Shen Bing had agreed to attend the banquet for more than just the difficulty of turning down their invitation. He had another purpose in mind.
Shanghai was Huaxia's largest city by GDP, a national central city, and a hub for international finance, trade, shipping, and technological innovation. It was unquestionably one of the country's megacities.
Although Rongcheng had developed rapidly in recent years, it still lagged far behind Shanghai.
Phantom Immortal Technology had its headquarters in Rongcheng, and its development was centered there, but that did not mean it would only ever operate in Rongcheng.
Any company seeking greater growth had to break free of geographical constraints and expand its business worldwide.
Shanghai had an advantage Rongcheng lacked: transportation.
To give a simple example, if Dream Glass was only supplied domestically, it made no difference whether the factory was built in Rongcheng or Shanghai. But if Shen Bing wanted to sell Dream Glass around the world, his best option was to find a city with access to the sea.
Huaxia had plenty of coastal outlets and excellent ports, but Shanghai was the one Shen Bing favored most.
Shen Bing had already planned for this when Phantom Immortal Technology was first founded. It was not just for Dream Glass, either. The company would eventually produce all sorts of products, including many that would rely heavily on sea freight.
Shen Bing intended to use this opportunity to sound out the Shanghai municipal government.
Of course, there were also other factors he could not disclose to outsiders, all of which urged him to establish a foothold on the coast as soon as possible.
When Shen Bing arrived at the Pujiang Hotel, a group was already waiting to welcome him.
Shen Bing recognized the man at the head of the group at a glance.