Chapter 691: 1 Yuan for 3 Billion? What's Free Is Often the Most Expensive! 20 Billion to Build Cars

The night was heavy, but the lights of Luzhou Prefecture shone brilliantly.

Inside a luxurious private room on the top floor, Jia Yaoting gazed at Chen Yansen with a look of anticipation, his eyes burning with intensity.

Chen Yansen was unmoved. He simply raised his teacup and took a gentle sip.

After a dozen or so seconds, he finally replied in a slow, deliberate manner, “Well then, I wish President Jia great success with his new car.”

Facing the business world’s most notorious charlatan, Chen Yansen had absolutely no intention of investing a single cent in his project.

Giving Jia Yaoting money would be worse than donating it to a charitable association.

At least the latter would get him the reputation of a fool with too much money. The former would just make him a plain old fool.

After all, the number of tycoons Jia Yaoting had swindled was simply staggering.

Take Sun Hongbin of Sunac Group, for example. When the LeTV crisis erupted in 2017, he threw down 15 billion in a bailout, even declaring, “Old Jia, you just focus on building cars! I’ll take care of the money.”

The result? The 15 billion vanished without a ripple, and all he got in return was Accountant Jia’s promise: “I’ll be back next week.”

He was swindled into looking like a complete moron!

Then there was Xu Jiayin of Evergrande, who threw a whopping 6 billion into Faraday Future. It was the classic case of throwing a meat bun at a dog—gone for good.

Even more tragic was Wen Xiaodong of Tao Yun Capital, who lent Jia Yaoting a total of 2.4 billion.

But on the eve of Jia Yaoting skipping town, when Wen Xiaodong showed up to collect his debt, the man told him bluntly, “I definitely don’t have any money. But I can give you Yidao Car Rental to cover it.”

‘Better than nothing,’ Wen Xiaodong thought. Only after taking over the company did he discover it was saddled with 4.5 billion in debt.

By the time he tried to find Old Jia for a confrontation, the man was already basking in the California sun.

A man’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow—it precedes him.

Jia Yaoting’s gift of gab was truly impressive. His lobbying skills were first-rate, and his public speaking was nothing short of masterful.

He had everyone, from business tycoons to retail investors, wrapped around his little finger.

Of course, these people weren’t idiots. Jia Yaoting’s business instincts were undeniably sharp.

In recent years, LeTV had been hoarding copyrights, live-streaming sports, and developing “Super TVs” and “Super Smartphones.” Weren’t all of these ventures that took off by riding the latest trends?

Seeing Chen Yansen’s placid reaction, Jia Yaoting was taken aback for a moment.

‘This isn’t how I envisioned this going!’

But no matter. A true powerhouse never complains easily.

He quickly recalibrated. Drawing upon his prior research into Chen Yansen’s personality and investment style, he decided to get straight to the point. “President Chen, I want to acquire the procurement rights for the Deep Blue 4890 battery. At the same time, I hope to receive the support of Senlian Capital.”

‘Am I your father?’

‘Or are you my biological son?’

‘The nerve of this guy!’

Chen Yansen scoffed internally. ‘Forget everything else. Just look at the sheer shamelessness of Accountant Jia. An ordinary person would need three to five years of practice just to reach his level of entry-level audacity.’

“Does LeTV have a license to manufacture new energy vehicles?”

Chen Yansen set down his teacup and asked slowly.

“According to the ‘Management Regulations for Pure Electric Passenger Vehicles,’ LeTV can build the factory first. Once the body stamping, painting, and final assembly workshops are complete and we meet the requirements, we can then apply for the license.”

“Of course, LeTV could also obtain the manufacturing license by partnering with another automaker.”

Jia Yaoting shrugged, answering without a moment’s hesitation.

He had clearly done his homework before meeting Chen Yansen; he wasn’t some empty-headed entrepreneur.

Otherwise, how could he have possibly duped so many old foxes in the Business Community?

“You can have the procurement rights for Deep Blue Battery. The minimum contract value is 500 million US Dollars, with a 30% deposit and delivery within a year.”

Chen Yansen was going strictly by the book.

‘So LeTV wants to buy power batteries from Deep Blue Technology?’

‘No problem!’

‘Pay up!’

In his eyes, Jia Yaoting’s credibility was on par with someone from Tianzhu. Without a deposit, he wouldn’t even take the order.

And the final payment had to be received on the day of delivery.

“Is President Chen not interested in the new energy vehicle industry?” Jia Yaoting, clearly unsatisfied with the response, pressed him tentatively.

He was determined to pull Senlian Capital into the venture with him.

After all, Senlian Capital possessed the world’s leading lithium-sulfur battery technology. If Chen Yansen agreed to invest, LeTV Car could raise ten billion in funding with just a single PowerPoint presentation.

In the domestic venture capital scene, who didn’t know that Chen Yansen was the “God of Investment”?

For instance, companies he had invested in, like DJI Drone and Magic Camera, were all flourishing in their respective fields.

“Not particularly.”

Chen Yansen said with an expression of complete indifference.

‘Most of the companies getting into the new energy vehicle business in 2013 were established automakers, developing both hybrid and pure electric models. Who would believe they weren’t just in it for the subsidies?’

‘For a newcomer like Jia Yaoting to enter the market, he’d first have to secure industrial land, then deal with production licenses and regulatory compliance. The government’s approval process for new automotive projects is incredibly strict. It requires meeting a series of demands outlined in the ‘Automotive Industry Development Policy,’ such as R&D spending ratios and environmental standards.’

‘Then there’s the issue of body materials. High-strength steel and aluminum alloys are dependent on imports, and Baosteel’s domestic production capacity for high-end steel is insufficient.’

‘He could follow Tesla’s lead and use a hybrid steel-and-aluminum body, but that process demands extremely high manufacturing precision. The welding phase alone requires overcoming the technical challenge of joining two dissimilar materials.’

‘Conventional welding techniques are prone to issues like cold joints and cracking. A company would have to invest heavily in laser welding equipment, which is a massive expense for any startup automaker.’

‘More importantly, even if they solve the manufacturing problems, the long-term repair costs for a hybrid steel-and-aluminum body are significantly higher.’

‘The real entry point isn’t until after 2014, when Baosteel releases its own domestically developed high-strength steel. Only then will the basic conditions be in place.’

‘On top of all that, you have to build up a reserve of electric motor and electronic control technology beforehand.’