Chapter 1035: Accomplice

"What is this?"

"Sea urchin."

"How about this one?"

"Sea cucumber."

"Then... then what about this one?"

"Abalone."

Li Xuewu was answering Zhou Xiaobai's questions one by one; he hadn't even finished speaking when Ji Wang Weidong on the other side spoke up.

The answer was correct, but what was the meaning of his winking and gesturing!

Zhou Xiaobai didn't understand the deep meaning of his words, but seeing Brother Wu's expression was wrong, she also looked at him blankly.

Ji Wang Weidong felt embarrassed being stared at by Li Xuewu, scratched his face awkwardly, and pushed the crab toward Zhou Xiaobai.

"Try the crab; the season isn't right, so just make do, the taste is okay."

"Oh, thank you."

Zhou Xiaobai actually didn't care for him; this person was strange and gave people a feeling of being pretentious and unfinished.

She picked up a piece of crab, looked at Li Xuewu, and took a small bite.

Li Xuewu moved his gaze away from Ji Wang Weidong's face and looked at the big meal on the table.

Zhang Changming had put in a lot of effort; not only were the materials sufficient, but the master chef's skills were also first-class.

Abalone, sea urchin, sea cucumber, sea intestine, and the like went without saying; there were large shrimp with shells, crabs, shellfish, specialty large yellow croaker, and specialty delicious dishes made with mackerel and sandfish.

Half a large lobster was placed in front of everyone, showing half of its body with claws and teeth.

When it came to eating, Li Xuewu said his recipe was rich, and maybe no one could compare, but when it came to rich seafood resources, this table had to be credited to Zhang Changming.

All these expensive and cheap things on the table, as long as they weren't on the storage list, he could eat them at will.

Actually, he had long been tired of eating them; from the start of the banquet until now, he had only eaten a few bites of green vegetables and had been drinking wine the whole time.

Everyone had been freezing outside just now, and after entering the cabin, they gulped down hot water one after another.

Some also followed Li Xuewu and Zhang Changming, pouring cup after cup of foreign liquor.

Only after having fine beads of sweat on their foreheads did they stop; this was a sign of the cold air coming out.

The large dining room had more than enough space for these people, and according to the seat matching, everyone's chopsticks could reach all the dishes.

This had to be said to be the benefit of having service personnel to help; just relying on the few fish they caught, wanting to have a big meal was just wishful thinking.

However, Zhang Changming was in a beautiful mood today, so everyone ate happily at the dinner table, and he also felt honored.

"Miss Xiaobai, Miss Xiaoyun, eat more sea cucumber; it's good for beauty."

Seeing Li Xuewu picking up food for the two girls, he greeted them with a smile.

Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun raised their heads to look at Li Xuewu, then looked at Zhang Changming in unison and thanked him: "Thank you, Brother Zhang~"

"Hey! Good, good!"

Zhang Changming was overjoyed by the two calling him, said good repeatedly, and waved his hand to signal them to eat at will.

Then he raised his wine glass, signaled everyone, and said: "Today, Wu and I set up the stage to sing, and had the honor of inviting all good friends; it's really rare and happy. Let's have a toast."

"Thank you for the hospitality, President Zhang."

Bao Peigang had contact with Zhang Changming in the morning, and the two talked happily; this politeness also carried a bit of closeness.

After taking the initiative to clink glasses with him, Zhang Changming smiled and toasted Xue Zhifu again.

After all, he was a leader of the Steel Mill and was brought by Li Xuewu, obviously close, so he understood the measure of handling relationships.

The project they were cooperating on would inevitably involve dealing with the Steel Mill in the future, so having one more layer of relationship was good for him.

Xue Zhifu had been very easygoing since getting on the boat, and even joking was very casual, without any leader's airs.

He knew very well that since Li Xuewu called him to organize this trip together, it was inevitably a kind of unity and closeness.

It could be thought that Li Huai must be very clear about this itinerary, and even more aware of the deep-level significance.

Of course, it wasn't just to entertain the British businessman Parker, but also a kind of relationship-based handling of the process.

Li Xuewu invited so many people, even including relationships from the ministry; what kind of connection was it to him?

So, when Zhang Changming toasted him, he also smiled and drank it all with everyone.

"Hey, it still has to be our liquor that tastes good."

Liu Shaozong praised with a smile: "It tastes much better than that foreign liquor; I just like the taste of Fenjiu."

"I'm also not used to drinking that foreign liquor; it's a bit astringent, and the taste is strange."

Zhou Gancheng didn't talk much today, but now that he was at the table, he didn't pretend to be deep anymore.

He raised his wine glass and had another one with Liu Shaozong; obviously, he really liked white liquor.

Gao Yaqin sat opposite the two, watched them drinking with relish, couldn't help but glance, and then raised her glass to clink with Li Xuewu.

"Thanks for the hospitality, giving me a chance to broaden my horizons; I've never drunk foreign liquor."

"You're joking; I'm just borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha."

Li Xuewu smiled and took a sip, then said to Gao Yaqin: "If you like it, I'll ask a friend to help you bring some."

"It wouldn't be him, would it?"

Gao Yaqin smiled and pointed to Ji Wang Weidong, who was eating lobster, and asked: "Help me bring it back from Hong Kong?"

"Hey, you think too highly of me; I don't have this ability!"

Ji Wang Weidong grinned, glanced at Li Xuewu, and explained to Gao Yaqin: "It's inconvenient for me to come and go; one or two boxes isn't enough, and I can't hold more."

As he spoke, he gestured to Li Xuewu and said to Gao Yaqin: "Director Li is supernatural; he could even bring you a boatload."

"Drink me to death!"

Gao Yaqin smiled and covered her mouth, then her gaze toward Li Xuewu carried a bit of strangeness.

Liu Shaozong and Zhou Gancheng, who were sitting opposite, also put down their wine glasses and looked this way.

Li Xuewu dug out the lobster meat and divided it into two halves, one for Zhou Xiaobai and one for Luo Yun.

Getting the coquettish thanks from the two, he didn't care and nodded, signaling them to eat more, as he didn't like it.

Then he looked at Gao Yaqin and explained: "Dongfeng Shipping, contacted when the Steel Mill acquired the Yingcheng Shipyard, a local enterprise in Steel City."

When acquiring those 27 cargo ships, Li Xuewu never thought about putting this part of the assets under the name of the recycling station.

On one hand, it was inconvenient for cooperation with the Investigation Department, and on the other hand, Steel City enterprises had more activity advantages.

Especially since these cargo ships were originally gathered and scattered at the Steel City wharf, it was very normal for them to appear here to outsiders.

Even if someone came to investigate, Li Xuewu wasn't afraid, because Old Biaozi now held the unit that Guandong had once engaged in.

Occupying the magpie's nest, Guandong died, and everything in this unit was under Li Xuewu's control.

The difference was that Dongfeng Shipping did serious shipping business and had no subjective trade.

Li Xuewu distinguished these projects very clearly by category; trade is trade, transport is transport, don't mix them together, it's easy to make mistakes.

"Director Li is really supernatural."

Gao Yaqin smiled and praised: "If there is a need, I must ask you for help."

"You're not scolding me like that, what have I become?"

Li Xuewu smiled and toasted her a glass of wine, and after drinking it all, explained: "The cargo transport of the Steel Mill currently basically has only two routes, shipping and rail."

"The business relationship is quite close; they have business undertaking Tianjin Port wharf, specializing in running this line to Hong Kong."

He pointed to Ji Wang Weidong and said: "Wang Weidong's business is also related to this shipping company; they are all friends in cooperation."

"Right, that's right, friends."

Ji Wang Weidong nodded with a smile, confirmed Li Xuewu's explanation, and even toasted the three of them, saying: "If there is a need, telling me is also fine."

If Gao Yaqin's politeness just now carried a bit of teasing and reminding, then Ji Wang Weidong's politeness carried deliberateness and attitude.

Clearly telling the other party that this shipping company was not only a customer of the Steel Mill but also their connection.

A unit personally acknowledged by the Investigation Department; it didn't need explanation to be very clear, the background was probably hard as hell.

The three looked at each other, all clinked glasses with Ji Wang Weidong, and didn't mention this matter again with a smile.

They could ask the two to bring things, but they wouldn't open their mouths.

On one hand, things outside weren't cheap, and even with their wages, they couldn't afford to consume them.

Secondly, the relationship between the two sides hadn't reached the level of trust where they could handle private affairs.

Of course, they also knew that being able to participate in this trip was Li Xuewu deliberately managing the circle in the ministry.

So Li Xuewu showed his strength and multi-layered relationships, and they could naturally feel his sincerity.

The last incident left a deep impression on both sides, and Li Xuewu's final "victory" made them secretly vigilant.

That person couldn't possibly have fallen into the hands of a deputy director, but the facts were right before their eyes.

Time had passed for more than a month, and the change in the situation seriously exceeded their cognitive understanding of the ecological environment.

If it wasn't that Li Xuewu actively influenced the change in the situation, then it could only be said that he had eyes and ears everywhere and had long had a budget.

Of course, they were more willing to believe that Li Xuewu was the latter.

People who could really interfere with the situation probably wouldn't appear before them.

Making up for the relationship was the theme of this trip, at least for them.

Li Xuewu's initiative made the three of them breathe a sigh of relief and also actively responded to this initiative.

Now, the three people and Li Xuewu could be considered to have formed a small circle with a relatively simple structure but a wide coverage.

Industry, economy and trade, foreign affairs, and the garrison and enterprise relationships possessed by the monster Li Xuewu.

You can see that the attitude of the three in getting along with Li Xuewu had changed significantly; in fact, it was mainly Li Xuewu's initiative that drove all of this.

Clearly he won, clearly he briefly restrained the three, clearly he mastered the key factors, why was he the one taking the initiative?

Very simple, he had reached the time to build his own upper-level relationship circle network.

As long as he wanted to continue to struggle in the industrial field, as long as he wanted to continue working in the Steel Mill, the connection between him and the competent departments at the upper level was unavoidable.

Even if he had a background and relationships, he must correctly handle this kind of private relationship.

Not to mention that for him, handling these relationships was as simple as drinking wine.

As long as the club was operating well, and as long as the several relationships belonging to him were handled properly, he would have the opportunity to touch people above.

Near ones were the three of them, far ones were those people in the working group; when he initially chose to pretend to comply, making friends with those people was not a loss as a kind of help.

Of course, he still had to screen out the ones he wanted, the relationships he needed.

Those few in the working group, although the relationship was very hard, were not worth making friends with.

At the very least, the positions and attitudes that appeared on both sides were unequal.

Li Xuewu's initiative in the eyes of the other party would always be flattery, or something that should be.

With his personality, how could he go to pull a horse and drop a stool for others? It wouldn't be bad if he didn't pull people off their horses.

Gao Yaqin and the three, although they had contradictions and friction with him, were not collisions in a subjective sense.

Later, in handling this matter, both sides had their own decisions and gains, which could be counted as a kind of turning danger into safety, complementing each other.

In dealing with the bullying from the person above, Li Xuewu didn't go to disturb them again, and didn't even think about involving them.

Now that the dust had settled and everything was quiet, another contact made it seem even more sincere and valuable.

If Li Xuewu had to choose to start handling the relationship with the superior management department, he would rather face people like the three who didn't know each other without fighting.

Especially Zhou Gancheng, the two could be considered to have known each other in the micro-end, and the fate was not shallow.

In fact, speaking of it, Li Xuewu didn't want to start laying out upper-level relationships so early, but the speed of his progress was no longer something he could fully control.

This year, the Steel Mill was bound to welcome great development; with the continuous emergence of opportunities, the two processes of the Steel Mill's promotion and groupization were bound to affect his progress.

One step behind, every step behind.

These two processes Li Xuewu was bound to ride the wind and rise, and they were also the opportunities for him to break through age restrictions and take big strides.

The interval between the two processes might only be one year, at most a little over a year; he had a lot of preparatory work to do.

Not only did he have to handle internal relationships well, so that all leaders were satisfied with him and wouldn't block him in voting.

Another was to handle the relationships above well; at least the impression score couldn't be lost.

As for work achievements and ability, it was just that under the circumstances of him being so low-key, his reputation could spread.

With Old Li's trust and need for him, even if it was cautious support, it was enough for him to cross two hurdles.

Progress wasn't difficult; what was difficult was standing firm during this period.

Especially the two progress opportunities with short intervals were bound to require him to make micro-adjustments to his life plan.

Simply put, the Steel Mill's promotion meant that Li Xuewu must solve the problem of the positive department; the security group was one direction, and the office was another direction.

And after the promotion, in the short vacancy period, he must jump out of the Beijing circle and transition outside, otherwise he would have no chance to progress in the groupization process.

These two progresses, the first required internal strength, and the second required external strength.

Could Old Li give him enough internal support, but in terms of external relationships, did you see him having the intention to introduce them to Li Xuewu?

It wasn't that Li Huai was stingy, nor was he too cautious, but his circle wasn't suitable for Li Xuewu.

Not only in personality and way of getting along, but also in development, progress process, and rank, there were differences.

Different circles, don't force integration.

Progress is like going to the West to get scriptures; who said that handling relationships upward isn't a kind of test and tribulation!

Seafood isn't filling; when you really eat it as a meal, it's quite tiring.

Except for a few guests who came to play today who had the experience of taking seafood as a meal, others were just eating for freshness.

This meal basically didn't eat any staple food, all relying on the seafood feast to fill their stomachs.

Except for Zhang Changming and Parker, who paid attention to food quality, even Xue Zhifu ate until he hiccuped before stopping.

The mess on the dinner table naturally had service personnel to clean up; everyone moved to the living room to drink tea, taste wine, digest, and chat.

Zhou Xiaobai and the two, whose mouths hadn't stopped, ate until their bellies were round; afraid that they wouldn't digest well, Li Xuewu forced them to drink a few mouthfuls of wine.

Zhou Xiaobai, who had just woken up from the wine, blushed again, but because she was full, she was still sober.

The two were ordered around by Li Xuewu to pour tea and wine for everyone, or to get snacks and fruits.

Being able to eat seafood, eat fruit, and drink foreign liquor on a sea fishing yacht in the middle of winter really had to thank United Trade.

Otherwise, even if they had this intention, they wouldn't have this ability and convenience.

Peeling an orange, more than half was bitten into the mouths of Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun, and the remaining small petal was hurriedly eaten by himself.

Li Xuewu signaled Gao Yaqin, who was sitting opposite, to let the two help pour tea.

"Hong Kong's automotive industry is actually a passive prosperity, or even an infiltration-type prosperity."

Ji Wang Weidong sat on a chair with his legs crossed, holding a red wine glass, and introduced the situation he understood very casually.

Parker sat to the side and listened silently, knowing the meaning of Li Xuewu's arrangement.

I know you very well; it's the kind of understanding that someone went to understand personally.

As long as Ji Wang Weidong explained the key points clearly, the subsequent negotiations with Parker would be much easier.

Xue Zhifu listened very carefully and even took notes himself.

Of course, these people gathered here, secretaries sat not far away listening, but were not allowed to take records.

Very simple, their conversation couldn't be spread in the form of records, otherwise no one would dare to speak.

It was just a private gathering, a communication and collision of commercial ideas.

Ji Wang Weidong spoke in great detail, and even explained the private sales routes of Hong Kong cars clearly.

Parker listened until he had a bitter smile; the situation was explained so clearly, and the market research was so thorough and transparent; how should the next words be negotiated?

Li Xuewu was very active; just after Ji Wang Weidong talked about his views and opinions on the Hong Kong automotive industry, he took the initiative to ask Parker.

"Mr. Parker, are you very interested in the automotive industry?"

He smiled and gestured to Xue Zhifu, and said bluntly: "My leader mentioned you to me; you are interested in our Hongxing Lingyang car and have even test-driven it."

"No, you misunderstood."

Parker organized his emotions, then looked at Li Xuewu with a smile, and confessed: "I have taken a fancy to your automotive industry, but not the Jeep."

"Since Mr. Ji has already explained the situation so clearly, I don't need to hide anything."

He spread his hands and said: "Originally I also wanted to... you understand, these are all commercial techniques."

"Hehehe—"

Everyone laughed out loud, very understanding of the meaning behind his words; soldiers never tire of deceit, treacherous merchants, treacherous merchants.

Li Xuewu smiled and raised his hand, signaling him to speak freely; he didn't care.

"It's like this."

Parker sat up straight, looked at Li Xuewu seriously, and explained: "Rather than saying I've taken a fancy to your Hongxing Lingyang car, it's better to say I've taken a fancy to your price!"

"Or it can be said to be your positioning and thinking about car manufacturing."

He shook his finger beside his head, and then said: "Cheap cars are definitely the mainstream of the market, but Jeeps won't work."

"Of course, of course."

Parker saw that everyone's expressions were slightly moved, as if they had the intention to refute, and pressed his hands down to nod and say: "The national conditions are different, the road conditions are different, so it's a separate matter."

"Hehehe."

Xue Zhifu laughed lightly: "It seems Mr. Parker's understanding of the mainland is still very sufficient; our factory also had such considerations at the beginning of car positioning."

He raised his hand and gestured to Li Xuewu's direction to introduce: "Comrade Xuewu is the creator of our factory's automotive industry and also the chief designer."

"Of course, in a non-conventional sense."

After making the annotation, he continued: "Regarding the positioning of car manufacturing, he gave us a clear train of thought, which is to solve the survival problem first, and then solve the excellence problem."

"What does that mean?"

Xue Zhifu said with a smile: "If you can't even adapt to basic road conditions, then how can you talk about building a good car?"

"That's it, adapting to local conditions."

Liu Shaozong nodded and said: "Even for urban traffic, there are many roads that urgently need to solve the problem of rapid traffic."

"Mr. Parker, please continue."

Li Xuewu waited for a few people to express their opinions, then raised his hand to invite the protagonist to continue talking.

Parker nodded and said: "Cheap cars cannot be equated with inferior products; they should be the application of high-level means of technology and cost control."

He gestured with his hands to introduce several trends and applications of vehicle cost control to everyone, talking eloquently.

"It's a pity that the automotive manufacturing industry in the UK is rapidly withering."

Speaking to the end, he leaned on the chair with some regret, spread his hands and said: "Many brands are dying, and more factories are closing one after another."

"External capital force impact, right?"

Ji Wang Weidong said bluntly: "Free economic trade is bound to bring certain losses; this point is chosen by your Whitehall itself, and you can't blame others."

"Of course, what I'm saying now is only the British automotive industry."

Parker gave a slight smile, affirmed Ji Wang Weidong's words, and then said to everyone: "How cheap are British cheap cars?"

He didn't let everyone guess blindly, but reported specific car models and prices directly.

"Triumph Spitfire MK III, sports car, equipped with 1296cc engine, top speed reached 100 mph, 0-60 mph acceleration time is 15 seconds, price 597 pounds."

"Hillman Avenger, rear-wheel drive family small sedan, wheelbase 2500mm, length, width, and height are 4100mm*1600mm*1300mm respectively, using 1489cc inline 4-cylinder engine, 3-speed automatic or 4-speed manual transmission, price 1038 pounds."

"How cheap?!"

Parker stared with some excitement and said: "Even such a cheap sedan was defeated by someone!"

"One pound is approximately equal to six yuan."

Ji Wang Weidong was afraid that everyone wouldn't understand the cheapness in Parker's mouth, so he gave the conversion ratio.

Xue Zhifu frowned and said: "A sedan of more than three thousand yuan?"

"This is not rare."

Parker looked at him and explained seriously: "The UK has a complete car manufacturing industrial system, and has a complete design and production system!"

"Actually, it's you who harmed yourselves."

Li Xuewu commented: "There is no sufficient potential customer group, but the automotive industry has competed to the point of white heat."

"That's it!"

Parker turned his head to point at Li Xuewu and agreed: "British cars don't have the courage to go out, and don't even have a bit of responsibility!"

"No, Mr. Parker, you might be a bit extreme."

Li Xuewu pressed his palm downward, signaling him not to be excited, and then said: "Car export is bound to be a goal for enterprise development."

"Including us, it's like this."

He gestured to everyone and said: "Striving to promote cars, building a brand belonging to the Steel Mill, has always been our goal."

"However, before car export, what we have to do first is survival."

Li Xuewu pointed at Parker and said: "Our cars haven't officially gone online for production, but we already have strong opponents."

"212 Jeep, a multi-functional application vehicle."

Liu Shaozong was afraid Parker wouldn't understand, so he took the initiative to introduce it; he was a cadre in charge of industrial declaration and approval, and was very familiar with these.

"What are we going to face?"

Li Xuewu waited for him to finish, frowned and said: "The first thing to think about is not how to defeat the opponent, but how to find the customers the other party can't take care of, find the customers who need our cars, and sell the cars."

"We don't want to make cheap cars either, but the market forces us to do so; this is internal competition, and the situation we should face is the same."

He turned his head to look at Parker and said: "Your internal production and operation are fighting to the death, and you still have the ability to compete for export?"

"I want to make a point, only relying on your local area, and the dumping policy on the land you belong to, you are bound to suffer from industrial backlash!"

"Perhaps it's like this, but not absolutely."

Parker understood Li Xuewu's opinion, but didn't fully agree.

However, the status quo of the British automotive industry wasn't the focus of everyone's conversation today; the Far East automotive market was.

He spread his hands and said: "You have already made cheap Jeeps, so haven't you thought about cheap sedans?"

"Hehe, of course I have thought about it."

Parker waved his hand with a smile and said: "You want to talk about road conditions or export restrictions, right? But I want to hear your thoughts at the beginning of industrial design."

"The production of sedans is inevitable."

Li Xuewu didn't avoid this problem, and said seriously: "But it needs time and space."

"First of all, the competition for sedan brands in the mainland is very fierce, but the demand is very tight, including upstream and downstream."

He gestured to the others who were nodding, and said to Parker: "It's not that it can be sold after being produced; this is still different from the positioning of the Jeep."

"I just said that the Jeep found the customers who need it, but the customers who need sedans are still very few in the mainland."

Li Xuewu sat up straight and said with some regret: "We urgently need sedan technology and production power, but there is no market support; it's no use being longing and anxious about the future."

"Have you considered contract manufacturing?"

Parker said his thoughts directly, which could be considered a showdown, looked at Li Xuewu and said: "Hong Kong brand, mainland production, cheap sedan."

"Hehe, you must have been calculating for a long time."

Li Xuewu pointed out his thoughts with a smile, looked at Xue Zhifu, and asked: "Leader, can we talk?"

"Of course!"

Xue Zhifu suddenly laughed, nodded and looked at everyone and said: "Do you mind if we suddenly start a negotiation?"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed out loud, and Bao Peigang even said: "I really want to see Director Li's commercial talent."

"Then you can consider yourself lucky; usually, we close the door to talk about this kind of meeting."

Xue Zhifu didn't care that there were many outsiders here, and even under Li Xuewu's tacit look, he knew his intention.

There were no miscellaneous people here today, and even those who weren't concerned about this project wouldn't talk about it randomly.

"Then good, I'll talk about the opinion on cooperation in the sedan manufacturing industry."

Li Xuewu looked at Parker seriously and said bluntly: "Contract manufacturing production doesn't work here for the time being, not only because of the form of assets, but also because of export problems."

He gestured to Gao Yaqin's direction and said: "If you are willing to take technology and equipment overall investment as a prerequisite, and guarantee the ability of sales channels, this one still has the value of negotiation."

"Of course, you can say technology and equipment are money, but."

Li Xuewu pointed to his feet and explained: "In the mainland, labor arrangement and enterprise decision-making costs are bound to far exceed your imagination."

"I understand."

Parker nodded thoughtfully and confirmed: "Labor cannot be fired, and decision-making mistakes need to bear responsibility, right?"

"That's it, your understanding is correct."

Li Xuewu nodded, then said: "I believe you are also unwilling to invest a large amount of capital to purchase machinery and technology, and transport it from the UK to here."

"And!"

He pointed out the basis of today's negotiation bluntly: "You don't necessarily possess sales channel resources, and you are not representing A. S. Watson to negotiate with me, right?"

"You are very sharp, I admire you very much."

Parker nodded, his attitude was a bit nervous, or perhaps it should be called flustered.

However, he was a senior executive of A. S. Watson and had experienced too many such negotiation scenes, so he quickly organized his emotions and said: "I am very optimistic about the Far East automotive market."

"You should be very clear that the development of Southeast Asian countries is very backward, and the automotive industry is still in a zero state."

Parker said: "I believe that using cheap cars to knock open their doors is a valuable investment."

"Still have to look at competition."

Ji Wang Weidong interjected from the side: "The UK's 597-pound car transported to Hong Kong has to be increased by at least 500 pounds; it's not worth the loss."

"Very normal, shipping for cars is still an unconventional means."

Parker nodded and said: "So I want to find an industrial base in the Far East that is sufficient, with low labor costs and a stable production environment."

"Obviously, the mainland possesses this point, and the Steel Mill possesses more obvious advantages."

He confessed: "I have walked through many enterprises, but they all have deep concerns about cooperative production and basically won't talk to me about cooperation."

"Under the circumstances of export business being restricted, I can't guarantee enough costs to complete the distribution task."

Parker looked at Li Xuewu and Xue Zhifu and said: "Your factory possesses the willingness to export, and also possesses this kind of channel and ability; it is my most ideal cooperation target."

"I very much hope to reach cooperation with you on this goal, but your opinion is not enough to support us in making up our minds."

Xue Zhifu said very tactfully, but it was clear enough, and the topic was handed back to Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu picked up the wine bottle and poured half a glass of wine for the other party, which could be considered to ease the atmosphere.

Then, while sitting down, he said: "I have a question I want to ask Mr. Parker; you are negotiating cooperation with us in your personal capacity; how do you handle the relationship with A. S. Watson, and how do you give us sufficient confidence?"

"Of course, your doubts have sufficient reasons."

Parker nodded, paused, looked at Li Xuewu and said: "A. S. Watson is just a career for me, and it is also a career I am willing to struggle for and pour my life's efforts into."

"However, in the process of career struggle, it doesn't hinder me from developing personal relationship business."

He explained: "I actually have many friends in various countries who want to connect everyone with a career; the automotive industry is actually a project worth investing in."

"And the question of confidence."

Parker looked at Li Xuewu and answered seriously: "I can provide technology and equipment first; I will choose an ideal car factory from the UK and move it here as a whole."

He gestured with his hands to move, as simple as moving building blocks, which actually made everyone laugh.

Li Xuewu also smiled, shook his head slightly, and said: "I think you misunderstood, or haven't had a sufficient understanding of the production of the Red Star Hongxing Lingyang car."

He looked at Xue Zhifu and signaled: "Actually, we don't lack production equipment now, at least that's the case now."

"It is indeed the case, Mr. Parker."

Xue Zhifu looked at Parker and confessed: "Our assembly line and production equipment basically reached a world-class level, and there are only assembly lines and core production parts."

"Only these?"

Parker frowned and asked: "Then how is the production of parts solved? You don't have a huge automotive industrial composition."

"We have it, just never connected it."

Li Xuewu said very seriously: "This is what I want to tell you; the Steel Mill possesses the magic weapon for cheap production, the supply chain system."

"Of course, this is actually already being used abroad, and it's even standard, but the foreign one is too complicated."

"Here, we possess many car factories, all of which are cheap production processes, and we don't need to pay supervision costs."

Li Xuewu briefly introduced the difference in the relationship between mainland and foreign manufacturing enterprises.

Parker didn't quite understand this kind of relationship, but it didn't prevent him from seriously thinking about the joint production technology under this model.

"So, what do you need?"

He frowned and asked: "Or what is the basis on which we can reach cooperation?"

"Technology, and key equipment."

Li Xuewu said seriously: "Cars can be cheap, but technology is bound to be high-end and precious; the cheaper the commodity, the greater the competitive pressure."

"You are very right, but..."

Parker looked at the wine glass in his hand hesitantly, not knowing how to explain it.

Li Xuewu was very clear about his hesitation, looked at Ji Wang Weidong, and then stated: "I want the special steel smelting technology applied to the automotive industry, I want advanced welding technology, and I also want engine and core component R&D technology."

"Too expensive."

Parker shook his head with a bitter smile and said: "If I move these things here, my cars won't sell at all."

He looked at Li Xuewu sideways and said meaningfully: "You should understand what I mean."

"Of course, the measure of a heart is not your fault."

Li Xuewu sneered at the policies of some countries restricting their own development, but didn't show any regretful attitude.

"Next, we have to talk about the form of cooperation."

"That..."

Seeing Li Xuewu so straightforward, and not even caring about his questioning just now, directly turning to this level, Parker was surprised.

But then he reacted; it must be that Li Xuewu had a way to break through the restrictions in the form of cooperation.

"Technology, core equipment, R&D ability, three things, not one can be missing."

Li Xuewu first said what he needed, then explained: "We will add sedan production processes and crafts to the assembly line; this part of the technology is crucial."

"How to transport technology and equipment to the mainland, this needs Mr. Parker's help, which is also the cooperation method I want to talk about."

"Mr. Ji will register and establish a car manufacturing enterprise in Hong Kong, which needs to purchase key technology and equipment required by the automotive industry."

He pointed to Ji Wang Weidong and gave the first explanation.

Ji Wang Weidong straightened his body, looked at Parker and said: "The enterprise has no relationship with you; I guarantee this."

"You only need to help, bridge the gap, and complete the procurement."

Li Xuewu further explained: "The remaining technology and equipment transfer, as well as the technical investigation and punishment faced by the enterprise, have nothing to do with you."

"Let me finish."

Just as Parker frowned and wanted to ask, Li Xuewu continued: "Mr. Ji will establish a car sales enterprise in Hong Kong and invite you to join as a shareholder."

"This car sales enterprise has no relationship with the original sanctioned manufacturing enterprise, but can introduce cheap sedans from the mainland."

Li Xuewu winked at Parker and asked: "Do you understand what I mean?"

"... seems to understand."

Parker frowned slightly and said: "However, I didn't see any rights and guarantees I could possess from this cooperation."

"Your investment will be used for the procurement of technology and equipment, so this is the guarantee you give us."

Li Xuewu pushed the words back and said seriously: "The establishment of the car sales enterprise will appear in the form of cooperation; this is the sales channel guarantee we need."

"Wait!"

Parker frowned and said: "That is to say, you used my identity relationship in technology and equipment procurement, and restrained my uncertainty in sales channels, right?"

"You can say that, unless you start this negotiation again as the general manager of A. S. Watson."

Li Xuewu looked at Parker's unwillingness, smiled apologetically, but this was all he could negotiate.

Parker looked at Li Xuewu and Xue Zhifu with difficulty; seeing that their attitudes were already very clear, he knew that the negotiation had basically been determined.

Either continue to talk, or overturn everything.

But such cooperation made him very uncomfortable, and he even had to help the other party cheat high-end technology from the UK, completely pitting his own country.

With his status involved, he could inevitably find the most excellent price to complete the introduction of technology and equipment.

Parker curled his lips, looked at Li Xuewu suspiciously, and asked: "If I agree to you, what is the Chinese term for this behavior of mine?"

Everyone didn't expect him to ask this, and for a moment, no one really knew how to answer.

Zhou Xiaobai blinked and said tentatively: "Accomplice?"

"No!"

Luo Yun shook her head firmly, then pursed her lips and confirmed: "It should be called a running dog!" ===== CHAPTER 1036 =====