Huang He's original intention was to sell Chinese products himself, even if the price was lower and the profit margins were slim. As long as it could open up the market for Chinese brands internationally, that would suffice.
However, Huang He found himself failing. Both Yahoo and Apple had rejected him.
Although Yahoo was an American company, its CEO was Chinese. Yet, Yahoo had shut him out, refusing him even a chance to bid.
Apple, though a purely American enterprise, was secretly under his control, and he had secured an opportunity to participate in the bidding. Later, Huang He had his associate, Little Swift, hint to Jobs that servers could be purchased from Jiangnan Group, as they were cheaper.
However, Jobs opted for the most expensive option, IBM.
Huang He could do nothing about this. He couldn't have Little Swift replace the Apple CEO. Firstly, after the issuance of new shares, the Western Mustang Company's stake no longer constituted absolute control.
Secondly, even with absolute control, Huang He dared not replace Jobs at this juncture, otherwise, the Apple of the future would not come into being.
Currently, Huang He needed Apple. He needed to forge a celestial star from Apple's remains, so Apple had to stay alive.
In conclusion, Huang He could only watch with great frustration as Apple finally finalized orders with IBM and America First. Although the largest and most profitable portions had been secured by Huang He, he remained unhappy.
This, however, was not a problem that could be solved overnight. With a slight sigh, Huang He led his team away from Apple, leaving behind a somewhat dejected silhouette at the Apple cafeteria.
Just as Huang He was about to step out of the Apple building, a figure approached him and spoke with great politeness, "Excuse me, sir, are you Mr. Huang He, the president of Jiangnan Servers?"
"I am!" Huang He looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared with some surprise, finding him somewhat familiar.
"Hello, my name is Larry Page, the president of Google. I have a business matter I'd like to discuss with you!" Larry Page said.
"Oh, so it's Google. I've heard of your company!" Huang He nodded, then smiled, "If it's convenient, why don't we talk in my car?"
Huang He was somewhat astonished. He hadn't made a move on Google yet, and Google had come knocking on his door.
"Okay!" Larry Page cheerfully got into Huang He's car, curiously examining the extremely luxurious interior. He accepted a glass of champagne handed to him by Huang He. After they shared a drink, Huang He smiled and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Page?"
"It's like this, Google wishes to procure a batch of computing servers and storage servers from your company. If possible, I would also like to purchase some of your company's storage chips!" Larry Page stated sincerely.
"Oh..." Huang He looked at Larry Page with surprise, then asked with a smile, "Aren't you worried, Mr. Page, that our company's servers are merely showpieces, fakes, or have an extremely short lifespan?"
"I have carefully and thoroughly reviewed your company's bid. Your company states a one-year warranty for storage servers and a three-year warranty for their core components. For storage chips, you offer an impressive 5-year warranty!"
"I believe five years is not considered a short lifespan, and five years should be sufficient justification for the price!" Larry Page said with a smile. Huang He nodded.
"If Google wants to buy our servers, naturally, there are no issues. If you have no other concerns, we can sign the contract now, and I will deliver the servers to your company immediately!" Huang He said.
"Um, actually, I have one small request..." Larry Page's expression suddenly turned somewhat awkward.
"Please, go ahead!"
"Could we perhaps renegotiate the server prices? I'd like the server price to be reduced to $300,000 per unit, and the storage price to $3,000 per unit!" Larry Page said.
"Mr. Page, are you joking?" Huang He blinked in surprise and then retorted with a somewhat stiff expression.
"Mr. Huang He, I am not joking. To be frank, our company is experiencing some financial difficulties, and we can only afford this amount at present. This is all the funds we can mobilize!" Larry Page said, lowering his head.
"That's impossible. If you were asking for a 10% or even 20% discount, I could accommodate you. But you're directly asking for over a 40% discount. I truly cannot agree to that. There's no business sense in that. If I sell to you at this price, will all manufacturers expect the same price from me in the future?" Huang He shook his head repeatedly. Even if it were Google, Huang He could not agree to such a demand.
"Mr. Huang He, your trip to America must be to leverage the procurement from the American market to establish Jiangnan Servers' image in the global market and further penetrate worldwide markets, correct!"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought a team of over a dozen people all the way to America. This sort of matter could have been handled by a single sales manager."
"If your first step in America is to return empty-handed, or at best sign contracts with some minor, insignificant companies, not only will it fail to achieve your plan, but it will likely also be a blow to your company's reputation."
"Imagine if the entire world sees Yahoo and Apple rejecting your servers; how will other companies then procure your products?" Larry Page said.
...
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
"Are you threatening me?" Huang He's eyes flickered with a trace of anger.
"No, this is not a threat. I am merely struggling for the survival of my company. I am but a wretch on the ground, begging for alms!" Larry Page said piteously, his eyes almost welling up with tears.
"What happened?" Huang He asked, curious.
"May I not say?"
Huang He didn't answer directly but gave a look that implied no servers would be provided if he didn't speak. Larry Page sighed helplessly and began to recount his story.
In '98, like many American internet pioneers, Larry Page developed the Google search engine in his dorm room and founded Google that same year.
By '00, Google had become the third-largest search engine in America. Logically, Google would still need to engage in fierce competition to secure its dominant position.
However, at this point, Google encountered a turning point in its development: a collaboration with Yahoo.
In fact, as early as when Larry Page developed the Google search engine, Yahoo had attempted to acquire the engine for $1 million, but Larry Page had refused at the time.
However, by '00, Yahoo realized that the search engine business was developing rapidly, and Yahoo's website also needed a search engine. So, Yahoo once again proposed to acquire Google, this time increasing the price to $500 million. Larry Page, however, continued to refuse Yahoo.
But the two parties reached a consensus for cooperation: Larry Page's Google search engine could be listed on Yahoo's portal website, becoming an associated search engine for Yahoo.
This meant that the search engine displayed on Yahoo's portal website was actually Google's. In return, Google had to join the advertising alliance created by Yahoo, and 50% of the advertising revenue generated by Google was to be given to Yahoo.
Because Yahoo brought significant traffic, Larry Page at the time thought it was a good deal and agreed.
As expected, by hitching a ride on Yahoo's coattails, Google became the number one search engine in America in just one week.
To date, Google's market share has reached an astonishing 68%.
The collaboration was supposed to continue normally. However, just a few weeks ago, perhaps spurred by something, Yahoo suddenly approached Larry Page and expressed its desire to acquire Google for $3 billion.
Larry Page originally intended to refuse again, but this time Yahoo's attitude was very firm, even stating directly that if Larry Page did not agree, Yahoo would develop its own search engine and terminate its cooperation with Google. This meant Google would no longer appear on Yahoo's homepage.
Larry Page couldn't withstand this pressure, so he agreed, but he counter-offered $5 billion, as Larry Page believed Google was worth that price.
However, Yahoo clearly did not think so, and thus, several fierce arguments erupted between the two parties. Yahoo insisted on $3 billion and refused to budge. Even when Larry Page lowered his demand to $4 billion, an agreement could still not be reached, which angered Larry Page.
He was, after all, a child of destiny, with immense pride ingrained in his bones. Consequently, Yahoo and Google had a complete falling out.
Unexpectedly, yesterday, Jerry Yang and Larry Page met at the Apple conference.
After their meeting, Jerry Yang directly issued an ultimatum to Larry Page: if Google did not accept their acquisition plan, Yahoo would shut down Google's URL channels starting next Monday, and Google would no longer be able to leverage Yahoo's traffic.
Jerry Yang's ultimatum was actually very effective.
Firstly, in the eyes of all outsiders, Google's current prominence was entirely due to the traffic brought by Yahoo. If it left Yahoo, Google would be left with no viable path.
Secondly, it was Google's own predicament, as Google had been in a state of severe cash shortage.