Chapter 31: Zhao Ping'an's Choice

When Zhao Ping'an and Ren Zhengfei walked into the lounge together, Wilson and Park Chang-nam immediately stood up as if facing a formidable enemy. For this elder, who holds a crucial position in the fields of electronic communications and smartphones, no electronic or digital company can afford to ignore him, not even Apple. It's worth noting that over 70% of Huawei's annual sales come from Apple's major European market!

Ren Zhengfei's sudden appearance made Wilson feel a bit uneasy, as if a piece of meat about to be eaten had suddenly been snatched away. "Mr. Zhao, if the price is fine, shall we go ahead and sign the contract?"

He tentatively asked, while taking out a stack of documents from his briefcase, clearly having prepared them in advance. This was enough to show that Apple was confident in securing the friction charging technology.

"This..." Zhao Ping'an looked at him, then instinctively glanced at Ren Zhengfei. He couldn't believe that someone as busy as Ren Zhengfei would come to stroll around ChinaJoy just for the sake of it, and so coincidentally end up at his booth.

If he remembered correctly, Huawei was the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, which meant that in this small lounge, the top three smartphone manufacturers were actually gathered together. Just thinking about it was exciting!

"Mr. Zhao, no need to look at me. You can continue your discussion." Ren Zhengfei said with a faint smile.

Ren Zhengfei's composure made Zhao Ping'an feel embarrassed. Out of respect for the elder, he still gave Wilson an apologetic smile, "Mr. Stunts, I have your contact information. How about we discuss this matter later?"

Wilson was a smart person. Although he had cursed Ren Zhengfei a thousand times in his heart, he knew that he had to maintain a general's demeanor at this moment; otherwise, things would only get worse. So he smiled and said, "It's okay, General Zhao is busy with something. I'll wait for your call."

Having said that, he left the lounge without any hesitation, truly a big shot. Meanwhile, Park Chang-nam from Samsung Electronics was still on his phone, continuously communicating with someone on the other end. 

"Mr. Park, you don't need to consult anymore. To be honest, no matter how much money Samsung offers, I will not sell As a long-time lurker on various forums, Zhao Ping'an was well aware of the Korean penchant for mischief, so he couldn't help but suspect that if he were to transfer the technology to the Koreans, the next moment there would be news like "South Korea has developed friction charging technology" popping up.

"Mr. Zhao, I will take your words as a provocation! A provocation against Samsung Electronics, a provocation against the Republic of Korea!"

After Park Chang-nam angrily scolded a few times, he left with a face full of indignation, leaving only Zhao Ping'an and Ren Zhengfei in the lounge.

After sitting for a while, neither of them spoke first, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Zhao Ping'an, who was not very good at handling such situations, finally broke the silence, "Mr. Ren, if you have something to say, please just say it."

"Yesterday, I heard that the Americans prepared a $500 million contract for General Zhao. I was a bit worried at first, but now it seems I was completely overthinking it." Ren Zhengfei still wore a faint smile, as if he didn't take anything to heart, or perhaps he had already reached the state of being unflappable in the face of adversity.

"Why?" Zhao Pingan thought to himself that if Ren hadn't come, the contract would probably have been signed by now.

"Because Zhao is Chinese."

Ren Zhengfei's face finally showed a hint of seriousness, but little did he know that these seven short words made someone feel a burning sensation in their heart, their eyes starting to become flustered, almost feeling a bit ashamed.

To be honest, sitting with a big shot of this level is simply torturous. You can't figure out what he's thinking, but he can see right through you. So Zhao Ping'an decided to stop being reserved and directly asked, "Could it be that Mr. Ren also wants to purchase friction charging technology?"

To everyone's surprise, Ren Zhengfei shook his head, "No, behind any high-tech innovation, there is inevitably a lot of hard work, and it is also a kind of honor, especially for a young person like General Zhao, it is of extraordinary significance! I could perhaps offer a sum of money to buy this technology today, but that might also bury a young person's future. I don't want to do such a thing!"

Ren Zhengfei's words can perhaps be interpreted with an old saying: "Born in worry, die in comfort." Throughout his life, he has seen too many talented people, most of whom were exceptionally gifted and famous at a young age. However, these people often become corrupted by worldly pleasures after achieving some success, making it difficult for them to accomplish anything great again. Therefore, he is unwilling to use money to buy away a young person's honor, and also... dreams.

"So, Mr. Ren, are you coming today?" Zhao Ping'an, somewhat puzzled, nodded and asked.

"Cooperation!" Ren Zhengfei said with a faint smile: "Huawei is the world's third-largest smartphone manufacturer. We have extensive channels and huge sales. So if Mr. Zhao were to cooperate with us, although you won't get a large sum of money all at once, the business will definitely be continuous and steady, and in the long run, it will only be more rewarding than the conditions offered by the Americans."

"Are you saying that Anping Technology provides Huawei with mobile phone energy accessories?" Zhao Ping'an seemed to be deep in thought. In fact, he had been pondering this issue for the past two days. He was well aware of his own shortcomings. The biggest feature of the friction phone lay in its energy source. In terms of the phone's body, it wasn't much better than those miscellaneous brands on the market. If they were to only produce energy components, it would be much simpler, and they wouldn't have to worry about the complex after-sales issues of the phone terminals.

"Yes, I think for an emerging tech company, this might be the most suitable approach

"Is the end being put before the beginning?" Zhao Ping'an suddenly had a moment of clarity. As an inexperienced entrepreneur, to be honest, he had never formulated a precise development plan for Anping Technology. He had always focused on how to make money and acted accordingly, without considering whether the current development aligned with the company's positioning. Ren Zhengfei's words were like a wake-up call, completely enlightening him.

Zhao Ping'an, whose mind had suddenly cleared, no longer dwelled on the $500 million technology transfer fee offered by Apple. Instead, he engaged in a lengthy three-hour discussion with Ren Zhengfei about the cooperation matters. They talked about everything from the supply model to the return on investment for Anping Technology, and then they envisioned the possibility of expanding the friction charging technology to tablets and other electronic products.

Zhao Ping'an chose Huawei based on two considerations: first, because Huawei is a state-owned enterprise, and he is Chinese; second, he can see that Ren Zhengfei genuinely considers issues from his perspective. Regardless of whether the cooperation between Anping Technology and Huawei can bring considerable benefits, the core technology is ultimately in his own hands!

This point is crucial. As long as the technology is in hand, Anping Technology can stand invincible. Therefore, Zhao Ping'an has no worries at all. Even if, hypothetically, the cooperation with Huawei doesn't go well, it's not too late to sell the technology then. After all, the value of friction charging technology is there. As long as one is willing to sell, there is no fear of not finding a buyer.