By noon, a long convoy had come to a stop on the road near Li Zhou's home.
A closer look revealed that every vehicle was a luxury car, each worth a fortune.
After getting out of the car, Yu Chengbei's face was somewhat pale.
Like many others, Yu Chengbei got carsick too.
It was not that he was weak; the winding mountain roads over the past hour had twisted and turned so much that they had made him dizzy.
He took a deep breath of fresh air and felt much better. Riding in the car had indeed been torture, but being able to breathe the fresh air of the nature reserve had made it worthwhile.
At that moment, an assistant handed him a bottle of mineral water.
Yu Chengbei took the water and gulped down a mouthful, then took another deep breath of fresh air. He felt as though his whole being had been purified.
For that brief moment, Yu Chengbei found himself liking this kind of living environment.
As he was inwardly marveling, three more groups approached from behind the convoy.
Yu Chengdong looked at the three leaders. They were all old acquaintances.
They had happened to run into traffic on the way here, and by coincidence, the four groups had all ended up together.
Now, the four of them had officially met.
"President Yu, what a coincidence." Lei Jun of Xiaomi phones greeted Yu Chengbei with a smile.
"Heh, it really is. Looks like all four of us are here!"
Ever since Intelligent Assistant's company, Future Technology Co., Ltd., had been exposed in the news the previous night, anyone who searched online could find Future Technology's registered address.
What no one had expected was that such an influential company had been established in a little mountain village that few had ever heard of. Moreover, that village lay deep within the Dabie Mountains Nature Reserve.
For that very reason, everyone hoped to be the first to reach a cooperation agreement with Future Technology, leading to the scene of the four of them gathering in these mountains.
After exchanging greetings, the head of OV put away his smile.
"Guys, I imagine we all came here for the same reason. Let's make this clear first: no matter what terms or promises anyone offers, I hope nobody drives the price above Future Technology's original pricing."
After hearing this, Yu Chengdong and the other two gradually put away their smiles as well and nodded slightly.
With that, the four of them had reached an agreement.
Lei Jun raised his hand to check the time. "Let's get moving. It's already this late. If the talks go quickly, we can sample some local specialties and gather at a countryside restaurant afterward."
After leaving a few people behind to watch the cars, everyone headed toward Li Zhou's home.
Yu Chengbei and the others had left, but quite a few villagers had gathered along the road.
"Goodness, Old Liu, look at those cars. We couldn't afford one even if we worked our whole lives."
"Exactly. Looks like those big bosses are here to see that kid Li Zhou again."
"Military men and big bosses alike are coming for him. That kid has really made something of himself now. He's brought honor to your Li family."
"Ha, of course he has. I'm telling you, I could tell long ago that the kid was extraordinary. He's destined for great things."
Holding his rice bowl, Li Zhou stared at Yu Chengbei and the other three in shock, while the four of them stared in surprise at the military license plate by the door and the four security guards glaring intently at them.
Did they have to time it this perfectly? Why did people always come right when I was eating?
For a moment, Li Zhou held the bowl in his hands, unsure whether to put it down or not. He could not exactly eat in front of the four of them, could he? That would be so awkward.
Li Zhou was not the only one feeling awkward. Yu Chengbei, Lei Jun, and the others were somewhat embarrassed too.
The main issue was that it was mealtime. The scent of food had reached them, and their stomachs began growling uncontrollably.
Fortunately, they were all people who had seen grand occasions before, so they quickly changed the subject.
"Director Li, you truly are young and accomplished, with remarkable talent. At such a young age, you developed such a powerful Artificial Intelligence as Intelligent Assistant."
"Indeed, Director Li. You're far more capable than old fellows like us."
At the side, Li Zhou's mother was clearly more socially adept than Li Zhou. While he was still stunned, she directly took the rice bowl from her son's hands.
Fortunately, Li Zhou was quick-witted enough. He took out four disposable cups, grabbed some homegrown tea leaves, and poured each of the four industry giants a cup of tea.
"Ahem, may I ask why the four of you have come all the way to my little shabby company...?"
Yu Chengbei and the other three took a sip of tea and were all thinking that it tasted quite good when they heard Li Zhou call his company shabby. The four of them could not help exchanging looks.
They did not know exactly how much Li Zhou had made in a single day yesterday, but it was certainly no less than two billion yuan.
If this was a shabby company, then what were those small companies still struggling to survive?
Although the company currently had only one person, and its address was still in an obscure rural village, that did not hinder Future Technology's influence in the slightest.
"Director Li, don't put yourself down. We've all witnessed Intelligent Assistant's money-making ability firsthand. So, how about giving the four of us a little inside information?" As the representative of the largest of the four companies, Yu Chengbei was the first to bring up the main subject.
Thinking about how he had raked in three billion yuan in a single day, Li Zhou beamed from ear to ear.
"Ah, it wasn't that much. I only made less than five Shuang yesterday. It's nothing compared to you major manufacturers, nothing at all."
Everyone knew that one "Shuang" meant 640 million yuan. Five of them meant nearly 3.2 billion yuan!
That was right. Future Technology still could not compare to the four major manufacturers in terms of wealth, but could the two really be compared? One was a newly established one-man company, while the four major manufacturers had accumulated their wealth over many years through the efforts of countless people.
Yu Chengbei did not want to keep praising each other with Li Zhou. He was afraid he would be discouraged. Taking advantage of Li Zhou's excitement, he quickly explained their purpose.
"Director Li, we came here for your company's Intelligent Assistant. We hope to preinstall Intelligent Assistant on our phones and provide it to users for free. What do you think? Could you give us a discount? With such a large quantity, one hundred yuan per phone would seem rather expensive. What do you say?"
Li Zhou looked at the hopeful expressions on the four men's faces. Yet beneath their expectant gazes, he put away his smile and shook his head slightly.
Yu Chengbei and the other three were somewhat disappointed. Lei Jun, at the side, was just about to try negotiating further when Li Zhou, who had shaken his head, spoke. "Everyone, I do not recommend that you purchase it on behalf of your users."
"First, people tend to cherish things they pay for more than things they receive for free.
Second, have you considered this? Intelligent Assistant itself costs only one hundred yuan for lifetime use. By lifetime, I mean that no matter what phone device a user switches to, Intelligent Assistant remains bound to them. They only need to download and install it again to continue using it. This means that once someone binds Intelligent Assistant, it will remain with its owner for life."
"So, I do not recommend that you purchase it for users. Of course, you can directly preinstall Intelligent Assistant on your phones, and users can continue using their original Intelligent Assistant as long as they log in."
Before you continue