At this point, with sincerity fully shown, Shao Jin An found it hard to refuse.
Besides, he wanted to collaborate with a team like Zhōng Yì and Yán Tínglín.
He lifted his coffee cup slightly in acknowledgment and said, “I’ll head back to Kuncheng at the end of the month. We’ll discuss the details then.”
Cutting short his over two-month road trip early was because the boss, Zhōu Shíyì, was worth it.
Zhōu Shíyì replied, “Looking forward to the cooperation.”
“No wonder you managed to bring Yán Tínglín back to the country.”
“Yán Tínglín’s return is entirely thanks to my wife, has nothing to do with me.”
Shao Jin An said, “I’m even more eager to work with President Zhōng.”
Afterwards, they chatted about the overseas supercharging network.
Shao Jin An, who had traveled almost everywhere in Europe and America over the years, felt his impressions were more intuitive than data: the future core competitiveness of new energy vehicles would be the intelligent driving system and the supercharging network construction.
“The intelligent driving system—your Kuncheng is definitely ahead, but the construction of the supercharging network is an urgent matter.”
Zhōu Shíyì said, “When you come to Kuncheng, arrange for our executives to attend your lectures. It’s rare to work with a professor from Beicheng University; we have to learn.”
Shao Jin An laughed, “President Zhōu, you flatter me. I’m just stronger in theory; in practice, I still have to learn from President Du and the others.”
Unconsciously, the coffee cup was drained.
They both had separate appointments afterward and parted ways.
“How’s Jì Fánxīng lately?” Shao Jin An asked as they walked out of the café.
Zhōu Shíyì replied, “In what regard?”
Shao Jin An smiled—these big shots always spoke straight to the point.
Zhōu Shíyì said, “I don’t know about her relationship status. Haven’t seen her in a long time.”
Shao Jin An said, “I haven’t seen her either, in quite a while.”
Only their “quite a while” wasn’t the same.
Zhōu Shíyì had only not seen Jì Fánxīng for three weeks, but Shao Jin An’s last meeting with her was the summer of last year.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
Shao Jin An paused thoughtfully. “Once I’m back in Beicheng, I’ll go visit her.”
As they spoke, they reached the cars.
Just like when they first met, they shook hands and didn’t say more.
Zhōu Shíyì’s itinerary was not over; the next day, he and his bodyguards flew to Fengche Village.
On the plane over, they finalized the approximate wedding date: July or early August next year, when the weather was suitable for outdoor wedding dresses.
Zhōng Yì had a deep affection for Fengche Village because her parents had taken her there on vacation when she was very young.
She was too young then; she remembered nothing else except her mother holding her outdoors while her father took pictures.
When she turned her head, there were many spinning windmills behind them.
In her memories, that was the only trip with her mother.
It was also the first time her mother had held her outside.
Rather than a particular fondness for windmills, it was more a subconscious attachment to the memory of the three of them traveling together.
Even now, Zhōng Yì couldn’t explain why she liked windmills so much.
Throughout her childhood, she had been obsessed with drawing windmills.
Unfortunately, she never managed to complete a single one.
Zhōu Shíyì stayed two days in Fengche Village and chose the wedding venue.
***
Leaving Fengche Village, he made a detour to Brussels to buy some chocolates for Zhōng Yì.
[This place is a good choice, perfect for a small wedding.]
After seeing the photos sent by her son, Shí Fànyīn replied.
She asked again: [Still in Fengche Village?]
Zhōu Shíyì: [In Belgium, heading to the airport, arriving home tomorrow.]
Shí Fànyīn: [What are you doing there? Market research?]
Zhōu Shíyì: [No. Buying chocolates for Zhōng Yì.]
Shí Fànyīn laughed, [I was worried that the price war with Ruichi would affect your mood for the wedding, but it seems not at all.]
Zhōu Shíyì: [I’m about to wrap up the price war.]
Shí Fànyīn didn’t immediately understand what “wrap up” meant.
She knew her son wouldn’t compromise easily.
But Ruichi was about to launch a new car at the auto show, and both the industry and consumers were looking forward to it, while Kuncheng no longer had any trump cards — that was true.
She never interfered with company decisions, so she didn’t ask further.
Until July 1st, two days before the Shanghai Auto Show, Kuncheng officially announced: to ensure ecosystem stability, Kuncheng Motors would withdraw from the price war.
At the same time, they announced cooperation with Professor Shao Jin An and his team to develop an autonomous intelligent driving system.
Finally, Kuncheng Motors announced a stock buyback of no less than 35 billion yuan.
Once the news broke, the internet erupted.
Zhōng Yì took a piece of chocolate from the fridge, about to deliver it to Zhōu Shíyì at the Chip Building.
“Have you seen the news?” Níng Quē casually approached her door.
“What news?”
Zhōng Yì had been busy all day and hadn’t checked her phone yet.
“Kuncheng is withdrawing from the price war.”
“Where did that rumor come from?”
“Official Kuncheng account. Both Zhōu Shíyì and Jiang Dong shared it.”
Zhōng Yì hurried over to her desk and opened her phone.
If only the withdrawal from the price war had been announced, the stock price movement would be unpredictable.
But the simultaneous buyback not only stabilized the stock price and prevented volatility, it also restored market confidence.
The stone hanging over her heart finally dropped.
She peeled the chocolate and took a bite herself.
These days she had been worrying—if the price war dragged on, much of Zhōu Shíyì’s work wouldn’t move forward, especially the supercharging network construction.
But if they withdrew, it meant handing market share over to Ruichi.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
Just then, Shao Jin An’s team joined.
The stock buyback was probably the best timing to exit the price war.
***
Meanwhile, at Ruichi Tower.
Shěn Chí brewed himself a cup of tea.
The scene of Zhōu Shíyì coming to his office for tea was still vivid in his mind.
Back then, he said Kuncheng had no trump cards left, and Zhōu Shíyì just smiled.
Indeed, having no trump cards was why they chose to withdraw.
But picking this moment to make a clean break became a sharp trump card.
Just as he sipped tea, a knock sounded.
Before he could answer, the door was pushed open from the outside.
“What are you doing here?”
Shěn Chí looked at his wife quietly. “Come to ask me to move back to the master bedroom?”
He was still living in the next room.
Zhāng Nuòxǔ tossed her bag onto the sofa and sat opposite him.
This time, no sharp retort—she went along with his words.
“Yeah, here to test your IQ. If you pass, you can move back tonight.”
Shěn Chí scoffed, “If you use Olympic Math Competition questions, I might not make it back even at seventy or eighty. But by then, no need to move back either.”
Zhāng Nuòxǔ sipped her tea, “You might not make it back by forty because of self-esteem issues.”
Shěn Chí almost choked on his hot tea.
He wasn’t that bad at forty.
Zhāng Nuòxǔ reached out her hand, “Let me see how many cards you have.”
Shěn Chí didn’t move, looking at her thoughtfully.
Zhāng Nuòxǔ didn’t explain further, her hand still outstretched.
The couple stared silently at each other.
After over half a minute, Shěn Chí put down his cup and stood up to get his wallet.
Zhāng Nuòxǔ watched his back; he took his time turning around.
Shěn Chí looked at her: “Counted them for you, nine cards in total. Don’t worry, my IQ for counting is fine—can’t mess up zero to nine.”
Zhāng Nuòxǔ:
Shěn Chí clearly knew why his wife wanted his cards: to use the funds in his accounts to increase holdings in Kuncheng stocks.
He handed her the debit card with the largest balance. “Be frugal, don’t spend it all in one day.”
Zhāng Nuòxǔ didn’t hold back, putting the card straight into her bag.
“Zhōu Shíyì has already compromised; you should know when to stop too. I told you long ago, if this price war goes on, it’s mutual destruction, but you never listened.”
She zipped her bag. “If Zhōu Shíyì announced withdrawal on the auto show day, it would definitely overshadow Ruichi’s new car launch, but he didn’t.”
She paused.
“Last time he specifically came to see you, and he chose to announce withdrawal before the show, avoiding your new car launch.”
“Whether to express apology in person or provide actual compensation, he’s done it. You could say he did it all on behalf of Yán Tínglín.”
“If you were Yán Tínglín, wouldn’t you want a friend like that?”
“Well, I want one.”
“No matter what personal grudges you have with Zhōu Shíyì, it should end here.”
“I keep increasing my holdings in Kuncheng stocks. Zhōu Shíyì’s personal ability is only a small part.”
“The management team of Kuncheng, Zhōng Yì’s team, Yán Tínglín’s team, and Shao Jin An’s newly joined team—those are my main considerations.”
Shěn Chí finally said, “Just tell me straight—can I move back to the master bedroom tonight?”
He grabbed his phone and called his secretary, “Ruichi is also withdrawing from the price war. After the statement is ready, I’ll sign.”
“Understood, President Shěn.”
After hanging up, he looked at his wife again.
Zhāng Nuòxǔ finished her tea, grabbed her bag, and stood. “Move back. After all, you’re not that far from forty.”
He was only thirty—how was that “not that far”?