Invest in a new company?
What was she up to now?
After a moment of silence, Lei Yun spoke up first to ask, "Miss Liu, what kind of company are you looking to invest in?"
Liu Yutong said, "Smartphones, of course."
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone was stunned again.
Wait, didn't you already have a phone company called Long Yao? Why are you starting another new one?
Before they could voice their confusion, Liu Yutong turned the question back to Lei Yun.
"President Lei, deep down, you've always wanted to make phones yourself, haven't you?"
Lei Yun froze. He instinctively wanted to deny it, but the words died in his throat.
Liu Yutong continued, "Let me guess. After the release of the iPhone, you started researching and choosing this industry. You saw early on that mobile internet was the future, and that phones would be the entry point to that future. You really wanted to jump in, to seize this opportunity."
"But you didn't have the right starting point."
"Doing it yourself—no experience, too much risk, issues with supply chains and systems. That's why you prioritized investing in a promising brand first, at least to learn the ropes. So you chose Meizu, hoping to leverage Huang Zhangming's team to quickly break into this market."
"Unfortunately, Huang Zhangming isn't easy to deal with. His vision is too narrow."
"Still, during your exchanges with him and your field research, you familiarized yourself with the entire phone manufacturing process and picked up some experience."
"In fact, you've already decided not to invest in President Huang's Meizu anymore. You're planning to partner up with Engineer Lin to start your own venture. Partly because of me, but I don't think that's the main reason…"
"President Lei, am I right about all of this?"
Lei Yun fell completely silent. In fact, he was utterly stunned—beyond words.
What was this? This woman was terrifying, almost supernatural, wasn't she?
Were they sure this wasn't their first meeting?
How could she have read every single thought in his head, even his half-formed plans, with such perfect accuracy?
No wonder President Chu, whenever he mentioned her, would occasionally have a look on his face like he'd seen a ghost. He was feeling that same way now. It truly felt like encountering a ghost.
Too terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
As Chu Hai watched the shocked expression on Lei Yun's face, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction.
President Lei, President Lei—now you finally get to experience the dread of being bossed around by this heiress of the Wanlong Association, right?
As a seasoned investor, he had dealt with countless entrepreneurs and big shots, but only when facing this girl Liu Yutong did he feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness—completely led by the nose, dominated, unable to fight back. It was deeply frustrating.
Seeing Lei Yun's face now made him feel much better.
After his silence ended, Lei Yun admitted openly, "Miss Liu, you guessed right. I do want to start my own business, but starting from scratch isn't easy. Even for me, I'm not sure I'd succeed."
Building a team from zero, developing a system, designing hardware, securing the supply chain, setting up distribution channels… every step required huge amounts of capital and time.
Even for someone like him, he couldn't just jump in recklessly. That was why he had chosen to invest in Huang Zhangming's Meizu instead.
Starting his own venture was only something he'd consider as a last resort.
Liu Yutong saw his hesitation and cut straight to the point. "President Lei, I know what you're worried about. Starting from zero really is too hard, too risky."
"But what if I told you I want to invest in you?"
Lei Yun was jolted. He lifted his head sharply.
Invest in him?
So that was her angle?
Liu Yutong said, "President Lei, I'm a straightforward person. I don't like beating around the bush. I really believe in you. In your judgment of mobile internet, in your understanding of products, and in your ability to execute."
"If you're willing to get into the phone business yourself, I can invest—no, I will invest. And I won't take control. I'll even sign a unanimous shareholder agreement."
This statement landed like a bombshell in the private room.
Lei Yun was stunned.
Chu Hai was stunned.
Lin Bing was stunned, too.
No control? Was that for real?
A woman like her, who seemed so domineering and possessive, was willing to give up the absolute power to call the shots?
That didn't fit her persona at all!
Chu Hai looked at Liu Yutong in disbelief, wondering if the sun had started rising in the west.
Wait, since when had this young lady become so easygoing?
Back when he invested in the internet cafe chain and Wanhui Youxuan, he'd tried to bring in another board member, and she wouldn't have it. He and Old Ji could only throw money and resources around, without a single ounce of say in anything.
Now, suddenly, she'd had a change of heart?
Or was she setting a trap for President Lei to fall into?
Liu Yutong seemed to notice Chu Hai's doubt and gave him a cool glance. "President Chu, don't look at me like that. I mean what I say. I won't take control. In the new company, President Lei can do whatever he wants. I won't meddle in day-to-day management."
"I'll just provide the money, the resources, and the connections. President Lei handles the strategy, makes the phones, and sells them."
"A win-win partnership."
Lei Yun fell silent again.
Honestly, the terms were too tempting.
So tempting that he couldn't believe it.
The helmswoman of a multi-billion-dollar business empire, the young mistress of the Wanlong Association with thousands of men at her command, was voluntarily offering to invest in him and giving up control?
This was way too abnormal.
So abnormal that he couldn't help wondering if she had ulterior motives, or maybe she planned to fatten him up before pulling the rug out from under him.
After all, Chu Hai had painted her as something terrifying. He couldn't help but overthink.
If Liu Yutong knew how Chu Hai had been spreading rumors about her, she'd definitely make him pay.
Seeing Lei Yun still hesitating, she asked again, "President Lei, are you wondering why I trust you so much?"
Lei Yun nodded. "Miss Liu, we're total strangers. This really feels… I don't know, overwhelming—and honestly, a little frightening."
Liu Yutong let out a light laugh. "President Lei, you're too modest. What do you mean strangers? Your name is legendary to me."
"Kingsoft, Netease, UC… Every project you've invested in has paid off handsomely. I trust your ability to build products."
"You're already this strong. Why would I fight you for control? That would be shooting myself in the foot. I'll leave professional matters to the professionals. Once the company grows and goes public, all I need to do is hold out a sack to collect the cash."
Hearing this, Lei Yun paused for a few seconds, then suddenly broke into a smile.
"Miss Liu, you're the first person to make me feel truly unreadable, truly hard to figure out."
Liu Yutong replied, "Is that so?"
Lei Yun said, "Yes. But none of that matters now. What matters is that you've definitely convinced me."
The truth was, he already had the idea of starting his own phone company. He wasn't short on money—he still had billions lying idle in his bank account.
But since he wanted to start a business, money was one thing, and another equally important factor was resources.
Although the woman before him might seem a bit shady, the resources under her company were indeed very helpful for his entrepreneurial venture.
For example, Wanhui Select, the largest group-buying platform in the country, had hundreds of thousands of delivery riders, making it suitable for both promotion and sales.
There was also Weibo, the largest social media platform in the country, which could generate massive traffic and trending topics for the company’s products.
In short, he needed all of these.
However, he still had one concern in his mind—this heiress had also founded her own mobile phone company. Would she use his newly established company as cannon fodder?
At that moment, Liu Yutong once again fully demonstrated her terrifying persona.
"I think the world is vast, and the market is big enough. There’s no reason two mobile phone companies can’t coexist."
"Mr. Lei, if you’re uneasy about this, we can sign a deep cooperation agreement. For instance, your newly established company and mine can share technological achievements, complement each other’s strengths, and work for mutual benefit. Maybe someday the two of us can even join forces to take down Samsung and Apple, monopolizing the domestic and even the global market."
Lei Yun couldn’t help but say, "Miss Liu, your ambition is truly frightening!"
Liu Yutong replied, "I’ll take that as a compliment. So, Mr. Lei, what’s your answer?"
Lei Yun didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Lin Bing, who was standing nearby.
"Lin Bing, what do you think?"
Lin Bing had been silent all this time.
But his gaze toward Liu Yutong had shifted from the initial shock to admiration, and even a sincere sense of awe.
This girl was truly remarkable.
Not just superficially impressive—her depth was unfathomable.
At their very first meeting, she had completely exposed Huang Zhangming, stripping him bare, humiliating him, and shattering his composure.
She had also laid her plans early, cleanly poaching Huang Zhangming’s technical team.
Most importantly, her ability to judge people was spot-on. She could almost flawlessly guess your thoughts, your concerns, and your desires.
Someone like that was truly terrifying!
He believed no one would want to face such an enemy.
Of course, if she were a partner or an investor, that was a different story. It would be a rare opportunity.
"Mr. Lei, I think we should go for it."
"Miss Liu has strength, vision, and a keen eye for people. With her as an investor in the new company, our products are bound to reach the world!"
