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

The next day, everyone went to the nearby Hai Island for snorkeling and sea fishing, while Lu Liang was invited to the municipal building.

Hai Island is quite large, only slightly smaller than Taiwan by 0.06 square kilometers, separated from the Mainland by an 18-kilometer strait.

This strait not only separates the two places but also grants Hai Island more administrative autonomy compared to other Mainland provinces.

Promoting the new energy industry is a significant national policy. Hai Island, due to its geographical location and high transportation costs, has relatively high oil prices. Its wind and solar industries are fairly developed, making it naturally suited for new energy development.

Hai Island has its own automaker, Haima Automobile, but Haima has faced difficult times. The last new model they launched was the M8 in 2013, and they hadn't introduced any new products in three years. In the past three years, the M8 had sales of only about 100,000 units.

Without the provincial government's continuous support, Haima would have already faltered; although they could help, they couldn't do so indefinitely.

It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Until the end of last year, Li Xiang had collaborated with Lifan, and NIO had partnered with Jianghuai.

The provincial government was deeply concerned about this lone seedling of their native industry, constantly contacting Xiao Peng, hoping to facilitate a partnership.

It just so happened that Lu Liang was very interested in the new energy industry. He had officially decided to personally enter the field, and his company was currently engaged in team building in Sanya.

They decisively abandoned their sole focus on He Xiaopeng and made a last-minute decision to implement a wide-net strategy. The municipal secretary was already waiting at the hotel entrance early in the morning, inviting Lu Liang to the municipal building for a discussion.

"Haima Automobile..."

Lu Liang showed a thoughtful expression, flipping through Haima's information.

Since losing the Mazda brand licensing rights ten years ago, Haima Automobile was forced to shift to self-development, subsequently launching the Fumeilai series of cars.

However, their lack of R&D strength gradually became apparent; their exterior designs became increasingly non-mainstream, and their sales were consistently lukewarm.

The 2013 M8 had a total sales volume of 118,500 units over the past three years. It can't be denied that surviving until now was already a miracle.

And this miracle seemed to still have a chance to continue a bit longer because the country was currently promoting the new energy industry.

No matter how poorly Haima performed, it still had a complete automobile manufacturing production line. Although the equipment was a bit old, it was still usable, exactly what the rising new automotive forces needed.

The investment manager beside him held his breath, absent-mindedly drinking tea and not daring to interrupt.

If this partnership were confirmed, it would be a strategic project worth tens of billions at least. At that time, the provincial leadership would personally receive them, and he wouldn't even have the chance to serve tea.

In the world of officials and businessmen, although "official" comes before "businessman," it also depends on the businessman. Lu Liang, holding hundreds of billions in funds, would undoubtedly be treated with great respect wherever he went.

"Director Gao."

Lu Liang closed the information file, and Director Gao hurriedly responded. Lu Liang said, "To be honest, I am indeed very interested."

Director Gao was thrilled, but then Lu Liang spoke again, "However, I will not invest; I will only acquire, delist, and privatize."

Haima Automobile is a state-owned enterprise, established for 28 years now. It is not hard to imagine that it has all the typical issues of a state-owned enterprise.

It's a publicly traded company with a market value of only 5.8 billion. Lu Liang did not want to deal with all those infuriating trifles.

If he were to take over, the first thing would be to delist and privatize, and then from top to bottom, perform a major clean-up.

He would sweep out all those who were warming chairs, the parasites and vampires, without leaving a single one behind.

Director Gao's smile stiffened, and the corners of his mouth turned bitter. "Mr. Lu, Haima is, after all, a prestigious enterprise with a 28-year history."

They had invited Mr. Lu to join their family, not to tear it apart.

If Lu Liang acquired Haima and it continued production on Hai Island, it would indeed benefit the development of the new energy industry.

But if he agreed, he would offend many people.

Privatization would certainly involve removing many personnel, and those connected through nepotism would be the first to go.

"Being around for a long time doesn't necessarily mean strong," Lu Liang said with a smile.

Director Gao gave an awkward smile and then said, "Mr. Lu, what do you think of our Hai Island's business environment?"

If they couldn't save Haima or sell it, they would seek the next best thing—inviting Lu Liang to invest and build a factory here.

They would definitely treat him with exceptional hospitality, offering him the extraordinary treatments Tesla received in Modu and BYD in Shenzhen.

Lu Liang pondered for a long time, then said, "Director Gao, I've always been very interested in the new energy industry and have invested significantly in related industries, but it's not yet the right time for car manufacturing."

There had been ongoing rumors online that Hai Island would soon become a free trade port, which indeed makes it suitable for developing the new energy industry.

However, its geographical location is the biggest downside, like Li Xiang's collaboration with Lifan to establish a factory in Su Nan, and NIO's partnership with Jianghuai in Lu Zhou, which can radiate to the whole country from all directions.

Hai Island is just an island; behind it lies the vast sea.

Even with substantial support from the provincial government, it could only radiate in one direction and not flourish in multiple directions.

After all, the other party was the director of municipal investment solicitation and had received hints from the provincial government. It was not possible to outright reject the other party's goodwill.

He had to be somewhat tactful, not shutting down the conversation completely,

leaving some room for maneuver so they could still be friends the next time they met.

Director Gao deciphered the underlying message, "Mr. Lu, next time you have an idea, please be sure to contact us."

"Definitely, definitely."

Throughout the afternoon, Lu Liang wandered around the municipal government area, and Director Gao also revealed a lot of insider information.

For instance, the rumors online about the free trade port were true; there were indeed plans for it, and they would be implemented soon, just like the already-approved World New Energy Automobile Conference, which would likely be held on Hai Island.

All these words boiled down to one thing—they knew Hai Island had a less than ideal location, inconvenient transportation, and a population not even reaching ten million.

But the national government had never forgotten them; there was a plan to transform this place into a new energy experiment zone and create a unique national economic free trade port.

In terms of financial industry jargon, investing now was like holding original shares with boundless potential in the future.

Upon hearing, Lu Liang always responded very tactfully, indicating he would go back and seriously consider it.

Director Gao did not persuade further, focusing on taking Lu Liang around for sightseeing and visits, hoping he might get some ideas.

By nightfall, Lu Liang politely declined the dinner invitation and returned to the MGM Hotel.

At night, Yalong Bay was bustling.

While dining at the hotel's restaurant, suddenly a group of people ran past the door, followed by a group carrying cameras and equipment.

It was very noisy and disrupted the tranquil atmosphere, causing Lu Liang to frown and look toward Wen Chao, "Go ask, what's going on?"

After a while, Wen Chao came back with the information and answered, "Mr. Lu, they are filming a variety show."

Lu Liang nodded in understanding and did not ask further, knowing that although they booked over a hundred rooms, they hadn't booked the entire hotel.

In recent years, reality shows had been very popular, especially the hit shows; filming in one place could ignite its popularity.

The crew using the venue for shooting and promoting it for free was something no hotel would reject.

Lu Liang dined alone, enjoying a dish unique to Hai Island; today's planned activities included snorkeling, fishing, and camping on a deserted island.

After noon, Tang Caide had gone with her colleagues on a yacht out at sea, leaving him alone in the hotel; hence, he found no one else to dine with.

Soon, a petite figure dashed swiftly past him, followed by several cameramen.

Before Lu Liang could turn to see what was happening, he only looked up to see Huang Xiaoming standing in front of him.

"Mr. Lu..."

Huang Xiaoming's eyes widened, his expression dumbfounded; he was also an investor in the fund, though through Little Wang's channel.

He was close with Little Wang; last year, during his million-dollar wedding with Yang Tianbao, Little Wang had attended as a groomsman.

Back then, they had discussed Lu Liang more than once. Huang Xiaoming had always admired and wished to meet Lu Liang.

He had just never had the opportunity, and he hadn't expected their first meeting to be under these circumstances.

"Mr. Huang, what show are you filming?" Lu Liang smiled and nodded.

"Mr. Lu, you can just call me Xiaoming."

Huang Xiaoming, looking embarrassed, quickly stated, "Our show is called 'All-Out Team Up.'"

"Have you eaten yet? Why not sit down and join me for a bit?"

Lu Liang had never heard of it nor watched it. But he recalled, having heard from Little Wang that there was an episode with a stake from Huang Xiaoming.

Though it was only $1 million US Dollars, not even a full share, it still made them friends.