What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 615 Public Announcement (4k)

On the last day of 2015, Yu Xing, who had been silent for more than a month, arrived at the Silicon Carbon Group in the evening to attend the annual work summary meeting.

Silicon Carbon Group has been extremely successful this year. The only regret is that the listing process encountered setbacks due to external factors.

From late February to the end of December, the Carbon Silicon Group had 71 offline direct-sale stores and delivered a total of 8.25 vehicles, becoming a game-changer for Huaxia Automobile's mid-to-high-end products, promoting technological iteration and capacity improvement of upstream enterprises, and driving the transformation of the domestic automobile industry from fuel to new energy.

As Yu Xing listened to the company's internal summary, he felt as if he were watching a news report.

However, the news reports from the outside world are actually more exaggerated. They only restrained themselves after the mountain peak was exposed, but with sales exceeding 10,000 last month, they couldn't help but continue to exaggerate this month.

The media in the industry have probably figured it out: let them criticize, we'll praise, and it won't affect either side.

The Silicon Carbon Group's mid-year target for this year was to maintain 6 and strive for 7, and it has already exceeded that target. The initial figure for using scale to reduce costs was around 13.5 vehicles sold over two years, leaving much more room for maneuver next year.

If the original plan had been followed, the target would have been 5.25 vehicles next year. However, with the Lingang Phase II plant set to open in the second half of next year, the sales target set by Cui Zhiyu and others has now become 15 vehicles.

A growth target exceeding 80% will undoubtedly require tremendous effort, especially given the pressure of subsidy reductions.

At the end of the meeting, Yu Xing gave a summary and discussed the continuation of subsidies that Shanghai and Zhejiang Province could provide.

Before he could finish speaking, he noticed several people glancing at him while he was talking, so he stopped and asked, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen the King of Short Sellers before?"

Laughter erupted in the meeting room.

Cui Zhiyu mustered his courage and said, "President Yu, I have indeed never seen a living, breathing king of short sellers."

Yu Xing shrugged: "Okay, let's pause for five minutes and everyone can take a good look at what the King of Short Sellers is really like, whether he's nothing special or just the same old guy."

The group looked at each other, then at the boss's expression, and figured he didn't seem angry, so they stared at him curiously.

The fact that my boss suddenly became a major short seller is still amazing to this day. We discuss it not only during our free time at the company, but also when we have nothing to do at home, we see related news.

"Mr. Yu, how did Volkswagen discover their exhaust emissions in the first place?" Hu Zhengnan asked a question based on the most famous case of the mountain peak.

After the exposure of Guoshanfeng, he looked back on the past and remembered that his boss had indeed talked to him about exhaust emissions. He couldn't help but sigh, "So, I was once Guoshanfeng's technical consultant?"

Yu Xing paused for two seconds, looked at everyone's curious eyes, and pointed eastward: "They rented a factory over there for testing, and they have a lot of vehicles. They go there to test them one by one after get off work or on weekends."

Cui Zhiyu pressed further: "President Yu, how did you come up with the idea of ​​exhaust emissions?"

Yu Xing chuckled: "The big short seller will always doubt everything."

Upon hearing this answer, everyone in the conference room gasped in unison, exclaiming, "The big short seller, he truly lives up to his name!"
"Our company's development this year can be described as gratifying. We won't talk about the significance of the industry and the market." Yu Xing changed the subject. "Carbon silicon is not just about me, not just about you here, but also about many employees and many families. If the company can make good cars, sell them well, and make money, and everyone can get a salary and bonus, then we can do a great thing."

"Based on this, if silicon carbon can be listed, we should try to list it, so that it can bring more benefits to everyone."

Yu Xing paused for a moment before continuing, "As you all know, the company is transferring to the Hong Kong stock market. There will be a public press conference there on the 9th of next month. Mr. Hu, Mr. Cui, who will come with me?"

It has been confirmed that a press conference will be held in Hong Kong on the 9th, which means that this will be the first public appearance after the exposure of the mountain peak.

Cui Zhiyu and Hu Zhengnan exchanged glances. They hadn't thought much of it at first, but now that they were going to that kind of event, they suddenly felt the pressure of the "King of Short Sellers" incident. Good grief...

They looked at President Yu again, and realized that the boss was indeed the one under the most pressure in the carbon silicon industry.

Seeing their hesitation, Yu Xing gestured and said, "It's a selection process. Whoever you point to is the one. Okay, President Cui, arrange the work. Fly to Hong Kong on the 8th, and I'll show you the world on the 9th."

Cui Zhiyu: "..."

It's not that necessary to see this world...

Hu Zhengnan smiled with relief and winked at Cui Zhiyu across from him.

"Let's announce this year's sales figures tonight, so everyone can start the new year with good news." Yu Xing gave a final small order, then after a brief silence, looked around at everyone and apologized again, "Although I don't regret working on Shanfeng, I'm still very sorry for affecting the listing of silicon carbon. This is a problem I've caused for the company."

Everyone naturally expressed their support for the boss.

Hu Zhengnan said, "President Yu, it's impossible not to be surprised, but in terms of carbon and silicon, what you've brought is far more than what you've lost. Moreover, President Yu, I still admire Guo Shanfeng. No matter what others say, Guo Shanfeng has exposed all the scams, and that alone is worth more than a thousand words."

He wasn't just saying it politely; it really came from the bottom of his heart.

The record of overcoming the mountain peak proves that it is different from other short sellers. Even so, Hu Zhengnan sometimes thinks that if he were to do something like cutting off someone's source of income, the pressure would indeed be very great.

People value moderation and believe that those who stand out will be targeted. However, Mr. Yu's history since graduating from school has been thoroughly investigated. He is the kind of person with a sharp personality, which was somewhat softened at the Silicon Carbon Group.

Yu Xing smiled at Hu Zhengnan, concluding the executive meeting with a look ahead to 2016.

With only half a day left until the Gregorian New Year, Yu Xing had thought this year of development would end quite peacefully, but now he was destined to enter the next year amidst controversy.

At 7 p.m., the official website and account of Silicon Carbon Group released the December sales rankings and annual sales summary.

继11月以1.15万的销量破万，12月产能拉满的以1.3万再度刷新记录，全年则是取得8.25万辆的炫目成绩。

As a brand that only officially started selling cars in February, a brand with products priced around 300,000 yuan, and a brand that focuses on new energy vehicles and range-extended production, the figure of 82,500 vehicles quickly shocked the entire automotive industry.

Consequently, as a business under the short-selling king, this sales volume also took advantage of the controversy surrounding the boss to spread beyond the industry and sparked discussion.

Such a level! Such sales volume!!

Even though the founder's current public opinion is rather delicate, official media quickly forwarded the data from Silicon Carbon Group on social media platforms, and the automotive industry was collectively shaken. Many people who were initially looking forward to seeing the big short seller make a fool of themselves have had their hopes dampened.

Silicon carbon's sales exceeding 10,000 units for the first time last month caused a stir in the industry, but at the time, news about the king of short sellers was everywhere, and the relevant significance was largely overlooked.

However, silicon carbon is experiencing steady growth and is nearing the point where subsidies will be phased out, so this month it has once again reached a new high that has amazed everyone.

When joint venture manufacturers, including FAW, GAC, and Dongfeng, saw these figures, they could only wonder: Could new energy vehicles really work?

How can new energy sources work?

If even carbon and silicon can do it, then we can definitely do it too!
Yu Xing quickly received numerous congratulatory text messages from his peers. Wang Chuanfu from BYD called, saying with a mix of envy and joking, "Mr. Yu, everyone says your achievements in short selling are the best. Some people even told you not to let car manufacturing interfere with your short selling. I think the Silicon Carbon Group will definitely be able to prove you right in the future."

The reputation of short selling over the mountain peak is well-known worldwide. Carbon Silicon Group only occupies a small part of the automotive market, while Carbon Silicon Data faces competition from giants.

Previously, many voices advised Yu Xing not to let car manufacturing delay his mobile internet business; now, the voices are saying he shouldn't let it delay his short-selling business.

Yu Xing chatted with Wang Chuanfu for a while with a smile, and soon received a call from the leaders of Beijing Science and Technology.

Technology leaders have always been very concerned about the new energy industry, but they tend to be the type who only talk about official matters and not personal ones. This year, with the sales of the silicon carbon group stabilizing, the number of times they talk to each other has decreased.

Yu Xing received a phone call at the beginning of the month. The other party did not mention short selling, but just briefly talked about the future plans of the Silicon Carbon Group. The first thing he received was affirmation of the annual sales volume.

After discussing future goals and next year's production capacity release schedule, the other party still asked about the short-selling situation.

The leader asked with a hint of puzzlement, "Mr. Yu, how did you get involved in short selling? I'm quite curious about this."

Yu Xing replied with a smile, "Short selling is about seeking the truth, while car manufacturing is about being pragmatic. Since both can make money, we decided to do them together."

The leader, who used to work at Volkswagen, remarked upon hearing this: "Volkswagen is not pragmatic enough. Seeking truth and being pragmatic is a good thing."

Because of the shock brought by the sales figures of the Silicon Carbon Group, the phone kept ringing off the hook in the evening, and Yu Xing, who was planning to gradually resume work, answered almost all of them.

It was close to midnight when He Xiaopeng called.

"Mr. Yu, congratulations! The sales of silicon carbon are incredibly strong." He Xiaopeng's voice was weary. "It's too early to call it a silicon carbon miracle. Next year's sales will definitely create another miracle!"

"We'll see about next year's sales figures then." Yu Xing asked about the other person's situation, "I've been too busy lately and forgot to ask, how's your departure from Alibaba going?"

He Xiaopeng sighed deeply: "President Yu, this... sigh..."

He said helplessly, "I haven't seen Mr. Ma recently. Oh, I saw him once in the middle of the month, but he didn't mention it, and I was too embarrassed to bring it up either."

Yu Xing frowned: "President Ma is being dishonest. Everyone agreed on these things, so why isn't he fulfilling his promise when we get back?"

He Xiaopeng remained silent. Back then, it was Mr. Ma who gave face to the head of the silicon carbon company. Who would have thought that the other party would suddenly become a major short seller who had shorted Alibaba? Naturally, there was nothing to talk about, and he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Yu Xing was naturally aware of the situation. After thinking it over, he asked, "Mr. He, what do you think? Would it be better for you to get investment from Alibaba?"

UC was acquired by Alibaba, and He Xiaopeng is the president of the business group. XPeng Motors itself also has a lot of investment from internet people.

“Sigh, how can we get investment from Alibaba?” He Xiaopeng sighed again. “President Yu, I want to leave, but I can’t now. President Yu, this isn’t your fault, just consider it…”

Yu Xing interrupted, "Alright, I'll call Mr. Ma again and ask what's going on. Wait for my news."

The phone hangs up.

He Xiaopeng held the phone, both surprised and delighted. Could there still be room for maneuver after things had come to this point?
He heard that Alibaba is now taking drastic measures to compete with Silicon Carbon Data in the short video market. Not only are they demanding that many promotional channels choose between them, but they are also directly spending money to poach talent. The relationship between the two sides can be described as extremely hostile.

Could it be that there's something between President Yu and President Ma that I'm unaware of?
He Xiaopeng's mind raced, filled with both suspicion and anticipation, after all, the opponent was the king of short sellers.

Time seems to move slowly, but it actually moves quickly.

When the date on his phone jumped to 2016, He Xiaopeng received the first good news of the new year.

Yu Xing called as scheduled: "Mr. He, it's settled. Mr. Ma should have agreed."

He Xiaopeng was instantly overjoyed: "Ah? You agreed? This... Mr. Yu, thank you so much! How did you manage to do that?"

Yu Xing replied, "I called him and yelled at him for you, and he told you to get lost."

He Xiaopeng: "?"

He paused for a few seconds, stunned: "Mr. Yu, are you joking?"

“No, that’s basically how the call went,” Yu Xing explained. “I asked him about it, but we quickly started arguing. How can we talk things out properly when we’re arguing? Anyway, you don’t want to get Alibaba to invest, so it’s all the same whether you go the other way or not.”

He Xiaopeng: "..."

He fell silent. He had said those things, but he hadn't said he was so averse to Alibaba's investment.

The opponent was indeed the king of short sellers, and his tactics were certainly different from what I had imagined.

"Mr. He, just focus on building the car," Yu Xing said calmly. "Since you have such a goal, you must resist external interference."

He Xiaopeng smiled wryly and said, "Okay, thank you so much, Mr. Yu. Well then... I wish Mr. Yu continued success in his reign as the King of Short Selling."

The second phone call ended.

He Xiaopeng put down his phone and, recalling the conversation, still found it unbelievable.

However, in the early hours of the morning, I quickly received a message from HR on my phone.

He Xiaopeng stared at the screen, rubbed his face, and thought, "Damn, this is the king of short sellers!"
As New Year's Day approached, the controversy surrounding the "King of Short Sellers" did not cease; instead, even more rumors emerged.

Some claim that Yu Xing has been placed under travel restrictions, while others claim that the Silicon Carbon Group is under investigation due to issues related to subsidies and sales volume.

An article circulating on Weibo describes the true situation of the leading new energy brand, citing issues such as "falsified sales figures," "fraudulently obtaining subsidies," and "related-party transactions."

On January 2, Hong Kong media reported that Yu Xing, founder of Silicon Carbon Group, will attend the prospectus release conference on the 9th. Mainland media immediately confirmed this news with Silicon Carbon Group.

The news that the "King of Short Sellers" would make a public appearance in Hong Kong immediately caused a sensation throughout the city, and subsequently attracted the attention of domestic and foreign media.

Before even reaching Hong Kong, some Japanese and American media outlets had already booked their hotels there, causing a surge in demand.

　I'll write another chapter tomorrow during the day.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)