As Lin Bing made her stance clear, the atmosphere in the private room shifted noticeably.
Lei Yun's heart, which had only been restless before, now could barely be contained.
To be honest, the terms Liu Yutong offered were simply too tempting: no control, no interference in daily management, only providing capital and resources, and even willing to sign a unanimous action agreement.
An investor like this was harder to find than a lantern in broad daylight.
Not to mention she held top-tier traffic gateways like Weibo and Wanhui Preferred, plus those mysterious yet clearly powerful connections... it was hard not to be tempted!
Chu Hai watched Liu Yutong from the side, his emotions a tangled mess.
This woman really knew how to read people.
She first tore down Huang Zhangming, making him seem worthless, then poached his technical team, driving him into a frenzy, and finally played her real card—investing in Lei Yun.
And for Lei Yun, the shift from caution and wariness toward Liu Yutong at the start to now feeling eager and approving—the transformation happened so fast he probably hadn't even noticed it himself.
Chu Hai couldn't help but give Liu Yutong a mental thumbs-up.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
She was indeed the only woman he had ever met in his life who made him look up to her.
Liu Yutong asked Lei Yun again, "President Lei, what do you think? I'm just waiting for your word."
Lei Yun didn't hesitate anymore. He stood up and extended his hand.
"Miss Liu, let's work together."
Liu Yutong shook his hand.
"Looking forward to our collaboration."
The moment their hands clasped, the gears of history silently turned, and a new business empire laid its foundation in that small private room.
Chu Hai, watching from the side, felt his eyes burn with envy. He quickly stepped closer, rubbing his hands together, and asked, "Um... Miss Liu, can I get in on this new company investment too?"
Liu Yutong looked at him with a knowing smile. "President Chu, weren't you just hiding from me behind that window? Why aren't you hiding now?"
Chu Hai's smile froze, and he scrambled to explain, "Miss Liu, you misunderstand! It's a huge misunderstanding! I was just... that was..."
"That was what?"
"That was... I was afraid of disturbing your important business! Yes, that's it—afraid of getting in your way!"
Liu Yutong was amused by his clumsy excuse. "Alright, President Chu, if you want to invest, go ahead. But I'll lay it out straight: the management of the new company stays with President Lei. Do you have any objections?"
Chu Hai quickly shook his head. "None at all! I wholeheartedly agree! I'll just put in some money and be a quiet little shareholder. I won't interfere in management. Whatever President Lei says goes—if he says go east, I'll never go west!"
Are you kidding? Just being allowed on this ship was lucky enough. He wouldn't dare object.
He had two hundred percent trust in Liu Yutong's judgment now.
Just look at the explosive success of Wanhui Preferred, the daily active users of Weibo, and even the chain of internet cafes he'd invested in earlier—all thriving.
Stick with her, and you followed the god of wealth.
Of course, the key was not to anger her.
Lin Bing watched this unfold from the side, emotions swirling within her.
That whole evening—from Huang Zhangming refusing investment and acquisition, to witnessing his technical team get poached, and then Liu Yutong decisively sealing the deal to invest in Lei Yun's new company—in just one hour, the plot twists and turns were more dramatic than any business negotiation she had ever seen.
And the driving force behind it all was just this young woman who looked barely twenty.
"Miss Liu, I have a question I'd like to ask," Lin Bing suddenly said.
Liu Yutong replied, "Feel free, Engineer Lin."
Lin Bing asked, "You mentioned earlier that your companies are willing to share technology with President Lei. If both companies fully share technology, wouldn't they risk being in direct competition? From a business logic standpoint, that seems risky."
This question was sharp, and it hit on the very doubt lingering in Lei Yun's mind.
That's right.
If both companies had identical technology, wouldn't that create serious overlap?
Liu Yutong thought about the question for a moment before asking in return, "Engineer Lin, how big do you think the future smartphone market will be?"
Lin Bing paused to think and then gave a bold guess: "With ongoing technological iteration, I believe global annual shipments will be at least over a billion units."
Liu Yutong nodded. "A billion units. Even if China's market only accounts for ten percent of that, it's still a market worth hundreds of billions. Do you think someone like me can eat that entire pie by myself?"
Lin Bing froze and shook her head instinctively.
Liu Yutong continued, "Exactly. I can't, and industry monopolies are almost impossible in this sector."
"The phones President Lei is about to make will likely differ from those my companies produce—in positioning, target audience, and even core selling points. We can engage in differentiated competition, complement each other's strengths, rather than tearing each other apart."
"Besides, while the domestic market is huge, the overseas market is even bigger. Why waste time fighting among ourselves and draining energy internally, when we could join forces to drive out foreign brands and seize the global market? That’s the real sea of stars worth chasing."
After hearing this, Lin Bing felt a sudden clarity.
"Miss Liu, I’ve learned a great deal."
"Miss Liu, your vision truly humbles me!"
Chu Hai nodded enthusiastically on the side: "Exactly, exactly! Chairman Liu’s vision is absolutely top-tier! The first time I met her, I was deeply impressed by it! My admiration for Chairman Liu flows like an endless river, like a flood that can never be contained!"
Lei Yun and Lin Bing couldn’t help but silently roast him in their minds.
Admiration? More like intimidation, right?
Liu Yutong then thought of something. "Oh, by the way, President Lei, I have one small suggestion."
Lei Yun: "Please, go ahead, Miss Liu."
Liu Yutong: "Can we use the name 'Big Rice' for the new company?"
"Big Rice?"
Lei Yun was taken aback, but the words "Big Rice Phone" immediately flashed in his mind.
It sounded quite catchy—simple, easy to remember, and oddly familiar.
"Big Rice... Big Rice Phone... What a great name! Really, a fantastic name! Miss Liu, you’ve chosen it so skillfully—simple, memorable, and down-to-earth!"
Liu Yutong smiled to herself, thinking: Of course it’s great. You came up with this name after much thought in your past life, I just borrowed it early.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She pulled it out and saw a text from her older sister, Gao Min: [Evidence secured. Closing in soon.]
It seemed her sister’s side was progressing smoothly, so there was no need for her to worry further. She put the phone away and said to Lei Yun and the others, "President Lei, Engineer Lin, President Chu, that’s all for tonight. I’ll arrange for someone to handle the details with you tomorrow."
Lei Yun quickly stood up. "Of course, of course. Take care, Miss Liu."
Liu Yutong nodded, turned, and walked toward the door, followed closely by Yun Cheng and Lan Die.
As her figure disappeared at the top of the staircase, Lei Yun let out a long breath, as if releasing all the tension and stress of the evening.
"President Chu, when you first told me this Miss Liu was formidable, I’ll be honest—I didn’t quite believe you. But now, I do."
Chu Hai replied, "President Lei, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until you witness her methods for handling enemies—then you’ll know what truly formidable means."
At that moment, Lin Bing spoke up with a different perspective: "I think Miss Liu is actually quite interesting."
Lei Yun and Chu Hai both turned to look at him.
Lin Bing shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Don’t you think so? She has vision, courage, skill, and most importantly... a very young and pretty face. A boss like that is hard to find, even with a lantern."
Lei Yun paused, then laughed. "Lin Bing, if Miss Liu heard that, she’d probably be pretty happy."
Lin Bing: "Happy or not, I don’t know. But I’m pretty happy, at least. No more having to look at Huang Zhangming’s dark face over at Meizu."
At the mention of Huang Zhangming, the three of them wore mixed expressions.
To be fair, that guy was indeed a genius. But probably because of his educational background, his vision was limited—his perspective just wasn’t broad enough.
Still, it didn’t matter now.
That poor fellow was probably hiding in some corner somewhere, crying over his shattered technical team.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with them anymore.
Because a new era had already arrived!
