297: Chapter 297 The Stimulation of Telepathy

After making his decision, he observed Anil's expression again, attempting to read some genuine thoughts from it.

But Anil's smile was like a mask; nothing could be discerned from it.

"Mr. Anil, with such good conditions, what do you want?"

Facing Lei Jun's intense stare, Anil laughed loudly.

"Mr. Lei, don't think of me as so complicated. We are partners, whether it's Reliance Xiaomi, Reliance Group, or Xiaomi itself. It's mutual benefit and win-win; each takes what they need."

Lei Jun did not respond; he dissected every sentence Anil said in his heart.

The more phrases like "mutual benefit and win-win" are said, the less credible they become.

Seeing Lei Jun remain silent, Anil added another sentence.

"Mr. Lei, rest assured. Reliance is the largest corporate group in India. We have principles in how we do things and won't keep screwing over our partners."

Won't keep screwing them over! As expected of Anil!

But Lei Jun complained internally: have there been few partners that Reliance has screwed over? However, he did not say it out loud.

"Then, what about this ratio, and how is the accounting calculated?"

Lei Jun put that smile back on his face and asked.

"Licensing. Xiaomi will license production line designs, process flows, and quality systems to the joint venture, and the joint venture will pay a licensing fee."

Anil's answer was very fluent, as if he had been prepared for a long time.

"How much is the licensing fee?"

"2% of the joint venture."

Lei Jun shook his head: "5%."

Anil also shook his head: "Mr. Lei, this ratio is already very reasonable. This factory is under the name of the joint venture, but we have shouldered almost the entire chain, and even the funds are interest-free loans provided by us... You still want to take another 5%; this is too excessive. There is simply no such precedent in the industry right now."

This was exactly the effect Lei Jun wanted—to make the other party drag their feet.

Regardless, he would set the goal first and lay a good foundation. As for the factory's progress, it wasn't important; securing the policy was enough.

"Mr. Anil, Qualcomm's commission on projects is 5%. They told us back then that technology is the most important thing. Without technology, those factories you build are just abandoned buildings. Starting construction might only mean losing those fixed assets, but if you start operating, the loss could be an astronomical figure."

Anil stared at Lei Jun for a long time, but he still showed no intention of backing down.

Finally, Anil could only smile bitterly and say: "Mr. Lei, you are very good at bargaining. Congratulations, you win."

Lei Jun extended his hand, and Anil shook it...

Anil's hand was cold and hard, as if holding a stone.

But regardless, this cooperation was very smooth... He had finally managed to regain some face.

After coming out of Anil's office, Lin Bin was still waiting outside the door.

"Old Lei, how did the talk go?"

Looking at Lei Jun's smiling expression, a hint of joy rose in Lin Bin as well.

Lei Jun went over the conditions. Land, factory buildings, funds, and policies were all provided by Anil. Xiaomi would provide technology and personnel, and the factory loans would be repaid at low interest. The licensing fee was 4%, and the equity structure remained unchanged.

Lin Bin did not feel happy after listening; instead, a hint of panic arose.

"Old Lei, don't you think Anil is being too agreeable? This contract is simply a pie falling from the sky. This doesn't seem like Anil's style; when has he ever suffered a loss?"

Lei Jun leaned back in his chair. He certainly knew that Anil was too agreeable; it was precisely because he was too agreeable that it was even more unsettling.

"So his goal is our technology. Since that's the case, I'll just go along with them."

"Technology security, have you thought about what to do?"

"Core processes are licensed, not transferred. For product design, we only provide blueprints, not parameters. The factory management will be entirely Chinese, while Indians will only be responsible for technical operations and grassroots management. All documents will be managed with encryption, and Indian employees will only be able to see the part related to their own positions, not the whole thing."

Lin Bin nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. This way, as long as Anil didn't plant professional spies, he absolutely couldn't steal the technology.

"This plan is feasible. But will Anil accept it?"

"Whether he accepts it or not is his business. If he doesn't accept, we won't build it. If it doesn't work out, we'll choose another partner."

Lin Bin nodded, but he still felt that Lei Jun was thinking a bit too rashly.

He brought it up again: "Mr. Lei, have you considered that Anil might use various means to kick us out after the factory is built? For this goal, he would agree to all our conditions."

Lei Jun had certainly considered it. What kind of person was Anil? Although he was relatively gentle in front of them, he was, after all, the second son of Reliance Group, having struggled in the business world since he was a child. What kind of dirty tricks hadn't he seen? Treating him as a pushover would be just plain stupid.

"Of course I've considered it. That's why we have been building our own channels for these two months, and key production capacity must also be maintained. Patents and trademarks are held in the hands of us at Xiaomi, and the joint venture has the right to use them freely."

That evening, Lei Jun sent a long email to all Xiaomi executives, detailing the risks of the factory in India and the corresponding personnel transfer plan.

This plan detailed that the Indian market was not easy to navigate, but they had to forge ahead.

In his spare time, Lei Jun suddenly remembered the hand Anil shook today. Cold and hard. He always felt that there was something hidden in Anil's smile, like a knife hidden behind silk. But he couldn't figure out what it was; perhaps he was overthinking it...

The news about Transsion building a factory in India was released three days before Xiaomi and Reliance signed their contract. This was not a coincidence; it was calculated by Shen Fei.

Mr. Adebayo held a press conference in Mumbai, announcing that Transsion would invest 1 billion USD in India to build a factory in Gujarat, with an annual production capacity of 20 million mobile phones.

The Minister of Industry of Gujarat personally attended to show support and vowed: "Transsion is India's best partner. Regarding the United States' baseless suppression, they will do their best to help resolve it."

When the news spread, the Indian media collectively fell into a frenzy. They, India, could also resolve international market disputes; this was the best government in India's history, and they had greatly improved national strength.

The front-page headline of The Times of India read: "Transsion to build a factory in India, with an annual output of 20 million units, which will become India's first modernized mobile phone industrial park."

In the television news, Mr. Adebayo, wearing red work clothes, said to the camera: "We are very optimistic about the Indian market, and we want to become number one in India. Furthermore, 20 million is just the starting point; we will gradually make 'Made in India' the pride of the world."

Lei Jun saw the news in his hotel in Mumbai, and the coffee cup in his hand almost dropped to the floor.

Another secret negotiation, a quick signing... No, something seemed wrong. There was no formal contract between the two parties in the video; could there be some trickery again... But Lei Jun didn't dare to gamble! After all, last time he also thought Transsion was bluffing him, but Spake gave him a huge surprise!