Chapter 78: Cook’s Arrival

“Liu Mingliang, come back quickly. Tomorrow, there’s a popular star to follow and shoot. His behavior has been a bit unusual these past couple of days—this is big news.”

“I’m currently picking up my girlfriend in Binhai City, spending a couple of days with her. My girlfriend is more important, otherwise I might end up a single loser. Buddy, please help me out this time. You’ll want to spend time with your girlfriend too someday, right? I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Damn, you’re really rubbing it in. Remember to save some energy.”

“We’ll see, hehe.”

Liu Mingliang hung up the phone and played with the camera hanging around his neck, continuously looking for interesting shots around the airport.

As a photography enthusiast, he wanted to take artistic photos. However, fate had been unkind, turning him into a paparazzo who followed celebrities, otherwise he wouldn’t even have enough to eat.

This time, his girlfriend was coming to Binhai City, so he took some time off to play for a couple of days.

Waiting in the airport terminal, Liu Mingliang occasionally glanced inside. He checked the time, shook his head, and smiled; he still hadn’t seen any sign of her yet—probably the flight was delayed.

Just as Liu Mingliang was growing impatient, a figure caught his eye.

Cook?

Anyone who followed the news wouldn’t find this face unfamiliar—Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc.

Cook appearing in Binhai City? This thought made him frown.

Suddenly remembering something, Liu Mingliang quickly raised his camera and took a series of photos of Cook.

There weren’t any major tech conferences or forums in Binhai City at the moment. The only possibility for Cook to come to Binhai City quietly at this time was for Legion Ant Company.

Legion Ant Company was the latest super rising star in the country, and just a few days ago, they had released the Butterfly Eye second generation, Metamorphosis. Cook showing up in Binhai City at this moment—could it be that Apple also wanted to cooperate with Legion Ant Company?

Only when Cook and his secretary walked out of the airport terminal did Liu Mingliang stop pressing the shutter button.

He carefully looked at the person in the photos, then used his phone to check pictures on QianDu, confirming it was indeed Cook, before dialing a number.

“Tiger, I’ve got some news. Help me publish it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be picking up your girlfriend? What news? Are you sending photos to rub it in?” An angry voice came from the other end of the phone.

“No, probably my girlfriend’s flight is delayed. Guess who I saw at the airport?”

“Who? Your mom?”

“Get lost. Cook, the CEO of Apple.” Liu Mingliang said, “It looks like he came quietly, probably to Binhai City to find Legion Ant Company.”

“Cook? No way? Are you sure you’re not tricking me?”

“I’m sure. The photos are in my camera; I’ll send them to you now. This is big news—I’m doing you a favor.” Without another word, Liu Mingliang took out a tablet and a card reader from his backpack.

After sending all the photos to Tiger, Liu Mingliang breathed a sigh of relief.

That evening, the news of Cook’s arrival in Binhai City spread quickly.

Along with the news were photos of Cook and his secretary appearing at Binhai Airport. This news immediately attracted the attention of many media outlets.

Binhai City wasn’t a first-tier mega-city like Donghai City, and there weren’t any major forums or events happening at the time. Moreover, Binhai City didn’t have an Apple R&D base or offices. His arrival at this time inevitably led to speculation.

“Shocking! Has Apple Admitted Defeat?” — Squirrel Headlines.

“Apple’s Stock Plummets, Coming to Plead for Mercy?” — News Eye.

“What Brings the Stealthy Cook?” — Global Times

…

As the news spread online, it immediately drew crowds of onlookers. Many people were discussing the purpose of Cook’s visit. Ultimately, all conclusions pointed to Legion Ant Company.

At this time, visiting Binhai City could only mean Legion Ant Company.

“Apple’s stock keeps falling; Cook had no choice but to come. Otherwise, Apple’s share in the Greater China Region would be finished.”

“Apple’s market share in the domestic market is already small. With Huawei attacking from the front and Legion Ant suddenly emerging from behind, it could very well become the next Samsung.”

“The Apple tax incident made people realize Apple’s greedy nature. Even though they’ve compromised now, broken glass still has cracks after being repaired—many people already dislike Apple.”

“Unfortunately, the release of Butterfly Eye happened right in front of Apple. He knows things have gotten serious.”

…

A large number of netizens began commenting on the matter. Various opinions pushed this news to the top headlines.

Cook didn’t visit Huaxia often, and this time he came quietly, which made people feel there was big news behind it. Some reporters from nearby cities, upon seeing the news, drove to Binhai City overnight.

Such good news—covering it on-site might yield unexpected gains.

“What happened? Why is it like this?”

In his hotel room, Cook’s face turned as dark as soot after seeing the news.

Originally, not many people knew about this trip to Binhai City. But not long after he got off the plane and returned to the hotel, news of his arrival in Binhai City was everywhere.

“We were photographed by a reporter at the airport,” the secretary said.

“Damn it.” Cook, usually even-tempered, felt a bit irritable at this moment.

The situation continued to develop. As the CEO of a major company like Apple, his appearance anywhere was big news. This stealthy visit to Binhai City naturally sparked much curiosity.

Was this for some secret deal with Legion Ant? A confrontation or cooperation?

Driven by this curiosity, many people began following the matter. In the past, such a thing had never happened before.

Early the next morning, the entrance of Legion Ant Company’s office building was guarded by many reporters with their cameras.

They didn’t know Cook’s hotel address, but Legion Ant Company was undoubtedly the most likely place for him to appear.

“This is interesting.”

Chen Mo’s car had just arrived at the company entrance when he saw all sorts of reporters.

Last night, he had also seen the news about Cook coming to Binhai City. Using a bit of brainpower, it was clear Cook was definitely here to see them. He didn’t expect so many reporters waiting at the company entrance first thing in the morning.

“The CEO of Apple Inc.—could he really be coming?” Xiaoyu, sitting next to Chen Mo, looked somewhat surprised.

“Who knows? Anyway, I don’t care,” Chen Mo said with a laugh.

After Chen Mo’s car appeared, it attracted the attention of many reporters. However, since they couldn’t see clearly who was inside the car, they could only continue waiting.

The new security at Legion Ant Company had rules: vehicles from outside wanting to enter the company must be checked. So they weren’t worried about Cook sneaking in.

After confirming his identity, Chen Mo’s car smoothly entered the company.

Not long after they entered the company, an ordinary Audi car stopped not far from the roadside.

Cook looked through the car window at the office building in front of him. His face showed neither pleasure nor displeasure, but his mood wasn’t great.

It was hard to imagine that a company whose headquarters was still rented made him feel threatened to the core, enough to come here personally.

But now he had a bit of a headache; entering like this made him somewhat unwilling.

At present, the two companies were not on the same level. Coming here like this was practically lowering his status. Looking at the reporters with their cameras on the roadside, Cook’s expression grew even darker.

“Back to the hotel,” Cook said calmly.

Throughout the journey, Cook’s mood remained unpleasant. During this period, the stock kept falling. Just last night, when he arrived in Binhai City, he received a call from the company: after the stock market opened, the share price had dropped another 0.9%.

For a company of their size, 0.9% meant billions of dollars.

“Arrange a meeting with the Chairman of Legion Ant Company at the hotel,” Cook said, frowning thoughtfully as soon as he returned to the hotel.