In the most prosperous steel forest in the East District of Shanghai stood a unique building.
This was the headquarters of Tesla in China. It was also the second landmark built by the Tesla Group after the completion of the Tesla Super Factory.
Overlooking the most prosperous inland estuary of the Western Pacific Ocean, it was like a lighthouse at the Nile port, guiding businessmen and international capital to enter this huge market …
Of course, there were many similar lighthouses.
Ever since clean and nearly unlimited energy was lit up on the West Coast of the Pacific Ocean, more and more international capital flocked here, trying to share the dividends brought by this energy revolution. Musk was just one of the shrewd businessmen.
At this moment, in the board meeting room on the top floor of this building.
The general manager of Tesla China, Beavis, was meeting with an unusual client – he came from the Boston area, and his name was David Lawrence.
In the United States, Lawrence was just a very common surname, but if this surname was associated with the Boston area and the banking industry, it would have some extraordinary significance.
As a famous local "rich family", the Lawrence family engaged in the financial industry was often mentioned together with their other three old friends – the Lowell, Adams, and Lodge families.
When North America was still a colony, these far-sighted families were the first group of people to become rich. They invested the huge amount of money accumulated from overseas colonial plunder into the banking industry, and relied on these financial institutions to provide funds for the light and heavy industrial chains they directly or indirectly controlled. They rose rapidly in the waves of the two industrial revolutions.
Relying on the waves of the two industrial revolutions, they obviously weren't satisfied with the status quo. After entering the new century, they formed a political alliance with the emerging Kennedy family.
And this was the birth of the B City Consortium that most people knew.
This name could be said to be thunderous in the period before and after the Vietnam War. They rose with huge arms orders until the assassination of Kennedy, and the unbreakable alliance gradually declined.
Since then, the name of the B City Consortium gradually retreated behind the scenes, and even the resounding signboard of the First National Bank of B City also disappeared in countless mergers and reorganizations.
However, the wealth and foundation accumulated by the two centuries and the two industrial revolutions would not just disappear into thin air.
Although they rarely appeared in the eyes of the general public, they still used their own ways to influence the world after retreating behind the scenes …
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in the conference room, Bevis narrowed his eyes and looked at the world lit by neon lights and street lights. He opened his arms with a smile and spoke to the man standing next to him.
"… As you can see, we are facing the most prosperous area in this city, and even in this land of the Western Pacific. Do you see that river? It stretches from there all the way to the sea. Almost half of China's wealth flows here. "
In order to please this special guest, he could be said to have done all he could.
Tesla needs funds to expand in Shanghai and the entire Yangtze River Delta. Although China's banks are happy to lend money to them, they need to pay back the money, and the interest is not cheap.
Therefore, the best choice for Tesla was to get a sum of money from somewhere other than the bank, preferably in the form of financing.
If the B City Consortium could be interested in Evgo's plan, with the financial support, the expansion of their business in China would undoubtedly be countless times smoother.
Although these financial giants were ruthless, they believed that no one would reject the idea of getting rich together …
"It is indeed a beautiful city, much more prosperous than the small village of B City."
Lawrence smiled faintly as he said this. His tone didn't sound like a tourist's praise, but rather like a shrewd businessman commenting on the goods in front of him.
Bevis peeked at the expression on Lawrence's face and couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind his words. In the end, he still looked out the floor-to-ceiling window and narrowed his eyes.
"Endless energy, we all thought it was just a legend, but now people have really done it.
"I have worked here for a full four years, and I have personally watched them leave the world behind little by little … or rather, with great strides. I'm afraid that even now, no American would believe that their energy is so extravagant that they can grow vegetables on skyscrapers and transport goods on maglev trains and still make a profit. "
"Grow vegetables in skyscrapers?" Lawrence raised his eyebrows with interest.
"Someone has been doing this recently. I think it's called three-dimensional agriculture … You know, it's like this all over Asia. They have a fanatical pursuit of fresh, natural food. They don't care if it's expensive," Bevis mumbled as he gestured with his fingers. He quickly cleared his throat and corrected the topic that had gone off topic, "I mean, don't you think it's a waste to leave these treasures here? They don't deserve this at all! "
"Indeed." Lawrence nodded in agreement, a rare occurrence. He took one last look at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, then turned his gaze to Bevis beside him and said with a smile, "Continue talking about your project, perhaps it will be able to move me."
Bevis smiled and spoke cheerfully.
"Of course, you can listen to it as many times as you want."
Just as Beavis patiently opened his mouth again to introduce their plan to Mr. Lawrence, there was a soft knock on the door outside the conference room. A middle-aged man in a suit, who looked to be in his forties, walked in.
Lawrence looked at his secretary and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"What's the matter? Mr. Jonard. "
"I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting, but I have an important matter to report to you."
Lawrence glanced at the dumbfounded Bevis, smiled, and said in a relaxed manner.
"Is it related to the gentleman next to me?"
Jonard nodded with a serious expression. He took out a stack of documents from his bosom and handed it to Lawrence with both hands.
"… Related? If that's the case, then I have to study it. "
As he spoke, Lawrence took the document from his secretary's hands and looked at Bevis apologetically … Even he himself didn't know how sincere this apology was.
Looking at Lawrence, who had left him to the side and was minding his own business, Bevis couldn't help but feel a trace of displeasure in his heart.
However, he didn't dare to offend this big shot. Therefore, he could only stand there and wait for Lawrence to finish reading the document in his hand.
Time slowly passed by.
There were only a few pages left in the document in Lawrence's hand.
Bobby, who had been waiting impatiently, finally heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. However, at this moment, the man's slightly furrowed brows made his relaxed mood instantly tense up again.
"Your company seems to be in trouble."
Bevis looked at Lawrence in disbelief as he paused for a second and replied.
"… What?"
"There is a Chinese company that seems to be posing a threat to your core business." Lawrence looked at Bevis and said in a serious tone, "As far as we know, you seem to be at a disadvantage."
At a disadvantage?!
"You mean that BB Charging?" Hearing such an absurd statement, Bevis laughed and said, "With all due respect, your subordinates seem to have played a very bad joke on you. I'm afraid you don't know, but we have reached an agreement with Volkswagen and five other companies. I can reveal a piece of news to you, they — "
"Of course I know you signed an exclusive cooperation agreement with Volkswagen. This is indeed brilliant, otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here. Also, please don't doubt the ability of my subordinates. "Lawrence smiled, tore off two pages from the document in his hand, and handed them to the dumbfounded Bevis." Since you are so honest with me, I will also show you something … Normally, we would charge 500,000 USD for these two pages. "
Bevis took the two torn pages from Lawrence's hand and impatiently looked at the contents of the paper. He wanted to know what made Lawrence, who was about to sign the financing agreement, suddenly waver.
However, the moment his eyes met the paper, his entire heart seemed to be frozen, and it stopped beating for half a beat!
"This group of shameless guys!" Bevis clenched his fists tightly, and his pupils contracted in disbelief. He restrained the anger in his heart and gritted his teeth as he growled, "They are doing this for unfair competition! This violates the spirit of free trade! This is illegal! "
He hurriedly raised his head and noticed that Lawrence was looking at him with a faint smile. Bevis, who was sweating profusely, tried to make himself look a little calmer, and he forced a smile on his face.
"Mr. Lawrence, I think this shouldn't affect our cooperation. As you can see, they are suspected of unfair competition. As long as we file a lawsuit, the judge will definitely be on our side …"
"But, which side should the judge make the decision?" Lawrence shrugged disapprovingly at Bevis' words. "Of course, I don't want this to affect our cooperation …"
Bevis was overjoyed, and he quickly reached out his right hand with a smile. "Then I wish us a happy cooperation. I know a good restaurant nearby, why don't we —"
"But, between the benefits and risks, we need to think carefully before making a decision …" Lawrence gently shook Bevis' hand, then quickly let go. He looked at his watch and said, "As for dinner, I'm sorry I can't make it. I have an important meeting to deal with later …"
After that, he returned the half of the document in his hand to Jonard, who was standing on the side, and nodded.
Jonard understood what the boss meant. He stepped forward and pushed open the conference room door for the boss.
"Then, I hope I can hear good news from you the next time we meet." Lawrence walked to the door and smiled slightly. He nodded at Bevis and said, "I wish you a happy mood, goodbye."
The conference room door closed.
Bevis looked at the back of the figure disappearing at the door. The expression on his face was terrifying.
When the footsteps outside the door were far away, he angrily slammed his fist on the conference table, sending the cups on the table flying to the corner.
"F * ck!"
A standard American curse was blurted out, venting the anger in his heart, as well as a hint of panic.
Just as Laurence had said, they were in trouble …
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