Calls Came One After Another

"President Zhou, have you been free lately? Hua Long would like to invite you to visit our company and discuss deeper cooperation between our two sides."

Wu Feng had put it tactfully, but the meaning behind his words was already very clear.

Simply bringing the newly established company, Fei Yang New Material Technology, into the company's resource pool did not require him, the project director, to step in at all. That was something the head of procurement needed to lead, with Wu Feng merely assisting. The moment Zhou Feiyu heard the phrase "deeper cooperation," he instantly understood that Hua Long Technology was preparing to invest in him.

Since Wu Feng had come forward as the advance scout, he had naturally received instructions from Hua Long's upper management.

If the terms were right, Zhou Feiyu would certainly be willing. However, he said, "President Wu, sorry about that. I've been busy with company matters lately and really can't get away. How about this? My company opens next Wednesday, and I'd like to invite you, President Wu, along with Hua Long Technology's leadership, to come visit and offer your guidance. Would you have time?"

Wu Feng pondered briefly before immediately replying, "President Zhou, I'll definitely be there. I'll also report this matter to the company leadership and contact you again then."

After that, the two exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up.

Although this conversation had resulted in an invitation for Wu Feng to attend the opening ceremony, the matter itself had gone no further for now.

"Was that President Wu from Hua Long Technology? Why did you turn him down? Last time, I heard you tell Director Dong that you wanted investment from Hua Long Technology or Zhong Zheng Company."

Beside him, Li Shihan asked in confusion.

Zhou Feiyu was in an excellent mood and patiently explained it to his newly acquired girlfriend. "First, I really am too busy to get away this week—I need to get the company set up. Second, I'm holding out for a better price. Third, compared with Hua Long Technology, I'd rather establish partnerships with other material manufacturers. Qian Jia or Di Guang would both work."

Li Shihan shook her head. "I don't really understand. Isn't Hua Long Technology stronger than both Qian Jia and Di Guang? You were the one who told me that."

Zhou Feiyu smiled. "This involves market considerations. If I accept Hua Long Technology's investment, it means I'll be tied to Hua Long Technology for quite a long time. That would indeed help my early development, but what about later? Other manufacturers like Zhong Wei Technology and Da Mai Technology wouldn't cooperate much with us anymore. That wouldn't be good for capturing the market or for long-term development. If possible, I'd even prefer not to accept any investment. Unfortunately, time waits for no one. I don't have that much time to slowly grind things out."

Li Shihan thought about it, found it rather brain-burning, and finally pursed her lips helplessly. "Fine. Just asking about it is giving me a headache, so I can't be bothered asking anymore. You men are always calculating this and calculating that. Isn't it exhausting?"

Zhou Feiyu reached over, took Li Shihan's hand into his palm, and gently rubbed it. "Women excel through emotion, while men excel through reason. Sometimes, these things just naturally occur to me. It's not like I deliberately think about them."

As he spoke, he suddenly smiled. He wanted to say something, but held it back in the end.

Li Shihan shot him a glare, an adorably threatening look on her face. "What were you going to say? Did you think of something bad?"

"Ahem, ahem~"

Zhou Feiyu pretended to cough a few times, then said with a smile, "Nothing. I just thought of something people say online: women only have genius-level IQs when dealing with their own men. The rest of the time, their IQs are negative."

Upon hearing that, Li Shihan's eyes widened. She instinctively slapped him twice. "What do you mean, negative? Our IQs are always online, okay? We just don't want to overthink things."

After saying that, she suddenly added jokingly, "So you'd better watch out. When it comes to dealing with you, my IQ will definitely skyrocket."

Zhou Feiyu looked sheepish and rubbed his nose.

Well, he had gotten himself into trouble by enjoying the gossip.

"The night gave me black eyes, Yet I use them to search for..."

The phone rang again.

Zhou Feiyu froze for a moment. When he picked it up and looked, it was surprisingly a call from Peng Fan, procurement manager at Zhong Wei Technology.

Could they be preparing to start the project and make samples?

Thinking this, Zhou Feiyu immediately answered. "President Peng, what can I do for you?"

Peng Fan's voice was cautious. "President Zhou, sorry to disturb you. This time, Mr. Chen Xi, Executive Vice President of Zhong Wei Technology, would like to speak with you."

Then another man's voice came through the phone—deep and powerful, with a strong Fujian accent. "President Zhou, hello. I'm Chen Xi. Sorry for the sudden call. Is this a convenient time to talk?"

"President Chen, hello, hello. Please go ahead. It's convenient."

Zhou Feiyu glanced at Li Shihan. At that moment, Li Shihan tactfully began scrolling through her phone.

Chen Xi?

If he remembered correctly, Zhou Feiyu knew of this man from news reports. Either reports on the electronics industry, or reports on where Zhong Wei Technology had invested and whom it had signed agreements with. In those reports, Chen Xi had represented Zhong Wei Technology in making speeches or signing contracts.

Compared with the leadership of Qian Jia and Di Guang, Zhong Wei Technology's leadership was clearly a level higher, and the degree of attention it received from local governments was on an entirely different level as well.

In the past, someone like this would never have crossed paths with Zhou Feiyu. Yet now, he was taking the initiative to call him.

The twists and turns of life were always so mysterious!

And this was the power brought by high technology. Even if your current strength and status were far below the other party's, they still had to lower their stance to negotiate with you.

"President Zhou, we've tested your FY-01 material. It truly is extraordinary—perfect, one might say. President Zhou's R&D capabilities are astonishing. Given time, you will surely shock the world..."

Chen Xi began by heaping one flattering compliment after another onto Zhou Feiyu.

Naturally, Zhou Feiyu responded with a round of modesty.

Only after quite a while did Chen Xi get to the point. "President Zhou, Zhong Wei Technology is extremely interested in cooperating with you on the FY-01 material. As the second-ranked listed company among domestic mobile phone ODM manufacturers, Zhong Wei Technology possesses formidable strength, a broad end-customer base, and strong R&D capabilities. I believe our cooperation will bring value to both sides far greater than one plus one equals two, and will also have a major and profound impact on domestic society and even globally... I would like to lead a team to visit your company soon, take a look, and learn from you. What do you think?"

Zhou Feiyu was completely immune to such words. His heart remained utterly unmoved.

After Chen Xi finished speaking, he immediately replied, "President Chen, you are more than welcome to visit Fei Yang and offer your guidance. My company officially opens next Wednesday, and I'd like to extend an invitation to you and Zhong Wei Technology's leadership to come visit."

"Haha, that would be wonderful. For President Zhou's company opening, I must come show my support."

Chen Xi's hearty laughter came through the phone.

A few words were enough.

Chen Xi immediately understood that if he wanted to achieve deeper cooperation, he would have to make a personal trip to Nanjiang County and speak face-to-face with this young man, Zhou Feiyu.

After the call ended, the smile on Chen Xi's face immediately vanished, leaving only helplessness in his expression. Another supplier who thinks he's the boss has appeared.