Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 74：Discussing Cooperation

Mark widened his eyes in shock, a look of disbelief etched across his face.
"You dare insult me? Do you have any idea who you're speaking to?"
Wang Chuanfu locked his gaze onto Mark's eyes, making him feel a shiver run down his spine. He had never before encountered such a piercing, savage stare—it was as if a wild beast was about to devour him whole.
Mark felt a cold sweat form on his back, instinctively stepping back two paces, his voice trembling with unease.
"You... what are you going to do?"
Seeing Mark's sudden display of fear, Wang Chuanfu let out a cold snort.
"Hmph! You fool!"
With that, he turned and strode out of the meeting room, slamming the door behind him.
Mark stood frozen for several moments, still in shock, unable to comprehend the depth of the look he had just received. It was a gaze unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Regaining his composure, he settled into his usual arrogance, a sinister smile creeping across his face.
"Charming little dragon-country theatrics! You will pay for this."
He quickly called for an urgent high-level meeting.
"Jesse, contact the materials suppliers who used to work with BYD, and find a way to make trouble for them."
"Vlad, spread the word online that BYD is facing a major crisis and will soon be bankrupt."
"Ruth, arrange for some media outlets and pre-order customers to stir up trouble at BYD's headquarters."
...
Wang Chuanfu rushed back to Kyoto and, after inquiring about the situation, led several senior executives directly to Long Ke University.
The country had already contacted Long Lao to explain the situation regarding BYD, leaving the details of the collaboration to be negotiated directly.
As Long Lao wasn't particularly adept at handling such business matters, he passed them on to Principal Lu.
Upon hearing the news, Principal Lu was elated. In less than half a month since Jiang Fan entered Long Ke University, he had already developed a new type of battery material. A prodigy like him was surely one in a million across the entire nation!
Principal Lu immediately called upon Dean Li to arrange the logistics.
Soon, Wang Chuanfu and his team arrived at Long Ke University and were escorted to the administrative building's conference room.
Dean Li quickly notified Long Lao and Jiang Fan.
On their way to the meeting room, Jiang Fan had already been briefed on BYD's current plight.
As they entered, Wang Chuanfu hurried over to greet Long Lao, shaking his hand with fervor.
"Academician Long, it's a pleasure to meet you! I am Wang Chuanfu from BYD Group."
"Hello," Long Lao greeted.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough in battery technology!"
Wang Chuanfu's words were sincere and heartfelt, more genuine than even gold and silver. Though he hadn't personally developed the new battery, he was more thrilled than anyone.
Had the breakthrough been delayed any longer, BYD would likely have been swallowed up by Tesla.
At this crucial juncture, Long Lao had delivered, and Wang Chuanfu could barely contain his excitement.
"The battery was developed by my student, Jiang Fan," Long Lao corrected him, though it was clear that he was even more delighted by his student's success than by his own.
"Your student, Jiang Fan?"
Wang Chuanfu was taken aback. When the research department had received the call from the state, they had only mentioned that the new battery had come from Long Lao's lab. He had assumed it was Long Lao himself who had made the breakthrough.
But now, it didn't matter who had developed the technology; the key was that the country had come through with a solution.
He glanced at the young man beside Long Lao, then spoke with a smile.
"You must be Jiang Fan, Academician Long's student."
Jiang Fan nodded, feeling slightly awkward at the formal address, but nonetheless responded.
"Hello."
Wang Chuanfu gripped Jiang Fan's hand warmly, and Jiang Fan could feel the genuine gratitude and excitement radiating from him.
Just then, Dean Li, noticing the group standing near the door, gestured for everyone to take a seat.
"Please, everyone, take a seat. Let's get down to business."
Everyone settled, with Wang Chuanfu and his team sitting on the left side of the table, while Jiang Fan, Long Lao, Principal Lu, and Dean Li took their places on the right.
Principal Lu spoke first.
"Jiang Fan is one of our students. As his mentors, we are here to handle the business negotiations, but ultimately, the key decisions rest with Jiang Fan."
Wang Chuanfu nodded and introduced himself.
"Let me introduce myself briefly. I am Wang Chuanfu, the CEO of BYD Group. Our company mainly focuses on new energy vehicles..."
As Wang Chuanfu began outlining the group's background, Jiang Fan interrupted him.
"Mr. Wang, let's skip the formalities and get straight to the point. I still have an experiment to run."
Wang Chuanfu, far from being offended, found this refreshing. Jiang Fan's straightforwardness was a sign of decisiveness.
"Of course, let's get to the business. We are prepared to offer 1 billion for the rights to use your battery technology, plus 10% equity in our company..."
Jiang Fan showed no visible reaction to the offer, while Principal Lu nodded approvingly, glancing at Jiang Fan.
"Jiang Fan, Mr. Wang's offer is quite generous."
Jiang Fan nodded but then spoke up.
"Mr. Wang, I have a few questions."
"Of course, go ahead."
"How much will you sell your new energy vehicles for, once you incorporate the lithium iron phosphate batteries?"
This was a question Wang Chuanfu had not fully considered.
He thought for a moment, calculating that with the enhanced performance of Jiang Fan's batteries, their vehicles would outperform Tesla by at least three times.
Given the market, he estimated a price of around 1 million yuan.
However, the cost to produce each vehicle was around 80,000 yuan, and adding the battery technology would push the cost much higher.
The 1 billion technology fee, the 10% equity, and the R&D costs were all significant factors in the overall expenditure.
After some calculation, Wang Chuanfu replied,
"The pre-sale price would likely be around 600,000 yuan."
Jiang Fan frowned slightly at the figure.
"Your price is too high. The battery I developed is meant to benefit the people of Long Guo, not just the rich."
Wang Chuanfu, hearing this, felt somewhat helpless.
"Our current new energy vehicles cost around 80,000 yuan. If we use your battery, the production cost will at least double."
"Doesn't the country offer subsidies for new energy vehicles?" Jiang Fan asked.
"Yes, the subsidies vary, but they range between 20,000 to 60,000 yuan per vehicle," Wang Chuanfu replied.
"Mr. Wang, I don't need the technology transfer fee or the equity. If you can lower the price, we can proceed."
Jiang Fan spoke with determination. He had done his research before coming here, and he knew BYD's reputation in Long Guo was solid.
For years, BYD had been the first to contribute during national disasters.
This was a key reason why Jiang Fan made such a decision.
Everyone in the room was stunned by Jiang Fan's words.