"It's only right, absolutely right, Mr. Mavi! You've come all this way from Russia, so naturally, we at China Unicom must extend our hospitality as hosts and greet you at the airport," Fang Zhengde said eloquently to Mavi.
Hearing this, his subordinates behind him thought, When did the chairman become so articulate? He never talks like this normally.
However, just as Fang Zhengde finished speaking, Ma Guoqing, the operations director for China Mobile, who had just finished a call with his boss, suddenly felt anxious. He opened his car door, took a deep breath, and, along with the president's female secretary, walked up to Mavi to greet him.
"H-hello! Mr. Mavi from Russia, we're truly sorry! We're from China Mobile, and our president got stuck in traffic on the way here, so he might be a little late. We're truly sorry!" Ma Guoqing knew the level of reception he was providing wasn't quite sufficient. Even the small red flag car he drove over paled in comparison to Mavi's Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB – it was miles away, to put it mildly.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say it probably wasn't even substantial enough to carry luggage. Especially considering China Unicom had brought a Mercedes S600 and a Mercedes 230.
Mavi smiled and shook his head when he heard this; he genuinely didn't care about these superficial reception issues. In 2001, China Mobile and China Unicom were still in their development stages. Even the 3G mobile network was developed several years later than in other developed countries.
Clearly, the overall standard of the telecommunications industry was still in its nascent phase at this time. They had only just phased out 1G, and 2G hadn't even been fully popularized yet.
...
An hour and a half later, accompanied by China Unicom President Fang Zhengde and others, Mavi arrived at a five-star hotel in downtown Beijing. China Mobile President Wang Liang'an, who was rushing to get there, also arrived at the hotel, reminded by his director and secretary, to meet Mavi.
"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Mavi! We ran into traffic on the way and arrived late, I sincerely apologize!" It was a good thing Wang Liang'an didn't say their car broke down on the way, or that excuse wouldn't have held up.
But Mavi didn't mind such small matters; people who do great things don't get bogged down in trivial details. "It's fine, President Wang Liang'an, I was just about to mention the investment."
Mavi said, shaking hands with Wang Liang'an. Then he casually glanced at the time, noticing it was almost dinnertime. "How about we talk while we eat?"
"Okay, no problem, we'll listen to you, Mr. Mavi!" Fang Zhengde and Wang Liang'an nodded and replied.
Mavi's casual glance at the time might have gone unnoticed by others. But Fang Zhengde, the president of China Unicom standing right there, and Wang Liang'an, the president of China Mobile, saw it clearly!
The diamond watch Mavi wore on his left wrist was the Hublot "Big Bang" watch that had been auctioned for $4 million (over 38 million RMB) a while ago! This watch, with its astronomical price of 38 million RMB, firmly held the position of the world's most expensive watch at the time.
The number of diamonds镶嵌 (inlaid) in it was also the most in the world at that time, totaling 1282 stones. Even without considering the craftsmanship of the watch itself, the diamonds alone were worth over ten million RMB!
Hublot watches were the first top-tier Swiss watch brand to combine precious metals and natural rubber as raw materials. Its creation sparked a revolution in the watchmaking world, both in terms of materials and the unique aesthetic concept the watch embodied.
As the saying goes, "Poor play with cars, rich play with watches." This world's most expensive watch was something Mavi bought on a whim at an auction when he was bored at home. Anyway, it wasn't expensive for him; wearing it on his wrist was roughly equivalent to about 30-something Mercedes S600s or 60-something Mercedes 230s...
Just in case he ever walked out and saw those rich kids showing off their sports cars and luxury cars in front of him... the price of the watch on Mavi's left hand would be enough to completely outshine them. However, others rarely had the chance to show off in front of him; more often than not, he was the one who impressed everyone else.
"Mr. Mavi, if I may ask? Is the watch on your wrist the Hublot watch that was auctioned in Geneva a few days ago?" While riding the elevator, China Unicom President Fang Zhengde and China Mobile President Wang Liang'an asked Mavi curiously.
Both presidents also liked luxury watches, but as they asked the question, they subtly pulled their sleeves outwards a bit, covering the watches that were originally exposed.
Not for any other reason than the fact that President Fang Zhengde's Omega and President Wang Liang'an's Rolex were simply too far apart from Mavi's Hublot "Big Bang"! There were a full two extra "zeros" difference! How could they not cover them up...? Anyone in their shoes would cover them up! Unless they were completely clueless and didn't recognize the exorbitant price of the watch on Mavi's wrist.
"You could say so, President Fang, President Wang," Mavi said, then casually took off the diamond wristwatch from his wrist and handed it to the two telecom industry giants in front of him to examine closely.
Seeing Mavi's action, China Unicom President Fang Zhengde and China Mobile President Wang Liang'an quickly took the watch with both hands.
Then, they clicked their tongues in amazement and praised it, "Tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Mavi, this Hublot watch of yours is truly exquisite. It must have more than 1200 diamonds, right? It's currently worth 38 million, and in two or three years, the price will definitely increase by at least half, minimum."
What kind of person says what kind of words – it all depends on who they are talking to. The two presidents of China Mobile and China Unicom were usually at a high level within their companies. But when it came to Mavi, their attitude was completely different...
"As for appreciation, whatever happens, I just bought it because I liked it," Mavi said in a light tone. He took the watch that Wang Liang'an handed back and casually put it back on his wrist. This naturally effortless demeanor was something others couldn't imitate, no matter how hard they tried.
Seeing this, the two presidents in front couldn't help but praise him again. There was nothing else they could do; Mavi had money in his pocket, and it was US dollars at that. The popularization and development of the telecommunications industry required huge amounts of capital and technology to catch up to the level of developed countries.
Two minutes later, the three of them took the hotel elevator to the revolving seafood restaurant on the top floor. As is typical for a wealthy person, the entire floor of the restaurant had been booked out by Mavi. Seafood, drinks, whatever was most高级 (high-class) was ordered; it was all petty cash for Mavi anyway.
Even if everyone ate their fill and chose the most expensive items, it still wouldn't amount to a single day's interest from Mavi's bank account...
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Mavi sat at a scenic spot in the hotel, looking out at the night view of Beijing. Then, he spoke to Fang Zhengde and Wang Liang'an, "President Fang, President Wang, I have a question I'd like to ask you both."
"Please feel free to ask any question you have, Mr. Mavi," Fang Zhengde and Wang Liang'an replied politely.
"My question is, if all of China, including some remote mountain villages, were to be covered by a 2G network, how much infrastructure and how much funding would that roughly require?"
(End of this chapter)