Chapter 676: Pinbei Veterans' Council! A 1 Billion US Dollar Loss? The Influence of Deep Blue Battery Becomes Apparent

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to the entrance of the Sky Garden Hotel.

Chen Yansen stepped out of the car. As soon as he entered the lobby, the manager on duty hurried over with a smile and said respectfully, “Good evening, Mr. Chen.”

“Go on about your business. You don’t need to attend to me. Just have the kitchen start sending up the food.”

Chen Yansen said with a wave of his hand.

Driven by Senlian Capital, Sky Garden, Xucheng’s top-rated restaurant, had become increasingly famous.

Orange Technology had held several new product launch events here.

However, once projects like Pinbei, Orange Technology, Today Technology, and Orange Pay moved to the Luzhou Headquarters next year, Sky Garden’s fame and business would likely plummet back to the level they were at three years ago.

This was the main reason why corporations rarely relocated. It didn’t just affect the upstream and downstream of related industries, but also the local service sector.

A decade or so ago, if a business owner even had the thought of relocating in the morning, someone would be at their door by the afternoon to “persuade” them otherwise.

It was fine if they listened to reason. If not, they’d be in for a world of hurt by nightfall.

If you can’t have it, destroy it!

Of course, given Senlian Capital’s power in Hua Country, no one would dare lay a finger on Chen Yansen.

Although Xu Zhenhui was reluctant, Meng Yuanzhi’s fist was bigger than his, so he could only watch helplessly as Chen Yansen moved the company to Luzhou.

“Of course, Mr. Chen,” the manager on duty replied with a nod.

Chen Yansen sat in the lobby’s lounge area for a moment. Zhang Yifeng, Song Yuncheng, and the others arrived one by one, and the group took the elevator straight to Huangshan Hall on the top floor.

The seventy- or eighty-square-meter private room was magnificently decorated. Directly ahead hung a landscape painting of a Guest-Greeting Pine, and the furniture and decor exuded the charm of a Jiangnan ink wash painting.

A long, jujube wood altar table sat beneath the painting. On its eastern end was a blue-and-white porcelain vase, on the western end was a tabletop mirror, and in the middle sat an antique-style clock. This was a typical Hui Nan custom, symbolizing a lifetime of peace and security (Ping’an).

It was clear from the room’s decor that Sky Garden had put a great deal of thought into its design.

The moment a big boss from Huizhou stepped into the private room and saw the altar table, they would be reminded of the main hall in their old family home, evoking childhood memories.

“Oh? I know this! Xu Song sang about it in a song: ‘A vase in the east, a mirror in the west; I wish I could forget.'”

Hu Li spotted the altar table as soon as she entered the room and spoke with a smile.

In the past, they had always gone to the banquet hall when they came to Sky Garden and had rarely been in the private rooms, so this was the first time she had seen it.

Chen Yansen smiled faintly. He’d been in this private room countless times. Once, when Song Yuncheng had asked about it out of curiosity, he had explained it all to her.

Living rooms in many parts of Huian shared this design, but while most people knew how to arrange the items, they didn’t know why they were arranged that way.

Before Chen Yansen could even sit down, Xiang Pengfei had already pulled out the chair at the head of the table, gesturing for the boss to take his seat.

When it came to being observant, not even Li Hui could compare to Xiang Pengfei.

Chen Yansen clapped Xiang Pengfei on the shoulder and said, “With that quick wit of yours, you’d thrive anywhere.”

With that, he took the seat at the head of the table and then said, “Don’t just stand there. Sit wherever you like.”

Despite his words, everyone turned their gaze to Song Yuncheng.

As employee number one of both FoxTao and Pinbei, if President Song didn’t sit, how could they dare to sit first?

“Well, now. It seems Manager Song is quite the esteemed figure here. Come, sit over here!”

Chen Yansen pointed to the seat on his left, teasing her with a smile.

Song Yuncheng gave a charming smile and, without protesting, sat down next to Chen Yansen.

Zhang Yifeng then took the seat to Chen Yansen’s right.

Seeing that both of them were seated, Xiang Pengfei let out a little chuckle and sat down right next to Zhang Yifeng.

Zhang Wenbo, Zhuang Rui, Hu Yun, Chen Xu, Hu Li, Yuan Wei, Li Hui, Meng Xibo, Xu Xingxing, and Zhu Xiaopeng then took their seats in turn.

Seeing this, the waiters outside the door quickly brought in hot towels for everyone to wipe their faces and hands.

Immediately after, a series of exquisitely plated dishes were brought out. In the center of the table was an array of Maotai, whiskey, rice wine, red wine, and juice.

Chen Yansen reached for a bottle of juice and said, “Drink whatever you want. I’m sticking to juice tonight.”

In truth, he had little interest in drinking. He only ever drank before out of social obligation.

Compared to their relaxed and easygoing dynamic three years ago, everyone except Song Yuncheng—Zhang Yifeng included—had grown much more mature in the professional world.

The seating arrangement alone showed that this group had long shed their naivety and become competent managers at Pinbei.

Zhang Yifeng wanted to toast Chen Yansen, but since Song Yuncheng hadn’t made a move yet, he could only wait.

“Boss, thank you for nurturing my career. I’d like to propose a toast to you.”

Having worked in the major client Investment Attraction department for over two years, Song Yuncheng had long since mastered the culture of the drinking table.

She noticed Zhang Yifeng repeatedly rubbing his finger on his glass, instantly understood what he wanted, and so she raised her glass, stood up, and solemnly expressed her gratitude to Chen Yansen.

“Stop! Sit down! We’re not talking about work tonight, and no words of thanks are allowed.”

Chen Yansen said, his expression stern.

“Brother Sen, Yuncheng is throwing one back—baijiu, no less. How can you get away with drinking juice?” Hu Li said, pursing her lips in a slight smile as she boldly teased him.

“Sister Li is right! Get Brother Sen some Maotai!” Xiang Pengfei immediately chimed in, livening up the atmosphere.

Chen Yansen stared at Song Yuncheng, the two of them exchanging a silent, meaningful look.

‘I’ll deal with you when we get home tonight.’

‘I’m not scared!’

Chen Yansen smiled, took the glass from Xiang Pengfei, and downed it in one gulp.

After that, Zhang Yifeng and the others took turns coming forward to toast him.

Chen Yansen chatted with each person for a few minutes, which gave him a more direct understanding of the changes at Pinbei over the past year.

After all, since Huang Zheng became CEO of Pinbei, Chen Yansen had visited Building Six only a handful of times. He usually only got a general overview from weekly and monthly financial meetings and wasn’t clear on the frontline details.

Now, fueled by alcohol, Zhang Yifeng’s spirited expression as he spoke about industrial belts and the farmer assistance program felt more real to Chen Yansen than reading a dozens-of-pages-long report.

They had agreed not to talk about work, but after just a couple of drinks, the conversation had already circled back to business.

Chen Yansen couldn’t be bothered to steer it away again, so he just picked up his chopsticks and started eating dinner.

Xu Xingxing sat in a corner, her gaze fixed on Chen Yansen. Hu Li, who was sitting near her, happened to glimpse this and took on a thoughtful expression.

The dinner lasted for over three hours, from just after six o’clock until ten.

In Chen Yansen’s view, Zhang Yifeng and the others had grown up extremely fast.

After three years of tempering in the professional world, their thinking was far more mature than their peers, and they had each developed their own internal logic for how they handled people and tasks.

Outside the hotel, since everyone had been drinking, they all stood at the intersection waiting for designated drivers.

If no one else had been around, Song Yuncheng could have just left her car in the hotel parking lot. But with colleagues and classmates of many years present, she really couldn’t just get into Chen Yansen’s car directly.

Chen Yansen got into his car and waved goodbye to the group.

「Meanwhile.」

Far away at Apple Headquarters in California, Cook was looking over the first-month sales data for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Hua Country. From September 10th to September 30th, a period of three weeks, a total of 7.23 million units had been sold.

Of those, the iPhone 5s accounted for 78.6%, while the iPhone 5c made up only 21.4%, truly proving the saying that Apple users only buy the expensive models.

The total sales for the versions equipped with the Deep Blue Battery reached 6.91 million units, accounting for over 95%.

Looking at the global market, the Deep Blue Battery version’s sales were still far ahead.

After a moment of contemplation, Cook made an immediate decision: to completely abandon traditional lithium-ion batteries and fully embrace Deep Blue Technology.

As for companies like Mountain Star SDI, Sony, ATL, Desai, and Xinwangda, they would all be kicked out of the supply chain.

Although he wanted to find an alternative supplier besides Deep Blue Technology, it was the only company with high-energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries.

In the North American Region, it was difficult to find a second company that could produce a substitute with parameters equivalent to the Deep Blue Battery.

After returning from Hua Country, he had visited SionPower, Polyplus, and Moltech in succession. In terms of energy density, Polyplus had the strongest technology, with lab data reaching 520 watt-hours per kilogram.

But when he asked about the cycle life, he was dumbfounded. After more than 200 full charge-discharge cycles, the battery was basically scrap. It was completely unsuitable for commercial use.

Furthermore, problems like the shuttle effect and the formation of lithium dendrites remained unsolved. The batteries overheated severely, were prone to spontaneous combustion, and their performance was extremely unstable.

Although they were lithium-sulfur batteries, just like Deep Blue Technology’s, the difference in performance and safety between them was like night and day.

And when he asked about the cost, it was somehow even higher than the Deep Blue Battery.

Only then did Cook completely give up hope.

Early the next morning, Foxconn and the Orange Phone Factory received a notification from Apple: from now on, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c would only have one version—the one with the Deep Blue Battery.

In other words, Cook was terminating cooperation with all other battery cell suppliers and battery pack assembly plants.

Guo Mingtai and Cao Dahua wouldn’t care, but companies like Mountain Star, Sony, and ATL were stunned.

In the consumer electronics sector, Apple was undoubtedly one of their biggest clients.

Losing Apple’s orders meant they would lose two to three hundred million US Dollars in annual revenue.

They wanted to call and try to change his mind, but Cook simply said coldly, “I gave you a chance, but the consumers aren’t buying it.”

Cook was a professional manager who held several million shares of Apple stock; his interests were aligned with the company’s.

If the Deep Blue Battery version had only accounted for 80% of sales, he would have been willing to give other suppliers a chance to reduce reliance on Deep Blue Technology.

But as it happened, the sales share for the Deep Blue Battery versions of the iPhone 5s and 5c was 95%, and even approaching 96%.

Was there even a choice to be made?

As Apple began to adjust its supply chain, a chorus of wails rose from the battery manufacturers in Little Days and Korea, with cumulative losses reaching as high as one billion US Dollars.

What made it even harder for them to swallow was that Apple’s next step was to switch to Deep Blue Batteries for its computer products, which was bound to shrink their business even further.

But Deep Blue Technology neither sold its patents nor licensed its production processes, so they didn’t even have a chance to become contract manufacturers.

They could only shell out cash to buy the finished products!

Mountain Star, LG, and Sony had all signed procurement contracts with Deep Blue Technology, waiting for the Shencheng City Number Two Factory to begin production.

The mobile phone manufacturers and computer brands that hadn’t secured procurement rights grew anxious, afraid of losing their first-mover advantage and seeing an impact on their own product sales.

For a time, various players pulled out all the stops, mobilizing their personal connections and networks in an attempt to secure procurement rights for the second batch.

「On the other side.」

Chen Yansen was at the Xiangcheng Racecourse. He had just ridden a few laps on his horse when the phone in his pocket began ringing incessantly.

The calls were from friends in the Business Community as well as friends from the Central Bureau. Their purpose was simple: they wanted to obtain procurement rights for the Deep Blue Battery, and they were willing to accept even a minimum order of five hundred million US Dollars.

Chen Yansen gave them all the same reply—that there would be another procurement negotiation meeting after the holiday, and details would be discussed then—before hanging up.

‘Didn’t want to come last time, but now you’re desperate?’

‘You can wait.’

Chen Yansen swung himself back onto his horse, grabbed the reins, and chased after Song Yuncheng, who wasn’t far away.

The influence of the Deep Blue Battery continued to spread across all industries. A new product creates new jobs, but it can also deliver a devastating blow to existing industries.

Clearly, the battery industries of Little Days, Korea, and Europe and America were now at the center of this storm.