Video Editor

The winter for the new energy vehicle industry came unexpectedly.

Three months ago, the industry was booming, with major manufacturers having orders booked until next year and stock prices soaring.

Now, the entire industry seems to have been put on pause, with stock prices plummeting and investors withdrawing their funds one after another.

Muskron sat in his large office chair on Wall Street, looking out the window at the bustling cityscape, a cold smile playing on his lips.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm like a countdown.

“If you can’t win, flip the table. That’s the true essence of the business world being like a battlefield,” Masclone said into the phone. “China’s policies have been released: new energy subsidies will be reduced by 30%, and charging pile construction standards will be raised. I want to see how long those Chinese companies that rely on subsidies can last.”

After hanging up the phone, Masclone turned and walked to the huge screen on the other side of the office, which displayed the stock price trends of various new energy vehicle companies—all of them experiencing a precipitous drop.

The only exception is the Wang Group, whose stock price has remained relatively stable, though it is slowly declining.

"Wang Duoyu, can you still laugh this time?" Masclone muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the conference room at the Wang Group headquarters was so heavy it was almost palpable.

The executives looked at each other, none of them daring to speak first.

The financial data on the projector was all red, a shocking sight.

“Chairman, the industry situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Our first model under the ‘Fish’ brand is scheduled to go into mass production next month. Should we postpone it now…” The CFO cautiously looked at Suning and made the suggestion.

At this moment, Suning was leaning back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly opened his eyes, and his usually smiling eyes now flashed with a sharp light.

"Postpone? No, not only will we not postpone, we will also increase our investment." Suning's voice was not loud, but it silenced the entire conference room. "Notify the production line that the original plan remains unchanged, and we will add another 50% of the production capacity."

There was an uproar in the conference room.

The marketing director couldn't help but stand up: "Chairman, the entire industry is contracting right now. Wouldn't it be... risky for us to expand against the trend?"

“It is precisely because everyone else is shrinking that we need to expand.” Su Ning stood up and walked to the window. “New energy vehicles are an inevitable trend, and this little storm cannot change anything. Does Masclone think he can win by overturning the table? He’s too naive.”

He turned to face the executives, his signature enigmatic smile returning to his face: "Gentlemen, prepare for a good show."

A week later, a piece of news shocked the entire financial world...

Wang Group Chairman Su Ning won the bid for this year's "Buffett Lunch" for a staggering three million US dollars.

Even more surprisingly, this lunch was not held at a fancy restaurant in New York, but at an ordinary tea restaurant near BYD's Shenzhen headquarters.

“Mr. Wang, I must say, your choice is…unique.” Buffett looked at the steaming shrimp dumplings in front of him and smiled somewhat helplessly. “I thought we would talk about investment philosophy, or at least the stock market.”

Suning picked up a piece of char siu and put it in his mouth, saying indistinctly, "Those are too boring. I'm here this time to buy your BYD shares."

A flicker of surprise crossed Buffett's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "The market is not optimistic about new energy vehicles right now."

“That’s why you should buy now.” Suning put down his chopsticks and looked directly into Buffett’s eyes. “You’ve held BYD shares for thirteen years. Now that the industry is adjusting, it’s normal for you to want to cash out and leave. But what I want to tell you is that the future of new energy vehicles has only just begun.”

Buffett pondered for a moment: "What price are you planning to offer?"

"70% of the market price."

This offer made Buffett's eyebrows practically jump to his hairline: "Mr. Wang, this is not the place to haggle."

Suning grinned: "Mr. Buffett, I know you're in a hurry to sell, and a large-scale reduction in holdings will further depress the stock price. I'll take it all at once, saving you the trouble. Besides,"

He lowered his voice, "Back then, your purchase price was less than one-third of what it is now. No matter how you look at it, you made a huge profit."

Buffett stared at Suning for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Wang Duoyu, you're more interesting than the rumors suggest."

Three days later, the deal was officially announced: Wang's Group acquired all of Buffett's BYD shares, totaling 2.25 million shares, at 70% of the market price, for a transaction amount of US$37 billion.

The news caused an uproar in the market.

"Wang Duoyu has gone mad!" This was the first reaction of most analysts.

The new energy vehicle industry is currently in a downturn, and acquiring a competitor's shares at a high price seems like a losing proposition.

Masclone swirled his wine glass in the private club and said to his assistant, "It seems our Chairman Wang has been driven to desperation and is resorting to desperate measures."

However, Suning's operations have only just begun.

Before the news of the acquisition of BYD shares had died down, Wang's Group issued a series of announcements: acquiring three steel mills on the verge of bankruptcy, investing in five traditional auto parts manufacturers, and even investing in a home appliance brand manufacturer that had been almost forgotten by the market.

After the Wang Group entered the market, the stocks of these sunset industries and sluggish manufacturing sectors were injected with a stimulant, and their prices began to rise wildly.

Speculative funds, sensing the opportunity, rushed to buy in, fearing they would miss out on this wave of "Wang Duoyu concept stocks".

Financial media outlets are filled with various analyses: "Wang Group's strategic transformation?" "Wang Duoyu's new gamble?" "New energy vehicles fall out of favor, traditional industries revive?"

A month later, when the stock prices of these sunset industries were driven to astonishing levels, the Wang Group suddenly began to reduce its holdings on a large scale, precisely selling all its shares at the highest point.

With one transaction in and one transaction out, they made a net profit of one billion.

It was only then that the market realized—this was not a strategic transformation at all, but a meticulously designed capital game.

"Chairman, we've done the math, and the net profit from this operation is 9.87 million yuan," the CFO reported, unable to hide his excitement.

Suning stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, overlooking the city lights, but his face showed little joy: "Money is not the goal, but merely a means. Issue the order to invest all of this billion into the research and development and production of the 'Fish' brand."

He turned around, a sly glint in his eyes: "Now, it's time to show Masclone what it really means to flip the table."

It turns out that during this month, while market attention was drawn to the booming sunset industries, the Wang Group had quietly completed its layout of the upstream and downstream of the new energy vehicle industry chain.

Those high-quality assets in the fields of new energy batteries, motors, and electronic control that were overlooked by speculative capital were acquired by the Wang Group at rock-bottom prices.

More importantly, through in-depth cooperation with BYD, the Wang Group acquired mature battery technology and production lines, significantly shortening the timeline for mass production of the "Fish" brand. Three months later, when the third new "Fish" model officially rolled off the production line, the entire industry was shaken.

This affordable pure electric vehicle, with a range of only 600 kilometers, is equipped with BYD's latest generation of blade battery technology.

At the new car launch event, Suning stood under the spotlight, facing hundreds of media outlets, with a bright smile: "Some people say that the new energy vehicle industry has entered a winter, but I want to say that if winter comes, can spring be far behind?"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

In the corner of the last row of the venue, a man wearing a baseball cap quietly got up and left.

He took out his phone and dialed a number: "Mr. Masclone, we underestimated Wang Duoyu."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, before Masclone's cold voice finally came through: "Don't rush! We have plenty of time to play with him."

……

The studio lights were soft and bright, making the beige sofas in the interview area look especially warm.

Su Ning adjusted the buttons on the cuffs of his dark blue suit, turned his head and whispered to his wife Liu Yifei beside him, "Let me answer that question about European policy later."

Liu Yifei nodded slightly. Today she was wearing a champagne-colored silk dress, her hair was loosely tied up, and a few strands of hair fell around her ears. She had the elegance of a wealthy lady, but also the ethereal beauty of a fairy.

She reached out and adjusted her husband's tie, her fingertips gently stroking the dark-patterned silk: "Don't get too agitated. Last time you said someone 'flipped the table,' Masclone's side reacted strongly and has already complained to the relevant authorities about you."

"The recording of the program 'Lan Yan' is about to begin. Please be quiet." The script supervisor's voice quickly silenced the studio.

Host Yang Lan walked in from the direction of the dressing room, wearing a neat white pantsuit, her signature short hair swaying gently with her steps.

She first nodded to the guests on the sofa, then smiled professionally at the camera: "Hello everyone, welcome to this episode of 'Lan Yan'. Today our guests are Mr. Wang Duoyu, Chairman of the Wang Group, and his wife, Ms. Liu Yifei."

The camera pans to the sofa area, where Su Ning and Liu Yifei nod and greet the camera.

"Chairman Wang, the new energy vehicle industry has been undergoing dramatic changes recently. As a leading figure in the industry, why are you still so optimistic about this sector?" Yang Lan asked directly.

Su Ning leaned forward slightly, his hands naturally folded on his knees: "This issue can be viewed from three perspectives."

His voice was calm and powerful, completely different from his nonchalant attitude in private. "First of all, from a market perspective, the global penetration rate of new energy vehicles was just over 10% last year. According to the technology diffusion curve, this is just the eve of an explosion."

He took the tablet handed to him by a staff member and pulled up a set of data charts to show the camera: "Secondly, there is the environmental dimension. my country has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030. Emissions from the transportation sector account for more than 10%. This transformation is not an option, but a must."

Liu Yifei added at the opportune moment, "In addition, we've replaced both of our gasoline cars with 'Fish' new energy vehicles. Charging is much more convenient than refueling. And driving a new energy vehicle feels much more comfortable." Her words drew a burst of laughter from the audience, cleverly steer the professional topic back to everyday life.

"Finally, there's the energy security dimension," Su Ning continued. "my country's dependence on foreign oil exceeds 70%, while the proportion of clean energy in the power structure is increasing year by year. Developing new energy vehicles means taking more control of our energy lifeline. After all, in addition to thermal power generation, we can also utilize nuclear, solar, wind, and hydropower resources."

Yang Lan astutely captured the key phrase: "Speaking of energy security, the European Parliament recently postponed its plan to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2035. Does this mean that the industry is changing direction?"

Su Ning's lips curled up slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Teacher Yang, do you know what kind of person you're most afraid of encountering when playing mahjong?"

Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "It's the kind of person who, when they're about to lose, will make an excuse to go to the bathroom or suddenly say they're changing the rules."

A few light laughs rippled through the room. Liu Yifei gently nudged her husband's arm, signaling him to watch his words.

“Excuse me, let me put it another way.” Su Ning cleared his throat. “European automakers have been a step behind in their electrification transition, and now they want to buy themselves some breathing room by easing policy restrictions. This isn’t a strategic adjustment, but rather…”

He paused deliberately, "Some kind of tactical retreat."

Yang Lan quickly followed up: "So you think this is 'flipping the table when you can't win'?"

“You said it yourself.” Su Ning winked slyly, eliciting another burst of laughter from the audience. “But I want to emphasize that the technological roadmap will not change direction due to policy fluctuations. The Wang Group will continue to invest at least 200 billion yuan in the field of new energy vehicles.”

"Speaking of investment," Yang Lan changed the subject, "Wang's Group has recently made a major foray into manufacturing. How does this synergize with its new energy vehicle strategy?"

Suning's expression turned serious: "Many people pit manufacturing against emerging industries, which is a misconception."

He took the product sample handed to him by his assistant. "This is the latest product from our precision gear factory, which we have invested in. It has a precision of 0.001 millimeters and is a core component of high-end electric vehicle reducers."

He twirled the metallic-looking part in his hand: "Manufacturing is not synonymous with outdated production capacity. Through intelligent transformation and process innovation, it is entirely possible to achieve high value-added transformation. All 37 manufacturing companies under the Wang Group have now reached the Industry 4.0 standard."

Liu Yifei interjected at the opportune moment: "His study is filled with samples of various mechanical parts. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and find him still studying those blueprints."

Her tone carried a gentle complaint, yet it subtly reinforced the image of her husband as someone who did everything himself.

Yang Lan smiled and turned to Liu Yifei: "Ms. Liu, speaking of your life, many viewers are curious as to why we have seen you so little in film and television works in recent years?"

Liu Yifei gracefully crossed her legs, the jade bracelet on her wrist gleaming warmly under the light: "Being an actress will always be an important part of my life, but now I enjoy being a wife and mother even more."

She looked at her husband with gentle eyes, saying, "Being a good wife and mother is an art in itself, and it requires complete dedication."

"But you haven't completely retired from your career, have you?" Yang Lan pressed.

“Yes! I have my own luxury brand, wine brand, and charitable foundation.” Liu Yifei nodded slightly. “But these are more like a diversion from life than my main business. Last month, our foundation donated and built ten rural kindergartens in Guizhou.” She paused. “A career is an extension of life, not the whole thing. This is a truth I only understood after I turned thirty.”

Su Ning suddenly grasped his wife's hand: "She's my teacher in this area. I used to think that money could solve everything, but now I understand the art of balance."

This unexpected gesture of intimacy drew applause from the audience.

Yang Lan keenly noticed the matching rings on the couple's ring fingers: "It seems that your business acumen has extended to the management of your marriage."

At the end of the program, Yang Lan asked one last question: "Chairman Wang, if you were to summarize the Wang Group's business philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?"

Suning pondered for a moment: "Be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy."

He paused, "But that's what Buffett said. My own version is..."

Liu Yifei chimed in tacitly, "Always faster than flipping the table."

The two exchanged a smile, and the camera lingered on this meaningful moment.

...(End of chapter)