What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 515 Long Distance

Yu Xing is participating in the auto show again after two years.

This time, he came to Guangzhou to see firsthand the performance of foreign brands such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Renault, as well as domestic brands such as BYD and Roewe, in the field of new energy vehicles, and also to personally experience the long-distance driving of the "Nine Provinces".

Since the prototype came out, Yu Xing has almost always driven it in Lingang. When road testing was possible, he expanded his activities to the area around Shanghai, but he has never driven a distance of more than 1400 kilometers from Shanghai to Guangzhou in one go.

The two cars, one in front and one behind, with a total of eight people, took advantage of the clear weather at nine o'clock in the morning to drive onto the Shenhai Expressway.

Yu Xing was driving, with Cui Zhiyu, who was scheduled to take over, in the passenger seat. In the second row behind were his secretary Zhang Yangxu and Jiao Zijun, the supplier development director.

The four of them chatted about all sorts of things, and before they had even driven for an hour, Yu Xing received a phone call.

Yu Xing glanced at the incoming call, guessing it wasn't anything important, and put Dr. Yu Kai's call on speakerphone.

"Mr. Yu, have they already sold Alibaba's shares in Hong Kong?" Yu Kai asked impatiently before Mr. Yu could speak.

Yu Xing hummed in agreement: "Yes, I'm driving."

"Oh my, Mr. Yu, you made a profit! At what price did you sell it?" Yu Kai's voice was full of joy. Ever since the DLF Foundation's money was tied up in Alibaba's stock, he hadn't paid much attention to the stock price fluctuations, since his own Horizon Robotics company also had a lot to do.

Today, I suddenly saw Alibaba's Singles' Day advertisement and remembered what Mr. Yu said. Looking at the stock price, Alibaba is already close to $120, while DLF bought it at $94.7 with $1800 million.

Yu Xing felt that this matter could be discussed in an external voice: "It's about $118. Alibaba will definitely break the record this Singles' Day, but when the actual figures are released, the stock price will probably have to correct."

Regarding Alibaba's stock price issue, he now agrees with Liu Wanying's previous analysis that current cyclical factors are quite important, and Alibaba's story needs to be gradually implemented in order to continue to support the stock price of the world's second-largest internet company.

Yu Kai, who could calculate quickly, exclaimed in surprise, "That's almost a 25% profit! Wow, stock trading really does make money fast. I've made $400 million in such a short time!"

"Ahem." Yu Xing reminded Yu Kai when he swore, "Dr. Yu, I'm driving with the speaker on. There are people in the car. Be more polite and don't shatter our positive image of you as a scientist."

Upon hearing this, Yu Kai nonchalantly remarked, "Damn it, scientists need money to get things done too! Wow, Mr. Yu, you're a carbon silicon Buffett! We should have raised more money to buy stocks!"

Yu Xing smiled helplessly and said, "Dr. Yu, I've noticed that you've become much more rugged since you started the company. You used to seem more...gentle and refined."

"Who the hell runs a company without swearing?" Yu Kai retorted confidently.

Yu Xing said proudly, "Me?"

Yu Kai pointed out the facts: "After you went ashore, did you forget about the confrontation and arguments with Tang Jun, Xu Xin and the others? Do you think the internet has no memory?"

Yu Xing fell silent; he had indeed forgotten something.

Yu Kai remarked on the profits for the time being, then couldn't help but ask, "Red Falcon has given us additional funds, and the sale of Alibaba stock brought in another $2400 million. Adding to the funds from those institutions that haven't yet arrived, the DLF Foundation will soon be able to access $5000 million. Mr. Yu, do you think it's still worth buying Alibaba stock? What about after it corrects?"

Yu Xing reminded him, "Dr. Yu, now that you're asking me this, have you forgotten when you mocked me, the little stock market genius of Lingang?"

"A true stock market genius is one who can make money!" Yu Kai felt completely different promoting the DLF Foundation and his own Horizon Company. He thought it would be difficult enough to raise funds for DLF in Lingang, but it would be even more difficult to get people to invest in Horizon Company.

He has visited forty or fifty venture capital firms in the past two months, but the results have been dismal. Now he's practically green with envy at the sight of money.

Yu Kai has clearly realized a very real problem: relying solely on scientists and research backgrounds is simply not enough to impress investors.

After looking around, he realized that President Yu's side was the most sincere.

Yu Kai urged, "Tell me quickly, Mr. Yu. If you need funds, I'll find a way to raise more."

“No, I was just looking to speculate anyway,” Yu Xing said directly. “There aren’t that many opportunities for speculation. If you can’t use all this money right away, you can wait for Alibaba’s stock price to drop and then buy some more to hold for the long term. The operation of the DLF Foundation can rely on the future growth of such giant companies.”

Yu Kai quickly absorbed the information and actively applied it to other situations: "Is it a good time to buy Tencent's stock?"

Yu Xing hesitated for two seconds: "Let's not do it for now."

Yu Kai then asked another company, "What about Baidu?"

Yu Xing laughed and said, "Dr. Yu, you really know how to choose. Don't even consider Baidu. I'm driving, so I'll stop here. We can discuss these things when we meet again."

The information Yu Kai wanted to verify in this call had been verified, and hearing President Yu driving, he ended the call.

However, as he put down his phone, thinking about the fluctuations and rises in Alibaba's stock price in a short period of time, and about the $400 million that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, he felt both shocked and envious.

Horizon Robotics is also in the early stages and needs funding to get started...

If Mr. Yu can be a stock market guru in Lingang, why can't I be a trader in Horizon?

Moreover, Mr. Yu's statement is not entirely correct; his previous judgment on Alibaba's stock listing was also problematic.

On one hand, there's the painful experience of difficulty in securing financing; on the other hand, there's the visibly lucrative profit-taking of speculative funds.

Yu Kai's heart began to stir with excitement. Perhaps it was worthwhile to allocate some shares of Baidu and Tencent, since Horizon Robotics didn't need the funds it had raised for the time being.

Yu Xing was unaware that Dr. Yu had some dangerous ideas. He turned off his phone and drove for a while before hearing Cui Zhiyu's question.

"Mr. Yu, you really know how to make money from stocks??"

"What do you mean by 'I really can't'?" Yu Xing laughed. "Who said I couldn't?"

Cui Zhiyu said in astonishment, "Everyone's talking about you, cough, cough, well, I've heard that you made someone lose money buying stocks."

"The unrealized loss depends on the final result." Yu Xing noticed that the traffic on the highway was not heavy, and turned on the adaptive cruise control (ACC) function in the car. "ACC really saves effort and is a very practical function."

Cui Zhiyu was amazed by the turnaround in his boss's stock trading success. Hearing this, he said, "Yes, it's pretty good on the highway. This is a feature that many people may not use, but it can be seen as a way to showcase the class of our vehicle models."

You may not use it, but having it can have an intangible cognitive impact.

BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) only offer this feature in their high-end models costing hundreds of thousands of yuan. It's one of the labels used to differentiate between high, medium, and low positioning. Now, we can directly use this label to help "Jiuzhou" determine its level.

However, while the current ACC function is indeed more comprehensive than cruise control, it still feels jerky in scenarios where the vehicle speed needs to be reduced, and the range and options for speed reduction are far inferior to those of human drivers.

Listening to his boss discuss this feature, Cui Zhiyu chuckled, "This isn't a problem with 'Jiuzhou,' but with the ACC function. Even Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with ACC modules have this issue. It can reduce fatigue during high-speed driving to some extent, but it still requires significant optimization, I'm afraid..."

He didn't think it was impossible to continue optimizing, but he wasn't optimistic about the prospects for "significant" improvements. Cui Zhiyu's thoughts raced before he continued, "I'm afraid we'll have to rely on advancements in more basic components. Perhaps one day in the future, 'Linggang' company's lidar will be mass-produced and installed in vehicles, and such functionality will improve accordingly."

The "Linggang" company, which has already settled in Lingang, has a very low profile. The lidar previously tested with "Jiuzhou" has also been completely discontinued. It is said that they are improving the product based on the situation, but there has been no news of progress for a while.

Yu Xing nodded: "We'll see that day; it's not that far off."

The cars headed south, and when they entered Jinhua, both vehicles stopped at a service area for a rest. Yu Xing and the others took the opportunity to smoke a couple of cigarettes.

Cui Zhiyu calculated the time and asked, "President Yu, shall we skip tonight? The auto show is still two days away, there's no rush."

"Safety is important." Yu Xing flicked his cigarette butt into the trash can, then pointed to the second "Jiuzhou" car, "You drive the one with air suspension later, and I'll sit in the second row to experience a hundred or two hundred kilometers."

The two cars on the road today are two versions; the top-of-the-line model currently has additional features such as air suspension and soft-close doors.

Cui Zhiyu agreed, and seeing that the boss had taken out another cigarette, he went to inform his colleagues to change cars.

Soon, Yu Xing sat in the second row of the second "Jiuzhou" car. He saw his unfamiliar colleagues, smiled at them, and didn't say much.

The two people in the car were management trainees who had only recently joined the Silicon Carbon Group. They were both working in the general office, and because their workload wasn't heavy, they simply chose to go out together to see the auto show.

Sitting next to Yu Xing in the second row was Chang Lingxin, who was from Urumqi. She thought this trip would just be about running errands and taking notes, but she didn't expect to be so close to the BOSS. Seeing him look at her a few more times, she suddenly felt a little emotional.

Chang Lingxin is very confident. She has inherited the characteristics of her family's Uyghur bloodline very well. She has deep-set eyes and a high nose with an exotic look. She is tall but not fierce, and she is very recognizable in her daily life.

She listened quietly to the boss and Vice President Cui chatting, their conversation ranging from the feeling of being suspended in mid-air to the fact that the top-of-the-line model actually offers better value for money, and then to cooperation and planning with suppliers...

Much of this information is not accessible to the General Office, and it represents the power dynamics within the Silicon Carbon Group. As for the Silicon Carbon Group, it is already a company valued at $40 billion. Moreover, President Yu already owns a listed company.

Chang Lingxin turned her head to look at the scenery outside, but her eyes were constantly on her boss's face.

"Hey you," Yu Xing said, not recognizing his unfamiliar colleague's name, "find me the latest quality control documents."

Without turning his head, Cui Zhiyu said, "Her name is Chang Lingxin, right? She's in the file folder in the third row."

Chang Lingxin turned around to look for documents, intentionally or unintentionally showing off her curvaceous figure.

She found the document, reached out and handed it to her boss, her little finger boldly tracing a line across the back of his hand.

Yu Xing took the document, frowned slightly, and glanced at Chang Lingxin a couple more times.

Chang Lingxin did not avoid eye contact.

Yu Xing glanced thoughtfully at his glamorous colleague for a few seconds, then opened the file and found the information he needed.

Then, he looked at Chang Lingxin next to him and asked, "Do you know Douyin?"

Chang Lingxin, not understanding, nodded and replied, "I know, President Yu."

“The two silicon carbide companies are located very close to each other. Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered that Douyin is about to launch a hashtag challenge called ‘lightsaber transformation,’ which is expected to involve a lot of resources.” Yu Xing asked, “Have you considered developing your business on Douyin? In the near future, there will be push notifications for users with good looks.”

"Lightsaber Transformation" is a feature where users switch between everyday and sexy outfits to music, and it's one of Douyin's strategies to further expand its user base before the Spring Festival.

Even before Douyin was launched, the team at Carbon Silicon Data was looking for attractive male and female users to be the first batch of players, which did have a good effect. This type of activity will remain an important part of Douyin's future promotion.

Yu Xing sometimes watches and participates in discussions. As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature, and the quality of Douyin (TikTok) is indeed based on sex in some aspects.

Seeing Chang Lingxin's rather extraordinary appearance, it seemed like it might be worth a try. Perhaps it would be more promising than being a management trainee at the Silicon Carbon Group. Of course, it also had something to do with her little tricks.

Chang Lingxin was at a loss when she heard her boss's words. Was President Yu going to send her to Douyin?
But... it seems that TikTok is also a key project for carbon silicon data?

However, that was not the direction I planned for my career, and besides, what exactly was a "lightsaber challenge"?

Chang Lingxin felt lost, unsure whether this was a punishment or a reward. She soon noticed that her boss was continuing his conversation with Vice President Cui about work and the travel experience, but she lost all interest in anything else after that.

The two "Jiuzhou" cars exited the highway when they entered Yingtan, stayed there for the night, and then continued their journey to Guangzhou early the next morning.

Long-distance driving and riding can be a bit of a challenge.

When Yu Xing arrived at the hotel, he got out of the car and said, "It's tiring to travel like this, but overall, apart from the shaky driving and the lack of sportiness, the feeling of sitting in the back is quite good, especially with the air suspension, which really elevates the experience."

Cui Zhiyu agrees with this.

Yu Xing closed the car door and smiled, "'Jiuzhou' performed well. It only needed to be refueled once in 1400 kilometers. That's good."

Cui Zhiyu was stunned for a moment: "President Yu, if you put it that way, if I drive from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, and only need to refuel once, I can drive for two more years."

"You're always finding fault." Yu Xing stretched his body. "Combining the quality of a gasoline car with the comfort of an electric car, I'm still confident in our market performance next year. After these two years, people won't be able to buy cars below cost anymore."

Cui Zhiyu immediately said seriously, "That would be a severe test for us."

Yu Xing nodded slightly and went to his hotel to catch up on some sleep.

The group arrived in Guangzhou with some time to spare, but after the long journey, they had no interest in sightseeing and simply waited for the auto show to open.

As the head of a new energy vehicle company, Yu Xing did not want to be high-profile on this trip, so he wore a baseball cap when he attended the auto show and acted as an exhibitor, observing the various models with great interest.

However, his low profile was first exposed by Wan, who was also attending the exhibition.

"President Yu, President Yu." Leader Wan was there to support the auto show and the new energy industry. He was chatting with local leaders when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure and walked over.

Yu Xing had naturally spotted the big boss long ago, but he hadn't intended to approach him. Now that his whereabouts had been exposed, he could only greet him in surprise.

Leader Wan found this amusing: "President Yu, are you... not wanting to be interviewed at all? So, how about it? The Lingang car is about to be launched, are you confident?"

Yu Xing did not ask how the leader recognized him. After a moment's thought, he replied, "I was quite nervous at first, but after a quick walk around, I felt more confident."

(End of this chapter)