Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo

Chapter 290

On the sports field of Qingda University in late autumn, a layer of warm golden sunset glow covered the ground.

The breeze brushed through the nearby camphor trees, rustling the leaves, and the air carried a hint of laziness unique to a college campus.

Gu Ran walked backward with his hands stuffed in his pockets, facing the aloof young woman. His brows and eyes were filled with unconcealable high spirits.

He raised an eyebrow, his steps casual and unhurried, but his tone carried a hint of wanting to claim credit.

"Dr. Ye, let me report some good news to you. Our company landed another huge order today."

He paused here and stared intently at the young woman in front of him.

"At this rate of making money, we're one giant step closer to the grand goal of building an osmanthus garden for you."

Ye Zhenzhen, with her small hands behind her back, stopped in her tracks when she heard this.

She blinked and tilted her head to look at the young man in front of her.

"Why do you always just say whatever pops into your head? Out of nowhere, when did we ever talk about building an osmanthus garden for me?"

Gu Ran leaned in a bit closer, his nose catching the faint, elegant fragrance lingering on the girl.

He shrugged, smiling shamelessly, yet his tone was completely righteous.

"Well, who told a certain someone to always smell so nicely of sweet osmanthus? I was thinking, in the future, our courtyard must be planted full of osmanthus trees. Only then will it be worthy of you."

Hit by this direct pitch, the tips of Ye Zhenzhen's ears instantly grew hot.

She shot Gu Ran a coquettish glare, suppressing the upward curve of her lips, and grumbled in exasperation.

"You're always running your mouth and bragging all day. Who wants to have a home with you?"

Gu Ran wasn't annoyed. He continued walking backward, his gaze never leaving the girl's pretty face for a second.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the synthetic track.

The young woman, hands behind her back, swayed her body slightly as she lifted her toes to chase the young man's elongated shadow.

And that young man had a face full of doting affection, spouting playful words.

The young woman kept her small face tense, her mouth full of complaints. But in those aloof eyes, fine fragments of a smile rippled.

...

Shencheng, Zhonghua Kulian Headquarters, top-floor conference room.

The large oval conference table was surrounded by executives in suits and leather shoes. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

The vice president sitting on the left slammed his hand onto the solid wood table, pointing directly at President Wang and opening full fire.

"Let me ask you, President Wang, what kind of humiliating, sovereignty-forfeiting treaty is this? Cutting the revenue share in half is one thing, but you actually agreed to sign an exclusivity agreement!"

He leaned forward with his hands on the table, continuing to apply pressure.

"Do you have any idea of Penguin's status in the internet circle? By doing this, we are offending Penguin to death!"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he got. He narrowed his eyes and deliberately raised his voice.

"You usually handle things so steadily. Why are you rushing to act like a submissive grandson to that obscure GR Company this time?"

As he spoke, he looked around, signaling to certain people with his eyes.

One of them took the cue, though he wasn't as bold as the vice president and spoke more tactfully.

"This contract seems fishy inside and out. Could it be that Weiliao used some underhanded methods in private?"

As soon as the words fell, the conference room instantly went quiet.

The other executives looked at each other in dismay. These words were too ruthless; no one dared to follow up.

Using methods is one thing, but adding in private?

Wasn't this blatantly calling President Wang a traitor who bites the hand that feeds him?!

Facing this overwhelming interrogation, President Wang didn't even bat an eyelid.

He unhurriedly unscrewed his thermos to take a sip of goji berry tea, then unzipped his briefcase.

A thick stack of printed data reports, along with several Unicom Weiliao free-data SIM cards, were unceremoniously thrown onto the table by him.

Papers scattered across the table. President Wang stood up, leaning his hands on the table as he scanned the room.

His gaze swept past the vice president and finally landed on the person who had just made the sarcastic remark.

"What the hell do you know! Sitting in the office every day working behind closed doors, is your brain filled with paste?"

He jabbed forcefully at the reports on the table.

"Can a small business department like WeChat represent the will of the entire Penguin empire? Do you really think they are invincible gods?"

President Wang pointed at the soaring data curves, his voice echoing through most of the conference room.

"Open your eyes and take a good look! Weiliao is now the absolute necessity among the youth demographic!"

Saying that, he picked up another report and shook it loudly.

"This software has completely monopolized the universities and the lower-tier markets! This is the general trend!"

Finally, President Wang's eyes locked onto the vice president.

"GR doesn't lack partners right now! If we refuse to sign this contract today just for the sake of our pitiful pride..."

He emphasized his tone.

"Tomorrow, that pack of hungry wolves from Hua-Mi-O-V will scramble to sign it! By then, we won't even get a sip of hot soup, and we'll just have to watch helplessly as our market share is eaten clean!"

As soon as these resounding words came out, the other executives hurried forward to pass around the data.

When they clearly saw Weiliao's vertically climbing user growth curve and its absurdly high retention rate, the entire room fell silent.

But for some people, how much money the company made was secondary; power struggles were the main priority!

The executive who had spoken earlier sneered, continuing his stubbornness. "What can you even tell from these reports?"

He picked up a report, flipped through it, and then threw it back onto the table disdainfully.

"Even if this is true, what does it prove? Can one pre-installed app really boost sales? I think some people have been in leadership positions for too long and have become too detached from reality."

"You..."

Just as President Wang was about to speak, a secretary walked out from the large conference room next door and directly conveyed the latest directive from the board of directors.

Unanimous approval of the strategic partnership with Weiliao!

The vice president and the executive who had been jumping up and down just a moment ago were instantly silenced. Flushed red, they slumped into their leather chairs, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Not long after, Zhonghua Kulian officially announced its deep strategic partnership with Weiliao.

This blockbuster news detonated in the domestic mobile phone circle like a deep-water bomb.

The executive group chats of several top-tier manufacturers like Hua-Mi-O-V exploded, notification sounds ringing incessantly.

Anyone who could survive in this circle couldn't fit in if they weren't well-informed.

Therefore, the general terms of Zhonghua Kulian's contract were leaked out in less than an hour.

The other major manufacturers found it unbelievable that Zhonghua Kulian would openly accept such an unfair treaty, but more than that, they felt a sense of crisis.

To cope with the potential industry shakeup, executives from several unsigned friendly competitors held an emergency overnight meeting at a teahouse in Shencheng.

Inside the private room, the fragrance of tea overflowed. The crowd sat around the mahogany tea table, their main focus being a shared hatred for a common enemy.

A potbellied executive slapped his thigh, cursing with righteous indignation.

"That bastard Lao Wang really has no morals! Throwing away the industry's bottom line for a little petty profit, he's simply the scum of the mobile phone circle!"

Another executive wearing gold-rimmed glasses chimed in, setting his teacup down on the table.

"That's why we must unite today and jointly boycott Weiliao!"

He pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"As long as we stand together in the same boat, could his mere startup company really afford to hang itself on the single tree of Zhonghua Kulian?"

"When the time comes and no other manufacturers sign with them, GR and his people will have no choice but to obediently raise the revenue-sharing ratio back up! Therefore, we must firmly boycott these rule-breaking clauses!"

Everyone raised their cups, substituting tea for wine, and solemnly swore to advance and retreat together.

The private room was just short of staging a heaven-moving display of deep brotherhood.

As soon as the meeting broke up, the few of them shook hands, parted with tears in their eyes, and were then helped back to their cars by their respective secretaries.

Barely after settling into the backseat of his Maybach, the plump executive who had just been loudly cursing the major domestic tech alliances for being too greedy hastily dialed Li Sinan's number.

The moment the call connected, his face immediately piled up with a flattering smile, and his voice became so gentle it was practically dripping with water.

"Hello, is this President Li?"

"Who am I? I'm Lao Liu from Huami OV. Would you do me the honor of grabbing a meal together tomorrow?"

He rubbed his thick hands against his thighs, trying to make his smile even more obsequious.

Even though the person on the other end couldn't see him at all, he remained earnest.

Because this was his ultimate secret to climbing the corporate ladder: sincerity!

"I took a trip to Changbai Mountain a while ago and managed to dig up a century-old wild ginseng. I brought it back just for you."

"It's not for you, it's for your parents, so you absolutely cannot refuse."

"By the way, regarding the cooperation between our two companies, do you think we could push it forward a bit? The revenue-sharing ratio is completely negotiable. As long as you let us pre-install your app, you can name your terms!"

At the exact same time he was making his call.

In the car next door, the executive wearing gold-rimmed glasses was covering his phone's receiver, frowning at the busy tone coming from the device.

"Damn it, these bastards move fast!"

After cursing in a low voice, he patted the front seat, signaling the driver to go.

Meanwhile, the other cars also began to pull away one after another, leaving only the plump executive's Maybach parked in its original spot.

Several of them rolled down their windows and exchanged glances across the distance, all realizing exactly what had happened.

Seeing this, the plump executive on the phone hurriedly slapped the front seat. Covering the mouthpiece with his hand, he whispered frantically, "Are you stupid? Why are we just sitting here? Drive!!!"

The next second, the Maybach shot forward like a rocket, its tires letting out an ear-piercing screech against the rubber flooring of the underground garage.

"Heh, trying to cover it up only makes it more obvious."

The executive with the gold-rimmed glasses pushed up his spectacles, then nodded to the others in acknowledgment, unhurriedly having his driver start the car.

After rolling up his window, he hurriedly picked up his phone again and started dialing Li Sinan's number...