Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 592 I Can't Get Away with My Conscience

"Return to the Shilla Hotel," Lee Jae-yong ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes." Lee Jae-yong's bodyguard and driver immediately turned around and returned to the Shilla Hotel.

Less than an hour after their unpleasant meeting, Lee Jae-young reappeared at the door of Lee Boo-jin's office.

"Big brother, it seems you still want me to treat you to a meal," Li Fuzhen said with a charming smile.

Lee Jae-yong had lost his earlier aggressive demeanor. At this moment, a sense of vicissitude was shrouded between his brows, and his steps even seemed a bit heavy.

Just one hour later, the heir of the Samsung empire seemed like a completely different person.

Lee Jae-yong did not sit down, but instead lowered his eyelids slightly and said in a hoarse and low voice, "Fu-jin... I..."

He paused, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, but finally said with difficulty, "I've thought about it carefully, and maybe... you're right. We may indeed have been used. If we continue to go head-to-head with Momo Group, especially in the quagmire of Audition Online, Samsung will only sink deeper and suffer greater losses."

He raised his head and looked at Li Fuzhen with a complex expression, which contained resentment and humiliation, but more than anything, a clear-headed understanding of reality.

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and said, "I want to talk to Cheng Yi. Our investment in Audition Online is just to develop a game. We have no intention of targeting Momo Group. On the contrary, Momo Group has been suppressing us openly and secretly. In fact, the game industry is so big. We can cooperate and make money. Why do we have to fight to the death?"

Li Fuzhen listened quietly, a slight ripple stirring in her heart.

She had never seen her brother show such weakness. The usually proud, confident, and even somewhat stubborn Lee Jae-yong seemed to have lost all light in his eyes, replaced by a very realistic and calm gaze.

To be honest, Lee Boo-jin wasn't afraid of Lee Jae-young, who had previously acted hysterically.

But now, Lee Jae-yong is making her a little scared.

What does that feel like?

It feels like a transformation.

Now her older brother has lost his so-called dignity and Samsung's so-called glory.

This is the shackle; once it's removed, her older brother will have no weaknesses.

"How do you want to talk?" Lee Boo-jin asked tentatively, her voice softening slightly.

“I hope you can help me make a connection.” Lee Jae-yong said calmly, “As an intermediary, contact Cheng Yi. Express Samsung’s, or rather my own, desire to temporarily set aside the dispute and seek a solution… well… at least to stop this vicious competition. See what conditions he has on his end.”

He didn't say he wanted peace, but instead used phrases like setting aside disputes and stopping vicious competition, the meaning of which was clear to both sides.

Li Fuzhen pondered for a moment.

She knew very well that Cheng Yi might not easily agree to peace talks, especially given that he held the absolute initiative.

But the elder brother's attitude is undoubtedly an important signal, and may also be a rare opportunity.

Whether for the overall benefit of the Samsung family or to further solidify its position as a key mediator, this is something worth doing.

“Okay.” Li Fuzhen finally nodded and said, “I can make this call for you, but only to convey the message. I can’t guarantee how Cheng Yi will respond.”

Lee Jae-young breathed a sigh of relief and said calmly, "I understand. Thank you, Boo-jin."

Li Fuzhen didn't say anything more. She picked up her phone from the table and dialed a number she had saved for a long time but rarely used.

The call connected, and Lee Boo-jin pressed the speakerphone button. Cheng Yi's familiar and composed voice came through: "Chairwoman Lee? What a rare guest! I heard your older brother came to see you? It seems Samsung hasn't been having an easy time lately."

Cheng Yi got straight to the point, directly stating that Li Zairong was present. His tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of something he had already anticipated, which made Li Zairong's heart sink.

How did Cheng Yi know his whereabouts?

Is this a joke?
Only a few people knew about his whereabouts this time.

Could it be that someone close to you has been bribed?

Lee Jae-yong felt a chill run down his spine.

Li Fuzhen glanced at her brother, whose expression had changed slightly, and said calmly, "President Cheng's information network is truly impressive. My elder brother is indeed with me. He hopes to talk to you and suspend the current confrontation."

Cheng Yi breathed softly on the other end of the phone, as if he were sipping a cup of tea. Then he said with a calm smile, "Chairman, please tell President Li that the doors of Momo Group are never closed, but we only talk to partners who show sufficient sincerity."

He paused, then continued, "The current situation is that Samsung is mired in a quagmire due to poor decision-making, while my Moc-OS system is growing rapidly with hundreds of thousands of new installations every day. Under these circumstances, pausing the confrontation sounds more like a one-sided proposal to seek respite than an equal negotiation."

Lee Jae-yong's face immediately turned ugly.

Cheng Yi continued, "Actually, I didn't mean to target Samsung. I just really dislike this game. I didn't even know Samsung had invested in it at first. After all, as far as we know, the investor in Audition Online is a European capital company. As far as I know, that capital company should be backed by Microsoft, right? How did it turn into Samsung's involvement in this conflict?"

Cheng Yi shirked all responsibility with just one sentence.

His attitude was clear: I really didn't mean to hit you, it's just that the person standing in front of you suddenly squatted down, so you got punched by me.

Lee Jae-yong's lips twitched, but he was powerless to refute.

Cheng Yi added, "I can't let a game that profits by harming young boys and girls live, otherwise I can't live with my conscience."

"Conscience?" Lee Jae-yong opened his mouth, as if he had heard the most absurd thing.

Does this bastard have any conscience?
Damn, that's fucking hilarious.

"That's all I have to say. Welcome President Li to visit Jingzhou City again."

After saying that, Cheng Yi hung up the phone.

The call ended abruptly.

There was dead silence in the office.

Cheng Yi's answer was clear: Audition Online had to die, which was tantamount to refusing to negotiate. Li Zairong's expression was extremely troubled.

Cheng Yi's refusal not only embarrassed him, but also embarrassed Samsung.

Normally, he would definitely roar and scream hysterically.

But now, apart from looking rather unwell, he hasn't done anything else.

He glanced at Li Fuzhen, whose expression was complicated, said no more, and turned to leave the room.

Since the path to peace talks has been completely blocked, he might as well go back and think of a solution instead of wasting time here.

The next day, in the president's office of Momo Group in Jingzhou.

Li Xiang, his face brimming with barely suppressed excitement, was reporting the latest results to Cheng Yi.

"President Cheng, as of today, our 366 stores have sold a total of 58 computers. Our production lines are practically smoking. Now we're just waiting to see when the computer industrial parks in Guangdong and Shandong provinces will be established. If they can be established as soon as possible, our production pressure will be greatly reduced." Li Xiang placed the report in his hand in front of Cheng Yi and smiled, "The refurbished and second-hand channels are even more impressive. They're selling like crazy in Southeast Asia and South Asia."

As Li Xiang was speaking, Li Weiwei quickly walked into the office.

She nodded to Li Xiang first, then said to Cheng Yi, "We just received news from Samsung in South Korea that Lee Jae-young seems to be unable to withstand the pressure and went to Singapore to find Lee Boo-jin. It seems that he intends to negotiate a peace. If Samsung admits defeat at this time, we can concentrate all our efforts on dealing with Microsoft."

Huang Wenrong, who was making tea and drinking it by himself on one side of the office, couldn't help but look up.

Everyone, including Li Xiang, looked at Cheng Yi.

This is great news.

Since their truce with Microsoft ended, Microsoft has been making constant underhanded moves.

Cheng Yi smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "I already knew that, and I've already declined."

"What? They rejected it?" Li Xiang and Huang Wenrong were speechless almost simultaneously, their smiles freezing instantly, filled with disbelief and confusion.

Li Weiwei was also shocked, but she was shocked that Cheng Yi had already received the news.

What does this mean? It means that Cheng Yi has an independent intelligence-gathering agency.

Huang Wenrong was the first to react, and said urgently, "President Cheng, why is this? Samsung has taken the initiative to seek peace, which is the best opportunity for us to avoid fighting on two fronts. We can take this opportunity to make demands, even if it's just a considerable settlement fee, it can greatly alleviate our current financial pressure. Why should we refuse?"

Li Xiang added, "Yes, President Cheng. Although our production capacity and distribution channels have strong explosive growth potential, the pressure is also immense as they operate at continuously high capacity. If we can temporarily stabilize things with Samsung..."

Cheng Yi's gaze swept over his two most core subordinates, and he said very seriously, "You only see the immediate results and the chance to catch your breath, but you don't see the deeper things. I ask you, why is Samsung asking for peace now?"

"Because they can't hold on any longer. Audition Online is about to end, and all their investment has gone down the drain," Li Xiang replied.

“That’s right.” Cheng Yi nodded and said, “Although they’ve been hurt, the pain hasn’t been deep enough. They’re only seeking peace now because they’ve realized that following Microsoft is a dead end. They want to cut their losses in time. It’s a tactical retreat, not a strategic surrender. Once they’ve had a chance to catch their breath, or once Microsoft has a new leader and makes new promises, they could come back at any time.”

He held up three fingers and said firmly, "I rejected them for three reasons."

"First, establish our authority," Cheng Yi said. "How many eyes in Asia and even the world are watching this battle between us and Samsung? If Samsung can easily reach a settlement and escape unscathed after suffering only minor injuries, then any giant will feel that they can come and trample on us, since it's no big deal if they fail."

"Moreover, we must thoroughly inflict pain on Samsung, pain to the core, pain so that all unscrupulous opponents can clearly see just how heavy the price must be paid to challenge the unfamiliar ecosystem."

“The second is the security deposit.” Cheng Yi smiled and said, “All Li Zairong is thinking about now is spending a little money to buy peace, but I don’t care about that amount of money. What I want is the $30 billion security deposit signed in the last ceasefire agreement. Only by making them pay that level of price can we truly weaken them and ensure peace for at least three years to come.”

Cheng Yi grinned mischievously, "To get this money, we have to provoke them. As long as they can't help but make the first move, we'll be incredibly lucky."

"The third point is that Audition Online must die." Cheng Yi said with a resolute tone, "This game has become the best guide for the Moc-os system, and its mission has been more than accomplished. But its very existence is a cancer, and I cannot allow it to continue to exist."

The office was silent.

The confusion on Li Xiang and Huang Wenrong's faces gradually faded, replaced by a look of shock.

Cheng Yi stood up and patted the two men on the shoulders: "A temporary respite cannot bring lasting peace. Only by making the enemy feel a chill to the bone can we win true respect and a long enough period of peaceful development. Samsung's pleas for peace are not the end, but the beginning of a more intense offensive in the next phase. What we are fighting is a war to establish our authority so that no one will dare to provoke us again!"

Li Xiang and Huang Wenrong exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and nodded heavily: "Understood, President Cheng!"

Seoul, Samsung Group headquarters.

Lee Jae-yong locked himself in his office for an entire afternoon, and surprisingly, none of the ornaments on his desk were broken.

Countless counterattack strategies flashed through Li Zairong's mind, such as increasing investment and fighting Momo Group to the bitter end, or using all resources to block Honor Computer's supply chain.

Even more sinister methods exist...

They are now constrained in every way simply because they are fighting a war of endorsements. They control T3 to fight against Momo Group, which is impossible for them to win.

If Samsung Group were to take charge themselves, the outcome would be entirely different.

The size of Samsung Group and Momo Group is still quite different.

Lee Jae-yong considered it for a long time, but in the end, reason gradually prevailed over his emotions.

He still couldn't bear to part with those three billion US dollars.

They've already thrown over a billion US dollars into Audition Online, and they simply can't afford to lose any more.

He forced himself to sit down, turned on his computer, and pulled up all the input-output reports, market analysis data, and the latest user churn curves for the Audition Online project to date.

Data doesn't lie, and it doesn't care about anyone's feelings.

Looking at the report, he realized many problems.

Their behind-the-scenes support for Audition Online in its battle with Momo was a strategic mistake. This resulted in Samsung investing massive resources but being unable to directly intervene in product direction and operational strategies, forced to watch helplessly as T3 and Microsoft led them into the abyss, ultimately being exploited by their rivals and backfiring on them.

(End of this chapter)