In the second-floor private room, Chu Hai, Lei Yun, Huang Zhangming, and Lin Bing were huddled by the window, watching the commotion downstairs.
"How is it? Is that young mistress coming up?"
"She's coming up, she's coming up! Holy crap, those black-suited guys behind her are coming up too!"
"Is she here for President Chu?"
"Did she see President Chu?"
"Probably not. Maybe she's just passing by..."
"Stop with the nonsense! Close the door first! Close it!"
They hurriedly shut the door to the private room, then leaned against it, hearts pounding.
After catching his breath, Lei Yun suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha..."
His laughter caught the other three off guard.
"President Lei, what are you laughing at?"
Lei Yun pointed at them and said between laughs, "No, look... look at us. We're big-shot bosses worth hundreds of millions, hiding behind a door scared of a twenty-year-old girl. If word gets out, how are we supposed to hold our heads up?"
Lin Bing froze for a moment, then chuckled too. "Now that you mention it, it is pretty embarrassing."
Huang Zhangming's mouth twitched as he tried to stay serious, but in the end, he couldn't help joining in the laughter.
Chu Hai looked at these three carefree fools and his face darkened. "You still have the nerve to laugh? Wait until that young mistress really barges in here—let's see if you're still laughing then!"
No sooner had he spoken.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of knocking rang out.
Their laughter stopped instantly!
All three turned to Chu Hai as if to say, "You jinx!"
But deep down, they clung to a sliver of hope that maybe it was a wrong door.
Until the girl's voice came from outside.
"President Chu, since you've already seen me, aren't you going to come out and say hello?"
Chu Hai, hearing her call him by name, knew there was no escape.
He sighed and opened the door.
In the hallway outside stood Liu Yutong.
She wore the same light apricot dress, had the same stunningly beautiful face, and carried the same calm, indifferent expression.
But for some reason, in Chu Hai's eyes, she was more terrifying than a demon summoner.
"Miss... Miss Liu, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Liu Yutong looked at him and couldn't help but smile.
"President Chu, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost. Am I that scary?"
Chu Hai quickly waved his hands. "No, no, absolutely not! I'm just surprised to see you in the capital. It's a pleasant surprise—a huge pleasant surprise!"
Liu Yutong: "A pleasant surprise? Then what were you guys chatting about when you spotted me through the window?"
Chu Hai: "..."
What could he say?
That he was gossiping about how ruthless and scheming she was?
That would be asking for death.
Liu Yutong didn't press him further. She simply walked into the room.
Inside, Lei Yun, Huang Zhangming, and Lin Bing stood in a row like misbehaving schoolkids, their expressions a mix of tension, fear, bewilderment, and awkwardness.
Every single one of them was a heavyweight in the business world, commanding respect.
Now they were standing like they were being scolded in front of a twenty-year-old girl. If anyone heard about this, they'd never believe it.
When Liu Yutong realized all three were familiar faces, she paused. Then her eyes fell on the engineering prototype phone next to the tea table.
She quickly pieced together what they were discussing here.
She'd heard rumors from her past life many times.
They said Lei Yun once wanted to invest in Meizu and had long talks with Huang Zhangming. In the end, Huang Zhangming turned down the investment because he couldn't bear to part with equity and control.
Later, Lei Yun founded Xiaomi on his own, while Meizu fell behind under the siege of capital and eventually became just another "other."
And right now, the people in this room happened to be the key players from those days.
Lei Yun, the future Lei Jun.
Huang Zhangming, the founder of Meizu.
Lin Bing, the future head of MU.
And Chu Hai—well, he was the real old acquaintance.
With this lineup, plus that prototype phone, it was clearly about investment and equity talks.
Liu Yutong understood.
At that moment, Lei Yun and the others snapped out of it, thinking: since they couldn't avoid her, they'd face her head-on.
Lei Yun was the first to greet Liu Yutong, extending his hand. "Miss Liu, it's an honor."
Liu Yutong shook his hand politely. "President Lei, you're too kind."
Then Huang Zhangming and the others shook hands with her too, marking a first acquaintance.
Seeing that she wasn't as terrifying as imagined—in fact, quite courteous—Lei Yun and Huang Zhangming relaxed a little, no longer as scared as before.
Chu Hai quickly invited Liu Yutong to sit down in the main seat.
The others then took their seats again one by one.
But the atmosphere was still a bit stiff, and no one spoke for a while.
Liu Yutong found it odd. Why were they so afraid of her when they first met?
Was it just because of the incident downstairs?
That couldn't be it, could it?
She didn't dwell on it and decided to break the ice.
"President Lei, you're here to talk business, aren't you?"
Lei Yun quickly waved his hand. "No, no. Just friends hanging out, having tea, chatting. Nothing serious."
Liu Yutong looked at him with a knowing half-smile.
That look sent shivers down Lei Yun's spine.
He felt like this girl's eyes could see right through him.
Huang Zhangming watched too, feeling uneasy. For some reason, he had a bad feeling—like his precious company was being eyed by a venomous snake.
Liu Yutong cut straight to the chase.
"President Lei, no need to hide it. I'd say you're discussing an investment in Meizu with President Huang, right?"
At her words, the room fell dead silent.
Lei Yun's smile froze completely.
Huang Zhangming's expression changed too.
Chu Hai shrank into a corner, wishing the floor would swallow him up.
He wasn't really scared of meeting Liu Yutong; he was afraid she'd think he was trying to cut her out. Even though the investment had nothing to do with her, getting caught hiding it was bound to cause misunderstandings.
Lin Bing, meanwhile, stared at Liu Yutong in shock, wondering how she knew.
Lei Yun, seeing that the cat was out of the bag, sighed and came clean. "Miss Liu, you're really sharp. You're right—we were talking about investing in Meizu, seeing if there's a chance to work together."
Liu Yutong nodded, then turned her gaze to Huang Zhangming.
"President Huang, would you mind letting me take a look at your prototype phone?"
Without waiting for an answer, Yun Cheng behind her grabbed the prototype and handed it to Liu Yutong.
Huang Zhangming: "..."
Did you even need to ask? Your subordinate already took it. And would I dare say no?
"Miss Liu, please, go ahead."
"Thanks."
Liu Yutong took the phone and examined it carefully.
A 3.5-inch screen, rounded body, exquisite craftsmanship—for its time, it was definitely top-tier.
She unlocked the screen, swiped a few times, and opened a couple of apps to test them.
The fluidity was pretty good, and the UI design was quite distinctive. The skeuomorphic icons were exquisite—far better than the shoddily made knockoff phones on the market. No wonder Lei Yun had taken a liking to this company in her past life. They really did have unique strengths.
After looking it over for a while, Liu Yutong handed the phone back to Huang Zhangming.
Then she turned to Lei Yun and said something that stunned everyone in the room.
"Mr. Lei, save your efforts. MeiZu is not an investment you can make. I said so."
The moment she spoke, the expressions of everyone present changed.
What was this? Was this woman too domineering? Just one sentence, and they were supposed to give up on the investment? What did she mean by that?
Chu Hai, in particular, felt his heart sink: "As I feared, what I dreaded most has happened. This young lady must be angry and planning to snatch it away directly!"
......
