Actor: Thank you.

"Hello, Mr. Lei."

Zhang Yuan approached Jun'er, who was still relatively young and unremarkable in appearance.

To say that she's not strikingly beautiful is to compare her to celebrities.

Actually, among entrepreneurs, he and Pony Ma of Tencent are considered to be quite good-looking.

Especially compared to Ma Yun...

Of course, anyone can look better than Jack Ma.

When people think of Lei Jun in later generations, they always have a somewhat comedic tone.

Just like meeting Yu Dazui from Huawei.

They weren't trying to be funny.

Their temperament is a combination of the straightforwardness of science and engineering men and the shrewdness of business elites. When combined with the deliberate attempt to attract attention by bringing up controversial topics, they exude a unique charm.

This creates a memorable sense of contrast.

These billionaires have gone to great lengths to make money off ordinary people who earn only a few thousand yuan a month.

Lei Jun is also one of Duowan's shareholders, and even the largest shareholder of the original shares.

The shareholding ratio is only a fraction of a percentage point less than that of CEO Li Xuelin.

Therefore, his seat was closer to the center than Zhang Yuan's.

Zhang Yuan came here today not only to support Duowan, but also to meet with President Lei.

Because at that time, not only did Xiaomi 1 not exist, but the company Xiaomi itself did not even exist!
Zhang Yuan approached the other party with a smile on his face.

"My name is Zhang Yuan, and I am an actor."

He waited until the performance was over before coming.

Because during the performance, Jun'er can feel the enthusiasm of the audience below the stage.

These STEM guys aren't sensitive to fashion, trends, or movies.

No matter how well you explain it, nothing beats a live demonstration for quick results.

"I also have a side job doing some investments."

Zhang Yuan put on his most friendly smile, which he had deliberately made.

"I've heard of you. May I sit down and have a chat with you?"

"Please sit down." Jun'er was quite polite, getting up to greet him.

At this point, Mr. Lei... could already be called Mr. Lei.

After all, he became the general manager of Kingsoft before he was even 30 years old.

He had only been out of college for three years that year...

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

Mr. Lei was wearing a navy blue suit and black leather shoes.

The styles aren't particularly fashionable, leaning more towards business, but they always feel like they're just a little bit off in terms of fit.

In any case, the image of him differs greatly from that of later generations.

Because their later image was adjusted according to the market, especially imitating Jobs by wearing hoodies, jeans and sneakers.

"I've heard of you too." After sitting down, President Lei spoke first.

“A few years ago, Chen Nian told me that Vancl was going to do some publicity, and some actors proposed the concept of exchanging publicity for stock options.”

"It's you."

"Oh, Mr. Chen Nian and you are very familiar with each other?" Zhang Yuan feigned surprise, pretending not to know.

Of course I know, because Jun'er is also a shareholder and director of Vancl.

Even when Vancl failed and Chen Nian was heavily in debt, it was Lei Jun who helped promote the company and earn money to pay off his debts.

If you watch Xiaomi's product launches and live streams, you'll notice they're always wearing Vancl clothing.

Legend has it that before founding Xiaomi, Lei Jun had "nothing" except for a cold 40 billion yuan in his bank account.

He also said he scored 700 points on the college entrance exam.

These are all internet jokes, but people are taking them seriously.

With a total score of 710, can I get 700 to attend Wuhan University?

His actual college entrance exam score was 588, which didn't meet the requirements for Tsinghua and Peking Universities, but it was still quite excellent.

Wang Jianlin once said, "The most successful people are often not the smartest, but the second smartest."

Upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

Because exceptionally intelligent people are often quite "strange," especially in their temperament, personality, and behavior.

Lei is a typical example of the so-called "second-best intelligence." Judging from his college entrance examination scores, he is indeed not among the most intelligent people.

But he accurately capitalized on the opportunities presented by the times.

In the 87 college entrance examination, I chose computer science, which was not the most popular major at the time, but it was definitely at the forefront.

Back then, the most popular majors were mechanical engineering, architecture, and foreign languages.

These majors all guarantee a stable job upon graduation.

There is another point that proves Jun'er has benefited from the era's dividends.

He attended Wuhan University.

It was a good time when college students were scarce and their overall quality was relatively high.

As for the 40 billion in the account, that's just a rumor.

how can that be possible!
Zhang Yuan estimated it to be around a billion or so...

Because in 04 he sold Joyo.com to Amazon for a total price of US$7500 million.

Chen Nian was one of the old brothers from back then, Jun'er's second-in-command.

So Mr. Lei has been helping him all along, which can be considered as a sign of old friendship.

Most of the money Amazon gave him went into Jun'er's pocket.

He then began investing in various emerging companies, mostly internet companies.

Duowan and Vancl are just a small part of the companies he has invested in.

The companies he has invested in are now worth over a billion yuan.

But there's a problem with that.

Investment is in equity, not cash.

Although he has assets worth over a billion, he may not have a hundred million in cash readily available.

So even this "cash king of the capital" needs financing.

What Zhang Yuan was interested in was the opportunity that Xiaomi needed to raise funds before it was even established.

But it's hard.

Very difficult.

Because Jun'er is not like other naive young people starting a business for the first time.

They already have a lot of resources in their hands.

But how will you know if you don't try?

Because the temptation is too great!
You can say Lei Jun is playing tricks, or you can complain that Xiaomi is a low-end brand.

But you can’t deny that this is a future giant enterprise, not only among the top in the country, but also among the world’s top 500 companies.

I'm already doing pretty well in this industry, but in the eyes of Sina and Weibo, I'm just an artist.

It's called a collaboration, but it's more about "using" oneself.

But if you could grab this one, it would be completely different!

They started by talking about Vancl and ended up having quite a bit of conversation.

The practice of using celebrity endorsements as equity investment does exist, but it is more common overseas and rare in China.

Therefore, Mr. Lei is also somewhat interested in the person who proposed this plan.

However, as a shareholder, he disagreed.

Zhang Yuan didn't intend for Vancl to agree; he was just trying to get closer to them.

"Oh dear, if I had known that President Chen and President Lei had this kind of relationship, I would have contacted Vancl much earlier." Zhang Yuan feigned considerable regret.

"The artists who just performed on stage are all from my company."

"Vancl is willing to cooperate with anyone they like, including me, at a friendly price."

"Oh, thank you," Jun'er replied politely.

Liu Qiangdong once said, "Never try to compete with Lei Jun in marketing; you can't beat him."

Jun'er is someone who places great importance on publicity and promotion.

He's very happy to do publicity and marketing.

Then Zhang Yuan talked to him about some of his investment projects.

Needless to say, film and television companies wouldn't be of much interest to them.

He emphasized his investment in the F1 team.

They emphasized that it was a Mercedes-Benz team, which sounds more prestigious.

This surprised Jun'er somewhat.

From beginning to end, just like the people at Sina, Lei Jun knew him and also knew that there was such a person among Duowan's shareholders.

But he has always been regarded as a "speculator" and a dabbler in investment.

Wanting to make a quick buck isn't an unreasonable mindset.

At least they're more intelligent than those celebrities who only know how to buy luxury cars and mansions.

In addition, he didn't manage affairs or get involved, and the voting rights were with Li Xuelin, so the other shareholders didn't have much of an opinion.

After all, nobody knows whether the company will be able to go public.

It is unwise and extremely risky to target investors before an IPO.

Ultimately, however, Lei still treated him as an ordinary artist.

But upon hearing about the motorcade, I realized it was no ordinary matter.

Because F1 is also a hub for cutting-edge technology.

Many overseas technology companies will participate as sponsors.

Nvidia, AMD, Microsoft, and Oracle are all, or have been, F1 sponsors.

This is quite interesting.

At this time, Mr. Lei did not understand racing, but he was knowledgeable and experienced.

Seeing that he was more enthusiastic than before, Zhang Yuan continued the conversation.

"Mr. Lei, I think Duowan should hurry up and develop its app business."

"Because smartphones are the core direction of the future."

“I went to Sina’s party a few days ago, and they are also speeding up the development of their mobile app for Weibo.”

"Apple and Jobs have unveiled the basic form of future terminal devices."

"Any internet company that does not aim for this will eventually be eliminated."

Zhang Yuan extended this idea from Duowan.

His words seem quite ordinary to later generations.

But these days, it's exceptionally radical. Right now, the most accepted form of terminal is the desktop computer.

It's not even a portable laptop.

The adoption rate of smartphones is not that high; most people are still using "smartphones" (or "unintelligent phones").

Even in 14 and 15, the battle between mobile phones and computers remained unresolved.

ByteDance's success is largely due to its early decision to base its business on mobile devices, which allowed it to quickly gain a significant lead over its contemporaries.

Modern smartphones are no match for Nokia in terms of physical strength, stability, communication capabilities, and many other aspects.

Especially the batteries.

For people who need to make frequent calls, the fact that Apple's battery is not replaceable is a major blow.

The battery died while I was playing, and I had to find a place to charge it.

It takes several hours to flush...

Even many domestic telecommunications professionals are not optimistic about smartphones.

So when Lei heard Zhang Yuan's words, he thought that this man was quite knowledgeable.

But that's about it.

"Mr. Lei, I heard that you seem to be involved in related software development?"

"You're quite well-informed." President Lei rested his chin on one hand, looking at him cautiously.

Jun'er has just brought in a group of "startup teams" from companies like Kingsoft, Microsoft, and Google.

These are the legendary "Thirteen Protectors" of Xiaomi.

Many people in the industry know that Lei Jun wants to ride the wave of smartphones.

But many people are not optimistic about it.

I think it's ridiculous for a software engineer like you to be making mobile phones!
That's real industry, manufacturing.

You've always been involved in software development and investing in the internet industry; manufacturing is simply not your domain.

Even Jun'er himself wasn't 100% sure he would succeed.

But what he's really good at is having money.

He invested all the money himself in the early stages.

However, this "advantage" became one of Zhang Yuan's stumbling blocks.

"I think we can cooperate."

"I actually have a lot of funds recently and am looking for trustworthy investment channels."

"I see..." Mr. Lei, being the quickest learner he is, immediately understood.

They've come after me.

"The amount of money you mentioned, is it a lot or a lot?" Jun'er asked with a smile.

"At least hundreds of millions," Zhang Yuan replied confidently.

"Hmm..." This was another unexpected response from President Lei.

Are celebrities really that rich?

I'm half-believing and half-doubting.

Zhang Yuan then went on to talk at length about his expectations for future mobile phones.

And expectations for the development of the gaming industry on mobile devices.

We need to tell people that we share the same ideals.

"Years ago, I saw an article in a magazine about Mr. Bill Gates' smart mansion."

"With a smart device, you can control the air conditioner, all the lights, and even the temperature of the swimming pool in your home."

This house was built in 97 and has a full set of smart devices.

People from any country who saw these things back then would have acknowledged that North America was a beacon of civilization.

"I think it's a real shame that these advanced technologies and smart devices are being used as toys and pastimes by the wealthy."

"Everyone should be able to enjoy the benefits of technology."

"Mr. Lei, is it possible for smartphones to become a terminal that can control everything?"

"After all, it's convenient to carry around and can connect to the internet."

“Theoretically it’s possible…” Lei replied thoughtfully, “but it’s completely impossible right now.”

"That depends on the time. Maybe someday in the future." Zhang Yuan didn't continue the conversation.

Being one step ahead is genius; being ten steps ahead is madness.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Lei said politely, even with a hint of shyness.

"I understand what you mean."

"I have indeed been doing research in this area recently."

"However, we don't lack investors or marketing specialists for the time being."

Unlike people in the entertainment industry who speak tactfully, this person directly stated their meaning.

I'm not short of money, and you're useless to me.

Xiaomi's Thirteen Bodyguards are all top-notch technical personnel.

The 14th employee was in HR, and the 15th was in product marketing.

This is a habit of STEM guys, and it's a good thing.

Don't set up operations haphazardly in the early stages; only hire core, capable people.

If someone comes up with hundreds of employees and a whole bunch of secretaries right away, then they're not the type to get things done.

"Oh...that's a real shame." Although Zhang Yuan had anticipated this situation, he still couldn't help but feel very disappointed.

Two obstacles made Mr. Lei different from any other boss he had ever encountered before.

They have plenty of money and only care about technology.

Zhang Yuan is not a technician and does not understand technology.

Simply chatting a bit won't move the other person.

It seems there's no hope of us having millet porridge together.

"Mr. Lei, let's keep in touch."

"If you have any needs, whether it's funding, events, or other matters."

"Please contact me if there's anything I can do to help."

There is no righteousness in buying and selling.

Anyway, I have to do it properly.

"grateful."

"Let's talk about it later."

He didn't linger; he kept pestering them.

Jun'er is a very determined person who won't change his mind easily or make decisions based on his temper.

If it doesn't work out, continuing to drag it out will only annoy people.

It would be better to save face and discuss it another time.

He returned to his desk.

"What's wrong?" Cheng Hao immediately noticed that his expression was not good.

I just saw him chatting with a stranger for a long time.

I didn't dare to disturb them.

He came back looking ashen, so I quickly asked.

"fine."

"Who is that person?"

"Do you know Kingsoft?" Zhang Yuan took a deep breath. "The one that makes antivirus software."

"Oh, I've heard of it."

"This is the former CEO of Kingsoft, who helped Kingsoft go public."

However, after the company went public, Lei Jun left.

Besides retiring after achieving his goals, he also had some conflicts with the younger generation of veterans.

His departure had an element of "palace intrigue".

But not long after he left, Kingsoft went under and its stock price plummeted.

It was only after he returned to Jinshan to take charge and stabilize the situation that things came to a standstill.

That's why he's called "Lei Buss".

Lei Jun's experience is very similar to that of Steve Jobs, who was ousted from Apple and then returned to save the company during a crisis.

"That's amazing!"

“It’s very impressive.” Zhang Yuan pursed his lips and nodded slightly. “I just wanted to collaborate with them on an investment, but they refused.”

"You won't even take the money?" The good sister glanced in Jun'er's direction.

"They're not short of money, and they didn't even fancy me," Zhang Yuan said with a helpless smile.

"Let's not be angry, it's just an investment."

"If you can't apply for this, apply for another one," Cheng Hao said, as if coaxing a child.

“It’s different.” Zhang Yuan couldn’t explain it either.

"The main problem is that I'm useless to him," he reflected on this issue.

"What kind of person does he want? Someone whose family is in charge of government affairs?"

Cheng Hao thought it was because he didn't have a good enough background.

"No." Zhang Yuan turned his head and looked directly at the other person.

"Being born into poverty is not a disgrace; a true man is one who can bend and stretch."

“I am not ashamed because of this, and people do not look down on me because of this.”

The film and television industry is a place of fame and fortune, and Cheng Hao is used to it. His first thought is always about money and connections.

"Let's put it this way."

"Even if I win 100 Best Actor awards, the Central Academy of Drama won't hire me as the head of the acting department, right?"

"On the contrary, becoming an honorary principal or something is more likely."

"This is not a matter of background, it's a matter of expertise."

My good sister probably understands, after all, she can be a performance teacher.

Zhang Yuan patted his cheeks, perking up.

I recalled the words spoken by Sima Yi, played by Wei Zongwan, in the old version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

"You are so young, yet you become lax and slack off as soon as you encounter setbacks. How can you expect to achieve great things in the future!"

"Although he is said to be full of knowledge, he is narrow-minded and cannot tolerate even a few harsh words."

"The way to handle affairs is also the art of adapting to change; one should not be biased towards one side."

It's alright, let's put Xiaomi aside for now.

If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will. I'll just have to find somewhere else to invest... (End of Chapter)