Huang Ligong was woken up by the alarm clock and glanced at his phone, 5 o'clock. I slept only three hours. He washed up groggily and dragged his luggage down, while Ma Xiaotao's driver and interpreter were waiting for him in the lobby.

He had asked Frank to meet in Beijing, but Frank asked to be in Hong Kong instead. He had to fly from Beijing to Hong Kong early in the morning, go straight to the Four Seasons Hotel, in the restaurant on the fourth floor, looking out the window, Victoria Harbour is calm, and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on the other side is like a giant turtle, guarding the ground.

Frank, CEO of the Skeke company, is tall, lanky, well-proportioned, and loves sports, especially swimming. When he came in, he was wearing a casual suit, smiling all over his face, and shook hands with Huang Ligong and the translator one by one.

"Went swimming?" Huang Ligong saw that his hair was wet and asked.

"The pool here is very nice, it's like swimming in the sky, you have to experience it." Frank said happily. He arrived in Hong Kong last night, and Huang Ligong booked him a room at the Four Seasons Hotel. After breakfast today, he couldn't wait to change his clothes and go to the rooftop swimming pool. He swam there twice and never forgot it. After swimming, lie on a deck chair with a bath towel draped overlooking the container ships of Victoria Harbour and the densely woven skyscrapers and streets of the Kowloon Peninsula.

"We eat, we talk while we eat." Huang Ligong made an inviting gesture. The waiter is serving appetizers, suckling pig, barbecued pork, roast goose, typical Xiangjiang flavor. This restaurant is famous for its three-star Michelin rating, and it is difficult to book a table, so Ma Xiaotao found someone to help you book it.

Frank sat down and looked at the appetizer with interest, unabashedly admiring the colour, the knife workmanship and the plating, "like a work of art." ”

It's not difficult for this Englishman to deal with, Huang Ligong thought to himself. Before contacting the company, Niu Zhaoxu reminded him that the British are not easy to deal with, arrogant, and clean, and still embrace the remnants of the empire on which the sun never sets at night, and indulge in the greatness of the past. They firmly believe that the British management model is the most advanced in the world, they do business with the Chinese, but they can't see it, no amount of money is useless, but nouveau riche.

Frank was interested in the dishes on the table and tasted everything, but he didn't eat much. I quickly picked up a white towel, wiped my mouth, rubbed my hands, and looked like I had eaten.

Huang Ligong also stopped.

"Mr. Huang, let's get down to business." Frank sat down and said.

"I want to work with you in business. In-depth business cooperation. Huang Ligong said. He didn't mention the word M&A. Frank glanced at the translator, probably noticing. Huang Ligong did not clearly throw out the intention of mergers and acquisitions in the early contact, but his words and gestures made some hints intentionally or unintentionally. "We already have partners in China." He said

"Japan Yamalan Automation?"

"Yes."

Huang Ligong clicked three dots on the table with his fingers, drew a broken line, and connected the three dots together. "Why not be more direct?" He drew a straight line connecting the first and third points, "Although Shanlan Automation is a Japanese company, its main business is in China. Wouldn't it be better to license directly to Chinese companies? ”

"We have been a strategic partner for many years, and we generally don't change easily." Frank shook his head slightly.

Is pedantic or loyal, in this business world where profit comes first? Moreover, there is no need for him to unilaterally break the contract, Huang Ligong got the information that the strategic cooperation between the company and Shanlan Automation has more than four months to expire, and a new round of renewal is being negotiated. At night, he still embraces the remnants of the dream of the empire on which the sun never sets. Huang Ligong couldn't help but remind him, "What if you consider the future development of the company? China is already the world's largest industrial robot market, and it is still growing rapidly. Partnering with Chinese companies to operate in China is efficient, responsive, and has the advantage of localization. Huang Ligong cited data to prove the influence and market share of Ruili Technology in China.

"I know about the Kunpeng robot." Frank said, "We have a hot topic, the rise of China's new industry, and when it comes to China's industrial robots, you are one of the names that must be mentioned." ”

Huang Ligong and the translator asked for a blank piece of paper and a pen, leaned against the table, closer to Frank, and asked in English, "How much do you get paid in a year in the company?" He had practiced this sentence several times beforehand, and although his accent was stiff, he believed that the British could understand it.

Frank looked at him with some oddity, and few would ask this question so directly.

The interpreter stood up and apologized, he needed to go to the bathroom. Huang Ligong nodded, this translator is worthy of Ma Xiaotao's subordinates, and he is very knowledgeable. Since Xu Qianqian left, his most intuitive pain is that there is no translator. When I came to Hong Kong this time, I still relied on Ma Xiaotao to lend him his translator for a day.

"About £300,000." Frank glanced at the translator's distant back, and whispered thoughtfully.

Huang Ligong wrote down a few numbers on a blank piece of paper and handed them to Frank. Frank looked at the simple arithmetic line above, 30*2=60. He looked up at Huang Ligong, Huang Ligong looked serious, and there was no joke at all.

According to the sales forecast submitted by the sales department of Ruili Technology, the demand for system integration in the new year is at least 1 million sets. Ordering directly from the company is at least 2 to 3 euros lower than purchasing or cooperating from Japan, and the unit price of each set is at least 2 to 3 euros lower, that is, the total procurement cost is directly reduced by 200 to 3 million euros, which is converted into a net profit of more than 20 million yuan.

For Frank, there was little to be done but a logical change of strategic partner. Huang Ligong saw the change in Frank's expression, which is the eternal inner struggle of human beings, persistence and desire.

Frank was silent for a moment and said, "I'll answer you in half a month." ”

Huang Ligong understood, made an OK gesture, took the white paper with the numbers written on it, folded it, put it in his jacket pocket, and patted it.