Chapter 697 Earn 120 Million From a Meeting? One Wants to Make Cars, Another Wants to Make Phones in Tianzhu?

“Are you really serious about building cars? You should probably wait another two years. There are far too few charging stations in the country.”

“Think about it. There are only 14,000 charging stations in the whole country. That averages out to just ten per county. And most counties have populations ranging from several hundred thousand to over a million. How are people supposed to charge their cars?”

Lei Yijun advised him earnestly.

Building cars wasn’t the problem; the timing just wasn’t right.

“Brother Jun, I’ve thought about this. I plan to enter the market from the mid-to-high-end segment and push the driving range to over 600 kilometers. That will reduce users’ dependency on charging stations.”

“Also, I’ve asked around. The higher-ups intend to promote the installation of charging stations in places like residential communities. Developing the new energy vehicle industry is already a government directive. If we follow the policy, we’ll have a guaranteed safety net, at the very least.”

He Xiaopeng shook his head. He had his own ideas, and he shared them without reservation with this big brother figure.

After all, it was Lei Yijun who had first inspired him with the idea of building cars.

Both men were Beihu People. One was from Xiantao, the other from Huangshi. Since they were both trying to make it in Yanjing, they had naturally formed a closer bond.

Seven years ago, when He Xiaopeng founded UC Browser and was facing a capital shortage, Lei Yijun had come to his rescue with a timely four million yuan.

Of course, Lei Yijun didn’t get the short end of the stick.

Today, UC Browser boasted 500 million users worldwide, with up to 100 million daily active users, and was valued at over 4.5 billion US Dollars.

Once Ah Li completed its final round of strategic investment after the New Year, Lei Yijun’s four-million investment would yield a massive return of several dozen times its original value.

“Alright. Once President Chen arrives, I’ll help you make the connection.”

Seeing He Xiaopeng’s firm stance, Lei Yijun stopped trying to persuade him. His attitude immediately shifted to one of strong support.

His investment style had always been the same: bet on the person, not the project.

In his eyes, as long as He Xiaopeng was someone who could get things done, that was enough.

“Thanks, Brother Jun. How many more units does the Redmi 1 need to sell to hit ten million?” He Xiaopeng asked gratefully.

Although he and Chen Yansen had met a few times, they were merely nodding acquaintances.

This was also why he had asked Lei Yijun to act as a middleman.

After all, Xiaomi and Orange Technology had a deeply integrated partnership. Xiaomi Mobile Phones used Orange Technology’s operating system, supply chain, and production lines, making them look very much like a junior partner.

Having Lei Yijun make the introduction was much better than him approaching Chen Yansen rashly.

“We’ve sold just under seven million units domestically, but I’m already very satisfied. The shipment volume for the Qingcheng series is just insane. Plus, with the 360 F-series stirring things up, I estimate the final sales for the year will reach 8.5 to 9 million units.”

“But the Tianzhu market has been a huge surprise. Orange Mobile Phone’s penetration rate there isn’t very high, which let Xiaomi get a leg up. We sold 1.1 million units in the first three months, even more than Apple.”

Lei Yijun said with a broad smile.

He saw the potential in the Tianzhu market, but if they shipped phones from Hua Country to Tianzhu, they would have to pay additional tariffs.

As a result, the selling price would have to be marked up by 6% to 10%, which would significantly reduce their market competitiveness.

So he had toyed with the idea of building a production base in Tianzhu. The only problem was that Xiaomi had zero experience when it came to manufacturing.

Therefore, just as He Xiaopeng wanted to approach Chen Yansen to negotiate a procurement deal for the Deep Blue Battery, he also wanted to ask Chen Yansen for advice on the operational side of manufacturing.

The only issue was, if Xiaomi were to build a factory in Tianzhu, it would, to some extent, reduce its dependence on Orange Technology.

Would Chen Yansen’s support for Xiaomi remain as unwavering as before?

Lei Yijun wasn’t so sure.

Just then, a Maybach 62S and a Mercedes MPV business van pulled up, one after the other.

Hearing the sound, Lei Yijun instinctively looked up. After getting a clear look at the license plate, he quickly nudged He Xiaopeng’s arm and then trotted over to greet them.

Watching his big brother’s retreating back, He Xiaopeng couldn’t help but chuckle.

CLICK. The inner hinge of the car door made a crisp sound.

Chen Yansen stepped out of the car.

He was tall and stood ramrod straight, dressed only in a royal blue shirt paired with dark gray trousers. His leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine, gleaming under the lights.

Though he had a youthful face, his gaze was exceptionally deep, and he carried a heavy, imposing aura.

Even Lei Yijun and He Xiaopeng, both worth tens of billions, had the illusion of seeing their superior—their boss—when they saw Chen Yansen.

“President Chen,” Lei Yijun greeted, his face wreathed in smiles.

“President Chen, long time no see,” He Xiaopeng added his greeting.

Chen Yansen nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries with the two, smiling.

Then, accompanied by their assistants and security personnel, the three of them walked toward the inner courtyard of Jingzhao Prefect.

Before long, they arrived at an antique-styled private room.

Lei Yijun knew his style well—he hated beating around the bush. So, as soon as they sat down, he cut right to the chase and brought up He Xiaopeng’s plan to build cars.

The meaning behind his words was clear: he was hoping to secure resources from Senlian Capital.

Whether it was the procurement rights for the Deep Blue Battery or an investment from Chen Yansen, they weren’t picky.

“President He, I can give you the procurement rights. Once the Deep Blue Battery’s number three factory begins production, I can give you priority supply. However, the order amount cannot be less than 500 million US Dollars.”

Chen Yansen took a sip of his tea and said unhurriedly.

He had given them face, but the rules couldn’t be broken.

Chen Yansen would only lower the minimum order value on procurement contracts if Deep Blue Technology’s production capacity exceeded market demand.

‘500 million US Dollars?’

‘A 30% deposit?’

He Xiaopeng thought for a moment, then agreed.

Although Chen Yansen hadn’t budged much on the minimum order value, he had offered priority supply rights.

It was a well-known fact within the industry that the Deep Blue 4890 batteries were in short supply.

BYD and Jianghuai had moved the earliest and were rumored to be receiving their shipments in November.

Meanwhile, BAIC, SAIC, and Great Wall were still waiting in line, even after paying deposits of 150 million US Dollars.

“Thank you for your consideration, President Chen,” He Xiaopeng said respectfully, raising his glass.

In recent months, a saying had been circulating in the new energy vehicle industry: as long as you could secure procurement rights for the Deep Blue Battery, your project was already halfway to success.

As the banquet progressed, with toasts exchanged and several rounds of drinks consumed, Lei Yijun, emboldened by the alcohol, revealed Xiaomi’s ambition to fully enter the Tianzhu market.

Chen Yansen thought about it but didn’t try to stop him.

Seeing Chen Yansen being so generous, Lei Yijun felt a warmth in his heart and, in the heat of the moment, couldn’t help but call him ‘Brother Sen’.

In his eyes, although Chen Yansen was young, his support for Xiaomi was like that of a true big brother.

The dinner party didn’t break up until ten o’clock at night.

‘One wants to build cars, and the other wants to build phones in Tianzhu. It’s not so easy to jump on the bandwagon.’

After getting into the car, Chen Yansen chuckled softly, making this silent evaluation.

However, the car-building plans of Jia Yaoting and He Xiaopeng, combined with the symposium on new energy subsidies, also served as a reminder for him: Senlian Capital might not enter the fray directly, but it was time to start building up a technical reserve.

「The next morning」

Chen Yansen, dressed sharply and full of spirit, took a car to Yanjing Center.