Chapter 88: Treading on Thin Ice

Feiyang Technology was spun off from Dongling High-Tech, and currently still uses its parent company’s offices, moving out only once a suitable new location is found.

Dongling High-Tech is the absolute majority shareholder of Feiyang Technology, provides its technical support, and will later award partial equity to Dongling High-Tech’s senior executives and technical staff.

The provincial TV station’s exclusive interview with Li Dongling has begun airing, and as Dongling High-Tech, a rising star in China’s tech industry, its fame is now surpassing some established tech firms—Li Dongling’s interview naturally drew intense attention.

Today, the Hanzhong Provincial TV station deliberately scheduled this interview for prime time.

At the An family home, An Yueguo watched Li Dongling answer Pan En’s questions on TV, casting several glances at the screen, especially during the final segment where Li Dongling subtly stated his intention to sell domestic brands to old Europe—Pan En thought Li Dongling was delusional, but An Yueguo felt Li Dongling might actually be serious.

For anyone else, such a statement would merely be a stunt for attention, but for the man who built Dongling High-Tech, won the lawsuit against Microsoft, and sold electronic pets to dozens of countries, this was no joke.

The actual interview lasted less than twenty-five minutes, but the TV station added segments featuring domestic and international reports on Dongling High-Tech, extending the total runtime to forty minutes.

“Each of us is caught in a torrent; many, through their own effort—or luck—stand atop the crest, where the view is dazzling, the temptations endless, and the risks boundless…”

When An Yueguo heard this segment on TV, he removed his glasses and exhaled deeply—his personal resonance with these words ran far deeper than the words themselves.

The changes over these past few years have been greater than those of the last several decades: some of An Yueguo’s colleagues rose swiftly, suddenly occupying key positions, while others fell behind the tide and plunged to the bottom; even An Yueguo himself moved cautiously through this torrent, afraid of being swept away, treading as if on thin ice, daring not a single misstep.

Watching Li Dongling on TV, An Yueguo realized he had misjudged him completely—recalling the man who had come to his home before, then comparing him to the man now being interviewed, An Yueguo felt the difference was like heaven and earth.

“In the first half of this year, Dongling High-Tech achieved revenue exceeding 800 million yuan, with direct foreign exchange revenue surpassing sixty million U.S. dollars, becoming the fastest-growing tech company in Hanzhong Province and a nationally designated foreign exchange-earning enterprise; revenue is expected to grow further in the second half of this year…”

At the end of the interview, Hanzhong Provincial TV reported Dongling High-Tech’s first-half revenue—this was the media’s first official disclosure of the company’s earnings; the sixty million U.S. dollars came mostly from the early sales of electronic pets, before production capacity had fully exploded.

By the second half of the year, electronic pet sales would multiply several times over, and Dongling High-Tech’s revenue would more than double.

Yet for people of this era, even this figure was terrifying—what were salaries like back then? How many companies even earned foreign exchange?

On the sofa beside An Yueguo, Du Fengying let out an involuntary gasp—she now understood why An Yueguo had reacted with such fury when he first heard Li Dongling had won the lawsuit against Microsoft.

If An Yueguo had a company like Dongling High-Tech backing him, his influence would be several times greater than it was now; in this special era, when every unit prioritized economic growth, the presence of Dongling High-Tech—a major taxpayer—would make his own advancement significantly easier.

Recalling the young talents she had been tirelessly seeking, they paled in comparison to the current Li Dongling, filling her with sudden regret.

“Should we invite Li Dongling over for dinner?” Du Fengying said quickly, noticing An Yueguo’s expression had turned uneasy. “I’m not doing this just for you and Ruxue…”

“You still know your daughter’s temperament, don’t you?”

An Yueguo suppressed his anger. “Now you want to invite him over? Do you think it’s that easy?!”

“Then what else do you want? Are you going to make me apologize to him? All you have to do is pick up the phone…”

“You!”

“What do you even know?!”

An Yueguo swept his sleeve aside and stood up. “Do you know how many people are watching Dongling High-Tech right now?”

How many want to form a marital alliance with the Li family? That girl, Yao, who’s been close to Li Dongling—her father, Yao Zhengru, has connections in the provincial capital; the Provincial Finance Department and Hanzhong State Investment are both overseen by his former superiors. Do you think you can force your way in?!”

Dongling High-Tech is a hot commodity now—everyone wants to bask in its glow, everyone wants the credit for nurturing a tech giant!

“Put away your petty schemes,” An Yueguo sighed. “I told you long ago: let the young people handle their own affairs. Don’t meddle—you never listen!”

“From now on, don’t interfere in this matter. Let Xiao Xue and Li Dongling sort it out themselves.”

In Hanzhong, Yao Zhengru had just finished watching Li Dongling’s interview, especially the final segment, which stirred his heart—he agreed with Li Dongling: this was an age of miracles; things once unimaginable were now possible.

Different people had different reactions to Li Dongling’s interview: some praised him, others criticized him.

“One should face one’s true position, not indulge in delusions!”

Yan Lixiang, a media commentator, wrote a lengthy critique after watching the interview: “I admit Dongling High-Tech is a ‘decent’ tech company, but only within China. BBC journalist Mr. Pan En spoke from the heart—China’s technological gap with the outside world is enormous, possibly thirty years, even fifty years or more!”

“At this moment, what we should do is not think of confronting foreign giants, but learn—learn comprehensively. Is it so hard to admit others’ excellence?”

“Yet Li Dongling attacked and questioned Mr. Pan En in the interview—is this not arrogance? Is this not inciting conflict between domestic and foreign brands? What purpose does it serve other than drawing attention to domestic products?”

“As for Dongling High-Tech entering the auto industry—I consider this utter nonsense. China cannot produce the crown jewel of industry: automobiles. It requires craftsmanship, deep heritage—and even more so, a company with zero knowledge of automobiles. Never believe in overtaking on a curve!”

As he finished writing, Yan Lixiang remained deeply troubled—if only the space allowed, he could have written thousands more characters. His point was clear: Li Dongling’s claim that Chinese products would one day reach Europe was utterly unrealistic.

As for developing domestic brands, Yan Lixiang opposed it even more—he saw it as pure waste: no gain except wasted time and money. Better to work for foreign brands. Competing with them? That’s a dead end!

Yan Lixiang believed he was acting in the best interests of domestic companies, trying to prevent them from falling for Li Dongling’s nonsense and going astray.

In his youth, he too had been confident, believing China could surpass Britain and catch up to America—but after one overseas inspection trip, seeing the modernity of Japan and America, he completely lost faith in domestic companies ever competing with foreign ones. To him, importing and OEM were the only sensible choices.

Yan Lixiang’s article sparked major controversy; multiple media outlets republished it, and Li Dongling acquired the label “madman,” comparable to Mr. Mou—Mr. Mou wanted to blow up the Himalayas, Li Dongling wanted to sell Chinese brands to Europe; listeners felt both were equally absurd, and the latter even more impossible—who else but a madman would say such things?

As for Li Dongling’s claim that Dongling High-Tech might enter the auto industry, many dismissed it as overreaching; some even predicted that the day Dongling High-Tech entered the auto industry would be the day it collapsed.

Of course, praise for Li Dongling was also loud, especially among the young, who idolized him—daring to stand up to Microsoft, selling electronic pets to developed nations, and speaking words that resonated deeply with them. Didn’t the young want to change the world?

In an old workshop in Liantang, Pengcheng, over twenty people were busy developing a nickel battery production line. At last, during a break, the team leader, drenched in sweat, grabbed a cup and drank deeply.

Sitting down, he glanced at the newspaper in his hand and saw the report on Li Dongling’s interview. When he reached the part about Dongling High-Tech and automobiles, he stared at the page for a long while before reluctantly putting it down and returning to his work on the nickel battery line. Outside the workshop hung a sign: BYD Company.

On a flight from Yangcheng to Hanzhong, Ren Yuefeng, dressed in a sharp suit, reviewed all materials related to Dongling High-Tech—old files, recent news reports—he studied them all before finally setting them down.

Ren Yuefeng was a professional manager recruited for Li Dongling through Ning Wenwen’s contacts at a Hong Kong headhunting firm. A graduate of a prestigious business school, he had served as general manager at multiple Hong Kong firms, sold Hong Kong televisions and other products to America and Europe, and had extensive experience dealing with both domestic and foreign companies—this was precisely why Dongling High-Tech hired him.

(End of Chapter)