Chapter 268 BOE Technology
Lai Changxing sat back in his Mercedes 600, his face ashen.
The atmosphere inside the car was suffocating.
"Such an unbearable humiliation!"
Lai suddenly punched the seat in anger. "Motherfucker!"
Still sitting quietly in the front seat, Lai Wenfeng turned around to play along, saying, "They're going too far, Uncle."
"Shut up!"
The sharp rebuke silenced him immediately.
"No more selling decoder chips. We'll keep them to make our own VCDs," Lai Changxing said after a few deep breaths, quickly regaining his composure.
Having said that, Lai closed his eyes and furrowed his brow deeply.
Running a real business, especially manufacturing, was nowhere near as profitable or easy as trade or smuggling gray-market goods.
"But the enemy is stronger than we are right now. We need to be smart and back off for a while."
Meanwhile, back in Duan Yongping's office, Zhou Xiaohui had returned with Yang Yingying to formally meet the group. Previously, she had only popped in briefly before being pulled away by Zhou Xiaohui to the lounge to sign autographs for fans.
With everyone relaxed now, the conversation turned casual.
When Su Yuanshan jokingly suggested Yang Yingying endorse Zhongxin's products, Wang Chaoxin agreed immediately.
"But I'm a little petty," Wang said, smiling at Yang Yingying, then at Jiang Qingchuan. "Qingchuan, if your wife-to-be starts endorsing now... isn't it like letting the fat water flow into someone else's field?"
His words startled both Yang Yingying and Jiang Qingchuan.
"What do you mean by 'fat water flowing into another field'?" Jiang asked, though he glanced instinctively at Su Yuanshan.
Su Yuanshan smiled. "I think what Old Wang means is that maybe Sister-in-law should set up her own media company."
"Ah?" Yang Yingying exclaimed, hurriedly waving her hands. "I don't know how to run a company!"
"Come on, who's born knowing how to be a boss?" Wang Chaoxin said, pausing meaningfully to glance at Su Yuanshan. "Except for a certain someone..."
Su Yuanshan coughed lightly to avoid responding.
At that moment, Jiang Qingchuan also realized what they were suggesting and turned to Yang Yingying. "Wang's right. If you stay signed under New Era, your endorsement earnings will be pitiful."
Off to the side, Duan Yongping shrugged. "Easy fix. Just buy out New Era."
Jiang Qingchuan laughed and shook his head. "Impossible. New Era is sponsored by the Guangzhou City Propaganda Department."
Duan Yongping chuckled. "Then forget I said anything."
Wang Chaoxin smiled again. "Starting your own media company is entirely doable. It just depends on whether you're willing."
Yang Yingying looked at Wang Chaoxin, then at Su Yuanshan, and finally turned to Jiang Qingchuan, her eyes full of uncertainty.
Jiang Qingchuan fell silent for a moment.
He knew that although Yang Yingying was famous now, deep down she was still a simple girl.
And at this critical stage of her career, she still dreamed of making a real breakthrough in music — not managing daily operations as a boss.
Seeing her hesitation, Wang Chaoxin added, "If you're willing, I already have someone who can run the company for you."
Hearing that, Jiang Qingchuan's eyes lit up instantly. He slapped his thigh. "Perfect!"
Zhang Jianjun had been involved in pirated media disks for years, raking in millions — maybe tens of millions. Thanks to him, the VCD market had developed so smoothly. But now, with competition intensifying across major cities beyond the SEZ, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Zhang Jianjun was looking for an exit — especially since he was also a shareholder in Zhongxin, someone with a public reputation to protect.
"Didn't Old Zhang always brag about knowing the entertainment scene inside and out?" Wang Chaoxin said with a chuckle. "Qingchuan, you guys set up a company. We'll keep paying top dollar for endorsements, no problem, right?"
"Exactly," Duan Yongping agreed.
Su Yuanshan nodded. "It's the right move."
Even Chen Daohua smiled and added, "You could even get into movie production. The mainland film market is still a virgin territory — huge potential if you do it right."
Seeing everyone nodding enthusiastically, Yang Yingying opened her mouth but found herself overwhelmed. After thinking it through, she realized the part that confused her most was... who exactly was this "Old Zhang"?
So she asked, "Who's Old Zhang?"
Everyone paused for a second, remembering that Zhang Jianjun's factory was probably still burning DVDs of her concert from last night, and couldn't help laughing.
Su Yuanshan summed it up simply, "Your enemy."
"Ah?"
That afternoon, Su Yuanshan took a rare break, spending half a day relaxing with Sun Xihui before escorting her across the border.
The next day, Su Yuanshan switched back to leadership mode, starting a round of inspections across all factory zones, while also gathering a deeper understanding of ongoing operations.
Since Duan Yongping had taken over the Mobile Division, the design of new phones had accelerated dramatically. They were simultaneously pushing multiple models.
"These three models each correspond to different designs," Duan Yongping said, pointing at the blueprints. "The candy bar shape remains our classic design. The slider and flip designs are our innovations. Compared to our previous products and other brands, offering a wider range of form factors not only demonstrates our capabilities but also allows better aesthetic targeting for different groups."
Su Yuanshan nodded. "Beyond aesthetic targeting, it's about market segmentation by age and profession.
The candy bar style still feels too youthful — not sophisticated enough for business users."
Duan Yongping beamed. "Exactly!"
He had always supported diversifying the product line but hadn't expected Su Yuanshan to agree so readily.
This kind of boss — who actually listened — was rare and wonderful.
Of course, Duan didn't know that Su Yuanshan had already reflected on this.
In his memories, Nokia only dominated after feature phone prices dropped across the board.
Right now, domestically, the biggest purchasing power didn't come from trendy young people, but from wealthier, more mature professionals.
Launching slider and flip phones targeting business users made perfect sense.
"Let's follow your plan for the Mobile Division," Su Yuanshan said. "By next year, once our chips can integrate the baseband... we'll have endless possibilities with phones."
"You mean something like IBM's large LCD screen phones, multifunctional?" Duan Yongping asked excitedly.
"Exactly. It's just... LCD screens are still a barren field in China."
Su Yuanshan sighed bitterly and shook his head. Thinking about LCD screens immediately brought BOE Technology (京东方) to mind.
And then, strangely, he glanced at Duan Yongping.
"Old Duan, do you know Wang Dongsheng?"
Duan Yongping froze for a moment, then smiled. "Of course. We were former colleagues. How could I not know him?"
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