Siheyuan: My wife is Xu Huizhen

He paused, pushed the report to the center of the negotiating table, and traced the dense data with his fingertips:

"However, from another perspective, this precisely proves our unique investment vision. After all, we started investing in Renshuiting Company as early as 2018, when they were just a startup team with three patents."

Now, it has not only built Southeast Asia's largest submarine assembly base, but also formed a complete industrial chain with the military industry sector under the Yu Ren Group.

A meaningful smile appeared on John's lips.

"This unwavering strategic commitment over the past two decades is the key to the enduring and ever-renewing nature of our cooperative relationship."

He Yuzhu's knuckles, gripping the sandalwood cane, turned slightly white as the twilight of Victoria Harbour spilled over the glass curtain wall of the Wheelock House through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Three days ago, Li Yunzhen's words during afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel still echoed in my ears—she stirred her Earl Grey tea with a bone china teaspoon, and the milk foam on the surface of the black tea rippled as the silver spoon moved.

"Rain Column, John Madden specifically requests to see you regarding your shares in the Yu Ren Watercraft."

At that moment, the jade bracelet on Li Yunzhen's wrist lightly touched the cup, producing a clear and melodious sound, leading him to mistakenly believe that the deal was already a done deal.

At that moment, the air conditioner in the conference room was humming slightly. When John Madden pushed the documents across the table, the joint operation clause that had suddenly appeared in the terms made his temples throb.

The sound of the ferry's horn outside the window penetrated the soundproof glass. He looked at the half-exposed pocket watch chain in the other person's suit pocket and suddenly realized that the information Li Yunzhen had handed him might have been a trap from the very beginning.

The central air conditioning in the conference room hummed softly. He Yuzhu's knuckles, gripping the pen, turned white, and the pen nib left tiny ink dots on the draft contract.

John Madden was repeatedly rubbing the sandalwood tabletop with his silver cufflinks, his gray-blue eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, constantly lingering on the Huangpu River view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

This is a stark contrast to the positive attitude expressed in the email three days ago. Back then, the other party spoke earnestly, claiming to "look forward to in-depth cooperation with Chinese companies," but now they are like a curled-up hedgehog, wrapping key terms in vague pleasantries.

He Yuzhu caught a glimpse of half an auction catalog peeking out from the other party's suit pocket—it was a catalog of Song Dynasty blue and white porcelain that Sotheby's was about to auction. He suddenly realized that this negotiation might be hiding a deeper game.

"Mr. Madden is very knowledgeable about Eastern art?"

He subtly pushed the teacup toward the other person; the lotus scroll pattern on the rim of the celadon cup echoed the design in the album.

John's fingers paused, the reflection from his glasses obscuring the fleeting wariness in his eyes.

He Yuzhu seized the opportunity to open his notebook and slammed his pen heavily on the page filled with data:

"However, what we should be more concerned about today is whether your 12% stake is intended to be exchanged for cash, or whether you value subsequent brand collaborations more?"

The air seemed to freeze suddenly.

John's Adam's apple bobbed twice before he finally withdrew his gaze from the distance. His fingertips unconsciously tapped the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound, like some kind of silent probing.

He Yuzhu straightened his back and deliberately slowed his speech when he met the other person's gaze:

"Or to put it another way, what additional conditions would you be willing to set for this equity transfer? Our team is ready—"

He paused abruptly, letting the unfinished promise ferment in the silence: "To meet any reasonable need."

John Madden tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the conference table, his well-defined knuckles casting dappled shadows on the leather folder.

When he heard us raise the key terms, he leaned back in his carved leather chair, his gold-rimmed glasses sliding down to the tip of his nose, revealing his gray-blue eyes that held a hint of a smile.

"Your company's radio sales are incredibly strong!"

He suddenly spoke in English with a London accent, his Adam's apple bobbing in his crisp tie.

“Last week at the Paris trade show, I witnessed dealers almost come to blows over the last ten demo units.”

As he spoke, he pulled a sales report from his crocodile-skin briefcase, his fingertips tracing the fluctuating numbers.

“Even our New York branch purchased 5,000 units last month as gifts for our customers.”

He pushed the report to the center of the conference table, the platinum strap of his watch gleaming coldly under the fluorescent lights.

"I've heard there are new developments in the Southeast Asian market recently?"

This question, though seemingly casual, precisely hit the nail on the head regarding our pain points in expanding overseas channels. The air conditioning vents in the conference room emitted a slight hum, and everyone's attention was focused on this suddenly appearing market data.

He Yuzhu tapped his fingertips lightly on the negotiating table, smiled and nodded, his gaze behind his glasses sweeping over the shimmering waves of Victoria Harbour outside the window.

He knew very well that Hong Kong was in a long period of dormancy before the awakening of its electronics industry—since the British Empire lifted its restrictions on radio imports in 1946, the windows of electrical appliance stores in this Pearl of the Orient had been filled with products from American giants such as RCA and GE.

The wooden knob radio and chrome-plated antenna gleamed coldly under the neon lights, silently telling the story of the void in local manufacturing.

According to archival records, it wasn't until Li Jinyou founded the "Lesheng Radio Factory" in 1971 that this technological monopoly, which had lasted for more than 20 years, was broken.

At this crucial juncture in 1965, they brought not only production lines, but also the first powerful blow that knocked on the door of Hong Kong's electronics industry.

However, since He Yuzhu entered this industry, the situation has changed dramatically.

He quickly seized market share with his low prices and excellent quality.

Whether it was a traditional vacuum tube radio or an emerging transistor radio, He Yuzhu's products demonstrated strong competitiveness, successfully squeezing American radios out of the market.

Today, strolling along the bustling commercial street, the beautiful Chinese brand radios displayed in the shop windows still gleam with a metallic sheen, attracting passersby to stop and admire them.

However, few people know that these exquisite products bearing Western labels were actually produced in He Yuzhu's modern factory in the Pearl River Delta.

On the production line, robotic arms precisely embed circuit boards into streamlined housings, and quality inspectors wearing white gloves repeatedly calibrate the sound quality. Each radio undergoes twelve testing procedures before leaving the factory.

With the production line operating in three shifts and the product quality receiving international certification, He Yuzhu's factory has become renowned.

The first to sense the business opportunity were established trading companies in Hong Kong. They brought a translation team to conduct an on-site inspection and were amazed by the automated warehousing system and 24-hour quality inspection laboratory in the factory area.

From an initial tentative order of 5,000 units to a fixed monthly purchase of 100,000 units, these trading companies, based in their Tsim Sha Tsui offices, finalize orders with global buyers via encrypted dedicated lines. The radios, bearing foreign trademarks, are then transported by cargo ship across oceans to Chinatowns in North America, flea markets in Europe, and even electronics shops in emerging African cities.