Video Editor

At 10 p.m. on October 15, 1975, the ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles was brightly lit.

The launch event for the Lemon 6 computer just ended this afternoon, and now we're having a celebratory dinner.

The hall was packed with more than three hundred people...

Distributors, suppliers, media reporters, and a dozen Hollywood stars were invited to warm up the atmosphere.

Suning stood on the stage and gave a speech, wearing a custom-made black suit.

"Thank you all for attending the launch of the Lemon 6 today, and thank you for your support over the past year." He raised his champagne glass. "This year, our sales have exceeded 200,000 units, and our market share has reached 78%. These achievements are inseparable from the hard work of everyone here."

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

In the dealer region, the largest dealers are grouped together.

"How many orders did you receive for Lemon 6 today?" Mike from Chicago asked.

“I have eight hundred units on hand,” James from New York said. “I heard that the total orders have already exceeded thirty thousand today.”

“Thirty thousand a unit, that’s ninety million US dollars… My God.” Mr. Chen, a Chinese dealer in San Francisco, clicked his tongue in amazement. “And this is only one day.”

The supplier area was more lively.

The vice president of MOS Technology was chatting with several chip manufacturers: "Mr. Gan said today that the Lemon 7 will use our next-generation chip next year, with an order of at least 500,000 units."

"Five hundred thousand?!" someone nearby exclaimed. "Then you'll have to triple your production line."

"We're already expanding," the vice president said smugly. "It makes all the difference when you're working with the right people."

In the media area, reporters are rushing to finish their articles.

A technology reporter from the Los Angeles Times dictated to the editor over the phone: "...The biggest upgrade of the Lemon 6 is its hard drive storage, with a built-in 5MB hard drive, which is dozens of times larger than the capacity of a floppy disk. Suning Gan demonstrated it on-site; it can store the data of an entire library..."

The Hollywood stars, on the other side of the banquet hall, formed their own small circle.

Today's guests are all top movie stars...

Twenty-four-year-old blonde actress Emily Clarke, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for "By the Coast"; twenty-six-year-old Kathryn Morris, the leading lady of last year's box office champion; and several other television stars and models.

They were hired by a public relations firm, each paid $5,000, and their job was to make the dinner party look more "star-studded".

“Is that Suning?” Emily looked at the main table. “He’s younger than I expected.”

“Thirty-two years old, a billionaire, and unmarried,” Catherine said, listing the details with great familiarity. “One of the most sought-after bachelors in America.”

"I heard his brother is Forrest Gump, the ping-pong player?"

"Yes, the whole family is famous."

Emily squinted at the head table.

Suning was chatting with several suppliers; his profile was sharp and his expression focused.

……

At the main table, Suning was dealing with several rounds of toasts.

"Mr. Su, I toast to you!" Yamada, the representative of Toshiba Japan, raised his glass. "Thank you for choosing our monitor panels. We will definitely guarantee supply next year!"

"Mr. Yamada, you're too kind. It's because your products are of such high quality." Suning clinked glasses and took a sip.

Just as I sat down, the vice president of Texas Instruments came over again: "Mr. Su, when should we sign the exclusive supply agreement for memory chips?"

“I’ll have the purchasing director contact you next week,” Suning said. “But the price will be 10% lower than it is now, and our purchasing volume will double next year.”

"10%... I need to go back and discuss it."

"Then let's discuss it further when you've reached an agreement," Su Ning still refused to budge.

Lemon Technology has now established itself firmly and is naturally qualified to negotiate prices with suppliers, which is the huge confidence that the market brings.

At that moment, PR Director Lisa arrived with Emily Clark.

"Boss, let me introduce you. This is Ms. Emily Clark, who came especially to support our press conference today." Lisa winked.

Su Ning stood up and shook hands: "Ms. Clark, thank you for coming."

“Just call me Emily.” Emily smiled brightly. “Mr. Gan, today’s press conference was fantastic. Although I don’t know much about technology, I can tell… it was amazing.”

"You flatter me," Su Ning replied politely.

Lisa made an excuse to leave, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

"Mr. Gan must be very busy with work, right?" Emily initiated the conversation.

"Indeed, I'm busy 300 days a year."

"What about the remaining sixty-five days?"

"Business trip." Su Ning laughed. "Just kidding, I take breaks occasionally."

"Are you both in Los Angeles? I heard your company is in Santa Monica, but you live in Beverly Hills?"

“Yes, not far from here.” Su Ning looked at her. “Miss Clark, what new works have you been working on lately?”

"I just finished filming a romance movie, which will be released next year," Emily said. "Actually, I'm very interested in technology, but I don't know much about it. If Mr. Gan has the time, could you give me a little explanation?"

The implication of this statement is quite obvious.

Su Ning sized her up.

Emily is indeed beautiful, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tall figure. She looks stunning in her evening gown.

Moreover, she's smart and knows how to strike up a conversation with men.

I've had quite a few encounters with Hollywood actresses over the years, and it wouldn't be bad to officially date a top-tier actress now.

"After the dinner, I need to go back to my place to take care of some work," Su Ning said. "If you don't mind, you can come with me. I have some prototypes of new products that I can show you."

“Great!” Emily’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to see it for myself.”

……

Halfway through the banquet, Suning was surrounded by several distributors again.

With their current success, how could Suning possibly continue to dabble in beautiful women? Everyone is eager to be completely tied to this "lemon" (Suning's nickname) company.

"Mr. Gan, could you give us priority in the supply of Lemon Type 6?" said George, the distributor in Miami. "Our demand is particularly high."

"We ship orders in the order they are placed, which is fair." Suning has a strong principle.

"How about we place a larger order? We'll pay the full amount in advance!"

"Yes, but the maximum order size is 5,000 units per order to prevent stockpiling."

"Five thousand units is enough!"

On the other hand, Emily also returned to the celebrity circle with many backward glances.

Catherine leaned closer: "How was it?"

“He invited me to his place to see the new products,” Emily whispered.

“Wow.” Catherine raised an eyebrow. “Seize the opportunity. This is a big fish. There are very few actresses that Mr. Gan can take a liking to, and none of them have been officially acknowledged as his girlfriend yet.”

“I know.” Emily touched up her lipstick.

At 10 p.m., the banquet came to an end.

Suning began toasting each table, as is customary.

Upon reaching the distributors' table, the distributors cheered, "Mr. Gan, you've made so much money this year, you have to drink!"

"I'm not a big drinker, but I have to drink this one." Su Ning downed it, earning cheers from the crowd.

The atmosphere became even more lively at the suppliers' table.

"Mr. Gan, please consider placing orders with us next year!"

"As long as the quality is good and the price is good, I definitely will."

Once at the media table, the reporters had a lot more questions.

"Mr. Gan, does Lemon Technology have any plans to go public?"

"I will consider it when the time is right."

How is the collaboration with Motorola progressing?

"Everything went smoothly, and there will be new information next year."

Finally, we arrived at the Hollywood celebrity table.

Several female celebrities stood up.

"Thank you all for coming today." Su Ning raised his glass.

“Mr. Gan, you’re too kind,” Catherine said quickly. “It’s an honor for us to be invited to the dinner.”

Emily stood a little behind, simply smiling.

After toasting everyone, Suning returned to the main table and said to his assistant, "That's enough, let's get ready to leave."

"The car is arranged. Also, Ms. Emily Clark's agent said that she has already gone to the parking lot to wait."

Suning nodded: "Understood."

……

In the underground parking lot, Emily stood next to her red sports car and saw Suning's convoy approaching.

The three vehicles were: a Cadillac in the lead, a Mercedes-Benz in the middle carrying Suning, and security vehicles following behind.

Suning got out of the Mercedes and said to Emily, "Get in my car, I'll take you back to pick up your car later."

“Okay.” Emily got into the back seat of the Mercedes without hesitation.

The car drove out of the hotel.

“My place isn’t far from here, about a 15-minute drive,” Su Ning said.

"I heard you own several properties in Beverly Hills?"

“Just one place, the one halfway up the mountain.” Su Ning was very direct. “The media likes to exaggerate.”

Emily smiled: "Mr. Gan is very frank."

"There's no need to hide it. A house is a house; no matter how big it is, it's just a place to sleep."

The car drove up the mountain road and finally stopped in front of a modern villa.

The villa isn't large, but it's exquisitely designed and offers views of the Los Angeles skyline at night.

After entering the house, the nanny came over and asked, "Mr. Gan, would you like some late-night snacks prepared?"

"No need, you should go and rest," Su Ning said to Emily. "Please sit down, would you like something to drink?"

"Just water."

Suning went to pour water, while Emily looked around the living room.

The decor is simple, with no luxurious embellishments, but the furniture is clearly high-quality. Several abstract paintings hang on the walls, and a Lemon 6 display unit sits in the corner.

"Is this the new product you were talking about?" Emily walked to the computer.

“Yes, the Lemon 6 final version.” Suning handed over a glass of water. “It’s a little different from the one shown at today’s press conference. This is the top-of-the-line version.”

"Can I touch it?"

"casual."

Emily wasn't actually interested in computers, but she pretended to be: "This keyboard feels so good. The screen is so clear too."

"This screen was specially customized by us and Toshiba, and its resolution is 30% higher than the standard version."

“I don’t understand it, but it sounds impressive.” Emily turned around and leaned against the computer desk. “Mr. Gan, don’t you find it boring dealing with these things every day?”

“Sometimes it is, but most of the time it’s very interesting.” Su Ning sat on the sofa. “Watching an idea go from blueprints to a product, and then to something that every household uses, gives me a greater sense of accomplishment than anything else.”

"Like an actor seeing their movie released?"

"Somewhat similar, but more durable. A movie is over after it's over, but a computer can last for years."

Emily walked over and sat down on the other side of the sofa: "So... what hobbies do you have besides work?"

"I read books and play tennis occasionally," Su Ning said, looking at her. "And you?"

“I love to travel, but filming keeps me too busy, so I rarely have time.” Emily leaned forward slightly. “Mr. Gan, you must travel a lot for work, right? Where do you usually go?”

"Across the United States, and also in Japan and Europe. I'm going to Germany next month to discuss a collaboration."

"Going alone?"

"Usually I lead a team."

“That’s so boring,” Emily laughed. “Next time, I might bring a companion.”

The meaning is quite clear at this point.

Su Ning didn't reply, but instead checked the time: "It's eleven o'clock. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"I have a magazine shoot this afternoon," Emily said. "I'm free this morning."

“Well…” Su Ning paused for a moment, “The guest rooms upstairs are empty, you can stay there. I’ll have the driver take you there tomorrow morning.”

This is a way of asking the guest to stay.

Emily smiled and said, "Great! I'm tired too."

……

The nanny had already gone to rest, and the villa was very quiet.

Suning led Emily to the guest room on the second floor: "There are new towels in the bathroom. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you." Emily stood at the doorway, not going in. "Mr. Gan..."

"Ok?"

Do you often bring female friends home?

"Not often," Suning said frankly. "I'm too busy with work, I don't have time."

"So I'm...lucky?"

"It depends on how you define luck," Su Ning smiled. "Get some rest."

As he turned to leave, Emily suddenly called out to him, "Mr. Gan."

Suning turns around.

"You just left like that?" Emily's voice was very soft. "I thought..."

"What did you think?" Su Ning walked back and stood in front of her.

The two were very close, able to smell each other's scent...

Suning has a light cologne scent, while Emily has the scent of a formal evening perfume.

"Did you think you would...at least give me a goodbye kiss?" Emily looked up at him.

Su Ning looked at her for a few seconds, then actually lowered his head and kissed her.

A very light kiss.

"Satisfied?" he asked.

Emily blushed: "I thought you were a workaholic, but I never expected..."

“Workaholics are human too.” Su Ning released her. “Actually, my master bedroom is more comfortable. Would you like to take a look?”

"Great! It would be my honor."

Then Suning led Emily into his master bedroom, and the moment the door closed, it became their private space.

Then Su Ning hugged Emily and kissed her...

An hour or two later, Emily, drenched in sweat and looking utterly shocked, exclaimed, "My God! Mr. Gan, you are amazing!"

"I'll call you Su Ning."

"What a strange name."

"If you want to stay by my side, you must first accept my Chinese identity."

"Okay! You really are too domineering."

"Then I'll show you my domineering side!"

"what……"

……

When Emily woke up at seven o'clock the next morning, she found that the man was no longer there.

There was a new towel and a set of women's sportswear on the bedside table, and the size was just right.

After washing up, she went downstairs and found Suning already having breakfast in the restaurant, dressed in sportswear, looking like she had just come back from a morning run.

"Good morning," Su Ning said. "The nanny made breakfast, would you like some?"

“Okay.” Emily sat down. “Do you get up this early every day?”

"I get up at six, run for half an hour, have breakfast at seven, and leave for the company at seven-thirty," Su Ning recounted her schedule. "I'm used to it."

“Terrifyingly self-disciplined,” Emily said, sticking out her tongue.

"Success requires self-discipline." Su Ning handed her a coffee. "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Very good, the bed is very comfortable.” Emily hesitated for a moment. “Suning, I have a question.”

"ask."

What are your feelings for me?

Su Ning thought for a moment and said, "You're beautiful, smart, and know how to deal with people. You're the typical successful woman in Hollywood."

"that's it?"

“That’s all.” Su Ning was direct. “Emily, I don’t want to give you unrealistic expectations. Bringing you back last night was partly impulsive. But in the long run, my focus is on my career, and I don’t have time to cultivate a serious relationship.”

This is a very blunt statement, and it might even be a little hurtful.

But Emily breathed a sigh of relief: "You're much better than those men who make promises and then disappear."

"so……"

“So, let’s be friends?” Emily said. “We can have a meal together occasionally and chat. You can come to me when you need a female companion for events. You can come to me when I need… some resources.”

She was being very practical.

In Hollywood, connections are the key to success.

Suning's connections are more useful than ten producers.

"Deal made." Suning raised his glass. "A pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasant to work with."

After breakfast, the driver took Emily to pick up her car.

Just before getting into the car, Emily asked, "Were you serious about being with me last night?"

“You can’t fake a moment like that,” Su Ning said.

"That's enough." Emily smiled, got into the car, and drove away.

……

Back at the villa, the nanny was clearing the dining table.

"Sir, this young lady is different from the previous ones."

"What's the difference?"

“I was thinking of keeping all the others. This one seems smart,” the nanny said tactfully.

Su Ning laughed: "She's smart. That's why she gets more."

He went upstairs to change his clothes, preparing to go to the company.

On the way, my assistant called: "Boss, there's a video conference with the Motorola joint project team at 10 a.m. today, and we need to talk about patent licensing with IBM at 2 p.m. this afternoon..."

"understood."

After hanging up the phone, Suning looked out the window.

Last night was just a minor incident.

Emily is beautiful and intelligent; she knows the rules of the game.

But for him, his career is the main focus.

Women, even the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood, are merely the icing on the cake.

The car drove towards Santa Monica, and a new day began.

Lemon Technology's empire continues to expand.

Last night's dinner, today's work, tomorrow's negotiations... are all part of this grand strategy.

He enjoyed the feeling of being in control.

This includes controlling one's desires, knowing when to indulge and when to stop.

This is true power.

...(End of chapter)