After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

During that time, Wang Chuting was constantly keeping an eye on the glass wall, fearful that it might suddenly become clear again. Her heart pounded with trepidation until she finally let out a sigh of relief at the end of her shower.

She had stayed in the bathroom for quite a long time, probably about half an hour. Had it not been for the occasional sound of the hair dryer, Lu Liang might have considered checking on her.

Twenty minutes earlier, he had finished his grooming in another room and waited, and waited some more, until the buzz from the wine hit him, and his amorous mood nearly completely waned.

Not until the bathroom's sliding door opened, and a pair of sexy, enticing legs stepped out, the height alone definitely exceeding 175 cm.

The bathrobe was nearly worn by Wang Chuting as a short, connected dress, with her knees teasingly visible now and then. Her fluffy hair cascaded over her face, and with light makeup reapplied, her already delicate features appeared more sculpted.

Lu Liang's eyes lit up at the sight, suddenly feeling that the wait was worth it. He patted the spot beside him gently.

Wang Chuting gracefully made her way over and sat next to Lu Liang, her long, restless legs instinctively pressing close and shifting to the side.

Lu Liang reached out and circled her slim waist, his fingertips gliding over the flat stomach. Wang Chuting let out a soft moan, her complexion becoming increasingly coquettish.

Although she was a mixed-race beauty, she did not have the coarse pores typical of Westerners, and her skin was soft and delicate, without any hint of body odor.

Lu Liang's smile grew as his hand slowly moved lower, surprise flickering in his eyes. It was fine and soft, scarcely there, reminding him irresistibly of Little Yang.

He had heard that she had settled down in Tianfu and, as she had wished, opened a boutique coffee shop. Lu Liang had seen her Weibo, which seemed to be located at the starting point of the 318 route into Tibet.

Rumor had it that the café was doing well, already becoming a beautiful new sight along the 318 route.

Wang Chuting had an orchid's elegance and a delicate heart. She was observant and perceptive. Though inexperienced, at this moment, for Lu Liang's mind to wander suggested he was probably thinking of another girl.

She felt both shy and angry, and filled with indignation, suddenly straddling his lap, sitting atop and glaring down at him, biting down hard on her lip.

Lu Liang, surprised, let his palm rest on her thigh, finally seizing the plump clove of garlic and demonstrating his skill to lead and teach the uninitiated.

Young men liked mature women because they were unskilled; older men favored young girls to pass on their skills in a legacy of knowledge.

At this moment, that's exactly what Lu Liang was doing with Wang Chuting.

Wang Chuting, panting lightly, suddenly realized that they were entering the fray bare, and with a hurtful gasp... she collapsed, limp and powerless, onto Lu Liang's shoulder.

She bit his ear fiercely, threatening, "If you ever dare to treat me badly in the future, be careful—I might hex you."

"What counts as treating you badly?" Lu Liang asked with a smirk, suddenly remembering something from her file—Wang Chuting seemed to be not of Han ethnicity.

"I haven't decided yet, the final interpretation is mine," Wang Chuting huffed, her forehead beginning to bead with sweat.

"Then we'll talk when you've made up your mind," Lu Liang said with a wicked smile, embracing his belle and moving the battle to the bedroom.

Inexperienced, without a clue, it was hard for him.

...

Early in the morning, Lu Liang was awakened by the vibration of his phone. Opening his eyes, he saw the long legs, bare, straight, and slender, with the soft morning sunlight filtering through the curtains casting a golden glow on them, as if adorned with golden stockings.

The visual impact was indescribable, the faint palm prints littered across her legs spoke volumes of Lu Liang's affections.

He admired them quietly for a moment, then picked up his phone, walked out of the bedroom, and into the living room bar to light incense and taste tea.

Hu Weiwei had just called him. Lu Liang called her back and learned that Wang Xiaofeng had arrived in Beijing and was ready to start preparing the company's basic personnel structure.

It could all be summed up in one phrase: he needed money.

The $20 million was the research and development funding Lu Liang had provided for Li Jiahui's team, and there wasn't a penny left in the company's account.

When it was just her alone, it didn't matter much; even if they had to squat in a Huaqing University office, it was doable.

Now that Wang Xiaofeng had come, even though the company had no products yet, they still needed to complete the basic personnel structure.

Lu Liang laughed wryly, "How much do you need?"

After a moment's hesitation, Hu Weiwei said, "How about $15 million?"

Apart from the R&D projects, the largest current expenditure for Tianxing Technology was her and Wang Xiaofeng's salaries.

Together, the two of them had an annual salary of about ten million. Before any products were launched, five million should suffice for one year.

When Lu Liang called Tang Caide to check on the financial status, he learned that Tianxing Investment had $235 million in liquid assets in its account.

After some contemplation, she wired 80 million US dollars to the public account of Tianxing Technology to make up the one hundred million dollars.

After all, Tianxing Investment and Tianxing Technology were wholly owned by Lu Liang, meaning it was his one-man show.

NIO and Li Xiang had initial capital of one hundred million dollars, so if others had it, they should too.

"Mr. Lu, might that be too much?" Hu Weiwei was astonished; they had so much money but seemingly nowhere to spend it.

A whole 80 million US dollars, if lent out as foreign currency loans, would bring in at least an 8% yield annually.

"It's not too much."

Lu Liang walked out to the balcony, puffing smoke into the air as he looked southward, "Tesla's new Model 3 is launching next month. If Tesla's vehicular system becomes established, then it'll be the next iOS."

Tesla's biggest current problem was insufficient production capacity. However, construction was underway for the first phase of their giant Modu factory.

Expected to be completed around next September, even just the first phase would enable 50,000 cars to roll off the line each month.

There was also support from Modu's municipal government and various national funds for new energy industry projects. The runway was cleared; just waiting for Tesla to increase production capacity and then truly take off.

Once no domestic competitor could stand against it, Tesla would become the next Apple.

Like half a year ago, with the sudden advent of the era of short videos, seeing OPPO about to seize this sky-opening fortune, all major mobile manufacturers rushed to bring out their most precious products, with Xiaomi even unveiling its full-screen phone.

All willing to suffer major losses to hinder an enemy, better to sustain a small loss than to let OPPO shine alone.

The same principle applied to the automotive industry. Although BYD had stepped up, BYD's car system was truly indescribable, perhaps due to product positioning, they simply didn't focus much on it.

The old forces were still watching and waiting. Though spurred by policies, sales figures didn't lie—Japanese joint venture cars and other traditional fuel vehicles still dominated the market.

Earning money just by lying in the glory book—why bother with the exhausting effort of developing new models? Just update a few old models, put in a minimal effort, and call it a day.

Though the new car-making forces were spirited, they were still playing with concept cars, hearts full but hands tied.

Thus, with no great generals in Shu, after much reflection, Lu Liang decided to be the Liao Hua.

They could hold off on making cars, but the car system had to be introduced to give consumers a choice in the market.

A fiery passion seemed to burn in Hu Weiwei's chest. Having spent ten years as an automotive journalist, she understood the importance of seizing the initiative. She said solemnly, "I'll do my best to hurry Li Jiahui and the others."

"Don't rush them; this matter can't be hurried nor can it be pressed," Lu Liang mused, suddenly revealing a nonchalant smile.

He informed Hu Weiwei that he was going to take a trip to Beijing in the next few days, planning to meet with his new friend, Old Li from Baidu.

If it's money they need, they'll have money. With so many internet giants and talents available, he refused to believe they couldn't outdo Tesla.

Hu Weiwei remained silent, and after a long pause, she asked, "Mr. Lu, can new energy vehicles really replace fuel cars?"

Although the concept of new energy was surging high, data did not lie—the second quarter shipments stood at 97,000 units.

Not to mention the three big Japanese mother models—Leiling, Xuanyi, and Corolla, the market's bestselling heavyweights.

Even BMW's X5 luxury model alone outsold the entire new energy market in the second quarter.

This harsh statistic cast a shadow over the heart of every industry professional; they had no choice but to confront it.

Even Li Bing often contacted her, beating around the bush, to hear Lu Liang's opinions through her.

The future seemed dark, giving way to despair.

Every midnight was fraught with sleeplessness, her mind racing ceaselessly.

Had they made the right choice, or the wrong one?

Did their current efforts mean anything at all?

"Fuel cars won't be replaced; consumers will simply have an additional choice," Lu Liang said with utmost conviction. In five years, Ningde, with a market value of a trillion dollars, would be the best proof.

Currently valued at 35 billion yuan, Ningde Era was expected to go public next year, with an eventual valuation around 50 billion yuan.

With a battery supplier alone holding such high market value, the new energy market could only grow more prosperous and thriving.