At 6:30 in the evening, Li Yan drove the shiny silver Accord alone through the gate of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Songshan Lake, Dongguan.
The hotel's magnificent modern Chinese-style building looked extraordinary in the setting sun. The doorman in a straight uniform at the door respectfully opened the door for him.
He arrived half an hour earlier than the appointed time.
· Administrative officer Chen was already waiting in the lobby and quickly came to greet him and reported in a low voice.
"Mr. Li, everything is arranged. The menu in the private room "Songshan Lake" is set to the highest standard, and the drinks are as you ordered. Moutai and two bottles of Chateau Lafite Bordeaux are prepared. Mr. Liu just got a call, saying that they have set off from Shenzhen and will arrive at about 7:10."
Li Yan nodded, and accompanied by Xiao Chen and the hotel account manager, he went to the private room to check.
The private room is huge and the decoration is extremely luxurious.
The huge round table is covered with a white tablecloth, with a delicate flower arrangement in the center. The crystal chandelier reflects warm light. On the wall are ink paintings with far-reaching artistic conception. On one side is a huge floor-to-ceiling window, with a view of the tranquil Songshan Lake.
The tableware is made of fine bone china, and the wine glasses are made of crystal clear crystal.
"Don't worry, Mr. Li, the ladies we have arranged are all professional, good at adjusting the atmosphere, and absolutely beautiful. They have been prepared in the lounge." The account manager whispered with a smile on his face.
Li Yan said "hmm" without comment.
He knew the rules of this kind of occasion, but he knew in his heart that the protagonist tonight was not these girls, but the conversation that followed.
At seven o'clock sharp, Mr. Liu, the MTK agent, called and said he was downstairs.
Li Yan straightened his suit and tie and went to the hotel lobby to greet him personally.
The elevator door opened, and Mr. Liu walked out first and shook hands with Li Yan enthusiastically.
He was followed by two men.
There is a man in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, slightly chubby, and wearing well-fitting business casual attire. He looks like he has a background in technical management—this should be Director Wang.
The other one is younger, in his early thirties, carrying a briefcase, and looks like an assistant or accompanying engineer.
"Mr. Li! I've been waiting for a long time! This is Director Wang from the MTK headquarters. This is Director Wang's colleague, Engineer Lin." Mr. Liu introduced enthusiastically.
Li Yan immediately took a step forward, leaned forward slightly, held Director Wang's hand with both hands, with moderate strength, and smiled sincerely: "Director Wang, I have long admired you! Thank you very much for taking the time to honor me. You have worked hard all the way!"
"Mr. Li is so polite. Mr. Liu has always said that you are young and promising. When I met you today, you are truly worthy of your reputation." Director Wang's handshake was short but firm, and he spoke with a Taiwanese accent, maintaining a sense of distance in his politeness.
After exchanging a few words, Li Yan guided everyone to the private room.
Along the way, he didn’t talk too much about business. He just introduced the hotel’s environment and chatted about the weather in Dongguan and Shenzhen. His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, but he was full of respect.
Entering the private room, the luxurious environment made Director Wang's eyes flash with an imperceptible appreciation.
The guests and hosts took their seats, and Li Yan naturally gave up the seat of honor to Director Wang.
The waiter in cheongsam began to serve the appetizers.
The dishes are extremely exquisite, including chilled three-headed abalone with caviar, gold medal braised chicken, royal braised chicken wings...each dish is expensive.
After three rounds of wine, the five flavors of food will be tasted.
The mellow aroma of Moutai and the complex fruity aroma of Lafite filled the private room.
After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere became noticeably warmer.
At this time, at Li Yan's signal, the account manager led seven or eight young girls in fashionable clothes, exquisite makeup, and tall figures.
They were obviously well-trained and smiled gracefully. Under the arrangement of the account manager, they naturally sat in the empty seats next to the guests.
The most beautiful girl with the most outstanding temperament was arranged to sit next to Director Wang.
She was not overly attentive, she just smiled appropriately, poured wine and served dishes for Director Wang, and occasionally whispered one or two witticisms, making Director Wang laugh.
Mr. Liu and Engineer Lin were also accompanied by each other, and the atmosphere at the dinner suddenly became more relaxed and lively.
The girls know how to adjust the atmosphere very well. They can participate in the topic without overly stealing the show. They are also masters at persuading people to drink, making the rhythm at the wine table very comfortable.
Li Yan knew that the heat was almost done.
He raised his glass to Director Wang: "Director Wang, let me toast you again. To be honest, our Xingchen Electronics can't get to where we are today without MTK's stable supply of chips. Your technology is the cornerstone of our terminal factories."
Director Wang was in a good mood and raised his glasses: "Mr. Li is too modest. Your Xingchen has been very strong recently, and we have all heard about it in Taipei. It is not easy to achieve such differentiation and sales of a functional phone."
"We are fed by the market, and we were forced to come out."
Li Yan put down his wine glass and his tone became a little more formal, "To tell you the truth, Director Wang, although our life is not bad now, I am always trembling in my heart and walking on thin ice."
“Oh? Why did Mr. Li say this? You are now a star company on the limelight.” Director Wang pushed up his glasses, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"The ceiling of functional phones is visible to the naked eye."
Li Yan leaned forward and lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret, "Hardware is becoming more and more homogeneous, and profits are getting thinner. The world of the future must belong to smartphones. The iPhone has already It pointed out the direction, and Google's Android system has also been open sourced. This is the general trend. "
Director Wang nodded. The words came to his heart, and his expression when he looked at Li Yan was obviously different: "Mr. Li has a very good vision. Smartphones are indeed the next battleground for military strategists."
I originally thought that Mr. Li, who I was introduced to by the agent today, was just trying to maintain friendship so that the current purchase price could be more favorable.
I didn’t expect this young and outrageous Mr. Li from Xingchen Company, which makes feature phones, to have such foresight and thinking!
You must know that at this time, whether Android or iPhone, they are actually not that famous in China.
iPhone is okay, people in the mobile phone industry may pay attention to it.
However, the Android system has just been open sourced, and it is far from receiving such attention from people in the market.
At this time, Li Yan looked at Director Wang and immediately grabbed the topic and said.
“That’s why I’m anxious. For us downstream manufacturers, the core technology is in the hands of upstream giants like you. Whether we can survive in the future depends on whether we can keep up with the iteration of technology. Especially when will MTK’s smartphone platform be released?” , what kind of it it is, and whether we can get it as soon as possible... This is directly related to the life and death of our Star Electronics."
His words not only praised MTK, but also pointed out his own dilemma and needs, and he was extremely sincere.
Director Wang pondered for a moment, and the girl beside him promptly served him a bowl of hot soup.
He took a slow sip and then said slowly: "I can understand Mr. Li's mood. The company is indeed investing a lot of resources in the development of smart phone solutions. But the difficulty is far beyond that of a feature phone. It is not just baseband and AP integration, but more importantly, software ecology, power consumption control, heat dissipation design...all aspects are challenges."
"I absolutely agree with this." Letter."
Li Yan immediately answered, "MTK's technical strength is undoubted. We don't dare to participate in core research and development, we only want to be a loyal and responsive partner. Director Wang, do you think it is possible for a company like ours, Xingchen, to become one of the first partners in mainland China when your company's smartphone platform is launched in the future?"
This is the core issue tonight.
Mr. Liu also held his breath, waiting for Director Wang's answer.
Director Wang did not answer directly, but instead asked a question: "Mr. Li, if you get the platform, what are you going to do? Will you continue to follow your current route of sinking into the market?"
Li Yan has already prepared the answer: "Sinking into the market is our foundation, but we will never just do low-end. My idea is to use the experience of smartphones to build functions. He continued to elaborate: "MTK's platform has always been known for its high integration and cost-effectiveness. Based on this, we will make in-depth innovations in appearance ID, UI design, and localized applications to create smartphones that users in second- and third-tier cities can afford, use well, and feel decent. What we want to do is to be a popularizer, not a high-profile showoff."
This positioning obviously surprised Director Wang and found it very novel.
He thought for a moment and said: "Mr. Li's thinking is very clear. The headquarters will be very careful in the selection of the first batch of partners. Several factors are usually considered: commitment to shipments, technology digestion capabilities, financial strength, and whether it is consistent with MTK's strategic direction."
Li Yan's heart brightened, and he knew Dao Youmen: "Please rest assured about the shipment volume. Our current channels and capabilities for feature phones are the best guarantee. In terms of technology, we are already forming a team to study the Android system. Funds... As long as the project is reliable, we are willing to invest. As for strategy, I think helping the MTK platform quickly occupy the broadest market is the greatest strategic fit!"
These words are well-founded and full of confidence.
Director Wang finally showed the most sincere smile tonight: "Mr. Li is indeed a person who does big things. In this way, when I go back, I can report the situation of Xingchen Electronics to the headquarters product committee. You can also prepare a more detailed company introduction and technical preparation materials, and pass Mr. Liu forwarded it to me."
"Thank you so much, Director Wang! You have helped us a lot!"
A big stone fell in Li Yan's heart. Although he has not yet received a formal commitment, the most critical door has been opened.
He immediately raised his glass: "I respect you! Everything is in the wine!"
The atmosphere became more harmonious.
Li Yan no longer talked much about business, but only served wine and food, chatting and laughing happily.
Director Wang also relaxed completely and played dice with the girl next to him, laughing constantly.
The banquet lasted for nearly three hours before it ended.
Li Yan asked the waiter to bring him the bill. He spent a total of more than 28,000 yuan, of which drinks accounted for the bulk.
He swiped the card without blinking.
He sent Director Wang and the other three to the door of the hotel. The driver had already been arranged.
Before getting into the car, Li Yan winked at Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu understood and took out two prepared gift bags from the trunk of the car. Inside were two top-of-the-line Xingchen S2 engineering prototypes, two Chinese cigarettes and two heavier gift boxes. They seemingly inadvertently placed them in the back seat of Director Wang and Engineer Lin's car.
“Director Wang, a little Dongguan’s local specialties are disrespectful, just to relieve boredom on the way.” Li Yan said with a smile.
Director Wang was obviously very satisfied with this "local specialty". He smiled and waved his hand: "Mr. Li is so polite. We had a great chat today. Let's keep in touch when we go back!"
Watching their car drive away, the smile on Li Yan's face slowly faded and he regained his composure.
The cool breeze of the night dissipated some of the drunkenness.
The reaction to the liquor was already making my stomach churn.
But there is no way, Li Yan's current status is not enough, and he has not yet reached the point where he can drink whenever he wants and not drink if he doesn't want to.
Mr. Liu came over and whispered: "Mr. Li, don't worry. Director Wang's side is basically fine. He collected the things, which means that the matter is half done. I will just follow up."
Li Yan nodded and patted Mr. Liu on the shoulder: " Mr. Liu, thank you for your hard work. You can mention the expenses to me directly. "
"Oh, Mr. Li, you are out of touch. We have such a happy cooperation..."
After exchanging a few words, Mr. Liu also left in the car.
Li Yan stood alone at the door of the hotel and lit a cigarette.
Neon lights illuminate his young but already calm face.
Tonight's feast, which cost nearly 30,000 yuan, is just the beginning.
It opened the door to MTK headquarters for him, giving Xingchen Electronics a potential first-mover position in the future smartphone war.
This investment, in his opinion, is extremely valuable.
He took a deep breath from the cigarette, exhaled the light smoke, and looked towards the brightly lit industrial area in the distance.
That is his present;
And the future that the car that just left leads to is the sea of stars that he really wants to conquer.