Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 685: The picture shows the dagger
"Oh?" Qi Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly.

He hadn't expected Lee Jae-yong to be so frank.

He had to admit that Lee Jae-yong's vision was very appealing.

While the success of Xiaolingtong (a type of mobile phone service) brought him enormous wealth and a vast network of channels, he also vaguely felt the limitations and pressure from technological iterations.

If Starcom can successfully enter the mainstream mobile phone market by leveraging Samsung's technology, this would undoubtedly be a shortcut for its transformation.

However, Li Zairong's terms moved Qi Hongjun somewhat.

He's trying to use me to deal with Momo Group.

Seeing that Qi Hongjun was interested, Li Zairong knew that the time was almost right.

He then abruptly changed the subject, revealing his true intentions: "President Qi, our newly established Samsung Express has a nationwide on-site service network. I hope that Starcom can abandon its cooperation with Momo Group and instead become deeply integrated with us."

He paused, observing Qi Hongjun's reaction, and then said, "Moreover, Cheng Yi of Momo Group is eccentric and difficult to cooperate with. They probably reaped huge profits by using TV shopping channels to promote your Xiaolingtong, right? More importantly, they are currently deeply embroiled in the battle with Microsoft's operating system and are too busy to take care of themselves. If we are tied to them, the future will probably be full of uncertainty."

Lee Jae-yong leaned back in his chair, his tone becoming meaningful as he said, "If President Qi is willing to impose some reasonable restrictions on Momo Group at an appropriate time, such as in the allocation of communication base station resources or by using your influence at the policy level, to help Samsung curb their overly arrogant behavior, then Samsung is willing to make greater concessions in terms of technology licensing and profit sharing in our future cooperation."

The study fell silent for a moment, with only the soft bubbling of the teapot and the rustling sound of Qi Hongjun rubbing walnuts together in his hands.

Lee Jae-yong's conditions were very clear: he wanted Qi Hongjun to betray his existing partners, side with Samsung, and work together to deal with Cheng Yi and Momo Group.

Qi Hongjun's gaze deepened. He slowly put down his teacup, looked at Li Zairong, and his face regained that inscrutable smile. He said, "Chairman Li, you've played a very big game here..."

Qi Hongjun neither immediately agreed nor outright refused.

Having been through many battles, he knew the importance of choosing sides and understood the risks hidden behind the conditions offered by Lee Jae-yong.

The collaboration with Momo Group, especially the sale of PHS phones through TV shopping, did indeed make Sidakang a fortune. Although Cheng Yi was cunning, he was still trustworthy in the collaboration and the profit sharing was clear.

Although Momo Group is currently facing pressure, it has a solid foundation and its influence in Handong Province and grassroots markets should not be underestimated.

More importantly, deep down, Qi Hongjun still held a sliver of hope for Cheng Yi.

He always felt that this young man, who seemed to be suppressed by Microsoft and Samsung, was hiding some unknown trump card.

Samsung and Lee Jae-young are undoubtedly powerful companies, and the cooperation prospects they offer are extremely attractive.

Although it's all business, Momo Group is no longer just a foreign company. Cheng Yi also serves as the chairman and president of Momo OS, which is a genuine domestic technology company.

Openly helping foreign capital suppress rising domestic technology companies requires extreme caution in terms of public opinion pressure.

"Chairman Li." After a long pause, Qi Hongjun finally spoke, his tone returning to its previous loud and smooth manner. He chuckled and said, "Your suggestion is very constructive. I am also very optimistic about the future of internet-enabled mobile phones. Cooperation is no problem."

He cleverly avoided the most sensitive topic of suppressing Momo Group, and instead focused on the business cooperation itself.

"As for other matters..." Qi Hongjun picked up his teacup, gestured to Li Zairong, and smiled, "I've always believed in making money through harmony. My cooperation with anyone is all for the purpose of better serving users and promoting industry development. Some things can't be rushed or forced. We need to consider them carefully, Chairman Li."

These words were perfectly worded, neither rejecting Samsung's intention to cooperate, leaving room for the future, nor making a clear commitment to take action against Momo Group.

Li Zairong felt a little disappointed; he felt like he had encountered another Du Yusheng.

These Chinese people are good in every way, but their habit of playing Tai Chi is really infuriating.

He knew that someone like Qi Hongjun wouldn't be easily persuaded.

Qi Hongjun poured Li Zairong another cup of tea and said with a smile, "President Li, I didn't originally intend to say this, but we've known each other for over a year now, so I'll just consider it a reminder."

"Please speak, Mr. Qi." Li Zairong quickly sat up straighter.

Qi Hongjun said, "Let me give you a piece of advice: you'd better not think about any underhanded methods. It's true that I have the ability to suppress Momo Group, and not only me, but many other people also have this ability. But aren't you curious why no one does it?"

Lee Jae-yong shook his head.

"Business is business, and no one will interfere with that, but don't try to escalate it to the level of a business war," Qi Hongjun said. "First of all, Momo Group is a high-quality foreign-invested enterprise. If it suffers unfair treatment, the entire EU will protest. The depth of our cooperation with the EU is far greater than that with Japan, South Korea, and the US. You could say that we are already being very generous by treating everyone fairly."

Qi Hongjun's words surprised Li Zairong slightly.

“If Momo Group were a purely Chinese company, your dirty tricks might have worked, whether it was a forced acquisition or hiring someone to suppress it before acquiring it. But now, no one can touch Momo Group, and no one dares to touch it.” Li Zairong said frankly, “We now attach great importance to foreign investment. Whether it’s Samsung or Microsoft, we have shown our utmost sincerity. I believe you can feel our sincerity.”

Lee Jae-young remained silent.

He overlooked the most important point: Momo Group is backed by the entire European Union.

This is indeed a tricky situation.

He could feel China's sincerity towards foreign investment. According to the "2005 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index" report released by the US intelligence agency, China ranked first as a destination for foreign direct investment.

It can be said that, at present, attracting foreign investment is the focus of China's work. China's support for foreign investment surpasses that of any other country in the world, and it has zero tolerance for any behavior that interferes with foreign-invested enterprises.

Although the US, Japan, and South Korea all know that China's policy is one of bearing humiliation and hardship, bowing its head now is for a higher future to hold its head high.

But China's policies are just too tempting. The huge consumer market, coupled with unprecedented support, has led foreign investors to go from initial resistance to a genuine rapport with the country.

However, the price of this forbearance is also very high. In recent years, there have been numerous cases of foreign companies using various means to suppress and acquire local companies. The Chinese government feels the pain as well as the pain of being hit.

But the strategy of national rejuvenation made him endure all the pain.

Seeing that Li Zairong understood, Qi Hongjun said with deep emotion, "You could say that if I use improper means to attack Momo Group today, you won't be able to contact me tomorrow. Similarly, if I attack Samsung, it will be the same."

"So, if you cooperate with me, only you can bully me; I can't bully you," Qi Hongjun said, smiling innocently.

"What about the Momo OS system company?" Li Zairong asked tentatively. Qi Hongjun said, "The Momo OS system company is still 40% owned by Momo Group under Enze Capital. Strictly speaking, they are also a foreign-funded enterprise, but the control is held by the local government."

“I understand.” Li Zairong understood what Qi Hongjun meant.

It seems that their only option now is to resolve the issue with Momo Group through commercial means.

Qi Hongjun laughed and said, "With the strength of Microsoft and Samsung, why would we need any external help?"

He poured Li Zairong a cup of tea and said, "Actually, this is good for you. If it weren't for the foreign investment aspect, just the fact that you joined forces to suppress the Momo OS system would have been enough to give you a hard time."

Li Zairong didn't say anything more. After finishing his tea with Qi Hongjun, he took his leave and left Qi Hongjun's courtyard.

Sitting in the luxury car, Lee Jae-yong felt slightly unsettled.

The meeting with Qi Hongjun was packed with information, casting a shadow over his otherwise clear strategic plan.

Qi Hongjun's frank remarks at the end regarding the protection of foreign investment were like a bucket of cold water poured over him, waking him up.

He had indeed overlooked, or rather underestimated, the protective effect of the EU shell provided by Enze Capital behind Momo Group.

Against the backdrop of China's current efforts to attract foreign investment and optimize the business environment, any attempt to suppress foreign-invested enterprises through non-market means may cross the red line and lead to unpredictable consequences.

This also explains why Cheng Yi is so fearless, and it also means that some of the underhanded tactics he and Waters had planned would be difficult to implement in China, and might even backfire.

However, he also knew that Qi Hongjun was not telling him this out of kindness.

Qi Hongjun wanted to reject the conditions he proposed for dealing with Momo Group and then cooperate under different conditions.

He recalled Qi Hongjun's smooth and ambiguous attitude, showing interest in cooperation but unwilling to take sides explicitly.

This guy is trying to sit on the fence between Samsung and Momo, waiting for the right price to go.

Right now, Li Zairong's mind is only focused on how to destroy Momo Group. As for whether to establish a joint venture with Qi Hongjun, that is not in his current plans.

"Is it only possible through purely commercial means?" Lee Jae-yong leaned back in his comfortable leather seat, closing his eyes in deep thought.

This undoubtedly increased costs for both them and Microsoft, and also made the rules of the game clearer.

This indicates that they must accelerate the commercial strangulation of Momo Group's core business and use real market pressure to completely dismantle Momo Group.

At this moment, Qi Hongjun, who had just seen Li Zairong off, returned to his study, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

He strolled to the window, gazing at the ancient trees in the courtyard that grew even more verdant in the twilight, lost in thought.

Lee Jae-young's proposal was very tempting; Samsung's technology and brand were undoubtedly a golden brand.

However, Cheng Yi and Momo Group should not be underestimated.

The young man's ability to build such a vast business empire in just a few years is unfathomable, as are his skills, vision, and the power behind him.

More importantly, the cooperation with Momo Group is currently going very smoothly and generating considerable profits. A sudden shift would pose significant risks.

Moreover, as he warned Lee Jae-yong, the risks of taking action against Momo Group were very high.

Qi Hongjun's rise to his current position is not solely due to his family background and luck, but also to his accurate grasp of policy trends and his delicate balance of interests among various parties.

After much deliberation, he made a seemingly risky but actually shrewd decision.

Open cards.

He took out his phone and dialed Cheng Yi's number directly.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Cheng Yi's familiar, slightly lazy voice came through: "Brother Qi, what made you think of calling me?"

Cheng Yi laughed and joked, his tone seemingly unaffected by the current business battle.

Qi Hongjun laughed heartily and said in a warm tone, "What? You've gotten so big for yourself now that you even need to report to me before I call you?"

"Brother Qi, you're joking. Even if you called at three in the morning, I'd still get up and answer it without hesitation," Cheng Yi joked.

"I wouldn't dare bother you at three in the morning." Qi Hongjun was quite pleased with Cheng Yi's humble attitude and quickly said seriously, "But I did come to see you today because there is something quite interesting that I need to tell you."

He made no secrets and recounted to Cheng Yi in detail how Li Zairong had visited that afternoon, outlined the blueprint for mobile phone cooperation, and tried to win him over to suppress Momo Group. He only omitted his analysis of foreign investment.

“Brother Cheng, here’s the situation. Li Zairong is quite ambitious and ruthless. You’d better be careful.” Qi Hongjun’s tone was sincere, completely adopting the posture of an ally who was doing this for your own good.

On the other end of the phone, Cheng Yi listened quietly without interrupting.

Only after Qi Hongjun finished speaking did he chuckle lightly, his tone revealing no emotion, and said, "This Chairman Li is indeed quite busy. He couldn't find me in Jingzhou, so he came to Yanjing to find you, Brother Qi. Thank you for your frankness, Brother Qi. I will remember this kindness."

"Hey, forget about friendship. Come over for tea sometime." That's exactly what Qi Hongjun wanted to hear. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he added, "However, the conditions Li Zairong offered do reflect some industry trends. The internet mobile phone sector will probably be a fiercely contested battleground in the future."

His words were both a reminder and a test.

He wanted to know whether Momo Group had the same foundation as Samsung in the so-called internet mobile phone field.

After all, as a Chinese telecommunications tycoon, he was always following global telecommunications news, and he knew something about BBA Mobile Communications, which was jointly established by Enze Capital.

Qi Hongjun wanted to make a choice between Samsung Electronics and BBA Communications.

(End of this chapter)