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After seeing off several groups of people who wanted to invest, Suning called together the core team, David, and Jack.

“Everyone, the money has come knocking on our door,” Su Ning said, pointing to the company’s development plan on the whiteboard. “This means we did the right thing and we’re valuable now. But this is also a hurdle.”

Jack was both excited and worried. "Boss, their offers aren't low, especially from Wall Street. If we get the money, we can immediately expand the production line and hire more salespeople..."

David, standing nearby, was more concerned about the technology: "We need to invest money in developing the next generation of chips and optimizing the graphical interface; these all require funding and time."

Suning nodded, "We'll take the money, but we'll have to do it according to our rules. The future of Lemon Technology is up to us."

Then he pointed to several spots on the diagram with his pen. “I’ve thought about it and I’ll proceed in a few steps: First, we’ll do a Series A funding round. It doesn’t need to be too big. We’ll find one or two venture capitalists who truly understand the technology and have industry experience. We can ask for a higher valuation in exchange for their resources and connections, but the core principle is that our team must maintain controlling stake and product decision-making power. We’ll use this money to fully develop ‘Lemon No. 3’ and upgrade our current production line.”

"Secondly," he continued, "we need to keep a close eye on the market's reaction to our 'one new phone per year' strategy, and also see how our competitors play their cards. Once 'Lemon III' has successfully launched and established itself, we'll consider a Series B funding round. The money from that round will be used to build a software ecosystem and expand into international markets—especially the Eastern markets where Chen Wenyuan can help, and we might also make some small acquisitions."

"As for going public," Suning drew an asterisk at the end of the timeline, "that's something that will happen naturally in the future. We need to wait until our product line is more diversified, our ecosystem is more robust, and we can tell the capital market a big story of 'not just selling computers, but a future computing platform.' Instead of being rushed by investors to go public."

His words reassured the team.

Jack understood: the boss wanted money for someone who could help but not interfere.

David was also thrilled, as he now had stable support for his technological research and development.

“So,” Suning concluded, “the key to our negotiations going forward isn’t how much they offer, but what else they can bring besides money, and whether they’re willing to adhere to our ‘Lemon Rule’—innovation first, user foremost, and long-term vision. We’re looking for partners, not creditors.”

The sky outside the window is bright.

Lemon Technology didn't get carried away by the capital frenzy.

Suning knew that the voyage needed supplies (money), but the route (strategy) and the helm (control) had to be in his own hands.

With the success of "Lemon No. 2" and the fame brought by Forrest Gump, Suning is taking unprecedented initiative to compete with the elites on Wall Street.

The outcome of this contest will determine whether Lemon Technology becomes a shooting star prematurely matured and then abandoned by capital, or whether it can truly become a technological benchmark of an era.

……

The next morning, the Lemon Technology office building was already bustling with activity.

The assembly line hummed as the engineers argued incessantly.

Suning and David were arguing about whether to risk using the new floppy disk drive for "Lemon No. 3" when Janice, the receptionist and secretary, knocked on the door and came in, looking a little nervous.

“Mr. Su, Mr. Chen Wenyuan has arrived. He says he has an urgent business to discuss.” She lowered her voice. “Judging from his expression, it seems like a big deal.”

Suning and David exchanged a glance.

It's been almost a year since Chen Wenyuan last bought 100 "Lemon No. 1" units. Although they've had occasional contact in between, he has never mentioned buying another one.

They would only occasionally send simple feedback such as "Lemon No. 2" being "used very well" at a certain university in the East.

"Please ask him to go to conference room number two." Su Ning stood up and straightened her sleeves.

As David collected the blueprints, he asked in a low voice, "Is it a thousand units this time? Or more?"

Su Ning didn't answer, but patted him on the shoulder and her eyes lit up.

……

Chen Wenyuan was already sitting in the conference room, dressed in a sharp suit, looking more composed than a year ago.

He was accompanied by a young assistant carrying a large briefcase.

“Mr. Gan, it’s been a long time.” Chen Wenyuan stood up and shook hands. “‘Lemon No. 2’ is so popular in the United States. We’ve heard about it there. Congratulations.”

"Thank you, please have a seat." Su Ning asked his secretary to pour tea. "It seems you've been using those hundred 'Lemon No. 1' units quite well?"

“It’s not just okay, it’s excellent.” Chen Wenyuan took a report from his assistant and pushed it to Su Ning. “This is an evaluation we conducted at several universities and research institutes. The stability of your machine, especially the graphical interface, is very simple. You don’t need to memorize complicated commands, which is very helpful for teaching and basic research.”

Suning flipped through it and found test data and user feedback in English, including several suggestions for improving keyboard feel and adding Chinese character display.

It's clear that the other party prepared very carefully.

“The assessment is very professional,” Su Ning said, closing the report and looking at Chen Wenyuan. “Mr. Chen, you didn’t come here just to deliver this report, did you?”

Chen Wenyuan smiled and leaned forward. "Mr. Gan is a sensible man. We want to purchase another batch. This time, we want a thousand 'Lemon No. 2' units."

Janice, who was standing next to her, took a soft breath.

One thousand units!

This is roughly two months' worth of current production, equivalent to the annual sales of many small companies.

Su Ning's face remained expressionless as he tapped his fingers twice on the table. "One thousand 'Lemon II' units… Mr. Chen, that's a significant quantity. Last year you only bought one hundred units; that's a tenfold increase in a year. Is there a specific application plan?"

Chen Wenyuan was clearly prepared, and answered calmly, “The market is changing, and so are the demands. Last year’s 100 units were a pilot project, a way to explore the market. The results proved that ‘Lemon II’ is very suitable for the needs of higher education and basic research in our area—it’s low-cost and easy to popularize. We plan to promote it to more key universities, local research institutes, and even some well-equipped key middle schools to build the first batch of computer classrooms and teach students basic programming.”

He paused, glanced at Suning, and continued, “Of course, we know you release new models every year. For us, the stable, mature, proven, and cost-effective ‘Lemon II’ is the most suitable choice for large-scale promotion. We don’t need the latest but potentially unstable models; what we need is a reliable ‘stepping stone’ that allows thousands of students to touch a computer for the first time.”

This statement not only explains that the purpose of the 1,000 units is to promote higher education, but also shows that choosing the second generation instead of waiting to buy the third generation is for stability and to value cost-effectiveness, and also implicitly endorses Lemon Technology's product strategy...

Even overseas clients are basing their procurement plans on their own pace.

After listening, Su Ning remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, "A thousand units is not a small amount; we need to adjust our production plan. Also, Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts on the payment terms and delivery time for such a large purchase?"

Chen Wenyuan nodded. “We can use a phased payment method, with 30% prepayment and the balance paid after delivery. As for the delivery cycle… we hope to complete all deliveries within six months. If the first batch can be delivered as soon as possible, say within two months for two hundred units, that would be even better.”

"Two hundred units in two months..." Suning quickly calculated the production capacity in his mind. "It's difficult, but it can be coordinated. However, Mr. Chen, aren't you worried that by the time you receive the products, there will already be newer and cheaper models on the market, if you purchase a thousand second-generation units at once?"

Chen Wenyuan smiled, “Mr. Su, the most important aspects of popularizing education and basic scientific research are stability and reproducibility. ‘Lemon II’ has already been verified, and the supporting teaching materials and basic software are also being gradually improved. For us, large-scale deployment at this time is more pragmatic and less risky than waiting for an unknown new model.”

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, "Moreover, we're not just interested in the hardware. If this collaboration goes smoothly, we hope to have deeper exchanges on the software side in the future, such as localization support to meet our needs, and even jointly developing some application software suitable for teaching. This is our long-term plan."

Su Ning understood.

The other party wanted more than just a thousand computers; they wanted to establish a deeper cooperative relationship and even participate in the development of the ecosystem.

……

Suning remained silent for a while, seemingly making plans.

The meeting room was quiet.

“A thousand units is indeed no small number, Mr. Chen,” Su Ning finally said. “It involves adjusting production lines, coordinating the supply chain, and special configurations—such as the Chinese character display you mentioned in your report. In addition, export licenses are also an issue. Although ‘Lemon II’ uses general commercial parts, it is still a high-performance microcomputer. Sending such a large batch abroad will involve much more complicated procedures and potential attention than when it was a hundred units.”

Chen Wenyuan nodded, his expression calm. "We fully understand this and have made preparations. Our company has complete international trade qualifications and can assist in handling all customs clearance and documentation in accordance with the regulations of both countries. All payments will be settled through legal banks in third locations, such as Hong Kong or Bangkok, using irrevocable letters of credit to ensure the safety of your funds."

Then Chen Wenyuan looked at his assistant beside him.

The assistant immediately took out another document from the briefcase.

"Regarding Chinese character display," Chen Wenyuan continued, "based on the expansion slot and display principle of the 'Lemon II,' we have initially designed a draft of an external Chinese character card solution, along with a corresponding basic Chinese character library. If your technical team is interested, we can provide this draft for reference, and we can even consider joint research and development, sharing intellectual property rights. This would not only meet our needs for this batch of purchases, but may also help your products better enter the East Asian market in the future."

Suning's eyes lit up.

The other party wasn't just there to buy things; they even had a technical cooperation plan ready. They were thinking far ahead and were very determined.

“Jointly develop a Chinese character card…” Suning thought for a moment, “This direction is indeed interesting. But the production cycle for an order of 1,000 units is very long, which may affect our supply to other markets. Moreover, the cost of such a large order with special configurations will also be different.”

“We understand the price,” Chen Wenyuan immediately replied. “Based on a quantity of one thousand units, we are willing to add 15% to the current publicly available wholesale price of ‘Lemon II’ to cover the costs of special configurations, priority production, and some technical collaboration. The prepayment can be increased to 40%, with the remainder settled according to the delivery batches.”

The conditions are very favorable.

A 15% markup yields substantial profits, high upfront payments alleviate financial pressure during capacity expansion, and technological cooperation paves the way for future product localization.

Su Ning stood up, walked to the window, and looked downstairs.

His mind raced, calculating: this order would significantly boost the company's revenue and manufacturing scale, validating its mass production capabilities; the advance payment could be directly invested in the research and development of "Lemon No. 3"; and technical cooperation with Pacific Technology was a crucial step in penetrating the East Asian market.

Of course there are risks, but the last collaboration on 100 units went smoothly, and this time the other party is so professional and sincere, so the situation is very controllable.

More importantly, he saw a signal much larger than the order itself: the demand for and investment in computing technology in that major Eastern power was growing rapidly. This was not just business; it was a trend.

He turned around, a relaxed smile appearing on his face—the first since the negotiations began—and extended his hand to Chen Wenyuan. “Mr. Chen, your sincerity and vision are impressive. One thousand ‘Lemon II’ units, specially configured, with joint research on the Chinese character card… We accept. I hope this is not just a business deal, but the beginning of a long-term cooperation between our two sides in promoting the popularization of computing technology.”

Chen Wenyuan also stood up, solemnly shook Su Ning's hand, and smiled with relief and anticipation, "This is exactly what we hoped for, Mr. Gan. It's a pleasure to cooperate! I believe this is just the beginning."

The atmosphere in the meeting room brightened instantly when their hands were clasped together.

This is more than just a multi-million dollar order; it's like building a bridge across the ocean.

On one side is American technological innovation and commerce, and on the other side is the ancient land's urgent pursuit of technology.

As soon as Chen Wenyuan and the others left, David immediately came over, both excited and a little worried, "Boss, a thousand units! We'll have to completely overhaul our production line! And that Chinese character card..."

“Use their advance payment for the production line upgrade,” Su Ning interrupted him, her eyes shining. “David, remember, the best technology should be used by the most people. They want to use our machines to teach the next generation, to get more young people interested in computers… This is more meaningful than selling to any Wall Street firm. Set up a special team immediately to work on the Chinese character card solution. I want to see the option to integrate Chinese character support on the ‘Lemon III’. This world is connecting faster than we thought.”

Suning looked eastward, as if he could see those machines with lemon logos that would soon be placed in distant classrooms.

This transoceanic order for a thousand units is like a strong wind, billowing the sails of the young company Lemon Technology and propelling it toward a broader and more promising future.

...(End of chapter)