As soon as Li Qiuliang and his party put down their luggage, they took a car provided by Modu Phoenix Bicycle Co., Ltd. to the company’s offices.

Despite the summer heat, Li Qiuliang and his party wore short-sleeved white shirts and suit trousers, giving them a sharp, professional appearance.

Li Qiuliang, accompanied by a male and a female public relations staffer, followed the secretary to the general manager’s office.

"President Xia, the guests from Nirvana Technology are here!" The secretary knocked on the door and led Li Qiuliang’s group in.

Since they had a prior appointment and Li Qiuliang had submitted a letter of intent for several million bicycles, this was an undeniable windfall for Phoenix Bicycle, whose own annual sales were only in the millions.

Xia Jie stood to welcome them, guiding Li Qiuliang’s party to the reception sofa. He then said to his secretary, "Get Engineer Wang in here. I want him to look at the client’s blueprints and estimate the production cost."

"President Li, a pleasure. I’m Xia Jie." After they exchanged business cards, Xia Jie, still finding it hard to believe, said, "Before we begin, I just have to confirm—is the letter of intent you sent us for real?"

Li Qiuliang smiled. "It’s very real. We wouldn’t deceive President Xia with something in black and white. However, the purchase will likely be done in phases. We can get into the specifics shortly."

Just then, Engineer Wang knocked and entered, taking a seat on a chair the secretary brought for him.

Li Qiuliang pulled two sets of blueprints from his bag and passed them over. "President Xia, please start by estimating the production cost for these two models."

At a nod from Xia Jie, Engineer Wang picked up the simplified schematics and began to review them. "Solid tires, a smart lock, solar panels, GPS positioning... Damn, you guys aren’t sparing any expense!"

Engineer Wang already had a rough price in mind. He glanced at Xia Jie and, behind the blueprints, flashed a hand signal for ’six-five’. Seeing Xia Jie nod, he said, "Based on your requirements, we can offer you a cost price of 650."

"President Xia, that price is a bit high, don’t you think? We are talking about an order for several million bicycles, after all." Li Qiuliang was not happy with the figure. Before the trip, Wu Yun had told him his absolute bottom line was under 600.

What followed was a relentless negotiation over the price. Li Qiuliang was a seasoned negotiator, and with the support of his two PR staffers and the leverage of such a massive purchase, he held the upper hand.

Li Qiuliang’s bottom line was firm: the bikes had to have a smart lock, GPS positioning, and a solar charging panel, with the price capped at 550 yuan per unit.

Xia Jie ultimately agreed. In recent years, the mass production of electric bikes had severely squeezed the market for traditional bicycle companies. And while his company had its own e-bike production line, bicycles were their traditional forte.

Nirvana Technology’s massive order was a delightful surprise for Phoenix Bicycle—it was like manna from heaven.

"President Li, a pleasure doing business with you!"

"President Xia, a pleasure doing business with you!"

"Oh, and President Xia," Li Qiuliang said, pointing to the other set of blueprints on the coffee table. "That was just the simplified model. Take a look at this—the original design. We need you to produce 1,000 of these for our promotional launch."

"This..." Engineer Wang looked over the technical specifications, looking troubled. "This is a lot more technically challenging. The driveshaft and chain have to be concealed within the frame, it needs to be able to charge itself while being ridden, and it has to have a lightweight design. The cost for a bike like this would be four to five times that of the simplified version." He continued, "We’d also have to retool the production line to make these, so the cost per unit would be around 3,000."

"Two thousand five hundred. Make us one thousand of them," Li Qiuliang stated, his commanding negotiation presence returning.

"Done!" Xia Jie’s eyes were on the prize: the order for millions of bikes.

"I have one condition," Li Qiuliang added. "The original version needs to be produced and delivered first. We need them for our promotional campaign!"

"No problem!"

After further discussion, they drafted a preliminary contract. Nirvana Technology signed a purchase order with Phoenix Bicycle for five million shared bikes, a deal totaling 2.75 billion yuan. As a gesture of goodwill, Phoenix Bicycle gifted the 1,000 original-design bikes to Nirvana Technology.

The first batch would be 300,000 units, with a 30 million yuan down payment. The remaining balance would be paid in three installments over the following month, contingent on production progress.

To this end, the day before Li Qiuliang’s departure, Wu Yun had injected another 20 million in capital into the company, gaining 20 million Experience in the process. His personal balance, however, dropped to a little over 8.7 million.

Li Qiuliang had also accepted the reality of his profit-sharing stake being diluted to 1%.

.......

While Li Qiuliang and his team were in negotiations, Wu Yun was touring apartments in Shida Modern Garden with a real estate agent.

Residents had only started moving into Shida Modern Garden at the end of 2013, so there were still plenty of vacant units in the complex. Some were bare-bones shells, while others were fully furnished and previously owned.

"Mr. Wu, what are your impressions of this unit?" The agent asked. Wu Yun was currently in a beautifully renovated three-bedroom apartment on the 31st floor of a 33-story building. The living room overlooked the complex’s central courtyard.

Wu Yun observed the warm, inviting decor. The furniture and appliances were all brand-new; it was a turnkey property, ready for immediate move-in.

"This is the one," Wu Yun said casually.

"Right away, Mr. Wu! We’ll contact the owner immediately to sign the contract." The male agent looked at Wu Yun with a hint of envy. ’The kids of wealthy families are really on another level,’ he thought. ’Driving a sports car, buying a house the moment he starts university... Housing prices in Rongcheng are rising steadily. After four years here, he could flip it and make a huge profit. And even if he doesn’t sell, it’s a solid asset. It really is true that the rich just get richer.’

Just then, he got a video call from Bai Yue. "Wu Yun, guess where I am?"

Bai Yue’s delicate, smiling face appeared on his phone screen.

"The airport?" Wu Yun had a feeling.

"How did you know?" Bai Yue looked astonished.

"I guess we’re just on the same wavelength! Are you coming back?" Wu Yun was surprised too. Bai Yue had only been in the Capital City for two weeks.

"I did! I missed you, so I came back!" Bai Yue grinned, revealing a row of perfect teeth, looking like a little girl who’d just gotten away with stealing candy.

"That’s amazing! Send me your flight info. I’ll come pick you up after I’m done buying this apartment!" Wu Yun switched his camera view and panned it around the living room.

"Ah, you’re buying a house *again*!?" Hearing Bai Yue’s exclamation, the agent felt an even deeper pang of envy for Wu Yun.

"Yeah," Wu Yun explained. "It’s right outside the university, and the company office is nearby, so buying here is really convenient."

.......

After ending the call, Wu Yun smiled at the agent. "Let’s go. This is the one."

By the time Wu Yun and the agent got to the agency’s office, the homeowner was already waiting. After a bit of conversation, Wu Yun learned that the owner was a property speculator. He had bought a dozen or so apartments in Shida Garden to either rent out or sell, as Rongcheng had no purchase restrictions at the time.

"Mr. Wu," the owner began, "I bought this unit as a bare-bones shell at the initial offering for 8,000 yuan per square meter. Nearly a year has passed, and similar shells in this area are now going for 8,300. As you can see, with my renovations and the quality materials and mid-to-high-end furniture and appliances I’ve put in, my asking price is 10,000 yuan per square meter. The official area on the title deed is 122 square meters." Wu Yun felt the owner was being greedy.

Wu Yun shook his head. "Nine thousand five hundred per square meter, max. I can pay the full amount in cash, right now!"