Chapter 199 Highest-Level Inspection
The morning negotiations had been overall pleasant but yielded little real progress.
This wasn't just because the Special Zone's demands weren't fully met, but also because other companies pursuing the foundry model were expanding rapidly. If Yuanxin couldn't show a unique advantage in the Special Zone, then frankly, the government had no reason to favor them unconditionally.
After lunch, both sides agreed to revisit the matter after the New Year.
...
"A bit frustrating," Su Yuanshan muttered.
"Actually," said Wang Chaoxin, who was sitting with him in the car, "going the professional foundry route might not be the only way forward. Besides, after looking over the three-thousand-mu land plan, I noticed several electronics factories there with assets worth tens of millions. Relocating them would be a headache."
Su Yuanshan smiled and shook his head.
"It might not be the only path, but it's the best one for upgrading industry, technology, and manufacturing processes. And it was precisely seeing those factories that convinced me to push forward."
Half a year ago, when Wang Rui and the others proposed this plan, Su Yuanshan hadn't taken it very seriously. Three thousand mu of industrial land all at once?
That was terrifying.
You couldn't just sit on it—you had to develop it.
But once he saw the detailed industrial layout they presented, Su Yuanshan was tempted.
Acquiring competitors was a classic strategy for manufacturing expansion.
Stretching lazily, Su Yuanshan said,
"Let's just leave it for now. Let Senior Brother Wang negotiate later. Anyway, the Spring Festival is almost here, and we're about to send out over a hundred million yuan in bonuses."
"You know," Wang Chaoxin grumbled, "if you hand out big bonuses, we'll have to follow too."
"Haha, that's up to you. If you have the money, give out some bonuses.
And maybe your workers will spend it buying more mobile phones."
Su Yuanshan winked.
"And they'll even have to line up to buy!"
"You..." Wang Chaoxin laughed helplessly.
"Damn, that's ruthless."
They both burst out laughing.
At that moment, Su Yuanshan spotted a young woman emerging from the Hong Kong arrival area.
Dressed in a stylish white fur coat, knee-high boots, and a high bun, she looked poised and elegant, dragging a suitcase behind her while two assistants followed.
"President Sun still looks stunning," Wang Chaoxin remarked.
Su Yuanshan laughed and got out of the car.
Waving, he called out to Sun Xihui.
She immediately saw him and handed her suitcase to her secretary, walking briskly over.
Su Yuanshan folded his arms and smiled as he watched her approach, trying to spot traces of aging on her face.
All he could see was her makeup—flawlessly applied.
"President Sun, President Wang," Sun Xihui greeted them warmly, shaking hands first with Wang Chaoxin, then smiling at Su Yuanshan.
When Su Yuanshan shook her hand, he noticed it had become much thinner and clasped it a little more firmly.
"You've worked hard, Sister Sun."
"Not at all," she said, deeply inhaling.
Though she said it wasn't hard, meeting Su Yuanshan again after a year stirred complex emotions.
After all, she was just a high school graduate, a divorced single mother who had joined Yuanxin during its first recruitment drive, managing logistics and becoming Yuanxin's chief steward.
Later, when Xinghai was established offshore, and Su Yuanshan needed someone to spearhead expansion into Hong Kong, she had been pushed into leadership—out of necessity.
In Hong Kong, she founded Xinghai Commerce, following Su Yuanshan's strategy and rapidly expanding.
She became the de facto commercial "agent" for Yuanxin and Xinghai's offshore operations, coordinating even with Japanese partners.
To honor the trust Su Yuanshan placed in her, she had barely taken a break—only briefly returning home last year to see her son. She hadn't even attended Yuanxin's annual party.
Saying it wasn't hard would have been a lie.
Su Yuanshan sighed softly, stepped forward, and patted her on the back.
"Save the emotional stuff for later."
Sun Xihui chuckled and released his hand, standing upright again. She turned and glanced back.
Following her gaze, Su Yuanshan saw her secretary and deputy catching up, along with a middle-aged man chatting with them while waving at her.
"Who's that?"
"A bit annoying," Sun Xihui said, frowning.
"Owner of Taido Electronics."
"Pursuing you?"
"...More like harassing," she muttered before turning and greeting,
"Mr. Huang, I'm here."
"Since we've bumped into each other, why not have a meal together?"
The man, Mr. Huang, said with a smile after glancing at Su Yuanshan and Wang Chaoxin.
"No, thank you.
Please leave," Sun Xihui replied politely but firmly, tapping Su Yuanshan's arm.
"Let's go."
"Miss Sun..." Mr. Huang called out, unwilling to give up.
Su Yuanshan had already turned, but seeing the man still pestering, he finally frowned.
"Mr. Huang," Su Yuanshan said coldly,
"May I ask—what's your net worth?"
Caught off guard by the crudeness of the question, Mr. Huang hesitated, then gave a disdainful smile.
Su Yuanshan didn't care.
"My sister is part of Yuanxin's founding team, worth over a hundred million US dollars.
If you don't have that kind of money, stop bothering her."
Mr. Huang's face turned dark instantly.
Su Yuanshan ignored him and turned to scold Sun Xihui's secretary and assistant:
"You two—how could you let your boss get harassed?"
"Sorry, President Su," the secretary immediately apologized, moving to block Mr. Huang.
Su Yuanshan opened the car door for Sun Xihui.
Meanwhile, Wang Chaoxin smiled, leaned in, and quietly instructed the driver to leave first while he stayed back to deal with Mr. Huang.
Su Yuanshan wasn't completely unfamiliar with Taido Electronics.
They were a component supplier for Zhongxin's discrete devices—he just hadn't personally dealt with them before.
But he hadn't expected their boss to be such a "romantic."
...
"In what world is that how you chase someone?"
Sun Xihui said between laughter and exasperation once inside the car.
"Middle-aged men have thicker skin.
Youngsters might jump off a building from rejection, but guys like him just shake it off," Su Yuanshan said.
He looked at her closely.
"From afar you still look radiant, but up close, you look tired."
"Just getting old," she said, leaning back with a smile.
"My son's already in elementary school."
"Pfft... No big deal.
As long as you take care of yourself, you can stay beautiful for a long time."
"Can we change the subject?"
"Okay, okay.
This time, stay and attend Yuanxin's annual party.
No running away."
They chatted like old friends all the way to the hotel.
After a short wait in the lobby, Wang Chaoxin and Zhou Hongwen, Sun Xihui's assistant, arrived.
"President Su, I'm sorry," Zhou Hongwen apologized at once.
He had only known that Sun Xihui was from Yuanxin,
but until now, he hadn't realized just how close she was to Su Yuanshan—
essentially like brother and sister.
That explained why the normally gentle and mild-mannered President Su had gotten angry.
But by then, Su Yuanshan had already cooled down.
He smiled and waved it off.
"Just remember:
sometimes in business you have to endure a lot.
But Yuanxin and Xinghai are different."
He turned to Sun Xihui.
"Especially you.
When someone acts like a clingy pest, tell them to get lost.
No need to let some Hong Kong clown chase you all the way here.
This isn't a drama."
Sun Xihui laughed.
"Alright, alright, I know now."
...
The next day, Sun Xihui, representing Xinghai Commerce, signed a distribution agreement.
They immediately pulled 10,000 units of Yuanxin mobile phones from the factory,
with Zhou Hongwen personally escorting the shipment across the border.
In five days, the phones would be in the hands of Hong Kong distributors,
ready to support Yuanxin's official product launch.
Su Yuanshan's philosophy was clear:
Even if nobody came to buy at first, the ritual must be done properly.
...
On the third day, Su Yuanshan and Sun Xihui flew back to the provincial capital.
Upon landing, he sent one car to deliver her home to reunite with her son,
while he returned to the Science Park with Fu Zhenhua.
Because one day later—
leaders from the highest levels of government would arrive to inspect Yuanxin.
This was the most prestigious delegation Yuanxin had ever received—
including the very person who had been working tirelessly to reform the financial system and advance industrial progress.
Yuanxin had to prepare perfectly.
Lunar calendar, December 21st.
Yuanxin's leadership team had all returned.
At the polished main entrance of the Yuanxin Science Park,
Su Xinghe, Chen Jing, Xi Xiaoding, Zhang Ke, Wan Yongliang, and finally Su Yuanshan himself stood at attention.
A police escort car appeared first.
Following it, a gray mid-sized bus with curtained windows rolled steadily to a stop in front of them.
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