"Lei Jun?" Chen Yongming searched his mind for a long time, but couldn't recall who Lei Jun was. He scanned everyone in the electronics industry circle and genuinely couldn't remember Lei Jun's identity.
However, since Lei Jun was here, he had clearly been invited by Jiangnan Group. Could he be the boss of a small company?
Lei Jun, however, had no intention of playing the "pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger" game, so he didn't hide his identity and very proactively handed over a business card. Chen Yongming quickly glanced at it and then realized that Lei Jun was actually the Vice President of Kingsoft Software.
Although Lei Jun's name was unfamiliar, Kingsoft Software was a household name, one of the few large software companies in China that had developed many classic software products. Lei Jun, being the Vice President of Kingsoft Software, must be an exceptionally capable individual.
Chen Yongming's own status wasn't much higher than Lei Jun's, so he spoke very enthusiastically with Lei Jun, and as they chatted, their relationship quickly became closer.
Meanwhile, the buffet restaurant became increasingly crowded. Chen Yongming looked around and saw many industry leaders and important figures present. He mused that if a suicide bomber were to attack this place, perhaps one-third of China's electronics industry would be wiped out.
"Excuse me, can I share a table?" Suddenly, a timid voice was heard. The restaurant was almost full, with very few empty tables and chairs. Lei Jun and Chen Yongming, along with their secretary, were occupying one of the largest ten-person tables, making it look quite empty, which naturally led someone to try and share.
"Please!" Chen Yongming was not an overbearing person and readily agreed to the reasonable request. He then sat down somewhat nervously.
"Hello, sirs. My name is Liu Qiangdong, and I am the head of Beijing JD Company!" This young man, who appeared quite capable, enthusiastically distributed his business card.
"JD! I know this company!" Lei Jun chuckled. "Your company specializes in the distribution of optical and magnetic products, right? Our company has even purchased a batch of products from you!"
"Not at all... not at all... we are just a small business, nothing compared to you esteemed bosses," Liu Qiangdong said very humbly.
As the restaurant was extremely crowded, it wasn't long after Liu Qiangdong sat down that another person came to share the table. However, unlike the people already seated, this person was wearing a faded suit, and the patches on his pants were faintly visible. His financial situation was clearly dire, but his spirits were surprisingly good, with a glint in his eyes.
"Hello, seniors. My name is Chai Jin. I share the same name as Chai Jin, the 'Little Whirlwind' from the novel Water Margin. I am currently the president of Tianwen Optical Equipment and Instruments Company, and my goal is to develop the world's best lenses and break the monopoly of the West and Japan in this field!" the young man said with full confidence, uttering words that were completely mismatched with his attire.
"The world's best lenses?" Upon hearing this, everyone at the table considered him to be a lunatic. Although they didn't know much about optical equipment, they were aware that China lagged far behind in optics.
To put it simply, lenses were over 50 years behind, and almost all of China's high-precision lenses had to be imported from abroad, as domestic production was impossible.
However, optical research was extremely difficult and required high investment, yet yielded little profit. After all, the industries that used lenses were limited, and among them, imaging devices like video cameras and cameras accounted for 90% of the optical lens market.
But these markets were largely dominated by companies like Leica, Zeiss, and Nikon, which possessed extremely high technical barriers. For ordinary companies to enter, they would lose several hundred million yuan annually and continue to lose money for twenty to thirty years. This was a market that could only be described as hellish.
Furthermore, government support in this field was insufficient. Unlike industries such as chips, materials, and aviation, which were vital to the nation and required strong government backing, optical lenses were different. Even without them, the country would not be significantly impacted. At most, they would spend a large sum to import them from abroad, as demand was not high and they could endure it if they had to.
Therefore, when they heard that this young man named Chai Jin intended to venture into the optical lens industry and even boasted of surpassing the West and Japan, they all regarded him as a madman.
Of course, being cultured individuals, they refrained from making any harsh remarks and instead communicated with Chai Jin with smiles.
They then discovered that Chai Jin was not simply a madman, but perhaps a genius madman. His speech was filled with technical jargon and various technical concepts, making him sound quite capable.
Moreover, Yang Yongming and Liu Qiangdong soon found themselves unable to communicate with Chai Jin because they couldn't understand what he was saying. Only Lei Jun could manage some conversation.
"Alas, it's like playing the lute to a cow!" Chai Jin muttered at the end. It would have been fine if he had thought this to himself, but he actually voiced it, immediately drawing glares from the others.
"Fine, I'm leaving!" Chen Yongming, not wanting to share a table with Chai Jin, prepared to leave. Suddenly, he heard a jovial voice say, "Hey, Old Chen, didn't you say you were taking leave to go abroad on vacation? What are you doing here!"
"President Duan!" Upon seeing the speaker, Chen Yongming froze like a mouse seeing a cat, suddenly standing up and looking at the person with great fear.
"Are you Mr. Duan!" Lei Jun and Liu Qiangdong, upon seeing this Mr. Duan, immediately stood up with solemn respect. Only Chai Jin remained indifferent to Mr. Duan, continuously gnawing on a chicken drumstick.
This Mr. Duan was named Duan Yongping. While many might not have heard of his name, the first product he launched in his career was undoubtedly familiar to everyone: the Subor learning machine.
That's right, Duan Yongping was the one who created the Subor learning machine, which ignited a massive gaming craze in the 1990s and was once the president of Subor Company, China's first electronics enterprise to achieve over 1 billion yuan in sales.
Later, Duan Yongping had a falling out with the board of directors of Subor and, choosing to leave, founded BBK Electronics himself. The Subor without Duan Yongping subsequently declined, and its presence is no longer heard of in the electronics industry today.
"Chairman..." Seeing Duan Yongping appear, Chen Yongming's mouth hung open, wanting to speak but unable to, with an expression of fear and shame.
"Old Chen, there's no need for that. Everyone has their ambitions and dreams. I fully understand why you're here, and I support you!" Duan Yongping said, which finally relieved Chen Yongming.
If one were to ask why Chen Yongming's attitude was so peculiar, it would be related to his identity.
Chen Yongming's most well-known identity now is the Vice President of BBK Electronics Group, ranking third within the group, with Duan Yongping being number one.
Thus, Duan Yongping had nominally left the BBK Group, holding no official position within the company, only retaining the title of director.
Everyone knew that Duan Yongping was still the behind-the-scenes controller of BBK Electronics Group, remotely managing it even while residing in the United States for extended periods.
Chen Yongming was discovered, promoted, and mentored by Duan Yongping. He had followed Duan Yongping since the Subor era and later defected with Duan Yongping to start a new venture, eventually rising to the position of BBK Vice President, making him an absolute confidant of Duan Yongping.
Lei Jun and Liu Qiangdong were well aware of these matters, but they still found Chen Yongming's extreme fear rather strange.
However, if Duan Yongping were also in the hotel, he should have been by his side, not dining alone in the restaurant.
Judging by his reaction upon seeing Duan Yongping, Chen Yongming seemed completely unaware that Duan Yongping was also present in the hotel.
Duan Yongping also sat down, and only then did the others slowly take their seats.
"I know you created the OPPO brand!" Duan Yongping said slowly. Chen Yongming trembled all over, while the others around them watched with an expression of relish, like spectators at a show.
As everyone knew, Chen Yongming was currently the Vice President of BBK, but he had created a brand called OPPO. Wouldn't that imply that Chen Yongming was "serving in Cao's camp but thinking of Han, always planning to go independent!"?
And his attendance at this conference was clearly not for BBK; otherwise, he would have come with Duan Yongping, not snuck over.
Therefore, Chen Yongming was likely here for his own company.
"Chairman, I..." Chen Yongming attempted to explain.
"There's no need for an explanation. I understand your thoughts very well, because if I were you, I would have the same idea. You are a capable person, and you are unwilling to settle!" Duan Yongping said. Chen Yongming lowered his head, clearly indicating that Duan Yongping had hit the nail on the head regarding Chen Yongming's inner thoughts.
"Chairman, if you don't mind, I can disband OPPO and dedicate myself to BBK!" Chen Yongming said.
"There's no need for that!" Duan Yongping shook his head. "I understand your thoughts perfectly, and I understand human nature. Once a person has the desire for independence and autonomy, even if I can suppress it for a while, you will eventually leave."
"It's just that if you leave then, it will be awkward for everyone. It's better for me to let you go now!" Duan Yongping sighed. "The company will dismiss you in a few days, and you will receive all due compensation. It's not that you don't want to stay with the company, but rather that the company can no longer accommodate you."
"Chairman..." Chen Yongming lowered his head, on the verge of tears.
"However, even though you are leaving the company, our friendship will not be broken!" Duan Yongping suddenly patted Chen Yongming on the shoulder and then said with a smile, "No matter what industry you want to use OPPO for in the future, you can share any resources that BBK has, as long as you pay the normal fees!"
"Oh, and do you still need money? I made quite a bit of money investing in NetEase recently. I have over a billion yuan in cash now, so no matter how much you need, you can get it from me. We'll calculate shares based on the proportion!" Duan Yongping said sincerely, and the others at the table stared at him with wide eyes.
What is called magnanimity? This is called magnanimity!
There was a reason for Duan Yongping's success.