Regarding Zhang Tianxing's idea, Feng Changlun directly deemed it impossible, asking how such a thing could happen.
"Have you forgotten how my personal freedom was restricted? Did I commit any offense? They can always find a reason to condemn me." Zhang Tianxing said softly.
He had seen through the essence of the matter. To put it bluntly, it was a case of having less power than the other party, being unable to dictate their affairs, and thus being bullied.
This applied whether between individuals or between countries.
Where did respect come from? It all stemmed from strength.
This was true in all eras and all places, past and present, East and West.
Hearing this, Feng Changlun was speechless. He couldn't explain what the Beautiful Country had done; it was clearly targeted.
During the time Feng Changlun lived in the Beautiful Country, even though he had obtained his green card,
his life there was not entirely free. He would inadvertently sense the strange glances from his colleagues.
He couldn't fully integrate with them, always feeling a barrier between them.
At the time, Feng Changlun didn't understand why, but now he did.
It was simply because he was from Huaxia, not a native of the Beautiful Country.
In the eyes of those white people, people of Asian descent were like black people; they couldn't survive in their own countries.
Thus, they came to the Beautiful Country, this paradise, to live.
In the Beautiful Country, the only circles Huaxia people could integrate into were those of other Huaxia people.
If circles are different, there's no need to force integration. Even if you integrate, they will still push you out.
It was like the old saying, "Those not of our kind will surely have different intentions."
Thinking of this, Feng Changlun no longer insisted on his opinion. Zhang Tianxing was the boss, and Little Boss Zhang made the decisions.
As long as his research funding was secured, that was enough.
Feng Changlun nodded. "Little Boss Zhang, you really consider everything. I admire you. How about this, let's find Karrin and haggle over the price. Their company is in financial crisis, which is the perfect time for us to negotiate."
Zhang Tianxing nodded repeatedly. It was tough to earn money these days, and even tougher to swallow hardship. He would brandish his forty-meter broadsword and see how much he could cut this time.
When Karrin saw Zhang Tianxing and Feng Changlun approaching, he immediately stood up and asked with a smile, "Little Boss Zhang, how much are you prepared to pay?"
"How about this, Mr. Karrin, you give us a quote first. We'll see if it's suitable. You name a sky-high price, and we'll offer a ground-level price," Zhang Tianxing said with a smile.
Letting one sheep graze was still grazing, and letting a flock of sheep graze was also grazing. He might as well spend a little more money this time.
Karrin chuckled. "How about this, we had already received deposits. If the transaction is not completed, we might have to refund the deposits. So, for five lithography machines, you can have them for five hundred million US dollars."
Hearing this figure, Zhang Tianxing was a little surprised. Damn it, this Karrin was clearly asking for the moon, trying to gouge him. He must think Zhang Tianxing was a complete sucker.
Although he had money, it wasn't meant to be spent like this; there were too many other places he needed to spend it.
"Mr. Karrin, this quote of yours is a bit too high." Feng Changlun's expression turned displeased.
"High? After all, those other parties have paid deposits. If they don't take the machines, what happens to the deposits? What if they sue us for a refund?" Karrin retorted.
He had just seen that this "number one speculator," Zhang Tianxing, had his eyes light up at the mention of lithography machines. He had seen such eyes many times.
Without exception, they were buyers who genuinely needed lithography machines. It was this sharp gaze that propelled him from an unknown individual to an executive director at ASML.
These words almost made Feng Changlun explode with anger, and Zhang Tianxing's face darkened.
"What do you think of this price?" Zhang Tianxing asked Feng Changlun.
"The price is forty percent too high. We had deposits of ten percent, and some of twenty percent. The research institute back then paid a ten percent deposit," Feng Changlun explained softly.
Good heavens, you are building an empire from scratch. In my opinion, you are still very wealthy.
"Forget it, I don't want them." This is too much. Zhang Tianxing turned and walked away.
He did want to produce lithography machines, but he wouldn't pay an exorbitant amount of money for them.
If the deal fell through, Zhang Tianxing was prepared to assemble retired skilled workers from Huaxia.
If the mechanical parts couldn't meet the standards, they would use manual labor. After all, the master craftsmen had excellent skills.
The precision would be much higher than with machines. The only drawback was that it couldn't be mass-produced.
But thinking about it, that would be much cheaper than buying one directly.
Both approaches needed to be pursued simultaneously. Negotiations between the two parties revolved around the core lithography machines.
Upon hearing the quoted price, "Mr. Karrin, I am very sorry, but it seems we have no opportunity to cooperate." After hearing the figure, Zhang Tianxing was utterly speechless and immediately expressed his regret, stating there was no need for cooperation.
Hearing Zhang Tianxing's words, Karrin's expression changed. What was going on? Didn't Zhang Tianxing's eyes light up just a moment ago? How had he changed so drastically in such a short time?
Zhang Tianxing could wait, but his company couldn't wait that long.
Karrin glanced at Zhang Tianxing, then at Feng Changlun, who made a gesture of helplessness.
"How about this, Boss Zhang, you name your price. I'll see if it's suitable. This price is negotiable," Karrin said with a long sigh, seeing their expressions.
It seemed he couldn't demand a high price. This guy was clearly a tough negotiator who wouldn't offer a high price.
He could only blame ASML for overreaching this time, biting off more than they could chew.
Hearing this, Zhang Tianxing looked up and thought for a moment. "How about this, Mr. Karrin, I'll buy just one machine for ninety million."
This was different from before. He had said five machines earlier, but now it had been reduced to just one, with a slight cut, for ninety million.
Karrin's expression changed. "Boss Zhang, didn't you plan to buy five? Why has it become only one? Wouldn't one be inconvenient?"
"The main issue is the money. You didn't give a reasonable price for five machines, so I can only buy one. You can keep the rest and sell them slowly," Zhang Tianxing said with a smile.
Little brat, trying to act all high and mighty. Trying to make money off me, but my money isn't that easy to get.
"How about this, Boss Zhang, let's be friends. If you want five machines, I'll make the decision and give you a ten percent discount. How about that?" Karrin said, plastering on a smile.
"I don't see your sincerity. Five machines are fine, based on your quoted price. Whether you give a discount or not doesn't matter. Four hundred and fifty million for five machines. If you agree, I'll transfer the money, and you can arrange for shipping," Zhang Tianxing said loudly. They were all straightforward people, so let's speak openly and honestly. No need to pretend.