However, even the strong sales of the Apple 3G phone couldn't prevent its stock price from falling—and rapidly at that.

Yi Anguo once again invested heavily in technology research and development, urging the R&D teams to ramp up their efforts. Their goal was to develop a better system and surpass the iPhone.

While Huaxing smartphones still had some shortcomings compared to major international brands, they also had their own advantages, having created several firsts.

They were the first with a full screen, the first with an under-screen camera, the first with multiple cameras, and the first with fingerprint unlocking.

Due to time constraints, Huaxing's self-developed smartphone operating system admittedly still fell short of Apple's. This was an area that had to be improved, with the goal of a major technical upgrade for the second-generation smartphones.

With the strong sales of Huaxing smartphones, the company's self-developed chips drew the attention of major domestic manufacturers, who flocked to Hua Xing Technology for consultations and to place orders.

Everyone knew the era of the smartphone was dawning. During the Beijing Olympics, the domestic 3G network began commercial trial operations on April 1, 2008.

To manufacture 3G smartphones, one first had to procure the required smart chips. Before the launch of Huaxing smartphones, all domestic manufacturers had to import these chips from abroad or from Taiwan, and they were not cheap.

Now, Hua Xing Technology could produce its own 3G-compatible smart chips at a price cheaper than imported ones. Why would anyone hesitate? Of course, they went straight to Hua Xing Technology for their purchases.

With a large number of domestic orders, Huaxing Company's integrated circuit chip production could hardly keep up. They were already investing in the construction of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth plants.

Besides domestic foundry orders, Hua Xing Technology also aimed to capture its share of the international market.

Hua Xing Technology's wafer foundry production lines were temporarily unable to meet the surging demand, resulting in many orders flying off to Center International instead.

Zhang Jing certainly accepted these with a smile. It wouldn't make sense to refuse. After all, more orders meant running at full capacity and earning more money.

Yi Anguo was not going to the US, and Zhou Mengdie was incredibly disappointed. She had gone to great lengths to persuade her parents and secure the chance for a business trip to the US, but now her boss was standing her up. How infuriating!

"Boss! How could you do this? You went back on your word! You promised to take me to the US on a business trip, and now you're backing out," Zhou Mengdie said angrily.

"Why do you want to go to the US so badly? I've told you, it's not safe. In a capitalist society like that, it's nowhere near as good as staying in our own country. It's so safe here! Socialism is great!" Yi Anguo said, laughing.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have waited for you. It would have been much better to go with Assistant Chen," Zhou Mengdie said unhappily.

"You just want to work hard and prove yourself, don't you?" Yi Anguo said helplessly. "How about I take you to Hangzhou for some fun?"

"Hangzhou? Are we going to visit West Lake?" Zhou Mengdie asked.

"Yes! Let's go see if the White Lady is actually under Leifeng Pagoda."

"The White Lady is from a folktale. How could there possibly be a White Lady under Leifeng Pagoda?" Yi Anguo couldn't help but laugh as he spoke. "Besides, the current Leifeng Pagoda was rebuilt only a few years ago. The real one collapsed before 1949. Even if the White Lady had been trapped underneath it, she would have escaped long ago. Lu Xun even wrote an essay about it called 'On the Collapse of Leifeng Pagoda.' And here you are, a top university graduate, and you don't even know that."

"Oh! You're right... I forgot, okay?" Zhou Mengdie said with an embarrassed smile.

"And even if Leifeng Pagoda was rebuilt, the scenery is still the same. People say West Lake's beauty is unparalleled, and Leifeng's Evening Glow is one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake! What about Broken Bridge in the Snow? It's a shame we can't see it now, but just visiting the Broken Bridge would still be nice!

"Worst case, we can always come back in the winter when it snows in Hangzhou to appreciate the beauty of the Broken Bridge in the Snow.

"Besides Broken Bridge in the Snow, we could also visit Su Causeway in the Morning Sun!

"Oh, right! It's summer, so it's not really the best time to appreciate the beauty of Su Causeway in the Morning Sun," Zhou Mengdie giggled sheepishly after Yi Anguo couldn't help but remind her.

"Then let's go see the Lotus in the Breeze at Quyuan Garden! It's summer, so the lotuses should be in full bloom. It ought to be the perfect time to admire the view, right?

"In the evening, we could also enjoy the Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake. Even though it's summer, autumn feels like it's just around the corner! Besides, you don't have to wait for autumn to enjoy it. I bet it's just as beautiful in the summer.

"After admiring the Lotus in the Breeze at Quyuan Garden during the day, we can go to View Fish at Flower Pond, then Listen to Orioles in the Willows, and after that, admire the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.

"There's also Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds and Evening Bell at Nanping Hill. Seeing all Ten Scenes of West Lake would be wonderful."

"Well done! You've memorized all the Ten Scenes of West Lake. You must have traveled quite a bit, haven't you?" Yi Anguo asked.

"Not at all! I've hardly ever left Shenzhen. I learned all this from books. I love reading about famous landscapes and sights from different places, hoping I'll get the time and opportunity to travel and enjoy them myself someday," Zhou Mengdie replied.

"Your family isn't poor, how could you not have the time? These big cities in China are safe; you can go for a trip whenever you want!" Yi Anguo said, a bit curious. "If you're worried about traveling alone being unsafe or getting scammed, you could join a tour group. Traveling with a group only costs a bit more, and it's not as if you can't afford it."

"Hold on. You've been to the United States, right? How can you say you've hardly left Shenzhen?" Yi Anguo suddenly remembered that she had traveled abroad and quickly interjected.

"I've traveled to many countries with my parents, but there are lots of places in China I haven't visited! For instance, I've never been to Hangzhou. I've heard it's a lot of fun, especially West Lake, and also places like Qiandao Lake, Wuzhen, and so on!" Zhou Mengdie explained.

Hearing this, Yi Anguo was momentarily speechless. She's traveled to many countries yet says she's hardly left Shenzhen? What was he, who had never even been abroad, supposed to feel about that!

Yi Anguo's purpose in taking Zhou Mengdie to Hangzhou wasn't simply to sightsee at West Lake. However, that didn't stop him from appreciating the Ten Scenes of West Lake along the way.

In fact, Yi Anguo wasn't very passionate about traveling, but this was likely related to his previously not being very wealthy. After all, traveling is a costly hobby. The admission fees for various attractions were outrageously expensive and unaffordable for the average person.

So, even though he had been to quite a few places before his rebirth, he generally skipped any tourist attractions that charged admission.

For example, despite living in Shenzhen for many years, he had never visited Happy Valley, Splendid China Folk Village, or Window of the World because the tickets were too expensive.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford them; he just wasn't willing to spend the money, as he truly lacked a strong interest in traveling.

But if admission had been free, he definitely would have gone. There was no doubt about that. So, in the end, it all came down to money.

After his rebirth, however, money was no longer an issue. He could go traveling whenever he wanted.

Therefore, Yi Anguo had since been to Happy Valley, Window of the World, Splendid China, and the Folk Culture Village many times.

Though the trip to Hangzhou wasn't for tourism, strolling around with his little assistant to appreciate the beauty of West Lake was very pleasant indeed.

「At the Taobao headquarters in Hangzhou」

At that moment, the spirits of Jack Ma and the company executives were low. Taobao's largest shareholder, the American company Yahoo, had a new CEO. The former CEO, Yang Zhiyuan, had announced his resignation.

Carol Bartz had officially succeeded Yang Zhiyuan as Yahoo's CEO.

Bartz was very different from Yang Zhiyuan in many ways.

Yang Zhiyuan was courteous, gentle, and sometimes even overly deferential.

Bartz, however, was different. She was assertive and often swore openly in meetings.

Taobao and Yahoo had once enjoyed a lengthy honeymoon period.

But in early 2008, an unforeseen event brought it all to an abrupt stop.

On January 31, 2008, Microsoft made an unsolicited $44.6 billion bid to acquire Yahoo. If the deal had gone through, Microsoft would have become Alibaba's largest shareholder.

History had repeatedly shown that Microsoft's involvement with its portfolio companies was much more significant than Yahoo's, making it a difficult partner to handle.

The then-CEO of Yahoo, Yang Zhiyuan, ultimately rejected Microsoft's proposal.

Microsoft's offer was already at a 70% premium, yet it was still declined by Yahoo's executives, which enraged the investors.

A few months later, the global financial crisis came roaring in, and investors demanded he step down immediately.

If Jack Ma felt relieved about the Microsoft-Yahoo deal falling through, that feeling didn't last long.

A few months later, Yang Zhiyuan announced his resignation as CEO of Yahoo, and Carol Bartz officially took over the role.

Yahoo's sudden leadership change was not good news for Taobao. In fact, it was terrible news.

Because Yahoo was Taobao's largest shareholder, owning forty percent of its shares, any attempt by Yahoo to seize control would be extremely disadvantageous for the company.

To make matters worse, Taobao's stock price on the Hong Kong exchange had already fallen below its initial offering price, which only added insult to injury.

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