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The top-floor conference room at the Wang Group headquarters.

Outside the window was Shanghai's bustling skyline, but inside the meeting room, the executives did not look relaxed.

The latest real estate industry report was displayed on the projection screen...

With housing prices across the country continuing to fall and real estate companies facing debt defaults, once-glorious real estate giants are now mired in difficulties.

"Mr. Wang, everyone's saying you had foresight, reducing our real estate investment three years in advance," the CFO pushed up his glasses. "But frankly, these praises sound more like..."

“Praise to death.” Su Ning replied calmly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. “They don’t really admire me; they’re just unwilling to accept that they didn’t escape.”

There was silence in the conference room.

Indeed, long before the real estate bubble burst, Suning had already gradually sold off its non-core real estate businesses and instead invested its funds in technology research and development and manufacturing.

After the outbreak of the pandemic, while other real estate companies were still struggling to survive, Wang's Group had already completed its transformation and completely broken free from its dependence on real estate.

“Ignore them.” Su Ning stood up, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. “Our future doesn’t lie in concrete jungles.”

"Mr. Wang, should we retaliate in terms of public opinion?"

"No need! People admire strength. Only when we are strong will even our farts smell sweet."

"Uh? I understand."

Evening, a football field in Xihong City.

There are no luxurious VIP boxes, no exorbitant broadcasting rights, and not even sponsorship advertisements from professional sports teams.

But the stadium was packed with spectators, and the cheers were deafening.

This is the final match of the "Amateur League".

The “Amateur Football League”, formerly known as “Village Super League”, is an amateur football tournament funded and organized by Suning.

Moreover, this "grassroots" category is subject to certain restrictions. Teams applying to join must undergo vetting, and players cannot engage in egregious behaviors such as frequenting nightclubs or excessive drinking.

"Mr. Wang, some people are saying that we are 'disrupting market order' by doing this." The assistant handed over a document, his tone helpless.

Suning didn't even look at it, and threw it directly into the trash can: "Tell them that we are just a group of amateur enthusiasts entertaining ourselves, and they don't need to bother with us. If they want to watch the game, they can buy their own tickets."

"This……"

His gaze returned to the field.

The assistant smiled wryly: "But... the league's influence is growing, and even European powerhouses are contacting us to play friendly matches. The pressure there is immense."

"Then let them continue to be under immense pressure!" Suning sneered. "We'll only do one thing—play pure football."

"Hey! All right!"

The assistant knew that Suning was going against the world, after all, the "amateur league" had become a hot commodity.

All sorts of greedy people wanted to come and get a piece of the pie, and some even tried to devour the "amateur league" whole.

Three days later, Shanghai Zhangjiang Science and Technology Park.

Wang's Semiconductor officially announced that its 7nm lithography machine has been successfully mass-produced!
This news instantly ignited the global technology community.

"Mr. Wang, ASML's stock price has dropped by 8%," the technical director reported excitedly. "America has already started discussing new sanctions."

Looking at the rows of sophisticated lithography machines on the production line, Su Ning smiled slightly: "Let them discuss it! We'll just focus on manufacturing. After all, the biggest market for lithography machines is in China."

"Mr. Wang, I also find it strange. With such a large market and production capacity, why is America so unwilling to give up?"

"Hmph! To put it bluntly, they are just insecure and lack confidence. They feel insecure in the face of our strength. But they have forgotten one thing: China has been strong since the day it stood up again. It's just that now it's more like icing on the cake."

The breakthrough in lithography machines means that China's semiconductor industry has finally escaped the predicament of being held back by technological bottlenecks.

And all of this stems from Suning's initial persistence...

Even if sanctioned, they will still invest heavily in research and development.

However, while some are happy, others are angry.

A VIP room at a high-end club.

Several former shareholders who had been kicked out of the Wang Group were gathered together, their faces grim.

"Damn it, if the stock price is still there and the lithography machine goes into mass production, we can make at least tens of billions!" One of them slammed his wine glass down.

"What's the point of saying all this now? If you hadn't been so eager to cash out back then..."

"Bullshit! Who would have thought that Suning could actually develop a lithography machine? That's something the Americans have blocked and embargoed!"

"Yes! I didn't expect Wang Duoyu to be so amazing."

"Hmph! No way! We can't let this go to waste."

"That's right! We must fight back."

"But... what can we do?"

Everyone was silent.

Yes! Who would have thought?
They used to mock Suning for "burning money on technology" and thought that lithography machines were an "impossible mission".

But now, the Wang Group has not only manufactured it, but also started mass production!
"We can't let this go." A chilling voice rang out. "He's creating an independent league for football, breaking through technological blockades, and now he's even completely exited the real estate market... If this continues, we won't even get a taste of the spoils!"

"Then what do you want to do? He's someone even America can't do anything about now."

"Hmph! If open attacks don't work, then we'll resort to covert methods..."

"..."

Late at night, at the Wang Family Manor.

Liu Yifei carried a cup of hot tea into the study and saw Su Ning staring at the computer screen with a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing much, just a few clowns." Su Ning turned off the screen...

It was an anonymous threatening letter, warning him "not to be too arrogant."

Liu Yifei sighed: "They still haven't given up?"

"Give up?" Su Ning sneered. "They will only hate me more and more, because I have proven that their failure was not due to bad luck, but to poor judgment."

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the city lights in the distance.

"Real estate, football, lithography machines... everything I do, they all think is 'risky,' but in reality, I'm just doing the right thing."

Liu Yifei smiled slightly and took his arm: "So what's next?"

Su Ning's gaze was profound: "What's next? Let them continue to hate."

"Because the Wang Group's pace will not stop for anyone."

"Duoyu, it's late! Let's go back and rest."

"Hehe, Consort Yi, how about we have a few more children?"

"Ah."

……

Late at night, at a private club.

Several former shareholders who had been kicked out of the Wang Group sat around the dimly lit private room again, their faces grim.

On the table sat half-empty bottles of liquor, and the ashtray was piled high with stubbed-out cigars.

"Damn it! Lithography machines are in mass production, flying cars are selling like hotcakes, and even the football league has become a national hot topic..." Li Yaozong, the former third largest shareholder of Wang's Group, slammed his fist on the table. "All of this should have been ours!"

"What's the point of saying all this now?" another person sneered. "If you hadn't been so eager to cash out for America back then, we wouldn't have been purged by Suning."

"Enough!" Chen Zhiyuan, the former vice chairman of the board, sitting in the main seat, interrupted the argument with a gloomy expression. "Now is not the time for infighting."

He slowly took a document out of his briefcase and pushed it to the center of the table.

“This is a proposal offered privately by representatives from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.” He lowered his voice. “As long as we can obtain the technical data for Wang’s 7nm lithography machine, they are willing to buy our remaining shares at three times the market price—even if they are already diluted to worthless preferred stock.”

There was dead silence in the room.

“This…this is corporate espionage!” someone exclaimed in a trembling voice.

"So what?" Chen Zhiyuan sneered. "Just because Suning can kick us out of the game, doesn't mean we can't fight back?"

He tapped on a clause in the document: "America promises to help us regain our board seat in the Wang family once the matter is resolved."

Their eyes gleamed, greed gradually overpowering their fear.

Three days later, at the Wang Group's Cybersecurity Center.

"Mr. Wang, we've caught a mouse." Technical Director Lin Yi pushed up his glasses and pointed to the flashing red dot on the screen. "Someone is using former director Zhang Zhaohui's old access privileges to download lithography machine design drawings."

Suning stared at the live monitor screen, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Let them download, then cut them off when the transfer reaches 90%."

"Why not intercept them directly?"

"If you're going to arrest someone, do it in the act." Su Ning picked up his phone and dialed a rarely used number. "Director Yang, it's time to close the net."

That evening, Zhang Zhaohui was taken away by the police in the VIP waiting room of Hongqiao Airport. The encrypted hard drive he was carrying contained the core blueprints of a 7nm lithography machine.

Even more dramatically, when the police raided Chen Zhiyuan's villa, the former vice chairman was meeting with two "foreign business consultants"...

It was later confirmed that one of them was a "technical assessment expert" from a US technology company, while the other had close ties to the CIA.

"You're framing me!" Chen Zhiyuan screamed hysterically in front of the camera. "I need to find a lawyer!"

The next day, the People's Daily published a front-page article titled "Major Commercial Espionage Case Cracked," accompanied by a photo of police escorting suspects.

Intriguingly, in the background of the photo, there's a giant logo on the Wang Group headquarters building...

The phoenix rising from the ashes was hovering directly overhead.

The atmosphere in the office was heavy.

"The ban has been issued, and all sponsors have been notified." The secretary kept wiping away sweat. "But... the public reaction is not quite right."

The person in charge stared at the computer screen, his expression growing increasingly grim.

The top five trending topics on Weibo were all related to this:

#Ban on Amateur Leagues# (Breaking News) #Look at the Fighting Spirit of Amateur League Players# (Hot)

The most damaging thing was a comparison video posted by a well-known sports blogger: on the left was footage of players from an "amateur league" battling it out in the rain, and on the right was a compilation of a professional player "strolling and defending" on the field, captioned: "Who is the real football?"

The number of reposts exceeded one million in half an hour.

"Damn it!" The person in charge slammed down his teacup. "Is Wang Duoyu trying to rebel?!"

Meanwhile, in the private cinema of the Wang Family Manor, Suning was watching highlights of a local football league match with his son.

"Dad, why won't they let your team participate in the game?" the little boy asked, looking up.

“Because they’re afraid.” Su Ning ruffled his son’s hair. “When someone wins a game with real skill, they can’t hide it anymore.”

"..."

America's Ministry of Commerce, emergency meeting.

"Wang's Semiconductor's 7nm yield rate has reached 92%, which is even higher than TSMC's!" The technical consultant's voice trembled. "What's even more frightening is that their EUV light source has completely bypassed our patent wall!"

The blond, blue-eyed curly-haired man's face turned ashen: "Immediately add the Wang family to the top-tier sanctions list and prohibit any American company from cooperating with them!"

“The problem is…” the assistant said cautiously, “They started to reduce their reliance on the US last year, and their key equipment comes from Europe, Japan and South Korea. Samsung has already secretly signed manufacturing agreements with them.”

"what?"

"In addition, the Wang Group has always been incubating the industrial chain in the mainland, so it doesn't matter if European, Japanese and Korean companies don't cooperate."

"..."

Meanwhile, at the China World Trade Center in Beijing.

"Duoyu, this is the latest support list." Second Master Wang Zongyao handed over a gold-embossed document. "The second phase of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund will invest an additional 500 billion yuan, focusing on supporting your quantum computing project."

Suning quickly glanced at the documents, and when he saw the words "military priority procurement," he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Besides, the Americans just announced sanctions," the Second Master sneered. "Should we respond?"

“No need.” Suning closed the document. “Let the market decide.”

The following day, the Wang Group's official Weibo account posted a ten-second video:
The all-new Fish Aero X3 flying car completed extreme testing on the Tibetan Plateau, achieving a range of over 1500 kilometers.

The text only has four words:
"keep going."

The Berlin International Motor Show was packed with people.

The Wang's booth was packed with people, and European journalists were snapping photos of the sleek silver flying car in the center.

"Pre-orders for the Fish Aero X3 have exceeded 20 units!" a German dealer excitedly told the camera. "This will be Mercedes-Benz and BMW's biggest nightmare!"

In the backstage dressing room, Liu Yifei is giving an exclusive interview to Der Spiegel in fluent German:
"Some people say we rely on government funding and policy subsidies?" She took an elegant sip of her coffee. "Then how much of the new energy vehicle subsidy does Tesla receive from America?"

The reporter was speechless.

On the same day, at the Port of Shanghai.

A giant roll-on/roll-off ship is loading thousands of Fish electric vehicles, destined for Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa...

On Wall Street, analysts were alarmed to discover that despite being placed on the sanctions list, Wang Semiconductor's quarterly revenue actually increased by 300% year-on-year.

Goldman Sachs' latest report title reveals its helplessness:
Sanctions Ineffective: The Rise of Oriental Phoenix Against the Tide

……

A key scientific research base in Beijing.

Several camouflage-painted "Fish-T1" military off-road vehicles are undergoing extreme testing...

Climbing a 50-degree steep slope, wading through 1.5-meter deep water, starting in extreme cold of -40 degrees Celsius...

"Mr. Wang, this vehicle of yours is more than one generation better than our current Mengshi!" A tycoon with graying temples patted the steel plate of the vehicle, his voice filled with excitement. "The bulletproof level is almost on par with armored personnel carriers!"

Suning smiled without saying a word, and tapped the tablet twice with his finger.

Suddenly, the hood slid open silently, revealing a honeycomb-structured cooling system.

Even more astonishingly, four miniature turbofan engines slowly rose from the chassis.

"This is..." The big boss's eyes widened.

“Short takeoff and vertical landing capability,” Suning said casually. “With a range of 120 kilometers, it’s enough for a commando team to bypass a minefield.”

There was dead silence.

The technical experts looked at each other in bewilderment...

This is clearly a case of militarizing flying car technology!
"What about fuel consumption?" the logistics minister asked anxiously.

"Pure electric drive, a full charge takes only 15 minutes." Suning displayed the data, "In addition..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "The vehicle body uses our independently developed 'smart armor,' which will instantly harden into reactive armor when it encounters an RPG attack."

The boss's teacup fell to the ground with a "clatter".

This technology is still in the laboratory stage even in the United States!

Three days later, CCTV's "Agricultural Report" broadcast footage of a department replacing its military vehicles, a rare occurrence.

Keen-eyed military enthusiasts immediately noticed...

The logos on these cars are not those of familiar military industrial enterprises, but rather the phoenix symbol of the Wang Group.

Weibo exploded instantly:

#Private company manufacturing military vehicles# (Breaking news)

#FishMilitaryVersion# (Hot)

#Mercedes-Benz Defense's stock price plummets# (Boiling Point)

In Munich, Mercedes-Benz Defense headquarters held an emergency board meeting.

The large screen was playing a test video leaked from a Chinese military forum. When the CEO saw the "Fish-T1" easily crush the German "Wolf" military vehicle, he slammed his fist on the table: "Contact the Chinese distributor immediately! We need to discuss technical cooperation!"

……

Five o'clock in the morning at a training base in Xihong City.

Sixteen-year-old Chen Xiaochuan had already run ten sets of shuttle runs, his sweat soaking the grass.

The football at his feet obeyed as if glued on.

"Practice 50 more free kicks!" came the coach's shout from the sidelines.

Without complaining or slacking off, the boy wiped the sweat from his face and turned to walk towards the penalty spot.

This scene was captured by a Chinese Super League scout who was secretly lying in wait. He excitedly sent a WeChat message: "Found a gem! This kid is ten times better than professional players! We can poach him with a monthly salary of 30,000!"

Three days later, at a luxury hotel.

"Xiao Chen! Here's a signing bonus of 200 million." The Chinese Super League manager pushed the check over. "If you join our team, your guaranteed annual salary is 500 million, endorsements are on the side."

The young man stared at the check, then suddenly laughed: "Does Mr. Wang know you're here to poach me?"

The manager's expression changed: "Wang Duoyu? He's not your father! Professional players need to think about their future!"

“My future is to try out for 186 Munich next year.” Chen Xiaochuan stood up. “President Wang said that he wouldn’t stop anyone who wanted to leave, but if they did leave, they shouldn’t say they came from the amateur league.”

He took out his phone and played a video...

Footage of a former amateur league player training in the Chinese Super League: arriving late, smoking, and using his phone during extra training...

"The guy you poached last month, Brother Li, now runs less than 6000 meters per game on average." The boy sneered. "Is this what you call 'future'? I think your place is just a professional pigsty."

"you……"

That evening, the recording of the conversation was anonymously posted online.

The accompanying text is a slogan on the wall of the locker room in a grassroots league:
"Genius? It's nothing more than tireless effort day and night, coupled with an unyielding sense of pride."

The atmosphere in the locker room of a top Chinese Super League club was somber.

"Look at this, you bastards!" The coach slammed the tablet on the ground; the screen displayed a humiliating 0-5 scoreline. "We got thrashed 5-0 by a third-division relegation team! How can you do this to us?"

The team members were engrossed in their phones, but no one uttered a sound.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open.

The club owner walked in with a grim face: "I just received a notice that the main sponsor has withdrawn its investment! They've switched to investing in a grassroots league!"

"Why should we?" the star forward jumped up. "We're a regular army!"

"Just because they beat a strong Portuguese team 3-2 yesterday!" the owner roared, "They ran 15 kilometers more than you guys throughout the entire match!"

Ironically, in the live broadcast room of a well-known football commentator that evening, the backdrop prominently displayed the newly signed sponsorship contract between the amateur league and the Wang Group...

The barrage is flooding the screen like crazy:

[There's finally hope for Chinese football!]
[It is suggested that some people collectively return to amateur leagues for further training.]
Wang Duoyu is the true godfather of football.
An emergency closed-door meeting was held, but paparazzi captured photos of the license plates of luxury cars in the parking lot...

The vehicles were all gift trucks belonging to affiliated companies.

On the top floor of the Wang's Building, Suning is receiving special guests.

"President Su, as long as the grassroots league is incorporated into the youth training system, I'll approve three plots of land for you next year," a local official said in a low voice. "They're all prime locations."

Liu Yifei's hand trembled slightly as she held the teacup; this was a profit worth billions.

Su Ning laughed: "Director Zhang, do you know why I'm involved in football?"

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled up the surveillance footage...

On a playground in a poverty-stricken county, children are kicking genuine leather soccer balls donated by a local league, wearing cracked sneakers.

"What I want are kids who can play football with their heads held high."

After the guests left, the wife asked worriedly, "Duoyu, aren't we making too many enemies?"

Suning looked out the window and saw a flying car painted with the Fish logo soaring across the sky: "When we are strong enough, our enemies will only prove us right."

...(End of chapter)