Although it was Bai Jingchen's first time meeting his junior, Liu Yutong, a mere half-hour of conversation was enough to make him look at this girl in a completely new light.
Earlier, when he heard about her various deeds from his daughter, his first reaction was disbelief. After all, it sounded too exaggerated!
An eighteen-year-old girl who started a business from scratch and, within two years, held tens or even hundreds of billions in assets—this was more astonishing than the wealth the Bai family had accumulated over decades.
Now, after this conversation, he was thoroughly convinced.
Liu Yutong's mannerisms and speech could not be faked. Especially when discussing the trade landscape and future trends between Dragon Country and the Beautiful Country, she could always hit the nail on the head, shocking even someone like him who had lived in the Beautiful Country for years.
He was able to see these trends because he had the inherent advantage of dealing with both sides for a long time. However, she had no overseas business at all, yet she could see the exact same issues he did. It was evident how sharp her foresight was.
"Starting a business at 18 and developing the Wanlong Association to such a scale... Yutong, your resume truly puts me to shame!"
Chewing on a shrimp dumpling, Bai Shisui nodded repeatedly. "Of course! Dad, do you finally understand what it means for the new generation to surpass the old? Sister Yutong is much more capable than you are."
Liu Yutong replied, "Shisui, don't put me on a pedestal. Uncle has always been a role model for us younger generations. I was just lucky to achieve what I have today. I remember someone once said that even a pig can fly if it stands in the right updraft, and I just happened to be standing in that updraft."
Although there was some modesty in her words, it was also an indisputable fact.
For example, during the global financial crisis last year, she accurately seized the opportunity to make a fortune, which not only solved her funding gap but also left her with a considerable surplus.
Bai Shisui joked, "Sister Yutong, if you put it that way, doesn't that make me worse than a pig?"
Hearing this, Bai Jingchen scolded her, "Girl, what are you saying? She was just making an analogy!"
Knowing she had misspoken, Bai Shisui quickly apologized to Liu Yutong, "Sister Yutong, I didn't mean it."
Liu Yutong smiled, "It's fine."
Bai Jingchen added, "But although your words sound a bit rough, they are very interesting. Thinking carefully about it, didn't I also stand in the updraft of the reform and opening-up policy to get to where I am today step by step?"
"By the way, Yutong, who said that quote? I'd really like to meet him. Is he a domestic entrepreneur?"
Liu Yutong spoke somewhat vaguely, "I just happened to see it online. I'm not too sure exactly who it was."
Naturally, she couldn't say outright that the source of this quote was Lei Jobs from the future, and that in a few years, this phrase would become a widely circulated famous saying because of him.
This famous quote sounded like a modest remark, but if anyone naively believed that success relied solely on finding the right updraft, they would be dead wrong.
If she remembered correctly, Dami, a company that would have a market value exceeding a trillion in the future, would be born next year. Although Lei Jobs was not short of money and held billions in cold, hard cash, she, Liu Yutong, also held tens of billions in cold, hard cash.
With such a massive volume of capital to invest in him, surely he wouldn't refuse, right?
Thinking of this, she recalled the mobile phone subsidiary she had asked Yu Xin to register recently.
She had to hurry up and put it on the agenda now; otherwise, wouldn't the design patent for the Fruit 4 they registered in advance be for nothing?
Liu Yutong planned to first scout out a moderately sized mobile phone manufacturer with potential for acquisition, such as Meizu.
In its early days, Meizu indeed had the strength to compete with Dami, and in some aspects of product design and system experience, it was even better than the early Dami.
Unfortunately, there was a gap between founders.
Whether in overall strategy, ecological layout, or capital operation, Meizu was completely crushed by Lei Jobs. In the end, it failed to seize the era's dividend of the smartphone explosion and gradually fell out of the first-tier camp. Although it wasn't to the point of bankruptcy, compared to Dami, it could only look up to it.
However, if Meizu were acquired by her, with the blessing of her resources and strategy, perhaps it could change the awkward situation of her past life.
In short, she definitely had to invest in Dami, but she wouldn't interfere with its operations. With Lei Jobs's abilities, he didn't need her dictating things to build the company up just the same.
As for her own mobile phone business, she definitely had to do it too. The Dragon Country market was so big, and the global market was so big, it wouldn't be unable to accommodate even two mobile phone brands.
Hearing Liu Yutong say she just saw it online, Bai Jingchen nodded and didn't ask further. Instead, he changed the subject and revealed the true purpose of inviting Liu Yutong over this time.
"Yutong, actually, besides wanting to see the legendary girl Shisui talks about every day with my own eyes, Uncle has another important matter to discuss with you."
Liu Yutong said, "Please go ahead, Uncle."
Bai Jingchen personally poured another cup of hot tea for Liu Yutong. "Our Bai family has been in the import and export business for decades. From channels, logistics, and customs relations, to the top three supermarket chain channels here in the Beautiful Country, we have basically opened them all up. Relying on domestic industrial clusters and cost advantages for supply, we have indeed made a lot of money over the years."
Speaking of this, his tone changed. "But the smoother things go, the more uneasy I feel in my heart. When a big tree grows too tall, it is always the first to feel the changes in the wind."
"The speed of our Dragon Country's rise is obvious to the whole world. Accordingly, containment and friction will only increase, not decrease. I judge that in about five years at the latest, our current trade model will inevitably face tremendous challenges. By then, no matter how big my fleet is or how many channels I have, they may all be impacted."
"Therefore, the Bai family needs to find a partner who can be relied upon at critical moments, someone who can even pull us up in the wind and waves. During the time Shisui has spent with you, I can clearly feel that she has grown a lot; her horizons and conversation are different now. This makes me even more convinced that your success is absolutely not just because you stepped into the right updraft. You have real skills and strength."
"Just now when we talked about trade and the economic landscape, I could feel that you see things even more clearly and further ahead than an old guy like me. I have no reason not to choose a partner who combines ability, strength, luck, and advanced foresight."
"Moreover, I also believe that your future business map will never be limited to the domestic market. Your products and your company will sooner or later go global, and the North American channel network that my Bai family has operated for more than twenty years can help you avoid many detours and open up the market faster."
At this point, Bai Jingchen made a decision. "Therefore, I have decided to take our Bai family's fleet dedicated to North American routes, along with the warehousing and channel companies we have operated here for over twenty years, and transfer thirty percent of the dry shares to your name."
His words were astonishing.
As soon as this last sentence fell, the private room instantly quieted down. Even Bai Shisui widened her eyes, dumbfounded.
Thirty percent of dry shares, given away for free?
Did I hear that right?
It was worth noting that the Bai family's total assets amounted to at least ten billion US dollars. Thirty percent was no small sum.
Liu Yutong also hadn't expected Uncle Bai to be so bold, presenting her with such a massive gift upon their very first meeting.
If she wanted to achieve globalization in the future, entering the North American market was an absolute must, even if it meant facing potential sanctions.
With this offer, the Bai family's distribution channels could indeed help her rapidly expand into North America.
For example, Wanlong Group's mobile phone business could launch in North America first before pivoting back to the domestic market—a strategy commonly known as export-to-domestic sales.
However, her version of this strategy was different from the norm. It wasn't just about shipping goods abroad, slapping a foreign label on them, and importing them back to sell.
She could host the global launch event for her flagship smartphone in North America, going head-to-head with the currently dominant Fruit Company.
Then, she could get the media to drum up some hype.
Look, they would say, this is the first Dragon Country smartphone brand to hold a global launch in North America. Its products are already stocked in mainstream North American supermarkets, foreigners are using them, and even the Fruit Company copied their aesthetic design!
By then, the brand's prestige and image would instantly separate itself from the chaotic mix of domestic knock-off phones, establishing it as an emerging high-end brand.
Of course, the prerequisite for all this was that the new brand actually had an audience and real sales abroad. If you faked your numbers too aggressively, rival companies would easily expose the lie.
This was where the Bai family's channels became crucial. At the very least, they could move a solid batch of phones through these networks, right? Couple that with the hype of going toe-to-toe with the Fruit Company, and sales might just explode.
Bai Shisui finally snapped out of her daze and was the first to speak. Dad... you are not joking, are you?
Bai Jingchen looked at his most beloved daughter and said, I have made all kinds of bets in the business world throughout my life, and I have gotten most of them right. Over twenty years ago, I bet on the reform and opening up; over ten years ago, I bet on... Every time, people said I was crazy, but I was the only one who believed my judgment would not be wrong.
But for the next five or ten years, the world is changing too fast. Even I cannot clearly see the exact trends of the future.
At this point, he looked at Liu Yutong again, his gaze gradually sharpening. So, this time, I choose to bet on a person!
