Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 383 The Three-Star Pact
The recording in Tokyo encountered a minor problem; due to an inexplicable commotion, we were called in by the police for questioning.

Fortunately, Zhai Da didn't need to intervene. The production team spent several hours trying to resolve the issue, but ultimately, since it didn't cause any serious consequences, the matter was dropped.

But that very night, the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" had already attracted attention on Japanese social media, since most of the strange-looking followers were skilled internet users. Before Zhai Da even returned to his hotel, the story had already gone viral.

Japan's internet is interconnected with the outside world, which inadvertently allowed "Magic Talent Show" to gain popularity even before it aired.

The next day, as Zhai Da and the production team hurriedly left this troublesome place to avoid being caught by the local police, "Magic Talent Show" had already begun its journey to gain international influence.

At that time, no one knew the name of the program.

But clearly, the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) spread rapidly, generating buzz even before the show aired.

The production team finally breathed a sigh of relief after landing in Seoul. The originally planned three-day trip to Seoul had been extended to four days due to their early arrival.

Here, Zhai Da will welcome a special guest.

At the airport exit, Zhai Da personally stood at the front to greet them.

A moment later, a beautiful figure emerged, pulling a suitcase. She wore a bright yellow floral print mini-skirt and white sneakers over her slender legs.

Wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, the cute bow is the most playful embellishment.

Zhai Da waved with a smile, and Lu Siwen, after spotting the familiar figure, immediately jogged over, the wheels of her suitcase making a swishing sound.

But once he was right in front of her, Lu Siwen suddenly hesitated, wondering how he should greet her.

Wouldn't simply shaking hands make me look silly, like I'm running and jumping around? Or should I suddenly stop and speak politely?
Or perhaps, embrace that familiar yet unfamiliar chest?
A young girl's thoughts can be slow, so slow that they remain unchanged year after year, or they can be very fast, so fast that they can turn over in the blink of an eye.

Finally, Xiao Lu jumped up and gave Zhai Da a high five.

"Hey~!"

Zhai Da was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "You really are a deer, hopping around like a leopard."

After Lu Siwen stopped, she finally found a suitable spot, not too far away, and whispered with her hands behind her back, "Is this the first time you've heard this?"

She received an invitation from Zhai Dahe's production team a month ago, so there was no reason for her not to agree. However, considering the production process, she could not participate in four episodes in a row.

After compromise, I will participate in the last two sessions.

I went back to Dongyang during the National Day holiday, and then flew directly from Shanghai to South Korea.

Lu Siwen looked curiously behind Zhai Da, where four or five middle-aged men in suits stood. They didn't seem to be from the production crew, which puzzled her.

Zhai Da explained, "The production team went to check out the venue first. I stayed behind specifically to pick you up. As for these people, they are from Samsung. They have some business to discuss with me."

A man stepped forward from behind, took Lu Siwen's suitcase, and said, "Ms. Lu, you must be tired from your journey. Mr. Zhai, please come with us to the parking lot, and we will take you both back to your hotel to rest."

It was surprisingly fluent and clear Chinese.

Zhai Da did not refuse and led Lu Siwen forward.

Although the two were in a foreign country, they still talked about that small county town.

"Is it hot in Dongyang? I haven't been back this summer."

Lu Siwen stomped her white sneakers, secretly pleased, because Zhai Da, just like before, wasn't upset about giving her a high-five.

"It's already October, where would it still be hot?"

"I feel like I missed the whole summer."

"Your summer was far more exciting than ours, wasn't it? When will your new book be released?"

"The cover isn't even finished yet. Could you give me an author's recommendation when it's done?"

The two chatted as they walked, and finally got into a luxury car provided by Samsung in the parking lot, which was at least considered a luxury car by Koreans: a Hyundai Equus.

In Zhai Da's words, it's so ugly it's overwhelming.

As for why it was Samsung staff who were in charge of the reception, the story goes back a long time.

At the Hongtu OS launch event, Zhai Da also invited a representative from Samsung. As one of the major suppliers of contract phones in China, Samsung insisted on coming, whether out of curiosity or pressure from the operators.

Because China is already the world's largest mobile phone market.

The Samsung staff who attended the press conference were far from being high-level executives, but the subsequent reactions and feedback forced them to take it seriously.

Especially after experiencing it firsthand. The fact that the Meizu P9 could be scalped at such high prices in its early stages was thanks in no small part to smartphone manufacturers worldwide.
Today, the intention to cooperate has transformed from reluctance to a done deal.

Especially given that the three major domestic telecom operators specifically requested "Hongtu OS" contract phones.

Samsung had contacted the Mechanical Core Research Institute multiple times before and had even sent people to Seoul for an inspection. The two sides had maintained a certain level of communication. Upon hearing that Zhai Da was coming to Seoul in person, Samsung attached great importance to the matter and not only took the initiative to host him throughout the trip but also provided some conveniences for the filming.

No matter how harshly you're criticized on TV, or how often you're dragged up and beaten, it's all just a performance for the public.

On this peninsula, Samsung's word certainly carries weight.
In comparison, the Japanese mobile phone companies can be described as quite slow to react.
Or perhaps they are very arrogant.

In the moving car, the Samsung receptionist, whose Chinese was almost perfect, introduced the street scenes of Seoul to Zhai Da along the way, speaking eloquently and quoting classical texts.

There is only one main principle:
They would introduce anything that looked good, but when they passed by slums, they seemed to be blind.

Looking at the unremarkable street scene outside, Zhai Da sighed inwardly:
It's not just people who have been to South Korea who are tight-lipped.
Koreans are even more tight-lipped.
The car arrived at the Shilla Hotel, owned by Samsung. Zhai Da didn't pay much attention to the Samsung people; they would discuss business when necessary. He was just taking care of Lu Siwen.

"If you don't speak the language, don't wander around. Try to travel in groups. The production team will come to find you in a little while to check the time."

Lu Siwen wrinkled her nose: "Are you afraid I'll get lost? Do you have some misunderstanding about the English proficiency of students in the Chinese Department of Peking University?"

Zhai Da tapped Lu Siwen's wide-brimmed hat: "You have a misunderstanding about the English proficiency of Koreans."

Zhai Da didn't care what the other guests did; going out to get scammed in the middle of the night was their own business. But Lu Siwen was his personal friend, so he gave her more specific advice.

Although Lu Siwen often traveled abroad with her parents before, this was her first time visiting South Korea.

Before everyone went back to their rooms and parted ways, Zhai Da said, "Tonight I'll be eating with Samsung, and the production team will organize a game. Which side are you going to play with?"

Lu Siwen wanted to answer Zhai Da, but before he could finish, he shook his head and said, "You probably want to talk about work. I'd rather stay with the production team and get familiar with them so as not to cause any trouble during filming."

Zhai Da nodded and waved in the elevator lobby.

After the elevator doors closed, Lu Siwen held the room key and subconsciously sighed.

Zhai Da went back to his room to rest for a while, changed his clothes, went downstairs, and got into Samsung's car again.

As mentioned before, although we came for filming, we still need to give them three stars for a meal.

Describing the relationship between this company and Zhai Da's own interests is very complex.

Samsung's most important business is semiconductors, but it has made little progress in the third-generation semiconductor "silicon carbide". For a considerable period of time, this did not conflict with Zhai Da's plans, unless at some point Zhai Da decided to enter the "traditional semiconductor" field.

On the other hand, regarding the consumer electronics industry, such as mobile phones, although both the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and he share the vision of empowering domestic industries, the operational approach is not "keeping dogs behind closed doors," but rather "keeping wolves in the open." Lu Qinjian, the Minister, had discussed this point with him.

It's unnecessary to create obstacles for Samsung in the domestic market or to simply kick it out of Hongtu's ecosystem. Besides, Samsung is one of the suppliers, or even a core supplier, for most domestic mobile phone manufacturers.

This is the complexity and interplay of the industrial chain, and also the great wisdom of the country in creating an open market.

There is also a hidden subplot.

That means 50% of Samsung's shares are held by Wall Street, 20% by old Japanese conglomerates, and the remainder by South Koreans (including the Lee family or South Korean investors).

Samsung, whose annual revenue accounts for one-fifth of South Korea's GDP, does not have most of its profits distributed in South Korea, nor does it have deep-seated control there.

Why is it that despite a high GDP per capita, the quality of life remains stagnant and stress levels are extremely high? This is a question for Wall Street to answer.

How could the sword of a "semi-colonial" nation be ineffective?

This means that if the domestic consumer electronics industry faces unfair competition in the future, Samsung is very likely to return to its old ways as a "puppet army".

If there is enough overlap in business operations, especially if there is a dependence on "Hongtu OS", then there will be an additional layer of mutual constraints.

To ensure that the domestic alternative supply chain is not yet mature, it will not be cut off from the main artery.

This line is very hidden, and it may not even be used for ten years, but not only can Zhai Da see it with the perspective of later generations, but also some people above can see it.

In other words, if one day Hongtu OS occupies 70% of the global operating system market and generates strong dependence, it will be a lock on all related industries.

Therefore, his primary task now is to build this "lock" through market share, rather than driving away those who are preparing to put the lock on their own heads.

In conclusion, Samsung will be a good partner for the next few years, and even a partner for in-depth cooperation.

Especially when the other party seems very enthusiastic.

(End of this chapter)