331: Chapter 331 Visiting Gree, Rejected

Meanwhile, on the other end, Lin Bin called Lei Jun.

"President Lei, the trending topic is up. But as you've seen from the netizen comments, most people don't believe it."

Lei Jun smiled; whether the netizens believed it or not didn't matter.

What mattered was that he now had the money! The strategy for Xiaomi to build cars could finally be launched!

He had to walk this path ahead of Shen Fei!

"It doesn't matter if they don't believe it. The momentum has been created. On the smart home side, you need to speed up testing and double the Mi Home product line.

Air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers—do everything we can."

When mentioning air conditioners, Lin Bin suddenly paused.

"Old Lei, regarding the air conditioners, Gree might not be willing to manufacture them for us."

As the first batch of projects for Xiaomi's smart home, the quality had to be top-notch.

But since they lacked manufacturing capabilities, Gree, with its core technology and excess capacity, became the first choice.

However, after probing, things seemed a bit off.

"Then find another OEM. Midea, Haier, or Aux—someone will be willing."

Lei Jun wasn't the least bit flustered by Gree's rejection. After all, the Chinese market was huge, and with so many players in the mature air conditioning industry, there would always be someone willing to cooperate.

"Alright, I'll go inspect them next week!"

After hanging up, Lei Jun knew he had painted a very large picture, and he also knew that this promise might not necessarily be fulfilled.

But he had no other path to take.

… June 18th. Zhuhai!

After the Xiaomi Smart Home project was approved, Lin Bin began his business trip mode, rotating across the country to flesh out the Xiaomi Smart Home project.

Xiaomi had made air conditioners before, but they were branded by third parties, with Xiaomi only providing the traffic entry point.

Now they wanted to make their own Xiaomi air conditioners and build their own brand.

Lin Bin took his team to Gree headquarters.

Currently, Gree Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu was a nationally renowned businesswoman known for being assertive.

She had never been a fan of internet companies crossing over into other industries.

But for Xiaomi's visit, she still gave them some face and received them.

The meeting was arranged in a conference room at Gree headquarters.

The Gree Building was in Qianshan, Zhuhai. It was a gray-and-white, square building that looked a bit "old-school."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu attended personally. There was no intention to cooperate in her eyes, though some of the executives behind her showed a hint of anticipation.

"Chairwoman Dong, Xiaomi hopes to cooperate with Gree, with Gree manufacturing Xiaomi air conditioners as an OEM."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu looked at him, a slightly mocking smile appearing on the corner of her lips.

"President Lin, what advantages does Xiaomi have in making air conditioners? Technology? Branding? Sales channels?"

Just as Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu was about to continue her rejection, Lin Bin, who was well-prepared, interrupted her.

"Xiaomi has online channels, a Mi Fans community, and we have a smart home ecosystem. Gree's air conditioning technology combined with Xiaomi's smart controls will create a synergistic effect."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu laughed—she was genuinely amused.

She didn't even want to cooperate with Transsion; how could Xiaomi, a defeated rival, have the nerve to say such a thing?

Thus, this smile lasted less than a second before she immediately composed herself.

"President Lin, please head back! Gree does not need Xiaomi. Gree's air conditioners can proudly claim to be the best in the world.

The technology is self-developed, the compressors are self-produced, and our sales channels consist of 30,000 specialty stores nationwide. Xiaomi wants to white-label? Fine, find another OEM. Gree does not accept such orders."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu specifically emphasized the terms "self-developed" and "self-produced."

After all, Gree had core technology, while Xiaomi was just an assembly plant; why should they cooperate with them?

When mentioning white-labeling and OEM, she also deepened her tone, as a small jab.

Lin Bin's expression changed slightly, but he tried his best to maintain a smile.

"Chairwoman Dong, Xiaomi is not white-labeling. We are talking about deep cooperation, combining Gree's technology with Xiaomi's ecosystem to grow the market together."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu waved her hand, as if shooing away a fly.

"President Lin, your President Lei says he wants to build cars, and now he wants to make air conditioners. He does everything, but does nothing well.

Rumor has it they are building cars because they have battery and motor technology. What does Xiaomi have? Can you build a good air conditioner by relying on marketing, or a good car by relying on PowerPoint presentations?

Transsion came to visit, and I scolded them out. President Lin, what makes you think you can persuade me with your words?"

Lin Bin's eyes widened instantly. It wasn't because Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu was scolding him, but because he heard that people from Transsion had been scolded out?

This was very subtle!

The conference room used Gree's own central air conditioning, and the air was very cold, but Lin Bin felt sweat breaking out on his back.

"Chairwoman Dong. Xiaomi's MIUI users already number over 200 million. Even if we only get 1/10th, that's 20 million—a significant traffic entry point."

Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu was not tempted by this big promise; she waved her hand again.

"President Lin, making products doesn't rely on traffic; it relies on technology, quality, and after-sales service.

Gree's air conditioners can last 10 years without breaking down. How many years can Xiaomi's air conditioners last? Finding an OEM to slap a brand on, changing a smart module, and calling it a smart home?"

Lin Bin opened his mouth, realizing there was absolutely no chance now, but he still wanted to ask what exactly was going on with Transsion.

But just then, Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu stood up.

"President Lin, I have another meeting. Let's stop here for today. Go back and tell your President Lei to stick to his own business.

Little mouse, don't try to dance like an elephant. Also, I believe you must be curious about Transsion; they seem to be up to something too, but rest assured, they won't succeed either. The home appliance industry has a very high threshold."

Lin Bin's face flushed red.

He didn't say anything else, stood up, picked up his briefcase, and turned to walk out. Not a single Gree executive behind him stood up to see him off.

After exiting Gree's gates, Lin Bin stayed in the car for a long time.

The sky in Zhuhai was indeed very blue, but the sunlight outside was inexplicably annoying.

Especially that remark from Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu: "Little mouse, don't try to dance like an elephant," and "Transsion won't succeed either!"

Although he had been scolded, he had indeed received an unexpected surprise.

"President Lei, Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu refused."

The other end of the line was silent for a long time. After a moment, Lei Jun replied: "As expected."

"There is also another matter. Chairwoman Dong Mingzhu mocked us as little mice trying to dance like elephants, and it seems Transsion is also making moves."

Lei Jun on the other end instantly became tense.

"She can be considered a straightforward person; she gave us a warning in advance."

After saying this, Lei Jun fell silent once again.

Transsion, it was Transsion again. Why did he run into Transsion on every path he took?

"Old Lei!"

Hearing Lin Bin's laughter, Lei Jun finally relaxed. In a daze, he suddenly said something he himself didn't quite understand:

"We really don't have any core competitiveness in small home appliances. Let's start with Xiaomi speakers, then air conditioners, televisions, and refrigerators; keep looking for other second-tier OEMs."