The commotion coming from the courtyard of Cloud Dew Club was so loud that, even with excellent soundproofing, it disturbed guests in other private rooms.
On the second floor, in a room called Guanlan Pavilion, four heavyweights from the business world sat around a rosewood tea table.
The fragrance of tea curled through the air, and the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
Seated at the head was a man in his forties, wearing a dark gray polo shirt, with a gentle and refined demeanor.
He was Lei Yun, former CEO and founder of Yinshan Technology.
Across from him sat two people. One was Huang Zhangming, founder of Meizu Electronics, who made his start in MP3 players and had recently transitioned into smartphones. He had a somewhat proud, aloof personality.
The other was a man named Lin Bing, formerly a technical director at a major international company and a genuine top-tier expert in operating systems and software architecture. Lei Yun had gone to great lengths to bring him on board.
The last person was Chu Hai, founder and president of AEG Capital, a top power player in the capital circle.
Today’s gathering was organized by Lei Yun.
When the iPhone launched in 2007, Lei Yun had someone bring one back from the U.S. for him right away. He stayed up all night playing with it.
That night, he called every friend in his contact list, repeating the same thing: “The era of mobile internet is coming. The phone is the portal to the future.”
Many people heard him out, laughed it off, and moved on.
But not Lei Yun.
That was when he started studying the smartphone industry: the supply chain, operating systems, everything there was to learn—and in the process, he met Huang Zhangming.
Lei Yun had seen Huang Zhangming’s engineering prototype.
The moment he laid eyes on it, he was amazed.
The phone’s UI design, interaction logic, and system smoothness were completely on par with foreign brands at the time. What impressed him most was the F System, developed by Huang Zhangming’s team, deeply customized based on Android with many original and eye-catching features.
Lei Yun had wanted to invest in him from the start.
But he also knew that Huang Zhangming was not easy to deal with.
The man was not only proud but somewhat arrogant. He’d already turned down many investors showing up checks in hand.
So Lei Yun played it smart—no talk about money, just build a connection first.
Taking advantage of everyone being in the capital on business trips, he set up this gathering and even pulled in the tech guru Lin Bing and the capital titan Chu Hai.
Everyone was together, the tea smelled wonderful, and conversation flowed naturally.
This was Lei Yun’s style—let things come to fruition naturally, never forcing anything.
“Come, come, try this tea.”
Lei Yun lifted a purple clay pot and poured amber-colored tea into cups. “This is Wuyi Mountain’s Zhengyan Rougui. A friend who’s in the tea business gave it to me. I don’t usually bring it out, but today I’m breaking it open to treat you distinguished guests.”
Huang Zhangming raised his cup, took a sip, and nodded slightly.
Lin Bing, being polite, savored it carefully and praised, “Excellent tea. Rich aroma, and a good aftertaste too.”
Chu Hai smiled, set down his cup, and looked directly at Lei Yun. “President Lei, let’s cut to the chase. You didn’t gather us just for tea, did you?”
Lei Yun laughed heartily. “President Chu, you’re a man who knows how things work. Fine, I’ll stop beating around the bush.”
He turned to Huang Zhangming. “President Huang, when is that new phone of yours launching?”
Huang Zhangming placed the engineering prototype that was by his hand on the table. “Soon. About a month from now. But there’s a hold-up with the supply chain—battery supplies aren’t coming fast enough. Might have to delay a bit.”
Lei Yun nodded and looked at the prototype. “Mind if I take a look?”
Huang Zhangming hesitated for a moment, then handed it over.
Lei Yun took the phone, weighed it in his hand. The screen was small—around 3.5 inches—and the resolution was decent.
The design was indeed polished; it felt premium in the hand.
He pressed a few buttons, swiped the screen, and tested the system’s smoothness.
“Not bad. The feel, the UI—pretty interesting.”
“President Huang, what price range are you targeting for this model?”
Huang Zhangming thought for a moment. “Between 2,500 and 3,000 yuan, roughly.”
Lei Yun nodded thoughtfully. That price already positioned it as mid-to-high-end among current domestic phones.
Just then, Lin Bing, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up. “President Huang, could I take a look too?”
Huang Zhangming glanced at him and nodded.
Lin Bing took the phone. Instead of looking at the appearance, he immediately went into the engineering mode, his fingers flying across the screen, then checking the background processes.
Slowly, his expression changed—from calm to surprise, and finally to excitement.
“This kernel… your team really modified it yourselves?”
A hint of pride showed on Huang Zhangming’s face. “That’s right. The F System, deeply customized from Android. We’ve been developing it since 2007.”
Lin Bing said, “The interaction logic is very intuitive, and the smoothness is high. It’s far beyond the cheap reskins of Android on the market. In some ways, it’s even more user-friendly than the iPhone.”
Getting recognition from an expert of Lin Bing’s caliber was genuinely satisfying for Huang Zhangming.
Chu Hai had been silent the whole time, just listening to their conversation and forming his own judgment.
Lei Yun’s insight was unquestionable, and Lin Bing was clearly a talent. If both of them thought this highly of the product, it meant this company was definitely worth investing in.
When the discussion wound down, he finally spoke up.
“President Huang, how’s your company’s financial situation?”
Huang Zhangming’s smile stiffened slightly.
This was the question he least wanted to answer.
But Chu Hai was a guest Lei Yun had brought, a major figure in the capital world—he couldn’t just brush him off.
He paused, searching for words, then vaguely replied, “It’s okay. I saved up some money from the MP3 years, plus a few rounds of funding earlier. It’ll hold us for a while.”
Chu Hai smiled again. “And then what? After launch, you’ll need money for distribution channels, advertising, after-sales service, stocking inventory. The smartphone business is a bottomless pit—you know that better than I do, President Huang.”
Huang Zhangming went silent.
He knew it well.
Making phones meant burning money: R&D cost money, the supply chain cost money, marketing cost money—everything cost money.
The reason he had turned down investment firms before wasn’t that he didn’t need the cash. It was that his need for control was too strong. He was reluctant to part with equity.
In truth, he dreamed of building Meizu into a family business, keeping power firmly in his own hands.
Of course, he had guessed what Lei Yun’s gathering was really about. With a tech expert and an investor both here, the message was obvious—they wanted to buy in.
And sure enough, Lei Yun saw the moment was ripe. He stopped hinting and cut straight to the point.
“President Huang, I truly believe in your product. The hardware design and the software experience are top-tier for domestic phones, and even globally, it could hold its own.”
“But to succeed in smartphones, we need more than just a good product. Supply chain connections, distribution channels, brand identity, after-sales networks—all of that matters. President Chu and I have invested in many companies over the years. What we have in abundance is money and resources.”
"I'm not going to mess around with you. AEG Capital, run by President Chu and me, is prepared to invest in Meizu. We can discuss the specific amount..."
Then Lei Yun laid out his investment plan: the approximate amount, bringing in a tech expert like Lin Bing to serve as a senior executive, and restructuring Meizu into a joint-stock company with an eye toward an IPO in the future.
Huang Zhangming listened, falling into silence.
Lei Yun's terms were tempting—especially the addition of Lin Bing and access to supply chain resources, which were exactly what he needed most at the moment. But the cost came in the form of equity dilution... which made him hesitant.
To be honest, he really wanted Lei Yun to join Meizu. But he just couldn't let go of the equity. He was truly torn.
"President Lei, I think I'll..."
He was just about to say he'd go back and think it over when—
Suddenly!
Boom!
A loud crash came from downstairs, rattling the windows.
Lin Bing, who was sipping tea, jumped in surprise and nearly spilled it: "What's going on? An earthquake?"
Huang Zhangming frowned and glanced out the window.
"Sounds like some kind of commotion down on the ground floor."
Then came a rapid series of footsteps from below.
Chu Hai was the first to stand up, walk over to the window, and open it to look down.
One glance, and his face instantly changed. He slammed the window shut without hesitation.
"Oh no! Why is this woman here!"
