27: Mr. Lu, come into the bowl quickly!

The reason is simple: currently, within Red Star, aside from some professional Engineers, there is virtually no one who truly understands the market and can independently manage a project.

Although Lu Weibing is very capable, he still adheres to the old way of thinking at Red Star, making it difficult for him to adapt to market changes.

It is easy to have him manage HR and handle general company affairs.

In Chen Chen's eyes, he was completely a useful tool.

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If you let him take charge of a product, Chen Chen genuinely fears he might create a phone with a sliding full keyboard.

"Uncle Lu, we can start the warm-up for our new flagship according to the plan. Taking advantage of the popularity of the 390 Special Edition phone, the netizens were asking for a high-end flagship, right? Red Star has made one, and it can be released soon."

"Oh, and help me contact someone else. I want to poach him."

"Who?"

Lu Weibing was very curious, but seeing the stack of documents on the desk and Chen Chen's dark circles from constantly working overtime for the new phone, he understood.

He wants to find a professional manager.

Lu Weibing also knew that his reaction to market changes was too slow, and he was completely ignorant about current Internet marketing.

"Lu Weiqi. He should currently be the Vice President of Gionee. I want to poach him to specifically handle our mobile phone business."

Lu Weibing thought for a moment. He had heard of Lu Weiqi, who had previously been in charge of Gionee's overseas business. However, with the advent of the smartphone wave, Gionee's overseas business began to decline, and even its domestic market share started to shrink.

Gionee's board of directors recalled Lu Weiqi and placed him in the position of Gionee's Vice President, hoping he could halt the decline in Gionee's mobile phone revenue.

This person worked as Gionee's Vice President for a year, but Gionee's situation did not improve; instead, it fell into a predicament of insufficient funds.

Now that Chen Chen wanted to poach this person, Lu Weibing definitely had to consider his capabilities.

"CEO Chen, I know a little about Lu Weiqi, but he hasn't done anything particularly outstanding. If you want to find a professional manager or assistant, I can contact some headhunters."

"No, no, no, Uncle Lu, you don't know how capable this person is. The reason he didn't show it at Gionee is because Gionee, the company, the platform, was inadequate, not because of his lack of ability."

"If we put him in Red Star, he will definitely perform better than you realize. Please help me contact him and see if you can arrange a meeting."

"Alright, I'll contact him shortly, but I still advise you to consider this carefully."

"Don't worry, Uncle Lu, I know what I'm doing."

Chen Chen thought to himself, how could I not know whether this person is capable or not?

In his previous life, Lu Weiqi almost single-handedly conquered Xiaomi's India market, along with other international markets. After returning domestically to serve as the Redmi brand director, he elevated Redmi to unprecedented heights.

After Lei Jun started manufacturing cars, Lu Weiqi even took on the role of General Manager of Mobile Phone Business for the entire Xiaomi Group, and he began hosting the launch events.

Netizens even joked that if he just swapped the Xiaomi logo on the phone for the Gionee logo, he could immediately announce the successful 'Anti-Mi, Restore-Gionee' movement... Speaking of which, Lu Weiqi was quite puzzled recently. He hadn't shown any intention of resigning, so why had several headhunters contacted him in the past two days?

Gionee is not yet at the end of its rope. Although its domestic market share has continuously dropped, thanks to his efforts over the past year, revenue hasn't continued its rapid decline. Give him two more years, and he could definitely bring Gionee back to the first tier of domestic manufacturers.

The prerequisite is giving him sufficient authority. Otherwise, with a President above him and several major bosses constantly giving misguided orders from behind the scenes, what can he possibly achieve?

It wasn't just headhunters; Lei Jun, the Founder and Chairman of Xiaomi, even called him personally to arrange a discussion.

"Sigh."

Lu Weiqi sighed. Here, he truly possessed the Dragon Slaying Technique but had nowhere to apply it.

The idea of changing jobs appeared in his mind for the first time.

"If they want to meet, I'll meet them. I'll talk to Lei Jun first. Maybe I really will go work for their company later."

Thinking this, Lu Weiqi tidied up his things, preparing to leave work.

Just as he was about to get up, the phone rang again.

Seeing that the contact noted was Lu Weibing, Lu Weiqi couldn't help but be surprised.

"Surely Red Star doesn't want to poach me too?"

After chatting with Lu Weibing on the phone, Lu Weiqi thought to himself, 'Sure enough.' Red Star also wanted to invite him out for a discussion, likely aiming to poach him as well.

His relationship with Lu Weibing was decent. After hanging up, he drove to Blue Island Coffee.

Inside Blue Island Coffee, a waiter walked over holding a menu board, handed it to Chen Chen and Lu Weibing, and asked:

"Gentlemen, what would you like to drink?"

"I'll have a latte."

"I'll just have a glass of plain water. Thank you."

"Very well, sir, you're welcome."

Chen Chen didn't like bitter coffee, so he only ordered plain water. After the waiter left, Chen Chen kept looking out the window.

Just then, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked over, led by another waiter.

"CEO Lu, long time no see."

"CEO Lu, please sit down quickly. What would you like to drink?"

Lu Weibing hurriedly pulled out a chair and invited Lu Weiqi to sit.

"I'll have an Americano. Thank you."

Lu Weiqi said to the waiter nearby.

"This must be the young and promising CEO Chen. A pleasure to meet you."

"CEO Lu, you flatter me. Compared to you, I am just a junior; I should be learning from you."

After exchanging simple compliments and pleasantries, Chen Chen got straight to the point:

"CEO Lu, I would like to invite you to join Red Star."

Chen Chen's straightforwardness did not surprise Lu Weiqi; instead, he asked:

"CEO Chen, I'm doing perfectly fine at Gionee. I don't see any reason to go to Red Star."

"CEO Lu, I know you are currently frustrated at Gionee. You have a President above you, and the bosses like to micromanage, constantly affecting your strategic plans. Furthermore, Gionee's current funding is likely experiencing some issues, correct?"

"Thank you." Taking the coffee brought by the waiter, Lu Weiqi took a sip and said:

"It seems CEO Chen has thoroughly investigated me and Gionee. That's right, I am currently the Vice President, but I believe it won't be long before I become Gionee's President."

"If you join Red Star now, you will be Red Star's President!"

"Xiao Chen..."

Ignoring Lu Weibing's anxiety, Chen Chen continued:

"Not only will I give you the position of President, but you will also be the direct person in charge of our new Red Star brand!"

Lu Weiqi nearly dropped the coffee cup he was holding. This Young CEO Chen really had guts, offering the position of President right away. It immediately tempted Lu Weiqi.

"A new brand? What brand?"

"The Red Star shining series we launched last year—I plan to spin this series off and establish a new brand dedicated to the budget phone market. No one is better suited for this position than you."

Lu Weiqi remained silent, drinking his coffee by himself.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Chen wasn't anxious and continued:

"Besides the new budget phone brand, Red Star also has plans for a new flagship phone. I believe CEO Lu will soon see the warm-up posters. I wonder if CEO Lu has the confidence to lead Red Star to become the number one domestic brand and break out of this territory?"

"CEO Chen, your business blueprint is perfect, but I am not a hot-blooded young man in his twenties anymore. You intend to motivate me to switch jobs by appealing to my passion and ambition, right, CEO Chen?"

Chen Chen, whose intention had been exposed, was not embarrassed. He looked sincerely at Lu Weiqi and said:

"I sincerely want to invite you to join Red Star, and I also seek your help. I hope that together, we can build Red Star into a great company."

Lu Weiqi, who remained still for a long time, seemed to be fighting an internal battle. Chen Chen did not interrupt him.

"What about compensation?" Lu Weiqi spoke the question almost word by word.

Chen Chen rejoiced and immediately said:

"Don't worry about compensation. I will give you an annual salary that is 30% higher than the market rate, and you will also receive stock options!"

Hearing the words "stock options," Lu Weibing anxiously said:

"Xiao Chen, compensation is negotiable, but you must think carefully about equity."

Currently at Red Star, except for Lu Weibing, who holds 7% of the shares, all other shares are in Chen Chen's hands. Based on Red Star's current market value, Chen Chen holds shares worth tens of billions.

"Don't worry, Uncle Lu, I've thought it through. CEO Lu is worth it!"

Lu Weiqi also knew that Red Star was almost entirely controlled by Chen Chen. Even when Old Master Chen was alive, he never released any shares for financing.

The fact that Chen Chen was willing to offer stock options showed just how highly he valued him.

"In that case, CEO Chen, this matter is too significant. I still need to think it over."

"Since that's the case, I will await CEO Lu's good news. I believe Red Star will be your best choice."

"Perhaps." Lu Weiqi sighed.