When I am reborn, I just want to be a top student

The next morning, the Shanghai authorities responded through official channels.

It wasn't a call from Sun Zhengqing's secretary, but a letter directly from the Municipal Government Office—an official document with a red header, concisely worded, stating that the main leaders of Shanghai wished to have further in-depth exchanges with Mr. Wang Donglai on the relevant topics discussed in yesterday's meeting.

The meeting was scheduled for that afternoon, and the location was not the municipal government conference room, but a small reception room in the municipal government compound office building.

Wang Donglai knew perfectly well what this change meant.

Yesterday, he discussed with Sun Zhengqing the equity change and tax incentives for Tesla's Gigafactory. Sun Zhengqing is the executive vice president in charge of economic affairs, so their positions are a perfect match.

But the topic we're discussing today has clearly changed. Sanitation contracting, people's livelihood security, and social distribution are issues that go beyond the scope of economic work and require decisions from higher-level leaders.

The fact that the municipal government office sent a letter directly indicates that the other party has elevated this meeting to an informal but highly important level of political dialogue.

When Gu Huaizhi saw the letter, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

He read the letter twice from beginning to end, then put it down and said to Wang Dong with extreme restraint, "Mr. Wang, the person we're meeting today is of a higher rank than Deputy General Manager Sun. Given this level of importance, we need to adjust our strategy from yesterday's negotiations. If they approve the sanitation contract on the spot, how should we proceed? If they don't approve and are just testing the waters, how should we respond?"

Wang Donglai was looking out the window at the scenery of Shanghai when he calmly replied, "There's no need to prepare a script beforehand. I know what I'm doing today. I've laid out all the conditions I can offer regarding the sanitation contract. If Shanghai is willing to take it, that's great; if not, it just means the time isn't right yet. There will always be opportunities in the future, so there's no need to keep arguing about this issue. As for the leader I'm meeting today, I'll talk about whatever he wants to talk about."

At 3 p.m., Wang Donglai's car drove into the city compound on time.

This time, the person who came to greet us was not the deputy director of the reception office, but a deputy secretary-general from the municipal compound's general office, who was in his forties and had gray hair.

His attitude was gentle but his sense of propriety was excellent. His handshake was firm enough, and he exchanged exactly three pleasantries. Then he turned to the side and gestured for Wang Donglai to enter through a gray carpeted corridor into a small but exquisitely decorated reception room.

The style of the reception room was completely different from that of the municipal government meeting room yesterday.

Instead of a long conference table, there is a set of dark brown leather sofas, and on the coffee table sits a neatly trimmed asparagus fern and a set of blue and white porcelain tea set.

Hanging on the wall is a calligraphy work, grand and magnificent.

The atmosphere of the entire space was very formal, somewhat solemn and dignified.

Unexpectedly, the leader was already waiting in the reception room.

When Wang Donglai entered the reception room, the leader stood up from the sofa and took two steps forward to greet him.

He was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, with no pen in his jacket pocket, and the collar buttons were fastened meticulously but not excessively.

His leather shoes were shiny, and his hair was neatly combed.

He exuded a composed and mature air from head to toe, his expression neither stern nor casual.

Wang Donglai noticed a detail: the notebook in front of the leader had several lines of writing on it, the handwriting was neat, but the content was half-covered by the flipped-up pages, which meant that preparations had been made in advance.

"Mr. Wang, it's an honor to meet you. Please have a seat."

The leader extended his hand, shaking it slowly and steadily.

Wang Donglai grasped his hand and bowed slightly: "Steward, you're too kind. It's troubled to have you take the time to come."

“It’s not a problem. Galaxy Technology is a benchmark for private enterprises in our country. If I don’t even meet with you, the head of the company, people will say that Shanghai is too arrogant.”

The leader's tone was very easygoing, with a touch of just the right amount of humor.

These opening remarks not only show respect for Wang Donglai's personal status but also implicitly acknowledge Galaxy Technology's industry standing.

After the two sat down, the staff served them two cups of tea.

The leader picked up his teacup, gesturing for Wang Donglai to take a sip. Then, he put the teacup down and, instead of immediately getting to the point, began to speak in a casual, conversational tone.

“President Wang, I read all the things you discussed with Comrade Zhengqing yesterday last night. You said you would accept all of Tesla's conditions. When Comrade Zhengqing told me about it, I was still a little skeptical. You accepted the 14.8 billion investment commitment so readily, acknowledged the 3 billion tax bottom line so readily, and issued the bank guarantee so readily. Your style at the negotiating table is even more decisive than your style in product development.”

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip of Longjing tea, and looked down at me with a curious gaze that combined observation and scrutiny. He said, "However, the main reason I invited you here today isn't to talk about Tesla. Comrade Zhengqing and your team can continue to coordinate on Tesla-related matters. What I really want to discuss is the condition you mentioned yesterday, and your views on Shanghai."

Wang Donglai sat upright, but he wasn't deliberately tense.

When the leader spoke, he slightly turned his head, keeping his gaze fixed on the other person's face, neither looking down at his phone nor glancing around.

He waited until the leader finished speaking before speaking, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"Does the steward want to hear the truth or just polite words?"

The leader narrowed his eyes slightly, the curve of his lips remained unchanged, but the scrutiny in his eyes intensified: "I invited you here, of course, to hear the truth."

"Then I'll tell the truth."

Wang Donglai placed the teacup back on the saucer, leaned forward slightly, and crossed his hands on his knees.

"Shanghai is great in every way. Geographically, it sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River and the world's busiest container port, radiating to over 200 million people in the Yangtze River Delta, and its hinterland boasts the largest economy in the country. In terms of policy, from the development and opening up of Pudong to the Lingang New Area of ​​the Free Trade Zone, national-level policy packages come one after another. Financially, it has the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Futures Exchange, Financial Assets Exchange, and Insurance Exchange, with national financial markets clustered here. In terms of talent, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, and East China Normal University, the four Double First-Class universities, send the number of talents to the market each year to be among the top five in the country. Even in terms of administrative efficiency, having invested in projects in so many cities across the country, the efficiency and transparency of the Shanghai Municipal Government are definitely in the top tier."

He paused here, then changed the subject slightly: "However, there is also a problem in Shanghai that many people are unwilling to face."

The leader raised an eyebrow slightly and asked curiously, "What's the problem?"

"In the internet industry, Shanghai does not have any truly leading internet companies."

Wang Donglai spoke calmly, as if stating a fact that had already been proven by the market.

"It's hard to find another internet technology unicorn in Shanghai that can rival those in Shenzhen or Beijing. In recent years, the only company that has truly made a national impact in the cultural content field is miHoYo. It's an amazing company. Genshin Impact and the Honkai Impact series have made a fortune in the global game market. I also know miHoYo's founders, Liu Wei and Cai Haoyu. They are indeed a group of people who are truly passionate about games and content." "But what else is there? In Shanghai's internet forest, which should be full of diverse talents, there are very few truly large trees that can provide shelter from the wind and rain."

The leader picked up his teacup, took a sip of Longjing tea, and his gaze lingered slightly on the surface of the tea.

No one spoke, but the atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment.

"What do you think is the reason?" The leader put down his teacup, his tone still calm, but his speech was a beat slower than before.

"There are many reasons, some objective and some subjective."

Wang Donglai did not shy away from the issue and spoke frankly: "Objectively speaking, the industrial structure of Shanghai is indeed biased towards finance and high-end manufacturing. Finance accounts for a significant share of GDP, and the remaining growth space is mostly occupied by capital-intensive manufacturing industries such as automobiles, ships, and aerospace."

"What does the internet industry need? It needs plenty of low-cost opportunities to try and fail, a grassroots culture where young people dare to start businesses in garages, and an atmosphere of uninhibited technical exchange between university labs and student clubs. The housing prices and office rents in Shanghai naturally raise the threshold for entrepreneurship, causing many young people to make entering banks, securities firms, or foreign companies their only career goal before they even graduate. This is an objective reality, not anyone's fault."

"From a subjective perspective, Shanghai has always lacked a truly influential tech giant headquarters. A local leading enterprise that can drive an entire industrial chain and talent ecosystem, like Huawei in Shenzhen or Alibaba in Yuhang. Without a leading enterprise, there is no industrial cluster effect; without an industrial cluster effect, top talent cannot be retained; without top talent, the next generation of startups cannot be born, and it is a cycle."

The leader remained silent for a few seconds.

Wang Donglai's words were so frank that they surprised him. Having worked in the officialdom for decades, he rarely encountered an entrepreneur who could so directly and bluntly point out problems to the local leader.

"Mr. Wang."

He set his teacup steady, his tone losing its previous affability and gaining a deeper, more solemn weight: "You speak very well. You're the first person to dare say this to me. I admit that the problems you mentioned do exist in Shanghai. So, I'd like to ask you this: if Shanghai is to address these problems, what can you do to help?"

Wang Donglai paused slightly.

He anticipated that today's meeting would not be limited to exchanging opinions. Since the leader was willing to sit down and listen to his analysis of Shanghai's shortcomings, he would definitely take the opportunity to propose solutions.

And the core of the solution must be Galaxy Technology.

The leader picked up his teacup but didn't drink it. He simply used the lid to gently stir the tea leaves floating on the surface of the tea. Then he looked up at him. There was no sense of pressure in his eyes, but rather a calmness and patience that came from decades of administrative experience.

Such a gaze is not urging, but waiting.

We await Wang Donglai to reveal the answer himself.

However, Wang Donglai did not speak.

"Mr. Wang."

The leader spoke, his tone unhurried and deliberate, each word seeming to have been carefully considered before uttering.

"Why don't you move Galaxy Technology's headquarters, or one or two core subsidiaries, to Shanghai? Douyin could go public then, right? We could even make a move here if we have to take a gamble!"

“I have been following the name Galaxy Bio for a long time. Your layout in the field of biomedicine, from gene editing to biosynthesis to new drug development, is a key direction of the national strategic emerging industries.”

"Not to mention Galaxy Energy, Xuanwu Battery is no longer just a battery, but the core hub of the entire new energy vehicle industry chain. Any of these subsidiaries can move their headquarters to Shanghai, and I'll negotiate whatever conditions you ask for."

He paused, leaned back slightly on the sofa, and continued in a more relaxed yet more candid tone: "The sanitation contract is a minor issue; I can approve it for you today. But if you're willing to move your headquarters or core subsidiary here, the terms I can offer you go far beyond just a sanitation contract. Corporate income tax reductions, land transfer fee discounts, talent apartment allocation quotas, increased R&D expense deduction ratios, and even a green channel for your Galaxy Technology's listing in Shanghai—as long as there's policy flexibility, I'll arrange it all for you."

Wang Donglai remained silent for a moment.

"Manager, thank you for your sincerity. It's a very sincere offer, so much so that I'm hesitant, but I can only apologize to the leader."

"Galaxy Technology's headquarters will not leave Tangdu!"

"The core subsidiaries will not be relocated from the headquarters for the time being!"

Wang Donglai's voice was firm, without the slightest hesitation.

The reception room fell silent for a moment; no one had expected Wang Donglai to be so decisive and resolute.

A hint of surprise flashed in the leader's eyes.

The unexpected incident lasted only a few seconds. Then he leaned back on the sofa, crossed his arms in front of his abdomen, and looked at Wang Donglai with a gaze that was both admiring and complicated.

He had seen too many entrepreneurs' eyes light up when they heard they could move their headquarters to Shanghai, the economic center of China and one of the top-ranked global financial centers.

Land, taxation, talent, and policies—each of these represents top-tier resource allocation nationwide.

But the young man in front of him rejected his offer in a polite yet firm manner, without even a hint of hesitation on his face.

"Can you tell me why?" the leader asked.

"Tangdu is the root of Galaxy Technology."

Wang Donglai's answer was brief and unembellished: "There are many reasons, but the most important one is that I have already invested a lot in Tangdu City, and it is impossible for me to move away!"

This simple explanation further clarifies Wang Donglai's attitude.

"but,"

Suddenly, Wang Donglai changed the subject, saying, "The fact that the headquarters isn't moving doesn't mean we won't increase our investment in Shanghai. I can promise that Galaxy Technology's annual investment in Shanghai will be no less than a considerable figure. This investment covers Galaxy Energy's energy storage equipment production line, Galaxy Bio's biopharmaceutical R&D center and API production base, as well as Galaxy Aerospace's launch vehicle engine assembly workshop in the Lingang New Area, for five consecutive years. At the same time, I will use Galaxy Energy and Galaxy Bio as the core to build a complete industrial chain in Shanghai, from basic R&D to end products. The target of this industrial chain is not the domestic market, but to directly compete with the international top-tier level."

When the leader heard the number, his finger unconsciously tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, but he didn't interrupt. (End of Chapter)