Chapter 219 One Look and You Lose
After hanging up the phone, Su Yuanshan quickly calmed down.
He took a shower first, then changed his clothes — going through his everyday routine always helped him stay clear-headed and think.
At Yuanxin, even people like Chen Jing, who had just excitedly shouted "One million, hand it over," only knew that he was passionate about expanding abroad, but not why he was so determined.
It wasn't about the natural instinct of capital to expand.
It was purely because he understood that in the future, once everyone realized how terrifying the market and future would become when mobile communications and the internet — those "two lovebirds" — combined, it would be extremely difficult for domestic telecom companies to expand abroad.
He could only seize the current moment, when digital mobile networks were just starting to roll out and the internet was still in its infancy, to quietly occupy a few strategic high grounds for the future.
Now, Sun Xihui and Chen Jing had actually pulled it off.
Su Yuanshan knew both women were exceptionally action-driven. Choosing Siam (Thailand) clearly wasn't a random decision — any cross-border business venture had to consider the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Currently, Thailand and China were enjoying a "de facto alliance" phase, and the Thai Prime Minister was a strong supporter of privatization and market liberalization (details skipped for now).
Thus, it wasn't hard to understand why the negotiations had produced a "high probability" of success.
...
In Chiang Mai, Chen Jing and Sun Xihui had just returned from Wat Phra Singh to their hotel.
The past few days had been more like a business-funded vacation than a work trip — and even with "bodyguards" (really just employees from Xinghai and Yuanxin).
After putting down her phone, Chen Jing shrugged and smiled brightly at Sun Xihui. "Sister Sun, he said Li Yinan will bring a technical team over tomorrow."
"Mm, Li Yinan… that's the brilliant guy working on base stations, right?"
Chen Jing nodded. "They say he's a genius. In just one year, he's already the lead technical officer for base stations."
Sun Xihui laughed. "Yuanxin sure has no shortage of geniuses."
Chen Jing smiled. "Hehe, true... Maybe when True Corp first worked with Yuanxin, they were already overwhelmed by our talent. By the way, Sister Sun, were you still in Hong Kong or the provincial capital back then?"
"When the Thais came over, I had just moved to Hong Kong. But before that, it was me handling communications with them. They were quite indecisive," Sun Xihui said.
The weather was getting warm. Sun Xihui, dressed lightly, sat curled up on a chair, resting her head on the table while taking notes.
"But just now," she said suddenly, "your tone seemed a little..."
"A little what?" Chen Jing asked, puzzled.
Sun Xihui paused her writing and smiled meaningfully at her. "A little too confident? If the deal doesn't work out, President Shan might blow his top."
Chen Jing was relieved it wasn't anything serious and smiled. "Shouldn't be a problem. Thailand doesn't have its own telecom equipment manufacturers. All their base stations are Nokia's — and those aren't cheap. Plus, our equipment has already been widely deployed domestically, offering a clear reference. Purely from a business angle, True Corp is a private company, and the Thai government has a favorable attitude toward us. It's very unlikely to fall apart."
"Mm," Sun Xihui nodded, then asked, "How's the domestic mobile phone market doing now?"
At this, Chen Jing's expression turned serious. She thought for a moment. "If we follow President Shan's strategic goals... we're not there yet."
"But time is on our side," she quickly added with a smile, quoting one of Su Yuanshan's favorite sayings.
Sun Xihui chuckled knowingly and gave Chen Jing a meaningful glance.
As a veteran herself, Sun Xihui could easily tell — this "girl" (Chen Jing was eight years younger than her) had an almost blind trust and admiration for Su Yuanshan, sometimes even showing signs of infatuation.
Chen Jing hid it well, but Sun Xihui could still see it.
It was different from the admiration and affection she herself had for Su Yuanshan.
Thinking of Su Yuanshan made Sun Xihui feel a bit emotional.
When she first joined Yuanxin at age 30, there were only a few people older than her — Su Yuanshan's father and uncle.
Everyone else was younger, and it had driven her a little crazy.
Back then, Su Yuanshan was just 17 years old. She always saw him as a younger brother, but sometimes he showed a maturity far beyond his years — more mature, in fact, than her ex-husband.
Now, three years later, Su Yuanshan was 20, and that feeling had only grown stronger.
Especially during the Spring Festival gathering, when the employees had dinner together: despite having drunk quite a bit, Sun Xihui hadn't lost her clarity. She had been quietly observing Su Yuanshan.
When Ding Lei and the others started teasing him and Chen Jing, Su Yuanshan's calm and decisive refusal to play along had deeply impressed her — no hesitation, no ambiguity.
Meanwhile, Chen Jing had still been the innocent "newbie."
Seeing Chen Jing now, cross-legged on the sofa, seriously discussing negotiation strategies with her secretary, Sun Xihui shook her head discreetly and smiled to herself.
...
Yuanxin Tech Park.
After dinner, Su Yuanshan called over Li Yinan.
The spring chill had completely faded after days of sunshine. A gentle breeze carried only the faint scent of blooming flowers.
Walking beside the artificial lake, Li Yinan trailed half a step behind Su Yuanshan.
"Senior Brother Li," Su Yuanshan said, stopping under a few peach trees, "tomorrow, show them our products properly—and also show our technical strength."
"This cooperation with True Corp is very important for us."
"Understood, President Shan," Li Yinan said seriously. "Not to brag, but when it comes to high-tech, the Siamese are no match for us."
"Heh... As a boss, I can't agree with that," Su Yuanshan said, smiling. "But as a tech guy? I couldn't agree more!"
Li Yinan laughed. "I heard back when they worked with Yuanxin on Thai-language paging systems, they drove us crazy?"
"Yeah, they can be very stubborn sometimes. That's why..." Su Yuanshan's tone grew serious. "Remember, we're going to do business, not to argue or show off. Just professionally and competently present ourselves. No pointless confrontations."
Li Yinan nodded. "Got it."
Su Yuanshan thought for a moment and then smiled. "Let me give you an example."
"You're in base stations. If some random outsider comes up and tells you, 'You can't use iron towers; you must use wooden towers, and not just any wood, but special green-steel wood,' what would you do?"
"I'd tell him to get lost," Li Yinan said bluntly.
"You shouldn't even acknowledge him. If you look at him, you've already lost," Su Yuanshan said, smiling.
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