Chapter 351 Bigge Battery
"The longer Yuanxin exists and the bigger it grows, the more these annoying things happen. I have no problem working on technology, but when it comes to corporate politics, I'm a complete outsider."
Su Yuanshan walked with his hands behind his back, continuing as he spoke, "Fortunately, everyone still gives me face for now. Even if there are disputes, they happen secretly. But over the long term..."
Zhou Xiaohui smiled sweetly, "It's okay, your face will still be valuable for a long time."
"Sister Xiaohui, are you complimenting me for being young?"
"...Mm, yes!"
"Hehe, that's probably my only advantage," Su Yuanshan squinted, gazing toward the distant construction site, and said leisurely, "By the time I retire, the next generation will likely be better equipped to steer the Yuanxin ship."
"Pfft, not to be blunt, but isn't it a little too early for you to be thinking about retirement and the next generation?"
"Not at all... Time passes quickly. Look, it's almost 1995 already." Su Yuanshan turned his head and sighed, "The annual meeting must be in preparation by now, right? How is it being arranged?"
"Administration has some ideas. They're thinking of inviting some popular singers to liven it up."
"Uh... That sounds good."
The two continued chatting as they circled the lakeside and returned to the road.
At that moment, a small car came from the direction of the command center and stopped when it saw them.
"Director Shan."
The rear car door opened, and Duan Yongping jumped out first to greet them. Right after him, a young man of about thirty also stepped out.
"Director Wang, let me introduce you. This is Director Shan, and this is Director Shan's assistant, Zhou Xiaohui."
The young man, addressed as Director Wang, quickly approached Su Yuanshan with a big smile and extended his hand. "Director Shan, it's an honor to meet you."
"Hello, hello." Su Yuanshan, always ready with a friendly face, promptly shook hands with him.
Duan Yongping introduced him: "Director Shan, Director Wang is the General Manager of Bigge Battery. He's here to coordinate with us on standards related to nickel-metal hydride batteries."
"Director Shan, Bigge Battery originated from the Capital Nonferrous Metals Research Institute. We have strong technical expertise. In the domestic battery field, our technology is second to none—even comparable to Japanese products," Director Wang said while gripping Su Yuanshan's hand tightly, unwilling to let go—he knew that Yuanxin's mobile phones currently used batteries imported from Japan.
If he could secure an order from Yuanxin, it would be like attaching himself to a towering giant.
Director Wang cherished the opportunity, completely unaware that Su Yuanshan's expression had become a little strange.
"Director Wang, could you give me a business card?" Su Yuanshan gently withdrew his hand and smiled warmly.
"Oh, sure. My apologies..."
Looking at the card, Su Yuanshan quietly exhaled when he saw the name Wang Chuanfu.
He knew that BYD originally started with nickel-metal hydride batteries for mobile phones, and he remembered that within a year or two, BYD would be founded...
Putting the card away, Su Yuanshan smiled and asked, "Director Wang, your main business right now is nickel-metal hydride batteries, right?"
"Yes, specifically mobile phone rechargeable batteries."
"And have you made any investments in lithium battery technology?"
"Uh..." Wang Chuanfu looked at Su Yuanshan, and information about some colleagues from the Capital Nonferrous Metals Research Institute who had recently switched jobs flashed through his mind. He immediately realized that Yuanxin was also developing batteries—and specifically lithium batteries.
Could it be that Yuanxin's lithium batteries were already close to being commercialized for phones?
Wang Chuanfu quickly glanced at Duan Yongping with suspicion...
Not likely. If that were the case, Duan Yongping wouldn't bother with polite small talk or discussions about standards and technical norms.
"Not at the moment." After a flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind, Wang Chuanfu shook his head honestly and said, "Lithium batteries are still frontier technology. We only have plans for the future. For now, our main focus is still nickel-metal hydride batteries."
"Mm..." Su Yuanshan pursed his lips slightly and stared at Wang Chuanfu for several seconds.
Once Yuanxin partnered with Sony to push into the lithium battery sector, it would surely accelerate breakthroughs in lithium technology—because Su Yuanshan knew the right direction.
This would mean that, at least domestically, none of the other battery makers would have a real chance.
Including the future BYD.
After a few seconds of silence, Su Yuanshan said softly, "In that case, next month Yuanxin and Sony will have a conference about lithium battery technology. If Director Wang is interested, you're welcome to visit Yuanxin for a look."
"Ah?" Wang Chuanfu was stunned at first, but after confirming he hadn't misheard, he was overjoyed: "It would be my honor. Just let me know when, and I'll definitely come!"
"Good. You must be heading toward the office building now? Then we won't hold you up."
Su Yuanshan watched Duan Yongping and Wang Chuanfu leave, then turned and smiled at Zhou Xiaohui. "Sister Xiaohui, I was just scratching my head about how to expand the battery business after partnering with Sony, and this person showed up... Looks like I'm pretty lucky."
"...Is he impressive?"
"This guy went from undergraduate to master's degree, then joined the Nonferrous Metals Research Institute, always specializing in batteries... To be honest, he's really impressive."
Su Yuanshan chuckled and casually walked toward the nearby command center.
Since he had run into Wang, now it depended on what ambitions Wang Chuanfu had.
...
That evening, Su Yuanshan had a simple meal with the leadership team at the factory and after a brief gathering returned to the hotel. The next day, he and Zhou Xiaohui officially headed to the Internet Center.
Because this visit was relatively formal, Zhou Xiaohui had called ahead. Ding Lei personally sent a car to pick them up, and the three main leaders were waiting at the Internet Center's main entrance to welcome them.
"Three senior brothers, isn't this a bit too grand?"
After getting out of the car and seeing the lineup, Su Yuanshan joked.
"You can call it formal, not grand—if we really wanted to go grand, we'd have a row of girls presenting you with flowers," Ding Lei replied with a laugh, ushering the two into the office.
After the secretary poured tea for everyone and closed the door, only Ding Lei, Pony, Zhang Xiaolong—the three giants of the Internet Center—and Su Yuanshan and Zhou Xiaohui remained in the room.
Su Yuanshan casually sat on the sofa, not bothering about who sat where. He slowly turned his teacup, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
Each wore a different expression.
Pony seemed somewhat "shy," Zhang Xiaolong looked serious, and Ding Lei appeared the most calm.
None of them spoke; they all stared at Su Yuanshan.
Su Yuanshan smiled: "Why aren't you three saying anything?"
"We can't speak until the leader opens the discussion," Ding Lei chuckled. "Let me start then... At present, our website has already become one of the largest internet portals internationally—in fact, probably the largest."
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Chapter 352 It's Time
Su Yuanshan had no doubt about Ding Lei's words.
Even without capital pushing behind them, the Newbook—this was the new domain name adopted when the portal site officially launched on the international internet—crafted by Ding Lei, quickly became a "giant" in the online world. Thanks to the help of the 163WEB email service and the pioneering portal website operation model, it achieved this status almost immediately after going live.
The reason they chose the name Newbook was entirely to accommodate Western habits. While Chinese users could easily remember "163," Western users found it awkward to pronounce... A simple word combination was much easier for them to remember.
One major feature of the internet was trend-following. After Newbook set the standard in areas like comprehensive news, commentary, and forums, a flood of similar websites rapidly emerged under the push of capital.
Among them, Newbook's biggest rival was Yahoo. This formerly minor website, which had started by providing a simple directory service, quickly pivoted into a portal site after receiving a boost from investors, relying on its early notoriety.
"Right now, our 24-hour average IP traffic has reached three million," Ding Lei said. "According to the latest statistics on internet access, this means that among people who turn on a computer and go online each day, one in five visits our site to get information."
"Additionally, based on access analysis using technology from Pandora Labs, we've found that the proportion of users who access us by directly entering our address or through browser recommendations is increasing, while the proportion coming from sites like Yahoo is shrinking."
As he spoke, Ding Lei got up and retrieved a folder from the file cabinet, handing it to Su Yuanshan while joking, "We have to thank your girlfriend for that."
Su Yuanshan accepted the folder but didn't immediately open it. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Using it for traffic analysis is just a minor detail. The real core technology is still in hyperlink analysis."
Ding Lei nodded. "But for us, the visitor analysis feature is extremely practical. It lets us clearly see which pages and content are most attractive."
"Mm, content distribution is also important," Su Yuanshan said, tapping the folder with his fingertips. "The recommended positions on the homepage, the wording of titles, the layout—these all heavily impact traffic data."
"So a good homepage is like a face," Ding Lei laughed. "But right now, the problem is that our user stickiness isn't high enough. It's not as good as EM..."
Pony raised his eyebrows: "How can you compare a website to our communication software?"
Su Yuanshan laughed as well. "Indeed, it's harder for websites to increase stickiness... but not impossible."
Ding Lei said, "We've tried pushing the forums hard, but the effect has been mediocre. As for the WEB email, that's purely a utility service, so it's even worse..."
"You don't have to rely only on that..." Su Yuanshan sighed lightly. "Why not build a community?"
"A community?"
Su Yuanshan didn't answer immediately. He looked around at the three of them, then slowly said, "On the internet, users are king. No matter how tough things get in the future, remember that."
"So, Newbook's current approach of relying on email services to obtain registered users is wrong."
Staring seriously at Ding Lei, Su Yuanshan said, "You need to add a direct user registration and login portal. Make email an auxiliary service for the website, and simultaneously build a user community."
Ding Lei pulled a chair over and sat next to Su Yuanshan. "Explain clearly what a user community is."
"Something like a life community..." Su Yuanshan squinted, recalling the online communities of later years, especially the Jiucheng Community he had once played around with. "Users can add each other as friends, play simple games, earn virtual rewards, establish a user level system, and access additional features like saving news articles or bookmarking links—basically, you need to grab the users and keep them engaged..."
The three listened quietly as Su Yuanshan spoke, their eyes gradually lighting up. Finally, Ding Lei slapped his thigh hard: "Damn! That's a brilliant idea!"
Zhang Xiaolong nodded. "Interesting. So basically, the community would work like a simulation game?"
"Exactly, a simulation game." Su Yuanshan smiled at Ding Lei. "In the portal site wars, innovation is even more important than burning money."
Ding Lei was stunned, then immediately said, "Why don't you just sit here and take charge? You casually say a few words and it's worth months of brainstorming from all of us."
"...It's fine. I believe you guys can handle it."
Su Yuanshan fell silent for a moment. He glanced around at the few people present, then said faintly, "It seems the time has come."
The expressions of the three changed subtly.
Next to Su Yuanshan, Zhou Xiaohui kept her face expressionless, just quietly doodling in her notebook.
"Brother Xiaolong, what's your plan?" Su Yuanshan turned to Zhang Xiaolong first.
Zhang Xiaolong smiled. "Our email client is barely profitable now. I'm under less pressure than they are."
Su Yuanshan nodded with a smile, then looked at Ding Lei and Pony: "Right now, Newbook and EM are both number one in their fields. But at this stage, all number ones are temporary."
"I've always talked about internet thinking because the most important feature of internet thinking is innovation. Because... innovation here is easier to achieve than in the hardware industry, and easier to promote than in the software industry."
"Any small change to an online product can be immediately reflected and propagated to countless users—that's the power and influence of the internet."
"Of course, besides innovation, capital also plays a big role. If Yuanxin has to keep supporting you with money-burning strategies until you find a stable, profitable model and direction, it's possible... but doing so would definitely impact Yuanxin's future development in the semiconductor sector. It would also be unfavorable for Newbook and EM's growth."
The three men said nothing, quietly absorbing Su Yuanshan's words.
"Currently, the internet market is centered in the West. Therefore, your goals and paths over the next few years must also head West—Silicon Valley is where you should go."
Pony and Ding Lei exchanged a glance. Both opened their mouths as if to speak but remained silent.
Su Yuanshan's words implied that if they wanted to truly go independent, they would have to leave their familiar environment and head to Silicon Valley.
In fact, during these months, as leaders in their respective fields on the internet, they had already received countless offers from venture capitalists.
But... to truly leave everything they were familiar with would be hard.
Su Yuanshan's voice rang out again: "Brother Ding, Brother Pony, do you have the confidence to go public within three years?"
He looked at the two men with an unusually serious expression.
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Chapter 353 A Big Opportunity
At that moment, Zhou Xiaohui finally raised her head. She glanced at the two men briefly, and in the end, her gaze fell on Su Yuanshan's face.
She knew that Su Yuanshan didn't mind Ding Lei and Pony becoming independent. In fact, she also knew that in Su Yuanshan's long-term plans, these departments were always meant to eventually spin off...
But she herself could never achieve the same kind of open-mindedness that Su Yuanshan displayed.
She believed that even if independence was inevitable, it should only come as a proposal from Yuanxin itself, not from the teams themselves—just like what had happened with EDA back then.
At that time, when the EDA division was spun off, whether it was Jiang Wanchao, Qu Hui, or Pan Xiaojun, who had been persuaded by Su Yuanshan, none of them were truly willing; all were reluctant.
To make the split happen smoothly, Su Yuanshan had done a tremendous amount of work to finally convince everyone. Even so, Qu Hui had cried bitterly on Su Yuanshan's shoulder back then—only to later come running back cheekily under the banner of a "collaboration" and stubbornly camp out at the Tech Park.
In contrast, Zhou Xiaohui now felt that the Internet Center side was being a little excessive.
Ding Lei and Pony remained silent for five seconds, then exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously: "We do!"
"Good!" Su Yuanshan responded briskly: "Each of your teams will establish a new company. Yuanxin will initially invest and hold 60% of the shares. The remaining 40% will be employee stock allocated to your teams for you to distribute as you see fit. Afterward, Yuanxin will not interfere in your operations but will provide full support."
As soon as the words fell, Zhou Xiaohui's eyes widened sharply. She stared at Su Yuanshan in disbelief and couldn't help but say, "Forty percent?"
"Yes, forty percent," Su Yuanshan nodded calmly.
Ding Lei and Pony looked at each other again and clenched their fists tightly.
"Remember, this share is for your teams—not for you individually," Su Yuanshan said, fixing his gaze on them. "In the future, when you become bosses, you must learn to weigh gains and losses, and not be too obsessed with winning or losing minor battles."
It seemed that Su Yuanshan was both explaining to Zhou Xiaohui and mentoring the two young men.
"Understood!" Ding Lei slowly exhaled. "Don't worry, Xiaoshan, the spirit of Yuanxin is in our bones."
Pony also said softly, "Director Shan, without your approval, I wouldn't have dared to create EM."
Hearing their heartfelt declarations, Su Yuanshan smiled gently and said, "Then let's leave it at that for now. In principle, I will not interfere in your future fundraising activities, nor will I actively dilute your shares."
"You should start integrating your teams. Let's try to finalize everything this year. It will be easier to find some foreign investors to fool..."
Su Yuanshan added with a sigh, "Speaking of which, foreign money really is easy to fool..."
That night, Su Yuanshan had dinner with everyone.
At the banquet table, it was clear that Pony and Ding Lei were quite emotional. The two of them practically forced Su Yuanshan to drink a lot with them—though it was mostly the two of them drinking, while Su Yuanshan only occasionally accompanied them.
When they returned to the hotel, Su Yuanshan collapsed onto the sofa. Zhou Xiaohui came over with a wet towel.
"Sister Xiaohui, you're not very happy today, are you?"
Su Yuanshan squinted hard, the cold towel helping to clear his mind. Seeing Zhou Xiaohui's sullen face, he joked lightly.
"They're being a bit too much..." Zhou Xiaohui simply sat down across from him and said seriously, "And why give them forty percent?"
"Because they're worth forty percent... The Internet Center was founded by Brother Ding and Pony. They led the product development. EDA was different; it was led by me. Totally different situations."
Zhou Xiaohui was momentarily speechless, then said unhappily, "Still feels like they're traitors."
"Sister Xiaohui, from now on you must not call them traitors in front of others," Su Yuanshan immediately sat up, his face serious. "No matter what Brother Ding and Pony's motivations are, their spinning off now is the best thing for Yuanxin."
Zhou Xiaohui fell silent.
She had been taught personally by Su Yuanshan for years and could certainly sense it: spinning off these two departments now would absolutely cause a frenzy in the capital markets.
Yuanxin holding 60% of the shares—even if diluted later—given the capital world's current obsession with anything internet-related, it would be a hugely profitable investment.
Moreover, Su Yuanshan had said many times before: the internet was still in its wild early days. Becoming number one was easy; staying number one would be much harder—it would require burning massive amounts of money.
And Yuanxin this year and next had too many places where money was needed.
"Sister Xiaohui, the tide of the internet is just starting to surge... There's a lot of big opportunities waiting out there," Su Yuanshan said as he closed his eyes.
There was one thing he couldn't say aloud—the internet bubble was inevitable. When that time came, he could just cash out beforehand, and if he wanted, buy things back cheaply afterward.
No big deal!
Seeing Su Yuanshan close his eyes, Zhou Xiaohui sighed softly and said, "Go sleep on the bed."
"No need, I'm not drunk. Just waiting for a call."
"..."
At that moment, the phone on the coffee table rang as if on cue.
Su Yuanshan opened his eyes and smiled at Zhou Xiaohui: "See? Here it is."
He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was an international number. Su Yuanshan smiled again and pressed the answer button.
"Kyudokun, have you eaten yet?"
"Our time zone is one hour ahead of yours—what do you think?" Kyudoraki Ken joked over the phone before getting serious, "Sang Su, are you in the Special Economic Zone?"
"Yes. When are you planning to come over?"
"That depends on what cooperation you want to discuss. If it's about gaming, I can come immediately. If it's about film and entertainment, I'll need three more days. If it's about lithium batteries, you'll have to wait until next month..."
"Pfft..." Su Yuanshan couldn't help but laugh at Kyudoraki Ken's humor. "Then I invite you to come in three days. We can talk about film and entertainment. As for lithium batteries, let's wait for your professionals to come over later."
"Haha, sounds good."
Sony Pictures Entertainment, abbreviated SPE, was a subsidiary of Sony (USA), which in turn was a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of Japan.
In a sense, it was the grandson company of Sony's headquarters.
But this subsidiary was no small player—it was built on Sony's massive $6 billion acquisition of Columbia Pictures five years ago.
After years of development, Sony Pictures Entertainment had expanded beyond film and TV production and distribution to investing in TV channels worldwide, as well as offering a range of equipment, services, and support.
Waiting three days meant waiting for the Sony Entertainment representatives to come along too.
Su Yuanshan rubbed his face and found Zhang Jianjun's number.
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Chapter 354 The Ultimate Way Out
Ever since Zhang Jianjun and Yang Yingying founded Dingxin Media together, Zhang Jianjun had officially withdrawn from the pirated disc market and fully entered the legitimate film and music product market. Upon its founding, Dingxin Media immediately signed a contract with Yuanxin's VCD division for four million copies of Yang Yingying's new album on SVCD discs.
Every year, Yuanxin's VCD division would purchase large quantities of legitimate albums from record companies to include as complimentary gifts with their devices. Yuanxin also held shares in Dingxin Media.
After arranging for Zhang Jianjun to come to the hotel the next day, Su Yuanshan turned off his phone and smiled at Zhou Xiaohui. "Sister Xiaohui, in your eyes, is Sony impressive?"
"Depends on who you're comparing them to," Zhou Xiaohui answered conservatively. Seeing Su Yuanshan pout, she smiled and added, "I mainly deal with Yuanxin and Xinghai. Do you think Sony can beat us?"
"Uh... If you put it that way, I have no comeback. But it's true, Sony has been tight-fisted in recent years, missing their old dominance," Su Yuanshan said, sighing. "Back in the day, when Akio Morita spent six billion dollars acquiring CBS Records and Columbia Pictures, that was real grandeur... They even went as far as establishing Sony (America) just to manage those two companies."
Zhou Xiaohui blinked and said, "I heard that Sony's recent profit struggles are mostly because of Sony Pictures. Is that true?"
"It's true. Sony Pictures has been bleeding money these past few years—you can tell by the films they've released recently; they're all box office disasters. Even 'The Shawshank Redemption,' although critically acclaimed, bombed at the box office..."
Seeing Su Yuanshan's eyes gradually becoming more clear, Zhou Xiaohui got up and poured him a glass of water. After sitting down again, she asked, "So the internet is the future for the entertainment industry?"
"The internet is the ultimate way out," Su Yuanshan gave a response that sounded impressive but was actually pretty useless.
Zhou Xiaohui: "..."
"Hehe, I'm going to read some more papers. You should rest early. Remember to arrange a meeting with the Special Economic Zone government tomorrow morning, see if we can set up visits for the day after and the following day."
Seeing Su Yuanshan open his laptop, Zhou Xiaohui stood up, asked the front desk to deliver some snacks to Su Yuanshan's room, then returned to her own room and opened her laptop to start writing her work log.
While writing, she stopped typing and stared blankly at the screen.
Su Yuanshan was indeed her boss, but in a way, he was even more like her teacher.
Every one of his ideas and decisions, he would discuss with Zhou Xiaohui, explaining why he made that choice and what consequences and impacts it would have.
Zhou Xiaohui believed no one understood Su Yuanshan better than she did, and the more she understood him, the more she was in awe of him.
—It's not frightening when someone is smarter than you; it's frightening when someone is both smarter and works harder.
Zhou Xiaohui had never met another boss like Su Yuanshan, someone branded a genius yet still studying and working into the deep hours every night.
Frankly speaking, Zhou Xiaohui had witnessed Su Yuanshan's growth from a seventeen-year-old boy to what he was now—and even at seventeen, Su Yuanshan had possessed a level of self-discipline far beyond his peers, far beyond normal people.
This consistent self-discipline made Zhou Xiaohui feel the urgency that Su Yuanshan sometimes exuded.
Yes, urgency. It was as if Su Yuanshan knew he didn't have much time left and chose to burn through his life to realize his ideals.
Because of this feeling that arose months ago, Zhou Xiaohui had anxiously "forced" Su Yuanshan to get a full health check-up...
That had left Su Yuanshan both helpless and amused.
However, after returning from the hospital, Su Yuanshan discussed with Chen Jing arranging mandatory health checkups for all employees: once every three years for those over twenty-five, every two years after thirty, and annually after thirty-five.
After a soft sigh, Zhou Xiaohui continued writing her work log.
...
The next morning, Zhang Jianjun and Yang Yingying arrived together at the hotel.
"Sister-in-law, weren't you in the middle of recording?" Su Yuanshan said with a smile after leading them into the living room and settling down. Yang Yingying was dressed in an elegant, plain trench coat.
"I wasn't in great shape today," Yang Yingying smiled warmly. "Plus, your senior brother said he was coming to keep Xiaohui company, so I tagged along."
"Hehe, I think it was actually Brother Zhang who insisted you come," Su Yuanshan teased, winking at Zhang Jianjun. "Right, Brother Zhang?"
Since arriving in the Special Economic Zone, Zhang Jianjun's weight had been steadily climbing. He now showed signs of passing two hundred pounds, and at less than 1.7 meters tall, he looked quite like a Buddha statue sitting on the sofa.
Hearing this, Zhang Jianjun chuckled sheepishly, "Yingying is a shareholder; it's only right she comes."
"I'll leave the business talk to you guys. I'm just here to listen."
Su Yuanshan nodded. "Brother Zhang, we're all family, so I'll get straight to the point—Dingxin Media's been around for almost half a year now, right?"
"Yeah, almost."
"Think bigger. Stop focusing only on selling records..." Su Yuanshan glanced at Yang Yingying with a smile. "Sister-in-law is indeed a money tree, but if you keep shaking the same tree, you'll just make her dizzy."
Zhang Jianjun laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
Yang Yingying also smiled wryly. "You... that analogy..."
"It's the truth. Sister-in-law's already been invited to perform at this year's Spring Festival Gala, right? Once she appears there, next year she'll be even more famous—so much so there won't even be any competition," Su Yuanshan said with a sigh. "An unstoppable force."
Yang Yingying blushed under Su Yuanshan's flattery, waving her hands. "Stop it, I don't even know how to respond to that."
The three of them laughed together.
But what Yang Yingying said was true. It was only after dating Jiang Qingchuan that she realized how massive and formidable Yuanxin really was—Yuanxin's VCD division alone seemed top-tier in China, yet within Yuanxin itself, it was barely a blip.
After all, Yuanxin aimed to surpass world-class giants.
By comparison, her fame as a singer was really just empty reputation.
"Here's the plan, Brother Zhang. I intend to partner with Sony Pictures to create a global rights distribution and rental platform."
Yang Yingying blinked in surprise. "Rental?"
But Zhang Jianjun was instantly electrified. His massive frame stiffened in excitement.
"What medium?"
"Optical discs—DVDs, SVCDs, VCDs," Su Yuanshan said calmly. "But don't get too excited yet. First, you need to understand what an online rental system really is."
"Online rental system?"
"Yes. And that's just the first step. Our ultimate goal is to build a global internet-based rights and media network... among other things," Su Yuanshan said internally, deciding not to mention yet that he also planned to build a global cinema network.
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Chapter 355 Your Big Bosses
When the industrial area of the Special Economic Zone was fully integrated, it coincided perfectly with the time when all DVD player technologies matured and were fully launched onto the market—thus, Sony DVD would become Yuanxin's first overseas OEM business.
DVD + copyright + rental, Su Yuanshan was confident that Sony Pictures, with the massive copyright library of Columbia Pictures, would have no trouble pushing this forward.
If Netflix back then could make it work with its crude model... there was no reason Yuanxin + Sony couldn't.
...
"But... that will require a lot of money, right?" After his initial excitement, Zhang Jianjun quickly calmed down, staring intently at Su Yuanshan.
Although Zhongxin had not gone public yet, even using just basic logic, the shares he held in Zhongxin were already worth at least over a billion yuan...
But that wasn't cash.
Right now, Zhang Jianjun didn't have much actual cash on hand.
Su Yuanshan smiled and nodded. "Yes, if we push aggressively, the needed funds would be on the scale of one billion U.S. dollars."
Zhang Jianjun gasped sharply, while Yang Yingying remained much calmer. After all, she had heard plenty of similar figures from Jiang Qingchuan, so she simply smiled at Su Yuanshan and waited quietly for him to continue.
"But if we proceed gradually, it won't require that much. Besides... money is just money. If it's gone, we earn more, right?"
Zhang Jianjun gave a bitter smile. "You say that like everyone's a genius like you."
"Hehe... Anyway, you don't need to worry about the money. Yuanxin can inject a bit more capital into Dingxin Media. Your main task is to... provide enough outstanding films and music works to feed into the entire system."
As he spoke, Su Yuanshan squinted slightly and said softly, "HK's film model and expression style are not likely to capture the Western market. We need to go West, to Hollywood, to learn."
Su Yuanshan's reminder was deliberate because Dingxin Media was a "HK company"—registered in Hong Kong, with the simple goal of targeting the already influential Hong Kong and Taiwanese media products in the domestic market.
However, since it had only been established for a short time, Dingxin Media was still "finding its path." That's why Zhang Jianjun clung so tightly to Yang Yingying, their "money tree" capable of resisting all the Hong Kong and Taiwanese singers.
"Besides learning filming techniques, we must also study the industrial techniques of filmmaking," Su Yuanshan continued, his expression turning serious. "Like I said before, Yuanxin took an early step forward. Plus, with its large size, it has far greater advantages than others.
Because of that, we have a natural obligation to pull related industries forward. For the film and entertainment sector, as we go global, we must also bring along domestic directors, actors, singers, and others to broaden their horizons and expand globally... only then can we truly have competitiveness internationally."
Zhang Jianjun pursed his lips a few times, took a few deep breaths, and then suddenly smiled: "Just like how Yuanxin helped Huajing back then, and later developed the industry-academia-research partnerships, funding various scientific projects."
Su Yuanshan nodded. "Yes. Put nicely, it's building a reputation. Put bluntly, we're running businesses, not charities. But no business is a tree without roots. Only when the overall industry environment thrives can a company have sustainable power."
"Got it," Zhang Jianjun nodded heavily, then turned to Yang Yingying. "What does President Yingying say?"
"I'll go with what you decide."
"Then three days from now, we'll meet with the Sony representatives. Let's first discuss a preliminary framework and then talk about money."
...
At noon, Su Yuanshan invited Zhang Jianjun and Yang Yingying to have lunch at the hotel.
In the afternoon, Su Yuanshan gave Zhou Xiaohui the afternoon off, asking her to accompany Yang Yingying shopping. Meanwhile, he returned to his hotel room to continue reading papers and made a few phone calls to guide He Chunhua's experiments remotely.
—The phrase "chicken feathers and garlic skins" was a joke brought up by Leader Li.
"Director Shan, if you hadn't called me soon, I would have had someone drag you over from the hotel," Leader Li joked loudly, gripping Su Yuanshan's hand firmly and leading him into the meeting room.
"Hehe, how could I dare? I was just worried you'd be busy," Su Yuanshan said as he thanked the secretary and smiled at Leader Li.
"No matter how busy, I always have time to chat with you," Leader Li said. He was in his early fifties, in the prime of his career, though his hair was already quite sparse.
He had a background in mechanical engineering, and Su Yuanshan knew well that in the future, when China became the world's largest IT manufacturing base, Leader Li's contributions would be indispensable.
Moreover, he was extremely "shrewd" and skilled at negotiation—something Su Yuanshan had already witnessed.
This time, Su Yuanshan's visit really was purely a courtesy call—not for business discussions or to complain. Those things were Duan Yongping's job.
However, just because Su Yuanshan's visit was purely courtesy didn't mean Leader Li would let the opportunity slip to pick his brain a little. It wasn't every day you caught one of China's legendary "business prodigies" and "physics geniuses" for a chat.
"The national semiconductor support policies are already on the way. What are Yuanxin's plans? Have you considered building a wafer fabrication plant?" Leader Li asked, his sharp gaze fixed on Su Yuanshan. "Don't tell me you don't know... I'm aware you've already visited Shanghai."
"Uh... It's like the moment you big bosses have a meeting, the news instantly spreads," Su Yuanshan scratched his nose and chuckled.
"Haha, it's not like it's some classified decision. Some leaks are even deliberate, to gauge reactions..." Leader Li laughed. "Come on, tell me your plans. If that side doesn't offer policy support, I can grant you whatever you need from my side."
"Please don't rush us..." Su Yuanshan smiled bitterly. "You've seen our plans. Yuanxin's industrial base is about to be completed. In the future, it'll be a massive manufacturing hub capable of hosting hundreds of thousands of workers..."
At the mention of the industrial area, Leader Li exhaled heavily.
Indeed, Yuanxin's ambition had truly stunned him.
To be honest, at first, he thought Yuanxin's land acquisitions were just "preparatory" moves.
It wasn't until Yuanxin's project in Shanghai gained massive momentum that he realized Yuanxin genuinely had the strength and determination to build an industrial park and manufacturing base.
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