Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 544 I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table.

The cold wind in Jingzhou, carrying fine snowflakes, kept pattering against the windows of the Coaster.

The car was well-heated, but Li Zairong's heart was cold.

Looking through the fog-filled car window at the technologically advanced Momo Technology Industrial Park, he felt a mix of emotions.

Perhaps he should come to Jingzhou City first.

The convoy slowly drove into the industrial park and stopped in front of the high-tech headquarters building.

The car door opened, and a gust of cold wind rushed into the carriage. Li Zairong subconsciously pulled his coat collar tighter.

At this moment, Cheng Yi and several senior executives were already waiting at the entrance of the park, his face beaming with a warm smile.

Upon seeing Li Zairong get out of the car, Cheng Yi strode forward, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "Oh, President Li, President Yang, welcome to Momo Group!"

This was the first time Lee Jae-yong had actually met Cheng Yi in person, although he had seen many photos of Cheng Yi before.

Seeing Cheng Yi's enthusiasm, Li Zairong forced a smile and shook hands with Cheng Yi.

He wanted to get straight to the point, but the two vice presidents of the Handong Provincial Political Affairs Association in the Coaster behind him had already greeted him with smiles.

They first smiled and nodded at Cheng Yi, then warmly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with Lee Jae-yong, their words filled with official jargon such as welcoming Samsung's investment, deepening cooperation, and seeking common development.

"President Li has come from afar and must be tired from the journey. Why don't you settle down and rest for a while?" A vice president said with a smile. "President Cheng, the industrial park is a new landmark for Handong. Why don't you invite President Li to visit and give us some guidance?"

Cheng Yi immediately chimed in, laughing, "We absolutely must get some guidance from President Li. He's the head of a multinational corporation, it's our honor to have him provide guidance."

Cheng Yi's words made Li Zairong feel humiliated.

Is this the truth? Or is it deliberate sarcasm?
Seeing Cheng Yi's face, which was full of sincerity, Li Zairong was unable to tell for a moment.

Cheng Yi turned to Li Zairong, his tone filled with undeniable enthusiasm, and said with a smile, "President Li, please, let's walk and talk. It'll be a good opportunity for you to see the vitality of young Chinese entrepreneurs."

Lee Jae-yong felt a tightness in his chest, and his face turned slightly pale.

He looked at Yang Yuanqing, who could only return his gaze with a helpless look.

Under the earnest gaze of the two provincial leaders, Li Zairong could only nod reluctantly, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth: "...Okay."

The journey that followed was nothing short of torture for Lee Jae-yong.

Cheng Yi transformed into the most dedicated tour guide, personally leading the way with light and quick steps.

From the spacious and bright startup incubation base to the well-equipped R&D laboratory, and then to the bustling game testing center, Cheng Yi spoke eloquently about the industrial park's planning concept, the innovative achievements of the resident companies, and the support policies of Momo Group at each location.

This gave Lee Jae-yong the illusion that he had come to inspect the place.

"President Li, you see, the image recognition algorithm developed by this team has reached the international leading level in accuracy..."

"This is the semiconductor materials research center that we jointly established with Handong University..."

"This is a local social networking app developed by several graduate students from China Overseas University. Its DAU growth curve is very impressive. If you are interested, you can consider investing in it..."

Cheng Yi's introduction was enthusiastic, but he made no mention of the ceasefire agreement that Li Zairong was most concerned about.

Whenever Li Zairong tried to steer the conversation in that direction, Cheng Yi would either cleverly change the subject by presenting the next point of discussion, or he would steer the conversation toward the two vice presidents who were with him.

The two vice presidents from Handong Province were clearly very satisfied with the achievements of the industrial park. They were in high spirits and immediately launched into a long, rambling conversation, talking about everything from policy support to talent introduction, from industrial layout to future plans. Li Zairong was caught in the middle, like a student forced to listen to a lecture, and could only suppress his anger.

In the afternoon, the itinerary changed to inspecting the investment environment of Jingzhou City.

The convoy traveled through Beijing's urban area, from the planned new CBD to the scenic Binhu Development Zone, and then to the historic old city renovation project...

The focus of Cheng Yi and the provincial and municipal leaders' presentations completely shifted to attracting investment and preferential policies.

With a large group of reporters accompanying him, Li Zairong had no chance to discuss any contract matters. He only wanted to resolve this scandal with Cheng Yi privately.

He felt like a mascot brought in to promote the company, always bearing the title of Samsung's heir wherever he went, attracting countless reporters and onlookers. His patience was gradually worn down by these aimless inspections.

Dinner was a high-level government reception banquet held at the Handong Hotel.

The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves while drinking and drinking.

At the very least, that's how it appears to outsiders.

As the host, Cheng Yi chatted and laughed, frequently raising his glass. The topics ranged from international affairs to Chinese cuisine, from technological trends to local customs, and he even had a brief discussion with the deputy senior officials about local operas.

He made no mention of the armistice agreement whatsoever.

Lee Jae-yong suppressed his irritation and barely managed to cope.

After a few glasses of strong liquor, Li Zairong felt his stomach burning and his head starting to feel heavy.

Looking at Cheng Yi's calm and smiling face across from him, a surge of anger suddenly rose to his head.

Fueled by alcohol, he said in a deep voice, "President Cheng, I've come with the utmost sincerity, regarding what we discussed before..."

"Sincerity?" Cheng Yi put down his wine glass, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "President Li, of course I know your sincerity. But such a big matter involves the future strategic direction of both of us, and even affects the landscape of the entire Asian market. How can we be hasty?"

He lowered his voice and said in a tone of "I'm doing this for your own good," "I also need time to fully communicate with the board of directors and the legal department, and we need to finalize every detail to ensure that nothing goes wrong. This is not only being responsible to Samsung, but also being responsible to ourselves, don't you think?"

This statement was perfectly logical and reasonable, disguising procrastination as caution and responsibility.

Lee Jae-yong was speechless and could only silently down another glass of wine.

If this were in South Korea, he would have tied this bastard up and shot him to death with a machine gun.

No, we can't use a machine gun. Using a machine gun would be too easy on that bastard.

I'd only feel better if I shot him with a PP bullet.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lee Jae-yong was already at his limit.

His bodyguards and assistants immediately rushed over and helped Lee Jae-young, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, out of the room.

Su Baiyu, chairman of the Hantong Hotel, personally arranged a room for Li Zairong, and all the formalities were in place. After all, Samsung is a top multinational conglomerate in Asia.

The specifications must not be taken lightly.

The next morning, Li Zairong, still suffering from a hangover and headache, once again took the Coaster to Momo Group, only to be greeted with another tour.

This time, it was replaced by Momo Group's proud super data center and cybersecurity command center.

Looking at the warning signs representing attack and defense on the computer screens, Li Zairong felt as if he could see his own information center being attacked, and his anxiety finally reached its peak.

Stepping out of the cybersecurity command center, Li Zairong abruptly stopped. His eyes were bloodshot from a hangover and anger, and he roared in a hoarse, low voice, "President Cheng! What tricks are you playing?"

He practically roared his words out; if Cheng Yi hadn't been a little far away, his spittle would probably have landed on his face.

Li Zairong looked directly at Cheng Yi and said, "Are you deliberately stalling for time? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for my father to completely lose patience, or...?"

He stared intently into Cheng Yi's eyes, gritting his teeth as he said, "Are you still waiting for that bitch Li Fuzhen to get things done in America?"

The moment the name "Li Fuzhen" was uttered, the air in the corridor seemed to freeze.

Yang Yuanqing's face turned pale. She quickly stepped forward to try to pull Li Zairong away, but Li Zairong roughly pushed her away.

The provincial and municipal leaders and Momo executives accompanying them tactfully stopped, their eyes darting around as they pretended to study the technical diagrams on the wall.

Cheng Yi's smile finally disappeared.

He calmly met Lee Jae-yong's fiery gaze and sighed softly, "Sigh..."

The sigh was filled with a sense of being caught in a dilemma.

"President Li," Cheng Yi's voice deepened, carrying a heavy weight that seemed to say, "I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table," as he said, "Shall we talk somewhere else?"

"Okay." Lee Jae-yong couldn't wait to resolve this matter.

He wasn't there to inspect projects, much less to invest; he just wanted to sign that damned ceasefire agreement and return to Seoul as soon as possible.

He followed Cheng Yi all the way to a small lounge at the end of the corridor.

"Sit down." Cheng Yi gestured for him to sit down, and Li Zairong sat down with a gloomy expression, staring directly at Cheng Yi.

“Your sister did indeed contact me.” Cheng Yi paused deliberately for a few seconds, observing Li Zairong’s expression.

“The conditions she offered are very tempting.” Cheng Yi smiled and said, “They are similar to the ceasefire agreement we are about to sign. She wants me to delay for a while to buy herself time to take over as president.”

Cheng Yi held up one finger and said, "She asked me to buy her a week. If she becomes the president, she's not only willing to sign this ceasefire agreement, but she'll also cooperate deeply with us."

“I admit, I’m tempted.” Cheng Yi smiled and said, “President Li understands the value of the Samsung Hotel Empire better than I do. Moreover, your sister’s abilities and determination have impressed me.”

Lee Jae-yong's body swayed slightly, and his face looked extremely ugly.

He was right after all; that bitch really did make a deal with Cheng Yi.

“However,” Cheng Yi’s tone suddenly changed, becoming much more sincere, “President Li, your sudden agreement to my almost harsh ceasefire agreement, coupled with your sincerity, demonstrates a true leader’s character and courage. In comparison…”

He shook his head again, saying meaningfully, "Some people seem too impatient and unscrupulous."

“That’s right.” Cheng Yi’s words seemed to give Li Zairong a lifeline. He immediately said, “My sister is too ambitious. She’s definitely not as simple as you think. Even if you give her a week, she might not be able to take the CEO position. So the conditions she agreed to are all empty promises. The conditions I’m agreeing to now are all real.”

Cheng Yi sighed, "If President Li had agreed to my ceasefire agreement earlier, things wouldn't have turned out this way. If I went back on my word, wouldn't I be considered a person who doesn't keep their promises?"

Li Zairong said in a deep voice, "President Cheng, you promised to sign a contract with me, and I've already come all this way. Now you're dragging your feet on signing, isn't that breaking your promise?"

"Yes, that's why I'm really conflicted," Cheng Yi sighed.

Lee Jae-yong's Chinese was not very good to begin with, and now, in his anxiety, he was spouting idioms haphazardly, making no sense whatsoever.

However, his expression clearly conveyed what he wanted to say.

He is in a hurry.

Cheng Yi deliberately lowered his head and pondered for a while before saying, "President Li, it seems that we can only think of a way that satisfies both sides."

"A win-win situation?" Lee Jae-young frowned and said, "Our Samsung Group can only have one president."

Cheng Yi said, "If you want your sister to not compete for the president's position, the only way is to kick her out of Samsung Group."

Lee Jae-yong's breathing became heavier.

Kicking Lee Boo-jin out of the Samsung Group was something he had always dreamed of.

But now, in order to stay in the clan and fight him for power, Lee Boo-jin has even married a nobody in the Samsung Group.

How easy is it to kick Lee Boo-jin out of Samsung?
He stared intently at Cheng Yi: "Mr. Cheng, do you have any good ideas?"

Cheng Yi said slowly, "Women's vision is often not as broad as men's. Your sister wants to seize power, which is nothing more than a desire for power. It's not that only Samsung can give her the desire for power."

“You mean…” Lee Jae-yong realized something.

“The hotel industry,” Cheng Yi said seriously, “President Li, the hotel industry is merely icing on the cake for Samsung’s core electronics, semiconductor and financial businesses, or even a burden. Your sister also mentioned in the terms she discussed with me that as long as she succeeds as president, she will find a way to sell Samsung’s hotel business to me!”

"Huh?" Lee Jae-yong was startled.

Samsung's hotel business, while not a huge amount, is still worth billions of dollars.

Lee Boo-jin actually used the hotel industry as leverage.

Thinking back to what his assistant had said, Lee Jae-yong completely believed Cheng Yi's words.

Cheng Yi continued, "I think now is the best time for you to kick Lee Boo-jin out of Samsung. Your father may be dissatisfied with how you handled the crisis, but he is probably more wary of your sister's ambition. If I were you, I would take the initiative to propose to completely separate the hotel business from Samsung and sell it to your sister, so that she can take the hotel business and leave independently, and no longer participate in the competition for Samsung's core affairs."

"Will she agree?" Lee Jae-yong was a little worried.

Cheng Yi adopted a "seeing things through to the end" attitude and sighed, "To avoid breaking my promise, I'll act as a peacemaker for you two this time."

(End of this chapter)