Chapter 46: A New Strategic Direction

At five-something the next morning, Su Xin and Di Yuan boarded the high-speed train to Tianjing together.

Since the company had already purchased a business vehicle, Su Xin did not take a ride-hailing car again; instead, he had Liu Qingli arrange for someone to come pick them up—partly because of the lesson learned last time when a taxi took him to the outskirts, and partly to enjoy the privileges of being a boss.

The driver was a man in his thirties with a partially bald head; Su Xin had a slight impression of him, as he seemed to be one of the first batch of employees to join the company.

Su Xin smiled and greeted him, got into the car with Di Yuan, and arrived at the company before long.

Without alerting many people, Su Xin went straight to Liu Qingli's office; the latter, having learned he was coming to the company, had already prepared a brief report on the company's recent development status in advance.

Su Xin flipped through a few pages briefly.

First, the number of users for Tiantian Assistant had officially exceeded 100 million as of yesterday; among them, formal members reached over 70 million, and the company's total revenue had reached 900 million.

Aside from these core data points, the progress in other areas also left Su Xin quite satisfied.

"Not bad. Continue to focus on software promotion during this period. Also, find an opportunity to talk to the owner of the Yonghui Building and rent one or two more contiguous floors. Our business will keep expanding, and our headcount will keep increasing; this floor might not be enough in the future."

"Understood."

Liu Qingli nodded.

"By the way, also have General Manager Liu... uh, both of you have the surname Liu, I really don't know how to address you."

As he spoke, Su Xin thought of the company's two General Managers Liu and couldn't help but complain.

Liu Qingli had been listening to his instructions with a serious expression, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but burst into a giggle. This smile was like a flower in full bloom, making the entire office seem much brighter with sunshine.

The serious and earnest atmosphere between the two dissipated quite a bit all at once.

Liu Qingli said with a smile: "How about you just call us by our names from now on, or just call me Qingli? We've been working together for so long, there's no need to be so formal."

"Alright, Qingli."

Su Xin tried calling out once; although he felt a bit awkward and it seemed as if their relationship had become too close, he didn't say anything more.

Liu Qingli, however, felt her cheeks flush slightly.

Aside from her parents and a few close friends like Liu Xuewei, she had never been addressed like this by anyone, especially since the other party was a man of a different surname, and she had been the one to suggest such a form of address.

She hadn't thought much when she made the suggestion just now, but now that she actually heard Su Xin call her that, she suddenly felt her heart race, as if an ambiguous atmosphere were permeating the air.

Su Xin did not feel that the atmosphere was off and continued:

"Have Xuewei help me recruit a secretary later. Otherwise, troubling you with everything both delays your work and isn't very convenient."

Liu Qingli recovered from her shyness and nodded: "Understood, I will have her arrange it as soon as possible."

"By the way, Boss, besides the strategies related to Tiantian Assistant, what do you plan to develop next? There is so much money in the company account, and there will be more and more money in the future; just letting it sit there to earn interest is too wasteful. Usually, one either invests in wealth management or invests in new industries."

Su Xin also began to ponder.

His strategic focus for the time being was entirely on the software industry; after all, for him, this had the lowest cost and the fastest results.

As for the biological industry, energy industry, and others he intended to enter later, they all required large investments—building a Laboratory, purchasing various high-precision equipment—which required both space and capital; it was not a good time to enter yet.

But the large profits earned at the current stage could not really all be left in the bank to earn interest; that would indeed be too wasteful. He had to find a suitable direction to invest in, if only to pave the way for future new strategies.

He thought for a moment.

He didn't have any good ideas for the moment, so he looked at Liu Qingli and tentatively asked: "Which industry do you think it's best to invest this money in? Of course, the premise for your consideration is that I already possess the most cutting-edge technology in every industry."

Liu Qingli rested her chin on her hand and began to think.

After a long while, she said: "If we assume the premise of possessing the most cutting-edge technology, and that it is the most cutting-edge technology in all industries, then I suggest starting with new energy vehicle batteries."

"Because the new energy vehicle industry is in an era of great transformation. Whether it is batteries or intelligent driving, both are major directions with great prospects. As long as one possesses the most cutting-edge technology, one can quickly seize a large market in the new era."

"Use the strongest battery technology as a breakthrough point to forcefully break into the automotive industry and grasp the energy lifeline of the automotive industry, then use powerful intelligent driving solutions to grasp the soul of all cars."

"As long as you complete the layout in these two aspects, you can quickly grasp the fate of most of the world's car companies, become the supreme ruler of the global automotive industry, possess great influence globally, and even become a guest of honor for the high-level officials of various countries."

"However, it sounds simple, but in reality, it is not that easy. After all, the premise of possessing the most cutting-edge technology is too difficult to achieve. Many companies have spent a great price researching these two aspects of technology, yet no one dares to claim absolute leadership."

"Good suggestion!"

Upon hearing this, Su Xin nodded repeatedly in pleasant surprise.

Although the current Tiantian Assistant is touted as the strongest in the industry and its profits are very considerable, in reality, it has no major influence on the entire industry. To use the most intuitive analogy, if Tiantian Assistant were to disappear overnight, it would have no impact on the entire industry; on the contrary, competitors would only cheer.

But if, as Liu Qingli said, he enters the automotive industry through new energy batteries and intelligent driving, he could indirectly control the entire industry.

One must know that for some countries, the automotive industry is the economic lifeline of the entire nation.

After all, the automotive industry involves not just car companies, but also countless large and small upstream and downstream manufacturers, countless practitioners, and the countless families behind them. It also relates to the economic zones formed with those car companies as the center, as well as the government's massive tax revenue.

It is no exaggeration to say that a major earthquake in the automotive industry could even cause major turmoil in those countries that rely on the automotive industry as their main lifeline.

Therefore, as long as he can indirectly control the global automotive industry, he would possess the ability to leverage the international situation, which would bring him extremely strong social status and influence.

This is something even more important than money.

Previously, Tianqi Technology, although its technology was strong and it had money, in the eyes of the local government, it might not even compare to a larger assembly plant; after all, the latter not only brings tax revenue but also drives employment and the development of the surrounding area, so local governments often dare not easily offend them.

But a company like Tianqi Technology, with a total of only a few dozen people and no deep interest ties with others or other enterprises, even if the profits are high, is just a hen that lays golden eggs. It has no influence locally and might instead be targeted by some powerful people.

If it weren't for Su Xin's current fame being so great and receiving so much attention, I'm afraid someone would have already come to forcibly pick the peaches.

Although he has the Godspeed superpower and now has connections with the Military, so he doesn't have to fear being targeted, being able to possess strong influence is ultimately very beneficial.

Su Xin had actually considered these issues before, which was another reason why he took the internet celebrity route.

It's just that, knowing is one thing, but he had previously planned to earn enough money first and then find a suitable direction before starting to enter the real economy and slowly increasing his own influence.

But now, after what Liu Qingli said, he immediately discovered that the new energy vehicle industry was simply the best opportunity the era had created for him!