Chapter 81 Domestic competitors completely succumb, President Lu

"The doors to Xinghai are always open to everyone."

The echo in the microphone hadn't even faded yet.

This sentence traveled through the internet, slamming hard into the broken pot of the domestic mobile phone industry.

In the president's office of Bolang Mobile, the main lights were off.

The blinds were drawn tight.

Fatty Xu slumped in his large executive chair.

In his hand, a prototype that had just been assembled and stuffed with the latest Qualcomm chip was running a box-pushing game.

The heat radiating from the aluminum alloy back cover scorched his palm, leaving a red mark.

A layer of sticky sweat broke out.

His hand trembled.

The phone hit the solid wood desk with a "clatter" and the screen went black.

"Damn it..."

Fatty Xu lifted his chubby hand, looking at the sweat on his palm.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

He raised his arm, really wanting to slap himself twice.

Just a few days ago, he was still in the group chat mocking Xinghai for not being able to buy chips and waiting to die.

Now, they were holding a monster with benchmark scores over twice that of Qualcomm.

Not only was it fast, it didn't even get hot.

Fatty Xu touched his scorched skin, his mind buzzing.

Once that thing flooded the market.

These expensive Qualcomm phones in his warehouse that crashed at the drop of a hat.

Besides throwing them into the sea, who could he sell them to?

Even the scrap collectors wouldn't want them, saying they took up too much space.

"Get the car ready... quick, get the car ready!"

Fatty Xu yelled at the assistant outside the door.

His voice cracked like a broken bellows.

The assistant pushed the door open and ran in, tripping over the threshold.

"Boss Xu, wh-where are we going?"

"To the airport! Buy the fastest ticket to Donghai City!"

Fatty Xu grabbed the suit jacket draped over the back of the chair and threw it on haphazardly.

The fat on his stomach strained against his shirt, causing a button to pop off and roll onto the carpet.

"If we're one step late, all thousands of us will be left with nothing to eat!"

The next day at noon.

The sky in Donghai City was like a leaking steamer.

Cicadas were screaming their hearts out in the old plane tree outside the gates of Xinghai.

The asphalt road had been baked soft by the sun, making it feel slightly sticky underfoot.

Outside the large iron gate of Xinghai Technology, a dozen or so people were crowded together.

These big bosses, who usually traveled with four bodyguards and stayed in five-star hotels.

Were all huddled in the tiny patch of shade beside the security guard room.

Fatty Xu was rolling his eyes from the heat.

His expensive silk shirt was soaked through, clinging tightly to his back.

A sour, pungent smell of sweat spread through the air.

"Boss Xu, do you think this Boss Lu... is intentionally leaving us out in the cold?"

Old Wang from Jinli Mobile took out a crumpled handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

His tongue was a bit tied, "We, we've been standing here for two hours, and nobody has even poured us a glass of water."

Fatty Xu panted, reaching out to untie his tie and tossing it aside.

"Shut your mouth."

He lowered his voice, glancing around at the security guards in the guard room.

"If you come to beg, you have to follow the rules of a beggar. If they want to leave us hanging, that's their prerogative."

He swallowed some dry saliva, his throat burning like smoke.

"This is called 'offering a humble apology.' Who told you to be so foul-mouthed online a few days ago?"

Old Wang was left speechless by the retort.

Several bosses of second-tier manufacturers glared at each other, not daring to even make a peep.

The top floor of the Xinghai Technology building.

Cold air poured out from the central air conditioning vents.

It gave one goosebumps on their arms.

Lu Jingming leaned back on the leather sofa.

He held a white porcelain teacup in his hand, the premium West Lake Longjing tea emitting a slightly astringent fragrance.

His fingers twisted the lid, leisurely brushing away the floating leaves.

He took a small sip, the warm tea flowing down his throat into his stomach.

Chu Xuan stuck his butt out, lying on the floor-to-ceiling window.

He held a military telescope in his hand, staring incessantly at the main gate.

"Oh damn... Boss Lu, Fatty Xu is about to pull his tie off."

Chu Xuan was so happy he showed a mouthful of white teeth; he was laughing so hard his molars were almost visible.

He tossed the telescope onto the coffee table and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Those bastards usually strut around like crabs, but now aren't they all just spineless cowards?"

Lu Jingming placed the teacup on the mahogany desk.

The bottom of the cup made a dull "thud" sound.

"If their bones are soft, they naturally can't stand straight."

He reached out and grabbed an orange from the fruit plate, digging his nails into the peel.

The sweet and sour scent of the orange mixed with the cold air.

"They've been left out long enough."

Lu Jingming broke off a slice of orange, put it in his mouth, and chewed twice.

"If we leave them out any longer, these big bosses will get heatstroke and need an ambulance."

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping toward Chu Xuan.

"Go take the agreement that Qingqiu drafted and go down to meet the guests."

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh as he sprang up.

"Got it! I'll go right down and knock some sense into these beggars for you!"

He ran to the office desk.

He grabbed the stack of bound A4 paper, the pages rustling.

He turned and ran out, the hem of his floral shirt fluttering high.

The first-floor lobby.

The automatic glass door slid open to both sides with a "hum."

A scorching wave of heat from outside instantly rushed in, carrying the burnt smell of car exhaust.

Chu Xuan swaggered down the steps.

His leather shoes creaked as they stepped on the scorching concrete.

Hearing the movement, the bosses outside the gate lunged at the iron bars like hungry wolves catching a scent.

"President Chu! Brother Chu!"

Fatty Xu pushed to the front, his chubby face squeezed between two iron bars, his flesh distorted.

"Is Boss Lu free to see us yet? My legs are numb from standing, brother."

Old Wang chimed in, still clutching his soaked handkerchief.

"Yeah, Brother Chu, we've brought our greatest sincerity; we just beg Boss Lu to throw us a bone!"

Chu Xuan stopped inside the iron gate and didn't let the security guards open it.

He reached up and scratched his middle-part hair, a heartless grin spreading across his lips.

"Yo, isn't this Boss Xu and Boss Wang?"

Chu Xuan drawled sarcastically.

"Why aren't you big bosses staying in your air-conditioned rooms, instead of coming to our dump of a factory to bake in the sun?"

He sighed dramatically.

"Our Xinghai temple is small and can't accommodate such big Buddhas like you all."

Fatty Xu's old face turned purple-red, and he rubbed his hands in embarrassment.

The sweat in his palms was practically dripping from the iron bars he was gripping.

"Brother Chu, your brother was blind before and offended the immortal Lu."

He accompanied this with a fawning smile, greasy wrinkles bunching up at the corners of his eyes.

"That Qualcomm chip is really not fit for human use. Just help your brother plead our case and sell us some Xialong Chips!"

"Plead your case?"

Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow.

He slowly pulled out the stack of documents he had tucked under his arm.

With a flick of his wrist.

Dozens of pages slid through the gaps in the iron bars, straight into Fatty Xu's arms.

The edges of the paper scraped against Fatty Xu's wet shirt, picking up some sweat stains.

"Boss Lu said, selling chips is fine."

Chu Xuan looked at the group of eager tycoons through the iron gate.

"But he has one rule."

Fatty Xu hurriedly clutched the documents, as if holding his own father's urn.

"What rule? More money? Fine! Just tell me how much!"

"Talking about money is so vulgar."

Chu Xuan fished a toothpick out of his pocket and clamped it between his teeth.

He pointed at the paper in Fatty Xu's hands.

"This is the 'Xinghai Ecosystem Alliance Agreement'."

Chu Xuan spat out the toothpick, his eyes suddenly becoming as cunning as a wolf's.

"Sign this."

"From now on, what's installed in your phones must be our Xinghai OS."

"Even the shape of the charging port has to follow our Xinghai standards."

The dozen or so bosses outside were all dumbfounded.

Old Wang's lips trembled as he wiped the sweat running into his eyes with the back of his hand.

"This... this means handing over the underlying system and hardware standards; wouldn't that just make us contract manufacturers?"

Chu Xuan sneered.

He turned around, waving his hand with his back to the gate.

"So what if you're contract manufacturers? Being a younger brother to Xinghai is better than jumping into the sea while hugging a Qualcomm fire pit, right?"

Chu Xuan stopped and turned his head, leaving them with a profile view.

"Go back and read it carefully."

"In half an hour, those who have signed can come in for tea."

He grinned, exposing half a molar.

"For those who don't sign, head out and turn left to find Paul. I won't see you out, gentlemen."