The atmosphere inside the Liu Group office was tense but oddly familiar—the classic generational clash.
Liu Zihao still fired up from the news of China Star's massive dealership rollout, had just laid out a complete plan to his father:
"Let's lock in 20 to 30 Audi dealerships.
We'll dominate the entire regional sales network!"
But his father? Calm. Even amused.
"You little rascal," he chuckled. "You're talking big without understanding scale."
"You know how much it costs to build 20 dealerships?
Two to three billion RMB. Does our group have that much liquid cash lying around?"
He wasn't wrong.
Despite Liu Zihao's passion, his father had the scars of experience.
"Huaxing might be strong in smartphones… but cars? Unproven."
"We'd be investing blindly into a brand without market feedback.
That's gambling, not business."
But then came the twist:
"Still," the old man said with a sigh, "you're going to inherit this company anyway…"
He reached for a pen.
"I'll give you 100 million RMB (≈ $13.76 million) to try for one dealership."
"Consider it your training wheels."
Zihao sighed deeply.
All that effort, and I only get one?
"Dad, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Do you even understand what 'golden opportunity' means?"
Liu Zihao's Final Pitch
"Audi Auto is a newborn brand.
We'll miss our shot if we don't jump in now."
"You know who I'm friends with—his dad works at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
They're watching Huaxing closely."
"The Ministry is preparing to approve 50 billion RMB in interest-free loans and 100 square kilometers of industrial land to support them."
Now, that got his father's attention.
He respected his son's friend's father—one of the top ten officials in the ministry.
For the first time… he was genuinely tempted.
Zihao doubled down.
"Dad, just think about it.
Even if you don't trust me, trust the tech."
"All three core components in Audi's new car are independently designed.
The patents are online—you can verify it with the State Intellectual Property Office."
"They've already started building 4S stores across first- and second-tier cities.
You think they'd go this big if they weren't confident?"
The old man froze.
How many?
He asked aloud.
Zihao smirked.
"You'll be shocked.
Your entire life's work built a few hundred stores.
They've built more than that in a single year."
"And their in-house tech? Decades ahead of legacy carmakers.
Once it's on the market, no one can compete at the same price point."
He paused, staring at his father.
"You think you're cautious. I think you're stuck in the past."
"Back then, the world was full of opportunities.
Now? They're rare. And they don't wait."
"This is your last chance."
He stood.
"Fine. You don't believe me? I'll go."
He started walking to the door, muttering just loud enough:
"One… two… three…"
Come on. Call me back, old man.
And in that moment?
His father sat silently, mind spinning.
Decades ahead of tech… verified patents… a son who never begged for investment before…
Maybe the kid wasn't useless after all.