"Not just persuaded, your boss was utterly captivated." Zhao Lao said excitedly.
"..." Wang Hao didn't know what to say. He had thought Chen Feng was kicked out by the boss, but he didn't expect him to actually captivate the boss. It was incredible. Even a technical genius like him couldn't captivate the boss; he only managed to get a higher annual salary. Yet Chen Feng, in just a few minutes, directly captivated the boss. It seemed he had greatly underestimated Chen Feng.
However, from another perspective, it wasn't that surprising. For the driver of a deputy town chief to develop a town into a developed county-level city was already incredibly impressive. After a moment of thought, Wang Hao stopped pondering. The hard facts were laid out before him; there was nothing more to think about. He should focus on the serious business of taking Elder Zhao downstairs to discuss the investment in the Baidu company in detail.
"Chen Feng, I want to ask a very crucial question." In the office, Li Hong asked Chen Feng with excitement.
"Boss Li, please go ahead and ask."
"Did Mingshan City really produce the two-dimensional chip?" Li Hong asked earnestly.
"Absolutely true."
"Chen Feng, I still can't quite believe it. China's chip industry has always lagged far behind America. How is it that in just a few years, it's almost caught up to America?" Li Hong asked with confusion.
"Boss Li, you're not a cadre in China's political arena, so you might not fully understand some of the characteristics of China's political arena. Taking chip development as an example, if China's political arena wants to develop chips well, it can skillfully adopt a state-led system. Of all the countries in the world, only China can truly excel at implementing a state-led system!" Chen Feng said earnestly.
"State-led system?"
"Yes, the state-led system. First, it fully mobilizes China's vast domestic market. To put it plainly, all industries in China need chips, which represents a huge market. When the Chinese political arena issues official documents mandating that all units must procure chips, and domestic chips must account for half the proportion, what does that mean? It means the market for domestic chips is unlimited. The chip market of 1.4 billion people is extraordinary. Second, various tax incentives, talent support... and so on. Of course, to put it somewhat arrogantly, I do have experience in developing high-tech industries. Therefore, under my leadership, Mingshan City's chip industry has developed rapidly by leveraging an overwhelming favorable environment. In short, China is vast and resource-rich, and Chinese people are intelligent. As long as China recognizes a problem, no matter how complex it is, it can ultimately be solved beautifully." Chen Feng continued to explain earnestly.
"Hearing you say that, I understand. Now, what if America tries to suppress us, just like they did with Huawei's mobile phones?" Li Hong asked with concern.
"That's also easy to handle. We won't export our autonomous driving new energy vehicles overseas for now. We'll focus on developing them within China's massive domestic market. This way, America won't be able to suppress us even if they want to." Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Chen Feng, I am truly convinced by you. Your mind is too sharp. Regarding the autonomous driving new energy vehicle project, where would be a suitable location?"
"Naturally, Mingshan City." Chen Feng stated the truth without modesty.
"Reasons?"
"Mingshan City has a complete chip industry, a complete new energy vehicle industry, and coupled with Baidu Company's autonomous driving technology, the perfect combination of these three will ensure that the flying new energy vehicle project is destined for success." Chen Feng continued to explain without humility.
"Chen Feng, what you're saying makes a lot of sense. However, I still feel that placing such a large project in a county-level city is like a joke." Li Hong replied earnestly.
"I'm eager to hear your thoughts." Chen Feng retorted calmly.
Whether in the political arena or the business world, the biggest problem is not opposition, but opposition without reason. Opposition without reason indicates intentional obstruction. Since the other party is deliberately making things difficult, it means nothing you do will be right. Conversely, if the other party has reasons to object, it means they are not being deliberately difficult but are simply more concerned. Once their concerns are addressed, the matter will naturally be resolved. It's like pursuing a woman. If a woman tells you, "I have no requirements; I'll accept any man," such a woman is absolutely impossible to pursue; you'll never succeed. This is because her statement is merely a reason to reject you. Conversely, if a woman says, "I'm quite materialistic; I like cars, houses, and being doted on," she is easy to pursue. The reason is simple: even though this woman's conditions are somewhat materialistic, at least there's a breakthrough point to pursuing her.
"Mingshan City is a small place. Small places are fine for small businesses, but not for big ones. You are a local official in a small place; you should understand this better than I do. Small-town officials lack long-term vision; they only focus on immediate interests. Frankly, if a large enterprise settles in a small place, the local officials will invariably try to exploit that enterprise repeatedly. I've seen too many such incidents. During investment attraction, everything is said nicely; large enterprises are welcomed as local benefactors with all sorts of preferential treatment. But once the large enterprise settles in and the dust settles, then, unfortunately, the greed of the small-town officials is fully revealed. Various forms of extortion and demands continue until the large enterprise is forced to leave." Li Hong said earnestly.
"Boss Li, your concern is not without reason; it's very reasonable. However, I am an exception. My existence will make Mingshan City different from other small places. Undeniably, we introduce large enterprises to make money for Mingshan City. However, I will absolutely not engage in 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.' Smart people understand the principle of slow and steady gains..." Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Chen Feng, your words are very eloquent, but how can I trust you?" Li Hong stared intently at Chen Feng.
"The fact that Mingshan City has developed from a small town to its current scale fully demonstrates that Mingshan City is definitely not a place that only looks at immediate interests."
"This is just one reason; it's not enough..." Li Hong said with a serious expression. The business world values tangible benefits; empty words are just for listening.
"Boss Li, since you are so pragmatic, I won't hold back. If the autonomous driving project is located in Mingshan City, the entire investment required by Baidu Company will be undertaken by Mingshan City through loans. When the autonomous driving project becomes profitable later, Baidu Company will repay the loans slowly. How about that?" Chen Feng replied earnestly.
"All the investment is financed through our loans?" Li Hong exclaimed in shock.
"Yes." Chen Feng replied concisely.
"Chen Feng, now I finally understand why Mingshan City could develop from a small town into a developed county-level city. Your vision is immense. You've mastered the principle of 'everything gained comes with a price.' Just for this extraordinary vision of yours, I agree to locate the autonomous driving project in Mingshan City." Li Hong said excitedly.
"Pleasure working with you." Chen Feng said with a smile.
"Actually, I should be thanking you. To be honest, Baidu Company's search engine business hasn't been going smoothly these past few years. Most of our efforts have been focused on the research and development of the autonomous driving project. Pathetically, despite pouring all our energy into developing the autonomous driving project, we've been unable to break through due to American chip restrictions. Now, with your appearance, this problem has been instantly resolved. I am confident that Baidu Company's autonomous driving project will experience explosive growth from now on." Li Hong said excitedly.
"Boss Li, to reiterate Mingshan City's commitment to the autonomous driving project, Mingshan City has decided to undertake a major project to support it..." Chen Feng said, creating suspense.