Now that Roche was in serious trouble, and Alexander chose to call him at this moment—Chen Mo couldn't help but find it interesting.
Did Alexander want help weathering the storm? Or was there something else?
Chen Mo pondered briefly before choosing to answer the call.
"Chen, hello." Alexander appeared on the screen with a warm smile.
"Hello, Mr. Alexander." Chen Mo replied, motioning for the robot to assist with translation if necessary.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"Not at all."
"That's good," Alexander said. "I didn't get the chance to say goodbye properly last time. Apologies. I've encountered a bit of trouble here—you've probably heard. I'll resolve it soon and visit you again."
"You're welcome anytime," Chen Mo said with a polite smile.
"I also sent you a little gift. Have you received it yet?" Alexander asked.
"Gift?" Chen Mo looked confused. "No, nothing's arrived."
"It must not have been delivered yet. I contacted Ms. Zhao, and she said she received it—it should be on its way to you," Alexander explained. "It's a local specialty from my family. I hope you'll like it."
The last three words were spoken in Chinese. The pronunciation was rough, but Chen Mo understood.
"Local specialty?"
He was puzzled—what kind of native product would a family like the Roches send?
"Yes," Alexander chuckled. "I'll be visiting you again soon. Let's continue our discussions then. Thanks for your time, Chen. I'll speak with you again."
"I look forward to it," Chen Mo replied, smiling as the video call ended.
Still thinking about the mysterious gift, Chen Mo didn't get far before Zhao Min walked into his office—with Wang Hai behind her, carrying a delicate, high-end box.
Wang Hai placed the box on the desk, then quietly exited.
"This is the gift from Alexander," Zhao Min said.
"This is what he meant by 'local specialty'?" Chen Mo looked at the luxurious box, emblazoned with the Roche family crest.
"Local product, huh?"
"I just got off the call with him. He said he sent over some 'local specialties,'" Chen Mo said, mimicking Alexander's accented pronunciation with a grin.
Zhao Min laughed. "Well, he wasn't wrong. It is a local specialty of sorts."
"What is it?" Chen Mo asked curiously.
"A show of status—Château Lafite Rothschild."
"Lafite?" Chen Mo blinked. "That's his family's product? Right—I forgot the vineyard is theirs. That's quite the native product."
He picked up a bottle. "Give me an '82 Lafite while you're at it."
Zhao Min rolled her eyes. "You've been watching too many gambling movies…"
"This wine sells for over a hundred thousand yuan per bottle. These two boxes? They're not ordinary stock—they're collector's items. Many rich collectors are proud to own an '82 Lafite. You better take care of them. Break them out when you're entertaining, and you'll really impress people."
"How much could these sell for?" Chen Mo asked, chin resting on his palm.
"People who collect these don't care about the price. But yes—these are top-shelf. One box could fetch a million. If you want to sell them, I'll handle it," Zhao Min said.
Sure enough, poverty limits imagination. While others dream of owning just one bottle, Alexander casually gifted two full boxes. The contrast was stark.
But then again… who was the boss of Lafite?
"Well, since they were sent over, might as well keep them. I heard red wine is good for your skin. I'll take them home and give some to Xiao Yu—she'll probably love it."
Zhao Min gave him a side-eye. So it was all just to please Xiao Yu. She had just been force-fed another helping of dog food.
"You want to take a couple bottles for yourself?" Chen Mo offered.
"I already have a box. Alexander sent two—one for you, one for me."
"So this bribe was twofold. Seems like he wants something from us," Chen Mo chuckled. "You know what they say—don't extend your hand if you've taken the gift, don't open your mouth if you've eaten the food. Alexander's playing the long game."
"He knows better than to expect us to solve his problems," Zhao Min said, shaking her head. "We're business partners—not comrades in life and death."
"Alexander is under serious pressure now. The investment plan has collapsed. Internally, there are family members gunning for his seat. Externally, rival consortia are circling. It's a classic internal-external crisis.
"But for us, this is actually a good opportunity. We may become a key partner in his bid to pull through."
She paused before continuing.
"And there's more—about that leak. Things are getting interesting. Traces are emerging that suggest someone deliberately targeted Roche."
"Who?" Chen Mo asked, intrigued.
"Altice and Orange. Two telecom giants are preparing to suppress the telecom operator Roche recently acquired. Most likely because Roche planned to expand and take a slice of their market."
"Trying to squash them before they can even get started?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. Roche is a sleeping wolf. If they wait until Roche grows stronger, it'll be too late. The family has deep connections. But right now—after a leadership change and the plan leak—they're at their weakest.
"If this is handled poorly, the entire family could fall apart."
Zhao Min opened a file and laid it out.
"According to the leaked plan, Roche wanted to bring us in on the telecom venture. The details were specific—even though we declined, outsiders won't know that. To them, we're already involved.
"Think about it. We sit on a massive cash reserve, trapped within China for now, with no outlet. We're aggressive, expanding fast. If we were to channel that money overseas, and partner with Roche's network—what do you think those telecom giants are worried about?"
Chen Mo nodded slowly, seeing the bigger picture.
"In France, iPhones only work with Orange. We're Apple's biggest competitor. As for Altice—the failed partnership last time turned them from friend to foe. If they don't strike now, and Roche grows, it'll be a slap in the face."
"And it's not just them," Zhao Min added. "There's also Pioneer Group, BlackRock, and Samsung. Samsung you already know. Pioneer and BlackRock are the two largest private equity funds in the U.S.
"Pioneer is Apple's largest shareholder. BlackRock's co-founder Susan is Apple's biggest individual shareholder and sits on its board. There are signs both funds are about to strike Roche financially. And of course, other smaller players are watching for their chance to join in."
Chen Mo frowned slightly. He hadn't realized the situation was this complex.
"So… is Roche's crisis partly because of us?" he asked.
Listening to Zhao Min's analysis, he finally understood why so few companies were willing to work with them.
"It's partially our fault," Zhao Min said. "Our rivalry with Apple created the tension. Now that we've entered the international market, we're seen as a threat. Roche's plan to work with us made them a stepping stone. Our enemies were bound to target them.
"That's why some businesses won't partner with us in the mobile phone sector. Our opponents are too powerful.
"Of course, not all of Roche's enemies are our fault. They've made plenty of enemies on their own. And more importantly—Roche's own family motto says: 'As long as we are united, we are invincible. The day we fall apart will be the beginning of our decline.'"
"What are you implying?" Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You know what I'm getting at," Zhao Min said. "I don't believe that such a sensitive investment plan would be leaked by a senior executive without someone pulling strings. And the timing? Too perfect. Shopping malls are like battlefields—and on this battlefield, there's bloodshed.
"Some riddles… only the people inside know the answer."