"Let's take it as it comes." Heifeng ended the call with Huang Ming and stared at the quiet screen for a beat. "Even if this push fails, the Audi A8 still needs its name out there. I'll find another way."
He scrolled to another contact and rang Liu Chengming. The two had known each other since that first procurement trip to Piao City, when a batch of Audi A6S won rave reviews from the officials who rode in them. Subsequent purchases had only deepened the trust. Now they were more than business partners; they were friends.
The call barely connected before Liu's voice burst in, warm and unforced. "President Lu, I heard you're in Beijing. No arguments, I'm hosting tonight. I'll arrange everything."
It was not empty politeness. Since meeting Heifeng, Liu had been struck by his candor. A procurement chief encountered countless company reps each year. Very few left an impression. Heifeng did.
"Alright," Heifeng said after a short pause. "Since Brother Liu insists, tonight it is. I also have something to discuss with you."
"Seven o'clock," Liu replied. "I'll text you the address."
Hanging up, Heifeng placed another call to Zhao Jianhua, instructing him to rush one hundred Audi A8S to Beijing overnight. He had planned to sound out Liu on a purchase order, but news that BMW, Volkswagen's Bora, and Suzuki Alto were preparing to box in the A8 made him pivot. If they wanted a fight, he would change the battlefield. Create a headline that would dominate the hot searches and make the A8 impossible to ignore. His solution was blunt and grand: donate one hundred A8S to the relevant agencies and lock in the future of official vehicles. Even if it did not make money right away, it would keep foreign rivals on the outside looking in.
At six in the evening, he changed into casual clothes, pulled a cap low over his brow, and left the hotel. Celebrity carried attention he did not need. Better to keep a low profile and avoid hassles. The car dropped him off at a narrow alley and an old-style courtyard restaurant that Liu had chosen. Inside, carved wood screens and warm lantern light threw him briefly back in time. Even the servers wore period costumes. The hall buzzed. Every table was filled. A queue pressed at the door.
"President Lu, over here." Liu rose, waving him over. Beside him sat a bespectacled middle-aged man with a scholarly air.
After greetings, Liu smiled and made introductions. "This is a good friend of mine, Xia Chenggong, a technician at Hongqi Automobile."
Hongqi. That piqued Heifeng's interest. What grade of technician was Xia, and why bring him tonight? If Xia were here, there would be more on the table than dinner.
"President Lu," Xia said, half-rising with a modest nod. "I have admired your work for a long time. I always wanted to meet you, but never found the chance. I heard Old Liu invited you today, so I came along uninvited. I hope you won't mind."
"President Xia is too courteous," Heifeng replied. "We are all friends if we can sit at the same table."
Liu motioned to the server. Dishes began to arrive in a steady rhythm, each plated with care. "Don't let the size fool you," he said. "This place is small, but the flavors are the real thing, passed down in the family. I heard their ancestors cooked in the imperial kitchens. Best taste in all of Beijing."
As plates landed and lids lifted, the promise held true. Common ingredients turned delicate on the tongue; rare recipes revealed themselves in layered aromas. Conversation flowed with the wine.
After a few toasts, Liu leaned in. "President Lu, you said you had something to ask me?"
"Yes." Heifeng set down his chopsticks. "Our Audi A8 is about to hit the market. I wanted to ask whether your side plans to purchase."
At the mention of the A8, Xia's expression flickered the tiniest fraction, gone as soon as it appeared. It did not escape Heifeng. Liu, focused on the question, missed it entirely and grinned in recognition.
"I knew there had to be a reason," Liu said. "Honestly, if you hadn't raised it, I was going to find you. Since the leader's special ride switched to your A8, a number of other leaders have been asking to change as well and told us to contact you. The only reason we waited is that you said mass production hadn't officially started."
He was right. After the earlier donation run, many felt the A6 no longer matched their status and were eager for the A8, but production timing had pushed things back. Now that the word came from Heifeng directly, Liu did not hesitate.
"Don't worry," he said with confidence. "I'll bring my team to you tomorrow. The first batch will not be fewer than one hundred cars."
"Brother Liu is generous." Heifeng raised his glass. "To that."
"Cheers."
The warmth between the two men grew with each exchange, their conversation straightforward and optimistic. Yet on the side, Xia felt increasingly out of place. Within his system, the decision on official cars had long favored Hongqi. Even if Hongqi lagged in pure competitiveness, it was still the domestic brand that symbolized a national lineage. Seeing the procurement chief and the A8's champion talk order sizes made his chest tighten.
Heifeng noticed and filed the reaction away. He had not invited conflict to the table, but he would not shy from it either. If Hongqi wanted the official lanes, they would need more than heritage to keep them. Performance, safety, comfort, total cost of ownership, and service network all mattered now. He would win those battles cleanly and publicly.
Liu, oblivious to the undercurrent, kept the dishes coming, eager to play host properly. He steered the topic back to food and stories, bragging about the chef's ancestral recipes and pointing out the restaurant's signature dishes as they arrived. The steam rising from the clay pot, the glossy lacquer of a braise, the crisp snap of a seasonal green, all softened the table's tensions.
Business returned naturally. Liu asked about delivery times, color options, and interior packages appropriate for official use. Heifeng answered simply. Production had ramped. A special configuration for official fleets had been prepared, with emphasis on rear-seat comfort, ride isolation, and safety systems. The first hundred could be delivered quickly, and the next allotment would not be far behind. Liu nodded, satisfied.
Xia managed a polite smile but said little. He could not argue with the rhythm of the exchange. Nor could he miss what it implied. If Audi locked in the flagship segment across departments now, the lane Hongqi had counted on would narrow further. He lifted his glass and drank quietly.
By the time the last dish cooled and the hall began to thin, the three had found a workable equilibrium. Liu would visit the plant the next day to finalize specifications. Xia excused himself with courtesy and a thoughtful look that told Heifeng their paths would cross again, perhaps not as warmly. Outside, the alley air was cool. Heifeng pulled his cap down and headed for the waiting car, mind already turning from the pleasant meal to the larger move he had set in motion. One hundred A8S would arrive in Beijing overnight. The headlines would write themselves. And when the noise settled, what mattered would remain the same. Build the best car, put it under the right people, and let the results talk.