Haifeng passed the finalized design to Li Li, then asked casually:
"So, what do you think? Like it?"
Li Li's eyes were still locked on the sheet.
"Like it? I'm thrilled, President Lu."
The grin on his face reached ear to ear.
But behind that smile, his mind was racing.
The design was incredible. But that's all it was—a drawing.
With Lichi's current R&D capabilities, it'd take at least a year or two to bring it to market.
By then, the A-class segment would be flooded. Honda's Civic would have already eaten half the pie.
What Lichi needed wasn't just a blueprint.
It required real backing. Engineering muscle. A proper platform.
Which meant... Haifeng.
Li Li glanced up, ready to make his move.
But he bit his tongue with Li Changcheng of Great Wall Motors, who was still in the room.
Later, he told himself. Later.
Instead, Li Li smiled and bowed his head slightly.
"President Lu, thanks for doing this for us. I know you don't care about money, but a proper design deserves a fee."
Without waiting for a response, he pulled out his phone and called Lichi's finance team.
"Wire ¥100 million to President Lu's account."
Haifeng tried to protest, but Li Li waved him off.
Top auto designers might charge tens of millions. This wasn't excessive.
Haifeng chuckled and finally nodded.
"Alright. Since you're insisting."
Li Li breathed a sigh of relief. After all, what he wanted came after the payment.
He left the room with the blueprints, but not before making dinner plans with Haifeng that evening.
Time to talk real business.
Once Li Li was gone, Haifeng turned to Li Changcheng.
They didn't waste a second.
He laid out the complete Haval H-series SUV blueprint spread on the table.
"Let's not stop at selling engines. Let's bring Haval back."
He pitched it plainly: a joint venture. Great Wall Motors and Audi Motors. Build a new Haval brand from scratch—this time, with real edge.
He thought Li might hesitate.
He didn't.
"President Lu, I've wanted this for a long time. Honestly, I just thought you'd never take us seriously."
Haifeng blinked.
So that's what had been holding him back.
With both sides on the same page, the deal came together fast.
The structure was simple:
Great Wall Motors: ¥4 billion investment → 70% ownership
Audi Motors: ¥2 billion → 20% stake
China Star Capital: ¥1 billion → 10% (tech consulting only)
Audi wouldn't participate in R&D.
China Star Capital wouldn't touch management.
Both would act as suppliers and consultants.
All Haval models would use Audi Motors' powertrains. Prices would be slightly discounted, but not undercut to the point of collapse.
Once the terms were agreed, Li Changcheng immediately called his legal team.
"Draw up the MoU. We're signing this today."
Haifeng smiled. This was how pros moved.
They'd hold a joint press conference soon. The world would know what they were building.
That evening, Li Changcheng boarded a flight back with blueprints in hand and engineers already standing by.
He wasn't wasting a second.
Later that night, over a private dinner at Piao City's most exclusive hotel suite, Li Li finally made his ask.
"President Lu… help me develop the Qin Pro."
Haifeng didn't respond. Li Li pressed on.
"If we do this in-house, it'll take over a year. By then, the Civic will have locked the market."
He leaned forward.
"But with your team's help, we could cut that in half. And I'll pay whatever it takes."
He paused, then went further.
"If possible, I want to pitch something bigger. What if we go in together?"
"A new brand. Not just a model. We build it from the ground up. You, me, and Lichi."
Haifeng raised an eyebrow, then smiled.
"Funny you say that. I signed a JV with Great Wall just this afternoon. New SUV brand, new start."
Li Li nearly spat out his drink.
"That bastard Li Changcheng signed without telling me?"
He shot to his feet.
"Quick—get me a lawyer. We're signing tonight!"