206: Chapter 207 Playing Hard to Get! Samsung Executive Kneels

Kim Cheon-sik was, after all, an executive sent abroad by the South Korean Samsung Group.

Having spent years climbing the ranks within the conglomerate, he possessed a sharp and ruthless eye.

The moment Chen Fei placed the tray on the table, Kim Cheon-sik's gaze did not linger on Chen Fei's face.

Instead, it was immediately locked onto the bottle, which shimmered with an amber luster.

A Macallan collectible-grade single malt whisky!

And looking at the vintage label and the unique seal, this was definitely a rare, top-tier vintage that was hard to find on the market, the kind that money couldn't necessarily buy.

In this Yonglu club, being able to casually bring out such top-shelf liquor...

And for a young man to dare to stroll over so openly and insert himself at their table, his identity was definitely not simple.

In Kim Cheon-sik's mind, the intelligence he had gathered in Shanghai over the past half-month flashed by in an instant.

He had been in Shanghai for a while now, and the name "Chen Fei" had become like thunder to his ears over the past few days.

Within the top circles of Shanghai.

Everyone knew that Yonglu was now the most core, private stronghold of the Eight Giants of Shanghai.

And the person in charge here was a young man known as the newly crowned "Underground Emperor" of Shanghai.

Most importantly.

There was an unspoken rumor in the circle:

As long as it happened within the territory of Shanghai, there was nothing this "Know-It-All" didn't know.

"So it is Mr. Chen Fei."

The face of Kim Cheon-sik, originally full of vigilance, was instantly filled with a smile that felt as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Speaking in fluent Chinese with a slight accent, he took the initiative to stand up, giving this local powerhouse plenty of face:

"You are too kind to bring such expensive wine.

If you don't mind, please sit down and have a drink with us."

The few Korean assistants sitting next to Kim Cheon-sik looked at each other; although they didn't fully understand Chen Fei's true identity.

But seeing their executive lower his stance so much, they quickly stood up and bowed slightly.

"You are all too polite."

Chen Fei watched the reaction of this group of Koreans, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

But his face wore a slick, smooth smile.

He didn't decline, simply pulling out an expensive solid wood dining chair and sitting down with a confident, imposing air.

"Yonglu rarely sees foreigners visit; as the host, I have truly disturbed your good time today."

Chen Fei skillfully pried open the wooden cork of the whisky and personally poured a small half-glass for Kim Cheon-sik:

"Consider it a gesture of friendship."

Both parties, harboring their own agendas, exchanged hollow pleasantries under the catalysis of the top-tier alcohol.

Kim Cheon-sik was a smart man; he knew that when dealing with such a well-connected local powerhouse, beating around the bush would only cause resentment.

After a few drinks, he took advantage of the tipsiness to cut straight to the point.

"Mr. Chen Fei."

Kim Cheon-sik put down his glass, his gaze fixed tightly on the seemingly nonchalant young man before him:

"I have heard that you are incredibly well-connected in Shanghai, and that no movement or piece of news in this city escapes your ears."

"I have come this time because there is indeed a very thorny matter I would like to inquire about."

"Oh?"

Chen Fei raised an eyebrow, gently swirling his whisky glass with the ice ball in his hand, not answering immediately.

He turned his head slightly, his sharp gaze naturally sweeping around the surrounding hall.

After confirming that those standing around were all his absolute confidants he had personally trained.

He then pulled his chair half an inch closer to Kim Cheon-sik.

A wave of pressure, belonging to the person in charge of Shanghai's underground, instantly washed over him.

"Let's hear it."

A shrewd curve appeared at the corner of Chen Fei's mouth as he directly established his own rules of the game:

"But let's get the ugly talk out of the way first. I, Chen Fei, always value fairness in business.

You get what you pay for; as for information... the cost must be calculated based on the level of confidentiality."

Seeing that Chen Fei was willing to treat this matter as "business," Kim Cheon-sik secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In the world of capital, information and connections that can be bought with real money...

Are far more reassuring than things that require incurring massive favors to obtain.

"As long as Mr. Chen Fei is willing to pull the strings, the price is absolutely negotiable. Our Samsung Group will definitely provide a remuneration that will satisfy you."

Kim Cheon-sik did not dare to be indecisive at all.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming extremely sincere, even carrying a hint of urgency.

"Actually, for you, this might not count as any earth-shattering secret.

Our request is very simple..."

Kim Cheon-sik stared intently into Chen Fei's eyes, lowered his voice, and said word by word:

"We hope to meet privately with the true mastermind behind Jiyuan Technology.

Mr. Shen Du, to have a meeting."

"Meet Mr. Shen?"

Upon hearing this request, Chen Fei's hand, which was swirling the whisky glass, paused slightly.

The ice ball struck the crystal glass wall, emitting a crisp "ding" sound.

A barely perceptible sharp glint flashed deep in his eyes, but on the surface, he feigned a look of suspicion and confusion.

"Mr. Kim, aren't you looking far afield when the solution is right in front of you?"

Chen Fei leaned back against the chair and asked with a scoff:

"As far as I know, isn't your Samsung Semiconductor currently holding a 500 million USD order and negotiating a partnership with General Manager Chen Shengqiang of Jiyuan Technology?

Since you are already the paying and receiving parties with real money on the line.

If you want to see their behind-the-scenes boss, wouldn't it be easier to just follow official business procedures and ask General Manager Chen Shengqiang for a meeting?"

Hearing Chen Fei mention General Manager Chen Shengqiang, a helpless, bitter smile instantly appeared on Kim Cheon-sik's well-maintained face.

"Mr. Chen, please don't joke with me; let's speak plainly."

Kim Cheon-sik shook his head and sighed heavily:

"At the current Jiyuan Technology, Mr. Shen has fully entrusted the public business of chip foundry to his agent, General Manager Chen Shengqiang.

And this General Manager Chen is extremely strict; his defensive attitude toward us foreign investors is intense to the extreme."

"To tell you the truth, we have probed repeatedly at the negotiation table over the past few days, wanting to go to the factory in Tianmu Mountain, Western Zhejiang for an on-site inspection.

Or to meet Mr. Shen directly.

But we were all firmly blocked by General Manager Chen Shengqiang with various tough excuses like 'Mr. Shen does not see outside guests'."

The more Kim Cheon-sik spoke, the more frustrated he felt.

As a dignified executive of the Samsung Group, bringing the sincerity of 500 million USD, he couldn't even book a dinner meeting in Shanghai.

"Given that the entire Shanghai business circle protects Mr. Shen's whereabouts and private information so well, keeping it almost taboo.

We really have no other legitimate reason to force a request for a meeting.

We can't exactly write on a formal business letter that we just want to invite Mr. Shen out for a casual meal, right?"

Kim Cheon-sik looked at Chen Fei, his eyes filled with the desperation of someone clutching at straws:

"Therefore, we had no choice but to resort to this last resort, waiting for a rabbit in the Yonglu lobby.

We hope that through you, the 'Underground Emperor' who can reach the heavens, you can help us find a way."

Listening to Kim Cheon-sik's near-fanatical "showdown," Chen Fei remained calm on the surface.

He was even leisurely playing with that crystal wine glass, but inside, a massive storm had already been stirred up.

So, these Korean conglomerates went to such great lengths to wait for a rabbit in Yonglu.

It wasn't because they wanted to spend a fortune to bribe him to steal the confidential blueprints from the Tianmu Mountain factory.

But because they were driven to a dead end by that strict order from General Manager Chen Shengqiang.

Just to beg for an "admission ticket" to negotiate with Shen Du in person?

The batch of foundry chips that Brother Shen produced actually forced the top technical team of the dignified Samsung Group to such a point of near "pilgrimage" in terms of heat dissipation and power consumption!

After a brief tumble of thoughts, Chen Fei quickly composed himself.

He put down the wine glass.

Meeting Kim Cheon-sik's gaze, which was filled with urgency and expectation, a calm smile curled at the corners of his mouth again.

"I thought it was some massive task harder than ascending to heaven."

Chen Fei brushed the non-existent dust off his suit cuffs, his tone so relaxed that it seemed as if he were just discussing a trivial matter:

"Mr. Kim, if this matter were with anyone else, you might not even be able to find the threshold.

But since you have found me, Chen Fei..."

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and gave Kim Cheon-sik some reassurance:

"This matter is not difficult."

Hearing this promise, Kim Cheon-sik's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and extreme ecstasy instantly burst forth in his eyes:

"Mr. Chen, do you mean..."

"You all drink slowly here; this bottle of Macallan is on me. Consider it a gesture of friendship."

Chen Fei didn't lock the conversation down immediately, but instead whetted the other party's appetite with seasoned expertise.

He stood up, picked up the phone from the table, and pointed upstairs:

"Wait a moment; I'm going to make a call to sound out Mr. Shen's stance for you."

After saying that.

Chen Fei ignored the way Kim Cheon-sik was so excited he was almost standing up to bow and thank him.

He turned directly and walked out of the hall with a steady, composed pace.

However, the moment he was out of the Koreans' sight, the slick, deep mask on Chen Fei's face instantly vanished.

His pace suddenly quickened, even with a hint of urgency.

He bypassed the crowd in the corridor and walked quickly all the way to the private, soundproof restroom on the second floor of Yonglu.

With a "click," he locked the door.

Chen Fei took a deep breath to calm his racing heartbeat.

Without hesitation, he pressed the number on his phone labeled "Shen."

The fish hadn't just taken the bait; it was a giant crocodile so crazy it wanted to swallow the fishing rod too!

He had to immediately report this earth-shattering intelligence, without missing a single word, to Shen Du, who was far away at the Jiyuan Technology headquarters!

The phone rang only once before it was instantly answered.

"Speak." Shen Du's low and calm voice came clearly through the specially encrypted receiver.

"Brother Shen, I've got the full scoop!"

Chen Fei covered the phone's microphone tightly with one hand, suppressing the excitement that was almost overflowing from his voice:

"These Korean guys aren't here to pull that industrial espionage theft routine at all.

They have been completely beaten into submission by our foundry's chip technology!"

Following that, Chen Fei poured out the information like beans from a jar.

He relayed Kim Cheon-sik's near "desperate confession" at the dinner table just now.

As well as the details about power consumption, the heaven-defying heat dissipation.

And even the details about them being willing to modify the international standard motherboard dimensions, reporting everything without missing a word.

"...Brother Shen, that old guy Kim Cheon-sik said, as long as he can meet you once.

And negotiate our deep foundry or even licensing at the core process level, we can name any conditions we want!

These grandsons are treating us like the thighs of gods to cling to!"

On the other end of the line, there was a brief silence.

Shanghai, top floor of the Jiyuan Technology headquarters building.

Shen Du stood quietly in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the endless stream of neon-lit traffic below.

Listening to Chen Fei's hard-to-suppress excited report on the phone.

A frightening glint quietly flashed across his deep eyes.

The Samsung Group, that was one of the absolute hegemons in the global semiconductor field.

Now they had actually voluntarily lowered their high heads, like seekers of wisdom, running to Shanghai to kneel and beg for a partnership opportunity with Jiyuan Technology?

A cold curve slowly appeared at the corner of Shen Du's mouth.

Of course he knew why those "big guy" chips that Jiyuan Technology manufactured had such heaven-defying performance that left the Samsung design team in despair.

Because that was simply not a normal product of this 2014 era.

That was a dimensional strike he had hidden in the Yushan Laboratory, ignoring all patent barriers and forcibly reverse-cloned!

"Brother Shen? What do we do next?"

Hearing no response from Shen Du, Chen Fei tentatively asked for instructions on the other end of the line:

"Do you want me to arrange a time for them directly?"

"Since the fish has already swallowed the hook deep into its stomach, there's no need to rush to reel it in."

Shen Du turned around and walked slowly back to the large mahogany desk, his tone filled with the power of life and death, controlling everything:

"These conglomerates nurtured in the Western capital system are cheap to the bone.

The more easily they obtain something, the less they will cherish it, and they will even push for more to test your bottom line."

Shen Du's slender fingers tapped gently on the desk, making a dull "thud-thud" sound, as he issued the final order for this grand game of chess:

"Go back and tell Kim Cheon-sik that my schedule is completely full recently, and I have no time to see any outside guests.

Leave them hanging in Shanghai, hang them out to dry until they are burning with anxiety, until they lose all patience.

And even start applying to the South Korean headquarters for higher authority and astronomical bargaining chips..."

A butcher-like coldness flashed in Shen Du's eyes:

"Then you can leak some information to them in your own personal name.

Just say that in three days, at Yonglu, I will show mercy and give them five minutes."

"Understood! Playing hard to get!"

Chen Fei slapped his thigh in excitement on the other end of the phone, his eyes full of the cunning of a local powerhouse:

"Brother Shen, just watch me; I guarantee I'll whet these Korean guys' appetites until they are sky-high!"

"Beep—"

Hanging up the phone, Chen Fei washed his face vigorously with cold water.

He looked at himself in the mirror, looking spirited and dressed in a suit, and tugged hard on his tie.

Immediately, he put back on that unfathomable mask.

He pushed open the solid wood door of the restroom, walked with a steady pace toward the first-floor hall, and prepared to pass on this news.