The Global Market

After posting his response to Samsung Company, Ning Yifan paid it no further attention. He went into the kitchen and quickly made himself a serving of poached pork slices.

At the bottom was a bed of boiled potatoes, topped with pork slices cooked in a thickened sauce. The broth, stir-fried with doubanjiang, was a vivid red. A layer of chili powder, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and chopped scallions went on top, followed by a ladleful of piping-hot oil. In an instant, the whole room filled with fragrance!

Eating with rice, Ning Yifan thought about the company's next move.

Posting a response to Samsung Company online was only the first step. He wasn't worried at all about how to prove his innocence. What concerned him was what Samsung Company would do next.

It was the global market for projectors. Ning Yifan didn't want Samsung Company using his technology to make projectors and then rake in money in countries all over the world.

That would be downright sickening. They were crying "thief" while stealing, and even taking the homeowner's meal for themselves.

Ning Yifan had to make sure Samsung Company paid dearly and regretted cracking Shenma Technology Company's technology.

However, there was a major problem in front of him. The global market was enormous, and Shenma Technology Company's current production capacity was nowhere near enough to meet its demands.

Samsung had spent decades building its sales channels: online sales around the world, brick-and-mortar stores, sales teams, and business experts. Shenma Technology Company couldn't assemble anything like that in a short time.

Shenma Technology Company was selling well in Daxia Country because its product's performance crushed that of traditional TVs. Consumers only needed to take one look to know which to choose.

But on the global market, Samsung Company had plenty of ways to shape the narrative.

Both products were projectors capable of outperforming existing TV displays. Samsung was an internationally renowned corporation, while Shenma Technology Company had been founded only a few months ago and was known in just a small corner of Daxia Country.

Compared side by side, consumers might worry about whether Shenma Technology Company could provide after-sales service, whether its products might have quality problems, or whether it was a scam company.

Samsung Company could also promote its products across the globe, making a huge splash.

Even if Ning Yifan's Shenma Technology Company entered the global market, it could only sell online. From the outset, that would leave the vast market to Samsung Company.

People said good wine needed no bush. If things had gone normally and Shenma Technology Company were the only one selling wine, that would have been fine. It could take its time. Those who tried the wine would come looking for more and recommend it to the people around them.

But now, another wine merchant had appeared. Its wine was clearly less pure and flavorful than the wine sold in the little alley, but its shop was on a bustling main street. It was also a century-old establishment with a good reputation and branches all over the world.

The wine in the alley might win the support of a few nearby residents and spread within a limited area, but it could only give up on the global market.

That wouldn't do. If Shenma Technology Company stood alone, it would be almost impossible to take on Samsung Company.

Things had changed considerably. Shenma Technology Company could no longer manage with its own strength alone. Ning Yifan thought of the several major Daxia Country home appliance companies that had previously wanted to acquire Shenma Technology Company. Selling the company was out of the question, but there might be potential for a partnership!

Ning Yifan spent more than twenty minutes eating by himself. As he ate, his thoughts gradually fell into place. He figured out how to handle things next and deal with Samsung's attempt to take over the global market.

After eating, washing the dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen,

Ning Yifan took out his phone and found the numbers he wanted in the deleted messages folder.

These were messages from the several companies that had previously tried to join forces to acquire Shenma Technology Company. They had tried to contact Ning Yifan by text, and their messages included the contact details of each company's senior executives.

At the time, Ning Yifan hadn't paid them any attention. Selling the company was absolutely out of the question!

The first number he found was Changhong's. Ning Yifan tapped the number in the message and made the call.

Beep, beep, beep—

After three rings, the call was answered.

"Is this Mr. Ning Yifan?" a puzzled male voice asked over the phone.

It seemed the other party had saved Ning Yifan's number in his phone.

"Yes, this is Ning Yifan!" Ning Yifan answered directly.

"Mr. Ning, may I ask what you're calling about?" The president of Changhong Company was busy at the time. He set aside the list of employees slated for the second round of layoffs and listened carefully to the young man on the phone.

"I was wondering whether your company is still interested in entering the global market for projector displays."

"Is that possible? Of course we're interested. But didn't you turn us down before?" the president asked in surprise.

"That was then. At the time, our technology hadn't been cracked by Samsung, so we could take our time and eventually capture the global market.

"But now Samsung has cracked my technology. Even though, to me, it's already a bit outdated, consumers in the global market can't see that.

"If Samsung's projectors enter the global market, they'll surely take over quickly. I don't want to see a thief using my technology to make a fortune!

"That's why I'm calling. Are you interested in the global projector market? If you are, come to Shenma Technology Company in Dujiangyan tomorrow, and we can discuss the details.

"This is also an opportunity for your company. Whether you can seize it is up to you!"

After hearing Ning Yifan out, the president immediately said, "I see. All right, I'll report this to the chairman right away!"

"I look forward to seeing you."

After hanging up, Ning Yifan immediately found the number of a senior executive at Hisense Company and called again.

"Hello..."

After a similar pitch, the other party also said they would report the matter to the chairman immediately.

Next, Ning Yifan called the remaining companies one by one.

He wasn't too worried about whether these companies would come or how many of them would show up. There were more home appliance companies than just these. If it didn't work out, he could also partner with companies like Midea, Gree, or Supor.

After finishing the calls, Ning Yifan worked overtime for once.

Time was short, and there was a lot to do. He had to build the latest projector tonight—a product that could crush Samsung Company's projector and prove himself.

At the same time, Ning Yifan planned to upgrade the projector's TV system, modify the equipment production line, and replace the drive boards and drivers currently in use.

This time, Ning Yifan wouldn't make the same mistake again. Given his current resources, he could design and manufacture a more advanced drive board to suit his needs. The driver would also get a major upgrade, and he would add anti-piracy technology.

Improving the driver, designing and manufacturing new drive boards, and upgrading the production line—all of it meant Ning Yifan would definitely be up all night.

Fortunately, the Black Tech System had a deep-sleep function. With deep sleep activated, he only needed about four hours of sleep a day to wake up fully rested. It was the ultimate all-nighter tool!

Just as Ning Yifan got down to work,

the presidents, CEOs, and general managers of Changhong and the other companies he had contacted quickly reported their conversations with Ning Yifan to their respective chairmen.

The chairmen responded just as quickly: buy tickets to Shuangliu immediately! And arrange the trip from Shuangliu to Dujiangyan.

Ning Yifan had imagined that, given Shenma Technology Company's current dispute with Samsung Company and his previous rejection of the companies' acquisition proposals, some executives might be unwilling to come.

Those executives would only have said that Ning Yifan was overthinking it!

The companies were all having a rough time. Some were laying off employees; others were shifting the focus of their factories. Things were bleak, to say the least, and two were even preparing to liquidate.

Ning Yifan's call was a lifeline for them. Whatever happened, it couldn't hurt to take a look. It would only cost them a day or two. What if it could bring their companies back from the brink?

They were all very tempted by the share of the global TV projector market Ning Yifan had mentioned on the phone!