Not only did that voice sound awkward, but there was a hint of helplessness.
Lu Zhou instantly remembered who it was.
“Oh, CEO Wang, hi… What’s wrong? Why are you calling me?”
Wang Zhengfei: “???”
What do you mean why?
Three days ago, we said we would talk, did you forget already?
If it were anyone else, he would have hung up the phone.
But he had no other choice…
He convinced himself that Academician Lu was busy with research and that Academician Lu wasn’t trying to offend him…
Wang Zhengfei felt a lot better. He cleared his throat and spoke politely.
“Academician Lu, here’s the thing. We met at the report three days ago, right? We said that we would eat at the Purple Mountain Hotel. Of course, if you’re too busy, we can postpone the meeting.”
We made plans?
Lu Zhou suddenly remembered that had indeed happened.
Not just that, but he remembered that he was the one who suggested eating at the Purple Mountain Hotel.
“Oh, sorry, I’ve been quite busy…” Lu Zhou coughed and said, “Where are you now?”
Wang Zhengfei: “I’m at the Purple Mountain Hotel.”
You’re there?
“Then… Wait for ten minutes, I’ll be right there.”
After that, Lu Zhou hung up the phone.
Lu Zhou wasn’t very interested in talking with these industry executives. First of all, he didn’t have high emotional intelligence; secondly, most of these people couldn’t benefit him.
Money?
That was just a number for him.
Unlike other academic professors, his academic reputation went far beyond just academia. He was even at the level for help making high-level government decisions that would change the course of history.
For the cheaper projects, he spent his own money, and if he didn’t have enough money, he would ask the Communist Party of China to help him with funding.
Star Sky Technology had steady cash flow, with an abundance of patents. Not to mention Lu Zhou had his East Asia Energy shares and various other assets. The only companies more profitable than Star Sky Technology were banks and real estate developers.
However, this time, Lu Zhou decided to change his mind and talk with CEO Wang from Huawei.
Even though Star Sky Technology had good research and development capabilities, it had an obvious weakness, which was manufacturing and production.
For the controllable fusion technology, they collaborated with the China National Nuclear Corporation, and for the aerospace projects, they received help from the two state aerospace companies. Most of the time, Star Sky Technology was the brain behind the project. Whenever they needed to turn their research into a product, they would have to outsource their manufacturing.
Of course, from a market economy perspective, this wasn’t a weakness, it was actually an advantage.
Rather than being a jack of all trades, it was better to focus on what Star Sky Technology did best. Not to mention that the patents held by the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study were enough to turn Star Sky Technology into an industry titan. That was what Chen Yushan said.
However, Lu Zhou’s focus wasn’t money.
That number in his bank account was meaningless for him. He was more interested in revealing the secrets behind the high tech system. The carbon-based chip was the key to the future, whether it was the paused “Control of Earth and Moon” mission or the “artificial intelligence” technology branch, these were all ways he could reveal the mystery behind the system.
If possible, Lu Zhou wanted to control this industry chain by himself. After all, the requirements for leveling up Xiao Ai to level 4 was to collect sufficient data from human activities.
However, the word “sufficient” was an understatement. For him, it meant an astronomical number…
All in all, now that Star Sky Technology wanted to enter the computer chip field, they had to find an appropriate ally to quickly convert its technology into products. This way, they could capture and lead the market.
Fortunately, China was great at production.
There were only a few places near Purple Mountain with fantastic scenery and transportation. The Zhongshan International community was one of them, and the Purple Mountain Hotel was the other. The two were a kilometer apart.
Before Lu Zhou left his study room, he called Wang Peng and asked him to get the car. He then changed into a set of clean clothes and left his house.
His Electric Purple was already parked at his front gate.
Lu Zhou got in the car and said, “Purple Mountain Hotel.”
“Ok.”
Wang Peng nodded and began driving.
The electric motors whistled quietly and brought Lu Zhou to his destination.
There was a man in a suit waiting at the Purple Mountain Hotel entrance. When he saw the one-of-kind Electric Purple car park at the hotel entrance, he immediately walked up and enthusiastically greeted Lu Zhou.
“Hello, Academician Lu, I’m CEO Wang’s secretary, you can call me Li Yang.”
“Hi, I’ve been a bit busy recently, sorry for keeping you guys waiting.” Lu Zhou shook his hand and said, “Let’s go meet Mr. Wang.”
Secretary Li made an inviting gesture.
“No problem, this way please.”
They walked through the hotel lobby and arrived at a rustic hotel room. Lu Zhou opened the door and saw CEO Wang sitting there, drinking tea.
The second the door opened, Wang Zhengfei stood up from the sofa and greeted Lu Zhou with a smile.
“Academician Lu, you’re here!”
Lu Zhou nodded toward Wang Peng, signaling him to wait outside. He then looked at the old man and reached out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No worries, it’s my pleasure.” Wang Zhengfei shook Lu Zhou’s hand and said politely, “Come, please sit.”
The two sat at the table.
The hotel waiter poured each of them a cup of jasmine tea before leaving the room.
Wang Zhengfei looked at the rising vapor and smiled. He began trying to make conversation.
“I asked the waiter to give us some tea, do you have any preferences?”
“Nope.” Lu Zhou shook his head and noticed that Wang Zhengfei wanted to have some small talk. He then said, “CEO Wang, I’m sure you’re a busy person, so let’s skip the small talk.”
Wang Zhengfei was stunned. He wasn’t used to this kind of interaction.
However, this wasn’t his first time dealing with people in academia, so he quickly adjusted his attitude.
He put down the cup of tea and had a sincere and serious look on his face.
He looked at Lu Zhou and said, “Well, okay then.”
“There’s no one else here anyway, so I’ll get straight to the point. The carbon-based chips… was that your research?”
Lu Zhou slowly put down the cup of tea and looked at Wang Zhengfei, whose face was full of anticipation. Lu Zhou cleared his throat and replied, “Nope.”
Wang Zhengfei: “???”