Li Feng had once been an old hand at headquarters; he came over when they opened up the Jinling market and had known Su Zelin for a long time.

Young people have energy; a few hours of driving didn’t make him feel tired. After checking into the hotel, Su Zelin didn’t rest. In the afternoon he went nonstop to check out various directly operated stores in the city and the university town, and only returned to the hotel near dusk.

To celebrate Gusu Province’s stores breaking the five?hundred mark, they held a celebration banquet at this hotel, inviting some store managers, branch managers, and local officials.

As a matter of course, Su Zelin was arranged to sit together with regional head Li Feng and a few honored guests. After they sat down, Li Feng introduced who they were—they were all leaders from the city.

Seeing that Su Zelin was so young yet already serving as operations director of this nationally famous chain digital?products company, several leaders were quite surprised. Only one middle?aged man with a square face remained very composed.

“President Su, I’ve actually heard about you for quite a while. Hearing your name can’t compare to meeting in person—you really are young and promising, a hero in his youth!”

The middle?aged man chuckled.

Su Zelin found this strange as soon as he heard it.

Within Lin’an’s government circles, he was pretty much a household name; he often met with those big leaders. But outside Lin’an, many people might never have heard of him.

Besides, the tone of this middle?aged man didn’t sound like he was just flattering him. With his status, he didn’t need to flatter a junior.

“Speaking of which, I first heard about you from my daughter, back when New Era hadn’t even been founded yet.”

The square?faced middle?aged man added.

“Your daughter?”

Su Zelin grew even more surprised.

Something suddenly came to mind, and he blurted out, “You’re Luo Xi’s father?”

This middle?aged man’s name was Luo Jingxian; he was the top man in Lin’an’s finance department.

And Luo Xi’s dad was a big leader in some department in Lin’an.

Su Zelin and Luo Xi were indeed very close, and their relationship in his previous life had also been quite good, but he had really never heard her father’s name before.