134: Chapter 134 If you're not convinced, then fight!

"honor play is three months ahead of me," Lei Jun said. "Three months is enough to change a lot of things."

Shen Fei nodded. If nothing went wrong, this was likely the first honest statement he had heard so far.

"This amount of time is enough to fix the price anchor for a market." He leaned forward. "But Mr. Lei, 1999 isn't the finish line. 1998 is."

"1998." Lei Jun stared at him. "You've been keeping an eye on our launch event."

Shen Fei smiled: "Mr. Lei, we're both in the phone business. If we don't watch our competitors, what are we watching? Are our intelligence departments just slacking off?"

Lei Jun's tense face suddenly broke into a smile again: "Mr. Shen, that's the second time you've said that tonight."

Shen Fei also smiled: "Because it's the truth."

...

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, both of their chopsticks slowed down.

Lei Jun picked up his glass, looking at the white spirit inside: "Mr. Shen, every path you've taken is one I wanted to take."

Shen Fei didn't show false modesty; instead, he retorted pointedly: "Mr. Lei, there are many roads. You don't have to crowd onto just one."

Lei Jun raised his head: "Then tell me, which road is yours, and which one is mine?"

Then he stared at Shen Fei for a while, almost gritting his teeth as he said: "I watched the honor play launch event many times. That train of thought, that pricing strategy, that way of shaping 1999 into a symbol of affordable technology—it was exactly the same as what I had originally envisioned. Even that slogan, 'Technology isn't something high and mighty, but something that serves the people,' was identical. Is there really such a thing as so many coincidences in the world?"

Shen Fei smiled inwardly. Of course it was familiar; that was what it was.

A coincidence? Of course it was a "coincidence."

Using someone else's plan to sell your own product really feels great.

I'll have to keep doing it next time!

Shen Fei didn't avoid his gaze: "Mr. Lei, there's really no need for us to be this awkward."

Lei Jun chuckled. It wasn't him, Shen Fei, who had his plan stolen, so of course, there was no need for him to feel awkward.

"You're selling a product, while I'm selling hardware plus software. The path you're taking is different from mine." Shen Fei emphasized this specifically.

Xiaomi Company was currently just an assembly plant, while Transsion had begun to establish a plan for the entire industrial chain from now on.

Of course, what had been revealed so far was only the batteries, the system, and their own factories.

But Transsion Panels and Transsion Semiconductor had already been established and were currently accumulating their own technology.

Ready to stab the international supply chain in the back at any moment.

However, when Lei Jun heard that the paths were different, he clearly overthought it.

He was operating with low costs, not just an assembly... The anger in his heart flared up a bit more.

Shen Fei, on the other hand, smiled again; the plan was a success.

It was a pity that the emotion value system hadn't followed him through his rebirth, otherwise, he could have listened to the most wonderful music in the world.

"Transsion's core business has always been overseas. Currently, it's Africa, and next will be Southeast Asia and Latin America. The domestic market is just our 'experimental field,' Mr. Lei, don't worry."

Lei Jun's lips twitched slightly. He wanted to curse. So flash charging and chip enhancement technology were all experimental technologies, and they were only going to be served to Africans once the technology succeeded?

This sentence sounded somewhat familiar to him; after all, Transsion had previously said that Africa was the experimental field, but they had never given up on the domestic market.

"Is it really an experimental field?"

"Yes." Shen Fei nodded without the slightest bit of shame. "honor play selling for 1999 in the domestic market isn't to fight anyone; it's to verify a model. Hardware doesn't make money; we rely on internet services for profit. This model is currently working in Africa; we've cultivated several ten-billion-level companies, and all the companies we've invested in are worth over a hundred million. Doesn't that earn more than making phones? We wanted to see if this scheme would work domestically."

He looked at Lei Jun and said sincerely: "It turns out it created a Xiaomi Company. Mr. Lei, isn't that a coincidence?"

"That is indeed quite a coincidence," Lei Jun said, gritting his teeth.

At this, Shen Fei drank another cup. With a bit of the alcohol's buzz, he said, feeling a bit tipsy: "Mr. Lei, our next step is to enter India. That is also a huge market comparable to the domestic one... This little bit of the domestic market."

India, huh...

Lei Jun looked at Shen Fei's drunken appearance and said, not quite believing it.

...

Lei Jun chuckled upon hearing this, picked up his glass again, and toasted Shen Fei.

Not simple!

This person's age definitely didn't match his demeanor; his schemes were deeper than he had imagined. It was the first time he had felt immense pressure from a young person.

He had thought for a long time, recalling how he had worried that Shen Fei would snatch his path, worried that Xiaomi would be blocked at the starting line before it even got going, which was why he had released the first-generation Xiaomi early.

But now Shen Fei was telling him: Everything you were worried about is not Transsion's main battlefield.

Bullshit!

He wasn't some three-year-old child who could be fooled by a few words from Shen Fei.

The grudge of having a plan stolen couldn't be resolved so easily.

However, on the surface, Lei Jun still feigned an appearance of understanding: "Then where is your main battlefield?"

Shen Fei wiped his mouth and pointed outside the window: "Africa. There are over a billion people there, and Smartphone penetration is less than 10%. There is no Nokia, no Apple, no Samsung channel advantage there; it's a blue ocean. I am very optimistic about the market development there. Mr. Lei, don't think I'm trying to fool you; look, our factories have already moved there. And we even established an R&D center in Nigeria, and there are currently over 300 people working there!"

[Remnants of Bird: No one told us that joining Transsion meant moving to Africa to work!]

He withdrew his hand and looked at Lei Jun sincerely: "Mr. Lei, you're doing 1999 in the domestic market, and I'm doing 100 USD in Africa. We can't fight."

"If you really want to fight, you can also lead your team to the African market, and we can compete."

Go to Africa to become the second Bird?

He, Lei Jun, wasn't that stupid!

Lei Jun also put on an expression of letting bygones be bygones over a drink, and after a sigh, said hesitantly: "But we will eventually collide."

Shen Fei smiled: "In that case, we'll deal with it when we collide."

The two raised their glasses at the same time again.

"Cheers!"

The glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

In that instant, they both saw something in the other's eyes: it was vigilance against a rival, and a prediction of the future.

At the same time, it was also a consensus: after this drink today, they were truly rivals.

Even if they were nominally on different tracks, they would soon be fighting.

...

Exiting the courtyard, the night wind in Beijing was very cold.

Lei Jun stood at the doorway watching Shen Fei leave. Lin Bin walked over from behind and handed him a coat.

"How did the chat go?"

Lei Jun took the coat but didn't put it on.

"He admitted it."

Lin Bin was stunned for a moment: "Admitted what?"

In an instant, he looked at Lei Jun in surprise: "How is that possible? Given his cunning, how could he succeed?"

This time, looking at that black Audi at the entrance of the alley.

"He naturally wouldn't admit it, but I can tell from his tone. The 1999 scheme for the honor play was exactly the same as what I originally thought of. And he is extremely cunning; he will definitely target us next."

Lin Bin was silent, but he really didn't understand. Since there was no communication between the two companies, why would Transsion target them?

[Shen Fei: I didn't? I just borrowed a plan...]

"Then... what do we do now? In terms of funds, we definitely can't compete with Transsion plus Huawei and the Huaxin Investment behind them!"

"What to do? If you're not convinced, then fight."

He walked straight toward his car. Before reaching the car, he looked at Lin Bin, who was still standing there in a daze, and spoke again: "Brother Bin, there are many people in this world who can think of the same idea. Whoever makes it first is the winner."

He opened the car door: "honor play is three months ahead of us. But the race isn't over yet..."