Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 319 Lei Jun's Invitation: Intelligent Driving

The black sedan entered the Xiaomi Science and Technology Park just after nine o'clock, and the sunlight made the glass curtain wall dazzling.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Jiang Qing saw Lei Jun's familiar figure leading a group of people quickly coming out of the lobby on the first floor to greet them. He was waving his arms, and Jiang Qing could feel his enthusiasm even through the car window.

"Mr. Jiang!"

As soon as the car door opened, Lei Jun's slightly accented Mandarin pierced the air as he grabbed Jiang Qing's arm with considerable force.

I've been waiting for you like the stars and the moon!

Jiang Qing was used to his enthusiasm and smiled as she shook his hand in return.

"President Lei, with this entourage, anyone who didn't know better would think I'm here to inspect the work."

His gaze swept over Lei Jun's back, where several familiar faces, including Lu Weibing and Wang Teng, were present, all wearing friendly smiles.

"That is required!"

Lei Jun laughed and patted Jiang Qing on the shoulder with his other hand.

"You're the unofficial brain of Xiaomi, we can't afford to neglect anyone but you! Come on, it's sunny outside, but cool inside!"

The group walked into the building, and the cool air from the central air conditioning instantly dispelled the heat of the sun.

Chen Duo and Zhou Zhengkai followed quietly behind.

Inside the conference room, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of Beijing's towering skyscrapers.

The projector was already set up on the long conference table.

As soon as everyone sat down, Lei Jun gestured with his chin toward the engineer in charge of the demonstration.

"Let's begin. Give President Jiang a proper report on the first step of our long march into car manufacturing."

As the PPT lit up, accompanied by the engineer's clear and steady explanation, Xiaomi's core progress since announcing its car manufacturing at the end of March last year, its supply chain layout, factory construction, team building, and the initial engineering prototype status were presented to Jiang Qing one by one.

The data is detailed, the charts are clear, and the progress bar is indeed moving forward at a rapid pace, just as Lei Jun said.

Jiang Qing watched intently, occasionally taking a sip of the mineral water beside her, her fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the inside of the cup.

The presentation ended, and the conference room lights came back on.

Lei Jun leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on the table, and looked intently at Jiang Qing.

"So, Jiang Qing, do you understand what's going on with this? Although we started a little late, our determination and commitment are absolutely there!"

He gave a thumbs up.

Jiang Qing put down her water glass, leaned back in her chair, relaxed a bit, and smiled knowingly.

"Mr. Lei, your progress is even faster than I expected. It seems you really are treating car manufacturing as your last entrepreneurial venture this time."

"of course!"

Lei Jun slammed his fist on the table.

"I didn't work this hard when Kingsoft went public! This is a major strategy that will determine Xiaomi's future for the next ten or even twenty years!"

He changed the subject, his tone becoming sincere.

"So, Jiang Qing, let's get straight to the point, you have to help me."

Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow, but she wasn't surprised, since she had been mentally prepared before coming.

"Oh? What do you need me to do? A technical advisor? Or a strategic consultant?"

"Oh, it's so easy talking to President Jiang!"

Lei Jun grinned, his tone laced with amusement.

"What I'm thinking is that we need you to give us a hand at the most crucial point! Help Xiaomi Auto develop something truly leading in the field of intelligent driving, something that can make a splash!"

The conference room fell silent instantly, and all eyes were on Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing's smile faded slightly. He sat up straight and placed his hands on the edge of the table.

"Mr. Lei, the field of intelligent driving is very complex. It's not that I'm unwilling to help, but at this stage, the whole world is the same. The technology itself can become relatively mature through massive testing, but the environment is far from ready."

He glanced around at the Xiaomi executives present, his gaze finally settling on Lei Jun's face.

"The problem is that no car manufacturer will put the phrase 'Our system may occasionally malfunction' in their brochures. They will only tout 'very close to autonomous driving' and 'hands-free driving.' Once something goes wrong, even if the probability is low, attacks from consumers and competitors will come like a tidal wave. Technical flaws will be magnified infinitely, and brand reputation could collapse overnight. Xiaomi has just entered this market; can it withstand this risk?"

Lei Jun's smile faded, and after a few seconds of silence, he let out a heavy sigh.

“Jiang Qing, I understand what you’re saying, and the team understands too. We’re not trying to create some gimmick of self-driving cars to fool people. What Xiaomi needs is for ours to be better, more stable, and provide a smoother experience than everyone else’s intelligent driving assistance features! That’s a real technological barrier!”

He leaned forward, his eyes fervent and certain.

"And I assure you, we will not play word games in our advertising! We will call it 'Assisted Driving,' clear and unambiguous! The emphasis will be on its assisted nature, which is to reduce driver fatigue and increase safety redundancy, not to replace the driver! How does that sound?"

After Lei Jun finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent, and everyone held their breath as they stared at Jiang Qing.

Lu Weibing added a sentence at the opportune moment.

"President Jiang, President Lei is truly determined to set a benchmark in this field, and there is absolutely no upper limit to the investment in technology."

Jiang Qing did not answer immediately.

He lowered his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the smooth conference table, producing a rhythmic sound.

Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shadows on his profile and making his expression unreadable to Xiaomi's core management team.

Jiang Qing was well aware of Lei Jun's purpose in inviting him, as Lei Jun had mentioned it to him several times before, both openly and subtly.

He estimated the time was right and it was time to make his move.

Xiaomi's first foray into car manufacturing is exactly what it needs, and it's more willing to invest in and focus on him.

Thinking of this, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over Lei Jun and then over the executives present.

"Talk is cheap."

Jiang Qing's voice broke the silence.

"Mr. Lei, call over the core members of your intelligent driving team right now."

Lei Jun's eyes lit up with immense joy, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Okay! Coming right away!"

He immediately turned to look at Wang Teng.

"Wang Teng, immediately! Get all engineers at P8 level and above from the intelligent driving team here within ten minutes! Move forward at a run!"

Less than ten minutes later, the meeting room door was pushed open again.

Seventeen or eighteen engineers, dressed in technical T-shirts or casual wear, filed in. Some were young, while others looked experienced, and all had a hint of nervousness and curiosity on their faces.

The meeting room suddenly felt a bit crowded.

Lei Jun pointed to Jiang Xiang and introduced him to them.

"This is President Jiang Qing, no need for me to introduce him, right? He's here today to give our intelligent driving team a heads-up, everyone, keep your spirits up!"

The engineers' eyes immediately filled with excitement as they looked at Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing nodded to them as a greeting, and then got straight to the point.

"Let's get straight to the point. I won't stand on ceremony. Tell me about your current R&D progress, technical roadmap, core algorithm framework, sensor fusion solution, and the biggest bottleneck you've encountered. Pick the most critical one and explain it to me in the simplest terms. The more specific, the better."

The next hour or so became the presentation session for the core members of the intelligent driving team. Engineers took turns going up to the projector to quickly explain and demonstrate their findings.

Some people talked about the difficulties of perception fusion, some about the logic of decision-making and planning, some about the scale of simulation testing, and some frankly admitted the instability in handling complex scenarios, such as unprotected left turns and ghost peeking out.

The meeting room was filled with exchanges of technical jargon, but Jiang Qing always managed to grasp the core issues precisely and confirm or ask follow-up questions in a more accessible way.

"In other words, your current recognition rate for static objects is very high, but for dynamic objects, especially targets that suddenly enter the scene, the trajectory prediction algorithm is still based on a probability model, which results in misjudgment and delay?"

"Yes, Mr. Jiang, especially when the target's speed changes drastically..."

"How many extreme scenarios did the simulation tests cover? What was the size of the actual road test fleet? What was the feedback efficiency of the data closed loop?"

"Currently, the simulation scenario library covers hundreds of scenarios, and the data feedback and model iteration cycle is..."

Jiang Qing's questions were sharp, direct, and hit the nail on the head.

The engineers' foreheads were slightly sweaty as they answered, but their eyes grew brighter and brighter.

They could sense that President Jiang wasn't nitpicking, but rather genuinely understanding their work and seeking potential breakthroughs.

After the last engineer finished reporting, Jiang Qing did not ask any more questions.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of him, and closed his eyes slightly to process all the information he had just heard.

The only sounds in the conference room were the low rumble of the central air conditioning and the suppressed breathing of the people.

Lei Jun stared nervously at Jiang Qing, barely daring to breathe.

He knew the decisive moment had arrived.

Time passed slowly, making everyone in the room feel that time was passing exceptionally long.

Finally, Jiang Qing opened her eyes, her gaze calm.

He turned to Lei Jun, a relaxed and teasing smile suddenly appearing on his face, just like when friends joke around.

"Mr. Lei."

Jiang Qing had a smiling expression on her face.

"What you just said, guaranteeing the marketing slogan would be 'Assisted Driving,' with no upper limit on technology investment, and... you'll have to figure out how to handle my consulting fees, right?"

Lei Jun was stunned for a moment, then a huge surge of joy rushed through his body like an electric current!

He suddenly jumped up from the chair, the chair legs scraping loudly on the floor due to the sudden movement.

"You promised! Of course you promised! Mr. Jiang! You agreed?! Good! Great!"

Lei Jun was so excited that he almost went around the table to hug Jiang Qing. He waved his arms, his face flushed, and raised his hand to signal to the still bewildered intelligent driving team and senior executives.

"What are you all standing there for?! Let's clap! Welcome our Chief Consultant of the Intelligent Driving Team at Xiaomi Auto, our Consultant Jiang!!"

"Wow!!!"

Thunderous applause erupted instantly in the conference room!
Everyone stood up, their faces beaming with excitement!
The applause was enthusiastic and prolonged.

The engineers on the intelligent driving team were so excited that their faces turned red. They clapped enthusiastically and looked at Jiang Qing with anticipation in their eyes.

Jiang Qingsheng was renowned, and his presence gave them a great deal of confidence.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Jiang Qing smiled and shook his head, stood up, and gestured to the excited crowd to quiet them down.

He looked at Lei Jun, his smile tinged with helplessness.

"Mr. Lei, the way you're making it sound like I'm some kind of savior descended to earth. Let me be clear from the start, this job isn't easy, so the consulting fee will have to be doubled."

"Add! We absolutely must add! Don't just say double, we'll double it!"

Lei Jun patted his chest proudly, then lowered his voice, revealing a hint of slyness between old friends.

"But Jiang Qing, even if your net worth doubled, it would still hurt my wallet. How about... we reconsider and just merge Wuwen Technology into Xiaomi? A powerful alliance like ours would be invincible!"

Jiang Qing picked up the glass of water on the table, which had gone cold, took a slow sip, and then slowly put the glass down, looking at Lei Jun with a meaningful smile on her lips.

"Mr. Lei, when Kingsoft went public, did you also try to fool people like this? I think you'd better wake up from this dream of mergers and acquisitions as soon as possible."

As soon as he said this, Lu Weibing, Wang Teng, and the others next to him couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The lively atmosphere in the meeting room was instantly lightened by the banter between these old friends.

Lei Jun himself burst into laughter, pointing at Jiang Qing.

"You little brat! You don't give me any face at all! Fine, fine, I'll be your advisor! I admit defeat!"

Amid laughter, Lei Jun sat down again, his face still flushed with excitement, but his tone had returned to that of a pragmatic businessman.

"Seriously, Consultant Jiang, now that we're on Xiaomi's side, how do we take the first step in this leapfrog development of intelligent driving? Where should we start for the most effective approach?"

Jiang Qing's joking expression vanished, and her gaze became sharp and focused once again.

He tapped the table with his finger.

"Let's start with the biggest pain point you just mentioned: prediction and decision-making in complex and dynamic scenarios, especially the mixed traffic flow unique to China. Give me your ten most challenging scenario cases, along with all your current test data, with the highest access level. In three days, I want to see a detailed analysis report on your algorithm bottlenecks. Also..."

He turned to look at the head of the intelligent driving team.

"Your team's core algorithm backbone, bring your laptops tomorrow at 2 PM, we need to have a closed-door meeting."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"

The team leader was so excited that his voice rose, and he nodded repeatedly.

Lei Jun was overjoyed.

"Give us the manpower, give us the data! Jiang Qing, just go for it! I'll personally oversee the logistics!"

"Row."

Jiang Qing stood up, straightened her shirt cuffs, and did so with a swift and decisive movement.

"That's all for today. We'll discuss the specific technical details after I get the report and meet with the team."

He looked at his watch.

"I have a video conference this afternoon."

"Hey, don't rush, don't rush!"

Lei Jun quickly stood up and grabbed his arm.

"Now that we've finished discussing business, we should eat, right? We have a new Hubei cuisine chef in the cafeteria who makes the Mianyang Three Steamed Dishes—it's absolutely amazing! Come on, let's go try it! Consider it a welcome dinner for your new role as chief advisor!"

Jiang Qing was helplessly pulled away by him.

"Mr. Lei, isn't this welcome party a bit too early? We haven't even gotten to work yet."

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to do a project one step at a time! You need to be well-fed to have the energy to work!"

Without saying a word, Lei Jun put his arm around Jiang Qing's shoulder and led her outside, not forgetting to turn back and call out to the others.

"Let's all go together! It's my treat today! To celebrate Xiaomi's intelligent driving technology officially entering the Jiangqing era!"

The group walked out of the conference room chatting and laughing. The room, which had just been filled with the tension of technical discussions, was now filled with a relaxed, cheerful, and energetic atmosphere.

The sunlight outside the window was perfect, shining through the glass onto the long conference table and illuminating the new chapter that Xiaomi had just begun on its journey to build cars.

At the same time, news of Jiang Qing's appearance at Xiaomi's headquarters also spread quickly.

(End of this chapter)