173: Chapter 173 Riding the Wave, Going with the Flow!

In front of the Fanmi Technology headquarters building.

Swarming reporters had once again blocked the entrance so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

Li Xiangyu, a reporter for Huaxia Science and Technology Daily, stood in the crowd, her eyes fixed on the doors of Fanmi Company.

"Sister Yu, do you think the news about Fanmi wanting to build cars is true? Their phones are doing so well, why would they suddenly want to make cars?" the young cameraman beside her couldn't help but ask.

"It's most likely true..." Li Xiangyu said after a moment of thought.

"There's no smoke without fire. Besides, with a little investigation, you can tell if this kind of news is true or false. There's no need for the person who leaked the news to fake it!"

"But President Lei publicly stated just a few days ago that they wouldn't build cars!" the cameraman couldn't help but add.

"Did he say that?" Li Xiangyu smiled.

She had been present at the interview three days ago. She still remembered Lei Jun's answer very clearly; he hadn't explicitly stated they weren't building cars at all.

This actually spoke volumes.

If they really weren't building them, a direct denial would have sufficed; there was no need to be ambiguous.

Therefore, Fanmi was definitely making moves in new energy vehicles. She just didn't quite understand why they chose this specific timing.

Fanmi's development in the smartphone field was rapid, with a momentum that seemed ready to crush all high-end brands. At a time like this, not focusing on phones and suddenly running off to make cars was actually an unwise choice.

After all, the investment required to build cars was not small.

This was a fact recognized by the entire industry!

Amidst the quiet discussions, several figures appeared in the Fanmi lobby.

"Old Li, what's the situation with these reporters?" Lei Jun asked as soon as he stepped off the elevator and saw the scene.

"What else could it be..." Li Guoqiang said somewhat helplessly. "I don't know where the news of us building cars leaked from, but they're all here to fish for information. It just so happens you said you weren't building cars three days ago..."

Li Guoqiang looked at Lei Jun, his tone carrying a hint of meaningful teasing.

"It seems we can't hide it anymore!" Lei Jun shook his head.

The current scene was clearly being pushed by someone behind the scenes, though he didn't quite understand the purpose for the moment.

However, he hadn't originally intended to hide it forever; he just hadn't been absolutely certain before, so he didn't want to be too high-profile.

Now that the car battery technology was mostly resolved, it didn't really matter if the news was made public.

As soon as Lei Jun stepped out of the revolving door, he was blocked by over twenty dark camera lenses.

Flashbulbs clicked and popped in a frenzy, making him instinctively squint his eyes. This spectacle was almost on par with when the fanmi 2 was launched.

"President Lei! Is the news that Fanmi is making moves in new energy vehicles true?" Li Xiangyu rushed to the front, her eyes gleaming slightly as her microphone almost poked Lei Jun's nose.

"Three days ago you said Fanmi wouldn't build cars. Why the sudden change of heart? Is it a business strategy to confuse competitors?"

"There are reports that Tesla is accelerating its plans to build a factory in Huaxia. What is your take on this?"

A barrage of questions flooded in, and the security personnel behind Lei Jun hurried forward to separate the crowd.

"Everyone, please stay calm!" Lei Jun raised his hand in a gesture, his face wearing his usual gentle smile.

"One at a time, I'll try my best to answer."

He knew in his heart that since they were already being targeted, being secretive would only give people something to talk about. It was better to respond openly.

The crowd quieted down slightly, and Li Xiangyu immediately seized the opportunity: "President Lei, you didn't admit to the car-building plan during the interview three days ago. Why?"

This question was a bit sharp, essentially a direct confrontation, but Lei Jun simply smiled and didn't feel embarrassed.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd waiting for a show, he spoke: "Indeed, three days ago, due to the company's development strategy, we didn't intend to announce this news so soon. But we couldn't account for how well-informed you all are—we couldn't hide it even if we wanted to!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the reporters shared a knowing smile, secretly praising Lei Jun's handling of the situation.

Lei Jun paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and his expression became a bit more serious.

"I've always believed that entrepreneurship is about the right timing, the right place, and the right people. You need to go with the flow. If you choose the right direction, even a pig can fly if it stands in the path of a gale!"

"new energy vehicles are an emerging industry that the country is currently vigorously supporting and developing. With so many peers working hard, there's no reason for Fanmi to be absent!"

"We've just started, and we still have a lot to learn. We don't dare make big boasts, so we wanted to wait until we had some achievements before announcing this news. Since we've hit this historical juncture, Fanmi must step up and make some contributions to the country's development, shouldn't it?"

This answer neither committed him fully nor left his attitude in doubt, leaving the reporters with nothing to criticize.

Li Xiangyu's heart stirred slightly, and she immediately asked before anyone else: "You just said you wanted to wait for some achievements before announcing. Is the reason you're no longer hiding this news because there's been a breakthrough in technology?"

"Indeed!" Lei Jun glanced at Li Xiangyu and nodded gently. "In terms of batteries, our R&D team has indeed made some new progress. The energy density and safety will both be superior to mainstream products currently on the market. As for specific parameters, I'll report back to everyone once the product rolls off the line."

As soon as these words came out, the reporters on the scene were instantly excited, like sharks smelling blood, their eyes lighting up.

"President Lei, Fanmi has been placed on the entity list by Western countries. Building cars requires a lot of high-end equipment. How do you plan to solve this problem?"

"Can Fanmi really solve the problem of the car production line under such a blockade?"

"President Lei, what are your specific plans next? How long is the production cycle for building the cars?"

"..."

One question after another came, sharper than the ones before.

Lei Jun raised an eyebrow, and the expression on his face became even more solemn.

He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Indeed, because of the technological blockade by Western countries, we cannot buy high-end equipment from abroad. Therefore, we still intend to build it ourselves. If there are no components, we will use domestic substitutes; if there is no production line, we will build one!"

"This process might be very difficult, but Fanmi has always liked challenging high-difficulty tasks!"

Lei Jun's words made the reporters present even more excited.

Fanmi not only wanted to build cars but also wanted to achieve full domestic substitution from equipment to technology.

The difficulty of this was clear even to those who didn't understand professional technology!!

Could Fanmi, which had never built a car before, really do it?

Clearly, almost none of the reporters present believed it; some even felt Lei Jun's words were somewhat arrogant.

Crossing fields was one thing, but starting from scratch and even self-developing the equipment... it was simply a start on hell-mode difficulty!

How could that be possible!!

A murmur of discussion rose from the crowd, and many reporters, their eyes gleaming, began to record rapidly in their notebooks.

As reporters, they wouldn't question Lei Jun's words, nor was there any need to.

As long as the news they got had a hook, even if Lei Jun said he was getting technology from aliens, they would be happy to see it.

And clearly, those words just now were enough for them to take the headlines in their respective newspapers and media platforms.

Lei Jun glanced at his watch and knew it was about time. He raised his hand and said, "Sorry everyone, I have an important meeting to attend. Regarding the progress of our new energy vehicles, we will release regular announcements. Please follow Fanmi's official news."

After saying that, he quickly walked toward his private car under the escort of security personnel.

The moment the car door closed, the smile on his face faded, and he pulled out his phone to send a message to Zhou Fan.

"It seems some car companies have already set their sights on us!"

Just as the car started, Zhou Fan's reply came back, with only two words.

"Doesn't matter."