《After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future》


 Chapter 1 - 1: Overnight Desolation

    March 21, Spring Equinox.


    Spring is a season of goodbyes and a perfect time for decluttering.


    Lu Liang got up early to clean the house, finding that very little belonged to him. Most of the items were Lin Wenjing''s.


    Looking at the pile of stuff on the floor, he decided to make a phone call to ask what to do with it: "Hey, I still have some of your stuff here, do you want to..."


    Before he could finish, Lin Wenjing''s tone turned as cold as if she was dealing with a telemarketer: "Lu Liang, we''re already divorced. I hope you won''t make this difficult for me. Let''s just wish each other well, okay?"


    Lu Liang heard a man''s voice nearby, who seemed to have just woken up, asking lazily, "Who''s that?"


    "It''s no one, dear, go back to sleep," she replied sweetly, like a girl infatuated with love.


    "Okay, I understand."


    Lu Liang hung up without a hint of emotion and called the scrap collector to take everything away, leaving nothing behind.


    He knew who that man was; likely a shareholder from the beauty salon where his ex-wife worked, driving a Range Rover.


    They had hooked up only a few days after the divorce, making it easy to guess that his head must have already turned green before they split up.


    But now, what could he do? They were already divorced.


    Getting angry would only reveal his own incompetence and convince her that divorcing was the right decision.


    The best revenge would be to live well, drive the finest cars, and date the most beautiful women.


    By getting rid of all the stuff in the house, and with no trace of that woman left, he felt a bit better.


    At two in the afternoon, it was time to meet the client. He waited at the entrance of the neighborhood.


    Before he could finish his cigarette, a beaming old man got out of a taxi: "Little Lu, sorry to keep you waiting."


    "Uncle Wu, I''ve just come downstairs too," Lu Liang greeted him warmly, inviting the old man up for tea. The old man waved him off: "You''ve got everything ready for me, and I''ve seen it several times. No need to see it again."


    "Shall we go straight to the procedures then?"


    "We''re not going through Green View, right?" the old man asked.


    Although it was Lu Liang himself selling the house, he was also an employee at Green View Real Estate.


    If the transaction went through Green View, he''d have to pay tens of thousands in fees.


    "No need, I''ll take care of it for you," Lu Liang shook his head.


    As a seasoned real estate professional, if he couldn''t handle selling his own house without going through the company, his years in the industry would have been a waste.


    The two arrived at the Housing Bureau, where Lu Liang expertly handled all the necessary paperwork for the transfer of the property.


    A two-bedroom in the suburbs, 76 square meters, sold for a total of 1.12 million, 5% below market value.


    Had Lu Liang not been in urgent need of cash, listing the property for one or two weeks could easily have fetched 1.2 million.


    He was a real estate agent, after all. In his years in the business, he had seen no less than eight thousand properties.


    The wedding home he had picked out was top-notch among similar units and would never have trouble selling.


    Later, he went to the bank to process the mortgage transfer. After deducting various fees, he had a balance of 171,500.


    That evening, Lu Liang, with a few sets of clothes, moved into a bachelor pad, once again becoming part of the drifting population in Modu.


    "Ten years of hard work, all for naught."


    Looking at the cold 175,000 in his bank account, Lu Liang suddenly felt an urge to cry.


    Years ago, he came to Modu with just 2,000 yuan in his pocket and, after ten years of struggle, had his family and career.


    And now it was all gone like smoke. His parents had put forward 150,000 yuan for the wedding home, and he had borrowed 50,000 from friends.


    Ten years of toil, and now 25,000 in debt¡ªit seemed like a mockery of his past self.


    Suddenly, the smartphone on the table rang. It was Manager Wu from the company: "Lu Liang, are you coming to work or not? Mr. Liu said if you don''t show up tomorrow, it''ll be treated as absenteeism."


    "I got it."


    Lu Liang looked at himself in the mirror, his face covered in stubble and grime, the spitting image of a pitiful creature.


    "Fuck it, it''s just starting over."


    Having taken a bath, Lu Liang walked out of the bathroom.


    Looking at the clothes and shoes in his bag, a uniform of white shirts, suit pants, and black leather shoes, there was no room even to change his style.


    Thinking of his ex-wife''s fashion and cosmetics costing thousands while he only wore clothes that cost a mere few dozen yuan.


    The more he looked, the more it upset him; all the years of marriage seemed like he hadn''t lived for himself, ending up with nothing in the end.


    With a burst of ferocity, Lu Liang packed up all his clothes and threw them into the garbage bin downstairs.


    He spent 688 yuan on a hair styling package, which came with a complimentary facial treatment, then went to the mall to buy several sets of clothes and shoes.


    "I''m not actually that old, right?"


    Lu Liang saw his reflection in the mirror, completely transformed.


    Compared to ten years ago, although a bit heavier, his charm remained, adding a touch of mature man''s allure.


    The only downside was the balance in his bank card, which didn''t support another transformation.


    "Handsome, you weren''t old to begin with," the salesgirl complimented as she helped Lu Liang with his clothes. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I like the sound of that, I''ll take all of these."


    In a blink, his bank balance dwindled to 169,000 yuan, but Lu Liang felt an inexplicable sense of exhilaration.


    "It feels damn good to spend money!"


    Back at his apartment, Lu Liang also began to prepare ways to make money; although spending money was joyful, being penniless was painful.


    To avoid that pain, he needed to keep having money to spend.


    "I should be able to borrow quite a bit."


    Lu Liang took out his phone and identification, started talking business with industry tycoons like Old Ma and Qiangzi.


    Since the property transfer would be completed in the afternoon and online information wasn''t updated promptly, he secured 210,000 yuan from three platforms.


    He cashed out another 150,000 yuan from his credit cards, instantly accessing 520,000 yuan in funds.


    But when considering subscribing to new stocks, it was obvious that the more initial capital, the better.


    Lu Liang downloaded every well-known app, eventually raising an astounding 620,000 yuan.


    "Hai Sheng, what have you been busy with lately? There''s something I want to ask you about," Lu Liang contacted a securities broker client.


    He kept just 20,000 yuan for daily expenses and used the remaining 600,000 yuan, paying a 50,000 yuan service fee, for 5000 subscription numbers, to increase his chances of getting new stocks.


    Since his divorce a few days ago, a voice had been echoing in Lu Liang''s head.


    At first, he thought it was auditory hallucination, even suspecting if his feelings for Lin Wenjing were that deep.


    It was just a few meetings, an agreed dowry, then marriage without any emotional foundation.


    Less than two years later, they were divorced with no children, their relationship as insipid as water.


    Until yesterday, the voice became clearer than ever.


    [On March 24th, Baofeng Technology will be listed, 40 days of consecutive trading limit up, the highest price per share will reach 327 yuan.]


    At that moment, Lu Liang looked up Baofeng Technology''s information, learning that the listing date was March 24th, with an initial offering price of 7.14 yuan per share.


    He had never heard of this stock before, so if it were an auditory hallucination, he couldn''t have known the precise listing date.


    After much consideration, Lu Liang decided to take the gamble; after all, one couldn''t lose everything in the A-shares, and it''s even harder to lose money with new stocks.


    If it were true, it would bring about a seismic change to his life.


    New stocks had a 99.99% chance of not losing money, a widely accepted belief. Due to this, the subscription was highly sought after, and getting allocated to buy a stock even once in ten attempts would be extremely lucky.


    Thus, some gray-area services like subscription number allocation arose, increasing chances by increasing the number of subscriptions.


    But few people usually did this, as the cost of allocation was high and without at least seven consecutive limit-ups one was almost certain to lose.

 Chapter 2 - 2: Night Encounter with a Drunk Cat

    Busy until late at night, Lu Liang was ready to go to sleep.


    Suddenly, he heard a faint sound of metal clashing¡ªquiet yet irregular and piercing.


    Living in a low-floor, thin-walled studio apartment had its conveniences, but it couldn''t compare to a regular residential area in terms of sound insulation.


    Moreover, most residents were young people, blasting music and dancing every day; partying until two or three in the morning was the norm.


    Lu Liang initially didn''t want to bother, even burying his head under the pillow, but he couldn''t stand the incessant noise.


    "Who on earth is it?" he grumbled as he got up and opened the door to find a long-haired girl with her back to him.


    It was the end of March and Modu was still in single-digit temperatures. But she wore a short skirt, draped in a woolen coat, with white knee-high socks and a pair of Lolita platform shoes.


    From the knee down, her legs were bare, unprotected against the early spring chill, and she didn''t seem very old.


    The girl was leaning her forehead against the door, repeatedly jabbing the keyhole with a key¡ªthis was the source of the noise.


    Lu Liang sensed a strong scent of alcohol and frowned, "Can you keep it down? Do you think other people don''t need to sleep?" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The girl turned around, visibly drunk, "Uncle, if alcohol tastes so bad, why do so many people like to drink it?"


    She burped, and suddenly vomited all over the floor, filling the air with the smell of alcohol and a sour stench.


    Lu Liang shouted in shock and quickly moved aside. Seeing the girl sway and about to fall, he hastily supported her.


    No matter how pretty a girl was, seeing her vomit like this, he felt no attraction; his distaste was palpable, "Where''s your phone? Call your friend to come clean this up."


    The girl couldn''t help vomiting again, rummaging through her bag while giggling foolishly, "I remembered now, I forgot to bring it."


    "...Do you remember their number?"


    "I don''t remember~"


    Lu Liang, irritated, didn''t want to deal with this drunk mess.


    He picked up the vomit-covered key from the ground, intending to help her open the door and then leave her in her room.


    But he realized the key was broken inside the lock¡ªno wonder she couldn''t insert it earlier.


    "Yo, how come this key is so short?"


    The girl stared at the key, dazed, and felt her world spinning, gradually leaning more heavily against Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang''s foot slipped, and he sat down on the ground, his palms, elbows, and arms rubbing into the sticky vomit.


    Looking at his palms, he trembled with rage and immediately called the police, asking the officers to take the girl away.


    ...


    It was past six in the morning at Bridge Police Station.


    "Officer, can''t I leave yet?"


    Lu Liang yawned, his face showing his exhaustion.


    The officer thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully, "Lu Liang, you didn''t accidentally touch any inappropriate places, did you?"


    "That girl wouldn''t accuse me of taking advantage of her, would she?" Lu Liang furrowed his brows.


    "Don''t misunderstand, she was too drunk to make sense. We just had to ask routinely," the officer quickly explained.


    After all, these days, there were too many instances of people settling scores after the fact. It was better for Lu Liang if they investigated thoroughly.


    "It''s understandable," Lu Liang sighed in relief.


    He answered whatever the officer asked.


    After about fifteen minutes, he walked out of the interrogation room. The girl was sitting on a nearby chair, giving him a goofy, dry laugh.


    Lu Liang gave her a cold glance but said nothing, waiting until the officer returned with the evidence.


    Next time, he definitely wouldn''t meddle in such messes again.


    Trouble¡ªhe''d thought a simple phone call would resolve everything, not expecting to have to stay at the station for so long.


    Fortunately, the apartment was quite new, and the surveillance footage was very clear.


    "Li Manli, do you have any more doubts?"


    After watching the surveillance multiple times, Li Manli saw that she was the one who had initiated contact with Lu Liang, even soiling half of his body with her spit.


    Her face blushed, not knowing what to say.


    "Apologize properly to him, he was just trying to help and ended up being hassled for most of the night," the police officer beside her reminded.


    "Uncle, I''m really sorry," Li Manli said, bowing in apology upon hearing this.


    "It''s fine, I''ll be leaving now."


    Lu Liang, with a cold expression, wondered, was he that old to be called an uncle?


    The police officer gave a wry smile and sighed, "Lu Liang, thank you for your cooperation with our work."


    "Cooperating with the law is every citizen''s duty," Lu Liang said with a smile as he left the police station.


    Li Manli anxiously asked, "Officer, he lives right across from me, he won''t cause me any trouble, right?"


    "Go buy some fruit and apologize to him properly, he won''t hold a grudge," the older police officer suggested semisolicitly.


    The younger officer also comforted her, "Don''t worry, if there is any issue, feel free to contact us anytime."


    "Thank you," Li Manli hesitated for a long time before deciding to follow the officers'' advice.


    She had just moved in and didn''t want to search for a new apartment again, so she bought a bag of fruit intending to apologize to Lu Liang.


    But she hesitated for a long time, never daring to knock on the door.


    Her mind raced with thoughts, what if he was a bad person, what if he harassed her?


    It wasn''t until she heard some rustling noises from inside that she was scared and just wanted to retreat to her own room.


    Any thoughts of apologizing were instantly forgotten.


    But then, she realized the keyhole was blocked.


    Li Manli was so anxious she was almost in tears.


    Suddenly, the door behind her opened.


    Seeing Lu Liang step out of his room,


    Li Manli forced a smile and waved, "Hello."


    Lu Liang, expressionless, as if he hadn''t seen her, walked straight to the elevator and left.


    Li Manli sighed in relief, but her face showed displeasure as she glared intensely in the direction Lu Liang had left, muttering, "Miser."


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang slowly made his way to the store.


    "Lu, you finally arrived, Mr. Liu is furious," a young girl, still naive in appearance, said with a worried look.


    She had started this job only last year, and during a time when she struggled to meet the minimum targets, Lu had given her a few clients, helping her close her first deal, for which she was very grateful.


    "It''s no big deal," Lu said nonchalantly as he arrived at his workstation, surprised to find his computer locked.


    Zhou Xiaowen whispered, "Mr. Liu came in this morning and had Manager Wu lock your computer."


    A voice from inside the room called out, "Xiaowen, you haven''t closed a deal this month yet, no need to run after them."


    Lu followed the sound, "Mr. Liu, you seem to be looking more and more like a person these days."


    At this, the office erupted into muffled laughter, the comment implying that previously he wasn''t quite like a person.


    Liu Jianchun chastised sternly, "Lu Liang, it is working hours now, and you are no longer part of our company. Please leave."


    Lu poured himself a cup of water, sat back at his desk, crossed his legs and said, "Mr. Liu, according to the rules, three days of absence counts as voluntary resignation. What day is it today? You want to fire me? Are you qualified?"


    "You... you..."


    Liu Jianchun, trembling with anger, strictly speaking, did not have the authority to fire Lu Liang.


    Since Lu Liang was a long-time employee at Green View, had received sales champion awards several times, and was on a basic salary contract, unless he committed a severe infraction, firing him would require compensation according to the N+1 severance policy.

 Chapter 3 - 3: The Onslaught of the Monster Stocks

    "Repeated absence from work, complete disregard for company rules and regulations, I will report your misconduct to headquarters."


    "Mr. Liu, are you serious? Your words are so soft, might as well say nothing. Let''s talk when I get the document to fire me."


    The two stood toe to toe, Lu Liang with all guns blazing, while Liu Jianchun, who had spent too much time in his office, was no match at all, his face turning red with rage and looking like he was about to keel over any second.


    Lu Liang had been annoyed with Liu Jianchun for more than a day or two, a relative from headquarters who knew nothing but officialese.


    In the past, with a family and mortgage to pay, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and endure.


    Now as a lone wolf, he feared nothing.


    Zhou Xiaowen was terrified and couldn''t help but whisper, "Lu, maybe you should say less."


    Lu Liang didn''t respond, while Liu Jianchun, as if his tail had been stepped on, exploded in rage, "What are you standing around for? Not going to chase up deals, waiting for lunchtime?"


    "Oh, okay¡­" Zhou Xiaowen''s face turned pale with fear, she silently returned to her desk, her shoulders shaking involuntarily.


    "What else do you know how to do, Liu Jianchun, besides barking orders?" Lu Liang''s eyes brimmed with malice before turning and flashing a gentle smile, "Xiaowen, I''ll hand a few clients over to you. You should be able to close a few deals on your own."


    "Lu¡­ Lu, are you quitting?" Zhou Xiaowen''s lips trembled pitifully, wrenching the heart.


    "Don''t cry, don''t cry, I''m not quitting. If I quit, Mr. Liu will be happy, won''t he, Mr. Liu."


    After comforting Zhou Xiaowen, Lu Liang walked to the check-in area and scanned his face, "Today counts as late and leaving early, deduct whatever wages you need to. I''ve got things to do, so I''m off."


    "Friends, I wish you all a pleasant day."


    Watching Liu Jianchun''s frustration, Lu Liang felt invigorated with clarity of mind. He waved his hand and left without a cloud in sight.


    "What are you looking at? Doesn''t anyone have work to do?" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Jianchun, grinding his teeth, stormed back into his office. He couldn''t wait a moment longer; he was set on reporting to headquarters to get Lu Liang fired.


    A loud bang followed as the door slammed shut.


    Yet Liu Jianchun''s warnings did nothing to stop the murmurs among the staff, "Damn, Lu is too cool."


    "He''s cool, but he''s not thinking of the consequences."


    "Lu''s divorced now, no wife, no kids, a sole breadwinner, if worse comes to worst, just lay low for a year and a half, what''s the harm."


    "Tsk, what has marriage really given to a man? Without the chains of marriage, his charm seems to have skyrocketed."


    "Xiaowen, stop gawking and go contact those clients. You''re lucky; Lu left his resources to you."


    "Right, Lu''s resources are pretty great. You owe us a meal if you close a deal. And I''d be more than glad to help."


    "You and your scheming, I can hear it from here. Xiaowen, just ignore them."


    Zhou Xiaowen bit her lip, watching the direction Lu Liang had left in, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.


    ...


    "Yeah, he probably is quite handsome."


    "But what should I do next?"


    Lu Liang wandered around the mall, the weather outside a bit chilly, but warm inside the mall.


    5000 applications, how many will actually get a slot, have to wait for tomorrow''s lottery to find out.


    If the gossip is accurate, and the stock goes public in two days, there will be 37 limit-up days in 40 days.


    But that also means at least two, maybe two and a half months, he''ll have nothing to do.


    "Seems like I''ve gained some weight."


    Lu Liang, sipping on coffee, looked down at his slightly protruding belly.


    Before marriage, he''d sometimes go hiking, trekking, or play basketball with friends. After getting married, life''s grind just made him want to lie flat.


    Now, seriously out of shape, he could only wear XXL clothes.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang had a plan. He took a taxi straight to the hospital and got a full check-up, inside and out.


    Middle-aged, all sorts of small ailments are creeping up, he''d long thought about getting a health check but just never had the time.


    Eventually, it turned up a slight fatty liver, slightly high blood lipids, and some inflammation in the respiratory tract.


    While all minor issues, who knows if they might turn into something serious from overwork.


    "Since I''ve got two months, might as well start a bit of training."


    Lu Liang planned to take good care of his health, not looking for six-pack abs, but at least to get rid of the belly and lower the blood lipids. Returning to the standard physique of 181cm/75kg.


    Come evening, Lu Liang returned to his apartment.


    Found a bag of fruit hanging on the door with a note attached, "Sorry for what happened last night."


    Lu Liang chuckled, knocking on the door across the hall. Seemingly no one inside, and no one answered for a long time.


    He left the bag of fruit at the neighbor''s door, just as he was about to return to his place, the door behind him opened.


    "Uh, I waited for you for a long time, but you weren''t home all day."


    Li Manli appeared reserved, wearing a new outfit¡ªa white blouse and a black leather skirt, with a black silk ribbon tied around her neck.


    Her makeup was exquisitely applied, not only with eye shadow and blush but also a layer of subtle glitter around her eyes.


    She was very beautiful, young, and knew how to dress well, exuding both youthfulness and sensuality.


    "Is there something you need?" Lu Liang stopped to ask.


    "I''m really thankful for last night." Li Manli mustered her courage, picking up the fruit, "Uh, would you please accept this?"


    "My name is Lu Liang, not ''uh.''" Lu Liang said calmly, having cooled down quite a bit since yesterday.


    "In that case, Liang, would you please accept it?" Li Manli asked again with an embarrassed expression, stubbornly persisting.


    "Drink less next time." Lu Liang took the fruit, feeling completely justified in accepting it.


    "Okay, then bye."


    Li Manli breathed a sigh of relief and hurried off.


    "Which nightclub is she working at?"


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, watching her retreating figure.


    Drinking until two or three in the morning on a weekday, then getting dolled up at night, it wasn''t hard to guess her occupation.


    ...


    The next day, Lu Liang started his fitness routine.


    It began with a leisurely, untimed jog for one kilometer, aiming for a pace of seven minutes per kilometer over a distance of ten kilometers.


    For lunch, he ate high-quality proteins like beef and shrimp, as well as high-fiber foods like corn and sweet potatoes.


    According to the plan, he was to take a thirty-minute walk after lunch to aid digestion, followed by a ninety-minute nap.


    But at one o''clock this afternoon, the results for the Baofeng Technology stock subscription were due, and Lu Liang was too anxious to nap.


    Just after one o''clock, he received a call from his stockbroker Zhao Haisheng; out of 5,000 lottery entries, he had won 68 lots.


    Each lot on the Growth Enterprise Market represented 500 shares, totaling 34,000 shares, with each share costing 7.14 yuan, which required a payment of 242,700 yuan.


    After completing the fund subscription, Lu Liang also consolidated his remaining funds, totaling 307,300 yuan.


    In the following days, he exercised regularly, stuck to a healthy diet, and maintained a disciplined sleep schedule.


    On March 24th, Baofeng Technology was listed as scheduled, and like all new stocks, it hit the daily price limit as soon as the market opened.


    One day, two days...


    One week, two weeks, three weeks...


    With a daily increase of ten percent, it had quietly achieved fifteen consecutive days of hitting the price ceiling.


    The capital ceiling of several hundred thousand shares was tightly in place, and on the fifteenth trading day, the turnover rate was still below 5%.


    The market began to realize something was off.


    There was a peculiarity~


    As of the last trading day, the stock price had reached 29.82 yuan, an increase of 4.16 times compared to its issue price.


    The 34,000 shares Lu Liang held had skyrocketed in value from the initial 242,700 yuan to 1,013,800 yuan.


    "Fifteen consecutive days at the price ceiling, 29.82 yuan, to say now that it will increase tenfold, I''m afraid no one would believe it."


    Lu Liang had played the stock market before,


    but always incurred losses, ultimately forced to cut his losses and exit the market.


    Now armed with knowledge of future outcomes, this was a great learning opportunity for him.


    He watched the flow of funds in and out every day, along with various related news, trying to discern a pattern.


    If he could grasp even a bit of the secret, then even without future insights, Lu Liang could rely on his experience and initial capital to live a wealthy life.


    Lu Liang firmly believed that the financial market was not without patterns, especially in a closed stock market like A-shares.


    It was like the domestic entertainment industry, which, since the introduction of capital, had started mass-producing homogeneous films and television works, along with cookie-cutter leading men and ladies.


    Capital seeks stability, just like hit works and popular stars. In their unbridled growth, they have a value of 50-100.


    But if stable output could be guaranteed, capital would be willing to settle for products and stars with a score of 80, or even 70.


    The financial market is the stronghold of capital; there must be discernible patterns.


    Although Lu Liang wasn''t academically inclined, he always had a keen interest in knowledge outside of textbooks, especially that which could earn money.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have managed to leave his rural home with only a diploma, and settle in Modu within just ten years.


    He achieved what many elite graduates could not.

 Chapter 4 - 4: Breaking the Board

    "Hello, Mom, I already had lunch."


    "Wenjing? She''s been quite busy with work lately, I''ll find time to talk to her."


    "I won''t be coming back for May Day, please tell Dad for me, and you both take care too..."


    After a noon walk, Lu Liang got a call from his mother, asking why Lin Wenjing hadn''t been answering the phone.


    He barely managed to fend off the question, when soon after, he received another call from his father.


    "Are you two having a conflict?" Lu Jiancheng''s weathered voice came through from the other end of the line.


    "We got divorced last month."


    Lu Liang hesitated for a moment, then revealed the truth.


    Among all familial relationships, the one between father and son is the most unique and contradictory.


    Admiration in childhood, estrangement in adolescence,


    But as age grew, so did understanding.


    Thus, Lu Liang often told the truth to his father and lied to his mother.


    "It still came to this step." Lu Jiancheng sighed, although he didn''t live with his son and daughter-in-law, he understood through the years what kind of person Lin Wenjing was.


    Their family temple couldn''t accommodate this great Buddha.


    Lu Jiancheng didn''t ask why: "What do you plan to tell your mom?"


    "I''ve been really busy lately, I''ll visit next month-end."


    "Let me know when you''re back."


    After a long silence,


    Lu Liang softly said, "Dad, I have some other things to attend to."


    Speaking the truth didn''t mean they had much to say to each other, Lu Jiancheng said, "Go on then, take care of yourself."


    "You too."


    Ending the call, Lu Liang walked out of the stairwell, just as he ran into Li Manli, who was going out to pick up a delivery.


    She had been standing there for a while, seemingly having heard something, and was startled by the suddenly appearing Lu Liang.


    "Go... good afternoon," Li Manli said, flustered.


    During this period, although they hadn''t been in close contact, living opposite each other, they had gradually figured out the timing of each other''s comings and goings.


    She felt that Lu Liang likely didn''t have a job, as she could always hear him moving around his room in the afternoon.


    Now learning about the divorce, a middle-aged man divorced and jobless, she really didn''t want any involvement.


    Lu Liang glanced at her,


    said nothing, and returned to his room.


    ...¡­


    Time flew, and after another fourteen workdays, Baofeng Technology''s ''Demon God'' had become a sensation across the entire financial market.


    Twenty-nine consecutive neat and extravagant limit-up closings.


    Setting the longest streak of consecutive price limit surges in Big A history, the stock price also broke through to an astonishing 113.26 yuan.


    Lu Liang''s portfolio value had risen to 3.85 million.


    But this, wasn''t enough to satisfy him.


    Taking advantage of the upcoming Saturday and Sunday, Lu Liang paid off all his loans for this month, with 250,000 still in hand.


    He had been holding onto over 300,000 in funds over the past month, waiting for today.


    From his observations, the stock was likely to break from the price limit surge in the next few days, but there was still a tripled profit margin to the peak at 327 yuan.


    He wanted to get rich quick, not taking for granted the boon from above.


    That evening, Lu Liang invited Zhao Haisheng out for a late-night meal.


    Zhao Haisheng was full of emotion, "Liang, congratulations, you''ve made a fortune overnight."


    He had helped Lu Liang with the allocation, knowing he had won 68 bids.


    Many participated in each new share allotment, and many won, but Lu Liang was the one he envied most.


    Because he won the ''Demon King'' allotment, specifically from the Growth Enterprise Market, a smaller market, better suited for speculation.


    As of yesterday, it had surged 15.86 times.


    "Just good luck, there''s no way to win so many lots every time."


    "True, I''ve been in the business for many years, with 5000 applications the most I''ve gotten was 76 lots, usually it''s just over thirty."


    Hai Sheng envied such luck, but ultimately it was because the Growth Enterprise Market had a smaller turnover and a threshold of 300,000.


    Had it been a mainboard stock beginning with 60, getting even 5 lots out of 5000 applications would be a cause for celebration.


    Since there''s almost no subscription threshold for the mainboard market and there are many people participating, the chances of winning are only five in ten thousand.


    "Hai Sheng, I always feel this stock will rise."


    After a few beers, Lu Liang slowly revealed his intention, he wanted to open a margin account.


    Zhao Haisheng was surprised, "Liang, you have that much confidence in Baofeng Technology?"


    Lu Lian smiled and said, "Not much confidence, really, just feeling lucky. Made some money, losing a bit doesn''t matter."


    "That''s something only those who have made money can say." Zhao Haisheng chuckled helplessly, "How much capital do you have?"


    He didn''t try to dissuade Lu Liang from his idea. After all, he relied on this to make money, and their relationship was merely that of a client and an agent.


    It had just reversed from when they were buying a house before; he was the client and Lu Liang was the agent.


    Lu Liang answered, "Not much, only 250,000. How much can you match for me?"


    Zhao Haisheng thought for a bit: "Then I''ll match you two times that, which is 500,000, with the securities account provided by us."


    "Okay."


    Lu Liang initially considered private lending, but decided against it. Illegalities aside, what mattered most was safety.


    After all, Zhao Haisheng was from the regular army of Guotai Securities, though with a low leverage rate, the reliability and safety were preferable.


    On Monday morning, Lu Liang went to a Guotai branch.


    Before nine o''clock, he had completed financing of 500,000, with 750,000 available for use.


    The securities branch was packed, as after eight years, Big A had stabilized again at 4000 points.


    Countless people believed that the bull market had begun,


    and this time it would surge to 5000, 6000, or even 7000 points.


    Lu Liang thought the same.


    He found a seat and quietly waited for the pre-market bidding at 9:15.


    As expected, warnings from the Securities and Futures Commission and a risk notice issued by the company itself had fermented over the weekend.


    Baofeng Technology''s stock broke, and pre-market bidding plummeted from a limit-up to limit-down in just three minutes.


    Every price bid fluctuated over three percent as various institutions took turns on stage, each outshining the others. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Had this been a month and a half earlier, perhaps Lu Liang, not yet familiar with the rules, would have felt anxious with each rise and fall.


    But now, he understood that the first eight minutes of pre-market bidding were just drivel, bearing no reference significance.


    What truly determined the stock''s opening price were the two minutes from 9:24 to 9:25.


    Since pre-market bidding ended at 9:25, every transaction in the last two minutes could potentially close.


    Bidding institutions became more cautious because they weren''t sure if retail investors would maintain their enthusiasm from last week.


    Under many influences, pre-market trading meant nothing for ten minutes, and finally, the market opened at last Friday''s closing price.


    113.26 yuan, last Friday''s closing price and today''s opening price.


    Lu Liang went all in.


    He bought an additional 6600 shares, bringing his position to 99.5%, with just over 3000 remaining in his account.


    6600 shares, minute compared to the tens of thousands typically traded, seemed like a drop in the ocean.


    But it seemed as if the market maker was specifically targeting Lu Liang; no sooner had he transacted than the stock price plunged by 5%.


    Zhao Haisheng received a risk warning from the margin account and hurried over: "Liang, did you go all in?"


    "I was worried about not being able to buy later if it hit the limit, so I went all in at the opening."


    Seeing Lu Liang''s nonchalant attitude, Zhao Haisheng couldn''t help but warn, "Liang, if Baofeng Technology hits the limit-down today, it''s likely to open limit-down tomorrow too."


    A demon stock that had consecutively hit the limit for 29 sessions would definitely not stop falling without at least three to five limit-downs.


    Although a 30% loss is the margin call line, to protect company interests, they often cut losses early.


    "I understand."


    Lu Liang kept his eyes fixed on the hall''s screen, suddenly laughing, "But it seems, there''s no need to worry now."


    While the two were talking, a long bullish candlestick shot up to the sky, as large buy orders swept across the market.

 Chapter 5 - 5: Profiting and Exiting

    Before the blink of an eye,


    the stock price soared to 124.58 yuan, hitting the daily limit.


    The number of buy orders surged,


    as 1.25 million shares lined up waiting to be purchased.


    This figure was reassuring.


    "Hai Sheng, you''re amazing; it was my vision that was too narrow," Zhao Haisheng was dumbfounded and couldn''t help but give a thumbs up.


    Without any surprise, the funds in the financing account they provided to Lu Liang had now ballooned to 830,000.


    "Ah well, to talk like that is just better luck."


    Lu Liang patted Zhao Haisheng on the shoulder, "I''ll get going, don''t want to interrupt your work."


    In the following four trading days, Baofeng Technology firmly established its name as ''Demon God.''


    Although there weren''t any spectacular one-word limits, every day saw a surge of 7-10%.


    Before one knew it, another week had passed, and Baofeng Technology''s stock price reached 224.4 yuan per share.


    "Now is probably when the high-position changeover is happening!"


    Lu Liang, sipping on coffee, recorded the situation every day, observing market trends to learn from the experience.


    Because in three days, only two more daily limits were needed to achieve the feat of 40 days and 37 limits.


    The distance to the highest price of 327 yuan was also closing in.


    On this day, Baofeng Technology pulled another trick, staging a ''Sky Floor.''


    The stock surged 10% to hit the daily limit in the middle of the trading day; half an hour later, it unexpectedly broke the limit before hitting the daily limit again until the close of the market.


    The whole market was filled with voices of doom, either from the internet army or individual investors being led by the nose.


    On forums like Tieba, Hupu, and Weibo on related platforms, posts clamored: "the Demon King has fallen~"


    "Market Makers really know how to play!"


    Lu Liang smiled slightly, unaffected by the rumors.


    Because from the information known, it was clear the next two days would definitely be two daily limits.


    This deduction indicated that today''s ''Sky Floor'' was a ploy to attract short-selling to gather shares, launch a final sprint, and lure individual investors to take the bait.


    According to his research, the number of institutions that had entered Baofeng Technology during this time was as high as 38, the actual number being only more, not less.


    For institutions wishing to lock in profits and exit successfully, they needed to attract a vast number of individual investors to take their place.


    Simply raising the share price would only make individual investors increasingly fearful and hesitant to get involved.


    But it is the regain after loss that truly stirs people''s hearts. The final 30% gain in profit was like offering them a last meal.


    Those who realized this would succeed in fleeing with the money, while those who didn''t would end up as the scapegoats.


    "Time to switch to a different book."


    After finishing "The Fundamentals of Financial Markets and Institutions," Lu Liang didn''t delve further into financial market knowledge.


    No matter how thoroughly financial knowledge was studied, what was the use? The market is ultimately a tool of man, better to study the source directly.


    In the next two days, two predicted daily limits arrived on schedule.


    The stock price soared to 274.52 yuan, only 19% away from 327 yuan.


    May 21st, Thursday,


    Baofeng Technology had three days left before completing its second month on the market.


    This day, the market sentiment was extremely agitated.


    At half-past ten in the morning, one hour after the market opened,


    the turnover rate reached 52%, with the trading volume surpassing 30 billion.


    The market trend was erratic, sometimes rising five or six points, other times falling four or five points, giving an inscrutable feeling.


    But because the ''Sky Floor'' was followed by two more daily limits, individual investors'' confidence was greatly boosted.


    Moreover, Baofeng Technology was an Internet+ trending company, with a current market value of just over 40 billion yuan.


    Various experts proclaimed that this was China''s YouTube, a market value of 100 billion yuan, a stock price of 1,000 yuan was not a dream.


    Besides, with the A-share index breaking through 4500 points, this exuberant trend was just short of explicitly stating blind and mindless rushing in.


    Individual investors were bamboozled to the point of losing their capacity for independent thought, turning into lambs amidst the flock.


    "If I didn''t know what the future holds, would I be the same as them?" Lu Liang pondered this question seriously, his expression gradually turning ugly because the likelihood was high. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Caught in the game, oblivious to being a pawn within it, human greed is endless, wanting more the moment something is gained.


    With this in mind, Lu Liang dared not be too greedy. Around 310 yuan, he began to sell off his 34,000 shares in small batches.


    Once his personal account was completely cleared out, he logged into the brokerage-provided margin account.


    He sold off all 6,600 shares in a single transaction.


    In front of a feverish market, selling 40,000 shares was like tossing a pebble into the great ocean, stirring not even the slightest ripple.


    "Personal account 10.54 million, margin account 2.046 million. After deducting various fees and adding the principal, the net amount is 12.066 million."


    Lu Liang was in a daze. Two months ago, he had sold his house and had only about one hundred thousand in liquid funds. Even if he had put all his credit on the line, it would have amounted to just over six hundred thousand.


    Now, he had become a multimillionaire.


    Lu Liang took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and dialed Zhao Haisheng''s number, "Haisheng, help me settle the margin account."


    Zhao Haisheng was astonished, quickly opening the regulatory system, and upon discovering that Lu Liang had cleared his positions, he couldn''t help but remind him, "Liang, even if it''s not a full month, we still charge the full month''s fees."


    Lu Liang said, "No problem, just deduct it directly."


    "Liang, if you''re free this afternoon, come by the sales department, and we''ll sign the settlement contract."


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, Lu Liang once again arrived at the bustling Guotai sales department, still teeming with people opening accounts.


    At ten in the morning, the stock index had broken through 4,500 points, sparking a nationwide stock trading frenzy. The older generation was even hailing it as a return to ''92.


    Trading stocks had truly become a trend.


    Lu Liang was invited to the VIP room and, looking down at the zealous investors below, a strange light flashed in his eyes.


    Lately, he had been trying to think from the perspective of the "Market Maker," and what he saw before him was lush "green onions" ready for harvesting.


    Lu Liang thought, it should be reaching the peak soon, right? Finance isn''t the mainstay industry in China¡ªreal estate is.


    Zhao Haisheng was printing out a contract, smiling as he asked, "Liang, did you hear some insider news?"


    "What news could I possibly hear? It''s just that the market sentiment is too exuberant, and I''m afraid of getting swept up in it," Lu Liang laughed it off.


    "It is indeed time to cool down."


    Zhao Haisheng was very polite and did not press further.


    He couldn''t help but glance at the market chart on the wall; Baofeng Technology''s stock was up 7.55% for the day and was about to hit the "Sky Floor" again.


    As an experienced professional, Zhao Haisheng''s lips curled into an involuntary smile at the sight of such market conditions¡ªhow could he miss out?


    Lu Liang was just being too cautious; the stock market was performing so well right now, poised to charge at 5,000 points.


    It would be difficult for individual stocks to drop.


    But he had already made more than enough, so cashing out now was reasonable.


    "Damn, sold too soon."


    Lu Liang followed the gaze with a look of annoyance.


    Zhao Haisheng consoled, "Liang, it''s good to secure the bag early."


    Lu Liang sighed, "But who would ever complain about having too much money?"


    Zhao Haisheng smiled without a word, presenting the settlement contract, "Please take a look, a balance of 1.536 million."


    Upon verifying that everything was in order, Lu Liang signed his name.


    Zhao Haisheng said, "Liang, the funds will be in your account within two hours, please check then."


    "We recently launched a new mixed fund that has gone up 25% in the past month¡ªwould you be interested in learning more?"


    Zhao Haisheng didn''t know exactly how much money Lu Liang''s 68 score had made, but he conservatively estimated it at no less than six million.


    That meant, Lu Liang now controlled at least 7.5 million in liquid funds. If he invested just one million in the fund, Zhao Haisheng would earn a commission of fifteen thousand.


    "Let''s rest for a while. Lately, my heart races watching the markets every day, keeping me from sleeping well."


    Lu Liang fended off the pitch with a laugh. These so-called funds, they don''t rise as much as stocks, and they fall even harder than stocks.


    Moreover, most funds'' profits aren''t derived from market investments.


    They''re generated from continuous trading, accruing transaction fees to ensure a steady income for themselves, regardless of market conditions.


    As for clients, they''re dismissed with a simple warning: "Investment involves risks."


    If they make money, it''s purely because of good market conditions, nothing to do with their operations.

 Chapter 6 - 6: Peace Restaurant

    "Liang, if you come up with any ideas later on, feel free to contact me whenever," I said.


    "Of course, we''re so familiar with each other now¡ªwho else would I turn to?" Liang replied.


    After a brief exchange, Liang left the sales hall and had just gotten back to his apartment when his phone chimed with a text message alert. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Last digits 8939, Industrial and Commercial Bank transfer in of 1,530,000.00 yuan, balance 1,531,201.12 yuan.]


    As soon as the funds were in his account, Liang cleared all his credit card debts online, repaying a total of 494,500 yuan, principal and interest included.


    Then, he headed straight for the mall and went on a spending spree, also replacing his old Android with an Apple 6 gold deluxe. He had already planned how to spend the money before it even arrived.


    The money in his personal account was the principal¡ªif in the future he could still hear the voices from the future, he would use it to make money.


    If not, he would treat it as retirement savings, buy a house in a third-tier city, start a small business, and enter retirement early.


    The over one million in the financing account was for living expenses. Liang wanted to experience an extraordinary Modu life.


    Although he had been working in this city for ten years, he was still very unfamiliar with it.


    Previously, through his work opportunities, he had only glimpsed that mysterious corner of it, which still piqued his desire.


    There''s a saying in Modu: arriving in Modu by bus and arriving in Modu by first-class airplane are two completely different experiences of the city.


    Ten years ago, Lu Liang arrived in Modu by bus, and now, he wanted to see what that other world was like.


    The Peace Restaurant was not only a signature high-rise in the Bund skyline but also a "business card" for the city of Modu.


    Upon his arrival, Lu Liang stepped out of the car and immediately sensed an atmosphere completely different from that of the Xinpu suburbs.


    Whether it was guests checking in or tourists taking photos, the men appeared especially gentlemanly, and the women extremely dignified, as if the opulent hotel concealed their true natures.


    When Lu Liang went to the front desk to check in, the cheapest standard room was two thousand per night, while the most expensive Nine Countries Suite averaged eighteen thousand a night.


    A monthly salary of eighteen thousand, even in the super-first-tier city of Modu, was considered a substantial income, yet it only afforded one night''s stay here.


    "Sir, are you looking to stay in the Nine Countries Suite?" The beautiful front-desk clerk thought she had heard wrong; after all, Lu Liang didn''t look wealthy and seemed to have arrived by taxi.


    "Is a reservation required?"


    Lu Liang really hadn''t looked into it; he had just heard about it and wanted to try staying for a few nights.


    "No reservation needed. Currently, suites from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan are available. How many guests, and for how many nights?"


    The front-desk clerk maintained her professionalism, not judging by appearances, and smiled faintly.


    "The United Kingdom then, for one person, let''s start with two nights."


    Lu Liang presented his identification and transferred thirty-six thousand yuan.


    A middle-aged man clad in a well-tailored suit with a neatly trimmed mustache exuding British charm approached Lu Liang with a warm smile.


    He placed his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed in a gentlemanly fashion, "Mr. Lu, I will be your butler for the next two days. My name is Tan Tao, and I am at your service for any needs you may have."


    Lu Liang joked with a smile, "If I had checked into the Japan Suite, would you have arranged a kimono-clad female butler for me?"


    Tan Tao smiled, "Mr. Lu, if you wish, we can arrange a change for you right now."


    "I''ll stick with you," Lu Liang shook his head. Noel then asked, "Mr. Lu, where is your luggage?"


    "I don''t have any."


    "Oh, alright then, please follow me."


    Lu Liang followed the butler, who led him smoothly to their destination. There were doormen at every entrance and a lift attendant for the elevator.


    With the exception of eating, which he didn''t need help with, and performing X personally, for all other things, there was no need for him to lift a finger.


    The Nine Countries Suites were located on the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the hotel, with three suites per floor, all overlooking the river.


    Lu Liang checked into the Number 2 United Kingdom Suite on the seventh floor.


    The time-worn wooden floors, rose-patterned ceiling carvings,...¡ªall the tones and decorations adhered to the style of British aristocracy from the last century.


    Each suite had its own separate living room and dining room, plus a mini bar. If Lu Liang needed, someone could come over to mix drinks for him.


    "Mr. Lu, I wish you a pleasant stay," said Tan Tao.


    He explained the functions of the room''s phone keys; just by pressing number one, Lu Liang could reach him any time, 24 hours a day.


    Lu Liang walked to the window just as the sun was setting, painting the Bund''s tourist-thronged promenade and the plaza''s golden bull in a faint blush with the evening glow.


    Although not towering, the Peace Restaurant offered the best vantage point to overlook the Bund, also providing a clear view of the International Financial Center and Mingzhu Tower on the opposite bank.


    Lu Liang was mesmerized by the view, and before he knew it, twilight had darkened the sky and the dazzling neon lights of the skyscrapers had gradually lit up.


    His stomach rumbled, making it clear that beauty wasn''t edible, and even the most stunning scenery couldn''t stave off hunger.


    "Finished with work? I''ll send you the address; come over for dinner," Lu Liang said as he picked up his phone to call Liu Mingxuan.


    After fifteen years of studying together, Liu Mingxuan was the only classmate with whom he still kept in touch and had a good relationship.


    It wasn''t that he had lost contact with other classmates¡ªthey still called each other from time to time¡ªbut he rarely bothered them.


    Mainly because, by middle age, everyone has a family and a household, and suddenly reaching out to an old friend or classmate can raise eyebrows.


    The first thought that dashes through a normal person''s mind is either they want to borrow money or they need help with a favor.


    Under the influence of these preconceived notions, conversations tend to become particularly guarded and cautious.


    Gradually, they lost contact altogether.


    Half an hour later, Lu Liang arrived downstairs and waited, soon spotting the disheveled, sandy-haired Liu Mingxuan.


    Although they were the same age¡ªwith everyone racing towards thirty¡ªLiu Mingxuan, who was unmarried and without a girlfriend, dressed very stylishly and looked like he was just over twenty.


    "Did you go to Korea for plastic surgery?" Lu Liang asked, as Liu Mingxuan also looked at him, taking a careful second and third glance.


    The person seemed the same, yet he looked a bit leaner and there was an indefinable sense of youth about him.


    In the past, whenever Liu Mingxuan saw Lu Liang, regardless of his state of mind, there was always an air of inexhaustible fatigue between his brows.


    That sense of weariness, Liu Mingxuan had seen in many married friends.


    It might be due to family or career, you could say it''s having a sense of responsibility, or more harshly, it''s carrying an invisible set of irons.


    But seeing Lu Liang this time, he emanated a freespiritedness from inside out, as if he had been reborn.


    "It seems losing twenty pounds did have some use after all."


    Lu Liang patted his stomach, where his belly had disappeared, and if he tensed it up, he could even feel the distinct six-pack.


    The two months of fitness had paid off; at least now, with a bit of grooming, he didn''t look his middle-aged self.


    "I always told you, marriages that can''t satisfy material needs are unhappy," Liu Mingxuan said, admiring his own foresight.


    If you don''t have money, it''s better to stay single for life. Getting married without money is being irresponsible to oneself, the family, and the next generation.


    Two months post-divorce, Lu Liang had transformed as if he had become a new person, and that was proof enough.


    "Let''s go," said Lu Liang with a smile, leading Liu Mingxuan to apartment 7-2, where a table was already laid with four hot dishes and a soup.


    "Eat something first to fill up, and we''ll go out for a drink later."


    "Did you strike it rich?"


    Liu Mingxuan walked around the room and finally stopped in front of the window, gazing out at the bustling Bund.


    The reputation of the Peace Restaurant was well-known, not just as a five-star hotel but also as an unmissable part of the Bund''s skyline.


    Whether it be tourists or young people new to Modu aiming high, they had all stood gazing up at this building, including them.


    They remembered joking when they first arrived in Modu ten years ago that they would definitely stay here for a few nights someday.


    But later, when they actually had some money, they thought, "Why spend over two-thousand for a night''s stay when that money could be better spent on drinks and karaoke?"


    "Recently, I did make a little extra," admitted Lu Liang, as he picked up his phone to transfer 50,000 yuan to Liu Mingxuan.


    When he bought his house, he had borrowed 50,000 yuan from him, and it had been more than two years.


    Although Liu Mingxuan never asked for it back, the debt had always been a knot in Lu Liang''s heart.


    So the moment he had money, he thought of Liu Mingxuan.


    Partly to repay the debt, but also because having fun required a like-minded comrade-in-arms.


    "Looks like you really did strike it rich, and I can share in the spoils," Liu Mingxuan said, glancing at his phone, then pulled up a chair next to Lu Liang.


    He grinned and teased, "Liangzi, where are you planning to take me for a wild night out?"


    "However you want to enjoy, we will," Liang responded.


    "Is it really true?"


    "Absolutely true."

 Chapter 7 - 7: Be Happy, Have Fun

    After dinner, Lu Liang called Tan Tao and found out that the hotel offered car rental services.


    He chose a Bentley Moshang at eight thousand a day, renting for two days including insurance, deposit, and service fee, for a total of twenty-six thousand.


    "Liangzi, you make me feel like a stranger," Liu Mingxuan said from the passenger seat, feeling an intense sense of unreality.


    Staying in an eighteen-thousand hotel just like that, renting an eight-thousand car just like that, and only after the meal did he find out it cost over five thousand.


    That directly ate up almost half a month of his salary. How much money would one have to make to spend so extravagantly?


    "Stranger? In a bit, I''ll help you find back the joy of our past adventures."


    Lu Liang smiled, pressed the accelerator, and felt the V8 engine''s vigorous power.


    The strong sense of acceleration made him realize that luxury cars weren''t just for showing off, the experience was also this good.


    "Remember our first time going for a foot wash during our sophomore year? Seems it was also just the two of us," Liu Mingxuan recalled.


    The two eighteen or nineteen-year-old boys were full of pride all night but ended up wandering outside the foot massage parlor for more than two hours.


    In the end, it was the massage parlor''s customer manager who, seeing their predicament, took the initiative to ask if they wanted a foot wash or a sauna.


    "Think about how innocent I was back then, and yet you still led me astray."


    "Come off it, who was it that first said they wanted to add more time?"


    "You dare say you didn''t add on?"


    "I just wanted to ask about her younger brother''s school performance."


    "I wanted to inquire if her mother''s illness had improved and if she needed help."


    The two of them exchanged a knowing smile, almost feeling a sense of being in the wrong space, back to that carefree time of their youth.


    Suddenly, his phone rang, and Lu Liang answered the call, "The two of us will be there soon."


    "Who is it?" Liu Mingxuan asked curiously.


    "Don''t ask, you''ll know when we get there."


    Lu Liang drove across the Wusong River and arrived at the Wanli Palace club on Qufu Road.


    A building covered with screens, flashing with flowing and dazzling lights, came into view.


    The streets were filled with luxury sports cars, with fashionably dressed young men and women everywhere.


    It was as if the dazzling and exotic ten miles of yesteryear still existed, and even more so.


    Liu Mingxuan was astonished, "Boss Lu, are you planning to spend a fortune tonight?"


    He had heard about the famous Wanli Palace, one of the top five nightclubs in Modu.


    A regular booth would cost 1888 yuan, and with the company of drinking companions and beverages, it would easily start at ten thousand.


    "Tonight, let''s not talk about money, just fun. As long as we enjoy ourselves, consider it a celebration for a buddy getting back to single life."


    At the entrance, Lu Liang saw a woman in a purple figure-hugging dress with horse-oil silk stockings, fish-mouthed high heels with a black front and red sole, her slender figure and curves exuding a mature and sensual charm.


    He waved and called out, "Qian, over here."


    Zhang Qian was a former client of Lu Liang''s, who at under thirty had bought a three-bedroom apartment worth 3.2 million inside Modu''s third ring road in cash.


    She wasn''t someone kept by a rich man to afford the apartment; instead, she made her money working as a marketing manager at Wanli Palace. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A very hardworking beauty, she advertised all day in her social circles, never fearing harassment. As long as someone inquired, she would share everything she knew without pestering people without a reason.


    Lu Liang had a very good impression of her, so when he thought about going out with Liu Mingxuan for some fun, the first thing that came to mind was to support her event.


    "Liang, long time no see. You can just call me Qianqian, calling me ''sister'' really doesn''t suit me," Zhang Qian said, her smile widening at the sight of the blue Mushang.


    She was also very good at talking. Before, when Lu Liang was the agent and she was the buyer, calling him "brother" was a sign of respect. Now that he was her customer, it would be impolite for her to keep up the charade.


    Hurriedly, she called over the valet at the entrance to park Lu Liang''s car, then greeted the two men with a radiant smile, ushering them into the club warmly.


    Entering the nightclub, they walked through a narrow corridor filled with dazzling, flowing lights, the thumping bass growing clearer with each step.


    "Liang, if you want a lively atmosphere, stay in the main hall. If you prefer something quieter, we can go to the second floor," Zhang Qian suggested, rising on her tiptoes, her tempting red lips almost grazing Lu Liang''s earlobe.


    "Let''s book a private room on the second floor then, and if we want to join in the fun later, we can always come back down," Lu Liang said as the pulsating beats continually assaulted his eardrums. The warm breeze carried a subtle fragrance into his ears, stirring his heart that had settled from working out.


    "Okay, follow me, please watch your step..." Zhang Qian took Lu Liang''s hand, deliberately placing it on her waist.


    With a smile, Lu Liang didn''t act reserved and let his hand slowly slide down, finally resting on her firm buttocks.


    "Liang, how do you like this private room?" Zhang Qian shot him a coquettish glance as she led them to a smaller room on the second floor.


    It could accommodate seven or eight people, and although it was the smallest room, the minimum spend for a night was six thousand five hundred.


    "This is too small, there isn''t even a bathroom in the room. Get a bigger one, you don''t need to save money on my behalf."


    Hearing Lu Liang''s words, Zhang Qian''s smile blossomed like flowers, raising her eyebrows playfully: "What do you need the bathroom for?"


    "Of course, to wash hands," Lu Liang burst into laughter, picking out a medium-sized private room that could accommodate fifteen people.


    The soundproofing of the private room was excellent; once the door was closed, there was no need to whisper.


    "Liang, Xuan, how about calling over a few girls to join us?" Zhang Qian clung to Lu Liang, hugging his arm without letting go.


    "Would the girls know how to have as much fun as you?" Lu Liang asked with a smile, while Liu Mingxuan also showed a teasing grin.


    Both were no strangers to the entertainment scene; playing it straight in public was one thing, but doing the same in the nightlife was simply prudish.


    When you''re out to play, you''ve got to let loose to have a good time.


    "The girls wouldn''t be as fun as me, but they''re younger,"


    Zhang Qian said, giggling till she shook, her bosom heaving as she took a tablet from the waiter and handed it to Lu Liang: "Liang, take a look and see what you''d like to order, shall I go call them over?"


    "Go ahead," Lu Liang said, giving her backside a playful pat and eliciting another eye roll from her.


    He handed the menu to Liu Mingxuan, concerned he might be too shy, and added, "Order whatever you want, there''s a minimum spend of twelve thousand for the room, and they won''t refund it even if we don''t order up to that."


    "You''ve even rented a big Bentley to come out and have fun, do you think I would be polite with you?"


    Though Liu Mingxuan said this, he was quite measured with his orders, only getting a few rounds of beer and some snacks.


    Prices at Wanli Palace were staggeringly high, a round of beer costing a thousand yuan, and snacks a few hundred per plate.


    Outside, these items might not total more than three hundred yuan.


    "Here, you order," Liu Mingxuan said after casually ordering over five thousand worth of items, finding it hard to spend money that wasn''t his.


    As Lu Liang flipped through the menu, he suddenly mumbled to himself, "I don''t think I''ve ever ordered this before. Should I try it?"


    "What is it?" Liu Mingxuan craned his neck and upon seeing the item''s name and price, couldn''t help but bitterly smile, "As long as you''re happy."


    The moment Lu Liang submitted the order, a dry-ice gun outside suddenly sprayed jets of mist, and the concierge''s sparklers went off with a few pops, bursting into a dazzling display of colors in the air, while the entire nightclub''s lights began to flicker furiously.


    Despite the excellent soundproofing, they could hear the DJ downstairs roaring, "Much gratitude to our VIP guests in Room 207 for their support of Wanli Palace... Please wait a moment, our lovely and beautiful Miss Heitao will personally come to express our thanks."


    "Thank you once again... The whole club screams~~~"


    An eight-thousand-eight-hundred-yuan bottle of Black Spade A instantly made Room 207 the center of attention in the entire place.


    Seeing this, Liu Mingxuan''s excitement surged, "With such a perfect showboating opportunity, aren''t you going to show your face?"


    "Go ahead, the opportunity is yours," Lu Liang said with a laugh, just wanting to bask in the thrill of owning the scene.


    "Acting shy at your age?" Liu Mingxuan scoffed as he confidently walked out the door, waving his hand to bask in the cheers of the crowd.


    He stood on an elevated platform, moving his hips to the beat of the exuberant music, the spotlight flashing in time with his dance moves.

 Chapter 8 - 8: Reunion with Li Manli

    "Liang, how could you start with a Black Spade A without waiting for me?"


    Zhang Qian, upon receiving the message, had rushed over, her smile blooming like flowers, her demeanor oozing charm. Behind her, seven or eight girls followed, each with their own style but all equally beautiful.


    The high-end nature of Wanli Palace was on full display at this moment, as none of them seemed to bear tattoos.


    Anyone who frequents these places knows that a pretty face and a good figure don''t reflect the quality of a nightclub.


    To gauge the quality of a nightclub, whether the girls have large tattoos is an important criterion.


    If they''re all sporting full-sleeve tattoos or immense artwork covering their backs, then the nightclub''s quality can''t be all that high, no matter what they claim.


    Because those "psychedelic girls" only attract "psychedelic guys," who are often quite poor.


    Even men with a bit of money prefer clean girls, even if it''s just a cleanliness that''s only skin-deep; it''s more pleasant to the eye.


    "Order a bottle of Black Spade A and get a special performance with it?"


    Lu Liang glanced over the group of girls, picking two with average looks but better personalities.


    Both around twenty years old, they flashed sweet smiles upon seeing him, clearly hardworking good girls.


    Men come out to have fun, but there''s always those who, relying on their beauty, carry a permanent scowl.


    Those, Lu Liang wouldn''t glance at twice, not even if they were angels.


    "Liang, so what kind of special performance would you like?" Zhang Qian said cheerfully, clinging to Lu Liang''s arm, her chest squeezed to deformation.


    Modu is a city for the young, the wealthy, and she was no longer young; staying meant having to give more.


    If Lu Liang was willing to order another bottle of Black Spade A, helping her meet her target for the night, she didn''t mind giving a little extra.


    "I bet you''d look great dancing."


    Without a second thought, Lu Liang ordered another bottle.


    "Then Qianqian will dance for you, Liang. Please don''t be upset if it''s not perfect."


    Zhang Qian''s smile grew wider as she waved the unchosen girls away.


    "Qingqing, could you play a song for me?" She took off her bulky jacket to reveal a strap top underneath.


    Moving to the rhythm of the music, she rotated her entire body and suddenly pulled Lu Liang to his feet from his chair.


    The two danced closely, their bodies pressing together...


    As the song ended,


    Zhang Qian noticed the change in Lu Liang, laughed seductively, and pulled him back to his seat, crossing her legs to cover for him.


    She wrapped his arm, leaning her face against his, her red lips tempting, a breath as sweet as orchid: "Liang, was the dance alright?"


    "The dance was really good." Lu Liang''s hand brushed over her silky stockings, enjoying the soft texture and smooth feel.


    "Well, of course, I''ve practiced," Zhang Qian hummed lightly, trembling slightly, and reacting in turn.


    The two chosen girls also helped pour drinks and fed them snacks, leaving Lu Liang surrounded by joy.


    Suddenly the door to the private room opened, and Liu Mingxuan was already hooking up with two girls outside.


    He had a way with words and a sweet tongue, having been a ladies'' man since his school days.


    "Liangzi, Xuanxuan and the others want to come in and take a picture."


    Liu Mingxuan swaggered, his arms straightened out with a slight twist in his hips, like the childhood game of playing train.


    The games played in nightclubs often seem juvenile, but under the influence of alcohol and music, it''s easy for strangers to become quickly acquainted.


    Following Liu Mingxuan were two girls, one with her arm draped over the other''s shoulder¡ªhim the engine, and the three of them entered the private room.


    "The more, the merrier," Lu Liang said as he gently pushed away Zhang Qian''s legs, because he saw a familiar face behind Liu Mingxuan.


    It wasn''t the two girls he had just picked up but the one called ''Miss Heitao,'' pushing a champagne tower into the room behind them.


    Li Manli pushed the trolley of champagne tower to the private room, but then she froze, her smile gradually stiffening on her face.


    She did not expect the "waste" she thought of would come to Wanli Palace to spend money, opening two bottles of eight thousand eight hundred-dollar Black Spade A.


    She couldn''t help but look toward Liu Mingxuan, then glanced at Zhang Qian; Zhang Qian was the marketing manager, so whoever she was accompanying had to be the main guest.


    Distracted for a moment, Li Manli accidentally knocked over the champagne tower, and the sound of over a dozen glasses shattering filled the room.


    All eyes suddenly turned to her, and Li Manli almost cried in her rush to bow and apologize repeatedly, "I''m sorry..."


    Zhang Qian, Liu Mingxuan, and others all looked at Lu Liang since he was the boss, and no one there had the right to forgive her on his behalf.


    Even if Zhang Qian had the intention to plead for Li Manli, she had to first gauge Lu Liang''s reaction.


    If she wasn''t of help and instead annoyed Lu Liang, the repercussions could be her own downfall.


    "It''s fine, broken glasses mean ''safety''," he said, preventing her from cleaning up to avoid cutting her hands.


    Lu Liang pulled Li Manli back, stopping her apologies and kicked the shattered glasses aside.


    Li Manli was wearing a deep blue and white sailor outfit with a white beret and white stockings over her knees.


    Especially with her eyes brimming with tears from her mistake, she looked so pitiful that one couldn''t help but feel protective of her.


    Liu Mingxuan raised his eyebrows, suddenly shouting angrily, "What kind of service is this? Call your manager here, a bottle of Black Spade A just shattered like that? Do you think money grows on trees for us?"


    He had been close friends with Lu Liang for over a decade, shared a desk, a bed, and even a cigarette, knowing his personality well.


    Lu Liang was easygoing, but he wasn''t completely without temper, and him being so magnanimous now certainly had an ulterior motive.


    Li Manli was particularly beautiful, seemingly Lu Liang''s type, and as an old friend, it was naturally Liu Mingxuan''s role to give things a nudge.


    Even if we take a step back, a champagne tower costing eight thousand eight hundred dollars couldn''t just end with a crash.


    "Calm down, we''re out for fun, everyone makes mistakes now and then."


    Lu Liang glanced at Liu Mingxuan, and their eyes met, the corners of their mouths lifted, and they immediately understood each other''s intentions.


    Of course, he was not opposed.


    Ever since he seemed to hear about his divorce that day and subsequently encountered Li Manli several times in the hallway or elevator,


    her aloof demeanor and the way she kept others at arm''s length seemed to indicate she was afraid of being entangled by Lu Liang.


    Although Lu Liang didn''t mind, it still irked him.


    As if he were some fresh turnip skin.


    If there were no chance to meet, naturally it would have ended there.


    But now that they had met, and he had become her patron, it wouldn''t be so easy to let this slide.


    "Don''t be angry, Xuan," Zhang Qian quickly apologized, filling his cup with drink. She then filled another cup for Li Manli, "Give your thanks to Mr. Liang, it''s only because of Mr. Liang that you are not asked to compensate."


    "Thank you, Mr. Liang," Li Manli said, her eyes full of gratitude. If Lu Liang held her accountable, she could kiss her month''s bonus goodbye.


    Similar incidents had occurred before, with the boss unrelenting, resulting in the general manager having to step in to apologize and comp the charges.


    After all, those who open bottles of Black Spade A aren''t usually short of money; they come out for fun and enjoyment.


    As a part of the nightclub staff, making a mistake wasn''t something that could be settled by equivalent compensation.


    "We ordered two bottles; just open the other one, no need for this one."


    Lu Liang glanced at Li Manli but didn''t pay her any more attention, turning instead to the girls to drink and sing, treating the incident as a minor interference, insignificant and not worth fussing over.


    Li Manli breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a pang of loss.


    After all, they were neighbors, and although they hadn''t interacted much recently, they didn''t have to be this indifferent, did they?


    At the same time, she was curious how Lu Liang, who had reportedly been unemployed for months since his divorce, could afford to spend at Wanli Palace.


    And his spending wasn''t small: opening two bottles of Black Spade A in the middle-sized private room meant the evening''s expenses would start at at least thirty thousand bucks.


    sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 9 - 9: Seductive, Voice

    "Hey, beautiful, wait a sec, let''s take a photo first."


    The two girls Liu Mingxuan brought were thrilled and ran off to take a keepsake photo with the champagne tower.


    "This doesn''t look good, you should take it like this," Liu Mingxuan went over to help them find the right angle.


    Girls are vain, even just getting likes and comments in their social circle can bring great satisfaction. He was confident he wouldn''t have to spend the night alone.


    Once the photo session was over, Li Manli and a colleague distributed champagne to everyone.


    She wasn''t content and with a smile on her face, she toasted Lu Liang, "Liang, here''s to you."


    "Just go ahead if there''s nothing else," Lu Liang said, taking a sip from his glass.


    "Thank you, Liang, then we''ll be off."


    Li Manli bit her lip, feeling disgruntled, but she could only leave with a smile.


    Passing by the window, she couldn''t help but glance at Lu Liang again. He had already helped her twice, why was he ignoring her?


    After she left, Zhang Qian, with a radiant smile, came over with her glass to Lu Liang''s side, "Liang, you like Lili?"


    She had been in the nightlife scene for seven or eight years and had seen all kinds of men. She knew their little games all too well.


    This tactic was to feign retreat in order to entice, long-line fishing for the Mermaid, it might deceive the naive girls, but not the experienced women.


    "Who''s Lili? I only like Qianqian," Lu Liang held onto Zhang Qian''s waist, feeling her voluptuous and curvy body.


    Zhang Qian didn''t know Li Manli lived across from him, the monk may run away but the temple will not. So, she was not in a rush for this moment.


    A green Apple needs time to ripen, but the peach in front of him only required some bait to be devoured whole.


    "Qianqian likes Liang the best too," Zhang Qian acted surprised, then smiled brightly, intimately embracing his neck and cheek.


    If only two bottles of Black Spade A and a middle-sized package deal could win her over, then she would be far too cheap.


    She was already 30 years old, no longer able to compete with the looks or figure of girls in their early twenties.


    It was time to plan her exit strategy.


    Zhang Qian wanted to know how Lu Liang, in just two months, went from being a real estate agent to a boss driving luxury cars worth millions.


    The two with different thoughts in their heads, intoxicated not by the wine but their own delusions, held each other tight, sharing ''heartfelt'' woes.


    Liu Mingxuan, with a smile on his lips, now that the main character was accompanied, started his own pursuit. He pulled together a group with two girls he had just met and two who were there to drink.


    "Toot toot, let''s get going~" S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The group of five headed for the dance floor downstairs.


    ...


    As the night deepened, men and women exhilarated within the dance floor left Wanli Palace club in pairs or groups.


    Liu Mingxuan, with a young and pretty girl, came to the window of the private room, gently tapping the glass.


    Lu Liang looked over. He gestured that he was leaving, as he had another engagement and had to go first.


    "Qianqian, I''m leaving too."


    Lu Liang had already thrown out the bait, just waiting for Zhang Qian to bite.


    Just now, buoyed by alcohol, he had opened up his Guotai brokerage account, flaunting an eight-figure balance.


    With a mature and shrewd woman, straightforwardness was required; playing coy was just a waste of time for both.


    There are many women working in Modu''s nightlife, but those who save enough to buy property are one in a million.


    Because money comes quickly, they don''t value money, blindly enjoying the glittering lifestyle until they''re past their prime and left with nothing.


    Zhang Qian was a smart woman, always inquiring, subtly or not, about how he got rich.


    Lu Liang also disclosed just enough information, trusting that she''d make the right choice.


    "Liang, you''re drunk, let me take you home."


    Zhang Qian spoke softly, knowing that she wouldn''t get any scoop if she wasn''t willing to risk being deceived, even if it meant being taken for a ride.


    "I''ll call for a ride."


    Lu Liang paid the bill; the night''s expenses came to forty-two thousand.


    Room fees were the main expense, while drinks were secondary. Liang then called Tan Tao to ask him to come over and drive.


    Zhang Qian returned to the resting area, quickly gathered her things, and with Liang''s support, the two waited at the entrance.


    Combos like theirs weren''t in short supply, some men supporting women, others women assisting men, all drifting toward nearby hotels.


    After a while, Tan Tao arrived. He was utterly professional, clad in a black suit and white gloves¡ªclearly a career driver.


    Back at Peace Restaurant, Zhang Qian looked surprised, "Liang, you''re staying here?"


    Liang nodded and led Zhang Qian into a private elevator, rising to the second room on the seventh floor, the United Kingdom Suite.


    Zhang Qian was even more astonished. She''d only heard of Peace Restaurant''s Nine Countries Suite but had never stayed in one.


    Her gaze grew more eager as she lightly traced her fingertips along his neck, sashayed around to his back in a half-circle, and tiptoed to kiss his cheek, whispering, "Liang, I''ll go touch up my makeup first."


    "Go ahead." Liang saw Zhang Qian enter the restroom and lay down on the couch. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth lifted, and he followed her in.


    Zhang Qian was touching up her makeup when a figure flashed behind her. Liang gave a mischievous smile, wrapped his arms around her waist, and his hands began to inch upward.


    Zhang Qian giggled, gazing at Lu Liang in the mirror, "Liang, haste won''t get you hot tofu, you know."


    "You do your thing, I''m going to take a shower." Liang pinched her chin, heedlessly stripping off his clothes.


    "Good figure, huh? You been working out?"


    Zhang Qian leaned against the washbasin, arms crossed over her chest, smirking like a hooligan as she looked over Liang.


    "Just started recently." Liang wasn''t shy, stripping nude right before her eyes.


    Suddenly, he pulled her with him to stand beneath the showerhead, turning on the rainforest shower mode and relishing the warm water pelting his scalp.


    "Ah~~ My clothes are all wet now, and I need to redo my makeup..."


    Complaints echoed from the bathroom, but suddenly, as if her mouth had been stuffed with something, only muffled sounds remained.


    Some rather long yet short time later, Liang emerged from the bathroom in a bathrobe, looking thoroughly satisfied.


    He half-lay on the sofa, ordered some late-night snacks over the phone, and with eyes closed pretended to nap, a smile lingering on his lips.


    Time ticked by, the chime of the early morning marking the start of a new day.


    Liang abruptly opened his eyes, ecstatic, he heard that voice again.


    "June 2nd, Chinese Online, 39.82 yuan."


    He hurried to search for the stock information and found that yesterday''s closing price was 17.85 yuan.


    Which meant, in the next 12 days or eight trading days, this stock would rise by 21.97 yuan.


    Although it didn''t hold a candle to Baofeng Technology, which went from 7.14 yuan to 310 yuan, an increase of 43 times over.


    But Chinese Online wasn''t a new stock, no need for subscription. With money, you could buy in as much as you wanted.


    Liang memorized this information and continued to read related news about the stock, not noticing Zhang Qian approaching from behind.


    "Chinese Online? Is there something special about this stock?"


    She wore the same styled bathrobe as his, with freshly applied elegant makeup, wine-red ear-length hair, still slightly damp at the tips.


    Zhang Qian well understood a man''s mind. Beneath the white bathrobe wasn''t milky skin but fishnet stockings, and she stood in peep-toe high heels.


    Dressed, yet more enticing than undressed.


    "You might want to keep an eye on it lately," said Liang, putting away his phone without elaborating, and patting his thigh for Zhang Qian to sit on.


    "Why did you put on makeup again?" The years hadn''t left much trace on her face, rather adding a touch of charm.


    Zhang Qian kissed Liang''s forehead, teasing with a smile, "I was afraid if you saw my bare face, you''d run away overnight."


    "With such delicate features, you''d look fine even without makeup," Liang responded, casually caressing her calves, occasionally poking through the holes of the fishnet.


    After their encounter in the bathroom, their rapport rapidly warmed up¡ªat least for the moment, they felt like true lovers.


    "A man''s mouth, always full of lies," Zhang Qian hummed, twisting her waist trying to reignite Liang''s desire.


    She hadn''t forgotten that she''d put herself on the line tonight not for romance but to discover how Liang had made his fortune.


    After a while, sensing an indescribable object spring back to life, Zhang Qian bit Liang''s ear and cooed, "Dear brother, just tell me about that stock, will you?"


    Liang smiled, fondling something very soft and very real, "The market looks good, buy if you want, believe it or not."


    Zhang Qian might not be young, but she was alluring and tempting. He wanted to maintain this kind of relationship for a while and didn''t mind revealing a bit of ''insider information.''

 Chapter 10 - 10: Fully Invested Again

    Ding-dong~


    The doorbell suddenly rang.


    "Who is it?" Zhang Qian slipped on a bathrobe, pulling up her fishnet stockings to cover the torn marks.


    "I''m here to check the room," said Lu Liang with a smile, patting Zhang Qian''s thigh and walking over to open the door.


    The late-night snack he had ordered arrived. Having finished a drink and another battle, he was feeling a bit hungry.


    The waiter, experienced as they were, kept their eyes fixed forward, pushing the food cart without being nosy.


    A hot pot of seafood congee and a few delicate side dishes.


    "Mr. Lu, please enjoy your meal."


    After the waiter left, Zhang Qian walked over with her long legs, swaying her posture as she twisted her waist, each frown and smile brimming with charm.


    She sat at the dining table as if she was another dish on offer, spooning herself a small bowl of congee. She picked up a spoonful, gently blew away the steam and said, "Good brother, ah, open your mouth, let me feed you."


    ''The market looks good, might consider buying.''


    This phrase wasn''t weighty enough; she wanted to know more, like at what price to buy and at what price to sell.


    However, she overestimated herself and underestimated Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang, a man who had been married once, was willing to reveal a bit of information only because he wanted to maintain this relationship, but he wasn''t someone who would lose his head and spill everything.


    Until Zhang Qian was ''devoured'' again, she still couldn''t coax any more useful information out of Lu Liang.


    As the night deepened, the battle ended.


    The disheveled bathrobe on the carpet and the fishnet stockings with a ripped hole all spoke of a fierce ordeal.


    "Naughty fellow... How long has your wife not let you ''pay your dues''?" Zhang Qian was drenched in sweat, with strands of hair clinging to her cheeks and a lingering flush still on her face.


    Last year when she was buying a house, she spent over two weeks choosing, looked at a dozen houses before she found the perfect sanctuary.


    During that time, she even had coffee with Lu Liang a few times, chatted with him, and already knew he was a married man.


    But Lu Liang''s performance was too fierce, like a bull, competing with men in their early twenties.


    "I''ve been divorced for a while."


    Lu Liang sat at the edge of the bed, lighting a post-coital cigarette.


    "Really?" Zhang Qian suddenly thought of something and muttered indignantly, "Men are no good."


    People usually think that you get divorced when you have money, not that you have money because you''re divorced.


    "What are you imagining now?"


    Lu Liang pinched out the cigarette and climbed back under the covers, hugging Zhang Qian from behind and feeling their skin press against each other''s warmth.


    Holding her hand, he played with her manicure and said with a sigh, "I''m the one who was left behind."


    Now that he was saying it, it no longer felt the same as at the start; for him, divorce was a relief.


    "How is that possible." Zhang Qian didn''t believe it.


    Lu Liang was rich, good-looking, had a nice personality, and was so vigorous¡ª she thought he possessed all the elements of happiness, so it seemed impossible for him to get divorced.


    "Children without mothers make for long stories."


    "There are kids involved?"


    "It''s a metaphor."


    "The night is long, so tell me about it."


    "It all started during the Spring Festival..."


    "Hey, hey, are you asleep?"


    Zhang Qian waited and then turned to see that Lu Liang was already lying with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.


    "If you don''t want to talk, then don''t, but why pretend to sleep."


    She muttered to herself, adjusting her position to sleep comfortably, and soon she, too, drifted off.


    Lu Liang cracked a smile, opened his eyes, and laid his palm on the ''female heart protector'' on her chest, then closed his eyes again.


    ...


    At nine in the morning, the urgent ringing of the alarm filled the room.


    Lu Liang rubbed his eyes, and the person beside him had already disappeared, leaving only a few strands of light red hair on the pristine pillow.


    The sound of running water trickled from the bathroom.


    Zhang Qian emerged, changed into her regular clothes, her tight yoga pants highlighting the beautiful curves of her bottom.


    This was a body trained through rigorous practice, otherwise it couldn''t possibly be that firm and lifted.


    How good the touch felt and how much it reduced the impact, Lu Liang had already verified each detail last night.


    He looked over, "Leaving now?"


    "I have a yoga class, and if I don''t head over now, I''ll be late." Zhang Qian came to the bedside, gave Lu Liang a kiss, "Bye-bye."


    "Bye-bye~" Lu Liang did not try to keep her because he knew that Zhang Qian would seek him out again, and that she would become even more proactive.


    Nine-fifteen, another alarm rang.


    Lu Liang turned off the remaining alarms he had set the night before, worried that he might oversleep in the morning.


    Today was Friday, the last trading day of the week, he needed to buy shares of Chinese Online as soon as the market opened.


    "The market trends these past few days have indeed been very strange."


    Lu Liang, wearing his bathrobe and puffing on a cigarette, entered the living room, keeping an eye on the stock market updates at all times.


    He noticed that the fluctuations of Chinese Online eerily resembled a Market Maker accumulating shares at a low position, ready to surge at any moment.


    Lu Liang dared not hesitate, fearing he might miss the right moment, and began making small, frequent purchases as soon as the market opened.


    The opening price was 17.93 yuan, increasing by 0.89% on that day, with one lot equal to 100 shares, totaling 1793 yuan.


    Initially, Lu Liang bought only ten or so lots at a time, concerned that the Market Maker might notice him¡ªthe metaphorical ''rat stealing oil''.


    Latterly, he realized that his concerns were completely unnecessary. Chinese Online had a market capitalization of 12 billion yuan, with 2.42 billion yuan in circulating shares.


    The several million shares he owned weren''t negligible, but they were at most a comparatively large stone.


    Market Makers set a suppression line at 18.00 yuan, creating an illusion in the market of a ceiling that couldn''t be breached.


    Lu Liang set his own buying line at 17.90 yuan, ready to receive a large number of shares whenever there was a failed attempt to break through the ceiling.


    Having read plenty of books recently, he had come to understand the mindset of retail investors well; a failed attempt at breaking through usually led some investors to sell off or hedge, believing that a further surge was hopeless.


    Lu Liang then acted as a willing buyer, capable of taking on their shares without driving up the price, securing them at a relatively normal rate.


    However, being a willing buyer was only his wishful thinking. Holding tens of millions in funds wasn''t enough to be the supporting backbone of a hundred-billion market.


    At nine forty-five, the half-hour after the opening bell and before closing, was the most active trading period of the day.


    Chinese Online''s second attempt to breach 18 yuan failed.


    A large number of shareholders completely lost confidence, unwilling to miss the broader market rally and started selling off in herds.


    Over the last four trading days, the broader market had risen by 395 points, comfortably closing above 4700 points, an astonishing increase of 8.75%, with total market capitalization soaring by 750 billion yuan.


    In contrast, Chinese Online''s increase over the past four days was only 5.52%, with two of those days experiencing losses.


    When even the broader market couldn''t be outperformed, the morale of the retail shareholders holding the stock had long exploded, no longer willing to be tormented.


    "The broader market''s been doing so well lately, why on earth did I buy this trash stock."


    "Even if it can''t measure up to the likes of Demon King Storm, at least keep up with Mei Yan, right?"


    "To think I still had hopes for you, trash, go eat shit."


    "Goodbye, never to meet again..."


    A mass of retail investors cursed as they cashed out and exited the market.


    Almost instantly, Lu Liang''s brokerage account pinged nonstop with notifications of established new trades.


    Within a few breaths, tens of millions in funds were gone, with a holding of 588,800 shares and available funds standing at 480.4 yuan, his position was at 99.9%.


    Lu Liang was fully invested, once again.


    Meanwhile, as Zhang Qian took a taxi home, she too was paying attention to this stock.


    As a go-getter in Shanghai, she had her own brokerage account from early on, and had even opened access to the Hong Kong stock market.


    But she was cautious by nature, normally only buying funds. With the recent half-year market rally, she had also earned more than eighty thousand yuan.


    "Is this reliable? Why are all other stocks so in the red, while this one is just green as grass?"


    Zhang Qian stared blankly, absorbed in the screen with Chinese Online displayed on it.


    Just a moment ago, the constantly teetering 17.9 yuan suddenly lost its supporting funds, causing the stock price to plummet. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    That day, the broader market was up by 1.2%, with a thousand stocks in the green; only 65 stocks were green as grass, with Chinese Online among them.


    The daily drop was -2.2%, with the share price at 17.46 yuan. The stock forum was filled with sorrow, countless people cursing their mothers.


    "I''ll trust you this one time, but if I lose out, next time you''d better sweet talk me into a big feast, and add on five bottles of Black Spade A to compensate me."


    Zhang Qian hesitated for a long time, mainly because of her sacrifice last night. If she didn''t follow the so-called insider information, she felt it would be a total loss.


    She withdrew 580,000 yuan from the funds she had invested, using 80,000 yuan of the profits to buy Chinese Online shares, totaling 4500 shares.


    She was very cautious, not wanting to put all her eggs in one basket. Should both the stock and the fund lose value, it would break her heart.

 Chapter 11 - 11: Strategy for Little Apple

    "The ocean of learning is boundless."


    Liang reviewed the stock market until ten-thirty and couldn''t help but express his emotions.


    Ever since the trend shifted from rising to falling, the activity of Chinese Online drastically declined, lingering around 17.45 yuan.


    17.5 yuan seemed to become a hurdle, with tens of millions of funds stacked above it, further gnawing at market confidence.


    Logically, when the market loses confidence, stock trends should plummet abruptly, but that wasn''t the case¡ªit was a slow decline.


    Liang guessed that the market maker was tightly controlling the situation.


    This tactic wasn''t particularly clever, but it was meticulous, continuously buying without setting up a buying line.


    Because if a buying line were set, retail investors could see the buy and sell orders up to the tenth level in the trade details.


    Once retail investors see that there''s backing capital below, they would start to have expectations, and the market maker wouldn''t be able to acquire chips at a low price.


    The market had taught him another lesson.


    At eleven-thirty during the mid-session break, Liang got up to wash up, having already gone all in.


    The A-share market implements a T+1 trading rule, which means you can only sell the day after you buy, so the day''s market performance didn''t concern him anymore.


    Based on his predictions, this market trend should start on the following Monday because surging the price during trading would cost too much.


    Leaving the hotel at noon, Liang drove his Bentley back to his apartment in Xinpu; he planned to move.


    The apartment''s environment was quite nice¡ªa one-bedroom for only 2,300 yuan per month, fully furnished and ready to move in.


    Apart from the mediocre soundproofing, everything else was quite satisfactory, but now he could afford to live somewhere better.


    Having lived there for just over two months, Liang hadn''t purchased much¡ªhis belongings wouldn''t even fill a suitcase.


    Mainly he thought that those things could be discarded and replaced with new purchases when necessary.


    Liang turned to look across and suddenly thought of Li Manli, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth¡ªhe had nearly forgotten about her.


    He knocked on the door opposite: "Manli, are you home?"


    Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from inside, and the door cracked open a sliver.


    Li Manli, dressed in cartoon pajamas, peeked out from behind the door, her hair in disarray and a few strands sticking up, looking bewildered, as if she had just woken up.


    "Liang, are you going on a business trip?"


    Seeing Liang with his suitcase, Li Manli quickly put on a hat, hiding all her messy hair underneath.


    Liang shook his head: "I''m planning to move away and thought I''d stop by to say hi since I saw you were home." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Manli gave a sound of realization, wanting to ask Liang where he was moving, but unsure of what grounds she had to inquire.


    Friend? Hardly.


    Neighbor? There was a chance to become good neighbors before, but she had shut him out.


    "Oh, do you have time this afternoon?" Liang suddenly asked.


    After all, Li Manli wasn''t Zhang Qian; at 19 years old, it was unrealistic to expect her to make the first move.


    To woo "Apple," he should be more proactive.


    "I should be free; I don''t start work until eight."


    "Come with me to check out some apartments, for a second opinion."


    Liang didn''t give Li Manli a chance to refuse, smiling as he suggested: "You haven''t eaten yet, right? We''ll go have a meal first."


    "But I just woke up and haven''t washed or put on makeup," Li Manli hesitated.


    On one hand, she truly wanted to get to know Liang, while on the other, she guessed his intentions.


    Although young, working in the nightlife scene meant she was no naive Xiao Bai.


    "No worries, I''ll wait for you."


    Liang went back into his room, waving at her.


    "Oh, okay then, I''ll be quick."


    Li Manli steeled herself and accepted the invitation.


    It was just a meal and helping him look at houses¡ªnothing all that significant.


    Seeing the door close, Liang''s mouth curled into a smile, the most difficult first step had been successful, and the rest would be easier.


    Twenty minutes later, Li Manli walked out of the room in a pink hoodie with a denim hole-pattern, her hair tied in twin ponytails, brimming with youth and vitality.


    "Let''s go." Liang led the way, pulling the suitcase in front.


    He didn''t compliment Li Manli on how pretty her outfit was or how good-looking she was because for a girl who is naturally beautiful, they hear these words too often.


    Liang aimed to play to his strengths and stand out from the other suitors.


    His strength, naturally, was his wealth.


    Arriving downstairs, a blue Bentley was parked at the door.


    The top-of-the-line luxury car, priced at 4.8 million, always attracted the glances of passersby.


    Liang, unfazed by the attention of strangers, opened the passenger door and waved with a smile, "Princess, please get in."


    "Stop it, Liang," Li Manli''s cheeks flushed as she ducked her head and hurried into the car.


    She didn''t know how much the car was worth, but judging by the envious looks of passersby, it mustn''t be cheap.


    The moment Liang opened the car door for her, she felt like the star of the area, greatly satisfied inwardly.


    Liang smiled, opened the trunk, put the suitcase inside and drove away.


    Along the way, at every red light, the blue Bentley always caught the attention of pedestrians, whether intentionally or not, a luxury car always draws a few extra glances.


    Liang noticed Li Manli''s subtle actions and his mouth curled upwards, but he didn''t call her out.


    He liked vanity in girls because he could satisfy their vain desires.


    When they returned to the Peace Restaurant, he parked the car at the entrance.


    Liang handed over the car keys, letting the doorman help with parking.


    Tan Tao bowed respectfully, a smile on his face: "Welcome back, Mr. Lu."


    "Second-floor public restaurant," Liang said.


    Tan Tao led them to the second floor and arranged the best window-side seat for them.


    "Manli, do you have any dietary restrictions?" Liang browsed through the menu.


    "No cilantro, everything else is fine," Li Manli answered absent-mindedly.


    Because outside the window was Modu''s famous Bund, and further away was the glittering, invaluable Lujiazui.


    Coming here from Xinpu gave her the feeling of having arrived in another world¡ªeverything she had seen on the way reinforced the impression that this was the real Shanghai lifestyle.


    By the time Liang finished ordering, Li Manli couldn''t help asking, "Do you come here often, Liang?"


    "From time to time. I''ve been living upstairs recently and have come down a few times. The food tastes quite good."


    Liang spoke calmly, not exaggerating. To Li Manli, however, it sounded modest.


    A meal that cost forty-two hundred later, the two went to the other side of the second floor to rest in the coffee shop.


    Li Manli, out of character, eagerly helped Liang search for a new residence, methodically analyzing the advantages of various complexes.


    What she didn''t realize was that Liang had once been a real estate agent and knew far more than she did about the geographic advantages of each area.


    But Liang was very pleased to witness this scene. He wore a smile, occasionally contributing comments and opinions.


    After a while, Li Manli took a sip of coffee and asked, "How much is your budget, Liang?"


    "Any is fine," Liang said, looking across the river and adding, "Living over there should be pretty nice."


    "Where?" Li Manli followed his gaze; across the river seemed to be all office buildings, with no residential areas in sight.


    "Right next to the Global Center; those four buildings."


    A glint of determination flashed in Liang''s eyes.


    He had long determined his residence; asking Li Manli for advice was just an excuse to ask her out.


    Li Manli checked the information, not quite sure: "Are those buildings called Tangchen Yipin?"


    "That should be the name."


    Without further ado, Liang pulled Li Manli along, "Let''s go have a look over there."

 Chapter 12 - 12: Fishing Requires Baiting the Spot

    Tangchen Yipin was completed in 2009, and as soon as it hit the market, it became the most luxurious high-rise residential building in Modu, and even in the whole country.


    Located next to Binjiang Avenue in the Financial District of Lujiazui, it consists of two 40-story and two 44-story luxury apartments, as well as a high-end riverside clubhouse.


    To the left is the International Financial Center, to the right is the Wealth Center, behind is the Global Building, facing the Pujiang River, there should be no high-rise residential building with a better location in the whole of Modu.


    In recent years, with the real estate market booming, property prices in Tangchen have also soared, reaching up to 240,000 per square meter, with the smallest apartment size being 434 square meters, selling for 110 million yuan.


    A luxury property costing over a hundred million yuan.


    While Lu Liang could not afford to buy, he could rent.


    Tangchen Yipin has four buildings, with buildings A and C for sale, and buildings B and D for rent.


    Lu Liang was very familiar with the place and knew how much the monthly rent was, so he directly took Li Manli to the sales department of building B.


    After learning about the apartment types and styles, the two followed the sales manager to one unit on the 28th floor of building B.


    The elevator doors opened directly into the apartment, one elevator per unit, four bedrooms and two living rooms.


    The furniture and appliances were all top international brands and were very new, showing no signs of use.


    Because this unit was custom-designed by Tangchen Group for rental purposes, no one had yet lived there.


    "Mr. Lu, with a monthly rent of 85,000 including property management and a free parking space, the contract is for two years, with six months'' rent as deposit and payment every three months. Is there anything else you would like to know?"


    The property manager, smiling broadly and forthright because Lu Liang had arrived in a Bentley.


    After all, everyone has two eyes and a mouth, and my wealth isn''t written on my face, but a car is the best tool to display wealth.


    Driving a Bentley at a young age might lose one their inferiority complex, but it earned respect.


    "No problem, let''s sign the contract."


    Lu Liang had taken a tour around and loved the balcony the most, over a hundred meters above the ground with a very open view and the river breeze making one feel relaxed and happy.


    He believed the night view would be even better, so he directly transferred 765,000 to allow the property management to arrange for cleaning, planning to move in the next day.


    "Alright, alright," the manager said with a broad smile, pulling out the rental contract to review with Lu Liang.


    He also took out a map of the neighborhood, introducing the various exits as well as how deliveries and takeouts were handled.


    The property provided door-to-door service, as long as one filled out the floor and apartment number correctly, the delivery staff would bring items to the door.


    Being the top neighborhood in the country, for the safety of the homeowners, they certainly could not allow random people to come and go freely.


    "Monthly rent seventy-eight thousand..." Li Manli was stunned.


    She didn''t understand the value of luxury cars, nor was she greatly moved by them.


    She just felt it was not cheap, otherwise it wouldn''t attract the glances of passersby.


    But a high-end apartment with a monthly rent of seventy-eight thousand truly shocked her.


    Although she earned a good salary working in a club, she didn''t accompany customers for drinks, and her monthly salary was just over nine thousand.


    And the apartment Lu Liang was renting cost as much as nearly half a year of her salary.


    How could Li Manli not be moved? She wandered alone through the various rooms, finding even a normal secondary bedroom more spacious than her own apartment.


    The view from each room was impressive, even if not facing the river; at the very least, there was the lush greenery of a small park below.


    And it was very quiet, without the roar of bustling cars or the annoying loudspeakers from a supermarket downstairs.


    After a while, Lu Liang finished signing the contract and came back to find Li Manli standing on the balcony, gazing into the distance.


    The balcony was very large, about twelve meters long and five meters wide, with a pool table that was almost new placed beside it.


    Lu Liang joined her, pointing to a hotel on the opposite bank, "We just had our meal there."


    "Yes," Li Manli''s mind was filled with countless thoughts, feeling like the afternoon''s experiences were almost surreal.


    Having money seemed really great, being able to eat whatever you want, live wherever you want.


    "I have some things to do later, and you have work tonight. Should I drop you back at your apartment, or should I take you to the office?"


    Lu Liang felt it was about time, he had already shown Li Manli a glimpse of paradise; it was time to bring her back to reality.


    He always thought that "Transformed" was a very malignant show, not to mention its fabrication and star-making, its premise was problematic.


    Rich kids going to the countryside to experience the hardships of life could indeed make them appreciate where their life''s comforts come from, and even if they didn''t fully grasp it, there was no harm done.


    But taking poor kids, whose worldviews were not yet formed, to experience a rich lifestyle for a while, and then sending them back to their rural homes to chop wood and farm...


    The stark disparity was hard enough for adults to accept, let alone a child.


    "Liang, take me back to the apartment first."


    Li Manli was distracted, feeling very conflicted.


    On one hand, she hoped Lu Liang would speak up, even if just to joke with her about reserving a room.


    On the other hand, she wondered if she would agree or not if Lu Liang actually said that.


    It seemed like there were two little people arguing in her mind, yet until they got back to the apartment, Lu Liang had not mentioned it.


    "Liang, I''m going upstairs."


    Li Manli felt lost and waved goodbye to Lu Liang.


    "Manli, wait." Lu Liang stopped her, pulling out a box, "This is for you, thanks for accompanying me to view the house this afternoon."


    A 128GB Apple 6 from China, priced at 7200 yuan, which he had purchased while signing the contract.


    Li Manli was stunned, her lips curling upward as she quickly waved her hand, "That''s too valuable, I can''t accept it."


    "Just keep it, bye."


    Lu Liang smiled, not giving her a chance to refuse, pressed the accelerator, and waved as he drove away.


    Money is to be shown to women, not spent on them, he agreed with this point wholeheartedly.


    But before fishing, one still needs to bait the fish.


    Before long, Lu Liang received a text from Li Manli, "Liang, thank you for the gift."


    Lu Liang read the text but didn''t reply, deciding to leave her hanging for a while; their next meeting should successfully lead to further advances.


    He returned to Peace Hotel, found Tan Tao, and decided not to extend his room. However, he did want to extend the lease on the Bentley for another half a month.


    Having liquid cash was crucial; Lu Liang had no intention of buying cars or houses yet, planning to make a modest goal first before considering those things.


    Tan Tao smiled, signifying no problem, and enthusiastically offered more car models for Lu Liang to choose from.


    Still, Lu Liang chose the Bentley again; he liked the logo with the B and double wings.


    This expenditure cost another 120,000.


    "Having money doesn''t mean you can be reckless. I need to be more cautious for a while."


    Lu Liang reflected, as there was only about fifty thousand left in his account.


    Less than 24 hours, and nearly a million had been spent.


    Although the majority was on the house and car, the expenses were still significant.


    Lu Liang''s desire to make money swelled; he couldn''t allow himself to lose this carefree lifestyle.


    At three o''clock in the afternoon, the trading week ended, with Chinese Online closing at 17.5 yuan, a drop of 1.95%.


    Zhang Qian had been monitoring continuously, but she stayed calm and did not rush to confront Lu Liang. She planned to observe for a few more days.


    After all, if the stock soared next week,


    that would undoubtedly mean a missed fortune, and a wasted effort.


    On Saturday noon, Lu Liang checked out.


    He left the Peace Restaurant and officially moved into Tangchen Yipin.


    Li Manli had been messaging him since last night:


    "Liang, I''m off to work."


    "Liang, what are you up to?"


    "Liang, I just woke up. Have you moved yet?"


    Lu Liang only replied to the messages he was interested in: "Not yet, I''ve been busy. I plan to move later." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Manli sent a proud emoji, "Then, do you need me to help you shop for some things?"


    "It would be great if you could help me; I''ll contact you once I''m free."


    Lu Liang''s lips twitched into a smile, put away his phone, and headed to the gym in the complex to work out; he profoundly understood the benefits of exercise.


    He wanted to be carefree until he was eighty and needed a robust physique.

 Chapter 13 - 13: New Friend, Retail Investors Curse Out Loud

    "Liang, want to grab breakfast together later?"


    For two consecutive days, Lu Liang had been showing up at the community fitness center at the same time, where he had made a new friend.


    His name was Meng Changkun, seven years Lu Liang''s senior, a shareholder in several companies, and a well-known figure in Shanghai''s venture capital circles.


    Close in age, they met in the fitness center''s swimming pool and discovered they had quite a bit in common to talk about.


    "Sure, Mr. Kun, just let me change."


    After showering, Lu Liang changed into fresh clothes and put his workout outfit into a numbered bag to hand over to the staff.


    Having just moved to Tangchen Yipin the day before yesterday, he got himself an annual membership at the Tangchen Clubhouse fitness center and also rented a small private room.


    After exercising, there was no need to go back home all sweaty to change¡ªjust leave it with the management.


    They would wash and dry everything, and by the next day, clothes and toiletries would be neatly placed back in the private room.


    "How''s the figure on that beauty?"


    Sitting down for a meal at a restaurant near the community entrance, Meng Changkun''s eyes were constantly sneaking peeks at the passing beauties.


    The two had met because of a beauty, too.


    A bombshell beauty had appeared at the swimming pool, and they had both watched her with appreciative eyes.


    Then their eyes met, they exchanged a few appropriate comments, shared the same views and opinions, and immediately felt like they were old friends.


    "Forget it, she does have a great figure, but the face has definitely had some work done, at the very least some hyaluronic acid shots."


    Lu Liang followed his gaze to a stunning woman in tight jeans that truly defined peachy buttocks, pert and upright, walking in high heels with straight, slender calves. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But one look at her face¡ªher nose, chin, and even the apple of her cheeks¡ªfelt strangely off, instantly killing his admiration.


    He preferred the all-natural type.


    "You don''t get it. What does it matter if she''s had plastic surgery? It''s not like you''re going to marry her. This kind surely knows how to have fun, and that has a flavor of its own," Meng Changkun shook his head, voicing his disagreement with the air of one who''s been around, offering his many years of expertise in assessing women.


    Suddenly, his conversation took a turn, "Lu, if you''re into the natural type, I do have an opportunity for you.


    There''s a web series producer who came to me recently wanting me to invest. Interested in joining me for a casting call?"


    "The girls coming in for auditions are mostly from art schools, pure and lovely, definitely meeting all your criteria."


    Lu Liang had suddenly popped up, young and living in Tangchen Yipin, cruising around in a Bentley worth millions.


    He had inquired and found no affiliated enterprises under Lu Liang''s name.


    Meng Changkun couldn''t quite figure him out and planned to use this opportunity to test Lu Liang''s depth.


    Lu Liang raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "At the audition, will the girls be goldfish or woodfish?"


    Meng Changkun was briefly taken aback, then burst into laughter, "That''ll depend on your skills."


    You can only look at goldfish, but you can touch woodfish.


    With all seriousness, Lu Liang clasped his hands together and said, "Mr. Kun, you must take your little brother along."


    "Absolutely, if we''re choosing the cast in a few days, I''ll give you a call in advance."


    "Waiting for the good news."


    After exchanging glances, they steered clear of this topic.


    Suddenly Meng Changkun''s phone rang; after taking the call, he came back and said, "Brother, I''ve paid the bill. Got something at the company, so I''ll leave first."


    "Okay, see you, take care," Lu Liang said with a smile, waving goodbye as Meng Changkun departed.


    He didn''t just choose to live in Tangchen Yipin for the sake of luxury, he was also looking to expand his social network.


    Even if just renting, the lowest rent per unit per month was seventy-two thousand, a quite high threshold.


    It also meant that even if you used half your monthly income to pay rent, you''d need an annual salary of over 1.8 million.


    You could say, people living here were elites from various industries or influential second and third generations.


    Lu Liang was unclear about where life would take him, but he knew that just having money was not enough.


    "It''s almost nine-thirty; time to head back and keep an eye on the stocks."


    Lu Liang took a sip of soy milk, picked up the half-sandwich left on his plate, and, unconcerned with the stares, ate as he walked home.


    Even during the weekend, he wasn''t idling around; mainly, he was decorating his study, buying a computer worth over ten thousand, and setting up several medium and small screens to better monitor and trade in the stock market.


    Lu Liang felt that the reason Chinese Online''s market hadn''t taken off last Friday had everything to do with him.


    There had been flaws in his approach. He shouldn''t have placed orders but should have learned from the Market Makers, slowly buying in, achieving an effect as undetectable as a spring dream.


    But at that time, because he was operating with a mobile phone, he couldn''t respond in time, which is why he ended up decorating the study.


    A computer, three screens, this would become his personal "battlefield" for the coming period of time.


    At 9:15 AM, pre-market bidding began.


    Initially, the shares of Chinese Online didn''t fluctuate much, making it frustrating to watch, until the last five minutes before the bidding ended.


    Suddenly, like injecting adrenaline, thousands of shares, tens of thousands of shares, each bid higher than the last, until the market opened.


    The opening price was 18.98 yuan,


    an increase of 1.48 yuan, opening high at 8.5%.


    Liang''s cost price was 17.91 yuan, his total assets instantly turned from loss to profit, earning 630,000 yuan.


    The high opening gave small investors holding shares hope, they were looking forward to a surge to the limit-up.


    However, the "Market Maker" would not allow small investors to have their wishes fulfilled; he would wash out those with weaker resolve as much as possible.


    19 yuan seemed to be an insurmountable barrier,


    once, twice, thrice unable to break through upwards.


    Some people began to hesitate, knowing it''s common sense that after a spike comes a fall, and if it couldn''t break through upwards, it was bound to fall.


    Murphy''s Law kicked in once more, small investors feared what would come, and the momentum of buying funds rapidly decreased, causing stock prices to start falling.


    8.5%... 7.8%... 6.6%...


    The gains that were in hand were being eroded bit by bit, like a blunt knife cutting into the flesh.


    A large number of small investors panicked, not willing to let the duck that was almost in their mouths fly away, hurriedly cashing out following the trend, to secure their profits as soon as possible.


    Among them was Zhang Qian, whose cost price was 17.47 yuan, even lower than the opening price of 17.5 yuan today.


    Now there was still a 6.5% gain,


    if she sold now, she could earn 4,900 yuan.


    But she hardly played with stocks and carelessly entered a selling price that was 1 yuan too high.


    She should have sold at 18.55 yuan, but she entered 19.55 yuan, even though the limit up was only 19.25 yuan.


    "Hurry, hurry, if I don''t sell now, it''ll be too late," Zhang Qian was anxious, wanting to cancel the transaction and sell again.


    Suddenly, a huge sum of money poured into the market, sweeping up all the sell orders, with a giant bullish candle piercing the Skyline.


    20,000 shares¡­ 30,000 shares¡­ 50,000 shares,


    In just a few breaths, Chinese Online hit the limit-up.


    The funds used to hit the limit-up reached 145 million yuan.


    Even during the instance of the limit-up, sell orders totaling over thirty million yuan came one after another but couldn''t make a dent.


    It was solid as iron,


    allowing one to finish today''s trading journey with peace of mind.


    "Thank goodness I entered the wrong selling price."


    Watching her assets skyrocket by 8,200 yuan, nearing ninety thousand, Zhang Qian hastily canceled the transaction order.


    Because of such massive funds hitting the limit-up, the stock would at least open high tomorrow if it didn''t continue to surge.


    She thought of Lu Liang and excitedly called him, "Liang, Liang, it really hit limit-up."


    "You didn''t sell too early, did you?"


    Today''s operation by the Market Maker taught Lu Liang another lesson.


    High-level shakeout, that moment of the plunge washed away at least tens of millions in funds.


    "How could I? I always believed in you."


    Zhang Qian''s voice was a little lower, slightly guilt-ridden


    Had she not made the pricing error, she indeed would have sold too early, becoming one of the countless ones beating their chests in regret.


    For stock investors, what they fear the most is not losing money, but being shaken out at high levels, failing before dawn.


    The stock forum was in uproar, filled with cursing posts, wishing Zhuang Sheng''s son didn''t have eczema, and various other insults.


    Most of them were small investors who had held their tickets for a week, or two weeks, or even longer, but all fell before dawn.


    Because from the currently known outcomes and the funds accumulated at the limit-up, it was suggested that there wasn''t just one limit-up.


    The Market Maker had grand ambitions.


    Otherwise, he would not have lurked for such a long time building his position.

 Chapter 14 - 14: Playing with Something Very New

    "I''m glad you didn''t sell, just hold on to it for now."


    Lu Liang did not ask Zhang Qian how much she had bought, anyway it wasn''t much, and it wouldn''t have any impact on the market.


    After all, such a shrewd woman would undoubtedly only try out with a few tens of thousands of yuan and not invest too much.


    Lu Liang looked at the price limit of 19.25 yuan and the 588,800 shares he held in his account.


    He sold 3,800 shares and cashed out 73,100 yuan.


    Although he knew there was still a double increase to come, with the highest point at 39.82 yuan, after finishing his gym membership and buying a high-performance computer, only a few thousand yuan were left in his card.


    If he didn''t cash out some money now,


    he probably wouldn''t even be able to afford gas.


    "Mm-hmm, I''ll listen to you."


    Zhang Qian responded obediently and cautiously asked, "Liang, what have you been busy with lately? You haven''t shown up to support me."


    From Lu Liang''s tone, it seemed like the stock still had room to rise.


    She wanted to know when the market would peak and if she could continue to invest later, as she still had 500,000 yuan in available funds.


    Working in marketing at Wanli Palace, her monthly salary ranged from twenty thousand to eighty thousand, but the money was hard-earned, nowhere near as quick as earning from the stock market.


    She needed to seize any opportunity she could.


    "I''ve been busy moving," Lu Liang responded with a slightly upturned lip, discerning her underlying motive, then invited Zhang Qian over to visit his new home.


    "Sure, I have a few days off, just right to come over and give you some advice, see if you need anything else."


    Zhang Qian got Lu Liang''s new address and realized it was at Tangchen Yipin in the Lujiazui financial district, and couldn''t help but be astonished.


    However, thinking about it, Lu Liang drove a Bentley worth millions, so living in a top-tier luxury residence wasn''t unreasonable.


    After ending the call, Zhang Qian quickly dressed up and drove through Pujiang to Tangchen Yipin.


    But as this was her first visit, she needed the host to lead her in.


    Lu Liang was still observing the market fluctuations when he suddenly received Zhang Qian''s call, "Wait for me, I''ll be right out."


    He glanced at the bottom right of the screen; it was not yet eleven thirty, and the morning session wasn''t over.


    "Money is a good thing," Lu Liang chuckled, wearing slippers and humming a tune, heading to the community''s west gate.


    He remembered where Zhang Qian lived, a car journey of at least forty minutes. Considering the time to get ready and put on makeup, at least an hour.


    From the time their call ended, it was less than one and a half hours, enough to show she hadn''t delayed a minute, very eager.


    Lu Liang arrived at the west gate and saw Zhang Qian, realizing she looked like a completely different person from when she was at work.


    She wore a light green long dress, with a slender waist and elegant posture; her skirt fluttering in the breeze, revealing white high heels, her ten toes painted with light pink nail polish, as delicate and enticing as cardamom. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wearing a bucket hat and light makeup, a beauty mark added to the corner of her lips, she looked fresh and refined, charming but not overly glamorous.


    Despite not being very young, the years hadn''t left too many traces on her, instead adding a touch of mature charm.


    "You look really beautiful today," Lu Liang sincerely admired; if a nine-tailed fox were to take human form, it would probably look just like this.


    Zhang Qian''s style was too versatile; she could look glamorous, seductive, or dignified just like a lady of status.


    There were a few real ladies of status coming and going at the entrance, but compared to Zhang Qian, they seemed slightly inferior.


    The image of Li Manli came to Lu Liang''s mind; comparing her with Zhang Qian, it seemed Li Manli only had her youth left.


    "Wasn''t I beautiful before?" Zhang Qian covered her mouth and laughed lightly, very proud, her effort in dressing up not wasted.


    She hadn''t systematically studied, but through accumulated experience, she knew what kind of attire was appropriate for which person and occasion.


    Plain when it should be plain, bold when it should be bold.


    "You were beautiful before, but today you''re exceptionally beautiful," Lu Liang said, signing in and getting the guard to let them through.


    Then she got into Zhang Qian''s Volkswagen Beetle and directed her to the public parking spot in the underground garage.


    He had only one parking space, but he parked a Bentley, forcing the two to walk a few more steps to the elevator.


    It was also Zhang Qian''s first time here, and she was visiting what could be considered one of the top residential complexes in the country. Her eyes filled with wonder, but she managed to restrain herself, trying her best not to show any sign of weakness.


    However, as they exited the elevator and walked through a long corridor, Lu Liang opened the door to reveal a stunning river-view balcony.


    Zhang Qian was still taken aback.


    After all, given the location and the type of riverscape, if you weren''t born with it, you''d probably never have the chance in your lifetime.


    Her look towards Lu Liang grew more eager, Lu Liang belonged to the former group; he wasn''t born with it, but now he possessed it.


    The room''s decor was very new and looked luxurious, but a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner detracted from its aesthetic.


    "Liang, your place seems a bit... casual."


    Zhang Qian''s face was full of confusion, and it took her a long time to come up with a suitable adjective.


    "Don''t bother, just pile it over there, and have the cleaning service take care of it in a few days."


    These days, Lu Liang had bought a lot of stuff and was left with many empty cardboard boxes. He was too lazy to take them to the garbage downstairs, so he simply stacked them in the corner.


    After all, he planned to hire a cleaner once a week to maintain the place, and then they could get rid of everything.


    "But that isn''t very aesthetically pleasing." Zhang Qian couldn''t help it and promptly took off the light chiffon shawl from her shoulders, quickly stacking the cardboard boxes in a corner of the balcony.


    She smiled and said, "Just tidying up a little like this is all it needs, not much effort at all."


    "That''s true, having a woman around the house really makes a difference." Lu Liang hugged Zhang Qian''s waist, measuring about two and a half handspans wide.


    He buried his head in her burgundy slightly naturally curly hair and took a deep breath, "Changed perfume? Why does it smell different from last time?"


    "Do you like it?" Zhang Qian placed her hand on the back of Lu Liang''s hand, looking at the lifeless apartment, and an unusual thought crossed her mind.


    Both unmarried, maybe they¡­ But as soon as the thought appeared, she dismissed it.


    Years ago, she had learned her lesson, and now her focus was solely on making money, nothing else.


    "I like this fragrance." Lu Liang whispered gently and gradually lifted her skirt hem.


    Having Zhang Qian lean over the sofa, facing Pujiang and enjoying the breeze, must be quite a sensation.


    "Isn''t it noon already? Shouldn''t we have lunch first?" Zhang Qian giggled, bending her knees like a slippery loach and slipped away.


    Men are all the same; they often don''t cherish what they can easily have.


    Sometimes, rejection is also a kind of enticement, just like a spring, the more it is suppressed, the greater the force when it bursts.


    If she lets Lu Liang have his way anytime and anywhere, he would quickly lose interest, and her advantage would no longer exist.


    "What would you like to eat for lunch?" Lu Liang smiled, exhaled a breath, and temporarily suppressed the lust in his heart.


    "Relax, I''m all yours these next few days." Zhang Qian said tenderly, tiptoed and kissed Lu Liang''s cheek.


    After that, she ran off like a little girl to the semi-open kitchen, which was fully furnished but devoid of any cooking smell.


    Zhang Qian checked around: "Liang, how long has it been since you cooked at home? I''m quite a good cook, maybe give it a try?"


    Lu Liang, a man who had climbed up from the lower ranks and was divorced, would likely be immune to common tactics.


    She planned to take a different approach. She wouldn''t invest emotionally, but she could put on an act, giving Lu Liang a taste of home warmth again.


    "If you''re so confident, then how could I refuse?" Lu Liang slightly curled his lips, touching the cheek she had kissed.


    "I will check, there are lots of ingredients that need to be bought nearby," Zhang Qian ordered through her phone.


    Lu Liang walked to the kitchen, leaning against the wall, squinting slightly at Zhang Qian, noticing she was playing with some modern gadgets.


    Was it also a sort of tactic?


    He didn''t mind but rather looked forward to Zhang Qian''s performance, knowing what she was after, keeping the upper hand always in his grasp.

 Chapter 15 - 15: End-of-Day Market Fluctuations

    A delivery staff brought the order to the door, and forty minutes later, a steaming hot three-dish-one-soup meal was laid out on the dining table.


    Steamed pork ribs with rice flour, braised shrimps in oil, stir-fried vegetables, and oyster soup¡ªvery ordinary home-cooked dishes.


    "You''re so pretty, and the food is so delicious, whoever marries you will be lucky."


    Liang couldn''t stop praising, and it wasn''t just courtesy¡ªhe''d often cooked himself before and could tell that Zhang Qian genuinely had the skill.


    "Liang, stop making fun of me, try this shrimp." Zhang Qian personally peeled one and brought it to his mouth.


    "Delicious," praised Lu Liang.


    But he found it strange, Zhang Qian was from the north, why did the flavors she made tilt towards the south?


    "After all, I''ve been in Modu for so many years, my tastes have been assimilated," Zhang Qian said, a bit startled.


    Then she added, "Liang, you like strong flavors, so next time I''ll make some special dishes from my hometown for you."


    "No need, something lighter is also quite nice."


    After dinner, Lu Liang took Zhang Qian downstairs for a walk along the Riverfront Promenade to help digest the meal.


    The river breeze blew, lifting Zhang Qian''s hair, and a sweet smile appeared on her face, making Lu Liang feel momentarily lost in reverie.


    This scene gave him a sense of home, but not the home of the past, rather the home he imagined in his mind.


    Once upon a time, his wishes were simple.


    Get a wife, start a business, work hard, carefully manage his family, have a child before turning 30, then start striving for the next generation.


    However, ever since getting married and bringing Lin Wenjing from his hometown to Modu, everything changed.


    She became vain, fond of comparing herself with others, always talking about how much money someone made, and how good someone else''s life was...


    "What''s wrong?" Zhang Qian, ever considerate, sensed that Lu Liang wasn''t in a good mood.


    "It''s nothing, let''s go back."


    Lu Liang wrapped his arm around Zhang Qian''s slender waist, and they walked back together.


    Let the past drift away like smoke with the wind, he had already cut ties with it, embarking on a new chapter of life.


    In the following days, Zhang Qian occasionally went out to handle some affairs, but mostly stayed in Tangchen Yipin.


    During the day, she cooked meals for Lu Liang with various recipes, and at night, the bathroom, sofa, balcony, kitchen all became the battlefields where they shed sweat.


    In the meantime, the stock price of Chinese Online kept climbing higher and higher.


    Zhang Qian was extremely excited, because the next day, she had followed suit by investing five hundred thousand, going all in on full margin like Lu Liang.


    The cost price had risen to 20.25 yuan at that time, but now the stock price had already risen to 32.72 yuan per share. She currently held 29,600 shares, now valued at 968,000 yuan, earning her a profit of 387,000 yuan.


    The loving look Zhang Qian gave Lu Liang seemed almost tangible, her passion even more intense, wishing she could merge with him and become one.


    On Thursday, Chinese Online opened high and kept climbing.


    Approaching two o''clock in the afternoon, it hit the daily limit.


    The latest price was 34.85 yuan, with 125 million yuan of limit-up funds, the main investor''s attitude seemed very determined, and small investors were also very optimistic about the future, collectively shouting "the second Baofeng."


    After a long contemplation, Lu Liang stepped out of the study and called over Zhang Qian, who was watching TV in the living room, "Let''s liquidate our positions."


    Zhang Qian glanced at the market, "It hit the limit-up again today, are we selling off too?"


    "Who told you that just because it hits the limit today, it''s guaranteed to rise tomorrow?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    Zhang Qian was taken aback, took out her phone to operate it, looked up with a smile, "I''ll listen to you, I''ve sold them all."


    "Alright, I still have some things to take care of, see you later."


    Lu Liang touched her cheek and closed the door of his study.


    Something felt off to him, a voice warning: June 2nd, Chinese Online, 39.82 yuan.


    Today was May 28th, with only six days and four trading days left, there was no reason for the stock price to jump that high.


    Also, the trend of this stock was nearing its end, with the market maker''s attitude on the limit-up, it shouldn''t have been so unsettlingly decisive.


    Lu Liang felt something was amiss and took advantage of the market maker''s aggressive bid to seal the price at 34.85 yuan, where he began to frenziedly offload shares.


    584,500 shares, valued at 20.38 million, had nearly broken the cap that he had just hit, but the subsequent bids from the main force patched it up.


    Apart from this doubt, Lu Liang also wanted to test whether his involvement could affect market fluctuations.


    Over 20 million was already a significant sum of money, which could have allowed him to corner the market in smaller trading volumes.


    "The market maker must be hurting," Lu Liang mused as he sipped lemon tea made by Zhang Qian, suddenly struck by inspiration.


    He thought of Baofeng Technology, which, when the market trend was nearing its end, had experienced a similar incident.


    In the end, a Sky Floor unfolded¡ªthe next day saw the stock open high and climb higher, enticing a large number of retail investors to take over the holdings.


    Having just been hammered with 20 million by Lu Liang, the stock still reached its upper limit; the two events seemed to have a curious parallel.


    If following this train of thought, the 20 million yuan of capital he unloaded should have been the market maker''s doing, flipping shares left to right at the limit-up price, but Lu Liang preempted a portion of it.


    Lu Liang spun in his chair, his gaze fixed on the screen.


    If his deduction was correct, there should be some unusual movements at the close of trading.


    2:40 p.m.,


    The last twenty minutes before the market closed.


    Chinese Online broke the cap.


    The initial 1.25 billion yuan that sealed the cap was suddenly withdrawn¡ªover 90 million gone in an instant, and the remaining 30 million was quickly exchanged in the span of a few breaths.


    10.05%...6.56%...3.15%...


    A massive wave of selling ensued, and the stock price plummeted.


    Because it was limit-up, there were no support funds built below, and the price was smashed down by 13 points in an instant. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The market was dumbfounded, and some retail investors who had bought at high prices were literally crying in the bathrooms.


    Because it had opened today with a 5.6% gain and had risen steadily until the cap was placed at 2 p.m., enduring a three-hour journey to the ceiling during which countless retail investors were lured in.


    Some entered at 6%, some at 8%, and others at the limit-up price.


    Today''s ceiling with so much capital locked in suggested at least a high open tomorrow.


    Zhang Qian''s thoughts also represented the general public''s.


    Many didn''t even get a taste of the success before getting hit by a sudden blow.


    Zhang Qian was also watching the market from the living room.


    Witnessing this scene, her eyes widened, and she couldn''t help but let out an exclamation before quickly covering her mouth, fearful of disturbing Lu Liang''s work.


    "That''s incredible, it''s as if he has magical power¡ªhe just told me to liquidate my position, and now the stock price is crashing."


    Zhang Qian patted her chest, still in shock. If she hadn''t listened to Lu Liang, she would have earned 80,000 yuan less.


    Her capital of 580,000 yuan had grown to 1.02 million, earning her 440,000 yuan from this wave, exceeding her annual salary.


    Humming a tune to herself, Xiao Qu planned to make some snacks to reward Lu Liang for leading her to fortune.


    In the study, Lu Liang sank into deep thought.


    After a few minutes of turbulence, support funds reappeared below, and the stock price lingered around 31 yuan, with a drop of -2.1%.


    Judging from his guesses, there were three possible directions: first, like Baofeng Technology, to execute another Sky Floor play.


    However, that was too risky, as Baofeng Technology had recently fallen, experiencing four consecutive limit-downs.


    It was said that the heads of several institutions had been summoned by the Securities and Futures Commission for an inquiry¡ªno one should dare to break the rules now.


    The second possibility was a lackluster end for today, with continued declines tomorrow and then a pump before unloading next week.


    The third scenario involved luring in more buyers by pushing up the price at the end of trading to attract retail investors to chase the rise, then have a small drop tomorrow followed by a significant increase next week.


    Lu Liang investigated and found at least three institutions involved, each had been hibernating for over 20 days.


    Stepping in might affect the market''s direction, but the impact would undoubtedly not be too significant.

 Chapter 16 - 16: You Support Me?

    "Second, or third?"


    Liang pondered and suddenly laughed.


    He had already cleared his positions, his securities account showing available funds of 20.38 million, with a profit of nearly ten million.


    Regardless of whether the market maker opted for the second or third option, there would certainly be another minor trend coming up.


    This was because the institution still had several hundred million in it, and they wouldn''t crash the market before cashing out.


    Liang''s personal investments were modest, having capitalized fully on a major market trend; he could extricate himself quickly and couldn''t lose either way.


    Realizing this, he no longer hesitated and used half of his positions, about 10 million.


    He bought in again at the price of 30.98 yuan, helping the stock price to break through the 31 yuan barrier once more.


    It was now ten minutes to three o''clock in the afternoon.


    129 Yellow River Road, in the public''s eyes, it was a place, and the location of the Southwest Securities Modu Exchange.


    But in the financial market, it was the name of an institution, controlling several funds and managing over 30 billion in assets.


    "Who the hell is this?"


    "Are they coming in again? Really taking us for stepping stones?"


    The fund manager at Huipu No.3 was furious, along with those at 12 Banquan Road and 24 Wenzheng Road. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The three fund managers joined forces, utilizing over 600 million to create a major trend for Chinese Online.


    Yet, as they were about to reap the fruits of victory, someone dishonorably left the game early.


    Although a few tens of millions wasn''t much, it disrupted their original plans, causing a sudden hike in costs.


    They barely managed to plug the hole and get the plan back on track when the other party struck again.


    "Old Zheng? Or Old Zhou?"


    He suspected an insider; otherwise, the timing of the cash-out was too perfect, as if they had monitored their positions.


    On second thought, an insider seemed unlikely, after all, it was only twenty or thirty million, while their total investment exceeded 600 million.


    If they failed to exit on time and caused market panic resulting in everyone trying to offload their stakes, the 600 million could get entirely trapped.


    They couldn''t possibly not understand this.


    "Damn vultures."


    After eliminating various possibilities, the culprit became clear.


    In the stock market, retail investors with large funds are also referred to as major investors, but generally, the fund managers called them vultures.


    Usually following behind them and picking at leftovers, and now boldly taking the first bite of fresh flesh, yet still not satisfied.


    Meanwhile, he received calls from 12 Banquan Road and 24 Wenzheng Road; their guesses were mostly aligned, and they no longer suspected each other.


    "What do we do?" 12 asked.


    "Start unloading now? Trap him inside?" 24 suggested.


    129, full of rage, could only shake his head, "No, stick to the plan."


    He was furious but helpless; the other party had once unloaded, and this time the buying amount was even less, probably not up to ten million.


    They couldn''t change their plan just because of the other party, they could only raise the stock price later to compensate for this shortfall.


    "Each of us adds another 20 million, push the stock price above 40 yuan..."


    ...


    At exactly three o''clock in the afternoon, the stock market closed. The dramatic reversal at the end that many retail investors hoped for did not occur.


    Chinese Online, closed with a stock price of 31.30 yuan and a decrease of -1.55% for the day.


    "Was it the second scenario?" Liang mused to himself.


    If all went as usual, tomorrow would either open low or continue to drop, followed by a rebound next week, then the trend would end.


    He was slightly disappointed; the institutions involved lacked the boldness of those at Baofeng Technology.


    If they had performed a violent surge at the close or staged a sky floor, it could have become ''Baofeng'' the second.


    Clearly, they lacked the courage, probably fearing a ''chat'' invitation from the Securities and Futures Commission.


    Liang organized his notes, walked out of the study, and smelled the sweet scent of freshly baked bread.


    The dining table was set with several dishes of just-baked pastries.


    "I guessed you were about to come out," Zhang Qian walked to the bar, smiling as she asked, "Tea, coffee, or a drink?"


    "Coffee, please." Liang walked up behind her, embracing her waist and kissing her cheek. "You really are good at everything."


    "Men''s hearts, men''s stomachs, you''ve got to keep one, right?"


    "Why do I feel like you''ve kept both of mine?"


    "If only that were true."


    Zhang Qian said with a smile, handing a coffee to Lu Liang, "My vacation is over, I have to go back to work tonight."


    "That soon? Won''t you stay a few more days?"


    Lu Liang was a bit reluctant. Having been treated so well these past few days, he wasn''t used to suddenly being alone.


    "If I don''t work, will you support me?" Zhang Qian joked.


    "I would support you, it''s not like I can''t afford it."


    Lu Liang was serious; he had actually considered this before. It would only mean spending an extra seventy or eighty thousand a month, and he wasn''t short on money now.


    "Forget it, save those words for the young girls."


    Zhang Qian laughed, a touch of tenderness showing in her eyes.


    She knew her own situation well. If she were a few years younger, she might have agreed, but not now.


    "Younger girls aren''t as enticing as you are." Lu Liang didn''t press the matter further, being long-term Running Buddies wasn''t so bad.


    "What about Lili then?" Zhang Qian said with a playful smile.


    Last night, Lu Liang had accidentally turned on the speakerphone, and she recognized it as Li Manli''s voice. The young girl kept calling him ''Brother,'' her voice sweet.


    "She''s good, and so are you."


    Lu Liang was blunt, offering no further explanation.


    "Men."


    Zhang Qian gave him a glare, shaking her head in exasperation.


    Then suddenly, her phone rang. After she answered, her expression changed drastically, "Liang, I''ve got something to handle, I need to leave."


    Lu Liang''s smile faded, "Need any help?"


    He saw the caller ID: Mr. Lin.


    Spending the last few days together, Lu Liang had learned that Zhang Qian had a daughter who was seven years old and in first grade.


    If she hadn''t told him, Lu Liang would never have guessed Zhang Qian had a seven-year-old daughter.


    Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment, "If you''re not too busy, I might need a favor."


    "Let''s talk while walking." Lu Liang picked up his car keys and followed Zhang Qian out.


    Zhang Qian nodded, "Let''s head to Affiliated Primary first."


    Normally, her mother would help take care of her daughter. She had just received a call from a teacher saying her mother had fallen while picking the girl up from school and had been taken to the hospital.


    It was an emergency, and she couldn''t take care of Zhang Yun, who was still at school.


    The entire drive, Zhang Qian was on the phone, asking about the situation and saying she was on her way.


    Lu Liang stepped on the gas, he might have even run a red light.


    At the gates of Affiliated Primary, a delicate-looking little girl, bearing a resemblance to Zhang Qian, stood timidly next to a teacher.


    As Zhang Qian got out of the car, the girl saw her and immediately rushed to hug her legs, her face streaked with tears, "Mom, is Grandma okay?"


    "Xiaoguai, don''t cry. Grandma is fine; we''re going to the hospital to see her now."


    Zhang Qian thanked the teacher again. She had just spoken with the hospital on the phone and was relieved to find out it was only a fracture.


    The teacher hurriedly waved her off, "No worries, you better hurry to the hospital."


    Zhang Qian took her daughter, Zhang Yun, and got into the car.


    Before she could speak, Lu Liang asked, "Which hospital?"


    "It''s at City Third." Zhang Qian pulled Zhang Yun close, "Xiaoguai, say hello to Uncle Lu."


    "Uncle Lu, hello, my name is Zhang Yun, I''m seven years old, in first grade." Zhang Yun looked obedient.


    "There, don''t cry." Lu Liang gently patted her head and softly said, "I came in such a hurry, I didn''t prepare any gifts for my first meeting with you, how about Uncle buys you something later?"


    The little girl''s big eyes, still misty with tears, widened, "Uncle Lu, are you my mom''s boyfriend?"


    "Xiaoguai," Zhang Qian said sharply.


    "Isn''t he?"


    Lu Liang glanced sharply, then amiably said, "Uncle Lu is indeed your mom''s boyfriend. Next time she scolds you, you can tell Uncle Lu quietly, and Uncle Lu will talk to her."


    "Lu Liang!" Zhang Qian was both embarrassed and angry.


    "Really?" The little girl''s eyes sparkled, clearly wanting to ask more, but Zhang Qian covered her mouth.

 Chapter 17 - 17: Touching Hearts

    Arriving at the hospital and asking the nurse, he learned which ward Zhang Qian''s mother was in.


    The ward had four beds, and in the innermost bed lay an elder with a kind face.


    The police officer asked softly to understand the situation and saw people approaching, "Are you Zhuang Huilan''s family?"


    Zhang Qian hurriedly said, "Zhuang Huilan is my mother. Is she alright?"


    "There should be nothing seriously wrong."


    The police officer then turned to Lu Liang, naturally assuming he was her husband, "Sir, please come out with us for a moment."


    Zhang Qian was about to speak when Lu Liang patted the back of her hand and smiled, "I''ll go and find out what is happening." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mrs. Zhuang looked puzzledly at Zhang Qian and then at Lu Liang.


    Zhang Yun held her hand, squatting beside the bed, unable to hold back tears, "Grandma, are you alright?"


    Mrs. Zhuang looked at her lovingly, "Xiaoguai, don''t cry, grandma is fine. Tell grandma, were you well-behaved in school today?"


    Zhang Qian, watching Lu Liang talk to the police outside, gritted her teeth and said, "His name is Lu Liang, he''s my boyfriend."


    "Qianqian, you finally came to your senses, it''s also time you found a boyfriend."


    Mrs. Zhuang was surprised but then smiled¡ªa smile so joyful that she accidentally aggravated her wound, causing her to inhale sharply in pain.


    "Mom, be careful, what did the doctor just say?" Zhang Qian forced a smile, not wanting to discuss this topic.


    Outside, Lu Liang finished talking with the police, returned to the ward, and informed them that it was a hit-and-run case. Although there was surveillance, there were too many people, and it was unclear who was responsible.


    "As long as my mom is alright."


    Zhang Qian was still shaken and had no mind to blame anyone.


    She was about to thank Lu Liang and then find a chance to clarify to her mother that the two of them were just friends.


    Unexpectedly, Lu Liang squatted beside the bed and gently said, "Auntie, hello, my name is Lu Liang."


    Mrs. Zhuang nodded, holding Lu Liang''s hand, visibly excited and sincere, "Little Lu, Qianqian has had a tough life before, I''m entrusting her to you from now on."


    All these years, her daughter had not found another boyfriend, even saying she just wanted to raise her child and didn''t need a man.


    Now that she had finally brought a boyfriend home, she didn''t ask for anything except that he be good to her and her daughter.


    "Mom, why mention this, Xiaoguai is here too." Zhang Qian became anxious, fully aware of her relationship with Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang paused, then smiled and said, "Auntie, don''t worry, I will be good to Qianqian."


    He then patted the little girl''s head, "And of course, Xiaoguai too."


    Zhang Qian was distracted, knowing well that Lu Liang was putting on an act, yet she couldn''t help but feel an expectation¡ªif only it were true.


    At that moment, the nurse came to inform them that the doctor wanted to discuss treatment plans with the family and also make an upfront payment.


    "Qianqian, you go and talk to the doctor. I will go to the entrance to make the payment, Xiaoguai can stay here with grandma."


    Lu Liang organized everything, took the documents, and followed the nurse to the first-floor clinic to make the upfront payment.


    On the nurse''s suggestion, he deposited fifty thousand as an upfront payment and requested a private room.


    After completing all the formalities, Lu Liang then went outside to buy several portions of dinner, finally returning to the ward.


    Zhang Qian was waiting for him at the door, and Lu Liang signaled that they would talk after eating, reasoning that even if she wasn''t hungry, the little girl must be.


    "McDonald''s, thank you, Uncle. Mom never let me eat this before."


    The little girl''s mood was like June weather, knowing her grandma was not seriously hurt, she regained the liveliness typical of her age.


    "It makes me sound like I mistreat you. Kids should eat less greasy food, but it''s okay to indulge occasionally."


    Zhang Qian opened the dinner packaging, a tender look in her eyes.


    Lu Liang was very considerate, not only buying a kid''s meal but also keeping in mind the elder''s health by specifically buying a portion of plain porridge.


    "Xiaoguai, look what Uncle Lu bought for you as a gift, ta-da~"


    Lu Liang, like a magician, pulled out a delicate little box from his pocket¡ªit was a children''s watch phone that had recently been released by BBK.


    "Thank you, Uncle," said the little girl excitedly, unable to put down the watch, likely having seen this model at school.


    "Tomorrow I''ll have your mom get you a secondary card, but you must promise Uncle not to play with it during study time."


    "Okay~" The little girl stole a glance at her mother and then nodded hastily like a pecking chick.


    "Let''s make a pinky promise."


    Liang, full of childlike spirit, hooked the girl''s pinky and they both yelled in unison, "Pinky promise, hang for a hundred years, no changing, whoever changes is a puppy."


    Zhang Qian sighed. It wasn''t that she couldn''t afford it, she just didn''t want her daughter to be exposed to electronic products too early.


    Mrs. Zhuang, with a face full of loving kindness and a smile, said, "Little Lu and Xiaoguai get along so well, you should be reassured now."


    Zhang Qian gave a bitter smile but offered no explanation.


    At night, both Zhang Yun and Mrs. Zhuang had fallen asleep, and the hired hospital caregiver had also arrived.


    Zhang Qian and Lu Liang stepped outside the hospital room. "Liang, thank you. How much was everything? I''ll transfer it to you."


    "Would it really be so rude of me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"


    "That''s not what I meant."


    "Consider it a gesture of goodwill to the elderly, and besides, I quite like Xiaoguai."


    Lu Liang looked at the little girl lying at the edge of the bed, his eyes filled with tenderness.


    If his life plans hadn''t gone astray, he would have had a child about her age.


    Lu Liang continued, "You really should consider changing jobs. The child is getting older and will find out sooner or later. She even quietly asked me what her mom does outside."


    "What did you tell her?" Zhang Qian asked urgently.


    Although she bought a house in Modu, she always stayed in the company dormitory, as she didn''t want her daughter to know what she did.


    "I told her, Uncle is a big boss and your mom is helping me out."


    Lu Liang, recalling the moment, couldn''t help but laugh. "She also said to give you more leave so you could spend quality time with her."


    Zhang Qian fell silent and after a long while said bitterly, "What else can I do?"


    "Don''t sell yourself short. You have great communication skills and high emotional intelligence. I think running a beauty salon would be great."


    "But I don''t know anything about that."


    "You can learn, and it doesn''t have to be in the beauty industry. You could look into other options."


    Lu Liang touched her earlobe, gently squeezing. "When the time comes, we could open a store together. I''ll invest, and you manage."


    "I''ll think about it." Zhang Qian shivered, knowing through their days of interaction what her most sensitive spots were.


    Her cheeks flushed, she protested quietly, "Let go; we''re at the hospital."


    Liang chuckled, "Sorry, it''s a habit."


    "Mama, when are we going home?"


    Just then, the little girl, just awake, rubbing her eyes, came over and looked up, "Mamma, your face is so red. Do you have a cold?"


    "Go to the parking lot with Uncle Lu first, Mama needs to talk to grandma and the caregiver for a minute," Zhang Qian quickly turned her head away, fiercely glaring at Lu Liang.


    "Xiaoguai, grab your backpack. Let''s head out," Lu Liang chuckled, taking the little girl''s hand as they left the hospital.


    As they passed a pediatric clinic, the little girl stealthily watched as other children were carried by their fathers, her eyes filled with envy.


    Noticing this, Lu Liang crouched down and whispered, "Xiaoguai, climb up, Uncle will carry you."


    The little girl, delighted, excitedly clambered onto Lu Liang''s back, whispering, "So broad, not like mom or grandma at all."


    "Hold tight, off we go!" Lu Liang grinned, intentionally quickening his pace to give the little girl the thrill of a roller coaster ride.


    In the dim, quiet underground parking lot, the little girl''s laughter rang out like a bell.


    Upon arriving, Zhang Qian, seeing this scene, suddenly froze. She watched covertly for a long time, her eyes gradually moistening, unable to help whispering, "You rascal."


    Knowing it was impossible,


    why must you always tug at the heartstrings?

 Chapter 18 - 18: Sensible, Deviating from Prediction

    On the way back, Zhang Qian suddenly said to her daughter, "Xiaoguai, Uncle Lu is planning to get Mom a new job so that Mom can spend more time with you from now on."


    Throughout this trip, she had thought a lot. There was some truth in what Lu Liang had said; the child was growing up and would eventually start having doubts.


    If this got out at school, children say the darnedest things, and it could lead to ugly talk that would be detrimental to her daughter''s development.


    And if Lu Liang wanted to maintain a long-term relationship with her, he certainly wouldn''t want her to keep working in the nightlife and forced to put on a happy face.


    "That''s great." The little girl, thrilled, tugged on Lu Liang''s sleeve and smiled sweetly, "Uncle Lu, thank you."


    "Don''t mention it, who could resist our adorable Xiaoguai?" Lu Liang affectionately tousled her hair.


    Zhang Qian lived in Fudou Garden, Changning, Building 16, Unit 2-4, which Lu Liang had helped her find last year.


    A small three-bedroom apartment¡ªnot spacious, but owning a place in Modu put her ahead of most people.


    "Uncle Lu, this is my room, this is my favorite Little Love, and that''s Dou Bao..."


    The little girl excitedly pulled Lu Liang into a pink-themed bedroom, introducing various cartoon plush toys.


    "I recognize this one, it''s Snoopy, right?" Lu Liang smiled as he picked up a white little dog.


    The little girl nodded excitedly, "Yes, yes, yes, it''s Snoopy, my mom doesn''t even recognize it."


    "Time to take a bath and go to sleep, you have school tomorrow." Zhang Qian closed the door and poured Lu Liang a cup of tea.


    She said, "Liang, I''m planning to resign. I''ve spent the past few months taking care of my mom and now I need to think about what I want to do next."


    Lu Liang said, "Once you have some ideas, check out the market on your own. When you''re ready, send me a budget."


    Zhang Qian didn''t want to rely entirely on Lu Liang. She wanted to contribute as well, but it wasn''t the right time to bring it up as nothing was set in stone yet.


    "If there''s nothing else, I should get going. I have to travel for a few days; call me if you need anything."


    This afternoon, Meng Changkun had called him, saying he could go to an actor audition tomorrow and asking if Lu Liang was available.


    Lu Liang, of course, said he was free and had arranged the time. The audition was a minor matter; getting involved in that circle was more significant.


    "Then, Liang, let me see you out." Zhang Qian stood up when suddenly the bedroom door cracked open behind her, and the little girl peered out with wide eyes, "Uncle, are you staying here tonight?"


    Zhang Qian turned around, her face cold as she directly addressed her, "Zhang Yun! Go take a bath and sleep right now."


    The little girl pouted, "I was just asking. Grandma''s in the hospital, and there''s no one to take me to school tomorrow."


    "Uncle has something to do and needs to leave now. I''ll take you to school tomorrow," Zhang Qian said coldly.


    The little girl''s spirits were low, but she forced a smile and waved, "Uncle, bye-bye."


    After saying that, as if venting her feelings, she slammed the door shut with a bang.


    "Zhang Yun!" Zhang Qian''s face darkened; she was really angry now, "Is there no discipline anymore?"


    "Cool down, cool down." Lu Liang practically had to pull Zhang Qian out of the room while holding her.


    He pinched Zhang Qian''s cheek and said with a smile, "I''ve never seen you lose your temper like this before."


    "Such a young child, if not taught properly, what will her character turn into?" Zhang Qian said firmly, struggling to free herself from Lu Liang''s hold.


    "Behave yourself too." Lu Liang held her even tighter and sighed, "Have you never considered there might be another reason?"


    "No reason excuses throwing a tantrum. Who am I working this hard for?" Zhang Qian''s eyes reddened, feeling wronged.


    She could put up with men taking advantage, keep smiling through humiliation, and keep drinking till she threw up just to earn more money, all to give her daughter a better life.


    But now, her daughter daring to give her attitude was something Zhang Qian couldn''t accept.


    "Money is crucial to us as adults, but kids aren''t that materialistic; they crave their parents'' companionship more."


    Lu Liang recounted what had happened in the pediatric clinic; the little girl could only secretly envy others, which was heartbreaking.


    "Your daughter is really sensible and considerate of you, but she''s still a child who can''t always hold back, which is why she''s acting out against you."


    Liang used to work in real estate and had encountered all sorts of people. In the world of adults, everything was about profit, including his relationship with Zhang Qian.


    The innocent gaze of a child suddenly added a touch of color to this gray world.


    That''s why he loved Xiaoguai so much.


    Zhang Qian remained silent, seemingly recalling some memories, and gradually calmed down, "Liang, let go of me."


    Liang released his grip and smiled, "I''ve thought it through. I''ll have a good chat with her later. I''m leaving now."


    "Liang," Zhang Qian suddenly called out, almost pleading, "If possible, please find some time to visit Xiaoguai, even if it''s just to have a meal with her."


    She had thought she could play both the roles of mother and father, but now she realized it was just wishful thinking.


    Xiaoguai craved paternal love, yet she had always overlooked it.


    "No problem," Liang paused, then joked, "Aren''t you afraid that she might call me ''Dad'' after a while?"


    Zhang Qian wiped the corner of her eye and reverted to her savvy, mature self, smiling, "Wouldn''t that be killing two birds with one stone?"


    Having a considerate dad for her daughter, and a wealthy husband for herself indeed would be a double blessing.


    Liang was startled, realizing he might have trapped himself, and waved his hand, "Bye, I''m off."


    "Bye-bye."


    Zhang Qian stuck out her tongue and made a funny face, murmuring softly, "Why so scared, it''s not like you have to take responsibility, at worst I''ll let you freeload..."


    ...


    The next morning, at nine-thirty.


    Liang stared blankly at the computer screen, so much so that he didn''t answer when Meng Changkun called.


    Chinese Online opened at a limit up, the current price at 34.43 Yuan, strongly sealed at the limit, with the sealing capital reaching more than eighty million.


    "How could this happen? It''s limit up today; what will the market be like in the next two working days?"


    Liang had bottom-fished ten million yesterday and had earned a million today, but he was not happy at all.


    On one hand, his prediction was wrong,


    On the other hand, it stemmed from fear.


    [June 2, Chinese Online, 39.82 Yuan.]


    But according to the current trend, this stock was already exuding a demonic flair and had even appeared on the Dragon and Tiger List twice.


    In such a scenario, next week it would either shoot up massively or plunge, and that voice might predict wrongly.


    Liang dared not think about what would happen if that voice predicted wrongly? Would nothing happen? Or would it disappear altogether?


    Liang pondered for a long time until Meng Changkun called again, waking him up: "Lu, are you still not awake?"


    "Mr. Kun, sorry, I''ve been up for a while, I was just busy. Are you downstairs? Okay, I''ll come down right away."


    Liang pondered for a moment, regardless of whether it would affect the market, he directly sold all his 322,200 shares, squaring off his position.


    At that instant, Chinese Online broke the limit, but it was quickly sealed again, with even more capital sealing it at 1.2 billion.


    By now, Liang no longer cared, he just wanted to stay cash and observe for a few days, to avoid losses in case the voice was inaccurate.


    He had to prepare for the worst-case scenario, where an inaccurate prediction led to the disappearance of the voice.


    Currently, his total account funds stood at 21.586 million, of which 21.586 million was available, and 10.256 million could be withdrawn.


    Liang withdrew all 10.256 million to his bank account, then picked up his car keys and left.


    Meanwhile, S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At 129 Yellow River Road, curses were heard:


    "Damn it, again, can''t make money even when it''s right there¡­"

 Chapter 19 - 19: Playing Finance, All Big Shots

    "Mr. Kun, sorry to have kept you waiting."


    "No worries, I''ve just come downstairs myself."


    As Lu Liang arrived downstairs, he ran into Meng Changkun and then planned to head to the parking lot to drive his car.


    "Take my car, it''s right at the door, so you don''t have to worry about finding your way," Meng Changkun suggested. He was dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and sneakers, standing there with his belly out, chuckling, obviously in a good mood.


    In comparison, Lu Liang seemed a bit preoccupied, his thoughts dominated by the matter of the voice.


    If it were just a one-time opportunity, maybe he wouldn''t be so anxious, considering it a lottery win.


    But having experienced it twice, first becoming a multi-millionaire and then doubling his wealth,


    that kind of feeling was too good to quit; he wasn''t prepared for the thought of the voice disappearing.


    "Lu?" Meng Changkun''s reminder snapped Lu Liang out of his thoughts. "Mr. Kun, your plan sounds good to me."


    Meng Changkun led Lu Liang to the western gate of the complex, where a black Maybach was parked by the road.


    "Little Liu, to the Land King Building." Once seated in the back, Meng Changkun greeted the driver.


    He looked at Lu Liang, "Are you feeling alright? You seem off today."


    "Just thinking about work, but it''s nothing major." Lu Liang exhaled and his smile returned.


    Back when he had nothing, he managed to settle down in Modu; having over twenty million in cash now, he could retire in a small city if need be.


    "Bro, I still don''t know what you do for a living?" Meng Changkun asked curiously.


    "Nothing much recently, just trading some stocks, studying the markets," Lu Liang casually revealed.


    "You''re quite the dark horse, anyone in finance is a big shot," Meng Changkun was surprised.


    He had thought of many industries but never imagined that Lu Liang was a full-time financial speculator.


    In all industries, finance was the pinnacle, directly or indirectly serving or targeting finance.


    Whenever society gets a new trend, the financial markets are always the first to respond.


    But this field is deep and treacherous. Meng Changkun himself had previously invested millions, nearly losing everything.


    Eventually, he stuck with venture capital, investing hundreds of thousands or millions in startups.


    Though many failed, just one success could result in flipping shares for tens or hundreds of millions.


    "Mr. Kun is teasing me, I''m no big shot, just picking up leftovers behind the real players."


    Lu Liang was being realistic; he was at most a large account holder but just a minnow before the true sharks.


    "Don''t sell yourself short, everyone starts small."


    Meng Changkun chuckled, yet kept watchful, steering away from delving too deep into this topic.


    The finance world was complex not only due to intricate play but also due to swindlers that ran rampant.


    Meng Changkun knew of several such real-life examples; a Friend of his met someone claiming to be a financial speculator.


    At first, this person guided his Friend to trade stocks in smaller exchanges, where each stock only had a market cap of a few hundred million, and a few hundred thousand or even tens of thousands could sway the market.


    The manipulators only needed to bait a few ''suckers'' and spend a bit of money to move the market, giving them a taste of success before luring them into offshore financing or private placements.


    Once private placements were involved, profit and loss became nothing but numbers changed at the whim of the manipulator''s fingers.


    Even if you could make a million in a day from ten thousand, if that money can''t be withdrawn, it''s just fake numbers.


    His Friend was conned out of tens of millions, half of it company money, and ended up having to sell his properties and borrow money just to avoid jail.


    The stolen money, of course, was unrecoverable, as the servers and the core group behind these schemes were based abroad.


    "Mr. Kun, what''s the name of the film today?"


    Lu Liang noticed that Meng Changkun was on guard.


    It''s human nature, after all, pies don''t fall from the sky, but pitfalls can appear on the ground at any time.


    If someone introduces a surefire business deal, you should reflect on why they approached you. Do they not have relatives or friends? Why would they leave this money-making opportunity for you?


    Meng Changkun thought for a while, "Seems like I heard Old Wu mention it, it''s called ''Disc Immortal Battle Pen Immortal''. Yeah, that''s the name."


    "..." Lu Liang was speechless, blinked, "Just by hearing the name, you know there will be lots of beautiful women."


    Meng Changkun laughed heartily, "That''s for sure, otherwise, why would we bother going?"


    He added, "But the leading lady, secondary lead actress, and leading man have already been decided. The main auditions are for the third and fourth female roles."


    Lu Liang suddenly asked, "Those who were decided, whose kids are they, or whose lovers?"


    "Cough cough~ Lu, don''t put it so bluntly," Meng Changkun replied with an embarrassed look and a somewhat unnatural smile.


    Lu Liang showed a knowing smile that all men understand, "The leading lady, or the secondary lead actress?"


    Meng Changkun smirked, "The secondary lead actress, graduated from the arts college last year. So young, and what a figure."


    Just by the name of the movie, it was clear it would flop. If it wasn''t for promoting his little lover, he wouldn''t bother investing a penny.


    Lu Liang showed an admiring face, "Brother, you really know how to play the game."


    "When the time comes, I''ll let you pick out a few scripts too. These young girls nowadays are very ''dedicated'' for a chance to appear on the big screen."


    Meng Changkun smirked with an experienced air, "Everyone knows that being a star is great, you''re the center of attention, and the money comes quickly."


    "But with so many art schools all over the country, being beautiful with a good figure is just the basic requirement."


    "If you have no network or connections and are not willing to ''work hard,'' how can you catch our eye?"


    "The key point is, we don''t have to spend our own money."


    Lu Liang was puzzled, "What do you mean by that?"


    Meng Changkun explained, "Investing in movies is a business act; you don''t think I would pay out of my own pocket, do you?"


    "Understood," Lu Liang realized, it''s just like buying cars, houses, and airplanes in the name of the company.


    Enjoying oneself while the company foots the bill.


    At ten in the morning, the two arrived on the 16th floor of the Land King Building, Good Dream Production Co., Ltd.


    Just stepping out of the elevator, they saw a sea of fair-skinned long legs and surging cleavages.


    More than twenty young and beautiful girls with an average age of about twenty gave Lu Liang the impression he had entered a high-end private club.


    "Mr. Wu Tianzheng, the general manager of Good Dream, Lu Liang, my friend." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meng Changkun introduced calmly; it was not difficult to see that he was on the more dominant side of the relationship with Wu Tianzheng.


    Wu Tianzheng was all smiles, "Boss Lu, hello, just call me Little Wu."


    He understood Meng Changkun well; he heard that Meng was already a billionaire ten years ago, so his friends must be no ordinary people.


    In the entertainment industry, the more investors you know, the more powerful you are, and Wu Tianzheng was very deferential in his posture.


    "Mr. Wu, hello, I''m just accompanying Mr. Kun to have a look. You can carry on with your work; don''t mind me," Lu Liang said.


    "Old Wu, Lu seems to be a bit interested. Later on, give him a list of movies seeking investment to check out."


    Meng Changkun was intentionally testing Lu Liang''s depth. If he was all show no substance, or the type of swindler he suspected, naturally he wouldn''t invest, nor would he be worth cultivating a deep relationship with.


    "Of course, of course, Boss Lu, please have a seat while I go get the materials," Wu Tianzheng''s old face beamed with joy.


    This is a Daddy Warbucks; he knew it, getting to know more wealthy people indeed had its perks.

 Chapter 20 - 20: Auditioning the Actress

    "Lu, the interview is about to start, let''s go inside and have a look first, we''ll come back for the material later."


    Meng Changkun, along with Wu Tianzheng''s assistant, got two nameplates, bearing his and Lu Liang''s names, the position was producer.


    Meng Changkun, with a sly smile on his face, slung an arm around Lu Liang''s shoulder, imparting wisdom, "This is our identity information, later every girl who comes in for the interview will greet us."


    "If you see someone you fancy, just ask Old Wu for her contact information afterwards, and you''ll know what to do then, I presume."


    "Understood." Lu Liang bowed with hands clasped, his face showing admiration; he certainly learned a lot of new knowledge today.


    This made him think of those actresses who claimed to have no background but also no acting skills, before they embarked on their glittering paths to stardom, they probably all went through this process as well.


    Meng Changkun wore a smile, quite pleased with himself, "This is nothing, I''ll take you to Korea some time to experience it."


    "Here at least the women have to agree, if they don''t, there''s nothing we can do, but over there, the chaebols are like ordering dishes at a restaurant, whoever they call must come, even if it''s a top actress in her prime.


    "In our country, stars are still put too high on a pedestal."


    Old Meng daydreamed wistfully.


    Lu Liang: "..."


    The two, wearing their nameplates, entered a meeting room.


    A director, an assistant director, and a real producer all stood up when they saw them come in.


    They were from the same crew, and if there were two new producers added, they had no reason not to know, so their real identity was clear: they were financiers with the title of producer.


    "Carry on with your business, we''re just here to have a look."


    Meng Changkun, relaxed and natural, pulled over two chairs and sat next to the director, indicating, "You can start the interview now."


    "Alright, starting immediately." The director and producer nodded quickly, calling for the production staff to begin today''s interviews.


    Lu Liang also received a copy of the screenplay outline.


    It was roughly about a group of college students, who planned an adventure to an abandoned school one weekend. While there were some unusual events during the day, overall, it was all safe.


    At night, someone suggested playing the disc fairy game, introducing the theme of "Disc Immortal Battle Pen Immortal," followed by a series of bizarre events where the supporting characters either died or went insane.


    In the end, the story took a turn for the sublime. Speak not of strange forces and chaos, as the so-called disc fairy, Pen Spirit, didn''t exist at all.


    It was just that years before, a group of people had bullied a girl, leading to her accidental fall from a building, yet in the end the blame fell on the Pen Spirit.


    And so, the sister came for revenge...


    "How does it feel?" asked Meng Changkun, seeing Lu Liang reading so intently, with a smile.


    "Click, click... Rich content, clear theme, dramatic plot twists, it''s quite ingenious."


    Lu Liang was no longer able to make sarcastic remarks; originally, the perpetrators all had younger brothers or sisters, and all were from the same school, which was more far-fetched than the odds of a layperson winning the lottery.


    "There''s no such thing as a coincidence." Meng Changkun chuckled, actually thinking the story was quite good; with a group of handsome men and beautiful women, as long as they skirted on the edge of being banned, they might just make a small profit. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang was startled, slowly being convinced. He was looking at the story structure, its logic, but Meng Changkun was looking at the market.


    Thrillers under the guise of ghosts inherently had low logic, plus with such a name, it wasn''t meant for those obsessed with logic; the main draw was the atmosphere of the viewing experience.


    Young men and women huddled on the couch, watching a not-too-horrifying horror movie, engaging in ambiguous activities.


    "Mr. Meng, Mr. Lu, Director Liang..."


    "Hello, my name is Zhou Xiaoqi, a graduate of Modu Film Art Academy..."


    "I''m here today to audition for the role of Ye Qianwen, please guide me..."


    A girl in her early twenties, entered upon knocking, her long hair flowing, with a graceful figure.


    She wore a loose white blouse, paired with a denim mini-skirt, and on her feet were a pair of Martin boots.


    She was over one meter seventy tall, very statuesque, and had a great personality, warmly greeting everyone as she walked in.


    Lu Liang looked down at the script, Ye Qianwen''s character should be the second female lead, the last supporting character to die.


    He glanced at Meng Changkun, wondering if this was a newbie here for the audition or that little lover.


    Meng Changkun smiled amiably, clearing his throat a few times, "There''s a part here where you need to express terror, perform it for us to see."


    Zhou Xiaoqi took a moment to prepare, then widened her eyes, flared her nostrils, and slightly opened her mouth, "Don''t you come over here~"


    Director Liang nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad, now perform a part that shows relief after a narrow escape..."


    Zhou Xiaoqi acted out another scene, patting her puffed-up chest, "That was close, that was close."


    The three professionals, including Meng Changkun, were all very satisfied.


    Lu Liang understood, this was the predetermined second female lead, also known as Old Meng''s little lover.


    He had a good eye, such a long gun rack, to carry on your shoulder, that sight is too beautiful, he dared not dwell on the thought.


    Auditions with several more candidates continued, and only then did Lu Liang realize just how hard these girls were trying.


    Some bowed so low their buttons popped, others took off their coats as soon as they entered the room, making it almost no different than being undressed.


    There were also those who made sure to shake hands with everyone when leaving the audition, Lu Liang''s palm scratched by their manicured nails.


    Meng Changkun, Director Liang, and the other two remained indifferent, clearly having become used to such occurrences.


    Throughout the day, Lu Liang''s values were repeatedly challenged, confirming the chaos of the showbiz world he had heard of.


    For every willing participant, there was also a reluctant "white lotus," modest and properly dressed, showing no skin. She was one of the few who came to audition in long pants, beautiful with a nice figure, and her acting wasn''t half bad.


    Her name was Bai Xiaoqin, 21 years old, and she had come to audition for the second female lead, not knowing that the role had already been taken.


    Lu Liang, who had been silent up until that point, suddenly stopped Bai Xiaoqin as she was leaving, "Would you like to try for Jiang Xixi''s role?"


    Jiang Xixi was one of the characters in the movie and would be considered the fourth female lead by screen time, even though she died half an hour into the film; at least she was a character actor.


    Actors at the bottom of the industry stack up in four levels: extras who just fill space, group actors who help out when needed, featured actors who deliver a few lines and appear in a few scenes, and character actors who carry a role and move the plot along.


    Stunned and excited, Bai Xiaoqin asked, "Mr. Lu, do you think I can do it?"


    "We''ll discuss it, and if you''re selected, we''ll send you a notice."


    Lu Liang didn''t finish his sentence, since after all, he was just a guest, and the final decision wasn''t in his hands.


    "Alright, Mr. Lu, thank you," Bai Xiaoqin suppressed her excitement, bowed again in gratitude, and then left the audition room.


    "Interested, brother?" Meng Changkun grinned, taking a sip of water and standing up to stretch.


    "A little," Lu Liang admitted frankly, asking how much would need to be invested to give her the fourth female role.


    "Director Liang, how''s the girl''s acting?" Meng Changkun didn''t reply, but instead turned to consult with the other professionals.


    "Very good, she was the best of the morning," Director Liang stated honestly.


    Though he had fallen from grace, he once dreamed of being a renowned director and still possessed a solid level of discernment.


    "Then let''s give her the fourth female role."


    Meng Changkun patted Lu Liang on the shoulder, light-heartedly mentioning that they were like brothers, and funding was not an issue currently.


    He paused, then added, "Just to add, brother Rong mentioned, this girl might not be easy to handle."


    He had attended many casting sessions and knew which girls were easy to get and which weren''t.


    Bai Xiaoqin was among the toughest, a good actress with no bend to the unwritten rules, which could end up being a loss.


    Meng Changkun had a fixed valuation for women, no matter how beautiful, even for Fan Xiaobing, they were worth no more than a million.


    If he couldn''t get his way even after spending a million, he would decisively give up, as it''s not as though beautiful women were extinct.


    Keeping a young, beautiful, and possibly virgin college student cost only a few tens of thousands a month.


    In his mind, that''s all a woman was worth.

 Chapter 21 - 21: Sudden Appearance of Sound

    "If it were easy to get the hang of, then what would be the point?"


    "It seems I lack awareness, you sure know how to play!"


    Meng Changkun picked up the cell phone from the table, deciding to cut today''s interviews short, "Let''s go, Old Wu plans to treat us to dinner."


    Lu Liang nodded and stood up to leave.


    "Mr. Meng, Boss Lu, your private room is ready..."


    A group of several people left the Land King Building by car and arrived at a private restaurant along the banks of Yangpu River.


    Inside the private room, Lu Liang saw Zhou Xiaoqi, whom he had just interviewed, along with several models and artists under the employ of Good Dream Film Company.


    Zhou Xiaoqi greeted Meng Changkun with a big smile, hugging his plump waist, "Darling, how did I do just now?"


    "Mary, Mary, Good!"


    Meng Changkun beamed, giving a thumbs-up in praise. Although he was a bit shorter than Zhou Xiaoqi, it didn''t hinder him from wrapping his arm around her slender waist.


    "This is Mr. Lu, Boss Lu."


    Wu Tianzheng called a girl over to pour wine for Lu Liang and then took out a document, "Boss Lu, here are some films that are currently seeking investment. See if there''s anything you like."


    A stack of documents with twenty project proposals piled up to about half a basketball in height.


    "That many? All initiated by your company?"


    Lu Liang casually wrapped his arm around the young model''s slim waist and casually picked up a few proposals to flip through.


    "Horror Archive Room," "Star''s Summer," "Xia Luo''s Worry," "Disaster of Two-headed Snake"...


    Web movies, web series, cinema films¡ªthe genres varied, and the required capital ranged from one million to tens of millions.


    Lu Liang was surprised; if all these were initiated by Good Dream, then Wu Tianzheng''s capabilities were even more formidable than he had imagined.


    "You must be joking, Boss Lu. Currently, we have only one project, ''disc fairy,'' and we owe a lot to Mr. Meng''s generous support."


    Without changing his expression, Wu Tianzheng smoothly paid a compliment and then explained that these were all film and television projects in urgent need of funds within the industry.


    Their few companies shared resources and helped each other out. If Boss Lu wasn''t interested, he could always bring in a new batch.


    "Okay, then I''ll take these back and have a look. If I''m interested in any project, I''ll give you a call."


    Lu Liang understood the situation well. It was similar to when he used to work as an intermediary. He had clients, but the properties the clients were interested in weren''t in his hands.


    In such a case, one could either refer clients and earn a referral fee or acquire the desired properties and pay a referral fee.


    Wu Tianzheng was playing the role he used to perform.


    "Come on, everyone eat, eat..."


    "Qingqing, don''t just sit there, pour some wine for Mr. Lu. Who knows, if Mr. Lu is pleased, you might be the female lead in the next film."


    Wu Tianzheng was the life of the party. At his prompt, the models around Lu Liang also reacted, vying to be close to him.


    ...


    After three rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, Meng Changkun ''couldn''t hold his liquor'' and left the private room with his young lover.


    "Mr. Wu, thank you for the hospitality. I''ve also had a bit too much," said Lu Liang, his head spinning, planning to take the opportunity to leave.


    "Boss Lu, let me have someone take you home. Mr. Meng''s driver just left with them."


    Wu Tianzheng called over a young man, his assistant: "Xiao Qu, you can take Boss Lu home first."


    The model called ''Qingqing'' quickly came forward to support Lu Liang, "Boss Lu, let us take you home."


    "Thanks, Mr. Wu." Lu Liang, his face showing signs of inebriation, raised his hands above his head, and bowed in thanks without further refusal.


    As soon as he got into the car, he provided the address and then lay down on Qingqing''s lap, "This alcohol is really no good thing."


    "Men always say one thing and mean another. Drinking is one thing, but what comes after is quite another," said Qingqing with a blooming smile, extending her fair fingers to gently massage Lu Liang''s temples.


    Based on where a person lives, you can gauge their wealth.


    Lu Liang lived in Tangchen Yipin, so even if he wasn''t worth ten billion, he still had three to five hundred million at least.


    It proved that Wu Tianzheng wasn''t bluffing, as long as Qingqing made Lu Liang happy, she was going to be the leading lady in the next movie.


    "Not old, but you sure understand men''s hearts," Lu Liang said with his eyes closed, feigning sleep, as a faint scent of perfume wafted into his nostrils.


    "What do you mean ''not old''?" retorted Qingqing in a petulant tone, not satisfied, she proudly pushed up her cleavage.


    "Indeed, not small," Lu Liang smirked with his eyes open, reached over to pull her closer by her neck, feeling her size.


    "Mr. Lu, you''re so naughty~"


    Qingqing''s playful laugh echoed in the car.


    It was almost dawn when Lu Liang brought the model Qingqing and driver Xiao Qu back home.


    "Boss Lu, I''ve left the documents on the table for you. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be on my way," the driver said.


    "Hmm, be safe on the way back, and say thanks to Mr. Wu for me," Lu Liang walked over to the bar area and made himself a lemon tea as a hangover remedy.


    "Living in such a big house, don''t you get scared at night?"


    Qingqing was amazed and envious, like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She walked through each room and ended up on the balcony, captivated by the unrivalled river view outside the window.


    She had spent hundreds of yuan to take a night cruise on the Pujiang River, a view ordinary people paid to see, but Lu Liang could see it every night, and from an even better angle and a wider perspective.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? If a female ghost were to knock on my door in the middle of the night, I''d be more than pleased," Lu Liang said, joining her on the balcony with his cup of lemon tea.


    As the weather got hotter, he grew fonder of coming to the balcony in the middle of the night, enjoying the river breeze and the Modu nightscape.


    At this moment, his mood was very serene.


    Qingqing acted coquettishly and gently nudged Lu Liang, "Ew~ don''t say such things in the middle of the night, it''s kind of scary."


    "With me here, what''s there to be scared of?"


    Lu Liang wrapped an arm around her slender waist, which was bony rather than plush like Zhang Qian''s, but had a charm of its own.


    His hand gradually slid down, undoing the button at her waist...


    Qingqing moaned softly and grinned as she broke free from his embrace, "I''ll go take a shower first."


    Suddenly Lu Liang stiffened up, distracted, and said, "Go ahead."


    He frowned, turned to look at the wall clock; it had just passed twelve, marking the start of a new day.


    Qingqing sensed something was amiss, thinking she did something wrong, she had barely reached the bathroom before turning back.


    She hugged Lu Liang, running her fingertips along his forearm, then whispered into his ear, "How about we shower together?"


    "You go ahead, I just remembered something," Lu Liang returned to the room to search for the project proposal Wu Tianzheng had brought.


    He found the proposal for "Xia Luo''s Worry," produced by Happy Mahua, with Liu Hongtao as the producer and Yan Fei as the director.


    It was a mainstream movie with a production budget of 20 million, currently short 5 million in funds, and it told the story of a reborn school student turned pop star.


    Lu Liang mumbled to himself, "Is this movie really that great?"


    Just moments ago, he had heard a voice from the future again, not about stocks, but about a movie.


    [On November 30th, "Xia Luo''s Worry," box office 1.441 billion]


    Wu Tianzheng had talked to Lu Liang a lot about investing in film projects during dinner, including the box office revenue splits of movies.


    For a mainstream movie to be profitable, the final box office needed to be at least three times the production cost.


    For a movie with a 20 million production budget, a 60 million box office would break even, with anything above that giving the production company a 35% cut.


    Taking a 1.441 billion box office for example, after deducting the 60 million production cost, there would be 1.381 billion in box office share remaining.


    If Lu Liang took on the 5 million shortfall alone without any further investment, he would get 25% of the 35% box office cut.


    That would be a net profit of about 115 million.

 Chapter 22 - 22: Put on Pants and Deny Acquaintance

    "Mr. Lu, what are you up to?"


    Qingqing followed him inside, only to suddenly exclaim as Lu Liang picked her up around the waist and carried her towards the bathroom.


    After a whirl of intense passion shrouded in darkness, Lu Liang wrapped in a bathrobe, walked out of the bathroom, leaving Qingqing alone to tidy up.


    He lay on the sofa on the balcony, enjoying the river breeze, lighting an after-act cigarette, tapping his fingers on the tabletop, feeling quite pleased.


    The scenario Lu Liang had most feared hadn''t occurred; instead, he''d reaped an unexpected boon.


    He still had a hunch, though, which would need another four days to confirm.


    ...


    The next morning, Lu Liang drove with Qingqing back to Good Dream Film Company.


    After exchanging contact information, he patted her shapely behind, "You go ahead with your tasks, I have something to discuss with your Mr. Wu."


    "Why don''t I get you a cup of tea?" smiled Qingqing, who lived in Tangchen Yipin and drove a Bentley.


    She considered Lu Liang her true destiny''s match and the noble connection on her road to success.


    "Go ahead," Mr. Lu said with a smile, but as soon as she left, his smile quickly faded.


    He took out a project proposal, "Mr. Wu, I''m quite interested in this project, could you please put me in contact with the other party?"


    An investment of just five million could yield 1.2 billion in seven months, a return of 24 times; it was hard for him not to be tempted.


    "Happy Mahua?" Wu Tianzheng frowned, "That''s a start-up company, I''ll look up their information for you."


    "They just established their film department last year, having produced stage plays before, and this movie is an adaptation of one of those plays."


    "Mr. Lu, are you sure you want to get in touch with them?"


    Happy Mahua''s general manager, Zhang Chen, had also approached him a few times to pull strings and draw in investments.


    Wu Tianzheng didn''t have high hopes for this project, since it was the outsiders'' first movie, and it was adapted from a stage play.


    That also meant those who''d seen the play already knew the storyline; there was a lack of freshness and anticipation.


    Happy Mahua''s clout was limited; the movie''s main cast, including the director and writer, were all key creators from their theater.


    It looked like a project decided on a whim.


    Since Lu Liang was Meng Changkun''s friend, Wu Tianzheng couldn''t just watch him jump into a pit.


    "I''ve seen this play; it felt quite good, so I''ll trouble Mr. Wu to contact them for me."


    Lu Liang knew Wu Tianzheng meant well, but he had unwavering faith in the "voice from the future."


    That Wu Tianzheng failed to see the film''s potential box office simply showed his lack of vision.


    In fact, one could say most investors lacked the insight, or else this dark horse wouldn''t be left wandering without backers.


    Lu Liang had found himself an opportune moment.


    "I''ll contact him for you then," sighed Mr. Wu, giving up on persuasion and dialing Zhang Chen''s number.


    "Mr. Zhang is in Yanjing, heard you''re interested in investing; he''s booked a flight for noon. Mr. Lu, when are you available?"


    "Let''s make it three o''clock in the afternoon, help me schedule it, then send me the address, I''ll go directly there."


    "And Qingqing, does she go with you, or should I reach out to Bai Xiaoqin from yesterday?" Wu Tianzheng asked cautiously.


    He figured, Lu Liang must be aiming to promote someone, otherwise why invest in this movie?


    "Never mind Bai Xiaoqin, as for Qingqing, I will trouble Mr. Wu to provide her with some resources in the future."


    A movie that could turn a mere 20 million budget into 1.441 billion at the box office was something Lu Liang didn''t plan to meddle with; best leave it to its natural course.


    If he forced a role that caused the movie to flop, rounding it off, he''d be losing over a billion.


    "Would you like to see any other proposals?" Mr. Wu didn''t inquire further, being well accustomed to such ruthless decisions.


    Moreover, last night Qingqing was asked to accompany drinks, and a promise was already made to tilt resources her way, as well as reward her with a sizable bonus.


    "I won''t check it today, I still have some things to do later."


    Zhao Haisheng of Guotai called, saying that Lu Liang now qualified for the VIP room and needed to take some time recently to complete the relevant procedures.


    The VIP room of Guotai Securities wasn''t just a symbol of identity and status but also came with many practical benefits.


    Previously, Lu Liang had a regular account, with a transaction fee of 0.03%.


    That''s 3000 yuan for 10 million, and it isn''t just a single transaction; each trade incurs such high fees.


    If upgraded to VIP, the transaction fee could drop to 0.012%, and he would also enjoy financial services such as financing and short selling.


    Before long, Lu Liang walked out of the office chatting and laughing with Wu Tianzheng, just in time to meet Bai Xiaoqin, who had come to sign a contract.


    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Wu, hello."


    A glint of joy flashed in Bai Xiaoqin''s eyes. After returning home yesterday, she received an invitation to audition for the fourth female lead.


    She knew all of this was thanks to Lu Liang, to the extent that she was anxious all night, barely able to sleep.


    Bai Xiaoqin had heard of many under-the-table rules, especially for online drama crews with less than ten million in production costs, like "Disc Immortal Battle Pen Immortal."


    For example, a producer inviting a female actor to read the script at a hotel late at night, and if she didn''t agree, she would be subjected to petty annoyances the next day, or scenes she had worked hard on for months could be completely cut.


    Such incidents were not uncommon.


    However, last night, Bai Xiaoqin received no such invitation calls, which gave her a slight good impression of Lu Liang, but only a slight one.


    "Do well in your acting, I''m looking forward to your performance," Lu Liang greeted her, ignoring Qingqing, and left the Good Dream Company.


    "I will definitely work hard," Bai Xiaoqin said excitedly, bowing deeply, watching Lu Liang disappear into the distance.


    Qingqing walked by with a cold face and a sneer: "Ha, so naive. If effort alone were enough, there wouldn''t be so many extras."


    She was very annoyed that Lu Liang had ignored her as he passed by, clearly acting like he didn''t know her once the deed was done.


    "Senior, did I do something wrong?" Bai Xiaoqin was straightforward and didn''t understand why she was being targeted.


    "Xiao Bai, don''t mind her. Once the contract is signed, go report to Director Liang," Wu Tianzheng glared at Qingqing and called her into the office.


    "Next month''s issue of Bazaar magazine has a few fashion sets to showcase. Prepare a bit, and go to Yanjing to assist with the shoot."


    Wu Tianzheng noticed that Qingqing was still unconvinced and said earnestly, "Qingqing, don''t overthink it. Those with money aren''t fools. Actually, Mr. Lu is no different from the previous Mr. Liu and President Zheng."


    He didn''t know what had happened last night or what Lu Liang said to Qingqing.


    But judging from their attitudes today, it was clear that Lu Liang wasn''t taking it seriously, while Qingqing took it to heart.


    Qingqing clenched her teeth, fiddled with her manicure, and finally let out a resigned sigh: "I got it, Mr. Wu."


    "Alright, you can leave now." Wu Tianzheng nodded slightly, showing a satisfied smile.


    Flexible and willing to put in the effort, he believed that Qingqing would make a name for herself sooner or later.


    On the other side, Lu Liang arrived at the Guotai branch.


    Today was Saturday, a non-trading day, and investors coming to open accounts or inquire about stock market conditions were obviously fewer.


    Zhao Haisheng had been waiting at the entrance early on and couldn''t help but be astonished and envious when he saw Lu Liang getting out of a Bentley.


    He remembered that just half a month ago, Lu Liang was a small player who could only manage 250,000 yuan in financing, but in the blink of an eye, he had become a big investor with tens of millions in assets.


    And if not for his "contribution," such a quality customer wouldn''t have fallen into his lap. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Liang, you can park your car here."


    Zhao Haisheng quickly adjusted his mentality, put on a smile, hurried over to remove the bollards, and cleared a parking spot.


    Having been in the industry for seven years, he had seen and heard too much and had long understood what was meant by time, fate, and luck.


    Some people, some things, you just can''t envy; he just needed to do his job well.

 Chapter 23 - 23: Investing in Movies

    "Lu, you really are a god."


    During the procedure, Zhao Haisheng brought up the recent market performance of Baofeng Technology.


    Last Thursday, the day after Lu Liang cleared his inventory, Baofeng Technology became mischievous again, with its stock price performing a Sky Floor during trading.


    That day, the trading volume reached 1.85 billion, with a turnover rate of 65.7%. For a new stock, it was simply incredible.


    It could be said that there was a complete change of ownership, and it attracted even more aggressive players; everyone was expecting the Baofeng legend to continue.


    But on the second day, the third day, it just lay on the floor, hitting five consecutive drop limit boards until just yesterday, when it barely broke the limit.


    The stock price had plummeted from its highest point of 327.15 yuan to a closing price of 191.14 yuan the day before.


    The entire market was a scene of misery; not everyone had bought in at a low price, more had received the baton at the peak.


    Among these people was Zhao Haisheng.


    If it weren''t for the particularly good market this year, with brokerage practitioners earning several times more, he would have felt the pinch for a long time.


    "I never expected that I''d have such foresight," said Lu Liang with a smug look, like an armchair strategist, sharing his experience, "At the time, I had a premonition that what goes up must come down."


    "Of course, my man Lu has got that talent," Haisheng replied with a sycophantic smile on his face, though inside he was silently sneering.


    At first, he had thought that Lu Liang might have had some insider information, but now he had completely dispelled that concern.


    It was purely good luck, after all, in one''s lifetime, everyone is bound to have a few strokes of dumb luck.


    Some grasp it and become rich overnight, others miss it and continue with mediocrity.


    Approaching noon, Lu Liang had his new account set up.


    Each trade''s service fee was reduced to 0.012%, and the account was now open to international trading channels, including stocks in Hong Kong and the US, foreign exchange, and precious metals.


    This account also had an annual conversion limit of 1 million US dollars; there was no need to go to the bank, as conversions could be done autonomously within the account.


    But for a larger US dollar conversion limit, one would need to apply at the bank.


    After all, the domestic management of foreign exchange is quite strict; ordinary people have a yearly limit of only 50,000 US dollars.


    Lastly, there was Lu Liang''s most concerned financial service: by freezing 2 million, he could get a credit line of 10 million.


    However, this money could only be used for investment in the market and could not be cashed out; it was essentially an 8 million loan limit extended to him.


    The daily interest rate was 0.014%, the monthly rate 1.2%, and the annual rate 14.4%, just 1% shy of the legal usury threshold.


    Strictly speaking, the overall annual interest should be over 14.4%, considering the 2 million in frozen funds.


    It''s undeniable that brokerages and banks always find loopholes in the law to maximize their benefits.


    "Lu, if everything looks good, go ahead and sign, and you can start using this account next Monday."


    Lu Liang saw through this but did not object; one was willing to fight, the other to suffer, nothing more to say.


    After that, Zhao Haisheng took Lu Liang to the nearby Bank of China to apply for an international bank card.


    RMB can be withdrawn at any domestic bank, but it''s best to hold a separate card for US dollar funds.


    Only US dollars in an international card are truly yours; if kept in a domestic card, they''re simply a figure.


    Each use would result in changes based on the daily exchange rate since there''s the addition of a domestic bank intermediary.


    But the Bank of China is different; it has an independent international division. To gain international recognition in their expansion abroad, they''ve been given considerable authority.


    Zhao Haisheng made an analogy; if in any domestic branch bank, leaders could easily access your financial details, with Bank of China''s international card, unless there''s an official document, the usual leaders don''t have the authority to do so.


    After all, facing international clients required discussing human rights and privacy, otherwise they were always at risk of being fiercely criticized by the foreign media.


    Busy until two o''clock in the afternoon, Wu Tianzheng called to inform that the Mahua Team had arrived in Modu and were in the Heaven and Water Room at the Linjiang Pavilion.


    Lu Liang''s account and international card had also been nearly finalized, and he said to Zhao Haisheng, "I apologize, but I have something to do later so I won''t be able to take you out for a meal. Next time, definitely next time."


    "Lu, you''re helping me achieve my performance goals, how could I let you treat? Next time, next time I''ll take you out instead."


    Zhao Haisheng burst into a smile; Lu Liang was registered under his name, the more frequent the transactions and the higher the handling fees, the more bonuses he earned.


    "Alright, next time you''re treating then, I have to go now as I still have some things to take care of."


    Lu Liang also didn''t stand on ceremony any longer and drove away.


    After all, he was also a seasoned intermediary and understood that it was a matter of mutual needs, with no place for gratitude.


    Moreover, if they really started to compete, Zhao Haisheng indeed owed Lu a meal and a full-service wash.


    Because Lu Liang was the party with the capital¡ªthe ''A'' party daddy, while Zhao Haisheng was just one of the many ''B'' party service providers.


    After three o''clock in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at Linjiang Pavilion, situated in the lower central part of Modu, near Expo Garden.


    He gave his name and followed the restaurant waiter to the Heaven and Water Room on the second floor, where six people were present in the private room.


    "Mr. Lu, you''ve arrived."


    "Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Zhang Chen from Happy Mahua, and this is the director Yan Fei... and this is the famous comedian Mr. Shen Teng, as well as Ms. Mary."


    Seeing Lu Liang enter, Wu Tianzheng''s face beamed with smiles as he introduced each person, who were mainly the creative minds behind Happy Mahua.


    "Mr. Shen, hello, I saw your sketch last year, and it was really well done," Lu Liang said with a smile, shaking hands with everyone, though among this group, he only recognized Shen Teng.


    He suddenly understood why Wu Tianzheng and many investors in the market didn''t have high hopes for this movie.


    Since Benshan had stepped down from the stage, the New Year''s Gala had become increasingly uninspiring each year, its influence dwindling by the year.


    Without the bitter cold of the north prohibiting outings on New Year''s Eve, perhaps even the last fig leaf would be torn away.


    From such a New Year''s Gala arose comedians who, 99% of the time, couldn''t carry a movie''s box office on their own.


    Although there was a 1% chance of becoming a dark horse, investors weren''t gamblers, which was evident from the structure of the movie''s funding.


    The currently prepared 15 million US Dollar budget included 10 million from the Mahua Theater and the remaining 5 million from individual investors, with Shen Teng, Mary, and director Yan Fei all prominently among them.


    When a movie''s actor and director start chipping in funds, it says that investors really aren''t interested.


    The rustling of flipping paper pages filled the private room as Lu Liang reviewed the more detailed script and project proposal.


    Aside from Wu Tianzheng, everyone looked eagerly at him, awaiting the final verdict.


    They were genuinely out of money, otherwise they wouldn''t have come all the way from Yanjing to Modu to dine with Lu Liang.


    A dozen minutes later, Lu Liang closed the file with a calm demeanor, and everyone''s hearts instantly sank to rock bottom.


    These days, they''d seen too many expressions like his and could guess what Lu Liang would say next.


    "We''re missing five million, right? I''m in," Lu Liang said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. "I think the story is good; if filmed well, it could blow up big."


    Shen Teng, Mary, and the others were all momentarily stunned, with Shen Teng the most emotionally charged, "Mr. Lu, are you... are you going to invest in our movie?"


    "What? Do you guys choose your investors now?" Lu Liang teased with a smile. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No... no, not at all, you misunderstand me, I''m just too excited."


    Shen Teng was incoherent. He was a main creator for Mahua, an investor, and the male lead.


    This movie was incredibly important to him, it could even be described as a pivotal moment in his career.


    But since its inception, the film had faced nothing but obstacles, rejected time and again by investors, causing the entire team to doubt themselves¡ªwas their script really that bad?

 Chapter 24 - 24: Love for Movies

    "Mr. Lu, if you have any good suggestions, feel free to mention them. We can also make some adjustments."


    Zhang Chen cautiously inquired, since Lu Liang agreed too readily, it seemed unrealistic, as if he was there just to hand over money.


    Lu Liang''s expression grew colder, and he knocked heavily on the table. "Mr. Zhang, I am investing in this movie not for anything else but because I have faith in the script and your creative team. Keep the crooked practices of the entertainment industry away from this project."


    "If you are making this movie to please investors, then I need to reconsider whether I still want to invest in this film."


    Lu Liang spoke with justified indignation, embodying a sense of righteousness, as if he wouldn''t tolerate any deceit.


    Wu Tianzheng stood by the window, looking at the river view, when his fingers holding the cigarette suddenly trembled.


    He couldn''t help but turn back to look at Lu Liang.


    Well said.


    He almost believed him.


    But who was it last night, cuddling and kissing, who also took that girl home, nearly fooling her into forgetting who she was?


    Wu Tianzheng felt a surge of admiration and continued to focus on the river view while smoking.


    It''s no wonder the guy is rich. His talk is polished and utterly shameless.


    It also reminded him of a coal businessman from years ago who, while hugging a hostess in a KTV lounge, kept insisting his drama was all about positive energy.


    "Mr. Lu, you''ve misunderstood."


    Zhang Chen was both shocked and delighted, and hastily explained.


    In the past few months, trying to secure investments, they had met numerous investors and heard many absurd conditions.


    Stuffing roles, sleeping with female stars, or wanting to act themselves, there was a myriad of bizarre investors.


    They were all so overwrought it nearly gave them post-traumatic stress disorder.


    One shouldn''t suspect a noble person of base motives. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang was different from them.


    Worried that Zhang Chen might make things worse, Mary picked up a glass of Wuliangye from the table and filled it up, "Mr. Lu, you are different from those people. You truly love cinema, and I respect you for that. Cheers to you."


    "Mr. Lu, we also toast to you."


    Zhang Chen, Shen Teng, and others quickly caught on, each pouring a glass of strong liquor. Their feelings were all in the drink.


    "Drink less, I don''t appreciate that messiness typical of drinking tables here. A symbolic gesture will suffice."


    Lu Liang raised his glass and took a sip, speaking earnestly, "I can see your sincerity. Do your best and don''t forget why you started."


    "The funds will be transferred to your company account by next Friday. If you need more money later, you can contact me."


    Lu Liang did not want to invest as an individual because personal income tax was too high, nearly around 25%.


    He planned to establish an investment company and invest in this movie under that company''s name.


    That way, the income could also be used to buy houses and cars, offsetting the high tax rate.


    "Old Wu, why are you standing by the window in silence? Come over and join the chat."


    Happy Mahua''s main creative team consisted almost entirely of Northerners, each a legendary drinker.


    They were so impressed by Lu Liang''s speech that they kept toasting him in respect.


    Even Mary downed two glasses without a change in her facial expression or heartbeat.


    Lu Liang was alarmed and quickly pulled Old Wu to rescue the situation.


    Wu Tianzheng entered the scene, immediately becoming the new target.


    "Mr. Wu, I toast to you. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have had the chance to meet Mr. Lu." Zhang Chen raised his glass.


    "Mr. Zhang, don''t mention it. We''re all friends here, helping each other is normal," Wu Tianzheng had no reason to refuse.


    Since the contract was finalized, he was also set to earn a handsome referral fee from Zhang Chen. This drink was well-deserved.


    Shen Teng, Mary, and Yan Fei also raised their glasses, unable to contain their enthusiasm.


    Lu Liang was the major financier, and they dared not be too reckless.


    Poor Old Wu became Lu Liang''s shield. Lu Liang stood by, feeling secretly sorry for him for three seconds.


    A meal that started as afternoon tea turned into dinner.


    At dusk, Lu Liang found an excuse to leave early.


    He called a designated driver to take him home.


    He slept until past ten at night, and in the dim bedroom, a faint light suddenly appeared.


    Lu Liang saw a message from Li Manli: "So annoying, the new manager who just came today is so arrogant and annoying, and he keeps touching me."


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a smile. He felt the fishing line had been cast long enough, and it was time to reel it in, or the fish might slip away.


    However, he still habitually let her hang on for a while, got up, took a bath, and only replied after half an hour, "I''m back."


    "When did that happen?" Li Manli was always staring at her phone, and as soon as Lu Liang sent the message, she immediately replied.


    "Just got off the plane, I''m a bit hungry, I''ll come pick you up, and let''s go out for some late-night snacks," said Lu Liang, cutting right to the chase.


    It was evident that Li Manli was feeling conflicted, as her chat status kept showing that she was typing... intermittently.


    After all, it was past ten, and anyone going out for late-night snacks knew what might happen next.


    She didn''t want to easily give herself away, yet she couldn''t bear to reject Lu Liang.


    After a while, Li Manli replied, "But I''m still at work."


    "I''m almost there," said Lu Liang as he grabbed his car keys and headed out, giving her an ultimatum.


    These past few days at Good Dream Film Company, he had seen far too many hardworking and beautiful girls.


    He could just beckon with his finger, and they would likely follow one after another, all willing to please.


    The threshold had been raised, and his patience had worn thin.


    Old Meng tagged every woman with a fixed price, and he would abandon them once it was exceeded, even if she was a goddess.


    Lu Liang didn''t agree with this philosophy, but Old Meng had a point.


    The world wasn''t short of pretty girls. There was no need to waste time and energy without clear prospects.


    Half an hour later, Lu Liang arrived on Qufu Road and spotted Li Manli standing at the intersection from afar.


    She wore dark green work pants paired with a beige tight-fitting tank top, her fair waist exposed in the air.


    Her long black hair, mixed with strands of blue and purple, added a certain allure to her pure features.


    Lu Liang saw a black BMW stopped in front of her, the owner seemed to be hitting on Li Manli.


    Li Manli stood with her arms crossed, looking around with an indifferent expression.


    "Beautiful, where do you want to go? I''ll take you..."


    The BMW owner didn''t finish his sentence before a deep horn sound came from a no-honking zone.


    He wanted to get angry, but upon seeing the big ''B'' car emblem, he muttered resentfully, "Think you''re something special just because you drive a Bentley."


    Though he said that, he still gently pressed the gas pedal, moved forward a bit, and yielded his spot.


    The BMW owner got out of his car, intending to invite Li Manli again, confident with his youthful success, driving a BMW, and his self-rated 90-point appearance.


    Normally, he was unbeatable at wooing girls, from high school students to mature office ladies, let alone a girl who apparently was just of age¡ªthis was a sure win.


    However, he saw that the horn''s blare had drawn Li Manli''s attention, her previously icy demeanor turning into an erupting volcano.


    That smile, as if all the flowers in the world had bloomed, how could there be such a beautiful girl.


    The BMW owner couldn''t help but smile as well, but the next second, his heart felt as if it were tightly grasped by an invisible hand.


    She got into the passenger seat of that Bentley.


    The young man remained silent, watching the dark Series 3, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat and on pins and needles.


    Without uttering a word, he returned to his car, pressed the accelerator, and drove away.


    Seeing this scene, Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, and Li Manli glared at him, "You still dare to laugh."


    Her lips were pouted high, "Didn''t you say you were almost here? I''ve been waiting for over twenty minutes."


    "There was an accident on the elevated road, so I''m a bit late," Lu Liang said with a light laugh, making up an excuse on the spot.


    Li Manli was suspicious but still believed him.


    She sighed, "I had an argument with the manager, I think I''m going to be fired."


    "That''s a good thing, you''ll be free then," Lu Liang just heard her say that Mr. Zhang had resigned and a male manager had taken over.


    "You think I''m like you? If I''m out of a job, I''ll be eating dirt next month," Li Manli grumbled.


    "As long as I''m here, how could I let you eat dirt? I promise you''ll have mountains of delicacies every day until you want to puke."


    "Is that really true?"


    "Absolutely true."


    Li Manli thought about it carefully, then suddenly shouted, "Then I want to eat sushi, the most high-end kind!"


    Lu Liang made a face, "A block of cold rice and a piece of raw meat, what''s so good about that?"


    Li Manli stared at him with big, pitiful eyes, "Didn''t you say you''d take me out for mountains of delicacies? Why can''t I even have sushi?"


    "Stop glaring, or your eyeballs might fall out. Fine, let''s go for sushi then."


    That look, Lu Liang found it hard to resist, so pure yet so longing, made him want to hold her tight and squeeze fiercely.


    "Yay, let''s go," Li Manli exclaimed excitedly, waving her little fists triumphantly.

 Chapter 25 - 25: Not a Vain Woman

    From the Bund to People Road, the heart of Modu''s sleepless city, many shops are open until dawn.


    Lu Liang took Li Manli around and actually found a Japanese restaurant that was open until midnight.


    "Is it delicious?" Lu Liang ordered a bowl of ramen and looked at all the different types of sushi in front of Li Manli.


    Li Manli took a bite of tuna sushi, her face filled with bitterness, "Why isn''t it as good as I imagined?"


    "Have you never tried it before?" Lu Liang asked.


    "No, I just heard people say how delicious it is, so I''ve always wanted to try it."


    Li Manli tried a piece of grilled eel and asked quietly, "Is it my fault? It tastes a bit off."


    The teriyaki sauce was cloyingly sweet, and the rice balls were icy cold, especially the icy cold rice balls, which she always found hard to get used to.


    "It''s not your fault because people who are not used to eating it will naturally find it unpalatable."


    Lu Liang slurped a mouthful of ramen, which had a strong porky smell, making him seriously doubt whether the pork had been properly processed.


    He pulled Li Manli up, "Let''s not eat this, let''s go, I''ll take you to eat something truly delicious."


    Li Manli looked puzzled, "Leave all this food?"


    She hadn''t ordered much, but had just glanced at the menu¡ªthis meal cost over eight hundred.


    "Why eat it if it tastes bad?"


    After paying the bill, Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Or did you want to take it home for a late snack?"


    Li Manli shook her head vigorously, "No."


    Near midnight, the two arrived at Jiangpan Restaurant.


    Lu Liang had ordered takeout from here several times. Their clay pot congee was superb, with very fresh and abundant ingredients.


    They ordered a clay pot congee with blood eels for two, a steamed red snapper, and a plate of stir-fried preserved egg with pea shoots.


    The blood eels were over four hundred per pound, the per capita cost was similar to the Japanese restaurant, but the taste was leagues better.


    Even well-preserved chilled fish couldn''t compare to freshly slaughtered ones.


    "Doesn''t it taste good?"


    Lu Liang liked the stir-fried preserved eggs with pea shoots here, which seemed to be fried with palm oil, giving off a unique scorched aroma.


    "It''s delicious, this and this, all delicious," Li Manli slurped the congee, her belly round and full.


    Suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, she hurriedly tightened her belly and sat up straight, "I''m full."


    Lu Liang chuckled as his phone on the table rang. Meng Changkun was calling to invite him to play tennis the next morning.


    He happened to have something to discuss with Meng Changkun, so he agreed, and the two arranged a time and place.


    "Tomorrow''s the weekend, do you still have to work?" Li Manli asked quietly, sounding a bit down.


    "It''s not work, just some recreational activity. Do you want to come play tennis too?"


    Hearing Lu Liang''s invitation, Li Manli was delighted but then hesitated, "But I don''t know how."


    "I don''t either, just playing for fun." Lu Liang had figured out Li Manli''s personality.


    Her thoughts were too easy to read. Whenever she said "but," she actually wanted to go, but needed a little more persuasion.


    "What time?" Li Manli asked.


    "Let''s make it nine-thirty."


    "Then I should go home early to sleep, or I won''t wake up in time."


    "Why not stay at my place tonight? There are a few spare rooms, pick any you like."


    Lu Liang said calmly, making it sound like he was simply offering Li Manli a place to stay for the night, nothing more.


    Li Manli nodded quietly, her voice soft as a mosquito''s, "Okay."


    After the late-night meal, Lu Liang took Li Manli for a walk in an all-night shopping mall.


    He bought her several sets of clothes to change into, as well as daily toiletries.


    The shopping spree cost over thirty thousand.


    By the time they got home, it was past one in the morning.


    Li Manli, clutching a pile of shopping bags, rushed into the innermost guest room.


    Although she had only been here once before, her mind often replayed the scenes from that visit.


    Because Tangchen Yipin was the most upscale and luxurious residential area she had ever encountered in her life.


    She was well aware of the layout of each room, knew which was the master bedroom, which was the secondary bedroom, and which was the guest room. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Go to bed early, and wake up early tomorrow."


    Lu Liang gently knocked on the door, not playing any childish games by lingering outside.


    Li Manli agreeing to go out for late-night snacks with him and even agreeing to stay overnight at his place was actually no different from getting undressed.


    Just that being newly adult, she was still quite shy and couldn''t be as direct as Zhang Qian; Lu Liang was willing to spend more time, playing house with her.


    "Okay~"


    Li Manli stood quietly behind the door, her voice trembling a bit because she hadn''t locked the door and was mentally prepared.


    After a long time, when there was no more sound outside, Li Manli carefully opened the door and tiptoed to the master bedroom where Lu Liang was staying.


    Through the door, she heard faint snoring sounds inside and felt a bit disappointed: "Idiot, I even came home with you."


    Quickly, her disappointment was replaced by excitement; she tiptoed in the spacious living room, dancing gracefully, and finally walked to the balcony to enjoy the night view.


    She took out the Apple 6 that Lu Liang had given her and snapped pictures of the Bund on the opposite shore.


    Li Manli was looking for the right angle; she wanted to take a photo that didn''t explicitly say she was staying in Tangchen Yipin, but that others could guess.


    With much effort, she finally found the best angle at the end of the balcony.


    To the far left was the Bund, to the right was Mingzhu Tower, her eyes dreamily gazing into the distance; she captioned it, "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight."


    Li Manli clicked send but deliberately blocked Lu Liang because she didn''t want him to think she was a vain girl.


    Soon, her social media was buzzing with messages, and quickly someone guessed that she was staying in Modu''s Tangchen Yipin.


    With the Bund in the distance, Mingzhu Tower nearby, and staying in a high-rise residence, it was almost giving the answer away.


    Back in her room, Li Manli lay on the soft bed, reveling in her friends'' envious and jealous comments, rolling around excitedly.


    She even video-called a few close girlfriends, showing off the luxurious and spacious room¡­


    The next morning, just after eight o''clock, Lu Liang knocked on her room door, and Li Manli came out with slight dark circles under her eyes.


    He had personally cooked and made two servings of butter toast: "What were you up to last night?"


    "Nothing much, just couldn''t sleep well." Li Manli said guiltily, avoiding eye contact, having chatted with her girlfriends until almost dawn.


    "Why don''t you go back to sleep? I can go by myself and come back in the afternoon to pick you up," Lu Liang said considerately.


    "I''m used to staying up late; see, the dark circles have almost disappeared already."


    Li Manli quickly lifted her bangs; there were faint dark circles when she had just gotten up, but now they were almost gone.


    "Being young is great," Lu Liang couldn''t help but remark, recalling how in the past, a few hours of sleep per night was enough.


    But as he aged, although he could still stay up late, he''d feel terrible the next day.


    "Don''t say that, you''re not that old either." Li Manli took Lu Liang''s hand, becoming more proactive.


    Last night, her friend group had given her many suggestions, most of which were unreliable, but there was one she quite agreed with.


    A girl''s bloom is brief; if an opportunity arises, she should seize it well, perhaps even change her life because of it.


    "Your lips are so sweet, did you put honey on them?"


    Lu Liang was surprised and noticed the change in Li Manli''s mindset, lifted her chin, and kissed her lips: "Tastes like milk."


    "I want it too," Li Manli countered, wrapping her arms around Lu Liang''s neck and kissing him deeply.


    But it was very clumsy, her tongue working messily, teeth clashing.


    "Relax." Lu Liang, acting as a teacher, led her, letting her experience what a real kiss was like.


    It was like two tender snakes intertwining, merging, connecting in an unbreakable bond¡­


    Minutes later, they broke apart.


    Li Manli''s eyes were dreamy, her cheeks blushing with a natural pink.


    Lu Liang pursed his lips; although he wanted to go further, there was no more time: "Go change your clothes, we should leave soon."


    Li Manli nodded, and like a little rabbit, dashed back to her room.


    "Young is truly wonderful," Lu Liang remarked again.


    The first time was envy for the energy of youth, this time for the tender beauty unique to a young girl.


    During a kiss, it''s not just the lips that should be busy; the hands should find something to do too.


    Unlike Zhang Qian, Li Manli''s skin was smooth, her posture soft yet resilient.

 Chapter 26 - 26: Only the Land and the Sun and Moon Coexist

    9:30 A.M., Lu Liang drove to Tangchen Golf.


    Similarly developed by the Tangchen Group, it was a luxurious villa area integrating business, entertainment, and residential facilities.


    There were standalone villas with courtyards, but few were permanently occupied, generally rented out for company team-building events or friend gatherings.


    Passing through the villa area, they arrived at the sports center next to the golf course, where individual cages were set up for basketball, tennis, or beginner''s golf practice areas.


    Lu Liang saw Old Meng sweating it out on the tennis court, his belly jiggling, a spry middle-aged fat man.


    Opposite was Zhou Xiaoqi, dressed in professional women''s tennis attire, with a pair of long, straight legs visible beneath her miniskirt.


    "Let''s go over."


    After parking the car, Lu Liang brought Li Manli into the cage.


    The two of them, one in blue and the other in pink sportswear, wore matching white flat-top hats.


    Li Manli''s eyes kept drifting to Zhou Xiaoqi, enviously saying, "That sister''s legs are so long, so straight."


    Not only men like to look at legs, women do too.


    She was 1.64 meters tall, which wasn''t considered short, but compared to Zhou Xiaoqi, who was over 1.7 meters, she felt somewhat ashamed of herself.


    "You have better proportions than her, and you''re prettier than she is," Lu Liang said comfortingly, as he walked over to greet Meng Changkun.


    "Brother, you''re here, come play a round."


    Meng Changkun glanced at Li Manli, and even though he had seen plenty of beautiful women, he was astounded by the young girl''s appearance.


    Her delicate face was nearly flawless, with a bewildered gaze that sparked a protective instinct.


    But it was just an extra glance, after all, stunning beauties were rare but not unique.


    Especially when it came to a friend''s woman, as ''a friend''s wife must not be coveted,'' which is a basic moral of friendship.


    At his level, he wasn''t lacking women in his life, nor did he harbor any covetous thoughts towards his friend''s woman.


    "Sure, but I''m not very good at it, Mr. Kun, you''ll have to take it easy on me."


    Lu Liang took the racket from Zhou Xiaoqi''s hands; he had never played tennis but felt it would be similar to badminton.


    However, he was being presumptuous; the strength required for tennis was on a completely different level from badminton.


    Luckily, Old Meng could see Lu Liang truly didn''t know how, so he intentionally slowed down the ball speed and fed him easy shots.


    The two of them went back and forth, and Lu Liang gradually got the hang of it, starting to enjoy the sport.


    That thudding hit felt fantastic.


    But before long, Old Meng ran out of steam, repeatedly waving his hands and calling out, "I can''t go on."


    He turned to Li Manli, who was playing with her phone, "Little sister, come on up and play a few rounds with Lu."


    Li Manli blinked her innocent eyes and shook her head hastily, "I''m sorry, I don''t know how to play tennis."


    "Just play around, I didn''t know how at first either, you''ll learn it soon enough," Lu Liang waved her over.


    Meng Changkun, drinking tea, watched the two bumbling around and couldn''t help but laugh.


    Zhou Xiaoqi made tea and commented, "She doesn''t know anything, but it''s strange, Mr. Lu lived in an affordable talent apartment just a few months ago."


    Although young, she had been modeling for years and struggled a lot before ending up by Meng Changkun''s side.


    Compared to her, Li Manli was a pure and innocent flower; after half an hour of conversation, anything Zhou knew was entirely extracted from her.


    Meng Changkun''s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly whispered, "Stop talking, he''s coming over."


    "I''m done playing, the sun''s getting too strong."


    Lu Liang, drenched in sweat, grabbed an ice towel from the cooler to wipe his face, and handed another one to Li Manli.


    "Have some tea, take a rest," Meng Changkun instructed Zhou Xiaoqi to make room and went to get some snacks.


    Lu Liang also said, "Manli, you go with Miss Zhou too, see if there''s anything you can help with."


    He wasn''t worried about Li Manli being pumped for information because what she knew was limited and inconsequential.


    What the past was like didn''t matter; what was important was the present and what the future would be like. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After the two left, Lu Liang consulted Meng Changkun on the steps to establish a company and mentioned that he had invested in a movie.


    "What movie?"


    Meng Changkun feigned surprise. If he hadn''t known that Lu Liang had invested in a movie, he wouldn''t have invited him out to play tennis today.


    From now on, Lu Liang was his friend and had temporarily shed any suspicion of being a con artist. They could continue their association.


    "It''s a movie adapted from a stage play."


    Lu Liang outlined the story without delving deeper into the topic because he knew Meng Changkun wouldn''t be interested.


    "Commercial investment is indeed better than personal investment," Meng Changkun mused. He genuinely had no interest in the film industry.


    Over the years, the film and television projects he invested in had never made money; his main aim had been just for fun.


    Meng Changkun called over his assistant, a young man named Liu Jun, who was standing in the distance: "Assistant Liu, these next few days will be tough. Help Mr. Lu with the procedures."


    He had been in Modu for nearly twenty years, especially in Xinpu District, and had connections in various departments.


    With his assistant handling it, the paperwork would be processed quickly, and no one would go out of their way to make things difficult.


    "Mr. Kun, have Assistant Liu explain it to me, and I''ll take care of it myself."


    Hearing Lu Liang''s words, Meng Changkun chuckled, "Without this kind of experience, you''ll find the process particularly troublesome. It''s normal for friends to help each other, and who knows, we might have opportunities to cooperate in the future."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then thanked him with a cupped-hand salute and didn''t insist any further.


    Human relations worked like this: you help me, I help you, and out of this mutual assistance relationships gradually deepen.


    Meng Changkun then asked, "Have you decided on the company''s location?"


    "Not yet, I plan to look for it this afternoon."


    "No need to search anymore. I happen to have a few offices available for rent. I''ll take you to see them later."


    "Mr. Kun, your company is quite diverse in its operations." Lu Liang was astonished.


    He just wanted to ask for advice and hadn''t expected Meng Changkun to arrange everything as a one-stop service.


    Meng Changkun smiled and said, "These days, no matter what industry you''re in, as long as you have money, you want to get a foot in the real estate door. How does that saying go, ''Only land can coexist with the sun and the moon.''"


    "And look at Bill Gates, with his high-end tech company, he''s still out there rounding up land to become a landlord."


    "Indeed, real estate is the only irreplaceable pillar." Having been in the real estate industry for nine years, Lu Liang deeply agreed.


    Especially in the last few years, the craze had been manic, reminding him of Tokyo in the late ''80s as recorded in books.


    Countless Neon People boasted about selling off Tokyo to buy the United States, and Modu was no different now.


    If Lu Liang had had enough capital, he would have liked to buy a few properties as a last resort.


    After lunch, Meng Changkun took Lu Liang to Yongfeng Building in Xinpu District.


    The entire 33-story building covered an area of 4,800 square meters, with floors 15-17 belonging to Kunqian Trade.


    Meng Changkun''s company occupied the entire 17th floor, and he had divided floors 15-16 into office spaces ranging from 220 to 480 square meters.


    He rented these spaces to young entrepreneurs, some businesses he supported, mainly engaged in e-commerce, live broadcasting, and new media industries.


    "In fact, I don''t understand much about it, but these new industries that have emerged in recent years are quite interesting. Lu, don''t underestimate these companies; they may be small, with only about a dozen employees, but their target markets are nationwide."


    Throughout the tour, Meng Changkun chatted and laughed with Lu Liang like a king surveying his realm.


    "With the rise of mobile internet, indeed, many new industries have been born, and among them, a unicorn may emerge in the future."


    Lu Liang strongly agreed while also realizing just how vast the gap between him and Meng Changkun was.


    The rumors about ''Billion Meng'' were clearly an understatement.


    Meng Changkun laughed heartily, "I''ll take that as a good omen, Lu."


    A unicorn company, with a minimum threshold of a ten billion US Dollar valuation before going public¡ªshould he hit the mark with one, it might ensure his descendants would never worry about livelihood.


    The group of people visited several currently available offices on the 15th and 16th floors one after another.


    "Lu, do you have any preference? Or any particular requirements for the direction?" Meng Changkun asked.


    Businesspeople are often superstitious about feng shui; he, for instance, favored offices that faced the sun and had shadows at the back.


    An astrologer had told him he was born with the water element and needed to absorb yang energy to balance it in order to attract wealth from all directions.

 Chapter 27 - 27: Sister, Youre the Improper One!

    "Sixteenth floor, the 240 square-meter suite."


    Lu Liang didn''t believe in feng shui, but he also didn''t question it.


    He just thought that the suite was already partitioned, had several office desks, and was ready for immediate occupation.


    For a long time to come, this company would just be a shell company, and anything casual would suffice.


    "Daily rent is 3 yuan per square meter, including property management fees, with a lease term of one year, three months deposit, three months advance, Little Liu, please go get the contract."


    Normally, the rent was 4.5 yuan per square meter, but Meng Changkun talked it over and gave Lu Liang a one-third discount.


    "Mr. Kun, you''ve helped me so much, just charge the normal rent."


    Lu Liang spoke seriously, believing that friendship should be mutually beneficial, not harmful to one party for the benefit of another.


    He could accept Meng Changkun''s help, but he wouldn''t accept such an outright gift.


    Meng Changkun was about to speak, but looking into Lu Liang''s eyes, he suddenly smiled, "Then let''s go with 4.5 yuan."


    He finally understood why he admired Lu Liang so much.


    He knew moderation and when to advance or retreat, and even though there was a large financial disparity between them, he never felt inferior.


    That was especially rare.


    The rent was 135 yuan per square meter per month, totaling 240 square meters, making it 32,400 per month, with three months security and three months advance, Lu Liang paid 194,400 yuan.


    After completing the rental contract, Liu Jun helped Lu Liang fill out the application for the company registration; Lu Liang provided the information, and he handled the procedures.


    "The company name will be Tianxing Investment, with a subscribed capital of six million yuan and paid-up capital of six million yuan."


    Lu Liang thought that the company would keep a million yuan as working capital, which should be enough for the short term.


    Subscribed and paid-up capital actually involved many details, but he wasn''t focused on the company yet, so he simply registered the full amount to avoid having to make additional payments later.


    "Assistant Liu, I''ll leave this to you, Mr. Kun, I''ll be heading out now."


    At five in the afternoon, Lu Liang said goodbye to Meng Changkun and returned home with Li Manli.


    Li Manli, completely lacking decorum, lay on the sofa and let out a long, high-pitched sigh, "Finally back."


    That day, she had only accompanied Lu Liang to play tennis in the morning, and spent the rest of the time just tagging along.


    She couldn''t understand what Lu Liang discussed with Meng Changkun and couldn''t help out, so she just made small talk with Zhou Xiaoqi.


    Lu Liang sat next to her, and Li Manli naturally rested her head on his lap, looking up, "I''m hungry."


    She always ate heartily, but she had restrained herself during lunch with Lu Liang''s friend.


    And the result of holding back was being hungry.


    "What do you want to eat?"


    Lu Liang was browsing through the materials provided by Liu Jun, as well as the considerations for the new company.


    Once the official business documents arrived, he would need to hire at least two people, a finance manager and a receptionist, to ensure the company''s daily operations¡ªessentially opening and closing the doors, paying for utilities and rent, and if diligent, doing some cleaning.


    "I want Hainanese chicken rice." Li Manli scrolled through her phone, too lazy to go out and wanting to order delivery.


    "Order one for me too." Lu Liang picked up his phone and transferred 50,000 yuan to Li Manli.


    Li Manli saw the transfer notification and sat up straight in surprise, "What''s going on?"


    Lu Liang reached around to hug her, "You said your job wasn''t going well, right? I found you a new one."


    "What job?" Li Manli shifted her shoulders, finding a comfortable position to snuggle into Lu Liang''s arms.


    "You see how big this apartment is, what do you think we''re missing?" Lu Liang looked around the spacious living room.


    "Isn''t this too soon?" Li Manli''s eyes widened, not daring to believe the surprise had come so suddenly.


    Before she could speak, Lu Liang tapped her head, "What are you thinking? Don''t we still need a housekeeper?"


    The total area was 434 square meters with four bedrooms and two living rooms, and he always felt it was a bit too empty for one person.


    If Zhang Qian hadn''t stayed for a few days last week, he wouldn''t even know what to eat.


    So he had been thinking about hiring a housekeeper to hire a cook as well, to handle the daily chores.


    Just then, Li Manli had come over.


    She had graduated last June, worked at a factory for half a year, and then at Wanli Palace for two and a half months.


    With only a high school education and no college admission, she clearly wasn''t qualified for an office job.


    Lu Liang also didn''t want to mix personal relationships with company matters, even though it was currently just a shell company.


    After some thought, a housekeeper''s job seemed most suitable for Li Manli.


    "Me, a housekeeper?" Li Manli was disheartened, thinking Lu Liang wanted her to be the lady of the house.


    She was a bit resistant because in her memory, butlers were always middle-aged people around their forties or fifties.


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "Who says butlers can''t be young and beautiful? Look at the movies ''Little Days'' makes, all big beauties."


    Li Manli cocked her head, easily distracted by the change in topic, "The movies you watch, are they serious?"


    "Sister, it''s you who should be serious."


    Lu Liang pinched Li Manli''s chin, looked at her puffy lips, and couldn''t help but feel their softness.


    Li Manli squinted her eyes, her fair arms wrapped around Lu Liang''s neck, also responding in kind.


    As the sun set in the west, its remaining light spilled into the living room, the clothes of the two on the sofa gradually diminished.


    The orange sunlight fell on Li Manli''s pristine back, casting a golden glow. And as time passed, fine beads of sweat emerged on her back, making the glow even more intense.


    Suddenly, the phone rang inappropriately.


    "You... you... your phone... is ringing."


    Li Manli''s eyes were blurred, her speech faltering.


    Lu Liang breathed heavily, glanced at the phone which didn''t show the caller ID, and ignored it.


    The phone rang for 40 seconds each time, and the other party persistently called again every five minutes.


    Until the third ring stopped.


    Lu Liang picked up the sofa blanket that had fallen to the floor, covering Li Manli''s body and his own lower waist.


    He picked up the phone, the number seemed familiar, but he didn''t think much about it and clicked redial.


    As soon as the call connected, an irate woman''s voice thundered through, "When did you sell the house?"


    "When I sold it, I don''t think I need to report to you," Lu Liang''s expression turned cold.


    They hadn''t been in touch for months, but he recognized the voice as his ex-wife, Lin Wenjing.


    "Changed your number, sold the house, quit your job, what exactly are you trying to do?" Lin Wenjing fumed.


    Initially, she dialed Lu Liang''s number, but it was out of service.


    Thus, Lin Wenjing went to Lu Liang''s home and his former workplace, but was met with rebuffs.


    The house had a new owner, but especially the manager at Lu Liang''s company, who initially was courteous towards her.


    But as soon as she mentioned Lu Liang''s name, they reacted explosively and drove her out immediately.


    Later, a young girl came out and told her that Lu Liang had resigned several months ago.


    Before leaving, he had scolded the manager, causing the manager to hold a grudge.


    And she gave her Lu Liang''s new phone number.


    "What does it matter to you?"


    Lin Wenjing clenched her teeth, coldly questioned, "Where are my things?"


    "When I called you, you said you didn''t want them, so I threw them all away." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang''s lips curved into a smile, calming down, as he stroked Li Manli''s chin like teasing a cat.


    Li Manli held her breath, eavesdropping on their conversation, realizing the other party was Lu Liang''s ex-wife.


    Suddenly, she mischievously smiled and used an overly sweet baby voice, "Brother~ you are so naughty, insisting on Cum it on my face..."


    Lu Liang was startled, clearly Lin Wenjing also heard it.


    Even through the phone, he could hear Lin Wenjing''s breathing grow heavy.


    "Liang, you can really do it!" she gritted her teeth and hung up directly.


    Lu Liang sighed, recalling several months ago when he called Lin Wenjing and heard a man''s voice.


    Now considered tit for tat, he thought he''d feel elated, but he felt more melancholic.


    After all, when they first married, Lu Liang thought about caring for her for a lifetime, growing old together.


    But now, they had become enemies.


    "Li, I''m sorry, my mistake."


    Li Manli pinched her earlobe, looking pitifully for forgiveness.


    From their conversation, it was clear their relationship was poor, so she wanted to help, but it seemed she had botched it.


    Lu Liang sternly said, "Your mistake is in slandering me, it was clearly on your back, how could it be on your face?"


    Li Manli was dazed, suddenly exclaimed.


    This didn''t seem like a reproach, she bit her lower lip and reached under the blanket, "Shall we... how about doing it again?"

 Chapter 28 - 28: London Gold Market

    A new week began, and Chinese Online welcomed two consecutive daily limit increases, with the share price reaching 41.65 Yuan, setting a new historical high.


    For the third time, it topped the Dragon and Tiger List, becoming the hottest stock in the market since Baofeng Technology earlier that year.


    "Even if predictions are incorrect, the sound won''t disappear," Luo Liang reflected, "but the outcome can deviate due to human factors."


    In the past two days, Luo Liang chose to empty his portfolio and observe, missing out on two daily limit increases but indirectly confirming his speculation.


    The information provided by the sound wasn''t 100% accurate, because its very existence was the biggest uncertainty.


    Having earned 12 million from Luo Liang, the main forces could only force the stock price even higher, otherwise, their funds would be easily trapped inside.


    "The sound will ring at midnight."


    "Could the trigger condition be related to the transaction touched upon?"


    Luo Liang noted his reflections in his notebook, then tore out the page and tossed it into the ashtray.


    He lit a cigarette, took a deep inhale, and exhaled the smoke, watching the flames dance in the ashtray.


    Until the ball of paper burned down to ashes.


    At night, Luo Liang sat alone in his study, browsing financial news, quietly waiting for the midnight chime.


    Today the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index achieved a four-day winning streak, officially breaking through 5100 points¡ªthe entire market was nearly insane.


    Former colleagues in the social circle were also posting photos of long lines at the housing authority. This craze, lasting several weeks, was filled with people either selling homes or mortgage properties to speculate in stocks.


    "Is such prosperity even possible in our country?"


    With these past days of holding an empty portfolio to observe, Luo Liang had ample time to study the market.


    Being a seasoned real estate professional, he was acutely aware of the significance of real estate to the domestic economy.


    One could say, the three major financial boards combined weren''t even a match for a single hair of the real estate market. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A house on the market priced at a million could bring in tax revenues upwards of five hundred thousand or more, with the remainder, after deducting labor costs, belonging to the real estate development group.


    Real estate was linked to too many industries, such as building materials, home furnishings, appliances, and hundreds of others, creating a vast number of job opportunities.


    Now, everyone was selling their homes to invest in stocks or using the money intended for buying homes to speculate. Could this really be what the country wanted to see?


    Probably not.


    "The bull market is likely coming to an end."


    Luo Liang stubbed out his cigarette and took a sip of coffee.


    At midnight, the clock chimed, as if a voice from another world echoed in his mind.


    [June 5th, London Gold, 1517.2500 points]


    Luo Liang was astonished. He had considered many possibilities but hadn''t anticipated international spot gold.


    Because it originated in London, thus named London Gold, it has a history of over 300 years and is the world''s largest spot gold market.


    With daily trading volumes of approximately 20 trillion US dollars, equivalent to 25 times that of Big A, no consortium or institution could manipulate it; the market solely relied on spontaneous regulation.


    "The current price is 1347.1200 points, nearly a 160-point increase." Luo Liang narrowed his eyes, excitement flickering within.


    Gold had always been the most stable primitive currency since ancient times. Unless a major global conflict arose or there was a financial crisis, prompting large funds to seek safe havens, the price of gold would only steadily climb with inflation.


    Because of the small price fluctuations, leverage of at least a hundred times was provided, hence the four decimal places after the point.


    A 160-point increase might seem insignificant, but with proper handling, turning a hundred thousand into a billion wasn''t out of the question.


    This also indirectly confirmed Luo Liang''s guess that the domestic bull market was ending. Large capital was flowing into the gold market for risk aversion.


    The night grew late, but the light in the study remained on.


    Lu Liang smoked continuously and sipped his coffee without pause, acquainting himself with the trading rules and methods of London Gold.


    London Gold trading was different from the trading method of Big A stocks. To be precise, Big A is different from the financial markets of the world.


    Globally, only Big A adopts the T+1 trading system, where you can only sell tomorrow what you buy today and can only go long, not short.


    Except for Big A, all stock markets, funds, foreign exchange, and other financial markets adopt the T+0 trading method, allowing you to buy and sell on the same day, going both long and short.


    This kind of trading method benefits institutions but is not advantageous for individual investors. Although it was initially set up to protect individual investors, it was eventually exploited by institutions continually finding loopholes.


    London Gold differs from domestic stock markets not only in its T+0 trading method but also in its trading hours.


    Trading operates non-stop for 24 hours a day, from Monday evening to Saturday early morning, with the market closing only on weekends.


    Starting at three o''clock in the afternoon, Yanjing time, it is divided into the European session, American Plate, and Asian session, fundamentally following the daylight hours of each continent.


    The most active trading period each day is from 10 pm to 5 am Yanjing time, with these seven hours contributing nearly half of the total trading volume for the entire day.


    This time frame is the afternoon for the European session and the morning for the American Plate, with their combined activity far surpassing that of the Asian session.


    By three-thirty in the morning, Lu Liang had essentially grasped the basics. Although there were still some points he did not understand, he planned to learn through practical operation.


    He logged into his brokerage account to exchange ten thousand US Dollars, using a 400 times leverage, and decisively entered the London Gold market.


    The leverage rate of London Gold is high for two reasons: one is that the fluctuation range is small, and the other is that the entry threshold is very high.


    Each transaction requires a minimum of one lot, where one lot is equal to 100 ounces, and 1 ounce is equal to 31.1035 grams of gold.


    With the current international gold price at 272 RMB per gram, 100 ounces is equal to 3110.35 grams, so one lot requires 846,000 RMB, which is 133,200 US Dollars.


    Lu Liang exchanged ten thousand US Dollars, with five thousand as margin and the other five thousand as his available capital.


    After financing, two million US Dollars could only buy 15 lots.


    Lu Liang didn''t go all-in like he did in the Big A market, but started by buying five lots long to observe the market conditions.


    Each time the market fell by three basis points, he would buy another lot, because if it fell more than five basis points, he would face a margin call.


    If the margin was insufficient, he would continue to add money to the margin account.


    At five in the morning, although this wave of market movement did not start, there were already signs of it, as the gold price trended slowly upward.


    Lu Liang''s total investment reached eighty thousand US Dollars, of which forty thousand was margin, and his holdings amounted to 16.17 million US Dollars.


    14 million was from financing, and only 170 thousand truly belonged to him; subtracting the principal, he had a profit of 130 thousand.


    "At an exchange rate of 6.35, that''s a profit of over 800 thousand?" Lu Liang couldn''t help but be amazed. The money had come too quickly.


    He barely did anything, just adding to his margin when the market dropped and holding on and watching when it rose.


    However, there was one time during the trading session when the market fluctuated wildly, with a sudden drop of four basis points, and he almost faced a margin call.


    Fortunately, he had enough backup funds, and Lu Liang hurriedly added another twenty thousand to the margin to avoid forced liquidation of his positions.


    High leverage is all about excitement,


    Complete focus, not a moment of carelessness is allowed.


    In early June, stepping into summer, and past five o''clock, the sky began to show the first light of dawn.


    The American Plate''s trading time was about to end, and the market activity significantly decreased.


    Lu Liang rubbed his eyes and forced himself to stay awake, as the Asian session was next to take over.


    If his prediction was correct, the daytime Asian session would erupt with activity no less vigorous than that of the European and American sessions.


    Lu Liang exchanged his money in advance, converting 5.84 million RMB into 920 thousand US Dollars, and transferred it all into his London Gold account.


    His account still had more than four million in available capital, but he had no more quota for exchanging US Dollars.


    With all preparations complete, Lu Liang stepped out of his study, planning to take a shower and have breakfast to rejuvenate.


    Now that there was more than 900 thousand in margin in his account, he didn''t need to worry about the mid-session volatility leading to a margin call.

 Chapter 29 - 29: A-shares, The Sky is Falling

    "Locking positions is divided into two forms, profit locking and loss locking."


    "When the market moves contrary to one''s initial position, new positions opposite to the original holdings are created, hence it is also called hedging."


    "The purpose of locking positions is primarily to handle potential reversals during the session, maintaining optimal positions at minimal cost."


    In the kitchen, Lu Liang was making breakfast while delving deeper into the trading rules of London Gold.


    Long and short positions were straightforward to understand, but locking positions was a strategy he had never touched before.


    It seemed like a method to help investors reduce risk and appropriately avoid losses.


    Yet, he felt that locking should be used more as a means of profit rather than a common remedial measure.


    The explanation was too generic; Lu Liang felt he needed a chance to practice it to understand the specific methods.


    Suddenly, the electric curtains slowly opened, and the sound of footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.


    "Liang, why are you up so early today, didn''t we agree that I would make breakfast from now on?"


    Li Manli, sleepy-eyed, dressed in a pink bear nightgown and bunny fluff cotton shoes, each step curling the rabbit ears.


    Recently, with nothing much to do, she had been browsing a video website and suddenly conceived the idea of becoming a gourmet vlogger.


    Lu Liang was happy to see her with her ideas and directly equipped her with several filming devices, letting her have fun on her own.


    Now, Li Manli was not just the household manager but also a part-time chef, handling all three meals for Lu Liang.


    Although the taste wasn''t great, Lu Liang didn''t want to dampen her creative enthusiasm.


    If she had a talent and became a great internet sensation, Lu Liang would feel very accomplished.


    "Busy until now, just finished work; idle as well."


    After breakfast, Lu Liang walked to the water bar, brewed a strong bitter cup of coffee, trying to maintain a high energy level.


    Who knew when he would be finished? It could be a blitz or a drawn-out battle.


    Anyhow, he needed to stock up on as much energy as possible before the onset of the battle.


    Li Manli expressed her surprise with wide-open mouth, "Did you not rest at all last night?"


    "I won''t need to be called for lunch; I''ll come out if I want something," Lu Liang smiled, pushed her chin up again, then returned to his study.


    Three screens on the desk displayed the Shanghai Stock Exchange, London Gold market, and one dedicated to browsing news.


    At half past nine, the domestic stock market opened, starting up 0.57%, with the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index at 5150.12 points.


    Today was another broad rally, the market mostly sees green except for a very few stocks showing losses.


    Among them was Chinese Online, plummeting 3.55% at the opening, directly trapping yesterday''s high chasers.


    As time passed, a large amount of small capital began to enter the market.


    Representing the retail investors'' strong confidence in the subsequent market, they believed this was the second Baofeng of the year.


    They also believed there would be a sharp increase during the session and if it hit the limit, today''s gain would be 13.55%.


    "The last chance to escape, if you don''t cherish it, don''t fantasize about institutions helping to lift the palanquin."


    Lu Liang sighed and stopped paying attention to this stock.


    Because the London Gold market fluctuated unusually during the quietest period in the Asian session, an abrupt drop of five points.


    If it wasn''t for Lu Liang''s holding of 960,000 US Dollar in margin, he could accept drastic market volatility; otherwise, he might face a margin call.


    "Could it be starting now?" Lu Liang furrowed his brows, staring at the calm Shanghai Stock Exchange Index.


    After a brief hesitation, he reorganized his account.


    Due to the large amount invested this time, Lu Liang revoked the previously set 400x leverage, reducing it to 200x.


    The account now totaled 1.13 million US Dollars, with 630,000 as the margin and the other 500,000 leveraged into 100 million.


    Lu Liang trusted his judgment that the trigger for the surge in Gold would be a crash in the A-shares, with capital moving into the International Gold Market for safe-haven.


    The A-shares market relies on network and precedents; even if insider information was received, one couldn''t reveal knowing it in advance until the official document was issued.


    Like sometimes, some key stocks, one second after the document is released, immediately hit the upper price limit.


    However, London Gold market can operate without any reservations.


    A sudden change was a premonition.


    Lu Liang decided to take a gamble. His funds were not ample enough, he had to take action before everyone else to secure the lowest price chips.


    If he waited until the market action started to react, it would be challenging to get low-priced chips by then.


    Lu Liang entered a position at 1365.2400 per ounce.


    The price per contract was $136,524, with a total of 732 contracts purchased, amounting to $99.918 million, nearly all-in.


    The price was now $1365.2400 per ounce, and with just a one-point increase before the decimal point, he could make $9076.


    With lower leverage, the returns were lower, but the tolerance for error increased, allowing him to handle a sudden drop of 17 points.


    As time ticked by, London Gold moved slowly and steadily up to $1365.7400 per ounce.


    By ten in the morning, Lu Liang had made $4538, but his assets were still showing a loss of $12,962.


    Because of the leverage used, a minimum fee of 3.5% had to be paid; the higher the leverage ratio, the higher the fees.


    Fifteen minutes later, the Shanghai Stock Exchange took a sharp downturn, as if a slow bull market had suddenly been beheaded.


    It opened up 0.57% and rose to 0.95% during trading, but then suddenly plummeted by 1.89%, turning red to green.


    The total market value of A-shares, at 71.25 trillion,


    saw an escape of funds amounting to 1.34 trillion in a matter of seconds.


    And this was just the beginning.


    A piece of news broke from the stock forums and quickly swept across the entire network.


    At ten-fifteen, an official document was issued, and the relevant departments delivered a heavy blow, bringing down 12 illegal private institutions that provided off-market margin trading, urging major brokerages to regulate operations, and introducing ten new securities laws.


    The Shanghai Stock Exchange Index plummeted in response, as private institutions providing off-market margin services were forcibly liquidated, flooding the market with a massive volume of chips.


    "Damn, my account is locked."


    "Run, the stock market crash is coming."


    The stock forums erupted, and financial industry professionals were astounded.


    In just four months, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index rose from 3000 points to its current high of 5178.


    The total market value of A-shares increased by nearly 20 trillion, thanks largely to the numerous institutions providing off-market margin financing.


    Previously, off-market margin financing was a gray area, technically illegal, but the authorities didn''t delve too deep.


    Now, with a decisive blow, the leading financing institutions have been toppled, brokerages have been urged to regularize operations, and ten new rules have been implemented.


    Undoubtedly, for A-shares, the sky had fallen.


    Institutional liquidations, speculative capital flight, and retail investors following suit.


    The entire market looked as if it were facing an apocalypse. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang was exceedingly agitated, paying no heed to the further movements of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index, his attention entirely captivated by the London Gold market.


    Just then, at the very moment the official document was issued, London Gold surged by 21 points, with massive amounts of capital frenziedly flowing in.


    As time progressed, London Gold started to climb rapidly, increasing by nearly one point every second.


    An anomaly occurred in the London Gold Asian session, attracting speculators from across the ocean, further inflating the price of gold.


    By noon Yanjing time,


    the surge in London Gold gradually slowed.


    In 80 minutes, it had jumped by 47.39 points,


    stabilizing the price at $1412.6300 per ounce.


    The international gold price broke through $45 per gram, equivalent to 288 RMB, rising by 10 RMB per gram.


    Clearly, investors betting on gold did not want the rally to end, as news of the surging gold prices spread worldwide.


    Taking domestic public sentiments as an example, various financial experts started to make their presence felt.


    They first expressed support for the state''s regulation of financial markets and lamented over the pitiful state of A-shares.


    Secondly, they analyzed that trillions of funds fleeing would generally head in two directions.


    The first was undoubtedly real estate; with house prices expected to keep rising, it would soon be too late to get on board.


    The second was gold; aside from real estate, only the gold market could accommodate such a volume of capital.


    The pushers of public opinion were clever, understanding what regulating financial markets meant¡ªit was all about directing funds where they were supposed to go.


    Therefore, they primarily talked up the real estate market, encouraging the public to invest in housing, with the international gold price spike just a side note.


    However, considering the cost of houses often reaching millions, which is not a small amount, in contrast, gold could be bought for just a few hundred per gram.


    People who had tasted the sweetness of the stock market, upon receiving the news, felt like they had a new target and began to flock to the gold market.


    Though trading London Gold was complex, buying physical gold was an option.


    Gold''s attributes were too distinct.


    Visible and tangible, you couldn''t lose big or get deceived, and even if the price fell, it wouldn''t go too low¡ªat worst, you could still craft jewelry for yourself or your family members.


    For a while, Shenzhen Shuibei experienced a gold rush like never before.

 Chapter 30 - 30: Achieving Half a Mini Goal

    Two years ago, Chinese housewives snapped up 300 tons of gold, and their feat of successfully hedging against Wall Street giants was still vivid in everyone''s memory, giving birth to the new English word "DAMA."


    Back then, even the underdog groups could blow up Goldman Sachs Group''s position, making them surrender hands up, and now they were with the wind at their backs.


    Gold prices soared, unstoppable.


    The domestic gold price surge drove international gold prices, thus affecting the London Gold market.


    At three o''clock in the afternoon, the domestic stock market closed.


    The index returned to 4823.48 points, a drop of -6.85%.


    Today was destined to go down in history, with 1250 of the 3124 stocks across the three major sectors hitting the limit down, everything in a sea of red, save for a few new stocks still in the green.


    The retail investors who had won lottery allocations were everywhere bragging, while those holding other stocks were full of complaints, with Chinese Online completely floored.


    Three leading institutions were so angry they almost jumped off a building.


    It wasn''t their fault. They had their withdrawal plans ready and were proceeding with them step by step.


    Everything was steadily improving.


    They hadn''t expected an official red-headed document to bury the entire market, leaving them unable to escape.


    Lu Liang hadn''t closed his eyes for 32 hours, but he was still spirited, just with a slight sourness in his eyes and a bit of blur in his vision.


    He watched the London Gold market, where the price had risen to 1475.55 US Dollars per ounce, up 110.31 US Dollars.


    His personal account held 732 contracts, with a total value now reaching 108.01 million US Dollars.


    "This surge should be almost over."


    After long consideration, Lu Liang chose to cash out and exit.


    Over a hundred million dollars in chips was like a grain of sand in the desert to a market with a daily trading volume of 20 trillion dollars.


    His selling didn''t even make a ripple.


    The money that was a hundred times leveraged automatically went back to the broker, minus a transaction fee of 12,900 US Dollars, and deducting the original capital of 500,000 dollars.


    7.4971 million US Dollars


    was the profit from this surge. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Including his margin account, Lu Liang''s funds amounted to 8.6271 million US Dollars, 54.782 million RMB.


    "Half a small target." Lu Liang was in a great mood and decided to withdraw 4.63 million from his domestic broker account.


    He didn''t plan to convert the 8.6271 million US Dollars in the London Gold account to RMB, instead depositing it directly into his international card.


    He had learned from previous losses.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that Lu Liang''s conversion limit was only 1 million, his total assets would have hit nine figures by now.


    US Dollars could be exchanged for RMB without limits, but RMB could not be converted into US Dollars without restrictions.


    Lu Liang planned to keep these US Dollars because the overall London Gold market wasn''t over yet.


    The next two days would see a rise of 41.7 US Dollars.


    If handled correctly, by the end of this big surge, his total assets should bust through one hundred million.


    The international market allowed for going long and short.


    The end of the surge naturally meant a pullback, a pullback meant a decline, a decline meant the opportunity to short, with profits to be made just the same.


    At three-thirty, Lu Liang completed the settlement and stepped out of the study, only to see Li Manli, who was editing videos on the sofa, slightly dazed.


    Black and white Lolita attire, double ponytails, white knee-high stockings paired with black leather shoes.


    Ruffles on the skirt hem, the bow tie on the chest, and elements like lace combined both classic and modern styles.


    A stately but playful dual characteristic, present in one person, was miraculous without being contradictory.


    "Liang, you''ve finally come out. If you hadn''t, I was really about to knock on your door."


    Li Manli excitedly jumped up and trotted over to Lu Liang.


    All day, Lu Liang had only come out to make a few cups of coffee and had neither eaten nor slept, which worried her.


    Lu Liang looked her over a few times and admired, "That outfit looks great."


    "Is it just the outfit that''s nice?"


    Li Manli''s smile blossomed as she twirled around to show off.


    Her little leather shoes squeaked on the tile floor.


    "The clothes are nice, but the person is prettier."


    As the skirt swirled with her movement, a stretch of fair thigh was revealed, with the obviously one-size-too-small white stockings creating a seductive curve at the top of her legs.


    Li Manli, sporting a sweet smile, ran to the dining room and lifted the thermal cover, "Hungry, right? I''ll warm up some food for you."


    Three dishes and a soup were served, meticulously presented and made with care, but Lu Liang knew that when it came to looks, fragrance, and taste, usually only one would prevail.


    It was all about appearances.


    "No need to heat it up, there''s still some warmth left. I''ll eat and then take a nap," said Lu Liang tiredly, with little appetite, planning to just go through the motions of eating before going to sleep.


    "Since you''ve had so much coffee today, how about taking a hot bath first, to relax a bit?" Li Manli suggested.


    "Sounds good."


    "I''ll go run the bath for you."


    Being tired for a long time is just like being hungry for a long time.


    The latter leads to a loss of hunger, while the former could mean lying in bed for a long time before falling asleep.


    Right now, Lu Liang yearned for a toasty warm spring bath and a professional masseur to properly relax his body and mind.


    But he was too lazy to go out.


    Li Manli seemed to read Lu Liang''s mind.


    Just as he settled into the bathtub, she followed right in.


    She tiptoed up behind him and said with a smile, "Liang, let me give you a massage."


    Lu Liang turned his head for a glance and couldn''t help but chuckle, "When did you buy so many ''unique'' outfits?"


    She had changed into another costume, in deep red fabric adorned with camellias, and a wide, blue belt tied around her waist.


    It resembled the attire often seen in Neon animations during summer festivals, like a kimono but not quite a kimono.


    She was braless underneath, and as Li Manli leaned over slightly, Lu Liang caught a generous glimpse of her cleavage.


    "Didn''t you tell me to do thorough market research and observe the audience''s preferences before I started as a video blogger?"


    "So I did just that, and found that most viewers on that site are fans of the second dimension."


    "Dressing in cosplay outfits, compared to ordinary clothes, brings in a completely different level of traffic."


    Li Manli boasted excitedly, "I''ve only posted two videos and already got three thousand followers."


    "Keep it up, and when you reach a hundred thousand followers, I''ll support you as the top fan during a live stream," Lu Liang said, laughing lightly.


    He didn''t see anything wrong with leveraging one''s advantages. Being beautiful was her edge.


    He also enjoyed the different experience. Clearing his throat, he said, "I remember the Pirate Empress being quite famous, isn''t she?"


    "The Han Kuke? Do you like it? I''ll buy that costume next time."


    "It''s nice."


    Lu Liang lay back with his eyes closed, a slight grin on his face.


    He enjoyed Li Manli''s service, even though her massage technique was rough and missed the right spots.


    Lu Liang had to provide her with some guidance.


    Until the warm water slowly turned cool, he stood up and wrapped himself in a bathrobe, "I''m going to take a nap. Don''t wait up for me for dinner."


    The wet allure was tempting, but he was wholly relaxed now, and as tiredness overtook him, he had no other desires.


    A quiet night ensued as he slept through till the early hours.


    After freshening up,


    Lu Liang continued striving towards his goal of becoming a billionaire.


    By four o''clock in the afternoon, the London Gold trading session in Asia had ended and the European and American sessions took over.


    During Lu Liang''s rest, the London Gold had risen by 12 points, but counter trades in the market had brought it down by 17 points at one point.


    By one-thirty in the morning,


    the international price of gold had returned to 1470.25 US Dollars per ounce, 47 points away from the forecasted earnings.


    "Thirty hours for a 47-point increase. Where''s the next catalyst?"


    Lu Liang wasn''t in a rush to open positions, poring over news and information for the spark that could ignite the market movement.


    The London Gold market was so vast that his butterfly effect, earning a few million, would likely not impact the overall outcome.


    There definitely was a minor trend on its way, but short sellers had appeared in the market, believing the trend had peaked and a pullback was due.


    So there must be another catalyst, one that would ignite this minor trend and elevate the gold price to burst the short sellers'' positions.


    Lu Liang was looking for it, but he was disadvantaged by not understanding English, requiring translation software to browse international news.


    "Looks like I need to enroll in a class; it''s all Zheng''s fault for not being supportive," he sighed.


    Although his English grades were not bad back in the day, almost reaching level four certification, not using it for so many years meant it had all been returned to his teachers.

 Chapter 31 - 31: Recruiting Soldiers and Buying Horses

    Screens filled with letters, Lu Liang was so dizzy that he stopped forcing himself and resorted to the clumsy method he had used the night before.


    After all, he was sure that there was another small rally to come, so he started with 1 million and activated 100x leverage to finance 100 million.


    He bought 100 lots to establish a base position, spending 14.7025 million US dollars, and for every 1 point drop, he would buy an additional 10 lots.


    As it neared 4 o''clock and the American Plate was about to close, the catalyst for the market movement hadn''t yet been ignited.


    Lu Liang held 540 contract lots, with an average buying price of 1468.75 US dollars, and the current price was 1459.24 US dollars.


    At present, each lot was losing 951 US dollars, and including the 12,900 dollars in transaction fees, the total loss was 526,300 US dollars.


    As the American Plate closed, market activity decreased significantly, and trading volume plummeted.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then added another 2 million US dollars, also at 100x leverage, securing 200 million US dollars in funds.


    At the price of 1459.24 US dollars, he bought 1000 lots of London Gold, bringing his average cost down to 1462.85 US dollars.


    Currently, the account held a total of 1540 contract lots, pushing the total loss to 595,800 US dollars.


    In the end, Lu Liang chose to hedge his positions, waiting to fight another day, letting the bullets fly for a while longer.


    At 9:30 in the morning, the Shanghai Stock Exchange opened with a significant drop of -2.25%.


    The entire market was like it had gone impotent, its former glory gone.


    Institutions, speculators, and retail investors alike were all inevitably in trouble; everyone was buried in the pit.


    The vitality of the market was no more, and the downward trend was like a dull knife, slowly cutting through the flesh and blood of countless investors.


    ...


    Lu Liang had slept for five hours, and near noon, he received a call from Liu Jun and went to Kunqian Trading Company.


    "Lu, the market hasn''t been doing too well these past few days."


    Meng Changkun made tea, casually probing for information.


    Although he didn''t play the stock market, the major event that happened yesterday in the financial market affected all industries.


    For example, several of their company''s clients had gone missing, allegedly having embezzled company funds to speculate in stocks and fled overseas overnight.


    There was also an incident yesterday near a building where someone attempted to jump off, reportedly due to being involved in off-exchange financing and having his funds frozen, intending to make a statement through death, in hopes the government would return his principal.


    Overall, when stock prices soared, everyone was overjoyed.


    When stock prices plummeted, everyone was in more pain than if they had lost their own parents.


    "Off-exchange financing kills people."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but sigh, but then he changed the subject with a smile, "However, it hasn''t affected me. I cleared my position last week and have recently been trading International Gold."


    Meng Changkun was surprised and couldn''t help but curse, "I heard that gold went up a lot yesterday." S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It was okay, it rose about ten yuan per gram. After all, when the stock market crashes, gold is the best safe haven."


    Lu Liang sipped his tea, nonchalantly, and didn''t mind sharing these details with Meng Changkun since it was no longer a secret.


    Last night, the news that gold was hard to come by in Shenzhen Shuibei shot up to the top three hot searches on Weibo and was still hanging there.


    "Impressive."


    Meng Changkun gave a thumbs up, but he was still skeptical. After all, talk was cheap, and for all he knew, Lu Liang could just be boasting to save face.


    Lu Liang just smiled, offering no explanation.


    Before he had even finished a pot of tea, Liu Jun brought over the business registration documents and the business license.


    Lu Liang made small talk with Meng Changkun for a while, then said, "Mr. Kun, I am sorry, but I have things to attend to and must go now."


    "Go ahead, come by for tea when you''re free."


    Meng Changkun laughed understandingly, remembering how when he first started his business, it was common to go days and nights without sleep.


    The company was just starting out, and indeed there were many things to take care of.


    After parting ways with Meng Changkun,


    Lu Liang headed to the International Talent City on Meiyuan Road.


    Currently not in need of management-level talent, he didn''t engage headhunters but simply rented a booth and set up a sign to start recruiting.


    [Modu Tianxing Investment Co., Ltd]


    Recruiting two front desk staffers: Five Insurances and One Fund, working five days with two days off, a trial monthly salary of 5K after regularization 7K, with meal and rent subsidies (fresh graduates preferred)


    Two financial auditors: Monthly salary of 15K+, postgraduate education required, with over three years of industry experience...


    The benefits of registering a company with paid-up capital were immediately apparent, as Tianxing Investment''s information could be found on the national website.


    Before long, a long queue had formed in front of Lu Liang''s booth.


    After all, these days, checking a company''s information is not difficult; in fact, many schools'' first lesson in job-hunting teaches students how to discern whether a company is worth joining or not.


    Tianxing Investment had registered capital of 6 million,


    paid-up capital of 6 million, clearly indicating a strong company.


    And with the business license taking effect yesterday and recruitment starting today, anyone who got in would be the ''Founding Heroes''.


    As time passed, more and more people submitted their resumes, and Lu Liang began to feel overwhelmed, becoming increasingly selective.


    For the front desk position, initially, he was just looking for a college graduate with a good image and presence, but he couldn''t resist the abundance of choices available.


    So, he went from college graduates to third-tier universities, then second-tier, choosing candidates who were more and more attractive and also required a level-four English certificate and experience organizing school events.


    By comparison, there weren''t as many applicants for the financial audit positions, requiring a postgraduate education and three years of work experience, as the salary of 15K+ was just average, not particularly high.


    But still, there were resumes being submitted.


    Lu Liang saw one resume, a basket... from Shangcai University with a PhD, who had worked at Redwood Capital for eight years, possessing extensive industry experience.


    At first, he was shocked. How could such a high-caliber professional come to his modest temple?


    Until he saw the age section: born in ''78, 37 years old this year, and female, clearly someone who''d been ''optimized'' out of the workforce.


    At that age, being female, with a three-year career gap, unless she brought her own resources, most companies wouldn''t hire her.


    "Miss Tang, could you explain why you left Redwood, what you were doing during your three-year career gap?"


    Tang Caide had short hair cut at ear-length, making her look energetic and capable. Without looking at her age, she''d appear in her early thirties at most.


    Not particularly beautiful, but with a great vibe.


    She spoke candidly, "I divorced my ex-husband at that time and had no heart for work, so I quit to open a guesthouse in Cainan. After the guesthouse closed down, I returned to Modu."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and smiled, "Miss Tang, welcome to our company."


    He took out another resume and dialed the number on it, "Xiao Chen, are you still at Talent City? Come here now."


    Tang Caide was startled, "Mr. Lu, did I pass the interview?"


    "Yes, if you''re free, I can take you to the company now to process the employment procedures."


    Lu Liang gestured to the young girl rushing over from a distance.


    Tang Caide''s resume was very impressive. If it weren''t for her older age, being female, and a three-year career gap, he wouldn''t have had the chance to pick her up.


    He had no reason to be dissatisfied.


    "Tang Caide in finance, Chen Jinchun at the front desk, from now on you are colleagues. Get to know each other."


    Lu Liang introduced the two women, called over the market administrator, and had all the resumes on the table thrown into the shredder: "Wait for me at the door, I''ll go get the car."


    "Tang, hello, Mr. Lu, are you taking us to join the company now?" Chen Jinchun was bewildered, her eyes revealing pure innocence.


    She thought Lu Liang called her over to discuss something, not expecting to be asked if she had time to proceed with the employment process.


    She was in her senior year and would be graduating next month; she''d been looking for a job for over two months and was bound to say she had time.


    "Maybe Mr. Lu is in a hurry."


    Tang Caide laughed lightly, quickly catching on.


    After all, with nearly ten years of experience, she had seen many people and remained calm in situations.


    Chen Jinchun, as if finding a pillar of strength, whispered, "Could there be any problem?"


    "That''s totally unlikely." Tang Caide looked ahead, where a blue Bentley was parked at the building entrance, and Lu Liang was waving at them.


    Even if the Bentley was rented, the fact that Tianxing Investment currently had 6 million in funds was incontrovertible.


    Besides, knowing one''s own worth, she didn''t think she had anything left to be deceived about.


    "Let''s go." Tang Caide took the front passenger''s seat and let Chen Jinchun sit in the back.


    Although she said Lu Liang wouldn''t likely deceive them, she still remained vigilant.


    Having Chen Jinchun sit in the back was also a protective measure.

 Chapter 32 - 32: This Boss Has Such a Big Heart

    Half an hour later, they arrived at Yongfeng Building.


    "Our company is on the 16th floor of the building, the working environment is still a bit minimalistic right now, but it will gradually be improved."


    Lu Liang had preemptively warned the two of them, the company consisted only of them three, some money, and a piece of property.


    Beyond that, there was nothing else.


    Tang Caide gave a faint smile, obviously anticipating this situation and mentally prepared for it.


    Chen Jinchun''s face was full of shock, her mouth agape, and inside she was already beating a retreat.


    Because the teacher told them that the status of a fresh graduate was very important, if lost, it would be difficult to find a job afterwards.


    The three stepped out of the elevator, and at the end of the corridor the voice of Meng Changkun rang out, "Right, right, that''s it, just a bit more to the side."


    The office area was barely over two hundred square meters, yet a dozen or so people were helping with the decorations at the entrance, some hanging up signs, some laying carpet, and others arranging flower baskets; it all looked quite professional.


    "Mr. Kun, what''s this about?" Lu Liang approached to ask, recognizing the young helpers.


    Some worked on the same floor as him, and others worked downstairs, all from companies invested in by Meng Changkun.


    "Lu, you''re back so soon? I actually wanted to give you a surprise."


    Meng Changkun laughed, "Brother, I wish your business thrives, revenue pours in, growing bigger and stronger to create splendor."


    Lu Liang rented his office from him and was also his friend, so today on the company''s opening, it was only reasonable to express his support.


    Seeing him send flower baskets and personally congratulating him, those companies he invested in also hurried to help out.


    So, the crowd grew larger and larger, and more and more flower baskets were placed at the entrance.


    "Mr. Kun, you are too kind, I really don''t know what to say to express my gratitude."


    "We''re all friends here, it''s too formal to say thanks for such a small favor."


    Lu Liang was not overdone in his appreciation and said to those who came to help, "Thank you very much everyone for the assistance. As today''s preparations are not comprehensive, I will make sure to visit and return the favor in the future."


    "Mr. Lu, you jest. In the future, we''re all neighbors, just let us know if there''s anything we can help with."


    Everyone had a smile on their face, handing out their business cards and hoping to exchange more in the future and find opportunities for cooperation.


    Although they did not know Lu Liang, the fact that he was a friend valued by Meng Changkun was enough for them.


    After exchanging a few words,


    Lu Liang stood at the entrance, watching them leave.


    "Have we met before?" Meng Changkun asked doubtfully, looking at Tang Caide, feeling she looked familiar.


    Tang Caide laughed lightly, "Mr. Meng, four years ago, at Thunder Technologies."


    "Ah, it''s Miss Tang from Redwood, long time no see. Look at my memory, sorry about that."


    Meng Changkun suddenly realized, as he had attended a financing banquet at Thunder Technologies a few years ago and had seen Tang Caide there.


    "Mr. Meng, it''s normal for important people to forget things," Tang Caide said with a smile, helping to explain.


    After seeing everyone off, Lu Liang asked curiously, "Mr. Kun, do you two know each other?"


    "We have met a few times before, Miss Tang used to work at Redwood, which is one of the top venture capitals in the country," Meng Changkun praised, expressing admiration for the sheer power of Redwood Capital rather than for Tang Caide herself.


    "Mr. Meng, that''s all in the past, I left Redwood several years ago," Tang Caide said, knowing that without Redwood, she was at most an experienced financial officer.


    "Fine birds choose fine trees to perch on, Miss Tang, this might be a wise choice," he said.


    With that, Meng Changkun patted Lu Liang on the shoulder, "Bro, I''m going to head out now, come up for a tea when you have time."


    "Mr. Kun, take care." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The bustle was like a gust of wind; it came quickly and left just as swiftly.


    But Lu Liang wasn''t too concerned from the beginning, so he didn''t feel let down.


    After seeing Meng Changkun off, he led the two into the company. Inside, everything was tidy with a seven-inch Pixiu placed on the table, undoubtedly a gift from Meng Changkun.


    "This is our company."


    The space was just over two hundred square meters, which could be walked around in a few steps.


    Lu Liang took out the business registration documents and a copy of the business license, "Miss Tang, if you''re free today, you can start working. First, take care of your own and Xiao Chen''s onboarding process, buy social insurance if necessary, and the housing provident fund as needed."


    Chen Jinchun''s eyes widened. It was the first time she had seen a newcomer handle their own onboarding process, which made her want to retreat even more.


    Tang Caide noticed her hesitation and lightly touched her palm, then said to Lu Liang, "Alright, Mr. Lu."


    Lu Liang was very pleased with Tang Caide''s attitude and took out a corporate sub-card, "There''s a hundred thousand in here. At the moment, the company still lacks equipment like computers, printers, phones, and networking facilities."


    "Take a look at what''s needed, make a procurement list and send it to me. Then, take Xiao Chen shopping. Claim all expenses like meals and taxi fares, and if the money isn''t enough, just let me know."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to deal with these trivial matters. A PhD from Shangcai was certainly worth a trust of a hundred thousand.


    "Oh yeah, go buy some fruit and tea tomorrow. We need to reciprocate the companies that sent over fruit baskets today."


    While the two were talking, Lu Liang suddenly got a message from an unknown number on his phone.


    "Uncle Lu, is that you? I''m Xiaoguai."


    The message prompted an image of a delicate little girl to pop into Lu Liang''s mind.


    Zhang Qian''s daughter, Zhang Yun, also called Zhang Xiaoguai.


    He replied, "Yes, it''s me. What''s up?"


    "Uncle Lu, do you have time right now? My teacher called mom, but she didn''t answer."


    A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Lu Liang''s mouth. He walked to the door and made a call, "Xiaoguai, did you get into trouble at school?"


    "Uncle Lu, I didn''t get into any trouble. It was Zhao Jiaqi who bullied me first, that''s why I hit him."


    The background noise on Xiaoguai''s end was loud, with a woman''s cursing voice nearby.


    "Wait for me, I''ll be right there."


    Startled, Lu Liang hastily went back inside to tell the other two, "I''ve got another matter to attend to, I''ll be leaving first. Contact me if you need anything."


    He left as swiftly as the wind, grabbing his car keys and hurrying off, leaving the two looking at each other in bewilderment.


    Despite having seen the world, Tang Caide couldn''t help but smile wryly at the sight of the bank card, "Mr. Lu is really carefree."


    But she quickly got into work mode, taking paper and pen to jot down what needed to be purchased and other tasks to be handled.


    Chen Jinchun was embarrassed and hesitated, "Miss Tang, maybe you could mention to Mr. Lu tomorrow that I won''t be coming."


    The building''s environment and work location were up to expectations; it was just that the company and the boss seemed unreliable.


    "Xiao Chen, you might want to think it over a little more. Our company should have quite a bit of potential for development."


    Tang Caide smiled slightly, understanding Xiao Chen''s feelings. Talking about Meng Changkun, he was quite a big name in Modu''s venture capital circles, with total assets surely no less than three billion.


    Lu Liang was his friend, and from their conversation, it was clear they were equals.


    Not like those young men who came to help, all beaming with forced smiles, not daring to show any other emotions.


    This in itself was proof of Lu Liang''s remarkable capabilities.


    Chen Jinchun was taken aback, not expecting the portly middle-aged man to be so impressive.


    "Miss Tang, thank you."


    Embarrassed, she decided to stay for the time being, at least to stick around for a few days to see how things would go.


    "Let''s not talk about that now. I remember there''s a telecom service center downstairs. Go ask about the cost for setting up a corporate broadband connection."


    Tang Caide smiled warmly. She was kind-hearted, giving Chen Jinchun plenty to do to help her settle in quicker.


    Moreover, she felt that the company was quite good. The boss had strength and it was in the initial stages, so there wouldn''t be too much to keep busy with, which also gave her time to get back to her initial state.

 Chapter 33 - 33: Slapped Down with a Single Palm

    On the other side, Lu Liang arrived at Shida Attached Primary School.


    Waiting at the school gate for a while, he called Zhang Yun''s head teacher to confirm his identity, and finally, the security uncle let him in.


    Zhang Qian was very good to her daughter and very generous, having spent over 3 million on an old, dilapidated apartment for her daughter''s school enrollment eligibility.


    Affiliated Primary School might not be the best elementary school, but it could rank in the top ten in Modu; the campus environment and the quality of teachers were both excellent.


    Walking across the green athletic track, Lu Liang made his way to the administrative office and saw Zhang Yun standing lonely in a corner from afar, her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes.


    As soon as he entered, he heard over the phone that shrew cursing in the street, "So young, yet so vicious, a child with no upbringing."


    "Auntie, it was Zhao Jiaqi who bullied me first; why don''t you say anything about him?"


    Zhang Yun bit her lip, defiant, not wanting to look as weak as she appeared on the outside.


    "Well, you even dare to talk back. Mr. Lin, when will her parents get here? I''d really like to see what kind of parents can raise such a sharp-tongued brat."


    The woman, fuming with rage, raised her hand to slap Zhang Yun.


    "Just say what you have to say; there''s no need to get physical. Don''t act like a shrew." Lu Liang quickly stepped forward and knocked the woman''s arm aside. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Uncle Lu." Zhang Yun looked up with joy, as if she had found her mainstay, and sprinted to hug Lu Liang''s leg.


    "You must be Lu Liang, Mr. Lu, right? Can you contact Zhang Yun''s mother?" the teacher asked.


    "Her mother asked me to come and handle this..."


    Lu Liang was halfway through speaking when his expression suddenly darkened.


    He saw on Zhang Yun''s right cheek near her ear, there were three bright red finger marks, almost turning blue.


    The size, unlikely to be from a child''s palm.


    Lu Liang asked coldly, "Who hit her?"


    The teacher sensed trouble and quickly tried to explain, "Mr. Lu, please don''t get angry; Ms. Liang was just a bit emotional earlier."


    Lu Liang squatted in front of Zhang Yun, pointed to the woman beside him, and asked softly, "Xiaoguai, did she hit you?"


    Zhang Yun suddenly lost control of her emotions, "It was Zhao Jiaqi... he cursed me first, he pushed me first, I did nothing wrong."


    "Don''t cry, uncle will take care of you."


    Lu Liang felt immense pity and turned his head towards the teacher, "Mr. Lin, the school has surveillance, right? What exactly happened?"


    The woman worried that Lu Liang might seek revenge and cautiously stepped back several steps, but seeing him not laying a hand on her, a hint of contempt flashed in her eyes.


    Suddenly, with fierce vigor: "No matter what the situation is, it''s not right to leave my child''s face scratched like this, look at it, it''s almost disfigured."


    There was a boy nearby with several scratch marks on his face, but they were just shallow imprints, nowhere near as serious as Zhang Yun''s.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s just kids'' horseplay."


    Lin Xiao was very careful with her wording, attempting to downplay the gravity of the incident with the excuse of children''s horseplay.


    As teachers, they naturally hoped to minimize the incident.


    "So you''re saying, my child didn''t do anything wrong, is that it?"


    Lu Liang understood the full story.


    Zhang Yun inherited her mother''s good looks, carved like a dainty doll since she was small, and naturally attracted the adoration of boys.


    The boy liked Zhang Yun and wanted to play with her, but since Zhang Yun didn''t like him, his love turned to hate.


    He messed up her backpack, doodled in her textbooks, deliberately tripped her, trying various ways to get her attention.


    Zhang Yun tolerated it again and again, until she couldn''t anymore.


    And at that age, girls often grow taller than boys, and possess more fighting spirit.


    "Children''s play is quite normal."


    Lu Liang suddenly swung his arm and gave the woman a hard slap across the face, "Why do you, an adult, meddle in this?"


    A sharp sound rang out; the woman was slapped to the ground, seeing stars instantly; everyone in the office was stunned.


    No one expected that Lu Liang, who had been so calm and reasonable, would suddenly lash out in violence.


    The force of a grown man''s slap was tremendous; with a full swing, the woman''s face swelled up like a pig''s head.


    She seemed as though her tear ducts had burst open, crying, "Help! Murder... Call the police quickly."


    The little boy next to them was also too scared to move, his whole body trembling, tears almost crying out.


    The only two male teachers in the office stepped forward to embrace Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, please calm down."


    "I''m sorry, I got a bit emotional just now, I lost my composure."


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, not engaging in any more extreme behavior, and coldly watched as the woman dialed the police.


    He crouched down, stroking Xiaoguai''s back of the head, "If someone hits you, it''s not your fault, you have to hit back hard."


    The little girl''s eyes were twinkling with tears, and she nodded emphatically.


    Lin Xiao furrowed his brows, "Mr. Lu, the way you are teaching the child is very problematic."


    "And you? You don''t have a problem?"


    Lu Liang retorted angrily, incensed by the thought of the incident, "So many people just watched as she was slapped and did nothing but tell her not to be angry, not to be anxious. It''s not your child, of course you''re not anxious, it''s simply inexcusable for a teacher."


    He sensed that the teachers were somewhat biased towards the woman.


    When Zhang Yun was hit, no one spoke up for her, not even offering to apply any medicine to reduce the swelling.


    In contrast, when the woman was flipped to the ground by his slap, even the head of the teachers came to offer his sympathies.


    Lin Xiao was speechless, his face alternating between shades of green and white.


    As the homeroom teacher, she was aware of the families'' circumstances and tended to choose the lesser of two evils by habit.


    Right beside Affiliated Primary School was the police station; the police were almost immediately dispatched upon receiving the call.


    "Officer, what took you so long, it''s him, arrest him quickly."


    Seeing the police, the woman suddenly felt backed up, her face a grimace of pain as she accused Lu Liang of his misdeeds.


    "Let''s all go to the station and not cause a scene at the school," the officer said with a furrowed brow, but he internally breathed a sigh of relief.


    When they received the call, even the chief was alarmed, as the woman claimed there was a murder, and that too within the school.


    Fortunately, it was just a quarrel between parents; a homicide on school grounds within their jurisdiction would have caused quite a scandal for their police station.


    Lu Liang took Zhang Yun with him to follow the police to the station.


    He also made a call to Meng Changkun, inquiring if he knew of any law firms.


    Meng Changkun quickly asked, "What happened?"


    "A small incident, just a quarrel with someone, I accidentally slapped the other party," Lu Liang informed truthfully.


    "If you need anything, just say the word, I can recommend a law firm for you, they handle civil, criminal, or commercial cases."


    Meng Changkun sent the number for Jin Cheng Law Firm, whom his company consults for many business disputes.


    Lu Liang expressed his thanks and not long after, Zhang Qian''s call came through, rushing over after receiving the news.


    Holding her daughter, she looked at the handprint on her daughter''s face with deep distress and looked up to say, "Liang, thank you."


    She also explained why her call didn''t get through; she was out on errands and her phone died with no place to charge it.


    "It''s not a big deal," Lu Liang said with a gentle smile.


    These days, who doesn''t know a bit of the law, this kind of small matter doesn''t even meet the standard for filing a case, it''s just about spending some money.


    A while later, Ye Wei from Jin Cheng Law Firm arrived at the station.


    He asked Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, do you want to settle this publicly or privately?"


    "Either is fine, as long as I''ve had the air cleared."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, in front of the woman.


    The woman was furious, pulling at the officer, "Look at him, he''s so arrogant."


    "Miss Liang, please don''t pull and drag."


    The officer tightened his brows and looked at Lu Liang with a cold face, "Mr. Lu, I''d also ask you not to provoke any further."


    Knowing immediately that someone who calls for a lawyer is not easy to handle, and with the woman being relentless, it was giving him a headache.


    "Okok."


    Lu Liang shrugged with a laugh, leaving everything to Ye Wei to handle.


    He picked up his phone and looked at the purchase list sent by Tang Caide; five computers, two printers¡­


    Over twenty kinds of office supplies to be purchased, with each item''s approximate price listed in the table.

 Chapter 34 - 34: Like a Family of Three

    "Go ahead and buy it, just remember to get an invoice."


    Lu Liang sighed, choosing Tang Caide really was the right decision.


    Having an experienced person in the house is like having a treasure, if he had hired a fresh graduate with no experience, he might have had to deal with these trivial matters himself.


    Zhang Qian, holding her daughter, was sitting next to him when she accidentally saw the chat history between the two, "You started a company?"


    "Starting a company also makes things easier." Lu Liang didn''t elaborate further, his lips curving into a slight smile as he watched Ye Wei arguing fiercely.


    With a retainer fee of five thousand, plus additional fees depending on the case''s complexity, most people really would be reluctant to hire such a lawyer.


    But now it seemed that you get what you pay for. Without Lu Liang having to say anything, Ye Wei had already handled the issue perfectly.


    The woman was initially unyielding, having never been treated this way in her life, and was thinking of suing Lu Liang for intentional injury.


    But then her husband arrived, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and dressed in a suit, giving the impression of being a public official.


    Her husband spoke with Lawyer Ye for a moment, understood the circumstances, and ultimately decided to settle privately, without any compensation required.


    Zhao Qiangmin glanced at the injury on Zhang Yun''s face, his expression full of guilt, "Little friend, I''m sorry. On behalf of the aunt and Jiaqi, I apologize to you, will you forgive them?"


    Public officials dread lawsuits the most. They could accuse Lu Liang of intentional injury, but Lu Liang could do the same to them.


    With his ability to hire a professional lawyer immediately, he was definitely capable of fighting them to the end.


    And adults hitting a minor student compared to adults hitting adults was completely different in nature.


    In the end, they would certainly be at a disadvantage.


    The little girl looked unsure and glanced at Lu Liang unconsciously.


    Ever since the moment Lu Liang stood up for her, the blurred figure in her mind had gradually taken on a clear form.


    "Qianqian, what do you think?" Lu Liang was skeptical, that headstrong woman has such a reasonable husband?


    Then, recalling those teachers'' bias towards the woman, he vaguely guessed the man''s job and understood why the other party was willing to back down.


    "I''ll listen to you."


    Zhang Qian''s words were on the tip of her tongue but she swallowed them back.


    She didn''t really want to make a fuss anymore, but she was unsure about Lu Liang''s attitude, so it was better to let him handle it.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, also not making it too difficult, "Have your wife come over and apologize, and have your son write a self-criticism, and make a proper apology to our child."


    "That''s only right." Zhao Qiangmin breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Liang was more reasonable than he had anticipated.


    The woman now looked subservient, a far cry from her previous brashness, with her swollen, drooping face, "Little friend, I''m sorry. I was a bit emotional earlier."


    Zhao Jiaqi was standing by, acting spoiled and crying out, "I don''t want to apologize to her at all. Dad, aren''t you the Director of Education? Just fire her!"


    Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.


    In such situations, the last thing you want is to exert official pressure on the common people. Once someone grabs onto that weakness, it''s easy to lose one''s official cap.


    Lu Liang laughed, "So it''s Director Zhao, no wonder Mr. Zhao has such authority. It''s truly exemplary teaching."


    Zhao Qiangmin''s face darkened, catching the sarcasm in Lu Liang''s words, and slapped Zhao Jiaqi across the face in front of everyone, "Shut up. It''s all your mother''s fault for spoiling you."


    He could only lower his stance even more, "Mr. Lu, Miss Zhang, I apologize for neglecting my child''s education due to my work these past years. I hereby make amends to both of you."


    Zhang Qian tugged at Lu Liang''s sleeve quietly, wary of the director''s position, signaling that it was enough and not to make things too stiff.


    "Director Zhao is dedicated to public duty, thereby neglecting family education, which is commendable."


    Lu Liang smiled, surreptitiously putting another label on Zhao Qiangmin, then crouched down to look at Zhang Yun, "Xiaoguai, shall we forgive Mr. Zhao and the little brother?"


    "Okay~" The little girl didn''t understand the significance of his words, but she had long since let go of any resentment.


    "Little friend, thank you," Zhao Qiangmin said deeply, looking at Lu Liang and naturally understanding his point.


    As a leader in the education department, ignoring family education, and having his son speak of abusing power, could count as knowingly committing a crime. Lu Liang was giving him a warning. This matter should be settled here, but he wouldn''t hesitate to fight it out if there were any follow-ups.


    At seven o''clock in the evening, the two parties left the police station.


    Zhao Qiangmin spoke sincerely, "Mr. Lu, please rest assured, tonight I will certainly supervise him to write a self-criticism. He will apologize to student Zhang Yun in front of the whole school tomorrow."


    "Director Zhao, you are a reasonable person, we believe in you," Lu Liang said with a smile, watching them leave.


    At that moment, Ye Wei approached Lu Liang and whispered, "Mr. Lu, I recorded the entire conversation."


    That was a professional habit of his. Should Lu Liang decide to dig deeper and stir things up, Zhao Qiangmin''s career would be hindered for life.


    Although commoners should not contend with officials, it depends on the rank. Zhao Qiangmin, at 39, is at the department head level¡ªit''s fair to say he''s doing okay.


    "You didn''t make a backup, did you?" Lu Liang inquired.


    Ye Wei shook his head: "This is the only copy."


    "Lawyer Ye, let''s leave it at that for now, and send me the bill later," Lu Liang said as he put away the recording pen.


    "Mr. Lu, here is our firm''s business card. Please feel free to contact us anytime you need," Ye Wei said as he took his leave.


    "You''re not thinking of pursuing this further, are you?" Zhang Qian asked worriedly.


    "It''s better to be safe than sorry, it''s better to have something than nothing."


    Lu Liang didn''t plan to push further, but if the other party planned on settling scores later in the fall, he didn''t mind making a list. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Xiaoguai, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? Uncle Lu will take you there."


    He crouched down, pushed back Zhang Yun''s bangs, wiped the medicinal alcohol on her wound. The swelling had subsided, but a bruise still lingered.


    The little girl''s moods came and went quickly. After stealing a glance at her mom, she said, "Then I want to go to McDonald''s."


    Zhang Qian sighed in resignation and touched her hair: "Alright, let''s go eat."


    "Yay!"


    The little girl hopped and skipped joyfully.


    Because she was holding Lu Liang''s left hand and Zhang Qian''s right hand.


    Zhang Qian also sneaked a peek at Lu Liang, feeling an inexplicable sensation in her heart, as if they were like a family of three.


    She had Lu Liang to thank for today, and it even sparked a thought in her that perhaps things were pretty good as they were.


    How she fared didn''t matter,


    as long as Lu Liang was good to her daughter.


    McDonald''s was just at the intersection ahead,


    Lu Liang didn''t drive, so the trio walked there.


    "Auntie, how have you been lately?"


    After placing their order, Lu Liang carried the tray back to their table, asking about Zhang Qian''s recent circumstances and her mother''s health.


    "My mom is getting old. She probably needs proper rest. I''ve hired two caregivers to take care of her in shifts," she said.


    Zhang Qian paused, then spoke about her visit to the market in the afternoon, where a medium-sized beauty salon was up for transfer.


    "Tell me about it."


    Lu Liang rested his chin on one hand, carefully attending to the little girl: "Eat slowly, no one''s racing you."


    A touch of tenderness flashed in Zhang Qian''s eyes as she softly said, "The beauty salon''s lease still has three and a half years left. The interior decor is about eighty percent new, and it comes fully equipped with all kinds of devices, including a team of beauticians. It just needs a transfer fee of 1.3 million."


    "Can it break even with future earnings?" Lu Liang asked.


    "Don''t underestimate me; I''ve done my research. That beauty salon has a net profit of at least eighty thousand per month."


    Zhang Qian shot him a look. She was once a customer there; the environment was nice, and many wealthy ladies had memberships.


    Lu Liang wondered: "If the monthly net profit is really eighty thousand, that''s one million six hundred thousand in two years. So why transfer it?"


    "Apparently, the owner of the beauty salon diverted funds to speculate on stocks and ended up trapped with no liquidity, to the point where they couldn''t even pay the salaries."


    Zhang Qian said this and couldn''t help but look at Lu Liang.


    It was fortunate that she had heeded his advice last week to liquidate early; although she missed two chances at upper limit price gains, she avoided the stock market crash.


    Furthermore, in preparation for investing in the beauty salon, she had withdrawn all her money, not even purchasing any funds.


    These past few days, the lamentations in her circle of friends had been ample,


    stocks had plummeted sharply, and funds had fallen even harder.

 Chapter 35 - 35: Hardworking Men Are the Most Handsome

    After dinner, Lu Liang drove Zhang Qian and her daughter home.


    Today had been eventful, and Zhang Yun fell into a deep sleep in her mother''s arms on the way back.


    Lu Liang carried her into their home, placed her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and finally shut the door.


    He said to Zhang Qian, "If you make up your mind, send me a message, and I''ll accompany you to sign the contract."


    The transfer fee was 1.3 million RMB, with a monthly net profit of eighty thousand RMB¡ªit was a decent project.


    Lu Liang had over ten million RMB in cash on hand; it was time he acquired some property for himself.


    "I''ll look into it more these next few days."


    Zhang Qian was cautious and didn''t decide impulsively.


    After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Liang, if you don''t mind, I''d like to invest a bit too."


    Lu Liang smiled and asked, "How much are you thinking of investing?"


    He discovered the reason he admired Zhang Qian.


    She was very independent, both in character and financially, not wanting to rely entirely on others.


    Perhaps it was also related to her experiences, raising her daughter alone naturally fostered a lack of security.


    Unlike Li Manli, who was nineteen this year, carefree and thoughtless, who ate well herself without worrying if her family did.


    "40%, but 30% would be okay too," Zhang Qian carefully gauged Lu Liang''s expression.


    Lu Liang chuckled, "If you want to invest more, it''s 40%; less, then 30%. Either is fine with me."


    He intended to simply oversee the project and use it to maintain a long-term improper relationship with Zhang Qian.


    The exact share percentage wasn''t very important to him.


    It was nearly 8:10 PM, and Lu Liang planned to leave.


    The American session would start at 9 PM Yanjing time; the daytime Asian session and the afternoon European session had seen no anomalies.


    London Gold was currently priced at $1458.55 per ounce, still $58.7 away from the predicted price.


    Without unexpected events in the American continent, the international gold price would likely see another rise.


    Suddenly, Zhang Qian embraced Lu Liang from behind, whispering close to his ear, "Liang, why don''t you stay at my place tonight?"


    She wasn''t thinking too much now, content to be his lover for life even without a formal title.


    As long as Lu Liang was kind to her daughter.


    "Next time, I really have something tonight."


    Lu Liang turned around, embracing Zhang Qian''s waist.


    Their eyes met, and through their gaze, he saw emotions different from before.


    "The door code is 889912, and the spare key is usually hidden in the top compartment of the fire cabinet by the door."


    Zhang Qian tiptoed, their lips met in a lingering kiss: "You can come over anytime you want, this is your second home."


    "Alright, I''ll come and see you after I''m done with this busy period."


    Lu Liang nodded, eyes are windows to the soul, and right now, Zhang Qian''s eyes were very sincere, no longer as empty as before.


    A thick love, an indelible tenderness, this was the first time he had seen such a look in his life.


    His marriage to his ex-wife had been more of a partnership, and later, she unilaterally breached it.


    "Giggle giggle... teehee."


    Suddenly, a child''s naive voice came from inside the house, catching the two off guard and making them hurriedly part.


    "Go take a shower and do your homework as soon as you wake up," Zhang Qian said blushing, resembling someone caught in a clandestine affair.


    Lu Liang confidently approached and patted the little girl on the head: "Xiaoguai, Uncle has some work at the company, I''ll come to see you next time."


    "When is the next time?" The little girl looked up with innocent, hopeful eyes, wanting a precise date.


    "Hmm¡­ today is Thursday, let''s wait for the weekend."


    "Then let''s pinky swear."


    "Pinky swear."


    Before leaving the house, Lu Liang, like the man of the house, kissed the woman on the cheek in front of the child: "I''m leaving."


    "Bye-bye~" Zhang Qian, full of deep affection, stood at the doorway, watching Lu Liang enter the elevator.


    "Mommy, can I call Uncle Lu ''Daddy'' in the future?" the little girl suddenly asked, her eyes filled with expectation.


    Zhang Qian was silent for a long time, not avoiding the topic like before. Squatting in front of her daughter, she spoke earnestly: "Xiaoguai, do you want him to be your daddy?"


    "Mmm, I like Uncle Lu."


    The little girl, thrilled and excited, recounted how Uncle Lu had shown his mettle at the school office that afternoon.


    From that moment, she had a clear picture of what a father was, based solely on textbook definitions before¡ªlike a towering mountain or an expansive canopying tree.


    "Then you have to be good, and Mommy will ask Uncle Lu next time."


    "I will definitely be good." The little girl nodded vigorously, her smile suddenly radiant.


    On the other side, Lu Liang returned home.


    "Manli, make me a cup of coffee."


    He didn''t stop for a minute but headed straight for the study.


    As time hit nine o''clock, the International Gold Market, which had been quiet for three hours, came alive again.


    At a price point of $1458.55, Lu Liang unwound a loss-locking position.


    The moment he released 1540 contracts, his total account loss instantly hit $653,300.


    His cost was $1462.85, where a fluctuation of one point meant a gain or loss of $154,000.


    With a margin of $5,620,000, Lu Liang could sustain a drop of 27 points without being liquidated.


    This time, he almost went all in, reinvesting everything he had earned last time back into the market.


    The allure of a billion-dollar fortune was too tempting; although not the only chance in his life, it was the best.


    A few minutes later,


    Li Manli entered with a cup of iced Americano and knocked on the door.


    Quite playfully, she sat on Lu Liang''s lap and looked at the colorful screen: "What''s this?"


    "It''s something like stocks."


    Knowing Li Manli didn''t understand, Lu Liang didn''t explain much and casually wrapped his arm around her waist, though his eyes stayed fixed on the screen.


    "What does ''-$730,300'' mean?"


    Li Manli already considered Lu Liang her boyfriend and wanted to understand more about his affairs, his work.


    "Literally, it means a loss of $730,300," Lu Liang smiled, having just dropped another 0.5 points, losing another $77,000.


    "I remember this $ symbol; it''s US dollars, right?" Li Manli stared blankly, her voice suddenly trembling.


    If the -$730,300 in the top left corner was a loss, then the nine-digit number at the bottom must be the account funds.


    Still a nine-digit figure starting with 2, still in US dollars, her head started to spin, unable to make the conversion.


    Lu Liang made a sound of acknowledgement, not explaining specifically that this was funds used with a hundred times leverage.


    Suddenly, Li Manli''s eyes welled up, her gaze almost liquefying: "Dear, can I take a photo?"


    She wanted to boast on her social media.


    Lu Liang''s expression turned stern, but then he smiled and said, "Sure, but don''t capture my face or the positions clearly."


    He remembered that Li Manli was in regular contact with Zhou Xiaoqi, having invited her over a few days ago to try her homemade cuisine.


    The two were good friends; Zhou Xiaoqi was Meng Changkun''s lover¡ªit was time Old Meng knew his investments were valuable.


    Excited, Li Manli ran to Lu Liang''s back to find an angle: "Dear, your profile while drinking coffee is so handsome."


    Clicking away, she sorted through to keep four more representative photos.


    "Let me see them too."


    Lu Liang deleted two, leaving one blurry profile and another showing just a corner of the account, indicating profit and loss without exposing the positions.


    However, this image showed profits rather than losses.


    Current gain: +$3,581,700.


    Just now, the London Gold market had shifted.


    A massive bullish spike shot through the sky, surging by 28 points, unstoppable.


    Lu Liang''s account instantly turned from loss to profit.


    "Is this¡­ is this a profit of over three million? And in US dollars?" Li Manli''s eyes widened, utterly shocked.


    "Get out, and close the door behind you."


    Lu Liang hummed, too busy to deal with Li Manli as he searched for the reason behind the gold''s surge. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Frightened, Li Manli didn''t dare disturb him and even removed her slippers, tiptoeing out of the study.


    She ran barefoot through the living room, ecstatically back to her own room.


    Lying on her bed, chuckling at the photos.


    A matter of millions in mere minutes.


    Li Manli, grinning, couldn''t wait to post on her social media with the caption: "A man who works hard is the most attractive."


    Once posted, it instantly triggered a wave of likes, even hotter than the response to her late-night post last time.


    Last time it was just nighttime views and beautiful photos; people would see them and then forget.


    But this time it was real money,


    over three million dollars, over twenty million RMB.


    With such an amount, one could buy cars, houses, and invest in businesses in any city in the country, living a wealthy life.


    They dared not think deeper¡ª


    how much total assets one must have to make this much money.


    Zhang Qian was the first to like,


    followed closely by Zhou Xiaoqi¡­

 Chapter 36 - 36: The Genuine Billionaire

    At 10 p.m., the Federal Reserve announced a rate cut.


    Starting from June 15, the savings interest rate for all American banks was lowered from the original 3.35% to 3.05%, a decrease of 0.30%.


    In today''s world, there are four main stream currencies, namely the US Dollar, Euro, British Pounds, and the yen.


    The US Dollar constitutes 48.25% of this market, more than the other three major currencies combined, making it an indispensable foreign exchange reserve for countries around the globe.


    From nations to individuals, anyone with the means aspires to hoard more US Dollars to prepare for emergencies.


    This gives rise to dollar hegemony, or in layman''s terms, the ultimate interpretation of the dollar belongs to the Federal Reserve.


    Rate cuts, rate hikes, printing more currency¡ªany action by the Federal Reserve can shake the international financial markets.


    The rate cut announced today is fundamentally aimed to stimulate market consumption and discourage people from saving all their money in the banks.


    Spend more, get the capital circulating.


    However, artificial market interventions


    have their advantages and, naturally, their disadvantages.


    They inevitably lead to inflation.


    Over the past five years, the Federal Reserve announced five rate cuts and two rate hikes, and each time there was a rate cut, the price of gold surged, and vice versa.


    Because gold is the best tool to guard against inflation and is the savings pool for all big capital.


    Before deciding which industry to invest in, buying some gold is always right¡ªyou might not earn, but you definitely won''t lose.


    Having understood the reasons for the surge in gold prices, Lu Liang casually crossed his legs, watching his account assets climb higher and higher.


    For every dollar that London Gold rose per ounce,


    the upper right corner of his account showed an additional profit of $154,000.


    At 11:30 p.m.,


    his total profits reached $7,739,700.


    In the past hour and a half, London Gold made a vigorous attack, surging 52 points, to a current price of $1514.55.


    Only 2 points away from the price predicted by the voice,


    Lu Liang resolutely began to liquidate, selling off all 1540 of his contracts, converting his unrealized gains into actual profits.


    His capital was $8.62 million, of which $5.62 million was margin, and $3 million was operating capital, using a hundred times leverage.


    After deducting the 3.5% leverage fee,


    his total account assets came to $16,254,700.


    The market changes in the blink of an eye, giving Lu Liang no time to celebrate becoming a millionaire.


    At the moment he sold, London Gold rose another 2 points, and market sentiment was extremely heated.


    Lu Liang, almost instinctively, switched from a long to a short position, reinvesting $5 million to establish positions, once again employing a hundred times leverage.


    The five hundred million dollars obtained through short selling garnered a total of 3250 contracts, worth $492 million.


    Next, Lu Liang aggressively sold the 3250 contracts obtained from short selling at a price of $1516.7500.


    As the contracts were all sold off, the dedicated funds in the account turned into $499.85 million, currently showing a loss of $105,000.


    Short selling is similar to going long¡ªit''s all about pocketing the difference.


    Going long is buying low and selling high, which isn''t hard to understand.


    Short selling is relatively more complicated; it involves borrowing stocks ahead of time, selling at a high price, and then buying back at a lower price.


    Soon after, Lu Liang established his short position with a cost price of $1516.7500.


    A total of 3250 contracts were sold off,


    and a 1-point increase or decrease represented a profit or loss of $325,000.


    He had $11,254,700 in his margin account, and if the losses exceeded 70%, it would trigger a forced closure.


    He could tolerate a maximum increase of 24 points.


    "This trend is about to peak," Lu Liang said, without taking his eyes off the screen.


    In this period, whether investing in stocks or in London Gold, he had been completely confident and nonchalant.


    Because he knew that as long as the bet was large enough and his influence small enough, the outcome was predetermined.


    Only this time, shorting London Gold depended solely on his own understanding of the market and judgment of the situation.


    For the voice had only hinted at the peak price and did not indicate how much it would fall afterwards.


    At that moment, Lu Liang''s concentration was unprecedentedly intense.


    He could have stayed in his comfort zone, but he wanted to test the results of his studies over the past few months.


    As seconds ticked away,


    the price of London Gold continued to rise slowly.


    It reached $1517.25.


    It was like encountering a bottleneck, hovering for a long time.


    The price was also predicted to be the highest for today.


    Lu Liang was fully focused, his heart almost stopping.


    He stared at the number until it jumped, becoming $1517.88.


    "Indeed, it changed again."


    Lu Liang muttered to himself, his own butterfly effect once again altering the final outcome.


    In time, when his strength could influence the market, those foreseen predictions might no longer exist.


    Half an hour later, the London Gold price continued to rise, but the increase seemed to be losing steam as if the Federal Reserve''s interest rate cut was nearing its end.


    When the clock struck one in the morning, London Gold market trends took a sharp downturn, the rise abruptly curbed.


    It instantaneously retraced 14 points, the descent ongoing.


    "This severity doesn''t look like a mere retrace."


    Lu Liang''s eyebrows knitted together, as market retracements usually happened gradually, not with such a sudden dive.


    Searching for the reasons of the plunge on information forums, he finally found a specific cause in the gold price volatility report released by Goldman Sachs Group.


    "OPEC announced an increase in oil production for next quarter?"


    Lu Liang realized, understanding why the gold price had plunged.


    OPEC, short for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, mostly includes the wealthy nations of the Middle East as members.


    Their declaration to increase oil output meant lower oil prices, indicative of an economic boom, which naturally affected gold prices.


    As the proverb goes, antiques in times of prosperity, gold in times of chaos; in an era of economic prosperity, gold prices would plummet.


    "It''s only dampening enthusiasm in the gold market, but it shouldn''t offset the impact of the Federal Reserve''s rate cut."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and made a judgment that the Federal Reserve''s influence took precedence over an increase in oil production.


    After all, it was a father-son relationship; no matter how loud the son''s voice, it couldn''t overshadow the father''s authority.


    Although oil prices were controlled by OPEC, behind the scenes, it was still the United States calling the shots.


    This was also why the Middle East had known no peace over the years.


    "If I don''t run now, it might be too late."


    Lu Liang no longer hesitated, choosing to trust his judgment, he swiftly reacted, aggressively repurchasing London Gold.


    Just after one in the morning, he repurchased 3,250 futures contracts, spending a total of four hundred eighty-five million dollars.


    Selling at $1516.17 and buying at 1500 dollars a point, he netted 1675 dollars per contract.


    In just under half an hour, this short sale earned Lu Liang a profit of $5.4437 million.


    After deducting fees, he still had $5.3387 million,


    bringing his total capital to $21.5934 million.


    "I''m smiling so proudly¡« smiling proudly¡«"


    Lu Liang''s lips curled upwards, humming a cheerful tune.


    Not just because his assets had broken through twenty million dollars, making him a bona fide multimillionaire.


    But also because his judgment had been correct¡ªhe had cashed out at the peak and escaped with the funds successfully.


    Right after he liquidated his position, the market also swiftly caught on that the Federal Reserve''s rate cut had a more significant impact than the increase in oil production.


    London Gold surged six points instantaneously, and countless speculative short-sellers who were slow to react were straight up blown out of their positions.


    Lu Liang was in high spirits, although he had built his position based on the news, he had liquidated it based on his own judgment.


    He was gradually becoming a qualified speculator.


    "An hour of a spring night is worth a thousand dollars."


    Lu Liang put away his materials and stepped out of the study, heading to Li Manli''s room. He stood at the door and listened; there were still sounds coming from inside.


    He tried the door and found it unlocked. Opening a crack, he quietly slipped into the room.


    He saw Li Manli lying on the bed scrolling through animations, apparently just after a bath, her hair still slightly damp.


    She wore pink leggings, her snow-white legs moving up and down, her tight buttocks revealing a graceful curve.


    Lu Liang pounced like a hungry tiger; Li Manli exclaimed in surprise, then joyfully said, "Liang, are you done with your work?"


    "For now, yes." Through her loose collar, Lu Liang caught a glimpse of spring, the beauty marks exceptionally tempting.


    "Wait a bit," giggled Li Manli, pushing Lu Liang away before running excitedly to the changing room.


    After a few minutes, she emerged in a purple cheongsam, dressed in an empress cosplay outfit: "How about this?"


    "So-so." Lu Liang was blunt; Li Manli''s cleavage wasn''t grand enough, and she wasn''t tall enough to pull off a purple cheongsam, giving the impression of a child playing dress-up.


    "I''m angry now," Li Manli pouted, rushing back to the changing room, this time coming out in a blue and white Japanese schoolgirl uniform paired with transparent white stockings.


    She asked proudly, "And now?"


    "I''ve been on the computer too much lately, my eyes are a bit blurry, come closer, let me take a good look," said Lu Liang, his lips curving slightly, until Li Manli came closer, at which point he provided practical feedback.


    sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 37 - 37: Lamborghini Urus

    "Wake up and come to the gym with me."


    At eight in the morning, Lu Liang woke up naturally. Since his days and nights had been mixed up lately, he''d also been neglecting his workouts.


    "Is it so early? Can we not go?" Li Manli pulled the blanket over her head and responded in a muffled voice from under the covers.


    Suddenly she stretched out a beautiful leg and waved it up and down, "Look at a body like mine, so perfect. Why do I need to work out?"


    "If you get fat, I won''t want you anymore," Lu Liang slapped her thigh, genuinely a bit envious.


    The biggest difference between youth and age is in the metabolism.


    Li Manli eats no less than him every day, and she especially loves to eat sweets and snacks. Yet, she never gains weight.


    "Ouch~ that really hurts, I''m going to fight you."


    Li Manli inhaled sharply from the pain, flung off the blanket¡ªnever minding the risk of exposing herself¡ªand lunged toward Lu Liang with bared teeth and claws.


    Lu Liang bent down and dodged, heading to the washroom, "Hurry up, I''m only waiting for you for ten minutes."


    By 8:30, the two of them arrived at the neighborhood fitness center.


    Li Manli''s reluctance


    lasted only for the few minutes after waking up.


    When she saw Lu Liang sweating it out on the treadmill, she started jogging alongside him.


    Unlike the women at different gyms, who needed tight yoga pants to shape up,


    Li Manli, even in sport shorts and a tank top, looked no less fit than anyone.


    Her calves, thighs, and buttocks were as firm and upright as her business line, even a bit pinkish.


    Sometimes, Lu Liang wondered if she secretly applied talcum powder, for how could it be so pink and tender otherwise.


    In front of the treadmill was a tablet for people to keep up with the day''s news while exercising.


    The financial sections these past few days had been dominated by news of soaring gold prices, with a total increase of 162 points over three days.


    Gold prices rose by an average of 5.21 US Dollars per gram, and domestic gold prices surged even higher than international rates, breaking through to 320 RMB per gram.


    That was 11 RMB higher per gram compared to the international gold prices, largely thanks to the ''battling power'' of the aunties, and the current stock market crisis.


    At 9:30 this morning, the A-share market opened. The index fell for the third consecutive day, now at 4350 points, with a three-day drop exceeding 800 points, evaporating 820 billion from the market in total.


    Sadness spread throughout the market, with news reports widespread of bosses and financial officers fleeing the scene.


    It''s fortunate it''s the A-share market, which, despite over twenty years of growth, is still in its youth. If it were the Hang Seng, Nikkei, or Dow Jones, with this rate of decline, there would''ve been crowds on the rooftops.


    At ten o''clock in the morning, Lu Liang went back home.


    After breakfast, he headed to the study and opened his London Gold account, withdrawing all 21.5934 million US Dollars.


    If at today''s exchange rate of 6.36, it would be almost 137 million RMB.


    This big market move netted him 20.5934 million US Dollars.


    "Turning ten thousand into a billion is still tough," Lu Liang sighed. He meticulously reviewed the past few days of trading; being unfamiliar had led to many flaws.


    Given another chance, he felt confident he could multiply the returns several times over.


    Stepping out of the study, Lu Liang went to the company. It was Friday, and Mahua''s Zhang Chen was due to come and sign the contract, as agreed last week.


    "Liang, Xiaoqi invited me out to play today," Li Manli suddenly said.


    After posting on her social media last night, Zhou Xiaoqi invited her to go shopping today. It felt a bit strange, but she couldn''t quite pinpoint why.


    Lu Liang smiled and patted Li Manli''s head, "It means she likes you. What''s so strange about that?"


    "Really?" Li Manli was skeptical but added, "Also, I want to get a driver''s license."


    "Go for it. If you''re short on cash, just let me know."


    Leaving the neighborhood, crossing Pujiang, and passing by the convention center,


    Lu Liang suddenly turned and drove into the convention center''s parking lot.


    He saw there was a car show today and remembered that the Bentley he was driving was rented.


    Before, his capital wasn''t sufficient, so he could only rent. Now that he had money, it was time to buy his own car.


    Lu Liang spent 3800 RMB on a ticket to the luxury exhibition hall, and the organizers also provided a personal shopping guide.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, my name is Li Yue. You can call me Little Li."


    Li Yue beamed with a smile as she explained that the car show was divided into three categories of halls: luxury, comfort, and economy.


    The 3800 RMB ticket allowed entry to all types of exhibition halls, and Lu Liang could visit any hall to browse and shop.


    "What brands are housed in the luxury exhibition hall right now?"


    Lu Liang was escorted to the VIP lounge of the car show, presented with coffee and an assortment of exquisite Western desserts.


    Li Yue''s smile grew even brighter, "We have Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley, and eighteen other luxury car brands. Mr. Lu, are you interested in sports cars, sedans, or SUVs?"


    "Let''s skip sports cars, I''ve driven sedans enough to get tired of them. What about the SUVs?" Lu Liang inquired.


    "Do you prefer an off-road vehicle with a more rugged look, or a sleeker one? For rugged off-road vehicles, we have the Mercedes G, AMG, and the Range Rover series, whereas for sleeker off-road vehicles, there are more options to choose from, such as the Porsche Cayenne, Maserati Levante, Lamborghini Urus, and so on."


    Li Yue stood to one side, bowing and bending over to introduce the advantages of each car, her imposing, almost bursting business line nearly touching Lu Liang''s cheeks.


    "Let''s go take a look first." Lu Liang thought of a joke¡ªin each sale of a Porsche, one less beautiful saleswoman remained.


    It seems that Miss Li,


    is also a girl very eager to get ahead.


    Lu Liang followed her to the deepest part of the luxury car exhibition hall.


    The number of visitors in this hall had clearly decreased, but the quality of the car models was very high, each one with long legs over one meter seventy.


    Lu Liang test-drove the Mercedes G series, Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne, Maserati, and Lamborghini in succession.


    The G series and Range Rover were too rugged¡ªboth in appearance and in interior design, all boxy¡ªHe didn''t like it.


    After making a round, Lu Liang asked, "Between the Levante and Urus, which one can I take delivery of right now?"


    Li Yue was taken aback before delight danced upon her brows, "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment, let me ask my superiors."


    A few minutes later, she came back and said, "The exhibition is ending soon, Mr. Lu, you can take delivery of either one."


    "Then let''s go with that yellow Urus." Lu Liang compared the two cars and ultimately chose the Lamborghini.


    The yellow Lamborghini is very classic, and besides, the Urus is also Lamborghini''s first super SUV model.


    Though it''s a sleek off-road vehicle, its body lines are smooth, muscular, and its aggressive visual appeal is no less than that of a rugged off-road vehicle.


    "Mr. Lu, let me then discuss the price discount scheme with you," Li Yue enthused.


    "It''s a display vehicle¡ªI don''t want any freebies. Just think it over and give me your price," Lu Liang replied.


    Although Lu Liang was wealthy, he wasn''t a fool.


    Display vehicles were at least 20% cheaper than new ones; luxury display vehicles might see smaller reductions, but at least there was around 10% off.


    The retail price of a Lamborghini Urus was 2.98 million RMB, with purchase tax at roughly 10% of the vehicle''s price.


    With license fees, insurance, and household registration fees all added up, the new car''s on-the-road price would be about 3.35 million RMB.


    After deducting 10% for a display vehicle''s attributes, Lu Liang''s target price was around 3.05 million RMB.


    Li Yue smiled stiffly, bowing deeply. "Mr. Lu, please wait, let me consult with the leadership again to try and get you the highest discount."


    "Mhm, go ahead," Lu Liang nodded.


    After a while, Li Yue returned, very excited. "Mr. Lu, I''ve negotiated a very substantial discount for you¡ª3.15 million RMB. How do you feel about that?"


    "Give yourself another chance to quote a price."


    Lu Liang spoke calmly; he hadn''t always been just a customer.


    It was highly likely that Li Yue hadn''t even asked her superiors just now, possibly just taking a bathroom break.


    Just like when he sold houses,


    the listed price was 3.5 million, and the average transaction price was 3.3 million.


    The higher the price above the average transaction price, the greater the commission.


    "Mr. Lu, please wait a little longer."


    Li Yue looked hesitant; this time, she was gone longer than before.


    When she came back, wiping nonexistent sweat from her forehead: "Mr. Lu, I believe this price will satisfy you¡ª3.0888 million RMB, triple eights signify ''wealth.''


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a smile. "Throw in a full vehicle tint, a complete cleaning, and a set of factory floor mats as well."


    Li Yue''s eyes widened, slightly stunned. "Mr. Lu, didn''t you say you didn''t want any gifts?"


    Lu Liang said, "It''s a display vehicle that has been handled daily. Isn''t it necessary to tint the windows, clean, and replace the floor mats?"


    "...Let''s do as you say," Li Yue acquiesced, feeling a bit aggrieved.


    She wanted to say that the auto show had gone on for 13 days and that only a little over 900 visitors had entered the luxury hall.


    There were 125 high-end luxury cars in the hall, which, when broken down, meant each car was handled by roughly 7.36 visitors.


    They weren''t really dirty.


    But she dared not say it.


    Approaching noon,


    Lu Liang signed the contract, paying the full amount of 3.0888 million RMB.


    He didn''t have time to wait here for the vehicle''s registration, transfer, and window tinting.


    "Have everything ready and drive it over."


    Lu Liang left a copy of his ID and an address, then left the convention center and headed for Yongfeng Building.


    He thought he would be thrilled, considering it was the first car of his life, but it felt as though he was just out to buy groceries.


    "Even though I''ve gotten richer, I''ve also lost troubles." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He couldn''t help but sigh.

 Chapter 38 - 38: Establishing a Private Equity Fund?

    Yongfeng Building, 16th floor, Section E.


    Tang Caide and Chen Jinchun were unpacking boxes, surrounded by piles of cardboard, with brand-new computers and printers on the table.


    Chen Jinchun chattered like a magpie, sharing snippets of life.


    Tang Caide sometimes smiled, sometimes nodded, and they got along very well.


    When they saw Lu Liang coming over, they stopped chatting.


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "Keep talking, relax, it''s just the three of us in the office, no need to be so formal."


    Tang Caide took out a purchase order and invoice, "Mr. Lu, two more computers will be delivered this afternoon."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and looked at the time, "Have you eaten lunch yet?"


    Chen Jinchun exclaimed, "It''s almost 12:30."


    Lu Liang took out some dishes he had bought on the way, "Let''s eat and rest a bit before we continue working."


    "Thanks for feeding us, Mr. Lu~"


    Chen Jinchun said devoutly, putting her hands together.


    Lu Liang and Tang Caide exchanged glances, both with smiles.


    Indeed, hiring fresh graduates did bring a vibrant atmosphere to the office.


    The three gathered around the office table to eat.


    Lu Liang mentioned investing five million in a movie, "This afternoon, Mr. Zhang from Mahua will come. Tang, prepare a bit beforehand, you''ll handle the handover."


    "Mr. Lu, is there anything particular I need to pay attention to?"


    Tang Caide put down her chopsticks and took out a notepad.


    Chen Jinchun was slightly distracted. Starting a business with a project involving as much as five million.


    Remembering Tang Caide''s reminder from yesterday, their company did seem to have great potential.


    Suddenly, she felt worried because she didn''t want to leave, but it wasn''t up to her to stay.


    She was a recent graduate with a three-month internship, unlike Tang Caide, who was officially employed upon joining.


    "No need, everything''s been detailed. Just make sure the contract is correct, and transfer the funds by 5 pm."


    Lu Liang said, planning to let Tang Caide be named as a producer mainly to monitor the fund''s directions after the contract was finalized.


    Tang Caide nodded. On a twenty-million project where they invested 25%, second only to Mahua, they were entitled to supervise the flow of funds.


    At that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang.


    "I''ll get it."


    Chen Jinchun put down her chopsticks and hurried to the door.


    "Hahaha, it''s not about arriving early, but arriving at the right moment."


    Before he was visible, his laughter arrived first. Meng Changkun carried a food box, "A new marinated food shop just opened nearby. Their lion head goose tastes just like back home, everyone should try it."


    Although he never specified, his standard Chaoshan accent made it clear where he was from.


    There are two famous things from Chaoshan: one is the businessmen, like Superman Li from Xiangjiang, Little Ma from Shenzhen, and many other wealthy businessmen in the nation.


    Second, the cuisine, with lion head goose known as the world''s largest goose breed, with meat that is rich, smooth, flavorful, and not greasy.


    "I had it once before; I must see if it''s authentic," Lu Liang gave Meng Changkun a bowl and chopsticks.


    "Absolutely authentic."


    Meng Changkun was also a gourmet. The best parts of the lion head goose were the neck and liver, and he bought a whole box full.


    Lu Liang took a piece of liver, dipped it in special garlic chili vinegar, which was velvety in texture and rich in flavor.


    The dipping sauce muted the sweetness, adding a refreshing and crisp taste that was addictively delicious.


    Lu Liang exclaimed in admiration, giving a thumbs up, "Mr. Kun, it''s indeed the Chaoshan people who know quality food."


    Meng Changkun laughed heartily, proudly saying, "Otherwise, why would people say that to see the best food in the nation, look to Guangdong, and for the best in Guangdong, look to Yuedong?"


    "Please, everyone, help yourselves."


    After the meal, Meng Changkun invited Lu Liang upstairs for tea.


    "Not holding back anymore, if you have a way to generate wealth, perhaps we could collaborate."


    Meng Changkun cut to the chase. Gold prices had surged these past days, and Lu had made the right prediction again.


    Moreover, he had seen the post on Li Manli''s social media about her making over three million US Dollars.


    Through his interactions with Lu Liang, Meng Changkun believed Lu was a kindred spirit; women were just adornments in life, and when it came to their careers, women had to step aside.


    Meng Changkun suspected that Lu Liang was testing the waters, so he took the bait.


    "Mr. Kun, how do you want to cooperate?"


    Lu Liang took the cigar that Meng Changkun handed to him, placed it under his nose, and savored its distinct aroma.


    He was not accustomed to smoking cigars, but he liked the scent¡ªrich, mellow, with a touch of bitterness and crispness.


    "Have you ever thought about setting up a private equity fund?"


    Meng Changkun said, as he had the network and Lu Liang had the knack for making money. Together, they were a perfect match for private equity.


    Lu Liang lit a cigarette he brought himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke, "Let''s wait a bit longer."


    "What else do we need to wait for?" Meng Changkun furrowed his brows.


    "Setting up a private fund must have many conditions, right?" Lu Liang said.


    "There are conditions for sure, but as long as we cooperate, we can overcome them," Meng Changkun stressed the word "cooperate".


    "Forget it, I''m the person who least likes to overcome difficulties. Let''s wait until the right time," Lu Liang said with a meaningful smile.


    He had just tried to see things from Meng Changkun''s perspective. If he discovered someone like him, how would he handle it?


    Collaborate and both profit? Or take him in as a subordinate?


    The answer was clear.


    Even if it were a collaboration for mutual benefit, the current Lu Liang was definitely in a weaker position.


    After all, based solely on a diagram, how could one convince others that he could genuinely help investors make money? Wasn''t it all because of Meng Changkun''s influence?


    Lu Liang did not want to become subordinate to Meng Changkun, nor was he willing to be reduced to merely a money-making tool.


    Meng Changkun, without showing any sign of embarrassment from having his thoughts exposed, asked again, "When will the right time be?"


    "I''ve been considering it. But considering the recent stock market crash and the peak of international gold prices, there aren''t many good targets right now."


    Lu Liang laughed it off, though he already had a plan.


    He intended to lease a seat with a brokerage firm to become nationally known and have people line up to offer him money.


    That way, he could hold the initiative in his hands.


    Meng Changkun pondered for a while; his knitted brows gradually relaxed, and a smile reappeared on his face.


    "Lu, buddy, I still have some private funds in my small reserve. Could you help me make some extra money on the side?"


    Meng Changkun added, "About 50 million US Dollars, if we lose it, that''s on me, if we make a profit, we''ll split it fifty-fifty."


    Lu Liang was an ambitious man; he no longer hoped to control Lu Liang but only wished to maintain their current friendship.


    Due to the strong subjectivity in financial talent, there was no way to force Lu Liang to work out his tasks.


    Lu Liang felt surprised, "Mr. Kun, do you really have that much confidence in me? Aren''t you afraid I''ll take the money and run?"


    "To be honest, I was a bit worried at first, but not anymore," Meng Changkun smiled, resembling the Maitreya Buddha.


    Lu Liang cursed inwardly at the crafty old fox and after a long pause, he said, "Let me manage it for half a year first. I''ll also contribute 50 million US Dollars, bringing the total to one hundred million."


    "Anyway, the money is in your hands now. Whatever you want to do with it, I won''t interfere. I''ll wait for the good news in mid-December."


    Meng Changkun wasn''t afraid that Lu Liang would pocket the funds secretly. If Lu Liang wanted to make a name for himself in this industry, integrity was crucial.


    The two went to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to process the paperwork. Meng Changkun used his own funds to transfer 50 million US Dollars to Lu Liang''s personal account.


    President Liu looked more distressed than if his own father had died; 50 million dollars of savings just gone like that, it pained his heart.


    "President Liu, if I exchange US Dollars for RMB in your bank, could you increase the limit?" Lu Liang suddenly asked.


    He intended to reopen an ICBC account and deposit the entire one hundred million there for easier management of future investments.


    But he was concerned that converting it to RMB might make it difficult to exchange back later, potentially leading to the same insufficient quota issue as before.


    "That''s possible, Mr. Lu. As long as you need it, we can help you exchange it at any time, although it will depend on the daily exchange rate fluctuations."


    President Liu was overjoyed, seeing light at the end of the tunnel, gaining a quality client, and now he had hopes for this quarter''s performance.


    Meng Changkun was stunned, quickly saying, "Lu, buddy, if you had told me earlier that you needed RMB, I could have helped you exchange it."


    The exchange tool was a valuable asset, necessary both personally and for the company.


    After all, RMB could only be used domestically or in remote corners of Africa, while US Dollars are universally accepted.


    President Liu grew anxious, "Mr. Meng, please, Mr. Lu, we''ve already discussed this, and besides, we''re just holding the funds for you, you can exchange them back."


    He hurriedly promised many benefits, such as upgrading Lu Liang''s ICBC account to a six-star platinum card, featuring 24-hour exclusive customer service, discounts at five-star hotels across the nation, free upgrades on flights, and VIP lounges at major high-speed train stations.


    Lu Liang was indeed tempted and could only say to Meng Changkun, "I''m really sorry, Mr. Kun. I did speak to President Liu first. But I still have some left if you need it, just let me know."


    "Actually, it''s not that necessary. We can talk about it next time."


    Meng Changkun sighed.


    Lu Liang had needs, and helping him exchange was mutually beneficial. If Lu Liang didn''t need it, it meant owing a favor.


    Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 39 - 39: Luxury Car and Beautiful Woman

    At three o''clock in the afternoon, President Liu was all smiles, standing at the door to see the two off.


    Today was a good day, his branch had added US $7.86 million in foreign exchange, as well as a high-end client with assets over a hundred million.


    On the way back, Lu Liang received a call from Tang Caide, who said that Zhang Chen had already arrived.


    "I''ll be right back."


    Lu Liang simply parked the car at the entrance and called Tan Tao at the Peace Restaurant to come and drive it away.


    Because he had also received a call from Li Yue earlier, all the transfer and registration procedures were done, and she was planning to drive it over.


    With a new car, there was naturally no need to rent one anymore.


    Inside the elevator, Lu Liang briefly parted ways with Meng Changkun.


    When he returned to the company, he saw Zhang Chen and Shen Teng squatting on the ground, enthusiastically helping Chen Jinchun clean up discarded cardboard boxes.


    Tang Caide smiled bitterly, as if saying she had advised them, but it was no use, Zhang Chen and Shen Teng insisted on helping.


    "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Shen, I am very sorry. The company just opened yesterday, and our hospitality was not thorough; please forgive us," Lu Liang said.


    "Mr. Lu, you are too kind. I just can''t stand doing nothing; when Mr. Zhang saw me helping, he felt bad just standing by."


    Shen Teng, true to his comedian nature, had a comedy talent, spoke with a slight northeastern accent, and brought laughter as soon as he opened his mouth. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let''s go inside and talk."


    Tianxing Investment, with a space of 240 square meters, had only two partitions, one was Lu Liang''s office, and the other was the meeting room.


    A few people entered the meeting room, Zhang Chen brought out the prepared contract, and Tang Caide was responsible for proofreading the details.


    Half an hour later, Tang Caide conducted the third check and then looked at Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, the contract is fine, but there is one thing, I don''t know if you have understood it beforehand."


    There was an additional clause: if the movie gets good public praise and box office on its first day of release, the Mahua Team has the right to properly increase the promotion costs with the film distribution company, up to 300% of the production cost.


    They could choose to invest more, or not.


    If they invested more, the shareholding ratio would remain the same; if not, the shareholding ratio would be reduced according to the increase in cost.


    Zhang Chen, afraid that Lu Liang would misunderstand, hurriedly explained, "Mr. Lu, this additional clause exists in all movies."


    Before, movies did not have this additional clause, but ever since "Heartbreak 33 Days" made a whopping 350 million box office with only 5 million in promotion funds, becoming that year''s dark horse and ranking eighth in the annual box office...


    Since then, practitioners started realizing that even if the wine is sweet, it may need a push down the alley¡ªpromotions are as important as the quality of the work.


    "This is good news," Lu Liang smiled. "I''m looking forward to the day when you increase the promotion costs to 60 million."


    Excluding those films made for laundering money, higher subsequent promotion costs indicate greater potential for box office.


    After all, the distributors are not fools.


    "Thank you for your auspicious words, Mr. Lu."


    Seeing Lu Liang signing his name, stamping the official seal, and instructing Tang Caide to run to the bank to transfer the funds later...


    Zhang Chen''s hanging heart finally relaxed, the last bit of funding was also collected, and they could officially start shooting next week.


    He felt an urge to cry.


    These days had been too difficult.


    While chatting, Lu Liang''s phone rang again, Li Yue informed him that she had already arrived at Yongfeng Building.


    "Okay, I''ll come down immediately," Lu Liang replied, and seeing this, Zhang Chen said, "Mr. Lu, you go ahead with your tasks, we''ll leave first."


    "It''s also time for me to go downstairs; let me see you out," Lu Liang went down with Zhang Chen and Shen Teng.


    As they just left the building, they witnessed an extremely glamorous scene.


    A young woman in OL attire, her pure appearance greatly contrasting with her fiery figure.


    She stood tall and chest forward, the tightly stretched buttons at her chest seeming like they could burst open at any moment.


    Below her short skirt were legs no less professional than those of a model, wearing pointed Valentino heels, her calves straight, her stature in heels likely around 173 cm.


    If it were an ordinary day, wherever she went, she would surely attract countless men and women''s eyes.


    But now, she stood next to a Lamborghini, its yellow paint emitting a holy light under the sunlight, its tough lines creating a highly aggressive visual impact.


    A beautiful woman pales in comparison to such an artwork.


    Seeing Lu Liang, Li Yue approached with a full-faced smile, jogging up with documents and car keys in hand.


    Lu Liang slightly nodded, signaling her to wait a moment.


    He bade farewell to Zhang Chen and Shen Teng, "Gentlemen, I have things to handle, so I won''t see you out."


    "Sure, sure, Mr. Lu, you are busy, we''ll leave," Shen Teng said, unable to take his eyes off the car, while Zhang Chen grabbed him, pulling him directly into a taxi.


    Shen Teng lingered, unable to resist turning back for a few more glances, "A Lamborghini Urus, at least 3 million."


    "Don''t be envious, as long as our movie box office crosses 100 million, I''ll personally sponsor you 500,000," Zhang Chen said with a smile.


    "Damn, could the layout be any smaller? I thought you were going to gift me one," Shen Teng said with a look of disdain.


    "Even if the box office hits 100 million, how much do I really make? 500,000 is quite a lot already, buddy," Zhang Chen retorted irritably.


    "Think bigger, set your sights further, like setting a small goal of ten billion in box office revenue," Shen Teng joked.


    "If we actually hit ten billion in box office, not just a Lamborghini, I''d even get you a Rolls-Royce," Zhang Chen replied.


    "I''ll remember you said that."


    "Come to me when it reaches 10 billion."


    The two looked at each other and laughed, neither taking the conversation seriously.


    After all, it was their company''s first produced movie. They just hoped to break even, and making a little profit would be even better.


    ...


    Seeing that Lu Liang was ready to finalize, Li Yue put her palm over the document and playfully blinked, "Mr. Lu, don''t you want to test drive it first to see if there''s anything amiss that needs immediate feedback?"


    Lu Liang sized her up, his gaze finally falling on her long, high heels, revealing a mischievous smile, "Did you come alone?"


    Li Yue shot him a coy glance, with a hint of coquetry in her tone, "Of course, it''s just me alone, who else would there be?"


    "Can you drive with heels that high?" Lu Liang suddenly asked coldly, but a teasing light flickered in his eyes.


    Startled, Li Yue hurriedly opened her purse, revealing a pair of flat sandals.


    In her hurry, she forgot about a box of brand-new chewing gum inside, its blue packaging turning to light purple in the sunlight.


    Lu Liang''s lips slightly curved, he took his seat in the driver''s position and gestured with his hand, "Let''s go for a drive, see how comfy this car is."


    Hearing ''comfort,'' Li Yue glanced at him accusingly, seemingly blaming Lu Liang for scaring her just now, and stepped into the car with her long legs.


    A V8 twin-turbo engine, 3.6 seconds to 100 km/h, and the thrust felt from pressing the pedal was second to none to a supercar.


    Leaving the city and entering the highway, Lu Liang accelerated to feel the powerful surge as they headed east towards the coastline.


    The closer they got to East Sea, the fewer pedestrians and vehicles there were on the road, and the Lamborghini Urus gradually slowed down.


    "Mr. Lu, why are you taking me to such a secluded place?"


    Li Yue''s words sounded worried, but she confidently thrust out her chest, proudly displaying her d¨¦colletage.


    "In the middle of nowhere, just the two of us, what do you think?"


    Lu Liang''s lips curled, eyes fixed on the road ahead, and his other hand rested on the smooth thigh.


    Gradually moving upwards, reached something like a string.


    Further up, touching the tightly stretched buttons on the front of her blouse.


    A little force and the buttons flew off, revealing a glimpse of springtime.


    "Mr. Lu, be careful."


    The car sped up, leaving the main road,


    and entered a rural dirt path.


    The car stopped, raised its suspension,


    and started rocking rhythmically...


    until the sun set, and a crack opened in the sunroof.


    Li Yue turned on her phone''s flashlight, took out a wet wipe to carefully clean up, her nose still covered in a thin layer of sweat.


    "Mr. Lu, this is a new car, you know."


    She glared playfully at him, checked everything again, and finally took off her torn stockings, rolling them up and putting them in her bag.


    "So what?"


    Lu Liang looked up at the star-filled sky.


    One-handedly bouncing a basketball, too big to be held in one hand.


    "It''s strange, but when I see you, I get a very special feeling," Li Yue clung to Lu Liang''s arm.


    "Me too, and upon thinking about it, you look a bit like my ex-girlfriend," Lu Liang replied, smirking as they exchanged acting skills.


    "Really? I felt something like that just now. Do you think this could be us being kindred spirits?"


    "Definitely." Lu Liang embraced Li Yue, and they rested inside the car for a while before setting off on their return journey.


    Upon returning to the city area and reaching Li Yue''s residence, she pulled out the delivery slip, "Mr. Lu, if there''s a follow-up call, remember to give me a good review, okay? And if you have any more car purchasing needs, you can contact me."


    "No problem," Lu Liang said with a smile, always having great respect for ambitious and hard-working girls.

 Chapter 40 - 40: True Demon King

    Under Yongfeng Building, Tan Tao had been waiting for a long time.


    He was there to pick up a car, a Bentley Moshang rented for eight thousand a day. Lu Liang rented it for a total of 23 days, amounting to 184,000.


    At the last renewal, Lu Liang had prepaid 200,000, which, including the deposit, meant 26,000 could still be returned.


    "Mr. Lu, if you need a vehicle next time, please contact us, and we''ll give you a 20 percent discount," Tan Tao said as he saw Lu Liang''s car drive away. He knew the chances of a next time were slim, but he still made the habitual offer.


    Lu Liang nodded slightly, carrying 26,000 in cash as he rode the elevator up to the office.


    Returning to the city center it was already eight o''clock, and having just had dinner, it was approaching nine in the evening.


    Tang Caide and Chen Jinchun had both left work early, and the company was empty.


    Lu Liang closed his eyes to rest, relishing the long-missed solitude.


    Commonly known as¡­ the philosopher''s time.


    After a while, Lu Liang turned on the computer.


    He looked at the calendar on the bottom right corner of the screen; if he remembered correctly, next Wednesday was his father''s 55th birthday.


    "It''s time for a visit back home," Lu Liang said to himself.


    Perhaps ten years, or fifteen, or even longer, he had not celebrated his parents'' birthdays.


    The birthdays of the elderly pair, one in the fifth lunar month, the other in the eleventh. Neither month had any public holidays.


    In past years, Lu Liang had always been working in Modu during their birthdays, simply sending a red packet and making a phone call, but doing nothing else.


    Sometimes, he felt he was an unfilial son.


    Moreover, it was time to be honest about his divorce.


    Lu Liang stayed in the office until the sound of the midnight bells, and as expected, the voice in his head arrived.


    "October 19th, Teli A, 108.25 yuan."


    Lu Liang immediately searched for related news and upon seeing the stock price and ticker symbol, could not help but be astonished: "This is the True Demon King!"


    Teli A, ticker symbol 000025, a mainboard stock listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and also the 25th company to be listed on the exchange.


    Unlike the newly minted Baofeng Technology, Teli A had been listed since ''93 and thus had a 22-year history.


    With a current stock price of 9.75 yuan, a market value of 7.1 billion, and a floating stock valuation also at 7.1 billion.


    Lu Liang was no longer an ignorant Xiao Bai. The reason for the exaggerated gains of Baofeng Technology last month had much to do with the unique properties of a new stock.


    The issue market value was only 780 million, the major shareholder had a six-month lock-up period, and the floating stock wouldn''t exceed 15 percent.


    This meant that, even if Baofeng Technology''s stock price soared to 327 yuan, up 46-fold, the total capital needed would only be 4.6 billion.


    Teli A was different; this was an old stock with 7.1 billion in circulating shares out in the open, without any lock-up period for major shareholders.


    To push the current price from 9.75 yuan to 108.25 yuan, an eleven-fold increase, would require the supply of 71 billion real silver.


    "Could it be there was no stock market crash? Just a normal market correction? Is another major bull run on the horizon?"


    At that moment, Lu Liang was plunged into deep self-doubt, at times questioning whether his judgment was incorrect.


    After all, 71 billion only for one stock.


    Let alone so-called financial groups like the Mingzhou Gang, Yongjia Gang, Yu Hang Gang, and Northbound Capital, even Citic wouldn''t likely invest 71 billion in a single stock.


    Lu Liang thought and thought until his tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.


    He considered a possibility, and the more he thought about it, the greater it seemed.


    Logically speaking, for a stock to rally eleven-fold, it would need 26 consecutive maximum daily price limit increases, roughly taking about 37 days.


    Today was June 6th, leaving over four months of time.


    This indicated that this stock wasn''t going to peak with one massive rally but would zigzag, fold after fold.


    During that period, perhaps countless institutions would come and go, returning again and again, playing hot potato to forge this True Demon King.


    This could also indirectly validate Lu Liang''s prediction that what was coming was a stock market disaster, a bear market.


    As the old saying goes, chaos begets monsters.


    Even during a stock market disaster, a bear market, financial professionals still need to eat, and individual investors also seek to survive from desperate straits.


    "The bull market''s wonder stocks are just a false Demon King, those that rise against the trend are the true Demon King."


    "Demon, representing the elusive and independent from market influence, abandons the broader market, embarking on a unique trajectory."


    Lu Liang realized this was an excellent opportunity, for the next four months, this stock would become a battleground for institutional infighting.


    If he could stand out, it would be the best publicity.


    ¡­


    In the wee hours past one, Lu Liang returned home.


    The living room was still brightly lit, Li Manli was hugging a plush toy, lying on the sofa. Hearing the door open, she sat up all at once.


    "Liang, where have you been? I called you so many times just now, did you not see them?" Her tone was hurried, seemingly caring but also tinged with blame.


    "I didn''t notice." Lu Liang left a brief reply, then headed to the bathroom to wash up.


    He knew Li Manli had called him, maybe four or five times tonight.


    He wasn''t busy nor had any trouble, but he just didn''t answer.


    Li Manli''s thoughts were not as mature as Zhang Qian''s, younger, and without much sense of boundaries.


    Lu Liang wanted to use this opportunity to make her clearly understand the nature of their relationship.


    The steamy bathroom suddenly cracked open a slit.


    Li Manli poked her head out, timidly asking, "Liang, has something happened today?"


    Lu Liang wrapped himself in a bathrobe, stepped out of the bathroom, his smile somewhat strained: "There was a little issue, but it''s all taken care of now."


    Li Manli brought over a cup of hot milk from the water bar, "If you''re not staying up late for work, try to drink less coffee."


    "Thank you." Lu Liang chuckled lightly, affectionately stroking the back of Li Manli''s head as usual.


    Li Manli breathed a sigh of relief, beaming with joy, trying to cheer Lu Liang up, "I recently learned a piece of house dance, want to watch me dance for you?"


    "Next time, I want to get some rest early tonight." Lu Liang finished the milk, got up and went back to the bedroom, "You should go to bed early too."


    He had just lay down for a moment when sleep gradually overtook him, suddenly rustling undressing noises came from beside the bed.


    Li Manli emerged from under the covers, her naked body exuding grace, her face breaking into a sweet smile, "I read an article that cuddling while sleeping can make one''s mood better, want to try?"


    Without waiting for Lu Liang''s reply, Li Manli took the initiative to free him of his constraints, then curled up in his embrace, whispering softly, "Clear your mind, sweet dreams."


    There was nothing to hinder their closeness,


    they snuggled up together, feeling each other''s heartbeat.


    Lu Liang held her close, replying softly, "Let''s sleep~"


    Before long, steady breathing sounds came to his ears, Li Manli secretly delighted, also contentedly closed her eyes.


    ¡­


    June 6th, Saturday.


    He went to bed early last night, and thus woke up early today.


    As soon as Lu Liang opened his eyes, he saw Li Manli''s smiling face, "Good morning, how did you sleep last night?"


    "I think I''ve grown fond of cuddling," Lu Liang stretched his arms around Li Manli, like embracing a human-shaped hot water bottle, soft and warm.


    Li Manli lifted her chin, her face full of coy grumbling, "You came home with such a dark expression last night, it scared this baby to death."


    Lu Liang laughed, then suggested, "How about we go hit some tennis later?"


    Li Manli quickly burrowed into the covers, her voice muffled, "No, I need to catch up on sleep."


    "Then sleep a little longer."


    Lu Liang felt guilty, so he didn''t insist.


    He got dressed after washing up, meanwhile, he mentioned, "I need to make a trip out tomorrow, probably won''t be back for three to five days."


    Li Manli hurriedly scrambled out of bed again, exposing just her little head, "When are you leaving?"


    With the lessons from last night, she no longer dared to ask Lu Liang where he was going, or for what.


    "Tonight."


    Lu Liang kissed Li Manli goodbye and headed to the gym. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 41 - 41: Institutional Seats

    At 9:30 AM, Lu Liang finished his workout for the day.


    After breakfast, he called Zhao Haisheng to arrange a time to meet later.


    Li Manli also planned to go out to buy some things, so the two of them went to the underground garage together.


    She saw a strange yellow car parked in Lu Liang''s spot and looked around, "Where''s the car?"


    "It''s this one."


    Lu Liang smiled as he opened the door, and suddenly a golden bull projection appeared on the ground.


    "That''s so cool, what car is this bull?"


    Li Manli walked around it, feeling it must be expensive, though she didn''t recognize the logo.


    "Lamborghini."


    "Ah? Is this what a Lamborghini looks like?"


    "You didn''t think they only made supercars, did you?"


    "Isn''t that the case?"


    "¡­"


    Lu Liang sighed, not wanting to explain any further, and lightly patted the back of Li Manli''s head, "Get in."


    After Li Manli got into the car, she couldn''t help but touch and feel everything around, also spotting the purchase receipt in the storage box.


    Her eyes widened in shock, covering her mouth as she exclaimed, "No way, this car costs 3.08 million?"


    Lu Liang responded indifferently, "Where do you want to go?"


    "North gate of International Financial Center."


    Lu Liang set up the navigation and realized it was about two kilometers away, then suddenly remembered, "How do you usually go out?"


    "Bus number 11," Li Manli giggled, then stretched out her legs and swayed them up and down.


    Lu Liang burst into surprised laughter; bus number 11 was basically walking. He asked, "How''s your driving test going?"


    "I''m currently studying for the first subject."


    "Let me know when you pass, and I''ll buy you a car for commuting; it will be more convenient for you to get around."


    Li Manli hadn''t expected the surprise to come so suddenly, her eyes wide with awe, "What kind of car?" S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''ll discuss it after you''ve passed."


    "I''m sure to pass."


    Li Manli cooed playfully, "What kind of car exactly?"


    "Do you like sports cars?"


    Lu Liang chuckled softly, recalling the Porsche 718 he saw at the car show yesterday.


    The full payment price should be under 700,000, perfect for someone who has just learned to drive.


    Li Manli was overjoyed, then suddenly felt a little sheepish, "Isn''t a sports car too extravagant?"


    "If you don''t want it, forget it."


    Lu Liang glanced at her, not indulging her further.


    "I do want it."


    While waiting at the traffic light, Li Manli eagerly gave Lu Liang a passionate kiss, "Liang, I love you the most."


    Lu Liang straightaway called Li Yue in front of Li Manli and reserved a red 718.


    The standard full payment price was 670,000, but the information entered was Lu Liang''s, not Li Manli''s.


    This also meant that no matter who drove the car in the future, the ownership would always belong to Lu Liang.


    "It''s bought already?"


    Li Manli was absent-minded; she hadn''t thought that far, only realizing that Lu Liang had already made the reservation, and then she couldn''t stop giggling.


    "Focus on your driving test; if you don''t pass, you''ll just be left staring."


    Lu Liang joked as they reached the International Financial Center, parking the car at the entrance, with Li Manli looking troubled, "Suddenly, I feel so pressured."


    "Pressure is a good thing, let''s go."


    Crossing Pujiang,


    Lu Liang arrived at Guotai''s business hall.


    Zhao Haisheng''s eyes widened, almost dropping his jaw in astonishment.


    In recent days, the stock index had plummeted, and many people contacted him, wanting to apply for higher financing limits to cover their positions.


    He initially thought Liang was like those people, all wanting to apply for financing. It seemed he had underestimated the situation.


    The stock market disaster not only had no negative effect on Liang but had actually allowed him to make a fortune. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to afford a Lamborghini SUV.


    The Urus was very famous among car enthusiasts, and since its launch in 2012, it had been hailed as the strongest SUV on earth.


    None other in the same price range could match it, even raising the bar to five million, it was nearly invincible.


    However, he had heard that the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and the Bentley Bentayga would soon be released, which might impact the status of the Urus.


    Zhao Haisheng''s thoughts drifted until Liang called him back to reality, "Mr. Lu, this way, please."


    The two of them went to the large account room on the second floor. Liang got straight to the point, "What are the conditions needed to lease Guotai''s institutional trading seat?"


    Brokerage accounts are divided into four levels¡ªfirst level, second level, VIP accounts, and institutional seats.


    The first and second levels are common accounts that just include features like short selling. "Large accounts" are VIP accounts, which can access international channels, but they are still a level lower than institutional seats and could be said to be at a lower dimension.


    Normally, institutional seats have the highest priority in trading. Whether buying or selling, they are always prioritized over the other three levels.


    Suppose the ordinary retail investors share one trading channel among fifty people, and the large account holders share one among ten, then the institutions have one each.


    If, at the same time, several transactions at the same price occur, the institution''s transactions will be completed first, followed by large account holders and retail investors.


    Furthermore, institutions have the rights to participate in pre-market and post-market trading, a privilege that distinctly sets them apart from ordinary retail investors.


    In other words, institutions have the authority to determine the opening and closing prices of a stock.


    "Mr. Lu, taking our Guotai as an example, we require an annual channel usage fee of one million and the account''s margin must not be less than twenty million."


    Zhao Haisheng''s brow furrowed. Leasing an institutional seat during a stock market disaster was akin to swimming against the current or lighting a lamp in a bathroom.


    "Is it that simple?" Lu Liang was surprised. He had spent the previous night researching for a long time, and some of the qualification conditions almost overwhelmed him.


    Zhao Haisheng couldn''t help but offer a bitter smile: "Mr. Lu, it''s not exactly simple, right? Twenty-one million is not an amount just anybody can come up with."


    Although there were numerous other procedures and qualifications required, as long as one had the money, none of those were issues.


    Brokers don''t just take the one million for no reason; they will handle everything properly, allowing clients to sit back and reap the benefits.


    Lu Liang understood.


    Twenty-one million was the biggest hurdle, similar to those enterprises with assets over a hundred million who might also struggle to produce such an amount.


    Next, he inquired about how long the procedure would take to process and the various functions of the institutional seat.


    The response was within five business days, but Liang would need to provide proof of his assets and the size of his assets.


    Liang pulled out a platinum card from the Industrial and Commercial Bank, exactly nine digits displayed: "Twenty million for the margin, one million for the channel fee, the remaining seventy-nine million all to be transferred into the institutional account."


    "Mr. Lu, just a proof is enough, you... You can take it back for now, I''ll contact you once the procedure is done."


    Zhao Haisheng was shocked, wiping the non-existent sweat from his forehead.


    He was probably the person who knew best about Liang''s rapid rise. Just a few months ago, Liang was someone who needed financing for just two hundred and fifty thousand.


    In the blink of an eye, he now controlled a cash flow of one hundred million. The speed of a printing press producing money couldn''t match his earnings.


    It also made him relinquish the thought of inquiring; if it were just millions or tens of millions, they might still be on the same level.


    Once it involved over a hundred million,


    Zhao Haisheng was out of his league as a client.


    Zheng WenZhi, the branch manager of the Yellow River Road branch, was supposed to be on leave at home today but hurried over upon hearing the news.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, my name is Zheng WenZhi, the branch manager of the Yellow River Road branch, and I''m pleased to serve you."


    Zheng WenZhi''s face was all smiles, as anyone capable of investing one hundred million undoubtedly had total assets far exceeding that.


    "President Zheng, expedite the leasing procedures, please. I''ve pretty much got the hang of the details."


    Lu Liang paused, then added, "Manager Zhao is a good person and capable too. Let him be in charge of liaising with me from now on."


    Zheng WenZhi was momentarily stunned but didn''t dare to refuse, smiling and saying, "Manager Zhao, from now on, you will specifically handle dealings with Mr. Lu."


    Zhao Haisheng showed gratitude: "Mr. Lu, I am grateful for your trust. I will continue to work hard and will not disappoint you."


    If Lu Liang hadn''t spoken up, Liang would have shifted from being his client to being the client of the trading house.


    This would mean that any future profits brought in by Lu Liang would be attributed to the trading house and Zheng WenZhi, not him.


    But now that Lu Liang had mentioned it, the credit was all Zhao Haisheng''s, and nobody could take that away.


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded, not adding more, as he saw his past self in Zhao Haisheng.


    There was a time when he had met a big client,


    Who wanted to buy eight houses at once. The client sought more discounts, but Liang''s authority was insufficient, so he had to report to his superiors.


    In the end, Liu Jianchun, that bastard, had intercepted the deal, and after being busy for more than a month, he ended up with nothing.

 Chapter 42 - 42: Its All in the Past

    After lunch, Lu Liang returned home.


    He packed a few sets of clothes to change into, planning to set off early.


    "Bye-bye~ be safe on the road."


    Li Manli rose on her tiptoes, tipping her head back, her lips puckered waiting for a kiss.


    Lu Liang bent down to give her a kiss and, touching her cheek, said, "Be good at home these next few days, call me if you need anything."


    After saying that, he pulled his small suitcase and left.


    Lu Liang didn''t head back home but went to buy some fruit at the fresh market before visiting Zhang Qian''s mother in the hospital.


    He had promised Zhang Yun to spend a day with her on the weekend, and since he was returning to his hometown, he needed to bring some gifts back.


    Zhang Qian was rather mature and thorough and should know what gifts would be best to bring for elders and friends.


    Soon after, Lu Liang arrived at the hospitalization department of City Third, vaguely remembering that Zhang Qian''s mother was named Zhuang Huilan.


    Asking a nurse, he learned there were sufficient funds in the medical account to cover Mrs. Zhuang''s discharge, so he carried the fruit basket to her ward.


    Because Lu Liang had previously paid an extra sum of money, Mrs. Zhuang had been upgraded from a multi-bed ward to a private one.


    Mrs. Zhuang had a fractured coccyx and could only lie on her side. When she saw Lu Liang come in, her face revealed a kind smile.


    "Auntie, I''m sorry, I''ve been tied up with company matters and only now found time to visit you."


    Lu Liang walked into the ward with a smile, carrying the fruit basket, and also noticed Zhang Xiaoguai was beside the bed, focused on her homework.


    The little one heard Lu Liang''s voice, her face broke into a joyful smile, and she put her pen down, nearly flying towards him.


    She clung tightly to Lu Liang''s leg, looking up with a radiant smile on her face, "Uncle Lu, Xiaoguai missed you so much."


    The handprint on her face, left by that abusive woman a few days ago, had almost vanished.


    "Where''s your mom?"


    The ward had 24-hour care, and there wasn''t much else Lu Liang needed to help with. Holding Xiaoguai, he chatted idly with Mrs. Zhuang.


    "Qianqian just left not long ago; she usually won''t come until the evening. Xiaoguai does her homework here on the weekends."


    Mrs. Zhuang grasped Lu Liang''s hand, thanking him for his help during this time, as well as for taking care of Zhang Qian and her daughter.


    Lu Liang was puzzled until he found out that Zhang Qian attributed hiring a nurse and the hospital treatment fees all to his credit.


    Xiaoguai also piped up at the right moment, "Mom told grandma about Zhao Tianqi bullying me too."


    "Little Lu, you''ve taken such good care of them, I can die in peace," Mrs. Zhuang said, moved.


    "Auntie, please don''t say that. I''m just doing what I should," Lu Liang could only accept this well-meant burden.


    Suddenly, Mrs. Zhuang said, "Xiaoguai, didn''t you always really want Uncle Lu to take you out to play? Are you done with your homework?"


    Zhang Xiaoguai looked up innocently, eagerly saying, "Uncle Lu, just wait for me, I can finish in half an hour at most."


    "Focus on your homework and don''t be careless; Uncle will check it later."


    Lu Liang chuckled, lightly patting Xiaoguai on the back of her head as she hurried off to work on her assignment.


    He then crouched beside the bed, sensing Mrs. Zhuang wanted her granddaughter out of the way so she could speak privately with him.


    Mrs. Zhuang hesitated for a long time before speaking softly, "Little Lu, do you know what kind of work Qianqian used to do?"


    Lu Liang nodded without hesitation, replying, "Qianqian has always been helping me at the company."


    Mrs. Zhuang gave a wry smile, "I know, I was just worried that you didn''t."


    Lu Liang was taken aback.


    Mrs. Zhuang''s cloudy eyes shimmered with tears, "Qianqian is a good girl, she just had the misfortune of meeting the wrong man."


    Mrs. Zhuang started to talk about Zhang Yun''s biological father, a scoundrel. The two were nearly at the point of discussing marriage when he suddenly disappeared.


    Later, when Zhang Qian found out she was pregnant and tried to find the scoundrel, she couldn''t locate him anywhere and ended up having to give birth and raise her daughter alone.


    Mrs. Zhuang found out about Zhang Qian''s job because the hospital called her late one night for a family member''s signature and authorization.


    That night, Zhang Qian was in urgent need of surgery due to a bleeding stomach. It was then that Mrs. Zhuang learned her daughter''s job involved selling alcohol.


    At the time, Mrs. Zhuang was embarrassed, and mother and daughter had a huge argument about it afterward.


    "She once said something that I still clearly remember. She said she had no skills, no diploma, and a daughter to raise. If she didn''t sell alcohol, was she supposed to sell herself?"


    The more Mrs. Zhuang spoke, the more agitated she became until she couldn''t help but cough, and Lu Liang quickly poured her a cup of warm water.


    "Grandma, what''s wrong?" Xiaoguai, hearing the commotion, came running back with a look of concern.


    Mrs. Zhuang coughed a few times, trying to steady her emotions, and revealed a smile, "I was speaking too fast and choked a bit."


    Xiaoguai, hearing this, moved to the other side of the hospital bed and gently stroked her grandmother''s back, "Grandma, are you feeling better now?"


    Mrs. Zhuang squinted her eyes with a smile, hiding her tears, "Much better. You should go back to your homework now."


    The little guy was smart. He looked at his grandma and then at Uncle Lu, "Grandma, Uncle Lu, are you guys hiding something from me by whispering?"


    Uncle Lu smiled and nodded, openly admitting, "Uncle is discussing with your grandma where to take you for a trip later."


    "Where to?" The little guy''s eyes lit up.


    "We''ll tell you after you finish your homework."


    Lu Liang suddenly realized why Mrs. Zhuang had abruptly talked to him about those things. In the end, she was just worried that he might mind Zhang Qian''s past occupation.


    Once the little guy went back to his homework.


    Lu Liang whispered, "Auntie, I understand what you mean. That''s all in the past."


    Mrs. Zhuang held Lu Liang''s hand tightly, unsure of what exactly to say, "Little Lu, I really appreciate it."


    The old lady then told Lu Liang a lot about Zhang Qian''s past. Lu Liang didn''t know what was true, so he temporarily assumed it was all true and listened.


    After a while, the little guy suddenly raised his arms with excitement, shouting, "I''m done writing!"


    She approached Lu Liang with a beaming face, bouncing up and down, and offered her work, "Uncle Lu, can you check this for me?"


    First-grade questions were still no challenge for Lu Liang. He checked through and found almost everything was correct except for a few characters.


    "The ''an'' in ''install'' doesn''t have the lifting hand, and the ''cai'' in ''timber'' has the wood radical. Take it back and fix them."


    Lu Liang looked at Mrs. Zhuang, who was showing affection and hurriedly waved her hand, "Don''t mind me. You two should go and have fun. Xiaoli is here to take care of me."


    Xiaoli, mentioned by the elderly lady, was a hospital aide, a woman in her forties, and she smiled and nodded at Lu Liang.


    "Uncle Lu, I''ve corrected it."


    Zhang Xiaoguai came over again with her textbook.


    Lu Liang checked it and, satisfied, patted her head, "Say goodbye to grandma, we''re going out to play."


    "And mom?" Xiaoguai suddenly asked.


    "I''ll call her in a bit to see where she is."


    "Goodbye grandma, goodbye Auntie Xiaoli, goodbye Nurse Sister."


    The little one was very polite, smiling sweetly, waving farewell to everyone she knew.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but show an auntie''s smile; even without Zhang Qian, he would still like this little one.


    So adorable, well-behaved, and polite¡ªhow could anyone not love her?


    Zhang Xiaoguai, carrying her little backpack, held Uncle Lu''s hand and went to the hospital''s parking lot.


    Lu Liang had her sit in the back seat and buckled her seat belt, then called Zhang Qian.


    Learning that she was near Joy City in Hongkou, his eyebrows furrowed.


    He was very familiar with that place.


    "It can''t be that melodramatic."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but talk to himself, and Xiaoguai asked curiously, "Uncle, what are you talking about?"


    "Nothing, just sit tight. We''re off to meet your mom."


    "Here we go~~"


    On the way, the little one was very excited, chirping about things at school.


    "After Zhao Tianqi apologized to me, he hasn''t come to school anymore. Later, Mr. Lin said he transferred."


    "Really? Has anyone at school been bothering you?"


    "No, but all my classmates say you''re very handsome."


    The little guy''s face showed proud delight; a lot of her classmates had been watching that day.


    Afterwards, many classmates approached her, all saying how handsome Lu Liang was, like a deity descending to earth. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She ended up making a lot more friends.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, although the smile didn''t last too long on his face because they arrived at Joy City, and he made another call to Zhang Qian to get a more precise address.


    Gate number eight, Huaxi Club.


    Lu Liang was indeed very familiar with it¡ªit was Lin Wenjing''s workplace.

 Chapter 43 - 43: Women Alike [Seeking More Reads]

    "Uncle, I saw Mom."


    The little guy quickly rolled down the car window and waved toward Zhang Qian at the roadside, shouting, "Mom, I''m here."


    A few people at the Huaxi Club entrance also noticed the small figure, all giving flattering smiles and compliments, "Qian, your little girl is really cute."


    The female store manager, in her thirties, asked with a smile, "Qian, how should we address your husband later?"


    She recognized that car; she had seen it at the exhibition last week. A Lamborghini Urus, worth no less than three million in the market.


    Zhang Qian was silent for a moment before responding softly, "He''s not my husband, we''re just friends."


    "Sorry, sorry, my bad for misspeaking."


    The female store manager showed an embarrassed look, then her expression shifted subtly.


    That''s because she noticed the little girl getting out of the car, and the man holding her hand seemed more and more familiar.


    She couldn''t help but turn to look at the assistant store manager next to her.


    Lin Wenjing was lost in thought, her face filled with disbelief, "How could it be Lu Liang?"


    "Eh, you know him?" Zhang Qian was surprised.


    "This, this¡­"


    The female store manager was stuttering, unsure where to start.


    "Huiru, Wenjing, long time no see."


    Lu Liang looked indifferent, holding the little one''s hand, approaching the three women, he handed the car keys to Zhang Qian: "You two go back to the car first, I am an old acquaintance of these two."


    "Oh okay." Zhang Qian quickly nodded, sensing the atmosphere was a bit subtle, realizing it wasn''t suitable for her to stay, let alone her daughter.


    "Uncle, be quick, okay? You said you would take me to Joy City," the little guy, sandwiched by Zhang Qian at the waist, still didn''t forget to make a funny face at Lu Liang to say goodbye.


    "Got it." Lu Liang smiled and waved, then looked at Sun Huiru, "Aren''t you going to invite me to sit inside?"


    "Er¡­ sure."


    Sun Huiru''s scalp was tingling. With her intuition as a woman, she knew Lu Liang and Zhang Qian were definitely more than just friends.


    If they were more than friends, then this deal that was almost closed was likely going to fall through.


    When Lin Wenjing divorced Lu Liang, she had played at least half the role in it, and on the night they got the divorce certificate, she had gone out to sing with Lin Wenjing, celebrating her return to the single life, free as a bird from then on.


    Who would have thought, a few months later today, Lu Liang would transform into the owner of a luxury car worth three million.


    And their company had fallen to the point where it was going to change hands,


    The person taking over was Lu Liang''s ''friend''.


    Sun Huiru really wanted to look up,


    and see if there really was some kind of karmic justice.


    Inside Huaxi Club, there were almost all familiar faces. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because Lu Liang had participated in their gatherings before, he made a round and suddenly asked, "Where''s Meng Juntao?"


    Meng Juntao was a major shareholder of Huaxi Club, and also the one who cuckolded Lu Liang.


    "He took the money and ran." Sun Huiru said through gritted teeth.


    Lin Wenjing, who had been silent all along, suddenly questioned, "Where did that car come from?"


    "Bought it." Lu Liang said.


    "Where did you get the money?" Lin Wenjing''s voice was tense, the words nearly bursting through her teeth.


    "Earned it."


    Lu Liang''s tone remained calm, but in the eyes of those who despised him, it seemed like a provocation.


    "How dare you! What''s your true nature? You wouldn''t happen to be involved in some illegal activities, right?" Lin Wenjing screamed at the top of her lungs.


    Lu Liang sighed, "You''re still the same, getting angry the moment something doesn''t go your way."


    He looked at Sun Huiru: "How much did you discuss with Zhang Qian?"


    Sun Huiru said, "1.2 million including everything."


    Lin Wenjing roared, "He definitely has no money, Huiru, don''t get tricked by him."


    "Xueqing, you take Wenjing to cool down a bit."


    Sun Huiru''s brow was tightly furrowed, she wouldn''t allow anyone to mess up this deal.


    After Lin Wenjing was pulled away,


    Lu Liang asked, "What exactly is going on with her?"


    Although Lin Wenjing used to be emotionally unstable, she had never been like this.


    "Before that bastard Meng Juntao ran off, he borrowed money from a lot of people, Wenjing got swindled the worst, her credit cards maxed out."


    Listening to Sun Huiru''s story, Lu Liang was as calm as still water, chuckling and saying, "I''m afraid you have some credit for this too?"


    "If you want to talk business, Lu Liang, just talk business, don''t involve personal feelings." Sun Huiru''s face darkened.


    The money she was cheated out of wasn''t small either, but she still owned this club, which she could sell and at least not be in debt.


    "Then I''ll ask Zhang Qian about it later." Lu Liang gave a wry smile.


    For there is no pity without resentment,


    he couldn''t muster up a bit of sympathy.


    Lin Wenjing was just foolish, but Sun Huiru was purely bad.


    "So long, I won''t see you out." Sun Huiru said coldly.


    After Lu Liang left, she said to Lin Wenjing, "Wenjing, you guessed right. That guy Lu Liang doesn''t have any money at all. He''s just bluffing, and the car he drives also belongs to Zhang Qian; he''s just clinging to a wealthy woman."


    "It seems this deal is probably going to fall through. He''s always held a grudge against me, so he''ll likely stir up trouble."


    Sun Huiru sighed deeply, casting herself as the heroine, while Lu Liang was a despicable little villain who had found success.


    Lin Wenjing was indignant: "That bastard, how blind I must have been to have fallen for him."


    On the other hand, Lu Liang returned to his car.


    Zhang Qian was holding her daughter, the two of them giggling and playing a finger-capturing game.


    "Uncle, mommy is so silly, she can''t catch me," the little one laughed with joy.


    "You''re asking for it, calling Mommy silly." Zhang Qian feigned anger, tickling the little one''s armpits.


    She refrained from mentioning what had just happened.


    "Let''s go, we''re off to Happy Valley."


    Lu Liang took a deep breath and a smile returned to his face.


    The trio arrived at Happy Valley at the foot of She Mountain.


    Upon entering the park, the little one was like a wild horse that had thrown off its reins.


    Wanting to play on everything she saw, the various areas of the park were filled with her laughter, as well as photos of the three of them together.


    Not until nightfall did they stop; they had only watched half of the fountain show when the little one, exhausted, fell asleep on Lu Liang''s shoulder.


    Finally, Zhang Qian had a chance to speak to Lu Liang, "An hour ago, Sun messaged me. One million for the deal, not including the staff contracts. I can sign anytime I agree."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and scoffed, "She probably wants to get rid of everyone and save herself."


    Zhang Qian paused, then added, "I thought about it and decided to drop it. Joy City is too far from the Affiliated Primary School. If I worked there, I wouldn''t have time to take care of Xiaoguai."


    A flash of surprise crossed Lu Liang''s eyes, and he hummed in response, "There''s time. Take it slow, we''ll find something gradually."


    They returned to Zhang Qian''s house, already past nine o''clock.


    Zhang Qian coaxed and persuaded earnestly and finally managed to cajole the little one to take a bath and go to bed.


    She came to the living room and sat next to Lu Liang, embracing his waist affectionately, "You won''t leave tonight, right?"


    "I won''t leave, but I have to go back to my hometown tomorrow," Lu Liang also embraced Zhang Qian, breathing in her scent.


    He hadn''t lied to Mrs. Zhuang; if Zhang Qian was willing, he too was willing to take care of her and her daughter for their whole lives.


    She was considerate and gentle, never demanding anything, and being with her came with no burden at all.


    Zhang Qian asked softly, "Should we buy some gifts to take back for Uncle and Auntie?"


    "Let''s buy them in the morning, have lunch, and then set off."


    Lu Liang pulled out a gold card from his wallet, "Tomorrow morning I''ll stay home and play with Xiaoguai, you help me buy the gifts. Just use the card, it should have a two million credit limit."


    This card was given by Old Liu from the Industrial and Commercial bank; he could only spend without cash withdrawal. He had three of these cards in total.


    It was a special privilege of a platinum card.


    Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment before taking the gold card, "How are Uncle and Auntie doing? Who else do I need to buy gifts for?"


    "My dad should be in good health, it''s just my mom has a bit high blood pressure. I also have a sister, and two nieces, a boy and a girl."


    Listening to Lu Liang''s account, Zhang Qian quickly figured out the gifts, "For Uncle, buy some cordyceps, they help with immunity and fatigue. For Auntie, with high blood pressure, get some codonopsis. For my sister, a set of cosmetics. For the two nieces, smartwatches."


    "Finally, buy some fine tobacco, liquor, and tea; those can be given to just about any elder or family friend."


    Zhang Qian was thorough, taking everything into account, and Lu Liang, mesmerised by her words, admired, "You are really thoughtful."


    "So how do you plan to thank me?" Zhang Qian squinted, biting her lower lip, naturally seductive and full of charm.


    "How about I commit myself to you?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    "At least promise over and over."


    "And if the promises are empty?"


    "Then I''ll buy some goji berries to rejuvenate you."

 Chapter 44 - 44: Going Home

    The next day, Lu Liang opened his eyes and heard waves of pleasant piano music coming from next door.


    The other side of the pillow was empty, which reminded him of the previous night. Zhang Qian had silently gone to sleep with their daughter despite how late it was after getting his work done.


    Although she didn''t state her reason, Lu Liang could guess that she probably didn''t want to influence the child''s still-forming values.


    Lu Liang got dressed and walked out of the bedroom to find Zhang Qian busy in the kitchen, having already prepared a sumptuous brunch.


    She was wearing a loose T-shirt and high-waisted jeans, her makeup exquisitely applied as though she''d just returned from going out.


    Zhang Qian pushed back a strand of hair and smiled warmly, "The bathroom is on the left. The toothbrush and towel at the sink are new."


    Meanwhile, the piano music suddenly stopped, and the little one peeked out her head stealthily: "Uncle Lu, you really can sleep."


    In her room, a guzheng was set up, her fingers wrapped with picks that resembled fancy nail art.


    Lu Liang looked puzzled at the clock on the wall and was amazed to find that it was already eleven o''clock, nearly noon.


    "I saw you were sleeping soundly so I didn''t wake you. I''ve bought everything; it''s in the trunk of your car."


    Zhang Qian dried the water off her hands and pulled out a gold card and a long receipt from her bag: "It all cost over sixty thousand."


    "Just keep it for me for now; you might need to help me buy more things next time, you never know."


    Lu Liang stretched and headed to the bathroom.


    Ever since he started working out, apart from those few days trading London Gold, he typically wouldn''t sleep until late in the morning.


    That meant he really did sleep comfortably last night.


    Zhang Qian''s home was small but very warm.


    Zhang Qian silently put away the gold card and looked to her daughter: "Xiaoguai, go wash your hands and get ready for lunch, Uncle Lu has to leave soon so let''s eat earlier."


    Hearing Lu Liang was about to leave, the little one quickly took off her fake nails, ran to the bathroom door: "Uncle Lu, where are you going?"


    "Xiaoguai!" Zhang Qian frowned and admonished her.


    She knew she couldn''t compete with younger women; the least she could do was not to pressure Lu Liang.


    "It''s no trouble."


    Lu Liang smiled and shook his head, scooping up the little one with one arm: "Uncle has to go home for a bit, you have to listen to Mommy''s words, okay?"


    "When will you be back?"


    "In about three to five days."


    "Will you come to see Xiaoguai again?"


    The little one had big eyes like her mother''s, watery and seemingly capable of speaking.


    At that moment, her eyes were filled with anticipation.


    "Of course, I will, and Uncle will bring you a present too."


    Lu Liang teased her cheek with his fresh stubble from last night, making her giggle with delight.


    Seeing this scene, Zhang Qian''s eyes grew even more tender.


    The little one whispered in Lu Liang''s ear: "Uncle Lu, I don''t want a gift, but could you please tell Mommy not to make me play the guzheng? I don''t like it."


    "What do you like then? Tell Uncle," Lu Liang looked at her ten small fingers, several of which were already slightly swollen.


    The little one shook her head: "I don''t know."


    "Then we won''t play the guzheng, but if you find something you like later, you must tell Uncle, okay?"


    Lu Liang looked at Zhang Qian who was firm: "Being good at several skills will make it easier when she moves up to middle school."


    "She''s only in the first grade now, and there are five more years to go. If she can''t make it by then, I will take care of it."


    Lu Liang kindly advised: "After all, she already has plenty of homework. Let her have proper rest during her break."


    Zhang Qian saw the eager look on her daughter''s face and finally sighed in resignation: "Starting now, just one lesson a week, at least she won''t forget it entirely."


    Before Lu Liang could even respond, the little one excitedly kissed him and cheered with raised hands: "Yay~"


    Lu Liang suddenly realized: "Maybe she does like it; it''s just the long practice times that make it a burden."


    Zhang Qian silenced, suddenly finding that she knew her daughter of seven years less well than Lu Liang.


    "Love may lead to chaos."


    Lu Liang comforting her, held the little one in one arm and took Zhang Qian by the hand: "Let''s go eat; I''m starving."


    "I want to eat shrimp; Mommy bought my favorite shrimp this morning. Thank you, Mommy."


    The little one said she liked shrimp, but after peeling them, she first put one into her mother''s bowl.


    Sucking on her fingers, she tilted her head towards Lu Liang: "Uncle Lu, do you like shrimp?"


    "I like the shrimp that Xiaoguai peels."


    Lu Liang joked and gently kicked Zhang Qian''s foot under the table.


    The little one was far more sensible and well-behaved than her peers; Zhang Qian shouldn''t have demanded more from her.


    The little one peeled a shrimp with practiced ease and placed it in Lu Liang''s bowl. "Uncle, this is for you."


    "Thank you, Xiaoguai." Lu Liang stroked her head.


    Zhang Qian''s face broke into a smile again as she affectionately touched her daughter''s head. "Xiaoguai, you''re amazing!"


    She had come to realize that compared to other children her age, her daughter was indeed very understanding and well-behaved.


    The lunch ended in a harmonious atmosphere.


    After a short rest, Lu Liang went to the car park and opened the trunk, which was packed full.


    Zhang Qian was very thoughtful, having attached a note to each item indicating who it was for.


    The tobacco and alcohol purchased were all domestic brands, like soft-center and Moutai, immediately recognizable as expensive.


    After all, the most taboo thing with gift-giving was to offer something expensive that was mistakenly considered cheap due to the recipient''s lack of knowledge.


    "Goodbye."


    Lu Liang bade Zhang Qian and her daughter farewell, set the navigation, and embarked on the journey home.


    The entire trip was over five hundred kilometers, heading south on the Shanghai-Kunming Highway until sunset.


    Departing at noon, by the time he reached a small city at the border between Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, the sky had gradually darkened. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Exiting the highway, Lu Liang drove for another half hour on the national road to reach his hometown of Yu Town.


    Passing by a small shop, he saw a family of four eating dinner happily together.


    Lu Liang parked in front of the store and tapped on the glass counter. "Boss, I''ll have a bottle of Coke."


    "Three yuan..."


    The woman set down her chopsticks and rushed over, thumping Lu Liang hard on the chest. "When did you get back?"


    Lu Ya, Lu Liang''s older sister by two years, married at 25, and was now already a mother of two.


    Lu Liang inhaled sharply, rubbing his chest in pain. "Couldn''t you have been a little gentler?"


    Lu Ya huffed. "I was holding back."


    Two children also ran over, excitedly hugging Lu Liang''s legs: "Uncle¡­ Uncle, did you bring us any gifts?"


    The older one was a six-year-old boy, and the younger was a four-year-old girl. It was rare that they hadn''t forgotten about Lu Liang after not seeing him for over four months.


    "Of course, I brought you gifts."


    Lu Liang opened the trunk and took out two smart watches, a set of cosmetics, and a carton each of cigarettes and alcohol.


    Brother-in-law Luo Haitong came over, fixated on the silhouette of the Taurus on the ground, lost in thought. "Liangzi, this isn''t a Lamborghini, is it?"


    "A Lamborghini?" Lu Ya was astounded.


    These days, it was normal not to have seen a Lamborghini, but very few people had never heard of one.


    Because it was synonymous with top-tier sports cars.


    Lu Liang simply smiled, as if to confirm.


    After putting the watches on his nephews, he handed the cosmetics to his sister. "This is for you, so you can''t say I''ve never given you a gift."


    "Brother-in-law, this tobacco and alcohol are for you..."


    Seeing the soft-center and the Moutai, Lu Ya finally believed that the car in front of her was indeed the type she thought it was.


    She didn''t accept the cosmetics, her eyebrows furrowed, a worried expression on her face. "What about Wenjing? And where did you get the money?"


    Lu Liang patted the backs of his nephews, ushering them back into the house to eat, and handed his brother-in-law a cigarette as he recounted recent events.


    "You got divorced already? And sold the house in Modu? You''re even running a company now?"


    Three pieces of news, each more explosive than the last. Lu Ya couldn''t help but ask, "Do Mom and Dad know?"


    "Dad, knows a bit; Mom, probably doesn''t."


    Lu Liang put his arm around Lu Ya''s shoulder. "Besides, you guys never liked Lin Wenjing anyway, so the divorce is for the best, right?"


    Lu Ya glared at him. "One thing at a time; you didn''t just dump her because you''ve made money now, did you?"


    "Sister, I''m your own brother, blood is thicker than water, what do you take me for?"


    Lu Liang was indignant, but that didn''t save his arm from another slap.


    After a moment of contemplation, Lu Ya looked at her husband. "Luo, you take care of the kids; I''ll go back to Mom''s with him."


    Lu Liang chuckled and passed her the cosmetics and the alcohol and tobacco.


    In small rural towns, the tolerance for divorce was far less than in big cities. While not considered outright disgraceful, it was still frowned upon.


    He didn''t have much to say to his parents on a daily basis and needed a strong external ally ¨C an older sister was the best candidate.


    "Keep them, no point in refusing a gift."


    Lu Ya fiercely glared at him, knowing her brother well. With one look, she saw right through his scheming.

 Chapter 45 - 45: The Best Foreign Aid

    "Uncle, uncle, we want to ride in the car too."


    When the two nephews saw Lu Liang getting ready to leave, they hurriedly ran out again. With one stern look from Lu Ya, she barked, "Get back!"


    Like mice who''d seen a cat, the two children dashed back into the house without looking back, prompting Lu Liang to clap his hands in admiration, "My sister, as domineering as ever."


    It was rare for Lu Ya not to get angry, and from the depths of her eyes, a long-absent tenderness emerged, "Liang, I feel like you''ve changed a lot lately."


    Her brother had always been a lively boy, but since getting married, he gradually became more silent.


    Although the siblings had each started their own families and in recent years only saw each other once a year, she could feel the huge pressure his wife and family were putting on Lu Liang.


    She couldn''t offer much help, but now that Lu Liang had reverted to that big boy he once was, Lu Ya was very pleased.


    "Sis, please get in the car."


    Lu Liang went around the car, emulating the hotel butler Tan Tao, and opened the passenger door with gentlemanly flair.


    "Show-off," Lu Ya teased with a smile.


    The deep rumble of the engine sprang to life, and the yellow Lamborghini Urus carried the siblings towards their home.


    The nearby neighbors came out to look, and upon seeing Lu Ya getting into the car, someone couldn''t help but ask, "Who''s that? Why is our sister-in-law getting into the car with him?"


    Someone else took over the conversation, "That looks like Lu Ya''s younger brother, right? The one who works in Modu."


    "Isn''t that car a ''wild ox'' SUV? Looks like it''s worth millions. Luo, hasn''t your brother-in-law struck it rich?"


    Luo Haitong, annoyed, said, "If someone else gets rich, that''s their business. Why are all of you fussing over it?"


    "Not true, when one becomes successful, it lifts up their whole family. It looks like you''ve got a share of the good fortune."


    Luo Haitong glared at the speaker and reluctantly handed out cigarettes, then gestured everyone away, "Go on, get back to what you were doing."


    ...


    Elsewhere, Lu Liang was driving back on the country road towards the village.


    Lu Ya asked him how much the car cost; Lu Liang vaguely replied it should be in the hundreds of thousands, then got smacked again.


    Lu Ya picked up her phone, indignantly saying, "Do you think I''m a bumpkin? A car worth over three million, and you tell me it''s just a few hundred thousand?"


    She couldn''t help but worry, having bought such an expensive car in just a few months, could the money have come from a legitimate source?


    Lu Ya asked very seriously, "If something happens one day, and if you can run, then run fast. I''ll take care of mom and dad at home."


    Lu Liang suddenly laughed, "Sis, don''t worry, the money is absolutely legit. Otherwise, how dare I start a company?"


    "Heh, Wu Laoer from the village next door said the same thing once, but when he was caught, people found out he was selling fake alcohol."


    "You think too much; I''d rather not chat with you."


    Lu Liang gave a wry smile, knowing there weren''t many who could completely overbear him. Lu Ya was definitely one of them.


    After all, when they were kids, their parents were busy, and boys often develop later than girls of the same age.


    He owed his successful growth entirely to his sister''s grace of not ''killing'' him.


    Suddenly, Lu Ya looked towards the front and said softly, "Don''t just think of yourself now that you have money. Think of mom and dad too."


    Up ahead was their home village, Luhe Village, and in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, keeping up with the Joneses was common, with every family building three- or four-story Western-style houses.


    Even if they didn''t have the money, they would borrow it just to build, but not far away stood an old, one-and-a-half-story bungalow sandwiched between the Western-style houses, looking very peculiar.


    "I will," Lu Liang nodded emphatically.


    That bungalow was the home of the siblings, now 32 years old.


    In the past, there had been thoughts of demolishing and rebuilding, but Lu Liang stayed in Modu and planned to settle down there.


    The parents supported his decision and helped with the down payment, so naturally, there was no money left to revamp the old house.


    At eight o''clock on a summer evening,


    It was one of the busiest times at the village''s gossip station.


    Not far from their house by the river, the riverside gazebo was one of the main spots for exchanging news.


    A yellow, very expensive-looking SUV sped past, immediately sparking a heated discussion among the villagers.


    "Is that car a Jinbei?"


    "That''s not a hammer-type Jinbei; you can tell a Jinbei just from the name. That emblem is a Taurus."


    "Taurus? How does it compare to a Mercedes or a BMW?"


    "Probably not as good, right?"


    "No way, it looks even pricier than Feng Chun''s 3-series BMW."


    "Nonsense, a BMW 3-series is only in the three hundreds of thousands; this one must be close to 400,000."


    A young man who knew his stuff just couldn''t bear to listen anymore.


    He stared at the car, saliva almost dripping from his mouth.


    A Lamborghini Hurac¨¢n, the dream car of many men.


    "4 million? That''s got to be a bluff."


    "Why is that car parked at the Tiechui''s house?"


    "Holy shit, is that Tiechui''s eldest daughter? And his youngest son?"


    The villagers wanted to take a closer look and gradually gathered around.


    "Third Uncle, Uncle Chun... you''re out enjoying the cooler evening air."


    Lu Liang greeted a few of the elderly he knew, then started handing out cigarettes to everyone regardless of whether he knew them or not.


    "Soft pack? Tiechui has been making good money lately."


    Lu Liang''s father was named Lu Jiancheng, but hardly anyone in the village called him by his full name, referring to him instead as Lu Tiechui.


    This nickname seemed to originate from when he was young and fought people with a hammer, earning his reputation from a single battle, a name that stuck for forty or fifty years.


    Lu Liang, his son, was also called ''Little Tiechui''.


    It wasn''t mockery; it was just that the elders couldn''t remember the young people''s names, only their parents'', so they simply attached ''Little'' to the parent''s nickname.


    "Just doing a little business." Lu Liang opened the trunk and handed out two packs of soft packs to two elderly family acquaintances.


    He then said, "Third Uncle, Uncle Chun, you continue to enjoy the evening, my sister and I will head inside now."


    The two elders, happy with their cigarettes, smiled broadly and told the crowd, "Alright, everyone disperse now."


    Uncle Chun then said to Lu Liang, "Little Tiechui, come over to Uncle Chun''s for tea when you have time."


    "Sure thing."


    Lu Liang and Lu Ya, laden with large and small bags, pushed open the door and went inside.


    In the countryside, as long as someone is at home, doors are generally left unlocked, except at night when people go to sleep.


    Their parents were inside watching TV, so loud that they hadn''t heard any noise from outside.


    Seeing the siblings, their parents froze in surprise, "Why have you both returned?"


    The father reacted first, hurriedly closed the door, not wanting to air out dirty laundry and completely oblivious to the car parked outside.


    The mother was still asking, "Where''s Wenjing?" sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang paused for a moment, then rehashed the conversation he had with his sister, skipping over the part about selling the house to make a fortune.


    After all, their mother had slightly high blood pressure, and it was best to let her absorb one thing at a time before revealing another.


    Mother''s face turned red with anger, "How could she get divorced without even saying anything, keeping it from me?"


    Seeing the heightened emotions, Lu Ya stepped forward to calm her down, "Mom, didn''t you say that Wenjing has become lazier ever since she went to Modu with brother? It''s probably for the best that Liang and she got divorced."


    Plus, look at my brother, he''s so handsome, he won''t have trouble finding another wife, divorced men are even more desirable now."


    Lu Ya knew how to handle her mom, who was immediately distracted, "Desirable my foot, do you know how much money your brother spent on his wedding? Who would marry him now without any money?"


    Lu Ya smiled and mused, "But have you ever considered that brother might become rich? By then, a whole line of girls will be queuing up to be your daughters-in-law."


    "Don''t just think about getting rich at every turn. I just wish for you all to live in peace and stability," the mother advised earnestly.


    "Looks like it won''t be peaceful for now," Lu Ya said with a teasing and relaxed tone, nodding towards the small security monitor by the TV.


    She laughed and said, "Haven''t you noticed that Liang drove me here in his car?"


    "When did he buy a car?"


    Not just the mother, but the father was taken aback as well, he knew about Lu Liang''s divorce, but had no idea about the car purchase.


    "Come clean and you may be treated leniently, resist and you''ll be dealt with severely."


    Lu Ya, with a stern face, suddenly stood in solidarity with her parents, but still covertly flashed an OK sign to Lu Liang.


    The biggest bombshell had already been diffused by her, now as long as they came clean, they would be handled more leniently.


    After all, the parents reacted so strongly to the divorce, not because they cherished the union, but out of concern their child might end up alone forever.


    But if there''s money, that changes everything.


    "Did you sell your house and start a company?" The parents wore expressions just like Lu Ya''s a moment ago.


    They shared Lu Ya''s concern, worried about the legitimacy of the funds, that any day now they might end up eating "royal grain" (being imprisoned).


    Lu Liang had to explain for a long time and eventually had no choice but to pull up the corporate information, "Look, Tianxing Investment, I''m the legal person, and also the shareholder, and the registered paid-up capital is 6 million."


    "If my money was dirty, how would I dare to openly run a company? That would be like walking straight into a trap."

 Chapter 46 - 46: Siblings

    "That car costs three million?"


    Mom felt like she was going to faint again, and Lu Ya displayed her excellent emergency response skills, "Liang came back from Modu at noon, hasn''t he had dinner yet?"


    Lu Liang quickly nodded, slightly resentful, "I just went to your house; you didn''t even invite me in for a bite."


    Lu Ya glared fiercely, "We''ve finished eating, there''s only some leftovers, do you want them?"


    "Have I not been eating your leftovers since I was little?"


    Playing along, the siblings once again successfully diverted their mom''s attention.


    "It''s past eight o''clock, how come you haven''t had dinner yet?"


    Mom couldn''t care about anything else and hastily went to the kitchen, continuously nagging, "You didn''t even give a heads-up before returning, there''s hardly any food in the fridge, I''ll make you some noodles and fry an egg."


    "That''s fine."


    Lu Liang saw dad taking out some Baisha from his pocket and quickly took out the Softs, "Dad, you should smoke these instead."


    He also opened the gift bag on the ground, which contained five packs of Softs and five bottles of Moutai.


    "This is Cordyceps; you can brew it for tea or cook soup when you''re free. This is Codonopsis Pilosula. Mom''s blood pressure is a bit high, let her have two slices each day."


    Lu Liang introduced the gifts, while dad smoked, habitual in his silence, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, betraying his inner joy.


    Every parent says they don''t aspire for their children to be extremely wealthy, just safe and healthy, but who doesn''t wish for their sons to be dragons and their daughters to be phoenixes?


    Finally, Lu Liang took out a bank card, "Here''s some money, find some time to renovate our house."


    "How much?" Dad asked.


    "Three million."


    Dad''s eyes widened, "That much, are you planning to build a palace, and doesn''t your company need money?"


    "The company is the company, I am me, it''s quite complicated throughout, but generally speaking, the two have no direct relationship, and I don''t have anywhere to spend the money right now."


    Lu Liang glanced at Lu Ya, who was helping in the kitchen, "To build a three or four story fully furnished house, it would cost about two million, and with the remaining one million, keep a few hundred thousand for yourselves. If your brother-in-law has any business plans, give him a hand."


    His sister''s marriage was neither good nor bad, her brother-in-law''s family was just average, not too well-off but not destitute either.


    Until now, both were running a small store, but in recent years, with Erbao born and Dabao at the age to attend school, the financial pressure visibly increased.


    Whenever he had free time, the brother-in-law would do freight work, and the sister, while managing the store, would also do some crafts to supplement the family income.


    Now that Lu Liang did well for himself, he wanted to improve their living conditions a bit, but as a younger brother-in-law, it wasn''t easy for him to take the lead.


    Lu Jiancheng was the father-in-law, without such concerns. Traditionally, a father-in-law helping his son-in-law was common.


    This way, the brother-in-law would be more devoted to their family matters, as after all, Lu Liang couldn''t always stay at home.


    "You''ve truly grown up now."


    Dad let out a long sigh, eyes filled with contentment.


    At this moment, Lu Ya brought over a bowl of noodles, "Egg and vegetable noodles, Mom and Dad, you should also keep some staples in the fridge."


    "On ordinary days, it''s just the two of us at home, if we buy too much, we can''t finish it, and it won''t be fresh if it sits too long."


    Lu Jiancheng, pointing at the bank card, didn''t plan to hide it from his daughter, "Your brother took out some money, thinking of tearing down and rebuilding this old house."


    "That''s a good thing; just reserve a room for me."


    Lu Ya suddenly said, "But this time, absolutely do not hire someone we know, hiring acquaintances always ends in getting swindled."


    "Last time when our house was renovated, it was dad who recommended our uncle to help with the plastering, and not many years later, the coating peeled off."


    Dad was stunned, "When did this happen, and why have you never told me?"


    "That''s in the past, what''s the use of talking about it now, and after all, he''s our uncle, you can''t yell at him, nor can he compensate."


    Lu Ya, with her arm around Lu Liang''s shoulder, earnestly spoke, "Liang, this time for building the house, make sure to hire professionals, ideally people we don''t know. That way, if there''s any issue, we can speak out, scold them even, without having to serve them with good cigarettes and tea, as they are getting paid."


    Lu Ya had suffered from hiring so-called acquaintances before and didn''t want Lu Liang to fall into the same trap.


    "Lu Ya, you''ve always been great with budget management, why don''t you take over the arrangements? I''ll be staying for a few more days until Thursday, when I have to go back."


    Upon hearing Lu Liang''s words, Lu Ya hesitated. Being a married daughter, she was worried about what people might say.


    Lu Liang understood her concerns and deliberately provoked her, "Is my sister someone who gets easily influenced by gossip?"


    "Don''t provoke me, hurry up and eat, after we eat, you can drop me off, and I''ll think about it," Lu Ya glared at him.


    Lu Liang quickly finished his noodles, grabbed the car keys, and said, "Mom and Dad, I''ll take sister home first."


    "Be careful on the road, and if you''re going to have drinks with friends later, don''t drive."


    "I know."


    On the way back, Lu Liang said, "Sis, you know how easily persuaded our parents can get. If they were in charge, any random relative could appear out of nowhere to handle the project. It''s not about spending more money, but about spending it without getting the work done properly."


    "So, you want me to be the bad guy."


    Lu Ya showed a helpless expression and sighed, "If you want me to handle the arrangements, the money for building the new house shouldn''t be kept with mom and dad, but with you. I''ll take as much as I need from you."


    She wasn''t afraid of gossip but was worried about their parents being influenced by it and then seeing her through a biased lens.


    Lu Liang was her brother, and she didn''t have these concerns with him. Their sibling bond was much stronger than their bond with their parents.


    "I''ll listen to you, I wasn''t thinking things through," Lu Liang said remorsefully, realizing another layer of complexity.


    He paused before adding, "Before I go back to Modu, I''ll leave some money with mom and dad. If your husband ever wants to start a business, he can go to them."


    Lu Ya''s expression changed slightly, but before she could speak, Lu Liang quickly added, "You''re my only sister, and I''m actually quite wealthy now. Tens or hundreds of thousands aren''t a big deal for me. I want to improve all of our lives.


    Look at Huang Er next door, after he made some money, he also helped his brother-in-law earn too. Both families are living better lives now.


    Even if not for yourself, think about Dabao and Erbao. They are growing up and will have many expenses in the future."


    Lu Ya fell silent upon hearing this.


    After a long while, Lu Liang asked softly, "Sis?"


    Lu Ya smiled relievedly, "You''ve said it all, what more can I say? We''ll see what happens."


    Lu Liang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Dad''s birthday is next Wednesday. I plan to set up a few tables at Zhenhai Building."


    Zhenhai Building was the largest restaurant in town, specializing in large banquets like wedding feasts and birthday celebrations.


    "Dad isn''t that old; let''s just have one table, inviting just our grandparents to have a meal together," Lu Ya suggested as she transferred eight hundred yuan to Lu Liang, "I know you''re rich, but I want to contribute for dad as well."


    "Whatever you say."


    Lu Liang dropped his sister off at her home and wanted to contact his childhood friends to have a late-night snack and a few drinks, reflecting on their youth.


    However, when he called, either they had work the next day, had to take their children to school, or their wives wouldn''t let them out.


    Lu Liang sighed deeply, realizing how difficult it was to get these family men out of their houses.


    He just drove home.


    Once home, Lu Liang briefly described the arrangements for building the new house to his parents.


    He was holding the money, Lu Ya was in charge of the overall coordination, and they would leave one million for the family for emergency needs.


    His mother was overjoyed and cried, "Seeing you siblings still so close even after establishing your own families puts my mind at ease."


    "Fighting side by side with siblings, like father and son going into battle."


    Driving had tired Lu Liang out, and after taking a bath, he immediately went to his room.


    Everything in the old family house was outdated except his room was newer. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A few years ago, when he got married, even though he didn''t live there, he spent several thousand to renovate and bought some new furniture and appliances.


    Now that things had changed, Lu Liang took down the wedding photo from the headboard, shredded the pictures inside it, and shoved the frame under his bed.


    After double-checking everything, ensuring that all the photos together were destroyed, he finally settled into bed feeling secure.

 Chapter 47 - 47: It is Inadvisable to Stay Long at Ones Old Home

    The next morning, Lu Liang was woken up by laughter outside his house.


    Overnight, the news that Lu Tiechui''s son had made a fortune in Modu and even returned driving a four-million luxury car had spread throughout Luhe Village, becoming common knowledge.


    Third Uncle and Uncle Chun together were nearly 150 years old.


    Even if they wanted to work, their descendants wouldn''t dare let them; bored every day, they wandered around the village visiting neighbors.


    With over three hundred households and fewer than two thousand residents, the small, uneventful village rarely saw anything new.


    Old, stale tales had been retold over and over again; finally, a piece of fresh news had surfaced, and like striking soft gold, they couldn''t help but boast about it to anyone they met.


    So from early in the morning, visitors flocked non-stop to the Lu Family, some even taking a detour to see the car worth four million, despite being on their way to work or school.


    "Uncle, Auntie, please take your seats at your leisure."


    Lu Liang saw a few familiar faces, yet didn''t know what to call them.


    He knew the root of the trouble was the car parked outside; after breakfast, he found an excuse to leave the house.


    Not going far, he drove to a newly built residential area not far from Luhe Village.


    It had been on sale for a few years, with a starting price of 5,800 per square meter, but sales were poor since almost every family in his hometown had their own land.


    There existed a belief there that only the poor would buy commercial housing units, while the wealthy built their own houses.


    A commercial housing unit is just that, even if it''s a duplex; upstairs and downstairs, you don''t recognize your neighbors.


    But it''s different with self-built houses; you can design them as you wish, with a couple of Roman pillars at the front or shape it into a European palace if desired.


    Moreover, rural land is almost perpetual, unlike commercial housing that comes with time restrictions and property management fees.


    Lu Liang arrived at the sales office and selected a 120-square-meter flat. With the dismal sales, the total price was only 650,000, including a parking spot.


    The old house needed to be demolished and rebuilt, and his parents, true to their nature, would certainly borrow a place to stay from relatives or friends, unavoidably incurring social obligations.


    There was no need to owe favors for something that could be solved with money. To prevent this kind of situation, Lu Liang went out to find them a house.


    A simple, large three-bedroom flat of 120 square meters, priced at 5,800 per square meter, commanded an annual rent of 30,000.


    Upon hearing the rent, Lu Liang no longer wanted to lease it; he didn''t have much money anyway, so he might as well buy one.


    With his professional eye in real estate, he quickly settled on a low-floor, south-north through unit.


    The house was viewed in the morning, the contract signed at noon, and while the property deed would still take a few days, it was already habitable.


    Lu Liang called his parents to say he wouldn''t be back for lunch and headed to the town in search of childhood memories.


    He ordered a few of his favorite childhood snacks, sat down on a small roadside stool, and checked the stock market situation.


    The trend for Teli A had not yet begun,


    Today was yet another day of decline.


    The current drop was -1.5%, with a stock price of 9.61 RMB.


    The trading volume of the stocks was like a microcosm of the A-share market, continuously shrinking, with capital only flowing out and not in.


    The term "numb" was


    the best expression of the current mood of the market investors.


    Those willing to cut their losses had already done so, those unwilling had emptied their savings to cover their positions time and again.


    A stock market crash was an inevitable trend, and they could only watch their assets shrink over and over again, with no power to reverse the tide.


    "Apart from real estate, what else can be invested in?"


    For a moment, Lu Liang''s thoughts were all over the place.


    Besides the one hundred million he was cooperating with Meng Changkun, he still had 13.9 million US Dollars, which amounts to approximately 88 million RMB.


    With his current asset allocation, he guessed he wouldn''t be able to borrow much from the bank since he lacked fixed assets.


    Stock market assets are illusory; a single crash could halve them repeatedly, and only a solid business could provide peace of mind.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, searching through major financial boards for new concepts and themes.


    Finance is the pinnacle of all industries, and even if the state does not wish for finance to grow too strong, it can''t change this fact.


    Investors are like sharks in the sea, sensing even a hint of blood and rushing forward, hyping up the concept.


    Baofeng Technology initially had taken advantage of the new Internet+ concept, and with deliberate promotion, it exploded onto the market upon listing.


    Moreover, in traditional industries, with Lu Liang''s capital volume, even if he had the qualifications to participate, he would likely just be making up the numbers, giving easy points to others.


    To engage in risk investment, he still had to look to the market for new themes, perhaps catching the next big wave.


    Lu Liang found four new-concept themes: new retail, new finance, new energy, and the shared economy.


    New retail stood for online shopping, new finance meant online lending, and as for new energy and the shared economy, he still didn''t quite understand them.


    At this time, the restaurant owner came over with dishes: "All your dishes are ready. Would you like some soup on the house?"


    "Boss, I''ll take it to go," Lu Liang''s head was full of ideas, and now he just wanted to focus on his research.


    Holding snacks in his hand, planning to go home, suddenly someone called out to him from behind: "Lu Liang?"


    "Lu Liang, it really is you." A smiling woman with dark and sallow skin, holding onto a child.


    Lu Liang looked carefully, feeling a sense of familiarity, but he just couldn''t remember. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The woman said with a smile, "Me, Zheng Wanrong."


    "Class monitor!"


    Lu Liang was astonished; it was hard to imagine that the woman before him was the same fair-skinned, always smiling middle school class monitor.


    While it wasn''t a first love, at that young age, he had a bit of a crush on the pretty, smart girls in the class.


    "Is this your child? How old is he?" he asked, looking at the tall boy beside the woman.


    "His name is Ji Bojun, he''s 10 years old this year."


    The woman nudged the child, "Say hello to Uncle Lu."


    The boy, who seemed to have been dragged out shopping reluctantly by his mother, muttered, "Uncle Lu."


    "Such a sensible boy."


    A touch of melancholy flashed in Lu Liang''s eyes as he suddenly remembered a conversation with friends from a few years ago where they talked about middle school, including the woman before him, who seemed to have gotten married at nineteen.


    Time flies; the middle school classmates of the past now looked aged, their children so grown, yet in Modu, Lu Liang felt none of this change.


    He suddenly thought that it wasn''t suitable to stay in his hometown for long; if he continued, it wouldn''t be his appearance but his heart that aged first.


    Lu Liang saw the woman holding several bags: "Where are you headed? Let me give you a lift."


    "No need, I came on a motorcycle," the woman said, pointing to the white Wuyang parked on the roadside.


    "Okay then, I''ve got some things to take care of, so I''ll be leaving first. We''ll catch up another time," Lu Liang said, making an excuse to leave after so many years with little left to say.


    "Goodbye." The woman looked on in surprise as Lu Liang got into the luxury car that almost attracted everyone''s attention.


    Lu Liang didn''t go home because he didn''t want to deal with distant relatives, so he went to his newly purchased apartment instead.


    Eating snacks that looked like those from his childhood but lacked their taste, he received a call from Zhang Chen.


    "Mr. Lu, ''Xia Luo'' is scheduled to start shooting on Friday. Do you want to join the opening ceremony?"


    Lu Liang learned it was in Dalian and immediately lost interest: "I''m quite busy lately, I''ll have Director Tang go instead."


    After a few unenthusiastic bites, which served as his lunch, Lu Liang began to study the future direction of investment.


    Of the four emerging concepts, he first eliminated new finance.


    Although it was the hottest concept in the market at the moment, with several companies preparing to list in the US, Lu Liang was not optimistic.


    He had borrowed from online lending platforms and was well aware of their potential harm; they were rootless and could be upended by a single policy.


    So he could only look for targets within new retail, new energy, and the shared economy.


    Lu Liang thought of Meng Changkun, who had done just that, constantly investing in new industries, and they were now business partners.


    "Mr. Kun, are you busy?"


    Lu Liang called him to ask if there were any investment salons or gatherings lately and if there was a chance to take him along to expand his horizon.


    Although clueless about those industries, he had money to invest initially. If he was optimistic about the future, he would either take control through shares or start from scratch.


    The financial market was his arsenal; he was confident that his vast cash flow could wash away any obstacles ahead.


    Meng Changkun, guessing Lu Liang''s intentions, laughed and said, "Don''t forget what month it is now. There are two events this weekend, but the quality might not be that great. If you''re interested, I can give you my invitation."


    "Sure, thanks a lot."


    June was graduation season, influenced by the legendary tales of Bill Gates and Zuckerberg. In recent years, college entrepreneurship seemed to be very popular.


    This trend also propelled the development of online lending.

 Chapter 48 - 48: Wealthy, Generous, and Unpetty

    "Dad, why are you still going to work."


    Returning home, Lu Liang saw his father riding a motorcycle and still wearing his work clothes as he came back from outside.


    His father worked at a mold factory, and Lu Liang had a deep impression; his whole life, whenever his father came off shift, he was always dirty and greasy, sometimes even having to work the night shift.


    "Recently the factory has a batch of rush orders, I''ll resign after we get through this busy period."


    His father said with a smile as he pushed the motorcycle into the courtyard and picked up the hose on the ground to rinse his head, then used soap to wash his face.


    He had been at this factory for over twenty years, and the boss had always treated him well, so he believed in seeing things through.


    "You two are something else, one off to work, and the other out and about, and neither of you knew how many people came to our house today."


    Although his mother was holding a vegetable basket and seemed to be complaining, the corners of her lips were turned up betraying the joy in her heart.


    Today, the sentence she heard most was "Your son is really capable," which is probably the phrase that parents are most happy to hear.


    "Poor in the bustling city, no one knows you; rich in the remote hills and you have distant relatives." His father suddenly reflected.


    Though he wasn''t home, he had received many calls from relatives far removed from his immediate family.


    Lu Liang was surprised, his dad had this awareness, and it seemed that for friends and relatives who might think of borrowing money in the future it would be more difficult to succeed.


    "Mom, don''t cook, we''ll eat out tonight, and I''ll take you both for a ride."


    Lu Liang hadn''t gone out with his parents in many years, and they also hadn''t ridden in his car.


    Mom was tempted but thought of the already cooked meal: "Let''s wait for next time."


    "When Dad''s birthday is over, I''ll have to return to Modu, and after that, I won''t have much time."


    Lu Liang kept persuading, and finally, his dad made the decision: "Leave the cooked meal for tomorrow''s porridge then."


    Both parents went back to their room to bathe and change, dressing up in new clothes that they seldom wore.


    Lu Liang felt a twinge of heartache; he recognized those clothes, bought only two years ago for his wedding.


    They looked almost new, as if never worn, but having been stored for so long, the white collar had still yellowed a bit.


    Getting into the car, both were very careful, sitting up straight and alert, fearful to touch any buttons and damage the vehicle.


    "Dad, you should drive, just take it for a spin, you''re an experienced driver, don''t you have confidence?"


    Lu Liang let his father drive, taking a seat in the back alongside his mother, introducing her to the car''s features.


    Lu Liang instilled the idea that the car was just a possession, not so fragile after all, and even if it did break, it could be serviced under warranty.


    The family of three headed to the city and had dinner at a restaurant that looked decent from the outside, then went straight to the largest mall in town.


    Lu Liang bought several sets of clothes for his parents, a watch for his dad, a gold bracelet for his mom, and finally, two Apple phones.


    Apple phones might have poor signal, but they were more user-friendly for the elderly, unlike Android phones that might start downloading a mess of apps automatically if a certain webpage was opened.


    Spending over a hundred thousand in just over two hours, the watch and bracelet were the most expensive, but this money was absolutely the most well-spent Lu Liang had ever done.


    On the way back, his dad drove again, now much more at ease and less rigid than before.


    Approaching a fork in the road, turning left would take them to Luhe Village, but Lu Liang suddenly said, "Dad, let''s go to Jinya Garden."


    In the township areas, there were no large housing complexes, only a few buildings put up by developers, named with ''garden'' or ''park''.


    The apartment Lu Liang bought


    was on the fifth floor of building B at Jinya Garden.


    When they heard that Lu Liang had bought an apartment on his outing, both parents were dumbfounded.


    "Do you have too much spare cash with nowhere to spend it?" his mom chided with a stern face.


    "Anyway, it wasn''t expensive."


    Lu Liang chuckled, acting nonchalant, and led them upstairs: "Besides, a new apartment wouldn''t be ready for at least a year. So the next time I come back, where would you have me stay, in a hotel?"


    Dad had a stronger tolerance and was quite understanding: "Now that it''s bought, let''s leave it be. It''s better than splurging unreasonably."


    He couldn''t help but look down at his wristwatch, which was a plain metal timepiece worth forty-eight thousand.


    If they hadn''t stopped him, Lu Liang would have bought the fifty-eight thousand worth watch as a birthday gift for him.


    "My dad has good foresight. People in Modu are all speculating on property, now it''s just over five thousand, who knows if it might go up to over ten thousand in a few years."


    "You''re talking about Modu now; can our little place compare to the big cities?"


    Mom sighed, no longer disputing, after all, the purchase was made, and buying property is better than reckless spending.


    A 120 square meters, three-bedroom apartment,


    with simple ceiling decorations and wall treatments.


    The room contained only a table, a few chairs, and the leftovers from Lu Liang''s noon meal.


    Mom''s muscle memory instantly snapped into action; she picked up a broom and began to clean.


    Dad and Lu Liang were banished to the balcony.


    Suddenly, Dad asked, "Have you ever thought about what you''ll do in the future?"


    "What exactly do you mean?" Lu Liang inquired.


    "Your work," Dad explained, "we don''t understand it, and can''t help you. What we can do is to not add to your troubles, nor let the family add to them. But as for family¡ªyou''re not getting any younger."


    Lu Jiancheng was smoking, still favoring the soft White Sand; he never got used to the medium strength, always feeling it lacked punch.


    Last night, they had almost stayed awake all night: the couple had agreed on not prying into Lu Liang''s career or causing him problems.


    But the matter of family became their lingering worry. Now, not being young anymore, the children of Lu Liang''s childhood friends were nearly school-aged.


    "Let''s just leave it to fate. These things can''t be forced," he resolved.


    Hearing Lu Liang say this, Lu Jiancheng felt guilty and refrained from further persuasion.


    The fact that Lu Liang married Lin Wenjing was in part due to their continuous pressure for marriage.


    Countless trips back home for matchmaking, until one day he probably grew tired and settled for someone verging on suitable.


    As it turned out, a melon forcefully twisted off its vine was not sweet.


    "Dad, if I don''t want to get married, even if you held a knife to my throat, I still wouldn''t marry," Lu Liang asserted with a smile, his face relaxed. He considered the past as nothing more than a failed investment, not a big deal.


    The next morning, Lu Liang took his father''s copy of the driving license and documents to the city''s Volvo dealership.


    He spent 439,000 yuan on an XC60, renowned for having the highest safety factor on earth, as a birthday gift for his father.


    Bringing the receipt home, Mom was about to scold him when Lu Liang presented a perfectly reasonable argument.


    With over five hundred kilometers between the two places, each trip back home required at least six hours of driving.


    If the family had a car, he could take the high-speed train next time. On idle days, Dad could also take Mom out for trips. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mom was persuaded,


    And Dad had no reason to refuse.


    A man never truly outgrows his youth; he is powerless against the allure of cars.


    Last night, Lu Liang had noticed that Dad kept gently caressing the steering wheel with fondness.


    That look was akin to how Lu Liang gazed at Li Manli in her sailor uniform, not wishing to look away even for a moment.


    Wednesday was Lu Jiancheng''s 55th birthday.


    Lu Liang reserved a private room at Zhenhai Building, and then played the role of chauffeur. He first dropped off his parents and grandparents at the restaurant, and finally went into town to pick up his sister and her family as well.


    Lu Ya''s consideration was not without merit¡ªwhile the grandparents were still alive and his father was not too old, a small gathering was sufficient.


    While the parents and grandparents chatted, the two nephews darted around the table. Lu Liang, Lu Ya, and Luo Haitong conversed.


    "What do you think about the construction, and how many levels should we build?"


    Over the past few days, Lu Ya had been busy visiting various professional construction firms and had gathered a few design templates.


    Although their old house was ramshackle, it occupied a generous plot of land, totaling 255 square meters including the courtyard.


    Lu Liang took a liking to a three-and-a-half-story small western-style house with a front yard: "Let''s build it according to this design."


    He planned to reserve 85 square meters for a front yard, with a lawn on the left and stone pavement on the right, and the main building to the rear.


    The lawn could be used to plant fruits and vegetables, while the stone pavement could serve as a parking space or for sunning things like quilts.


    Lu Ya smiled, "I thought you''d like this kind. The construction cost for this set is 900 yuan per square meter."


    Building the house wasn''t expensive, it''s the refurbishing that costs a fortune.


    A construction area of 170 square meters, built to three and a half stories, would only cost just over 530,000 yuan; but there was no ceiling on the cost of decoration.


    You could spend tens of thousands to have a Syrian style, or millions to make it a palace.


    Transfering 500,000 yuan to Lu Ya upfront, Lu Liang then handed Luo Haitong a cigarette: "Brother-in-law, I''m tied up with work in Modu and can''t get away, so I''ll have to trouble my sister to handle this."


    Luo Haitong, an earnest and simple man, replied with a sincere smile, "No need for such formalities among family."


    Everyone enjoyed the birthday feast immensely.


    Because there was one person who was wealthy, willing to spend money, and unconcerned about nitpicking.


    In a family, just one person like that can ensure a harmonious atmosphere.

 Chapter 49 - 49: 88 Punan Road

    Birthday lunch, Lu Liang didn''t drink, ate and went home for a quick nap before hitting the road back.


    Zhao Haisheng called to say that the rental procedures were all set. All he needed was to sign the authorization tomorrow, and the institutional account would be effective immediately.


    In the past two days, the stock market had also started to recover, with the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index stopping its decline at 4000 points.


    Today was the first time since the stock disaster that it had turned green. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But Teli A continued its intense decline, dripping down by mere cents every day, a true torment.


    Lu Liang had been monitoring the capital movements of individual stocks, keenly noticing that some institutions were building positions at the bottom. He didn''t want to be left behind.


    Approaching ten o''clock, Lu Liang returned to Modu.


    He didn''t go to Zhang Qian''s place, nor did he return to the Tangchen Yipin, but instead, he went to the She Mountain Clubhouse.


    Last week, Meng Changkun had taken him there once; it was a very, very formal gentlemen''s wellness clubhouse.


    Driving half the day, Lu Liang was a bit tired.


    He planned to rest for the night and return to the city in the morning.


    He drove familiarly into the parking lot, spent eight thousand eight hundred yuan, and opted for a full-body therapy package, which included an overnight stay.


    He had a sauna and soaked in a hot spring to relax his body and mind, then was vigorously treated by a robust Thai massage therapist.


    The 120-minute treatment could be summed up in one sentence: painfully soothing. The ancient technique of gripping deep muscle tissue was truly unique and greatly enhanced prostate function.


    After the massage, the therapist also reminded him to maintain vitality for 12 hours, otherwise, it would backfire.


    Because of this ancient technique''s existence, Meng Changkun came here every now and then and even became a long-term member of the place.


    With the treatment concluded, every joint in his body was hot-compressed with a ginger-soaked towel, and in that moment, Lu Liang felt almost transcendent¡­


    ¡­


    The next morning, Lu Liang, full of energy, drove to the Guotai branch on Punan Road.


    Zhao Haisheng was already waiting at the door early in the morning. The two went to the VIP room to handle the rental contract and then to the bank for the transfer.


    The nine-figure amount in his account dropped to zero in an instant; President Liu watched Lu Liang with eagerness, like a forsaken young wife.


    Lu Liang was resolute, like a man who amorously begins but heartlessly ends.


    After completing the large transfer, they returned to the branch.


    "Mr. Lu, congratulations, from now on, 88 Punan Road will be your designated seat name. May you conquer in all directions, enjoy abundant wealth, and see your investments always rise," Zhao Haisheng said, his face alight with excitement, as if Lu Liang''s frequent operations might bring substantial revenue to the branch.


    Next year, he might become deputy director and step out of his worker status to officially join the management.


    "88, that''s a good number."


    Lu Liang''s lips curled upward as he proceeded to his exclusive trading room.


    Five or six years ago, perhaps ten years back, when the internet was not so developed, transactions had to be conducted in this hall.


    Hence, there were rooms for major clients and institutional trading rooms where some teams would stay days, even weeks.


    Although times had changed and now trading could be done outside the stock exchange, the trading room had been preserved.


    Five computers were lined up in a row, and there were also facilities like a bathroom, rest room, and washroom, just like a commercial suite in a hotel.


    "Haisheng, you go out first, I''ll call you if I need anything."


    Lu Liang took out his own computer and logged into the institutional account. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Guotai, but being cautious never hurt.


    Including the network signal, he used his own portable WiFi instead of connecting to the branch''s WiFi.


    Different from ordinary accounts, the institutional account could participate in pre-market bidding starting at 9:15 AM.


    However, Lu Liang didn''t utilize that feature, but waited till 9:30 AM for the market to officially open.


    From his observations, only 1-2 institutions were building their base in Teli A, and perhaps the two were even in cahoots. If Lu Liang intervened suddenly, it might draw their attention.


    His current strategy was to stay undercover; only by securing enough chips would he earn a seat at the table.


    Unlike his almost brutal trading style in the past.


    This time, Lu Liang was exceedingly cautious. With available funds of 79 million, he played as if he just had 790,000.


    The current stock price was 9.58 yuan, with 100 shares per lot, costing only 958 yuan per lot.


    Lu Liang was very patient, always buying in increments of tens or scores of lots, with no single transaction exceeding fifty thousand yuan.


    This stock wasn''t peaking just after a single market trend; it had several trends over more than four months.


    There was plenty of time for him to learn and gain experience.


    Two hours passed by in a blink.


    Suddenly, it was 11:30 AM, and the market paused for lunch.


    Lu Liang made 58 trades with an average of one every two minutes, holding only 2.32 million and 2,426 shares.


    Although it wasn''t much, he was satisfied, and the several institutions lurking didn''t even notice his presence.


    The stock continued its slow decline...


    Though he lost a few ten-thousands, most of it was commission fees, but Lu Liang didn''t mind at all.


    "Happy times always fly by quickly. Time to eat," he said, patting his stomach.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve reserved a private room at the Cantonese restaurant at home. Are you free for lunch?" Zhao Haisheng seemed to have been waiting at the door, eagerly inviting him as he appeared.


    "Is it far? If it''s too far, forget it."


    "Not far at all, just a bit over a kilometer."


    "All right, let''s go in my car."


    Lu Liang packed up and drove with Zhao Haisheng.


    Zhao Haisheng had no other intentions; he just wanted to thank Lu Liang for the last favor, which had allowed him to continue serving Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang felt perfectly justified eating this meal.


    And after finishing, he left right away, without any intention of hanging around and chatting with Zhao Haisheng.


    After all, the market would reopen at one, and Lu Liang hadn''t been to the company in recent days; it was time to show his face.


    16th floor, Area E, Yongfeng Building, Tianxing Investment.


    "I''m so sleepy, so bored, so wanting to sleep."


    Chen Jinchun was yawning, head propped on one hand, feeling drowsy all over. The office air conditioner was too cold, and she had even found a blanket to cover her waist, avoiding catching a cold.


    "If you have nothing to do, you should read more books, maybe study for a research degree or an accounting certificate."


    Tang Caide smiled gently, sipping her coffee and browsing the latest commercial tax law.


    A good accountant should know not only how to keep books but also how to plan the company''s finances, including legal tax avoidance.


    Not only was she a management Ph.D. from Shangcai, but she also held a master''s in law from Hua Shi University. Had she not resigned and wasted a few years, by now, she definitely would have been at least a vice president.


    However, Tang Caide had no complaints about her current situation.


    The boss often wasn''t in the office, and there was virtually no work to do, making it even more relaxing than running a guesthouse in Cainan.


    "I''d like to, but ever since I finished my thesis, just looking at a book makes my head hurt."


    Chen Jinchun whined, holding her head.


    Suddenly, she remembered a saying from the internet that suited her perfectly: "I must be one of those who flit intermittently between ambition and long-term idleness."


    After all, if she had any ambition, she wouldn''t have graduated from a second-tier college and taken a receptionist''s job.


    She was drawn by the nine-to-five, weekday-only schedule, a 5k monthly salary during the probation period, and an unexpectedly generous boss.


    600 for meal subsidies, 800 for rent.


    Her total probationary salary was 6,400.


    Chen Jinchun shared her benefits and job description in her class group, and everyone turned green with envy.


    Some classmates worked themselves to death at large companies for just two to three thousand a month during their probationary periods and still worried about getting a permanent position.


    Meanwhile, she was living the retired life early, which was really something to envy.


    "You actually have quite a bit of self-awareness."


    A laugh interrupted her; Chen Jinchun thought it was the boy next door coming over to flirt again and responded indignantly, "What''s it to you..."


    She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw who it was, her speech stumbling, "Mr... Mr. Lu, good afternoon, have you had your lunch?"


    "I''m terribly sorry; I thought it was that boy next door causing trouble again," Chen Jinchun hurriedly explained.


    "Someone has been causing trouble in my absence?"


    Seeing Mr. Lu might misunderstand, Tang Caide said with a smile, "It''s not really trouble, just ''Fair ladies, gallant gentlemen''."


    Mr. Lu realized, and just smiled it off.

 Chapter 50 - 50: Learning English

    "Tang, tomorrow Xia Luo begins shooting in Dalian ¡ª you take a trip there for me."


    Lu Liang assigned Tang Caide some work, then turned to the perplexed-looking Chen Jinchun, "Xiao Chen, you go and recruit someone for me."


    Chen Jinchun widened her eyes, at first thinking she had heard wrong. She was only a recent graduate herself, still within her internship period.


    "Is there a problem?" asked Mr. Lu.


    "N-no problem, what position do you want me to recruit for, Mr. Lu?" Chen Jinchun braved the question.


    "An English tutor, with at least a Level 8 certificate. One lesson every workday, paying the highest market rate."


    Having suffered from his poor English skills before, Lu Liang had resolved to improve his English, aiming for at least effortless reading.


    "Okay, Mr. Lu." Chen Jinchun felt relieved. Thankfully, she just had to find an English tutor.


    After all, having passed Level 4 herself and with the help of the academic credit system, interviewing a candidate with a Level 8 certificate should be no problem.


    But what she thought in her head was one thing; actually doing it was another.


    As soon as she saw Mr. Lu enter his office, Chen Jinchun, looking woeful, tugged at Tang Caide, "Sis, you''ve got to help me."


    She had only ever been the interviewee, never the interviewer. Should she act aloof, or should she be down-to-earth?


    If she put her hair up and wore a black silk OL outfit, would she appear a bit more mature?


    "Don''t stress so much. I guess Mr. Lu probably wants to learn English," Tang Caide said, trying to suppress a chuckle.


    "The way English is taught is important, but so is the teacher-student fit. If you just interview a few and let Mr. Lu choose, he''s bound to find someone satisfying."


    Chen Jinchun then asked, "What if Mr. Lu isn''t satisfied, what do I do with those tutors? Just let them go?"


    Tang Caide nodded, "Usually there''s a trial for half a lesson; if unsatisfied, you keep trying until he''s satisfied."


    Chen Jinchun looked troubled, "Shouldn''t we give them some kind of travel stipend? Otherwise, wouldn''t that seem a bit unfair?"


    Having a half-lesson trial and then just replacing the tutor if unsatisfied made her feel guilty, as if she was exploiting someone''s labor.


    "When you failed an interview, did anyone ever give you a travel stipend? That''s just how society is," said Tang with a shallow smile, patting Chen Jinchun''s head like an elder, "This might be an opportunity for you."


    "Opportunity?" Chen Jinchun blinked, utterly confused.


    Tang Caide looked towards Mr. Lu''s office, "Mr. Lu''s probably missing an assistant by his side; he just hasn''t realized it."


    "Anyone can be a receptionist, but an assistant is different. They become a confidant to Mr. Lu, and the salary and benefits are much higher."


    She saw this clearly, but she didn''t remind Mr. Lu.


    Because it was something Mr. Lu needed to realize himself. If she were to mention it, it might seem she had an ulterior motive.


    "Sis, then why don''t you..."


    Chen Jinchun was puzzled; she might be a bit slow but she wasn''t stupid. If it was such a good opportunity, why wouldn''t Tang Caide take it for herself?


    Tang Caide gave a self-deprecating smile, quite indifferent, "We are not the same. I''m older; I can''t be groomed."


    She was 37 this year, finding a job that matched her skills and paid reasonably well was already quite a feat.


    But Chen Jinchun was different. At 22, fresh out of college, she was at the prime of her life. Although she graduated from a second-tier university, it was enough.


    Having worked for over a decade, Tang Caide knew that education was just a stepping stone, and if it wasn''t a technical position, its importance was even less so.


    Moreover, Chen Jinchun was a fresh graduate, a clean slate at work, the type that bosses preferred to mold themselves.


    "Tang, thank you."


    Chen Jinchun was grateful, beyond words.


    Ever since they met, Tang Caide had always been especially kind to her, constantly teaching her the rules of the workplace.


    "In a bit, start with some online research. English tutors shouldn''t be hard to find. Then schedule some interviews; if you find someone suitable, send them to Mr. Lu."


    Tang Caide smiled and returned to her desk to organize her documents, preparing to pack for her trip to Dalian for Mr. Lu.


    When she was at Redwood, her motivation for gain was very strong. Whatever she did, she had strong intentions behind it.


    And she never made a losing deal, let alone teaching a newcomer for free.


    As a result, her husband spent her money and cheated on her, leaving both her life and work a complete mess.


    After operating a bed and breakfast in Cainan, and taking some time to recuperate for a few years, she had long since lost her previous mercenary attitude.


    Now, her willingness to help Chen Jinchun was simply because she liked her; that was all there was to it.


    ...


    At one o''clock, the stock market opened,


    Lu Liang repeated the steps from the morning.


    Although the trading steps were all the same, there were subtle changes each time, preventing him from feeling bored.


    Because the market is fluid, no matter how meticulously a Market Maker controls the board, there will always be elements of uncertainty.


    It''s like a line from "Stock Market Master''s Memoirs", you must always have a sense of awe towards the market because it is formed by the push and pull of countless investors. Even if Jesus were alive, he couldn''t fathom the thoughts of millions of people.


    This is an autobiographical novel, whose protagonist is named Livermore, once the king of speculation on Wall Street.


    By three o''clock in the afternoon when the stock market closed, Lu Liang''s capital position had reached 4.11 million, holding 4,272 lots of stock.


    Compared to the morning, the amount of bought funds was much less.


    The volume of trades decreased in the afternoon, and the activity wasn''t comparable to the morning session, making it harder for him to make a move, causing him to observe for longer periods.


    Lu Liang closed his eyes to rest, feeling his mouth was a bit dry, he wanted to call someone but then remembered he was at the company, not at home.


    He grabbed his water cup and stepped out of the office, just in time to see Chen Jinchun conversing with someone in the meeting room.


    The other person was a young woman, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, appearing somewhat restrained.


    It looked like she was here for an interview.


    But Chen Jinchun wasn''t doing much better, her gaze was evasive, her limbs awkward, and she kept repeating questions, giving an unreliable impression.


    Lu Liang suddenly laughed out loud, momentarily unable to distinguish who was the interviewee and who was the interviewer.


    Hearing the noise at the door, Chen Jinchun turned her head to look, her face showing excitement, as if she had found a lifeline.


    She hurriedly took out a resume, "Mr. Lu, this is Miss Su Wanyu, she''s here for an English tutor interview."


    "Mr. Lu, hello."


    Su Wanyu startled, quickly stood up.


    "Shangwai graduate, English Level 8, Japanese N2, French C1..."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly, realizing the candidate was a language prodigy, proficient in four foreign languages, even her German was at a B1 level.


    He went to the water dispenser, poured himself a glass of ice water, then headed to his office, gesturing, "Let''s give it a try first."


    Lu Liang opened the blinds of his office, allowing the outside to clearly see every move inside.


    He genuinely wanted to learn English, to master it.


    Seeing this gesture, Su Wanyu breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to Chen Jinchun, and quickly followed.


    "Mr. Lu, do you have any previous foundations I should know about so I can help you make a learning plan?"


    Speaking about her area of expertise, Su Wanyu''s demeanor was confident, as if she had become a different person.


    "I took the College English Test (CET-4) ten years ago but didn''t pass. I have some basics, but not much."


    "Why don''t I play a segment of English conversation for you, and you can try to understand as much as you can?"


    Su Wanyu was relieved; having some basic knowledge was good, as she dreaded teaching someone older with no foundation.


    A 90-second conversation, probably about where they ate, if they''ve eaten, and suggesting going together¡ªvery down-to-earth.


    Lu Liang guessed his way through and understood about seventy to eighty percent.


    Su Wanyu was surprised, "Mr. Lu, if you can understand this, you should be good enough for everyday conversation."


    Lu Liang smiled and turned his computer screen towards Su Wanyu, "But trying to read some professional articles is still very difficult to understand." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Su Wanyu felt an immense pressure. To read the Wall Street Journal fluently required not just competence but mastery.


    If the Chinese definition of illiteracy were applied, then over 90% of Americans would be considered illiterate.


    Chinese can be said to be one of the most concise languages in the world, with only about seven thousand commonly used characters. As long as you understand these characters, you can comprehend almost any meaning.


    Even with new words in recent years, like "diving," "slacking off," "watering down", these multi-meaning terms don''t require new words for people to grasp their new meanings.


    English, however, is different. Since entering the age of the internet, the growth rate of new words is about 10,000 per year.


    Some new concepts sometimes require many words to come together to explain their meanings.


    Even professors from Shangwai sometimes encounter words they don''t know and have to consult the latest Oxford dictionary.


    "Mr. Lu, reading an all-English newspaper fluently requires a large vocabulary."


    Su Wanyu advised kindly, a process which was very lengthy, and her rate of 400 yuan per lesson wasn''t cheap.


    "No problem, I''m already prepared."


    Lu Liang didn''t see it as a matter of money; he thought Su Wanyu was worried he wouldn''t persevere.


    "Well then, Mr. Lu, I''ll read a sentence, and you follow with me. After that, I''ll explain the meanings to you..."

 Chapter 51 - 51: Observations

    Lu Liang had a solid foundation, and since he was willing to learn, teaching him wasn''t hard for Su Wanyu.


    One eager to teach, and the other eager to learn, time flew by swiftly.


    Not until Chen Jinchun knocked on the door to remind them that half an hour had passed did she look at Lu Liang, to confirm his decision or to move on to the next candidate.


    Su Wanyu also looked at Lu Liang, her eyes filled with hope; she was studying for her postgraduate entrance exams and really needed this part-time job to cover her daily expenses.


    "Miss Su, you can go back first. Later, I''ll have Xiao Chen notify you if you''re accepted."


    Su Wanyu was very patient and approachable, with a voice gentle and sweet, just like her character, warm and smooth as jade.


    She also bore a striking resemblance to a language teacher Lu Liang had liked back in elementary school; he was quite satisfied with her teaching methods.


    Perhaps it was a man''s nature,


    Lu Liang always felt the next candidate might be better.


    "Mr. Lu, Miss Chen, I''ll take my leave then."


    Su Wanyu forced a smile, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, but she said nothing more.


    "Xiao Chen, have the next one come in."


    Lu Liang then interviewed several more candidates.


    There were veteran teachers with twenty years of experience and some whose looks made one lose all interest in studying at just one glance.


    Yet, none could last for half an hour; some barely introduced themselves before Lu Liang called for the next.


    Unknowingly, after interviewing five or six people, he had thought the next one would be better, but had not realized that the best had been right at the start.


    Approaching five o''clock and hungry, Lu Liang said, "Let''s go with the first one, book 20 classes. Have her come over tomorrow at four in the afternoon, one to two classes on workdays, and rest on weekends."


    "Okay, Mr. Lu. I''ll place the order."


    The private tutoring was all found by Chen Jinchun on an educational website, which provided a contract that protected both parties'' rights.


    The 20 classes totaled 8,000 yuan.


    Chen Jinchun looked at Lu Liang, hoping for a resolution as Tang Caide wasn''t there, and she had no money to pay.


    "Send me the payment link." Lu Liang chuckled, opened the link, and was directed to the Alipay payment page.


    After placing the order, Chen Jinchun contacted Su Wanyu to schedule the official start of classes for the next day.


    Once five o''clock came around and without much else to do, Lu Liang decided to head off work along with Chen Jinchun.


    "Where do you live, do you need a ride?"


    He casually brought it up inside the elevator.


    Chen Jinchun quickly replied, "Mr. Lu, I live close by in Golden Bridge Community. I can just walk home."


    "That''s fine then."


    Lu Liang hummed in response, didn''t inquire further and when they reached the ground floor, Chen Jinchun stepped out of the elevator, "Mr. Lu, goodbye."


    Lu Liang went down to the parking garage on the second basement level and drove back to Tangchen Yipin.


    As soon as he arrived home, he heard Li Manli''s voice coming from the kitchen, "Babies, today we''re making crab meat tofu."


    She was dressed in a blue and white sailor outfit, standing next to a lighting setup, appearing to be livestreaming a cooking show.


    Lu Liang watched with interest, and suddenly remembered Li Manli''s blogger ID seemed to be Li Xiaomeng.


    He downloaded that unseemly-named app Bilibili.


    If Li Manli hadn''t mentioned it was a hub for anime fans, Lu Liang would have thought it was an adult site like Pornhub or Xvideos.


    He found Li Manli''s livestream and was surprised to see quite a large audience, over five thousand viewers.


    "Honey, I love crab meat tofu the most."


    "Honey, I''ll probably be home around seven tonight."


    "A bunch of shameless guys, obviously Honey is mine."


    "..."


    Judging by the lively comments from the viewers,


    the audience of over five thousand seemed genuine.


    There were over thirty channel admins and even two admirals.


    Understanding the tipping rules, Lu Liang topped up fifty thousand yuan and opened a most expensive governor subscription, costing roughly twenty thousand a month.


    Once the governor was active, the livestream room''s screen was covered with flashy effects, attracting hordes of new viewers.


    However, it was just the beginning; it was followed by over twenty Lucky Small TVs, each valued at 1245 RMB.


    At that moment, Li Xiaomeng''s livestream room became the most eye-catching presence on the entire platform.


    "Thank you, passerby..."


    Li Manli spoke excitedly, then she saw Lu Liang standing at the door, smiling.


    She was surprised and suddenly understood everything. She wanted to turn off the live stream to catch up properly, for not seeing him for a day felt like an eternity.


    Lu Liang smiled softly, shook his head slowly, and made a silent gesture, indicating she should continue the live stream.


    He sat down in the living room, made himself a cup of tea, and watched Li Manli busily working in the kitchen.


    Suddenly, his phone rang,


    someone had sent him a message on the app.


    Devoted to Xiaomeng: "Admiral, would you like to join our fan group? Xiaomeng really has it tough. Next time she has a PK battle, come and support her."


    Lu Liang remembered, she was one of the only two Admirals Li Manli had. He thought for a moment and replied, "Are you her boyfriend?"


    Devoted to Xiaomeng replied: "If only I were."


    "Then why help her like this?"


    "When she''s happy, I''m happy."


    Lu Liang was momentarily speechless.


    At that moment, Li Manli''s crabmeat and tofu dish was ready, and she shut down the live stream.


    She brought the dish to the table with a sweet smile: "Liang, just wait, I''ll go make some soup."


    Lu Liang stepped forward, embraced her slender waist with a laugh, and teased, "What kind of love potion have you given him?"


    The sailor outfit was very well designed, the top was short and couldn''t cover the hem of the skirt, revealing a section of her smooth waist.


    "I didn''t really say anything," Li Manli looked at the screen, worried Lu Liang might misunderstand, and quickly opened their chat history.


    Lu Liang was stunned to see what''s called lowliness¡ªsending messages morning and night, caring about her condition, and constantly more concerned about her live stream stats than she was.


    Sometimes when that Admirer wanted to talk in depth, Li Manli would either take a long time to reply or ignore him entirely.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, imagining her impatient expression at the time, which reminded him of the first time he had seen Li Manli.


    That was just the kind of person she was.


    But Lu Liang didn''t care.


    If girls weren''t vain or didn''t admire strength, then what''s the point of having money, and what''s the purpose of working hard to earn it?


    "Go make the soup, I''ll take a shower first."


    Lu Liang''s lips curled slightly as he playfully patted Li Manli''s pert bottom.


    ...


    The next morning, after finishing his workout, Lu Liang arrived at the company just after nine o''clock.


    Today was Friday, the last trading day of the week, and the market activity significantly decreased.


    The index fell below 4,000 points, which was one of the reasons. Institutions didn''t want to hold stocks over the weekend, and retail investors were afraid to invest.


    The whole market was gloomy, but there were always a few stocks that went against the trend and rose.


    Teli A was one of them, with an increase of 3.55% that day, and the latest stock price was 9.80 yuan.


    "They shouldn''t have built much of a position, right?" S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang frowned. Since Monday, he had been following the capital flows of this stock.


    The lurking institutions probably had no more than 50 million in chips; they shouldn''t be starting a trend now.


    According to his calculations, they would have to wait at least another 2-3 business days, around next Wednesday, before a minor trend would emerge.


    "A probe? Or have they colluded with shareholders?"


    Lu Liang considered two possibilities. One was taking advantage of the dismal Friday market to test the market''s reaction.


    The other was that those institutions had already colluded with the shareholders, acquiring a large number of chips from them, so they didn''t need to accumulate in the secondary market.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time, couldn''t figure it out, and decided not to ponder this problem for the time being.


    Increased market activity was beneficial and harmless to him, suggesting that even if he increased the accumulation of shares, he would not be noticed.


    The increase or decrease at the moment didn''t matter much to him; only having a base position of 40 million would he start to reveal his spot.


    With four hours of trading time all day, Lu Liang increased the amount for buying, with individual transactions rising from within 50,000 to within 100,000.


    By the time the market closed in the afternoon, his account''s holding position reached 16.5%, totaling 13.035 million, holding 13,369 lots.


    Currently at a loss of 278,000,


    he was still 26.965 million short of his target position.


    Lu Liang organized his documents and then rested for a while with his eyes closed.


    Near four o''clock, he walked out of his office to see Su Wanyu waiting in the meeting room.

 Chapter 52 - 52: The Gentle and Modest Gentleman

    Wanyu sat gracefully, clad in a long emerald green dress that naturally fell to reveal only half of her white shoes.


    She was quite tall, likely over 170 centimeters, but her figure was slender, as if a mere breeze could knock her over.


    Lu Liang also saw Wanyu without her glasses, and he couldn''t help but stare. She was as fresh and delicate as the sakura in early spring, exuding a fragile, lovable quality.


    But as soon as she saw him, Wanyu quickly put on her thick black-framed glasses, and her attractiveness suddenly dropped from a nine to a six.


    The lenses were very thick, probably with a high prescription. Her eyes immediately looked much smaller and she acquired a bit more of a bookish quality.


    "Mr. Lu, can we start now?"


    Wanyu''s voice was soft and sweet, soothing to the soul.


    She prepared many teaching tools, like a digital drawing pad and ear return devices for pronunciation practice.


    "Let''s begin."


    The two of them went to the neighboring office, where Lu Liang opened the blinds and windows that had been closed all day to ventilate the room.


    He had a habit when trading stocks; he disliked bright environments, preferring dim settings that helped him concentrate better.


    This action also made Wanyu feel more comfortable.


    She was mostly used to teaching children and wasn''t accustomed to being alone in a room with a strange man.


    Although it seemed that besides Lu Liang, only Chen Jinchun was in the company, the transparent glass was reassuring.


    "Mr. Lu, today we will mainly review phonetic symbols. Proper pronunciation is the foundation of everything."


    Wanyu smiled gently and took out the digital drawing pad, writing down 20 vowels and 28 consonants.


    The last time Lu Liang had studied phonetic symbols was over a decade ago.


    For years of non-use, his accent could not just be called off, it was outright abstract.


    Wanyu was very patient and attentive.


    She had Lu Liang put on the ear returns and prepared two cotton balls to make sure his ears wouldn''t hurt while listening to his own voice.


    For each phonetic symbol, from the shape of the mouth to the positioning of the tongue and how to make the sound, Wanyu corrected Lu Liang''s pronunciation time and again.


    During this, Chen Jinchun knocked on the door to inform them that Liu Jun from upstairs had brought an invitation; he was Meng Changkun''s assistant.


    Meng Changkun was in Yanjing for work, recently not in Modu, but he hadn''t forgotten that Lu Liang was interested in joining the venture capital circle.


    Every June, Finance University held an entrepreneurship expo, inviting celebrities from the venture capital world to connect and collaborate with entrepreneurial students.


    Meng Changkun had invested in two listed companies and was a well-known figure in the Modu venture capital circle. He received invitations every year.


    But he wasn''t available this year, and mainly didn''t want to go, so he decided to transfer the invitation to Lu Liang.


    "Thank you, Assistant Liu."


    Upon receiving the invitation, Lu Liang called Meng Changkun to arrange a fishing trip when he returned.


    Old Meng had a wide range of hobbies including, but not limited to, tennis, golf, fishing, hiking, and so on.


    He was an exemplary figure that every man aspired to emulate, and a great role model for Lu Liang to learn from and catch up to.


    Wanyu watched quietly, curiosity flickering in her eyes.


    Every graduation season, the entrepreneurship expo at Finance University was well-known, perhaps stemming from the confidence of a top-tier institution.


    This expo was open to universities above a certain academic level nationwide, with each school receiving several spots, including Shangwai.


    Wanyu had a classmate who had been preparing for the entrepreneurship expo since the beginning of the year, and she had absorbed quite a bit from his enthusiasm.


    However, she was curious why a small company, just one or two people in size, had received an invitation from Finance University.


    "Mrs. Su, shall we continue?"


    Lu Liang ended the call and continued his laborious study of phonetic symbols.


    Today was Friday, and he had more time, so they had two sessions lasting 120 minutes in total.


    Until his tongue was nearly tied in knots, he finally managed to pronounce all 48 phonetic symbols fluently to Wanyu''s satisfaction, and she no longer needed to correct his pronunciation.


    By five o''clock, it was time for Chen Jinchun to leave, but with her boss still around, she felt uncomfortable asking to go early


    So he used cleaning as a pretext to dilly-dally until six o''clock, waiting for the boss to finish studying before leaving with him.


    "Let''s go, see you next week."


    Lu Liang waved goodbye and took the elevator directly to the parking lot, without giving a thought to driving them home.


    One was just a colleague, the other, although he was somewhat interested, was not yet familiar.


    On Saturday morning, Lu Liang entered the university with an invitation letter and followed the staff''s directions into the Shangcai Auditorium.


    He suddenly understood why, despite being hailed as a top financial institution, Meng Changkun had mentioned its low quality.


    Lu Liang reviewed several business plans, some of which had even achieved certain successes, owning tens of thousands of fans across the internet.


    But they were too assumptive, too idealistic, lacking a clear profit model, a common pitfall for university entrepreneurs.


    Moreover, the biggest difference between campus entrepreneurs and those outside was excessive caution.


    Caution is good, but timing matters, especially when attracting investments, it''s better to aim high.


    "A project can afford not to make money now, but it cannot continue without making money or having a profit target."


    Lu Liang mingled between investors and entrepreneurs. Such gatherings might be low-end for Meng Changkun, but they were just right for him.


    These investors might be tough, but they weren''t foolish; even if the project was clearly flawed, as long as the entrepreneurs could persuade them, they were willing to invest.


    Because persuading them meant they could persuade others; all they needed was to cash out at the right time, not caring about the consequences later.


    Lu Liang, holding a cup of coffee, wandered around different areas of the exhibition and spent a long time without finding a suitable investment project.


    He finally found a quiet, peaceful spot to rest, admiring beautiful female students from across the country.


    Suddenly, he saw Su Wanyu. There was no time to marvel at how small the world was, as her mode of transport caught his attention.


    She was riding a Little Huang,


    and a row of Little Huangs was parked in the distance.


    Lu Liang was suddenly struck by a realization. Since entering the campus, he had seen many Little Huangs but had not paid attention before.


    The bikes bore a brand logo, clearly not privately owned, which reminded him of the shared economy concept he had been researching lately.


    Su Wanyu also noticed Lu Liang, her delicate and handsome face showing surprise.


    She saw Lu Liang smile and nod at her, then hurried off towards the exhibition''s administrative area.


    "What''s wrong?" asked a female classmate nearby.


    "I think I just saw my employer."


    "The one who booked 20 lessons with you at once?"


    Su Wanyu nodded; after deducting the platform''s commission, she still had seven thousand six hundred yuan. If she was economical, it should sustain her through her postgraduate studies. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her classmate joked with a laugh, "Tell me, did you secretly remove your glasses in front of him and he became so smitten that he followed you all the way here?"


    Su Wanyu glared sharply, "Don''t talk nonsense. Mr. Lu is very decent, takes his studies seriously, and genuinely wants to learn English."


    She mentioned that yesterday, Lu Liang had received an invitation letter, and he was unaware that she would be here today to help.


    Her classmate looked teasingly, "Oh la la¡­ calling him Mr. Lu now. Where is he? Let me see what he looks like."


    Su Wanyu, pretending to be angry, said firmly, "Go distribute flyers with your boyfriend; I''m heading to the library."


    "No, no, no, I was wrong, I''ll stop."


    Out of the many university students starting businesses nationwide, there were over two hundred teams attending the exhibition at Shangcai today alone.


    Investors were scarce, and even fewer were willing to invest, so many teams distributed flyers to increase exposure.


    Her boyfriend was part of the Shangwai entrepreneurship team; naturally, Su Wanyu, as her good friend, was roped in to help.


    Su Wanyu scoffed haughtily, turning her head away in a tsundere manner, unlike her gentle demeanor when with Lu Liang.


    She couldn''t help but look towards the administrative area, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, wondering about Lu Liang''s hurried behavior.


    Su Wanyu still felt favorable towards Lu Liang, who was mature and composed, always mindful of maintaining a proper distance in his teaching, a gentleman of genuine modesty and grace.

 Chapter 53 - 53: ofo Shared Bicycles

    "Mr. Liang, hello, my name is Lu Liang, from Tianxing Investment..."


    Lu Liang arrived at the exhibition management office, introduced himself, and inquired whether the startup team of Little Huang had participated in this exhibition.


    "Little Huang?"


    Liang Juntao followed his gaze and suddenly realized, "Mr. Lu, that''s the team from Beijing University''s ofo shared bike startup. They''re also participating in our university''s startup exhibition, but it''s scheduled for tomorrow."


    The Shangcai entrepreneurial exhibition was originally planned for one day, but this year, due to the large number of teams that registered, it was extended to two days, divided into two sessions.


    Liang Juntao then asked, "Mr. Lu, are you interested in this project? We could introduce you to them."


    The founder of ofo comes from a remarkable family background, and just yesterday, senior leaders called him to pay close attention and, if possible, help introduce some investors.


    Unexpectedly, before he''d even started making introductions, someone took the initiative to ask; if he could facilitate an investment, it would be a no-cost favor gained.


    Tianxing Investment was unfamiliar to Liang Juntao, but the invitation was tiered, and a gold-edged invitation was the highest grade.


    It seemed their capabilities were quite impressive.


    "Then I''ll have to trouble Mr. Meng."


    "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment. Here is their business plan. Have a look at it, and I''ll contact Dai Wei for you."


    Lu Liang was escorted to the lounge, where a part-time female student gently asked, "Sir, what would you like to drink?"


    "Some ice water."


    Lu Liang browsed through the business plan, his mind elsewhere.


    ofo''s entrepreneurial concept revolves around the sharing economy plus smart hardware to solve people''s last-mile travel issues.


    It was founded in December last year with a registered capital of 1 million, and they have 1800 shared bicycles across four campuses of Beijing University and Tsinghua.


    To participate in this college student entrepreneurial exhibition, they started placing 300 shared bicycles at Shangcai last week.


    Their profit model is based on hourly charges, 0.5 yuan per hour, with less than one hour counted as an hour, and a daily maximum charge of no more than 2 yuan.


    They currently have over 20,000 paid users, an average daily usage of roughly 8000, and the company is valued at 5 million, willing to offer 10% of their shares for angel round financing.


    Lu Liang walked to the window, opened it to ventilate, lit a cigarette, and exhaled plumes of smoke, bearing a contemplative expression.


    ofo''s business idea was promising, but its biggest challenge was expanding beyond campuses.


    In the past six months, a total of 1800 shared bicycles had been placed, with a loss rate of only 1.7%.


    The main reason is that operations were confined within campus, particularly at Beijing University and Tsinghua, China''s top educational institutions.


    The students and faculty have high standards, perhaps due to the prestige of their schools, compelling them to maintain high quality.


    If deployed outside the campus, keeping the loss rate below 20% would be considered very fortunate.


    The cost of producing one Little Huang bike is 330 yuan; increasing production or self-use could reduce costs.


    But the damage and loss rates must not be too high, or else the company would eventually collapse due to unsustainable losses.


    Lu Liang continued searching for related information online,


    until he was interrupted by a knock on the door, prompting him to put away his phone.


    "Dai, this is Mr. Lu from Tianxing Investment..."


    Liang Juntao entered with a smile, accompanied by a group of young individuals in their twenties, all ofo co-founders and also classmates from Beijing University.


    Lu Liang smiled, shaking hands with everyone.


    Finally, his gaze rested on Dai Wei, the proponent of the idea and the largest shareholder, owning 70%.


    Lu Liang said, "Dai, I just looked over your business plan, and I''m quite interested in this project. Could you tell me more about it?"


    Dai Wei, a young man in his twenties, was visibly thrilled as he began discussing ofo''s advantages and future market prospects.


    Lu Liang smiled courteously, not interrupting his presentation, occasionally nodding and reflecting.


    Until Dai Wei finished explaining.


    Lu Liang gradually toned down his smile, "Dai, I have a question that I''d like you to help me understand."


    "Mr. Lu, please ask," Dai Wei said with a big smile, joy radiating from being acknowledged.


    Lu Liang asked, "If ofo were to be deployed outside campuses, how would you reduce the loss rate?"


    "Although your current loss rate is only 1.7%, it''s mainly because you are only deployed in the Qingbei campuses." Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The quality of students and faculty on the campus is high, and they would not commit any dishonest acts, but off campus, it can''t be guaranteed," Mr. Lu said. "You should be aware of this, right?"


    "Clear," Dai Wei replied with a smile that gradually stiffened.


    He answered, "We have seriously considered this and plan to mitigate the risk by collecting a deposit."


    Dai Wei couldn''t help but look at Liang Juntao. Hadn''t they agreed that the investors seemed easy to talk to? Why the sudden change?


    Liang Juntao was silent, his eyes downcast.


    After all, he had seen even the most troublesome investors before, and satisfying them was the only way they would be willing to invest.


    Of course, it could also be a compliance test. Lu Liang wanted to gauge Dai Wei''s tolerance to see how easy future dealings might be.


    But none of those concerned Liang Juntao anymore. His mission was complete, and all he needed to do now was to remain silent.


    Lu Liang nodded slightly, then asked, "How much deposit do you plan to collect?"


    "99 yuan," Dai Wei answered.


    "Less than a third of the total cost of one bike."


    Lu Liang remarked in an indifferent tone, then asked, "What makes you think people will trust you and be willing to deposit 99 yuan?"


    Dai Wei thought for a long time, "We plan to first expand the market and then promote our brand to gain customer trust."


    Suddenly, Lu Liang laughed, "With an estimated value of five million, financing 10%, that''s five hundred thousand yuan in funds. How big can you make the market with that?"


    The cost of one Little Huang bike is 330 yuan. Even without operational costs, 500,000 yuan could only purchase 1515 Little Huang bikes.


    Even if they deployed 300 bikes to a university, they could only target five more institutions and would then face a shortage of funds again.


    Dai Wei and his colleagues exchanged glances, all seeing the bitterness in each other''s eyes.


    They had previously considered this issue, but dare not delve too deeply into it.


    The cost of one Little Huang bike is 330 yuan, charging 0.5 yuan per hour, it''s uncertain when they would break even and start profiting.


    Lu Liang smiled slightly, seeing that the moment was ripe, and approvingly said, "Your thought process isn''t wrong."


    He paused, then added, "But the execution isn''t clear, and you had initial problems with the positioning of this project."


    "Mr. Lu, I''m all ears," Dai Wei, undeterred, was eager to hear Lu Liang''s insights.


    "The concept of shared bicycles dates back to 1965 in Amsterdam with a government-led free bicycle system..."


    Lu Liang had just done his homework; the concept of shared bicycles had existed for a long time, and by now, it should be considered the fourth generation.


    In his view, this project, rather than being an internet + product, would be more aptly described as a financial product.


    Due to the substantial initial investment required, a few investors alone cannot fill this gap.


    But if treated as a derivative financial product, it would offer significant operational flexibility.


    The characteristic of a financial product is that it can leverage, and the leverage multiple depends on how big you can draw the pie.


    "As time passes, when the daily usage nationwide breaks through one hundred million, the net income for that day would be fifty million."


    "Moreover, if there were only your company in the market, the price could be raised to 1 yuan or 2 yuan."


    "One hundred million uses would amount to one hundred million or two hundred million yuan."


    Lu Liang''s pie-drawing ability was robust, and Dai Wei and his colleagues were mesmerized, as if reaching one hundred million uses per day was just within reach.


    They were still envisioning their wonderful future life.


    In the next moment, Lu Liang personally burst their bubble.


    He said coldly, "But your project has a very critical flaw."


    "Mr. Lu, please tell," Dai Wei replied, his expression grave, having already discarded any underestimation.


    "There''s no core technology, and it''s extremely easy to replicate."


    Lu Liang spoke slowly and deliberately, each word hitting Dai Wei like an arrow, which he could hardly refute.


    Because in mid-last month, his friend in Hang City had informed him that Hang University had already seen the emergence of a Red Bike, named Mobike.


    Their development route was exactly the same, and they had already begun deploying in University City, no longer limited to campuses.


    The emergence of a homogeneous competitor in the market made them feel very pressured, as this market has always been winner-takes-all.


    That''s why they were willing to finance 10% of their undervalued assets, in hopes of quickly dominating the market.

 Chapter 54 - 54: Are You Talking to Me About Fairness?

    "Mr. Lu, do you perhaps have a good plan?"


    Dawei''s attitude was sincere, filled with genuine admiration, and his manner of addressing Lu Liang also kept changing.


    "You''re lacking funds, a large amount of funds," Lu Liang said with a smile, as if stating the obvious.


    "Mr. Lu, please give us ten minutes, we need to discuss this."


    Dawei understood what he meant; a 10% financing stake wasn''t enough to move Lu Liang¡ªthey needed to offer more.


    With a faint smile, Lu Liang watched as Dawei whispered to his classmates for a few moments before a few of them went to the reception room door to talk.


    Liang Juntao, with a smile on his face, walked over to Lu Liang and offered him a cigarette: "Mr. Lu, where have you been lately?"


    He had checked Tianxing Investment; it had just been registered last week, with subscribed capital of six million and an investment of five million in a movie. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had never heard of someone named Lu Liang before and found it strange why he would have a gold-edged invitation.


    "I''m just doing a little business in partnership with Mr. Meng of Kunqian Trade."


    Lu Liang pulled out Old Meng''s name for cover, after all, even if he was wealthy, others might still suspect the legitimacy of his funds.


    "So, you are Mr. Meng''s friend, huh? Mr. Meng and I have been close friends for many years, so now we''re all friends here."


    Enlightenment dawned on Liang Juntao without asking further; if this was a friend of Meng Changkun, then everything made sense.


    He also remembered that Tianxing Investment was registered in Yongfeng Building, in the same building as Kunqian Trade.


    "Mr. Liang, has anyone asked you to take special care of this student Dai?"


    Lu Liang suddenly inquired, noticing Liang Juntao''s attitude toward Dawei, which didn''t seem typical for a teacher''s behavior toward a student from another school.


    Liang Juntao neither confirmed nor denied, simply smiling and saying, "Mr. Lu, you needn''t worry about that; in business, we talk business."


    Lu Liang nodded, and the two of them chatted idly while smoking until Dawei and his partners finished discussing.


    He came over and said, "Mr. Lu, we''re willing to give up 20% of our shares for financing."


    "One million is still not enough."


    Lu Liang''s mouth twitched with a smile, not holding back, and stated his intentions directly.


    He could provide one million in financing funds and a two-year interest-free loan of two million.


    But the two million loan came with conditions.


    "Mr. Lu, please speak," Dawei said, his expression unchanged.


    While they were discussing, someone had come up with a new idea: increasing the share financing was maybe just the beginning.


    According to what Lu Liang said, unless they sold the entire company, they couldn''t raise enough funds.


    So they had anticipated this demand.


    "The average daily active users over the past seven days are 8,000; in two months, I want it to reach 80,000, and in three months, 150,000. That''s my condition for lending you the two million."


    Listening to Lu Liang''s specifications, Dawei understood that this was an additional bet agreement.


    A bet naturally came with winning and losing.


    The two million two-year interest-free loan was the reward for winning, and he wanted to know what the penalty for losing was.


    "If in two months the daily active users haven''t reached 80,000, the one million is yours, and correspondingly, I will obtain another 20% of the shares."


    "If in three months you don''t reach 150,000, the entire two million is yours, and in total, I will have acquired 40% of the shares."


    This progressive gamble agreement...


    If they failed to meet Lu Liang''s targets, when counting the financing he would have 60% of the shares, replacing Dawei as the largest shareholder of ofo.


    After all, in three months, even if ofo pulled ahead, it couldn''t just tread water with a five million valuation.


    Losing didn''t matter to him; it would just mean lending out two million, which wouldn''t bother him a bit.


    "This isn''t fair."


    Someone indignant at the side said they could develop slowly and didn''t need to sign this egregious contract.


    "Yu Xin, Yu''s your name, right?"


    Lu Liang still remembered his name and suddenly laughed: "You lack money, I have money; are you talking to me about fairness?"


    There was never any question of fairness between investors and entrepreneurs; if they wanted the money, they had to pay the price.


    Lu Liang thought he was being quite kind; he only wanted shares, not money.


    Some investors required a full refund if the targets weren''t met, and even demand interest on top.


    That was also why many entrepreneurs found themselves with massive debts as they tried to build their businesses.


    Initially, they had no assets, no steady income, and banks wouldn''t lend to them.


    Yu Xin''s face shifted between shades, wanting to argue but unable to find a rebuttal.


    However, they still had the right to refuse, but turning his head, he discovered Dawei was neither angry nor upset.


    Yu Xin was shocked, his face changing color: "Dawei, you''re not seriously considering agreeing, are you?"


    Dai Wei looked up, his eyes revealing determination, "Mr. Lu, please give me a little more time, I can persuade them."


    Lu Liang nodded, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.


    Liang Juntao, all smiles, chimed in again, "Mr. Lu, Dai here is pretty good, don''t you think?"


    "Quite bold," Lu Liang commended.


    To ''discuss'' was actually to agree.


    If anyone disagreed, Dai Wei could completely initiate a vote and force through the decision.


    Because he owned 70% of the shares and was also the general manager.


    This was one of the reasons why Lu Liang was optimistic about this team; there was only one voice internally.


    Like some teams he had just met, no one in the company owned more than 50% of the shares.


    The main creators, three or four people, divided the shares equally among themselves, like playing house.


    An instant flop.


    Ten minutes later, the ofo team concluded their discussion.


    Dai Wei made a reply, agreeing to the supplementary agreement, asking when the contract could be signed and when the funds would be in the account.


    He had compelling reasons to agree, as Mobike''s Hu Weiwei, bolstered by Yiche''s Li Bing, was coming on strong.


    Ofo, born from humble beginnings, lacked the support of big names in the automotive circle and had to bet on themselves to get that development fund of three million.


    "Come to the office to sign the contract on Monday, and the funds will be transferred immediately once the contract takes effect."


    Hearing Lu Liang say this, Liang Juntao hurriedly suggested, "Mr. Lu, why don''t we sign a letter of intent first?"


    As the person in charge of this year''s entrepreneurship expo, he was obliged to safeguard the cooperation rights and interests of both parties.


    Verbal agreements were unreliable; it was best to sign a letter of intent in black and white, and better still, include a penalty for breach of contract.


    "That''s fine," Lu Liang said with a smile, indicating no problem.


    Dai Wei also quickly nodded in agreement.


    "Then you talk for a bit, I''ll go prepare the contract."


    Liang Juntao left the reception room beaming with joy and hurriedly reached out to the faculty of law.


    Shangcai had been organizing the entrepreneurship expo for many years and was well-prepared in every aspect.


    Shortly after, he came back with three copies of the letter of intent, the terms clear even to a layperson.


    If one party breached the contract for the financing agreement and supplementary agreement, they would pay the other party 30% as penalty.


    Both parties kept one copy each, and the institution held on to one. If either party defaulted, Shangcai would testify.


    "Mr. Lu, there''s something I still don''t understand, would you mind clarifying for me?"


    Dai Wei was puzzled about how precisely ofo was to be treated as a financial product.


    "The hallmark of a financial product is leverage."


    Lu Liang spoke softly with a smile, "Borrowing is one kind of leverage, and so is delaying payment to suppliers."


    Once a contract was signed, the two parties would be allies, and he didn''t mind sharing some unique insights with Dai Wei.


    The biggest issue facing the ofo founding team was not knowing how to use their current assets flexibly.


    In his view, such enterprises should not consider applying the brakes once they start growing.


    Find every means to raise money, find every means to grow, keep sprinting without ever stopping.


    As long as you don''t stop, all roads lead to Rome.


    Dai Wei was stunned; listening to him was better than ten years of study, it was like opening the gates to a whole new world.


    But he still couldn''t help asking, "What if it stops?"


    Lu Liang just smiled without answering and turned to look at Liang Juntao, "Mr. Liang, where''s the Shangwai entrepreneurship team? I think I saw a familiar face."


    Getting to Rome, there will be someone to take over.


    If you can''t make it, it''s a wreck.


    "Shangwai is in area B, Mr. Lu, shall I take you there?"


    "Thank you, Mr. Liang."


    "No problem."


    Watching the two leave, Yu Xin couldn''t help saying, "Dawei, you''re trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin. It''s been half a year and you only have 8,000 daily active users, and you aim to reach 80,000 in two months?"


    When he heard Lu Liang''s words, the capitalist from his textbooks seemed to take on a concrete form.


    "It used to be impossible, but now it''s possible."


    A glint flickered in Dai Wei''s eyes; Lu Liang''s discussion on financial leverage had given him new ideas.


    With the right approach, reaching 80,000 daily active users in two months was not difficult, nor was 150,000 in three months.


    Everything is hard at the start, but with a good beginning, the number of daily active users would grow like a snowball, getting bigger as it rolls.

 Chapter 55 - 55: Given Too Much

    "Mr. Lu, this is Section B."


    Lu Liang followed Liang Juntao to the exhibition area B, and from a distance, he saw Su Wanyu sitting on a bench.


    There were about four or five people at the booth, but it was desolate, with fewer visitors than the members of the main creative team.


    However, this was the norm; the current startup exhibition had invited no more than 50 venture capital firms and independent investors in total, while there were more than 200 startup teams.


    Moreover, most people attended the startup exhibition just to give face to the school; otherwise, they wouldn''t even bother to come.


    Previously, an investment manager said that he would randomly delete 100 startup business plans from his inbox every day.


    Frankly speaking, if you were unlucky, you wouldn''t even have the chance to waste his time.


    After all, they received more than 200 business proposals and had an abundance of projects to choose from.


    Moreover, entrepreneurs from outside the school had been beaten down by society time and again and generally had a very humble attitude toward investors.


    Entrepreneurs from within the school always felt their ideas were extraordinary, believing they were but one round of seed funding away from becoming a unicorn.


    Little did they know that business ideas really aren''t worth much, and the ones that often died the most terrible deaths were the pioneers. Once capital sensed profitability, it was like the "thousand group war" a few years ago.


    In the end, the survivors were Meituan, Dazhong, and Nuomi, but no one knew that the first group buying website was called ''Qi Jia.''


    Bored, Su Wanyu stared at the ground, watching ants carry their load, when suddenly a pair of sneakers caught her eye.


    Looking up, she saw Lu Liang and stood up in surprise, "Mr. Lu, hello."


    "Do you have a stake in this company?"


    Lu Liang smiled as he picked up a promotional brochure from the table.


    It was an online one-on-one foreign language education platform called "Foreign Teacher," offering a choice of 14 languages.


    The app currently had 122 Shangwai students and faculty registered and was hoping to raise 250,000 in concept financing to build the web platform.


    "No, I''m just registered as an online English teacher," Su Wanyu answered truthfully, exuding an unintentional air of ditziness. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly and didn''t inquire further, giving a casual greeting before leaving the startup exhibition.


    "Yu, how can you be so silly? You should have just said you have a stake," her best friend said, unable to hide her frustration.


    "Why lie." Su Wanyu didn''t understand.


    Her best friend lamented as if she was disappointed in iron not becoming steel, "If you said you had a stake, perhaps Boss Lu would have invested."


    "Why do you think that my saying so would make him invest? Whether he wants to invest or not is his business," Su Wanyu responded seriously.


    Her best friend dissatisfiedly retorted, "How will you know without trying? Do you realize how much Zheng Qin has put into this team?"


    Su Wanyu''s expression changed slightly, already a bit unhappy, but not wanting to argue with her best friend, she softly said, "Xiaomin, I have other things to do this afternoon, so I''m going to leave."


    Zheng Qin was Xiaomin''s boyfriend, and even if Zheng Qin were her boyfriend, she wouldn''t have done it.


    Because she wasn''t familiar with Lu Liang, and even if she were, she wouldn''t do it anyway because it was a matter of principle.


    Xiaomin was also angry and went silent.


    Su Wanyu sighed and chose not to say anything more.


    Things like this happened all over the exhibition.


    The first hurdle student entrepreneurs often faced was not a lack of funding but a distortion of relationships.


    ...


    Leaving Finance University, and approaching noon,


    Lu Liang called Chen Jinchun to ask if she was free today, as the company was a bit short-staffed and he planned to recruit a few more people.


    Upon hearing this, Chen Jinchun hurriedly crawled out of bed, and they agreed on a time and place to meet.


    Lu Liang detected she seemed to have just woken up and couldn''t help but laugh, "Where are you? I''ll pick you up. Tang is catching a flight at noon, bring her with you, and we''ll all go have lunch together first."


    Hearing that Tang Caide would be joining, Chen Jinchun breathed a sigh of relief, "Mr. Lu, why don''t you wait for me at the south gate of Golden Bridge Community, I''ll be right out."


    "Sounds good, I''ll be there in half an hour."


    Lu Liang, along with Chen Jinchun, went to Hongqiao Airport to pick up Tang Caide, and the three of them arrived at a foreign-style hotpot restaurant in Xintian Di for a belated company meal.


    "Do you have any dietary restrictions?"


    Lu Liang glanced at the menu, waved for a waiter, knowing they would hesitate to order, so he took the initiative to ask before doing the ordering himself.


    Since the restaurant was quite high-end, one dish could cost hundreds, with a starting per capita consumption of a thousand.


    Tang Caide sipped some water and talked about her trip to Dalian, the film industry wasn''t large, and companies investing in filmmaking were even fewer.


    They were new faces and had also invested in an independent film. The press conference had just ended, and they had already received many project proposals.


    "What kind of projects?"


    Lu Liang focused on eating his beef chunks, savoring the full-cooked, slightly charred pieces as the butter burst in his mouth with each bite.


    "Projects like ''City of Amnesia'' and ''Death Performance,'' there are about twelve in total. I''ll print them out and hand them over to you later."


    Tang Caide wasn''t sure about Lu Liang''s investment preferences, nor did she voice an opinion. She planned to organize everything and let him choose for himself.


    Lu Liang nodded and began talking about a company he had invested in that morning, "They will come over to sign the contract on Monday. When the time comes, please receive them."


    Tang Caide nodded, and Lu Liang then asked, "Tang, what positions do you think our company is still lacking?"


    Initially, he just wanted to run a shell company and focus on making money in the financial market, but plans could not keep pace with changes.


    He invested in a movie, then a new enterprise.


    As more investments were likely to follow, the staffing should keep up with the scale of development.


    Tang Caide thought for a moment, "Mr. Lu, with our current size, we probably need to hire four more people. A vice president, a finance person, a clerk, and an assistant for you."


    The vice president would oversee administration, the finance person could balance her out, the clerk would handle daily paperwork, and the assistant would take care of trivial tasks for Lu Liang.


    Tang Caide said, "If finance isn''t directly under your control, it would require several people to cross-check each other to prevent any slip-ups."


    She had wanted to mention this a while ago, but at that time, there were no other projects, so it didn''t matter that there was only one person in finance.


    However, as the number of investment projects grew, it was best not to have finance audits handled by one person alone.


    With another person, Lu Liang could feel at ease, and so could she.


    Lu Liang thought carefully and realized that having an elder in the family was like having a treasure; by adding four more people, the basic framework would be established.


    He suddenly asked, "Tang, I would like you to take the position of vice president of the company. What do you think?"


    Tang Caide was highly educated and had ample work experience. If she hadn''t resigned, she could have easily been a vice president at any major company. It was a waste of her talents to have her only serve as a finance person.


    Tang Caide looked surprised, as she hadn''t expected to have the opportunity to become a vice president, especially approaching her forties.


    She considered it for a while then asked, "Mr. Lu, how much do you plan to pay me?"


    Lu Liang suddenly laughed, "The annual salary is tentatively set at 400,000. Find some time to pick out a company car worth 300,000."


    He appreciated Tang Caide''s straightforward nature.


    That''s how work should be,


    No talk of emotions, just interests.


    If Tang Caide failed to meet his expectations, he would not hesitate to fire her.


    "Okay, I agree."


    "Vice President Tang, welcome aboard."


    Lu Liang smiled and raised his glass, toasting with tea in lieu of wine.


    Chen Jinchun followed suit,


    Yet still felt a little dizzy.


    Was the adult world always this direct? Just like that, the friendly Tang had suddenly become Vice President Tang.


    Lu Liang suddenly turned to Chen Jinchun, "Xiao Chen, do you have a boyfriend?"


    Chen Jinchun looked perplexed, "No."


    "I''m still looking for an assistant. Are you interested?"


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, following Tang Caide''s reminder that he indeed needed an assistant by his side.


    This job did not require specific skills, so it made sense to pick someone from within. It had to be someone without a boyfriend, as the role required being on call 24 hours a day.


    "Mr. Lu, what will my duties be as an assistant?"


    Chen Jinchun was visibly anxious, fidgeting with her fingers, not as confident as Tang Caide.


    Tang Caide dared to discuss her compensation directly with Lu Liang because she had a wealth of experience and was confident she could handle the responsibilities.


    But that wasn''t the case for her; she lacked confidence.


    "You''ll be a clerk in the company on a daily basis. Whenever I need you, you must respond promptly, and your phone must be turned on 24/7."


    "The job involves handling some minor matters for me, like pouring tea, booking flights, reserving hotels, and reviewing documents."


    Chen Jinchun''s face was filled with conflict, the job responsibilities sounding like those of a nanny. Even though it was similar to what she did on a daily basis, transitioning from part-time to full-time seemed odd.


    Lu Liang gave a nonchalant smile and revealed the benefits, "You''ll be made permanent right away, and your salary will be raised to ten thousand."


    "Mr. Lu, I''ll be your assistant from now on."


    Chen Jinchun immediately beamed with joy, feeling blissfully content.


    From now on, she too would be earning a monthly salary of over ten thousand.

 Chapter 56 - 56: The Goddess Persona with Wealth and Beauty

    With a vice president and an assistant, recruitment was naturally no longer something Lu Liang had to do himself.


    After lunch, they took a trip to the Administration for Industry and Commerce and raised their subscribed capital to 50 million, with an additional 10 million actually paid in.


    By Tuesday when the information was updated, Tianxing Investment''s subscribed capital would be listed as 50 million, with 16 million actually paid in.


    Just as he had finished the procedures at the bank, Lu Liang received a call from Li Yue, telling him that the 718 he had reserved last week had arrived at the dealership and asking when he would have time to pick it up.


    "Send me the address. I''ll stop by later."


    Lu Liang dropped off the vice president and assistant at the company and then drove to the Porsche Center next to People''s Park.


    Li Yue, having received the message, was waiting for him early at the store entrance, holding a parasol, crossing her beautiful legs, and idly fiddling with it.


    Her light yellow long hair, grey skirt, and white blouse made her look like the female lead from a neighboring country''s film, the kind that could be played out by just a few people.


    Having been in Modu for so many years and dealing with clients house hunting every day, Lu Liang had seen plenty of career women.


    Li Yue was probably the woman who could best bring out the essence of office lady attire, around 165 cm tall, probably weighing about 120 pounds¡ªa top-tier voluptuous beauty.


    "Mr. Lu, just park at the entrance. I''ll have a colleague wash your car for you later."


    Li Yue, in high heels, maintained a graceful stride as she jogged to the car and enthusiastically opened the door.


    "Take it."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and handed over the car keys, following Li Yue into the Rongxing Building, where the Porsche Center was located on the first floor.


    Dozens of Porsche sports cars were neatly arranged, their shiny paint reflecting off the polished tiles, sparkling under the light.


    "Mr. Lu, this pearl white one is the new executive stretch version of the Panamera for this year¡­"


    Li Yue picked up on his lack of interest and quickly changed the subject. As they walked, they arrived beside a brand new bright red sports car.


    Li Yue patted the front hood of the car and smiled, "This is the Porsche 718 you reserved."


    A 2-door, 2-seater soft-top convertible, 2.0T, 250 horsepower. With insurance and plates, the total price amounted to 716,000.


    "Mr. Lu, would you like to take it out for a test drive? Occasionally driving a sports car has its own charm."


    Li Yue bit her lower lip, her demeanor seductive. She cradled a folder in her arms, purposely squeezing her bust to an exaggerated degree.


    "Test drive the car, or test drive you?"


    Lu Liang''s mouth curled into a smirk, dribbling the conversation nonchalantly as if no one else was around.


    Every time he saw Li Yue, he marveled at nature''s craftsmanship¡ªhow could this be natural, a marvelous creation.


    Real and fake are actually quite easy to distinguish, because fake can never match real. You just need to touch to immediately know.


    "Stop that, there are cameras here."


    Li Yue''s cheeks flushed, gesturing for Lu Liang to look towards the upper right.


    "Then let''s go somewhere without cameras."


    Lu Liang smiled, picking up the car keys, taking Li Yue in the new car, and driving out of the Porsche Center.


    Driving south, heading towards the outskirts of the city, they reached an area with few people, and he opened the soft-top.


    Lu Liang raised his right arm and spread his fingers wide, reveling in the roaring wind. Occasionally driving a sports car was indeed a unique pleasure.


    "Why does it feel a bit lacking?"


    Lu Liang asked, looking down. With a pressing of the accelerator, he could clearly feel the lack of power. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although there was a sensation of acceleration, compared to his SUV, the two vehicles'' power was just not on the same level.


    "That''s perfectly normal, alright? The Urus has 640 horsepower. The 718 only has 250¡ªnot even half."


    Li Yue, leaning forward, spoke with a mouthful, busy with her task yet still recalling every car''s specific parameters.


    "Shh, a car is passing by."


    Lu Liang inhaled cool air in satisfaction and quickly pushed Li Yue''s head back down.


    It was a different kind of thrill to do this in broad daylight on the road, and who could blame her; she was both provocative and teasing, and didn''t bring a "condom."


    An hour and a half later,


    The red 718 returned to the Porsche Center.


    As soon as they got out of the car, Li Yue hurried to the restroom, while Lu Liang, smiling, followed closely behind.


    Li Yue stood in front of the vanity mirror, checking her appearance, reapplying her nearly gone lipstick, and rearranging her slightly disheveled hair.


    She wrinkled her nose and glared fiercely at Lu Liang, who was washing his hands, and whispered reproachfully, "You bad guy, always picking on me."


    "Who told you to look like a pushover?"


    Lu Liang smiled at the corners of his mouth and all of a sudden he heard the abrupt sound of flushing; he made no further excessive moves.


    After a while, the two intentionally left at different times and gradually returned to the business reception room where the contract was being signed.


    Li Yue pushed the door open, carrying a cup of coffee and a plate of exquisite snacks, "Mr. Lu, please wait a little longer, I just asked someone to clean the inside of the car."


    Lu Liang, who drove an SUV worth more than three million, wouldn''t dream of impulsively buying an entry-level supercar that cost hundreds of thousands, even if he were to fancy driving a sports car.


    So she guessed that the 718 was probably a gift, most likely for a woman.


    If you''re going to cheat, you should wipe your mouth clean; she certainly didn''t want to disturb the harmony of someone else''s family.


    Lu Liang said with a laugh, "You''re so considerate, what if I fall in love with you?"


    "Then it''s easy, I''ll just drain all your money and then kick you to the curb with one foot."


    Li Yue giggled behind her hand as if she had already envisioned the beautiful life after bamboozling Lu Liang.


    "Such a dreadful woman."


    The two chatted and laughed idly, and suddenly they began discussing women''s physiology.


    When Lu Liang curiously asked if it wasn''t exhausting to be so big?


    Li Yue answered seriously that it was exhausting, and she even had minor strains in her shoulders and neck. If she weren''t worried about scarring, she would have considered reducing them.


    During this time, they talked about a lot, but kept an unspoken understanding; Li Yue didn''t ask Lu Liang if he had a family, and Lu Liang didn''t ask her if she had a boyfriend.


    A casual encounter, intense feelings at their peak, take the shot; ensure safety precautions, showing no interest in each other''s private lives.


    In the evening, Lu Liang drove the Porsche staff back to the Tangchen Yipin parking lot.


    Lu Liang called Li Manli, saying he had a gift for her and asked her to come down to see it.


    Soon after, the sound of slapping flip-flops echoed through the empty parking lot.


    Li Manli was overjoyed, and upon seeing a yellow car beside which was parked a red sports car, Lu Liang looked at her with a beaming smile.


    "Is this for me?"


    She was so excited she hardly knew what to do with herself.


    "Get in and take it for a spin," Lu Liang said with a smile on his lips, nimbly flipping over into the car.


    "Okay~"


    Li Manli nodded excitedly, hurriedly taking her seat in the passenger side, her joy clearly written all over her face. She touched and tapped everything once inside the car.


    A silly smile spread across her face, and even though she saw that the vehicle registration was in Lu Liang''s name, she didn''t think it was amiss.


    Li Manli waved her hand grandiosely and said, "Liang, let''s go dine at Big World tonight, my treat."


    It''d been a long time since she had asked Lu Liang for money. In fact, she often took money out of her little treasury to supplement household expenses.


    Beautiful, with a good figure, often wearing generous cosplay outfits, and she could cook too¡ªlikely a rich second generation beauty living in a mansion.


    A beautiful girl blogger with multiple identities on top of each other, to the otaku of the second dimension, her power was akin to a nuclear weapon.


    The last time Lu Liang made her a general manager and tipped numerous little TVs, as they say, a good wind aided her soaring into the sky.


    Now, she had already become a superstar blogger on B Station; every video, every live stream, earned her thousands, if not tens of thousands¡ªshe was hardly short on pocket money.


    "Does this count as being kept by a ''cute god''?" Lu Liang teased with a smile, referring to Li Manli''s online nickname.


    In his free time, he''d browse through the chat records of Li Manli''s fan group. The goddess unreachable in the eyes of others, prostrated under his sweatpants, and a sense of achievement spontaneously arose in him.


    "Then your god will only lightly keep you for a few nights."


    Li Manli boasted arrogantly, her head swaying from side to side.


    "Call you fat and you huff and puff."


    "Humph~~~"


    The two headed to the molecular gastronomy private kitchen at Big World. In truth, the taste was quite ordinary; the main draw was the novelty and, while dining, you could also enjoy a visual feast.


    Li Manli, without any formal teaching, gradually figured out the importance of an online persona and would always take photos and update her social media status first whenever she encountered high-end affairs.


    She cultivated the persona of a wealthy and beautiful goddess.

 Chapter 57 - 57: Sent, but Not Fully Sent

    "If you''re interested, I can take you to the company in a few days, to see how a professional studio builds internet celebrities."


    Lu Liang remembered the company Meng Changkun had invested in, which was an MCN agency, a kind of internet celebrity economic operation studio.


    Simply put, it''s like a middle station, one end connecting to internet celebrities and the other to platforms, ensuring the continuous output of content, ultimately realizing the monetization of traffic.


    "You don''t need to go that professional, I''m just playing around."


    Li Manli was surprised, she mainly became a blogger out of boredom, and when she realized it could make money, she got even more enthusiastic.


    She hadn''t thought much about it, nor planned for the future.


    "Up to you. If you want to earn more, I''ll invest and help you set up a studio."


    "Then you can focus on looking pretty, someone else will handle content design, video shooting, and post-editing."


    Lu Liang talked about the benefits of setting up the studio, after all, he had over eighty million, and he was worried about where to spend it.


    Buying houses or gold was the most reluctant investment channel; he needed to find a better place for his funds.


    Li Manli''s head was almost smoking, she held her head and moaned, "Whatever you decide is fine by me."


    "Alright, I''ll research it a bit first."


    Lu Liang also remembered that Li Manli was nineteen this year and probably still in high school the year before.


    After dinner, the two went to the mall, and helped Lu Liang buy some clothes and shoes.


    "If you say you''ll take care of me, you need to see it through."


    Li Manli was very emphatic because she felt Lu Liang had no requirements for clothing, anything wearable was fine.


    Despite being very rich, he only rotated through a few sets of clothes, as if he wouldn''t buy new ones unless the old ones were worn out.


    So, the Cute God waved a big hand and bought him seven or eight sets of clothes and three pairs of shoes, completely emptying her own little treasury.


    On the way back, Li Manli kept muttering, "I need to go live stream and make some money, I can''t accompany you tonight."


    Lu Liang glanced at her and patted the back of her head, "Stop pretending, just say what you want."


    "That... my period came."


    Li Manli squirmed, very embarrassed.


    Lu Liang had given her a big gift, and she should have reciprocated, but the timing was off.


    "I thought it was something serious, there''s nothing to be embarrassed about, I like you for who you are."


    Lu Liang suddenly became affectionate and also relieved, as he had filled his stomach outside today and was not hungry at all.


    "Liang, why are you so good to me."


    Li Manli choked up, overwhelmed with emotions, and fiercely gave him a kiss, leaving a mark on Lu Liang''s neck.


    At night, Li Manli started a live stream in the living room, discussing the difficulties of obtaining a driver''s license, and inadvertently showing the Porsche car keys, which made the audience exclaim: Rich lady indeed


    Lu Liang was in the study, learning about the operations of MCN agencies, and as he delved deeper, he found great potential.


    The profit model of internet celebrities is to fulfill people''s childhood dreams, one dime from every person in the country could make one a billionaire.


    Different from stars who are revered by fans, internet celebrities do not mind stepping down to earn that dime.


    Lu Liang pulled up Li Manli''s account data, just one platform had 160,000 followers, 120 captains, 11 admirals.


    Her video content was about cooking, apart from being beautiful and coming from a rich family, and liking to cosplay, there seemed to be no other highlight.


    Yet, she still attracted so many male fans. If a studio were set up and operated appropriately, it could probably become one of the mainstays of Bilibili.


    In a blink, the clock struck twelve at midnight. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang was stunned, his face showing surprise: "Did ofo send this?"


    [September 28, Mobike, Series A funding at a valuation of 18 million US dollars]


    Lu Liang felt hurt, not because he had lost millions investing in ofo and felt the pinch, but because this investment decision was made by himself without relying on anything else.


    "But it seems my judgment wasn''t wrong."


    Lu Liang walked to the balcony, lit a cigarette, and looked at the river view, changing his perspective and suddenly feeling better.


    Mobike was registered in April, had only 10 million in funds, released its product in mid-May, and by the end of September, had a valuation of 18 million US dollars.


    In just over four months, the company''s valuation had increased elevenfold, which was enough to show that he had chosen the right track, only that he had bet on the wrong horse.


    Lu Liang flicked the cigarette ash, returned to his computer desk, and pulled up detailed information about Mobike.


    He discovered two key figures, Hu Weiwei and Li Bing.


    Hu Weiwei was the founder of Mobike, graduated from the Journalism Department at Hang University, and became an auto journalist after graduation, meeting Li Bing.


    Li Bing founded Yiche in 2005, and in 2010, Yiche went public overseas. Last year, it ranked 125th on the Hu Run Wealth List, owning assets worth 7.9 billion yuan.


    It could be said that Li Bing was Hu Weiwei''s financier, as well as Mobike''s financier.


    "Ofo probably hasn''t sent anything, they just relinquished the leading position."


    Lu Liang''s brow relaxed. There were still more than three months left; the shared bicycle market wouldn''t easily determine a winner.


    Moreover, Ofo was the pioneer,


    and it was still in a leading position in the industry.


    It was probably just overtaken, but not completely done for.


    "Xiao Chen, book me a high-speed train to Hang City now. I''ll leave tomorrow morning and return tomorrow evening. You''re coming with me."


    Lu Liang contacted Chen Jinchun, planning to go to Hang City to see if investing in Mobike was feasible for risk hedging.


    In this way, whether it was Mobike, or Ofo,


    whoever laughed last, he wouldn''t be at a loss.


    ...


    Early the next day, Lu Liang drove to the high-speed train station, Chen Jinchun looking like she still hadn''t woken up.


    Yesterday Tang Caidie took her to recruit people, also taking the opportunity to intensely train her on various assistant duties,


    including what to prepare when traveling with the boss, like booking tickets, cars, and hotels.


    By the time she was ready, it was almost dawn, and she''d only slept for a bit over two hours before rushing to the high-speed train station.


    Chen Jinchun ate her bun dumbly but didn''t forget to bring one for Boss Lu: "Mr. Lu, this is for you."


    Lu Liang smiled and accepted her kindness. He hadn''t had breakfast either, just having woken up.


    An hour later, the Fuxing Hao arrived in Hang City.


    The Four Seasons Hotel''s designated Mercedes S-Class had already parked early at the station''s entrance.


    "Why don''t you go back to the hotel and rest first?"


    Chen Jinchun kept dozing off, and Lu Liang also considered that since he''d arranged the trip last minute, she probably hadn''t rested much the night before.


    "I just napped for a bit; I''m much better now."


    Chen Jinchun took a deep breath and to show she was alert, her eyes wide open.


    After all, today was her first day as an assistant, and she didn''t want to leave a bad impression on her boss.


    Seeing this, Lu Liang didn''t press further and instructed the driver to head to University City, planning to first see how Mobike operated.


    The car had barely entered University City when almost at every intersection, seven or eight red bicycles were parked by the roadside.


    Mobike''s bike design was clearly more attractive and fashionable than Little Huang, with people riding them everywhere.


    "Let''s park here."


    Lu Liang told the driver to stop, and he and Chen Jinchun each scanned and took a red bicycle.


    Each deposit was 299 yuan, with the first charge offering five hours of riding time.


    The hourly rental was relatively expensive, two yuan per hour, but they hosted many promotions,


    such as unlimited riding for two days for five yuan, or seven days for ten yuan.


    "Dai Wei really should come and see this."


    Lu Liang rode along,


    pondering the entire operational logic behind it.


    Profitability wasn''t important; after all, with such low hourly rates, they couldn''t earn much. What they wanted was the customer''s deposit.


    Collect deposits, expand the market, secure financing, then further expand the market and secure more financing. The more the audience, the larger the market size, the more the deposits, and consequently, the larger the market...


    After riding for a while, Lu Liang planned to take back his deposit but was informed that it would take five working days to be returned, which also indirectly confirmed his speculation.


    Lu Liang didn''t care about the deposit; he parked the bike by the roadside, called the driver over, and instructed, "Go to Xiao Shan Entrepreneurial Park."


    With Li Bing''s support, even though Mobike started late, it had its own factory and could self-produce.


    Unlike Ofo, which could only outsource production, its brand control, quality, and styles were far inferior to Mobike.


    Only its costs were lower than Mobike''s, but that was also by Mobike''s design, as its style and materials inevitably meant high production costs.


    Otherwise, they wouldn''t dare charge a 299 yuan deposit. You get what you pay for, and the ride was also more comfortable than riding Little Huang.


    Ultimately, Ofo lost its leadership position, and it was no injustice.

 Chapter 58 - 58: Single Point Breakthrough [Three More Updates, Please Follow]

    Xiao Shan Entrepreneurial Park, Building C.


    Lu Liang found Hu Weiwei''s assistant''s phone number on Mobike''s official website.


    They arranged to meet at the coffee shop by the entrance.


    Approaching eleven, Hu Weiwei came alone.


    At 32, she was a mature woman with a lot of charisma, similar to Tang Caide, but with a confidence Tang never had.


    "Mr. Lu, I''m so sorry, I hope I''m not late."


    Her laugh was hearty, instantly letting Lu Liang know she was not just a pretty face or Li Bing''s rumored lover.


    Lu Liang said, "I just arrived too, Mr. Hu, what would you like to drink?"


    "An Americano is fine."


    Hu Weiwei smiled, sizing up Lu Liang.


    She considered ofo Mobike''s biggest competitor, so much so that without ofo, Mobike wouldn''t exist.


    Yesterday, when ofo secured funding, Hu Weiwei had received the news immediately, which was why she had agreed to meet with Lu Liang.


    Otherwise, the mere 6 million in registered capital at Tianxing Investment wouldn''t have been appealing enough.


    Lu Liang sipped his coffee and said, "Yesterday, I invested in a company at Shangcai, its name is ofo."


    Hu Weiwei nodded and admitted, "I met them early this year while I was in Beijing. It''s also because of ofo that Mobike exists now."


    Lu Liang said, "I think the relationship between ofo and Mobike is like the early Meituan and Dianping."


    "So, Mr. Lu, you want to hold both ends? You won''t lose no matter who wins?" Hu Weiwei asked with a smile.


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile, openly admitting it.


    Hu Weiwei went on, "Mobike has no money, so Mr. Li helps pull in investments. When there are supply chain issues, he brought in Foxconn, and when there''s a need for management talent, he brought Wang Xiaofang to me to be CEO."


    At the end, she looked at Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, what do you think you can do for Mobike?"


    Funding for a company, beyond the initial rounds, requires not just money but also a network of relationships.


    For internet companies'' final rounds of funding, they tend to favor foreign capital since ambitious companies want to go international, and foreign investors can provide overseas networks.


    If Tianxing Investment only offers money,


    Then I''m sorry, she wouldn''t accept Lu Liang''s investment.


    Lu Liang with a smile said, "From what I hear, Mobike sounds more like Mr. Li''s Mobike, rather than your Mobike, Mr. Hu."


    "Mr. Lu, if that''s what you''re here to discuss, then let''s end today''s meeting here, I have other matters to attend to."


    Hu Weiwei''s expression changed slightly, Lu Liang''s words hitting an especially sore spot.


    Li Bing was like a super nanny, safeguarding Mobike''s growth and solving its early challenges, making her feel like a mere puppet.


    Funds, supply chains, and even managers, all were brought in by Li Bing. If she ever clashed with Li Bing, it was obvious who they would support.


    Lu Liang calmly said, "Our Tianxing may not be as rich and powerful as Mr. Li, but what Tianxing can offer is unconditional support for any of your decisions."


    Last night, he had thought it over a lot. Compared to Li Bing, he and his Tianxing Investment were small players.


    Lu Liang was dissatisfied, watching wealth slip past him, which is why he thought of focusing on Hu Weiwei.


    Having a guardian in the early stages of a startup is good, but when the guardian is overly involved, it''s easy to lose sovereignty.


    Therefore, Lu Liang wanted to test the waters, to see if rumors about their relationship were true or not.


    If true, he would immediately have Chen Jinchun book a ticket back to Modu; if not, there was still a chance.


    Hu Weiwei stayed silent for a long while, "Mr. Lu, Mobike isn''t short on funds for now, but if we need to, I will contact you."


    She feared her tone might make Lu Liang misunderstand, so she added with a smile, "Then, please don''t pretend not to know me."


    Unable to reject sovereignty even if it didn''t seem much, Hu Weiwei realized even a little help counts when amassed¡ªjust in case she did clash with Li Bing, it wouldn''t leave her helpless.


    "How could I? I''ll await your good news, Mr. Hu."


    Lu Liang''s lips curled up with a knowing smile.


    They talked until noon and then found a place to eat.


    Lu Liang refused to believe the skeptics and insisted on trying Hang City''s only specialty dish: West Lake Vinegar Fish.


    Then he realized why West Lake, vinegar, and fish were such a magical trio.


    No wonder it was considered authentic only if eaten by the lakeside¡ªthey could throw the plate into the lake afterward.


    "West Lake Vinegar Fish teaches a lesson to anyone stubborn."


    Hu Weiwei couldn''t help but laugh, and after finishing the meal and paying the bill, she bid farewell and left first.


    With everything settled, Lu Liang had nothing else to do. After taking a few photos by West Lake as a tourist, he planned to return to Modu.


    Chen Jinchun quietly reminded him, "Mr. Lu, isn''t the hotel room going to waste?"


    "Since it''s already booked, if you want to stay, feel free, but remember to get an invoice to reimburse from Mr. Tang," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "No, I want to go back with you."


    By four in the afternoon, the two had returned to Modu.


    "It''s a bit out of the way; you should take a cab home."


    Lu Liang left a remark and headed for the parking lot to drive.


    Chen Jinchun, feeling resentful, watched his departing figure and wished he could stick a little doll with Lu Liang''s name on it and jab it with needles.


    Upon leaving the high-speed rail station, Lu Liang stopped at a mall and bought a Mickey Mouse, then went to visit Zhang Qian''s house to see his goddaughter.


    The little girl had received the news ahead of time and was happily waiting at home. As soon as she saw Lu Liang, she sprinted towards him and clung to him.


    "Do you like this Mickey Mouse?" Lu Liang asked affectionately, holding the little girl and presenting the hidden toy from behind his back.


    "Thank you, Uncle, but the ones with bows are Minnie~"


    The little girl hugged the toy dearly, but she still corrected Lu Liang''s mistake.


    "No wonder I felt that this mouse didn''t quite look like the one I saw when I was a kid."


    "Uncle, did you watch cartoons when you were young?"


    "Of course, ''Black Cat Sheriff,'' ''Hulu Brothers,'' and ''Shuke and Beta.''"


    "Mom lied to me again; she said she never watched cartoons when she was little."


    The little girl, seeing her mom about to get angry, shrieked and hurried back to her room, "I still haven''t finished my homework."


    Zhang Qian''s face was tender yet helpless, "You''ll spoil her rotten one of these days."


    "Girls are meant to be pampered."


    Lu Liang said, laughing, then suddenly noting that today Zhang Qian was dressed very attractively¡ªa blue knit dress accentuating her graceful curves, voluptuous and enticing.


    Without a certain social experience, one could hardly emulate the vibe that Zhang Qian exuded, akin to a ripe peach.


    Lu Liang embraced Zhang Qian, and they snuggled on the sofa as she began to update him on recent happenings.


    Her mother was discharged from the hospital but still needed rest, not wanting to be a burden, so she had her father take her back to their hometown.


    She had also been exploring entrepreneurial opportunities recently.


    Zhang Qian asked, "Liang, what do you think about fast-food restaurants in the city?"


    Although working in a beauty salon was relatively easy, she wasn''t very confident about it nor felt it could be a long-term venture.


    But city fast-food was different; as long as they established a good reputation, they could keep going indefinitely, even for ten or twenty years.


    She knew she would eventually grow old and that day wasn''t too far off.


    By then, Lu Liang wouldn''t be interested in her.


    Zhang Qian needed a steady, long-lasting source of income and had considered the city fast-food project for a long time.


    "If you''ve decided, go ahead, just let me know how much money you need."


    Lu Liang responded lethargically; he had woken up early today and had run a trip to Hang City, making him a bit tired.


    Zhang Qian spoke gently, "This project might not need it; I still have some savings."


    However, after a while, Lu Liang gave no response, only the sound of even breathing filled her ears.


    Zhang Qian couldn''t help but smile, gently extracted her arm, and covered him with a blanket.


    She leaned down to kiss Lu Liang''s cheek, then walked to her daughter''s bedroom, closed the door, and kept the living room quiet.


    Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 59 - 59: Speculative Stocks Also Require Ingenious Pretexts

    The setting sun dipped in the west, and sunlight poured through the window, spilling over the sofa.


    Lu Liang lazily opened his eyes, feeling his mind sharpened and his body filled with comfort and pleasure.


    He saw the shoes and socks of the mother and daughter at the entryway and decided to wash his face in the bathroom before opening Zhang Yun''s room.


    Mother and daughter were in each other''s embrace, sleeping on the bed, peaceful and beautiful, with Zhang Qian''s lips curled into a contented smile.


    The little one hadn''t fallen asleep, and the moment the door opened, she looked at Lu Liang with her round, wide eyes.


    A hint of joy showed on her face as she whispered softly, "Uncle, you''re awake."


    Zhang Qian woke up, brushing back her hair, her eyes squinting, "I''ll go wash my face, and then cook."


    "Let''s clean up and eat out instead."


    The three of them headed to a nearby mall.


    Having recently opened after renovations, Zhang Qian pointed at the third shop near the entrance, "What do you think of this location?"


    The space was 185 square meters¡ªnot near a subway station, but it was one of the necessary routes to the subway for several surrounding neighborhoods.


    It was past seven in the evening, and the streets were bustling with people; within five steps there''d be a snack stand, and within ten, a restaurant.


    Lu Liang remembered what Zhang Qian had said before sleeping and pondered for a moment, "If we open here, the competition will be fierce."


    Urban fast food is categorized into two types, one priced per item and the other by weight, both of which are favorites among city-dwelling men and women.


    Lu Liang used to frequently eat the weight-priced kind, spending about twenty yuan for a meal with dozens of dishes to choose from.


    "Let''s give it a try. If the place is clean and tidy, we should be able to make a name for ourselves."


    Zhang Qian spoke with a determined tone. This was a residential area with mostly small restaurants, and their sanitary conditions varied greatly.


    Urban fast food often settled in city business districts, and there was none on this street yet¡ªit could have potential.


    "How much more money is needed?"


    Lu Liang stopped trying to dissuade her, knowing there wasn''t much money involved anyway. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhang Qian, with a beaming smile, shook her head, "I have some savings; it should be enough."


    Lu Liang watched her for a long time and sighed, "If you''re short of money, don''t push yourself too hard."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not one to pretend to be something I''m not," replied Zhang Qian, her smile blossoming instantly.


    "Xiaoguai, did you see anything you like? What do you want to eat?"


    "Chestnut chicken pot~"


    "Let''s go, I thought you''d want McDonald''s again."


    That evening, Lu Liang stayed overnight at Zhang Qian''s place and early the next day arrived at the Yongfeng Building.


    The company had gained several new faces; Tang Caide had rehired a finance staff, as well as a clerk and a receptionist.


    It seemed there was an intentional effort to balance the male-female dynamic as the financial staffer was a male in his thirties, who appeared to be honest and straightforward.


    Still, for roles like clerk and receptionist, it was rare for men to apply for the job interviews, so they ended up being filled by women.


    Including Lu Liang, with two men and four women, they finally resembled a proper company.


    Tang Caide had created a set of management plans, mainly aimed at the finance and auditing department.


    Expenses within two thousand required consent from two people, and those above two thousand required Lu Liang''s signature.


    The previous approach of buying things first and then claiming reimbursement had become a thing of the past.


    She said that in the early stages, it was best to strictly adhere to the rules, as it would be difficult to adjust later when the business grew.


    Mainly because their company, unlike other startups, wasn''t short on funds and didn''t need to bind employees with feelings.


    Seeing everything becoming more formal was something that Lu Liang happily welcomed.


    After a brief morning meeting to greet the new colleagues, he got started with the day''s work.


    Last Friday, Teli A closed at a price of 9.80 yuan after a rise of 3.55%.


    The new week had the stock''s price opening high at 1.25%, charging towards the ten-yuan milestone.


    Lu Liang realized it was a good opportunity to accumulate shares.


    Chinese people seemed to have a particular fondness for round numbers, an aspect that was especially evident in the stock market, with round numbers acting as milestones.


    If it broke through, there''d be ample space to soar, possibly rising another four to five points in an instant; if not, a significant drop would likely follow.


    Lu Liang prepared to catch the stock at 9.97 yuan.


    However, he hadn''t set a buy order like last time, to keep retail investors from seeing financial support beneath.


    Lu Liang, relying on fast trades from his brokerage seat, each time the stock failed to breach ten yuan and fell back, would buy a substantial amount of shares, without leaving any orders apparent in the trade details.


    It was a repetitive cycle.


    Each trading day''s first half-hour,


    It is often the most active period in the market.


    Last week, the average daily turnover rate was only 5.2%, but it began to climb slowly.


    When the turnover rate was about to break through 7%, Lu Liang decisively stopped. His holding position had reached 24 million.


    In just over ten minutes, he had bought 11 million in chips. If he continued to take over, he probably would attract the attention of institutions.


    After all, a sharp rise followed by a drop is a method of clearing out the market, they want to wash out the retail investors to obtain more chips.


    If they sense someone is snapping up the shares, they might put their plans on hold and join forces to wash Lu Liang out first.


    The good old virtue of planting trees for others to enjoy the shade simply does not exist in the stock market.


    They would rather lose themselves than let others profit, let alone lift someone else''s sedan chair.


    Approaching ten o''clock, Lu Liang calmly watched two institutions perform inside, with the stock price hovering around 9.99 yuan.


    After several days of observation, Lu Liang had figured out that there were two institutions involved, one called Zhongxin Fuying, a private equity fund from Shenzhen.


    The legal person, Li Jianlin, established the company in April this year, with a registered capital of 50 million and 10 trust plans, managing an asset scale of approximately 2.8 billion.


    "All in Shenzhen?"


    Teli A is also a Shenzhen enterprise, which inevitably led Lu Liang to speculate on possible insider trading.


    Otherwise, a company would not be established in April and prepare 2.8 billion funds within just two months.


    There was a very targeted entry into Teli A''s trade.


    Lu Liang pulled up Teli A''s information.


    It''s said that a good wind relies on strength to reach the sky. To become a speculative stock also requires a well-crafted narrative.


    As long as there is good news or a relevant concept, even a pile of shit could be sold at the price of gold.


    Teli A''s full name is Shenzhen Teli Stock Co., Ltd., formerly a machinery company, with the Shenzhen State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission as the actual controller.


    The Shenzhen Shuibei is the largest gold and jewelry wholesale market in Asia, with 80% of the national gold and jewelry transactions being completed there.


    And Teli A is the largest owner of the Shuibei district''s Teli Jime Gold Jewelry Industrial Park.


    "Creating a jewelry ecosystem" is the story it has been telling.


    In plain terms, it''s a rent-based enterprise that makes money from collecting rent.


    Lu Liang really couldn''t think of any concept that would justify speculating on a rent-collecting company.


    With further research, and full use of imagination,


    He finally found a connection to the hottest concept at the time, Teli A''s actual controller is the Shenzhen State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.


    In recent years, the national enterprise reform plan has always been mentioned. The concept has been hyped time and again, but no formal implementation has taken place.


    If the national enterprise reform plan were to be implemented, a batch of state-owned enterprise stocks would take off, naturally creating the potential for speculative stocks.


    "Playing this way, aren''t they afraid of trouble?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    Insider trading comes in many forms, the most common of which is knowing about major corporate decisions in advance, and then reacting in the stock market.


    Touching classified documents is absolutely taboo. Daring to know about national policy in advance could lead to beheading in a matter of minutes.


    Lu Liang felt a bit uneasy, thinking that he already had a 30.4% position, decided to lock in his position first and observe.


    When the market officially launches, he would take the next step according to the situation. He mainly did not want to be the victim of unnecessary trouble, nor did he want to be targeted by the Silver Supervision Committee.


    At this time, Chen Jinchun knocked on his door to inform that the founding team of ofo was here to sign the contract.


    Lu Liang went to the meeting room next door and saw Dai Wei and his classmates. Tang Caide was receiving them.


    While preparing the contract, Lu Liang asked, "Mr. Dai, how much do you know about Mobike?"


    "I''ve been paying attention, but once out of the campus, our development philosophy isn''t quite the same," Dai Wei was surprised, not expecting Lu Liang to suddenly bring up Mobike.


    He also talked about how their philosophies differed.


    Although both were shared bicycles, he always believed that bicycles were for riding, to solve the last-mile problem.


    There was no need for them to be too fashionable or too high-end, as long as they were rideable.


    After all, both bikes use solid tires, bad elasticity, strong jolting feeling, etc., such issues are unsolvable, destined to make riding not too comfortable.


    Hu Weiwei was too idealistic, with a romantic sentiment typical of artistic youths. She once said she loved cycling and wished to ride her favorite bicycle on the leaf-strewn streets of Yanjing in autumn, looking at the centuries-old walls of the Forbidden City.


    She wanted everyone to experience this kind of romance, which makes life more beautiful through cycling.


    For this reason, Mobike''s cost of production was twice that of ofo, and Dai Wei was not optimistic about Mobike''s future development.


    Lu Liang smiled and said calmly, "Mr. Dai, Mobike does have many desirable features that are worth learning from."


    Dai Wei, after all, was facing an investor, and couldn''t outright say that their ofo was inferior to Mobike in front of Lu Liang.


    "Of course, it''s only natural to use the barbarians'' skills to subdue them,"


    Dai Wei replied.

 Chapter 60 - 60: The Battle Without Gunsmoke

    Dai Wei talked about the arrangements for funds, they planned to invest 1 million to set up a factory.


    That way, they could compress the cost of a bicycle to within 300 yuan.


    The plan was to move out of campuses within the next month, and to reach a market size of 10,000 bicycles within two months.


    After all, to meet the requirement of 80,000 daily users, a market presence of 10,000 was the bare minimum.


    A bicycle needed to be ridden eight times a day, preferably 15,000, to ensure infallibility.


    As long as they built the factory, they could treat 2 million in funds as 6 million, or even more, to use.


    They could owe the payment for the goods, and use the deposit first.


    In a nutshell, expand the scale as much as possible.


    "I''m looking forward to your performance."


    Lu Liang smiled, his ears ringing as if he heard the horns of war being sounded.


    It was still an unknown whether Little Yellow could become the protagonist of the battlefield.


    Approaching noon, both sides signed the contract.


    Lu Liang walked to the elevator and watched Dai Wei leave.


    He happened to meet Meng Changkun, who was coming downstairs, and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Kun, when did you get back?"


    "Just arrived this morning."


    Meng Changkun looked at Dai Wei, with a surprised look on his face.


    "Mr. Meng, hello."


    Dai Wei also showed surprise but did not stay long, greeted Lu Liang, and left downstairs with his colleagues.


    Lu Liang watched them leave and turned to ask, "Mr. Kun, do you know Dai Wei?"


    "Met him once in Yanjing before."


    Meng Changkun nodded slightly, giving Lu Liang a somewhat strange look, "You didn''t invest in ofo, did you?"


    "You''ve also heard of ofo?" Lu Liang readily admitted.


    Meng Changkun nodded, his expression slightly complex with a knowing look, "Shall we go upstairs for a cup of tea and chat?"


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile.


    The two went up to the office.


    Meng Changkun''s office was large, nearly a hundred square meters, with spacious and bright floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a sweeping city view.


    There were two pots of fortune plants in the corner, lush and leafy, adding a touch of vitality and life to the room.


    Different from the genuine leather sofas favored by bosses from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, at first glance, the solid wood furniture was characteristic of Chaoshan people.


    Meng Changkun prepared Gongfu tea, and began to tell a story he experienced personally, which happened a few years ago.


    "Groupon, also known as the group buying website, was established in ''09 with a registered capital of only half a million US Dollars and attained profitability in just seven months, with a Series A valuation of 1.4 billion US Dollars."


    "When the news reached China, investment institutions went crazy. A 280-fold increase in seven months, what''s the difference between that and robbing a bank?"


    "They were like a swarm of sharks smelling blood. At that time, for any group buying site, not even a PPT was needed; a single business plan could win the favor of capital."


    "The whole industry was expecting the high-profit myth created by Groupon to be replicated in China."


    "In April of the following year, the first group buying website was born, and within just ten months, 5,000 new group buying sites appeared in China."


    "New Wave, Tencent, Pig Factory, Ali, and other platform-based internet companies also entered the group buying field, making group buying nearly a standard feature for internet companies."


    "To compete for the group buying market, some of the more well-known group buying sites began round after round of financing races, with overwhelming advertising wars, tug-of-war strategies, and trench warfare that became part of the daily life of the populace."


    "That was a battle without smoke with casualties all around, and nobody emerged unscathed."


    "At that time, there was no turning back, nobody could bear to have their capital go down the drain, so they could only grit their teeth and keep going."


    "Until they really couldn''t hold out any longer..."


    Meng Changkun took a puff of his cigar, his fingers involuntarily trembling, as if the memory of those dire times still haunted him.


    That year, he invested in several group buying websites, persisted for fifteen months, and lost 230 million, finally having to take drastic measures.


    In three years, the entire industry burned through several hundred billion, and to date, it has only temporarily come to an end, without deciding a winner.


    It could be said that as of now, there is no winner in the entire group buying industry, everyone is a loser.


    If one had to say there was a winner, it might be the profit-taking public, and the nation''s GDP saw growth.


    Meng Changkun had seen the business plan for ofo, but only glanced at it before immediately throwing it away.


    Shared bicycles and group buying websites,


    the similarity was too great, chilling to the bone.


    Those who had weathered the storm of a thousand groups, not yet having recovered their vitality, probably did not have the courage to reach out again.


    This was also why, although Yanjing had so many venture capitalists, ofo still needed to come to Modu to attend the entrepreneurship expo.


    Meng Changkun didn''t want Lu Liang to invest in a pitfall and think he''d gotten a bargain.


    If the industry didn''t take off, at most, it was the loss of some early investment.


    The real fear was seeing hope.


    In that case, no amount of money would be enough.


    Just like the "Thousand Group Battle" from a few years ago.


    "What if we can hang on until the end?"


    Lu Liang lit a cigarette, tried to calm his emotions, and recalled the once grand event he was unqualified to participate in.


    Meng Changkun gave a wry smile, no longer trying to persuade.


    Investors all acted the same¡ªnever turning back until they hit a wall; even when faced with one, they would try to break through it.


    Until they were battered and bleeding, unable to break it down.


    "It''s getting late. Let''s go have lunch together."


    "Let''s go."


    During lunch, Lu Liang suggested visiting the MCN organization that Meng Changkun had invested in.


    Meng Changkun was very generous, and after lunch, he personally took Lu Liang to visit the company on the 15th floor.


    Currently, they were all union in nature, mainly divided into gaming, beauty, and pranks.


    The prankster bloggers were an eye-opener for Lu Liang.


    As long as someone tipped them, they would slap themselves, drip wax on their arms, or bite live chickens.


    There was nothing they couldn''t do, brandishing the motto "no limits."


    "Besides the audience tipping, and the platform''s signing fee, there aren''t really any other good monetization channels at the moment."


    Meng Changkun said with a smile, "Anyway, the investment isn''t high. Let them develop on their own; who knows, one day they might explode."


    Lu Liang understood; when he got back to his company, he had Tang Caide establish a new media subsidiary, with the studio operating under its name.


    He allocated $300,000; the studio specialized in serving Li Manli, helping her to operate multiple platform accounts and improve content quality.


    Old Meng''s investment behavior was worth learning from for Lu Liang; after all, they had the money and a high enough cost threshold for trial and error.


    Even if they invested in ten companies, as long as one succeeded, the investment would not be a loss.


    This also proved that the rich only get richer.


    For ordinary people, a single entrepreneurial failure could be an unbearable burden, costing them half their lives to repay.


    At one o''clock in the afternoon, the stock market opened; Teli A''s turnover rate and trading volume were getting higher with the market seeming ready to explode at any moment.


    Lu Liang still maintained a wait-and-see approach; he was unclear how significant Zhongxin Fuying and another institution were.


    Let them be the early birds; at least, he would not make any new moves before national policy was issued.


    At three o''clock in the afternoon,


    Su Wanyu habitually arrived half an hour early.


    Lu Liang hadn''t made any moves during the afternoon session, so naturally, there was no need to summarize.


    Thus, he called her to his office early, starting today''s English lesson.


    In Su Wanyu''s eyes, there was a smudge of worry that couldn''t be concealed, and her gaze betrayed a hint of melancholy, as if she had many unspeakable troubles.


    Several times she taught wrong, and Lu Liang had to correct her.


    He asked in confusion, "Mrs. Su, you seem off today; is something wrong?"


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Lu, a personal matter has affected me, but I will adjust as quickly as possible."


    Su Wanyu showed a look of remorse, refocused, and concentrated on teaching.


    She didn''t want to talk about it, and Lu Liang didn''t ask further.


    They continued with listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.


    They learned for another 120 minutes over two sessions. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Two days slipped by in the blink of an eye.


    On Wednesday, June 10, at ten in the morning,


    the news office held a press conference to discuss the "Guidelines on Furthering the Reform of State-Owned Enterprises," also known as the new five points.


    Cutting to the heart of it, the most important point was to change the state capital authorization management system to further clarify the boundary of responsibilities between state assets ownership and enterprise management.


    In layman''s terms, the state was delegating power, giving state-owned enterprise managers more authority and lifting some restrictions on state-owned enterprises.


    Big A, which had been stumbling, rose again; a large number of state-owned enterprise stocks hit their daily limit, driving the entire market.

 Chapter 61 - 61: To Gain, One Must Give

    Teli A, up by 10.05%, stock price at 10.85 yuan.


    Lu Liang no longer hid his intentions, just like the countless funds that surged into state-owned stocks, he bought aggressively at the price limit, taking as much as was available until there was nothing left on the market.


    After all, the retail investors were not fools. A price limit today likely meant a high opening tomorrow, which was the general consensus.


    By the close of the afternoon, Lu Liang''s position exceeded forty million, holding 37,383 lots at an average cost of 10.65 yuan.


    A profit of twenty yuan per lot, and after deducting the transaction fees from over thirty-seven thousand lots, the earnings were not even enough to buy a BMW 3 Series.


    At half-past five in the afternoon, Teli A powerfully topped the Dragon and Tiger List for the day, showing the top three institutions that bought large amounts.


    The first was Zhongxin Fuying.


    The second was No. 12 Futian Road.


    The third was No. 88 Punan Road.


    ¡­


    "Futian Road''s Citic Securities'' Wu Junle, also known as the Futian God of Stock, was active in the market ten years ago and continues to this day."


    The moment the news from the Shenzhen Stock Exchange was announced, Lu Liang also received detailed information on No. 12, Futian Road.


    Three documents were laid out in front of him: Teli A, Zhongxin Fuying, and Futian Road No. 12.


    "All in Shenzhen!"


    Lu Liang increasingly felt that someone was scheming to profit from this; the national enterprise reform concept didn''t support the sky-high rise of Teli A.


    A market with over seven billion shares in circulation soaring tenfold afterward was certainly no coincidence.


    At the same time, Li Jianlin and Wu Junle also received detailed information about No. 88 Punan Road as well as Lu Liang.


    Li Jianlin asked, "Guotai Securities'' Lu Liang? Old Wu, you used to hang around Modu, ever heard of this guy?"


    Wu Junle pondered for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Looking at the registration time, it should be speculative funds; probably just wants to try his luck."


    "So, what should we do?"


    "Let''s handle it."


    The two exchanged glances, revealing knowing smiles.


    Not allowing others to sleep soundly beside your couch, of course, meant to flush them out first.


    They had been planning this for half a year, secretly signing lock-up agreements with multiple parties, all for the sake of making a big move.


    The future stock price of Teli A would at least go above 50 yuan, a neat fourfold profit.


    If it were just retail investors getting lucky, that would be one thing, but if peers dare to step in, they''d chop off their hands.


    The next day, at eleven fifteen,


    fifteen minutes before the morning closure.


    Teli A''s stock suddenly transformed in the middle of trading, what started as a high opening and rising stock turned into a roller coaster, rising high before falling.


    Opening up by 4.6%, at one point rising to 7.5%, but in the last fifteen minutes before close, it plummeted.


    7.5%...5.5%...2.5%...


    By noontime closure, only a 1.25% gain remained.


    It was clear to anyone watching that if it hadn''t been for the break, the stock price could have fallen more.


    "Are they trying to flush me out?"


    The smile on Lu Liang''s face remained unchanged, but he already started calculating how he should cooperate with them.


    If he didn''t cooperate, they likely wouldn''t be willing to initiate a new trend.


    In any case, he had achieved his goal.


    Now it was like a mystery drama, where a seemingly random extra introduced at the beginning becomes the last profiteer.


    When the truth was unveiled, it would likely shock quite a few people and greatly enhance the reputation of No. 88 Punan Road.


    At one in the afternoon, when trading resumed, the stock price continued to drop, from bright red to a clear green.


    The transition wasn''t particularly abrupt; the national enterprise reform concept was just a minor wave, not enough to create a real bull market.


    It was normal for most state-owned company stocks to rise for two days before falling back without seeming out of the ordinary.


    Lu Liang was in no hurry to act; washing the stocks required a process.


    He had to play the role completely to make them believe he had been flushed out.


    Over the next few working days, the stock price consistently dipped until it broke through the 9 yuan mark.


    This was the point Lu Liang had been setting the stage for.


    He began selling batches of 10 lots and then buying back 20 lots, quietly establishing a new base.


    Although he was not holding many chips, the apparent minimal activity on his part was leading to an unusually high turnover rate.


    In recent days, it hovered around 17%.


    "Some shareholders have locked up their shares."


    Reaching this conclusion, Lu Liang turned serious.


    Shareholder lock-up, if it was unrelated to Li Jianlin and Wu Junle, Lu Liang wouldn''t believe it even if they were beaten to death.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and saw through their plan.


    Knowing about the state enterprise reform, they incited shareholders to lock up their shares to leverage the maximum market dynamics with minimal funds.


    40-50 yuan was probably where the first wave would end; they didn''t dare go too big or the Securities and Futures Commission would set their sights on them.


    The peak of 108 yuan was likely beyond their control, driven by the retail investors and speculative institutions in the market.


    As Lu Liang''s thoughts raced, he unintentionally completed reconstructing his position.


    The stock price was 8.75 yuan, down by 4.55%.


    He held 65,000 shares, with a cost basis of 9.5 yuan, investing 62 million yuan.


    A loss of 75 yuan per share, the floating loss on the books was 4.897 million yuan.


    "Sacrifices must be made to gain something, now you should believe that I''ve been washed out," he said.


    Lu Liang''s mouth curled upward, employing a painful tactic, pretending to be overwhelmed and having no choice but to cut losses and leave the market.


    However, Li Jianlin and Wu Junle unexpectedly stayed alert and did not take the next step.


    In the following days, it was the same, constantly falling, as if they still couldn''t believe that Lu Liang had been washed out.


    Lu Liang was in no hurry, and fully locked his position.


    At least until the stock price soared to 30 yuan,


    he wouldn''t make any moves.


    ...


    That day was a Thursday, after lunch, Lu Liang received an invitation to go sea fishing from Meng Changkun.


    "Depart at two o''clock? Sure!"


    After being busy for half a month,


    with many twists and turns, he had finally completed positioning.


    Lu Liang was thinking about giving himself a break, there was no reason to refuse Meng Changkun''s invitation.


    Remembering that he had a tutoring session with Su Wanyu in the afternoon, he called her to tell her not to come today.


    Each workday had one lesson, or two lessons, and the initially booked 20 lessons were also nearly ending.


    Before leaving the building with Meng Changkun, Lu Liang had Chen Jinchun order another 50 lessons online.


    Mainly wanting to continue studying English, Su Wanyu had tested him yesterday and Lu Liang scored 99 points, naturally, he could graduate if 100 was the perfect score, but the perfect score was 710 points.


    The national college English test,


    at least 425 points are needed to pass.


    Cultivating a relationship was just a side note, it was best to have it, but if not, Lu Liang didn''t force it, Wanyu''s personality was too slow to warm up.


    Even after 20 lessons, their relationship was still just casual friends, not even close.


    Yet now, besides teaching, they also talked about some daily life trifles, such as learning that Wanyu didn''t have a boyfriend, and last time she felt down because she had argued with her close friend.


    ...


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, the sun was shining, the weather clear. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meng Changkun''s sea fishing equipment was complete, while Lu Liang came empty-handed, bringing nothing but himself.


    So, they decided to first head to a fishing tackle shop, and Lu Liang spent about a hundred thousand to buy a set of fishing gear.


    Not buying the right ones, just the expensive ones,


    focusing on a poor student''s having many good supplies.


    Before going to the dock, Lu Liang was wondering if they would invite a group of beauties, the kind where phones had to be handed over before boarding the boat.


    Playing Russian roulette, a party with human platters. A grand feast under the pretext of fishing.


    Turns out, he thought too much.


    A small yacht of two and a half decks, there was only one woman on board, who was in charge of cooking.


    As Meng Changkun put it, women on a boat would only get seasick, they didn''t need their help to chum the waters, and just looking at their gloomy faces was annoying, today was genuinely about going out to fish.


    Lu Liang suddenly felt underwhelmed.


    But having come all this way, it wasn''t like he could just turn around and leave.


    They set sail at three o''clock in the afternoon, navigating for an hour and a half, successfully arriving at the first fishing spot.


    They first caught some sardines and yellow croakers for bait, then went to the deep sea at night to fish for squid and tuna.


    A big sea fish, weighed dozens of pounds in the sea, it burst out with the strength of hundreds of pounds, and it could take more than thirty minutes to reel in, the physical exertion was not less than that in a gym.


    Late into the night, they went to the habitat of hairtail, catching shiny stainless steel hairtails, cutting them directly when hauled in, and deep-frying them, the taste was extremely delicious.


    Lu Liang went from being uninterested at first to being reluctant to leave in the end, after tennis, he fell in love with sea fishing.


    Until the early morning of the next day, they returned to Modu under cover of the night.


    The two went to She Mountain Clubhouse, had a sauna, and got massages to properly ease the fatigue of the whole day.


    In the next three business days, Teli A fell below 8 yuan, and Li Jianlin and Wu Junle were convinced that Lu Liang had been washed out.


    By the end of June, they started implementing the plan, their two firms held a total of 24 trading accounts, beginning to gather market chips.


    Over seven days, their buy volume accounted for half of all transactions, whatever the retail investors selling off, they were taking over.


    On July 5, the two accounts jointly held 9.5% of the market''s circulating shares, just within the brink of a takeover announcement.


    As long as major shareholders did not come forward, they could effectively control the rise and fall of the stock price.


    Through their multiple accounts, they transferred from one hand to another, creating the illusion of a hot market.


    From July 5 to July 12,


    the average trading volume exceeded 500 million over five trading days.


    The stock price climbed steadily, increasing by seven to eight points per day.


    There was no price limit, but it was better than a price limit.


    For many consecutive days, it topped the Dragon and Tiger List.


    Attracting a large number of individual investors who came for the reputation, further driving the rise in the stock price.

 Chapter 62 - 62: Zero-Sum Game

    July 15th, Tuesday.


    It was also the 17th day since Lu Liang started locking his stock position.


    The over 65,000 lots he held were now unwittingly worth more than 190 million. With a cost of 9.5 yuan per share, the current stock price was 29.23 yuan, netting him 1,973 yuan per lot.


    "It''s time to prepare to run," he thought.


    If Lu Liang''s chips were only a couple of million, he would definitely have waited until the stock price reached about 45 yuan before cashing out.


    Because with a small amount of money, you can run whenever you want, coming and going freely. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But now, he had nearly two billion in chips.


    And he also found out that the Teli A market was not as big as he initially thought.


    It was only a collusion between institutional investors and major shareholders forcibly locking up shares to reduce circulation and easily pump the stock price.


    To avoid giving back the profits he had in hand, Lu Liang had to start gradually reducing his position from 30 yuan.


    July 16th, Wednesday.


    Teli A opened with a big surge of 7.55%.


    The current stock price was 31.45 yuan.


    Everyone thought the stock would hit the daily limit today, outperforming the main market with an independent trend.


    Li Jianlin and Wu Junle thought so too.


    They held nearly 2.2 billion in chips and needed to push the stock price even higher to facilitate massive sell-offs.


    But to their surprise, after investing fifty million, the stock price of Teli A that should have hit the limit stayed around 31.5 yuan.


    It didn''t hit the daily limit by the close in the afternoon; the fifty million investment seemed to disappear without a trace.


    "There must be some small shareholders taking profits," they concluded.


    "Tomorrow, tomorrow it will definitely hit the limit," they reassured each other, while their faces looked grim.


    They had planned for half a year and lay in wait for half a month, creating this market trend with their own hands.


    They''d rather believe that some shareholders lack martial virtue than believe someone else had picked the fruit.


    Between the two, they had committed 2.8 billion in capital, 2.2 billion of which was already spent; there was no turning back.


    This money, at most they personally accounted for 15%, the rest came from the powerful and influential in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau area.


    Money from those heavyweights was not easy to take.


    In this battle, they could only win; there was absolutely no room for loss.


    On the other hand, Lu Liang observed the Dragon and Tiger List for a few days.


    He figured out that as long as his sell volume was below 48.5 million, his name wouldn''t show up on the list.


    He timed it just right, selling 14,000 lots at the price of 31.45 yuan, cashing out 44.03 million.


    With a total investment of 62 million, he was just 18 million short to recover his original capital.


    He still held 51,300 lots worth 161 million; as long as the sell-off went smoothly, he should be able to make about 140 million in profit.


    In the following two days, Lu Liang didn''t go to extremes, selling only thirty to forty million per day, trying not to affect the market trend.


    This was just the first wave; there were the second and third waves to come, until the stock price soared to 108 yuan.


    Killing the chicken now would mean no more eggs later.


    Lu Liang was very careful, yet there''s always something unexpected.


    He only calculated not to appear on the Dragon and Tiger List on the first day, but he overlooked the total outflow of funds for the three days on the list.


    July 18th, Friday, 5:15 PM, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange released the three-day Dragon and Tiger List.


    Teli A made the list again, with an address at 88 Punan Road, netting an outflow of 128 million over three days, sitting at the top of the list.


    The moment the news was released, it was like a depth charge exploding, flipping the domestic financial circle upside down.


    In the past half a month, the market sentiment for Teli A was fervent, becoming the leading stock in the concept of state-owned enterprise reform.


    Various forces were following the stock closely, and naturally, they knew that Zhongxin Fuying and 12 Futian Road were the market makers.


    But now, the unknown 88 Punan Road seemed to be the final one to pick the fruit.


    Speculators are people,


    So are institutions,


    And all people have curiosity.


    A large number of onlookers called their friends or pulled up the last 30 days of transaction details.


    They wanted to know if 88 Punan Road was a third market maker lurking in the dark, or if Zhongxin Fuying and 12 Futian Road had been outfoxed.


    Through the transaction details of the last 30 days, they quickly discovered a shocking truth.


    Someone really picked the peaches.


    Punan Road No. 88 first appeared on the Dragon and Tiger List in mid-last month, before the market had taken off.


    After that day, there was a long period of bearish decline.


    People in the know could see that they were washing out shares at that time, with Li Wu trying to get rid of No. 88.


    However, No. 88 only pretended to be washed out and was actually lying low.


    Unaware, Li Wu kicked off the market movements.


    Big players slaying the dragon, trapping the market makers and exiting with flair¡ªsuch delightful scenes were irresistible to many.


    At the same time, Punan Road No. 88, Lu Liang''s name, first caught the attention of various major speculative investment institutions.


    In that very moment, under Su Wanyu''s supervision, Lu Liang was taking his fourth simulated TEM4 English test.


    After 45 private tutoring sessions, this time Lu Liang scored a good 340 points.


    Although he had not reached the passing line of 425 points yet, the dawn of hope was visible.


    Lu Liang picked up the test paper and said with a smile, "Mrs. Su, I think next time we do a mock test, you''ll have to keep your promise."


    Last week, when they got to the 33rd lesson and had the third mock test, he had wanted to invite Su Wanyu to dinner.


    Su Wanyu had refused, but not outright¡ªshe said she would invite Lu Liang to dinner once he passed the 425-point mark.


    "There are still 85 points to go, it''s not certain that you''ll pass."


    Su Wanyu''s eyes were picturesque, her face full of pride, no longer the cold indifference of their first meeting.


    Lu Liang was gentle and refined, graceful, and possessed a maturity and steadiness uncommon among his peers.


    Young yet successful, the exclusive 45 hours had indeed swayed her slightly, and she did not wish to deceive her own heart.


    Lu Liang teased with a smile, "Why do I feel like this test was particularly hard? Did you secretly raise the difficulty?"


    "Boss Lu, you can question my teaching abilities, but you absolutely cannot question my character."


    At first, when Lu Liang made playful remarks, Su Wanyu could only blush in silence, but now she had learned to fight back.


    "They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but your glasses are so thick, they keep me from seeing your character."


    Lu Liang had always hoped Su Wanyu would take off her glasses; she was truly beautiful, her attractiveness just hidden behind them.


    540-degree thick lenses almost turned her large eyes into tiny beads, and the black frames covered a third of her face.


    Su Wanyu''s face went red, unsure how to respond, when suddenly Lu Liang''s phone rang.


    "You go ahead, I''ll run to the restroom."


    She hurried out of the office, her head down the whole way, not daring to make eye contact with Lu Liang''s staff, feeling as if they were all watching her.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, answering the call, Zhao Haisheng hastily said, "Mr. Lu, a lot of people are asking about you."


    "Asking about me for what?" Lu Liang was puzzled, still unaware that he had topped the list for net capital outflows on the Dragon and Tiger List.


    "Why don''t you take a look at the Dragon and Tiger List published by the Shenzhen Stock Exchange?" Zhao Haisheng was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.


    Lu Liang opened his computer, saw Punan Road No. 88 at the top of the list, and instantly grasped the situation: "What did you guys say?"


    "Mr. Lu, please rest assured, we absolutely keep our clients'' account information confidential."


    Zhao Haisheng quickly made a guarantee as any leak of Lu Liang''s position would mean he''d have to answer for it with his head.


    However, aside from account information, Lu Liang''s personal details were probably already commonly known.


    Many people had gotten through him, seeking to contact Lu Liang, wanting to arrange a meet-up.


    "Just say I''m busy, decline them all."


    Lu Liang lit a cigarette, deep in thought.


    The Dragon and Tiger List for three days, indeed he had been negligent.


    But no harm done, to become famous early or late, it was bound to happen eventually.


    What mattered now were Li Jianlin and Wu Junle¡ªthese two must hate him by now.


    A net outflow of funds of 128 million in three days, even a fool would know what next week''s market would look like.


    A stampede-like selloff was inevitable; stabilizing a shaky building, turning the tide at the point of collapse required both skilled manoeuvres and substantial capital.


    "Now I''ve really made some enemies."


    "But isn''t that what the speculative market is all about? If you don''t lose, and he doesn''t lose, how am I supposed to make money?"


    The essence of finance is a zero-sum game, where someone''s gain is always another''s loss; wealth cannot simply appear out of thin air.


    Lu Liang quickly convinced himself, though he was unsure whether Li Wu had any knightly spirit, or if they would accept their losses graciously.


    He called Meng Changkun, learned that he was in the office upstairs, and said, "I''ll come up now."


    Just as he was leaving, he encountered Su Wanyu returning, and Lu Liang hastily left a message: "That''s all for today''s lesson, then."


    A failed marriage had made him realize that emotions were the least reliable thing; even the most solemn vows could be eroded by time, defeated by daily trivialities.


    Only career and wealth were everlasting.

 Chapter 63 - 63: Stretch! The longer you stretch, the more you earn

    "Lu, what''s the rush?"


    Meng Changkun smiled, making Gongfu tea.


    With a cigar just lit in the ashtray, he fanned the smoke with his hand, enjoying the aroma of the cigar, looking utterly at ease.


    The next second, upon hearing Lu Liang''s words, he spat out the tea he had just sipped, muttering to himself, "Damn, that water''s a bit hot."


    Meng Changkun felt a bit dizzy. In just over a month, he had made over a hundred million and could possibly cause others to lose billions.


    "Lu, you really are a dark horse, impressing everyone once you finally reveal yourself," he exclaimed in amazement.


    Meng Changkun was very serious upon understanding Lu Liang''s concerns, "Business is business, we are in a rule-of-law society now. We use our brains, not violence."


    If people sought revenge over financial losses, society would become chaotic. After all, even the wealthiest are flesh and blood.


    Moreover, losing money in the stock market, whether it''s tens of billions or just several billion, you have to accept your bets and losses.


    That''s a red line no one dares to cross. Those who cry out for violence over minor losses are just small business owners dealing with tens of thousands.


    Take him, for example, if he lost twenty billion, his life would surely be even better than it is now.


    During festivals, those he owed money to would still come to gift him presents, and if he sneezed, they''d ensure he got a full check-up.


    That''s because while alive, it''s just paper loss. Only in death does it force a settle-up into real loss.


    Li Jianlin and Wu Junle are the same.


    Even if they lose more than twenty billion down to the last cent, they won''t die. At most, they''ll spend the rest of their lives paying it back.


    Of course, Lu Liang also needed to be careful. After suffering such a huge loss this time, they''d definitely find a way to target him in the future.


    "But you don''t need to worry too much, it''s still ''business is business.'' They''ll probably just smear you a bit, file a complaint against your company, or allege some regulatory infractions."


    Hearing Meng Changkun put it this way, Lu Liang breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn''t been wealthy for long and some rules he still needed to learn from his elders.


    As long as his life wasn''t in danger, he didn''t care about reports, framing, or smearing, because he knew the others didn''t dare to cross certain lines.


    Li Wu had been insider trading and violating regulations already, if they reported Lu Liang, they would probably expose themselves as well.


    Curious, Meng Changkun couldn''t help probing indirectly: "It couldn''t be that fifty million I entrusted to you last time, could it?"


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile, "But there are still a few tens of millions that can''t be cashed out yet."


    One hundred million in capital, fifty million each. He hadn''t thought about embezzling it.


    Old Meng had helped him so much, in both business and personal matters, and even promised to share half of his earnings with him.


    Seventy-five percent of the profits belonged to Lu Liang; embezzling would have been utterly indecent.


    "This money''s coming in too fast."


    Meng Changkun was in disbelief. Even with just twenty-five percent in profits, that''s thirty million.


    He invested fifty million and made thirty million in less than a month. It was damn quicker than robbing a bank.


    After all, it was fifty million, not five million. The larger the capital, the lower the return rate is likely to be.


    Just like those mythical tenfold stock gains, market manipulators usually make only three to five times, possibly even less.


    Because when big money pulls out, it inevitably affects the market, resulting in giving back some of the gains already in hand.


    Unless someone takes over, like Lu Liang did this time.


    "It''s not too bad," Lu Liang replied, unfazed. If he could fully capitalize on this trend, he conservatively estimated a 300% return.


    "Lu my friend, in my opinion, all those so-called experts out there can''t hold a candle to you."


    "Mr. Kun, that''s an overstatement. I''ve just been lucky."


    "Luck is part of strength too."


    Meng Changkun wasn''t just flattering. With the rate Lu Liang was making money, it was only a matter of time before his wealth surpassed his own.


    As the two chatted, Lu Liang received a call from Chen Jinchun. She said that someone had called the company requesting to see him.


    "The longer you stretch it out, the more money you''ll make, and the greater your influence will grow," Meng Changkun reminded kindly. Lu Liang was like a small but well-known startup.


    Many people wanted to do angel investing to secure valuable original shares, just like he did before.


    They just didn''t know whether Lu Liang was just lucky or actually had the skill. So, while they''d promise boundless wealth, they''d also set strict conditions.


    The best way to handle it would be to take action that changes those people''s perceptions of him.


    Turn luck into real strength.


    "You don''t need to worry about offending them by rejecting."


    Meng Changkun paused, his eyes full of disdain. "Capitalists are only interested in profits; as long as you can make money for them, even slapping them a few times is acceptable."


    Lu Liang understood and, after asking a few more questions, bid farewell to Meng Changkun and returned to his company downstairs.


    After six o''clock, most people had gone home, leaving only Chen Jinchun idly doodling at her desk.


    "Mr. Lu, you''re back." As Lu Liang''s assistant, she couldn''t leave until he did.


    "Who called while I was out?"


    Lu Liang inquired, planning to return each call personally.


    Business may not have been concluded, but goodwill remained; current lack of cooperation didn''t rule out future collaboration.


    It was important to maintain appearances and leave a good impression.


    "Mr. Liu from Zhongxin Fuying, Mr. Zhang from Caiyi..."


    Chen Jinchun listed seven or eight names and their associated companies in one breath.


    Lu Liang picked up the information and, as Meng Changkun had guessed, they were all relatively small asset management fund companies.


    According to Old Meng, those contacting him now were hoping for a bargain, while the more powerful big shots were still watching.


    The world never lacks geniuses or so-called Golden Touches, but only those who have been tested by the market and survived earn their respect.


    Chen Jinchun added, "Oh, Mr. Lu, Manager Li from Zhongxin Fuying called three times, hoping you''d call back immediately upon receiving the message."


    "Li Jianlin?" Lu Liang was surprised and after seeing Chen Jinchun nod, he pondered for a moment and said, "Got it."


    Back in his office, after much thought, Lu Liang still decided to call Li Jianlin: "Hello, this is Lu Liang."


    He wanted to see what the other party had up his sleeve.


    "Mr. Lu, nice move. On the 21st last month, you must have been rebuilding your position," Li Jianlin said casually.


    By looking at the results and reasoning backwards, it was easy to recognize Lu Liang''s trading technique, which he highly praised.


    Lu Liang was taken aback for a moment but responded with a smile, "Manager Li, you flatter me. When picking stocks then, I noticed Teli A had an odd trend, so I took a precaution. I didn''t expect it to pay off quite like this."


    Although the two had never met or spoken before, they talked about their trading strategies as if they were old friends.


    Gradually, Li Jianlin transitioned to the main issue, sighing, "Mr. Lu, you really put us in a tough spot this time."


    Lu Liang''s smile faded as he spoke softly, "So, you''ve come to settle scores?"


    "No, no, Mr. Lu, please don''t get me wrong. We respect the better player and accept our losses."


    Li Jianlin hastened to clear any misunderstanding: "It''s just that we have quite a bit of capital tied up and need your help to give a boost."


    He added, "And this favor won''t go unrewarded."


    Lu Liang: "Oh? I''d like to hear more details." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Jianlin said, "According to our research, you should still have over twenty thousand shares in it, right?"


    Lu Liang asked with a sly smile, "Are you sure about your research?"


    He did indeed have over twenty thousand shares left, intended as a base for the next market surge, but he couldn''t admit that outright.


    "No matter the amount, we''ll drive this wave above 50 yuan."


    Li Jianlin smiled, knowing Lu Liang was boasting, but didn''t expose the lie. With a serious tone, he said, "If you plan to exit, just give us a heads-up."


    They were too confident in their mistake.


    Had they asked the major shareholders to investigate the circulating shares before the market surge, they wouldn''t be in such a passive position.


    But there was still time to recover; forewarning meant Lu Liang wouldn''t cause further trouble.


    Twenty thousand shares, 2 million in total, currently worth 65 million yuan.


    It was neither a large nor a small sum.


    If Lu Liang dumped his shares recklessly on Monday, it would ruin everything.


    To avoid this, they were willing to drive up the price once more, allowing Lu Liang to exit at the peak.


    "Manager Li, I appreciate your kind offer."


    After contemplating for a moment, Lu Liang added, "I''m sorry, but I''m quite optimistic about Teli A''s future and plan to hold it for the long term. That''ll be all for today; I have to go, so I''ll hang up now."

 Chapter 64 - 64: Its All Thanks to the Masters Good Teaching

    Meanwhile, in Futian, Shenzhen.


    Li Jianlin put down his phone, his brow furrowed in thought about Lu Liang''s last words.


    Wu Junle asked anxiously, "What did that guy say?"


    "He said he''s optimistic about Teli A and wants to hold it long-term."


    "Optimistic? Hold long-term my ass, I think he just wants more."


    Distraught, Wu Junle continued, while Li Jianlin shook his head, disagreeing, "Maybe he just doesn''t want to get involved with us."


    Lu Liang was different from them, earning clean money. Once he agreed to their terms, it would involve manipulating the stock price.


    If they were exposed, Lu Liang would be outed. At best, he would be warned, and at worst, he could be fined several times the amount of profit made.


    If he were Lu Liang, he probably wouldn''t agree either.


    "Could he be bluffing us?"


    Wu Junle frowned, his emotions gradually calming down.


    Teli A, currently priced at 32.5 yuan. If the stock price rose to 50 yuan, each share could earn an additional 1750 yuan.


    According to their investigation, Lu Liang held twenty thousand shares, currently worth 65 million yuan, which would become 100 million yuan if the price reached 50 yuan.


    If they waited until they finished selling their shares, 65 million might drop to 40 million yuan or even less.


    The difference alone was at least 60 million yuan.


    He didn''t believe Lu Liang could remain unmoved.


    "Let''s see how it goes on Monday."


    Li Jianlin''s brows were tightly knitted. He knew Wu Junle''s concerns were not without reason, but they had to trust for now.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang called back each person who had just called to inquire.


    "Mr. Zhang... I''m flattered, but I currently have no such plans."


    "Mr. Liu... If I plan anything in the future, I will contact you first."


    "President Zheng... Next time you come to Modu, I''ll treat, and we brothers can have a good drink."


    After ending the calls, Lu Liang let out a long sigh.


    Exiting his office, he saw Chen Jinchun dozing off at her desk and tapped the desk lightly, "You''re drooling."


    Chen Jinchun sprang up, sleepy-eyed, wiping her mouth where there was no drool, "Mr. Lu, are you off work?"


    Lu Liang hummed in acknowledgment, picked up his car keys, and left the company, leaving Chen Jinchun to lock up alone.


    Having graduated from a second-tier university and bypassed the internship, earning a significant salary, this was what she was supposed to do.


    At over seven in the evening, Lu Liang arrived home just as he smelled the scent of dinner.


    Mrs. Liu, the housekeeper, said, "Mr. Lu, Miss Li said she won''t be back for dinner tonight."


    "Mrs. Liu, I''m going to take a shower first."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and went straight to the bathroom.


    Last week, he had helped Li Manli set up a studio and even had her move out for better interaction with her colleagues.


    Initially, they shot material at home, but Lu Liang disliked the constant flow of people at his residence.


    So, he rented a villa in West Suburb of Modu to serve as their studio and simultaneously provide accommodation for the staff.


    Li Manli usually stayed at the villa, shooting videos and live streaming, sometimes coming home for meals and sometimes not.


    Lu Liang employed a professional cleaning lady and a cook to manage his meals and home hygiene.


    "Mrs. Liu, the pickled cabbage and pork intestine today is excellent."


    Lu Liang couldn''t praise it enough, very satisfied with Mrs. Liu''s cooking skills.


    Since Li Manli had moved out, he no longer had to eat those dishes that looked good but were not particularly tasty.


    Mrs. Liu, cleaning up in the kitchen, turned around with a broad smile, "Mr. Lu, I''m glad you like it."


    While eating, Lu Liang received a call from Liu Mingxuan, asking if he was free to come out for a drink tonight.


    "Okay, I''ll come right now." Lu Liang heard his upset tone and didn''t refuse.


    Leaving his meal half-eaten, he picked up his car keys and headed straight out, arriving at a mid-range residential area in the city.


    Liu Mingxuan was different from Lu Liang. He had majored in computer science, a valuable associate degree holder from ten years ago.


    After graduation, he came to Modu, worked in a mid-sized internet company responsible for website development and maintenance.


    He was among those who early on benefited from the internet boom and had settled down and purchased a house in Modu quite early.


    But this guy, heartbroken by a bad relationship in high school involving a love letter read aloud mockingly by the girl, had since wildly run down the path of frivolousness.


    "F**k, are you trying to reach for the skies?"


    Seeing the Lamborghini "Big Wild Bull," Liu Mingxuan''s eyes widened in awe as he caressed the car''s paint like touching a lover''s skin.


    "Don''t tell me this one is rented too."


    Soon, he turned his attention to Lu Liang to see whether his old friend of many years had his body snatched by someone else.


    Even rental cars vary by type, with sedans being the most commonly rented followed by sports cars; SUVs are hardly ever for rent.


    Let alone a Lamborghini bull, he could guarantee there weren''t three car owners in Modu willing to rent out such a bull.


    Lu Liang gave a nonchalant smile, just about to speak when Liu Mingxuan gestured him to stop, "Don''t say it, I can''t handle it."


    "Liang, let me drive it," he said with a sycophantic smile, making what he thought was a cute expression.


    "Take it, take it." Lu Liang was so grossed out he quickly handed over the car keys and moved to the passenger seat.


    "If this car were parked in front of Shangying, I can''t even imagine how many blue pills I''d have to take tonight."


    Liu Mingxuan caressed the steering wheel, tapping the accelerator lightly, instantly feeling the surging power.


    He looked obsessed and couldn''t help but admire, "Deserves to be called the world''s most awesome SUV."


    "Don''t make that face of doom, what''s going on?" Lu Liang said with a look of disdain.


    Liu Mingxuan suddenly deflated, "Let''s find a place to drink and I''ll slowly tell you all about it."


    "Let''s head to the Bund then, there seems to be a pretty nice music bar there."


    Lu Liang had just crossed the river and noticed a new music bar at the Bund that seemed to have a great vibe.


    He gave directions to Liu Mingxuan, and they reached NaN Tavern, booking a place by the river.


    The setting was beautiful, with a pleasant river breeze,


    cool wind sweeping away the summer heat.


    A young and beautiful girl sat on the stage, strumming a guitar and singing folk songs, creating a very bourgeoisie atmosphere.


    Lu Liang ordered a dozen Budweiser light beers, various snacks, as both of them didn''t enjoy liquor, and beer was more to their taste.


    Liu Mingxuan chugged two bottles straight down, and a touch of sorrow quickly appeared on his face.


    For some reason, Lu Liang felt an urge to laugh, "Friend, please share your story."


    Liu Mingxuan glared at him, starting with last month when a relative''s daughter had graduated and wanted to find a job in Modu, so they had asked him to look after her¡­


    "So you took care of her right into your bed, and then someone got killed?"


    Lu Liang was repulsed, guessing the end from the beginning, losing any desire to keep listening.


    "Are you the worm in my stomach?"


    Liu Mingxuan was shocked, his carefully brewed emotions suddenly interrupted.


    "You''ve been a beast not just today or yesterday, did I meet you only today?"


    Lu Liang rested his chin on his hand, admiring the beautiful women passing by, the goddesses of the Bund, very classy and generous.


    People are complex polyhedra, and as a friend, Liu Mingxuan was beyond reproach.


    Not only had he loaned him money to buy a house, but whenever he fought with his wife, Lu Liang would also stay at his place for a few days.


    But as a man, Lu Liang couldn''t comment, just grateful that he had no connection with the woman involved.


    Liu Mingxuan scratched his head, downing half a bottle more, "That girl''s home is in the village next to mine."


    "Then you''re screwed."


    Lu Liang reveled in schadenfreude, spotting some tall beauties in pleated skirts.


    He beckoned a bar server and paid for their table, raising his beer to them.


    Liu Mingxuan was shocked, his eyes wide. "When did you become such a flirt?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang chuckled and bowed slightly, "All thanks to my master''s teachings."


    As the pleated skirt beauties approached, he kicked Liu Mingxuan under the table, signaling him not to blabber.


    The beauties, holding their drinks, smiled broadly, "Handsome, what does this mean?"


    Liu Mingxuan, nonchalantly without even turning around, suddenly blurted out, "I''m getting married."


    Lu Liang''s eyes bulged out, suddenly choked by the drink, quickly turned to the beauties, "Sorry, wrong person."


    The beauty continued smiling, "Handsome, my name is Lingling, and your pickup line is so old~"


    "Really mistaken, but since the bill is already paid, no big deal."


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently, waving her off, "Can you leave first? We still have something to discuss."


    The beauty''s expression slowly stiffened, she turned and left without a word, going back to her friends and pointing towards Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang didn''t care, turning back to Liu Mingxuan, "Really? Have you thought this through?"


    After all, compared to a good friend''s lifetime events, all beauties are but fleeting distractions.

 Chapter 65 - 65: Great Potential

    "People back home all know about it."


    "My parents even came to visit a few days ago, putting on a show like ''Mother Instructing Her Son.'' I just sent them back this afternoon."


    Liu Mingxuan shared his feelings of melancholy, knowing that one shouldn''t mess around with a girl next door, but she resembled his first love.


    "First love, you know? Heroes find it hard to overcome the beauty''s barrier, but the beauty doesn''t necessarily have to be very attractive; it''s about touching the heart."


    Liu Mingxuan was insistent, while Lu Liang''s face grew darker, "You''re no hero, just a drama queen, talking all high and mighty."


    "You wouldn''t understand, I don''t blame you."


    Liu Mingxuan shook his head and, raising his glass to the moon, declared, "Ah, my youth~ is finally coming to an end."


    "Need any help with anything?" Lu Liang, drinking, barely resisted the urge to slap him.


    "Stay with me tonight, until I drink myself into oblivion."


    Although Liu Mingxuan had a house but no car, his old man was striking gold, planning to buy him a car worth around two hundred thousand.


    As for the bride price, in their hometown, symbolism was more important than reality; tens of thousands would be enough, and he still had some savings.


    The only regret was probably Lu Liang; having finally seen his friend get rich, he couldn''t join him in galloping through life.


    "Li, I am most worried about you."


    After half a dozen beers, Liu Mingxuan started to get drunk.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, "You''re actually a good guy."


    "Of course, brotherhood is from the heart."


    Liu Mingxuan thumped his chest, and at the peak of emotion, he ran onstage, grabbed the microphone from a girl, and sang Tan Yonglin''s "Friends."


    Stars drifting by, walking the same path


    From strangers to kindred spirits,


    Silently treating others with sincerity¡­


    It''s you~~


    Below the stage, Lu Liang smiled and raised his glass in reply, "Wishing you happiness."


    His own marriage wasn''t a happy one, but Liu Mingxuan was his friend, and he still believed in the existence of happy marriages.


    That night, they drank two dozen until late.


    Lu Liang was elated, generously treated the whole place, celebrating his friend''s step into the hall of marriage.


    ¡­


    July 21, Monday.


    The new week, the first trading day.


    Unaffected by the past three working days'' net outflows of 138 million, Teli A''s stock opened strong and hit the ceiling.


    Li Wu were busy transferring shares between their left and right hands, creating a huge trading volume and continuing the appearance of a hot market.


    They also paid close attention to the market, fearing a sudden move by Lu Liang, as that would really leave them no ground to stand on. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, a luxurious yacht slowly set off from Golden Sand Pier, right below Modu, preparing to sail south to Mingzhou.


    Lu Liang didn''t want to get involved with Li Wu and, to avoid suspicion, planned to take a few days off to clear himself of the matter.


    When Meng Changkun found out, he casually invited Wu Tianzheng, bringing along his company''s model team, three men and six women set sail.


    "Can you really part with it?"


    Meng Changkun lounged on the deck, sunbathing.


    In front of him was a tablet computer displaying Teli A''s market performance of the day, with a ceiling price of 37.75 Yuan.


    He knew Lu Liang still held twenty thousand shares and had heard that Li Jianlin once approached Lu Liang, willing to boost the stock for him.


    It was exactly for this reason that Meng Changkun agreed to join the yacht trip; otherwise, he could''ve just sent Wu Tianzheng to accompany him.


    "Some money can be made, and some can''t."


    Lu Liang wore sunglasses, lying on the deck with two tall and sexy bikini-clad women helping him apply sunscreen.


    An inevitable physiological reaction occurred, and he quietly pitched a little tent, causing the two tall beauties to cover their mouths and giggle.


    Meng Changkun had helped him a lot, but their cooperation mattered more than feelings; Lu Liang wouldn''t change his mind just because of his words.


    He had access to future information; there was no need to break the law for such a small profit, risking loss far greater than the gain.


    Meng Changkun stopped short, seeing that Lu Liang had his principles, and he didn''t press further, "Let''s go, soak in the sea for a bit."


    He suddenly picked up a beauty next to him and slid into the ocean with joyful laughter, using the yacht''s inflatable slide.


    Seeing this, Lu Liang''s mouth curled into a smile.


    Meng Changkun might be willing to help him, but he always looked to gain more control.


    If nothing unexpected happened, he probably wouldn''t have such thoughts after this.


    Lu Liang turned his head to look at the butterfly knot on the beauty''s back and suddenly yanked it open, and the white rabbits instantly popped out.


    The beauty was both ashamed and furious, pouting angrily.


    The deck immediately burst into cheerful laughter and a harmonious atmosphere.


    Over the next several days, Teli A repeatedly made it to the Dragon and Tiger List, it was either hitting the price limit or on its way there.


    Intraday trading saw multiple instances of Sky Floor and Ground Sky, embodying an unpredictable and enigmatic spirit.


    The stock price soared, breaking historical highs repeatedly and attracting a massive influx of individual investors eager to buy in.


    After several days of sharp increases, the Securities and Futures Commission, as usual, issued a warning to remind investors of the risks.


    However, the broader market was in a bearish phase, breaking below 3700 points and increasing public grievances.


    "Old Xiao, your mom is calling you home for dinner. Stop jumping around."


    "When it was falling no one from your end issued a warning, but now when it rises, here you are."


    "I don''t believe in your damn warnings!"


    Individual investors weren''t buying it; the more the Securities and Futures Commission warned them, the more they wanted to buy.


    With speculative stocks showing large fluctuations and high profits, even if they were eventually trapped and buried, they''d prefer to die standing.


    In contrast, those blue-chip and index stocks, with daily rises of one to two points and drops of four to five points, were like a blunt knife cutting flesh, agonizing to the point of making life feel pointless after prolonged exposure.


    Moreover, there was no need for the Securities and Futures Commission to issue warnings; the investors were well aware that stocks with speculative hype would eventually come to an end.


    Once a speculative stock fell from grace, its price halving and then halving again, it became an all too common occurrence.


    But they harbored a sense of relief, wondering why it had to be today, and why it couldn''t be tomorrow or the day after.


    The financial market was like the game of passing the parcel where everyone believed they wouldn''t be the last one left holding it.


    In the blink of an eye, the last working day of the week arrived, and Teli A was up to its old tricks again, showing another Sky Floor performance.


    This tactic had been played out several times with this stock, always ending with a price surge after a breakthrough.


    It was like the story of the boy who cried wolf; once or twice, individual investors might get scared and wash out.


    But after frequent occurrences, they no longer saw it as a risk but as an opportunity.


    A Sky Floor meant there was nowhere to fall for the day, but any subsequent rise could mean a 20-point profit.


    Investors rushed to buy in.


    Thirty million... fifty million...


    One hundred million... two hundred million...


    A tide of capital gushed outwards.


    "Taking profit at the floor, you''re really something."


    After a few days out at sea, Lu Liang returned to the company, keeping an eye on the stock movements the whole time.


    48.25 yuan, this should be the peak of this market wave.


    Li Wu had been laying out their plan for over a month and now came the day to reap the rewards, they were offloading massive amounts of stock.


    It was foreseeable that a relentless string of price limit downs was coming until they recouped their investment and re-established their positions.


    Chen Jinchun knocked and entered; she brought a report: "Mr. Lu, this is Mengmengda Media''s data for the half month."


    Mengmengda Media, Li Manli''s workshop, was initially considered by Lu Liang to be an optional investment.


    That was until the studio was established and went viral online, amassing over two million fans, with several platforms offering signing fees in the millions.


    This included the son of the First Rich who just started Panda TV last month, with a registered capital of merely 10 million yuan, but boldly offered a 6-million-yuan signing fee, ready to secure a live broadcast contract for the next three years.


    The signing fees were trivial, but what caught Lu Liang''s attention was this industry, along with YouTube''s model.


    With an estimated value of 80 billion US dollars and an annual profit of 240 million US dollars, there seems to be no such enterprise in China that matched YouTube.


    YouTube caters to a global audience, though the current global registered users only amount to 780 million, while domestically, China has a population of 1.4 billion.


    And in recent years, with the rollout of 4G signals and budget smartphones.


    The number of internet users in China has grown exponentially, exceeding 600 million by June this year.


    Now online shopping is replacing offline shopping; might online entertainment one day replace offline entertainment?


    Without leaving the house, one could enjoy sceneries from all over the world, much like Lu Liang once analyzed the reasons behind Li Manli''s sensational popularity.


    She''s beautiful, boasts a great figure, loves wearing COS costumes, and even cooking was secondary¡ªthe key was her deliberate flaunting of a lavish lifestyle.


    For thousands of years, common people''s imagination of the elite class stayed at dining with gold chopsticks and farming with golden hoes. Everyone has the same head and two eyes.


    It was all about money, without a clear concept, until Li Manli''s videos peeled back a corner of that mystery.


    The audience, like sponges, greedily absorbed new knowledge, aspiring to that lifestyle.


    "A video platform has great potential!"


    After delving deeper, Lu Liang arrived at this conclusion, and a vague concept began to form in his mind.

 Chapter 66 - 66: Investing in Panda

    "Xiao Chen, help me arrange a meeting with Wang Xiaocong."


    Liang knew of Wang Xiaocong''s past and realized he was treading a novel path, somewhat akin to the Kardashians in the United States.


    By spouting grandiose claims on social platforms and behaving unconventionally, he attracted a massive crowd of onlookers, solidifying his personal brand.


    For instance, when Panda Interactive Entertainment was just established, there was no need for deliberate promotion, as he himself was the spokesperson for the platform.


    Invisibly, it saved a fortune in marketing expenses.


    This son of the First Rich wasn''t as clueless as he seemed, merely ranting at others.


    Chen Jinchun nodded, stepped out of the office, and through the official website of Panda Interactive Entertainment, he reached out to Wang Xiaocong''s assistant.


    Introducing himself, he learned that Wang Xiaocong was currently in Modu, and they settled on a time and place to meet.


    "Half past two in the afternoon, at Binjiang Cafe? Sounds good."


    Liang took one last look at the stock market trends, a line as still as a heart that had ceased to beat.


    Lying quietly on the floor,


    without even a small spike, like a pool of stagnant water.


    It wasn''t likely to break the board any time soon.


    This round, the price had to fall from 48 yuan to at least 25 yuan.


    Liang took Chen Jinchun with him to Binjiang Cafe.


    There, he met Wang Xiaocong; a thicknecked man with a big head, who, apart from being tall, really resembled the boss of Wanda.


    "Mr. Wang, hello, I''m Lu Liang."


    The legal representative of Mengmengda Media was Li Manli, which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tianxing Investment.


    Liang met Wang Xiaocong as the majority shareholder of Tianxing Investment, to discuss a live streaming contract.


    Live streaming and entertainment were different from what he envisioned sharing about life, two fundamentally different concepts. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But this idea of sharing life was just a vague concept in Liang''s mind.


    He was unsure how to proceed with it, so he decided to first explore live streaming.


    "Mr. Lu, your reputation precedes you. Your name is the one I''ve heard mentioned the most lately by friends."


    Wang Xiaocong smiled broadly, sizing up Liang as well.


    If it had been two weeks earlier, he probably wouldn''t have agreed to meet with Liang, even though Liang was the actual controlling party of Mengmengda Media.


    But times had changed, and the tale of how Liang snatched the deal from Zhongxin Fuying and Wu Junle on Punan Road, Number 88, last week, escaping with 1.28 billion yuan, was now widely known in financial circles.


    Liang had become a notable figure, worth networking with.


    "Xiaocong, we''re about the same age, so let''s not bother with the false pleasantries typical of the older generation."


    Liang smiled affably, using first-name familiarity as a sales talent to quickly close the gap between them.


    Wang Xiaocong was momentarily taken aback but soon caught on, asking curiously, "Lu Liang, what is your relationship with Li Xiaomeng?"


    "If I said we are just purely friends, would you believe me?" Liang asked with a smile.


    "I believe you, just like the entertainment journalists often slander me. I''m plainly friends with them¡ªit''s quite normal to have a drink together, right? And there''s nothing unusual about staying at the same hotel, right?"


    "Indeed, very normal."


    The two men shared a knowing smile, having established a tentative friendship over a common interest among men.


    Gradually, they turned the conversation to work. Panda mainly focused on game live streaming, but Wang Xiaocong was not satisfied with just gaming.


    Over the years, he had been active in the esports circle and even bought a team, making a bit of a name for himself. There was no shortage of game streamers.


    But in the realm of good looks, what they lacked was a pillar, and he saw potential in Li Xiaomeng, hoping to sign her to Panda Interactive Entertainment.


    In the future, they also planned to venture into the entertainment industry, intending to create an online celebrity variety show.


    "Lu Liang, I don''t know if you''ve watched variety shows, but the sponsorship fees for Running Man were 560 million, The Voice was 1.13 billion, and the money-making ability of reality shows these past few years can only be described as incredible."


    Wang Xiaocong was eager to bring Lu Liang on board, discussing the recent profits from reality shows and detailing the strategic goals of Panda.


    Reality shows were just the first step; he aimed to build a pan-entertainment empire, dubbing this strategy the Banana Plan.


    "If Panda is looking for investment, just give the word."


    A hint of surprise flitted across Liang''s eyes; he hadn''t expected their thoughts to align so closely.


    Little Wang''s vision was grand, roughly aiming to create a pan-entertainment cultural center akin to Eastern Disneyland.


    He hoped someone would help share the risk, and Lu Liang also wanted to understand the industry through investing in interactive entertainment.


    The two hit it off and wished they had met each other earlier.


    Within a few words, they finalized their intention to cooperate.


    Lu Liang invested three million and took a 15% stake, becoming the second-largest shareholder of Panda Interactive Entertainment after Wang Xiaocong.


    Later, he went to Panda''s headquarters to sign the contract agreement.


    "Lu Liang, do you have any plans tonight?"


    While the staff went to prepare the contract, Wang Xiaocong raised an eyebrow, his face showing a smile that all men understood.


    He was a regular at various nightclubs in Modu, spending at least four nights a week in nightclubs.


    Now that Panda Interactive Entertainment had gained a very capable shareholder, it was customary to celebrate properly.


    "Maybe next time, I still have some things to take care of later."


    Lu Liang solely owned Mengmengda Studio, and Li Manli only received a share of the profits without any ownership stakes.


    Suddenly switching her live streaming platform, he had to go and give her a heads-up first.


    "It''s okay, you can come over after you''re done with your stuff."


    Wang Xiaocong eagerly invited him, tempting continuously, promising that Lu Liang would have a blast tonight.


    Lu Liang gave a wry smile, finding it hard to refuse the kind offer, "We''ll see when the time comes."


    In the evening, after leaving Panda Interactive Entertainment, he told Chen Jinchun to take a taxi back and drove to a villa area in the West Suburb.


    The entire area was filled with standalone villas with yards, but most had been converted into e-commerce, live streaming, or new media studios.


    These industries favored a light asset model, integrating office and residential spaces to reduce costs and increase employee cohesion.


    This was Lu Liang''s first visit, and he almost got lost driving around the neighborhood before finally locating villa number 116.


    A three-and-a-half-story western-style house with a small yard next to the garage housed a bright red Porsche 718.


    Li Manli was wearing a black and white Lolita dress, holding a parasol, resembling an aristocrat from the Middle Ages.


    Ever since setting up the studio and assembling a professional team, the quality of her videos had improved significantly, generally divided into two categories: daily life and culinary displays.


    It looked like she was filming a daily vlog at the moment, but it was mostly acting¡ªafter all, no ordinary person would dress like this.


    "Liang, you''ve finally come to see me."


    When she saw Lu Liang, Li Manli excitedly dropped her umbrella, wrapped her arms around Lu Liang''s neck, and hung on him.


    "Can you not be so rough? After all, you''re a general manager now," Lu Liang said helplessly, his face showing his resignation as he supported Li Manli by her hips.


    "I don''t care, who told you to neglect me like casting me into the Cold Palace, it''s been so long since you last came to see me."


    Li Manli pouted, shooed away her assistant and camerawoman to have them go back inside, not to disturb their private time.


    A pair of slender legs swung through the air, expressing the joy of their owner.


    "I came to find you right after I finished my work."


    Lu Liang smiled, put down Li Manli, and they went for a walk in the park, where he brought up the matter of changing platforms for her.


    "I''ve heard of Panda, but I''m so bad at playing games, always hovering around silver rank," Li Manli said with a pained expression.


    "Just mingle, you only need to meet the 60 hours of live streaming each month. After that, no more live streaming on Bilibili, but you can continue to post videos to increase your influence," Lu Liang explained.


    He added, "With a signing fee of six million over three years, after deducting 50% for the revenue share and personal taxes, you''ll have about 2.4 million."


    "That much?" Li Manli''s eyes widened, never having imagined she could make so much money before.


    "A lot? It averages out to 800,000 a year, just 66,000 a month, not even enough to cover rent."


    Lu Liang thought of his own residence, where the monthly rent, utilities, and property fees all added up to over 80,000.


    He could afford to buy it now, but that would deplete all his cash flow, so he never felt it necessary.


    Li Manli couldn''t help but grumble, "Can that even compare? Who told you to live in such a big place all by yourself?"


    With an annual income of 800,000, she could build a new house for her parents.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll earn more and more in the future."


    Lu Liang''s face showed a smile, as he thought Li Manli''s brashness and carefreeness were just an act.

 Chapter 67 - 67: Fame Should Be Gained Early

    "I''ve paid the tuition fee," Lu Liang mused, declining Wang Xiaocong''s late-night invitation.


    Returning home, he waited in silence for the chime of midnight, not catching any significant sound.


    Unlike investing in ofo last time, where there was news about Mobike''s financing, this time it felt like dropping a stone into the sea.


    "Does this mean that the long videos of Chen Rui are actually the mainstream of the future market?" he wondered.


    Opening the pink television set, no matter how many times he''d seen it, he still found it hard to accept the jarring, immature video content.


    Yet it seemed to be all the rage on B Site, where the bloggers treated it like child''s play. But after all, how much do children actually have to spend?


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, unable to discern the logic behind it; he decided to set it aside for the moment, taking it one step at a time.


    After all, whichever industry one chose to dive into required ample funding to do as one pleased.


    The urgent task at hand was to make money.


    For example, setting a small goal first, like earning a cool billion.


    The next morning, Lu Liang went to the office.


    Tang Caide submitted a proposal suggesting the expansion of staff, ideally adding one to two people in each department.


    "Okay, let''s hire a few more analysts."


    Lu Liang looked out the window, at Chen Jinchun dozing off, presumably busy until two or three in the morning helping him with research.


    The task he had given her was rather ambitious, investigating all the video websites on the market and analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.


    He also wanted to learn about the shared bicycle market, but seeing her overwhelmed with work, he chose not to mention it.


    Tang Caide gave a knowing smile upon seeing Chen Jinchun biting her pen and said, "Mr. Lu, it seems that our office space is getting a bit cramped."


    The current 240 square meters of office space, with 80 square meters taken up by Lu Liang''s office and the meeting room.


    The pantry and restrooms, among other basic amenities, occupied sizeable areas, too.


    The office area could only accommodate 10-15 people, which, although sufficient after the planned expansion, called for preemptive precaution.


    "Let''s look for a new place, find something bigger nearby to avoid moving too often in the future."


    Lu Liang recalled his visit to Panda Interactive Entertainment the previous day; with only 10 million in registered capital, their office spanned nearly 2000 square meters.


    Even though it was an office building owned by Wanda, they had just updated their business registration last week, bumping up their registered capital to 50 million.


    There was no reason their office should be smaller than the rival''s.


    At 9:15 a.m., pre-market bidding began.


    Some stocks were already finished before the market even opened, notably Teli A.


    The pre-market trading lasted ten minutes, with the price hardly changing, hitting the lower limit as soon as the market opened.


    The two-hour morning session revealed a plummeting line as straight as could be.


    Lu Liang still owned twenty thousand lots, even using the institution''s fast-trading channels.


    It took an average of three minutes to complete just a few lot trades, evoking the despair felt by the trapped retail investors.


    Although he faced a loss of seven to eight million daily, he wasn''t in a hurry to sell off, merely trying it out.


    With available funds of 145 million, with a principal of 79 million, the twenty thousand lots had lost everything, leaving him with a profit of 66 million.


    And Lu Liang had not considered selling the twenty thousand lots; purchased at an average cost of 10.6 yuan, he planned to keep them as his core position, awaiting the next market trend.


    During the uneventful trading days, Lu Liang intensely surfed the web for entertainment, watching Wang Xiaocong tear into International Fan.


    International Fan and Daheiniu announced their relationship under ''we,'' receiving blessings from most of the entertainment industry and even those outside it.


    Only Little Wang left a comment in the section below: it''s just a fling, some circles you can''t just squeeze into whenever you want.


    Thus, the squabble began, International Fan sneering about Little Wang having a rich daddy, while Little Wang ridiculed International Fan for being a mere blanket star.


    Lu Liang, engrossed in the drama, even set up a Weibo account for himself and liked and commented in support of Little Wang.


    It was a tough gig playing the entertainment industry''s disciplinary committee, mostly a one-man army.


    Using his real name to post, no sooner had Lu Liang sent his message than Little Wang retreated from the battle of words.


    In the comments section: "Is that you?"


    Lu Liang replied, "Yes."


    "Why didn''t you come last night?"


    "I was busy, couldn''t make it."


    The two carried on as if they were alone, treating the comments section like a private messaging platform.


    Lu Liang''s follower count also skyrocketed from single digits, rapidly breaking through the ten thousand mark and starting to surge towards a hundred thousand.


    After all, Wang Xiaocong commands over twenty million followers and often gives away phones and red envelopes; the quality of his followers is quite astonishing.


    Although netizens didn''t know who Lu Liang was, seeing the conversation between the two, they thought they must be good friends.


    If he was another naive rich boy from a landlord''s house, who knew if he''d start giving away red envelopes once he was happy with the growing number of followers.


    Following him wouldn''t cost them a piece of flesh.


    Meanwhile,


    Lu Liang received a call from Weibo''s operations manager.


    His follower count had broken fifty thousand, and he could skip the Yellow V to upgrade to a Red V, so they asked for his information and occupation.


    They also explained the privileges of becoming a Red V, like having an exclusive symbol, customer service, recommendations, and rights.


    "Tianxing Capital, Lu Liang, just put down ''angel investor'' for my profession," Lu Liang replied.


    The operations manager was taken aback, pulled up Tianxing Capital''s information, and realized it was a big player in the industry with registered capital of fifty million.


    Their tone became more respectful, "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment or two, we will immediately update your account information."


    "Shortly after, a dedicated customer service representative will contact you; if you have any questions in the future, you can reach out to your dedicated customer service."


    "Okay, thank you."


    Lu Liang followed customer service''s guidance, waited for two minutes, and then re-logged into his Weibo account.


    His ordinary scenic profile picture now had a small red v next to it, and his bio had changed to:


    Founder of Tianxing Capital, angel investor.


    "My goodness, I turned into a Red V so quickly?"


    "An investment banking tycoon? Begging to be spoiled, begging to be noticed."


    "I have a project here, just lacking funds."


    After completing real-name authentication, Lu Liang''s follower count also swiftly broke through the hundred thousand mark, and his inbox was filled with all sorts of messages. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The netizens of this generation really dared to say and do anything, with racy photos being sent directly, but most of them were seeking investments.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment and posted his first update: "Just arrived at this magnificent place; as per tradition, let''s start with a prize draw."


    "Floor 6, 66, 666, 6666, and floor 8, 88, 888, 8888, each will get a new Apple phone."


    After careful consideration,


    he felt that Wang Xiaocong''s approach was worth considering. Nowadays, in the internet era, fame isn''t necessarily a bad thing. Even though it meant public scrutiny, it also meant public protection.


    As soon as the status was posted, his follower count, view count, and comment numbers rose exponentially.


    Giving away eight iPhones just like that confirmed the netizens'' guesses. Birds of a feather flock together; the rich boy knew other rich folks and they were all leaving comments in the section.


    With a one in a thousand chance, no cost involved, and the ability to leave multiple comments, they might just be the lucky ones.


    Within less than five minutes,


    the comment section had already built up a skyscraper''s worth of comments.


    Lu Liang called over Chen Jinchun and asked her to contact the winners to deliver their prizes.


    Because Su Wanyu had come over for tutoring, he also needed to prepare for his fifth mock exam.


    "Mrs. Su, what are you going to treat me to tonight?"


    Since the last mock exam ended, Lu Liang had tutored for an additional fifteen hours; this time, he was confident he could score 425 points.


    "Let''s talk about it after you pass," Su Wanyu said with a tsundere expression, discreetly pursing her lips, trying to suppress her joy.


    She also felt that Lu Liang could pass today.


    So, unlike usual, she had applied exquisite makeup.


    Looking forward to their first date tonight; it''s just hidden behind black-framed glasses and not easily noticeable.


    75 minutes later, Lu Liang finished the mock exam and sat next to Su Wanyu, watching her score it.


    The whole test was mostly right with fewer mistakes than before. He had clearly improved a lot compared to the last time, but whether he could pass the 425-point pass mark was still unknown.


    Finally, the score tallied up to 422 points.


    Su Wanyu frowned slightly, without a word, she carefully rechecked the paper.


    She corrected a question that should have deducted five points: "''Ditto,'' meaning the same as ''Me too,'' is more informal in usage, so your answer isn''t wrong after all."


    Just by restoring the deducted five points, the score suddenly went from failing to passing.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, teasing, "Mrs. Su, isn''t this somewhat biased and unfair?"


    Su Wanyu kept a straight face, very seriously said, "Mr. Lu, I warn you again, please do not question my professional integrity."

 Chapter 68 - 68: Date

    Just after six o''clock, Lu Liang arrived at the entrance of the building to wait.


    Originally, he was supposed to leave the company with Su Wanyu, but she insisted that he go start the car while she went to the restroom.


    Lu Liang wanted to wait for her outside the restroom, but she wouldn''t allow it, and he had no idea what she was up to.


    Bored out of his mind, Lu Liang played with his phone in the car, and just that afternoon, his Weibo followers had skyrocketed past the 200,000 mark.


    Suddenly, he could understand why Wang Xiaocong enjoyed showing off online: it''s thrilling in the moment and continuously exhilarating with ongoing pretense.


    Thousands of people unabashedly heaped praise on him, comfortably throwing around terms like "hubby" and "daddy" with no sense of burden.


    It was simply a straightforward greeting with an attached sweepstakes, yet many people complimented him on his politeness and gentlemanly manner.


    When he clicked on the profile pictures,


    they were all from attractive women who often posted updates.


    Considering how often Little Wang changed girlfriends, sometimes he couldn''t really blame him.


    After all, they come when you beckon and leave when you call; there''s a world of flowers out there for the picking, and good men are tempted into becoming scoundrels.


    If this were a test for any cadre, which one could withstand such temptation?


    With a critical eye, Lu Liang scrutinized the private message photos in the background, "B, C, F! These must be fake."


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the car window.


    A beautiful girl with big eyes stood by the car,


    bearing an eight-point resemblance to Su Wanyu,


    and even wore a similar plain colored dress.


    "Who are you, beautiful girl?"


    Lu Liang opened the car door, unable to help but tease with a laugh.


    After spending over a month together, he had only seen Su Wanyu without glasses once. But it was that one glimpse that had left a deep impression.


    Her features were picturesque, her eyes lively and colorful, with long, slightly upturned eyelashes that made her eyes even brighter and more charming.


    "My sister went home; I''m her younger sister Su Wanjun."


    Su Wanyu''s cheeks flushed with a hint of color, like a bloom exuding radiance, finally opening up after years of seclusion.


    "Wanjun, if you''re treating me to dinner, your sister won''t get mad, right?" Lu Liang said, his eyes twinkling with admiration.


    Su Wanyu, conscious of Lu Liang''s intense gaze, felt her face heat up and kept silent.


    Lu Liang smiled gently and looked away, "Where to?"


    "Hotpot at the City God Temple."


    Su Wanyu sneaked a glance at Lu Liang, relieved that he wasn''t looking anymore, and breathed a sigh of relief.


    She fiddled with the hem of her dress, seemingly inexperienced with this being a first date and unsure what to say.


    "You look really pretty without your glasses," Lu Liang suddenly said.


    Su Wanyu''s cheeks flushed even more as she mumbled in response, "It''s just that I''m not used to it. I''ve worn them since I was in elementary school."


    "Then when you wear contacts, don''t you feel a sense of exhilaration, as if you''ve thrown off shackles?"


    "Yes, yes, but it''s still inconvenient because sometimes I forget to take them out, and I might accidentally lose one."


    Su Wanyu began to open up; she enjoyed talking to Lu Liang because her friends said she was a closed book, but with him, it seemed like there was endless chatter.


    Laughing and talking, they arrived at the City God Temple''s Hotpot restaurant.


    When no one was around, it was fine, but as soon as they encountered people, Su Wanyu would subconsciously maintain distance from Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile, stepped forward, and took Su Wanyu''s hand¡ªdelicate, white, and as soft as if boneless.


    "Aren''t I presentable enough?" he whispered, his lips nearly touching her ear.


    Su Wanyu was slightly startled like a frightened bird, her palm sweating profusely, "No, it''s just a bit odd."


    "Strangeness mostly comes from unfamiliarity; you''ll get used to it."


    Lu Liang chuckled, feeling the temperature of Su Wanyu''s palm rise, but now without the sweat.


    The back of her pale hand bloomed with a blush matching the color on her cheeks, impossible to conceal with makeup.


    Even if he was slow to react, he knew Su Wanyu had probably never had a boyfriend or been on a date.


    With this thought, Lu Liang loosened his grip and called over a waiter to place the order, then turned to ask, "What would you like to eat?"


    "Whatever you order is fine," Su Wanyu said with a sigh of relief, then added, "It''s my treat."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t fight you for the bill."


    Lu Liang inquired about Su Wanyu''s preferences.


    They ordered a "Yuan Yang" hotpot with a few stir-fry dishes.


    During dinner, Su Wanyu concentrated on eating, because every time she looked up, she would meet Lu Liang''s gaze.


    She could only keep her head down and focus on her meal, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful.


    After dinner, they went for a walk nearby to digest their food.


    The City God Temple in Modu was always filled with tourists, no matter when.


    After walking for over ten minutes, Lu Liang noticed that Su Wanyu didn''t seem to like crowded places. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He said, "Let''s go for a walk by the river."


    Su Wanyu quickly nodded in agreement.


    They headed in the opposite direction of the Bund against the crowd.


    As they went further away, the number of tourists thinned out, and the air became fresher.


    "Do you want to sign up for the level four exam? I can help you fill out the information; with your current level, you should pass easily."


    Su Wanyu strode ahead, walking with her hands behind her back, when she suddenly turned to face Lu Liang.


    But her big eyes, vulnerable to the wind, accidentally squinted; her eyes kept blinking, and tears were almost flowing out.


    "It''s enough to be able to do it; getting a certificate is too time-consuming."


    Lu Liang realized something was wrong: "What''s wrong?"


    "Something got in my eye, it''s so uncomfortable."


    Su Wanyu''s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she kept sniffing, one of her eyes already bloodshot.


    Lu Liang saw a small flying insect and her contact lens shifted off the pupil, and quickly said, "Don''t move, I''ll help you get it out."


    With the contact lens mixed up with the insect, Lu Liang had no choice but to remove the lens as well: "How about now?"


    "It''s much better, but one eye can see clearly, and the other can''t, makes my head feel a bit dizzy."


    Su Wanyu had a blank look on her face, her bright and spirited eyes suddenly losing their sparkle.


    "You should take the other one out too and put on glasses."


    Lu Liang looked down at his fingertips, the contact lens he had removed was nowhere to be found - he remembered it was light blue, a small piece of silicone, and if dropped it would be almost impossible to find again.


    Su Wanyu hummed in acknowledgment; fortunately, she didn''t like wearing fake nails or have long nails, so even without tools, she could remove the contacts with her hands.


    But after removing them, she realized in shock that she had left her glasses in the company bathroom, and her handbag only contained an empty glasses case.


    "You didn''t bring them?" Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh out loud, amused by her confused state.


    "You can still laugh?" Su Wanyu''s face was full of grievance, with Lu Liang''s figure blurred to just an outline in her eyes.


    "Let''s go back first then, and see if there''s an eyeglass store along the way. If there is, we''ll get you a pair; if not, we''ll head back to the company."


    Lu Liang, unable to contain his amusement, took Su Wanyu by the hand.


    This time, she didn''t resist; instead, she clutched his hand tightly and intentionally moved closer to him.


    With her nearsightedness over 500 degrees, once she was without glasses, anything beyond a meter was just a blur.


    It felt like being abandoned by the entire world, or like a drowning person - Lu Liang was her lifesaver.


    Lu Liang was surprised, holding up three fingers in front of her: "Can you see this?"


    Su Wanyu complained, "Of course I can see that; I''m nearsighted, not blind."


    "What number is this?"


    "Three, I guess, it''s a bit blurry from far away."


    Lu Liang ''oh''-ed, withdrew two fingers, and began to lead Su Wanyu back the way they had come.


    From a distance, he saw an eyeglass store by the side of the road, but he deliberately took a detour.


    Su Wanyu followed his gaze and could only see a blurry glow; she couldn''t make out what kind of store it was.


    She had no choice but to follow Lu Liang, walking through the dimly lit park tightly gripping his arm to avoid falling.


    After walking a considerable distance, Su Wanyu felt something was strange.


    The City God Temple area was a commercial district. When they arrived, she had seen several eyeglass stores, so why hadn''t they come across any on the way back?


    She couldn''t help asking, "Aren''t there any eyeglass stores?"


    "Of course, we just passed quite a few," Lu Liang admitted with a laugh.


    "Then... why?"


    Su Wanyu was fuming, glaring with her big eyes, perfectly exemplifying the phrase ''big eyes without spirit.''


    "There are, but I just wanted us to spend a little longer time together like this."


    Lu Liang spoke softly, lifting both of their hands. Unknowingly, their fingers were already interlocked, closely joined together.

 Chapter 69 - 69: A Healthy Perspective on Emotions

    "Let go!"


    Su Wanyu''s cheeks flushed with a tinge of red as she struggled to release her grip, but Lu Liang held on tightly.


    "Since I''ve caught it, where''s the logic in saying let go just because you say so?"


    A smile appeared on Lu Liang''s face, and suddenly, as if by magic, he pulled a delicate four-leaf clover bracelet from his pocket.


    He said softly, "The four-leaf clover is a rare variant of the clover species, and amongst a hundred thousand three-leaf clovers, only one is a four-leaf. Therefore, it''s considered a sign of luck. Meeting you is the biggest fortune of my life, will you be my girlfriend, please?"


    "Ah~"


    Su Wanyu stood there, stunned. Although she indeed had a good impression of Lu Liang, and though they had spent over fifty hours together,


    But, but, finalizing a relationship on the first date, wasn''t that a bit too fast? She wasn''t ready to accept it yet.


    "Is it too fast?" Lu Liang seemed to read her thoughts.


    Su Wanyu nodded hastily, her face flushed red and her limbs stiff, her speech became a mess, "That... could you, you... give me some time?"


    "So, you don''t like me? And you''ve rejected me?"


    Lu Liang sighed, his mood fell, and his disappointment was written all over his face.


    "I... I don''t dislike you, and I haven''t rejected you."


    Su Wanyu was so flustered she was nearly in tears, unable to keep herself from stamping her foot.


    Then she misstepped and twisted her ankle accidentally, gasping in pain.


    "This plot is so melodramatic, blind eyes and a lame leg, I feel like I''ve seen this somewhere before."


    Lu Liang was shocked but couldn''t help laughing, "Let''s head to the hospital later, hopefully they won''t find something''s wrong, right?"


    "You, you... you jerk!"


    Su Wanyu glared at him. She was someone who had watched Korean dramas, so she naturally knew what Lu Liang was about to say next. After much effort, she finally managed to say something that made her want to cry in frustration.


    With just her right foot touching the ground, a bone-deep pain spread, forcing her to grab onto Lu Liang''s arm to stabilize herself.


    "Don''t move rashly, let me have a look."


    Lu Liang''s smile faded, and he put aside his playful demeanor, carefully supporting her to the nearby flowerbed.


    He turned on his phone''s flashlight, crouched down to inspect her foot, and took off her flat shoe along with half of her cotton sock.


    Her fair ankle was visibly swelling at a rapid pace ¨C in just a few seconds, it swelled up like a pig''s trotter.


    Suddenly, the sound of sniffling came, followed by a clear teardrop falling onto the back of Lu Liang''s hand.


    Su Wanyu''s nose was red, her eyes brimming with tears, and her long lashes glistening with droplets.


    Wiping her tears, she remained silent and tearful, like a child wronged with no one to tell, left to endure the pain alone.


    Lu Liang frowned and, without caring whether she agreed or not, pulled her arms over his shoulders and lifted her onto his back.


    Any explanation now would seem weak ¨C the priority was to take her to the hospital and give her time to calm down.


    Su Wanyu struggled as if she was harder to grasp than a pig during New Year''s slaughter, but Lu Liang was unyielding, paying no notice to anything she said or did.


    After a long walk, she finally calmed down, her arms instinctively wrapped around Lu Liang''s neck, her cheek resting on his shoulder, tears still in her eyes.


    She wasn''t crying because of the pain, but because of the injustice.


    "Lu Liang, you are a jerk."


    In Su Wanyu''s imagination, her first date with the person she liked was supposed to be wonderful.


    A happy date, a joyous return home, even lying in bed before sleep, the memories of tonight would have made her blush with joy.


    Yet, as the movie line goes,


    You can guess the beginning but not the ending.


    Lu Liang could only offer a wry smile and refrained from making excuses.


    After all, during times like this, once the outburst is over, it''s over, any further details would just darken the picture.


    He had initially hoped for a swift resolution, to establish the relationship first and develop the emotions slowly over time.


    Little did he expect, life is full of surprises, and a series of coincidental events had led to the current situation.


    Before long, they returned to the parking lot of Haidilao, and Lu Liang drove Su Wanyu to the hospital for a checkup.


    Fortunately, it was only a mild sprain. After setting and bandaging, she was advised to rest quietly at home for about a week to recover.


    As Lu Liang busied himself, he suddenly noticed the bracelet ¨C at some point, Su Wanyu had put it on her wrist.


    The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faintly discernible smile, "How about, we do a full-body checkup?"


    What she got in return was Su Wanyu''s big roll of the eyes, as she protested, "If you want to do it, do it yourself, I''m not doing it."


    Picking up medicines and paying for them, they bought a walking cane to aid her movement. Lu Liang supported Su Wanyu as they left the hospital and he asked knowingly, "That bracelet looks really nice, did your boyfriend give it to you?"


    "Some jerk compensated me with it."


    Su Wanyu huffed, feeling resentful.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but suppress a chuckle, "That jerk told me to ask you where you live, he wants to take you home."


    "Tell that jerk to first stop by the company to get my glasses, then head to Guangzhong Fifth Village."


    "Can''t you live on campus for postgraduate studies?"


    "Definitely not."


    Lu Liang suddenly understood; he had never taken the exam and wasn''t clear on the details.


    He had previously heard Su Wanyu say that she had been preparing for the postgraduate studies since the beginning of the year and assumed she had been living on campus all this time.


    However, Lu Liang didn''t go back to the company. Instead, he found an eyeglass shop near the hospital, "At this hour, the buildings are all locked. Let''s just buy a new pair."


    In fact, locked doors didn''t really affect Lu Liang, he could make a phone call and have someone open the door. The main reason was he didn''t want Su Wanyu to wear those glasses anymore; to be honest, they were quite unattractive.


    When she was unfamiliar with people, Su Wanyu''s temperament tended towards the cool and distant, which suited rimless glasses very well.


    And indeed, that was the case.


    Lu Liang helped her choose a pair of rimless square frames, and her overall attractiveness instantly rose from a 9 to 9.5.


    The remaining 0.5 was purely because she was young and still lacked the charm specific to mature women.


    Su Wanyu saw the price and frowned slightly, "I have several pairs at home, no need to buy new ones."


    One pair cost 3800,


    she could get them for just over a hundred online.


    Lu Liang smiled and told the shop owner to proceed with the order, "Just consider it compensation from the jerk."


    "Don''t want it."


    Su Wanyu was serious. She knew Lu Liang was very rich, but she had her own scale in her heart to measure which gifts were appropriate to accept and which weren''t.


    Just like she accepted Lu Liang''s bracelet, it was because he said he liked her and gave it to her that she was willing to take it.


    When she decided to accept it, she was already thinking of finding an opportunity to give Lu Liang a similar gift in return.


    Love is a two-way journey, never a one-person monologue. Constant taking is not love at all.


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes and stared at her for a long time; those eyes were clear and bright, as if they hadn''t been tainted by a speck of worldly dust.


    Having experienced too many deformed or interest-based relationships, Su Wanyu''s excessively healthy view of relationships made him question for the first time, can this truly exist?


    Lu Liang harbored some doubt.


    Whether true or false, let''s just treat it as if it''s real for now.


    As long as he remained vigilant and refrained from jumping to conclusions, he would never be at a loss.


    Lu Liang''s face broke into a smile and he turned to the shop owner, "We don''t want this pair after all; let''s pick another one."


    The shopkeeper was flabbergasted, his face displaying discontent, "Handsome, are you really not going to take it? I can give you a 10% discount."


    "No need."


    Lu Liang was adamant, and Su Wanyu''s face immediately lit up with a smile, "I''m really sorry, boss. My apologies, let me have another look."


    Her joy wasn''t because Lu Liang gave in, but because he was willing to stand in her shoes and consider her perspective.


    She was just a recent graduate from an average family background; there was no need for glasses costing thousands, a few hundred yuan ones were sufficient.


    Even though they were just a couple hundred, Su Wanyu still chose carefully, selecting a pair that were almost similar to the 3800 style.


    The same rimless square frames, just made from more common material, not like the titanium steel and nano-technology of the other pair. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Leaning on her cane, Su Wanyu placed a sample pair on her nose and wobbled her head in front of Lu Liang, "How about that? Do they look good?"


    "Beautiful people look good in anything they wear."


    Lu Liang praised sincerely, her attractiveness still at 9.5.


    It turned out the difference between high-end glasses and cheap ones wasn''t as vast as he had imagined.


    It seems, the key lies in the person wearing them.


    "Boss, we''ll take this pair."


    Su Wanyu paid for them with a delighted and content smile.

 Chapter 70 - 70: Long-lost Heart Palpitations

    It was past ten at night when they left the eyeglasses store and arrived at Guangzhong Fifth Village. Nearby were top-tier universities like Shangcai, Shangwai, Shangke, and Tongji.


    Although it was the summer break, there were quite a number of students around preparing for postgraduate studies, so the streets were lively.


    A Lamborghini SUV drove into University City, immediately attracting envious glances from young students.


    "There''s Hongfa Apartment up ahead."


    Su Wanyu pointed at an old apartment building not far away. It had 26 floors, and many of its windows were lit. The occupancy rate was very high.


    "After coming all this way, aren''t you going to invite me up for a glass of water?" Lu Liang asked with a smile, parking the car by the roadside.


    Su Wanyu looked wary. "What are you up to?"


    After spending the evening together, Mr. Lu, who was once courteous, had turned into Bastard Lu in her eyes.


    Although she preferred the shameless Bastard Lu¡ªcompared to Mr. Lu, he seemed more lively and real¡ª


    but the progress in their relationship that night had been fast enough. She wasn''t ready to take it any further and even felt somewhat scared.


    "I''m just simply curious and want to take a look."


    Lu Liang didn''t hide his thoughts and even talked about his previous experience as a real estate broker, seeing many girls'' rooms.


    Many had glamorous exteriors but untidy homes. He was very curious which type Su Wanyu was.


    "You used to be a real estate broker?" Su Wanyu was surprised.


    She suddenly became curious about Lu Liang''s past because being a broker was a job with no barriers; basically, anyone could do it.


    "I''m not a wealthy second-generation, how could I possibly be born rich."


    Lu Liang spoke lightly, but Su Wanyu could hear from his words that he had surely experienced unimaginable hardships along the way.


    Feeling a tug at her heart, she pretended to be fierce. "Just to take a look and have a glass of water. If you have other ideas...hmm¡­"


    "Got it, don''t act like a tigress."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle. Watching her act so fiercely was incredibly adorable. He couldn''t resist ruffling her hair.


    "Stop it, that''s annoying~"


    Su Wanyu bared her teeth and swatted Lu Liang''s hand away.


    But when she turned her head, a smile appeared on her face, clearly not minding Lu Liang''s affectionate gesture.


    She was just verbally contrary.


    Lu Liang picked up his crutch and assisted Su Wanyu out of the car; she lived in a small single-room on the sixth floor of the apartment. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her rent was 850 yuan, quite cheap compared to nearby apartments, rented to her by a senior in May.


    "6023, this is it."


    Su Wanyu hesitated while taking out the keys, not very keen on letting Lu Liang in.


    Seeing this, Lu Liang smiled; they were already at the door, how could he not take a look inside.


    "Let''s just look. It''s nothing really."


    Su Wanyu wrinkled her nose, pushed the door open, and switched on the lights. The interior''s layout was visible at a glance.


    A bed, a set of desk and chair, a mirror, and a canvas wardrobe¡ª the rest was nothing but books.


    There was no pink-theme room for girls; the whole room was simply but neatly arranged.


    The only out-of-place item was probably the long blue pillow on the bed, looking a bit like a sea horse or perhaps a dragon.


    The color of the pillow''s lower half was noticeably lighter than its upper half, painting a picture of Su Wanyu hugging it like a monkey each night.


    Su Wanyu noted Lu Liang''s gaze, her face flushing as she hurriedly lifted the quilt to cover the sea horse.


    Hopping on one leg, she reached the desk and searched, unable to find a disposable cup.


    She reluctantly picked up her own cup, dabbed it with a towel, and meticulously cleaned it several times.


    She handed Lu Liang a glass of water. "There''s only one cup at home. Drink up and leave."


    She had lived here for over two months, and only her parents had visited once last month for a graduation photo.


    Even her best friends hadn''t visited on regular days; everything in her room was single without spares.


    Lu Liang sat on the only chair, watching Su Wanyu sit by the bed, drinking water unhurriedly.


    Suddenly, there was a sound of furniture banging against walls from next door, accompanied by faint moans.


    Usually, such moans would be drowned out by the noise of fans and air conditioning units.


    But at that moment, it sounded 100 times louder, exceptionally clear.


    "Aren''t you leaving yet?"


    Su Wanyu puffed her cheeks, continuously pushing the air from left to right, and then from right to left.


    A flush of red unknowingly climbed up from her ears to her cheeks as she tried to ease her tense mood.


    Lu Liang suddenly put down his water glass, and the clink of the glass hitting the table made Su Wanyu''s heart tremble involuntarily.


    He leaned in slowly, and she widened her eyes, tilting her head back slightly with a trembling voice, "What are you doing?"


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly, caressed Su Wanyu''s cheek, lifted her hair, and kissed her forehead, "Goodnight, I''m leaving."


    He walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, "Starting from today, I am your boyfriend."


    "From now on, whatever time it is or whatever happens, you can call me."


    "I''m free tomorrow afternoon, I''ll come over to pick you up and take you to the office, wait for me at home."


    Finally, Lu Liang smiled and looked at Su Wanyu, "I''ve said my part, what about you?"


    "Well well¡­ goodnight~"


    Su Wanyu''s cheeks flushed red, and like a beckoning cat, she mechanically lifted her hand and waved.


    Lu Liang closed the door and left, and the next second, Su Wanyu, like a madwoman, kept rubbing her cheeks.


    Feeling that it wasn''t satisfying enough, she threw back the covers, dove into bed, and furiously rubbed her Haima plush toy.


    After venting, her mood gradually stabilized.


    A little while later, she let out a giggling laugh.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang returned to his car.


    He looked up at the balcony of apartment 6023.


    It seemed a figure flickered past.


    Suddenly, his phone rang. Su Wanyu had sent a message: "Drive safely on your way, goodnight~"


    It was accompanied by a bashful cat emoji.


    "Bye, sweet dreams."


    Lu Liang displayed a smile, feeling a flutter he hadn''t felt in a long time, though there was an inexplicable irritation bubbling in his heart.


    In the dim car, accompanied by the sound of a lighter, a flame lit up, and Lu Liang''s voice followed, "Now heading to Peace Restaurant, I''ve booked a nice room, will be there soon."


    Lu Liang tossed the cigarette butt, left University City, and made a call to Tan Tao, "Open a suite for me, there will be a girl named Zhang Qian coming in my name, take her directly upstairs."


    Forty minutes later, Lu Liang arrived at Peace Hotel.


    Tan Tao was waiting at the hotel entrance, "Mr. Lu, Miss Zhang just arrived, she''s in room 602."


    Lu Liang handed over the car keys and confidently headed up to the sixth floor, booking the Spanish suite for tonight, vibrant with its passionate tropical style.


    Lu Liang unlocked the door and saw a blue silhouette by the window, leaning over gracefully, admiring the Modu night view.


    The blue knit dress, also known as the "blue battle uniform," hugged the figure closely, enhancing the wearer''s shape.


    With a gentle twist of her waist, she flawlessly displayed her shapely figure, sparking endless imaginings.


    Zhang Qian fit this description perfectly; below the hem of her dress were black stockings paired with black high heels with red soles.


    Lu Liang quickly walked over and embraced Zhang Qian''s waist, she turned her head and asked with a smile, "What''s up?"


    Her response was met only with heavy breathing, but she quickly got into the mood and reacted accordingly.


    The process was lengthy...


    The blue knit dress also suffered from the fray; the original V-shaped neckline tore out of shape.


    Afterward, Zhang Qian was drenched in sweat, her eyes closed in respite, seemingly uncurious about what had gotten into Lu Liang tonight.


    "How''s the fast food business going?"


    Lu Liang, distracted, inquired about Zhang Qian''s recent activities.


    "The last storefront we rented is undergoing renovations, about twenty-five days left."


    Zhang Qian, smiling, lay on Lu Liang''s chest, her fingertips tracing patterns on his stomach.


    "Let me know when you''re opening, and I''ll bring people to support you."


    Zhang Qian didn''t inquire, but Lu Liang felt a compulsion to speak: "Aren''t you curious about what''s been with me tonight?"


    Zhang Qian stretched lazily with a groan, "If you want to talk, I''ll listen; if you don''t want to, I won''t ask. But it looks like it''s resolved now."


    Lu Liang pinched Zhang Qian''s cheeks, "It is resolved."


    Suffering the favors of a beautiful lady is hard; Su Wanyu''s innocence almost shattered his moral resolve.


    But in that moment of abandon,


    he realized he should take it all.


    Hide it while you can; leave if it can''t be hidden or accepted.

 Chapter 71 - 71: Deliberate Dilemma

    Tang Caide was very efficient at her job. The very next day, the company had several new faces¡ªreceptionists, clerks, financial staff, and the analysts that Lu Liang had eagerly anticipated.


    Chen Jinchun also breathed a deep sigh of relief. She only graduated from a second-tier university, so asking her to conduct market research was really putting her in a difficult position.


    In the past few days, her head had been spinning from all the data gathering¡ªit felt like smoke might billow from her ears at any moment, with her longing for stars and moons, finally looking forward to professionals arriving.


    She couldn''t help but clench her small fists tightly, cheering them on with punches in the air, hoping they would pass the interviews and join the company smoothly.


    "A Fudan? A Beijing University?"


    Upon seeing their resumes, Lu Liang couldn''t help but wonder, "Tang, what kind of enchantment did you use?"


    The highest qualifications in the company were held by Tang Caide, with a Ph.D. from Shangcai and a master''s degree from Hua Shi.


    However, it was because she was too old and wanted a job to support her retirement, that Lu Liang had discovered her and gradually promoted her to the Vice President''s position.


    But these two interviewees were no older than 25 years old, both graduated from finance departments, and could easily intern at big institutions like Redwood or Goldman Sachs.


    Tang Caide''s eyes twinkled with amusement, "Tianxing Capital certainly couldn''t attract them, but you could, Mr. Lu. They all want to learn from you."


    It wasn''t hard to dig up Lu Liang''s past. Anyone or any organization with a bit of capability could obtain his detailed information.


    As of this March, he was still employed as a real estate broker at Green View Group, earning a guaranteed few thousand a month, occasionally getting a bonus of ten to twenty thousand depending on his luck.


    In just four short months, he had transformed, becoming the owner of a speculative finance spot at 88 Punan Road and founding Tianxing Capital with a registered capital of 50 million.


    Those in the know would be curious about how he managed this.


    It happened to be the graduation season, and as soon as the company posted job openings, their inbox was flooded with applications.


    The applications from masters students of Fudan and Beijing University were the result of Tang Caide continually elevating the recruitment standards and filtering out candidates.


    If she were willing to lower the hiring criteria, the number of applicants could easily increase tenfold.


    Lu Liang suddenly understood and looked over two resumes that were nearly flawless: "Let them come in."


    The Beijing University master''s degree holder was Luo Juncheng, and the Fudan master''s was Wen Chao. Both were young men in their early twenties.


    Wearing neat suits with impeccably styled hair, both had participated in numerous debates on campus and received offers from major companies, possessing a confidence that other recent graduates lacked.


    Lu Liang was no pretender and knew very well that education was merely a foot in the door; the key was whether they had real ability.


    He arranged for them to work on two internship projects, analyzing the market prospects, strengths, and weaknesses of the shared bicycles and online video industries.


    Whoever demonstrated stronger abilities and conducted more thorough analyses would be the one he''d keep close as his right-hand man.


    Chen Jinchun was just an assistant, but Lu Liang also needed someone strong as his deputy, planning to have them assist in trading later.


    Lu Liang made no secret of it, declaring bluntly, "I need a secretary who can help me handle everything."


    A secretary was a position, while an assistant was a posting.


    Secretaries had no overt power and couldn''t directly lead others, but essentially, they represented the General Manager, and their suggestions often reflected the General Manager''s ideas, which everyone had to follow¡ªthus the saying, "Seeing the secretary is like seeing an officer one rank higher."


    And because an assistant had a posting, they held some administrative power, hence the saying, "An assistant is half a rank lower."


    To put it plainly, Chen Jinchun couldn''t order Tang Caide around because she lacked the authority, but the secretary could because he represented Lu Liang.


    While the secretary had no power, if Lu Liang ever intended to step back, the secretary would likely become the leader directly.


    Both men''s breathing quickened because they understood what being a secretary represented, not even bothering to inquire about benefits.


    Discussing these matters was too premature and pointless at the moment. If Lu Liang considered one of them as his successor, what couldn''t they have?


    They didn''t mention it, and Lu Liang couldn''t feign ignorance: "Five thousand a month during the internship, excluding room and board allowances."


    He had always felt that to survive in Modu, the monthly expenses needed to be at least five thousand.


    Companies that offered only two or three thousand during an internship, without any benefits, were clearly suppressing newcomers and undermining their confidence.


    Saving on intern wages wouldn''t make anyone rich.


    Thus, he established a rule that regardless of the position, internship pay would always be five thousand, with room and board adding up to six thousand four hundred.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu."


    The two young men were delighted to hear this. With such a salary during their internship, they could support themselves without asking their families for money.


    Luo Juncheng then asked, "Mr. Lu, is there a deadline for the two research reports?"


    Lu Liang looked at the time, thought for a moment, and said, "Hand them to me before the 10th of next month."


    Today was the 24th, and there was still more than half a month left.


    By then, the next trend for Teli A would probably be initiated.


    After that, he feared he would not have any more time.


    "Research funding is limited to thirty thousand, see Mr. Tang for reimbursement."


    Lu Liang looked at Tang Caide, thirty thousand was roughly the upper limit for personal market research.


    If he needed more research funding than that, he might as well hire a professional research company.


    "If the financial audit passes, then you can come to me."


    Tang Caide nodded, showing them a benevolent smile, clear about her role. Being older, she was hard to tame.


    If Lu Liang was willing to trust her, she would do her best to manage the company well and wouldn''t harbor ambitions of power and profit.


    If one day Lu Liang stopped trusting her, she would not hesitate to step down and vacate her position.


    Her policy was to avoid conflicts and disputes, ring the temple bell for as long as she was a monk.


    As for being the abbot, whoever wanted to take that role could have it.


    Ultimately, becoming despised and detested, whether for more money or more power, what use would it be?


    "Any other questions?" Lu Liang finally asked.


    "Mr. Lu, Vice President Tang, we will leave first."


    Leaving the office, Luo Wen and the other exchanged glances, both smiling, but the air was already charged with a gunpowder-like tension.


    Better to be a chicken''s head than a phoenix''s tail; they wouldn''t have come to interview at Tianxing Capital if it wasn''t to become Lu Liang''s deputy.


    In this battle, both were determined to win.


    Lu Liang, looking through the blinds, saw them and laughed, "Tang has a good eye; they are all quite excellent."


    "Excellent they are, but one will always be more excellent."


    Tang Caide saw the essence of this struggle.


    Both were capable, but Lu Liang had still ruthlessly narrowed it down to one.


    She had seen a lot of this before.


    A great leader must learn to conjure something from nothing, to create undue pressure and anxiety out of thin air.


    This way, their subordinates would work furiously, and the leader could reap the rewards. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But there was a prerequisite; it needed to be meaningful, not pointless.


    Once it became pointless, it would evolve into internal conflict, starting to focus on superficial formalities.


    However, they didn''t have to worry about that just yet, as the company was in a growth phase; as long as they were willing to work hard, there would be gains.


    Next, Lu Liang reviewed the new site location submissions that Tang Caide had made, which were mainly around Lujiazui area.


    After all, it was the financial district; moving there would also elevate their company''s prestige.


    Although the location was good, the price was also high, starting at eight yuan per square foot, double the current cost.


    Taking an office area of three thousand square meters, the monthly rent would be 720 thousand yuan. Including utilities, property management, and other basic expenses, it would be at least 800 thousand yuan per month, totaling over 8.6 million a year.


    "We''ll go check it out this afternoon; if it''s suitable, we''ll settle on it."


    Lu Liang planned to finalize it in one go, to avoid future moves.


    Moving to Lujiazui would make it easier to attract high-end talents in the future.


    After all, a company''s address, like a man''s car, both represented its strength.


    Unless one owned their own building, it was still necessary to follow the crowd.


    "Then I''ll go contact the property management."


    Tang Caide planned to leave, but Lu Liang stopped her, "I remember you haven''t bought a car yet?"


    Originally, he had promised to buy Tang Caide a car worth three hundred thousand, but it seemed she hadn''t made the purchase.


    "I''ve been caught up with a few things recently; let''s wait until after we move to the new address."


    "That works. When the time comes, we''ll buy a few more vans to register under the company''s name."

 Chapter 72 - 72: Yen Depreciation

    Tang Caide left, and Lu Liang also opened his computer to browse through today''s financial news from around the world.


    He only glanced at the domestic stock market, for it was yet another straight line to the floor, with retail investors being sheared to the point of despair.


    Just a while ago, they were cursing Old Xiao for maliciously warning them, and now they were hoping that Old Xiao would descend like a divine soldier to rescue them from misery. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhongxin Fuying and No. 12 Futian Road were too damn ruthless, delivering a floor price day after day with over ten billion in sales, and they still weren''t finished.


    The stock price dropped from 48.25 yuan to 35.19 yuan, hitting three stop-loss limits in a row, with a net loss of 1306 yuan per lot.


    The small profits that retail investors had previously made were not enough to even cover their original investment, let alone the profit, and they had been severely gouged.


    It was a continuous gouging,


    they saw it with their own eyes and felt the pain in their hearts. The key issue was that with the dealers delivering at floor prices, they couldn''t even cut their losses if they wanted to.


    "Just hold on a little longer, at most another two days."


    Lu Liang was also losing millions every day, but he had earned some profit beforehand and had a bottom line in his heart, so he was not the least bit flustered.


    Soon, he was drawn to the news from Japan; after all, he had passed the English Level-4 exam. Though reading a full English article exerted some pressure, he no longer had to translate every paragraph as he did before.


    Breaking news just came out, Japan suddenly convened a cabinet meeting with intentions to raise the consumption tax.


    "With an aging society, declining birthrate becoming increasingly severe, and the national treasury empty, raising the consumption tax is inevitably the right choice."


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time and pulled up the frequency and extent of increases in Japan''s consumption tax over the past twenty years.


    Initially, they were too aggressive, boasting about selling off Tokyo to buy the United States, but then they got severely hit by the Americans.


    After two decades of economic stagnation, the only thing that didn''t rise was the wage. Whether it was prices or consumption tax, they only increased, never decreased.


    The last time the consumption tax was raised from 3% to 5%, it was in ''97 when the Thai baht was short-sold, triggering a collapse of the baht and leading to the financial crisis that swept through all of Asia.


    "Will the consumption tax, which hasn''t increased in eighteen years, rise?"


    Lu Liang fell into deep thought; if it increased, it would certainly be a bearish signal for the yen, presenting an opportunity to short.


    If it didn''t increase, that would be a bullish signal for the yen, and shorting would mean going against the entire market.


    After much contemplation, Lu Liang pulled up the exchange rate between the yen and the US dollar for the past several years and suddenly laughed.


    A natural disaster four years ago, followed by a man-made mishap, directly opened the downward channel for the yen.


    At that time, one US dollar could exchange for 79 yen.


    Now, one US dollar could get you 108 yen.


    For a country''s currency,


    a rise of 37.5% in four years was nothing short of a bloodbath.


    Take someone with a monthly salary of three thousand.


    Four years ago, a bottle of Coke cost 3 yuan,


    now a bottle is 4.12 yuan.


    Four years ago, that person could buy 1000 bottles, but today, four years later, they can only afford 728 bottles.


    The cost to produce Coke actually remained unchanged; the 272 bottles that vanished into thin air were the manifestation of currency devaluation and inflation.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, then decided to take his shot.


    The devaluation of the yen was an irreversible trend. Natural and man-made disasters were just triggers; the real issue was due to the shrinking birthrate and aging population.


    Children are the foundation of all economies. From the discovery of an embryo to graduation from university, at least 20 years pass with only expenses and no income. The industries they stimulate during this time are countless.


    But it''s different for the elderly, who have cars and houses, health insurance, and pensions. With old age comes limited consumption, to the point that not even the bubble bath industry sees a boost.


    Even if the consumption tax does not increase, shorting would at most lead to a loss and not necessarily blow up one''s position.


    Lu Liang still held 145 million, and to leave such a large sum of money lying idle in the account was nothing short of despicable waste.


    He planned to take out 10 million US Dollars for a bit of fun, and if he lost it, he could still break even with the earnings from Teli A.


    Lu Liang began to gather information, his primary focus was on the rules of forex trading, followed by the timing of the Japanese Cabinet''s next regular meeting.


    The rules of forex trading were not much different from those of stock or gold trading, it all came down to selling high and buying low.


    With the current rate of 1 US Dollar to 108 yen, without using leverage, 10 million US Dollars would exchange for 1.08 billion yen.


    In the US Dollar to yen forex market, for every point it rose, there would be a profit of 10 million yen, which equaled approximately 92,500 US Dollars.


    If leveraging was used, a 10 times leverage would turn a one point gain into a profit of 100 million yen, and with 100 times leverage, that would be 1 billion yen.


    Correspondingly, with 100 times leverage, a one point drop would mean a loss of 1 billion yen, and if the loss exceeded 70% of the margin, it would trigger a forced liquidation.


    The cost of using leverage also varied greatly, ranging from 50 to 400 times, and the transaction fee for each trade was between 0.06% and 0.1%.


    The next Cabinet meeting was set for the following Tuesday.


    They would listen extensively to public opinion before deciding whether or not to raise the consumption tax, and by how much.


    Lu Liang pondered over these two matters for half a day.


    So much so that he skipped lunch, until Tang Caide called him to view the company''s new venue.


    Lu Liang took Chen Jinchun with him to the Lujiazui financial district, visiting famous buildings such as the Global Financial Trade New International Building.


    The cheapest they found was 8 Yuan per square meter, with others at 9 Yuan, 11 Yuan, and even as high as 15 Yuan.


    Lu Liang took a liking to the New International Building near Greentown, situated in the very core of Lujiazui, a 3-minute walk from the subway station.


    The tower stood 45 stories high, with the office space available for rent on the 32nd floor, offering a usable area of 3,800 square meters at a daily rent of 9.5 Yuan per square meter.


    Despite being high up, there were many elevators, a total of 38 high-speed elevators from Germany, ensuring hassle-free commutes.


    "Let''s go with this one," said Lu Liang, eating a burger Chen Jinchun had just bought for him, quite satisfied after taking a tour.


    With a prime river view, the Bund in sight, the Mingzhu Tower as its backdrop, and nearby giants like the Bank of China, Ping An, and HSBC, business dealings in the future would also be convenient.


    The property manager''s face lit up with joy upon hearing this, smiling ear to ear, "Mr. Lu, after the discount, the monthly rent will be 1.05 million."


    "Mr. Tang, I''ll leave this place to you, I have other things to attend to, so I''ll be going now."


    Lu Liang didn''t respond with a smile but glanced at the time; he had promised to pick up Su Wanyu that afternoon to come for English lessons and signaled Tang Caide that the price could still be haggled down.


    There was a lot of room for negotiation with high-end office spaces, especially when renting such a large office area, getting a discount of 70 to 80% wouldn''t be unusual.


    With an annual rent of over 10 million, companies that could afford it often built their own buildings. Those that couldn''t afford it wouldn''t need such a large office space, which made it rather awkward.


    The original rent was 1.083 million, but in Lu Liang''s opinion, the final deal could be negotiated down to around 900,000. After all, the property management fees were charged separately, 28 Yuan per square meter per month, also amounting to over a million a year.


    Tang Caide understood and asked, "Xiao Chen, do you want to go with you?"


    "You can keep her," he replied.


    Lu Liang discarded the burger wrapper, sipping his cola as he strolled leisurely to the underground parking lot of the building.


    His casual attire stood out distinctly against the business suits of the passing businessmen.


    As soon as he got into his car, Lu Liang called Su Wanyu, "Are you still at home?"


    "Um... yes."


    "I''ll be there in thirty minutes."


    Half an hour later, at Hongfa Apartment in Guangzhong Fifth Village, Su Wanyu stood at the door with a walking stick.


    Lu Liang pulled up beside her, teasing with a smile, "Do I really have to get out and help you open the car door?"


    He noticed that ever since their relationship was no longer strictly employer-employee, Su Wanyu often seemed slow in responding to him, displaying an inherently ditsy nature.


    Su Wanyu hopped over to the passenger seat, stored her walking stick, and then suddenly whispered, "I''d like to ask for a few days off."

 Chapter 73 - 73: The Best Wingman

    "What are you taking leave for?"


    "To recover from an illness."


    "I''m not approving it."


    "Why?" Su Wanyu was indignant.


    Lu Liang replied impatiently, "You teach with your mouth and hands, and maybe use a little bit of your brain. What does that have to do with your injured foot?"


    "How is it only using a little bit of my brain?"


    Su Wanyu frowned, muttering, "But still, it''s not really appropriate."


    She was Lu Liang''s foreign teacher and also considered a semi-employee. Having an office romance was not a good look for the boss.


    "If you''re thinking so much about my reputation, maybe you could teach at my house?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smirk, enjoying tousling Su Wanyu''s hair, which made her screech in protest.


    Perhaps it was the slight natural curl¡ªwhich at one time earned her the nickname ''Curly''¡ªthat made him harbor a bizarre resentment towards long, straight hair.


    Hugging her small bag close, Su Wanyu wore a wary expression, "You''d better go to the office, and hands off during work hours."


    "We need to set boundaries. At the office, I am Mrs. Su, and you are Boss Lu. Also, don''t come to pick me up tomorrow, I can get there on my own."


    Su Wanyu''s face was stern, extremely serious.


    She didn''t want to negatively impact Lu Liang, otherwise she would rather not have this part-time job: "I''ve got only seventeen lessons left, don''t place any more orders from me. If you want to learn, I''ll teach you for free."


    Lu Liang sighed, a worried look on his face, "With our relationship, it hurts me that you''re keeping such a clear tally."


    "Humph, just endure the pain then."


    Su Wanyu turned up her nose; she wasn''t going to be fooled again.


    But Lu Liang didn''t respond for a while, and she felt a bit panicky, adding, "Mainly because I''m preparing for my graduate studies next month and I won''t have much time."


    Lu Liang chuckled, ruffling Su Wanyu''s hair, "That makes me feel much better."


    "Jerk, you''ve tricked me again, I''m going to destroy you."


    Su Wanyu bared her teeth and clawed the air, while Lu Liang held her back by pressing on her forehead, "You think your puny arms and legs can take me on?"


    Amid the laughter and noise, they were about to reach Yongfeng Building.


    Suddenly, Su Wanyu said, "Drop me off at the intersection."


    Her tone was firm. Lu Liang didn''t insist further and dropped her off, then drove to the parking lot of the building.


    He didn''t go to the office, but instead called Old Meng, learned he was at the office, and went straight to the 17th floor.


    The office was located in a building provided by Meng Changkun. Since they planned to move, it was both polite and reasonable to inform him.


    Old Meng was generous in his response, showing no dissatisfaction, as if he had anticipated this.


    The 15th and 16th floors housed small companies worth a few hundred thousand. Tianxing Capital''s registered capital had reached 50 million.


    Yongfeng Building was too small, it couldn''t house this great Buddha. Moving was inevitable and actually a good thing.


    Meng Changkun ruefully said, "I just won''t be able to come over for tea as often."


    "We''re still in Puxin District, it''s just a few steps away."


    "True, let me know when you move, and I''ll send over a set of fine tea utensils."


    "Thank you in advance, Mr. Kun."


    Lu Liang smiled, bidding farewell to Old Meng, and went back to the office. He saw Su Wanyu and Chen Jinchun chatting.


    Being of similar age, it was Chen Jinchun who had recruited Su Wanyu online, and the two had a good relationship.


    It seemed they were discussing why the injury occurred.


    Unlike last night, Su Wanyu didn''t blame a certain jerk, merely saying she had twisted it by accident.


    "When the time comes, I''ll talk to Boss Lu on your behalf; you should be able to continue with the tutoring."


    Chen Jinchun knew that Su Wanyu was renting an apartment to prepare for her postgraduate entrance exams and was therefore tight on money; she really needed this part-time job.


    It was mainly thanks to Tang Caide, who had gotten off to a good start; when Chen Jinchun had first joined, Tang had helped her a lot. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So now, she was also willing to help others as much as she could.


    When Su Wanyu saw Lu Liang approaching, she quickly stood up with the help of her crutches and reminded Chen Jinchun, "Mr. Lu."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and looked at her, "What happened to your foot?"


    "I twisted it by accident," Su Wanyu turned her head away, afraid that Chen Jinchun would notice something amiss.


    Lu Liang hummed and looked toward Chen Jinchun, "How is the company''s new address arrangement coming along?"


    "This is the lease document; Mr. Tang asked me to hand it over to you," Chen Jinchun picked up the document on the table.


    The property rent remained at 28 yuan per square meter per month, but the rent had been reduced to 866,400 yuan, a 20% discount.


    Altogether, it came to 972,800 yuan per month, with a contract signed for three years at a time, a deposit for three months, and six months'' rent paid upfront, totaling 8,755,200 yuan.


    Just then, Tang Caide came back from outside, and Lu Liang waved her over, "Mr. Tang, come in with me for a moment."


    The ten million from last time was probably running out; he planned to have Tang Caide make a trip to the bank and the industrial and commercial bureau to add another 24 million.


    This would increase the registered capital to 40 million, and he estimated that there would be no need for further investment in the short term.


    The company had only expenditures, no profits; only Lu Liang still had some family assets. If it were anyone else, they''d have been bankrupt by now.


    "Mr. Lu, when did you become so easy to talk to?" Chen Jinchun felt odd and couldn''t help muttering.


    "Is he difficult to talk to?" Su Wanyu was curious about what kind of image Lu Liang had in the employees'' hearts.


    "It depends on the time, though; he is quite generous, but he basically has no sense of time."


    Chen Jinchun couldn''t help but complain; there were several times he had called her at midnight to have her check information that was needed the next day.


    "I don''t have three heads and six arms; I could only stay up late and work hard. I had to go to work the next day, but he didn''t mind if I dozed off."


    "I still remember once, when Tang was on a business trip and it was just me and Mr. Lu at the company. When we were leaving work, he wanted to drive me home, but I refused."


    "What happened next?" Su Wanyu eagerly asked.


    That was what she wanted to know the most¡ªwhether Lu Liang was special to her or the same to everyone.


    Chen Jinchun resentfully said, "Later, he saw me waiting for the bus on the road and just nodded at me and left."


    "That''s pretty good," Su Wanyu felt elated hearing Chen Jinchun''s evaluation.


    Lu Liang''s image became more defined: he was stern and decisive at work, not sweating the small stuff. Most importantly, he only became a jerk around her, which sweetened her heart.


    "Good is good..." Chen Jinchun hesitated.


    After all, she was also attractive and had not lacked admirers during her school days. Lu Liang''s behavior gave her a sense of frustration.


    "Miss Su, Mr. Lu is calling you in."


    Tang Caide came out of the office, summoned Chen Jinchun and another finance staff member, and planned to make a trip to the industrial and commercial bureau and the bank.


    After Su Wanyu entered the office, she first opened the venetian blinds, then began preparing her teaching tools.


    She glared fiercely at Lu Liang, seeming to warn him that all his employees were outside and not to do anything inappropriate.


    Lu Liang smiled without misbehaving, only changing today''s teaching material from the Wall Street Journal to the Tokyo Daily.


    The Tokyo Daily had both Japanese and English versions published almost simultaneously, so there was no delay.


    While studying English, Lu Liang could also better understand the current economic situation in Japan.


    With the consumption tax increase, people would definitely be unhappy, as the amount they had to spend was tangible.


    Taking the current 5% consumption tax as an example, a pack of cigarettes cost 100 yen; the buyer would have to pay 105 yen. If it rose to 10%, they would have to pay 110 yen.


    Unlike domestically where the tax was included in the product''s sale price, invisible and intangible, only making people lament how quickly money was spent.


    In the past eighteen years, there had been many proposals to increase the consumption tax by the cabinet; whether it could be implemented depended on the resistance from the people and the economic situation in Japan.

 Chapter 74 - 74: Reversing and Reversing Market Conditions

    Lu Liang felt that it was highly probable that it would pass.


    This term''s ruler, Anshan, had been appointed as the premier three times. Last year, he had dissolved the House of Representatives, held elections two years early, and secured re-election, achieving his third term in office.


    Last month, risking universal condemnation, he had ignored the protests of a million citizens and forcefully pushed through the new defense law, making it possible for Japan to exercise collective self-defense rights.


    He had torn up the enemy state clauses and Article 9 of the Constitution, which prohibited Japan, as a defeated nation in World War II, from maintaining any military forces or other armed troops, and from producing any war-related materials.


    Anshan indeed was a man descended from heaven, and Lu Liang had thus concluded that raising the consumption tax was an inevitable choice.


    "What are you thinking about?"


    Around six o''clock, as most of the company''s employees were leaving, Su Wanyu, leaning on her chin, stared blankly at Lu Liang as he spaced out.


    "I''m thinking about where to take you for dinner." Lu Liang turned his head to look out the window, unaware that the sun was setting.


    "How about a revolving hot pot?"


    "Didn''t we just have hot pot last night?"


    "It seems so. Well, you decide. I''ll clock out now, and see you at the intersection later."


    Su Wanyu left the office, greeted Chen Jinchun, and limped out of the company.


    Watching her silhouette, Lu Liang called Zhao Haisheng to ask about the progress of the foreign exchange account.


    Having learned that it would be ready by tomorrow, he tidied up his desk and also left the office.


    That night, the two of them went to have grilled fish and then watched an anime movie, The Return of the Great Sage.


    "This movie is a dark horse of the summer vacation. My classmates said it''s really good."


    Su Wanyu chattered on, her foot injury not dampening her spirits at all.


    Lu Liang thought of "Xia Luo," scheduled to be released during the National Day holidays, still over two months away.


    After dropping Su Wanyu off at home at night, Lu Liang returned home and quietly awaited midnight.


    [August 1, US Dollar to yen, 129.2300]


    "21 points, but why on a Wednesday?"


    Lu Liang furrowed his brow. If there were any disturbances, the financial markets would certainly react instantaneously.


    But the cabinet meeting was already scheduled for Tuesday. If they decided to raise the consumption tax, it would definitely be announced that day.


    Why was there a day''s delay?


    What had happened that day?


    With these questions, Lu Liang drifted off to sleep.


    The next day, after successfully registering his ''Forex Treasure'' account, he spent the whole day getting to know the foreign exchange market.


    The consumption tax increase in Japan had become inevitable, and many international speculators were gearing up to short the yen.


    "Short selling is a very secretive affair. When it becomes common knowledge, is it still a disadvantage?"


    "Given Anshan''s character, would he just watch international speculators harvest the wealth of the nation?"


    Lu Liang was skeptical about this. The consumption tax increase was a policy strongly advocated by Anshan; he couldn''t possibly be unaware of its consequences.


    The increased consumption tax directly added to private spending costs, thus suppressing market consumption.


    Everything became more expensive, and naturally, people were reluctant to spend. Apart from filling the national coffers, it did more harm than good.


    Lu Liang thought of a possibility. The consumption tax went up, the yen plummeted, and the central bank stepped in to save the market.


    But due to irresistible factors, they still lost, hence the day''s delay.


    "The new defense law!" An idea suddenly struck Lu Liang.


    Besides the invaded countries, the most upset over Japan exercising collective self-defense rights was the benefactor, America.


    The US forces stationed in Japan had been there for over 60 years, exploiting under the guise of protecting regional peace for decades.


    Regaining self-defense rights, Hawk was of course the most upset; making less money was a minor issue, but losing face was a major one.


    How then?


    Planning to develop New Alliance Victory?


    "Am I no longer able to cover for you?"


    The son grows rebellious bumps on his head, and as a father, I certainly have to discipline him.


    This incident cannot set a precedent; if there''s one, there will be more, and the younger brothers will all want to try for New Alliance Victory. How would I lead the team then?


    The more Lu Liang thought about it, the more likely it seemed that the foreign exchange market would experience reversals followed by more reversals.


    He logged into his brokerage account and withdrew 64 million, which he converted into 10 million US dollars based on the day''s exchange rate.


    He glanced at Teli A, which had hit the floor limit three times in a row. Today it finally broke the limit, but it still opened low at -7.6%.


    Li Jianlin and Wu Junle should have almost finished unloading their stocks, but Lu Liang no longer had the mind to pay attention to that.


    He divided the 10 million into two parts, injecting 5 million into his margin account and employing a 10x leverage.


    Entering the foreign exchange market, he first established a 5% base position at a rate of 108.12.


    With 2.5 million US dollars, a single point of profit or loss amounted to 23.1 thousand US dollars, and the transaction fee was one-eighteen.


    Lu Liang''s margin account held 5 million US dollars, allowing for a maximum drop of 151 points.


    Even if Japan sank directly to the bottom of the sea, it would not cause a margin call.


    Over the following days,


    Lu Liang focused on understanding Japan''s domestic situation, and Su Wanyu''s N2 Japanese certificate played a crucial role.


    Only international newspapers offered full English translations; some minor tabloids couldn''t be bothered or couldn''t afford it.


    Often, these minor tabloids conveyed information more accurately, reflecting the true state of Japan.


    An N2 Japanese certificate corresponds to a proficiency level of a university''s sixth grade in English; reading posed no real difficulty.


    Through Su Wanyu''s translations, Lu Liang also found out that


    some banks in Japan had already limited the exchange of various foreign currencies to prevent capital flight by the public.


    Storm clouds gathered; history''s wheels churned relentlessly, and the increase in consumer tax seemed inevitable.


    Numerous people took to the streets, waving banners to protest against the rise in consumer taxes.


    "You''ve really helped me a lot."


    While no one was looking, Lu Liang gave Su Wanyu a firm kiss, which made her blush deeply.


    After dinner that evening, Lu Liang drove Su Wanyu home, from where she took out a delicate little box from her bag: "For you."


    "What''s this?" Lu Liang was dumbfounded. He couldn''t remember the last time he received a gift with such exquisite wrapping.


    It might have been ten years ago or even twenty; the memory was too distant and had long faded.


    After starting work, he was initially interested in activities like calling friends out for a foot bath or a late-night snack to celebrate a birthday.


    But over the past seven or eight years, he had stopped caring. If it weren''t for a fixed day each year when his parents and sister called him, he wouldn''t even know he had aged another year.


    "Then it wouldn''t be a surprise if I told you, would it. Just open it and see," Su Wanyu smiled brightly.


    The wrapping was done meticulously, not appearing as if it were bought off the shelf. Lu Liang asked, "Did you wrap this yourself?"


    Su Wanyu squinted her eyes and lifted her chin, looking pleased with herself, "Impressive, right?" S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Truly impressive."


    Lu Liang''s expression was complex as he untied the ribbon and wrapping paper, revealing a box inscribed with the English letters ''zippo.''


    A silver lighter, adorned with a green four-leaf clover and engraved on the front with the English words roughly meaning ''eternal love,'' likely factory-made. On the back, there was a custom Chinese inscription: "Smoke less."


    The handwriting was elegant and unrestrained, clearly recognizable as Su Wanyu''s.


    "Thank you, I really like it." Lu Liang tried it a few times; it felt good in hand, though it couldn''t light up without fuel.


    Suddenly, Su Wanyu mimicked Lu Liang''s tone: "The four-leaf clover is a rare variant of the clover species. Among a hundred thousand three-leaf clovers, only one is a four-leaf, making it a symbol of luck. Meeting you is also the greatest luck of my life."


    Lu Liang smiled, a tender look crossed his eyes. Before he could make any move, Su Wanyu dashed out of the car.


    "Bye~~ Be careful on your way back~" she waved from the doorway of her apartment.


    "Bye~"


    Lu Liang smiled, watching as Su Wanyu went upstairs.

 Chapter 75 - 75: Not Even a Deity Could Save [Subscribe Requested]

    On Tuesday morning, the cabinet meeting was held as scheduled.


    Due to only a one-hour time difference between China and Japan, Lu Liang didn''t need to stay up all night. He woke up from a good night''s sleep and leisurely made his way to the company.


    While eating breakfast, he turned on the live news broadcast, which was focused on the second floor of the National Assembly Hall.


    The podium had been set up, waiting for the cabinet meeting to end and the decisions of this session to be announced to the nation.


    The camera occasionally flashed to street scenes where citizens, with white bandages tied around their heads, took to the streets to protest the increase in consumption tax.


    Lu Liang opened his software. Although the decision hadn''t been announced yet, the US Dollar-to-yen exchange rate was already uncontrollable.


    This was partly because some banks, seeking to protect themselves, had prohibited the public from exchanging foreign currencies.


    International speculators, like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, were waiting for their prey to breathe its last, ready to pounce as a group.


    Lu Liang maintained a 5% position without any moves; he planned to build his position at the lowest point to maximize his profits.


    At ten in the morning, Beijing time, the cabinet meeting ended, and people gradually exited the National Assembly Hall.


    Surrounded by a crowd, Anshan walked up to the podium, and his first words were, "Confidential Marseille."


    He took a half step back to the left, made a standard ninety-degree bow, similar to ancient emperors issuing self-critical edicts.


    He sorrowfully described making a very difficult decision¡ªto raise the consumption tax from 5% to 8%.


    The press conference continued, but the content that followed was of little interest to anyone.


    The increase in consumption tax was a fait accompli, a tangible piece of hugely bearish news.


    Although he mentioned implementing an economic stimulation plan amounting to 5.5 trillion yen, it was all just empty promises.


    The foreign exchange market reacted swiftly. It was a feast for international speculators.


    However, the feast wasn''t as lavish as imagined, and there were quite a few people who shared Lu Liang''s thoughts.


    Over the years, Anshan had proved to be the most resolute leader, even inventing the famous "Anshan Economic Theory."


    Although it was mocked as "Anshan Political Theory," there was no denying his profound expertise in financial matters.


    Everyone was waiting, waiting for him to show his full hand, and nobody wanted to be the first to move.


    Amidst a suspicious atmosphere, the yen stopped falling.


    110 yen, like a massive trench.


    "Is it for real, or just a bluff?"


    Lu Liang frowned, closely observing the market.


    He still had 47.5 million US Dollars at his disposal, a considerable force in the market.


    If he waited until market movement began, he would definitely not be able to compete with big capital and would only get a small share of the profits.


    A few months ago, he would have settled for that, but now his appetite had grown, and he wanted a substantial share.


    "When others are greedy, I am fearful; when others are fearful, I am greedy. Since no one wants to be the first to move, I will."


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, deployed 20 million US Dollars, and created sell orders for 4.36 billion yen, casting them onto the market.


    His position was at 45%, and the cost price was 109.1100 yen. A single point''s gain or loss amounted to $194,900.


    He could withstand a drop of up to 18 points, but a loss exceeding 3.5 million would trigger a forced liquidation.


    The 20 million US Dollars entered the long-silent market, stirring ripples.


    A large number of small sell orders followed, and the bear army, as if having found a leader, instantly broke through the 110 yen barrier.


    But before the bear army could celebrate, a large amount of capital flowed into the market, halting the rise of the US Dollar to yen exchange rate.


    The foreign exchange market took a sharp turn as the Tokyo Central Bank held a press conference and announced a 3 trillion yen infrastructure plan.


    The finance minister emphasized the need to establish a virtuous cycle of growth and distribution to set the economy on a path of self-sustained growth.


    In a nutshell, "If you want to prosper, build roads first, take from the people to use for the people, and construct a thriving Tokyo economic sphere."


    Once the press conference ended, the US Dollar to yen exchange rate instantly returned to 108 yen, causing countless high-leverage short positions to bust instantly.


    Because retail investors lacked sufficient funds and always aimed high with leverage as aggressive as 50 times or even 200 times.


    Even a single point fluctuation could wipe them out, even depleting their margin accounts completely.


    This minor pullback had cost Lu Liang a loss of $246,000 on paper.


    "Not enough, the new security law is the key."


    Lu Liang firmly believed that the United States would not allow its authority to be violated, the major events had not yet happened, and Anshan had not played all its cards.


    It seemed to verify his guess, suddenly, rumors spread that the foreign minister had summoned the commander of the US forces stationed in Japan.


    Regarding the expenses for the US forces stationed in Japan, they reached an agreement that Japan would bear about $18 billion for the next five years.


    Compared to the previous five years, an 8.5% increase, including utility bills, staff salaries, and training transfer fees.


    "Voluntarily raising protection money, are they trying to smooth things over with cash?"


    Lu Liang discerned Anshan''s thoughts, watching the forex market, the Air Force growing weaker, about to fall below 107 yen.


    He sold another $20 million, increasing his account position to 85%, directly curbing the yen''s upward momentum.


    At this moment, the situation remained unclear, with only Lu Liang''s force in operation, much like a monkey ruling as king when no tiger is in the mountains.


    Japan had already apologized with added politeness,


    Everyone was waiting, waiting for America''s response.


    Lu Liang stayed at the company until late at night, opened the blinds, and saw Chen Jinchun still firmly at her post.


    He walked out of his office, "Make me a cup of coffee, then you can head home. There''s no need to lock the doors."


    The time difference between China and Japan is only one hour, but the time difference between China and the United States is 12 hours, so he was still waiting.


    The US''s acceptance or rejection would largely determine the subsequent trend of the US-Japan exchange rate.


    Chen Jinchun was astonished, "Mr. Lu, aren''t you leaving work?"


    "There''s still some work to handle," Lu Liang shook his head, urging Chen Jinchun to go home early and be safe on the road.


    Suddenly, the company was empty, with only the office still lit. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang set his alarm, planning to take a short nap.


    At two in the morning, the Wall Street Journal''s official website updated an article.


    The editor-in-chief personally interviewed the Speculation God, Soros, asking his opinions on the yen''s trajectory.


    "Creating inflation expectations, making consumers aware that prices will rise in the future, hence, for some goods they were already planning to buy, they would purchase them sooner, thus stimulating consumption and investment, thereby reversing the long-term extremely low consumption and investment situation."


    "This is a paradox, a true free market cannot be controlled, and trying to do so will surely be retaliated against by the market."


    The octogenarian with white hair spoke bluntly, attacking the fundamental operational logic of the Anshan Economic Theory.


    After all, this wasn''t his first time doing this, nearly writing his intention to short the yen all over his face.


    The forex market stirred again, surging by 5 points instantly, reaching 112 yen.


    At this critical time, the Wall Street Journal invited Soros for an interview, and Soros accepted, discussing the yen''s trajectory.


    It was clear as day, known to all.


    At three thirty in the morning, the White House suddenly released news.


    About six hours ago, Lucian had met with the Ice Princess where both sides engaged in a friendly exchange on the 66th anniversary of US and South Korea establishing diplomatic relations.


    "Ultimate move!"


    Lu Liang marveled, with no time to appreciate the strong move by the United States, he hurriedly operated his account, massively repurchasing yen for closing positions.


    For at the moment the White House released the news, the US-Japan exchange rate had surged by 13 points, reaching 125 yen.


    Everyone knew that, in the early nineties, Korea developed by leveraging the United States to dismantle Japan''s economy.


    At this time, Lucian''s meeting with the Ice Princess was evidently meant to send a message to Anshan.


    Not accepting apologies or the new security law meant this issue was not over.


    The meeting with the Ice Princess was political pressure, Soros'' involvement was economic pressure.


    With both pressures applied, the channel for the yen''s devaluation had been opened, and even gods would struggle to save it.

 Chapter 76 - 76: Malice Like a Tide [Subscribe Requested]

    "Just $6.2635 million?"


    When daylight broke, Lu Liang had finished closing his positions.


    After careful calculations, the total profit was $6.289 million; deducting $25,500 in handling fees, he netted $6.2635 million.


    With an investment of $10 million, in less than a week, the profit had soared to 62.63%, but Lu Liang still felt it was a bit meager.


    This earning was unworthy of the grand spectacle, after all, witnessing the entirety of a nation''s leader rise and fall.


    Economically and politically pressured, after this episode, Anshan would probably change from a rain of tough men to a rain of eggs.


    Lu Liang suddenly felt a sense of sorrow like a rabbit mourning a fox, "The capital was too little after all."


    If he had tens of billions of dollars like the Quantum Fund, he could have been a protagonist in this international incident.


    Unfortunately, with only $10 million in capital, he could only watch others perform on stage and feast while he had to pick up scraps from the edges.


    "That year, on the stage of thirty nations, standing like a supporting character~"


    Humming a tune, Lu Liang stepped out of his office to wash his face in the restroom, his face oily and grimy from staying up all night.


    He ran into Tang Caidie who was astonished, "Mr. Lu, were you at the company all night?"


    Lu Liang nodded, "Just finished with things, getting ready to head back."


    "Will you be coming in the afternoon?"


    "Is there something up?"


    "The business registration documents should be delivered by noon, and there''s also the financial audit report, they both need your signature."


    The beginning of every month was the busiest time for Lu Liang, with payroll, expense tracking, and capital audits for investments.


    Tang Caidie was only in charge of inspection; these documents all required Lu Liang''s personal signature for authorization.


    "Then I''ll come by later this afternoon."


    Lu Liang knew these documents couldn''t be delayed; without his signature, the process would grind to a halt and projects would come to a standstill.


    Once he got home, he had barely lain down for a few hours when his phone, on silent mode, vibrated non-stop like a buzzing bee.


    Suppressing his anger, Lu Liang answered the call, and Meng Changkun''s excited voice came through, "Brother, you''re just too awesome!"


    "Huh? What are you raving about?" Lu Liang was groggy, his mind foggy, not fully booted up yet.


    "Oh, right, right, sorry, you should be resting now, I''ll call you later."


    Almost instinctively, Lu Liang hung up, his half-closed eyes shut again, but within minutes he sensed something was amiss.


    A quick glance at his screen had showed numerous missed calls and unopened messages, which seemed unusually high.


    And how did Old Meng know he was resting?


    Lu Liang suddenly woke with a start, all traces of sleepiness gone, and hurriedly called Meng Changkun back, "Mr. Kun, what did you mean just now?"


    Meng Changkun asked with a laugh, "Did you short sell the yen last night?"


    Lu Liang hesitated for a moment but admitted, "That did happen."


    "Those Japanese guys have been praising you as the Speculation God."


    Meng Changkun''s excitement was palpable, a proud sense of shared glory, "Check WeChat, I''ve forwarded the news to you."


    If he had to choose between two girls, one a Maozi and the other a Sakura Girl, he would decisively pick the Sakura Girl without hesitation, not for any other reason but to avenge the enmity of a hundred years past. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang, embodying the short-selling tycoon, had fiercely reaped the wealth of the Japanese nationals. If Meng Changkun had personally managed such an affair, it would merit its own page in the family records back in his hometown.


    For a Chaoshan person, this was the supreme honor, second only to building ancestral halls.


    Meng Changkun sent four or five articles in a row, and as Lu Liang read on, his expression darkened, like he had swallowed a fly.


    [Eastern Soros]


    [China''s Speculation God]


    [Making tens of millions of dollars overnight]


    [A catastrophic event in the US-Japan Forex Market]


    [This man''s name is Lu Liang¡­]


    "Bro, you''ve become famous overnight!"


    The phone was on speaker, and Meng Changkun''s hearty laughter came through. Lu Liang took a deep breath, his expression solemn, "Mr. Kun, do you believe I didn''t make that much?"


    He felt a malicious force, like a tide, rushing towards him, vowing not to rest until it drowned him.


    If he really had made that much, it would be a different story, but he hadn''t. Those news reports¡ª they were clearly including leveraged funds in the calculation, treating it as his profit.


    Meng Changkun was stunned, then chuckled awkwardly, "You''re right, those journalism students do like to exaggerate."


    Lu Liang sighed, hearing the disbelief in Meng Changkun''s voice, and said, "I''m at home, do you have time to come over?"


    "Tangchen B Building?"


    "Yes."


    "I''ll be right there."


    Meng Changkun''s face turned serious, realizing that something was amiss.


    Lu Liang sat on the edge of the bed, smoking a cigarette until it burned down to the stub and his fingers felt the burn before he reacted. He pinched out the cigarette and went to the bathroom to wash up. Brushing his teeth, his thoughts began to clear.


    This was clearly a set-up, using flattery to divert attention.


    Lu Liang dressed and left the bedroom. The housekeeper, Aunt Liu, had already prepared a sumptuous lunch.


    She smiled, handing him a cup of warm water, "Mr. Lu, you''re awake. Have a sip to soothe your throat."


    "Aunt Liu, you can go back for now. I have a friend coming over shortly."


    Lu Liang held the cup and walked to the balcony. He called Zhao Haisheng, his voice cold, "Which bank did you commission?"


    Closing out the position at just past seven in the morning, news leaked by nine¡ªsuch a brief interval meant only two forces could accomplish this.


    First, as his broker, Guotai; second was the bank Guotai helped him connect with.


    The former could use the backend to check his account; the latter might find out his positions through the lent funds.


    "Mitsui Sumitomo."


    Zhao Haisheng had been trembling with fear all morning, waiting for Lu Liang''s call.


    When he saw the news, he was shocked; Lu Liang had only taken out ten million US dollars¡ªhow could he possibly have made seventy or eighty million?


    He had also been watching the foreign exchange market last night, the trading can only be described as reversal upon reversal.


    To earn seventy or eighty million from ten million US dollars in capital, one would need to use at least 100 times leverage.


    If Lu Liang had used 100 times leverage, given last night''s fluctuating market, no one knew how many times he would have been margin called.


    As someone semi-informed, Zhao Haisheng felt a bad premonition; clearly, someone intended to frame Lu Liang.


    But his calls went unanswered.


    "Mitsui Sumitomo..."


    Lu Liang narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself ''as expected,'' and had a basic understanding of the sequence of events and the deeper implications behind them.


    He glanced at the foreign exchange rates; the US dollar to yen rate had dropped to 128.


    A 20 point drop in a week, a -18.5% fall.


    Japan Central Bank had a total currency issuance of 485.5 trillion yen; evaporating 89.72 trillion from thin air, someone had to be held responsible.


    Anshan wouldn''t take the blame; he couldn''t bear it. If he accepted this responsibility, he would be impeached in an instant.


    Moreover, his economic policy was all about monetary easing. Admitting a mistake would mean slapping his own face.


    Wall Street in the United States was the beneficiary, but they couldn''t be held accountable either. Anshan didn''t want the public''s resentment to turn anti-American.


    After all, having offended Lucian with the new security laws, Anshan hoped to ease US-Japan relations.


    Local tycoons couldn''t take the blame either, even though they contributed to the containment by preventing public foreign exchange conversion, and might even be part of the short-seller coalition. But Anshan didn''t want to shoot himself with eight bullets.


    Anshan needed a target to deflect public fury, just like Soros and the Quantum Fund in ''97.


    Back then, the ''West Poison'' Soros was known the world over, but he didn''t make much. He was just pulled out to be the scapegoat. The real money-makers all hid behind the scenes, their prowess and names unknown.


    The target would be best from a major country, excluding Maozi, because their financial industry was virtually nonexistent.

 Chapter 77 - 77: Life is Like XX [Subscribe Request]

    "Mr. Lu, are you still listening?"


    "Yes, I''m listening."


    "The leak of your positions wasn''t from us."


    "But you also bear an undeniable responsibility."


    Lu Liang spoke in a measured tone, and Zhao Haisheng couldn''t discern any joy or anger, so he braced himself and replied, "Mr. Lu, this was indeed our oversight. Look, how about this¡ªI''ve just discussed it with the company''s leadership, and we''ve agreed to waive your seat usage fees for the next three years. What do you think?"


    "All right then, let''s do that."


    Lu Liang harbored no resentment towards Guotai Securities or Zhao Haisheng since the issue was far-reaching, involving international politics, whether it were him or Guotai, both were just casualties.


    To short the yen, no matter which brokerage was commissioned, the transaction would ultimately connect with a bank from the Land of the Rising Sun.


    Because only a bank from there would possess a large amount of yen currency, providing the necessary conditions for shorting the yen.


    One could say, from the moment he decided to take a slice of the action in shorting the yen, this outcome was inevitable.


    Zhao Haisheng was astonished and could hardly believe it, "Mr. Lu, you agree to our compensation plan?"


    "Yes, I have other matters, so I''ll have to hang up now."


    Lu Liang heard the doorbell and went over to open the door.


    Meng Changkun rode the elevator directly to his floor and upon entering, looked around very familiarly, "Not so different from mine."


    "Have you eaten yet?"


    Lu Liang smiled and invited Meng Changkun to sit down for a meal.


    Having just woken up, he wasn''t very hungry; after a short delay, hunger suddenly struck.


    "I''ve eaten, but I can eat a bit more."


    Meng Changkun, feeling quite at home, picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began serving himself, "The cooking lady''s not bad at all."


    "After all, we did go through several before finding her. If you like, I can have her cook for you for a few days."


    "No need for that, the cook from my hometown suits my taste perfectly."


    The two chatted sporadically, and gradually, Lu Liang began to narrate the events of the previous night as well as his analysis of the causes and consequences.


    Meng Changkun furrowed his brow. On his way here, he''d gone over the whole situation again, sensing many doubts, but he hadn''t expected it to be so wide-reaching, though he tentatively believed Lu Liang''s account.


    He pondered for a long while before replying, "We can''t manage political matters, and it''s best not to get involved."


    "Although it''s a thankless loss, it''s not necessarily a bad thing; at least it made you blazingly famous both nationally and internationally."


    Meng Changkun was experienced, having weathered many ups and downs in the business world, he''d seen uncontrollable events and personally lived through several.


    There''s an apt saying, life is like XX, if you can''t resist it, might as well enjoy it.


    Rather than pointlessly pursuing whose fault it is or whose scapegoat one had become, it''s better to think about how to catch this wave of overwhelming public attention.


    Over the years, there have been many stock market legends in China, but Lu Liang was the first to reap the wealth of citizens from other countries.


    The objects of the reaping were the historic rivals from the Land of the Rising Sun; the island dispute had only recently concluded, and at such a time, Lu Liang''s actions made him a national hero.


    "Patriotic business can be quite profitable."


    Meng Changkun felt envious; though a target, Lu Liang was also being deified.


    These days, foreign monks always seem to chant the best, especially when it''s a locally born, internationally recognized Speculation God.


    At this time, whether setting up a public or private fund, the money would surely come flowing in.


    "We''ll talk about it later, eat more vegetables."


    Meng Changkun''s perspective was cunning, purely driven by a businessman''s instinct to think first of profit.


    The suggestion was quite good, sensible, but it neglected to consider for Lu Liang that patriotic fervor isn''t an easy meal to digest.


    Whether there will be a backlash later remains to be seen, but once a label is stuck on you, it''s difficult to tear off.


    "You eat, I''m full."


    Meng Changkun just smiled and didn''t say much more.


    He knew Lu Liang was a very opinionated person, so he simply provided some ideas without insisting.


    "Do you have any tea? I just don''t feel right without a few cups after a meal."


    "There''s some Maojian in the cabinet."


    "Green tea has no flavor."


    Finding it hard to enjoy the Maojian, Meng Changkun decided to call his assistant to bring over a box of fine Oolong tea.


    As Lu Liang ate and browsed his phone, he saw his name sky-rocket to the eighth spot on Weibo''s trending search list.


    In just one morning, his Weibo followers surged by three hundred thousand. Netizens left comments asking if it was true that he made over sixty million US dollars overnight by shorting the yen. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Not that much, but close enough," Lu Liang thought for a moment and chose a netizen to reply to.


    Old Meng had it right, life is like XX,


    If you can''t fight it, you might as well enjoy it.


    The over fifty million US dollars owed to him by Japan, he would claim back sooner or later, with interest.


    The netizen hurriedly replied, "I''ve been noticed by the great man! My admiration for you is like the endless torrents of a river, like the Yellow River''s flood, unstoppable... If I''m blessed with wealth, do not forget me. Could I also bask in your financial success?"


    Lu Liang''s follower count had already broken the one-million mark, all thanks to the smartphone giveaway. The draw was held the same day as the giveaway, emphasizing efficiency, and those who received their phones boasted about it online.


    After all, a new model Apple smartphone cost several thousand yuan, which left those who didn''t win envying and hopeful. They followed him just in case he did another giveaway.


    Lu Liang snapped a photo of the Pujiang river view and captioned it: "The wind today is particularly noisy~~ Old rules, sending out eight."


    Meng Changkun, with a cigar in his left hand and a teacup in his right, walked out to the balcony with a smile and leaned against the railing, "Got a plan?"


    He had set special notifications for Lu Liang''s Weibo, and he received an alert as soon as Lu Liang posted.


    If Lu Liang wanted to avoid fame, he could have pretended ignorance, even contacted Weibo to remove him from trending searches and given it the cold treatment.


    Or he could''ve paid to have Weibo get paparazzi to randomly pick a lucky star from the entertainment circle to draw away the attention.


    Most netizens didn''t know who Lu Liang was, but those celebrities appeared on the screen every day. With such disorder in their circle, they were prime candidates for distraction.


    With the speed of information exchange on the internet these days, within a couple of days, Lu Liang''s story would likely be pushed to the side until gradually forgotten.


    But Lu Liang didn''t do that; instead, he actively took responsibility for it, indicating he had a detailed plan.


    Lu Liang nodded and said, "I do have some thoughts, but I still need to wait a bit longer. I''ll need Mr. Kun''s support when the time comes."


    "We''re all in this together. If you need help, just say the word. I won''t let you down."


    Meng Changkun''s face beamed with a smile. He had helped Lu Liang so much just to hear those words.


    After the meal, they drank a few cups of tea and chatted casually when Meng Changkun hurried off after receiving a phone call.


    Lu Liang wanted to go back to sleep, but he couldn''t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, so he drove to the company instead.


    As he entered the company, he immediately became the center of attention. Although it had been much the same before, today''s attention was particularly fervent.


    The financial giant from China, Lu Liang, had shorted the yen and hauled in over sixty million US dollars in one night.


    Even if netizens read the article, most would skim it and forget it, not bothering to delve deeper.


    But it was different for them; Lu Liang was their boss, and it felt surreal, like a legend walking into reality.


    Especially for those prodigies from Beijing University and Fudan, they looked up to him with awe as if he were a deity.


    Others might not understand finance, but they did, and it was precisely because they understood that they knew the immense difficulty.


    It was like snatching chestnuts from the fire or pulling teeth from a tiger''s mouth, forcibly ripping open a gap within the encirclement of Western capital.

 Chapter 78 - 78: Interests Are About Distribution [Subscribe Requested]

    Lu Liang smiled amiably, nodded to everyone, and gestured for Tang Caide to come over. They entered the office one after the other.


    While reviewing documents requiring his signature, he stroked the stubble he had just gotten the night before and asked with a smile, "Tang, don''t you think I''ve become even more handsome today?"


    "Indeed, you''ve become more handsome," Tang Caide nodded.


    If it had been before, she would have just laughed it off.


    But today was different. Lu Liang was the company president, and his fame had soared, bringing acclaim to the company internationally along with many tangible benefits.


    For instance, she had planned to go to the Administration of Industry and Commerce to fetch some documents at noon, but the director personally delivered them and expressed concern about whether they were encountering any difficulties at work.


    Another example was the upcoming move to the New International Building; the property management president, Yang Weifeng, personally called to ask if there was anything they needed help with, even if it was just a word.


    Just over the course of a morning, all the formerly difficult administrative departments and people had become much easier to talk to, giving her the feeling of being in a utopian society.


    Lu Liang chuckled and went back to signing the documents.


    He didn''t specifically tell Tang Caide what favors could be accepted and what couldn''t be.


    Because she saw things clearly and had plenty of experience, there was no need to remind her, as she would have spoken sarcastically anyway.


    "Ofo''s daily active users have reached seventy thousand?" Lu Liang expressed his surprise. As of the end of last month, the 31st, ofo had an average of seventy thousand daily active users over seven days.


    "We''re going to lose the bet," Tang Caide replied.


    The terms of the bet were set for 60 and 90 days; only 41 days had passed, leaving 19 days to meet the remaining requirement of ten thousand daily active users, which even ofo''s management could achieve even if they were as incompetent as pigs.


    "If we lose, we lose, we''re making money on the equity appreciation anyway."


    Securing control of ofo would be ideal, but not obtaining it didn''t particularly bother Lu Liang.


    Because Dai Wei, in order to compete with Hu Weiwei, had been unscrupulously expanding the market.


    Currently, ofo had a stock of 13,500 bicycles, owed suppliers about 4.8 million in unpaid bills, and had a debt ratio of nearly 80%.


    If they continued to grow unchecked, Lu Liang would definitely not be able to cover the losses, but he didn''t want to.


    He planned to cash out at an appropriate price, transfer all of his shares, and let someone capable take over.


    Surprise flashed in Tang Caide''s eyes as she swallowed the words she was about to say: "Mr. Dai proposes to carry out Series A financing in the middle of next month."


    She initially wanted to say that ofo''s business model was extremely unhealthy, and advised against continuing with ofo.


    Because the ultimate goal of risk investment is to push a company to go public for maximum benefit.


    However, she realized that ofo was unlikely to reach an IPO stage.


    Fortunately, Lu Liang did not need her reminder, as he had already thought of making money from equity appreciation, so she naturally chose to remain silent.


    "Either way is fine; let them decide on their own. When the time comes, I''ll just go and take a look."


    For most of the afternoon,


    The two spent their time in a question-and-answer format.


    As the evening approached, Lu Liang had essentially finished all official business.


    As it was getting dark, just as he was planning to invite Tang Caide and Chen Jinchun out for a casual meal, he suddenly received a call from Wang Xiaocong.


    Tonight at eight o''clock was Li Xiaomeng''s debut with Panda. Little Wang asked if he was interested in coming to watch and chat.


    Watching was just a pretext; probably the real intention was to have a chat.


    After some thought, Lu Liang agreed and then turned to say, "You go eat on your own; I have another matter and need to leave first."


    Leaving the company, he drove to Baoshan District, having been there once before and still having an impression of it.


    Wang Xiaocong had been waiting at the company''s entrance early on. Seeing Lu Liang''s car, he showed a beaming smile. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Have you had dinner? If not, let''s go eat first before heading over," he suggested.


    "Sure, hop in and you can guide the way."


    Lu Liang nodded and also saw Li Manli, who was surrounded by a group of people, entering the makeup room to get ready for her debut performance tonight.


    She was dressed in her signature outfit, a black-and-white Lolita-style maid dress, which was her most famous and a favorite among fans, looking even more attractive under the halo of her celebrity.


    They exchanged glances from a distance, simply smiled and nodded to each other without revealing their true relationship.


    Lu Liang had talked to her about the importance of her image; if the fans knew she wasn''t a wealthy girl, she would likely lose a large number of them.


    Their relationship was best kept hidden.


    Manli was deeply moved then, not expecting Lu Liang to be so considerate of her, wishing she could devote herself to him, promising again and again.


    Unbeknownst to her, Lu Liang didn''t care about the meager profits she brought. He just didn''t want her to interfere with his romantic opportunities.


    Guided by Wang Xiaocong, the two headed to a nearby restaurant.


    Since they had other things to attend to later, they didn''t drink any alcohol. They casually ordered a few dishes just to fill their stomachs, agreeing to meet again late into the night.


    During the meal, Wang Xiaocong expressed his admiration for Lu Liang more than once, saying that he had always looked up to financial tycoons since he was young.


    Alas, lacking talent himself, he had dabbled in the market before but had essentially lost as much as he invested, leading him to completely abandon the idea.


    Lu Liang chuckled, understanding Wang Xiaocong''s intention, "Xiaocong, we are friends and partners. If there''s an opportunity to make money, I definitely won''t forget about you."


    He was well aware that it''s difficult to succeed alone and understood today''s society is all about sharing interests.


    Only by having plenty of friends and few enemies could he reach success without worries behind.


    Old Wang was the nation''s wealthiest, with a main business in the deeply complex real estate sector¡ªhis network was exactly what Lu Liang needed.


    Though Little Wang was quite rebellious, the Wang family only had this one heir; who else could the network go to, if not him?


    Hearing this, Wang Xiaocong was overjoyed and said with a laugh, "Liang, I''ll take you to a great place tonight, don''t refuse."


    He knew what Lu Liang was after,


    but that''s how society is, isn''t it?


    People aren''t your biological parents; they always want something in return before they''ll help you make money.


    "Do I look like someone who would refuse?"


    They exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter.


    After the meal, back at Panda Interactive Entertainment, Li Xiaomeng''s live broadcast had already started, with a real online viewer count of over fifty thousand.


    Panda had signed her for 6 million, not a loss after three years.


    Wang Xiaocong also logged into his own account, splurging gifts worth millions, turning her live broadcast room into the focus of the entire network.


    He chatted and joked with Lu Liang, revealing the unspoken rules of the live streaming industry, "Every host has a ''plant'' or several ''plants''. Only with ''plants'' gifting, will other viewers follow suit and gift as well."


    Wang Xiaocong was frank, often gifting various hosts himself. Once the amount exceeded a million, he would have it all returned, whereas the tens or hundreds of thousands were his own contributions.


    "So, the money from the wealthy is fully returned, while the common folk''s money is split thirty seventy?" Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    "That''s putting it too crudely, don''t be so blunt," Wang Xiaocong said with a laugh, neither confirming nor denying.


    From backstage, Lu Liang could see the live broadcast earnings; half an hour into broadcasting, the gift revenue was over five million.


    Out of that, 3.5 million was from Wang Xiaocong''s gifting, which didn''t count, leaving nearly 2 million as actual revenue.


    "Live streaming really does make money."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but marvel; the money came too easily, while Manli was simply competing with love hearts.


    "Liang, do you want to open your own live broadcast room, or join me for a mic link?" Wang Xiaocong suddenly suggested.


    He had invited Lu Liang over tonight not just to chat but also to leverage his prestige for publicity.


    Panda Interactive Entertainment''s user growth was rapid, and they were soon to welcome Series A funding.


    As a shareholder, Lu Liang should be announced to the public, to help increase the company''s valuation.


    After all, he had made tens of millions in US Dollars by shorting yen the previous night, earning him the title of the Eastern Soros.


    Once it was announced he had invested in Panda, its value could rise by at least a few hundred million to a billion US Dollars.


    "Let''s link up then."


    Lu Liang nodded, as it was what he should do.


    Just as Hu Weiwei said, what use is an investor who can''t bring resources to the company?


    "Do you know how to play League of Legends (LOL)?"


    "No."


    "What do you usually play?" Wang Xiaocong was curious, as Lu Liang wasn''t old, yet he didn''t even play LOL.


    "The most recent would probably be Fantasy and CrossFire, but it''s been a long time since I''ve played."


    Lu Liang thought for a while; he had played games in the past, but he had sold his Fantasy account when he got married.


    "Let''s go with Fantasy then, it doesn''t require much operation, and we can chat, ''accidentally'' letting the news out."


    "Sure, you arrange it."

 Chapter 79 - 79: The Joy of Spending Money on Games

    As the top internet celebrity on the web, Wang Xiaocong often live-streamed on his own platform, with his room number being 10000.


    Just as he said in an interview, he was not only Panda''s chief product manager but also its first broadcaster.


    Previously, his live streams mainly involved playing League of Legends, letting team members help him rank up, or taking viewers on room inspections.


    This evening, right after dishing out millions in gifts to a new broadcaster on the platform, he opened his own live stream.


    Viewers rushed to inform each other and poured into Wang Xiaocong''s live stream room. Suddenly, they discovered he was playing a very old game, and his co-broadcaster was a voice no one had ever heard of.


    "Liang, what are you playing?"


    "You start leveling up the demon. I''m checking out the grid''s gear."


    "Just buy the finished product, it''s so much less of a hassle."


    "The pets you train yourself have more sentimental value."


    "It''s not a woman; what do you need feelings for?"


    The two chatted and laughed without a care, not bothering to promote anything in particular.


    According to Little Wang, normal chatting was good enough, as the viewers were like detectives and would deduce the truth from the smallest of hints.


    Indeed, it was just as he said. As soon as the nickname ''Liang'' was dropped, viewers began asking in the bullet comments whether this was Lu Liang.


    Wang Xiaocong pretended to be annoyed and hummed in response, causing the live stream room to explode.


    "Who''s Lu Liang? Is he famous?"


    Some viewers, unaware of the facts, asked in the bullet comments, and the regulars in the live stream one by one began to explain.


    "He shorted the yen, an anti-Japanese hero."


    "He made tens of millions of US dollars overnight."


    "The Eastern Soros."


    "China''s Speculation God."


    "If you still don''t get it, just go check the hot searches on Weibo."


    At around eight in the evening, when netizens were most active, Lu Liang''s surprise visit to Wang Xiaocong''s live stream drew the attention of the entire network.


    The number of live viewers climbed steadily, attracting many financial media outlets and financial commentators to the stream out of curiosity. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After all, Lu Liang had previously been very mysterious¡ªalmost like he had popped out of nowhere¡ªand had never given any interviews.


    Most people did not even know whether he was male or female; their main focus was pure curiosity.


    Meanwhile, the live stream''s control staff quietly informed that the actual number of viewers had already exceeded five hundred thousand.


    Wang Xiaocong was overjoyed, but still cursed aloud, "Stop f**king spamming the chat, or I''ll kick all of you out."


    He was well aware of the inflated numbers claimed by so-called million-level broadcasters; the true viewership was usually one-thousandth to two-thousandth of the touted figures.


    For top streams like Douyu''s Three Entertainers, their actual viewership was just over a hundred thousand, and Panda''s top host besides him, PDD, also had less than a hundred thousand.


    With five hundred thousand actual viewers, Wang Xiaocong could guarantee that aside from official streams or top-level seasons, this was the live stream room with the highest online numbers, unmatched by any other.


    Inviting Lu Liang to join the live stream tonight was truly a masterstroke; it could at the very least draw over 100,000+ new users for Panda, and even a 10% retention rate would be profiting handsomely.


    It also sent out a signal that they had a good relationship, and naturally, people would find out that Lu Liang had invested in Panda.


    Wang Xiaocong thought of many things because this was his career.


    Lu Liang was merely enjoying the pleasure of spending money in the game.


    Thinking back ten years ago when he first played Dream Fantasy.


    Back then, he was still a student with not much money in his pocket.


    Pig Factory''s Dream Fantasy was a point card charging game, costing four yuan an hour, so he could only scrimp from his living allowance.


    After graduation, although he played sporadically and mostly farmed in the game for pocket money.


    Now, with one million RMB charged into the account, he could download whatever he wanted, and he truly felt the joy of the game.


    Dream Fantasy, as a turn-based game that remained popular for a decade, was most praised for its in-game currency system, which was stronger than some Latin American countries.


    All players in the game were real people, existing to serve the top operators.


    This was the charm of the game: people naturally enjoy enslaving others and experiencing the authority of being in a higher position.


    A few million in real life is not much, but in the game, spending millions could make you the boss of a region.


    It wasn''t until after ten in the evening when Wang Xiaocong ended the stream, saying he had reserved a thrilling venue, that Lu Liang reluctantly logged off.


    "Tonight''s peak online viewership reached 750,000, with over 180,000 new registered users."


    As they walked out, Wang Xiaocong discussed follow-up plans, intending to invest an additional 20 million before the next round of fundraising.


    With the current valuation at only 11 million US dollars, he was reluctant to carry out Series A at such a low valuation.


    At least it had to be valued at over 80 million US dollars to meet his expectations.


    "Whenever you want to follow up with an investment, just send me the proposal and I''ll have finance make the transfer."


    Liang didn''t object; he owned 15% of the shares, so even if he were to follow up with an investment of a hundred million, it would only require 15 million in funds.


    He also wasn''t interested in more shares; investing in Panda was mainly a way to pay tuition fees and understand the industry.


    The two arrived in the underground parking garage of the building, where Wang Xiaocong had specially rented an area for his vehicles.


    Two sports cars, two luxury cars, one nanny car.


    Liang couldn''t help but sigh that having a good father really made a difference.


    Although he could afford them, his thought process was still that he would buy what was needed and temporarily set aside what wasn''t.


    So far, his personal assets consisted of just two cars and the house he had bought for his parents to live in temporarily, apart from the string of cold numbers in his bank account.


    A red Ferrari F12 zoomed out of the parking garage, closely followed by a yellow Lamborghini Urus.


    They arrived at TAX Bar in the city, which sat comfortably at the top spot of Modu''s nightlife scene.


    It wasn''t just a gathering place for internet celebrities and stars from various industries but also attracted plenty of tycoons from the finance and internet circles.


    Last year, Ding Sanshi made his first appearance as a DJ at this nightclub for the promotion of NetEase Cloud Music, becoming the talk of the town by switching from ''raising pigs by day to spinning discs by night.''


    Being a regular, Wang Xiaocong''s iconic vehicle had just shown up at the entrance when a sexy female manager quickly approached with a smile, "Mr. Wang, we''ve reserved the VIP room on the second floor for you."


    She turned to Liang, a glint of confusion flashed through her eyes: "And you are, sir? How should I address you?"


    Managers of nightclubs were shrewd; from one''s stance, posture, to tone of voice, they could deduce who was the leader and who was the follower through the smallest of clues.


    Last year, with a fortune of 260 billion, Old Wang had become the world''s wealthiest Chinese man, and Little Wang, as his only son, was naturally full of pride.


    Seeing him treat someone so equally and even somewhat courteously was rare, so the female manager naturally harbored thoughts of making a connection.


    Liang replied indifferently, "Lu Liang."


    "Mr. Lu, this way please," said the female manager.


    Her eyebrow raised in recognition, the name sounding familiar. She racked her brains but couldn''t place where she had heard it, yet she dared not show any neglect.


    They passed through a vibrant and visually stunning corridor, entering the interior of the bar.


    All high-end bars were typically similar in layout, often divided into two floors with booths and a dance floor on the first level, while the more private VIP rooms were on the second.


    From the second floor''s vantage point, one could oversee the entire dance hall, convenient for wealthy youth to hunt for beauties, finding their targets.


    The identity of Mr. Wang as the son of the ''First Rich'' held an incomparable attraction for internet celebrities.


    With just a phone call, four girls came over, two for each person.


    After several rounds of party games, the atmosphere in the VIP room got increasingly familiar and intimate; just as Wang Xiaocong was about to take a girl downstairs to dance, he suddenly stopped.


    Outside the window, a charming woman in her thirties approached with a smile, holding a bottle of exquisitely packaged brandy.


    He returned to his seat, whispering to Liang, "Zhuang Xiaoting, the bar owner, is a mistress of some big shot in the Beijing Circle."


    "What''s she coming over for?" Liang asked, while one girl fed him fruit and the other poured drinks and lit cigarettes for him.


    "After all, you are the ''Speculation God,'' and anyone with a bit of money would want to know you."


    After spending a few hours together, Wang Xiaocong spoke more casually, knowing that Liang wasn''t the type to be offended by jokes.


    Liang understood.


    Zhuang Xiaoting also knocked and entered the room, beaming with joy, "This morning, the magpies were chirping incessantly on my roof. I thought something was up, but it turns out they knew Mr. Lu would grace us with his presence tonight."


    A very resourceful woman, she showed no trace of unfamiliarity upon first meeting, instantly closing the distance with a single phrase.


    Wang Xiaocong chuckled, "Sister Ting, did the magpies call out when I arrived?"


    "Indeed, I remember very clearly. They lined up in a row right by the window."


    Zhuang Xiaoting extended her delicate hand, "Mr. Lu, nice to meet you. I''m Zhuang Xiaoting, the manager of TAX."


    "Mr. Zhuang, hello. The atmosphere of the bar is quite nice," Lu Liang replied with a smile, raising his glass in a toast.


    He was planning to set up a private equity fund in the future, so getting to know a diverse range of people wasn''t a bad thing.


    "Your satisfaction is our greatest encouragement."


    Zhuang Xiaoting''s face was full of smiles; she opened the brandy she brought over, carefully avoiding any mention of money or gifting.


    After all, both guests were not lacking in funds; to show good intentions, she could only do it discreetly, like mentioning to the reception to give a 30 to 50 percent discount.


    To speak of it openly could make them feel uncomfortable, a lesson learned from years of experience in her field.

 Chapter 80 - 80: Really Got Caught

    "Mr. Wang, Mr. Lu, take your time and have fun. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving now."


    Zhuang Xiaoting saw that Lu Liang had accepted her business card, didn''t linger much, and said goodbye with well-measured politeness.


    "How do you feel?" Wang Xiaocong asked.


    "A very impressive woman."


    Lu Liang, deep in thought, sipped his drink and said, "But her family background shouldn''t be good, right?"


    Wang Xiaocong was surprised. "You''ve heard of her before?"


    "No."


    "Then how do you know?"


    "I guessed."


    Lu Liang smiled faintly. He sensed a similar air about Zhuang Xiaoting, both of them coming from poor backgrounds and making something of themselves.


    He had relied on foreseeing the future, and it was hard to imagine what a woman had relied on, what she had sacrificed.


    She definitely slept with many, but while some could only sell themselves for 200, others could sell for 2 million or even more.


    "How did you guess?" Wang Xiaocong was curious.


    Because Old Wang also behaved like that sometimes, not having seen or known someone but still able to judge their experiences at a glance.


    "Um...let''s just go dance."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to explain, mainly out of laziness.


    And even if he did explain, Wang Xiaocong, a wealthy second-generation, probably wouldn''t understand.


    "Damn it, I hate people like you." Wang Xiaocong''s face darkened, and he grumbled as he dragged a girl downstairs to dance.


    They played until after 2:00 a.m. Lu Liang called a designated driver and returned home alone.


    Little Wang''s taste was too peculiar, calling mainly internet celebrities with ''snake faces'' and even a Rune Mage.


    It was fine to play a part and take some minor advantages, but swallowing that, he really couldn''t.


    ...


    The next morning, news about Panda swept across the internet.


    "Lu Liang makes a surprise visit to Wang Xiaocong''s live stream"


    "Panda TV''s registered users exceed 5 million"


    "New ''homebody goddess'' Li Xiaomeng signs with Panda"


    "Panda TV firmly ranks third in live interactive entertainment"


    Among the top ten trends on Weibo, five were about Panda Interactive Entertainment, overshadowing even the news of Wang Xiaocong and Lu Liang hitting the nightclub.


    Lu Liang watched the trending news, feeling utterly indifferent. Wang Xiaocong had mentioned last night that there was still over 3 million in the account, all planned for buying hot search spots.


    Another 20 million would be added later to maintain the current operation, ensuring that Panda would become the third-largest live streaming platform after Douyu and Huya, at the time of the Series A funding, valuations would naturally soar.


    Lu Liang ate breakfast and slowly made his way to the office, ready to dive back into work after a night of indulgence.


    Li Jianlin and Wu Junle had completed their transactions, with rumors swirling around a total earnings of 4.8 billion.


    The stock price also dropped from a high of 48 yen to 25 yen, nearly halving it.


    Lu Liang looked at the trading platform, lost in thought, unsure whether to continue with this stock.


    By now, he had made a big name for himself. He didn''t need Teli A to become the brightest new star in the financial circle.


    Even if he was just being used as a distraction, he had reached the expected outcome ahead of time.


    Now, every move he made was surely being watched.


    Recklessly entering the market would be like making a wedding dress for someone else.


    After a long thought, Lu Liang decided to continue selling off the stock, as Li Jianlin and Wu Junle knew about his position.


    He still had 20,000 shares, valued at 50 million yen. He planned to sell half and then buy back in through another account.


    The seat at 88 Punan Road couldn''t be used for the time being.


    "What the hell is this?"


    Lu Liang planned to start unloading the stock after lunch, in the afternoon trading session.


    Today was Thursday. If he sold today, the funds would be available tomorrow, making a proper and respected move.


    But when he woke up from his nap, Teli A''s trading screen turned dark with a black bar next to it, a sign of a temporary trading suspension.


    "Could he have been arrested?"


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    The next second, as if to confirm his guess, Teli Group issued an announcement stating that there was a major event for discussion that might affect subsequent market movements, and in consideration of the interests of all shareholders, they had applied for an indefinite suspension.


    Soon, rumors spread that someone had seen personnel from the Securities and Futures Commission and the Discipline Inspection Commission stationed at Teli''s Shenzhen office.


    Others saw Securities and Futures Commission vehicles entering the office building of Zhongxin Fuying, where Li Jianlin was suspected of being called in for questioning.


    There was also news from 12 Futian Road, where the general manager of the Citic branch and Wu Junle were suspected of being taken away for investigation.


    "Heaven''s cycle of retribution, no one is spared."


    "Well done, these manipulative bastards trap people every day."


    "Don''t forget, there''s Lu Liang."


    "Yes, yes, Lu Liang too."


    "Any brothers in Modu?"


    "What''s happening with Lu Liang?"


    Once the news broke, it sparked heated discussions on stock forums, quickly putting Lu Liang in hot water.


    Although he had shorted the yen, plundering the wealth of the people of Japan, it could not cover up the fact that he had profited from Teli A before.


    88 Punan Road, Modu,


    was also the public''s first chance to get to know Lu Liang.


    The stock forum users were excited, shouting, "These manipulative bastards who made money, none of them should escape."


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang was in his company''s reception room, meeting Zhao Haisheng.


    "Mr. Lu, just now the people from the Securities and Futures Commission collected some data at our branch," Zhao said.


    Concerned that the call might be monitored, Zhao, after much deliberation, decided to personally take the risk and make the trip.


    "Could it be my trading records?"


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, appearing relaxed and at ease.


    Zhao Haisheng simply nodded, his face showing surprise at how Lu Liang could be so unconcerned; he himself had nearly died from fright, having experienced this sort of thing twice in two days.


    This made his already thinning hair seem more pronounced.


    "Relax, if they could find anything, they would have been here by now."


    Lu Liang was nonchalant. His trading records could stand up to scrutiny, even if it was just a case of taking from one hand and giving to the other.


    Unlike Li Wu, who engaged in high-frequency trading and collusion with shareholders for locked positions, they likely had to spit out even their principal and profits.


    Zhao Haisheng''s eyes widened in disbelief, "Mr. Lu, did you really profit through skill?"


    "What else? Through insider information? Or through front running?" Lu Liang asked rhetorically, still with a smile.


    Zhao Haisheng chuckled nervously, still somewhat incredulous.


    In the A-share market, very few of the big money players made money legitimately. He paused, then added, "The public opinion is currently not very favorable towards you, shall we clarify things for you?"


    "No hurry, let the bullets fly for a while, without suppression, how can there be upliftment?"


    Lu Liang''s face broke into a smile, obviously having a new plan in mind.


    After seeing off Zhao Haisheng, he intentionally stayed hidden in the office, letting the rumors spread even more fiercely.


    These kinds of situations were like a spring; the more they were compressed, the more powerful they could burst out when released. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, Meng Changkun came by for a look but seeing Lu Liang behaving as if nothing was wrong, he left again.


    He was somewhat in the know; last week several of them had gone out to sea to have fun, and fortunately, Lu Liang had not agreed to join, otherwise, he would be "invited for tea" as well.


    During the afternoon lecture, Su Wanyu also seemed distracted, occasionally glancing out the window.


    She was afraid that suddenly a few people dressed in suits would appear with a document and then take Lu Liang away.


    Lu Liang looked displeased and tapped her forehead with his pen, "Focus. What''s running through your mind all the time? Can''t you hope for something good for me?"


    "I wish I could, but that''s how it''s always portrayed on TV," Su Wanyu felt wronged.


    "Ever heard the saying, ''Art imitates life, but it is elevated above life''?"


    Lu Liang smiled and continued, "If there was an issue, they would have already come by now. Cooperating with an investigation is the duty of every citizen."


    "Really?" Su Wanyu tilted her head, half-convinced.


    Lu Liang frowned, "Or, you don''t believe me?"


    "Not at all~"

 Chapter 81 - 81: Finance, Industry, New Energy

    When he got off work, Lu Liang received a phone call from Zhao Jisheng, claiming to be from the Securities and Futures Commission''s investigation department.


    To avoid unnecessary impact, they hoped Lu Liang could find some time to come in for the investigation.


    Zhao Jisheng asked, "Mr. Lu, can you see when you might have time to come by?"


    After learning the address on Xingzheng Street in Puxin District, which matched the official website''s listing, Lu Liang thought for a moment and smiled, "How about tomorrow morning? I''ll find some time to come over then."


    "Okay, thank you for your time, and I wish you a pleasant life," Zhao Jisheng was very polite.


    "So does that mean Li Wu, and that shareholder from Teli A has already backed out?"


    Lu Liang appeared thoughtful; the invitation to cooperate with the investigation was on his schedule, which basically meant it had nothing to do with him.


    If it had anything to do with him, Zhao Jisheng certainly wouldn''t have been so courteous but would have come directly to apprehend someone.


    Just like Li Jianlin and Wu Junle.


    "Let''s go, it''s time for dinner after work."


    Lu Liang left the office with Su Wanyu, and after wandering around the city, they finally decided to have hot pot.


    At night, Lu Liang shamelessly went upstairs, entering as if he was returning to his own home, and directly lying down on Su Wanyu''s small bed.


    There was a faint scent of jasmine; he remembered, it was the same scent as Su Wanyu''s hair.


    Su Wanyu stood by the bed, both embarrassed and angry, her face flushed red, "Aren''t you going back yet?"


    "What''s the hurry? It''s only a little past nine."


    Lu Liang pulled out a blue Haima pillow from under the covers and placed it behind his head, "Besides, I find your bed particularly comfortable."


    He then pulled the blanket over himself and, with his eyes closed, said, "I''m sleepy, I want to take a nap. You go take a shower first, and I''ll leave after."


    "You''ll freeze to death!"


    Su Wanyu, still displeased, casually turned on the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature.


    Having just gotten her bandages removed at the hospital, the medicinal smell seemed to linger; she wanted to take a shower immediately too.


    But she was cautious and vigilant, locking the bedroom door that leads to the balcony, so now the bathroom had two doors.


    "Are you questioning my integrity?"


    Hearing the sound of the locks, Lu Liang opened his eyes.


    "Humph~"


    Su Wanyu made a face at him, huffed, and then turned to enter the bathroom.


    Soon after, the sound of cascading water could be heard.


    Lu Liang''s mind was restless, realizing staying was only tormenting himself, so he reluctantly went online to browse the news, shifting his focus.


    He also planned to see what netizens thought about the Teli A case, mainly to see their views on him.


    There were all kinds of comments, but the mainstream view agreed that he was still possibly apprehended and under investigation.


    But unlike Li Wu, Lu Liang was somewhat of a celebrity, considering public impact, the news was temporarily suppressed.


    A finance influencer on Zhihu eloquently analyzed this viewpoint, which also garnered tens of thousands of upvotes from netizens.


    Although many people didn''t know who Lu Liang was, the notion of wealthy individuals getting arrested was always a popular spectacle.


    More radical netizens commented, "For those rich ones, one should be apprehended after another, absolutely no case of wrongful arrest."


    Lu Liang, blending in on various platforms, watched as fun-seekers revelled, curious about what their expression would be upon learning the truth.


    Those without fans could still feign ignorance and muddle through, while those with fans might be mocked by netizens to the point of not daring to go online.


    "They aren''t resentful of wealth, they just despise financial practitioners who gain without laboring, who create no value."


    Gradually, Lu Liang saw the essence of the netizens'' revelry and also understood why the Securities and Futures Commission''s actions were so swift.


    Although Zhongxin Fuying managed assets worth 2.8 billion yuan, the company had fewer than 30 people, with only 22 actually contributing to social security.


    For the Securities and Futures Commission to arrest him, as long as there''s evidence, they don''t need to worry about societal impact¡ªpeople would applaud.


    The case with Wu Junle was similar.


    The reason they invited Lu Liang to cooperate with the investigation was not because he was a celebrity concerned with social impact, but actually because there was no real evidence.


    If there were evidence, they would definitely have arrested him regardless.


    If Zhongxin Fuying was a physical enterprise with thousands of employees, directly or indirectly creating tens of thousands of jobs.


    The Securities and Futures Commission would first need to pass the administrative gatekeeper of the locality to detain someone; they would not easily allow the Securities and Futures Commission to take the person.


    What if the boss were detained, causing the factories to shut down, leaving tens of thousands unemployed and displaced¡ªwho would bear that fault?


    "Private equity funds can bind interests, but however strong your network might be, it is the strength of others; still, you have to worry about them making drastic decisions."


    "Being powerful in one''s own right is fundamental, finance is just for show, and industry is the real deal, walking on two legs keeps you steady."


    Lu Liang slowly realized, his eyes growing brighter, that neither shared bicycles nor the video industry were his ultimate destination.


    The new energy industry, which he had always overlooked, might fulfill his expectations.


    At this time, the balcony door was opened.


    Su Wanyu timidly poked her head out, dressed in blue cartoon pajamas, her hair wrapped in a towel.


    Just out of a hot bath, her skin was so dewy it was translucent, revealing that she rarely wore makeup.


    A few strands of hair naturally fell from her forehead, adding a touch of allure, like a freshly emerged lotus, stunning and delicate.


    Lu Liang was momentarily dazed. Su Wanyu whispered cautiously, "I''m done washing, you can go back now."


    "Let''s hug," said Lu Liang with a smile, spreading his arms.


    "Just a quick one, okay~" Su Wanyu hesitated slightly, then stepped forward and hugged Lu Liang around his waist.


    A burst of fragrance filled Lu Liang''s nostrils. The tender frame of the girl felt like hugging a cartoon doll.


    He slightly curved his lips upward and did not pursue further, just kissed her forehead, "I''m off."


    Even if Su Wanyu hadn''t mentioned it, he planned to leave, remembering that Old Meng had spoken about Modu''s plans to introduce Tesla.


    At the time, it was just idle chat, and Lu Liang didn''t take it seriously, but now he wanted to delve deeper.


    "Bye~ Be careful on the road."


    Su Wanyu watched Lu Liang leave and breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt a bit odd, a mix of relief, touch, and even a bit of loss.


    She lay stiffly on the bed, feeling the residual warmth of Lu Liang, her cheeks flushing hot, suddenly rolling with the pillow, "Su Wanyu, what are you thinking about~~~"


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang left Hongfa Apartment and called Meng Changkun while sitting in his car.


    He learned that today was his health day, undergoing a men''s green health treatment at She Mountain Clubhouse.


    Lu Liang immediately drove there.


    In the deep night of summer, next to the mountain, the bamboo cottage hot springs resonated with the constant chirping of cicadas, like nature''s symphony.


    Meng Changkun wiped his face, stood up and wrapped himself in a bathrobe, barely able to keep his eyes open, "Brother, take your time, I''m off if I can''t handle it." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Alright, bye."


    Lu Liang soaked in the hot spring, looking up at the ceiling, still pondering the conversation they just had.


    The new energy vehicle might be one of the future trends.


    Meng Changkun had once heard from a leader during a dinner that they planned to bring in Tesla to build a massive factory.


    Domestic industry was awash with low-end manufacturing, only earning hard-earned money; the country had been intent on upgrading industries.


    Although the cell phone industry was flourishing, it was synonymous with low-cost. But the seeds of hope had sprouted, and someday a domestic flagship as good as Apple would emerge.


    However, the scale of the country was too large,


    And relying solely on the cell phone manufacturing industry was not enough.


    Meng Changkun gave a very vivid example of what a man needs for his "graduation set."


    A house, a car, money, a girlfriend.


    Without waiting for Lu Liang to respond, he straightforwardly announced the answer.


    Today''s environment is such that a man needs these four things to truly graduate from the university of society.


    The order wasn''t arranged arbitrarily but from best to lesser.


    For the past decade or more, the country had been actively promoting the development of the automotive industry, but selling ten Wulings still couldn''t match the profits from one imported BMW.


    Therefore, the country intended to change tracks, hence the recent push to develop new energy.


    However, the nature of domestic automakers, as everyone understood, was like leading them nowhere. They were particularly those joint ventures, which only got established through state policies at the time.


    But now they each lay complacent, adopting a mindset of ''if it ain''t broke, don''t fix it,'' why bother putting effort into developing the so-called new energies for an uncertain future.


    So, they planned to bring in Tesla, the most renowned foreign name, as a catalyst to stir up the domestic competition.


    However, Meng Changkun was not optimistic about new energy, although it was bound to become significant eventually, it might take too long, and they might just die waiting.


    New energy sounds nice; it''s just electric cars.


    And electric cars are just like child''s play, not much different from tricycles and bicycles; it''s hard to change this fixed perception.


    Even though they knew the country was pushing the development of the new energy industry, offering many incentives, large enterprises were still on the sidelines.


    The operations of these enterprises were predicated on stability, and with their massive financial resources, even if they entered the market late after it was established, they could still grab a slice of the ecological niche.


    One couldn''t say they were wrong,


    Only that foreign companies did indeed possess more pioneering capabilities.

 Chapter 82 - 82: Taking Money is Greed, Taking Up Arms is Rebellion

    "Pioneers of the new energy industry, seems quite appealing!"


    Half an hour later, Lu Liang, with his head dizzy and legs weak, crawled out of the pool, but he had also made a decision.


    Others feared being tormented to death, afraid of not waiting until dawn arrived, but he wasn''t afraid. Having made money, he had to keep tossing and turning, only earning and never spending; he would eventually be slaughtered like a fat pig.


    The next morning, Lu Liang went to the administrative street of Xinpu to be questioned by the Securities and Futures Commission.


    "Mr. Lu, rest assured, we are just conducting a routine inquiry. Please don''t feel pressured."


    Zhao Jisheng revealed a kind smile, inviting Lu Liang into the office, followed by two note-takers.


    Lu Liang sat with his legs crossed, sipping coffee, and with a smile, he said, "Mr. Zhao, do I look nervous?"


    Zhao Jisheng smiled too but didn''t pursue the topic further, "Shall we then officially begin?"


    "Sure," nodded Lu Liang.


    "Mr. Lu, what was your purpose in buying Teli A?"


    "International Gold had a significant increase recently, so I was optimistic about Teli A''s creation of a Gold Jewelry Ecological Park."


    "Then why did you sell 42,022 shares at prices ranging from 31.45 to 34.25 yuan on July 16, 17, and 18?"


    "I indeed liked Teli A, but I didn''t think it was worth that much, so I sold some at high prices."


    "Why did you not like it then?"


    "It was just a feeling," Lu Liang responded with a smile.


    Zhao Jisheng could not help but laugh and skipped this topic; they had no evidence of market manipulation. Even if Lu Liang claimed he was prompted by a dream from his ancestors, they would have to believe him.


    He continued to inquire, "Subsequently, Teli A''s price rose to a high of 48.25 yuan per share, but why didn''t you continue to sell?"


    "Speaking of which, I am really frustrated. I was aiming for 50 yuan per share, and I had to watch as it dropped from there."


    "Didn''t Mr. Li tell you?"


    "Who is Mr. Li?"


    "Li Jianlin from Zhongxin Fuying."


    "I''ve heard the name but don''t have much of an impression."


    Following that were some uninformative questions and answers.


    Every time Zhao Jisheng asked, Lu Liang said it was a feeling. When Wu Junle or someone else was mentioned, he said he didn''t know them.


    Half an hour later, the routine inquiry ended, and Zhao Jisheng, smiling broadly, saw Lu Liang off as he drove away.


    One of the note-takers, puzzled, said, "Mr. Zhao, are we just letting him go like that?"


    Zhao Jisheng reprimanded in a cold voice, "Watch what you say. If there''s no fault, there''s nothing to ''let go'' of."


    He had seen all of Lu Liang''s trading records; they looked like those of a large individual investor; there wasn''t much to investigate.


    The only slightly suspicious thing was that Lu Liang''s judgment seemed extraordinarily good, but that didn''t prove anything.


    Civil servants act on evidence.


    Another person spoke up, "Mr. Zhao, should we send the investigation report to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange?"


    "Send it. This case has caused quite a stir, it''s best to wrap it up quickly."


    The situation with Teli A had escalated quite a bit. On one hand, it overlapped with the stock market crash, leaving retail investors with grievances and nowhere to vent.


    On another hand, it was a standard three-way play involving speculative funds, institutions, and shareholders, tricking tens of thousands of retail investors and profiting by 480 million.


    At the end of it all, it was the increasingly well-known Lu Liang who also participated, suspected of being involved in the case.


    The accumulation of various factors turned a relatively moderate issue into something widely known across the internet.


    Under the immense pressure of public opinion, the authorities made special arrangements, hoping to quickly provide an answer to the people.


    August 4, Friday.


    Teli A''s suspension on the third day was followed by a swift reaction from the authorities: they launched an investigation, conducted it, and closed the case, delivering a rapid verdict.


    Zhongxin Fuying and Wu Junle carried out concentrated trading of Teli A shares, making 38 transactions of the same stock on the same day and conducting 389 trades between controlled accounts, engaging in seven transactions at the same price and quantity.


    Li Jianlin (controller of Zhongxin Fuying) and Wu Junle admitted to joint trading, and relevant personnel also confirmed that both parties collaborated in trading the stock in question.


    The final decision was made: to confiscate the illegal gains of 285 million yuan from Zhongxin Fuying and impose a fine of 427.5 million yuan, to warn Li Jianlin, and penalize him with a fine of 600,000 yuan. To confiscate the illegal gains of 195 million yuan from Wu Junle and impose a fine of 292.5 million yuan.


    A fine amounting to 1.5 times the illegal gain is considered a particularly severe punishment. The Securities and Futures Commission believed the public would be satisfied with this outcome.


    However, as soon as the announcement was made, the entire internet started asking, "What about Lu Liang? Why isn''t his name mentioned?"


    In fact, another individual overlooked by the public was a Teli Group shareholder who colluded with Li Jianlin and Wu Junle. But Lu Liang''s fame was greater and more conspicuous.


    Even many who were unaware of the real situation only took interest in the case because of Lu Liang.


    Including the retail investors who were duped and killed off ¡ª although the instigators were caught and fined, the money they lost couldn''t be reclaimed. They just wanted to see more people suffer, especially Lu Liang.


    Thus, a large number of conspiracy theorists emerged online, claiming Lu Liang had connections that reached the heavens, a puppet of the bigwigs, with an understood implication: a topic that couldn''t even be touched.


    As public sentiment grew more and more intense, even the Securities and Futures Commission had to come forward and clarify that their thorough investigation concluded Lu Liang was absolutely clean.


    But the truth was quickly drowned in the tidal wave as people only chose to believe what they wanted to believe.


    That afternoon, Lu Liang received a call from Zhao Jisheng, who said with a wry laugh, "Mr. Lu, could you perhaps help clarify things publicly?"


    "No big deal, but I''m a bit busy now, won''t be free until tonight," Lu Liang said in bits and pieces.


    Zhao Jisheng hesitated, ultimately heaving a sigh, "Then you carry on with your work. Please follow up as soon as you can when you have the time."


    "Of course, of course, of course."


    Lu Liang was gaming, with ten thousand yuan worth of demon refining when suddenly his character transformed into a toad, angering him to the point of nearly smashing his computer.


    "Is this what you call being busy?" Wang Xiaocong asked suspiciously.


    "Doesn''t playing games count as being busy?" Lu Liang retorted.


    In this "nationwide manhunt" drama, as the protagonist, he was meant to make his appearance at the very last moment.


    Old Meng had it right: the longer you stretch it, the more you earn, and the greater your power grows. This wave of marketing could be worth at least one hundred million yuan, given the current reach of media.


    Wang Xiaocong, struck by an idea, suggested, "Why not host a live stream on Panda tonight?"


    Lu Liang was taken aback and looked at him, "Are you serious?"


    "Isn''t that a good idea? Fame and profit, you get the fame, Panda takes the profit," Wang Xiaocong grew more excited as he spoke. If Lu Liang were to start live streaming, it would bring at least 500,000+ new users.


    Lu Liang stared at him with a look that seemed to question his intelligence and sighed, "It seems you really are serious."


    He would have to reconsider whether he should continue investing in Panda.


    With Wang Xiaocong''s emotional intelligence and that sort of thinking, throwing another three million in was like throwing money into the water.


    "Damn it, don''t look at me like that."


    Wang Xiaocong was displeased; he felt Lu Liang was looking at him as if he were mentally challenged, but he had no proof.


    Lu Liang sighed, "Little Wang, if I''m the beneficiary of this situation, then who''s the loser?"


    Wang Xiaocong was still pondering when Lu Liang directly said, "It''s public trust! Are you thinking of trading on public trust to make money?"


    He could use this incident to boost his reputation but certainly couldn''t exploit it for profit. It''s like the difference between being corrupt for money and being armed for rebellion; the nature is entirely different.


    Little Wang mulled it over carefully and seemed to catch the drift.


    Suddenly, he glared at Lu Liang with a hostile gaze, "What did you just call me?"


    "Right, I think I had an appointment; I better leave now."


    Lu Liang quickly changed the subject, laughing it off while feeling a cold, resentful gaze on his back and quickened his steps.


    Wang Xiaocong''s face darkened, as he muttered under his breath, "He''s started calling me Little Wang now, at this rate, who knows, maybe next he''ll be soaring to the heavens."


    S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 83 - 83: Lus Net Cleaning Action

    Leaving Panda, Lu Liang arrived at Jin Cheng Law Firm.


    He arranged a meeting with Ye Wei, who had previously handled legal matters for him, to prepare for tonight''s clarification announcement.


    Lu Liang asked Ye Wei to gather information and planned to find several influential "chickens" to scare those monkeys jumping around.


    He didn''t bother with those vague lawyer''s letters; he struck hard, refused to settle, and let court subpoenas do the talking.


    He then carefully selected five lucky individuals. Lu Liang planned to spend two million and hire 10 lawyers to see it through with them to the end.


    Even if he lost the case, it wouldn''t matter; the tedious procedures and processes could drag and cost them dearly.


    At 8:30 in the evening, Lu Liang silently logged onto Weibo.


    "Everyone says it''s been investigated already, yet they''re still blabbering non-stop, thinking I''m made of mud?"


    He posted a status and tagged Jin Cheng Law Firm, "Dig deeper into this, I''ll leave it to you guys."


    Jin Cheng Law Firm replied: Received~


    They then tagged five famous Weibo critics with followers ranging from twenty thousand to five hundred thousand.


    Displaying five complaint papers and gathering relevant evidence, they sued for defamation and told them to wait at home for their court subpoenas.


    "Damn, is this for real?"


    "Direct litigation, do they have to go this hard?"


    Those individuals were shocked, realizing Lu Liang meant business. They hurriedly deleted their posts and apologized for their previous comments.


    Lu Liang saw it and shared it. He said nothing, only attaching a picture of cutting a train: crying, but timing matters too.


    Meaning he wouldn''t accept their apologies; this matter wouldn''t be taken lightly but pursued thoroughly.


    Netizens commenting from the front rows asked, "Holy moly, has Mr. Lu also watched ''Let the Bullets Fly''?"


    "These guys really seem to know a thing or two, isn''t Jiang that one supporting memorial days with kimonos, also advocating that girls should dress freely?"


    "Hey, now that you mention it, I''ve noticed too, Zhouzhou is also on the list, didn''t he defend the United States'' GMOs?"


    "Darn, is Boss Lu resolving both public and private grievances at the same time?"


    More and more netizens realized, none of the internet influencers who received Lu Liang''s lawsuits were up to any good.


    They were all instigators of chaos, adding trouble wherever there was disorder, fearing that the world was not chaotic enough.


    Gradually, netizens jokingly called it, not a revenge but "Lu''s Net Cleaning Action," because that evening, many influencers were too scared to even tweet, just silently deleting their posts.


    Even if they were dissatisfied, they could only express it through emojis or veiled sarcasm not naming anyone specific.


    "Are these sycophants really so unpopular?"


    Lu Liang, surprised, stroked his chin. He was fully prepared to be criticized for being petty and vengeful.


    Yet, somehow it had turned into "Lu''s Net Cleaning Action," and his follower count was rapidly rising.


    In a blink, it was nearly breaking the two-million mark, a one-night increase of a million followers, even more than Li Manli''s.


    "But the end result is always good."


    Lu Liang smiled. He intended to make a big deal out of it mainly to divert public attention.


    The process was a bit convoluted, but the outcome was always favorable, at least no one doubted the authenticity of the Securities and Futures Commission''s investigation anymore.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang also received a text from Zhao Jisheng, containing only two short words: "Thank you."


    As one of the heads of the investigation, should public opinion spiral out of control, they could face accountability as well.


    Lu Liang''s ploy diverted the trouble, clearing them both publicly and privately; he felt compelled to express his thanks.


    Were it not for the fear of misunderstanding, Zhao Jisheng would have liked to invite Lu Liang for a midnight snack to show his gratitude.


    "You''re welcome."


    Lu Liang typed his response and then deleted the message.


    Although unintentional, he welcomed the favor. Having such a connection with the head of the investigative team at the Securities and Futures Commission would be useful for gaining information in the future.


    "Lu''s Net Cleaning Action" lasted for two days and three nights.


    Initially, some held out hope until a certain big V actually received a court subpoena.


    So she posted a misery video, recounting the life of a single mother isn''t easy, because she lost hundreds of thousands in Teli A and in a moment of anger, inadvertently made a mistake, hoping Lu Liang would withdraw the lawsuit.


    These words garnered the sympathy of many people.


    After all, she is a woman, a single mother, and also a stock investor who lost money in the stock market; it''s understandable.


    Especially some stock investors could really empathize. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang directly replied, "Send me your stock transaction records privately, and if it''s true, I can cancel the lawsuit."


    However, after waiting a few hours, he returned home from the gym and still hadn''t received any messages from her.


    Lu Liang directly screenshotted, "Use your brain a bit, don''t believe everything you hear, and stop counting money for those who scam you."


    But the earnest tone changed how netizens addressed him, and from Mr. Lu, he became Uncle Lu.


    Some eagle-eyed netizens noticed that many people were sending him private messages.


    Among them were beauties, showing various pictures, clamoring to make them public so others could also see.


    "Kids, don''t look, it''s easy to get sty."


    Lu Liang replied to the user, indirectly admitting that these were indeed provocatively stirring pictures.


    Netizens left disdainful emojis.


    That weekend, Lu Liang surfed the Internet extensively and his followers also exceeded 3 million.


    The Internet experienced an unusual clarity.


    Netizens suddenly realized just how harmonious the Internet could be without flatterers, repeatedly tagging @Lu Liang, suggesting he should undertake such actions more often.


    Lu Liang chose to play dead, who knows whether those flatterers had really taken foreign money.


    If they had really taken it, an inadvertent mistake would have been acceptable, but doing it constantly might endanger his life.


    Two days passed in a blink of an eye.


    On Monday, Teli A was successfully relisted.


    The trading volume before the market opened was very scant, showing a strange horizontal market situation.


    Li Jianlin and Wu Junle had sold off their stock, but still held a base position in it.


    Lu Liang also had a base position in it.


    Now, nobody dared to make a move, as nobody was sure of the market''s future direction.


    "Is this what being ruined looks like?"


    Lu Liang, eating a steamed bun, was deep in thought; his current market influence was enough to change the future trend of an individual stock.


    The highest position of 108.25 yuan was likely never to be reached again, even whether there would be a next wave of trading was unknown.


    At 9:23 AM, during the last two minutes before the market opened, someone threw out 1500 shares, directly hitting the price limit.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time and in the last minute before bidding ended, he used the special privileges of an institutional seat for the first time.


    At 24.15 yuan, 1600 shares, letting Teli A open at the closing price of the previous business day.


    Lu Liang held 20,000 shares, their current value at 48.3 million.


    Since no one was controlling the market, he decided to take a small stake, first stabilize the stock price, and then decide whether to sell based on the market conditions.


    His psychological price was set at 10 million; if an investment of 10 million couldn''t stabilize the current stock price,


    then the stock was completely useless, and he would have to aggressively unload the shares, considering his cost was just under 11 yuan.


    Five minutes passed in a blink of an eye.


    The market opened at 24.15 yuan with 1600 shares, 1200 shares were quickly consumed, with transaction amounts totaling 2.898 million.


    Seeing people starting to sell, Lu Liang invested another 4 million to boost the stock price, avoiding a horizontal trend.


    Teli A was currently the hottest stock in the A-share market, with many speculative institutions and individual investors watching.


    The longer it stayed stagnant, the more likely it was to fall; since he wanted to control the market, he needed to first instill confidence, investing himself so that individual investors would follow.


    The 4 million was consumed in seconds, the stock price only rising from 24.15 yuan to 24.28 yuan, an increase of 0.72%.


    "It''s a bit heavy to lift, could it be that a shareholder is quietly unloading shares while I''m controlling the market?"


    Lu Liang frowned, worried that someone was sabotaging his efforts; as speculative capital, the risks of market manipulation were very high.


    Without enough chips, it was difficult to control the market and easy to end up making wedding dresses for group shareholders.

 Chapter 84 - 84: Investigation, Village Evening

    After investing 7 million, Lu Liang didn''t make any new moves, leaving the market to its own devices without any further intervention.


    He still held a base position, and it was true that major shareholders could check the list of circulating shares, but not now¡ªat least not until the end of today''s trading.


    Lu Liang had made it known that he intended to be a market maker, and now it was up to the real market makers to decide whether they were willing to put in the effort. They couldn''t expect him to simply raise the price for them while they sat back and reaped the benefits¡ªthat was neither possible nor realistic.


    And with an investment of only 7 million, he was definitely not going to appear on the Dragon and Tiger List. Using his name for publicity was equally impossible.


    At this moment, Tang Caide knocked on the door and entered with the additional investment proposal of 20 million for Panda Interactive Entertainment.


    Wang Xiaocong held 85% of the shares, contributing 17 million, while Lu Liang held 15%, contributing 3 million.


    Tang Caide reminded him, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Wang plans to transfer 40% of his own shares to Redwood in Yanjing after this additional investment."


    "Redwood is also his; it''s preparation for Series A funding."


    Lu Liang was already aware of this because after the funding, the company would no longer be personal; Little Wang was preparing for a subsequent high-level cash-out.


    It''s not that as soon as he planned to raise funds, he was thinking of running away, because this approach was very common, like not putting all your eggs in one basket.


    After investing so much money and effort, it was natural to want to recover the capital first if the price was right.


    Without any backup, to travel down this path until the bitter end would be foolhardy, with the likelihood of losing every cent. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Transfer the money to him this afternoon."


    Lu Liang signed the authorization on the remittance certificate. As he looked out the window, the number of company employees had increased to 19, making the office area somewhat cramped.


    Even Tang Caide''s workstation was only slightly bigger than those of ordinary employees, with no partitions and no real privacy.


    Lu Liang asked, "How much longer will the renovations at the New International take?"


    "The construction team has given a completion date of August 20. Although the materials are of good quality, they will need ten days to settle and ventilate, and office equipment and furniture also need to be purchased. We probably can''t move until the beginning of next month."


    Tang Caide paused and then added, "Mr. Yang from New International has given us 45 days of free rent for the renovation period."


    At the beginning of the construction of the New International Building, which was designed as a high-end office building, the normal free rent period for renovations was only 15 days.


    Fifteen days are often enough to complete partitions and office space planning, but Yang Weifeng still gave a month and a half.


    "Next time you see Mr. Yang, thank him for me. Let him know I''ve been too busy to step away, and I''ll thank him in person after we move over."


    No sooner had Tang Caide left the office than Chen Jinchun came in with four documents: "Mr. Lu, these two are from Luo Juncheng, these two are from Wen Chao."


    One from Beijing University, the other from Fudan¡ªit''s no exaggeration to say that five or six years ago, both were the top college entrance exam scorers in their hometowns.


    The pride of the favored sons of heaven made them believe that their own research reports could not be inferior to those of the others.


    So after conferring, they decided to submit them together so that comparison would reveal whose was better.


    "Still, professionals should handle this."


    Lu Liang picked up one of the reports and felt a mood lift. The front page was neat, clear, and easy to understand¡ªnot like Chen Jinchun''s research report, which required guessing while reading.


    Chen Jinchun didn''t say a word, grinding her teeth with frustration, but could only put on a fake smile to cover her embarrassment.


    Each research report had over ten thousand words, and Lu Liang read from morning until afternoon.


    By synthesizing both perspectives, he gained a basic understanding of the shared bicycle and video industries.


    Starting with the establishment of ofo in December of last year, in just over nine months, 22 enterprises have emerged nationwide. The top five were Mobike, ofo, YouBai, Kuqi, and Yong''an.


    Approximately 58,000 shared bicycles had been deployed, with the top three companies accounting for over 68% of the market.


    On average, each shared bicycle was ridden 4-8 times daily, primarily during the rush hours of commuting.


    In Modu, many subway station entrances can become so crowded during peak commute hours that it''s hard to find an available bike.


    There''s a large market gap that needs to be filled, but continuous bicycle deployments could impact city appearance and traffic order.


    Shared bicycles can only serve as traffic entry points and cannot survive independently; eventually, they''ll likely be sold off.


    Sold to Tencent, or to Ali, or some other Internet power to enhance their products.


    If shared bicycles represent a new battleground, then the video industry has been a battlefield since the birth of the internet.


    Long videos, short videos, live streams, interactive entertainment, and movie playback¡ªall major internet companies have been vying for dominance for over a decade without a clear winner.


    A short video company called Kuai Shou caught his eye, quickly followed by ByteDance, the force behind Toutiao.


    Lu Liang downloaded Kuai Shou, planning to experience it firsthand, but after watching just a few short videos, his expression was as if he had seen a ghost.


    He saw an online version of a ''village evening gala.''


    With phrases like "old irons" and "bro," and a rough video style characterized by distinctive North China padded jackets in bright green or red, it seemed to disregard the Southern audience altogether.


    "This seems to be about sharing life as well, just sharing life in the north."


    Lu Liang pondered as he pulled up the data on Kuai Shou. Last year it was valued at 850 million US dollars, with Redwood Capital leading the B round of financing.


    By June this year, the registered users of Kuai Shou had already broken through the two hundred million mark; he knew he definitely couldn''t get a foot in.


    Unknowingly, it was already three o''clock in the afternoon, and the A-share market had ended today''s trading.


    The stock price, 24.08 yuan,


    fell by 0.22%, essentially marking a day of no significant events.


    Tomorrow''s opening


    would probably reveal the direction things would head.


    Lu Liang called Chen Jinchun, asking her to bring Luo Juncheng and Wen Chao into his office.


    After reviewing four research reports, he already had an answer in mind for the choice of secretary.


    The two of them sat anxiously in front of Lu Liang, faces tense with nerves, waiting for the final verdict.


    "Wen Chao, move over next to Assistant Chen tomorrow."


    There was an empty space next to Chen Jinchun''s desk, which Lu Liang had reserved for his secretary.


    There were two phones on his desk, one for calling Chen Jinchun, the other for the secretary.


    Previously, both were answered by Chen Jinchun, but now the other had also found its rightful owner.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu. I will continue to work hard," Wen Chao managed to say, containing his excitement as he bowed deeply.


    "Mhmm, you may leave."


    Lu Liang looked out the window. Su Wanyu had already arrived; it was time to start learning a foreign language for the day.


    "Alright, Mr. Lu."


    Wen Chao left the office, but Luo Juncheng didn''t budge. He stared at Lu Liang with resentment, "Mr. Lu, why? Where did I fall short?"


    Over the past more than ten days, he had almost traveled all over Modu.


    He even camped out at a subway entrance before dawn just to count the daily rides of a shared bicycle, from before daylight until late at night.


    During these days, he had not had a single night of peaceful sleep. If he wasn''t conducting research, he was on his way to it.


    He believed that what Wen Chao had done was definitely not better than his own work, but he couldn''t understand why he still lost.


    "Mr. Lu, then I will head out first."


    Wen Chao''s brows tightened, the words almost reached his lips, but he didn''t speak.


    Just moments ago, he too was curious about what had made him win, but now it seemed self-evident.


    Who Lu Liang wanted to choose was up to him; even if it were a little rooster that he picked, they had no right to question it.


    Because of the special nature of the secretary position, their main task was to implement Lu Liang''s will, without the need for too many ideas of their own.


    "Mhmm, go ahead."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly, looking toward Luo Juncheng, "Little Luo, if you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened, but if you''re dissatisfied with my decision, you can go to finance to collect your internship salary now."


    "I don''t need the salary, but I want to know the reason."


    Luo Juncheng had made up his mind; if he couldn''t be Lu Liang''s secretary, he didn''t want to waste time at this company.


    Lu Liang smiled wryly, speaking frankly, "Your market research report was indeed very detailed, but it overlooked that research needs to be objective. It contained too many personal thoughts."


    Kuai Shou, Toutiao, ByteDance were all results of Luo Juncheng''s research, and he was the one who made Lu Liang aware of their existence.


    Luo Juncheng was talented, but not suitable to be a secretary.


    Lu Liang planned to observe him for a while and might find an important role for him in the future, but it seemed unnecessary now, so he didn''t mind giving him an explanation.


    "Mr. Lu, thank you."


    Luo Juncheng smiled bitterly, clearly aware that he had added too much of his own bias.


    His main intention was to showcase his unique insight into the industry, but he hadn''t anticipated it would backfire.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang called him back, his voice cold, "Go to finance to collect your salary. When you''re working, don''t act like a child; remuneration is a respect for your labor."


    Luo Juncheng fell silent, gave a deep bow, and there was a bit of regret in his heart. He vaguely felt as if he had missed something.


    "Call Miss Su in," Lu Liang said, no further words needed.

 Chapter 85 - 85: No Dumping Stocks, Wenzhou Gang

    "He''s resigning?"


    Su Wanyu curiously looked out of the window, while Luo Juncheng kept his head down, silent and packing up his desk things.


    "Iron camps and flowing soldiers, comings and goings are quite normal."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to elaborate, picking up Su Wanyu''s attendance card, which had already reached its final phase after pre-booking 70 sessions twice.


    "Isn''t the graduate exam concentrated at the end of the year? It''s still three or four months away. Are you starting to prepare now?" he asked.


    "What you''re talking about is the date for the national graduate entrance examination. You can start registering on the 22nd of next month."


    "That still leaves you over a month. What are you planning to do with this time?"


    "My dad wants me to return home for a while and come back after the Mid-Autumn Festival to register."


    "When are you leaving?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    "The day after tomorrow."


    Su Wanyu pouted, slightly dissatisfied, "Why don''t you try to retain me a bit?"


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Do I even have the right to compete with your father for his daughter?"


    "My dad is not your father-in-law, hmph~"


    Su Wanyu''s face was full of tsundere pride, and that little bit of dissatisfaction was cast aside.


    The most cherished dream for a girl is undoubtedly to walk down the aisle with the man she loves.


    By saying so, Lu Liang implied he had considered it; how could she not be delighted.


    Lu Liang asked, "Which university''s graduate program are you applying for?"


    "Didn''t I tell you last time? International Trade at Tongji."


    "Do you think you can make it?"


    "I''m quite strong, really strong."


    Two hours passed in an instant, and the 70 sessions were completed.


    Su Wanyu''s job was at a pause, and she declared with a grand gesture: "Where are we eating tonight? You choose, I''m treating."


    Each session was 400 yuan, and after deducting the platform fee, she still pocketed over 26,000 yuan¡ªshowing off a newfound wealth that was bold and impressive.


    Lu Liang''s smile was teasing: "Are you sure? I''ll give you another chance to rethink your offer."


    Su Wanyu remembered the several meals they had at those lavish hot pot restaurants and the string of numbers on the bill, which amounted to several months of her living expenses. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Feeling the weight of the pressure but having already made the grand statement, she couldn''t lose face and stiffly affirmed, "Sure, anything goes."


    Lu Liang drove to a familiar congee hotpot restaurant.


    While the average cost per person was over two hundred, it was much cheaper than the hotpot restaurants, Linjiang Pavilion, and those other places.


    Su Wanyu beat her chest, took a deep breath, and lifted her joined hands above her head in a prayerful gesture: "I am grateful to Boss Lu for sparing my wallet."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, reaching out to tousle her hair: "Weren''t you quite reserved before? How come you''ve turned into this?"


    "Times change," she boasted, unashamed. Reservedness comes from unfamiliarity, but once familiar, it''s another story.


    "Let''s go, it''s already seven and I''m so hungry." She took Lu Liang''s hand and strode towards the restaurant.


    Lu Liang''s lips curved into a smile, experiencing a little taste of being under someone''s control.


    ...


    The next morning at the company, Lu Liang listened to the English tapes that Su Wanyu had specially prepared for him.


    According to her, as long as he passed the Level Four English test, he wouldn''t need a Foreign Teacher. It was more about self-learning and vocabulary accumulation.


    Because Lu Liang''s goal was not just everyday use; he also wanted to read professional financial articles.


    There are no shortcuts to this path; one can only rely on rote memorization, spending more money on a foreign teacher would be a complete waste.


    Su Wanyu''s reasoning was sound and reiterated several times: hiring a foreign teacher was just a waste of money.


    Lu Liang thought of a possibility: "Jealousy."


    Literature faculties are mostly female, and foreign language departments even more so. With quantity comes quality, just like Su Wanyu.


    At that time, Su Wanyu, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, explicitly said she was jealous and forbade hiring any more foreign teachers; if he had questions, he was to ask her.


    Lu Liang could only agree with a smile.


    Approaching nine o''clock, his phone rang, receiving a message from an unknown number.


    [25, not dumping this week]


    The stock code for Teli A is 000025.


    Lu Liang smiled as he deleted the message.


    Although he didn''t know who had sent it, the two parties had already reached a tacit understanding to push this stock higher.


    After all, having dominated the hot stock list for many days, they were not willing to waste this massive volume of attention.


    Yesterday, Lu Liang had opened with an investment of 7 million and made no further moves afterward, signaling his intentions to them.


    Their attitude this week was not to dump the stock, but starting next week, it would be every man for himself.


    Unspoken agreement in their hearts, thus Teli A became the market''s most dazzling new star during the period of stock market disaster.


    Heating up the hot, not copying the cold; even notorious is famous - Teli A perfectly embodied the meaning of this saying.


    Without shareholders or institutional investors controlling the scene, relying solely on retail investors'' purchases, by the afternoon closing, the price reached 25.85 yuan, up 7.25%.


    "If institutions get involved in the next few days, we might see a mini-rally," Lu Liang muttered gravely.


    However, he had also decided that starting next week, he would begin to sell off, passing the baton to the next successor.


    Should an opportunity arise, he would repurchase; if not, he would start preparing for private equity.


    The next day, Lu Liang took Su Wanyu to the high-speed rail station; she was heading back home to Southern Fujian.


    "Bye-bye, you''d better call me often~"


    Su Wanyu was earnest: "I''m afraid to disturb you with my calls, but whenever you call me, I''m always free."


    Having said that, she tiptoed to steal a kiss from Lu Liang''s lips, then bowed her head, gripped her small suitcase, and fled.


    Lu Liang touched his lips: "Too quick, didn''t feel much."


    It seemed like Su Wanyu heard him, so she ran even faster, while Lu Liang waved with a smile: "Bye-bye~"


    A rippling smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.


    Lu Liang drove back to the company and called Wen Chao to monitor the individual stock market performance and prepare a report for him by Friday.


    It was time for him to start grooming a deputy; the Big A market was still manageable with a normal work-life balance.


    Once it involved US stocks or international futures, night became day, which was somewhat unbearable.


    Wen Chao was thrilled, nodding repeatedly.


    Prepare before work every day, summarize after work.


    By Friday, with dark circles under his eyes, Wen Chao submitted the report: "Mr. Lu, at 10:10 AM on Thursday, an abnormal transaction occurred in the stock, with one purchase exceeding 4 million. Sixteen minutes later, another 5 million was bought with the same approach."


    "At 9:35 AM on Friday, that investor even bought 12 million, momentarily pushing the stock to its upper limit."


    "There seems to be follow-up buying, but the volume is too small to detect; it may appear on today''s Dragon and Tiger List."


    As if to confirm Wen Chao''s guess, at five o''clock in the afternoon, the Shanghai Stock Exchange released the Dragon and Tiger List; after many days, Teli A made a strong appearance, with three institutions buying a total of 48.5 million chips.


    "Check the backgrounds of these three."


    Wen Chao nodded, and after a while, said: "Mr. Lu, the first is Lin Qixian at 22 Yixing Road, the second is Ma Yongwei at 2 Fuhai Road, and the third is Xu Wenlong at 122 Xiangyang Road, all of them are active market players for many years."


    Upon hearing these names, Lu Liang said: "The Wenzhou Gang."


    The Big A market had many frontline investors, but the Wenzhou Gang was undoubtedly the most brilliant team, known for their ruthless operations and extreme tactics.


    They often rapidly drove up the price, then swiftly dumped their holdings to profit, leading to significant stock price fluctuations.


    Market retail investors both loved and hated them; to love them meant that if one could run faster than them, big profits were to be had; to hate them meant that if one couldn''t keep up, they''d be trapped.


    Lu Liang looked at Wen Chao: "What do you think?"


    Wen Chao was taken aback, not expecting Lu Liang to ask him for his opinion, and after much excitement and long thought: "They probably want to take over the hype and wouldn''t have entered in such a high-profile manner otherwise."


    "Their cost should be around 32 yuan. If the stock''s heat isn''t enough, the invested 40 million plus will surely get stuck in there."


    "To avoid this, the market next week should be stable with an upward trend."


    "There might be another possibility."


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "What possibility?"


    "The 40 million plus is a pledge; they want to take over someone''s chips and thus continue the momentum of this stock."


    Wen Chao spoke, glancing up at Lu Liang.


    Although 88 Punan Road had not appeared again, rumors in the market suggested that Lu Liang still held a sizable base position.


    And these past few days'' increases were also his handiwork.

 Chapter 86 - 86: An Exciting Program

    "You''re not wrong."


    Lu Liang showed his approval and applauded with enthusiasm.


    During a stock market crash, the most crucial thing to make money was to find a clever pretext, and Teli A had all the preceding conditions to become a sensation.


    The Wenzhou Gang wanted to take over and had to submit their pledge, allowing Lu Liang to profit first; only then would he not cause trouble.


    If Lu Liang didn''t agree, come next Monday''s opening, they would sell off all the chips they bought this week.


    Going in and out might mean a loss of a few million, but doing business meant making sacrifices for gains ¨C you have to give to get.


    If Lu Liang agreed, then next week he could just sell off his holdings, and the Wenzhou Gang would take over entirely, executing a high-level change of hands.


    Now it was all about whether or not Lu Liang was too greedy, willing to share this stock''s market trend with others.


    Wen Chao was pleased and revealed a humble smile, "Mr. Lu, this is just a bit of my personal insight."


    "It''s getting late now; head back early and come over early on Monday next week."


    "Mr. Lu, have a nice weekend, I''ll take my leave now." Wen Chao was very polite.


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded, not saying much more, as he organized documents and the company seal into the safe.


    He locked up the office and was the last to leave the building.


    Liu Mingxuan called at noon, inviting him to dinner in the evening, seeming to have set the wedding date.


    Arriving at the Hunan restaurant they often frequented before, they ordered three or four small stir-fries and four or five bottles of beer.


    "Remember to come on the weekend, at Yingdi Hotel, it''s a lunch banquet."


    Liu Mingxuan carelessly took out the invitation, planning two ceremonies, one in the city and another in his hometown.


    He was filled with mixed emotions, "All the social obligations I''ve accumulated over the years, if not a hundred then surely eighty, it''s time to cash in."


    If the wedding was only held in his hometown, then most friends from the city likely wouldn''t attend.


    Just receiving favors without attending the banquet made him feel a bit embarrassed, so after discussing with his family, they decided to hold two events.


    Lu Liang browsed through the invitation, teasing with a laugh, "Didn''t you used to say that you never expected to recover from ''red bombs''?"


    "Plans can''t keep up with changes."


    Talking about the wedding proceedings, the forthright Liu Mingxuan felt a bit shy, "I''ve asked my cousin from my hometown to be the groomsman." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang read his mind, "We have the same custom in our hometown, those who are married or divorced can''t be groomsmen."


    Relieved, Liu Mingxuan drank and scratched his head while sighing, "I honestly never thought I''d get married so soon."


    "What goes around comes around."


    Lu Liang glanced over and bluntly chastened him.


    There''s a reason why rabbits don''t eat the grass by their burrows; you could mess around outside all you want, but mess with a known acquaintance in your hometown and you could be cornered into marriage at a moment''s notice.


    Liu Mingxuan wanted to say more but could only sigh and change the subject, "The Lu Liang online, that''s you, isn''t it?"


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile. Liu Mingxuan felt like there was a fishbone stuck in his throat ¨C it was one thing to guess it; it was another for the person involved to admit it.


    Suddenly full of questions but when they reached his mouth, they turned into, "Could you show me the private messages on Weibo, are there really so many revealing photos?"


    Lu Liang generously took out his phone, "There aren''t many revealing photos; they''ve all been blocked, but there are quite a few risqu¨¦ photo shoots."


    "B, A, G! This is basically the same as being thrown at your door; how can you stand it?" Liu Mingxuan was indignant.


    Lu Liang had ultimately become the person he most envied ¨C wealthy, famous, and constantly embraced by young girls throwing themselves at him.


    Lu Liang, still smiling, decided to further provoke his old friend by opening Li Xiaomeng''s Weibo, "Do you recognize her?"


    He had been through one divorce and took women lightly, kind of like Su Wanyu, for whom he simply enjoyed the feeling of being in love.


    And then there was Li Manli, an internet celebrity he had nurtured, whose presence felt like playing a nurturing game.


    Like a piece of work, something to show off.


    "You''re a beast, isn''t she only eighteen or nineteen?" Liu Mingxuan''s eyes widened, clearly recognizing her.


    Recently, Panda had been making constant moves, trending daily, even preparing for a variety show called "Goddess Arrival."


    Li Xiaomeng, as the face of the platform''s beauty section, became well-known to the public, however, it was rumored that she was Wang Xiaocong''s new girlfriend.


    "Nineteen, but not yet a full year."


    "I''m done drinking; I''m going to sleep."


    Overwhelmed, Liu Mingxuan decided to settle the bill and leave.


    Still smiling, Lu Liang called out, "There''s a show tonight; don''t you want to go?"


    Liu Mingxuan stopped in his tracks, torn, "I''m an almost-married man, and I''ve made up my mind to be a good citizen."


    Lu Liang asked, "Have you gotten the marriage certificate?"


    "We''re going to get it next Monday."


    "So, you haven''t gotten it."


    Lu Liang earnestly counted on his fingers for him, "Today''s Friday, tomorrow, Saturday, you have the rehearsal, and the day after is the wedding. You''re getting the certificate the day after that. How many days do you think you have left?"


    Liu Mingxuan''s interest was piqued, and he looked perplexed, "This sounds kind of familiar, like I''ve heard it somewhere before?"


    Lu Liang smiled without saying anything, because three years ago, Liu Mingxuan had said the same thing to him.


    "Is there really an exciting program?" Liu Mingxuan was skeptical, recalling that at that time, it seemed to be just about singing songs and getting a foot massage.


    "Definitely exciting, it just depends on whether you join in or not."


    "Then I have no choice but to risk my life to keep you company."


    At around nine o''clock in the evening, at the She Mountain Clubhouse.


    Liu Mingxuan''s legs were weak, and he leaned against the wall as he walked out of the treatment room, his face twisted in pain. "Is this the exciting program you talked about?"


    He had always heard about testicular pain, and tonight he finally experienced what real testicular pain felt like; he thought his balls were about to shatter.


    "Getting this weak after a few presses, you really should take better care of yourself. Isn''t this program exciting enough?"


    Lu Liang looked at him with disdain, completely forgetting that back in the day, he wasn''t any better and was even mocked by Old Meng for being too weak to benefit from tonics.


    "Does it help?" Liu Mingxuan massaged his lower back.


    "A little bit, yes."


    "Then I''ll go for another treatment course."


    Liu Mingxuan was tempted, thinking what was this little pain compared to future happiness?


    Lu Liang grinned slyly. "Really that frail?"


    "Talking nonsense, I''m fiercely spirited."


    "Next time, as haste makes waste."


    Liu Mingxuan planned to head back at ten o''clock in the evening.


    His soon-to-be bride was a bit controlling about timing, and it was about time for her to call and check in on him.


    Lu Liang smiled and didn''t try to keep him, calling the clubhouse concierge manager over to arrange a driver to take Liu Mingxuan home.


    For those unmarried or not intending to marry, being single had a hundred perks, but once one decides to marry, it''s important to prioritize harmony.


    As a friend, he didn''t want Liu Mingxuan to have an unpleasant altercation with his girlfriend because he came home too late.


    However, at ten o''clock on a Friday night, Modu''s nightlife was just getting started, and he definitely wasn''t in the mood to sleep.


    So, Lu Liang called Little Wang and found out that he was partying at a nightclub, deciding to join in on the fun.


    He used to dislike clubbing, but later realized it wasn''t a matter of dislike but rather a lack of ability to enjoy it.


    Nightclubs are the most straightforward arenas of desire and profit; without money and unwilling to lower one''s dignity to provide emotional value, one naturally becomes an ignored wallflower.


    But now things were different, with money and fame, a bevy of beauties lined up to offer him emotional value, all just to make him smile.


    Occasionally jumping around a little and letting the adrenaline surge was also good for physical and mental health.


    In the early hours, at TAX Bar.


    The sound system roared, and under the neon lights, the dance floor surged with a variety of people dancing wildly, releasing their passion and stress. With the music''s climax, their dancing became more fervent and unrestrained.


    Wang Xiaocong suddenly pulled Lu Liang to look toward the dance floor, where a masked woman had a graceful figure, with curves that captivated.


    "Your ex-girlfriend?" Lu Liang asked smilingly, following the gaze to a certainly well-proportioned body.


    "Not her, I don''t remember, but I know she is a celebrity," Wang Xiaocong said with conviction.


    "The lights are dim, and she''s wearing a mask; how can you tell?" Lu Liang looked doubtful.


    Wang Xiaocong seemed to regain some face and asked with a smile, "Guess whether I''ll tell you?"


    "Am I a child to be guessing?"


    Lu Liang glared and raised his glass, approaching the girl. "Hello, may I get to know you?"


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know you."


    The girl''s voice was very cool, with a bit of a Cantonese accent.


    "From HK? I''m your buddy." Lu Liang said in broken Cantonese.


    The girl smiled with eyes narrowed into crescent moons, quite charming: "You don''t know how to speak."


    "I understand but can''t speak. My friend bet me you''re a celebrity, but I guess you''re not."


    Lu Liang looked up at the second floor, where Wang Xiaocong was leaning over the railing, smiling and raising his glass in response. The girl looked surprised: "Then you lost."


    "With so many people around, how about we go upstairs for a drink, so I can lose convincingly."


    Lu Liang was curious; he was so close and still hadn''t recognized which female star she was, wondering how Little Wang could tell.


    The girl glanced up at Wang Xiaocong again, nodded with a smile, "Okay."


    They ascended the stairs next to the dance floor to the second-floor private room.


    Little Wang made all kinds of teasing gestures, as if to say, "Bro''s got game."


    Lu Liang smiled without speaking, recognizing that this was a willing and very ambitious girl.


    She came up with him out of respect for Little Wang''s face.


    He liked this kind of girl.


    Because if Little Wang could satisfy her needs, so could he.

 Chapter 87 - 87: The Fluttering Ripples of Life

    Entering the private room, the girl took off her mask.


    Her appearance was that of a rarely seen, Hong Kong-style mature beauty; with long and charming eyes, and thin lips with a clear shape.


    Her smile was very infectious; when she wasn''t smiling, paired with bright red lips, she exuded a beauty that was cold, stunning and distant.


    Wang Xiaocong raised his eyebrows, finding her face familiar but couldn''t recall where from. Lu Liang looked surprised, "Miss Wen, I didn''t expect it to be you."


    Last month, he and Su Wanyu went to see a few movies, and at the cinema, he saw a promotional poster for "EQUATOR", and he was astonished by Wen Shanshan''s look.


    A killer woman looking sexy and cold, with a swipe of red lipstick and wavy hair, topped off by a beauty mark that made her unforgettable.


    Hearing the surname Wen, Wang Xiaocong also suddenly remembered, "You used to debut in a group with Yang Tianbao, right?"


    Wen Shanshan''s smile stiffened slightly, "Mr. Wang, you have a good memory, indeed there was such a thing."


    Lu Liang smirked and changed the subject by raising his glass, "Let''s drink, let''s drink. EQUATOR, I''ve watched it several times. Miss Wen, your acting was really good, it''s just a shame your role was too small."


    He recognized Wen Shanshan only from the movie poster of EQUATOR, and knew nothing about her past.


    But based on Wang Xiaocong''s supplement that she had also debuted in a group with Yang Tianbao, combined with Wen Shanshan''s reaction,


    it wasn''t hard to guess that this once united group had now disintegrated and perhaps even become enemies.


    A single season of a running man show made Yang Tianbao incredibly famous, and his wedding of the century hadn''t occurred yet, but he was already a household name.


    In contrast, Wen Shanshan was neither here nor there, not even qualifying as a third-tier actress, relegated to playing bit roles in the Hong Kong circle.


    Lu Liang hadn''t watched "EQUATOR", but considering the cast with Zhazha Hui and God of Song, it likely was a classic Hong Kong-style male-centric film, with the female lead serving merely as eye candy.


    Her past close friends and group members were now famous all over the South and North, but they didn''t take her along for the ride. She must harbor some resentment.


    Here was Lu Liang''s opportunity.


    Wang Xiaocong also realized the situation and, smiling cunningly, played the wingman, "Lu, didn''t you invest in a few movies? Just make Miss Wen the lead in one of them."


    Lu Liang sighed, "There has to be a suitable script. If it''s a shoddy production, wouldn''t that spoil Miss Wen''s reputation among the mainland audiences?"


    A smile was on Wen Shanshan''s face; she had entered the industry at 14 and, after so many years, was not some naive little flower.


    Small roles were indeed a pity, and needing a suitable script was their subtle hint to her.


    Only she didn''t yet know who Lu Liang was.


    Wen Shanshan playfully reproached, "Sir, you know me, but I don''t know you. That doesn''t seem very fair, does it?"


    "My apologies, my apologies, I got excited seeing Miss Wen and forgot to introduce myself."


    Lu Liang smiled and self-punished with a toast, "I''m Lu Liang, from Tianxing Capital."


    Wen Shanshan was surprised, "You are Mr. Lu? So young. Then why do they call you Uncle Lu?"


    Although she mingled in the Hong Kong circle, she always aspired to break into the mainland market and enjoy the vast consumer bonus.


    A few days ago, Lu Liang was the talk of the nation; anyone who went online heard of him, to some extent, but she hadn''t expected him to be so young.


    Wang Xiaocong, who was cuddling a girl in his arms, nearly hurt himself laughing, "Who told him to always act like an old cadre, never showing his face?"


    Lu Liang glared at him, "Aren''t you being a bit too talkative?"


    Wen Shanshan covered her mouth with a giggle. After chatting for a while, her agent called, and she said, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Lu, I''m sorry, it''s getting late; I have to leave now."


    Lu Liang nodded, "Let me walk you downstairs."


    "Thank you."


    Outside the bar, they exchanged contact information, and Lu Liang watched Wen Shanshan get into a taxi and leave.


    He then returned to the upstairs private room. Wang Xiaocong passed him a beer, grinning teasingly, "Are you interested in her?"


    "A bit," Lu Liang admitted while drinking, unapologetic.


    "I just remembered something. That woman doesn''t seem like good news, the same mold as Yang Tianbao; both started as models, one made it, one didn''t."


    Wang Xiaocong recollected some past incidents; Wen Shanshan had apparently made inappropriate comments due to low EQ, nearly getting her blacklisted.


    "That''s something for her future husband to worry about, not me," Lu Liang said with a carefree laugh.


    "That''s true," agreed Wang Xiaocong, chuckling, "Just don''t end up like Mr. Qin, who got cheated out of 45 million US dollars."


    Recently in the Shanghai circle, there was a gossip-worthy incident when a second-generation rich kid was conned out of 45 million US dollars by a nobody. He had been warned that the woman was trouble, but he didn''t listen.


    Now, he was so ashamed he barely dared to show his face.


    "Little Wang, I''ve been married; I have experience. It''s you who should be careful."


    "Don''t worry; that will never happen to me. Also, don''t you fucking call me Little Wang."


    Wang Xiaocong''s expression darkened, and he suddenly remembered Lu Liang had just lost a bet, and even though no stakes were placed, he had won after all.


    His lips curving up, sunglasses in place, he ascended to the DJ booth, transforming into the midnight DJ, "A martini each, Mr. Lu is picking up the tab."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh and cry, leaning against the second-floor railing, he raised his hand in response, "Put it on my tab."


    Cheers filled the venue, and on the dance floor, countless young men and women excitedly screamed, arms raised high.


    ...


    The next day, while Lu Liang was working out at the fitness center, he suddenly received a call from Wen Shanshan.


    She said she was new to Modu and wasn''t familiar with many places, asking if Lu Liang could show her around. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m busy today."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, gently declining. Wen Shanshan felt a wave of disappointment and was about to hang up when Lu Liang suddenly changed the subject, "Why don''t you accompany me to look at cars first, and later I can take you around?"


    Having had several social drinking events these days, as a law-abiding citizen, he couldn''t drive after drinking.


    He had to keep finding designated drivers or asking someone to drive for him, even Little Wang had reminded him that he should hire a driver.


    To hire a driver, Lu Liang decided to buy another car.


    "Reciprocity is only right," said Wen Shanshan, delighted, and she quickly agreed.


    "Where do you live? I''ll come to pick you up later."


    After getting Wen Shanshan''s address, Lu Liang went home, changed his clothes, and drove out.


    He met her at the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel, wearing a green dress and low-heeled shoes, seemingly aware she suited a mature style of dress.


    There was no one else beside her; just her, standing alone at the door, holding an umbrella to shade herself.


    "Miss Wen, you seem different from other celebrities," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    In his experience, when celebrities went out, it was always with great fanfare, surrounded by a crowd; at the very least, they would have three to five people with them.


    Wen Shanshan coyly replied, "I''m not any big star, just a small transparent figure in the entertainment industry. And call me Shanshan, please."


    "Alright, Shanshan, we''ll go take a look at some cars first, and then I''ll give you a tour of Modu this afternoon."


    "You already have a Lamborghini, what car are you going to buy?" Wen Shanshan asked curiously.


    She had looked up Lu Liang''s information the night before; he seemed to be an impressive capital giant.


    There were two figures circulating online: one was 1.28 billion, the other was 70 million US dollars.


    Her heart raced, the financial industry was undoubtedly at the very top of the food chain.


    Moreover, Lu Liang had made a name for himself internationally; even when he went to Xiangjiang, the local tycoons would have to treat him with respect.


    Therefore, she dressed up beautifully this morning and took the initiative to ask Lu Liang out.


    "The Lamborghini is just for fun; I''m missing an executive car, I''m considering looking at Bentleys."


    Lu Liang had always had a fondness for Bentley; its ''B'' with wings symbolized a soaring life.


    "I''m envious."


    Wen Shanshan felt wistfully, after struggling for so many years, she didn''t even have her own apartment in Xiangjiang, to say nothing of a car.


    That Lamborghini is just for fun¡ªsuch words could only be uttered by someone rich like Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang said smiling, "Your acting isn''t bad; you''re just missing one or two good opportunities. Once you make it big, everything will come your way."


    "Making it big is against all reason; not making it means no one cares, but getting popular isn''t so simple." Wen Shanshan sighed regretfully.


    "In a few days, I''ll see if my friends have any good scripts, to see if there''s a suitable role for you."


    Lu Liang felt sympathy, placing his palm on Wen Shanshan''s shoulder and pulling out a tissue to wipe away her tears.


    She didn''t object, tears shimmering in her eyes, "Liang, you''re so kind to me."


    Lu Liang comforted her in a soft voice, "Don''t be too sad; I can''t bear to see a pearl in the dust. You have a great future ahead, and you will stand on a bigger stage one day, becoming the brightest star among them all."


    "Will there be a chance?" Wen Shanshan asked softly.


    "There will be," affirmed Lu Liang, confidently painting a rosy picture.


    "Thank you, Liang. I feel much better now," said Wen Shanshan, nodding and smiling, her spirits lifted, "Let''s go check out cars for you first."


    She knew that Lu Liang was just painting a pretty picture, but she understood one had to give to get in this fair society.


    She wasn''t foolish; she took words with a grain of salt and believed only what she saw. She wanted to see if Lu Liang had the capability he claimed.

 Chapter 88 - 88: Go Upstairs for a Glass of Water?

    "Let''s go then."


    Lu Liang''s smile tilted upward, and the two acted as if they hadn''t noticed anything, coming to the Bentley Puxin store.


    He didn''t look for Li Yue but chose a nearby Bentley dealership to avoid inflating that woman''s expectations.


    Although there were no acquaintances, a Lamborghini was the best pass, earning the sales manager''s enthusiastic hospitality.


    "Mr. Lu, may I ask which of our models you''re interested in?" said the manager, fawning over him with a beaming smile.


    "Let''s take a look at the sedans."


    Lu Liang had driven a 2013 Mushang and liked it at the time, but he wanted to try more to see if the next one would be better.


    Lu Liang, along with Wen Shanshan, test-drove the Flying Spur and the Mushang in succession, laughing, he asked, "Which one do you think is better?"


    "It seems like that one is a bit more comfortable."


    Wen Shanshan thought hard, looking clueless about cars, and finally pointed at the black Mushang.


    Lu Liang chuckled, realizing the top-spec Flying Spur was only able to get the lower-spec Mushang, but he wasn''t particularly concerned.


    Since the car would be registered under the company''s name, it wouldn''t matter if it was a bit more expensive, as it would also mean paying more taxes.


    "Let''s go with that one, I''ll pick the configuration."


    Lu Liang pointed at it too; the listing price was 4.98 million, and after choosing the configuration and including the purchase tax, it would come to almost 6 million.


    Wen Shanshan was stunned, "Aren''t you going to look any further?"


    "Once decided, why wait? What''s there to see?"


    Lu Liang replied with a smile on his face, as relaxed as if he was picking groceries.


    The biggest issue with luxury cars is the cost, as long as the price isn''t a problem, neither pre-sales nor after-sales would pose an issue.


    Each customer is incredibly valued because those who can afford a 6 million luxury car probably won''t just buy one in a lifetime.


    Wen Shanshan was at a loss for words; in her thirteen years in the industry, she hadn''t earned as much money as Lu Liang had spent in one hour.


    "Mr. Lu, your car will take 25 days to arrive, we will urge our headquarters to expedite the process."


    The sales manager was all smiles, clutching the newly signed documents, wishing he could treat Lu Liang like royalty.


    Lu Liang nodded, driving off with Wen Shanshan: "Let''s go eat first, then we''ll take another look around in the afternoon."


    Wen Shanshan nodded, but during the meal, she suddenly remembered leaving something at the hotel.


    Lu Liang had to bring her back to the hotel, planning to wait for her downstairs. Hesitant, she asked in a low voice, "It''s so hot today, why don''t we go upstairs for a drink of water first?"


    "That sounds good, my throat''s a bit dry."


    Lu Liang smiled, following Wen Shanshan into her hotel room.


    A standard business suite, not particularly impressive, probably costing a little over a thousand to two thousand a night.


    "The room''s a bit messy, please don''t mock me."


    Wen Shanshan hurriedly tidied up the papers on the table, but suddenly she exclaimed and found herself pressing half her body against the table, her voice soft and coquettish, "Liang, what are you doing~"


    Lu Liang showed an apologetic face, hugging Wen Shanshan''s waist, "I accidentally bumped into the edge of the table just now and my leg suddenly feels a bit numb."


    Wen Shanshan rolled her eyes, smiling seductively, undoing Lu Liang''s belt while asking, "Let me see if there''s an injury."


    "It''s swollen."


    "I have a remedy for swelling."


    "Shall we try it?"


    "Let''s try it then."


    The two moved from the living room to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, from dawn to dusk, the already messy room became even more chaotic.


    Actresses aren''t really much different from ordinary girls, except they tend to have slimmer figures and pay more attention to posture management.


    Their skin is smooth like milk, and even at 27 years old, they maintain themselves so well they hardly look different from a 19-year-old girl.


    According to Wen Shanshan''s account, she earned 800,000 a year, and at least 400,000 of that was spent on daily maintenance.


    After all, an actress''s career is all about youth and looks; once beauty fades, even the biggest stars can be left neglected.


    Especially since she was neither famous nor influential, she needed more maintenance, waiting for an opportunity, such as this very moment.


    "Are Hong Kong stars really not in demand anymore?" Lu Liang asked as he gently pinched her delicate chin.


    Her chin wasn''t sharp, her face resembling the classic oval shape, but the corners of her eyes didn''t look quite natural; she probably had some work done.


    "Not like before. The Xiangjiang market is shrinking, and the Hong Kong circle keeps recycling the same few people for film and TV dramas."


    Wen Shanshan leaned over Lu Liang, picked up a cigarette and lighter, and lit up a post-coital smoke for him: "Like this time, I came here to audition for the role of the second female lead in a TV drama."


    "Movie stars stooping to act in TV dramas, isn''t that looked down upon in your circle?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    Although he wasn''t very familiar with the entertainment industry, he had heard about the hierarchical disdain among movie, television, and web series actors.


    Wen Shanshan poked Lu Liang''s chest, clearly resentful: "Have you ever even seen the film EQUATOR that I acted in?"


    "To be honest, no." Lu Liang''s eyes crinkled with amusement as he puffed smoke, lying in bed with her, there was no point in hiding the truth.


    Wen Shanshan glared at him fiercely, a look of ''I thought as much'' on her face: "Even though I was the lead, after editing, I only had a few minutes of screen time. I''d rather do a TV drama where at least I''d have more scenes, become more recognizable, and maybe get noticed by someone." S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And what about Angelababy? Her resources are pretty good, why hasn''t she helped you out?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    "Ugh, stop talking about her. If she hadn''t badmouthed me, I would''ve been in Mushang by now."


    Wen Shanshan gnashed her teeth, revealing the most genuine side of Angelababy, which boiled down to relentlessly advancing on the path of scandals.


    Back then, she was na?ve, thinking that hard work would pay off, and she also refused any under-the-table deals.


    But Yang Tianbao was different, she knew early on how to use her advantages, climbing the ladder of influence until she met Huang Xiaoming.


    Lu Liang chuckled and didn''t pursue the topic further: "Tomorrow, you move to the luxury suite upstairs, stay as long as you want. When I''m done with my busy period, I''ll help you look for a suitable role."


    He had a commercial platinum card; the bank had partnerships with five-star hotels nationwide, and some of the luxury suites were free or heavily discounted.


    For a long-term stay, it could even be cheaper than a regular business hotel room.


    Wen Shanshan wrapped her arms around Lu Liang''s neck: "Liang, I''ve given everything to you, you better not let me down~"


    Lu Liang chuckled and lightly brushed her nose: "I''ll keep an eye out for you, don''t just lie there, let''s go downstairs for a bit."


    "But, I don''t have any energy left, not a bit," Wen Shanshan protested pitifully, clinging to Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang didn''t indulge her: "Then you rest a while, I''ll see if there''s something good to eat and bring you something later."


    "Don''t go, let''s go together." Wen Shanshan inwardly sensed trouble and quickly got out of bed, following Lu Liang into the bathroom.


    She had missed many opportunities, and Lu Liang was her best chance to become famous. For fame, she was willing to do anything.


    Making money was secondary; she wanted to prove herself, show she was no less than Yang Tianbao, it was just that her luck wasn''t as good.


    Now that Yang Tianbao was famous, whatever she said was right, and nobody listened to what Wen Shanshan had to say, all the blame was on her.


    Only when she became famous could she explain everything.


    A smile played on Lu Liang''s lips as he stood under the showerhead, enjoying Wen Shanshan as she washed his entire body.


    Actresses are actually just like that, and they''re even more ambitious and goal-oriented than ordinary girls, willing to face any ordeal for their objectives.


    That evening, the two went out for dinner, and back at the hotel, Lu Liang casually upgraded her to a luxury suite at the Four Seasons Hotel.


    He gave her a taste of the sweet life; as for the film and TV resources, Lu Liang planned to wait until he was less busy and had free time to discuss it.


    Keeping her in suspense ensured continued service; things that come too easily are often undervalued.

 Chapter 89 - 89: Reunion with an Old Friend

    The next afternoon, Lu Liang went to Yingdi Hotel according to the address on the invitation.


    As he drove into the parking lot, he realized he''d forgotten to bring money, having gotten used to scanning codes and swiping cards; his wallet only contained a little over a thousand yuan in cash for emergencies.


    When Lu Liang got married, Liu Mingxuan had given him an 1,800-yuan red envelope, the most generous gift from among his friends.


    Lu Liang looked around and saw an ATM across the street, where he withdrew 2,000 yuan and then bought a red envelope from the small shop next door, upon which he wrote his name.


    Upon leaving the shop, Lu Liang ran into a female classmate who looked familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn''t recall her name.


    The woman also seemed to be in deep thought, but then suddenly clapped her hands together and exclaimed with surprise, "Lu Liang, am I right?"


    "Are you also here for Mingxuan''s wedding?"


    Lu Liang chuckled awkwardly, the most embarrassing part of reunions being when someone remembered him but he couldn''t remember them at all.


    Although her name seemed on the tip of his tongue, he still couldn''t remember it.


    "Looking at you, you couldn''t possibly still be trying to remember who I am, could you?" the female classmate said with a less-than-friendly look in her eyes.


    "Little Huang, how could I ever forget you?" he said, as he suddenly remembered her upon hearing her familiar catchphrase.


    Huang Lihui was thrown into nostalgia upon hearing this and said with a sigh, "What a name to remember, but now they all call me Big Huang."


    "Well, it looks like you''re living the good life, free from worries about food and clothing, so it''s only fitting to evolve a bit," Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    The main reason he couldn''t remember her was that his former classmate had become more and more affluent-looking over the years.


    At a height of around 1.6 meters, her weight looked to be about the same as his, he guessed roughly 150 pounds.


    Dressed in gold and silver with jade for decoration, she was the picture of a wealthy lady.


    "Your mouth is still as sharp as ever," she retorted, giving him a harsh stare. "I just heard you might have gotten divorced?"


    She had arrived half an hour earlier and had been upstairs catching up with old classmates for a while.


    She had just come downstairs to move her car at the request of a phone call and decided to buy something at the store on the way.


    Lu Liang nodded. "Lu, how have you been doing recently, been making money somewhere? Still selling houses?" Huang Lihui asked.


    "After the divorce, I lost the mood to work, so I quit my job. Now I''m doing some small business to make ends meet," he replied.


    "That''s a pity, I was actually planning to buy a few houses in Modu and wanted to consult with you," she said with a nonchalant air, her peripheral vision keen on Lu Liang, as she secretly gauged his reaction.


    At weddings and funerals, old acquaintances reunite, some to catch up with old classmates, and others to satisfy their vanity and show off.


    She had been unremarkable during college, never experiencing the fresh rain of youth, so she was always keen to attend reunions and weddings.


    The saying "Thirty years on the east bank of the river and thirty years on the west bank, do not take the poverty of youth lightly" undoubtedly serves as the driving force for every ordinary person''s progress.


    "If you really need it, I''ll introduce you to some former colleagues later," Lu Liang offered absentmindedly, looking toward the lobby''s display board and noting Liu Mingxuan''s wife''s name was Liu Yuzhen. "It''s on the third floor, right?"


    Huang Lihui grunted, already feeling a bit upset.


    When she had mentioned buying several properties in Modu earlier, her former classmates had all been extremely eager, asking her where she made her fortune and actively handing out business cards.


    Lu Liang''s lukewarm attitude was a blow to her proud self-esteem. Huang Lihui then asked with a smile, "Lu Liang, what kind of small business are you running recently? My husband''s in the building materials business in Puxin District, fairly well-known; maybe there''s a chance to support each other."


    "Well, please thank your husband for me, but selling grilled gluten at the subway entrance rarely involves partnerships," Lu Liang replied with a faint smile, noticing Big Huang''s eager desire to boast, so he simply played along.


    It had been ten years since graduation, and the only classmate he was still in touch with was Liu Mingxuan; the others didn''t really matter.


    After today''s meal, the next meeting might be in three years, five years, ten years, or perhaps there might never be another chance to meet again.


    Lu Liang didn''t care about the impression he''d leave; he just wanted to offer his best wishes to the newlyweds, eat his meal and leave¡ªthat was his sole purpose for this trip.


    "It''s good to be the boss, right? One person full, the whole family isn''t hungry. You can set up shop when you want to and rest when you don''t. Unlike us, from the moment we wake up, we''re responsible for the livelihood of hundreds of people. The pressure is real," said Huang Lihui, her pride immensely satisfied.


    "Indeed," Lu Liang replied, offering sporadic responses as they reached the third-floor banquet hall and saw Liu Mingxuan and his wife, both dressed in traditional Chinese red wedding attire, warmly greeting guests at the door.


    When Liu Mingxuan saw Lu Liang, he came forward with big strides and whacked him on the back, "Making a grand entrance, aren''t you? Playing the star of the show?"


    "Who dares? I just had a few more words with Big Huang downstairs," Lu Liang gestured with his mouth, signaling him to look behind.


    Liu Mingxuan showed a strange expression on his face and asked in a low voice, "Didn''t she boast about her construction-materials tycoon husband or talk about how she''s about to buy several more properties?"


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile, "She did."


    "And you didn''t deflate her tires?"


    Liu Mingxuan looked gleefully schadenfreude, completely disregarding the fact that today was his own wedding.


    "Can''t be bothered."


    Lu Liang gave him a look, walked up to the bride, and revealed a smile, "Happy wedding, it''s the first time we meet. My name is Lu Liang, and I''m Mingxuan''s good friend."


    The bride seemed a bit shy, returning a bashful smile, "Hello, I frequently hear our Mingxuan talk about you."


    Lu Liang turned back to look at Liu Mingxuan and patted his shoulder, "Happy wedding, no need to entertain me, I''ll go over myself."


    He spotted a few familiar faces at the classmates'' table, left a red envelope, signed his name, and then walked over.


    Liu Mingxuan eyed the thickness of the red envelope and revealed a satisfied smile, "No need to entertain acquaintances, go enjoy yourself."


    Around two thousand, never less, only more, he felt quite content.


    A true friend is about heartfelt connections and mutual respect, not about neglecting the other person''s feelings after having money and giving whatever amount you want. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang being wealthy was his own business; Liu Mingxuan enjoyed hanging out with him because they shared everything from the very beginning, from smoking the same cigarette to now casually having drinks and late-night snacks without fussing over the costs.


    After more than a decade of friendship, what he valued was his character.


    When he truly needed help, he would ask, rather than expecting Lu Liang to bestow charity on him whenever he wanted.


    Luckily, Lu Liang also understood this.


    "Lu, you''re late."


    "It''s been a few years, and you seem to be getting younger."


    "The belly is gone, and even the skin is getting better. Could this be what they call reverse aging?"


    Upon arriving at the classmates'' table, Lu Liang immediately became the center of attention.


    Being thirty is rare, not just physically but spiritually too. Tied down by family, one loses autonomy.


    Engulfed in work, afraid to quit; sick, yet afraid to take a break. With parents to support above and young children clamoring to be fed below, not to mention looking after the wife''s emotions, one could hardly be considered a complete person but rather a mere tool, barely hanging on by a thread.


    Almost buried neck-deep in the yellow soil, the time will come to send off the parents and raise the children until they are settled. By then, it''s almost time to rest in peace.


    One''s own priorities get pushed far back, to the point where most have no sense of self, unconcerned about appearance or physique.


    Hence, a balding pate and potbelly become the norm.


    Knowing everyone''s life conditions were similar, yet to see Lu Liang seemingly living a "second life" in reverse, how could they not be envious?


    Huang Lihui was both envious and spiteful; she went from Little Huang to Big Huang, so why could Lu Liang still seem so youthful?


    "Maybe it''s because I''ve had more time to work out recently. Losing weight does make one look younger."


    Such cases like Huang Lihui''s were rare, and when Lu Liang shared his experience, everyone started to share their differences between then and now.


    Someone mentioned a stark decrease in digestive capacity¡ªable to devour two pounds of meat in one meal without needing staples or vegetables in their youth, but not anymore. Overeating now caused discomfort and even constipation; they had to eat fewer portions along with staples and veggies.


    Another lamented that the most painful moment of the day was washing hair, watching the white foam mixed with dozens of black strands slide away, fearing that soon each hair might be allotted its own number.


    After sharing ailments, they started to discuss causes and remedies, from daily routines to dietary supplements, and even old family recipes.


    Li Luang listened, smiling.


    This was the scene that should unfold when old friends reunite, speaking freely about their lives, temporarily breaking free from the pressures of life and work, reminiscing about their youthful days.


    Huang Lihui was quite frustrated; she was so wealthy and yet nobody was fawning over her, what was the point of money then?


    "In my opinion, it''s still best to visit the beauty salon and gym more often, spending some money on professional personal trainers to tailor-make your workout programs."


    Huang Lihui spoke casually, hinting that she spends at least several hundred thousand, if not millions, every year on such expenses.


    This yearly expense alone could equal the entire income of an average person for two or three years.


    However, before her tablemates could exhibit their envy, Lu Liang interjected with a laugh, "But it doesn''t seem to be very effective, does it?"


    At that remark, the old classmates couldn''t help but burst into laughter.


    It seemed true; if those things were effective, Little Huang wouldn''t have become Big Huang.

 Chapter 90 - 90: Lu Liang? Private Equity Tycoon?

    Huang Lihui choked on old blood, unable to utter a word as her face turned dark.


    A classmate tried to smooth things over, laughing as they changed the subject. "Oh, have you guys ever heard about that Lu Liang from the internet? He happens to share the same name."


    Huang Lihui''s eyes lit up, seizing the chance to mock. "That guy is a big shot in private equity, while our old classmate here just sells skewered wheat gluten."


    Everyone was taken aback, their looks toward Lu Liang shifting; they were not as enthusiastic as before, more distant now.


    As delightful as the bygone youthful days were, it''s important to live in the present.


    Annoying but a building materials boss''s wife, friendly but sells skewered wheat gluten.


    Grown-ups knew what choices to make.


    A classmate involved in building materials joked, laughing. "Lu Liang, where''s your stall? If it''s on my way to work, I''ll swing by and check out your craft."


    "Probably around Lujiazui, setting up shop casually. If there''s a chance, I''ll treat you to a taste," Lu Liang responded with a smile, oblivious to the underhanded comments.


    Huang Lihui was thrilled, growing bolder. "Setting up a stall in Lujiazui? Isn''t that asking to be chased off by the city management?"


    Someone who disliked Huang Lihui''s bossy demeanor deliberately changed the subject, pointing at the backdrop on the stage that was showing sweet moments of a newlywed.


    "Liu, that guy, swore never to marry back in the day¡ªI told him then he just hadn''t met the right person."


    An insider said with a smile, "Could it possibly be a shotgun wedding?"


    With that, everyone burst out laughing.


    Liu Mingxuan had always been a playboy since college; seeing him tied down by his wife and child was indeed a joyous sight to behold.


    As the lights in the banquet hall dimmed, conversations ceased, everyone focused on enjoying the ceremony and wishing the newlyweds well.


    The wedding ceremony lasted over forty minutes, people ate and watched until the newlyweds came to their table to toast.


    Liu Mingxuan''s brows were furrowed, noticing Lu Liang being sidelined while Huang Lihui was celebrated like a star.


    "Thanks everyone for attending my wedding. I hope everyone eats well and drinks well today," he raised his glass with a smile.


    Liu Mingxuan glanced at the drink in Lu Liang''s glass, his expression displeased. "Liangzi, pour out that drink and switch to something foreign."


    Lu Liang was confused, not understanding why Liu Mingxuan suddenly picked on him. Whether it was a soft drink or liquor¡ªit should not matter.


    Liu Mingxuan grumbled, "I told you not to drive and to bring an assistant if necessary. How could you dare drink a soft drink at my wedding?"


    "Today is your big day, you call the shots," Lu Liang grinned helplessly but understood Liu Mingxuan''s intentions.


    He swapped his drink for hard liquor, downing a full glass at once, then asked, "Happy now, groom?"


    "That''s more like it."


    Liu Mingxuan, smiling warmly with his bride, continued on to other tables to toast, leaving the confused crowd behind.


    Lu Liang has a car?


    And an assistant?


    Wasn''t he just selling skewered wheat gluten?


    What on earth was going on?


    Lu Liang kept a composed face and didn''t explain further. He made a phone call to Wen Chao, gave him the hotel address, and urged him to come now.


    Driven by curiosity, someone couldn''t help asking, "Hey, Lu, what''s with the riddle you and Mingxuan are playing?"


    Lu Liang played it off, laughing. "Don''t mind him. He''s just overly happy because he''s married today, drank too much."


    While thoughts varied among the crowd enjoying their meal, the lively atmosphere at the table had vanished.


    Twenty-some minutes later, a handsome young man in a suit and sweating profusely, arrived at the venue.


    Wen Chao didn''t come inside but stood at the entrance. Catching sight of Lu Liang, he flashed a polite smile.


    Lu Liang slightly nodded, filled his glass with wine, and walked up to the host table to toast.


    He stared hard at Liu Mingxuan, then offered his wish with a smile, "May your marriage be blessed for a century, I have to leave now."


    Liu Mingxuan watched the classmates'' table, their expressions shocked. He smiled satisfiedly, "No need to see me out, take it slow."


    Just as Lu Liang left, a few others from the classmates'' table came to toast in succession, Liu Mingxuan joked, "Are you trying to get me drunk on purpose?"


    A person close to him, who had just helped Lu Liang smooth things over earlier, straightforwardly asked, "Mingxuan, what''s the deal with Lu Liang?"


    Liu Mingxuan responded with a smile, "Why don''t you follow him and see for yourselves?"


    He hadn''t finished talking when Huang Lihui had already run to the window, her eyes wide and her face in disbelief.


    Moments before, they had been chatting when a Urus worth over three million parked downstairs, and no one expected it to belong to Lu Liang.


    Everyone''s expressions were as if they''d seen a ghost, and someone couldn''t help but say, "Could the Lu Liang from the internet actually be the Lu Liang we know?"


    Huang Lihui''s face was ashen, and she murmured in a daze, "Impossible, if he were that rich, would he still get divorced?"


    "What''s so impossible about that, maybe he got divorced because he is rich," someone half-joked in surprise. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mr. Lu, quietly becoming a tycoon."


    Lu Liang''s wealth was none of their business, nor would they try to borrow money from him, but it was crucial for demeaning Huang Lihui.


    Lu Liang''s low profile now made Huang Lihui look like a joker. Could someone in the building materials business ever rival someone in finance?


    On the other side,


    Wen Chao drove out of the hotel, "Mr. Lu, where would you like to go?"


    Even though it was a rest day, he was eager for Lu Liang to need him for anything, as it would show they were close.


    Lu Liang rubbed his head, his brain throbbed slightly from the two glasses of Western liquor as he said with his eyes closed, "Tangchen Yipin, Building B."


    On weekends, Li Manli gave herself a day off, dressing up beautifully at home and waiting for Lu Liang to take her out.


    But after eagerly waiting for half the day, she saw Lu Liang return home reeking of alcohol and staggering.


    "How come you drank so much at noon."


    As she scolded him, she helped him undress.


    "I just attended a friend''s wedding."


    Lu Liang wasn''t drunk; it was just that the liquor was strong, causing his head to ache.


    Leaning on Li Manli''s soft thigh, his eyes closed, he showed a content expression, "Let me nap for a bit."


    "Hmmm~"


    Li Manli made a goofy face but didn''t move, even rifling through Lu Liang''s belongings to make him more comfortable.


    Suddenly, she spotted a four-leaf clover lighter. She couldn''t read English but recognized the Chinese characters.


    ''Smoke less'' ¨C the font looked like Xiujuan''s, not something Lu Liang would write.


    Li Manli felt suspicious and cautiously asked, "Was this lighter a gift from someone?"


    "I''m getting older. I smoke too much, and my throat hurts; it''s time to quit gradually."


    Lu Liang replied seamlessly without a hint of guilt.


    Li Manli took him at his word, poking his cheek, "I''ve been meaning to tell you to quit, I heard that smoking too much can prevent you from having children."


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, smiling as he asked, "Thinking about having kids already?"


    "It''s still early, I''m still a baby myself. Maybe wait another two or three years, and then we can have a couple, what do you say?"


    Li Manli was serious, having thought about it, but she was barely nineteen and wanted to enjoy a few more years.


    "That''s up to you, not me. If you''re not careful with protection, you might become a mom next year."


    Lu Liang shifted his position, looking at the little white patent leather shoes and her shiny straight calves; Li Manli liked wearing dresses.


    She had told him, although it was inconvenient and complicated to wear them, she would continue if he liked it.


    Li Manli proudly said, "All set, I''ve downloaded an amazing app that tells me when it''s okay and when it''s not, clear and simple."


    A 6-million-three-year livestream contract, Panda Interactive Entertainment had transferred the first year''s payment; half went to the studio, and about 800,000 after tax ended up with her.


    Li Manli might not be smart, but she knew that without Lu Liang financing her, building a studio for her, and teaching her how to craft her persona, she couldn''t have achieved what she did.


    So, once the money was in her hands, she immediately transferred 600,000 back home. Please don''t contact her; it was a repayment for the years of upbringing.


    From then on, Li Manli told herself she belonged to Lu Liang and would follow him wholeheartedly.


    Unless he didn''t want her, she would cling to him forever, her gaze unintentionally falling on the lighter on the table.


    "How about today?" As the alcohol effect wore off, his fingertip traced her calf, slowly moving up, delving deeper.


    "Today? Of course~"


    Li Manli smiled radiantly, preempting him, her lips puckered on his, "Ooh~ Your breath smells strongly of alcohol."

 Chapter 91 - 91: Three People Discuss Private Equity

    Monday morning, 9:30 AM.


    Teli A opened high at 6.55%, with a share price of RMB 34.25.


    Lu Liang called Wen Chao to set up a brokerage sub-account unique to institutions, "Sell 10-30 shares per transaction until I tell you to stop."


    His institutional account still had 22,577 shares, and if sold at the current price, he could cash out RMB 77.32 million.


    Lu Liang thought for two days and decided to transfer the market orders.


    On this stock, through these two market trends, he had already made enough profit. Market benefits are about allocation; since the Wenzhou Gang was willing to make overtures, he couldn''t be ungracious.


    "Mr. Lu, are you asking me to manage the trading for you?" Wen Chao, normally calm and collected, suddenly froze.


    "Can''t you? Then let me teach you," Lu Liang was surprised, wondering how a Fudan finance master''s graduate didn''t even know how to manage trades, perhaps they hadn''t used simulation trading during their studies.


    With his face turning red, Wen Chao hurriedly explained, "Mr. Lu, I actually can, just a bit¡­"


    "A bit surprised, right?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    Wen Chao quickly nodded; after all, having joined the company just 23 days ago, he didn''t know whether to be excited or anxious when Lu Liang suddenly asked him to manage trading.


    He suddenly remembered a civil engineering intern,


    who, after working for two months, was sentenced to over a decade in prison.


    "Try your hand at it; don''t feel too much pressure."


    Lu Liang carefully instructed him to throw in a bit more when the market sentiment was hot and less when it cooled.


    It wasn''t technically challenging since he planned to transfer the market orders, and all chips would be wholly accepted by the Wenzhou Gang.


    As long as it was slow and didn''t affect the market sentiment, it would be fine.


    The process was tedious, which is why Lu Liang set up a sub-account letting Wen Chao handle it.


    A sub-account doesn''t show positions and capital; Lu Liang would supervise the entire process alongside, so nothing could go wrong.


    Wen Chao understood and took his responsibilities seriously.


    "Start from RMB 34.25."


    Lu Liang sipped his coffee,


    watching the chips in the account slowly decrease.


    The turnover rate of individual stocks was increasing, but it wasn''t affecting the share price at all. The price was even continuously rising.


    This also meant that they were offloading, and someone was fully accepting it, with both parties switching owners at a high position.


    Yet the retail investors didn''t know and thought multiple institutions were vying for chips, so they rushed to join the fray.


    Instead of falling, the share price rose, touching the trading limit several times.


    Time ticked away, and in the office, the only sounds were Wen Chao typing and clicking his mouse.


    Lu Liang rested his chin in his hand, watching the chips dwindle and the profit from this venture becoming clearer.


    Not until Wen Chao''s sub-account showed a transaction failure did Lu Liang call to stop.


    He turned to look at Lu Liang, his eyes showing the clear, naive gaze typical of college students, "Mr. Lu, is it¡­ all sold?"


    Wen Chao didn''t know exactly how much he had sold as he had been concentrating on the transaction details and mechanically selling off the shares.


    Lu Liang glanced at the display showing 0% position, smiled, and nodded, "Thanks for the hard work; you can leave for now."


    "Not strenuous at all, Mr. Lu. I''ll be off then, call me if you need me," Wen Chao said politely despite feeling a bit dizzy.


    After Wen Chao left, Lu Liang began to tally the profits from this deal. Starting capital was RMB 79 million; now he owned USD 16.2635 million, as well as RMB 149 million.


    Of which, USD 6.2635 million was earned from short selling yen, and these two market trends of Teli A gained him RMB 134 million.


    All things considered, including the USD 20 million account margin, the original capital of USD 100 million had now become RMB 272.43 million.


    "Two months, a 172% rate of return, not too bad."


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, smiling as he called Old Meng downstairs for tea to share the good news.


    "This is fucking awesome, it''s not just good!" Meng Changkun''s eyes widened, hugely excited.


    Even though he only had a 25% profit, his RMB 172.43 million had also earned him RMB 43.1075 million from a capital of RMB 50 million, resulting in a profit margin of 87.5%.


    Amid his excitement, Meng Changkun suddenly realized something, "Are you settling up?"


    He had entrusted RMB 50 million to Lu Liang''s management out of trust, albeit in a custodial capacity.


    Normally, there wasn''t a need for Lu Liang to clarify this clearly before the settlement date stipulated in the contract.


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile, indeed planning an early settlement.


    Meng Changkun eagerly asked, "What''s the matter, why settle early all of a sudden?"


    Lu Liang candidly replied, "I plan to take a break for a while, and this is a good opportunity to delve into private equity operation methods."


    After this settlement, his personal savings would exceed three hundred million RMB, ensuring he wouldn''t have to worry about basic needs and could begin using other people''s money to make money.


    He wanted to establish a subsidiary specializing in asset management and planned to pull Meng Changkun and Little Wang into partnership.


    "Why involve Wang Xiaocong, that wastrel?"


    Meng Changkun was quite disdainful, thinking that it was only because Old Wang was rich; if Little Wang were his son, he would have squandered his wealth long ago.


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "Precisely because his father is Old Wang, last year''s First Rich among the Chinese and the chairman of Wanda Group, he is worth bringing into the fold."


    Real estate was deeply tied to the domestic economy; Old Wang had become the world''s richest Chinese not because he dabbled with both the law and the underworld, but it wasn''t far from it.


    Lu Liang''s own capabilities were insufficient, and although Meng Changkun had several billion, his influence was limited to the Yangtze River Delta; only with Little Wang could they ensure their ''warship'' would sail smoothly.


    Meng Changkun asked, "How do you plan to allocate the shares?"


    Lu Liang replied, "I''ll take 60, you 30, he 10."


    "If he thinks that''s too little, I''ll take 20," Meng added.


    Meng Changkun pondered for a long time. He was a wise man. Lu Liang already had a reputation, and giving him 30% was purely because they had met early, seizing the opportunity first.


    Moreover, in this collaboration, his contribution would be limited; taking too much would make it hard to justify, and he might become a target.


    Lu Liang was surprised, nodded, and then added, "But as for the position of deputy general, Old Meng, please don''t refuse it; Little Wang is too young, I don''t trust him yet." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meng Changkun was astonished. "Aren''t you taking it?"


    "I''m just in charge of making money; I''ll leave dealing with investors to you."


    Lu Liang had not forgotten; he still wanted to be a pioneer in domestic new energy. Establishing a private fund was for raising money.


    However, to use investors'' money to become a pioneer in new energy, he needed to give them a taste of success first.


    "Oh my, how can I accept this? But since you can''t manage it, I will help you manage it."


    Meng Changkun feigned reluctance, his face a picture of embarrassment while almost grinning from ear to ear.


    As long as Lu Liang continued to generate returns, his days as deputy would be even more comfortable than Lu Liang''s.


    Lu Liang just smiled; he knew but didn''t say anything.


    What Meng Changkun received, he deserved.


    There are always good horses, but good horse trainers are rare.


    Old Meng had helped him continuously when he was unknown, a very difficult thing.


    Who else to appoint as deputy but Old Meng? He was experienced and could handle interpersonal relationships well.


    That evening, Lu Liang hosted a dinner and called out Little Wang for the three to meet and discuss this matter in detail.


    During the conversation, Old Meng easily manipulated Little Wang, first explaining Lu Liang''s original 631 plan, which seriously annoyed Little Wang.


    Then, he feigned weakness and pretense of struggle, and, ultimately unable to resist, he gave up 10%, changing the shares to 622.


    "That''s more like it."


    Little Wang showed a satisfied smile and asked curiously, "How much did you actually earn in your last collaboration?"


    "Not a lot, just 50 days, a profit rate of 172%, one hundred million became two hundred seventy-two million."


    Meng Changkun smiled, mimicking Lu Liang''s tone, as if he were discussing something very mundane.


    Little Wang was the first to know aside from them, but he wouldn''t be the last; this was both a feat and a selling point.


    "Holy crap, are you a demon?" Wang Xiaocong''s eyes widened, his face in disbelief.


    Making more than double in 50 days, in cash, not just antecedent company valuations during venture capital funding.


    It was one hundred million in cash.


    Suddenly, Wang Xiaocong frowned, "It doesn''t add up, didn''t the little devils say you made sixty million US Dollars?"


    "That''s just more than six million US Dollars. I took the blame," Lu Liang sighed; the more he thought about it, the more he felt he had drawn the short straw.


    Once he had sufficient capital and the right opportunity, he would definitely plunder a large sum.


    "I''d like to carry that black pot too."


    Little Wang''s eyes were full of envy, wishing he could suffer for Lu Liang.


    Without the little devils stirring things up, it would have taken Lu Liang at least another eighteen months to gain his current reputation.


    Wang Xiaocong paused, then asked, "How much do you plan to raise for the first phase?"


    "One hundred million US dollars, two million per share, 2+20."


    Lu Liang had researched; 2+20 was the most common fee structure for domestic private funds.


    ''2'' refers to charging 2% of the fund''s size as a management fee, for example, investors would pay 2.04 million for a two million share.


    ''20'' represents the fund managers taking 20% of the total fund earnings as a performance reward.


    With one hundred million dollars of principal, making another hundred million, the fund management company would earn twenty million dollars in revenue.

 Chapter 92 - 92: Three Hundred Million Savings, Reward with Several Sets of Houses

    "Keeping it so low-key, don''t you want to go bigger?"


    Wang Xiaocong was surprised, one hundred million dollars was just over six hundred million RMB.


    If Old Wang was willing to transfer the entire final payment, he could cover it all by himself.


    The most deadly kind of showing off is the invisible kind; which good-hearted person would give their son five hundred million in cash to start a business?


    Lu Liang had no strength left to complain, "Let''s test the waters first, I also want to play with a few billion dollars, but someone has to invest, right?"


    Little Wang looked disgusted and lectured, "Little Lu, you need to think bigger. Even if we three don''t invest, one hundred million dollars divided into fifty shares isn''t enough to go around."


    Meng Changkun also stood by Little Wang''s side, persuading, "Mr. Wang is right. We should at least aim for two hundred million dollars. That way we can all invest a little, and others will believe in it and follow suit."


    "Just one hundred million for the first phase. We each take five shares. If you think the share is too little, I can let you have my five shares."


    Lu Liang shook his head, his attitude very firm; the private equity scale of one hundred million dollars was the result of careful consideration.


    His capital was too small, if the amount raised for the private equity was increased, the capital to follow suit would inevitably have to increase as well.


    After all, five shares would require ten million dollars each; raising it to two hundred million dollars would mean ten or more shares.


    Lu Liang had 310 million cash on hand, and there were too many things waiting to be paid for; funds should be spent where they''re most needed.


    Moreover, he held a 60% stake, if he made a hundred million, he would get a cut of twelve million. The benefits should be given away.


    Most importantly, Old Meng and Little Wang were standing together, a tendency that must be curbed; the company could only be commanded by him.


    If you cede five cities today, you''ll have to cede ten tomorrow. No matter how good the relationship with a business partner, one must be vigilant about this point.


    Money can be made in lesser amounts, but sovereignty cannot be lost.


    Meng Changkun squinted, fully aware of Lu Liang''s concerns, and was the first to react, persuading Little Wang in return, "Let''s just start with one hundred million then. After all, it''s the first phase. If the feedback is good later, we can open another phase. We don''t have to wait until next year."


    Wang Xiaocong was straightforward and hadn''t thought that much, nodding in agreement, "Lu, are you serious about giving up your five shares?"


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded. Wang Xiaocong looked at Meng Changkun, "What about you, Old Meng, do you want them?"


    Meng Changkun coughed a few times, "Uhm, well."


    "Then it''s two for you, three for me, no problem, right?"


    Wang Xiaocong was very disdainful, annoyed with people like Old Meng who would hem and haw.


    "Mr. Wang, whatever you decide is fine," Meng Changkun said with a smile.


    "Tomorrow I''ll have someone set up a subsidiary, subscribe to one hundred million, pay in ten million, with a distribution ratio of 622. As for subscription, I''ll leave that up to you two, only recognizing money, not people."


    Lu Liang revealed a smile and stood up to raise a glass, marking the occasion with a comma, and Wang and Meng also raised their glasses to drink together.


    That night, the few of them inevitably went to the bar again, mainly because Little Wang liked it. The two resisted again and again, but it was hard to decline a hearty invitation.


    The next day, Lu Liang withdrew all the funds from the account to clear it, and just as it reached his account, he received a call from President Liu at ICBC.


    Through the phone, one could hear the sycophantic tone: "Mr. Lu, I just saw a transfer into your account of 16.2635 million dollars and 149 million RMB, are you operating it?"


    "Right, I''ll be going with Mr. Meng Changkun to make a visit, and while I''m there, I''ll open a corporate account."


    "Good, good, good, a friend just sent me a couple of two generations of mother bushes from Wuyi Mountain. I''ll be waiting for the pleasure of your company."


    Lu Liang chuckled and hung up the phone, and went with Meng Changkun to ICBC to complete the clearance of his account.


    He transferred 93.1075 million directly to Meng Changkun from his account, opened a corporate account for Tianxing Asset Management Company, and clarified that it would be used for the general account of the private equity in the future.


    President Liu nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with smiles, "I hear it''s quite difficult to handle the procedures for private equity, do you need help?"


    Meng Changkun had an ominous look in his eyes and coughed violently, "Old Liu, I''m still here; I''ll handle this matter properly."


    As a shareholder of the company, as well as the future general manager, he was obliged and had to handle this matter impeccably.


    Lu Liang smiled, "Old Meng, President Liu, you guys talk, I have other things to attend to, so I''ll leave first."


    The three of them had already divided up the tasks last night; he was responsible for getting the money, Little Wang for fending off the bullies, and Old Meng for the everyday trivialities.


    Each person had their duties; if Old Meng couldn''t manage, even if Lu Liang was willing to bring him along, Little Wang wouldn''t be pleased.


    "Mr. Lu, let me see you out."


    President Liu walked to the bank entrance, watching Lu Liang leave, and suddenly said, "There''s a saying, ''The great roc rises with the wind in one day, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles''." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He turned to look at Meng Changkun and said with dissatisfaction, "Old Meng, you''re really lucky."


    The two were old friends; initially, one was just a regular loan officer at a bank, the other a common middleman.


    Mutually supportive and beneficial, after more than a decade of struggle, one of them became the president of a bank, and the other a big boss.


    Meng Changkun was smug, "I, Old Meng, have always been known for my keen eye. I''ve been telling you to join me in business, but you refused."


    President Liu sneered, "If I had gone into business back in ''08, you''d be long gone, and there wouldn''t be a Mr. Meng today."


    "Damn it, can we not always bring that up?"


    "One should remember kindness for a thousand years, you should be grateful."


    "Am I paying for tonight''s fun?"


    "That''s more like it."


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang drove away from the bank and headed to the real estate office downtown where he had worked for eight years.


    From a distance, he saw a pretty girl by the roadside, playing with stones with her head down.


    Lu Liang pulled up beside her, rolled down the window, and greeted her with a smile, "Xiaowen, long time no see."


    When his assets broke one hundred million, he bought himself a car, and now that he had crossed three hundred million, it was time to buy a few properties.


    So, the first person he thought of was Zhou Xiaowen, the apprentice he had trained personally. He remembered that when he quit, Xiaowen spoke up for him and ended up being scolded until she cried.


    Zhou Xiaowen looked up with her big round eyes, hesitant to recognize him, "Lu?"


    Lu Liang looked almost the same as before, just thinner, which made his features more prominent.


    But it was his presence that had changed dramatically and was shocking.


    She couldn''t quite place the feeling.


    It was like those big bosses who casually buy several houses, yet on closer inspection, it didn''t quite match.


    "How come? Don''t tell me you don''t recognize me after just six months?" Lu Liang smiled and gestured for her to get in, opening the car door.


    "Not at all."


    Hearing the familiar voice and tone, Xiaowen felt relieved and curiously surveyed the car''s interior, "This car is pretty expensive, right?"


    "Not bad, just a few million RMB," Lu Liang said as he drove towards University City, planning to buy a place near Tongji Campus.


    Su Wanyu would be coming up after the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    Her small room reminded Lu Liang of his own early struggle in Modu. Although the past was worth reminiscing, it was nowhere near as happy as the present and not something to yearn for.


    So Lu Liang planned to buy a place there and then use a little trick to convince Su Wanyu to move in.


    He''d find excuses to stay over from time to time. With the rise in affection, getting to the next base would only be a matter of time.


    "You''re kidding me, it can''t be that expensive." Xiaowen looked skeptical but still discreetly checked on her phone.


    All of a sudden, her pupils dilated. Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Believe it now?"


    "Lu, did you win the lottery?" Xiaowen was astounded.


    "More or less."


    "No wonder you fell out with Liu back then."


    Having realized that he might have won the lottery, Xiaowen found it easier to accept. Just like her, she would sometimes buy a few tickets on her way home from work, hoping to strike it rich and achieve financial freedom.


    Suddenly with a gleeful twinkle in her eye, Xiaowen said, "Lu, are you looking for me today to help me hit my sales target?"


    "Not bad, you''ve made progress in six months, already taking the initiative to ask clients," Lu Liang said proudly.


    "Oh, that''s all thanks to the great teaching of my mentor."


    Xiaowen was delighted. Lu Liang often used to call her slow, but now he finally complimented her.


    "Help me check around Tongji Campus in University City to see if there are any properties for sale."


    Hearing Lu Liang''s request, Xiaowen opened the real estate app, which displayed all the property listings in Modu.


    Different properties belonged to different real estate companies, but they could still visit the properties if they were interested.


    However, a transaction would require paying an extra fee to the company that owned the listing, deducted from the agent''s commission.


    "What''s the average price over there?" Lu Liang hadn''t worked with clients in that area before and wasn''t familiar with the prices.


    "Last month''s average selling price was 38,500 RMB per square meter. Lu, what price range are you looking at?"


    "About ten million RMB."


    "With ten million, you have a lot of options..."


    Xiaowen suddenly froze, blinking her large eyes and becoming lost in thought, "Lu, what did you say?"


    "Ten million, what about it?" Lu Liang asked with a smile, teasing his apprentice.


    "Lu, are you the one who cleared the 320 million RMB jackpot?"


    Xiaowen had been online, and she had heard of Lu Liang from private equity, but she never believed this Lu Liang was that Lu Liang.

 Chapter 93 - 93: The Outcome Changes Once Again

    "Lu, why are you thinking about buying a house in University City?"


    "Being close to reputable schools, getting some cultural exposure."


    "Isn''t it because you''re eyeing the schoolgirls?"


    "Xiaowen, you know too much."


    Zhou Xiaowen chuckled, taking Lu Liang''s comment as a joke.


    The real estate industry often pairs rookies with experienced agents, and although many beginners are clumsy, Lu Liang had always shown her respect.


    As they chatted and laughed, they arrived at Quyang Road near Tongji Campus and circled around the whole campus.


    The area was filled with residential communities or mid-to-high-end apartments, with comprehensive basic amenities.


    "Lu, do you have a preferred community?" Zhou Xiaowen looked down at her phone to refresh the average prices of nearby communities.


    Lu Liang turned the car around and stopped in front of a community entrance, "Help me check, see if there are any homes for sale here."


    Real estate in Modu was extremely valuable and properties in University City were considered school-district homes, evident from the landscaping and spacing between buildings. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After a round, Lu Liang noticed that Shuxiang Jinxiu had the largest green area and the widest spacing between buildings, and the security seemed very tight too.


    "Lu, your taste is always spot-on; this place has an average price of 72,000 per square meter, which is much higher than the average in University City."


    Zhou Xiaowen handed her phone to Lu Liang, letting him browse at his leisure. The prices were clearly listed, and since he was the one who brought her into the business, she had nothing to hide.


    "Lu, what have you been up to lately?"


    "Eating, drinking, thinking about how to spend money every day."


    "I wish I could win a jackpot someday, I''m not asking for much, just five million."


    Zhou Xiaowen looked at him admiringly, treating Lu Liang like that guy who won the lottery by betting on 88, draining the prize pool.


    Lu Liang just laughed and didn''t explain, choosing two apartments: "Contact the property agent for these."


    One was a large three-bedroom covering 135 square meters, and another was a four-bedroom of 175 square meters.


    Both were listed for sale online and looked good from the schematics, but would still need to be evaluated in person.


    Zhou Xiaowen contacted the associated real estate agency and discussed her commission, right in front of Lu Liang.


    The agency would take 1.5% of the total sale price; for a sale of 10 million, that would be 150,000, of which Zhou Xiaowen would make 80,000 and the agency 70,000.


    Lu Liang suggested, "High-end properties can be tough to sell, and there are several listed in this area, so you might be able to negotiate down to 1%."


    Normally, properties in University City were barely considered school-district homes, located slightly off-center, with more renters than buyers.


    The usual agency cut in Modu was between 0.5-2.5%, with 1.5% being on the generous side. Since Lu Liang knew Zhou Xiaowen, he wanted her to earn more.


    Zhou Xiaowen hesitated but then relayed Lu Liang''s advice and after some negotiation, managed to get between 1% and 0.5%.


    Soon, a young man in a sharp suit rushed over, "Mr. Lu, Miss Zhou?"


    "Let''s look at that three-bedroom, 135 square meters first."


    Lu Liang opened the car door for him.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s just upfront in building 7, I''ll walk."


    The crisply dressed young man, all smiles, ran to communicate with the security guard to open the gate.


    They checked out both apartments in succession. The 175-square-meter apartment was bigger with more rooms, but it was only on the second floor.


    The 135 square meters one was on the 12th floor, slightly smaller, but its balcony faced directly onto Tongji University''s playground and had good lighting.


    Lu Liang asked, "How much for this 135-square-meter unit?"


    The agent replied, "Mr. Lu, the owner listed it for 10.5 million, and it comes with a car space since this building has a good location; the average transaction price is around 78,000 per square meter."


    "10 million, including the car space, full payment. If that works, let''s sign the contract; have a good talk with the owner."


    Paying in full strengthened Lu Liang''s position to bargain, although even if he took out a loan, the owner would still get the full amount.


    But involving a bank would complicate the process, and it was a matter of whether the owner was willing to concede.


    After the agent made a call, he returned looking troubled, "Mr. Lu, the owner hopes to settle at 10.3 million."


    "It''s five o''clock now. If they agree, have them call me by eight tonight; if not, forget it."


    Lu Liang was assertive, waved Zhou Xiaowen over, and prepared to leave by car. He had some free time today and wanted to meet up with Zhou Xiaowen to catch up.


    Otherwise, he would have left it to Wen Chao to handle it properly and slowly, which might have resulted in a better deal at a lower price.


    The agent quickly shouted, "Mr. Lu, rest assured, I''ll certainly persuade the owner."


    "Sorry for making you come out for nothing this afternoon."


    Lu Liang drove towards the city center, planning to drop Zhou Xiaowen off at her store first.


    "No worries, haven''t we had our share of fruitless trips before?" Zhou Xiaowen smiled, supporting herself on the car seat, idly swinging her legs.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but grin, remembering those times. It had only been half a year, but it felt like ages ago.


    "Let''s grab a bite, what do you feel like eating?"


    "How about that chicken pot place we used to go?"


    "Let''s skip it, let''s have hotpot instead."


    Passing by New World Mall, Lu Liang recalled a good Western-style hotpot restaurant he had been to a few times.


    He was mainly too lazy to go far; the chicken pot restaurant wasn''t that tasty, just generous in portion.


    Upon arriving at the Western-style hotpot restaurant, Zhou Xiaowen was startled by the menu prices; every dish was several hundred yuan.


    Lu Liang, familiar with the place, ordered three or four dishes, still not quite satisfied, "See if you want to add anything."


    "No need, four dishes are plenty."


    "Alright then, we can always order more if it''s not enough."


    Zhou Xiaowen''s expression was complicated, the words on the tip on her tongue, but she swallowed them back. Throughout the meal, she remained very quiet.


    Like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, not speaking and not moving meant not making mistakes nor saying the wrong things.


    The bill finally came to over 2,400 yuan.


    Suddenly, Zhou Xiaowen understood the feeling of reuniting that afternoon.


    Lu Liang had no obvious difference from wealthy bosses, but because Zhou Xiaowen had known him before, there was an odd feeling lingering between them.


    Familiar yet unfamiliar.


    Just past seven in the evening.


    Lu Liang dropped Zhou Xiaowen off at the store, and as she got out of the car, it seemed like she wanted to say something but ended up not saying it.


    Lu Liang smiled, waved, and drove away, knowing only Liu could maintain composure knowing his wealth.


    Regrettably, Liu was married.


    Xiaowen smiled, watching Lu Liang leave, a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes.


    It was not about liking him, just a slight fondness, but she knew it was not possible anymore.


    She called the afternoon''s agent, "Manager Wu, if I reduce my commission, can it help close the deal?"


    Zhou Xiaowen didn''t know when she would see Lu Liang again, nor if there would even be a chance to meet.


    She knew Lu Liang wasn''t short of money, but still wanted to help him, to put a full stop to past favors.


    Before eight at night, Lu Liang got home and received a call from the realtor, the owner agreed to sell for ten million.


    The next morning, the parties met at the housing authority: Lu Liang, Zhou Xiaowen, the designated agency, and the property owner.


    At the price of ten million, Lu Liang paid in full for a 135-square-meter three-bedroom apartment in Shuxiang Jinxiu District, changing his fixed assets from two cars to two cars and one apartment.


    After the transfer procedures were completed, Lu Liang returned to the office.


    He let the apartment remain vacant; only an empty house gathering dust gave him a reason to ask Su Wanyu to move in to house-sit.


    After three in the afternoon, Lu Liang was discussing with Old Meng, the venue and staffing for the private equity fund.


    The venue was already set in the New International Building, with a total area of 3800 square meters.


    Lu Liang contacted the renovation team, setting aside 1000 square meters for the private equity fund office and trading room.


    In terms of trading personnel, he planned to include four rookies and two experienced staff, to train the newcomers as they went, planning to add more according to the situation.


    During their conversation, Liang received an unexpected call.


    Mobike''s Hu Weiwei, saying she was coming to Modu for work and asked if Lu had time to meet.


    "Ms. Hu, I still have some things to handle. Why don''t you come over to my office?"


    Lu Liang smiled, fiddling with a lighter in his hand.


    No one visits without a reason, Hu Weiwei''s sudden visit definitely meant something, and now he was holding the advantage. Going out to talk was just a chat, but her coming over was a formal visit; the nature of the two was different.


    "I''m available whenever you are, what time suits you?"


    Hu Weiwei was very polite. Lu Liang was not yet famous when he visited Hang City, but he had already proven himself with two battle achievements.


    It was said he was even setting up a private equity fund, someone she now looked up to and should rightfully visit.


    "Let''s make it five o''clock."


    Lu Liang ended the call, and Meng Changkun also bid farewell: "You''re busy, I''ll head off."


    "No need to see you out."


    Lu Liang nodded, opened his computer, and started playing games.


    Even if Hu Weiwei arrived early at four-thirty, he let Chen Jinchun ask her to wait a bit, to really test her patience.


    He played until just past five, then picked up the phone and said, "Xiao Chen, ask Ms. Hu to come in."


    Hu Weiwei got straight to the point, "Mr. Lu, Mobike is planning to launch a Series A funding round this Friday."


    "How much is the valuation, and how many institutions are interested in participating?"


    Lu Liang was momentarily distracted; the result had changed again.


    Originally, Mobike was predicted to launch the Series A funding on September 28, with a valuation of 18 million US dollars.


    Friday was only August 19, more than a month ahead.


    "The valuation is 10 million US dollars. Venture capital firms like Redwood, Chenyang, and Jingfeng are interested in participating in the Series A."


    "Why choose this time for fundraising?" Lu Liang''s brow furrowed, the valuation was eight million US dollars lower than expected.


    "Because of ofo..."


    Hu Weiwei hesitated, then decided to tell the truth. Mobike shouldn''t be fundraising at this valuation. But there was no choice, since ofo had gone crazy.


    Dai Wei was almost copying their business strategy, launching aggressive promotions to acquire new users, like three days of free rides for new registrations and five days for five yuan offers.


    The cost of Mobike bikes was twice that of ofo''s, with high production costs and slow deployment, far from matching their competitors¡ªMobike''s leading position was in jeopardy, forcing them into early fundraising.


    Lu Liang suddenly understood, also feeling relieved.


    Perhaps because he and Dai Wei signed a hedging agreement, causing ofo to enter a frenzied state and thus pushing Mobike into early Series A funding.


    Lu Liang wasn''t changing outcomes for the first time; as long as it involved him, it was better than changing without any relation to him.


    Lu Liang asked, "Ms. Hu, if Tianxing Capital joins, how many shares can you offer us?"


    "Three percent, we are offering ten percent for this round of funding."


    Hu Weiwei really hoped that Lu Liang would hold more shares; his support meant she could grasp more say.


    However, she still had to consider Li Bing''s attitude, since the three venture capitals were invited by Li Bing, who could not be left without gains.


    Lu Liang frowned, "Three percent is a bit less."


    He already held twenty percent of ofo and wanted to hedge the risk; he needed to hold more than ten percent of Mobike.


    Either way, he wouldn''t lose.


    "Mr. Lu, I know it''s less, but this is the maximum authority I can exercise," Hu Weiwei said apologetically, assuring Lu Liang that Tianxing would lead the next round.


    "Where will the fundraising reception be held on Friday?"


    Lu Liang smiled, not delving into that topic; the outcome had changed, and whether Mobike had another round was still uncertain.


    Three percent would do.


    He wanted to take this opportunity to meet Li Bing.


    Last month, Li Bing launched NIO, and according to the company''s registration, it seemed to be a smart electric vehicle brand.

 Chapter 94 - 94: Dead End

    "Shangri-La Hotel, sixth floor banquet hall."


    Hu Weiwei made small talk for a bit and then left. It was apparent that Lu Liang was her best choice, but not her only choice. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang stood at the company entrance, watching her take the elevator until she disappeared down the corridor before he turned and headed back to the office.


    Walking through the office area, he beckoned Wen Chao over, and the two entered the office together. Lu Liang asked, "Has the funding proposal from ofo come over yet?"


    Wen Chao pulled out the report. "It came this morning. The A-round is set to start on August 29, with a preliminary valuation of 15 million US dollars."


    ofo''s average daily active users had already exceeded 150,000, completing the wager agreement between both parties more than a month in advance. Thus, Mr. Dai took the opportunity to release the A-round funding proposal.


    "Preliminary?" Lu Liang looked up, puzzled.


    "Mr. Dai said he wants to first see Mobike''s funding reaction and then adjust ofo''s valuation based on the actual situation."


    Although ofo was founded earlier than Mobike, Mobike had the support of Hu Weiwei, Li Bing, Wang Xiaofeng, and others, who were very experienced.


    Mr. Dai strategically used Mobike as a stepping stone. Otherwise, with the relatively low-cost Little Huang bikes, surpassing Mobike''s market share to become the industry leader was just a matter of time.


    "Those who start businesses and make a name for themselves are indeed no fools."


    Lu Liang understood and looked down at the report. As the president of the Beijing University Student Union and general manager of ofo, Mr. Dai had hosted a rally in the campus auditorium yesterday.


    He delivered an impassioned speech titled "2000 Beijing University People Undertaking a Big Venture," which received support from the university authorities and various capital sources from Yanjing.


    Jinsha Venture Capital''s Zhu Hu even singled him out for praise, expressing his anticipation for ofo''s A-round funding and his ongoing interest in the company.


    Zhu Hu of Jinsha Venture Capital and Shen Peng of Redwood were regarded as the big and small kings of domestic investment, with stakes in almost all leading internet companies.


    Every entrepreneur aspired to win their favor.


    Hu Weiwei didn''t want to become Li Bing''s puppet, so she invited Lu Liang to join and increase her say in decisions.


    Mr. Dai didn''t want Lu Liang to dominate alone and was preparing to bring in other venture capitalists, with Zhu Hu of Jinsha being his best choice.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment and then smiled, "Tell Mr. Dai the financing plan is approved, and I''ll come by next Friday to see it."


    He originally had reservations, but then he thought, there was nothing he couldn''t understand as he had a similar relationship with Little Wang and Old Meng.


    Everyone didn''t want their sovereignty taken away, so they tried in every way to balance the power between the founders and the investors.


    Thinking it over, Lu Liang turned to Wen Chao, "Get me the information on Li Bing and NIO, and it would be best to investigate the companies that have intended to enter the automobile industry in recent years."


    He had realized that the path of seizing power was untenable. Even if he successfully seized power, it would likely be hard to win back the loyalty of the creators.


    He would have to start his own business, build his own team. Private funding was already in preparation, and new energy initiatives also needed to be scheduled.


    Wen Chao nodded. Suddenly, Lu Liang called out to him, "Have Xiao Chen go to the high-speed rail station tomorrow to pick up someone named Fang Shiyu."


    Lately, he had spent an hour every day interviewing drivers, but no matter how many he interviewed, he was never satisfied or reassured.


    He suddenly remembered a cousin back home who had served in the military and had driven for leaders, but had to leave the service because he had no money or connections.


    Last year, after his discharge, he was driving and delivering goods in town, so Lu Liang had his mother help inquire about him.


    Unlike other positions, driving skills could be honed gradually, but trustworthiness was the primary criteria.


    Rather than hiring strangers from society, it was better to bring in someone from his hometown, at least someone whose background he knew well, and he would feel more at ease using them.


    According to his mother, Shiyu had always been an honest and straightforward child, an ideal candidate for military service, yet he couldn''t stay on.


    A mother wouldn''t mislead her own son, right?


    The following afternoon, Chen Jinchun led a burly man who stood over 1.8 meters tall into the company, carrying a bulging backpack, his dark skin making the white T-shirt he wore seem to glow like a sacred garment.


    The burly man looked mature, appearing to be in his thirties at a glance, but his eyes were timid like those of a child. "Jinchun, is this my brother''s company?"


    Chen Jinchun felt a lump in her chest but managed to reveal a stiff smile, "Yes, take a seat. I''ll go find Mr. Lu."


    At first, she opposed this nickname until the burly man showed his ID, revealing he was 22 years old, three months younger than her.


    Chen Jinchun hadn''t knocked yet when Lu Liang, looking delighted, opened the door and walked over to the burly man, squeezing his arm that was thicker than his own leg, "Shiyu, long time no see! It''s been almost a year since your discharge, and you are still this strong?"


    Lu Liang hadn''t seen his cousin in several years. He was in the military when Lu Liang got married a few years ago, and before that, it has been four or five years since they had last seen each other during a holiday.


    "I didn''t expect him to grow so strong," even though he was only a little taller than Lu Liang, he looked a whole size bigger.


    Asking him to be the driver, you probably wouldn''t even need a bodyguard.


    Fang Shiyu smiled sheepishly, "Maybe I eat a lot."


    "Being able to eat is a blessing; let''s go inside and talk."


    Lu Liang''s face was full of smiles, and he warmly slung his arm over his shoulder as they headed to the office.


    Since entering the building, Fang Shiyu hadn''t blinked, curiously inspecting everything around him.


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "This place is still quite small; next month, we''re moving somewhere else."


    "This place is small?"


    Fang Shiyu looked bewildered; a forty-something square meter office was already not small, plus it was on a high floor with a great view.


    Lu Liang made tea and offered him a cigarette, but Fang Shiyu shook his head, "Bro, I don''t."


    "It''s good, you don''t; like me, I can''t quit; I can only try to smoke less."


    Lu Liang didn''t insist, lit a cigarette for himself, and started discussing his plan, "From now on, when I go out, you follow me."


    "When I don''t go out, just sit over there, play on the computer, play on your phone, but don''t bother anyone while they''re working."


    He pointed to the place next to Chen Jinchun and Wen Chao, where he had cleared a temporary workstation with just one computer yesterday.


    "There are hardly any days off, but if you need to take a leave, just let me know."


    Fang Shiyu waved his hand, "Bro, I won''t take leaves."


    Lu Liang joked, "Don''t speak so absolutely; what if you meet a girl you like, it''s normal to ask for a leave to date her."


    "No¡­ it won''t happen."


    Fang Shiyu, his skin dark, couldn''t show any change in complexion, but his anxious tone revealed he was a bit shy.


    Lu Liang chuckled and continued, "Your salary for now will be ten thousand, with all allowances adding up to about twelve thousand; after social insurance and housing fund deductions, you''ll still take home about ten thousand."


    Fang Shiyu responded gloomily, "That''s too much; I only make 4500 a month driving and unloading trucks at home."


    Lu Liang tried not to laugh, "How can here be the same as home? Ten thousand is actually quite less."


    He pointed to the door, "Her name is Chen Jinchun, you''ve met her, right?"


    "Yeah, Jinchun," Fang Shiyu nodded.


    "Jinchun?"


    Lu Liang suddenly laughed, remembering his cousin enlisted at 19, demobilized at 21, and was now 22, indeed younger than Chen Jinchun.


    "Latter, go talk to her; she''ll help you arrange your accommodations and buy some clothes and daily necessities for you. If you have any questions later on, you can ask her."


    The company didn''t provide accommodation, but since Fang Shiyu was his cousin and had been called from his hometown,


    it wouldn''t be convenient for him to stay with Lu Liang, so they rented a one-bedroom apartment near the company.


    Lu Liang had finished giving instructions, called Chen Jinchun over, and had her take his cousin to settle in before joining them for dinner after work.


    Mushang was still on the road, so he let him drive the Urus first, and when it was time for dinner after work, Lu Liang let him take the wheel directly.


    You could tell his driving skills were okay, just a bit nervous, Lu Liang smiled and said, "Drive boldly, there''s insurance if you crash."


    Fang Shiyu nodded once and then fell silent, concentrating on the road ahead, always keeping the speed below 80.


    Not only did he look mature, his driving was mature too, letting others overtake or cut in front of him if they wanted.


    But there were few who cut in line; he muttered, "Bro, people in Modu have better manners than those at home."


    Lu Liang kept silent, smiling. Decent manners also depended on the price of the car.


    With such a conspicuous Taurus logo in front, anyone thinking of cutting in would have to consider whether their insurance could cover the repair costs.


    During the busiest rush-hour traffic, his cousin drove steadily, making Lu Liang feel relieved.

 Chapter 95 - 95: Mobike Financing

    On Friday, Lu Liang was invited to the Shangri-La Hotel to attend Mobike''s Series A funding reception.


    Although the valuation was only ten million dollars, the event was as grand as if it were a billion-dollar funding round.


    Upon entering, Lu Liang saw Li Bing and Shen Peng in conversation, and he vaguely heard that they were discussing the new energy vehicle industry.


    He was curious but did not rush to join the conversation; instead, he casually picked up the Mobike funding proposal from the table and started flipping through it.


    After a while, Li Bing and Shen Peng ended their conversation and walked over to Lu Liang with a smile, "Mr. Lu, I''ve long admired your reputation."


    Though Lu Liang was not the one who invited him, he was somewhat a host and it was only right and proper to greet him.


    He was also curious about Lu Liang who had caused a huge stir in the financial circle in the past half month and wanted to find out what kind of person he was.


    "Mr. Li, you flatter me. Was that Redwood''s Mr. Shen, Shen Peng, just now?" Lu Liang replied with a smile, though not too warmly.


    Becoming a millionaire is one threshold, a billion another, but the gap between one billion and a hundred billion isn''t as large as one might think.


    Because those with wealth over a billion have already accumulated their initial capital; moreover, he was cash-rich.


    Li Bing spoke with a smile, "We were just discussing the domestic new energy industry; are you interested, Mr. Lu?"


    "I have heard that Modu is bringing in Tesla to accelerate the development of the new energy industry at home."


    "You really know quite a bit, Mr. Lu."


    Li Bing was surprised; the news of Modu bringing in Tesla was very insider information, not widely known unless one closely followed the industry.


    Lu Liang smiled, "I chatted with a friend last time who mentioned it, and he also spoke of your NIO."


    "Mr. Lu, how do you view this industry?"


    Li Bing hoped Lu Liang could provide some unique insights from a financial practitioner''s perspective.


    In a low voice, Lu Liang said, "Low carbon, environmental protection, and promoting the development of new energy can help our country achieve carbon neutrality sooner."


    Li Bing was taken aback, "Mr. Lu, do you really believe new energy is more environmentally friendly?"


    "Mr. Li, it doesn''t matter what we think, as long as it sounds environmentally friendly enough."


    Lu Liang laughed; new energy wasn''t particularly environmentally friendly, but to get business, one must first loudly advocate the ideology.


    Even the United States, if they want to go to war, must produce a bottle of laundry detergent, proclaiming it a highly dangerous chemical.


    Li Bing laughed too and shifted the topic, "Mr. Lu, what brings you here today, are you interested in Mobike''s funding?"


    He could see that Lu Liang wasn''t interested in expanding the conversation, so he didn''t bother to inquire further.


    "I am somewhat interested, just not sure if I could subscribe to more shares."


    Lu Liang said, glancing in Shen Peng''s direction; the latter seemed to recognize him and smiled slightly while raising his glass in greeting.


    Lu Liang also raised his glass with a smile as Li Bing whispered, "You can follow the investment, but leading it might be unlikely."


    He paused then added, "Don''t get me wrong, Mr. Lu, because Redwood is willing to sign legal terms with Mobike."


    Li Bing knew Lu Liang had been brought over by Hu Weiwei, but also knew that he had invested in ofo, holding a 20% stake.


    So, he had brought Shen Peng in, promising that Redwood would lead the investment until the IPO, but they could not invest in ofo.


    Risk hedging was what every venture capitalist loved to do; investing in the top two meant no losses regardless of who won. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Venture capitalists might enjoy it, but companies may not.


    Mobike was not an early-stage team like ofo; with Li Bing standing behind them, they had bargaining power and could pressure the venture capitalists.


    Thus, he told Redwood directly, if they wanted to lead this or subsequent rounds of investment, it was possible, but they could only invest in this company and not any other shared bicycle enterprises.


    Lu Liang furrowed his brows, looking toward Hu Weiwei not far away. Ashamed, Hu Weiwei lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.


    Hu Weiwei had only just found out that Redwood was willing to sign legal terms with Mobike, thereby obtaining the right to lead the next few rounds of investment.


    Although she hoped to bring Lu Liang on board to increase her influence in the company, Redwood''s willingness to back Mobike alone left her with no reason to refuse.


    After all, Redwood''s solo backing of Mobike was beneficial in both the short and long term without any harm.


    The dispute over influence between her and Li Bing should not affect the company''s future development, so she could only apologize to Lu Liang.


    In a soft voice, Li Bing said, "Mr. Lu, don''t blame Mr. Hu. It''s just that she''s too young and inexperienced. I''m here to apologize to you on her behalf."


    "Mr. Li, you exaggerate, but there''s something I don''t understand."


    "Mr. Lu, please go ahead."


    "Why don''t you enter the fray yourself if you take such comprehensive care of Mobike?"


    Lu Liang felt puzzled. If he had known about Li Bing''s strong desire for control, he wouldn''t have gotten involved in the dispute between Hu and Li.


    "Human resources are sometimes exhausted. Although I favor shared bicycles, the market is ultimately too small."


    Li Bing paused, his expression very serious, "Mr. Lu, new energy vehicles are the future trend."


    Hu Weiwei''s pride, Mobike, was only a chess piece in the layout of the new energy market in his view.


    He was very optimistic about the new energy vehicle industry but the road ahead was arduous and unsure if he could endure until the dawn relied solely on him and Yiche.


    He didn''t care about Mobike but had a strong desire for control, hoping to use Mobike''s financing to meet various capital magnates and pave the way for NIO.


    "Completing industrial upgrading, reducing the dependence on a single energy source, and intervening in the Middle East situation are national policies; there is much to do in the new energy industry."


    Although Tianxing was not powerful, everyone knew that Lu Liang had made his fortune in just half a year, and perhaps in another year and a half, he might also become a major magnate, which is one of the reasons why Li Bing was courting him.


    Lu Liang fell into deep thought. Li Bing seized the opportunity to press further, "Mr. Lu, now that new and old powers have entered the field, to the north there''s Li Xiang of Auto Home, to the south there''s He Xiaopeng of Guangqi, not to mention LeTV''s Boss Jia, and BYD Wang, who has been developing new energy all along. With so many forces optimistic about the industry, even if it''s not a trend yet, it will become a new trend."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment and then, smiling, said, "Mr. Li, today is for Mobike''s financing meeting; let''s find time to talk about this matter in detail another day."


    Li Bing, Li Xiang, He Xiaopeng, one relying on Yiche, one on Auto Home, another on Beiqi''s team.


    He planned to replicate Panda''s strategy, as outsiders needed to pay some ''tuition'' and make some friends.


    "Alright, Mr. Lu, as you wish. It seems a friend is coming over, I''ll go greet him."


    Lu Liang nodded, following Li Bing''s gaze, and saw Lei Jun from Xiaomi. A multi-million dollar valuation didn''t attract him; presumably, Li Bing had brought him to support Mobike.


    "It''s not quite right to call him Lei Busi, better to say Lei Feite."


    Lu Liang found a corner to rest, silently observing Lei Jun surrounded by a flurry of activity, held in high regard by everyone.


    Since entering venture capital, he''d learned of Lei Jun''s reputation in the field, equivalent if not surpassing Zhu Hu and Shen Peng.


    Before founding Xiaomi, he had already been a very famous angel investor in China.


    As time passed and heavyweights gathered, Hu Weiwei took the stage to discuss financing plans and announce the current share allocation.


    Lu Liang raised his hand to beckon Wen Chao, whispering in his ear, "Go subscribe; take as much as you can."


    Through this cocktail party, he had met Li Bing and understood his intentions; he had essentially achieved his goal.


    The share of Mobike''s financing was not important. Since he couldn''t lead the investment, having a share or not didn''t matter much.


    Lu Liang was broad-minded, although Hu Weiwei and Li Bing didn''t see it that way and still gave him a 3% share.


    Ultimately, Redwood would monopolize 5% and lead this round, followed by Tianxing at 3%, and Chenyang and Jingfeng each holding 1%.


    Lei Jun was merely passing by, there to support a good friend, showing his face before leaving.

 Chapter 96 - 96: The Toyed Woman

    Mobike''s financing dust had settled, and Lu Liang was ready to leave.


    However, before departing, he noticed that there weren''t many people around Shen Peng and decided to go over and greet him out of politeness.


    "Lu Liang, I thought you wouldn''t come over," said Shen Peng with a smile, exuding friendliness.


    Lu Liang replied with a smile, "Mr. Shen, there were too many people earlier, so I didn''t join the crowd, but now that it''s less crowded, here I am."


    Though it was a Mobike financing party, many entrepreneurs seeking investment had also made their way in.


    After all, it was rare to have so many industry leaders gathered together, and a lucky entrepreneur could easily nab an investment of several million as if it were just a trifle.


    As a titan of domestic venture capital, Shen Peng constantly had a stream of people trying to curry favor with him, which was why there were only a few around him now.


    Shen Peng laughed heartily, "Mr. Lu, what you say seems to carry a hint of blame."


    "If that''s what Mr. Shen believes, then there''s nothing more I can say."


    Lu Liang smiled nonchalantly. His greeting was purely out of respect for a senior and to seek advice on a certain matter.


    If Shen Peng regarded him as one of those trying to ingratiate themselves, then there was really nothing worth discussing between them.


    Adjusting his glasses and narrowing his eyes, Shen Peng also put away his disdain, "Little Tang, how has she been lately?"


    "Little Tang?" Lu Liang was puzzled.


    Shen Peng explained, "Tang Caide. I recruited her into Redwood and she followed me for several years. I later went to Yanjing and she stayed in Modu, but I heard she resigned not long after."


    "She''s doing quite well. With Mr. Tang managing the company, I feel much more at ease."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but look Shen Peng up and down; he was only in his forties or just under fifty.


    Tang Caide was thirty-seven, and though she had some wrinkles, one could tell she had been quite a beauty in her youth.


    Shen Peng gave him a hostile glance and suddenly coughed loudly, interrupting Lu Liang''s unwarranted speculations.


    Lu Liang collected his thoughts and asked with a smile, "Mr. Shen, I have a question that puzzles me. Could you please enlighten me?"


    "Speak."


    Shen Peng''s face no longer carried its initial amiability, since he saw someone familiar in Lu Liang.


    Golden Sand River''s Zhu Hu¡ª he and Shen Peng were known as the investment world''s "Big and Little Kings." Even though they were friends, it did not keep Shen Peng from disliking Zhu Hu.


    Zhu Hu, true to his name, had a tigerish demeanor and liked to tell risqu¨¦ jokes, often putting Shen Peng in an awkward position.


    Humbly seeking advice, Lu Liang asked, "Why did Redwood sign a legal contract with Mobike?"


    Li Bing, though brash with his claims that he forced Redwood''s hand to invest in Mobike, had only a half-believable tale¡ªLi Bing, no matter how capable, certainly wasn''t on Shen Peng''s level.


    Even Lei Jun would have to call Shen Peng a senior.


    Over the past twenty years, if there were to be an award for the most outstanding venture capitalist, Shen Peng would rank himself second without anyone daring to claim the first.


    With the size of Redwood Capital, it was entirely possible to force the industry leaders to accept their conditions, allowing them to sit back and watch the fight unfold, gaining the last laugh.


    There was no need for them to put all their eggs in Mobike''s basket and deny themselves an exit strategy.


    Shen Peng smiled slightly, "Mr. Lu, if I say that Redwood''s investment in Mobike is just part of the process and not the result, would you believe me?"


    "If Mr. Shen says so, I naturally will," Lu Liang responded, his mind racing. The process, whose process is it?


    Suddenly, he recalled the battle of the "Thousand Groupon War," with Meituan likely being Shen Peng''s largest investment in recent years.


    Compared to the tens of millions of US Dollars invested in Meituan each time, the money put into Mobike was just a mere splash.


    Investments often come with wager clauses, and for Redwood to exclusively back Mobike, Mobike must have agreed to a high-stakes deal that could lead to a change of ownership if lost.


    Putting together what Shen Peng said about the investment in Mobike being just part of the process, it was possible that Redwood had already coordinated with Meituan to take over Mobike later.


    If Meituan did take over Mobike, the value of Shen Peng''s shares in Meituan would significantly increase, since Meituan was the core of Shen Peng''s recent investments.


    "Thank you, Mr. Shen." Lu Liang was very humble, finding today''s financing party extremely enlightening.


    True magnates treat an entire industry as a chess piece, and not even the key piece to decide the game''s outcome.


    With Mobike, Li Bing laid the groundwork for NIO, while Shen Peng went even further, seeking a buyer right after Mobike''s Series A funding.


    Shen Peng was surprised, not expecting Lu Liang to guess so quickly, and praised, "You''ll become a very good investor."


    "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Shen," replied Lu Liang with a smile, though he had more questions, but Shen Peng no longer wished to answer, "I shall take my leave."


    He looked at Lu Liang for a long time, glared hard at him, and said rather brusquely, "Would it seem somewhat inappropriate if I had to initiate asking for your contact details?"


    "How could I dare? It''s just that I was still pondering the words you said and didn''t react in time," Lu Liang explained hurriedly, with a mix of laughter and helplessness.


    The two exchanged contact information. As Shen Peng was about to leave, he suddenly said, "Old Zhu from Golden Sand River is not a good person."


    "I''ll keep that in mind," Lu Liang replied, feeling puzzled as to why he saw a trace of a strange smile in Shen Peng''s eyes.


    But before he could ask, Shen Peng was gone.


    "Ofo''s financing next Friday looks to be anything but peaceful."


    Lu Liang thought long and hard but couldn''t make heads or tails of it, so he decided not to overthink it.


    As they say, meet force with force, and stem the flood with earth,


    It''s as if someone is pretending to be a good person.


    After greeting Li Bing, Lu Liang got ready to leave when Hu Weiwei suddenly approached quickly, "Mr. Lu, I''m very sorry."


    Mr. Hu, there''s no need to apologize. If it were me, I''d do the same thing; I can understand," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "Thank you. Are you leaving now? Let me walk you out," Hu Weiwei sighed with relief, worried Lu Liang might hold a grudge.


    "There''s no need for that. After all, there are many guests at the venue that need your attention."


    "Alright then, Mr. Lu, take care."


    "Hmm, goodbye."


    Lu Liang suddenly felt that Hu Weiwei was a bit pitiable, played by two, perhaps even three men.


    The Mobike she had started and fought for would probably not end up belonging to her, she might receive a tremendous amount of wealth, but what good would it do? S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With Mobike, Hu Weiwei was a domineering female CEO; but without Mobike, she was just a wealthy woman.


    After leaving the banquet hall on the sixth floor, Lu Liang took Wen Chao downstairs to the hotel lobby, where they saw Fang Shiyu sitting on a sofa, lost in thought.


    When Fang Shiyu saw Lu Liang approaching, he quickly stood up, standing tall like a pillar, "Mr. Lu, are you done with your work?"


    Chen Jinchun had taught him a lot yesterday, including how to address Lu Liang in the presence of others¡ªat least to call him Mr. Lu.


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and turned to Wen Chao, "Little Wen, you head back to the company first and give the subscription documents to Mr. Tang."


    Wen Chao nodded and left; Lu Liang then took his cousin and sat beside him, asking with a smile, "How are you feeling today?"


    "A bit bored."


    Fang Shiyu replied in a subdued voice, very forthright.


    He had been in the lobby all afternoon, not fond of playing with his phone, so he could only daydream.


    "Anything else?" Lu Liang held back his smile.


    "Also a bit uncomfortable," Fang Shiyu tugged at his collar.


    Chen Jinchun had bought him several suits; they fit well, but his chest muscles were so well-developed that they made his shirt bulge.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help laughing out loud and patted his shoulder, "Let''s go, I''ll buy you a few new sets later, and you don''t have to wear suits anymore."


    He hadn''t set a dress code for the company; who knows what Chen Jinchun was thinking, dressing his cousin up like a gangster.


    "Okay," Fang Shiyu showed a simple and honest smile, a stark contrast to his muscular appearance.


    Lu Liang found a Nike store on the street and bought several pairs of sweatpants and some Polo shirts.


    But he realized he couldn''t blame Chen Jinchun; after all, with a height of 189 cm and weight of 206 pounds,


    Able to wolf down five bowls of rice in one meal, his physique was evident; low profile wasn''t an option even if he wanted it.


    No matter how he was dressed, he looked like a gangster, so they simply gave up and let him dress comfortably instead.


    "Bro, going home?" Fang Shiyu, in his new clothes, felt he could breathe easier. He wasn''t good with words, so he could only silently remember Lu Liang''s kindness in his heart.


    "Going... not going home, let''s head to the community on Changle Road, Lane 306."


    Lu Liang was about to go home when he suddenly remembered that today was Zhang Qian''s store opening. She had sent him a message last night, but with Mobike''s fundraising, he had forgotten.


    Fang Shiyu set the navigation; it was rush hour, and by the time they reached Changle Road, it was already seven in the evening.


    The bustling pedestrian street made it impossible for cars to enter, so the two brothers had to walk in.


    Fang Shiyu walked beside Lu Liang, with an imposing presence¡ªpassersby automatically gave them a wide berth.


    Lu Liang joked, "Shiyu, with you here, no need to hire a bodyguard."


    "Bro, I could be your bodyguard too," Fang Shiyu said earnestly.


    "Alright, from now on, you''ll be my protector," Lu Liang laughed, clearly not taking it seriously.


    "Okay," Fang Shiyu nodded solemnly.


    While they were talking, the song "Good Day" could be heard.


    Ahead at the crossroad, a new fast-food restaurant named Good Food Garden had opened. Zhang Qian, in trousers and a shirt with a custom apron, was busy inside from front to back.


    There were five or six employees in the restaurant, about twenty-odd tables with seating for four at each¡ªnearly full, reflecting a very good business day.


    It was uncertain, however, whether the customers were attracted by the opening promotions¡ªafter all, banners outside advertised half-price deals for the first three days, with a free small Coke.


    Lu Liang turned and asked, "Hungry?"


    "Hungry," Fang Shiyu nodded.


    He wasn''t terse by choice but by nature; Lu Liang was used to it, "Come on, let''s go eat."


    Lu Liang walked in and passed by Zhang Qian as she was busy clearing plates and wiping tables, not noticing him.


    Lu Liang smiled and didn''t disturb her; he took a tray for himself and picked up an extra one for Fang Shiyu.


    Having witnessed his cousin''s appetite yesterday, he knew one tray of food probably wouldn''t be enough.

 Chapter 97 - 97: Will He Really Come Again?

    Liang forgot to check the price per pound, but the packed platters, even after a fifty percent discount, still cost over seventy yuan.


    Seeing his cousin bury his head and wolf down the food, Liang''s appetite improved greatly, he usually didn''t eat much for dinner, but that night he astonishingly polished off two bowls of rice.


    Fang Shiyu''s voracious appetite drew the attention of the staff and customers in the restaurant, the key being that he actually finished it all.


    Including Zhang Qian, who, seeing Lu Liang beside Fang Shiyu, widened her eyes in surprise and exclaimed, "When did you get here?"


    Smiling, Lu Liang said, "I''ve been here a while now, but I saw you were busy and didn''t want to disturb you."


    "How do you feel about it?" Zhang Qian''s smile was warm, and as they talked, they cleaned up a few more tables.


    Lu Liang replied softly, "Not bad, you could make something of it, but it will be hard work."


    Gold will shine no matter where it is.


    He had observed for a good while, and during their meal, he heard no less than ten compliments about Zhang Qian''s beauty.


    Numerous shy young boys stole glances at her, after all, she was the night manager of the restaurant ¨C even in the guise of a cook, her stature and grace were far beyond ordinary.


    Just imagine ¨C if every street food vendor''s wife looked swollen or had a face marked by exhaustion, or hunched backs.


    Zhang Qian stood tall and confident, a smile like a breath of spring always lingering on her face; even when tired, she managed her facial expressions exceedingly well.


    For her, this was akin to punching below her weight.


    The food tasted good too, and as long as the pricing wasn''t excessive, there would likely be many returning customers.


    "Life, there''s no such thing as no hardship."


    Zhang Qian''s face beamed with a smile, a single compliment from Lu Liang made her happier than a hundred from anyone else.


    Lu Liang started to say something more but then swallowed his words and suddenly asked, "Where''s Xiaoguai?"


    Zhang Qian pursed her lips towards a small door in the corner, "She''s sleeping in the rest room. She came to help a lot after school. Do you want to go see her?"


    Suddenly a staff member called out, "Qian, Little Wu went to the bathroom, can you come over and help with the till?"


    "Coming."


    Zhang Qian answered, looking at Lu Liang hesitantly.


    Lu Liang waved his hand with a smile, "You go ahead and attend to that, I''m no stranger here."


    Zhang Qian nodded and cast another glance at Fang Shiyu, "Is this your friend? Is he full, or should he get more?"


    "I''m full," Fang Shiyu hesitated and nodded.


    Lu Liang watched Zhang Qian hurry off and whispered, "Let''s leave once we''re done eating."


    He approached the cashier, placed a gift box on the counter, "I have to run, there''s something I need to take care of, so I''m leaving now. This is a gift for Xiaoguai."


    Zhang Qian accepted the gift box, and as she saw Lu Liang getting ready to leave, a flood of complex emotions welled up in her, and she couldn''t help asking, "Will you come again?"


    Lu Liang responded with a smile, "Of course, I will."


    A customer interjected, "Boss lady, where''s the free drink? Don''t you have it anymore?"


    "Yes, yes, yes."


    Zhang Qian hastily replied, bending over to pick up another box, but when she looked up again, Lu Liang was already far away.


    She murmured to herself, "Will he really come again?"


    Stepping out of the pedestrian street, Lu Liang glanced at his cousin, who seemed to have something on his mind, "Did you notice something?"


    Fang Shiyu was taken aback and after a long thought, said, "Brother, I don''t understand."


    "What were you looking at then?" Lu Liang asked.


    "The crispy roasted meat, it looked delicious."


    Fang Shiyu pointed at a roadside grill, with red, roasted meat and ducks hanging within, and gave a sheepish smile, "I''m actually still a little hungry."


    Liang couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "If you want to eat it, go buy some."


    Fang Shiyu beamed with joy, bought two pounds, two pieces, but came back with a slightly disappointed expression, "Fifty-eight yuan a pound, more expensive than back home."


    "How much money do you have left?"


    "Over seven thousand three hundred."


    Hearing this, Lu Liang took out his phone and transferred thirty thousand yuan to him, "If you want to eat something, buy something, or need to refuel the car, pay for parking, just deduct from this. If it''s not enough, ask me."


    Fang Shiyu was at a loss, his face flushing red, and Lu Liang gave him a stern look, "Keep it."


    "Oh."


    "Let''s go home."


    By eight in the morning, I had returned to the parking lot at Tangchen B Building. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Next to Lu Liang''s reserved parking spot was a Porsche 718 he hadn''t seen in a long time.


    Just as the yellow Urus came to a standstill, the convertible top of the Porsche slowly opened, and Li Manli stood up from her seat in a defiant pose, proudly holding a black booklet: "I got my license today and even drove back from the West Suburb all by myself..."


    Her sentence was cut short by a shock from Fang Shiyu.


    In front of him, Li Manli resembled a little chick, exclaiming in alarm, "Who are you?"


    "That''s my brother, also my driver, his name is Fang Shiyu," said Lu Liang, unable to help but laugh and cry as he got out of the passenger seat.


    "Shiyu, nice to meet you, my name is Li Manli," Li Manli hurriedly put on her shoes and got out to politely greet him.


    "Nice to meet you," Fang Shiyu responded in a muffled tone.


    "Yu, you go ahead and leave, it''s Saturday and Sunday the day after tomorrow, I''ll call you then," Lu Liang told him as he watched his cousin drive away, suddenly noticing the beads of sweat on Li Manli''s forehead: "How long have you been stewing in there?"


    His return time was full of uncertainties, and for Li Manli to pop out so promptly, she must have been getting ready since around five or six in the afternoon.


    "It wasn''t too long, I mainly wanted to surprise you," Li Manli said, reaching out to hug Lu Liang''s neck coquettishly.


    "You smell all over, and you say it wasn''t long," Lu Liang said with a look of disgust.


    "That''s impossible, I still smell nice."


    Li Manli was startled and sniffed herself, detecting no strange odor until she saw the mischievous smile on Lu Liang''s lips.


    Angrily pouting, she jumped onto Lu Liang, wrapped her legs around his waist, and clung tightly to him: "I''ll stink you to death."


    "Let''s go, let''s take a shower, then go out for a drive later to see how your driving skills are," Lu Liang said as he carried Li Manli''s delicate body upstairs.


    "How about together? I can help scrub your back?"


    "That''s not out of the question."


    Amidst the sounds of joy and laughter, they played in the bathroom for over an hour, not descending until after ten.


    Li Manli left the underground garage full of vim and vigor, only to be criticized by Lu Liang until she felt both introverted and self-conscious.


    Eventually, she stopped the car by the roadside and fumed: "You drive, I won''t anymore. Who talks non-stop while driving? All my confidence is gone because of you."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh: "You treated the solid line as if it were transparent, shouldn''t I say something?"


    "I''m not familiar with this road, and the navigation didn''t show anything. I just got my license today, can''t you be a little understanding?" Li Manli looked aggrieved.


    "That''s true, for a beginner, you''re already doing quite well. Go ahead and drive, I promise not to say anything."


    Lu Liang comforted her softly, but also made sure to remind her: if the car gets smashed, it gets smashed, and they could just buy a new one.


    Life is irreplaceable, whether it''s hers or the pedestrians on the street, they must be careful; anything can be hit just not people.


    Li Manli was young and her values still forming. Lu Liang could tolerate vanity and materialism, but not arrogant and overbearing behavior.


    "I understand," Li Manli nodded solemnly, shelving her disdain, because she rarely saw Lu Liang looking so serious.


    Together, they drove off into the night, heading west.


    Lu Liang was just pondering some matters and without careful attention, Li Manli took the expressway and even missed the nearest exit.


    The only consolation might be that she knew there was no U-turn on the highway, so she just kept driving.


    From Modu to the edge of Taihu in Su City, Li Manli looked guilty: "Shall we go watch the sunrise at Taihu Lake?"


    "It''s past two, do you want to see ghosts or what?"


    Lu Liang gave her a displeased look, at one point suspecting her actions were deliberate.


    "Oh come on, since we''re here, let''s just wait another three hours, okay?" Li Manli fussed and rolled around, trying to be cute.


    Mainly, she had been live streaming a lot lately and hadn''t played with Lu Liang in a while; plus, the weekend was just around the corner.


    For this weekend getaway, she had been working overtime in the days leading up to ensure she met her live streaming quota for the month in advance.


    "Let''s check into a room first, then decide in the morning."


    Lu Liang took over the driving, entered Xiangshan International, and without caring about the cost, booked the most expensive room.


    Next door was the International Conference Center, and the presidential suite at Xiangshan International was truly presidential.


    Lu Liang headed straight for the study, having initially not noticed Li Manli''s venture onto the highway, mainly because a voice had come in the early hours.


    Li Manli knocked softly at the door, peeping her head in with a face full of anticipation: "Liang, shall we go watch the sunrise later?"


    "When it''s about time, you can wake me," Lu Liang chuckled, having come all this way, and he hadn''t experienced Taihu Lake himself.


    "Then you get on with your work, and I''ll make you a cup of coffee," Li Manli said, suddenly beaming with joy.

 Chapter 98 - 98: New Energy Index

    [September 18th, the new energy index at 2985 points]


    "What is happening here, it''s risen more than double in just over half a month."


    Liang pulled up the new energy index and was immediately astonished.


    As of the last trading day, the new energy index had only been at 1458 points, comprised of 54 stocks with a total market capitalization of 785.3 billion RMB.


    Theoretically, if the index doubled, it meant the market value of all 54 constituent stocks doubled as well.


    Liang didn''t dare to imagine how significant the positive news must be to cause such a skyrocketing scenario.


    At the beginning of the year, even the buoyant Big A''s Shanghai Stock Exchange Index had only risen to 5178 points, an increase of less than 2000 points.


    From 1458 points, the new energy index,


    in just 26 days, shot straight up to 2985 points.


    "SAIC, Yutong, BYD, LeEco, Zhongtong, Guangqi."


    Liang picked from among the 54 constituent stocks, tentatively selecting six stocks, planning to ask Wen Chao to investigate tomorrow, to distinguish the substantive ones from the mere names.


    A doubling of the index was not merely a case of sitting around and dividing the cake; gains would not be distributed evenly across each stock, but there would surely be some with larger rises, some with lesser, and even some that could carve out their own independent downward trends.


    Selecting several more, maybe he could pick the industry leaders and achieve three to five times, or even greater price increases.


    Liang picked up his phone and dialed Old Meng, not caring that it was now past four in the morning.


    Meng Changkun struggled out of bed, coughed a few times to clear his throat: "Approved, at the earliest it would be next Tuesday."


    "I have about 21 subscription intentions on my side, you should ask Little Wang, see how many he has."


    He admired Lu''s foresight somewhat; a private equity fund of one hundred million dollars was, it must be said, just right.


    Although Lu had a well-known reputation and had achieved results, the only person who had profited with Lu so far was only Meng Changkun himself.


    Businesspeople are cautious by nature, not casting their nets without seeing the rabbit first, unsure if this was just two men setting a trap, a lure to draw them in. So even billionaires with ten billion net worth were reluctant to invest more in ambiguous circumstances.


    One subscription required two million US dollars, equivalent to over twelve million RMB, not an insignificant amount. Most were symbolically subscribing for one or two shares, intending to test the waters with Lu.


    Of Meng Changkun''s 21 expressions of interest, seven belonged to him personally, leaving only 14 real subscriptions.


    "I know, you should get some rest early."


    After ending the call with Meng Changkun, Liang made a call to Little Wang to understand his situation.


    Little Wang was still awake, answering the phone immediately.


    Upon learning of Liang''s purpose, he started to curse, "That bunch of bastards, talking all nicely, but when it comes to money, barely a few have the cash."


    "Now you know how extensive your network really is," Liang said with a smile, jokingly teasing.


    "Give me a few more days, I''ll make a trip to Beijing, I should be able to get 30 subscriptions," Wang Xiaocong said.


    "How many do you have now?" asked Liang. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "13, no, 15."


    "How many exactly?"


    "Let''s just say 13."


    Wang Xiaocong had originally intended to subscribe for two more to make it ten, but suddenly remembered he had ordered a sports car and could no longer afford it.


    He had received five subscriptions on top of the eight he subscribed for himself, with two coming from his mother and one from his uncle.


    A bunch of fair-weather friends, after all their contributions, only managed to scrape together two shares in total, which left him extremely dejected.


    "Old Meng has 21 shares," Liang teased with a smile, wanting Little Wang to see his own worth through this.


    Without Old Wang, he was nothing. For future references, when Liang called Little Wang, he''d better answer promptly and act the part of an obedient mascot.


    Wang Xiaocong felt angered but also helpless: "Only 34 subscriptions and we''re still short 32 million US dollars. What are you going to do?"


    "It''s just a little over 200 million, I will cover it all."


    Liang didn''t want to wait any longer. The market could move at any time, and by Tuesday when the private equity was approved, he wanted to see the funds in the account.


    "The funds will arrive on Tuesday, but the key point is, do you really want to subscribe to 16 shares by yourself?"


    Wang Xiaocong was astonished, as both were not small amounts.


    Liang laughed with squinted eyes, "Little Wang, broaden your perspective. It''s only 32 million US Dollars, as if nobody can afford it."


    Wang Xiaocong felt a surge of frustration stuck in his chest and gritted his teeth, "Still working so late, be careful not to drop dead, I''m telling you."


    "You''re getting flustered, you''ve broken down, you''ve even started attacking me personally," Liang teased with a laugh, in a pretty good mood.


    "Heh, I''m off to sleep."


    As the dial tone came through the phone, Lu Liang''s mouth curled into a smile, looking out the window to see the sky turning the pale color of fish bellies.


    There was a light knock on the door, sneaky like a thief. Li Manli asked in a hushed voice, "Liang, have you gone to bed?"


    Lu Liang went over to open the door and saw Li Manli crouched down in a listening pose. Startled by the sudden opening of the door, she fell seated on the ground.


    Liang laughed, "Even a mosquito is louder than you."


    "I was afraid I''d wake you, so I didn''t dare to disturb you," Li Manli giggled mischievously, sticking out her tongue like a well-behaved kitten.


    "Let''s go, let''s take a walk outside."


    "Yay~~"


    They changed their clothes and took the hotel''s cruise boat to Taihu Fairy Island to watch the sunrise.


    With the dawn still not clear, mist spread over the lake surface, the hazy moisture felt on the face like a fine rain, refreshing and revitalizing.


    Lu Liang stood at the bow, took a deep breath, feeling his lungs being moistened like dry earth receiving rain, and exhaled a long breath, as if dispersing the fatigue of an all-nighter.


    It wasn''t long before the cruise boat reached Taihu Fairy Island.


    Gradually, the pale dawn in the east turned reddish, reflecting the waters of Taihu with sparkling waves, like a vast silver mirror.


    Surrounded by mountains and endless white water, the scene was one that expanded the horizons of one''s heart.


    "This place is so beautiful." Li Manli was happy and jubilant like a child, running around and taking photos as keepsakes.


    However, she knew that Lu Liang disliked having his full face photographed, so she discreetly snapped shots of his back, or his profile.


    The summer sunrise was brief, and it took just over three minutes for the sun to rise from showing its tips over the small lotuses to fully emerging.


    "Let''s go back and get some sleep."


    Liang yawned; after pulling an all-nighter, it was time to head back to the hotel to catch up on sleep, and decide where to go in the afternoon.


    Manli hummed in agreement, her gaze wavering, her eyelids fighting a battle, long gone was the excitement from earlier.


    She had driven for hours last night and played games for a few more, only to finally witness the long-anticipated sunrise over Taihu.


    With that, the trip was complete,


    The boat rocked gently, and with her head growing heavier, she eventually couldn''t hold on and fell asleep against Lu Liang''s shoulder.


    Liang smiled gently, then held her in his arms to let her sleep more comfortably.


    Over the weekend, they enjoyed themselves at Taihu until Sunday evening when they drove back to Modu.


    ...


    Monday morning, Lu Liang and Tang Caidie went to the 32nd floor of the New International Building, with an available area of 3,800 square meters, almost one-third of the entire floor.


    The pioneering cleaning team had worked overtime all weekend and finally finished the last of the work.


    The style of the office area leaned towards simple and modern, but every office was bare, without anything in it.


    According to the original plan, the move was scheduled for the beginning of September, ten days later.


    In the next ten days, they were to purchase office equipment, tables, chairs, arrange green plants, air purification, and more.


    However, plans could not keep up with the changes, and Lu Liang hoped to start using the space sooner, otherwise, the private equity fund wouldn''t have an office address.


    Tang Caidie didn''t know why Lu Liang was in such a hurry, but as the boss had requested, finding a solution was her problem.


    After pondering for a moment, she proposed a solution, "Mr. Lu, why don''t we do this: today, we purchase a few sets of office desks and chairs for a simple on-site setup, and then gradually fill in the rest later?"

 Chapter 99 - 99: Preparation in Advance

    "Set up the trading room as close to the windows as possible, and purchase several more air purifiers."


    Lu Liang made a round, and although the best decorating materials were used, there was still a faint ''new home'' scent.


    It would probably take a couple of weeks to dissipate, but there was no time now to wait for it to evaporate naturally.


    "The formaldehyde index is only 0.055mg per cubic meter, which essentially meets the living conditions."


    Tang Caide held the inspection report from the surveying organization; the national standard for the maximum allowable concentration of formaldehyde is 0.08mg.


    As long as the indoor air doesn''t exceed this standard, it is livable, but ventilation treatment is still necessary.


    "We''ll do a bit more decoration in the meeting room later; tomorrow a group of investors will come over to sign contracts."


    After finishing his instructions, Lu Liang left since Wen Chao had just called to say that yesterday''s interviewees had arrived at the company.


    Altogether there were twenty-seven or twenty-eight people, each in a suit and tie, holding resumes and queuing up at the door, nearly stretching to the elevator.


    Among them were seasoned professionals from the financial industry as well as top talents who had graduated from finance departments this or last year.


    After all, Lu Liang''s public message was that he was recruiting two experienced traders as well as four newcomers.


    The four newcomers weren''t hard to pick; Lu Liang finalized the candidates in just two hours.


    Since he hadn''t met them and they had no work experience, he could only consider their university resumes and first impressions during the conversation.


    Qingbei, Fudan, Nanda, Shangcai, all from renowned universities, full of credentials, the first impression became an important selection indicator.


    Those who didn''t catch his eye were all passed; the four left were all fair-skinned, good-looking young men.


    This made the receptionists, clerks, and accountants in the company starstruck, thinking Boss Lu was looking out for their welfare. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang just smiled, without explaining.


    One only understands the importance of looks when they start working; after all, without a decent appearance, no one will bother to find out if the soul is interesting.


    He glanced up and asked, "How many interviewees are still outside?"


    "Eleven," Wen Chao replied.


    "Excluding recent graduates?"


    "Seven."


    "Let those seven come in then."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to conduct individual interviews; he called them all into the meeting room and posed a common question.


    "From left to right, each person has two minutes to introduce yourselves; I''ll give you ten minutes to prepare."


    Lu Liang didn''t need traders with incredible track records or experience managing private funds worth billions.


    He just needed seasoned professionals with abundant work experience who could resolutely execute his plans and didn''t have too many ideas of their own.


    So the first two who bragged and boasted about their past were directly excluded, and so were the quiet ones, like bottling up.


    The three who were left were just reading their resumes monotonously, mediocre interviewees to say.


    Just one more out of the three needed to be cut.


    Lu Liang quickly looked over the materials and decisively eliminated a candidate born in ''78, who was 37 years old this year.


    It wasn''t because of his age, as among the remaining interviewees, one was born in ''77.


    It was purely because the ''78 candidate was born in the Year of the Horse, and Lu Liang, born in the Year of the Ox in ''85, inherently clashed with the Horse; they tread on each other.


    Although Lu Liang didn''t believe in feudal superstition, since he had to choose two out of three, there needed to be a reason to exclude one.


    By three o''clock in the afternoon, the day''s interviews ended.


    Lu Liang took out the six resumes that passed the interview and then handed them to Wen Chao, "Spend more money and hire a few more third-party services for background checks; I want to know the results as soon as possible."


    Wen Chao nodded, indicating that he would commission the third-party services immediately.


    After giving his instructions, Lu Liang walked out of the office.


    He called over his cousin, who was sitting in the corner daydreaming, and the two headed to Guotai''s business hall since he planned to apply for ten more trading accounts.


    Today''s market was still steadily falling, the battle for 4000 points, the defense at 3500 points, and the safeguarding at 3000 points.


    Only the last seemed relatively reliable; 3000 points were like Big A''s baseline, playing around for half a year only to return to the starting point.


    With the general market trending downward, numerous speculative stocks were vying for dominance, but most were fleeting, leaving nothing behind but chaos after a wild party.


    Only Teli A stood out, becoming the center of the frenzy since last Monday when Lu Liang offloaded his shares to the Wenzhou Gang.


    It completely turned into the stage of revelry, if you have a dream, come join us.


    Various capital traders took turns, today''s surges and declines often exceeding ten percentage points.


    The morning session might see an increase of seven points, then the afternoon would drop by three, or the morning might tumble seven or eight points, and the afternoon would turn positive again.


    It just seemed so normal.


    The retail investors entering the market were in pain but also delighted, as after all, the speculative institutional players would always leave some scraps behind.


    So there went the joke, "Even as Big A rose to 5,000 points, I didn''t make much, but I earned quite a bit during the stock disaster."


    This statement won unanimous approval from the retail investors.


    It also gave rise to many new memes, like "The ''A'' in Teli A is the same ''A'' as in Big A," and "Playing with Big A is just for fun; to truly play the stock game, one must play Teli A."


    The name Teli A went completely viral, attracting a large number of outsiders intrigued by its fame, and with the rising popularity, the stock price climbed steadily upward amidst daily rollercoaster rides.


    As of today, it had successfully stabilized at 45 yuan.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but click his tongue, "Could the trend really start off like this?"


    Due to the Securities and Futures Commission''s heavy crackdown, Li Wu was investigated, his profits of 480 million seized, and he was fined a total of 720 million.


    Such a profound lesson, which occurred not long ago, meant nobody dared to commit such a blatant transgression, playing tricks with this stock; thus, Teli A became one of the market''s few sanctuaries.


    The powerless, influence-free, and uninformed retail investors had low expectations; they simply longed for a relatively fair trading market.


    And so, they rushed headlong into Teli A.


    Of course, they never suspected that the fair market they hoped for might just be a fa?ade deliberately shown to them by others.


    Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many speculative institutions flocking to this stock, looking to get a piece of the action.


    After all, the market is a place where big fish eat little fish, the little fish eat shrimps, and fishermen stand on the shore.


    Lu Liang decided then that once he achieved success and fame, he would write a book called "A Lifetime of Walking on Thin Ice for Big A''s Retail Investors."


    It wasn''t long before Zhao Haisheng got his trading account set up, and at some point, his nameplate had changed to Deputy Director.


    Surprised, Lu Liang laughed and asked, "Haisheng, when did you get promoted?"


    "Thanks to Mr. Lu, it was decided last week," Zhao Haisheng replied with a beaming smile, his flattery not just an act.


    In the securities industry, performance was what spoke volumes, and Lu Liang''s frequent trading generated substantial commission fees.


    All credited to his performance, he received specific praise from headquarters, so it was natural that he climbed the ranks.


    "How come you never mentioned it? Shouldn''t you treat us to a meal?" Lu Liang joked with a smile.


    "How could I? I wouldn''t dare bother Mr. Lu over such a trivial matter."


    Zhao Haisheng, genuinely apprehensive, quickly invited Lu Liang to dine with him that evening, to reciprocate past favors.


    He wouldn''t forget that without Lu Liang, there would be no him¡ªit was Lu Liang who went against others'' opinions to let him continue as the dedicated broker.


    "Some other time, maybe. I''m really tied up with work recently and can''t get away," Lu Liang said with a smile, picking up the documents and leaving.


    Although he had no use for Zhao Haisheng at the moment, who knew about the future? As long as Zhao remembered his roots, it was all good.


    That evening, Lu Liang visited New International Building again, where money paved the way, and a day''s worth of work could be accomplished.


    Upon entry, a massive reception desk sat in front, with Tianxing Asset Management to the left and Tianxing Capital Investment to the right.


    The entire company was carpeted with deep-colored, soft rugs, and partitions had been put up between the two firms.


    Rooms like the stock trading room, conference room, offices, and pantry were already taking shape.


    Also, there were continuous streams of movers transporting various office equipment.


    "Can this be finished before dawn?" Lu Liang asked.


    "It will all be done by four o''clock," Tang Caide answered.


    Modu never lacked for hard workers. They offered triple the hourly wage for triple the manpower.


    If concrete didn''t need time to cool, even Rome could be built in a night.


    "You''ve worked hard," Lu Liang acknowledged, sensing that Tang Caide planned to stay here until daybreak.


    After all, she was the chief coordinator¡ªwhere each item should be placed, how to position the seats, she had to check every detail.


    "I''ve been idle for so long, about time to get moving. Can''t just keep drawing a salary without doing anything."


    "How can it be considered drawing without doing anything? Hiring you with an annual salary of 400,000, I feel like I got myself quite the bargain."


    "Mr. Lu, if you''re thinking of giving me a raise, I wouldn''t mind."


    "How much of a raise do you want?" Lu Liang inquired.


    Tang Caide just smiled and shook her head, "Let''s not worry about that for now. We can talk about it once the profits roll in."


    That morning, Lu Liang had invested another ten million; now the committed and paid capital both amounted to fifty million.


    As of now, not a cent of profit to be seen, and of the fifty million in funds, only slightly more than nine million remained.


    "It is venture capital, after all. You can''t expect to see profits right away, but we''re getting close."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "2+20, tomorrow, two hundred thousand US dollars will be in the account."

 Chapter 100 - 100: Private Equity in Progress

    The next morning, Lu Liang came to the New International Building again, and the 32nd floor had completely changed its appearance.


    Red carpet and congratulatory flower baskets were lined up from the elevator entrance to the company''s doorstep.


    Behind the reception desk, a screen was inlaid with a string of gilded characters, "Tianxing Asset Management Co., Ltd. Consultation."


    Tang Caide came out from the left side, her face smiling but showing a hint of fatigue, "Good morning Mr. Lu, Mr. Meng sent the flower basket over before dawn."


    "It''s the Chaoshan way, they value gestures of goodwill."


    Lu Liang did a thorough check, focusing particularly on the trading room¡ªfor a private equity firm, this was the battlefield.


    Tang Caide spoke softly, "The security gate you ordered will arrive this afternoon, but the signal jamming devices are all installed."


    Lu Liang picked up a signal detector from the table; as soon as the door closed, the signal disappeared. Not a trace of signal could be found in any corner of the room¡ªit wasn''t a secret chamber, but it was the next best thing.


    A dozen computers were placed in the center, each wired, and monitored by a single mainframe. A huge screen like those found in stock exchanges was embedded in the wall, allowing real-time observation of market trends.


    "You''ve been busy all night, you should go back and rest," said Lu Liang, immensely satisfied.


    Having Tang Caide as the vice president of the company was undoubtedly one of the best decisions of the year.


    Tang Caide replied, "I managed to get some sleep last night, I''ll go back later, after all, we''ll have visitors soon."


    "There''s still time, go rest for a bit, I''ll take care of the arrangements," Lu Liang didn''t insist further, knowing they would be receiving quite a number of guests soon and he would be hard-pressed to welcome them on his own.


    Tang Caide thought for a moment and then said, "How about I go back, change clothes, freshen up and come back."


    "Alright, go ahead."


    Lu Liang called Chen Jinchun and asked her to gather the company''s staff to boost the atmosphere.


    Despite the office being sectioned off, the asset management company still spanned around 1300 square meters.


    The only thing missing now was people; even if it was just to pour tea, serve water, or handle reception.


    Eighteen people arrived in several taxis, crowding onto the 32nd floor of New International Building.


    Upon seeing the high-end office space, everyone felt as if they were dreaming. This wasn''t just a simple upgrade¡ªit was like trading a musket for a space carrier.


    The few non-key undergraduates felt fortunate; had the company waited to move here before recruiting new people, they would definitely not have been chosen.


    From now on, the company''s recruitment threshold would probably start with graduates from 211 Project universities; anything less would not do justice to such a fine office environment.


    Lu Liang glanced at the time and started delegating tasks, "Reception is still responsible for reception, legal and financial colleagues will review contracts, clerical staff will assist, we will have visitors in an hour, let''s get moving."


    Everyone started familiarizing themselves with the place and facilities. With people bustling around, the office space finally felt lively.


    Close to ten o''clock, Wang Xiaocong arrived, accompanied by two people, in stark contrast to the throng brought by Old Meng.


    Lu Liang welcomed them into the conference room, smiling and asked, "Were you stood up?"


    "Who dares stand me up?" Wang Xiaocong glared, his mother and uncle were inconvenient to show up, so they gave him their authorizations.


    Lu Liang smiled and looked at the two men, "Aren''t you going to introduce them?"


    "Zhao Geng, he''s in the luxury car import and export business, and Liang Haitao, his dad is Liang Zhenwen."


    Hearing Liang Zhenwen''s name, Lu Liang was momentarily taken aback, the chairman of Green View Group, his former boss.


    "Mr. Zhao, Mr. Liang, hello, Xiaocong you entertain them for a bit, I''ll go over there to say hello."


    Although it was his former young employer, Lu Liang did not offer special treatment, after all, even if it were Liang Zhenwen who came, it would be the same.


    Compared to Little Wang, who could only socialize with second-generation rich kids, the people Old Meng brought had quite a few well-known and capable figures.


    Such as Wang Jingyuan, a host from Eastern TV, not particularly famous, but her husband was Guo Changguang from Fuxing Group, a tycoon worth billions years ago, also known as Shanghai''s King of Cash and China''s Buffett.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, my husband is on a business trip, so he asked me to come and have a look," Wang Jingyuan greeted with a smile.


    "Ms. Wang, hello, we have several esteemed guests today, please excuse any shortcomings in our hospitality."


    Ms. Wang smiled, looking at Tang Caide, "Mr. Lu, go ahead with your work, I know Mr. Tang."


    Tang Caide smiled with a hint of surprise, "Mrs. Guo, it''s been a long time. How come you seem to get younger every time I see you?"


    Wang Jingyuan beamed with joy, "I''m almost fifty now."


    "No way!" Tang Caide''s eyes widened in shock, a reaction that Wang Jingyuan found very gratifying.


    Lu Liang breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for Tang Caide''s assistance. He then turned to greet another person.


    Yu Shirong from Wei''er Group, the third-largest sensor company globally and the number one in China, a billionaire industrial tycoon.


    Guo Changguang hadn''t come in person; he was the most powerful person present and someone who had subscribed for three shares.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve heard much about you, and Mr. Meng has often mentioned you. Today, I''ve finally had the pleasure of meeting you," said Yu Shirong.


    At just 49, Yu Shirong already had a full head of silver hair, but he had a very amiable smile.


    "President Yu, you''re too kind; I grew up listening to your legendary stories," said Lu Liang with admiration.


    Japan and South Korea dominated the semiconductor world in East Asia for many years, but the Wei''er Group had torn a gap through the blockade.


    Nowadays, Chinese smartphones can use domestically-produced chips that are both high-quality and cost-effective, largely thanks to Yu Shirong.


    Saying he is the man behind Chinese phones isn''t an exaggeration, a truly admirable entrepreneur.


    Yu Shirong chuckled, "Mr. Lu, I just came to have a look, you go about your business." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang nodded and went to greet other guests.


    It had to be said that Old Meng''s social network was vast, with friends from all walks of life, and it even included a couple of suspected white gloves.


    But Lu Liang didn''t care; once the contract was signed, even if there was a future fall from grace and a chase to retrieve funds, it would have to wait until the end of the cycle.


    "Thank you, everyone, for coming. Since you all trust me, I will definitely not let you down."


    After making acquaintances around the room, Lu Liang stepped up to the podium to express his sincere thanks to the investors present today.


    But that was all he could offer, considering these were mutually voluntary deals; he could not guarantee to cover any losses.


    "I''m sure you''re all somewhat familiar with the rules of private equity, but don''t mind me repeating them." Lu Liang bowed and gestured for Wen Chao to distribute the private equity contract documents to everyone.


    A 2+20 management structure, with a cycle of 365 days, starting with a net value of 1. It would be updated on the 25th of each month and those interested could call his secretary to inquire.


    Once the contract was signed, the funds had to be transferred into the account within three business days; otherwise, they would face breach of contract liabilities.


    There was an initial lock-up period of three months; after that, an early redemption could be requested, but it would involve a 5% penalty on the principal and no dividends would be claimed.


    "Does anyone have any questions?"


    Since this was the first round of private funding, Lu Liang explained meticulously. In the future, this work would likely fall on Old Meng''s shoulders.


    "Mr. Lu, the explanation is very detailed; I have no questions," Yu Shirong smiled and signed his name on the three contracts.


    Lu Liang looked puzzled; he wondered why Yu Shirong held such good will towards him, but nevertheless, it was a good thing.


    Since Yu Shirong was the person with the highest stature present and he had no issues, the others also rapidly indicated that they had no issues.


    After all, they had reviewed the contract terms over and over again before coming; they had accepted the terms and then decided to come. Raising objections now would be nothing more than nitpicking.


    "Mr. Lu, the funds will be transferred this afternoon. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first," Yu Shirong smiled and waved, handing over his signed contract to his assistant behind him.


    "Mr. Lu, please stay; I''ll see President Yu off," Meng Changkun hurriedly said.


    "President Yu, please take care."


    Lu Liang could only temporarily bury his doubts in his heart. After seeing off all the guests, he finally found Old Meng to inquire about the reasons.


    Meng Changkun laughed, "Didn''t you ask me last time who said that Modu was introducing Tesla? It was President Yu."


    "Later, I asked him for more details, and he got curious about who wanted to know. So, I mentioned you were interested."


    "President Yu has spent his life pursuing the revival of nation through industry and technology. He has a soft spot for young people who want to get into industry."


    Lu Liang suddenly understood and felt a deep respect in his heart.

 Chapter 101 - 101: Old Mengs Sense of Boundaries

    All the private equity fund subscription contracts were signed, and there was no point in delaying the capital any longer. That afternoon, a total of 34 shares adding up to $68 million, as well as a $1.36 million management fee, were consecutively received.


    Lu Liang subscribed for 16 shares, contributing $32 million, plus a $640,000 management fee, reaching one hundred million dollars, and ended the fundraising period in one day.


    The next day, he found President Liu of the Industrial and Commercial Bank. With a deposit of one hundred million dollars, he obtained 636 million RMB.


    When he initially opened a corporate account with the Industrial and Commercial Bank, he had signed the related contract; Tianxing Asset Management was a dual-currency private equity fund.


    Capital could temporarily stay with the Industrial and Commercial Bank, but however much was deposited, the bank was obligated to provide an equivalent amount of RMB with no interest.


    At first glance, the Industrial and Commercial Bank seemed to be getting the short end of the stick, but in fact, all four major commercial banks offered a service called foreign exchange loans.


    Some businesses needed to import equipment, but foreigners did not accept RMB, and if the businesses didn''t have foreign exchange reserves, they would take loans from the bank.


    However, foreign exchange control in the country was very strict. Even the Industrial and Commercial Bank branch in Modu had a very limited quota for foreign exchange allocations each year.


    Lu Liang depositing one hundred million dollars, in the branch managed by President Liu, made him almost want to worship Lu Liang. He couldn''t care less about that bit of processing fee.


    Lu Liang reminded repeatedly, "President Liu, our company doesn''t need dollars for now, but that doesn''t mean we won''t need them in the future. I don''t want any hiccups in the process when we need to use them."


    President Liu hurriedly said, "Mr. Lu, let me tell you something in confidence. Our branch''s quarterly foreign exchange settlement always has at least one hundred and eighty million dollars in foreign exchange reserves, so whenever you need it, it will be immediately available."


    Reserves meant that they couldn''t be used unless it was an emergency. So often, he could only watch as loan business opportunities slipped by.


    But with the addition of one hundred million dollars in foreign exchange funds, they could now afford to be a bit bolder in the future, and at the very least, generate an income of ten million dollars a year.


    Moreover, Lu Liang''s capability was clear for all to see. One hundred million dollars was just the beginning; it could be one billion or even fifty billion dollars in the future.


    A feast compared to regular meals, President Liu knew the difference. He would never cause any delay in the currency exchange process at a critical moment.


    Lu Liang nodded, feeling reassured.


    After leaving the bank, he returned to the New International Building and called over Wen Chao to inquire about the background check results.


    "The resumes of the four new hires are basically authentic. No criminal records; no bad habits. The two veterans are still under investigation; the results should be available by the afternoon at the latest."


    "Send the offers to the four newcomers first. Have them come over to complete onboarding tomorrow. If there are no issues with the two veterans, send them offers too, have them come in tomorrow as well."


    In the vast trading room, only Lu Liang was buying in trades, nearly numb as he clicked the mouse and tapped on the keyboard.


    He felt numb, watching the screen flashing red and green, suddenly let out three yawns in a row, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.


    The positive news on new energy hadn''t appeared yet, and at the moment, it was a phase of building positions. He didn''t dare to make big moves, only buying in slowly, a few to a dozen shares at a time, trying not to affect the market.


    He bought shares in six companies from start to finish, then started the cycle over again.


    Each trade did not exceed $20,000. If it was just him alone, he probably wouldn''t be able to build even 10% of the position by the end of the market trend.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s Wednesday today. When would you like to book a flight ticket?" Wen Chao suddenly asked.


    "What flight ticket?" Lu Liang was puzzled.


    "The 29th, Friday, is the financing meeting for ofo. You mentioned to Mr. Dai that you wanted to attend."


    Lu Liang suddenly remembered; he had been so busy he almost forgot: "Morning or afternoon?"


    "Three o''clock in the afternoon."


    "Then book one for noon."


    Lu Liang recalled the warning from Shen Peng.


    ''Zhu Hu is not a good person.''


    What was Shen Peng thinking when he said that?


    If Zhu Hu was unsatisfied with Lu Liang owning 20% of ofo''s shares, then he should have contacted him these past few days to coerce or tempt him into relinquishing the shares, but he hadn''t.


    So much so that Lu Liang started to doubt whether Shen Peng had deliberately said it to make him paranoid and restless.


    But as for Shen Peng''s motives, Lu Liang could not figure them out.


    He could only wait until Friday to meet Zhu Hu in person, and perhaps then he could get to the bottom of it.


    An afternoon, two hours of trading time.


    Lu Liang bought 12 million worth of shares, averaging around 2 million per stock, which did not have any impact on the market, and happily concluded his work for the day.


    Walking out of the trading room, Lu Liang saw that four special security officers had been added next to the security checkpoint.


    In the nearby rest area, Old Meng, with his big belly, was lying on the sofa playing with his phone.


    Lu Liang walked over with a smile on his face, patted his belly, and sat down beside him, "Free today?"


    "I''ve been waiting for you to finish up. Done for the day?" Old Meng said as he suddenly got up, agile for a man of his size.


    Lu Liang nodded, and Meng Changkun called over his assistant, Liu Jun, and took out a stack of documents, "Take a look. Who do you want to keep?"


    Lu Liang had said before that he was only responsible for making money; big issues, small matters, trivial things, and personnel allocation¡ªall were left to him to handle.


    But he couldn''t wield authority without justification. Lu Liang might not ask, but he couldn''t refrain from mentioning it. It was a matter of attitude.


    Lu Liang flipped through the documents. There were 28 people in total, all transferred from Kunqian Trade, but they were all in basic positions.


    Like reception, clerk, security, legal affairs, etc., each department had two or three people, but there was no one in charge of financial auditing.


    Lu Liang chuckled, quite pleased with Old Meng''s sense of boundaries and after a moment''s thought, said, "Let Mr. Tang take on the role of financial director in addition to his current duties."


    Old Meng chuckled, "That''s what I was thinking too."


    The two men exchanged knowing glances.


    As for Little Wang, as long as he could cheer with "666", that was enough.


    That evening, Lu Liang received a report from a third-party background check, which rated the two veterans as moderate and honest.


    In their more than ten years in the industry, they had been involved in many projects, but none had been led by them; they were often only in support roles, and their names mostly appeared at the end of project lists.


    Experienced, but not outstanding, with no great abilities, they were precisely the kind of people Lu Liang needed. He immediately instructed Wen Chao to send them offers.


    The next morning, two veterans and four new hires completed the onboarding process and the first document they signed was a confidentiality agreement.


    The two veterans had signed such agreements many times before and had been called in by Lu Liang for a one-on-one chat, understanding that their role was to guide the newcomers.


    Thus, they enthusiastically explained things to the four new hires.


    On the first morning, rather than having them trade live, Lu Liang had them log into a simulation panel to get familiar with the equipment and work environment first.


    It wasn''t until after lunch when everyone had submitted their communication devices and passed through the security checkpoint that they entered the trading room, and Lu Liang informed them of the current plan.


    Three people, one veteran and two newbies, made a group, with each group using 12 trading accounts aiming for six stocks to build positions at the base.


    Lu Liang sat at the main control console, monitoring everyone''s accounts and issuing commands, "BYD has the highest market value and good stock liquidity. You can buy a bit more of that."


    "LeEco''s stock price is abnormal, stop buying. Divert funds to SAIC, Yutong, Zhongke..."


    A lone hero with three helpers, they managed to accumulate funds up to 67 million in just one afternoon.


    This was only on a Thursday when the market was sluggish. Had it been Monday or Tuesday, they could have accumulated over 100 million. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Among them, BYD, with the highest market value of 155 billion, contributed the most chips, reaching 18.5 million.


    The rest were spread out over five stocks, pooling 48.5 million.


    Currently holding a total of 115 million.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and planned to add a few more stocks; six seemed too few to accommodate the more than 600 million in funds.


    He shifted the focus from whole vehicle manufacturers to downstream suppliers; for electric vehicles, the most important are the battery and the motor.


    Yiwei Lithium Energy, Tianqi Lithium, Fangzheng Motor, Ganfeng Lithium, Duofu, five stocks came into view.


    Lu Liang added these five stocks to the reserves, ready to switch to them the moment the market saturation of the previous six stocks was reached.


    With a combined market value of over 300 billion for the 11 stocks, accommodating their more than 600 million should be no issue.


    After Friday morning''s trade ended, Lu Liang called Meng Changkun to help take charge as he was heading to Beijing.


    "What do I know about this?" Old Meng frowned deeply, every cell of his body radiating resistance.


    "Just sit there and be responsible for collecting the keys at the end. I''ve prepared everything for this afternoon."


    Lu Liang left in a hurry. With the main account in his hands, there was only a little over an hour of flight time during which he wouldn''t be able to monitor the account.

 Chapter 102 - 102: Free Show

    At 1:30 PM, the plane landed, and Lu Liang turned on his laptop and connected to the portable WiFi. His account holdings had reached 185 million RMB, everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.


    Perhaps it was also related to Old Meng puffing on a cigar with a ferocious look on his face, but in any case, nothing had gone wrong.


    "It seems I''ll be able to relax a bit more in the future."


    Lu Liang''s face beamed with a smile as he stretched lazily.


    Beijing¡ªhe had been here once before seven years ago, along with Liu Mingxuan.


    Back then, they were both in the prime of their youth and would occasionally travel out of town¡ªthe capital was their first stop.


    Unlike recent years, especially after his marriage, when he had free time, all he wanted to do was lie flat and soak his feet.


    "Mr. Lu, this way, let''s head to the hotel first," Wen Chao said, retrieving the luggage with Fang Shiyu from the conveyor belt.


    Each carried a small leather suitcase filled with some relevant documents and clothes for two to three days.


    Tomorrow was Saturday, and Lu Liang was not in a hurry to return. He planned to stay for a day or two after attending the financing of ofo to check out the beauties of the capital.


    While walking, Wen Chao made a phone call to confirm the location with the hotel driver and then hurried back, "Mr. Lu, the driver sent by the hotel is at gate 2, let''s head straight there."


    A black Alphard was waiting, the driver, dressed in a suit, stood by the car, a respectful smile on his face.


    After Lu Liang took a seat in the back, they first headed to the hotel to settle in, then to the Xike Hotel next to Beijing University.


    Ofo''s valuation was set at 17 million US dollars, which was 7 million more than Mobike, but the financing event was much smaller in scale.


    A small banquet hall that could accommodate 50 people, the staff was scarce, mostly ofo''s core team.


    "Mr. Lu, on behalf of all of ofo''s staff, I welcome you," Dai Wei said with a beaming smile, his aura completely transformed compared to two months ago.


    After all, two months ago, ofo''s valuation was only 5 million RMB. Today, it was 17 million US dollars.


    That was a 21-fold increase, and he still held 56% of the shares.


    "Mr. Dai, I''m just here to have a look, why don''t you go and attend to others," Lu Liang said, observing everyone at the venue.


    He seemed to have arrived a bit early, or perhaps it was typical for big players to make a grand entrance towards the end; he did not see Zhu Hu from Golden Sand River.


    "Mr. Lu, please make yourself comfortable."


    Dai Wei hurried off after speaking, as a short-haired, professional-looking woman entered from outside.


    Wen Chao whispered, "Mr. Lu, that''s Liu Qing, the president of DiDi and also an executive director at Goldman Sachs."


    As a competent secretary, he had to remember all the possible attendees today to prevent Lu Liang from not recognizing any guests.


    Lu Liang said softly, "She''s still Liu Xiangzhi''s daughter."


    It would be hard for him not to know Liu Qing; last month, the venture capital circles were almost dominated by the news of DiDi''s 2 billion US dollar financing.


    It was the largest funding round for a non-public company globally to date and the largest investment within the internet sector.


    The deal was purportedly facilitated by Liu Qing alone, but it''s unknown how much effort Old Liu had put in behind the scenes.


    After all, even a genius has limits; graduated with a master''s degree at 25, entered Goldman Sachs, became an executive director for the Asia-Pacific at 27, became the general manager for Asia at 30, parachuted in as COO at DiDi last year at 36, and facilitated a financing of 2 billion US dollars this year.


    Lu Liang glanced at her and then focused on patiently waiting for Zhu Hu, the man Sheng Peng described as not a good person.


    Liu Qing spoke briefly with Dai Wei and suddenly walked up to Lu Liang with a smile, "Mr. Lu, I am Liu Qing."


    "Ms. Liu, we were just discussing how your significant 2 billion funding for DiDi will go down in history."


    Lu Liang stood up to shake hands, a smile showing on his face.


    However, he suddenly had a bad feeling, as Liu Qing''s presence here was unusual in itself.


    As if to confirm Lu Liang''s hunch, the next second, Liu Qing said directly, "Mr. Lu, I heard that you own 20% of ofo''s shares, would you be willing to painfully part with them?"


    Lu Liang was stunned, "Ms. Liu, it''s not really a painful matter, as long as the price is right, I don''t really mind."


    Liu Qing was surprised by Lu Liang''s easygoing response, and after a moment''s thought added, "How about 4 million US dollars?"


    "That''s a premium of 17.6%." Lu Liang was surprised.


    With a valuation of 20 million US dollars, buying his shares showed genuine sincerity.


    "Yes, once the share transfer contract is signed, the funds will be guaranteed to arrive within two days."


    DiDi had just completed a 2 billion US dollar financing round, with a cash reserve exceeding 3.5 billion US dollars¡ª4 million was just a fraction.


    Liu Qing had also researched beforehand; Lu Liang had acquired 20% of ofo''s shares with just a 2 million loan agreement and 1 million RMB.


    4 million US dollars, over 25 million RMB.


    A 25-fold increase in just two months, and it would all be in one transaction, she couldn''t fathom Lu Liang having any reason to refuse.


    Lu Liang indeed had no intention of refusing, but he was pondering what Liu Qing''s ulterior motive might be.


    Suddenly he recalled what Shen Peng had said,


    Investing in Mobike was just a process, not the result. If that was the case with Meituan, then even more so with the more interconnected DiDi.


    "Selling now would be like throwing away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds."


    Suddenly, a burst of cheerful laughter rang out, and a middle-aged man with a crew cut strode forward, "A new internet company with 17 million US Dollars in Series A funding, so why can''t Series B have 170 million?"


    Liu Qing''s brows furrowed, and her eyes flickered with hostility, "Mr. Zhu, you can''t just say that. Golden Sand River has invested in so many companies; haven''t there been plenty that couldn''t sustain themselves from Series A to Series B?"


    Zhu Hu chuckled, "Indeed, there are quite a few, but OFO is certainly not one of them."


    "Mr. Lu, meet Zhu Hu from Golden Sand River," he then turned to Lu Liang, extending his right hand.


    "Tianxing Lu Liang." Lu Liang was puzzled.


    Was this the man Shen Peng said was no good?


    By comparison, Shen Peng seemed somewhat pretentious.


    "Mr. Zhu, how can you make such a guarantee?" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Qing saw that Lu Liang was somewhat tempted; if it weren''t for Zhu Hu''s interruption, a deal might have been struck.


    "Because Golden Sand River is leading the funding for Series A, because I, Zhu Hu, am bullish on OFO." Zhu Hu''s smile did not wane, his domineering aura evident.


    Liu Qing chuckled lightly, "Mr. Zhu, don''t speak with such finality. Whether Golden Sand River will lead Series A is still up for debate."


    Zhu Hu squinted his eyes, like a ferocious tiger ready to strike, "It''s just a traffic interface. Golden Sand River not having it doesn''t mean Old Zhu doesn''t have it."


    Liu Qing was taken aback, "Who did you convince?"


    "You guess." Zhu Hu grinned.


    "Well, let me prematurely congratulate Golden Sand River on its successful lead investment."


    Unable to guess and not wanting to, Liu Qing turned to Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, this is my business card. Feel free to contact me anytime."


    "Young, but not lacking in fire."


    Zhu Hu watched as Liu Qing hurriedly left, knowing she would not easily give up.


    However, he was confident that Dai Wei would choose him, not Liu Qing.


    Zhu Hu smiled and asked, "Mr. Lu, did you enjoy watching?"


    An excellent company''s financing is just like this; investors rush to offer money and resources.


    Their rivalry had provided Lu Liang a free show, which he hadn''t even had to pay for.


    Lu Liang watched Liu Qing''s retreating figure, musing, "It was alright, just a bit flat."


    "???"


    "???"


    The two stared at each other for a while.


    Zhu Hu couldn''t help but laugh, "You must have met Shen Peng, did he not tell you anything?"


    Lu Liang appeared modest, "To tell the truth, I might seem self-praising."


    "Let''s hear it."


    "Mr. Shen has a very high regard for me, thinks I''d be an excellent investor."


    Zhu Hu was taken aback, then looked Lu Liang up and down more carefully, growing more perplexed, "Did he say anything bad about me?"


    "How are you two related?"


    "Known each other since ''92."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, then decided to be honest, "Mr. Shen said you''re not a good person, and told me to be wary."


    Zhu Hu remained composed, as if he had anticipated it, smiling, "Then do you know what Shen Peng said about you?"


    Lu Liang shook his head.


    Zhu Hu revealed, "He said you resemble me."


    Lu Liang was visibly shocked, stepped back a half-step, scrutinizing Zhu Hu carefully, sighed and said, "Mr. Shen has a great eye for investments, but not so much for people."


    Now he finally understood why Shen Peng said Zhu Hu was no good; if Shen Peng truly said he was like Zhu Hu, that too implied he was no good.


    Zhu Hu was taken aback for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Damn, Shen Peng should hear this as well."


    "Isn''t it so?" Lu Liang smirked.


    "It is."


    Zhu Hu''s gaze towards Lu Liang grew more appreciative, as if a dung beetle had found a companion, "Sell to me in Series B, 20% premium for your shares."


    "Agreed."


    Lu Liang responded without hesitation, not even for a second.


    The drama just witnessed wasn''t for nothing; he wasn''t just focused on Liu Qing''s figure. The help he could offer OFO was close to nothing; offering funds was the bare minimum.


    An investor who couldn''t provide help would eventually be ousted from the scene; better to go with the flow and give a favor.


    With the valuation for Series B financing, and an additional 20% premium, it almost reached his mental expectations.

 Chapter 103 - 103: What is Capital?!

    "Mr. Lu, shall we have a chat tonight?"


    Zhu Hu smiled as he extended the offer, and Lu Liang smiled back, nodding in eager agreement.


    Following Liu Qing''s exit from and return to the meeting room, the fiercest battle for the lead investor position in ofo''s Series A funding officially began.


    Zhu Hu also bade Lu Liang a temporary farewell.


    Liu Qing and Zhu Hu went to speak privately with Dai Wei in succession. After their conversations ended, the two discussed amongst themselves.


    The content of the three talks was unknown, but they seemed to have temporarily reached some form of consensus, with Zhu Hu appearing slightly ahead.


    With Golden Sand River subscribing to a 6% stake, and DiDi Capital subscribing to a 4% stake, this round of funding talks concluded.


    Surrounded by two major capitals, Dai Wei was full of vigor, unmatched for a moment, and roared in a deafening voice: "For over a hundred years, many Beijing University grads have changed both Beijing University and the world, now it''s our turn!"


    After the funding, as a shareholder, Lu Liang was invited to ofo''s internal meeting following the investment round.


    He learned that Zhu Hu had pulled Ali Group into the picture, promising to have Alipay provide a traffic interface, thus leading the Series A round.


    "Mr. Lu, we''ve booked a table for a celebration dinner, would you like to join us?" Dai Wei invited with a smile.


    Lu Liang chuckled and politely declined, "You all have fun, I have some other matters to attend to, so I''ll pass."


    Dai Wei didn''t insist and notified him of the post-funding equity distribution, besides having Lu Liang sign the authorization before watching him leave.


    In this round of funding, ofo had released 10% of its shares, reducing his share to 50.4%, and Lu Liang''s to 18%.


    On his way back, Lu Liang received a call from Zhu Hu.


    After contemplating for a few moments, he replied with a chuckle, "Mr. Zhu, I''m heading back to the hotel first, I''ll come over later."


    As Golden Sand River led the A Series funding, promising Alipay''s traffic interface, ofo certainly had its price to pay.


    The price that Dai Wei paid left Lu Liang astounded.


    He decided to set up a board of directors at the end of the funding round, granting Golden Sand River Venture Capital a board seat and a veto right.


    Lu Liang smelled a hint of conspiracy, not knowing what terms the two parties had agreed upon as the price for that trade-off.


    Because what Dai Wei didn''t know was that Lu Liang had accepted Zhu Hu''s offer to transfer his equity at a 20% premium during the B round of funding.


    When ofo carried out a B series funding round, Golden Sand River would surely participate and was highly likely to continue leading.


    In this way, following the conclusion of Series A and B funding, Golden Sand River would own at least 10% of the shares.


    Adding Lu Liang''s 18%, even after dilution from the B round financing, they would still have about 16.2%.


    Golden Sand River would hold a minimum of 26.2% plus a veto right, and not to mention whatever agreement Zhu Hu had reached with Liu Qing.


    Dai Wei''s time was up¡ª


    ofo was about to undergo a major change¡ª


    "What price did Zhu Hu pay for Alipay''s willingness to provide a traffic interface?"


    Lu Liang thought and thought, and suddenly it struck him¡ªShen Peng and his investment in Meituan.


    Zhu Hu probably followed the same approach as Shen Peng, lining up buyers well in advance of his investment.


    If the company were to go public smoothly, they would stay until the end; if things looked dire, they would just cash out and leave.


    "Indeed, none of these venture capitalists are saints; if you want to start a business, you really need your own money."


    After participating in two funding meetings, Lu Liang greatly benefited, with Shen Peng and Zhu Hu showing him what capital truly was.


    An investor''s money wasn''t easy to take; it was like seeking skin from a tiger, always at risk of plummeting into the abyss.


    Back at the hotel, Lu Liang took a bath, changed his clothes, and took a car to the address provided by Zhu Hu.


    It had to be said, Zhu Hu''s taste was a bit peculiar¡ªa place that resembled a restaurant and also a bit like a KTV lounge.


    Inside the private room, a table was set with rare delicacies, and several young women wearing bodycon dresses were present.


    Zhu Hu was holding a microphone, singing "West Sea Love Song."


    He sang with deep emotion, more like a coal tycoon than a venture capitalist, to the point that when Lu Liang arrived, he didn''t even notice.


    "Can''t return to our former days~"


    His voice, bitter and husky, full of worldly experience, elicited applause and cheers from the ladies in the room.


    Lu Liang also clapped along with a smile: "True to Dao Lang himself."


    "Not bad, not bad. Just bored and had an itch to sing," Zhu Hu said, his face brimming with joy, loving when others praised his singing.


    He had the ''princesses'' turn on the room''s lights and dismissed the accompanying ladies, inviting him to sit at the dining table with a smile, "Just served, haven''t started eating yet, come join us."


    Lu Liang nodded, and the two quietly continued eating without touching the alcohol, intending to at least wait until they were done with their business before drinking.


    "Did you just come from an internal meeting at ofo?" Zhu Hu asked. Seeing Lu Liang nod, he followed up, "What do you think?"


    "B round valuation should be several hundred million dollars. This deal, we''re going to make a pretty penny," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    The implication was clear: he could see the opportunity but wasn''t interested; he just wanted to cash out at a high price and walk away.


    The subsequent chaos had nothing to do with him.


    "We sure are making a lot," Zhu Hu said, his smile brimming with happiness.


    The two agreed to meet the next day to officially sign the contract.


    As their glasses clinked together, it signified that the business talk was over, and it was time for leisure and entertainment.


    Drinking, feasting on meat, singing, and bragging about everything.


    From the situation in the Middle East to the rising price of meat, they talked about everything but business, and their titles also shifted from Mr. Zhu and Mr. Lu to Hu and Liang.


    "Hu, it''s such a pity we met so late~"


    "Liang, let''s finish this drink~"


    After three rounds of drinks and a taste of five different dishes, Zhu Hu was already embracing a beauty, focusing his efforts below the belt, his true colors as a man laid bare.


    But noticing Lu Liang''s apparent dissatisfaction, he waved his hand grandly and said, "Let''s change the venue and keep the party going."


    Zhu Hu, with a look of disgust, wiped his hands on the beauty''s clothes, preparing to take Lu Liang to a new setting.


    After all, Yanjing was his turf, the guest must be satisfied, or it would be the ultimate insult to the host.


    Lu Liang smiled and politely declined, "Hu, I''ve got some things to take care of tonight. Just have fun."


    He roughly knew what the next scene entailed. It wasn''t that he was resistant; he just didn''t want to go with Zhu Hu.


    When out and about, it''s still crucial to protect oneself; it''s a mistake to make deep confessions of friendship prematurely when the relationship hasn''t developed that far.


    Zhu Hu mused for a moment, understanding Lu Liang''s reservations, and said with a smile, "Then let me walk you out."


    "Hu, there''s no need."


    Outside the restaurant, Lu Liang waved goodbye to Zhu Hu and returned to the hotel with Wen Chao and Fang Shiyu.


    After a shower, sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, he looked out at the bustling Beijing, contemplating his plans for the next couple of days.


    The next day, Lu Liang went to the Golden Sand River Venture Capital''s office in Beijing.


    This institution focused on investing in high-tech companies, managing about 4.5 billion US dollars and 12 billion RMB.


    Even though its funds were not as abundant as Redwood''s, Zhu Hu was one of the founding members, unlike Shen Peng, who was only a partner at Redwood, and thus their positions in the domestic venture capital circle were quite similar.


    The three founders were each responsible for different sectors: Lin Renjun focused on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the healthcare industry, Zhu Hu handled the Internet, wireless, and new media sectors, and Ding Jian concentrated on big data, digital healthcare, VR/AR, and new media.


    Lu Liang''s interest in Kuai Shou and ByteDance coincided with Golden Sand River Venture Capital''s participation in their early-stage financing, holding between 2% and 6% of the shares in each.


    "Short videos seem to be becoming a trend," Zhu Hu said while asking someone to prepare the contract, noticing Lu Liang''s particular interest in these two companies.


    "After all, life''s pace is speeding up, and people want the most thrill in the least amount of time."


    Apart from electric cars, the short video industry was also an area Lu Liang had been watching closely; he hadn''t hesitated to spend a million to hire a third-party agency to conduct market research.


    Thus, he understood why short videos were gradually becoming a trend.


    Zhu Hu was surprised, not expecting Lu Liang to have such thorough insight, capturing the essence in one sentence.


    He asked with a laugh, "Have any companies caught your eye?"


    "Kuai Shou is pretty good, just a bit tacky."


    "Tackiness can be a form of elegance."


    "Perhaps."


    Lu Liang smiled but didn''t completely agree.


    Tackiness being a form of elegance was a concept he could accept, but he didn''t believe Kuai Shou met this standard.


    At least, subsequent trials either by himself, Fang Shiyu, Wen Chao, or Chen Jinchun, all spending several hours, found no exception other than Wen Chao, who couldn''t accept it because Wen was from the north, while the others were from the south.


    They couldn''t see what was appealing, even feeling a bit of aversion, joking about regional differences, and reinforcing the stereotype of northerners.


    Although they couldn''t represent the entire south, their experience did prove that Kuai Shou faced certain barriers in entering the southern market. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 104 - 104: The Plain and Simple Business Battle

    "Can this contract be worth twenty million US dollars?"


    After signing the contract, Lu Liang asked with a smile, and Zhu Hu also smiled, "I hope it can be worth two hundred million."


    Just as Lu Liang had guessed, he had already found a buyer for ofo¡ªthe higher the selling price, the more he would earn.


    Lu Liang chuckled, "Maybe in the C or D round, but the B round can''t fetch that high a price yet."


    Twenty million US dollars was still his expectation after a 20% premium, considering that greed must be tempered by reality.


    With Dai Wei''s financing methods, an investment of 1.7 million US dollars could potentially leverage three to eight times that amount.


    By the time the company''s funds were completely spent, the valuation for the next round would also likely be between three and eight times.


    Lu Liang took the median of five times, roughly eighty-five million US dollars, as the expected valuation for the B round.


    Zhu Hu smiled, seemingly agreeing with Lu Liang''s estimation, and Lu Liang asked, "The veto power, how do you plan to use it?" Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhu Hu shook his head, "It''s not time to use it yet, using it rashly will only cause resentment among ofo''s founders."


    Lu Liang pondered, still unclear about one thing, "I really don''t understand why Dai Wei would agree to it."


    The board''s veto power was almost the right of the chairman, but Dai Wei had given it up so easily.


    To be precise, it was shared; now both Dai Wei and Zhu Hu had veto power.


    "Just like I can''t understand why Tianxing Capital got 20% of the shares, it''s essentially the same."


    Iron Boss might be strong, but after all, he is Iron Boss. In the business field, Dai Wei is just a novice entrepreneur.


    A novice, albeit one born with a silver spoon, prone to mistakes, arrogance, and misunderstanding.


    Lu Liang smiled knowingly,


    Handed the contract to Wen Chao, "Hu, I''m off."


    "Bye-bye, next time I''ll visit you in Modu." Zhu Hu stood at the company''s entrance, smiling as he watched Lu Liang leave.


    Shen Peng had a good eye for investments, which he did not deny, but in judging people, Zhu Hu considered himself better than Shen Peng.


    In half a year, Lu Liang achieved what others couldn''t in ten or even twenty years, both in accomplishments and wealth.


    Zhu Hu thought highly of him.


    Leaving Golden Sand River Venture Capital, Lu Liang asked Wen Chao, "What time did you schedule with Mr. Zhang?"


    Kuai Shou already had over two hundred million users, it was tough to get in, but ByteDance still held some hope.


    So he had Wen Chao contact Zhang Yiming''s assistant yesterday to schedule a meeting to talk.


    "Three o''clock in the afternoon." Wen Chao opened his notepad.


    "Then let''s first visit their company."


    Lu Liang, with a smile on his lips, planned to visit the offices of ByteDance and see if there were any hidden gems.


    What''s outstanding about ByteDance was its unique algorithm and recommendation system, but these aspects weren''t impossible to replicate.


    The saying goes well, being born into this world, how can one willingly stay beneath others.


    Taking advantage of Zhang Yiming''s absence at the office, Lu Liang decided to show his face¡ªyou never know who might secretly contact him.


    In the financial markets, with two successful deals under his belt and one day netting a hundred million dollars in private equity, Lu Liang''s reputation had greatly increased.


    Even though it wasn''t the agreed-upon time yet, the front desk receptionist dared not neglect him and treated him warmly and respectfully.


    They invited Lu Liang to the company''s reception room and called over a woman in her thirties, deputy director of administration.


    "It might be my secretary who got the time wrong for meeting with Mr. Zhang," Lu Liang said without a second thought, immediately throwing Wen Chao under the bus.


    "The phone reception there was a bit loud; I misheard." Wen Chao also handled it smoothly, with a sheepish expression.


    The deputy director of administration, Ding Yazhen, made contact with Zhang Yiming, and came back to say, "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment, our Mr. Zhang is still on his way."


    "No worries, it''s our fault for getting the time wrong."


    Lu Liang took a few sips of tea and, feeling bored, suggested visiting the company.


    Ding Yazhen could hardly refuse and, after a moment''s thought, smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, let me accompany you around."


    A small group wandered through the administrative, marketing, and operations departments, among others.


    Ding Yazhen was careful and did not take Lu Liang to the crucial departments, such as projects and technology.


    Lu Liang smiled silently, not minding, as suggesting a visit to the core departments would be too obvious.


    "So, this is how it operates..."


    "DiDi, Neihan Duanzi, I''ve played with it for a while too¡ªquite amusing."


    Each department they visited, Lu Liang showed a keen interest.


    Although he couldn''t visit the most crucial departments, he could have others relay messages there.


    An investor holding billions, interested in an industry, was enough to pique interest.


    Soon, Zhang Yiming, born in 1983 and just two years older than Lu Liang, hurried over at the news.


    32 years old this year and a five-time entrepreneur, ByteDance was his fifth venture.


    Three years had passed, and last November, they had conducted a Series C funding round, reaching a valuation of five hundred million dollars.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, sorry for my late arrival; shall we move to the meeting room?"


    Zhang Yiming, experienced from five startups, knew all too well about the tricks of using a visit as a pretext for poaching.


    Although Lu Liang was from a venture capital firm and seemed to have no competitive relationship, it was still something to be vigilant against.


    "That''s fine, let''s go."


    Lu Liang followed Zhang Yiming back to the reception room and spoke frankly, "Mr. Zhang, I am very interested in your ByteDance."


    Zhang Yiming pondered for a while, "I''m truly sorry, Mr. Lu, but our company has no plans for fundraising at the moment. Could you leave your contact information? We''ll invite you over when we''re ready for the next funding round."


    Last year having finished their Series C funding, they were preparing Watermelon Video; they had no intent on funding until they achieved results.


    After all, fundraising means selling equity, and one naturally waits for a good price before selling.


    Lu Liang felt a tinge of regret but didn''t press further, instead asking, "Mr. Zhang, are you familiar with Kuai Shou?"


    "Being in the industry, how could I not have heard of it?" Zhang Yiming narrowed his eyes, glancing at Ding Yazhen.


    Their Watermelon Video was aimed to compete with Kuai Shou, but it was still a secret, supposedly unknown to anyone.


    "I''m quite interested in the short video industry, but it seems that Kuai Shou has a strong regional attribute."


    "Perhaps, but right now Kuai Shou is leading the short video industry¡ªit''s the market''s choice."


    "Maybe it''s just me then."


    Lu Liang observed Zhang Yiming, trying to discern something, but found him impervious and his interest waned.


    After a brief chat, he prepared to leave. The two exchanged contact details, agreeing to collaborate in the next round of funding.


    Zhang Yiming watched Lu Liang leave and turned to Ding Yazhen, "Which departments did you take Mr. Lu to?"


    "Administrative, Marketing, Operations, and similar departments."


    Ding Yazhen quickly explained, assuring she had been with him the whole time without visiting any off-limits areas.


    Zhang Yiming pondered for a long while but decided not to doubt any further, "Go back to work then."


    Watermelon Video was a secret, but ByteDance''s entry into the short video industry was already not a secret.


    Due to their app Neihan Duanzi, the June mid-month update started to trend toward a short video community.


    "Book the tickets; we''re heading back to Modu tonight."


    Lu Liang logged into Weibo and composed a status: "Hoping for a collaboration opportunity next time, @ZhangYiming," attaching a photo of ByteDance''s front desk.


    The art of business can sometimes be plain and unglamorous: tour ByteDance, show interest, and finally express regret¡ªnaturally, this would stir some interest.

 Chapter 105 - 105: Mature and Bold Planning

    At 9:30 in the evening, the plane arrived at Modu Airport.


    After flying for an hour and a half, Lu Liang''s Weibo inbox had over a hundred new PPTs.


    He glanced at a few and then closed them because there were too many people who talked big on paper, always claiming they were pioneering and disrupting the market.


    Some even lacked logic entirely, purely just an idea in their head, yet they still thought about financing, not knowing where their confidence came from.


    A mess of junk messages filled his inbox to the point where Lu Liang couldn''t even see the eye-catching large-scale photoshoots from internet celebrities.


    "Hopefully there''s something worthwhile in the company email."


    Lu Liang sighed. He hadn''t expected to find a suitable business plan on Weibo, after all, why wouldn''t they use the official email on the website and instead send a private message to him? Could that even be a serious business plan?


    Fang Shiyu drove out of the airport parking lot and turned to ask, "Mr. Lu, where shall we go?"


    "Let''s go to the Four Seasons Hotel."


    Lu Liang thought of Wen Shanshan, who had cried to him yesterday about failing the audition for the second female lead in a TV drama and was preparing to return to Xiangjiang.


    Since he would be free tomorrow, he planned to meet with Wu Tianzheng to see if he could help her choose a project to work on.


    Forty minutes later, they arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel.


    Lu Liang left the car there and told them to take a cab back.


    He made his way familiarly to the 42nd floor of the hotel, barely had he rung the doorbell when a crack opened.


    Lu Liang pushed the door and entered, still puzzled. The room was dim, and no lights were on, a poker card silently pressed against his throat along with a low and husky voice: "Don''t move~"


    Lu Liang turned to look, Wen Shanshan stood at the door.


    Her bright red lips stood out even more in the dim room, dressed in a black tactical vest with sizzling hot shorts, highlighting her long legs'' graceful curves, the outfit of a female assassin from movies.


    Lu Liang curved his lips up, reached out to wrap his arm around her slim waist, and felt the slightly pronounced abs, laughing as he asked, "Beauty, are you here to kill me, or sleep with me?"


    "Is there a difference?"


    Wen Shanshan''s expression was stern, she lifted her delicate chin, looking utterly cool and ruthless, her eyes cold yet captivating.


    "Since you''re not choosing, I guess I''ll choose for us." Lu Liang smiled and suddenly scooped Wen Shanshan up and headed to the bedroom.


    Wen Shanshan looked unhappy, kicking her legs, and shouted with a slight Hong Kong accent, "You''re not following the script, not acting at all, clearly not a proper actor."


    "I''m not, but as long as you are, that''s enough, keep your expression tight, always remember you''re a professional actor."


    "Please don''t question an actor''s integrity~~"


    Ultimately, Wen Shanshan couldn''t keep it in, underestimating the allure of the ''investigator series'' on men.


    After a vigorous encounter, Lu Liang was content and lit an after-action cigarette: "Come with me tomorrow to my friend''s company to see if there''s a suitable role for you."


    "Really?"


    Wen Shanshan''s eyes widened, she suddenly sat up, lifting the strands of hair matted to her forehead from the sweat, her face filled with surprise.


    "But I don''t know if there are any good investment projects, if not, we might have to wait a bit longer."


    Lu Liang was very straightforward, he was open to investing, but it had to catch his eye. Investing was the priority, promoting Wen Shanshan was secondary.


    If Wen Shanshan was willing to shoot some trashy films or shows, he wouldn''t mind casually investing to let her have some fun.


    "Mmm, after all, better nothing than garbage."


    Wen Shanshan nodded repeatedly, the precondition for stardom was good projects; longevity relied on good projects.


    Initially, she had thought Lu Liang would just brush her off, but surprisingly, both of them were strikingly aligned in their thinking.


    The next day, Lu Liang took Wen Shanshan to Good Dream Production and received a warm welcome from Wu Tianzheng.


    "Mr. Lu, not going to lie, all the good projects are taken by big companies, what''s left are the ones like Xia Luo, the ones no one wants."


    Wu Tianzheng didn''t want to offend Lu Liang, hesitating for a long time, but finally laid out the truth; their Good Dream Production was at the bottom of the food chain in the film and television production industry.


    They could only shoot major internet films or web series. As for TV shows or mainstream movies, they generally ended up with leftovers or tough tasks that trickled down to them.


    "Shouldn''t there also be good scripts for web series?"


    Lu Liang asked while sipping tea. He had researched the video industry and knew well that getting shows on TV wasn''t as crucial anymore.


    After all, it was the era of internet information. Televisions were becoming less used, almost turning into mere decorations.


    If a web series stood out, the effects and profits it brought wouldn''t be much different from TV shows.


    "Mr. Lu, the concept of a ''good script'' is rather vague."


    Wu Tianzheng gave a bitter smile. He didn''t know how to explain it. What he thought was good might not seem so to Lu Liang.


    It really depended on the person.


    "Mr. Wu, send me all the projects your company is preparing and those that lack funds."


    Lu Liang couldn''t be bothered to check by himself, so he straightforwardly asked Wu Tianzheng for the 59 projects they were preparing or planning to prepare.


    He dumped them all on Wen Shanshan, letting her pick.


    If she found them suitable, Lu Liang would review them and decide whether to invest and shoot.


    "Wouldn''t doing a web series be a bit weird?"


    Wen Shanshan frowned, embarrassed. She was, after all, a film star in the Hong Kong circle. Shooting a web series seemed a bit beneath her.


    "Have you ever watched a mainland reality show?" Lu Liang asked.


    "I have watched ''Where Are We Going, Dad? Season 2.''"


    Wen Shanshan nodded. Jing Kun had risen to fame again by participating in ''Where Are We Going, Dad? Season 2.''


    Although he was popular before, he was a mid-generation Hong Kong star and didn''t catch the most prominent era of the nineties like the Four Heavenly Kings, so he wasn''t as well-known.


    "''Where Are We Going, Dad? Season 2'' sold its naming rights on satellite TV for 311 million, its online naming rights for 86 million, and the online naming rights for ''Running Man'' even sold for 120 million. The times have changed. Web series are no different from TV shows now, and they might even have an advantage in terms of spreading."


    Lu Liang didn''t persuade Wen Shanshan to shoot web series. He was just helping her analyze the pros and cons, as Little Wang had always wanted to enter this field and had influenced him significantly.


    "Should I take it back to study for a bit?"


    Wen Shanshan hesitated for a long time but was eventually persuaded by Lu Liang.


    After all, she could choose the script herself and could completely opt for a web series with a strong female lead. If she could find a good script, shooting it might not turn out worse than TV shows.


    "Choose carefully. You only have one chance."


    Lu Liang smiled, lightly touching Wen Shanshan''s hair.


    "Hmm, I will." Wen Shanshan carefully went through the 59 projects Lu Liang had sent her.


    Suddenly, a project proposal made her burst out laughing: "Dear, take a look at this; this project proposal is so funny."


    Lu Liang followed her gaze and couldn''t help but laugh too: "Crown Princess Consort''s Promotion Memoir, a man turns into a woman and struggles through the royal palace. Seems quite interesting." S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not just because the theme of a man dressing as a woman was novel, but also because it was a very mature and bold project proposal.


    It was considered mature because the project initiator had already planned subsequent promotions and market marketing.


    It was considered bold because the promotional plan aimed to use poverty, poor quality, bizarreness, and parody as selling points.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment: "It might be worth considering."


    This model reminded him of ''Never Would Have Thought.''


    Wen Shanshan''s eyes widened: "Seriously? This kind of script looks like it''s blatantly tacky."


    "Not necessarily, it''s a bit like durian, might be stinky yet fragrant," Lu Liang said with a laugh.


    Such dramas either flop horribly or become dark horses; there''s no middle ground.


    He glanced at the production budget, totaling 35 episodes, with each costing about 150,000; that''s 5.25 million in total.


    Suddenly, he was tempted to invest, not for anything else, but just to see what the final product would look like.

 Chapter 106 - 106: Just Learned to Walk, Dont Think About Flying

    "Can I not film this?"


    Wen Shanshan forced a smile, cautiously looked at Lu Liang, and simply couldn''t accept such a ''trendy'' storyline.


    Desperate as film stars moving to web dramas was, doing this genre too had her worried that acquaintances would laugh at how low she''d stooped.


    Especially with Yang Tianbao''s grand wedding around the corner, she didn''t want to gift him this joke.


    "It won''t matter, pick another project for yourself. Let''s not count this one." Lu Liang called Wu Tianzheng, decided to invest, and asked him to bring people over to the company to sign the contract tomorrow.


    With a budget of 5.25 million, they probably wouldn''t need that much because he planned to trick Little Wang''s Panda TV into sponsoring some filming funds.


    Although it was an ancient time-travel drama, it featured ridiculous settings and focused on satire. Even if they inserted some modern ads, it probably wouldn''t be a big issue.


    Wen Shanshan was delighted, wrapped her arms around Lu Liang''s neck, kissed him, and cooed, "Dear, you are so good to me."


    At night, the two returned to the hotel. Lu Liang browsed Weibo while Wen Shanshan continued to pick her favorite projects.


    As the midnight chimes rang, Lu Liang showed a strange smirk. "Are you sure you won''t reconsider?"


    Thinking that Lu Liang had changed his mind, Wen Shanshan stretched lazily to highlight her curves, tossed away her tablet.


    Snuggled close to Lu Liang''s arm, she closed her eyes, pretending to doze off. "Dear, I''m sleepy. I''m going to sleep first."


    Lu Liang chuckled softly but didn''t persuade her any further.


    [December 30, Crown Princess Consort''s Promotion Achieves a Cumulative 2.4 Billion Viewers]


    35 episodes, total views of 2.4 billion, average per episode of over sixty-eight million. Lu Liang hadn''t been involved in this industry before, but it seemed quite impressive.


    Wen Shanshan wasn''t interested, and he didn''t insist.


    After all, a coerced melon wasn''t sweet, and forcing her into performing might ruin this hit web series.


    The next morning, Lu Liang arrived at New International Building.


    After a week''s setup, the staff from Tianxing Capital had also moved in, completely leaving the old place.


    Behind the front desk information panel, slightly to the right, gold lettering was added.


    "Tianxing Investment Co., Ltd" Both companies shared a similar origin, and the front desk staff got along very well.


    "Mr. Lu, good morning," Tang Caide greeted with a smile, representing all the employees.


    Everyone looked at Lu Liang with admiration, proud that from now on, they could boast their company was located in Modu''s most bustling Lujiazui.


    These three words alone spoke volumes about the company''s status.


    Lu Liang smiled and made a round of the office, the working area was neat, spacious, and bright, the drink and snack bar was stocked, and there were over a dozen massage chairs in the lounge.


    Everything disclosed high welfare and a superior working environment, making him very content. "We''ll knock off at four this afternoon and have a company dinner."


    The last dinner was with Tang Caide and Chen Jinchun. Now, after more than two months, the company''s staff had expanded to 35 people.


    There were a lot of new faces that Lu Liang barely recognized, and this was a good opportunity to get to know everyone better.


    Everyone cheered joyfully, shouting, "Long live Mr. Lu~"


    "That''s enough, everyone go back and familiarize yourselves with your positions."


    Lu Liang smiled and waved his hand to disperse the crowd, then followed Tang Caide to his office area.


    Three desks were placed at the entrance; they were the workstations of Wen Chao, Chen Jinchun, and Fang Shiyu.


    Upon entering, he saw a full-wall floor-to-ceiling window facing the Pujiang River, the total area was 122 square meters¡ªthree times the size of the previous office. It included a lounge and a bathroom.


    At one corner of the office area, there was a two-meter-tall money tree, and in the rest area, a costly root-carved tea table was set.


    "The money tree and tea table were gifts from Mr. Meng; he mentioned that you have agreed," Tang Caide spoke softly.


    "They must be quite expensive," Lu Liang commented while feeling the tea table''s excellent craftsmanship and material. It was obviously pricey. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This set resembles the Gold Camphor. I''ve seen Caicloud; such a large root carving should be worth a few million," Tang Caide responded.


    "Mr. Meng is thoughtful."


    Lu Liang was surprised but pleasantly accepted.


    Soon, people began to arrive with opening gifts.


    Like Shen Peng, Zhu Hu, other businesses from upstairs and downstairs, and even the property management of the building.


    There were over thirty floral baskets at the door, most of which Lu Liang didn''t recognize the senders. He asked Wen Chao to keep track, just in case they met someday, and he couldn''t remember, which would be awkward.


    Approaching nine-fifteen,


    Lu Liang went to the adjacent trading room.


    The new energy sector hadn''t launched yet; they were still quietly building positions at the bottom.


    So far, the investment was 1.98 billion. With Lu Liang''s anticipated 5.5 billion, there was still 3.55 billion left, requiring about three days.


    At ten-twenty-five.


    After watching a press conference hosted by the State Council.


    Lu Liang gave a few instructions before leaving the trading room again.


    By September 18, the entire new energy sector had surged more than double, definitely boosted by major policy benefits.


    The State Council usually holds press conferences at ten.atripletoday nothing was mentioned, so the market movement wasn''t scheduled for today.


    "Damn it, I asked you to help, and you just stand there watching?"


    At the company entrance, Wang Xiaocong was panting, holding a fifteen-inch tall bull statue, identical to those at Modu Bund and Wall Street.


    It was different from those other two places, which had only bronze bulls; the one Little Wang held was likely pure gold.


    "Gift-giving is all about handing it over personally to show sincerity," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    To his surprise, the gold bull was not ordinarily heavy; it probably weighed about fifty to sixty pounds.


    Following the recent rush to buy gold by Water Shell, the domestic gold price had surged but then fell back, yet a gram still cost 310.


    A pound being 500 grams would be 155,000 yuan; if it were pure gold, then it would be at least eight million yuan.


    "Pure gold?" Lu Liang asked.


    "What else did you think, that I would gift something gold-plated?"


    Wang Xiaocong, lying slouched in front of a tea table, showed his disdain. "Come on, I''m born in the ''85, why stick to these old relics? Can''t you switch to a leather sofa? The solid wood is uncomfortable to sit on."


    "This tea set was a gift from Old Meng."


    "I just don''t get along with those born in the ''70s."


    Lu Liang unwrapped the package and squeezed the bull''s horns, feeling a special connection to it since he too was born in the year of the bull. "Much appreciated."


    "I''m off then."


    After sipping some tea, Wang Xiaocong prepared to leave, but Lu Liang stopped him. "Hold on, stay and meet a few people with me."


    "Who?" Wang Xiaocong was curious.


    "I forgot their names, but they should be arriving soon. We''re meeting at eleven o''clock."


    "What for?"


    "I invested in a web drama; rather than let outsiders benefit, I plan to get Panda to sponsor."


    Lu Liang owned 15% of Panda''s shares; the more famous Panda became, the higher its valuation, and the more he would earn.


    "What''s the name of the web drama?" Wang Xiaocong asked.


    "The Crown Princess Consort''s Promotion."


    "The Crown Princess? Getting a promotion?"


    "A gender-bending time-travel drama."


    "..."


    Wang Xiaocong suddenly lost all interest. "How much do you plan to get Panda to sponsor?"


    "About 2 million yuan for the exclusive naming rights."


    "2 million? What''s the total budget?"


    "About 5 million or so."


    "..."


    Wang Xiaocong was speechless. A web drama with a budget a little over 5 million, one could imagine, definitely lacked stars, famous directors, or IP¡ªcompletely featureless.


    And yet, the sponsorship fee was still 2 million; Lu Liang acted as if he was giving a great deal.


    Little Wang really wanted to ask if Lu Liang was treating Panda like a fool, but considering it was only 2 million yuan, it wasn''t that much money.


    "Alright then, I''ll speak to Long Fei later; you can have the producer of the web drama contact him," Wang Xiaocong said.


    After all, the company hadn''t yet raised funds and it had only two shareholders¡ªhe would provide 1.7 million and Lu Liang 300,000 yuan, contributing an extra 3 million or more.


    If the web drama flopped, Lu Liang would certainly lose more than him. Little Wang felt somewhat relieved by that, and he really got a bargain joining Tianxing Asset Management anyhow.


    A little loss didn''t matter.


    Lu Liang simply smiled lightly, seeing that Little Wang agreed to sponsor largely to show him face. He couldn''t be bothered to explain. Once the web drama went online, Little Wang would willingly apologize.


    At eleven o''clock sharp, Wu Tianzheng arrived on time, bringing the screenwriter and the director of the web drama, two young people in their twenties or early thirties, to whom Lu Liang gave extensive authority.


    He only assigned someone to manage the finances and monitor expenses. The whole crew could decide everything else.


    He also introduced Wang Xiaocong, having already found a good naming sponsor. "Think of a way to incorporate Panda TV into the plot; that shouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    "No problem at all," Qin Shuang, the screenwriter, said with a big smile, rarely encountering such an agreeable investor.


    In filming web dramas, it''s almost a standard for investors to push their own agendas, but Lu Liang hadn''t made any demands, which felt like a blessing to them.


    "There is a problem," Wang Xiaocong suddenly realized. "Isn''t it a historical drama? How can you integrate Panda''s advertisements into it?"


    Director Lv Jiji was puzzled. "Mr. Wang, didn''t you see our project proposal?"


    "There''s something unique about this script," Lu Liang said with a smile, handing over the project proposal.


    Wang Xiaocong quickly read through it and looked shocked. "This is too bizarre."


    "The current netizens might just like this style."


    "It does seem intriguing."


    Wang Xiaocong stroked his chin thoughtfully. "How about selling the exclusive premiere rights to Panda?"


    He recalled the platform''s game streamer PDD, who after being called "Sao Pig", soared in popularity.


    Such a controversial web drama might really be intriguing; otherwise, Panda could also use this opportunity to introduce a film and TV section.


    "Greedy people can''t chew well and can''t walk steadily; don''t even think about taking off," Lu Liang discerned Little Wang''s thoughts right away.


    iQIYI and Tencent Video had been battling for years and never thought about entering the streaming field. Little Wang, just starting in the streaming business, thought he could not only handle online variety, but also dabble in video streaming.


    Lu Liang worried he would stretch himself too thin.

 Chapter 107 - 107: New Energy Boost: Carbon Credits

    "Let''s talk about it when the time comes,"


    Wang Xiaocong was distracted, clearly not ready to give up.


    His Banana Plan was to build the Oriental Disney¡ªwith live streams, esports, variety shows, drama series, video playback, and self-media creation. He wanted it all, without exception.


    Lu Liang sighed and didn''t try to persuade him further. Little Wang''s ambition was enormous, but whether his abilities matched his ambition was another matter.


    Anyway, if things went south, he was ready to bail at any moment.


    Lu Liang summoned Tang Caide, "Mr. Tang, take them to sign the contract. And you''ll be in charge of the production finance audit too."


    Tang Caide nodded. She was familiar with the process, having experienced as a movie producer and now as a web series producer, always with a firm grip on the financial reins.


    As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Yang has informed us that Xia Luo has wrapped up filming and is now in post-production, planning to release during the National Day holiday. He''s asking if we have any cinema chains to recommend."


    Lu Liang smiled warmly, turning his gaze to Little Wang. A 20% stake can''t be taken for free, and even though Xia Luo was invested in by Tianxing Capital and not related to Little Wang, its connection to him was good enough.


    Wang Xiaocong rolled his eyes irritably, "Wanda Cinema is managed by my mom. I''ll talk to her later."


    "Please thank President Lin for me," Lu Liang replied with a smile at the corner of his mouth.


    It was rumored that the Lin Family had a very formidable daughter; otherwise, Little Wang would not be spoiled to the heavens.


    After seeing off Little Wang, before returning to his office, Lu Liang instructed Wen Chao and Chen Jinchun, "During this period, help me keep an eye on the company''s emails, focusing on startup proposals for short videos. Xiao Chen, you''ll be in charge of categorizing them, Little Wen, you''re responsible for reviewing."


    Kuai Shou and Byte aren''t making it, but he still wasn''t satisfied. If one company wasn''t enough, he would invest in ten, piling up the volume until he found the right one.


    After all, even someone with an eye for talent like Shen Peng didn''t always hit the mark. Whether it was Redwood or Golden Sand River, success came from bulk investments ¨C first raising a king of poison, then giving it targeted nurturing.


    At four in the afternoon, the hotel''s shuttle bus took all the company''s staff to the Peace Hotel on the Bund across the river.


    "Today, eat well, drink well, have fun, and no business talk."


    Even though the number of people was not large, Lu Liang still booked a small banquet hall that could accommodate fifty people and set up five tables.


    After dinner, they went out to sing, and in the end, the hotel driver ensured everyone was safely delivered to their doorsteps.


    Spending just under one hundred thousand for the night seemed well worth it.


    At least now the new and old employees were getting along much better.


    Three days flew by in a blink.


    Lu Liang had used a total of 24 trading accounts, investing 550 million yuan in building positions on 11 stocks.


    BYD held the most chips, reaching 86 million. Luckily, he had bought in small quantities over many days, and the stock''s high market value meant that it didn''t cause market fluctuations.


    Next was LeTV, holding 38 million chips. Although the company''s performance was poor and it''d been losing money for years, Old Jia was quite a bullshitter.


    The constructed ecosystem for vehicular networking had fooled countless investors, boasting an abundance of star shareholders and becoming a major hype.


    Initially abandoned by Lu Liang, upon further observation, it showed signs of perhaps becoming the second dragon of the new energy sector, worthy of increased investment.


    On September 5th, a Sunday.


    Li Bing called Lu Liang, and the two arranged to meet for an in-depth discussion on the new energy industry.


    Lu Liang arrived as planned. Li Bing had dark circles under his eyes, his face filled with excitement, "Mr. Lu, a big trend is coming."


    "What big trend?" Lu Liang had a vague guess but didn''t show it, probably referring to the reason for the new energy sector''s explosive growth.


    "As the saying goes, a good wind relies on strength to send one soaring to the heavens. I''ve heard from a friend that the new energy trend is about to pick up."


    Li Bing gave a secretive smile, suddenly teasing. Lu Liang looked unimpressed, "Mr. Li, is it fun to keep people in suspense?"


    "Mr. Lu, don''t get me wrong, I''m not deliberately keeping you in suspense; I''m thinking about how to explain it to you so you''ll understand."


    "Just speak, I''ll ask if I don''t understand."


    "Have you heard about carbon credits?"


    Li Bing explained, "In the United States, including California among 14 states, every car manufacturer is required to sell a certain proportion of ''zero emission vehicles'' as per state regulations."


    "This includes, but is not limited to, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. Those who don''t sell new energy vehicles, or fail to sell enough units, face penalties: paying fines, sales restrictions, or even losing the right to sell cars."


    "The carbon credit system is led by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and was proposed in California in 1990, with the goal of reducing motor vehicle emissions..."


    As Li Bing talked, his excitement grew; before he could reveal the conclusion, Lu Liang quietly interjected, "Is it that our country''s carbon credit policy is also about to be implemented?"


    Li Bing suddenly fell silent, as if choking on a lump of blood, his eyes full of reproach, "Mr. Lu, do you realize how much damage your behavior can cause to a storyteller?"


    Although he also knew that with Lu Liang''s intelligence, after hearing so much, he would definitely guess the outcome. But as the narrator, what he most enjoyed was the listener''s gasp of surprise when they learned the result. Lu Liang had directly deprived him of that satisfaction, which was an extremely impolite act.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Li, the news was so shocking that I got excited and couldn''t help myself," Lu Liang apologized with a forced smile.


    Li Bing asked in a deep voice, "Then why do I not see surprise on your face?"


    "Perhaps I''m more reserved," Lu Liang said with a light laugh.


    As the 18th drew closer day by day, the new energy sector''s market trend was slow to take off. He also constantly investigated what kind of good news could lead to a collective surge in the entire sector. China was really lucky; ideologies could feel their way across the river by touching bears, and economic trends could do so by touching hawks. Earlier years of e-commerce and group buying could all find their origins in the United States, which is why investors dared to follow one after another.


    Lu Liang naturally had heard of America''s carbon credit policy and had a deep understanding of it. He knew that the probability of China implementing it was very high, just with some localized modifications. So he wasn''t too surprised.


    "How exactly will it be implemented?" Lu Liang was curious.


    "How would I have that kind of ability to know?" Li Bing rolled his eyes and then took malicious pleasure, "But it seems that the good days for gasoline vehicles may be coming to an end."


    "That''s not necessarily the case. At most they''ll start to decline, and there might even be a few rebounds." Lu Liang mercilessly punctured Li Bing''s illusions; upgrading such a huge industrial chain was not so simple. It could take five years, ten years, fifteen years, or even longer.


    That was also why Li Bing had come to him. Building cars wasn''t like building bicycles. Bicycle parts were simple; if you found a medium to large supplier, you could take care of everything. But it wasn''t possible with cars; thousands of parts were involved, and you had to consider performance, energy, safety, and other aspects.


    Take LeEco''s Old Jia and his SEE Plan, which was proposed at the beginning of last year, and even secured several billion in funding. But so far, there''s only a few pages of a PPT, and after a year and a half, not even a concept car, with claims it would take another two years to emerge. Car manufacturing is an extremely lengthy project and also requires continuous financial support.


    A couple of venture capital firms were not enough; maybe more than a dozen or dozens would be needed to exert effort together. Li Bing had a fortune of only eighteen or so billion, most of which was in Yiche''s equity. The funds he could use were probably even less than Lu Liang''s, and he could not afford to do it alone, so he had to pull strings everywhere.


    Like his NIO, established for several months with only a name and sponsorship of several matches.


    "Mr. Lu, what are your thoughts?" Li Bing showed an embarrassed yet courteous smile. The hole for NIO cars was too big; he had grown accustomed to making big promises. Not only to feed investors but also himself; he was afraid he would not have the resolve to persist until the end.


    After a long contemplation, Lu Liang gave his answer: "There is great potential for new energy vehicles." He asked, "Mr. Li, what are your plans for NIO?"


    Li Bing was delighted and quickly said, "We plan to first collaborate with Jianghuai Group and use their factory for production, then release NIO''s first concept car, with a goal of mass production in two years."


    "If you collaborate with Jianghuai Group but the scale is too small, they probably won''t bother with you," Lu Liang said. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We have set up a one hundred billion strategic plan," Li Bing observed Lu Liang''s reaction quietly.


    Fortunately, Lu Liang''s expression did not change, not intimidated by the enormous scale of one hundred billion. He hurriedly added, "The one hundred billion strategic plan is split over three years into twelve phases, with Jianghuai Group also contributing 4.9 billion for a 49% stake."


    "Mr. Li, stop beating around the bush. How much is needed for the first phase, and how much funding is still lacking? Just tell me," Lu Liang could not help but smile.


    "The Series A funding is one hundred million dollars. We currently have support from multiple parties including Tencent, JD, Gaoling, Xiaomi, and others," Li Bing talked at length before finally revealing the funding gap for Series A, which was still twenty million US dollars.

 Chapter 108 - 108: Twin Dragons of the Double Plates

    One billion dollars in valuation, even if Li Bing were sold, NIO wouldn''t be worth that much.


    In reality, he had only invested twenty million dollars, and then utilized an AB-share structure.


    Simply put, investors provide the funds, Li Bing starts the business, but one of his shares counts as five, ensuring control.


    A one hundred million dollar financing round is essentially about selling the remaining 80% of the shares after accounting for his own 20%.


    If Lu Liang took over the entire twenty million dollars deficit, he could own 20% of NIO.


    But whether he could cash out remained uncertain, as the pit was too deep, with indefinite prospects and a high likelihood of failure.


    Otherwise entities like Tencent, JD, and Gaoling, which could afford the shares, had only tentatively invested one to two million dollars.


    And it still took Li Bing''s reputation to get them to invest that one or two million dollars.


    After all, as the founder of Yiche, he had a successful track record.


    If it had been a total novice, clueless and penniless, they likely wouldn''t have even spared a glance.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, "I''m in for ten million dollars, you''ll have to figure out the rest yourself."


    He was almost out of money too, previously having three hundred and ten million, but buying a house left him with an even three hundred million, then later subscribing to sixteen units totaling thirty-two million dollars, which converts to two hundred and three million RMB.


    His available funds had dwindled to less than one hundred million.


    Investing ten million dollars now, he would only have just over thirty million RMB left and he''d probably have to start being more frugal.


    There were still eighty million in private equity, but he planned to let that roll in the financial markets, not earmarked for venture capital.


    After all, if he were to invest, it would be in himself.


    The pit of new energy vehicles was vast; not prepared to put in ten or twenty billion dollars, he wasn''t ready to officially enter the arena.


    Li Bing was ecstatic, clutching Lu Liang''s hand, "Mr. Lu, thank you, thank you so much."


    His expectations of Lu Liang had been low, having met only once before.


    It had merely been a tentative feeler, hoping at most for five million.


    Unexpectedly, it was double that.


    "Mr. Li, don''t rush your thanks, I would like to know what conditions companies like JD and Tencent had proposed?"


    Lu Liang smiled slightly, having heard it said that money from venture capitalists wasn''t easy to come by; one should never take it unless absolutely necessary.


    Even if one must, ensuring enough funds in the company to operate and maintain bargaining power was essential to avoid being manipulated by venture capital.


    With new policies on new energy imminent, Li Bing probably couldn''t wait, which is why he turned to someone he barely knew.


    Lu Liang wanted bargaining power, curious about the terms those institutions might have asked for, he wanted the same rights.


    "After the Series B, a board of directors will be formed. If participating in the next round, the investor gets a seat on the board to help make corporate decisions."


    Li Bing informed him truthfully, along with the agreements he''d signed with various venture capital institutions.


    Within eight months after the Series A fundraising ended, the first concept car must come out.


    Otherwise, all funds must be returned, principal and interest included.


    Lu Liang understood, "Mr. Li, I wish us a very successful partnership."


    "A very successful partnership."


    Li Bing smiled; he had experienced similar situations when establishing Yiche.


    Capital pursued profits aggressively, like a whip with hooks, and the assurance agreements were like a red line.


    If the bet was met within the specified time, the whip wouldn''t fall; otherwise, each lash would tear flesh.


    September 6, Monday.


    Li Bing arrived at Tianxing Capital to sign the subscription agreement and waited for the ten o''clock news conference.


    He couldn''t help but be curious, "Mr. Lu, do you really have this much free time? With the new policy release, the new energy sector will surely explode."


    According to his knowledge, Lu Liang also managed a private fund of one billion dollars; otherwise, he wouldn''t have sought investment from Lu Liang.


    "Mr. Li, I''ve always said that I''m very optimistic about the development of the new energy industry," Lu Liang replied with a calm smile.


    Li Bing suddenly realized that back then, Lu Liang wasn''t just flattering him, but he genuinely believed in this industry.


    This meant that he had probably been well prepared to stay calm and composed.


    As time ticked away, Lu Liang sipped on the Dancong tea that Old Meng had brought him; Old Meng had led him astray, as he had developed a taste for tea and seldom drank coffee or Red Bull anymore.


    However, he didn''t resist this change,


    Now that he had money, it was time to take good care of his health.


    At ten in the morning, the State Council held a press conference and announced the "Parallel Management Method of Average Fuel Consumption and New Energy Vehicle Points of Passenger Car Enterprises," which would officially be implemented on January 1 of the following year and the first settlement would occur on December 30 of the same year.


    Unlike the United States, our country adopted a dual-point policy, points for fuel consumption and new energy vehicles.


    In simple terms, the government allocates certain carbon emission points to every car manufacturer, whether they are importers, joint ventures, or domestic brands, and at the same time increases new energy vehicle points, with allowance for trading.


    For example, if Wuling sold 100,000 fuel cars last year, this year they would only have a quota of 80,000.


    If they exceeded that, they must purchase new energy points to offset it or produce their new energy vehicles to generate points.


    If the settlement day showed a negative number, the enterprises would face relevant penalties next year, such as suspension of declarations and production of high fuel consumption products.


    "That''s harsh; this move directly hits a major artery," Li Bing remarked in amazement, and there was a hint of pleasure in his disaster.


    He still remembered the initial reason for establishing Yiche; it was because he disdained the arrogance of 4S shops that, relying on information asymmetry, would quote irrational prices.


    After Yiche was established, it integrated car manufacturers and distributors of all levels, making car prices across regions transparent.


    Later, when Yiche went public, he also considered transitioning to a complete vehicle manufacturer, but traditional car companies were arrogantly untouchable.


    They were like stones in a latrine, stinky and hard, clinging to resources provided by the government, yet unwilling to develop new technologies or let others develop them.


    The production permit was like a chasm, blocking all outsiders; they acted as both referees and players.


    Until five years ago, when the country pushed the development of the new energy industry, whether for environmental protection or energy security.


    At that time, Li Bing saw hope; he had waited and waited, and finally, this day had arrived.


    The dual-point policy showed the country''s determination to actively cut off the arm of fuel vehicles just to develop new energy.


    Once the press conference ended, Li Bing''s phone started ringing non-stop with friends calling to ask for his opinion.


    "Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, I''ll take my leave," said Li Bing and hurriedly left. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mr. Li, take care,"


    Lu Liang did not accompany him out but went straight to the neighboring trading room.


    All the traders looked at Lu Liang as if a deity had descended, their faces filled with admiration.


    Lu Liang smiled and looked up.


    The screens on the wall were bright red; the entire new energy sector had surged by 6.25%, with the index dramatically rising by 92 points to a new total of 1564 points.


    Out of 54 component stocks, 31 hit the upper limit while the remaining 23 saw at least 2.32% increases.


    Among the 11 stocks Lu Liang heavily held, 9 had hit the upper limit, while only Ganfeng Lithium and Duofu rose by 7.85% and 6.53%, respectively.


    "BYD is going to take off," Lu Liang couldn''t help but remark; the new energy policy had the biggest impact on BYD.


    Because it was a global leader in lithium batteries and also produced and sold its new energy vehicles, it was a leader in both sectors.


    Next year, when the points officially commenced, BYD''s new energy points would absolutely take the lead.


    If the country did not set a price cap on carbon points, BYD might even control the bargaining power of the carbon point market.


    This was no longer like a pie falling from the sky but as if a gold mine had suddenly appeared at one''s doorstep; with a current market value of 162.1 billion, it wouldn''t be surprising to see it multiply by three to five or even seven times.

 Chapter 109 - 109: Making an Entrance

    Lu Liang analyzed and concluded, "BYD can be held for the long term."


    Since its establishment in 1995, BYD has always adhered to the development philosophy of "technology as king, innovation as the foundation."


    Whole vehicle manufacturing is just one of their industries, but it is not the core sector; their main operations are lithium battery production and urban transportation.


    On September 18, it only marked the end of the overall market trend for the new energy sector, not the end of individual stock trends.


    In the future, it might be possible to heavily invest in BYD and hold it for a long term, even becoming a shareholder is not out of the question.


    BYD is a standard blue-chip stock. In an overall upward economic environment, buying blue-chip stocks is the best choice, mainly because the market value is high enough and the market is big enough to accommodate a lot of capital.


    The new energy index has been opening high and going high for several days, growing continuously; it is quite common for half of the 54 constituent stocks to hit the upper limit.


    Once the new policy was announced, domestic car companies responded to the national call, planning to launch the first pure electric car next year, further driving up the sector index.


    A single decree, in just a few days, made new energy the hottest concept in the market, with no one able to surpass it.


    By Thursday, after three and a half trading days, the new energy index had soared by 323 points, nearing 1800.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time and decided to add more fuel to this fire, to make it burn even more fiercely.


    He used 86 million US dollars of reserve funds to pull Fangzheng Motor, Yiwei Lithium Energy, and Duofu among other stocks with market values less than 10 billion, to the upper price limit, not concealing his presence.


    At five o''clock in the afternoon, the Dragon and Tiger List was updated, and the long-absent Punan Road No. 88 reappeared on the list.


    This caused an uproar both inside and outside the market; the news of Lu Liang heavily investing in the new energy sector spread quickly.


    LeTV reported that rumors suggest Lu Liang not only heavily invested in these three stocks but also held BYD and LeTV stocks.


    "Is this kind of popularity also to be milked? Has Old Jia run out of options?"


    That night, Lu Liang browsed the news and found that all the media were reporting, but they always managed to mention LeTV.


    BYD is a dual-sector leader and is a topic that cannot be avoided in new energy discussions. It''s not surprising to guess the heavy investments, but what does LeTV count for?


    Although Lu Liang did indeed invest 38 million US dollars and increased his holdings later, making it the fifth largest among 11 stocks.


    But to avoid appearing on the public stockholder list during the accumulation period, he distributed his chips across 24 accounts, each only holding 1.58 million US dollars.


    Normally, Old Jia shouldn''t know about his holdings in LeTV, which only indicated that he was trying to ride on the coattails of the hot trend.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and phoned Wen Chao, asking him to commission a third party to investigate the financial situation of LeTV.


    LeTV''s market value was 128.5 billion US dollars, also being the leading stock in the Growth Enterprise Market.


    Because of this, even if there were abnormal fluctuations in the stock price during the accumulation period, Lu Liang still heavily held onto it.


    Old Jia held 21.55% of the shares in LeTV, with a net worth exceeding 25 billion US dollars; there was no reason for him to piggyback on its popularity.


    Unless the finances were problematic, which would justify using this market situation to significantly drive up the stock price, either for loans or for cashing out.


    The next day, Friday, suddenly a piece of news came.


    NIO was rumored to have reached a strategic project worth ten billion with Jianghuai Group, laying out plans for the new energy industry.


    According to insiders, first-line venture capital institutions such as Tencent, JD, Gaoling, Xiaomi, and Tianxing enthusiastically joined.


    The news had just been released and the market hadn''t yet reacted when news came from the north.


    Auto Home''s Li Xiang was planning to rebrand his cars and homes to Li Xiang Car, suspected of reaching a ten billion strategic-level project with Lifan Group to jointly plan the new energy industry.


    Close to noon, more news came from the south.


    After selling UC last year and staying quiet for a year, He Xiaopeng founded Xiao Peng Car and reached a ten-billion strategic-level project with Guangqi to jointly plan the new energy industry, deciding to hold a product launch on October 10 to announce their first new energy concept car.


    It was as if everyone had agreed to announce their news today, differing from NIO and Li Xiang''s suspected cooperation, as He Xiaopeng actually teamed up with Guangqi.


    Guangqi Group also stepped forward to respond, confirming a hundred-billion-level production base would be located in Zhaoqing City, with the project divided into three phases, planning to use 3000 acres of land.


    NIO, Li Xiang, and Xiao Peng, three major new forces in car manufacturing, emerged dramatically, giving the financial market''s new energy index another surge of adrenaline.


    The market closed with a sharp rise of 145 points, with the entire sector almost reaching the upper limit, soaring 468 points in a week, with a total market value exceeding one trillion.


    "Not bad, the new energy sector grew by 32.12%, and the total gain of my holdings is 28%."


    Looking at the 814 million US dollars in his account, Lu Liang''s face showed a satisfied smile.


    This market trend would continue for another nine working days, and turning 635 million into one billion shouldn''t be a problem.


    Just after four o''clock in the afternoon, Lu Liang walked out of the trading room, ending his work for the week.


    Wen Chao approached him, handing over a financial report on LeTV Group prepared by a third-party research institution.


    Although it had sustained losses over successive years, its financial condition was healthy, with 3.585 billion US dollars in cash flow from the last quarter''s settlement.


    "Somehow feels fake."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh because the financial statement looked too good to be true; if they were really that wealthy, they wouldn''t need to piggyback on his popularity.


    But he didn''t take it to heart, since next week, they were about to cash out and leave anyway.


    It was just a one-time deal, and any potential fallout was not his problem.


    Lu Liang headed to the office, asking as he walked, "Who called me today?"


    Li Bing had released news about investing in NIO to generate buzz. The news that he was betting big on new energy through Tianxing Private Equity wasn''t a secret either.


    He should now be a hot commodity in the new energy market. Creating cars was too costly; he always needed more investors.


    "Li Xiang''s Mr. Li, Xiao Peng''s Mr. He, and LeTV''s Mr. Jia."


    "What did LeTV''s Mr. Jia say?"


    Lu Liang was surprised and immediately intrigued.


    "Lesee is preparing for a Round B fundraising, valuing at 1.2 billion US dollars, and Mr. Jia has invited you to attend the financing meeting on the 28th."


    "Old Jia really dares to boast, he doesn''t even have a factory and he''s starting at a 1.2 billion US dollar valuation."


    Lu Liang chuckled in disbelief, pondering for a moment before saying, "Reply to Mr. Jia that I''ll attend."


    He wasn''t interested in Lesee, nor did he have spare funds to invest; he just wanted to see how Jia Yuetting convinced investors with pie-in-the-sky promises, and perhaps learn something.


    Over the weekend, the domestic new energy market was buzzing again.


    Tesla signed an all-electric vehicle project investment agreement with Modu City Government, planning to build a manufacturing and sales base in China.


    At the same time, Musk announced that he would open all patents to create "open source cars" to promote the advancement of electric vehicle technology. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Third-class companies make products, second-class companies create brands, first-class companies set standards. The catfish has been put in the pond."


    Lu Liang murmured as he browsed through related news and also received an invite from the president of Tesla''s Chinese District to attend the Mao Dou X new car launch at the convention center on September 30th.


    Not just him; Li Bing, Li Xiang, He Xiaopeng, Lei Jun, Shen Peng, and Jia Yuetting - anyone with an interest in the new energy industry had received an invite.


    Lu Liang ended up in the loop because after investing in NIO, Li Bing had added him to a WeChat group called "NIO Shareholders'' Meeting Subdivision."


    Lei Jun, Shen Peng, Daqiangzi, Little Ma, and Gaoling''s Zhang Lei were also in the group, making a total of six people, and they all got the message.


    Li Bing let Li Xiang and the others know they had received invitations too.


    "Here comes trouble," Lei Jun sent a smiley face.


    "Open sourcing technology is good; in the future, we can progress together following Tesla''s steps," said Little Ma, in typical Tencent style.


    Zhang Lei asked, "How are the talks with Jianghuai going?"


    "We''re still talking, but it''s about to be wrapped up," replied Li Bing.


    "What about Lu Liang? Why hasn''t he spoken since he joined the group?" Shen Peng suddenly asked.


    "Must be busy. I heard he made a good deal in the stock market," Daqiangzi, never one to endure silence, took the chance to chime in.


    In the group, their average worth was billions; they didn''t need to keep a stiff upper lip like in public or at the company.


    Even Lu Liang, who was the least powerful, controlled a venture capital and a fund, making him their equal in conversation.


    Suddenly, a red envelope appeared in the chat window. Lu Liang clicked it instinctively, revealing 2.85 yuan, and his face darkened immediately.


    The red envelope was worth only ten yuan; it was obviously a trick to lure him into the conversation.


    "I knew you were lurking; now I''ve caught you," Shen Peng said with a laugh.


    "All these big shots, I''m trembling too much to even speak," Lu Liang replied.


    Lei Jun: "Too scared to speak, but quick with his hands."


    Little Ma: "Either observing all the time or using a cheat."


    Daqiang: "New guy, you better resend a red envelope."


    Zhang Lei: "Resend a red envelope."


    Li Bing: "Resend a red envelope."


    "Fine, I''ll resend."


    Annoyed, Lu Liang resent 0.15 yuan, sending a three-yuan red envelope without claiming any for himself ¡ª very generous.


    The next second, the screen was filled with contemptuous emoji.

 Chapter 110 - 110: Exiting with Profits

    Monday, Modu Municipal Government issued a cooperation announcement, allocating 200,000 square meters next to Gulf National Forest Park to Tesla for building a megafactory, with a total investment projected at 50 billion.


    This action made various car companies realize the country''s determination to promote the new energy industry; the decline of fuel vehicles had become an overwhelming trend, unstoppable.


    If last week was about the new forces in car manufacturing showing off their prowess, this week saw the established giants flexing their muscle all at once.


    SAIC, Beiqi, FAW, an array of multi-billion strategic projects were launched as if money was no object, one after another.


    Consequently, the new energy sector went on an unprecedented rally, ten days of consecutive gains, with the index skyrocketing 623 points in just five trading days.


    This surge propelled the entire A-shares market; the battle to defend the 3000-point level was successful, and the index once again made a push toward 3100 points.


    Retail investors were overjoyed, eagerly spreading the word, "Fellow villagers, come back quickly, the bull has turned around, this time it''s for real¡­"


    "2549 points, only 436 points away."


    Another Monday,


    Lu Liang arrived at the trading room, planning a liquidation.


    Although there might have been about four more days of gains, he couldn''t and shouldn''t wait any longer.


    With an account capital reaching 1.12 billion, including BYD and LeEco both recording a 120% increase in share price, he possessed chips worth over 3.5 billion.


    To not give up the profits within grasp and execute a high-level cash-out, it was essential to act while the market sentiment was hot and exit swiftly.


    "Take advantage of LeTV Group''s announcement of LeTV Car''s Series B funding plan and first sell off the LeEco stocks in hand."


    "The market''s trading sentiment is hot right now, so we can be bold when selling LeEco shares."


    "Duofu''s market action indicates a price surge limit; hold it down, don''t let it reach the surge limit and get capped."


    "Sell 2000 lots of Yutong Automobile shares, let''s test for support below."


    "Ganfeng Lithium hit the price limit with a capital inflow of 80 million; sell all our holdings and let them take over."


    Lu Liang, wearing a headset and holding a tablet, walked back and forth in the trading room, issuing orders while monitoring the market.


    In four hours, he offloaded 380 million chips, among which Ganfeng Lithium and Duofu went from price limit surges to nearly hitting the price drop limit.


    The stocks touched the drop limit line during the session, but with the general rise of the new energy sector''s overall market, they were forcibly lifted again.


    That afternoon, Punan Road made it to the Dragon and Tiger List for net capital outflow, with two stocks recording a net outflow of 74 million.


    Only a few people became cautious, most were still immersed in the market''s frenetic mood.


    After all, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index had broken through 3100 points, and the new energy index had also surpassed 2600 points.


    Lu Liang chose this moment to withdraw, indicating either lack of vision or a normal portfolio adjustment.


    Tuesday, another 420 million chips were sold; this day, they didn''t make it to the Dragon and Tiger List because the position at 88 Punan Road was not substantial.


    Moreover, the remaining nine stocks each had a market capitalization of at least 21 billion, with a daily transaction volume of over 2 billion per stock.


    Selling off forty to fifty million in chips could affect the market, but when spread across 24 trading accounts, it left no trace.


    The Dragon and Tiger List was actually quite deceptive; whether one wished to make it on the list was entirely up to the institution''s will.


    Otherwise, there wouldn''t be stocks that had a net inflow of several hundred million one day, only to see their share price plummet the next day.


    The more Lu Liang learned and experienced the domestic A-share market, the more he felt its unfairness towards retail investors.


    Wednesday, another 280 million sold.


    Thursday morning, 90 million were sold off, completing the liquidation.


    Including BYD, his most favored stock, Lu Liang did not keep a single one, selling off everything.


    A pullback was imminent, and the following Monday was also the Mid-Autumn Festival; crossing the festival was also a challenge, a tradition that couldn''t be abandoned in Big A.


    Lu Liang planned to buy back in at a lower price after the setback, then hold short to medium-term and wait for the next market wave to arrive.


    "The account has a balance of 1.17 billion, 636 million invested, and profits of 534 million."


    Lu Liang tallied up the gains and seemed quite satisfied, laughing as he turned to ask, "Shouldn''t the net value be updated to 1.84?"


    The initial net value of private funds is 1, and it''s updated once a month on the 25th according to the profits and losses of the previous month.


    "Yes, Mr. Lu."


    Wen Chao was ecstatic, his palms slightly trembling.


    After a one-and-a-half-hour break, the afternoon market reopened, with the new energy index climbing to 2900 points before suddenly plummeting.


    In just half an hour, it was like being on a roller coaster.


    From an opening gain of 2.2%, rising to 4.5% at midday, down to 1.5% upon the afternoon reopening.


    While they were accounting, the new energy index had already turned from red to green, dragging the Big A down below 3100 points with it.


    Lu Liang smiled, stroking his chin, "Don''t proactively tell them; let them call you, and then you can say."


    One hundred million dollars, 84 points earned in a month, would drop quite a few jaws in shock.


    Moreover, this victory could prove that his success was not just luck but could be anticipated that the next issue of the private fund would be snatched up in subscriptions.


    Wen Chao smiled slightly, keenly aware of what Lu Liang was getting at, nodding his head repeatedly in agreement.


    Lu Liang looked towards the trading room, "Apply with Mr. Tang for a 200,000 bonus later; Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing get 50,000 each, and the newcomers 25,000 each. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, help them move to permanent positions."


    They had performed quite well; many times, when Lu Liang was away, Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing were able to smoothly execute his plans.


    As for the four newcomers, they were mediocre, without any standout performance, but that was what he expected. It was fine as long as they diligently played their roles without having too many ideas.


    Stepping out of the trading room, Lu Liang received a call from his sister Lu Ya, "Hello, are you not coming back for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"


    "I probably won''t, what''s up?"


    Whether before or after marriage, or even now, Lu Liang didn''t like staying at home. His hometown was a city with no nightlife, and after ten at night, the streets were only left with barbecue stalls.


    His old friends had all become husbands and fathers; even when they went out, their cell phones would constantly ring.


    Especially after midnight, it would pretty much be just him left alone.


    "It''s nothing much, just that our second aunt is prodding Mom, planning to set you up on a blind date; I heard she''s a kindergarten teacher." Lu Ya said, finding joy in his misfortune.


    Lu Liang felt a rush of blood to his chest and blurted out without thinking, "Matchmaking, for me?"


    Chen Jinchun, who was nearby, looked bemused, choosing to wisely accelerate his pace and keep his distance from Boss Lu, worried about knowing too much.


    Lu Ya said, "After all, you''re almost 31; do you really plan to stay single forever? They both are really worried about you."


    She knew Lu Liang was wealthy and well-known, also good friends with the so-called National Husband that was popular online, so he must have no shortage of young women chasing him. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But since their parents rarely used the internet and didn''t understand much, their greatest wish was for their children to settle down and establish families peacefully.


    Lu Liang said, "A man is blooming at thirty-one; if you truly cared about me, you''d let Dabao and Erbao spend more time with them when you can. If they get too idle, have them help with the kids; that can give you and your husband a break."


    Lu Ya couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Grandkids from outside aren''t as dear as one''s own grandkids."


    Lu Liang was indignant, "All grandkids, where is this inside and outside coming from? That''s not a proper thing to say. Don''t our parents treat Dabao and Erbao well?"


    "That''s not what I mean."


    "Then what do you mean?"


    "Can''t be bothered to explain to you."


    Lu Liang, with a smile at the corner of his mouth, suddenly changed the subject, "How''s the construction of the house back home?"


    The last time he was home, he had left fifty thousand for Lu Ya and later transferred another two hundred thousand. It seemed the main structure was already built.


    Lu Ya sent a few photos; the workers were busy tiling the walls, along with a very long list of expenses.


    After glancing at the balance and noticing it wasn''t much, Lu Liang transferred another million over, "I''m about to get busy, sis, let''s leave it at that. I won''t be back for Mid-Autumn Festival; please convey my message to Mom and Dad."

 Chapter 111 - 111: Suddenly Airdropped

    Friday, the last workday of the week.


    The New Energy Index opened low and continued downwards, declining throughout the day and breaking through the 2800 point mark.


    Yesterday, the news that Lu Liang had sold off new energy component stocks without regard for the consequences was overshadowed by the index''s flash crash.


    The entire sector saw a net outflow of funds amounting to 32.8 billion, with Lu Liang selling off ninety million himself, but this went unnoticed.


    "Mr. Lu, happy holiday."


    As five o''clock approached, cheers and laughter filled the entire company, and everyone''s face bore the joy of the impending holiday.


    On the one hand, they were welcoming a three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, and on the other, Lu Liang distributed 1,800 yuan as a holiday bonus to each employee.


    Regardless of whether employees were new or old, even just recruited interns who hadn''t been made permanent received a share, because after all, dinners and team-building are superficial, it''s giving cash that really counts.


    "You too, happy holiday."


    Lu Liang smiled and waved goodbye to everyone, leaving the company with Fang Shiyu.


    In the underground parking lot, beside a yellow Urus, a black and gray Bentley Moshang was parked.


    Yesterday, the 4s shop had delivered the car, fully paid 6.48 million and registered under Tianxing Assets.


    Tianxing Capital is wholly owned by Lu Liang, currently not making a profit, ultimately it still required his funding.


    Tianxing Assets was different, not only did it include Lu Liang, but also Old Meng and Little Wang, with 2 million US dollars in management fees on the accounts.


    Lu Liang, with a wave of his hand, took out half to buy himself a car, and also covered the Tangchen''s rent within it.


    The company is collective, but the money is personal; under Old Meng''s explicit and implicit lessons, he too had learned quite a few tricks.


    "Bro, where are we going?"


    As the car stopped in the parking lot, and both brothers sat inside, listening to Fang Shiyu''s question, Lu Liang fell into thought.


    Li Manli had participated in Panda Interactive Entertainment''s Mid-Autumn event, which during the holiday required her to stream live in cooperation with the platform for three days.


    Wen Shanshan chose a thriller with an investment of 9 million, where the production was short 3 million¡ªLu Liang had covered it for her.


    Having successfully brought funding into the production and passed the audition for the female lead, she had informed him a few days ago before heading north to shoot the film.


    Zhang Qian was busy, gaining fame as the fast-food beauty, her shop bustling every day.


    "Let''s go to the airport."


    Lu Liang called Chen Jinchun, asking her to book two tickets to Lu Island and arrange hotel and transportation.


    He thought of Su Wanyu, who had been back in her hometown for over a month, excitedly telling him that morning she would return after the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    In over a month, Lu Liang had spoken fewer than twenty sentences with her, which were mostly her sharing snippets of her life with him.


    If he landed there suddenly, she would likely be touched.


    Fang Shiyu was astonished, "Bro, shouldn''t we go home and pack our bags first?"


    "What''s there to pack? We''ll buy what we need when we get there."


    It was just past eight o''clock in the evening when the plane reached Lu Island.


    During the Mid-Autumn mini-holiday, and being a well-known tourist city, Lu Island had plenty of visitors coming and going.


    Lu Liang''s decision to travel without luggage was wise; they avoided the crowded conveyor belt scramble for baggage.


    He took Fang Shiyu to the airport''s arrival gate and smoothly connected with the driver arranged by the hotel.


    Upon settling into the hotel, Lu Liang left his cousin at the hotel and drove the hotel''s car to the outskirts of the island.


    Using the address on Su Wanyu''s identification card, he arrived at a community developed by Baoli Group in Xiang''an.


    "Hey, what are you up to?" Lu Liang parked the car at the entrance of the community and called Su Wanyu.


    "Wow~ Is the sun rising from the west today, or am I still asleep? You''re actually calling me?"


    Su Wanyu sounded excited, yet there was a hint of playful bitterness and rebuke. If not for Lu Liang sometimes sending her a few emojis indicating he had read her messages, she might have thought she was in a phony relationship.


    She knew Lu Liang was busy, so she didn''t disturb him on ordinary days, but she was human too, and always having to be the warmer party wore her down over time.


    "How about you go back to sleep, and maybe you''ll find out it''s just a dream when you wake up?"


    The community''s security wasn''t strict; Lu Liang, still on the phone, followed some elderly folks and successfully sneaked in.


    "Even if it''s a dream, it would still be a beautiful dream."


    Su Wanyu excitedly shared that she had bought a high-speed train ticket for Tuesday and insisted that Lu Liang come to pick her up, as she had a big surprise for him.


    "What surprise?" Lu Liang followed the old man''s steps and casually entered a residential building of the community.


    Upon understanding the layout of the building''s floors and apartments, he arrived downstairs at Su Wanyu''s home.


    On the fourth floor to the southeast, a room was lit, which he deduced must be Su Wanyu''s place.


    "A surprise, huh? If told, wouldn''t it cease being a surprise? You''ll find out when you come to pick me up."


    "Coincidentally, I also have a surprise for you."


    "What surprise?"


    "It should be arriving soon, are you at home?"


    "Yes, is it a delivery?"


    "More or less."


    "What is it?"


    "Want to know?"


    "Mm-hmm~" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Come over to the balcony and take a look."


    "No way~~"


    Su Wanyu seemed to have guessed something, her excitement and astonishment discernible even through the phone.


    A burst of hurried footsteps emanated from the other end of the line, and a few seconds later, an exuberant figure appeared on the fourth-floor balcony.


    Her long hair cascaded down, with a few strands sticking up on top, seemingly still in her pajamas.


    Much like she shared on everyday occasions, as long as her parents didn''t ask her to go out, she could stay at home all day.


    Su Wanyu''s eyes widened when she saw Lu Liang sitting on a bench downstairs, waving at her, "Are you satisfied with this gift?"


    Lu Liang saw Su Wanyu''s head shaking excitedly, her face aglow with joy, "Satisfied, so satisfied, I am coming down~"


    Humming a little tune, Su Wanyu returned to her room, hurriedly changing clothes and putting on makeup, while saying, "Wait for me, I''ll be ready soon."


    "Take your time, no rush." Lu Liang hung up the phone, idly observing the surroundings of the community.


    Su Wanyu had mentioned before that her family were natives of Lu Island, who then moved outside the island after the demolition.


    Her parents owned a local apparel factory, making their family''s economic conditions moderately above average.


    Some ten minutes later, Su Wanyu came downstairs, clad in a light green long dress and white low-heel sandals.


    She liked wearing long dresses and the style suited her well; her long hair fluttering, the hem of her dress swaying with the wind, gave her an ethereal aura.


    Upon seeing Lu Liang, Su Wanyu jogged up to him and wrapped him in a big hug, "How come you suddenly came over here?"


    But before Lu Liang could react, she quickly let go, her face flushed red, whispering, "Let''s go out first."


    It was under her home building, she was worried about running into acquaintances.


    Lu Liang chuckled, talking as they walked, "Recently wrapped up work, I missed you, so I came over."


    As soon as they left the community, Su Wanyu could not wait to hug Lu Liang around the waist, cheek to cheek with him, "I missed you too."


    The faint scent of Milan flowers, the delicate posture of the young girl, everything about this moment was intoxicating, Lu Liang enjoyed the warmth.


    The two embraced silently for a long time until Lu Liang felt Su Wanyu''s body temperature rising and her heartbeat quickening.


    "Didn''t you say you''d give me a surprise? Where is it?" He let go on purpose, as he felt a physical reaction unintentionally.


    "Can''t you see it?"


    Su Wanyu breathed a sigh of relief, her face all smiles, as she walked up to Lu Liang, facing him eye to eye.


    Blinking her bright and clear eyes, the blush on her cheeks mimicked the allure of being tipsy.


    Lu Liang scrutinized for a long time but couldn''t notice any changes, the only difference might be the earrings, he reached out and lightly touched one, "You''ve put on earrings, looks quite nice."


    "You blockhead, it''s so obvious and you still can''t see it."


    Su Wanyu wrinkled her nose, shaking her head, and using her hands to mimic glasses, "Didn''t you notice I am not wearing glasses?"


    "Aren''t you wearing contacts?"


    Lu Liang had once commented that Su Wanyu looked good without glasses, henceon subsequent dates, she started wearing contact lenses.


    "I''m not wearing them today." Su Wanyu lifted her chin in pride, almost broadcasting the answer.


    Lu Liang grinned knowingly, but played along, stretching out two fingers, "How many fingers are these?"


    "Three, okay?" Su Wanyu glared at him.


    Lu Liang chuckled, realizing she had undergone correction surgery, and asked with concern, "Are you used to it? Any side effects?"


    "There was some initial soreness, but now as long as I use eye drops on time, it''s fine."


    Su Wanyu, holding Lu Liang''s hand, lifted it high and swung it energetically, sharing her novel experiences post-correction.


    Eating soup or noodles no longer required removing glasses, and waking up each day she could see everything clearly.


    Lu Liang, with a smile on his face, listened as she incessantly talked about her daily life after ditching glasses.


    He knew why he had a special fondness for Su Wanyu, because she wasn''t scared of him, always treating him like a normal boyfriend.


    One might say, her views on relationships were very normal, so normal that Lu Liang found it to be a precious rarity.


    For he knew his own views on relationships, extremely unhealthy, including his relationship with his ex-wife, which happened only because family pressured him, the age was right, the match was made, so they got married.


    He envied that.

 Chapter 112 - 112: Net Worth Update, Blew Up

    "Right, how many days do you plan to stay on Lu Island?"


    "At that moment, what do you think about heading back with you?"


    "Really?"


    "Really."


    Hearing this, Su Wanyu couldn''t stop her silly grin, suddenly looking up at the moon and speaking in a soft whisper, "The moonlight tonight is so beautiful."


    "It''s only the twelfth, not quite full yet." Lu Liang followed her gaze, looking towards the cloudless sky where a bright moon hung.


    Su Wanyu wrinkled her nose, hugging his arm, saying, "To me, it looks even more beautiful than on the fifteenth or sixteenth."


    Lu Liang realized then, laughing softly, "The scenery stays the same, it''s the mood of the beholder that changes."


    Su Wanyu, feeling delighted, eyes crinkled in a smile, added, "And also who you''re appreciating the scenery with."


    Lu Liang''s eyes were filled with tenderness as he gently stroked Su Wanyu''s hair, "What''s good to eat on Lu Island, it''s your turf now."


    Just off work, he had flown straight here, only having eaten a small piece of bread from Southern Airlines on the way, which was not very tasty.


    "Come on, I''ll take you to the flatbread shop I''ve been eating at since I was a child, along with oyster pancakes, and four-fruit soup..."


    Upon hearing that Lu Liang hadn''t had dinner, Su Wanyu hurried more than if she herself hadn''t eaten, pulling him directly into an alley.


    "Commerce on the island is too commercialized, to taste the local specialties, you still have to eat at these old stores in the alleys."


    During the three-day holiday, Su Wanyu took Lu Liang around to all the major sights inside and outside of Lu Island, as well as her schools from elementary to high school.


    Lu Liang also came to understand Su Wanyu''s growth journey: she lived in a family without financial concerns and utmost happiness.


    While not extraordinarily rich, her family managed not to scatter all over the place for livelihood; her parents were there throughout her growth, and they even had bought a set of houses for her and her brother early on.


    Indeed, only such a family could raise a girl with a personality like hers.


    By Tuesday morning, Lu Liang canceled his flight ticket and took the high-speed train back to Modu with Su Wanyu.


    Old Meng, who had been let roam free for three days, took a plane and arrived in Modu an hour and a half early; he drove to the airport to pick them up.


    "Is this your cousin? Has he been with you on Lu Island these last few days? How come you never mentioned him." Su Wanyu said in surprise, at a loss for words.


    "Did you want him to disturb our time alone together?" Lu Liang took Su Wanyu''s hand, kissing the back of it.


    These past few nights, Su Wanyu always went home on time, but after the shared experiences, their relationship had grown very intimate.


    "After all, he made the long trip to join you," she said.


    Su Wanyu''s face showed a sense of guilt, extending her hand generously, "Hello Shiyu, I''m Su Wanyu, Lu Liang''s girlfriend."


    "Hello, future cousin-in-law," Fang Shiyu responded with a dull expression, though his dark skin hid his true emotions.


    He knew his cousin had many girlfriends, discounting the one from the fast-food restaurant, there were already three up to this point.


    Blushing, Su Wanyu said, "Don''t call me that, I am only a few months older than you, ''Yu'' will do."


    "Maybe you should call her Sister Yu," Lu Liang chimed in with a chuckle, smoothing things over.


    Su Wanyu, unlike Li Manli, was not ready to accept such a direct appellation.


    "Okay, Sister Yu. Bro, where are we heading?"


    "To Scholarly Splendor on Academic Road."


    "Scholarly Splendor?"


    Su Wanyu looked puzzled, being a University City resident, she naturally had heard of Scholarly Splendor.


    Many aged professors, deans, and even university presidents lived there.


    "We''ll handle some things there first."


    Lu Liang didn''t elaborate, letting his cousin drive them to the destination, where upon arrival he contacted the residential property management to ask for the keys to the house door.


    Since purchasing the place, he hadn''t come to take another look; it had been left vacant, and he hadn''t even collected the keys.


    Lu Liang left Old Meng downstairs to watch the car, taking Su Wanyu to apartment 1202 in building 7. Opening the door, he felt cobwebs on his face and a musty smell inside the house.


    Opening the balcony''s glass door, he said, "It''s been a while since anyone''s lived here; it''s gotten a bit stale."


    "Why buy it, then?" Su Wanyu asked with a conflicted expression, noticing that the balcony faced the Tongji University sports field.


    After showing Su Wanyu around, Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied? If not, we can go look at another one."


    "Ah? There''s another set?" Wanyu was stunned, suddenly feeling that Liang might not have bought it especially for her.


    "Now, the property prices are rising nationwide, in every city. Isn''t it normal to buy a few more to wait for appreciation?"


    Liang made up the story effortlessly, although he indeed had that idea. But luxury houses in the urban area were too expensive, ranging from tens to hundreds of millions, so he planned to wait another year or two.


    The reason he said there were several more was to make it easier for Wanyu to accept it, and it seemed the effect was not bad.


    "They''re all empty? You''re not renting them out?"


    "Renting them out doesn''t make much money, and they might mess up the place, not even covering the renovation costs."


    "I don''t understand the thoughts of the rich," Wanyu said with a mix of laughter and tears.


    Liang walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around Wanyu''s slim waist, and pressed his cheek against hers: "Can you help me look after this place, so the property management doesn''t mess around when I''m not here? You see, I even threw the keys at them."


    "I know you have your pride, so if it''s embarrassing for you, just help me pay some of the property fees since it''s empty anyway."


    "Or if you''re not satisfied with the location of this one, we can go somewhere else in a bit."


    "No... I''m not unsatisfied."


    Her face flushed and her mind wandered.


    Liang''s heated body was like a fireball, making her heartbeat quicken every time they got close.


    "Then it''s settled. I''ll have someone change the locks later, and you''ll have to trouble yourself to tidy up over the next few days."


    Liang contacted the property manager to have someone change the locks and hire cleaners to tidy up, leaving Old Meng to supervise.


    He took Wanyu straight to the nearby IKEA, buying anything that caught their eye and filling up a whole delivery truck.


    Finally, Liang left a credit card identical to Zhang Qian''s, without disclosing how much was in it or how much could be spent.


    He just asked Wanyu to oversee the purchases, to buy whatever was missing, and to help him furnish the new place.


    "Yu, I''ll leave this to you. The company just called; something came up and I need to go back to handle it."


    After saying that, Liang left with Old Meng, leaving Wanyu stamping her feet in frustration.


    Just back at the company, Liang saw Wang Xiaocong sitting restlessly and shaking his leg in the break area.


    Seeing Liang return, Xiaocong put on a flattering smile: "Liang, where did you go for the Mid-Autumn holiday? I haven''t heard from you at all."


    "Get to the point, will you? Can''t you drop the disgusting act?" Liang said, repulsed; hastened footsteps approached from behind.


    Old Meng hurried in, his belly even bigger than before, trembling as he ran just like a woman''s cleavage.


    "What a coincidence? You''re both here?"


    Liang led them to his office, thinking of brewing some tea but suddenly realized the cupboard was out of tea leaves.


    Old Meng immediately grabbed his phone and dialed: "Little Liu, get back to the office now, and bring over the best tea from my cupboard."


    Liang chuckled in amusement, curious: "What''s gotten into you two? Possessed by ghosts?"


    Little Wang looked deeply affectionate, almost oozing sentiment: "Liang, today is the 25th."


    Old Meng added: "The net value was updated."


    Liang smiled knowingly: "Right, 1.84, huh?"


    Xiaocong felt there was something off with Liang''s tone and emphasized for his benefit: "It''s 1.84!"


    Meng Changkun, cigar in mouth, marveled: "An 84% return in a month, man, you''re defying the heavens."


    "The new energy index rose by 112%, and the fund went up by 84%. Is that a lot?" Liang asked with a smile.


    "This is a billion, a billion US dollars. You made 84 million US dollars in one month. Isn''t that a lot?"


    Xiaocong sulked, feeling Liang was feigning nonchalance; even Changkun nodded in agreement: "It''s explosive."


    This afternoon at 12, the net value was updated on schedule, and he must have been the first to call Wen Chao.


    Before he could react, including his assistant''s, all their phones were bombarded with calls; friends were inquiring about the next funding round.


    Especially those who he had once invited but did not agree, now they were green with regret.


    Xiaocong nodded frantically like a pecking chicken: "Liang, you have no idea how those jerks looked¡ªtsk, tsk..."


    He had the satisfaction of glaring down at them and even posted a meme in his circle of friends:


    Here''s your chance, and you blew it.jpg. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 113 - 113: A Kindness in Raising Rice, An Enmity in Fighting Rice

    "This is just the first month, and whether it''s a profit or loss, we''ll have to wait another eleven months to see."


    Lu Liang knew the purpose of their visit was to persuade him to start preparing for the second phase as soon as possible.


    But he didn''t have plans for that yet, and as he always said, the longer you stretch it, the more you earn; it''s like casting a long line to catch a big fish.


    Moreover, private equity is like a company, and for the next phase of the private equity fund, Lu Liang wanted to bring in even stronger and more capable institutions.


    "When Liang makes a move, he''s sure to win."


    Wang Xiaocong smiled broadly, slapping on the flattery.


    Ultimately, everything would follow Lu Liang''s wishes, but they requested that next time, he give them a larger share of the subscriptions.


    Because Old Wang was also interested; Wanda Capital had over ten billion in cash and no place to use it yet.


    "Lu, go ahead and do what you want, and if you need help, just say the word." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meng Changkun seemed thoughtful, not as naive as Little Wang, nor did he take everything for granted.


    He subtly sensed that Lu Liang might not include them next time, so he started playing the emotional card.


    With an 84% increase in the first month and subsequent returns over the next 11 months, even if each month saw only a 10% increase,


    after a year, one hundred million dollars would turn into five hundred twenty-four million dollars, a net gain of four hundred twenty-four million, with a profit rate of 423%.


    Out of this profit of four hundred twenty-four million dollars, with a management fee of 20%, the management profit would be eighty-four million eighty thousand dollars.


    Based on a 622 share distribution, he and Little Wang would each get a dividend of seventeen million dollars.


    That amount of dividend wasn''t much, but that''s just the first phase with one hundred million dollars; what if the next phase involved one billion or even twenty billion dollars?


    Or what if Lu Liang suddenly made a breakthrough, turning one hundred million dollars into one billion dollars? Would each person''s dividend exceed one hundred million dollars then?


    By that time, having a 20% stake might not even be worth as much as the favor of rebuilding their fortune.


    Rising favors and grudges over rice; it has always been this way.


    He understood, and he believed Lu Liang did too.


    "Mr. Kun, do I look like someone who stands on ceremony?" Lu Liang, smiling at Old Meng''s lips, immediately understood his implication.


    "The less, the better." Old Meng laughed heartily.


    There was a knock on the door, and he said, "It''s probably Little Liu bringing back some tea, let''s all try it together."


    Meng Changkun went to open the door; Little Wang looked confused and asked softly, "Hey, what kind of riddle are you guys playing?"


    "You''re still young, give it a few more years and you''ll understand," Lu Liang quipped with a smile, feeling reassured by Old Meng''s attitude.


    Because the two of them had a pretty good private relationship, unlike Little Wang, who seemed to have a good relationship but it was actually built on interests.


    Old Meng understood the situation, which would save some explanations later.


    "It could scare you."


    Wang Xiaocong, still annoyed, grumbled, "There''s no wrong nickname, only the wrong name taken."


    He remembered the nicknames netizens gave to him and Lu Liang: one was the National Husband, the other the National Uncle.


    These two, always speaking in riddles, using plain Chinese, but he just couldn''t understand a single word.


    "If you also want to call me ''uncle'', I wouldn''t mind," said Lu Liang, smiling.


    "What now?"


    Old Meng, with a smile full of joy, came back carrying several boxes of tea leaves; the packaging looked expensive and he also carried half a bucket of water: "Good tea must be matched with good water, genuine spring water, still fresh from the spring this morning; you''re all in for a treat."


    "It''s nothing, just discussing a recent web series investment I made, sponsored by Panda."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to embarrass Little Wang and shifted the topic while also yielding the main seat at the tea table, given that Old Meng had his own unique pursuit when it came to brewing tea.


    More than once before, Old Meng had disapproved of his method as not authentic, nearly writing the complaint ''as clumsy as a boar eating bran'' on his face.


    "Oh~ that Princess something, I think Old Wu mentioned it a few days ago."


    Meng Changkun was washing the teaware when he suddenly winked with a knowing smirk, "The female lead is quite attractive."


    "Indeed quite attractive."


    Little Wang grinned and nodded in agreement.


    With the thought of both sponsoring, he had also got several hosts under his platform to cameo, to get some face time.


    Expecting the director would be annoyed, he didn''t expect the director to be more enthusiastic, specifically asking for PDD for a role with not a small part, determined to carry through the drama to the end.


    "Really? I didn''t pay much attention."


    Lu Liang, adhering to the principle of being honest, received disdainful looks from the both of them, but he couldn''t be bothered to explain.


    He couldn''t help but think,


    Who''s the female protagonist?


    Is she really that beautiful?


    Maybe I should find some time to see for myself?


    What if she''s a girl striving to better herself?


    ¡­


    In the few trading days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the A-share market clouded over with gloom, triggering the 42nd defense of the 3000 point mark.


    According to incomplete statistics, since the inception of A-shares, the battle for 3000 points erupted 42 times, succeeded 7 times, and failed 35 times.


    This time it seemed bound for failure again, as the new energy index fell below 2600 points, prompting a technical correction in the market.


    Whether it was BYD, LeTV, or other constituent stocks, all were paying for the previous half month''s frenzy.


    Lu Liang spent the day observing and felt distinctly uninterested, not even considering bottom-fishing, and planned to wait a few more days.


    After all, once the Mid-Autumn Festival was over, National Day was next.


    The first rule of Big A: empty your portfolio to survive, a rule that every institutional speculative trader and even retail investors abided by.


    Those who didn''t comply met with dire ends.


    On the 28th, Lu Liang was invited to participate in the Series B funding of LeTV Cars, valued at 1.2 billion US dollars.


    Different from the previous time when he attended ofo''s funding, as soon as he appeared at this event, he became the focus of everyone.


    One hundred million dollars, netting a profit of 84 million US dollars in one month, and escaping smoothly before the market crash.


    Punan Road 88, Lu Liang, had already become one of the countless stock market geniuses, more famous than ever.


    He not only managed a private fund but also headed a venture capital firm, now possessing both the capability and qualification to join the ranks of top-tier tycoons.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve heard so much about you, loud as thunder, and I''m finally pleased to meet you today."


    Boss Jia, beaming, greeted with great enthusiasm, using Lu Liang''s local dialect which sounded even more enthusiastic than a little puppy.


    "Mr. Jia, you flatter me, I''m just a novice in your presence."


    Lu Liang said, smiling, feeling a bit uneasy inside. In this market wave, LeTV''s market value had skyrocketed to 221.5 billion.


    Boss Jia held 21.55% of the shares, his fortune exceeding 46 billion.


    Though it was a rapid surge that would inevitably reverse during a technical correction, banks would still adjust asset evaluation accordingly, making loans much easier to obtain.


    He could secure a few billion more in loans. With this, and showing such warmth, how deep was LeTV''s pitfall?


    Lu Liang did not dare contemplate.


    Though without evidence, once suspicion arises, culpability is established. It wasn''t necessary to hang oneself from a single tree.


    After exchanging a few casual words, Lu Liang did not express his opinion on this funding round or whether he would participate.


    Boss Jia, feeling the interlude dull, glanced at the entrance and made an excuse, "Mr. Lu, please feel free to mingle; I just saw some friends arrive."


    "Mr. Jia, please go ahead," Lu Liang smiled, turned his head to scan the venue, and suddenly spotted an acquaintance.


    He approached Zhu Hu and asked with a smile, "Hu, are you interested in LeTV Cars?"


    Zhu Hu smiled and shook his head slightly, "Not interested, just giving Boss Jia face by coming to look."


    Laughing, he said, "Liang, there''s some nice desserts over there, want to try some together?"


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded, knowing Zhu Hu had something to say.


    As they walked, Zhu Hu spoke, "At the beginning of the year, Jia Yuetting personally lent 2.07 billion to LeTV, but now it''s down to 920 million."


    Corporations are separate from individuals.


    Sometimes when a managed company can''t borrow from banks, or they don''t want to pay bank interest,


    if an individual has money, they would lend it to the company; it''s a common investment strategy.


    But LeTV''s continual losses and sufficient funds shown made Jia Yuetting''s debt recall suspicious.


    Without proof, Zhu Hu couldn''t outright claim Boss Jia was falsifying financial reports again, but he could give small hints.


    Lu Liang replied with a knowing smile, "I came just to learn, to see Mr. Jia''s future plans for LeTV Cars."


    "Seems like you''re quite interested in new energy vehicles?" Zhu Hu inquired.


    "A bit." Lu Liang nodded, Zhu Hu continued, "Have you checked out Li Xiang''s Li Xiang Cars?"


    Lu Liang nodded again, familiar with the equity structure of Li Xiang Cars, Golden Sand River holding 15%.


    The three new automotive powers all followed the same model: PowerPoint fundraising, and OEM manufacturing.


    Lu Liang glanced towards the center of the venue, seeing the merry Boss Jia. He was indeed the progenitor of this approach.


    It just seemed that his steps were too ambitious, covering appliances, video, portals, smartphones, and now even cars, spreading too thin, appearing on the verge of collapse at any moment.

 Chapter 114 - 114: Too Dark, No Good People

    "If you''re interested, I can get in touch with Li Xiang for you, there should still be quite a few subscription shares left."


    Liang pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said directly, "Let''s wait a bit, the market feels a bit overheated right now."


    With NIO, Xiao Peng, and Li Xiang, he always had the chance to enter the scene because they were always short of money.


    Car manufacturing is a major undertaking, it couldn''t make a name without a year or two, and without reputation, valuation couldn''t increase.


    If the valuation couldn''t go up, they could only rely on connections to draw investments.


    Anyway, Liang had already invested in NIO and had thus set half a foot into the new energy industry. He decided to observe for a while and wait for the market to cool down.


    "All good, just give me a holler when you have an idea." Zhu Hu inserted a piece of cake and passed a plate to Liang.


    He smiled and said, "Try it, it tastes good."


    "It really is delicious."


    The two of them ate their afternoon tea, oblivious to others, completely out of sync with the atmosphere of the entire financing venue.


    Passersby showed smiling faces, nodded in greeting; no one expressed displeasure, and no one dared to look scornful.


    One was the notorious Golden Sand River''s Zhu Hu, and the other was the recently famous Tianxing Luliang, both were financial bigwigs. Even if they were in a fancy Western restaurant using chopsticks to drink Moutai, people would still give them a thumbs-up for their authenticity.


    "Tsk tsk, you two have ended up playing together after all." Suddenly, a hearty laughter sounded as Shen Peng strode over.


    Zhu Hu looked up with a displeased gaze: "Are you the one who said I''m not a good person?"


    Shen Peng grabbed a chair and sat down, smiling back, "Do you think you look like a good person?"


    Zhu Hu retorted indignantly, "At least a hundred times better than your sanctimonious act."


    Liang smiled placidly, leaning against the dining table with his plate as he watched Old Jia step up to the podium, ready to deliver his pitch for funding.


    He had no interest in smooth things over; the two were old friends for more than 20 years, perhaps this was their way of interacting.


    By comparison, Liang was more curious about Old Jia''s performance.


    "Thanks to everyone''s love, for attending today''s grand event. I believe that years from now, looking back on today, you will feel fortunate to have witnessed the birth of a great enterprise."


    "In the age of mobile internet, the automotive industry is facing a massive revolution. The underground ''See Plan'' replicates LeEco''s successful vertical integration model to redefine the car."


    "We will build the best internet intelligent electric vehicle through our own research and development, establishing an automotive internet ecosystem, and our country''s automotive industry will short-cut to subvert the traditional giants from Europe, America, Japan, and Korea."


    "LeTV Car will achieve ''triple modernization'': electrification, intelligence, connectivity, completely overturning the existing automobile products."


    "Not just overturning products, including research and development, marketing model, business model, operational model will all be comprehensively subverted."


    "I know some might think I''m bold, arrogant, but the most important thing for a company is the spirit of enterprise, especially for leaders."


    "Let''s all of us, for the dream, suffocate!"


    Liang was astonished. Old Jia wasn''t ordinarily mad; he was always about overturning entire industries. Whether it was suffocating for the dream or paying for the dream remained to be seen.


    Shen Peng laughed and said, "That''s his style; some people really go for it."


    "Mr. Jia, he truly is a capable person."


    Zhu Hu picked up a hot towel to wipe the corners of his mouth, gesturing for Liang to look at the subscription table, where a long queue had already formed.


    He could question the reality of LeEco''s financial statements, but he never doubted Jia Yuetting''s capabilities.


    The concept of an internet ecosystem was proposed by him, and LeEco was indeed moving towards that goal.


    However, after comprehensive consideration, they felt that investing in LeEco was too risky at the moment, but this didn''t mean they outright rejected LeEco''s business blueprint.


    Perhaps LeEco would cease to exist in the future, but there would surely be successors who would step on this road again and create a complete ecosystem.


    Liang muttered to himself, "Perhaps like religion, personal charisma draws in fans, and fans are irrational. Even if there''s only a 0.01% chance of success, they still believe a miracle will happen."


    Shen Peng was surprised; it was rare for Liang to have such a clear view and he said with a smile, "Right, but also not quite. More so, it''s about being on the boat, unable to bear the losses of a failed investment, they can only follow him and sink or swim together."


    At this, he looked at Zhu Hu with a beaming smile, and Zhu Hu glared fiercely in return, "None of your damn business."


    He gestured to beckon his assistant from behind and, not avoiding the two others, straightforwardly said, "Go, just go through the motions."


    Golden Sand River could still accept the loss from investment failures, it''s just that LeTV hadn''t reached a point where it needed to be abandoned yet.


    As for considering more investment, forget it, but bolstering Old Jia''s clout and hoodwinking others into investing was still possible.


    Shen Peng''s face remained smiling as he waved his assistant over, "You go too."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh in surprise, obviously both companies had come with the same idea.


    Having gotten wet himself, he wanted others to get a little wet too, ideally finding a sucker to take over.


    Zhu Hu snorted coldly and quietly raised his middle finger, "Just goes to show his sanctimoniousness."


    "It''s so dark, are there any good people left?"


    Lu Liang sighed heavily, filled with emotion.


    Then he faced the joint opposition of the two.


    As Redwood''s Shen Peng and Golden Sand River''s Zhu Hu sent their assistants to subscribe, the onlookers at the scene couldn''t sit still, and the queue at the subscription desk got longer and longer.


    Old Jia, beaming, walked up to the podium to do some gentle coaxing, "Ladies and gentlemen, as of the last minute, 65% of the 120 million US Dollar subscription has been completed..."


    Saying so, he looked towards Lu Liang, who just smiled slightly, indifferent, and contented himself with being a spectator.


    He didn''t have money, and even if he did, he wouldn''t invest in LeTV.


    Eventually, the second round of financing for LeTV Car, valued at 1.2 billion US Dollars, was still declared a success.


    However, unlike other financings, Old Jia, using the pretext that the count was not yet complete, didn''t announce the list on the spot.


    ...


    The next day, the 29th, was also the fourth day Lu Liang returned to Modu, and his second visit to Shuxiang Jinxiu District.


    Since there had been no activity on his credit card, he came to see how Su Wanyu had decorated their new apartment.


    He called Su Wanyu, learned that she was busy at school submitting registration forms and wouldn''t be back for a while, but she quietly told Lu Liang where she''d put the spare key.


    "Why do they always like to hide it under a pot or behind a fire hydrant?" Lu Liang sighed, already too exhausted to complain.


    But luckily, they had changed to a combination lock last time, which required both a password and a key to unlock the anti-theft device.


    The interior of the house was decorated in warm colors, with water-soaked aromatherapy sticks inserted at the entrance hall, exuding a scent that was indistinct but pleasant, and a variety of small potted plants neatly arranged on the balcony.


    The potted plants were well cared for, each leaf looking like it had been wiped clean, without a speck of dust.


    Lu Liang headed to the master bedroom, which only contained furniture, with bedding neatly stacked, but it looked as though no one lived there.


    He then tried the second bedroom and found the door locked, feeling somewhat indignant, "Even gentlemen need precautions?"


    Returning to the living room, Lu Liang lay down on the sofa, and after waiting a while with boredom, suddenly had an inspiration.


    It was close to six in the evening.


    Su Wanyu, holding textbooks and carrying a canvas bag, hurried home and pushed the door open to find the room dark.


    "Liang?"


    She called out, sensing the scent of a meal.


    In the next second, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.


    Lu Liang was smiling broadly, with a table of food prepared, "Come over quick, let''s see how my cooking is?"


    Su Wanyu''s eyes widened in surprise, and she was speechless, "You can cook?"


    In her memory, Lu Liang was a dazzling financial professional, who ventured in and out of high-end venues daily.


    While not exactly someone who kept his hands clean, the spread of skillfully cooked dishes had her skeptical. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Looking down on who?" Lu Liang glared resentfully. Ever since their relationship had gradually become more intimate, Su Wanyu, though still prone to blushing, had become increasingly bold with him.


    Suddenly, Su Wanyu stretched out her index finger, smeared it across his face, and burst into joyful laughter, "There''s still some grease on your face, it doesn''t seem like takeout from a hotel."

 Chapter 115 - 115: Seemingly Double Choice, Actually Single Choice

    "Then you eat first; I''m going for a shower."


    Lu Liang frowned, feeling a layer of invisible grease on his face and arms that made him uncomfortable.


    "Go take a shower, I''ll wait for you."


    Su Wanyu smiled sweetly, sitting obediently at the dining table, her calves excitedly swinging under the table as she often sniffed, showing a blissful expression, "It smells so good~"


    At that moment, she was the happiest girl in the world, having a boyfriend who was capable, talented, and could cook¡ªsimply 120 points.


    "If you''re hungry, go ahead and eat." Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Su Wanyu shook her head, quickly pushing his back, "Hurry up; if you delay any longer, the food will really get cold."


    "Do you have any clothes for me to change into?"


    Lu Liang had shouted from the bathroom halfway through his shower, suddenly remembering that Su Wanyu wasn''t Zhang Qian and might not have prepared any spare clothes for him.


    Perhaps not even pajamas.


    Su Wanyu, blushing, stood at the door and replied, "Seems like there aren''t any."


    "What should we do?" Lu Liang teased with a laugh, "Should I just pull the curtains and walk out?"


    "Don''t, don''t, I''ll think of something."


    Su Wanyu rummaged through her things and finally found a garment suitable for Lu Liang to wear: "Open a crack, and I''ll pass it through."


    Lu Liang wore a black robe with a white collar and blue shoulders, which looked somewhat like pajamas, "What''s this for?"


    "My academic gown."


    Su Wanyu pursed her lips, holding back a smile.


    She noticed that Lu Liang, freshly showered, had damp hair that made him look a bit soft and cute, and somewhat obedient.


    Lu Liang sauntered into the living room, "Remember to buy a few more sets of clothes for me; I might stay here for a few days."


    Su Wanyu replied with an ''oh,'' her cheeks flushed as she silently went to the bathroom to place the worn clothes in the washer-dryer combo.


    Lu Liang turned off the room lights and pulled out candles he had prepared earlier, "Does this set a mood?"


    Su Wanyu hummed affirmatively, the orange candlelight making her cheeks appear even redder.


    "Want a drink?" Lu Liang walked over to the refrigerator and took out a few bottles of chilled beer.


    Although it was a candlelit dinner, he wasn''t fond of wine but preferred beer, so he didn''t care about those details.


    Su Wanyu hesitated for a moment, her words almost breaking the atmosphere, "I''ll just have a little."


    "There''s not much alcohol in beer."


    Lu Liang joked as he filled two glasses, suddenly feeling a bit like the Big Bad Wolf trying to lure Little Red Riding Hood.


    Su Wanyu chuckled nervously, not sure if it was from nervousness or because she had a high tolerance for alcohol, but before Lu Liang could even toast, her glass was already empty.


    Su Wanyu burped, her apple-cheeked face turning even redder, to which Lu Liang said, "You can hold your liquor, huh?"


    "Really, I can''t handle it; one glass and I''m done."


    Su Wanyu mumbled in response, repeatedly shaking her head.


    "Let''s eat, don''t let it get cold."


    Lu Liang chuckled, taking her modesty into account.


    However, a mere ten minutes later, he felt something was off with Su Wanyu.


    She said nothing, just buried her head and gulped down her soup.


    He asked a question, and she would answer, but the delay between them seemed to grow.


    Lu Liang frowned and felt uneasy, turned on the light, and was startled, "Are you allergic to alcohol?"


    Su Wanyu looked like a boiled crab, her cheeks, neck, and arms all flushed red.


    "It''s not an allergy, just a low tolerance," Su Wanyu replied with a bit of dizziness, but her awareness was still sharp.


    She also talked about times she had drunk with classmates in the past; every time was the same, even with just one sip, she turned this red.


    "That is an allergy."


    Lu Liang looked helpless and had no choice but to help her back to room to rest while calling his cousin to go to the pharmacy for some medication.


    "I really am not allergic~"


    Su Wanyu stubbornly denied being allergic.


    She insisted repeatedly that it was only a little dizziness and some redness on her skin, with no nausea or itching or other allergy symptoms.


    "Alright, alright, let''s just say you''re not allergic. Still, rest for a while," Lu Liang responded with a laugh, treating her like coaxing a child.


    Su Wanyu was tipsy and suddenly held up three fingers, "I''ll nap for three hours, please don''t go, okay?"


    "You were awake, and I was still here," Lu Liang said tenderly, holding Su Wanyu so she could rest on his abdomen.


    "I will recover very soon," Su Wanyu squinted, a sweet smile appearing on her lips with her tongue peeking out slightly.


    Gradually, she closed her eyes, her breathing evened out, and her long eyelashes quivered with each breath.


    "Your alcohol tolerance is really poor," Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, fiddling with her slightly chubby cheeks out of boredom.


    Before seven, he tried to sleep but couldn''t.


    He could only play with his phone while keeping an eye on her changes.


    She seemed to know her body well.


    An hour later, her complexion gradually lightened.


    Two hours later, she had returned to normal.


    Two and a half hours later, she woke up.


    Su Wanyu opened her hazy eyes and looked up to see Lu Liang watching her, which made her giggle endlessly, "I told you, I recover very quickly."


    "Amazing, it''s like it''s programmed," Lu Liang marveled, though he hadn''t been without his doubts.


    But having witnessed the whole process, it didn''t seem fake at all, especially the change in complexion which couldn''t be faked.


    Lu Liang smiled and asked, "So, are you all better now?"


    "Not entirely, there are usually some aftereffects."


    Su Wanyu looked pitifully, pointing to her forehead, "Even a light shake hurts, I need to take it slow for it to get better."


    "Should you get up now then?" asked Lu Liang.


    "Why?"


    "My legs are numb."


    Su Wanyu giggled, "Thanks, no wonder I slept so comfortably, woke up half an hour earlier than expected."


    Lu Liang poked her head a bit annoyed, and Su Wanyu immediately held her head groaning, "Don''t touch, it really hurts~"


    After a while, Lu Liang limped out of the bedroom, suddenly understanding the feeling of Su Wanyu''s headache.


    "One with a headache, one with numb legs, we really are a match," Su Wanyu supported him, giggling stupidly.


    Seeing Lu Liang about to poke her forehead again, she quickly slipped away, "I''ll go check, your clothes should be dry."


    Amused and slightly annoyed, Lu Liang suddenly heard a faint rumbling sound and instinctively touched his abdomen.


    After all, he had only eaten a few bites of dinner, since Su Wanyu had collapsed, and he hadn''t had much of his meal either.


    It turned out it wasn''t his stomach, Su Wanyu, from behind the corner of the wall, sheepishly said, "I think I''m a bit hungry."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh and deeply sighed, deciding to reheat the food on the table.


    "Delicious, almost better than what my dad makes~"


    Su Wanyu complemented Lu Liang as she ate, praising the food to the skies.


    Knowing it was flattery, Lu Liang was still very happy, after all, the cook loves to hear such words.


    After dinner, the two nestled on the couch, watching a variety show until almost midnight.


    Su Wanyu was distracted, "Aren''t you going back yet?"


    "I have told Shiyu to go home and rest, he will come to pick me up in the morning," said Lu Liang with a mischievous smile.


    Startled, Su Wanyu darted from Lu Liang''s arms, rushing into the bedroom barefooted, "Your room''s bedding is all new, and it''s all washed, I''m off to sleep, goodnight, Makabaka~"


    Lu Liang was left laughing in astonishment, but waited a long time without hearing the sound of the door locking.


    Clearly, she was leaving him a choice.


    Beastly?


    Or worse than a beast?


    Lu Liang lit a cigarette, the corners of his mouth lifting. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It seemed like a multiple-choice question, but it was indeed singular.


    It was all about making their relationship closer ¡ª a good thing without any need for hesitation.


    Lu Liang walked to Su Wanyu''s bedroom door, gently turned the handle, and easily opened the door.


    He saw Su Wanyu wrapped in the blanket, facing away from the door, seemingly asleep.


    Lu Liang lifted a corner of the blanket, felt Su Wanyu shivering, then wrapped his arms around her waist, soothing her.


    Their bodies pressed together, as if hearing each other''s heartbeats, they stayed silent for a long time until she was no longer afraid.


    "I will take care of you for a lifetime."


    "Mm~"


    A very soft reply.

 Chapter 116 - 116: The Undying Super Creature

    In the early morning, a ray of sunlight reached the bedside, casting a warm pattern of light and shadow on the bedding, bringing a sense of tranquility and peace.


    Lu Liang rubbed his eyes, still bleary-eyed, and noticed that Su Wanyu was without a stitch, curled up under the blankets, looking up at him with big round eyes.


    "Good morning~" Su Wanyu smiled, waving her little hand.


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, rolled to his side, and enveloped her delicate and smooth waist with his hands. "Did you wake up much earlier than me?"


    "Not really, just a little earlier than you."


    "Let''s sleep a bit more then."


    With the warm and tender beauty in his arms, Lu Liang indulged in the moments, enjoying their closeness.


    Their bodies pressed together, intensifying their relationship.


    Until a faint ringtone from the living room interrupted, Su Wanyu curiously asked, "Sounds like your phone?"


    "Probably is," Lu Liang squinted, unconcerned, letting the phone ring on.


    "Aren''t you going to answer it?"


    "Let it wait."


    "But I want to get up now."


    "Go ahead, I''m not stopping you."


    "Hurry up."


    With huff, Su Wanyu pushed at Lu Liang, a bit too forcefully and her brows slightly furrowed.


    Lu Liang''s expression softened, smoothing the creases between her brows, he kissed her forehead tenderly. "I''ll wait for you outside."


    As he left the bedroom wearing his clothes, a second later, the sound of the bedroom door being locked echoed behind him.


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a smile as he picked up his phone, cigarette pack, and lighter, and walked to the balcony to return the call.


    On the phone, Wen Chao informed him that today, the 30th, was the day of the Tesla Mao Dou X launch event.


    Last week, Lu Liang had received an invitation from Yu Xiaobo, President of Tesla''s operations in China, who had mentioned he''d like to see him there.


    "Two o''clock, at the exhibition center, got it."


    Lu Liang admired the views of Tongji University''s campus, and casually picked up a watering can to water the plants.


    Suddenly, a figure dashed into the bathroom, to which he chuckled, "Slow down, don''t be all sneaky."


    From the bathroom, Su Wanyu''s voice rang out, "Okay~."


    Lu Liang twisted his waist, moving his limbs leisurely as he completed a set of Eight Pieces of Brocade exercises before heading to the main bathroom.


    After refreshing himself, as he just walked out the room, Su Wanyu, playing hide-and-seek, darted back into the bedroom and locked the door.


    She came out quickly this time, but her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to avoid his gaze as if she suddenly didn''t know how to interact with him.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly and walked up behind her, closely embracing her waist, easing her into this new way of relating. "How about we go out and find something delicious to eat?"


    "Sounds good, there''s a great rice noodle place at the corner."


    Su Wanyu''s face lit up with joy, clinging to Lu Liang''s arm, reclaiming that familiar feeling.


    "Should I get takeout instead?" Lu Liang suggested.


    "Why?"


    Su Wanyu looked puzzled, then her cheeks flushed suddenly, "You don''t know the way, let me take you."


    Lu Liang caught her concerned glance, her cheeks bright red. Finally, she boldly stiffened her neck, a stubborn pride on her face: "No big deal, after all, I am the amazing creature who bleeds seven days a month and survives."


    "Impressive, impressive," Lu Liang couldn''t help but applaud laughingly, then promptly received a firm Iron Lean Mountain hit.


    After breakfast, Lu Liang proposed a visit to the university, so Su Wanyu covered for him, sneaking him in.


    On the eve of National Day, Saturday make-up classes were in session, and as the couple strolled elegantly along the lakeside, passersby turned their heads to look.


    Lu Liang found it increasingly odd; despite being 30, his fitness routine and wealth ensured he appeared even younger than some scruffy, mature-looking students.


    It shouldn''t look like a mismatched older man with a younger wife. Lu Liang was fine, so the problem had to revolve around Su Wanyu.


    Curious, Lu Liang asked, "Are you famous or something?"


    "Ah... don''t mind them."


    With her face turning red, Su Wanyu dodged the question.


    Lu Liang grew more curious, "Aren''t you from Shangwai? How do people here at Tongji recognize you?"


    With no way out, Su Wanyu responded sullenly, "There are forums for each school, but University City has its own forum."


    "Let me see."


    "There''s nothing interesting to see."


    Su Wanyu furrowed her brows, clearly resistant, but she couldn''t stop Lu Liang''s tickling and eventually handed over her phone reluctantly.


    On the forum of the Central District in Modu''s university precinct, there was a post gathering the most beautiful students from 14 institutions.


    Su Wanyu from Shangwai University''s English department, also known as Su, ranked 19th among the top 20 beauties, and her entry photo even featured thick black-rimmed glasses.


    The forum''s host commented: In a flowing emerald gown that flutters with the wind, she carries herself with a subdued elegance cool and detached, her natural beauty does not require makeup, hinting at the charm of Shangwai''s very own Lin Daiyu.


    "This post is not updated," Lu Liang teased with a smile, "don''t they know you don''t wear glasses anymore?"


    "It''s so annoying, can you just stop looking?" Su Wanyu blushed, making a clawing motion as she attempted to snatch back her phone. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, with a quick move, Lu Liang held her cheeks and kissed her several times, leaving her flustered and suddenly obedient.


    This also broke the hearts of countless onlookers secretly admiring her.


    Once the couple left the campus after their walk, several posts popped up on the forum such as "Su has transferred from Shangwai to Tongji, finally taken, how sad yet moving~"


    Approaching noon, after lunch, Lu Liang said, "I have things to attend to this afternoon, I will visit you again later."


    "Okay, bye, you go ahead,"


    Su Wanyu smiled slightly, waving goodbye without a hint of reluctance visible on her face.


    Yet as she watched the car drive away, she stood dazed for a long time, her bright and clear eyes gradually misting over.


    Not out of sadness, nor a dip in spirits, but simply an indescribable feeling.


    ...


    At half-past one in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at the exhibition center as planned.


    He met Li Bing, Li Xiang, He Xiaopeng, and Jia Yuetting among other new energy vehicle founders.


    "Mao Dou X was released three years ago, constantly delayed and revised, only today it started accepting reservations."


    Li Bing approached with a smile, intending to remind Lu Liang that car manufacturing is a massive undertaking that requires patience.


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, looking at the conference slogan: To achieve sustainable transportation in the world as soon as possible.


    He suddenly found these new car-makers quite amusing, each shouting grand slogans, Old Jia proclaiming industry upheaval, Tesla wanting to transform into an energy conglomerate.


    As the saying goes, if you don''t speak out, nothing gets done; to fool the market, you must first fool yourself.


    Or, stated more positively, it''s about having a belief in the light, only then can you turn into a mighty superhero.


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Have you tried it?"


    Li Bing shook his head: "I just arrived."


    "Let''s go check it out then."


    Following the staff, they went to a nearby test drive showroom to queue and experience it.


    The Mao Dou X is an SUV model, the center of gravity is lower than typical SUVs, resembling a BMW X6, a crossover between SUVs and sports cars.


    Aesthetically, it boasted two highlights; the first is the combined windshield and sunroof creating a "helicopter cockpit" view for the driver.


    The second is the gull-wing back doors utilizing dual hinge technology, allowing the doors to open even in tight, crowded spaces, more effective than sliding doors in saving space, and even more convenient.


    "The top model has a range of 480, in beast mode it accelerates to 100 km in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 250 km per hour, it can be fully charged in an hour using Tesla''s supercharging technology,"


    Li Bing recited expertly.


    Lu Liang, seated inside, furrowed his brows: "I haven''t tested the power yet, so I''m not sure, but the overall design is good, the only downside is the interior is too simple, to put it nicely it''s minimalistic modern, less kindly, it''s practically bare."


    This is a six-seater, three-row vehicle; the first row looks decent, but the second and third rows are hardly different from a Wuling Hongguang, honestly, the Hongguang feels more comfortable.


    Li Bing chuckled: "That''s the ''sense of technology'' for you."


    Lu Liang said: "Technology should be people-oriented. It shouldn''t be difficult to fit some decent interior."


    Li Bing replied: "It''s not hard, but the more minimalistic it is, the more classy it appears, anyway, fans will adapt."


    The adjacent staff''s face darkened. As an employee of Tesla, they had their pride.


    This is a company at the forefront of the world; they could tolerate insults to their parents, but never to Tesla.


    Just as one was about to lose his temper and ask them to leave, he suddenly heard Lu Liang say: "Then how many are you planning to buy?"


    "I''ll take three," Li Bing said with a laugh, always good to buy more to disassemble and study.


    "I''ll buy one too, last time I drove an electric, it was a two-wheeler, would like to see how a four-wheeler feels."


    Amidst the laughter, the two of them reserved four Mao Dou X, with a base price of 978,000 and total on-road price over 1.1 million.


    The staff''s eyes widened, a flattering smile appearing: "Gentlemen, let me take you to sign the contracts."

 Chapter 117 - 117: Movie Premiere

    After the two paid their deposit, they learned it would take at least 16 weeks for delivery, which meant four months later.


    Lu Liang felt it was a bit of a long wait but didn''t really mind. He turned to Li Bing, "Mr. Li, how many cars do you think can be sold today?"


    "At least five thousand," Li Bing replied without hesitation.


    "That optimistic?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    These were luxury cars with a price tag of a million each, five thousand would amount to fifty billion in sales.


    Li Bing gave a bitter smile, feeling powerless in the face of such a behemoth, "Because it''s called Tesla, and also because next year the country is planning to pilot the first batch of new energy vehicle license plates. The blue-plated electric vehicles could become a collector''s edition in the future."


    Foreign monks always seem to chant better, let alone a foreign abbot, Apple was like this, and so was Tesla.


    But unlike Apple, Tesla was a monster created by the state itself, with foreigners occupying the home turf advantage.


    Musk was also a flamboyant figure, gradually taking over the trend of replacing Jobs as the new high priest of the tech cult.


    The speaker was unaware, but the listener had intent; Lu Liang suddenly remembered that Tesla was a company listed on NASDAQ.


    Perhaps there was a profit to be made.


    The new car presale launch event was very brief, not even exceeding 30 minutes, but it elicited cheers more than once throughout the venue.


    Cheers erupted as soon as the car appeared. When the falcon doors opened, another cheer went up, and more cheers followed the promotional video.


    Lu Liang finally understood where that sense of powerlessness on Li Bing''s face came from.


    If the cheering crowd at the scene was not staged, then surpassing five thousand pre-orders on the first day should not be a problem.


    The combination of technology and belief is terrifying, reminiscent of the teenager who sold his kidney a few years ago just to buy an Apple phone.


    Fortunately, the Mao Dou X was so expensive that even selling oneself wouldn''t cover the cost, but China was not short of wealthy families'' scions.


    Once the launch event ended, Mao Dou X dominated the hot search terms across the internet, and the only thing that could overshadow it was the National Golden Week.


    It also sparked a trend of flaunting wealth through pre-order receipts, spending a million on a Porsche meant one knew how to live, but spending a million on an electric car, now that was a true sign of wealth.


    After all, a Porsche could still be worth seven or eight hundred thousand after three years, but the Mao Dou X might be left with just a few tens of thousands.


    After the event, Lu Liang declined Li Bing''s invitation, even if he brought out Li Xiang and He Xiaopeng, Lu Liang wasn''t interested.


    Chatting with a bunch of armchair strategists like ''Zhao Kuo'' held no appeal; after all was said and done, the only objective was investment.


    Lu Liang wasn''t interested at the moment; he had more important things to do. Leaving the venue, he immediately called Wen Chao.


    He told him to notify the six traders to come to work as usual tomorrow, they would be paid triple, and to wait for his instructions at the company.


    Lu Liang was gradually figuring out the pattern; whenever he became interested in or proactively engaged with an industry, the voice would emerge.


    Now he was quite interested in Tesla''s stock and wondered if he would hear the voice of the future tonight.


    If yes, then he needed to be ready for the opening of US stocks the night after tomorrow, since NASDAQ doesn''t take a break for the National Celebration.


    In the evening, Lu Liang returned to Scholarly Splendor District.


    Su Wanyu was reading on the couch, occasionally biting her pen in thought, her gaze drifting, lost in daydreams.


    Lu Liang tiptoed behind her and saw a corner of the book filled with his name, eventually forming a heart.


    From the day she transitioned from a girl to a woman, Su Wanyu''s mood wasn''t as composed as it appeared.


    Lu Liang chuckled but pretended not to see, deliberately making some noise and plopping down next to her, "Been reading all day?"


    "Mmm, when did you come back?"


    Su Wanyu hastily closed her textbook, glanced at her phone for the time, and suddenly exclaimed, "It''s this late already, I should start cooking."


    "No need to cook, let''s go out to eat and then see a movie," Lu Liang said affectionately, patting her little head.


    "''Lost in Hong Kong''? ''Nine-story Demon Tower''? ''Xia Luo''s Worry''? There are so many good movies during National Day this year."


    Su Wanyu''s face lit up with joy, she loved watching movies; a classic film was like an amazing journey.


    Out of the top hundred films in global cinema history, she had seen them all except for the ones she didn''t like or were too dark.


    "''Xia Luo''s Worry,'' I heard it''s really good."


    Lu Liang had just heard from Wen Chao; the movie was released today.


    The previews had good word of mouth, and Zhang Chen planned to add an extra 20 million to the marketing budget, with more to be added depending on the situation.


    Lu Liang had no objections, just a bit curious how a movie with a budget of twenty million could rake in over 1.4 billion at the box office.


    "Yay, let''s go!"


    Su Wanyu was excited, raising her arms high.


    But finding movie tickets near University City was tough; they could only book the midnight show around ten o''clock.


    "Either''s fine. After dinner, we can go for a walk around and hit the movies at ten. After the movie, it''ll be just in time to go back to sleep."


    When Lu Liang talked about sleeping, he meant it literally, but Su Wanyu obviously thought otherwise, her cheeks instantly blushing red.


    "You, your mind is always in the gutter."


    "Nah, nah, nah¡ªIt''s you whose mind is in the gutter." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Amidst the laughter, after they finished dinner and strolled around the mall, Lu Liang was quite distressed. Su Wanyu only browsed and didn''t buy anything, which made his legs ache.


    Fortunately, over an hour passed by idly.


    At nine forty, the two entered the cinema.


    The film lasted 104 minutes. The storyline wasn''t very interesting¡ªit was just another tale about dreaming of being reborn.


    But surprisingly, it turned out to be very amusing, delivering small gags every three minutes and a big one every ten.


    With a loud "No!" the song "A Cut of Plum Blossoms" began, further heightening the atmosphere of the theater.


    Su Wanyu was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath, clutching Lu Liang''s palm tightly and shaking it continuously.


    Over a hundred people spent those 104 minutes amidst laughter and cheerful voices until the film ended.


    "Xia Luo played his part so well, and Yuan Hua was hilarious too."


    Su Wanyu''s smile was radiant, as she kept pressing her index finger against her apple cheek, her face almost cramped from laughing too long.


    Lu Liang draped his arm over her shoulder, asking, "Tired or not? If you''re not, come with me to the company."


    His earlier mention of sleep was all about serious slumber, because tonight was likely to be busy.


    On the one hand, he was waiting for the chime at midnight, and on the other hand, the first day''s box office tally would be released. Zhang Chen would probably call with good news, then they would decide on the subsequent publicity funding. Also, Tesla''s first-day preorder volume was expected to cause some waves.


    Su Wanyu shook her head, serious, "As long as you don''t mind, I want to stay by your side."


    Lu Liang smiled, patted her little head, and the two arrived at the entrance of the theater just as the old pal drove the car over.


    On the way, as Su Wanyu looked at the unfamiliar scenery by the roadside, she suddenly asked, "Aren''t we going to Yongfeng?"


    "We moved at the end of last month. The old place was too small, so we switched to a bigger one," Lu Liang also remembered that Su Wanyu had not visited the company''s new address yet.


    Su Wanyu realized in a moment but had yet to grasp how much bigger Lu Liang meant.


    They took the elevator from the underground parking garage, transferred at the fourth floor, and then went straight to the thirty-second floor.


    Although it was late at night and no one was on duty, the reception desk of the company still had lights on. Tianxing Capital and Tianxing Assets, two strings of gilded letters, twinkled brightly.


    Lu Liang entered his fingerprint and password to open the door. The nighttime code was different from the daytime.


    Currently, only he knew it and only he had the permission to open the company doors at night.


    "Shiyu, turn all the lights on, it''s too dark. It''s uncomfortable to look at."


    As the lights came on, Su Wanyu''s eyes widened.


    She now understood just how much bigger Lu Liang''s place was¡ªyou''d probably get an echo if you shouted.


    Lu Liang left the old pal at the entrance and took Su Wanyu into the office, pointing to the rest area behind the desk, "There''s another room inside. If you''re sleepy, go in and take a nap."


    "Do your work, pretend I''m not here," Su Wanyu stood by the window, quietly enjoying the city''s nightscape.


    Lu Liang smiled and didn''t say more. As the midnight chime sounded, he picked up a pen and paper and began to jot down key information.


    "October 21, Tesla, $96 per share."


    "What the heck?"


    Lu Liang''s eyes widened in surprise, speechless as he quickly opened the US stocks app and rubbed his eyes. He saw Tesla''s market value of $17 billion and the stock price at $182.


    He was sure,


    He hadn''t seen wrong,


    and he was sure he hadn''t heard wrong.


    In the coming half of the month, not only had Tesla''s stock price not risen, but it had actually been cut in half.


    "How could this be? Is it ex-dividend, or stock split? It shouldn''t be, where would Tesla get the money to pay dividends?"


    Lu Liang was utterly baffled, searching through documents and news trying to find the reason for the stock''s plunge.


    It shouldn''t have happened. China supported the development of the new energy industry so much. To let the catfish Tesla in, Modu had even allocated 200,000 square meters of land for Tesla to build a factory.


    Online, flaunting Tesla''s Mao Dou X preorders had become a trend, and even Little Wang seemed to have joined in the fun.


    With so many bullish news stacked up, not only did the stock price not soar, but it also suffered a dramatic cut.


    What on earth had happened to provoke such fury and disdain?

 Chapter 118 - 118: Already Become a New Force

    Lu Liang''s brows were furrowed as he searched domestic and foreign websites, and he finally found a piece of news that seemed to be the reason.


    Tesla Motors, eleven years since its establishment, had to date delivered 4,750 cars, with production seriously inadequate and frequent delays in delivery.


    A few years ago, there was also a time when the stock price was halved, after the release of the first Roadster sports car.


    Upon its release, it had caused a sensation in the European and American car circles, with a price tag of one hundred thousand US dollars and 2,100 pre-orders received on the first day.


    Ultimately, due to misestimated costs and an overestimated production capacity, the actual cost had risen above $120,000.


    Musk could only issue a public apology, as he raised the price to $110,000 and was willing to take responsibility for the breach of contract, surrendering half the orders, which provoked strong dissatisfaction among customers.


    At that time, Wall Street speculators also sniffed out an opportunity, heavily shorting Tesla''s stock from a market cap of $9.8 billion down to $4.2 billion, nearly driving the company to the brink of delisting.


    In the end, it was only after Lucian and the Secretary of the Energy Department visited the Tesla factory that they granted a low-interest loan of $465 million, which allowed Tesla to catch its breath.


    "Could it be that history is about to repeat itself?"


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.


    After all, the Modu super factory was currently nothing but a wasteland overgrown with weeds and some self-built houses; dealing with these miscellaneous issues would take at least a year and a half before construction could even start.


    Tesla was unable to enjoy the benefits of a populous nation or a mature industrial chain, and building in the US incurred particularly high costs.


    The pre-order deposit for a Mao Dou X was just $2,000, but its cost of production was likely over one hundred thousand dollars.


    If each unit required an advance of one hundred thousand, once the orders started piling up, it wouldn''t be stacks of green bills but rather a death knell.


    With this thought, Lu Liang called Li Bing, "Hey, Mr. Li, has the first day''s order volume for the Mao Dou X come out?"


    Li Bing was surprised that Lu Liang would call him at this time to ask about such trivia, but he informed him truthfully, "Not yet."


    "Do you know the reason?" Lu Liang pressed.


    "It''s probably just not tallied yet; there''s always a bit of a delay between online and offline."


    "And your prediction for the total order volume?"


    "There should be more than 3,500 offline orders."


    Li Bing was confident, for not saying didn''t mean they had no way of knowing. For instance, Li Xiang, who was particularly crafty, had directly dispatched a few people to watch over the business rooms in various showrooms.


    Whenever a staff member came out smiling and shaking hands with a customer, they would include it in their tally.


    Li Bing said with a smile, "I don''t know how accurate it is, but judging by Li Xiang''s expression at the time, it seemed pretty accurate."


    "Thanks," Lu Liang said, amusedly laughing once again at the down-to-earth nature of business warfare.


    His fingertips drummed on the table; now it remained to be seen whether Tesla would keep the death under wraps.


    The longer they delayed, the greater the possibility, and when they couldn''t hold out any longer, the stock price would blow up.


    At twelve-thirty, Lu Liang received a call from Zhang Chen, who was in such an excited state that he was almost incoherent, "Mr. Lu, have you, have you rested yet?"


    Lu Liang chuckled, "Not yet, I just finished watching a movie, it was very well made. How was the first-day box office?"


    "Mr. Lu, the first-day box office was 35 million, with a DouBan rating of 8.4," said Zhang Chen, almost moved to tears.


    Although Xia Luo''s Worry had a good reputation during its preview screenings, it was not uncommon for movies to be well-reviewed but not do well at the box office.


    Only after the official release, the actual box office earnings mattered.


    A first-day box office of 35 million, a Maoyan rating of 9.4, and a DouBan rating of 8.4, with several media outlets forecasting a total box office of 520 million.


    This finally allowed him to relax.


    The past week, Zhang Chen had barely slept well a single night, and it seemed the coming days would be the same.


    But unlike the restlessness and anxiety of the previous week, the following days would be filled with excitement and agitation.


    "What did Wanda say?" Lu Liang asked, smiling.


    Normally, a movie involves producers, distributors, and exhibitors; he was an investor on the production side, while Wanda, with their deep pockets, took care of distribution and exhibition.


    "Mr. Lu, President Lin of Wanda plans to use the highest possible budget for the marketing campaign of Xia Luo''s Worry."


    Zhang Chen looked a bit dazed, suddenly remembering the day they had signed the investment contract.


    That day, Lu Liang had mentioned he hoped they could increase the marketing budget to 300% of the cost, which would be 60 million.


    He had not expected that now they indeed were maxing out the marketing expenses.


    "Calculate how much you''ll need and send the figure to me when the time comes," Lu Liang said, preparing to hang up the phone.


    "Mr. Lu, would you like to come over?" Zhang Chen hurriedly asked with caution.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and couldn''t help but smile, "Then I''ll have Mr. Tang make a trip over."


    Producing, distributing, and screening¡ªafter a film is finished, the status of these three players is completely reversed. In other words, the screening party holds the most power, followed by the distributor, and lastly, the producer.


    The principle behind box office revenue sharing for a film is usually based on a 43/57 split, with both the producing and distributing parties sharing 43% of the shared box office revenue, and the screening party taking 57%.


    But that''s just in principle.


    Because cinema chains often bully smaller companies, the actual share that producers and distributors see is far less than 43%.


    After all, when compared with Wanda Cinema, Happy Mahua is like a tiny ant that can be squished effortlessly.


    But Lu Liang is different; he''s a capital mogul with funds at his disposal; even Old Wang has to treat him with respect.


    Therefore, Zhang Chen hoped that Lu Liang would step in to offer support to their production side, to avoid getting squeezed too hard by the cinema chains.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu, for disrupting your rest."


    Joy appeared in Zhang Chen''s eyes as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude.


    Meanwhile, online entries related to "Xia Luo''s Worry" also surpassed the sales entries for the Tesla Mao Dou X.


    A movie ticket costs a few tens of dollars, and a car is over a million. Netizens can relate more to the former.


    "Production cost of 20 million, opening day box office of 35 million¡ªthe dark horse of the year has already been born."


    "Didn''t expect such a clich¨¦ story to be made so brilliantly; it''s really good."


    "In one sentence, prove that you watched ''Xia Luo''s Worry''."


    "No~ Qiu Ya~"


    Online discussions were heated; some forces lurking in the film industry started to grow restless.


    Though the movie had been released, it didn''t mean there were no profits to be made; promotional and marketing expenses could be considered a kind of financing.


    Happy Mahua, a newcomer to the film industry, might not be able to come up with 43% of the marketing expenses, and they would be only too happy to provide the service.


    Perhaps some film investors couldn''t produce their share of the promotional expenses either, and they too were eager to help.


    At worst, it could lead to making new friends. The return of invested capital in movies is slow and complicated, and box office revenues could still collapse later on.


    Assuming a total box office of 500 million, after applying a discount of seven or eight tenths, they would be more than willing to buy back shares to take on the risk.


    In short, Happy Mahua, with a production cost of 20 million and possibly breaking 500 million box office, had become a juicy piece of meat that everyone wanted to bite.


    Thus, they searched and searched...


    In the end, they found Lu Liang, who invested for a 25% stake, and everyone, as if seeing a ghost, lost interest all at once.


    After all, the news that Tianxing Private Equity''s net value had increased by 84% in the first month had already spread throughout the circle. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Countless tycoons were lined up, waving their cash, anticipating the second fund from Lu Liang.


    Now, to offend Lu Liang, they figured they wouldn''t even need him to act personally; others would surely help out.


    He had become a new power on the scene.


    ...


    It was just past one in the morning when Lu Liang finally finished his work.


    He took out two ticket stubs, snapped a photo, and uploaded it to Weibo: "Good to watch, love to watch, everybody go see it."


    After all, he had a 25% investment share; no one could dilute his equity. The higher the box office, the more he could earn.


    Lu Liang tossed aside the ticket stubs, put away his phone, and didn''t bother to respond to netizens asking whom he went to see the movie with.


    He walked over to the rest area and saw Su Wanyu curled up just like a cat, her eyelids fluttering in a battle of sleep.


    It seemed like she was asleep, but also not. Her eyes were vacant, without a gleam: "Are you done?"


    "All done, let''s go back to sleep," Lu Liang chuckled, asking softly, "Or do you want me to carry you?"


    Su Wanyu suddenly became alert, her eyes opening wide with a mixture of anticipation and hesitation, "Can you?"


    "If you''re not too heavy."


    "I''m just over a hundred pounds."


    Excited, Su Wanyu jumped onto Lu Liang''s back, feeling his broad shoulders, and contentedly remarked, "So broad, so comfortable."


    "Let''s go then. We''re heading back."


    Lu Liang couldn''t suppress his smile, asked his cousin to lock up the place, and then went back to sleep. He drove himself home.

 Chapter 119 - 119: This Person is Somewhat Sinister

    Today, although it was the first day of the national holiday, more than half of the company''s employees still came to work.


    While others were on vacation, they were working overtime. There were complaints, but they were covered up by the generous overtime pay.


    Mainly because there weren''t any real old employees in the company; everyone had only been there for a few months, or even just a few weeks.


    There were severe shortages in various small managerial positions, provided they put in enough effort, they might even become team leaders.


    Young people, especially those newly entering society from school, aren''t afraid of hard work or overtime; they''re just afraid that their efforts won''t be rewarded appropriately.


    Lu Liang arrived at the company and didn''t say much since overtime pay wasn''t being withheld; nagging wouldn''t be as effective as giving money.


    Since they were paid, there were no debts.


    Lu Liang first went to Tang Caide''s office and instructed her to take charge of Xia Luo''s subsequent promotional activities.


    Invest as much as the shares dictate, and if anyone targets their assets, they must not back down.


    Their attitude must be firm; they don''t provoke others, but if someone tries to steal from their plate, off with their heads.


    Tang Caide nodded with a smile, "Mr. Lu, I''ll contact Mr. Zhang from Mahua first."


    Working under a strong boss made work more enjoyable; at least there was no need to suffer silently.


    Leaving the office, Lu Liang called over Chen Jinchun to assign her the task of collecting information on Tesla in the neighboring room.


    Today was Sunday, and it was daylight saving time in the United States, which was 12 hours behind Beijing time; there it was still Saturday.


    NASDAQ doesn''t take a break for national holidays, but it does on Saturdays and Sundays, meaning it would start trading Monday night Beijing time.


    They still had 36 hours to prepare.


    After leaving the company, Lu Liang went to the bank to settle his loans and reclaim his one hundred million dollars in deposit certificates.


    Under President Liu''s reluctant gaze, he went to the State Street Bank office in Modu.


    State Street held 9.8 million shares of Tesla, a stake of 8.85%, making it the fourth-largest shareholder.


    Every bank has three main businesses: financing, short selling, and lending.


    Lu Liang was there for short selling and financing, collectively paying a daily interest of 190,000 dollars.


    With 50 million dollars as collateral and 50 million dollars in securities, he acquired 1,098,000 shares of Tesla.


    At a share price of 182 dollars, the value was 199.8 million dollars, a fourfold leverage with a daily interest of 178,200 dollars.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s been a pleasure working with you," said Mr. Hilt, the president of State Street, his smile so wide as he gave Lu Liang a tight hug.


    Financing always started from a minimum of 7 days, securing a steady income of 1,247,400 dollars, always more, never less.


    Even if Tesla''s stock fell to just one dollar, it would be someone else''s problem and not affect his bonus at all.


    "Mr. Hilt, it''s been a pleasure," Lu Liang said with a forced smile, quickly pushing him away, unable to bear it any longer.


    Caucasians had strong body odors and they liked heavy perfumes, especially older white men, which nearly brought him to tears.


    After leaving State Street Bank, Lu Liang returned to the office and distributed the 1,098,000 shares of Tesla among twelve trading sub-accounts.


    In NASDAQ, unlike in A-shares, there weren''t so many restrictions; they could be more liberal in their approaches.


    Lu Liang wasn''t going to hide his presence.


    In the afternoon, Wang Xiaocong came by with boxes of pastries, distributing them to everyone present, his face full of a sycophantic smile, "Liang, still working over the national holiday, you really work hard~"


    "I brought some afternoon tea for you, try and see how it tastes," he instructed his assistant to bring out over a dozen fine pastries.


    "If you have something to say, just say it; can you not be so disgusting?" Lu Liang expressed his disgust.


    "Wanda Movie is approaching its lifting period, and my mom asked me to give you a proper thanks."


    Wang Xiaocong sat with his legs crossed, reverting to his usual self. Wanda Movie became listed on A-shares earlier in the year, and stocks held by original shareholders had a six-month lock-up period.


    The lifting period for Wanda Movie''s stocks was on October 9, the second working day after the national holiday, inevitably causing a significant drop in stock prices for a period.


    Therefore, the national holiday box office became crucial. Wanda Movie had originally bet everything on ''Lost in Hong Kong'', but the film''s poor reception was appalling.


    Wanda Movie had already decided, even if it were a terrible film, to falsify results to push it to a billion box office, to survive the relatively stable lifting period.


    Unexpectedly, they didn''t care and even released ''Xia Luo'' to give face to Lu Liang, which exploded at the box office, leaving others far behind, and was on the verge of dominating the national holiday box office.


    "Intentionally planting flowers may not bloom, unintentionally planting willows may produce shade, little effort maximum gain, rounding up, at least made five hundred million."


    Listening to Wang Xiaocong''s endless talking, Lu Liang silently extended his palm, and Wang Xiaocong puzzled, "What for?"


    "It sounds like I''m pretty important, and since five hundred million were made, giving me half wouldn''t be too much, right?"


    Lu Liang suddenly envied Little Wang a bit; born into wealth and getting to know him, he must have saved the galaxy in his past life.


    "Oh, it''s Wanda Movie that''s making money, not me. If I were making five hundred million, I''d definitely give you half."


    Wang Xiaocong laughed it off, changing the topic: "Panda needs financing, I think I''ll wait until ''Crown Princess Consort'' is released."


    Lu Liang had a peculiar knack; at the beginning of the year, he was still selling houses, but now, halfway through the year, his net worth was in the hundreds of millions. Whatever he does, he makes money.


    He earned from the financial market, from investing in ofo, from investing in movies, and potentially could make a blast from investing in internet dramas.


    Wang Xiaocong had visited the drama set once, and the scriptwriter was truly talented. Despite it being an ancient drama, they managed to subtly incorporate mentions of Panda TV.


    Even sometimes, they blatantly put their platform''s logo in the most visible place.


    If the web series performs well, Panda might be able to increase its valuation by tens of millions when it raises more funds.


    Lu Liang was shocked, "When did you become so smart?"


    In the past, Wang Xiaocong would have lost his temper, but now he just giggles and jokes, "People say you become red near cinnabar and black near ink, hanging out with smart people makes my IQ feel like it''s taken the high ground again."


    "Whatever, it''s up to you."


    Lu Liang sighed, suddenly missing the unruly demeanor Wang Xiaocong used to have.


    "But there''s not much money left in the account."


    Wang Xiaocong''s eyes darted around, his face full of smiles, finally revealing his true intention, "How about, your company lends some?"


    "Why don''t you ask Wanda for a loan?" Lu Liang didn''t look pleased and then suddenly asked, "How much does Panda want to borrow?"


    He remembered that Tianxing Assets still had 530 million, foreign exchange limits wouldn''t allow converting into US dollars, lending it could still earn some interest.


    Wang Sicong hurriedly said, "Using 30% of the shares as collateral, 50 million dollars, to be repaid immediately after the financing ends."


    "An interest rate of 0.014% per day." Lu Liang stated.


    "Damn, an annual interest of 14.6%, are you charging usury?"


    "Mr. Wang, please mind your language, the judicial protection upper limit for private lending rates is 15.4%."


    Lu Liang packed up, preparing to leave work for home.


    He said in annoyance, "Take it or leave it."


    "I''ll take it, take it, take it," Wang Xiaocong quickly exclaimed.


    "Such nonsense."


    With a look of disdain, Lu Liang took him to the office next door to find Tang Caide, "Mr. Tang, take Mr. Wang to the notary tomorrow, set a repayment date, then lend 50 million dollars to Panda."


    After assigning the task, he left work for home, not returning to Scholarly Splendor, but to Tangchen Yipin.


    On Sundays, as long as there was no mandatory task from the platforms, Li Manli unfailingly took the day off.


    "Liang, you''re back."


    Li Manli greeted him with a smile, bustling around the kitchen in an unserious chef''s outfit, "Mrs. Liu has something urgent at home, so she took a few days off, I''ll come back to cook for you these days."


    Lu Liang took off his coat, patted her snug buttocks, and asked with a smile, "No live streaming lately?"


    Her chef''s outfit seemed inappropriate, wearing a kitchen apron yet a mini skirt that barely covered her buttocks.


    On high heels, her calves were taut, and white stockings extended to the tops of her thighs, showing visible constriction marks, which were even more seductive.


    Her upper body was clad in a regular white shirt but deliberately unbuttoned a few more buttons at the neck, revealing a glimpse of her prominent cleavage.


    On her head, she wore a pink ribbon, her face painted with delicate makeup, and there was a shimmer of glitter at the corners of her eyes.


    Li Manli softly hummed, looking na?vely charming, "I only need to stream for 60 hours a month anyway, besides, working isn''t as important as being with you."


    She smiled brightly, stretching her arms to wrap around Lu Liang''s neck, leaning into his ear with a whisper, "Liang, I missed you, so much, so much."


    The warm breeze brushed his ear, soothing to his heart...


    From the kitchen to the living room and then to the bedroom, every few steps they paused, randomly shedding an item.


    Li Manli was passionately enthusiastic, unprecedentedly taking the initiative even though she lacked Zhang Qian''s expertise, but her zeal more than made up for it.


    It also made Lu Liang, who had been actively caring for Su Wanyu''s feelings for the last few nights, very pleased.


    Afterwards...


    Li Manli lay on Lu Liang''s chest, gently tracing circles, then suddenly said earnestly, "Liang, I really, really love you."


    Lu Liang stroked her hair, suddenly asking, "Is it because of the Weibo post I made last night?"


    Li Manli''s body stiffened, falling silent.


    Lu Liang chuckled, realizing he guessed right, and explained, "I haven''t seen the movie, but the company invested in it."


    Li Manli''s face lit up with pride, "I didn''t ask you to explain, you''re telling me this on your own~"


    Lu Liang smiled, gently rubbing her earlobe, playing with the star-shaped earring, "If I don''t explain, I''m afraid you''ll get jealous and burst."


    Li Manli acted coy, rubbing her head against Lu Liang''s chest with an exaggerated emphasis, "I~am~not~jealous."


    She didn''t really care about the truth; even if Lu Liang lied, it meant he still cared about her, and that was enough for her.


    "Enough playing, I''m hungry," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "I''ll go warm it up, it might have gotten a bit cold."


    Li Manli, struck with an idea, picked up the apron from the floor and slipped it on over her now bare body, still in high heels.


    Standing at the foot of the bed, one hand on her hip, biting her index finger in a coy manner, she asked, "Do you like it?"


    "You''re playing with fire," Lu Liang said with a stern look.


    "Hehe~~" sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Manli giggled, trotted off, leaving behind a trail of laughter that sounded like weights clinking.

 Chapter 120 - 120: Shorting Tesla

    The next day, Lu Liang, looking haggard, came to the office, occasionally rubbing his waist and yawning.


    The trading room was empty because yesterday he had given the six traders a half-day off, letting them go home during the day to rest and gather the clothes they needed, before coming back at five in the afternoon.


    No matter whether it was Beijing time or New York time, 24 hours had already passed, but to this day, Tesla had yet to announce the sales volume of Mao Dou X.


    The sales should be very impressive, obviously a good thing, yet it was treated with the secrecy of an emperor''s death, not announcing the bereavement.


    This could also indicate that Lu Liang''s judgment was correct, so it was time for him to start taking action.


    Time ticked away second by second, and before long, all six traders had returned to their posts, ready to face the battle of the night.


    At 9:30 in the evening, the US stocks opened.


    China''s new policy heavily promoted the new energy sector, Modu specifically allocated 200,000 square meters for Tesla to build a super factory, and the impressive sales of Mao Dou X, all kinds of positive news were in play.


    Tesla''s stock price surged 12% at the opening, skyrocketing by $21.84 to exceed $200 and reach $203.84.


    The advantage of no price limit on fluctuations means that positive news can be released instantly, unlike the A-share market with a ten-percent daily limit.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then instructed, "Start selling in batches of 1,000 to 5,000 shares to suppress the stock price."


    His margin account had 50 million US dollars, using a four-times leverage, he could only tolerate a rise of 18.5 points.


    With 198 million dollars in funds, a loss of 35 million was tolerable; a loss rate exceeding 70% would trigger a margin call.


    Even if he did nothing, as soon as the stock price went over $215, his account would be frozen due to insufficient margin.


    There was only a $12.16 margin of error left,


    but with greater risk also came the potential for greater returns.


    If they could clear their 1,098,000 shares at $203.84, they would cash in approximately 223 million dollars.


    Then, if the stock price fell to $100, they would only need to spend 109 million dollars to repurchase those shares, and the $114 million difference would be their profit.


    After the 12% increase, Tesla''s market value had reached 190.4 billion dollars.


    Lu Liang''s holdings exceeded 1%; in the absence of major shareholders selling, he was Tesla''s biggest market maker.


    As they began to unload and cash out their chips, the stock price was gradually pressed down.


    Almost instantly, the upward trend stopped, and a sharp angle appeared at the end of a thin line; the K-line started to probe downwards from there.


    This move immediately caused an uproar in the market.


    After all, short selling against such a tide of good news was tantamount to flagrant defiance.


    It also attracted the attention of Wall Street institutions; Tesla''s rise was too rapid for them to enter on time, and they could only watch eagerly.


    Suddenly someone was short selling against the trend with determination, an action that piqued their interest.


    It also planted an idea in their minds,


    Why would this unknown force be short selling?


    Was there enormous negative news yet to be disclosed?


    They might not have gotten a share of the good news profits, but perhaps they could capitalize on the bad news.


    Wall Street institutions, like dogs catching the scent of sausages, followed the trail, eager to ascertain the reasons.


    "The wall falls and everyone pushes, the 18th is too far away, delays can lead to changes, I can''t wait." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang muttered to himself, his held funds already had the power to sway market trends, and it was time for him to be bolder.


    Because the new energy index predicted a peak of 2985 points, but the final peak was only 2915 points.


    A 1.5 trillion market merely allowed him to earn 530 million, not even 0.01%, and the impact was so significant.


    Moreover, with Tesla, after short selling and financing, Lu Liang''s holding of more than 1% of the shares meant his impact on the market would be even more profound.


    As long as he was making money, the future would change,


    The more he earned, the greater the deviation.


    Lu Liang decided to be bold, since it was the US stock market; he didn''t need to worry about being invited for tea.


    So this time, planning a quick in-and-out, he would lead the charge, not giving Tesla any time to react.


    The trading hours for US stocks were from 9:30 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, a full 6.5 hours without any break.


    Wall Street institutions were still investigating the reasons for the short selling, with Lu Liang''s team as the sole force fighting on the front lines.


    For six and a half hours, everyone, including Lu Liang, worked at high intensity to sell a total of 420,000 shares.


    At an average price of $201.5 per share, they cashed out a total of $84.63 million.


    "Yutao, Zhang Jing," he called the two team leaders, "take them back to rest. If you need anything, tell Little Wen."


    Lu Liang, massaging his brow, understood the gravity of the trade; until it was over, no one could leave the company or make contact with any communication devices.


    Before the conclusion, all of the team''s eating, drinking, and bathroom breaks took place in the trading room, thankfully considering that such a situation might arise, and a living area had been prepared.


    After a brief rest of a few hours in the adjacent office, Lu Liang met with Meng Changkun. He instructed him not to reveal his identity and to contact domestic and international media to spread rumors.


    "Focus on three points: First, why hasn''t Tesla announced sales figures for the Model X?"


    "Second, can delivery truly be guaranteed in 16 weeks?"


    "Third, highlight the delivery story of the Roadster sports car."


    They owned a total of 1.098 million shares, with 420,000 spent on the first day, leaving only 678,000 shares remaining.


    If no reinforcements joined the fray afterward, with Lu Liang''s current chips, he might not even make it to the end of the Golden Week.


    Once the market control was lost, the subsequent market direction would slip out of his hands.


    It might still plummet to $96 as predicted, but it could surge over $215 in the meantime, potentially blowing up his position.


    Should Wall Street institutions decipher Lu Liang''s intent, they would likely tacitly band together to blow him up first.


    The more Lu Liang gained, the less they earned.


    Furthermore, they were used to harvesting retail investors around the globe, and a home raid was intolerable to them.


    Thus, Lu Liang planned to force a move and create momentum.


    He wanted to compel Musk to respond, providing a clear message to the consumers; even if Musk remained silent, it would still plant a seed of doubt among the investors.


    Through the previous night''s trading, Lu Liang noticed that the buyers were mostly small individual investors who rushed in blindly.


    Though disorganized, retail investors'' capital was always the most abundant in the market, and whoever they supported could win.


    Lu Liang didn''t count on retail investors to fight the battle for him, but as long as they remained inactive, even merely on the sidelines, his odds of winning were significant.


    Meng Changkun understood and hurried to contact friends, given his foreign trade background and connections abroad.


    Through multiple layers of referrals, he eventually reached out to several automotive media outlets in France and a few internet influencers in the United Kingdom, raising three queries.


    If the news spread domestically first, it would be too conspicuous; exporting then redirecting to domestic sales was preferable.


    Moreover, domestic fans tended to be excessively loyal, adept at making excuses for their idols.


    A song aptly says that the favored always take liberties without fear; past events prove that Chinese consumers can be overlooked and treated differently.


    But it wouldn''t work overseas where litigious actions abound, and any scent of profit would attract them like flies, both offensive and persistent.


    As the news began to ferment, Wall Street institutions also understood why someone would short Tesla against the market trend yesterday.


    Tesla had lost $180 million in the last quarter, and a loan of $465 million from the Energy Department was due at the year''s end.


    Tesla''s reluctance to reveal Model X sales figures had made everything crystal clear.


    A single car required an advance of at least one hundred thousand dollars, therefore ten thousand cars would need one billion dollars.


    Did Tesla have one billion dollars?


    Even if they did, did the California factory have the capacity to ensure 16-week deliveries?


    Would the saga of the Roadster repeat itself?


    The news fermented overseas for a night, yet Musk and Tesla did not respond directly.


    But the pressure on Lu Liang had lessened considerably¡ªthey only sold 100,000 shares that night, pushing the stock price down to $200.


    This indicated that those who were initially bullish no longer dared to bet.


    Lu Liang did not press his advantage, for it was not yet time for the final assault; he dared not sell all his chips, needing to reserve some for various contingencies.


    Musk would certainly take countermeasures.

 Chapter 121 - 121: Peers are the Bare Hatred

    On the evening of October 4th, news that was originally for overseas markets finally made its way to the domestic audience.


    However, it did not cause much of a stir, as the fans'' tolerance was still high, and they did not care much about the so-called spirit of the contract.


    Some even stood up and said, if Tesla couldn''t deliver in 16 weeks, then 32 weeks would be fine. Why can''t they give the technology pioneer company some time? Do they want to destroy the entire new energy industry? This view also gained a lot of support from netizens with likes.


    Lu Liang sighed and shook his head.


    Wall Street institutions had seen the truth and had begun to help create momentum, preparing to launch a major attack with sickles raised against Tesla.


    The Wall Street Journal and The Times, among many media outlets, had relayed the news, which was the best proof.


    They were all assisting Lu Liang in his palace coup. Once Tesla could not provide a satisfactory response, the harvesting sickle would swing down heavily.


    In contrast, the domestic fans were just poking at tires, their magnanimity made Lu Liang wonder whether these people had actually placed orders, or were just good at making cold remarks.


    After pondering for a moment, Lu Liang called Wang Xiaocong, ready to pour hot oil on the barely alive flame, not allowing Tesla to think that domestic fans were their backup. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Shooting my mouth off, that''s my strong suit,"


    Wang Xiaocong said with excitement, rubbing his hands in anticipation.


    He had never dreamed that he would be able to participate in a financial campaign against Tesla.


    Even if it was just providing assistance from the sidelines, it would be something to boast about in the future.


    Following Lu Liang''s instructions, he reposted an article from People''s Daily that was sourced from The Times.


    "Sitting at home and money comes from the sky?"


    The article Wang Xiaocong shared was about a lawsuit involving the Roadster sports car.


    Due to Musk''s sudden price increase and delivery delay, 43 customers had united to sue Tesla, and they eventually won the lawsuit, receiving a total compensation of 15.4 million US dollars.


    Little Wang, known as the entertainment industry''s discipline inspection commissioner, would raise his voice whenever he saw injustice. His pouring oil on the fire didn''t seem particularly abrupt.


    Unexpectedly, as Little Wang posted his status, the comment section suddenly became a gathering place for new energy car-making forces.


    Old Jia was the first to comment, "LeEco has ordered four units; if Mr. Wang is interested, we can authorize you."


    Following close behind were Li Bing, Li Xiang, He Xiaopeng, and the official accounts of SAIC, BAIC, FAW, all expressing their support.


    As long as Wang Xiaocong took the lead in the charge, they would be his strongest backup. They would not take a penny of the compensation, but only wanted to demand an explanation for the vast consumer base.


    "Crap, what''s going on here?"


    Wang Xiaocong''s eyes widened in surprise, speechless.


    The frown on Lu Liang''s face gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips, "Only peers have the rawest hate."


    Companies like Weiliao, which represented three new car-making forces, had a direct conflict with Tesla. Without Tesla''s demise, it would be hard for them to rise to the top.


    Although they knew that such negative news wouldn''t kill Tesla, any delay would be greatly welcomed.


    SAIC, BAIC, FAW as joint venture car representatives, knew the nation''s introduction of Tesla was to give them a wake-up call.


    They harbored rage with nowhere to vent; so the chance to kick Tesla while it was down came at a perfect time. If Tesla were to die, they might continue counting money on their achievement list without the hard work of developing new energy vehicles.


    Everyone had different thoughts, but their goal was the same.


    "Liang, what should we do next?"


    Wang Xiaocong trembled with excitement, suddenly feeling backed by many big shots as if he could charge forward with an army of ten thousand to slay a demon.


    In the past, he could only stir up trouble in the entertainment industry, but he never imagined he''d have this honor one day.


    "Don''t be timid, continue to be tough. If we need to contact law firms, then do so, making as much noise as possible,"


    Lu Liang glanced at the time; the US stock market was about to open. He took out his phone to share the news, supporting Wang Xiaocong, then headed to the next trading room.


    In the internet era, information spread rapidly. Support from domestic automotive industry magnates for Wang Xiaocong, combined with their joint denunciation of Tesla, had already reached NASDAQ.


    Tesla''s stock price dropped sharply in response, falling below 190 US dollars to the current price of 187.82 US dollars, with a decline of -3.82% for the day.


    With just the last 5.82 US dollars to go, Tesla was about to give up all the favorable news it had built up.


    Once it fell below 182 dollars, the downward channel for the stock would open, and it would be a continuous fall from there.


    Lu Liang noticed he was no longer fighting alone. Some retail investors had joined the bear camp.


    "At this point, still no response?" he followed Musk''s Twitter as well as the official Tesla account.


    His trading account still held 578,000 shares, worth 108 million US dollars at the current price.


    Lu Liang was waiting for Tesla''s response.


    If his response couldn''t satisfy the public, he would represent the short sellers with the most ferocious hit, breaking through the $182 price point and opening a downward channel for the stock.


    Time ticked away, and before long, it was 1 a.m., 1 p.m. New York time, which is also one of the times when European and American public companies release important announcements.


    Lu Liang observed the market in the trading room while Little Wang had a fiery exchange outside the trading room with a die-hard supporter. Little Wang always had a knack for confrontation.


    Ten minutes past one, there was unusual activity in the trading book.


    Tesla, with no other choice, came forward to respond, starting with an explanation of why they didn''t promptly update the Model X reservation numbers, mainly wanting to wait for a three-day cumulative announcement to share the good news.


    In three days, 72 hours, the global reservation volume reached 28,600 units, with 12,500 in China, and a cumulative total of 16,100 units from other countries, bringing the cumulative sales to $3.088 billion, with an average price of $108,000 per unit.


    As soon as the news was announced, uninformed retail investors jubilated, charging forward, and the stock price soared by 3.5%, breaking through $194, nearly turning green.


    "Sell, push the stock price back below $190."


    Lu Liang, without a second thought, took immediate action. A mere sell-off of less than 50,000 shares once again forcefully contained the rising trend.


    Within minutes, Tesla''s situation had a dramatic reversal; the ascent halted before it could firmly establish itself, and the price instantly fell to $185.


    The day''s decline was -5.42%.


    "The trend for short sellers has set in."


    Lu Liang''s lips curved upward: "Intensify the sell-off, let''s first try to penetrate the $182 defense line."


    This situation could only mean that Tesla''s response failed to satisfy those lying in wait, and institutions began to enter the short selling battleground.


    After all, holding back for three days to release such news indicated they probably didn''t want a repeat of the past, so they decided to drag their feet and think of a solution.


    Wall Street institutions saw through Tesla''s intentions, and how could they allow Lu Liang to outshine them all? It was time for their performance.


    In an instant, the buy orders sharply decreased.


    A flood of sell orders overwhelmed the market, and while there were many investors buying to cover, there were even more chips being thrown into the sell-off.


    The stock price probed further down, nearing the $182 checkpoint.


    At this price level, it seemed as if massive funds were providing support, and a tug-of-war ensued between the bulls and the bears, with the short-sellers unable to secure a victory.


    Before long, it was 3:30 a.m., with just the last thirty minutes until the close of the day.


    The current stock price was $182.8.


    Lu Liang glanced at the total funds account; there were still 426,000 shares of chips left, with consumption already over half, approaching one-third.


    He knew he couldn''t wait any longer. The end-of-day raid was just petty thievery¡ªa strong suppression was necessary to show determination.


    The retail investors and speculators in the market were not fools; they were fine with following the major short-sellers in a charge, but they wouldn''t let themselves be the only ones charging while the major short-sellers reaped the rewards.


    Lu Liang took matters into his own hands, with single transactions of 5,000 shares, at the current price of $912,500, crashing down on the market like rolling thunder.


    He made it clear that he was prepared to pay any price to forcibly open the downward channel.


    10,000 shares... 30,000 shares...


    60,000 shares... 80,000 shares...


    The trade details on the right side of the screen rapidly refreshed.


    At first, the bullish major players bought as much as was sold, putting up a fight to guard the $182 mark with determination.


    But then they realized they had overestimated their resolve to defend and underestimated the short-sellers'' determination.


    In that moment of hesitation, the stock price suddenly broke through the $182 defense line, and even the $180 level could not hold.


    Lu Liang pressed the attack, intensifying the sell-off with single transactions valued over $2 million each.


    The bullish major players scattered, the stock price retreated, and upon seeing this, speculators sounded the charge.


    Musk had been closely monitoring market movements and had never felt thirty minutes to be so painfully long.


    At 4 a.m., a meaningless alarm sounded, marking the end of trading for the day on NASDAQ. Tesla''s stock price finally closed at $169.25, a daily drop of -13.24%.


    Musk''s heart bled; holding over 25%, he had seen $620 million evaporate today.


    But he also knew that getting anxious about the market cap evaporation was futile now. The problems of production capacity and financing needed solving.


    If the issues were not promptly addressed and the bad news once again turned into good, today''s drop would only be the beginning.


    Those damn speculators of Wall Street would surely band together for an assault until Tesla was torn to shreds.


    Four years ago, at Tesla''s initial public offering, Musk had experienced this once before, and the memory was still vivid.


    He would not let the tragedy happen again, absolutely not!

 Chapter 122 - 122: Entering the Game with Ones Body

    "Just 224,000 shares left."


    As the US stocks closed, Lu Liang also breathed a sigh of relief. In the final charge, he had thrown in a whopping 42 million chips.


    Fortunately, they eventually broke through the 182 US Dollar defense line, gaining the support of retail, speculative investors, and institutions, and forcefully opening the downward channel.


    Next, as long as Tesla didn''t respond, the stock price would continue to fall, to a point where it couldn''t fall any further.


    Lu Liang would then welcome the harvest season.


    In the past three days, a total of 874,000 shares were sold off, averaging a sell price of 186.2 US Dollars, cashing out 162 million US Dollars.


    If repurchased at the current price of 169.25 US Dollars, ensuring the stock price didn''t rebound, there would be a profit of 14 million US Dollars.


    But Lu Liang knew this was just the beginning, the good days were still to come; the stock price would at least fall to around 100 US Dollars.


    With the remaining 224,000 shares, he planned to control the board, ensuring that he gave back less of the profits already at his lips during the stock repurchase.


    At five in the morning, as the sky began to brighten, Lu Liang and his team ended their count for the night. He left Wen Chao in the trading room to supervise everyone and walked out of the trading room alone.


    Lu Liang shorting Tesla was the biggest positive news. Once they knew it was Lu Liang shorting, they would definitely bounce back.


    Even if it meant spitting out profit that was practically in their mouths, they would want to crush Lu Liang''s position. This was not just a matter of attitude but of stance.


    It was like the time Old Guo resisted the Japanese; although they were on opposing sides, they also cooperated widely to jointly defend their homeland against foreign enemies.


    Because they all knew that even if they fought bitterly to the point of heads breaking and blood flowing, the Chinese land would still be under the control of the Chinese. The meat might be rotten in the pot, but foreign enemies were different; they were there to invade and colonize.


    Now, the institutions on Wall Street still thought Lu Liang was one of their own, someone who just didn''t want to expose his identity, so they were willing to work with him to short Tesla.


    Capital might not have borders, but capitalists have their strongholds, and Wall Street was their base.


    Wall Street is also highly xenophobic, unless Lu Liang was willing to be their dog, like neighboring Samsung. Otherwise, there was no discussion.


    Lu Liang went to the next office, and suddenly met a pair of blood-red eyes like those of a rabbit, excitement written all over the face.


    "Why are you here again?" Lu Liang yawned, lying straight and without image on the sofa.


    Little Wang was right; solid wood seats really did chafe one''s backside, which is why he had bought another set of leather sofas.


    In his free time, Lu Liang liked to lie on the sofa, feeling more comfortable than lying on a bed.


    "What do you mean ''again''? I haven''t left, okay!" Wang Xiaocong said with a face of disbelief.


    Since eight o''clock last night, he had been online engaging in heated exchanges with Tesla zealots.


    And all he got for it was this comment.


    "It''s been tough. Go back now; I''m tired."


    Lu Liang said sleepily, voice listless.


    But Wang Xiaocong, still irate, could only suggest, "How about we grab breakfast?"


    "You''re not a woman; why would I have breakfast with you?" Right now, Lu Liang only wanted to sleep.


    Because during the day, he still needed to keep an eye on Tesla''s actions, especially with the commotion Little Wang had caused.


    Tesla had just signed an agreement with Modu''s municipal government; they couldn''t just sit back and do nothing. They would probably have to give some explanation.


    After all, the benefits hadn''t yet been received, and as the Lower Position, one had to fully play the part lest the cooperation fall through, which would be a truly devastating blow.


    "Then you get some rest." Wang Xiaocong''s words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them and left the office on his own.


    Although Lu Liang had not made it clear, he had guessed that the main force shorting Tesla was probably Lu Liang.


    Tesla''s current market value still stood at 16.9 billion US Dollars, converting to over 100 billion RMB, and Modu had even allocated 200,000 square meters of land for investment and factory construction, signifying boundless potential.


    A ruthless person, wielding his sword to slash through billions,


    What could he do other than forgive him?


    Wang Xiaocong was about to leave when suddenly Lu Liang''s voice came from behind, "If someone else asks, just say you''re pissed off; it sounds like something you could indeed pull off."


    "Got it, I''m not a kid." Wang Xiaocong replied indignantly, as if he was the type to speak thoughtlessly.


    "And turn off the lights on your way out, 3Q."


    "Hmm~"


    At ten in the morning, Tesla''s domestic official account responded to Wang Xiaocong''s criticism.


    Who knows which genius was managing it; they expressed a willingness to refund the full deposit and looked forward to future cooperation.


    An official apology statement like this might be overlooked if it were from an ordinary person, but Wang Xiaocong felt insulted.


    Just got home and ready to sleep when he received the message, he bolted upright in bed, "Damn it, you looking down on me? Do you think I care about your paltry sum? What I want is fairness. You think a simple refund will do? This isn''t over!"


    Then he started another round of cursing, but unlike the irrational tantrum from last night, most netizens today were siding with Little Wang.


    After all, as the son of the First Rich and the national heartthrob, he deserved some special treatment. It was as if he was being brushed off like a beggar.


    Little Wang had every right to be angry.


    On the evening of the 5th, Tesla''s stock opened with a steep drop of 13.54 US Dollars, a decline of -8%, with the stock price at 155.71 US Dollars.


    Lu Liang was constantly monitoring and continued to control the board by selling off holdings. Any sign of a rise was promptly suppressed.


    With the help of the heavens, it only took 45,000 shares to break through the 150 US Dollar support line.


    There were too many short sellers; they were like the logistics team.


    On the evening of the 6th, Tesla dropped to 142 US Dollars, and individual investors seemed to think the stock had bottomed out, making tentative attempts to buy the dip.


    After all, ModelX''s sales were solid, and as long as Tesla could pull through this tough time, its stock was bound to soar high.


    Yet before Lu Liang could act to suppress the stock price, news came from California; Wells Fargo had refused to grant Tesla a loan.


    Morgan Bank was also urging Tesla to repay a loan of 130 million US Dollars from two years ago.


    Once the news broke, Tesla''s stock price fell again, this time breaking through the 140 US Dollar line of defense directly. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As one of Wall Street''s major forces, Morgan''s move also signified that some power players on Wall Street were shorting Tesla.


    On the evening of the 7th, Tesla''s stock price continued to fall, with the 130 US Dollar defense line nearly breached, leading to a tug-of-war between bulls and bears.


    Lu Liang stood back and watched, not leading another charge because they only had 179,000 shares left to play with.


    In about one or two business days, he planned to buy back the shares to square the accounts; he needed enough chips to cover the retreat.


    With the stroke of the bell at four in the morning on the 8th, NASDAQ also concluded this week''s trading.


    Over the past five trading days, Tesla''s stock price plummeted from the peak of 203.84 US Dollars on Monday to 130.15 US Dollars, a decrease of -36.26%, evaporating 6.9 billion US Dollars in market value.


    Lu Liang wasn''t idle over the weekend; upon waking up, he was trying to cook up a big news piece for Tesla.


    He needed to buy back 919,000 shares, and if he had to buy them all at the 130 US Dollar stock price, it would require 119 million US Dollars in funds.


    About 0.952% of the outstanding shares would be affected; the more joy there was in selling, the more pain there was in buying back.


    Without major news, Tesla''s stock price might not be surpressed and could even be front-run by Wall Street institutions.


    So, in order not to lose the profits he had in his grasp, Lu Liang called a shareholders'' meeting, bringing in Old Meng and Little Wang, hoping to brainstorm collectively.


    "What if I find someone to set a fire in their California factory?" Old Meng squinted his eyes, looking vicious.


    After all, with profits of tens of millions of US Dollars at stake, he wouldn''t hesitate to commit arson or even murder.


    But Lu shook his head, "It''s too obvious, no go."


    It wasn''t that he disagreed, it was just that the intent would be too apparent, and certainly, someone would front-run the stock repurchase.


    Especially since Tesla''s order book now was so full of international speculators that it could leave one dizzied.


    ModelX''s sales loomed over the heads of all shorters like the sword of Damocles, ready to strike at any moment.


    They had to believe that 130 US Dollars wasn''t the bottom, and the market would continue to fall, allowing Lu Liang to quietly square the accounts.


    "What about brake failure? Car accidents?"


    "Anything that could be man-made intervention is out, it has to be the kind of event that can create a trend."


    Lu Liang and Meng Changkun, one suggesting, the other dismissing, went back and forth in conversation.


    Wang Xiaocong was like a mascot, his mind wandering.


    After thinking for a long while, Lu Liang finally sighed. He didn''t have a better idea and decided to use the most basic and clumsy method¡ªbuy less, sell more, and slowly grind it out over time.


    A voice predicted that on the 18th, 96 US Dollars would be the lowest point.


    It was probably around that time that Tesla would find a solution to its production capacity and capital issues, reversing the downward trend of the stock.


    Monday was the 10th, and due to Lu Liang''s involvement, events might be expedited, but there should still be a few days'' time.


    A few days were just enough to repurchase the stocks and balance the accounts; a profit was definitely assured, the question was just how much.


    At this point, Little Wang, who had been daydreaming, suddenly asked, "Lu, have you ever considered getting personally involved? With your current fame, if you want to harvest, you should let yourself taste the sweetness first."


    Assuming that Lu Liang wasn''t just battling thin air and that Wall Street institutions were actually that xenophobic, he himself was actually the best bait.

 Chapter 123 - 123: Repurchase to Settle Accounts

    "Damn, Little Wang, have you finally grown a brain?"


    Meng Changkun''s eyes widened in surprise, and he was at a loss for words, hardly believing that this move could have come from Little Wang.


    "For fuck''s sake, Old Meng, mind your language. Are you the one calling him Little Wang?"


    Wang Xiaocong glared menacingly and turned his head expectantly towards Lu Liang, "What do you think of my move?"


    Lu Liang pondered for a long while, looked at Little Wang, a hint of fatherly pride gleaming in his eyes, "Seems like it might work."


    "Damn it, can you stop looking at me with those eyes?" Wang Xiaocong was infuriated.


    "Sorry, sorry."


    Lu Liang and Meng exchanged a smile, understanding each other without words.


    On Monday morning, Lu Liang started his plan by first contacting President Liu of ICBC to secure a foreign exchange loan.


    Since he could no longer convert his funds into US Dollars, he had to opt for a loan, but he didn''t trust other banks.


    Upon learning that Lu Liang only needed 50 million dollars and promised to return it within ten days, President Liu generously approved a loan at a daily interest rate of 100,000th, amounting essentially to zero interest, though collateral was still required.


    President Liu was so accommodating, and naturally, Lu Liang wasn''t going to make things difficult for him, opting to pledge 400 million RMB.


    In the afternoon, Lu Liang approached the JPMorgan office in Modu, depositing 25 million dollars as a margin and using four times leverage.


    A combined payment of a daily interest rate of 0.00019, at a stock price of 130.15 dollars per share, he secured 768,000 shares, totalling nearly 99.95 million dollars, with daily interest amounting to 89,900 dollars.


    The reason why Lu Liang didn''t approach State Street was their tight-lipped nature. If they wished to betray him, his position could have been blown up last Monday night.


    However, JPMorgan was different, reputedly resentful towards China, especially as Tesla''s stock price at 182 dollars was under their watchful eye.


    Even if they had professional integrity, Lu Liang had a backup plan. He had Old Meng bribe an employee at JPMorgan to spread the news of his appearance at the JPMorgan office in Modu that day.


    To ensure the news spread, Lu Liang also had President Liu subtly leak some information about transferring 50 million US dollars from the bank today.


    "Everything is ready except for the east wind."


    Having made all the preparations, Lu Liang set his alarm, closed his eyes in his office, and awaited nightfall.


    On the evening of the 10th, at 9:30 PM, US stocks reopened after a two-day break, and Tesla, which had been falling for five business days, finally began its long-awaited rise.


    But the momentum of the rise hadn''t lasted a minute when Lu Liang placed a single order of 10,000 shares, consecutively smashing five huge orders onto NASDAQ, announcing his arrival.


    The previously recovering K-line was immediately suppressed, and the market took a sharp downturn.


    At the same time, at JPMorgan headquarters across the ocean:


    "How much leverage did that Lu Liang from China use?"


    Wilson, JPMorgan''s investment chief and a staunch believer in Tesla''s potential to succeed Apple as the beacon of a new era, was a white supremacist who believed that a world power should be militarily, culturally, and technologically strong.


    Twenty years ago, Bill Gates emerged and led the world into the Internet era with the Microsoft Group.


    Five years ago, Jobs, with the nearly artistic iPhone 4, had crushed the then-dominant Nokia.


    Wilson always believed that Musk and his Tesla had the capability to lead the next era.


    With his backing, JPMorgan had become the second largest shareholder of Tesla, holding 14.85%, second only to Musk.


    "25 million dollars, using four times leverage," his assistant replied with a sneer.


    As the main force behind shorting the yen in the past, they were well aware of how Lu Liang had made his name.


    He was really just a lucky guy who made a few million dollars by following in their wake.


    Due to Anshan''s inability to challenge Wall Street, they had to amplify his earnings tenfold to use as a shield.


    "That''s just 100 million dollars, 17.5 million dollars will trigger a margin call once the stock exceeds 153 dollars."


    Wilson muttered to himself, instantly discerning Lu Liang''s forced liquidation point and his intention to short Tesla.


    "He still has nearly 700,000 shares in hand; it won''t be so easy for him to face a margin call," the assistant replied.


    153 dollars was just the theoretical margin call line; without a chance to sell off the shares, a margin call naturally wouldn''t happen.


    Wilson pondered, "Let''s give up the market tonight, let that Lu Liang wave the flag and shout; we''ll just reap the benefits."


    "Mr. Wilson, do you know who is shorting Tesla from the inside?" the assistant inquired.


    "I''ve had people looking into it, and we''ve traced it back to State Street''s chips, possibly Blackstone or Muddy Water, hiding and skulking about just like them."


    Wilson chuckled, unconcerned about who was involved inside; they had already negotiated a one billion dollar loan with Tesla to help them increase production capacity and fulfill the orders for Model X.


    He had plans to make a big profit before that happened¡ªeveryone who was short-selling now, from one to all, none would escape.


    As soon as Tesla announced the success of the one billion dollars loan, they would immediately take action, bursting all short positions.


    Lu Liang was just a joker.


    ...


    Lu Liang from China had arrived,


    The news of short-selling Tesla spread quickly.


    Only a few knew the truth about short-selling the yen, while most were only aware that months ago, Lu Liang had achieved spectacular results by shorting the yen.


    Now, another powerful bearish general had arrived, causing Tesla''s stock price to drop further, falling below 125 US dollars.


    "Amitabha Buddha, such sin."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but click his tongue, silently feeling sorry for the individual investors for a mere three seconds. If the news of his participation hadn''t leaked, it meant that the Wall Street institutions intended to digest him quietly.


    However, now that the news had come out, it indicated that the institutions planned to let him lead the charge and then wait for the right moment to absorb both him and the individual investors together.


    "You guys take your time, I''m walking out with respect first."


    Lu Liang''s lips slightly lifted, taking advantage of Tesla''s falling stock prices to start buying back shares aggressively between 125 and 130 US dollars.


    The shares borrowed from JPMorgan hadn''t been touched by him at all, not even distributed, planning to return them exactly as they were.


    In seven days, a mere 630,000 US dollar interest wasn''t much as long as he could buy back smoothly to break even, the expenditure was worthwhile.


    The new week brought fiery market trading emotions.


    Rumors circulated that Lu Liang, the bearish general from China, had joined, causing uncontrollable falls in Tesla''s stock price.


    The process of Lu Liang buying back shares was also extremely smooth.


    In just two hours, he bought back 280,000 shares at an average price of 126 US dollars, totaling 35.28 million US dollars.


    Currently, his account had 115,000 available shares, making a total of 395,000 shares, still 694,000 shares away from the target to break even.


    Selling one share and buying ten inevitably led to a rebound in the stock price.


    Every time this happened, Lu Liang logged into a small account, pressing down the stock price with a clear selling tactic.


    This cycle repeated for six hours.


    Only thirty minutes were left until the market closed. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang had already bought back 726,000 shares, keeping the cost under 130 US dollars.


    Only 363,000 shares were left to reach his goal.


    He seemed very patient.


    Grinding slowly, little by little, until the market closed today.


    The evening of the 11th, Tesla opened with a long-awaited rise of 2.4%, seemingly ending a six-day downward trend.


    Before Lu Liang could act, suddenly a force parachuted in, massively selling off chips and taking up the charge.


    "The final charge?" Lu Liang''s brow furrowed, and he no longer got greedy, quickly ordering a large sell-off.


    Fear of heights is an investor''s nature, and so is short-selling. Now everyone was worried whether Tesla could resolve its production issues, then experiencing a mad surge in its stock price.


    No one dared to attempt a large sell-off at this moment, including individual investors who were on high alert. Suddenly, someone charging in inevitably raised Lu Liang''s suspicion of a desperate rally.


    Only around thirty thousand more shares to go, and investing over 40 million US dollars more would even the account, but he was too tired to consider so much.


    The priority now was to buy back shares to break even.


    But this time, the bearish force was fierce, the multitude of chips seeming inexhaustible.


    Lu Liang did not bother to disguise, massively buying 364,000 shares, investing more than 45.5 million US dollars, yet still unable to make any impact.


    As the break-even was completed, no further funds were invested for rebuying, leaving Tesla completely unsupported.


    The stock price fell below 120 US dollars, continuously plummeting, as if falling into a bottomless abyss without any end in sight.


    "Are there any more bearish news not released yet?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but wonder if he had made a mistake?


    Because in an instant,


    Tesla''s stock price had already fallen to 115 US dollars.

 Chapter 124 - 124: Retracting the Fist to Strike with Greater Force

    "Greed and destitution, how strikingly similar they are."


    Lu Liang took a deep breath, cast aside his dejection, and shifted his attention from Tesla''s market activity to the earnings of this venture.


    He had borrowed 1,098,000 shares from State Street and was left with 87,000 shares unsold. He sold the remaining 1,011,000 shares at an average price of $195.25, cashing in $197 million.


    He then repurchased at an average price of $124.32, spending a total of $125 million. After deducting State Street''s borrowing fee of $1.96 million for the 11th day, and the $630,000 borrowing fee from JPMorgan,


    he had a balance of $69.41 million left.


    "As expected, ideals are busty, but reality is flat-chested¡ªa significant gap indeed."


    Lu Liang shook his head and sighed; he had planned to make $100 million but ended up with less than $70 million.


    "..." Wen Chao gave a bitter smile.


    Is $70 million not a lot?


    What if it''s just a $100 million investment?


    And in US dollars, at that?


    That would already be considered a lot, wouldn''t it!


    He started preparing on the 30th, and now it was the 11th; even counting the holidays, it was a full 11 days.


    In 11 days, he made $69.41 million,


    equivalent to 441 million RMB¡ªis that not a lot?


    Such words,


    could only come from Lu Liang.


    The counting was completed before dawn had even arrived.


    Lu Liang, feeling pleased, turned his attention back to Tesla''s market activity; the stock price had already fallen below $110.


    The drop surpassed -16%; the sudden plunge had caused speculators to lose their reason, pouring in funds heedless of the cost.


    Everyone seemed as though they were scrambling for money; the entire market was selling off, but there were very few buyers.


    "Is there really bad news, or is it just feigning a massacre?"


    Lu Liang looked thoughtful; if not for shorting Tesla, he was actually quite optimistic about the company.


    After all, being selected by the nation to invigorate the domestic new energy industry surely had its merits. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were still seven days until the 18th, five working days. Would it be too soon to buy the dip now?


    The clock struck midnight on the 12th.


    Lu Liang was startled and quickly ordered, "Start buying into Tesla now. Don''t limit the cost, but try not to affect the market too much."


    [December 17th, Tesla, stock price $342]


    Whether the valley came early or late was inconsequential.


    In two months, the stock price soared by $230, making it hard for Lu Liang not to be tempted. Long positions were not like shorting; as long as he instructed to buy on dips, he needn''t constantly watch.


    US stocks were not like A-shares; there was no worry about being invited for a ''tea talk'' by regulatory authorities.


    With a single command from Lu Liang, six traders switched accounts from short to long. The available $69.41 million started to dwindle rapidly.


    By four o''clock closing time, at $118 a share, he had bought 193,000 shares, spending $22.774 million.


    The next morning, Lu Liang visited State Street Bank to return the 1,098,000 borrowed shares and retrieved $100 million.


    Hilt called over an assistant to help Lu Liang with the procedure while showing a melancholic expression like that of someone who had been abandoned, "Lu, are you dissatisfied with our services?"


    Two days prior, when news spread of Lu Liang shorting Tesla, he had been alarmed, thinking their information had leaked.


    Upon investigation, it was found that the source wasn''t State Street, but JPMorgan Bank; rumors had it that Lu Liang borrowed Tesla shares from them to short Tesla.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang gave a thumbs up, his expression solemn, full of admiration: "Hilt, State Street is this!"


    "To repurchase shares and settle accounts, I had to let the news out, to go in personally. But State Street''s confidentiality is top-notch; they would never leak information, so I had to turn to JPMorgan."


    "Compared to you guys, JPMorgan is this." Lu Liang suddenly raised his pinky finger, his face full of scorn.


    Hilt beamed with joy: "State Street has stood at the pinnacle of world banks for 223 years. To use a phrase from your Chinese culture, ''Integrity is the foundation.'' We protect our clients'' information more securely than nuclear secrets."


    Lu Liang nodded in agreement, his face full of amazement: "Mr. Hilt, it looks like we can collaborate often in the future."


    "Dear Lu, I look forward to your next visit, may God bless you." Hilt closed his eyes and made a prayerful gesture, smiling as he saw Lu Liang off.


    With $100 million back in hand, Lu Liang visited the bank. Under President Liu''s resentful gaze, he transferred the funds into his brokerage account. His available funds instantly reached $146.63 million, and he held 193,000 shares of Tesla.


    There was no help for it, plans cannot keep up with changes. Since Tesla had a market opportunity again, he could only apologize to Old Liu for the time being.


    He could only promise to keep all his funds with them in the future if he didn''t need US dollars, as even the Bank of China''s words were of no use.


    After pacifying President Liu, Lu Liang returned to the company.


    At half-past nine that evening, he ordered the six traders to buy Tesla stocks at any cost, without caring about the share price.


    He took advantage of the fact that Tesla hadn''t released positive news yet; as much as they could buy, they should, without worrying about impacting the market.


    Tesla shares were only at 120 US dollars now, but they would go up to 342 dollars in two months¡ªthe more they bought, the more they would earn.


    After delegating these tasks, Lu Liang went home to sleep; since he was going long without using leverage, he didn''t need to worry about a margin call.


    He only arranged for Wen Chao to oversee the operations in person, while he remotely monitored the main account, so there was basically no chance of chaos.


    Two weeks had passed since he could last sleep soundly; Lu Liang chose to sleep alone tonight.


    The next morning, while brushing his teeth, he checked Tesla''s performance from last night.


    The closing price was 119 US dollars, up by 3.42%.


    The account held 442,000 shares, with an average cost of 120.2 dollars per share, a total position value of 53.12 million dollars, and a loss of 530,400 dollars.


    "Keep silent and make a fortune, or show off a bit?"


    Lu Liang suddenly fell into thought. If he announced he had broken even and cashed out, Tesla''s stock would definitely soar.


    But he had more than a hundred million dollars yet to invest, and if the news got out, it would only exacerbate the cost of future investments.


    "Forget it, I''m a low-key person."


    Lu Liang calculated in his mind. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided against indulging in momentary satisfaction.


    It was, after all, better to earn more money, even if that felt great.


    But life doesn''t always go as planned.


    At ten in the morning, Lu Liang was leisurely sipping tea in his office, watching a sample clip of the Crown Princess Consort.


    The leading lady was Zhang Tian''ai, and indeed, as Old Meng and Little Wang had said, she was very beautiful at first glance, careful inspection revealed she was still very beautiful, but it was a sort of nondescript beauty.


    Watching the video, one would find her beautiful, but afterwards, it was hard to remember her face.


    Suddenly news came in,


    Disrupting Lu Liang''s leisurely drama-watching.


    Tesla announced it had secured a low-interest loan of one billion dollars from JPMorgan. They promised to deliver every car to customers within 16 weeks, calling for public oversight and vowing to pay ten times the deposit if they failed to comply.


    "That''s the responsibility of a big company."


    "Tenfold compensation, what more does Little Wang have to say?"


    "What can Little Wang say? However, it could be interesting to see Lu Liang become the laughingstock."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I heard from a friend that Lu Liang started shorting Tesla the night before last, using high leverage, and he''s likely to face a margin call tonight."


    "The night before last? Isn''t that like committing to a doomed course?"


    Once the news spread, it immediately caused a stir, everyone was curious how much money Lu Liang would lose this time.


    Some guessed 50 million dollars, others one hundred million dollars, and some two hundred million dollars.


    None were without the intent to see him fail.


    Little Wang was so angry he couldn''t even eat, heading directly to the office: "They''re saying that, don''t you want to make a statement?"


    "Young man, don''t get too worked up; what''s there to make a statement about?" Lu Liang asked with an easy smile.


    He inquired, "Surely no one''s trying to redeem their investment, right?"


    "That''s unlikely, they''re not that foolish. If they wanted to redeem, I''d be the first to buy from them."


    Wang Xiaocong was fuming, getting angrier the more he thought about it. The high-intensity confrontations over the past few days had made him irritable.


    "Old Meng recommended this, a soul-cleansing Zen class; it might be just the thing for you." Lu Liang smiled, handing over an invitation.


    "To hell with Zen."


    Wang Xiaocong glared at the invitation but then suddenly asked, "Oh right, should I continue with the lawsuit against Tesla?"


    Lu Liang said, "Drop it; I''ve shifted from short to long, a rise in stock price is a good thing."


    Wang Xiaocong felt a lump in his throat, "You''ve publicized it, and now you back out, doesn''t it seem a bit cowardly?"


    "Here, the soul-cleansing Zen class."


    Lu Liang offered the invitation again, then squinted his eyes and said softly, "Keep calm, we''ll update the net value on the 25th. This matter is like a spring; the tighter it''s pressed, the stronger the rebound."


    He wasn''t exactly patient either, but he didn''t seek immediate gratification; sometimes he held back his punches just to strike harder later on.

 Chapter 125 - 125: Sweeping Through Wall Street

    "That''s still half a month away."


    Wang Xiaocong sighed and looked at the calm Lu Liang, suddenly feeling like the emperor isn''t in a hurry while his eunuchs are dying of anxiety.


    "Hard to say," Lu Liang said with a mysterious smile.


    "Oh? Got a plan?" Little Wang was surprised.


    "How about some tea?"


    Lu Liang smiled without a word; he still owed JPMorgan 768,000 Tesla shares.


    Although he hadn''t used them yet, the interest had to be paid, and the shares had to be borrowed for at least seven days.


    It was the fourth day now, and once the shares were returned upon expiration, JPMorgan would know whether he had been margin called or not.


    "Don''t want any, always so secretive, quite exhausting."


    Wang Xiaocong gave a glance full of resentment and left the office with a stomach full of grievances.


    "Take care, no need to walk you out." Lu Liang smiled indifferently. Little Wang had a good nature; he could be considered a friend.


    ...


    If there was a superpower to stop time in this world, many people would wish it could always be frozen at this moment.


    They were the speculators short selling Tesla.


    Tesla''s announcement was like a death sentence execution order, pinpointing their execution time to the very second.


    How they wished the announcement had come during trading hours so they could have cut their losses or even flipped to go long.


    Not like now, feeling like a slow knife cutting through flesh, only able to watch helplessly as the stock market opens, awaiting their final judgement.


    At 9:30 PM, the US stock market opened, and Tesla''s stock price soared 38.55% to $164.87 at the open.


    "That''s ruthless."


    Lu Liang clucked in amazement. A 38.55% increase, he absolutely didn''t believe it wasn''t intentional.


    He may not know who the mastermind was, but he knew their methods were extremely ruthless¡ªanyone shorting Tesla was dead.


    That increase meant anyone using leverage would get a margin call, even just using the lowest two times leverage was not spared.


    The standard margin call was at a loss of 70%; if the loss exceeded seventy percent, brokers would protect themselves by forcing a sell-off.


    For Tesla to have surged by 70% overnight was clearly unrealistic, so the next best aim was to ensure an increase exceeding 35%.


    In that way, if there was no money to add to the margin, one would be forced to buy back stocks, squaring the account.


    As a massive number of shorts covered their positions by buying back shares, the stock price rose further, in the blink of an eye breaking $180.


    The daily increase reached 51.85%.


    "Mr. Lu, shall we continue buying?"


    Sun Yutao was excited, his face flushed red. Tesla''s stock had soared 38.55% at open, and they had also helped push it up.


    But they didn''t buy much, everyone was vying for shares, the stock price changed tens of times in one second, and their orders often failed.


    Lu Liang pondered and instructed, "Buy as much as possible below $200, but try not to affect the market too much."


    He returned to his workstation to check the total account. He currently held 462,500 Tesla shares at a cost price of $124.27. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The current price was $180.55 per share,


    Each share''s increase was $56.28,


    Today''s gain was $26.02 million.


    "If it rises above $200, stop buying for the time being; wait for the market to correct before accumulating at a lower position."


    Lu Liang sighed. The market had moved too quickly, there was still $111 million available in the account, but it was too late to build a position, he could only watch as the stock price soared.


    Fortunately, there was still a wave of increasing prices to catch.


    $342 on December 17, as long as they built positions below $280, there would be a profit.


    However, to maximize gains, it would depend on the handling tactics, and Lu Liang assigned tasks to everyone.


    The first principle, move quietly into the village, don''t fire any guns.


    Between the short and long positions, up to this second, they had already gained more than $95 million.


    It was time to lay low to avoid unwanted attention.


    Lu Liang left Wen Chao in charge to supervise and left the company, planning to take a few days off for the belated National Day holiday.


    Without leverage and planning to hold for the short to medium term, he just needed to be sure of the general direction and didn''t need to be constantly watching.


    Tonight was bound to be a sleepless night, as the international market''s retail investors were mainly from several East Asian countries.


    The more people and middle class there were in a country, the more retail investors there were, China was the undisputed number one.


    Behind the surge in Tesla''s stock price were countless speculators who had been liquidated.


    Suffering heavy losses, wanting to die, seeking psychological comfort, they tracked down Lu''s Weibo, hoping to find out his specific losses to alleviate some of their own stress.


    "Lu, brother, please, I beg you, tell us, otherwise, I truly won''t be able to sleep tonight, everyone''s numb from the losses."


    Lu Liang had five million followers, at least a third of whom were financial professionals or retail investors.


    Although they had lost a lot of money, if they knew someone else lost even more, they would feel slightly better.


    At this time, in Shuxiang Jinxiu District, just after taking a shower, Lu Liang picked up his phone and saw the post had tens of thousands of likes.


    He displayed a wicked smile and replied, "Knowing it might keep you up even later, be good and get some sleep."


    The netizen immediately replied, "Don''t be like this, save a child, I''m almost out of underpants. Sobbing.jpg"


    The comment was accompanied by an image.


    Curious, Lu Liang clicked on it and burst out laughing.


    A short selling account with $200,000 had already lost over $130,000, but was still persisting in shorting.


    "Give it up, it''s hopeless," Lu Liang kindly advised.


    After all, given the current circumstances, expecting Tesla to fall back to the $100 level was just too unrealistic.


    Might as well cut losses now.


    "Is there really not a glimmer of hope? 130,000 US dollars, how many welfare photos do I need to sell to make that back?"


    Lu Liang was puzzled and clicked on the netizen''s profile picture, only to discover it was a masked Welfare Girl whose main page was filled with various cosplay photos.


    The figure in the photos was clearly superior to Li Manli''s, but who knew what the person was like in reality since Photoshop skills could be so advanced.


    "You like looking at this sort of thing?" Su Wanyu had come up behind Lu Liang without him noticing.


    "Everyone enjoys admiring beautiful things," he said.


    Lu Liang, wearing a full smile, pulled Su Wanyu into his arms and pinched her perky nose, "Just like you, for example."


    "I don''t believe you one bit."


    Su Wanyu''s eyes curved like crescent moons,, looking fresh and lovely.


    Lu Liang kissed her deeply, and at the end, tenderly captured her red lips, "How about now?"


    Apartness makes the heart grow fonder; they clung to each other like glue, finding it hard to separate...


    In the following days, Lu Liang switched into vacation mode, spending every day with Su Wanyu, climbing mountains, diving into the sea, traveling, and holidaying everywhere.


    Until the new week arrived.


    Lu Liang came to JPMorgan Bank''s Modu office to return the borrowed shares, a total of 768,000 shares.


    Sun Wanzhou''s eyes widened in disbelief, his face showing he couldn''t believe it, "Mr. Lu, you didn''t use them?"


    The corner of Lu Liang''s mouth turned up into a teasing smile, "Whether I used them or not isn''t really your concern, is it?"


    "I apologize, I spoke out of turn."


    Sun Wanzhou quickly bowed in apology, and in that instant, the blood rushed back into his brain, and he suddenly realized.


    Borrowing shares was for the purpose of making money, to borrow without using them certainly wasn''t because there was too much money to know where to spend it.


    Following this line of thought, along with the market''s reaction, could it be that Lu Liang had been lurking there all along?


    After all, during those few days, the average daily trading volume was very high, many people shorted Tesla following Lu Liang''s lead.


    Even the real dark-pool dealers had intentionally let Lu Liang in, planning to trap and kill them all in one fell swoop.


    If Lu Liang had been lurking there early on, using this opportunity to settle accounts, then everything made sense.


    After all, to pay 630,000 dollars in interest over seven days, equivalent to over 4 million RMB,


    If it wasn''t for a greater profit, not even the richest man would waste 4 million for nothing.


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes and said with a light laugh, "Manager Sun, say thanks for me, though we have never met, I appreciate him."


    Sun Wanzhou looked bewildered, his mouth agape just right: "Mr. Lu, what do you mean by that? I don''t quite understand."


    "I hope next time we can cooperate just as pleasantly." Lu Liang patted his shoulder, laughed heartily, and turned to leave.


    "Mr. Lu, please take care." Sun Wanzhou watched Lu Liang leave, the smile freezing on his face.


    To kill not just the person, but also the spirit, it probably had nothing to do with him. He was just a spokesperson, just a tool.


    At this moment, it was past ten in the evening in New York.


    In southern Manhattan on Wall Street, on the 23rd floor of the JPMorgan Building, all the windows were flickering with colorful laser lights, revealing a corner of the financial circle''s extravagance.


    Pedestrians in suits and leather shoes looked up and all showed envious expressions because only those who profited over 100 million dollars were eligible to have a party in the office.


    As of today, Tesla had regained stability at 200 US dollars, and the big BOSS controlling everything had surfaced.


    Kamon Wilson, the head of group three of the JPMorgan Fund, was rumored to have made a profit of over five hundred million dollars.


    At this moment, on the 23rd floor of the building.


    The loud music suddenly stopped.


    Wilson, beaming with delight and with a blonde in his arms and a glass of wine in hand, stepped up to the podium, "Everybody stop, I''ve got some good news to share."


    He connected with Sun Wanzhou''s call and turned on the loudspeaker mode, placing the phone next to the microphone with a full smile, "Sun, tell us, how much did that Lu lose?"


    Everyone raised their glasses and cheered in anticipation of this side dish from the East, pushing the party''s atmosphere to its peak.


    Sun Wanzhou vaguely sensed that there was a party going on at the other end and after contemplating for a while, he still decided to inform, "Mr. Wilson, Mr. Lu didn''t use our shares, and he asked me to say thank you to you."


    Wilson''s face turned pale, "What do you mean?"


    With the Tesla situation resolved, who won and who lost was clear, so there was no longer any need for secrecy.


    He also directly inquired with the heads of Blackstone and Muddy Water, but the replies were that they had not participated in this action.


    Upon asking State Street Bank, the head of State Street would not admit it, which had been a thorn in their side all along.


    Profiting over five hundred million dollars, still ended up being the ultimate winner, not knowing who the shorts'' leader was, felt like something was missing.


    Sun Wanzhou thought for a while and shared his speculation, "From what I observe, it seems that Lu Liang is the leader of the shorts. He used strategies that in our terms are called Diversion, surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao, Bait, win half a point."


    Sun Wanzhou admired them and did not skimp on the praise. He was somewhat excited inside, after all, domestic rat trading and dog dealers were rampant, and it had been a long time since someone so impressive had appeared.


    More importantly, he was just an administrative staff member, always looked down upon by the foreigners on regular days.


    Suddenly, someone was making the foreigners take a loss, playing them in the palm of his hand, he felt a secret pleasure.


    There was silence on the other end of the phone for quite some time, and the entire party went dead quiet, everyone''s faces were as if they had seen a ghost.


    Through the microphone, Sun Wanzhou''s voice spread from corner to corner through a dozen loudspeakers, "Mr. Wilson, are you there?"


    "Yeah, I got it," Wilson replied.


    Wilson hung up and clenched his teeth, maintaining a smile, "Let the music play, let''s keep the fun going tonight~"


    "Goooooo¡«"


    The crowd forced a smile and cheered along.


    The loud music once again swept across the office area, only the passionate atmosphere from earlier was gone.


    From the known results, they could infer who was competing with them for chips on Monday and Tuesday of the last week.


    What they thought was a sweeping victory had actually let the biggest fish slip through their nets, and it was they who had let him escape.


    Lu Liang was the main force shorting Tesla, and he had successfully escaped with the money amid the institutional squeeze. The news leaked from the 23rd floor of the JPMorgan Building and quickly swept across Wall Street.

 Chapter 126 - 126: In Life, Fame and Fortune

    Beijing time 4 p.m., the news that Lu Liang was leading the short-selling campaign swept across the globe, making its way from international markets to domestic ones.


    More details were also disclosed by some financial professionals who wished to remain anonymous. Media outlets pieced together the information, and major bloggers sorted through the facts, gradually revealing the course of events.


    "Damn it?"


    "Wall Street''s joke of the day?"


    "Diversion, surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao, did this guy gobble up The Art of War?"


    "No wonder he replied to Welfare Girl a few days ago, saying he didn''t want to disclose his exact profits or losses, for fear they would lose even more sleep over it."


    "Damn it, everyone in finance has a dirty heart, with all these tactics, one after another, I was wondering why Little Wang had nothing better to do than bombarding Tesla, turns out he was playing a big game."


    "That dumbass Little Wang, does he even have the brains for this? It must have been Lu Liang''s doing."


    "What Lu Liang? Show some respect, call him Lu God! Who else could harvest Wall Street like this?"


    "Is there an expert here? How much did he make?"


    "Three to five hundred million, perhaps. I''ll ask my uncle in a few days. The net value will be updated on the 25th, and then we should know."


    "Upstairs, rich bro V50."


    "By the way, did those big shots in the car circle know anything?"


    "2333¡« I guess they didn''t know, considering Old Jia posted an angry emoji."


    Online discussions were in full swing, and Lu Liang''s name once again spread throughout the entire internet.


    But unlike before, Lu Liang truly became a Midas touch figure, and no one doubted his abilities anymore.


    After all, buying stocks, shorting yen, or going long on new energy indices could all be attributed to having inside information or just good luck.


    But with this Tesla short, people truly recognized his tactics. Lu Liang was like an ancient strategist, orchestrating from behind the scenes, controlling the situation, winning with weaker forces against the strong, playing Wall Street institutions like they were in the palm of his hand.


    "Damn it, how dare they say I have no brains, it was my idea in the first place."


    Wang Xiaocong was filled with righteous indignation and very angry, knowing that it was he who proposed the plan, with Lu Liang merely executing it.


    "Just say it then, but I guess you''d be ridiculed for trying to claim too much credit for yourself."


    Meng Changkun smiled and brewed tea, knowing as an insider that Little Wang suggested it, but doubting anyone would believe it.


    Including himself¡ªhe also doubted Little Wang had the brains for it, attributing it to chance, even though as a Chaoshan person, he didn''t eat dumplings during the New Year.


    Wang Xiaocong was resentfully silenced and ended up just sighing deeply, drinking his tea alone.


    Meng Changkun couldn''t help but chuckle, handing a cup of tea to Lu Liang: "Feels pretty good, doesn''t it?"


    In life, it all comes down to fame and wealth. Most of those who say they don''t care are just those without the means.


    He always believed that both men and women have vanity, it''s just the depth that varies.


    Now, with the pervasive online praises, Lu Liang was being hailed as a god of wealth, a deity of finance.


    Even the sages of old would feel secretly thrilled by such acclaim, after all, imparting knowledge and solving doubts was also for the sake of eternal fame.


    "It does feel quite good."


    Lu Liang had a smile on his lips, not hiding it, and taking a sip of tea, he said, "But too much of it is not good, contact Weibo to shift the topic."


    He''s not a celebrity who needs constant exposure. A moderate amount of fame is just fine, too much can breed envy.


    After all, to put it nicely, he''s a businessman, to put it bluntly, he''s a capitalist who doesn''t create value.


    If he''s always in the public eye, constantly showing off how much money he''s made, it''s probably not good for young people''s motivation to strive.


    Meng Changkun nodded in agreement, also believing in this approach: "I''ll take care of it, we''ll see which lucky person gets picked to take the heat."


    Deflecting the topic with a cold treatment was too harsh, the best way was to bring someone else into the limelight to shift the focus.


    Obviously, the candidates would be randomly selected from the entertainment industry¡ªgiven celebrities'' fame and the messy nature of their industry, they were natural bullet shields.


    Lu Liang turned to Wang Xiaocong: "I have to stop by Good Dream Production later, do you want to come with me?"


    Wu Tianzheng informed him that Crown Princess Consort had wrapped up filming and asked if he had time to take a look while discussing the platforms for release.


    "Let''s go!" Wang Xiaocong suddenly brightened up, having his sights set on the rights.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, seeing right through his thoughts: "I''ve got a meeting with Li Ni from station B later."


    "My dear Liang, you''re also part of Panda Interactive Entertainment," Wang Xiaocong said resentfully.


    "Does Panda have money?" Lu Liang retorted.


    "They still have over thirty million."


    "Not enough." Lu Liang shook his head.


    Wang Xiaocong''s eyes suddenly widened: "For an online series that cost over five million to produce, how much do you want to sell it for?"


    Xia Luo''s production cost was just twenty million, and look at it now¡ªit made a billion at the box office, right?


    Liang remembered that Zhang Chen seemed to have contacted him a few days ago, suggesting they capitalize on the momentum and launch another film project.


    Wang Xiaocong wore a look of disbelief, "You can''t possibly think this crappy drama could become a surprise hit in ratings?"


    "It''s not like it costs much, let''s just gamble on it."


    Liang''s lips curved up in a smile. Station B had just completed financing and there was still two hundred million dollars lying in their account¡ªit should be able to rake in quite a bit.


    He couldn''t be bothered with Wang Xiaocong, leaving the office and gesturing for his cousin to follow as they set off for Good Dream Production.


    "Wait for me," called out Wang Xiaocong.


    Station B was gradually moving beyond the anime niche and developing towards his dream of Panda, namely live streaming, video playback, original dramas, self-media, and merchandise.


    He wanted to see what a growing Panda would look like and, by the way, see how Liang dug pits for people.


    Good to study and learn, just in case.


    As the two set out, seven or eight people stood at the entrance of the Good Dream Production film company building.


    There was not only General Manager Wu Tianzheng but also the entire creative team behind Crown Princess Consort.


    "Is Mr. Lu coming? What does he look like?" Zhang Tian''ai couldn''t contain her excitement, bombarding them with questions like a curious child.


    Even though Liang''s fame was substantial, few people knew what he looked like or how old he was, since he had never given an interview or appeared in public. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There were plenty of supposed photos of him online, but the most reliable was a photo taken in dim lighting, capturing half of Liang''s face as he drank with Wang Xiaocong.


    Besides that, there were none.


    A man who played Wall Street institutions like fiddles in the financial market and whose name was still trending in the hot searches.


    It could be said that everyone was curious about him, especially since he was their financial backer.


    "Stop asking. When Mr. Lu arrives, you''ll know. Be careful what you say," Lv Jiji said, distracted.


    He had been busy filming lately and had only just heard the news about Xia Luo''s Worry, another film funded by Liang.


    According to Wu Tianzheng, Crown Princess Consort was Liang''s second film investment, which suddenly made him feel a lot of pressure¡ªif the web series flopped, it would tarnish Liang''s reputation.


    What if Liang held a grudge against him?


    Those with various thoughts in mind finally saw a black Bentley roll up after waiting for over ten minutes.


    Wu Tianzheng''s face broke into a broad smile as he rushed up to open the car door, "Mr. Lu, you''ve arrived, and Mr. Wang, you''re here too."


    Aside from the screenwriter and director, the three lead actors were meeting Liang for the first time, and they exchanged surprised glances.


    They were shocked by how young Liang was¡ªif he wasn''t reverse aging, then he looked to be around the same age as Wang Xiaocong, who was only 27 this year; Liang couldn''t be more than 30.


    It was hard to imagine that this internationally renowned financial and venture capital magnate could be so young, and even somewhat handsome.


    After all, the internet rumors said he was at least in his forties.


    "Come say hello. Why are you all just standing there not speaking?"


    Wu Tianzheng frowned, scolded them, then immediately broke into a smile, "Mr. Lu, please don''t mind them, they''ve always said they admire you greatly, they''re just too excited to react properly."


    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Wang, hello."


    Coming back to their senses, the actors bowed hurriedly to greet them.


    Liang''s lips curled up in a smile, his face showing amusement, "Zhang Tian''ai, Shen Lun, Xie Menglong, right? I''ve seen your acting, not bad."


    Upon hearing this, the actors flushed excitedly, as if greatly encouraged, "Thank you, Mr. Lu, we''ll continue to work hard."


    A hint of disdain flickered in Wang Xiaocong''s eyes that was hard to catch. If he hadn''t seen Liang flipping through information before they came, he might have believed him.


    He guessed Liang probably only recognized Zhang Tian''ai, the beauty, and had just learned of the other two men¡ªeven if he had seen the web series, he probably wouldn''t remember their names.


    After all, who bothers to remember guys'' names?


    He certainly wouldn''t.


    Following Wu Tianzheng to the office upstairs, Liang inquired, "When is B Station''s Li Ni arriving?"


    Wu Tianzheng glanced at his watch, replying, "We scheduled for three o''clock, so Mr. Li should be almost here."


    No sooner had he finished speaking than a group of people, led by a woman in her forties, inquired from outside the door, "Hello, is this Good Dream Production?"


    Wu Tianzheng quickly gestured, stepping out of the office with a beaming smile, "Mr. Li, welcome, please forgive us for not meeting you further out."


    "Hello, Mr. Wu."


    Li Ni smiled, looking towards the general manager''s office.


    She knew the son of the richest man, so the man beside him must be Lu Liang; bypassing Wu Tianzheng, she briskly came forward with a warm handshake, "Mr. Lu, hello, I''m Li Ni."


    As COO and CFO of B Station, her authority was second only to CEO Chen Rui. Buying films was a minor matter that she would usually not care about, much less appear in person at a production company for a screening; this was all due to Liang''s invitation.


    B Station was seeking a transformation and in dire need of money, still lacking funds even after financing, while Liang was very wealthy.


    So this time she came not only as the representative of the company purchasing the rights but also to seek investment on behalf of her company.

 Chapter 127 - 127: Ask for the Moon, Settle with What You Have

    "Mr. Li, shall we take a look at the web series first?"


    Lu Liang showed a smiling expression, exchanged a few simple pleasantries, then waved over Wu Tianzheng to lead them to the screening room.


    His purpose today was to help sell the broadcasting rights for the web series; other matters were secondary, to be dealt with later.


    "Sure," Li Ni nodded, her smile gradually fading as she followed the group to the screening room. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before coming, she had gone over the project proposal and had to admit that it matched Bilibili''s core style extremely well.


    Although her main goal was to meet with Lu Liang, she also entertained the idea of acquiring the web series.


    After watching the first few episodes, even though it was Lu Liang''s second time, he couldn''t help but laugh out loud when the pantomime comedy came on.


    Li Ni bit her lip, pinched her thigh, and eventually couldn''t hold back her laughter, which solidified her thoughts even further.


    An hour later, as they exited the screening room, she asked, "Mr. Lu, I heard that you fully funded this web series?"


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "No need to go by hearsay, it''s true."


    "Admirable," Li Ni remarked with a complex expression, genuinely impressed.


    This web series and its post-launch marketing strategies were destined to be profitable.


    In the end, notoriety still counted for something. While it was certain they would not lose money, the potential to earn depended significantly on how well the market received it.


    Li Ni pondered for a long while, then inquired, "Mr. Lu, what do you think about six hundred thousand per episode?"


    Although it was funny and quite outrageous, the current market was dominated by mystery web series.


    Even if the production cost was fifteen million, she believed there was fluff to trim, requiring a fifty percent reduction.


    With thirty-five episodes in total, she intended to buy the exclusive premiering rights and the copyright for the next three years at six hundred thousand per episode.


    With profits over 200%, Lu Liang should be satisfied.


    Wang Xiaocong''s eyes widened; he knew that Lu Liang invested just over three million, and selling for twenty-one million wasn''t merely a 200% profit, but 600%.


    However, to his surprise, Lu Liang was not yet satisfied.


    Lu Liang smiled nonchalantly, "Mr. Li, you are so sincere it would be rude to refuse."


    He had Wen Chao investigate the web series market. It was challenging for a ''three no''s'' (no stars, no director, no scriptwriter) web series to sell for over half a million per episode. The fact that Li Ni was willing to offer six hundred thousand per episode showed her extreme sincerity.


    But given the final viewership of 2.4 million, selling the series for twenty-one million would be like selling it cheap; he might as well give it to Panda to at least improve Panda''s metrics, which would help with raising more money in the next funding round.


    Lu Liang paused, then said, "However, I feel like it isn''t exactly proper for Bilibili to bear the risks alone."


    "Mr. Lu, what better ideas do you have?"


    Li Ni sighed inwardly; she really wanted to say that they wouldn''t mind losing money and for him not to feel embarrassed or think it improper.


    But she knew this was just an excuse for Lu Liang not being satisfied with the price.


    "I''ll let you broadcast it for free, and let''s leave the price per episode to market forces. If the viewership and membership growth aren''t satisfactory, Bilibili won''t need to bear any unnecessary losses."


    Lu Liang was all smiles, generously suggesting that if the web series tanked in viewership, he would just give it to Bilibili for free.


    Li Ni frowned deeply, pondering for a moment and quickly grasping Lu Liang''s intentions, "Mr. Lu, would it be exclusive broadcasting rights?"


    Goods offered to three vendors go to the highest bidder.


    Indeed, someone from venture capital would be cranking the numbers shrewdly.


    If the web series entered the market with lukewarm reactions, then everyone would be happy.


    On the contrary, if it garnered a heated response, then multiple platforms would compete for the broadcasting rights.


    "It could be exclusive, or it could be non-exclusive; both could be discussed slowly."


    Lu Liang smiled, not at all embarrassed by his intentions being seen through.


    After all, negotiating business is much like buying a house, with sky-high asking prices followed by realistic payments.


    You take a step back, I take a step back, until we reach a condition acceptable to both parties.


    "Exclusive rights, how should we discuss that?"


    Li Ni didn''t want to compete in follow-up auctions, so it was worth even paying a bit extra now.


    "Our final metric will be based on the total viewership at the end and the number of new members compared year over year."


    Lu Liang pondered and proposed a tiered gambling agreement, with the final metric being one billion views and ten thousand new members.


    If those conditions weren''t met, the web drama would be given away for free, and he wouldn''t take a penny, including the royalties.


    If the requirements were met, the starting point would be one hundred thousand per episode, with two hundred million views and twenty thousand new members doubling to two hundred thousand per episode.


    Four hundred million views, forty thousand new members would mean four hundred thousand per episode, doubling each time, and so on.


    Li Ni pondered, "I have no objections to the viewership, but we need to adjust the new members metric, and there needs to be a floor."


    With thirty-five episodes and one billion views, each episode needed an average viewership of 2.86 million, enough to compete with second-tier web dramas.


    As long as viewership didn''t exceed eight billion and the price per episode reached eight hundred thousand, they generally wouldn''t lose too much.


    It was the number of new members that was too low; she wanted to increase the baseline to fifty thousand, given that memberships were more important than viewership.


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Mr. Li, you have so much confidence in this web drama that you want a cap?"


    Li Ni chuckled bitterly and couldn''t help but sigh, "Mr. Lu, my confidence isn''t in the web drama; it''s in you."


    When nobody inquired about selling a house for ten years, suddenly with fame, everyone knows.


    In just over half a year, Lu Liang went from rags to riches, amassing a fortune in the hundreds of millions.


    If there was no cap, she feared that the platform B might change hands because of a single web drama.


    Lu Liang laughed, "Then let''s set the cap at three point two million per episode, but let''s lower the membership to thirty thousand."


    He felt that 3.2 billion views and 1.6 million new members were highly unlikely, but 1.6 billion views and 480,000 new members were worth a shot.


    And 1.6 million per episode could still bring in a tidy profit of over fifty million.


    Li Ni furrowed her brows, hesitating for a long time before agreeing, "Alright."


    Since Lu Liang had given ground, she had to compromise as well, and they finalized based on one hundred million views and thirty thousand new members.


    As she was the COO and Lu Liang the sole investor, once they reached an agreement, the rest would be delegated to their subordinates.


    Lu Liang, learning that tonight was the wrap party for "Crown Princess Consort," casually asked, "Mr. Li, how about joining me for a simple meal?"


    Li Ni smiled and tactfully declined, "Mr. Lu, I have work matters to attend to, maybe next time."


    If it were just dining with Lu Liang and Wang Xiaocong, she would be interested; but with too many superfluous guests, she preferred not to join the hubbub.


    "Then Mr. Wu can escort Mr. Li."


    Lu Liang didn''t press and called over Wu Tianzheng to convey the results of their negotiation, entrusting them to hammer out the details.


    Since Good Dream Production was responsible for early preparations and later promotions, he generously offered a 10% profit share.


    After all, Lu Liang had only put in money and hadn''t managed anything else; he couldn''t expect Wu Tianzheng to work for free.


    Though friends, it wouldn''t do to take advantage of him.


    "The web drama''s premiere rights have been sold; let''s meet at Jiangpan Restaurant later, my treat."


    Lu Liang was in high spirits, so he decided to pay out of his own pocket to treat the drama''s creative team to a high-end restaurant in Modu.


    He shared a car with Little Wang and Wu Tianzheng, where Wu Tianzheng, grinning from ear to ear, said, "Mr. Lu, young Zhang really admires you."


    What he implied was clear: if Lu Liang had his sights set on Zhang Tian''ai, Wu Tianzheng could lend a hand with matchmaking.


    Lu Liang looked displeased and said seriously, "Old Wu, can you stop acting like a pimp?"


    "Phony." Being in the same business, Wang Xiaocong had no restraint and expressed his contempt for Lu Liang outright.


    After all, he had just seen the way Lu Liang looked at Zhang Tian''ai¡ªit was nothing but admiration.


    Such a glance could also be interpreted as lecherous.


    The message of a man''s feelings had been delivered; now it was to see if the woman was interested and whether the young lady wanted to progress further.


    Lu Liang''s gaze turned unfriendly, "Little Wang, familiarity aside, if you speak out of turn, I''ll sue you for defamation just the same."


    "Heh¡ª" Wang Xiaocong scoffed coldly.

 Chapter 128 - 128: Opportunity is Reserved for Those Who Are Prepared

    Lu Liang was the main force behind short-selling Tesla, creating diversions and rescuing situations, playing Wall Street institutions like they were in the palm of his hand.


    After fermenting for half a day, the news had already spread worldwide, and domestic public opinion was bound to reach boiling point by nightfall.


    However, a sudden flurry of news swept the net. Wang Banbi released his eleventh creative music album.


    Just minutes after the good news was announced, another report came out: the police in Chaoyang received reports from the public and arrested several drug users in their jurisdiction.


    This piece of social news was neither big nor small, and in theory, didn''t even qualify for the local legal program on TV.


    But famous paparazzo Wei forwarded the message, "Ah, the main cast of ''Prison Tempest 4'' has added a few more generals."


    As everyone knew, there were only three parts to the ''Prison Tempest'' series; the legendary fourth part was entirely performed by stars and artists who had been caught in the past two years, experiencing the law firsthand.


    When Wei said this,


    It meant that some stars had become legal celebrities.


    Fans everywhere felt at risk, fearing their own houses would collapse, and the spectators eagerly guessed who it might be.


    Public opinion didn''t need to be guided by pity; it started with the ''Guess the star'' game, to the ace intelligence operation by the people of Chaoyang, and then to Wang Banbi being unlucky. As long as there was hope to hit the headlines, the entertainment industry would always quake.


    Various rumors flew everywhere online, overwhelming the spectators, and gradually, no one inquired about Lu Liang and his minor business affairs.


    Wang Xiaocong marveled, holding back his impulse to join the gossip: "Old Meng, that must have cost quite some money."


    He was still not in a position to comment publicly, as his lawsuit against Tesla was not long past, and joining the gossip could easily turn the fire back on Lu Liang.


    "Not much, just a few million."


    Lu Liang smiled dismissively, suggesting the entertainment industry was teeming with snakes and rats, and digging up dirt was hardly costly.


    The bulk of the money went to platforms and middlemen, with only a fraction eventually reaching the celebrities'' agencies.


    Artists with blemishes couldn''t go far, and if they couldn''t make money for the company, they would end up being used as scapegoats and sold.


    This allowed the agency to profit from both ends, earning a break-up fee from the artist and receipt of the expos¨¦ fee from the contractor.


    There weren''t that many altruistic people, maybe some bad luck ones, but usually, they were victims of competition or mere scapegoats.


    "I see that girl seems quite eager to advance?" Wang Xiaocong hinted quietly, gesturing for Lu Liang to look towards the front left.


    Zhang Tian''ai held a wine glass, seemingly observing when they would finish talking to find an appropriate moment to offer a toast.


    Lu Liang looked up, their eyes met, and he nodded slightly, showing a friendly smile.


    Zhang Tian''ai joyously approached, bending gracefully and closing the distance to stand before Lu Liang, holding her glass with both hands, her posture very humble, "Mr. Lu, thank you for investing in this drama, giving me the opportunity to play a role."


    "I didn''t interfere much with the casting. You secured this role through your own efforts."


    Lu Liang smiled slightly, meaningfully, "Opportunities are for those who are prepared, and you were ready. Just as the drama needed a female lead, the role naturally became yours."


    "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Lu. I toast to you, may you have abundant fortune and may all your wishes come true," Zhang Tian''ai said playfully, twinkling her animated eyes and downing her glass in one gulp.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly, sipping his drink.


    To divert attention from the others, Wu Tianzheng, clever as he was, clapped with glee and praised, "Great tolerance for alcohol."


    Zhang Tian''ai gave a shy smile and returned to her seat.


    Wang Xiaocong, smiling through his eyes, asked quietly, "What about it? Didn''t you say it wasn''t interesting? Why the change of heart?"


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, his expression unchanged, "Young people are too eager for progress, we should give them more opportunities."


    "Damn, you''ve said it all."


    Wang Xiaocong scowled, drained his glass, stood up, and patted Lu Liang''s shoulder, "I''m off to find my own fun."


    Wu Tianzheng was shrewd, seeing the situation, he called to everyone except Zhang Tian''ai, "Let''s go see Mr. Wang off."


    "Mr. Wang, allow us to escort you."


    The screenwriter and director smiled upward, rising from their seats, only the male lead of the web drama frowning tightly.


    Without making a sound, just before leaving the box, he gently kicked Zhang Tian''ai''s chair.


    He had developed feelings for this lively girl through the drama, and he couldn''t bear to see her fall into decline.


    Zhang Tian''ai remained unmoved, focusing on picking dishes.


    Opportunities are for the prepared, relying on years of experience climbing up from the bottom, she had become the female lead of the web drama.


    This time, she was lucky and well-prepared, and naturally became the leading actress in the web series due to her acting skills.


    But next time?


    And the time after that?


    A senior once told her that extras who aspire to be famous actors are plentiful, but even after decades of honing their craft, they often leave the industry with disappointment.


    Grassroots stories of conquering the market with acting skills exist, but they are one in a million, and most of them are male.


    Female stars are even rarer, and she didn''t want to rely on ephemeral luck or wait for ephemeral opportunities.


    "Come for a walk with me outside."


    Lu Liang smiled, picked up a hot towel to wipe his mouth, and got up to leave the private room.


    He knew those people wouldn''t be coming back.


    Zhang Tian''ai hastened her steps and hugged Lu Liang''s arm, smiling, "Mr. Lu, watch your step, be careful of the stairs."


    The two left Jiangpan Restaurant and strolled along Pujiang, walking more than two hundred meters quite naturally to Jiangjing Hotel.


    With the man willing and the lady eager, there was no need for roundabout ways, Lu Liang booked a luxurious suite.


    Entering the room, Zhang Tian''ai''s cheeks were flushed, but she took the initiative to help Lu Liang remove his coat and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Lu, let''s shower first."


    "Not in a hurry," Lu Liang sat on the sofa, legs crossed, watching with interest Zhang Tian''ai''s striptease.


    He always felt that women undressing had a particular charm and allure, provided it was done slowly and gracefully.


    Just like peeling a boiled egg,


    bit by bit,


    it''s very stress-relieving and healing.


    Sensing Lu Liang''s gaze, Zhang Tian''ai blushed shyly, deliberately slowing her movements and becoming more graceful.


    She slowly unfastened the little belt around her waist and the button and zipper, letting the loose jeans fall naturally.


    Her waistline was perfect, and her long thin legs had a proportionate waist-to-leg ratio, presenting a softly graceful figure.


    Her coat also gradually fell, revealing a pure cotton white tank top that displayed her beautifully slender swan neck.


    Lu Liang stepped forward, encircling her ''ant waist'' that seemed to be a handful, estimating that three hands could wrap around it.


    He shook his head with a smile, stopping Zhang Tian''ai''s next move, suddenly wanting to play something different like a wet clothing tease.


    In the bathroom, steam was hazy, the damp tank top hinted at a concealed landscape, far more captivating than nudity.


    ¡­


    Zhang Tian''ai was a hardworking girl; she knew her family background was ordinary and she wasn''t a graduate of prestigious academies.


    She wasn''t particularly talented in acting, singing, or dancing, telling herself repeatedly that she must work extra hard. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve always felt very lucky¡­"


    Zhang Tian''ai spoke softly, sharing her past with Lu Liang, while also subtly indicating that she didn''t expect immediate resources and didn''t need him to care, but hoped that Lu Liang would remember her when appropriate and necessary.


    "Little Love, you''re a very clever girl," Lu Liang''s lips curved upwards, filled with emotion, softly caressing her soft hair.


    He thought of Wen Shanshan, who was desperate for resources; their relationship resembled a straightforward transaction.


    So, he didn''t force her to act in ''Crown Princess Consort,'' a drama destined to be a hit, but allowed her to choose for herself and then dismissed her.


    Zhang Tian''ai was wiser, understanding the value of perseverance, and trusting Lu Liang''s judgment, and even let him make the decision.


    "Mr. Lu, I might be foolish, but I believe what you say makes sense, opportunities are for those who are prepared."


    Zhang Tian''ai was earnest, her idea of preparation involving time to accumulate, then to burst forth with thin effort.


    Skill in acting is like that, so is building relationships; direct transactions can turn one into a mere commodity.


    "You already being aware of this makes you smarter than most people," Lu Liang couldn''t help but grin, a girl so sweet, understanding, and ambitious was hard not to love.


    He stroked Zhang Tian''ai''s earlobe, whispering softly, "If you ever like a boy, remember to tell me; I''ll help you screen him to prevent any deception."


    Zhang Tian''ai was silent for a while, softly hmm''d, shrinking her head under the covers, rustling sounds followed.


    This concern also served as a reminder; their relationship should remain as it is, without unrealistic expectations.


    She might meet boys as a single woman, but once a romantic relationship is confirmed, their arrangement would automatically end.

 Chapter 129 - 129: Musical.ly

    The next day, the hot search terms no longer featured Lu Liang''s presence; instead, names like Song, Zhang, and Li topped the list.


    The entertainment industry kept churning out explosive news. It had only been one night, but betting against Tesla seemed like last century''s news.


    Approaching noon, Lu Liang finally sauntered into the company, perusing the short video startup proposals selected by Wen Chao.


    Although he wasn''t clear on Lu Liang''s investment preferences, he could still assess how complete a proposal was. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Those impulsive ideas, coming from founders who couldn''t even clarify their own equity shares, were immediately filtered out by him.


    "Musical.ly?"


    Lu Liang saw a proposal from Yang Zhenyuan, the Deputy Director of Search Architecture at ByteDance.


    The proposer plainly stated this was a product that borrowed from the music short video social app Musical.ly and aimed to localize it.


    Users could quickly create 15-second MVs by pairing their own filmed videos with music from the music library or choose popular trending songs to produce music videos through lip-syncing and body movements.


    Having carefully read the proposal, Lu Liang picked up the desk phone and dialed: "Secretary Wen, get the information on Musical.ly."


    "Douyin, record the beauty of life."


    That phrase resonated deeply with him.


    The once vague concept in his mind suddenly seemed to take a tangible shape.


    While waiting for Wen Chao to gather information on the company, Lu Liang also switched regions and downloaded the app from the Apple Store.


    Blondes and brunettes with blue eyes, shaking their chests and hips, were edging the boundaries, paired with appropriate BGM tunes.


    Fifteen-second short videos flashed by, one after another, getting more addictive with each view.


    "The system algorithms don''t seem all that great."


    Lu Liang had been trying hard to like and show his appreciation for the sweetheart content from the United States, but the platform''s big data algorithms seemed to forget, and black men and women kept popping up.


    "Ethiopian women are this attractive?"


    While scrolling, Lu Liang suddenly realized that he didn''t dislike African Americans; it was just those with thick lips and flat noses he wasn''t fond of.


    Ethiopian girls looked good¡ªthey bore a resemblance to Eurasians with dark skin, and they exuded an exotic charm.


    "Old Meng once said black girls have particularly smooth skin? I wonder if that''s true or not?" Lu Liang thought while stroking his chin.


    Two hours later, Wen Chao knocked and entered, presenting a simple investigative report on Musical.ly.


    The app had launched in the North American market in April of the previous year and had quickly gained popularity among North American teenagers.


    The average daily active users had surpassed 4 million last quarter, and in early August, they had raised 14 million US Dollars. In that round of funding, the valuation had reached 70 million US Dollars.


    "What about the profit model?" asked Lu Liang.


    Wen Chao answered, "Mr. Lu, such apps primarily rely on advertising for profit. According to Musical.ly, they expect a loss of 5.4 million US Dollars every quarter."


    "Are they still exploring ways to profit?"


    Lu Liang thought for a long time before deciding to meet with Yang Zhenyuan in person to chat and hear his opinions.


    Upon receiving Wen Chao''s call, Yang Zhenyuan arrived from Beijing to Modu that afternoon, reaching the New International Building.


    Lu Liang invited Yang Zhenyuan to the reception room, "Mr. Yang, I''d like to hear your future plan for Douyin."


    Yang Zhen, 38 years old, looked like any other ordinary engineer amongst the masses¡ªnothing about him stood out.


    But Lu Liang didn''t judge him by his appearance because he had reviewed Yang Zhenyuan''s profile and knew him to be a man of extreme decisiveness.


    Ofo had its financing round in late August.


    At that time, Lu Liang had made a trip to Beijing to visit ByteDance and perhaps also fish for opportunities.


    Three days after his visit, Yang Zhenyuan submitted his resignation to Byte, and by mid-September, he had officially left.


    Just one day later, he established Douyin Limited Company and had since been preparing his startup proposal.


    "Traffic is king; in the future, Douyin could be Meituan, could be Taobao, or even WeChat."


    Yang Zhenyuan was extremely confident when he suddenly asked, "Mr. Lu, have you ever noticed the trends in the evolution of entertainment?"


    Lu Liang shook his head, "I haven''t paid much attention to that. I''d love to hear more about it."


    Yang Zhenyuan said, "Initially, because network data was expensive, people could only use text to communicate. With the rise of 3G technology, text turned into images, like the meme community Neihan Duanzi. It emerged at that time as a combination of text and image-based entertainment."


    "Since the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued 4G licenses last year, a large number of 4G phones have emerged this year. Data isn''t as expensive as before, and entertainment isn''t restricted to images anymore. Thus, Kuai Shou, a short video platform, was born."


    "Last quarter, Kuai Shou had 20 million daily active users, but it has a fatal weakness: a strong regional barrier."


    "Even though it sits at the top of the short video industry, its installation rate in the southern market doesn''t even reach 5% of the mobile phone market."


    "At present, the short video app market in the south is still a blank space, and I firmly believe that Douyin can fill this gap."


    Yang Zhenyuan spoke incessantly; he had worked as a search structure engineer at Baidu and ByteDance, respectively.


    The idea of starting a business had always been there, but he had been hesitant to make up his mind until that day Lu Liang visited ByteDance.


    Learning how highly Lu valued the short video application market, the heart that had been silent for so many years started beating again.


    In that moment, Yang Zhenyuan''s passion for entrepreneurship surged to unprecedented levels, as if there was music dancing in his mind.


    He was distracted all day.


    By chance, he glanced at,


    a research report on Musical.ly.


    Dancing, shaking, music, sound jump?


    Douyin!


    When he thought of this name, Yang Zhenyuan suddenly became obsessed; an instant vision of the brand logo materialized.


    Therefore, he decided to resign. Even though Zhang Yiming kept trying to talk to him, it couldn''t change his determination to start a business.


    With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Lu Liang asked, "Mr. Yang, didn''t Mr. Zhang express any desire to support your idea?"


    Yang Zhenyuan nodded, "But I''ve already left ByteDance."


    Zhang Yiming had indeed mentioned wanting to invest in Douyin, but Yang didn''t want Douyin, still in its infancy, to be labeled as a ByteDance product.


    He hoped to receive venture capital investment, and it just so happened that Lu Liang had an excellent reputation; to date, there was no talk of him meddling in company operations.


    Ofo, Mobike, Panda, and even Xia Luo, it was said, were all about investing money and overseeing the flow of funds, without interfering in anything else.


    One could say he was the dream angel investor for countless entrepreneurs¡ªa true angel and investor.


    Lu Liang smiled lightly, looking at the equity distribution plan. The registered capital was 5 million, with Yang Zhenyuan contributing 2 million, Zhou Xiaoyan contributing 1 million, and a funding gap of 2 million remaining.


    Seeing Lu''s puzzled look, Yang Zhenyuan explained, "Mr. Lu, Zhou Xiaoyan is my wife. She won''t hold any position; she''s just helping me to hold some equity."


    The more formal the enterprise, the more it avoids mixing personal affairs with public business. Having a husband-and-wife team is a big taboo.


    He had worked at Baidu for eight years and at ByteDance for three years, you could say he witnessed the development of the internet in China.


    He had achieved financial independence a long time ago. He offered Lu Liang a 40% share because he hoped to gain his support.


    After all, his personal assets, even including fixed assets like his house and car, totaled at most 40 million.


    When the company develops to a certain scale, it must introduce other capital institutions such as Redwood, Ali, Tencent, and Goldman Sachs.


    Some are amenable, like Tencent''s investment, which is mostly a hands-off approach, but others are more assertive, like Ali''s investment, which wants to control everything.


    Yang Zhenyuan needed someone who could balance them out. Tianxing Investment was his best choice, even though its scale wasn''t even comparable to a single hair of these two giants.


    But Tianxing had Lu Liang, as well as Tianxing Assets. But Tencent and Ali might not have such leverage.


    With the rise and fall, there was still some strength to compete.


    Lu Liang pondered, gradually revealing a smile, "Mr. Yang, I look forward to the day when Douyin implements its grand blueprint."


    Even without a sound prediction, he had decided to invest, because Yang Zhenyuan''s venture was all because of him.


    Past events had proven that the more he interfered, the further things deviated. Douyin was a company that came out of nowhere; it could flop, or it could become a unicorn.


    2 million was invested,


    Lu didn''t want a repeat of Mobike''s fundraising stories¡ªa company with great potential.


    But due to a lack of strength at the time, Mobike could only follow behind Redwood, picking up the scraps.

 Chapter 130 - 130: The Era Made Them

    Evening fell, and Yang Zhenyuan left with two million dollars, leaving behind a 40% stake in Douyin.


    Lu Liang didn''t leave the office but went to the trading floor and glanced at the current stock price of Tesla: 211 US dollars.


    The fervent mood of the market had subsided, without the fierce fluctuations of the previous days, and the overall trend was steadily upward.


    At present, he held a total of 652,000 shares of Tesla, with a cost price of 153.52 US dollars, yielding a profit of 37.47 million US dollars.


    There was 68.52 million US dollars of available funds in his account. Within a week, he should reach the target of a 90% position.


    Lu Liang was in his office, playing Fantasy indifferently, watching Panda''s live stream as he waited for the midnight chimes.


    Suddenly, he heard Little Wang''s voice through the headphones, "Are you playing with the snake? Baby teaming with a wild one? Isn''t that the same as throwing money in the water?"


    Lu Liang was slightly distracted, too lazy to bother with Little Wang. He took off the headphones and threw them aside, recording the information he had just heard.


    [On November 10, 2017, Toutiao acquired Musical.ly for one billion dollars, merging with Douyin.]


    This message revealed at least three pieces of information.


    The emergence of Douyin was inevitable.


    But in another world, it belonged to Toutiao, and Toutiao belonged to ByteDance.


    Two years later, the valuation would far exceed one billion dollars; otherwise, Toutiao would not acquire Musical.ly and promote the merger of the official and the pirated versions.


    "Is this thing really worth that much?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but mutter, feeling a bit guilty as if he might have killed a unicorn.


    After all, a Douyin that didn''t belong to Byte or Zhang Yiming, could it still become a gigantic entity?


    Without Zhang Yiming''s five entrepreneurial experiences and ByteDance''s technical team support, whether it could still become an entity that spent one billion dollars to acquire Musical.ly was unknown.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time, couldn''t figure it out, and simply gave up thinking. Even the guilt that had just arisen dissolved like smoke.


    There''s a saying: without Ma Yun, there''s still Zhang Yun, Zhao Yun¡ªsome products, some people are meant to be born in their times.


    It''s the era that made them,


    Not them making the era.


    Byte would definitely enter the short video field in the future, and perhaps because Yang Zhenyuan went solo, that would even happen sooner.


    Whether Yang Zhenyuan''s Douyin could compete with ByteDance''s ''Douyin'' depended on his own luck.


    Lu Liang would just silently cheer for him and at the right time, contribute some appropriate funds.


    If it wasn''t right, he''d bail and even facilitate the merger of pirated versions, then acquire the official one.


    Having thought it through, Lu Liang felt cheerful. Back at his computer, he put on his headphones and heard Little Wang cursing, "You can''t be so hasty, so many people are watching."


    Lu Liang''s face darkened, speaking in a displeased tone, "I''m hungry, bring some late-night snacks to treat me."


    "Are you my dad or something, ordering a late-night snack is one thing, but to deliver it too?" Little Wang got heated too.


    "So are you coming or not? I heard Zhu Hu is planning to come to Modu." Lu Liang said with a smile.


    The shared bicycle market was developing too fast, with 22 similar companies emerging in two months.


    Bikes of red, yellow, blue, and green filled the first-tier cities, ready to expand to the second and third-tier cities.


    The market was filled with smoke from the competition, and various forces entered the stage one after another¡ªa new round of financing wars was about to begin.


    During his last visit to Beijing, Lu Liang had promised Zhu Hu to sell him shares at a 20% premium during the B-round of financing.


    His recent visit was to discuss just that.


    Little Wang fell silent, suddenly went off-mic, and Lu Liang waited with a smile in his office.


    An hour later, Little Wang appeared at the office door, furious and carrying barbecue.


    "Mr. Wang, thank you for taking the trouble to come over so late." Lu Liang greeted him with a smile, giving him enough respect without being too much.


    Wang Xiaocong glared, his anger subsided by half, but he still didn''t look pleased, "Is Zhu Hu really coming?"


    "Yes, I''ll introduce you when the time comes."


    Lu Liang had barbecue in his left hand and beer in his right, with sentimental music echoing in the office, "Happiness is just like this."


    Wang Xiaocong asked again, "When is Crown Princess Consort going live?"


    "I heard they''re still doing post-production. It should be mid-next month at the earliest, definitely no later than the end of next month."


    Lu Liang didn''t pay much attention; it wasn''t just Crown Princess Consort¡ª even after spending a night with Zhang Tian''ai, he hadn''t cared much.


    Wang Xiaocong looked disdainful, "Everyone says I''m a scumbag, but in my opinion, you''re the real deal, at least I''m genuine with each relationship."


    "You''re still young, if you don''t change your ways soon, you''ll eventually die because of it," Lu Liang kindly reminded.


    Wang Xiaocong sneered, unconvinced, his reputation in the industry was particularly good, his girlfriends were passionate but not clingy.


    "Alas, I just can''t relate to you." Lu Liang called Old Meng, and they ate and drank until dawn.


    ...


    That afternoon, Zhang Chen visited the company.


    The box office for Xia Luo had surpassed 1.1 billion, and media predictions suggested that the final figure could exceed 1.5 billion.


    Although it couldn''t surpass Monster Hunt, Fast and Furious 7, or Avengers 2, it was firmly in the top five for the year''s box office.


    Recently, investors had been waving cash, urging them to quickly start the next film project.


    Suddenly, they were in high demand, any film produced by Mahua would never be short of investment.


    But Zhang Chen still sought out Lu Liang first, hoping he would invest and offer a 30% stake.


    After all, when no one was willing to invest, any investment was welcome, but now that there was no shortage of investors, they wanted investors with money and connections.


    Lu Liang''s connections were solid, something Zhang Chen had already experienced. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Representing Lu Liang, Tang Caide helped them secure an initial 43%, and the theater partners even promised to settle the dividends by February 1st of the next year.


    Generally, box office dividends after a movie ends its run take 3-6 months to arrive, often disbursed in instalments, sometimes taking up to a year to complete.


    Settling dividends by February 1st on schedule was unprecedented, especially since they had applied to extend the screening time.


    This was a firm and cozy leg to cling onto.


    "Mr. Zhang, please have a seat while I take a look."


    Lu Liang reviewed the investment share for Xia Luo, with a marketing and distribution budget of 60 million, they only contributed 6.45 million, with their total investment reaching 11.45 million.


    According to a 43% to 57% ratio, the final share for the production company was 30%, and they had a 25% share of that 30%.


    Assuming a box office of 1.5 billion, and after various deductions, the actual amount received would be over 70 million, a return of investment about six times, which he found satisfactory.


    When Lu Liang saw the next project, he frowned. The dark comedy Donkey Gets Water seemed to be aiming for awards.


    After a moment of contemplation, mainly because the budget was half of Xia Luo''s and 30% was only 3 million.


    Xia Luo had earned them tens of millions, so with a wave of his hand, he agreed to finance the shoot.


    After all, Happy Mahua was new to the film industry, had ambition, and that was understandable; having made money, they now wanted prestige.


    Seeing Lu Liang frown, Zhang Chen''s heart leaped to his throat, but when he heard Lu Liang agree, he breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Mr. Lu, if you''re busy, I''ll take my leave," Zhang Chen exchanged pleasantries before leaving to not bother Lu Liang''s work.


    Just after seeing off Zhang Chen, Lu Liang returned to his office, but before he could settle in, Zhu Hu arrived.


    Zhu Hu looked around the office with interest, "Mr. Lu, this office environment looks better than Golden Sand River."


    "Well, Beijing has no river and isn''t by the sea, that''s how it is with inland cities," Lu Liang responded with a smile. He liked Beijing, but not too much, as the political and cultural atmosphere was too intense.


    As a businessman, you should keep close to the government but stay away from politics; he always left these matters to Little Wang, more precisely, the influence of the Wang family.


    "Ofo is going to raise funds next month," Zhu Hu mused, feeling that it had come too soon.


    They planned to fundraise in January of next year, hoping to push the valuation to one hundred million dollars.


    But then Alipay opened a traffic gateway for ofo, Tencent directly invested in Mobike and opened the WeChat gateway.


    With Double Ma entering the field, a flood of capital poured in, but the capital didn''t want a repeat of the Thousand-Group War tragedy and aimed for a quick resolution.


    All shared bicycle companies were being whipped by capital, like wind-up toys, endlessly expanding.


    In the past two months, the market saw an influx of 3,000 new bikes daily, with the total reaching 450,000.


    Zhu Hu was unclear about other companies'' data, but ofo had deployed 100,000 bikes and had reached the milestone of 700,000 daily uses.


    "The development of internet enterprises really changes with each passing day," Lu Liang exclaimed. He hadn''t paid much attention and ofo had already quintupled in size.


    Zhu Hu spoke softly, "Between 60 to 80 million dollars, that''s probably the valuation for the Series B round."


    "If you need anything, Brother Hu, just say the word, I''m all in," Lu Liang smiled, quite generously.


    Taking the median value of 70 million dollars, after the Series B round, they would still have 16.2% equity, worth 11.34 million dollars.


    With a 20% premium, that was 13.6 million dollars, equivalent to 86.54 million RMB. Investing one million and earning 86 times that, if he wasn''t satisfied, he deserved to be struck by lightning.

 Chapter 131 - 131: Net Worth 3.01

    "Brother, don''t play coy after taking advantage of a good deal."


    Zhu Hu gave a wry smile; although they would earn more, they also had to bear greater risks.


    The further along they got, the harder it became to cash out because everyone''s eyes were bloodshot with the mentality of winner-takes-all, determined to see things through to the bitter end.


    Unlike Lu Liang, who had pocketed his gains early; with his abilities in the financial market, he could make more just by rolling his money a few times than they could by slaving away.


    Lu Liang just smiled and said nothing, then he brought up Panda Interactive Entertainment, after all, he had promised Little Wang to drum up a few more investors for him.


    "Sure, send me an invitation when the time comes," Zhu Hu agreed briskly, not just to give face to Lu Liang.


    Because he suddenly remembered that Tencent seemed to be plotting a big entertainment project, and the market was going to be integrated for a listing eventually.


    Stakes in Panda could also fetch quite a sum of money.


    As they chatted, Zhu Hu''s face took on a strange expression: "What did you do last time you went to Beijing? A few days ago, when I talked to Zhang Yiming about you, he seemed like he wanted to eat you alive."


    "If it''s going to rain, the lady will get married. If a subordinate wants to start a business, it shows the leadership is lacking. What does it have to do with me?" Lu Liang said.


    "Isn''t it quite normal? So why does he hate you so much?" Zhu Hu felt puzzled.


    "Maybe he''s just a little petty."


    "Maybe so."


    Zhu Hu laughed to himself, recalling when Lu Liang visited Golden Sand River; his eyes had lit up upon seeing Kuai Shou''s business proposal.


    ...


    After several uneventful days, the 25th finally arrived, when Tianxing Private Equity would update their net asset value for the second time.


    Lu Liang sat tranquilly as Little Wang became anxious: "It''s only half an hour left, can''t you reveal a little bit ahead of time?"


    Everyone knew Lu Liang had made money, but nobody knew exactly how much. They were all waiting for the net value update.


    "Rules are rules. Look how calm Old Meng is." Lu Liang, still smiling, gestured for him to look at Meng Changkun.


    Old Meng was the picture of composure, holding a teacup, not a drop of tea spilling as he poured.


    Old Meng spoke nonchalantly, "What comes is fate, what goes is karma. Young man, do not be anxious¡ªdrink more tea."


    Wang Xiaocong made a disgusted face: "Ever since he signed up for that spiritual Zen class, his brains have been scrambled. You want me to learn from him?"


    Lu Liang chuckled and continued to examine the earnings report, which was divided into two parts: gains from A-shares and US stocks.


    Heavily invested in BYD, their stock value was RMB 320 million, and they were still buying; the profit was RMB 31.35 million.


    The account had available funds of RMB 193 million, including RMB 50 million loaned to Panda Interactive Entertainment.


    Total assets in RMB were RMB 563 million.


    Heavily invested in Tesla, the stock value was 172 million US dollars, with a current profit of 42.4 million US dollars.


    The account had available funds of 40.81 million US dollars, with total US dollar assets being 212.81 million.


    Total assets in the dual currency were 301 million US dollars, which also represented this month''s net value of 3.01.


    Lu Liang signed the authorization and handed the report to Wen Chao, then turned his head to see Little Wang, separated by a wall, calling Wen Chao.


    "Are you disappointed? It''s not as much as you all imagined."


    Upon learning the net value, Meng Changkun couldn''t contain himself; to hell with that spiritual Zen class, speaking excitedly, he blurted out: "Damn impressive, the net value has risen by 1.17, an increase of 63.6% compared to the previous period."


    Lu Liang sighed, "Ah! Alas, last month we grew by 84%, and this month only by 63.6%."


    "Liang~ Bro~~~ with a capital of one hundred million dollars, earning two hundred million dollars in two months, you''re already pretty awesome."


    After Little Wang finished his call and came back, he managed to restrain the urge to beat up Lu Liang in his excitement and fawned over him with a big, sheepish grin.


    He had subscribed to eight shares, a total of sixteen million dollars, which now turned into forty-eight million dollars. Even after deducting the 20% fund profit management fee, it was still RMB 162 million.


    Meng Changkun was amazed and nearly speechless, feeling that any praise was too pale; he had subscribed to one share less than Little Wang, and after deducting the management fee, he could also earn RMB 142 million.


    But what was more startling to him was Lu Liang''s earnings. He had subscribed to sixteen shares himself, one more than the other two combined.


    In two months, his earnings had reached RMB 325 million, and he also enjoyed 60% of the 20% share of the fund''s profits.


    Currently, the management fee generated was RMB 255 million; in this respect, Lu Liang''s income was another RMB 153 million, totaling RMB 478 million.


    In two months,


    He earned RMB 478 million,


    How much more could he earn after ten months?


    Meng Changkun suddenly became serious, "Liang, if you have any plans, you should start preparing for the second phase of the private equity fund."


    "Right, right, we''ve got to get ready quickly," Little Wang said excitedly, agreeing hastily, still thinking he would have a part in the second phase.


    Meng Changkun gave him a sharp look and explained, "There were too few newcomers in the first phase; they''ll slowly move from regret to envy, and finally to jealousy."


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time and nodded, "Understood, I''ll give it some serious thought."


    Old Meng''s concern wasn''t unfounded. It wasn''t a minority that would destroy what they couldn''t have.


    He wanted to make money without worry, which meant bringing more people in to join them, to form a community of shared interests.


    Meng Changkun looked serious and felt it was time to be honest with Wang Xiaocong, "Xiaocong, we can''t join the second phase."


    Wang Xiaocong''s face changed slightly, showing a hint of anger, "Old Meng, what do you mean by that?"


    Meng Changkun spoke bluntly, "Think about it. Do our efforts deserve such a high return?"


    Wang Xiaocong might be naive, but he couldn''t afford to be, and he believed that Lu Liang was waiting for him to explain to Wang Xiaocong.


    Among the three of them, if one had to play the role of the ''good cop,'' it had to be him, because it was agreed from the start that Lu Liang would stay out of the minutia.


    Wang Xiaocong''s eyebrows furrowed, his anger gradually fading, as if he had never considered this question.


    It seemed like all he did was reject a few phone calls, and amidst laughter, he ended up with 20% of 20%.


    Wang Xiaocong looked at Lu Liang, wondering what his opinion was.


    Lu Liang didn''t avoid his gaze, smiling, "It''s not as serious as Old Meng says. Future subscriptions will still go through you guys."


    What he meant was that the shares would remain the same; they could either subscribe themselves or give them as favors, but there would be no equity dividends.


    He also needed to bring in stronger institutions, and he already had a desired target in mind.


    "Damn, so that''s it. I thought it was something big, scared the hell out of me," Wang Xiaocong suddenly burst into laughter, breaking the increasingly solemn atmosphere.


    "Little Wang, I''m warning you, stop being so disrespectful,"


    Lu Liang and Meng Changkun almost said it in unison.


    The three exchanged smiles, everything unsaid was understood.


    Meanwhile, a new storm was brewing.


    The net worth of Tianxing Private Equity Fund reached 3.01, a 63.6% increase over the same period, and the news spread widely within the circle.


    Those in the know marveled; two hundred million dollars earned in two months, with the short-selling of Tesla probably netting 117 million dollars.


    On a stock with a market value of just under twenty billion, making 117 million by short-selling was like brutally carving flesh from Wall Street.


    For years, they had either harvested each other or joined forces to harvest outsiders; this was the first time someone took food from their plate.


    Such welcome news, promoting our national pride and uplifting people''s spirits, was eagerly shared among industry insiders.


    It spread from one to ten, then ten to a hundred, and gradually went viral.


    Lu Liang, who had been forgotten due to the addition of a new starring role in "Prison Storm 4," once again caught the public''s eye.


    This time was different from before; last time, netizens only knew Lu Liang shorted the stock but didn''t know how much he had made.


    But this time, specific profits were leaked, amounting to an astonishing 117 million US dollars, approximately 744 million RMB.


    "I''m feeling dizzy."


    "How many zeroes is that?"


    "He made that much in one month?"


    "Any experts around? I''ve got some spare cash." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Take me with you; I want to make money too."


    There was a frenzy of subscriptions across the internet, but no one knew how to do it; ultimately, it all headed to Lu Liang''s Weibo.


    "Lu God, take me to the skies~~"


    The news received nearly a million likes.


    On the other side of the ocean, in the middle of the night,


    Wilson''s face was as dark as still waters, a watch worth fifty thousand dollars was hurled to the ground with force.


    He initially thought Lu Liang had made just a few million, at most not surpassing ten million, but he hadn''t expected it to be a nine-figure sum.


    That was a quarter of their earnings, which should have been theirs. Rounding up, it was nearly a three hundred million dollar loss.


    His heart was bleeding; losing money was one thing, but losing face was another. They had nearly lost all of Wall Street''s prestige.


    "Lu~Liang!"


    A roar echoed through the luxurious apartment in the dead of the night.

 Chapter 132 - 132: Idea

    Countless interested investors, either through friends or by calling the company, always find themselves somehow connected to Lu Liang, whose phone is nearly bursting from all the calls.


    Where there are vested interests, there are naturally scammers.


    Just a few hours later, people were swindled out of hundreds of thousands, allegedly buying into Tianxing Private Equity''s private index.


    "Strange things happen every year, but this year, especially so."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but marvel; private equity, private index¡ªthese terms sounded so niche.


    But to avoid more people being deceived and tarnishing his reputation, he had no choice but to clarify on Weibo, warning not to believe in so-called insider relationships, which were absolutely non-existent, and to beware of scams.


    At the same time, he had Old Meng release news that Tianxing II was in preparation and that details would be announced soon.


    The specific date, naturally decided by Lu Liang, could be a week, a month, or two¡ªit all could be referred to as "soon."


    It was a signal to the outside world: those who missed the first round should not panic. It wasn''t necessary to wait ten months after the first round ended to start the second.


    Once the news was released, the online buzz about Lu Liang quieted down significantly, as if there was an intention to shield him.


    "A family with an elder is like having a treasure."


    Lu Liang reflected on how Old Meng, who left his hometown at 14 and had been struggling in Modu for over twenty years, had some real skill in calculating human nature.


    "Old my foot." Meng Changkun gave Lu Liang a disgruntled look.


    He was only seven years older than Lu Liang, but having experienced more of life''s trials, he appeared a bit more mature.


    "Sorry, sorry," chuckled Lu Liang.


    The next morning,


    Lu Liang was invited to Anchi Road in the outskirts of Modu.


    Li Bing''s NIO had passed the official approval and obtained the necessary documentation to manufacture cars. The company was also officially opening today.


    Spanning 12,000 square meters and decorated like a 4S store, it was also the first NIO intelligence driving experience center.


    But the building was empty. As soon as Lu Liang arrived, he saw Lei Jun and joked, "Mr. Lei, you''re free today?"


    This year was Xiaomi''s time to shine, as Lei Jun finally shook off his reputation for cheap tricks, with a significant increase in phone production capacity.


    In the third quarter, shipments exceeded 60 million units, accounting for 12.5% of the smartphone market, and Xiaomi was at the top of the sales charts for major brands.


    "I just got off the plane last night and came to take care of some business. Li Bing was waiting right at the airport gate, how could I not come?"


    Lei Jun was both amused and surprised by Lu Liang''s arrival, who sighed, "Just stepping out to avoid the limelight."


    He could not stay in the company any longer as people kept coming to visit; ignoring them was rude, but meeting with them led nowhere.


    So he was always running out these days, letting Old Meng handle the visits. After the initial few days, things should quiet down.


    "The world bustles for profit, and scrambles for it, too," Lei Jun mused, also expressing his interest in the next phase of Tianxing Private Equity.


    After all, as the so-called Cash King of Beijing, lying on his account were billions upon billions, and even collecting interest from the bank was almost embarrassing.


    "Remember to come when the time comes, Mr. Lei."


    Lu Liang smiled and agreed, also showing his interest in investing in Xiaomi''s E-round of financing.


    With Xiaomi valued at 45 billion US dollars and likely going public in a couple of years, investing now wouldn''t yield much, but it was certainly a safe bet.


    On the verge of breaking the one billion personal wealth mark, Lu Liang was acutely aware of the need for security and planned to set aside one billion to establish a family trust in Xiangjiang.


    He intended to hold long-term recognised blue-chip stocks like Apple, NVIDIA, Tencent, Ali, and Moutai, with himself, his parents, his sister, and his yet-unknown children as beneficiaries.


    Xiaomi Group was also in Lu Liang''s consideration. After all, Lei Jun was incredibly strong, almost single-handedly driving down the prices in the smartphone market.


    Although Xiaomi has always been synonymous with the low end, even Lamborghini, which is high-end enough, is still struggling with losses, being bought and sold over the years.


    Products that ordinary people can afford are mainstream: profit margins are low but resilient, and there is always an unyielding push towards high-end. Failure just means a few years delay before making another attempt.


    Upon learning that Lu Liang only wanted to buy a few shares and had no intention of leading a major investment, Lei Jun agreed with a laugh.


    In a light-hearted exchange, the two reached a mutual benefit.


    "What are you two talking about?" Li Bing approached with a full smile, on the cusp of a new phase in life, his spirits high with joy.


    "Just chatting," Lu Liang replied with a smile, signaling to Wen Chao to bring over a pair of flower baskets for the opening.


    As ten o''clock approached, the NIO experience center grew busier, and the media, having caught wind of the event, began to swarm.


    "Mr. Li, Mr. Lei, I''ll be heading off now."


    Lu Liang, knowing when to step back, was aware that at least half of the media presence was due to him.


    Not wanting to steal the spotlight or compete for attention, he courteously excused himself and left early.


    "Mr. Lu, have a safe trip."


    Watching Lu Liang drive away, Lei Jun was full of admiration: "He''s grown too fast."


    Two months ago, Lei Jun saw Lu Liang for the first time at Mobike''s financing meeting. They merely exchanged nods then, without expectations of future interactions.


    In the blink of an eye, Lu Liang had become the hottest new figure, with countless people wanting to connect with him. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Effort spent in planting flowers may not yield blooms; willows planted without intent may provide welcome shade."


    Li Bing admired his foresight; initially just wanting Lu Liang to make up numbers, he had instead snagged a giant crocodile.


    As a NIO backer, Lu Liang could imagine the stir the new car would create in the European and American markets upon its release.


    Unlike earlier established companies like Tencent, Redwood, and Xiaomi, where the company''s fame far exceeded that of the founders.

 Chapter 133 - 132: Idea_2

    In the European and American markets, Tianxing might not be recognized, but mention Lu Liang, and eight or nine out of ten would know him.


    Because the United States has always been setting up hypothetical enemies, the China threat theory has been circulating for many years and has been accepted by many.


    Following military, technology, and economic threats, even the financial realm was threatened, naturally receiving extensive media coverage in the US.


    Lu Liang''s fame in Europe and America is bigger than most people imagine.


    Because the US media screwed up. Initially, they intended to propagate the Chinese threat in every aspect.


    But Wall Street doesn''t have any clue, painting themselves as the underdog, not realizing the notoriety that already exists in the streets, with Lu Liang also praised as the dragon slayer from the East.


    He single-handedly defeated Wall Street.


    "Is NIO following Tesla''s route?"


    On the way back, Lu Liang flipped through NIO''s strategic planning book distributed to shareholders.


    After all, he surely didn''t come early in the morning just for NIO''s opening ceremony. With that time, wouldn''t snuggling with a beauty for more sleep be more pleasant?


    Lu Liang primarily wanted to see Li Bing''s arrangements for NIO''s cars, and the subsequent plans, to study and learn.


    NIO''s first concept car already had a prototype, named NIO EP9, a pure electric supercar.


    This car wouldn''t be mass-produced, its main purpose was to stack up performance, establish a reputation, and position NIO as a high-end car brand.


    Going from low-end to high-end is difficult, Xiaomi is the best example.


    Ever since the Red Rice series became a hit, Xiaomi tried to transition more than once, but let alone breaking into the high-end market, they couldn''t even squeeze into the mid-range market.


    But it''s easy for a high-end brand to cater downwards, like the BMW X1, a regular three-cylinder car, difficult to sell for a hundred thousand without a brand insignia, but can be sold for two hundred thousand with it.


    It''s partly due to BMW''s positioning, and on another note, because of BMW''s fame.


    NIO is a new force in car manufacturing, lacking fame, and can only start from positioning, somewhat similar to Tesla''s trajectory.


    Initially, they also started with a sports car, achieving records in various championships and setting world records, establishing their fame.


    "Is contract manufacturing the mainstream?" Lu Liang pondered to himself.


    NIO partnered with Jianghuai, Li Xiang with Lifan, Xiao Peng with Guangqi¡ªwithout exception, all new forces chose contract manufacturing.


    Although it saved time and reduced investments, the quality control couldn''t be guaranteed, and most importantly, the mass production timing was delayed.


    New forces are after all partners, and contract manufacturers only make a tough earning, they would also launch their own new energy vehicles.


    This way, they''d fall into Xiaomi''s initial predicament, unable to increase production, leading to Lei Jun being mockingly called a monkey showman.


    By contrast, Lu Liang preferred BYD''s route, self-producing, self-selling, self-research. From concept initiation to vehicle implementation, it probably wouldn''t take a year, and as long as it passes the public listing review, mass production could be realized immediately, keeping production costs very low.


    "But BYD took more than two decades to open up all industrial chains and form a complete ecosystem."


    Back at home, Lu Liang kept thinking about how to traverse the path BYD took decades to walk in the shortest time possible.


    He thought about his strengths. Since the inception of finance, it was there to support manufacturing and expedite business development.


    A car requires thousands of parts, coming from over 200 first-level suppliers, with countless second and third-level suppliers.


    If he invested in first-level suppliers, reaching a certain degree of ownership, it could apparently count as forming an ecosystem. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Through their hands, he could cultivate his own forces, forming a truly complete ecosystem.


    "The money from private equity seems far from enough."


    Lu Liang was startled by his own thoughts because this wasn''t a matter of just a few billion or hundred billion.


    The required capital was not just astronomical, but the profit cycle would be very long, with no certainty of even breaking even.


    "Private equity won''t cut it, but public funds might be possible."


    Private equity is a channel for the rich seeking high returns, but public funds are different because they are aimed at the general public.


    The public''s demands are low because, lacking suitable investment channels, they just want to beat inflation.


    The biggest advantage of public funds is that they can be bought and sold; as long as a strong foundation is built and a bank run on redemptions is prevented, it can last ten years, twenty years, or even longer.


    Lu Liang''s eyes grew brighter and brighter; he felt a high possibility of success with this venture, as Tianhong Fund linked to Alipay already had four hundred million users and surpassed one trillion in scale.


    He had also thought about the choice of foundation, such as Modu''s pension institution and State-owned Xiao Xin, planning to attract them to his next private equity, giving them a taste of profit.


    "After all, the world has suffered from funds for a long time; the rich can''t always profit while the average person just watches."


    At this moment, Lu Liang felt a surge of spiritual elevation, although his original intention was to spread the risks, he convinced himself.


    Stepping out of the study, he saw Li Manli playing games on the couch, her white silk legs swinging intentionally or unintentionally.


    By the end of October, a freezing Siberian cold front had descended, and temperatures in Modu were rapidly plummeting to single digits.


    But she seemed impervious to the cold, determined not to wear long pants as long as she could wear skirts and shorts with bare legs.


    "Are you not streaming today?" Lu Liang pounced forward, noticing she was playing Fruit Ninja.


    "I''m taking a few days off. Panda is preparing an online variety show, and they want me to be a regular guest."


    Li Manli put down her phone, clung to Lu Liang like a sloth, and squinted her eyes, revealing an expression of pure enjoyment.


    She really liked the smell of Lu Liang, a faint scent of smoke, and another indescribable but comforting aroma.


    "When are you heading over?"


    Lu Liang suddenly remembered a show called ''Hellos Goddess,'' a national audition for 240 beauties, out of which only 10 are selected to participate in a 49-day enclosed interactional live stream, culminating in a five-member group debut.


    Little Wang was the director of this show and had invited him to be a guest too, but he declined.


    "Tomorrow." Li Manli pouted, realizing she would probably not see Lu Liang for about 49 days.


    "Learning to dance and to sing, picking up some talents¡ªit''s all good," Lu Liang said with a comforting smile.


    "I''m a guest, you know, mainly just supervising and giving pointers," Li Manli complained.


    "What can you do then?" Lu Liang asked.


    "Uh, cooking?"


    "Not particularly tasty."


    "What about cosplaying?"


    "Mediocre."


    "I''m angry now." Li Manli huffed, folding her arms across her chest, looking unappeasable.


    Lu Liang laughed and explained the importance of having a good personal brand: wealthy, good-looking, likes cooking, enjoys cosplaying, and if she were diligent and keen to learn, she''d be an unbeatable combination.


    Panda had borrowed 50 million from him, with at least 30 million invested in this show. There was a chance for guests and participants alike to become wildly popular.


    "Besides, I''d like to see you dance gracefully. It should look quite charming."


    "If you like it, then I''ll go and learn."


    The next morning, Lu Liang was on his way to the company and took the opportunity to drop Li Manli off at the high-speed train station. He wouldn''t see her for over a month, and he was bound to miss her.


    "Liang~"


    Li Manli''s way of expressing her feelings wasn''t as reserved as Su Wanyu. At this moment of parting, she wrapped her arms around Lu Liang''s neck for a fierce two-minute French kiss.


    Only when her vision became blurred and she was almost breathless did she reluctantly leave, dragging her suitcase into the train station: "Bye-bye~ I''m leaving now."


    "If anyone gives you trouble, call me."


    Lu Liang chuckled, patted her head, and watched as she entered the train station, looking back three steps at a time.


    Back at the company, he had a meeting with Director Zhao from the Human Resources Bureau to discuss preparations for the second phase of Tianxing Private Equity.


    The progress was not particularly smooth; the bureau wanted to monitor his accounts, but Lu Liang did not agree.


    "Mr. Lu, I''m very sorry, but we need a stable, long-term institution that is subject to regulatory oversight."


    Lu Liang didn''t meet their criteria, and although Director Zhao expressed regret, he looked forward to a future collaboration.


    Pension funds were not like other institutions; making money might just earn you lukewarm praise, but losing it could spell disaster.


    They would rather do nothing at all than make mistakes.


    After Director Zhao left, Lu Liang felt a twinge of regret.


    In the afternoon, he met with Zhou Yongtao from State-owned Xiao Xin, known as a vanguard of reform at the forefront.


    Once contacted, the other party showed great interest, a completely different attitude from Director Zhao.


    "One billion dollars?"


    It was the fundraising amount for the second phase of Tianxing Private Equity. Lu Liang also planned to divide it into fifty parts.


    They could only raise funds from fewer than fifty people with their current qualifications; going over that number would be considered illegal fundraising.


    Zhou Yongjiang was slightly worried: "Mr. Lu, the scale of the second phase is quite large; won''t the fundraising period be extended quite long?"


    Lu Liang smiled: "Director Zhou, don''t worry. We plan to launch the second phase around January next year."


    He intended to take full advantage of Tesla''s market trends before announcing the scale of the second phase of the private equity. By doing so, the net value could explode by about 4.5 times, making the one billion dollars target feasible.

 Chapter 134 - 133: Self-reliance

    "Mr. Lu, we''re looking forward to the second issuance of Tianxing Private Equity. If you need help, just say the word."


    Zhou Yongjiang smiled slightly. Although he thought that Lu Liang seemed a bit idealistic, there were still two or three months to go, and time would tell.


    A net value of 3.01 indicated assets worth 301 million US dollars. If it could maintain a proper growth rate, it would also mean that Lu Liang was capable of managing an even larger portfolio, and they would engage in deeper cooperation.


    There was no shortage of fund managers in the country, but there were few outstanding ones with the guts to venture internationally.


    If Lu Liang were a mediocre fund manager, merely conning and deceiving in the domestic market, then he wouldn''t be worth their investment and favor.


    Modu may be hailed as the financial capital, but it''s filled with those who fish for fame and fortune, repulsive creatures. Whether private or public funds, essentially they were all the same.


    The former set traps to harvest retail investors in the market, while the latter did the same to the masses, ultimately funneling the people''s money into their own pockets.


    They needed someone to represent the finance industry and make an impact on the international stage.


    After ''97 and ''08, they had been searching for a capable individual, numerous as carps crossing the river.


    But eventually, most gradually lost their adventurous spirit, content to stay within their own small patch of land in the domestic market.


    Lu Liang might be the one, for they had meticulously researched his growth trajectory, which was quite remarkable.


    He had been selling houses at Green View Group for years, with a performance early on that was rather notable, even securing top sales a few times, but it had declined to mediocrity.


    After his divorce and resignation post the Spring Festival holiday, having undergone significant life changes, he suddenly flourished, becoming the Golden Touch they knew today.


    They had suspected that Lu Liang may have received insider information, thus being able to consistently make the right calls.


    But their investigations turned up clean.


    Baofeng Technology''s share allocation was due to good luck with lots, and why he bought into Teli A was uncertain, but it wasn''t as miraculous as rumors suggested.


    He bought in around ten, sold once over twenty, and again in the thirties.


    Now the stock had soared to over seventy, his judgement was flawed, just not publicly known.


    Then came gold, yen, and Tesla.


    They concluded that Lu Liang was a financial prodigy whose talents were buried while he sold houses, and his marriage further wasted his years.


    Free from marital ties, he sold his house and took out online loans to make a bold move.


    In the end, he succeeded.


    Lu Liang pondered, "Director Zhou, I need a higher foreign exchange quota and more covert channels overseas."


    Though the era when colonial powers could blow open the gates of a country with a few coastal cannons was long gone,


    they had mastered a more sophisticated game, where mere public opinion was enough to reap the wealth of other nations financially.


    Take the neighboring island nation, whose past deeds enrage many¡ªstill, their capacity as a race cannot be denied.


    From a small island, they rose to become a dominant force in Asia. Their present hardships were undeserved.


    The consequences of the previous century''s bubble should have been repaid after twenty years, but others had been keeping their peace for them.


    Considering the days and the nation''s economic scale, it would almost be their turn. The world was fair¡ªif some enjoyed peace, others would bear the burdens.


    Zhou Yongjiang laughed heartily, "Of course, I''ll contact Director Sun from the Foreign Exchange Administration for you."


    "Thank you, Director Zhou."


    Lu Liang watched Zhou Yongjiang leave until his figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, and the smile on his face gradually faded away.


    Zhou Yongjiang was almost explicitly saying:


    He hoped he would venture overseas to fend for himself.


    Put positively, it was about representing the financial industry abroad¡ªif someday people like Soros thought of shorting, they would have the power to defend and counterattack.


    But there was certainly more to it.


    The country''s development focus was never on finance. If he took another bite, others would have less.


    Perhaps that was the main reason.


    "Hope you can walk the talk."


    Lu Liang had no objections to this arrangement.


    In the international market, he felt free, ready to ride the waves without constraint, and without fear of scrutiny.


    The only concern was that Zhou Yongjiang might not be fully committed to his work, putting him on the front lines but not providing the necessary protection and support.


    Although the possibility was very low, as there were almost no competitors in this race, precautions still needed to be taken.


    The next day, Lu Liang went to Beijing and met with Director Sun of the Foreign Exchange Administration. The negotiations went smoothly, and he secured an exchange quota of one billion dollars, as well as a special channel for moving capital overseas.


    With this, Lu Liang could now throw caution to the wind and act boldly, since he had the Foreign Exchange Administration to cover his back.


    The so-called free market was just a self-proclaimed term; once he earned too much, sanctions would still be imposed.


    But with the Foreign Exchange Administration managing over three trillion US dollars, his few hundred million or even tens of billions seemed insignificant in comparison.


    ...


    After wrapping up everything in Beijing, Lu Liang returned to his hometown for a visit, to celebrate his mother''s birthday, and also to check on the progress of the new house being built.


    The main structure, external walls, and fence of the new house were all completed, a three-and-a-half-story building with its inner courtyard and parking bay.


    The concrete and steel reinforcement were currently in a curing phase, needing daily watering for ventilation to release gases, and thus too early for interior decorations.


    The siblings strolled in the unfinished house. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Ya supervised the construction every day, and her arms had grown considerably darker: "How about it? Are you satisfied?"


    "Definitely satisfied," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    The main area was only 175 square meters, but with no shared space, it felt like it was over 200 square meters.


    The parents would live on the first floor, he would stay on the second, and his sister and brother-in-law would occupy the third floor.


    Lu Ya took a deep breath, hesitating slightly as she said, "Recently, mom and dad lent 300,000 yuan to Luo to open a grain and oil store."


    Luo was her husband, and they had been running a small shop in town. Now, they were looking to expand just a bit.


    "How''s the business?"


    "There''s a gross profit of two to three thousand a month, but there''s quite a bit of overstock, and all the earnings are tied up in the inventory."


    The profit margins on grain and oil were actually not low, even though they seemed thin and prices were transparent, but there were peak and valley pricing strategies.


    When prices were low, they would stock up on more goods, and when prices were high, they would sell at regular prices or mark up a bit.


    The profit from these transactions could be around 20%.


    Moreover, a grain and oil shop wasn''t just limited to selling grains and oils; cigarettes, liquor, beverages, instant noodles, and snacks could all be wholesaled or retailed.


    "As long as there''s profit to be made, it''s fine, the goods in the warehouse aren''t going to grow legs and run away, so slow returns are not a big deal."


    Lu Liang beamed, putting his arm around his sister''s shoulder, wanting her to feel reassured.


    On his last visit, he had left a million yuan for his parents, specifically for them to support his sister''s family.


    In the countryside, a family-run shop with a monthly income of twenty to thirty thousand yuan could live quite comfortably, free from financial pressures.


    As for the future of the two children, they had him as an uncle. As long as he was around, everyone could lead a good life.


    "Let''s go have dinner, and after we eat, I need to dash off,"


    Lu Liang said, smiling.


    Having money and power mattered only outside of home. At home, his mother kept on him, hoping for him to remarry and have children.


    Explaining was pointless; he couldn''t argue, so his only option was to escape.


    "You and your ways," Lu Ya said, with laughter and tears.


    After going downstairs, the family went to a restaurant to eat, full of joy and festivity. While money couldn''t solve all problems, it could indeed solve 99% of them.


    The remaining 1% was that Lu Liang wasn''t married with children, so he took his leave right after eating, giving no chance for any difficulties to be raised.


    Before they knew it, it was November 9th,


    Lu Liang received an invitation to an ofo financing event.


    Dai Wei was full of joy and vigor, boasting that ofo had overtaken Mobike to become the industry leader.


    He announced that the valuation for this round of financing was set at 72 million dollars and was planning to offer 10% of the shares for investment.


    Liu Qing came over again, she was enjoying a lively conversation with Zhu Hu, and the two showed no signs of the confrontational stance they had during the last round of financing.


    Upon seeing Lu Liang arrive, Zhu Hu quickly stepped forward, with Liu Qing following behind him.


    "Mr. Lu, long time no see, what have you been up to recently?" Zhu Hu asked with a smile. It was evident that Golden Sand River must have struck some deal with DiDi; he was in a great mood.

 Chapter 135 - 134: Enfeoffment Decree

    "Just buzzing around aimlessly."


    Lu Liang looked toward Liu Qing, who stood behind Zhu Hu, and congratulated them with a smile, "It seems this round should be clinched by you both?"


    Liu Qing smiled without speaking and shifted the topic, "Mr. Lu, would it be convenient to inform when the second phase of private equity will be initiated?"


    "At the moment, it''s still in preparation; the procedures are somewhat extensive. Is Mr. Liu also interested?" asked Lu Liang.


    Liu Qing nodded. Although the scale was rumored to be one billion dollars, with individual portions of twenty million dollars, the threshold was quite high.


    But a high threshold is relative. It was not difficult for her or the Liu family to subscribe to a few portions.


    "Looking forward to Mr. Liu''s participation."


    Lu Liang showed a smile and summoned Wen Chao to leave a business card for Liu Qing, stating she would be notified if the second phase was initiated.


    He had already instructed Old Meng to tally the subscription intents. If it were insufficient, they would accept everyone. If enough, they would be selective.


    "Brother, don''t forget about Hu."


    Zhu Hu coughed a few times, his tone full of resentment, as this large man stood here, unnoticed as if invisible.


    Lu Liang''s ability to make money made them all envious, though they were also in private equity, which didn''t stop them. Making money was what mattered.


    "Hu, how could you say that? I wouldn''t dare forget you," Lu Liang said, half laughing and quickly apologizing.


    "That''s more like it."


    Zhu Hu and Liu Qing did not stay long, only exchanged brief polite remarks, and moved toward the financing subscription gateway.


    As Lu Liang had guessed, this round of financing was underwritten by DiDi and Golden Sand River, though the process had a slight deviation.


    It turned out that DiDi led the investment with 6%, while Golden Sand River subscribed for 4%, with both jointly underwriting this financing round.


    Watching the two converse merrily, Dai Wei''s expression soured. Lu Liang suddenly realized that these two planned to join forces.


    Capital biting each other would only benefit Dai Wei, but if the capitals allied, it would be Dai Wei''s turn to suffer.


    Thus, after the financing, he went to Lu Liang. Dai Wei asked with a smile, "Mr. Lu, there''s an internal meeting later, aren''t you attending?"


    "I''ve got some other matters, maybe next time."


    Lu Liang shook his head, feeling somewhat sorry for Dai Wei.


    Hu Weiwei could still end up with a considerable fortune, but Dai Wei might have nothing since DiDi and Golden Sand River seemed intent on splitting him.


    However, he had no obligation to remind, as stock transfer did not necessarily require a shareholders'' meeting resolution¡ªas long as the counterpart was also a shareholder, they could proceed privately.


    Lu Liang was ready to cash out and exit, leaving them to play by themselves in the future, no matter what happened.


    After bidding farewell to Dai Wei, he left the meeting venue, and upon turning around, he went to Golden Sand River, signing a stock transfer agreement with Zhu Hu.


    After the B round dilution, there was still 16.2% of stock left, valued at seventy-two million dollars with a 20% premium transfer.


    Totaling approximately 13.9968 million dollars, equivalent to about 89.0196 million RMB, the investment return was as high as 89 times.


    "Hu, Dai Wei likely won''t easily concede defeat, it''s best you stay alert."


    Lu Liang kindly advised. After signing the contract, and the funds due to arrive in half a month, he felt some things could be said.


    Zhu Hu responded disdainfully, "We are all conducting business; does he even dare to involve the Dai Family?"


    Using official power against businesses only applied to minor officials and small businesses. Although Iron Boss was formidable, Old Zhu wasn''t easy to squash.


    If the Dai family dared to suppress business with official power and engage in corruption for personal gain, Zhu Hu could ensure he wouldn''t serve as an official anymore.


    It wasn''t that Zhu Hu possessed massive influence, but the position of Iron Boss was enticing, and every spot had its designated occupant.


    If he doesn''t fall, how can others rise?


    "It doesn''t necessarily require the Dai family''s intervention." Lu Liang mused, mentioning the promise Dai Wei just offered him. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As long as he chose to support Dai Wei from then on, Dai Wei was willing to give him a board seat, including a veto right.


    "The Enfeoffment Decree?"


    Zhu Hu was startled long afterward, his face suddenly turning pale, and his native dialect burst out, "This sneaky bastard is so scheming?"


    Since Lu Liang was planning to cash out and leave, he could refuse Dai Wei''s conditions, but Liu Qing might not.


    Once Liu Qing agreed, there would be three people with veto rights in a single board meeting, then what would be the point of playing?


    "Hu, where are you going? Didn''t you say you were taking me to have a good time tonight?"


    "Hell, do whatever you want."


    Zhu Hu glared irritably and left hastily, not intending to blame Lu Liang.


    To speak, is to show favor. Not to speak, is to do one''s duty.


    After the last fundraising round, Lu Liang had decided to cash out, so there was no intentional plot against him.


    "Worldly society is treacherous, and human hearts are unpredictable."


    Lu Liang suppressed a smile, shook his head, and left Golden Sand River with the transfer contract in hand.


    For a startup to have such deep schemes, not getting involved and only investing was indeed a wise decision.


    Dai Wei must have already thought of this move; otherwise, he wouldn''t have easily given up his veto power during the Series A funding.


    Whether it''s giving one or two, once everyone has a veto, it''s as if no one does.


    Once the plan is proposed, if you oppose, and I oppose, we might as well part ways. After all, Dai Wei hadn''t invested much money.


    This situation leads to nobody daring to use their veto power first, creating a power vacuum, which naturally benefits the founders.


    However, playing this game requires one precondition: the company must be in a healthy development stage without any issues.


    If something goes wrong, it means it wasn''t managed well.


    If you didn''t manage well, then I''ll start managing.


    Direct explosion on the spot, spiraling to heaven.


    As the night deepened, Lu Liang played games in the hotel, planning to visit Yang Zhenyuan''s company tomorrow before returning to Modu.


    Suddenly, he received a call from Zhu Hu; from his tone, it sounded like he had been holding back a lot of frustrations with no one to confide in.


    The veto power, besides a few insiders, he dared not speak of it to others, fearing it would impact the next valuation appraisal.


    "I''m over here in the Eastern City District." Lu Liang chuckled and gave him the hotel''s address, also happy to follow up on the drama.


    As soon as Zhu Hu entered, he shook his head and sighed, unable to help venting his frustrations, "Dai Wei really promised Liu Qing."


    "It looks like Liu Qing agreed?"


    Lu Liang grabbed some beers from the fridge and casually called the hotel''s front desk to order some barbecue.


    "That woman is so power-hungry, how could she not agree? Also, pretending in front of me, claiming she doesn''t know anything."


    Zhu Hu was deeply aggrieved and guzzled down most of a bottle in frustration.


    "If you think it''s a headache, sell your stake in the next round. Ali might be willing to be the sucker," Lu Liang said with a laugh.


    "We''ll see," Zhu Hu said reluctantly, feeling humiliated that he, an old fox in the capital market, had been outplayed by a youngster. If word got out, his peers would probably laugh their heads off.


    He hadn''t even met Ali''s conditions yet; selling now would probably cost him tens of millions in losses.


    "That much?" Lu Liang was surprised,


    But the response he got was a resentful glare.


    That look seemed to say, "Who''s to blame?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile, feeling quite happy: "Hu, you lead the way, I''ll pay. Tonight let''s go wild."


    "I''ve been waiting for you to say that," Zhu Hu quickly moved past the previous topic, revealing a grin that all men understand.


    One willing to beat, the other willing to be beaten; you gamble, you accept the loss. There''s not much else to say, especially when you might not even lose.


    Dai Wei playing this way will overplay his hand sooner or later.


    The next day, Lu Liang arrived in the Western City District. Yang Zhenyuan rented an office in United Building; a hundred square meters of office space cramped with about a dozen people without any partitioned offices.


    It truly had the atmosphere of a young startup.


    "Mr. Lu, please take a look at the software design."


    The background was black, with ghostly images of musical notes. Yang Zhenyuan said, "It''s still in testing. We plan to publicly release it in December."


    Lu Liang inquired, "Have you thought about how to promote it?"


    Platform-type applications are hardest to promote; they cannot rely on word-of-mouth like games.


    Without content, there are no viewers, and without viewers, there''s no content.


    Yang Zhenyuan said, "We plan to join Baidu''s advertising alliance first and organize a daily video-release check-in event."


    The hardest part is always the beginning. Once the first step is taken, and you accumulate users, it scales like a snowball.


    Often, the initial step is the hardest. Out of five million dollars in startup funds, roughly three million will be spent on this event.


    If it can make a splash, great; if not, it will sink without a trace, completely obliterated from the apps.


    Lu Liang nodded slightly; not being a tech promotion expert, he refrained from commenting and offered a few non-committal words of encouragement.

 Chapter 136 - 135: Online Drama Series Becomes a Massive Hit

    At noon, Lu Liang took a flight back to Modu.


    As soon as he landed, he received a phone call from Li Ni. Crown Princess Consort was set to premiere online at 8 o''clock tonight. They planned to leverage the heat of Singles'' Day and also, while at it, ride on Lu Liang''s popularity.


    "Okay, I''ll help with the promotion when the time comes."


    Lu Liang agreed with a smile, having decided that he would try not to profit from the A-shares market anymore; naturally, he didn''t care about a surge in fame either.


    That same evening, at 8 o''clock sharp.


    He and Little Wang collaborated to promote Crown Princess Consort.


    Their fans combined totaled over thirty million. Despite a high overlap, they hadn''t bought any fake followers, so the quality was quite high.


    Lu Liang had even inquired out of curiosity; with their fan base, a single Weibo promotion would be worth at least 1.5 million RMB.


    Considering the fame bonus and the fact that they weren''t short on money and wouldn''t just endorse anything, it could be worth at least 3 million RMB.


    At midnight, four hours after the online series''s two episodes were released, the average views had broken through 2 million, with comments polarized severely.


    Some loved it to death, others hated it with passion.


    "It''s a drama, not utter nonsense; adaptations are not meant to be so disorderly. Was there ever such a dynasty in history?"


    "Otherwise, why would they call it the Nanxia Dynasty? They''ve already said it''s fictional. Moral crusaders, can''t you just ease off, alright?"


    "Panda really struck gold here. They just plonk that giant logo of theirs on the table, always getting those close-up shots, as if afraid people won''t know they''re the sponsors, right?"


    "Speaking of which, am I the only one who noticed? This web series was also invested and shot by Lu Liang, and the neighboring Xia Luo''s Worry has already hit 1.45 billion at the box office, hasn''t it?"


    "Damn, isn''t this guy just too sick? Both the movie and the web series are massive hits; is his taste really that sharp?"


    "It''s indeed freaking sharp. ofo just finished its Series B funding, valued at 72 million US dollars, and Lu Liang should still hold 16.2% of the shares. Do you know how much he invested?"


    "1 million, just 1 million RMB and he snatched 16.2% of the equity in a company valued at 72 million US dollars."


    "My goodness, is ofo really that valuable now? That''s like a seventy-fold increase!"


    Netizens couldn''t help exclaiming and discussing.


    They were merely envious, not jealous, because venture capital or investing in film and television was too far removed from ordinary people, and they didn''t feel it too profoundly.


    Suddenly, Little Wang updated another Weibo status: "Lu Liang has a live streaming room at Panda, where he broadcasts from time to time. If interested, you can check it out."


    If Bilibili and Crown Princess Consort could capitalize on Lu Liang''s popularity, there was no reason he couldn''t. With Crown Princess Consort receiving such a response, Panda was also getting ready for its Series A funding round.


    As one of the shareholders, Lu Liang ought to do his part, to help raise Panda Interactive Entertainment''s market valuation, and strive to sell it at a higher and better price.


    "Darling, I really, really regret it."


    As night deepened, Wen Shanshan made a call, speaking in her less than perfect Mandarin, and burst into tears with a sob.


    Although Crown Princess Consort had polarized reviews, it was set to become this year''s dark horse web series.


    This was indeed a series with a strong female lead, with the plot revolving around her.


    The opportunity was right before her eyes, ready for the taking, yet she had cast it aside as if it were worthless.


    Now she was full of regrets, wishing she could fly to Lu Liang''s side and eternally reach nirvana to properly apologize.


    "Just focus on filming. That suspense drama should have potential too," said Lu Liang, his mind elsewhere, coolly taking a breath.


    "Really?" Wen Shanshan asked, surprised.


    "Hmm."


    "Darling, I miss you. Wait for me. I''ll be done in a month, and I will be back in Modu immediately."


    "Hmm, bye-bye."


    Lu Liang tossed aside his phone and closed his eyes to savor the moment.


    After a while, Zhang Tian''ai emerged from the bedding, blinking playfully, her small nose covered in delicate beads of sweat.


    She looked at Lu Liang''s phone, puzzled, and he candidly said, "The role you have was originally meant for her, but she didn''t want it."


    "Such poor taste," Zhang Tian''ai muttered softly, sneaking a peek at Lu Liang to gauge his reaction. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Indeed, poor," Lu Liang scoffed, pinching Zhang Tian''ai''s cheek. "You''ve got better vision. Once Crown Princess Consort concludes, you should be able to ascend to the ranks of second-tier stars."


    Zhang Tian''ai beamed with joy but didn''t dare to take full credit: "If Mr. Lu hadn''t invested and shot it, how could I have become the female lead of Crown Princess Consort?"


    "Did you dab your lips with honey? They''re so sweet," Lu Liang teased.


    "I didn''t put honey on, but I did put heather," Zhang Tian''ai said with a giggle, not waiting for Lu Liang to react before she hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth.


    Lu Liang figured something was amiss and let out a sly smile, as the scent of heather was quite peculiar.


    After more than ten minutes, Zhang Tian''ai washed up, redid her light makeup, and gently laid beside Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, Xitian offered to have me sign a new agency contract."


    Xitian Media was her agency, and her original contract was the most basic, without significant resources or support, and the penalty for breach was very low.


    Ever since Crown Princess Consort became a hit, her agent had been eagerly asking where she was, saying that they could secure a second-tier actress contract for her.


    "I don''t really understand your industry, so it''s up to you. If you want to sign, go ahead," said Lu Liang.


    Zhang Tian''ai hesitated for a long time, then said softly, "I don''t really want to sign. I''d like to take some time to quietly improve my acting."


    Xitian was a very domineering company; once a contract was signed, they would pile on resources like crazy until they had squeezed her dry.


    But if she didn''t sign, the entertainment industry was a tight circle; if Xitian gave other companies a heads-up, then no one would dare work with her.


    So, she was in a dilemma.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help laughing, understanding what Zhang Tian''ai meant. He picked up his phone and called Wu Tianzheng, "Old Wu, do you know the boss of Xitian?"


    "Then give him a shout. Zhang Tian''ai doesn''t want to sign, don''t pressure her. Just say I said so, as a courtesy."


    Crown Princess Consort was a project he''d invested in with a dream team, and Zhang Tian''ai was selected from a casting call; she had no financial ties with Xitian.


    So, there wasn''t any question of betrayal or turning her back, defending her position, and thus, speaking up for Zhang Tian''ai wasn''t an issue.


    "Alright, thank you for your help."


    Lu Liang ended the call and turned to her with a smile, "You should be alright now; they won''t make things difficult for you."


    Zhang Tian''ai beamed with joy, her eyes sparkling as she hugged Lu Liang''s arm tightly, "Mr. Lu, you''ve been so good to me."


    At that moment, she experienced what it was like to have a strong backing ¨C it was incredibly comforting.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang asked, "Do you really want to improve your acting, or do you just not want to sign with Xitian?"


    "It''s really to hone my acting," Zhang Tian''ai hurriedly explained. She wanted enduring fame, not to fade away like a shooting star.


    "How about going to Happy Mahua then?"


    Lu Liang had seen Xia Luo''s Worry and thought the actors of Happy Mahua had pretty good acting skills¡ªat least they weren''t cringeworthy.


    He''d also watched Crown Princess Consort and felt that Zhang Tian''ai''s acting was a bit awkward, flaws covered up by the plot.


    If she was willing, he might as well go all the way and help her to the end.


    "Is that possible?" Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    There was a pecking order in the entertainment world, with web series, TV series, and movies, but above all was stage drama.


    Stage drama could be considered the pinnacle of the food chain¡ªhighly nuanced and exceptional.


    "Of course, Zhang Chen would probably be quite happy to have a free second-tier star."


    "I''m willing, Mr. Lu~~" Zhang Tian''ai looked at him with seductive eyes, unable to repay his kindness, she could only offer herself in return.


    ...


    The next day was Double Eleven, with various e-commerce platforms setting new records and trending online, Crown Princess Consort became a unique presence.


    In the past 12 hours, the first two episodes had already broken the ten million view mark, with each episode reaching five million views.


    Lu Liang didn''t pay much attention, as the numbers were fake at this stage ¡ª it was only after the sixth episode that the membership ratings mattered.


    Even if an episode broke a hundred million views,


    it was meaningless if it didn''t hit the required number of new members.


    After a busy period, it was time for Lu Liang to focus on making money; the next two months'' net worth was crucial to the smooth launch of the second-phase private fund.


    Tesla was at 90% position, with a stock price of $245, valued at $232 million, currently profiting $82.4 million.


    He had $22.81 million in available funds,


    total assets of $254.21 million.


    Earnings from the heavy investment in BYD were negligible, as the new energy index had not yet recovered from the soaring market.


    At the very least, individual stocks were not expected to fluctuate much until the new energy policies were officially implemented.


    The earnings over the past ten or so days, if calculated, meant the private fund''s net value was only 3.35.


    With a comparative increase of just over 10%.

 Chapter 137 - 136: Major International Incident

    "Brexit referendum, US-British exchange rates..."


    Domestic tranquility, international excitement, almost daily there are blockbuster news items.


    Recently, the world''s headlines have been focused on the Old England''s election.


    The United States churns up storms around the world, only killing, not burying, leaving the EU to deal with all the messed-up situations.


    Member country Old England, once the Sun Never Sets Empire, when its ancestors roamed the seas, America was but a little brother.


    Now in decline, not only does it have to take in refugees for the EU but also bears the responsibility for economic aid to other member countries.


    Over the years, paying both in money and effort, without reaping any benefits, has already caused strong dissatisfaction among the people of Old England.


    Therefore, two years ago, Prime Minister David Cameron first proposed a Brexit referendum, and just yesterday, he declared that if he could be reelected this term, he would hold the referendum as soon as possible.


    The Wall Street Journal calls it the most suspenseful election in decades, and the result will determine the future of a nation.


    Soros claims that if David Cameron is reelected, British Pounds would plummet by 20%, while Goldman Sachs predicts a decline of 11%-15%.


    It can be said that as long as David Cameron is reelected, Old England will continue to push forward with the Brexit plan, and the foreign exchange market will also kick up enormous waves.


    The current exchange rate of British Pounds to US Dollar is 1.5002,


    compared to last month, it has risen by 5.45%.


    This also represents that international speculators do not have confidence in David Cameron''s reelection, nor do they believe that the United Kingdom dares to implement the Brexit plan.


    Lu Liang pondered and sniffed out the opportunity for profit.


    Fluctuations in foreign exchange are related to international political situations, just like the time when Ma Ao, the first African-American president, was elected, like a depth charge, directly flipping the foreign exchange market at the time.


    That event was also hailed as the biggest black swan event of the past ten years, only to be surpassed when Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.


    Whether David Cameron is reelected or not, whether the United Kingdom leaves the EU or not, it has nothing to do with Lu Liang, but he hopes for the reelection and Brexit.


    A dog biting a man isn''t news, but a man biting a dog is, the sudden black swan event is what allows for significant profit from little investment.


    In the afternoon, Lu Liang contacted Sun Jiyong from the foreign exchange bureau and exchanged the remaining 1.7 billion RMB in his A-share account for US Dollars.


    He only left an account with less than 2 million available funds, as well as an account holding 5.72 million shares of BYD stock.


    As of the morning closing, BYD''s latest stock price was 71.24 yuan, valuing the account at 407 million yuan.


    Lu Liang then withdrew the funds from his US stocks account, bringing the available funds to 49.46 million US Dollars.


    Having prepared the funds, he stayed in the office, waiting for the dawn to come.


    "Panda is looking for funding at the end of the month, got any ideas?"


    Wang Xiaocong''s voice came through the headset, as a shareholder, with financing imminent, Lu Liang was forced to live stream.


    He normally played games quietly, as long as no one talked to him, usually only the sound of a lighter could be heard.


    He also couldn''t understand why hundreds of thousands of people would watch; according to Little Wang, they were all real, without any fake numbers.


    "Don''t understand, no ideas, just deal with it yourself."


    For the A-round financing, Panda was valued between 90 to 130 million US Dollars, whether it would be the upper limit or the lower limit depended on the capital market''s receptiveness.


    Life is hard, Little Wang sighed, "Can''t you just care a little?"


    If Lu Liang were willing to give him the first broadcast rights for the Crown Princess Consort, a valuation of 130 million US Dollars would be certain.


    "I''m trying to save you, not harm you."


    Lu Liang didn''t give him any sympathy,


    How long has B-Station been established, how long has Panda been established?


    Live streaming + self-produced variety show, it''s already a serious over-achievement, otherwise he wouldn''t have borrowed fifty million.


    If they were to touch on the video streaming sector, they probably couldn''t last until the B-round financing before their funding chain would collapse.


    Wang Xiaocong laughed awkwardly a few times and changed the subject, "How about I show you our self-produced variety show?"


    "Let''s take a look then." Lu Liang wanted to refuse, but he couldn''t resist the tens of thousands of comments flooding the live chat.


    He wasn''t curious, yet he became curious.


    The filming location was in Star City of Funan, where a castle was rented, a million spent on renovations, and renamed Goddess Castle.


    Ten girls of different styles were sitting on the sofa chatting, seemingly taking their promotional photos for the show.


    Wang Xiaocong took the opportunity to advertise, "It premieres on November 15th, using a live streaming format throughout the show, don''t forget to tune in if you''re interested."


    When Little Wang approached with the selfie stick, the ten female contestants all stood up to greet him.


    Wang Xiaocong smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, you have several hundred thousand fans watching the livestream. Why don''t you all introduce yourselves?" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hello everyone, Mr. Lu, and netizens, my name is Tan Yanyan..."


    Everyone looked surprised, they quickly saluted the camera, and introduced themselves and their talents.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help laughing and crying¡ªLittle Wang''s persistence in trying to hitch a ride on his popularity never died.


    He smiled and said, "Hello everyone, once the program starts, I''ll send each of you ten Buddha Jumps Wall."


    Little Wang was such a player, allowing each contestant to bring only three items from their luggage to survive the 49 days of livestreaming.


    Whether it was clothing or daily necessities, they could only purchase them at the supermarket with points exchanged from fans'' gifts.


    Participants with high points could afford to eat and drink well, while those without would merely maintain a basic livelihood. It was a reality version of Goddess Castle.


    This innovative program, even before going live, had already garnered the anticipation of millions. If Little Wang hadn''t thought about creating Eastern Disneyland and had focused solely on livestreaming and variety shows, maybe Panda could have really made a name for itself.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu." The female contestants beamed with joy; one Buddha Jumps Wall was worth a thousand RMB, and a thousand points.


    Starting off with ten thousand points each at least assured that their lives wouldn''t be too difficult for the next 49 days.


    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu, I want some too~~"


    Li Manli, rushed over, smiling, suddenly appearing in front of the camera: "Hello, Mr. Wang, hello, netizens."


    She was wearing a Lolita-style princess dress, with a new hairstyle, and her twin ponytails dyed wine red and curled.


    Once she appeared, the hundreds of thousands in the livestreaming room all shouted:


    "Honey, Honey, I love you~"


    Beside her was another girl, holding a stabilizer, seeming like she was also livestreaming.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile as he found Li Xiaomeng''s livestream titled "Goddess Begins Broadcasting in Three Days~"


    He checked his account and still had several hundred thousand cat coins. He selected the most expensive Buddha Jumps Wall and clicked on it a dozen times.


    "Mr. Lu is so generous~ Thank you, Mr. Lu~"


    Li Manli grinned from ear to ear and bowed in thanks.


    Her twin curled ponytails were like slack springs, bouncing out and coiling back, lively and cute.


    The rest of the contestants looked on with envy; perhaps this was the relaxed aura that came with wealth. At least, they didn''t dare to actively and blatantly ask Mr. Lu for gifts.


    Because they cared, so they were concerned.


    They were also worried that doing so could affect their image, leaving the audience with a bad impression of being money-minded.


    But Li Xiaomeng was different; everyone knew her family was wealthy. She was young and drove sports cars, lived in a mansion, definitely not short of money.


    For her, livestreaming was just a hobby, so her attitude toward gifts was indifferent.


    "Let''s take you around," said Wang Xiaocong with a smile that saw through it all, yet he didn''t expose anything.


    Li Xiaomeng was 19, Lu Liang was 30, not out of the question to be godfather and daughter, rounding off to a similar wealthy background.


    "You guys have fun on your own, I''ve got things to do."


    With that, Lu Liang quickly ended the broadcast, and the viewers, already accustomed to this, dispersed.


    The majority of the fans were college students, not for anything special, but mainly to rub off some of the financial luck. Who knows who said it, "The world''s wealth is like a stone, of which Lu Liang alone occupies eight scoops."


    For today''s college students, to avoid failing exams, they are willing to believe in Conan, let alone watching a livestream for a stroke of financial luck.


    The principle was for believers, all things are possible; for non-believers, not so.


    Lu Liang went to the tea station, lit a cigarette, sipped his tea, and admired Modu''s city nightscape, waiting for the early morning.


    [November 13, GBP/USD exchange rate 1.4352]


    "A drop of 650 points? And a re-election victory?"


    Lu Liang was surprised; the 13th was the election vote count day, which would determine if David Cameron would continue in office.


    The general public was pessimistic about Cameron''s chances, as his re-election would mean the continuation, and likely success, of Brexit.


    DaCameron''s campaign pledge was that if re-elected, he would push for a fast-track Brexit referendum and strive to exit the EU the following year.


    "To leave or not, what do I care." Lu Liang smirked. He liked political ''black swans'' because they meant profit opportunities.


    Whether Brexit would happen was still uncertain, as politics is full of pointless maneuvers, and a sudden change of heart isn''t unheard of.


    But with Cameron''s reelection now a done deal, that was less of a question.

 Chapter 138 - 137: This Move is Called

    The next morning, Lu Liang headed to State Street Bank.


    "Ah~ my dear Lu~"


    Hilt greeted him with a beaming smile, warmer even than to his own father, because he knew another performance bonus was in store.


    Last time, he had earned nearly two million US dollars in interest, which earned him high praise and a handsome bonus.


    Tesla''s stock price had also rebounded, making it a win-win situation, and Lu Liang had become one of their top-tier clients.


    State Street''s top-tier clients were limited to 200 globally, including people like Buffett, Soros, and Sun Zhengyi.


    Within China, there were only 18, 12 of whom were from Xiangjiang, making Lu Liang one of the only six from Mainland China.


    "It really is an honor for me," Lu Liang said with a smile, though he didn''t pay it much mind.


    Being few in number didn''t necessarily equate to nobility, given the nature of State Street Bank as an international venture capital bank.


    Their clients were fund giants or international hot money, so there were naturally fewer in China.


    With a forced smile, Hilt responded, "It''s our honor, we''re very privileged to have such a distinguished client."


    Lu Liang chuckled as the two exchanged mutual flatteries; he then stated his purpose of wanting to finance short selling and borrow British Pounds.


    Hilt, ever the professional, didn''t ask why but directly discussed the usage fees for various leveraging options.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment before deciding to use a fifty-times leverage with 24 million US dollars as collateral.


    That 24 million in trading funds, expanded by fifty times, became 1.2 billion US dollars, which was then converted into 828 million British Pounds.


    Among the four major currencies, British Pounds were quite valuable, with an exchange rate of 1 to 9.28 with the RMB and 0.69 with the US dollar.


    Approaching noon, Lu Liang returned to his company and instructed the traders to rest until two o''clock in the afternoon and then return.


    Trading foreign exchange markets of a country necessitated adjusting to their time zones; unlike with Japan''s mere one-hour difference, Beijing had a seven-hour difference with London.


    Seven in the morning, London time,


    corresponded to two in the afternoon, Beijing time.


    Forex trading typically starts at nine in the morning, so he wanted them to arrive two hours early to prepare.


    "It doesn''t seem good always being passively scolded."


    As Lu Liang stroked his chin and pondered, he had been constantly attacked by the American media and had never struck back.


    He suddenly felt an urge to trap someone¡ªonce the election news broke, the forex market would spike, and none of those who went long would escape.


    Seized by a sudden impulse, Lu Liang waved Wen Chao over: "Little Wen, what''s the international equivalent of Weibo called?"


    After a thought, Wen Chao said, "It should be Twitter; Facebook and Instagram are more like old-time blogs mixed with WeChat."


    "Then help me apply for one."


    Soon, Lu Luang got his Twitter handle, though it was pitifully undersubscribed, still in the single digits.


    Suddenly, he thought of Little Wang, who had studied abroad, and immediately called him: "Do you have Twitter, and how many followers do you have?"


    "A few hundred thousand," said Little Wang, who had been more active during his studies abroad but played less since returning to China.


    "Then help me divert some traffic." Lu Liang sent Little Wang a screenshot of his Twitter handle to help verify his identity.


    Little Wang still had some influence; after updating a status, Lu Liang''s Twitter followers skyrocketed into the thousands.


    In that instant, he appreciated the benefits of censorship on Weibo, where he had to be more reserved; just a slightly risqu¨¦ photo book would get censored.


    But on Twitter, it was a free-for-all, opening just one video could spring up a torrent of debauchery.


    Wen Chao looked perplexed but maintained his composure: "Mr. Lu, I''ll leave you for now."


    "Hold on, is this normal?"


    Lu Liang turned his phone screen towards him, displaying a blurry, writhing biscuit.


    "Uh~ Mr. Lu, it''s actually quite normal because Twitter is also known as ''Little Yellow Retreating.''"


    "Alright then, go ahead, and call me if you need anything."


    Lu Liang studied for a while, roughly figuring out how to use it¡ªit really was quite similar to Weibo.


    Consequently, at four in the afternoon on the 13th, London time at nine in the morning, just over an hour before the elections began.


    Lu Liang retweeted the election news, posting his first update: "David Cameron will be re-elected, and the British-American exchange rate will soon plummet."


    The majority of those following Lu Liang were from China, and considering the enormity of the British-American exchange rate market with its trillions in transaction volume, he didn''t mind helping his followers make big money.


    In the international market, there was no concept of manipulation as he, no matter how powerful, couldn''t control the election of a country.


    Just like Soros, who always boasted before shorting, Lu Liang felt this strategy could be learned.


    The premise was that they would believe him, to short sell against the trend in a rising overall market, betting on a consecutive term.


    As soon as the news was released, immediately there came a reply from a Xiangjiang netizen, "Ding Xie Bro, is it real?"


    "Ding Xie?" Lu Liang was confused, but also took the opportunity to issue a trade order to short sell British Pounds.


    He just disclosed that he was short selling British Pounds but did not reveal his positions or the funds employed.


    Suddenly, Little Wang called, "Damn, what are you playing at?"


    Lu Liang wanted him to attract traffic, which was weird in itself, so he had been keeping an eye on it.


    "Just playing a fun game."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, using the tactic of ''luring the tiger out of the mountain''.


    If the Wall Street institutions really hated him that much, they should come and blow up his position.


    But by then, it would be uncertain who would blow up whom.


    "Will David Cameron really be reelected? Will the British-US exchange rate really plummet?"


    Wang Xiaocong was excited, he had complete faith in Lu Liang and also wanted to make some extra money to support his family.


    Old Wang had given him five small targets, which were given intermittently, most of which he had invested in private equity.


    He was so broke recently he nearly sold his car, since a First Rich''s son must maintain his status, and he couldn''t cut back on expenses.


    Lu Liang said, "Anyway, it''s a choice between three, why not bet on it? Besides, it''s not an upset since it''s a reelection."


    He suddenly asked again, "Do you know how to play?"


    "Damn it, who are you looking down on?"


    Little Wang felt indignant and hung up the phone.


    He really didn''t understand the rules of foreign exchange trading, but he could pay someone, find a trader for a few tens of thousands.


    With the rest of the millions, converting into over four hundred thousand US dollars, using a leverage of one hundred times, he went all in to short sell British Pounds.


    At the same time, a Welfare Girl named Qingyin also saw Lu Liang''s tweet.


    Weibo was just a customer acquisition channel, Twitter was the main base, so she followed Lu Liang immediately.


    She muttered to herself, "Mr. Lu, please don''t screw this up, if I lose money again, I really have to sell myself."


    Last time following Lu Liang on shorting Tesla resulted in her $200,000 turning into $70,000.


    Luckily, following Lu Liang''s advice, she gritted her teeth, cut her losses, and only lost over $150,000.


    If she had continued to resist, the $200,000 would probably have ended up like below, with nothing left.


    This time, scraping together, she once again accumulated $50,000, ready to enter the British-American foreign exchange with a leverage of two hundred times.


    And she decided, if she were blown up this time, she would descend into infamy, becoming Lu Liang''s hater.


    If caught, she would blame Lu Liang.


    After all, it was $200,000, just a little more, and she could buy a house in Hang City, achieving her dream of retiring by 25.


    Before the vote count, the last thirty minutes.


    The British-American exchange rate, at the moment Lu Liang updated his status, fell by 65 points but immediately recovered to 1.5012.


    Lu Liang asked, "Has all the stock been sold off?"


    Zhang Jing nodded and said, "The market trades are extremely active, we have gradually sold off $700 million." S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From the $828 million stock, they directly sold $700 million, leaving only $128 million as backup funds, a single basis point''s fluctuation amounted to 46,600 British Pounds, they could only tolerate a rise of 245 points.


    That is, if the British-American exchange rate rose to 1.5257 points, they would trigger a forced closeout.


    "Are there any big fishes entering the market?"


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, the British-American exchange market being a market worth hundreds of trillions of US dollars, related to a nation''s wealth.


    With daily transactions worth tens of trillions, it was impossible to tell who was the small fish and who was the big fish without an opposing stance.


    "Mr. Lu!" Sun Yutao''s eyes widened as he suddenly shouted.


    In the last ten minutes of the vote count, the foreign exchange market suddenly surged, rising by 105 points.


    It seemed as if they were deliberately creating a special market situation, as if they already knew the results of the vote count.


    "Sell off, start with $30 million, push the price down, don''t let the bulls get their way," Lu Liang remained calm, issuing commands.

 Chapter 139 - 138: Beating the Bulls

    The sudden appearance of the opposing order created an impression as if someone knew the outcome in advance, which was quite intriguing.


    If someone had known the results a few minutes early, they should have kept it under wraps and waited until the moment they were announced to harvest the short sellers massively.


    Instead of startling the snake in the bush now.


    "Trying to run?"


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes; he knew the final outcome and almost instantly guessed the true intention of the opponent.


    The person trading against him must actually have known the election results in advance, but those results had taken him by surprise.


    Hence the plan to startle the snake in the bush, to shake off some of the less resolute short sellers, mainly to cover their own retreat.


    Just like the Big A dealer, there would always be a sudden drop in the market before launching, shaking off the less determined.


    But due to the different rules of Forex trading because, whether shorting or going long, in the end, positions must be squared and settled.


    If someone got scared, they could also take advantage of the market drop to exit part of their funds, losing as little as possible.


    "They buy as much as we dump, let''s see how long they can last, hold steady at 1.5100."


    Lu Liang''s mouth curled into a smile; time was on their side, and there were less than 300 seconds left.


    The more the bulls invested, the more they would lose, and this was just the final struggle.


    Once they realized this path was futile, they should reverse and go short, trying to salvage some returns.


    Professional speculators shun acts of defiance.


    When it''s time to back down, one must back down.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, stepped out of the trading room, and picked up his phone to update his status again: "Before dawn, it should be silent."


    Once the message was out, the bears suddenly gained momentum.


    Countless short-selling speculators quickly realized that the bulls'' sudden urgency surely meant they had a secret they couldn''t tell.


    Speculators from all countries tacitly agreed to defend 1.5100, waiting for the moment the results were confirmed.


    After all, nobody wanted to fall before dawn, to be the last of the cannon fodder; they were determined to see the final outcome even if it killed them.


    In the financial market, individual investors might not be significant, but they were important too; if they united, even Wall Street institutions had to bow their heads.


    Welfare Girl Qingyin also joined at this time, splitting $50,000 into two parts: margin and working capital, half each.


    $25,000 with a 200 times leverage turned into $5 million, which was then exchanged for 3.31 million British Pounds, going all-in full position.


    A one basis point move would be ¡ê219, with a tolerable loss of 55 pips.


    Once it exceeded 1.5155, she would be forced out.


    Meanwhile, at Wall Street''s Blackstone Fund, a curse was heard: "Fuck~"


    Followed by,


    An anguished roar: "Lu Liang!"


    At this very moment, in the nearby JPMorgan Building, Wilson seemed to hear this voice in the darkness.


    He was also looking at Lu Liang''s Twitter account, his face growing increasingly grim: "Dammit, it''s you again."


    Although JPMorgan had not participated in going long on the British Pounds, he really didn''t want to see Lu Liang win again.


    But there was no time left,


    In the live broadcast room of Old England''s election,


    David Cameron walked out of the Parliamentary Chamber.


    His stride was buoyant, and the slight upward curl of his lips seemed to announce the result to the world.


    He had been re-elected.


    David Cameron, with a smile on his face, walked up to the podium and, following tradition, spoke to the public. He talked about how the EU was like a vampire clinging to Old England and expressed his determination about Brexit once more.


    He would discuss with his cabinet ministers, aiming to hold a national Brexit referendum within the next six months.


    As his words concluded, the GBP/USD exchange rate plummeted 300 points instantaneously, and the bulls were too slow to react, causing them to blow up their accounts.


    The bulls'' account liquidation further propelled the exchange rate''s plunge, with a fall of up to 550 pips within seconds.


    The current GBP/USD exchange rate is 1.4550.


    Qingyin''s eyes widened as she struggled to contain her excitement. She didn''t dare to get greedy and immediately flattened her position with one click.


    Her millions in chips were like a drop in the ocean compared to the trillions being traded; they simply couldn''t make a ripple.


    Fifty thousand US dollars transformed into $225,000 in just about three minutes.


    "I made it, I made it~"


    Overjoyed to the point of tears, Qingyin had not only recouped her losses from shorting Tesla but also made an extra $25,000.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang allocated tasks with calm precision. They held too much capital and had to cover their positions slowly.


    After all, with the GBP/USD rate at 1.4550, there was still a 198-point drop to go. There was no need to rush; taking it slow was fine.


    But he had underestimated the impact of David Cameron''s re-election. Institutions that were long seemed to be seeking revenge, replenishing funds to recover losses.


    Their resolve to go long before was matched by their ruthless shorting strategies now.


    As the bear army advanced,


    The GBP/USD rate dropped further,


    Instantly breaking below the 1.4500 point.


    "Buy back, take advantage of this drop to cover,"


    Lu Liang snapped out of his daze and issued orders in a rush, fearing he''d be too slow and lose out on the profits that were within grasp.


    Fortunately, the bears were aggressive, carrying an unstoppable momentum and directly liquidating numerous struggling long positions.


    The liquidation of long positions spilled a slew of sell orders, causing the exchange rate to plummet further.


    Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing also took advantage of the situation to square their accounts and cash out.


    "Count up the profits from this operation and have Little Wen bring the total to me later."


    Lu Liang casually took a photo of an account showing a profit of $5.23 million.


    They had five such accounts, with total profits exceeding $30 million.


    Lu Liang edited the photo and then updated his Twitter status with it, typing, "Made a little profit, how much did you earn?"


    Suddenly, he noticed someone in the comment section posting a series of erotic and titillating videos continuously.


    A scantily-clad woman was screaming Lu Liang''s name and using some indecent language.


    With a critical eye, Lu Liang watched all the videos and finally saw the profit screenshot.


    This time, the profit was $175,000 US dollars,


    With an initial capital of only $50,000 and using 200 times leverage. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Wow, that''s quite a tidy sum,"


    Lu Liang marveled, but he didn''t reply.


    Though he found Little Steamed Bun intriguing, his followers had unknowingly breached the 100,000 mark.


    He had to maintain the image of a proper gentleman.


    Over five thousand comments filled the section, some showing profit screenshots, others begging for Lu Liang to take them under his wing.


    "Once, I had the chance to make it big right in front of me, but I wasted my time on Twitter watching adult content instead of seizing it. I regretted it deeply only after I lost the opportunity. If heaven granted me another chance, I would cherish it for sure."


    "What''s the use of talking so much? Godfather, take me under your wing. I''m in debt for 1.2 million, all from trading Forex, please help me recover."


    "Godfather, I''m a white-stockinged little Lolita. Qingyin is soft and easy to topple, please lead me to fortune."


    Before long, Lu Liang''s Twitter activity spread to the domestic audience and more people attentive to the buzz started to follow his Twitter account.


    After all, this was a true wealth code; at least a hundred people had seized it and then made a fortune.


    As time passed, by evening, Lu Liang''s Twitter followers had surpassed the one-million mark.


    ...


    First, let''s stabilize updates at nine o''clock.


    I''ll gradually make up for the owed chapters.

 Chapter 140 - 139: The Great Pusher

    Seeing Lu Liang showing off, Little Wang refused to be outdone and posted a profit chart, "Made enough for a Phantom, not bad, huh?"


    But no sooner had he posted the update than a bunch of netizens mocked him with the photo meme "giving you a chance was useless.jpg."


    "Disgrace to Wanda."


    "Disgrace to Old Wang."


    "Disgrace to Lu God."


    "If I had friends like that, I''d immediately block them. Such a small investment clearly shows distrust in Lu Liang."


    After all, as a close associate of Lu Liang, Little Wang surely had access to much more insider information than the average netizen.


    He invested $630,000 and made $980,000.


    The Welfare Girl invested $50,000 and made over $170,000, turning the original investment more than fourfold.


    And him?


    He only made a little over double.


    Had it been a larger sum of money, it might have been passable, but showing off with an investment of just a few hundred thousand dollars, where did he get the cheek?


    And as the son of the First Rich, not even having a million US dollars, even dogs would shake their heads in disappointment: Has it come to this?


    "Damn it all, If I hadn''t had so many expenses recently, how could I be left with so little of my fortune."


    Frustrated, Little Wang felt like his liver hurt. He wasn''t Lu Liang¡ªthere was no need to please anyone. He earned his money and he spent it himself. S§×arch* The novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He made up his mind that once he received his share of the private equity settlement next year, he would indulge in some heavy spending.


    At least buy three to five sports cars.


    Then he would see who would dare say he''d fallen behind.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang got his earnings report, which was about what he had anticipated.


    $30 million, give or take a little.


    "After deducting fees, $36.82 million in hand."


    Lu Liang flicked through the earnings reports of various accounts, contemplating where to look for the next market wave.


    He had fans who went to great lengths to follow him from inside the firewall to the outside¡ªhe couldn''t disappoint them by sending them back empty-handed.


    However, he had to choose events and markets carefully, lest he lead a charge only to serve up losses on a silver platter.


    After this round, plenty of institutions must have set their sights on him, just waiting to go head-to-head and reap opposite ends.


    The total wealth remained the same; some earn while others lose. He earned a bit more, and others earned a bit less or lost a bit more.


    He found nothing, as his requirements were too stringent; he needed events similar to elections¡ªrandom and immutable.


    Because Lu Liang wasn''t just looking to make money for himself; he wanted to bring his fans in on the earnings.


    If it were just about short selling a stock or an index, there were too many uncontrollable factors.


    If he publicly declared a short on Tesla, even if Tesla was on the brink of bankruptcy, Wall Street could revive it.


    Falsifying financial reports, providing loans¡ªit''s all in a day''s work.


    The Brexit referendum fits the criteria above.


    But Lu Liang felt that David Cameron was just talking big; after all, political statements don''t necessarily have to be fulfilled.


    The British currency plummeted 1.49%, totaling ¡ê580 trillion. Over ¡ê700 billion vanished¡ªit was a warning.


    Right now, it''s just an idea, not even an attempt. If it comes to pass, who knows by how many times that ¡ê700 billion will multiply.


    Soros''s estimated 30%, Goldman Sachs''s predicted 15%¡ªit''s no joke.


    Any rational person would know how to choose.


    Get some benefits from the EU by seizing the moment and at the same time elevate one''s own influence¡ªit was probably David Cameron''s true intention.


    Old England was no longer the international powerhouse it once was during the era of The Sun Never Sets Empire.


    Its international influence had dwindled pitifully, and internal problems abounded; everyone was waiting for London Bridge to collapse and then split the inheritance.


    The more it floundered in this state, the faster the decline. David Cameron probably wouldn''t dare to make a real move.


    At night, Lu Liang went to Scholarly Splendor. As soon as he entered, the warm temperature was so comforting it made one want to moan.


    This year''s winter in Modu was quite cold. In mid-November, the average temperature was in the single digits, and the persistent drizzle acted like a magical attack.


    Li Manli was off to Star City to record a variety show, Zhang Tian''ai had joined Happy Mahua and gone north to develop her career, and Wen Shanshan hadn''t returned from filming, so recently Lu Liang had been staying overnight at Su Wanyu''s place.


    Wearing anti-myopia black-framed glasses and holding a textbook, Su Wanyu leaned against the kitchen door, muttering the content.


    Seeing Lu Liang return, she quickly removed her glasses, put away the textbook, and her face lit up with a joy that suggested she was especially happy tonight, "Guess what I did tonight?"


    Lu Liang closed his eyes, smelling the aroma, and guessed, "It smells good; are you stewing lamb?"


    "Wow, how did you get so smart?"


    "It''s because you''re too thick."


    "I''m not thick, how else would you seem clever?"


    Su Wanyu beamed, pushing Lu Liang towards the bathroom, "Go take a shower. Dinner should be ready by the time you''re done."


    Lu Liang had a smile on his lips, pretending to enter the bathroom and then suddenly stepping out again, wrapping his arms around Su Wanyu''s waist.


    She jumped in surprise as Lu Liang''s palm appeared before her eyes, slightly open to reveal a sparkling necklace.


    Lu Liang''s cheek pressed against her neck, kissing her earlobe as he whispered softly, "Yu, happy birthday."


    "I thought you had forgotten." Su Wanyu was moved, her eyes brimming with tears, but her focus was not on the exquisiteness of the necklace, but on Lu Liang himself.


    "I''ve always remembered it clearly, let me help you put it on." Lu Liang took out the necklace and personally helped Su Wanyu wear it.


    The snow-white swan neck adorned with a blue crystal necklace shone brilliantly under the light, enhancing her charm even more.


    Just half an hour earlier, he had bought it on the street because he found it odd that the usually considerate Su Wanyu had suddenly called him in the afternoon to ask if he was coming home for dinner tonight.


    Moreover, she came up with a lame excuse, saying she needed to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam, and if Lu Liang didn''t come home, she would just grab something to eat.


    Just a few days ago, she had boasted to him that she had passed the preliminary examination and was only waiting for next year''s retest to become a graduate student at Tongji.


    Therefore, Lu Liang took the hint and checked Su Wanyu''s previous interview materials, where he found out that today was her birthday.


    Today, she turned 22 years old.


    Lu Liang hugged her, and the two of them, like conjoined penguins, came to the full-body mirror in the bedroom. "Do you like it?"


    Su Wanyu''s face showed delight, and she nodded repeatedly before suddenly saying, "Wait a minute, I also have something for you."


    She took out a bag from the closet containing a dark-colored scarf¡ªnot very pretty, but not ugly either.


    Lu Liang glanced hastily and saw several leftover balls of wool in the closet. "Did you knit this yourself?"


    "How about it? Do you like it?"


    Su Wanyu''s eyes were filled with anticipation; she didn''t have much money and couldn''t afford to give very expensive gifts.


    After much thought, she decided to knit a heartwarming scarf for Lu Liang before the arrival of winter.


    If Lu Liang remembered her birthday, she would give it to him on the spot; if not, she would give it to him the next day and then have a good reason to chastise him.


    "I like it. I''ll wear it to work tomorrow."


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded, looking at Su Wanyu whose clear, large eyes were full of sincerity.


    Su Wanyu beamed with joy, willing to wear it out was the greatest acknowledgment for her. "Oh my, I almost forgot the lamb stew. Go take a shower quickly."


    "What about together? We''ve never tried a mandarin duck bath?" Lu Liang said, teasingly pulling Su Wanyu''s hand with a mischievous smile.


    Su Wanyu dashed away in a puff of smoke, standing at the door making faces. "Nuh-uh, I''m not going to join you."


    Lu Liang chuckled, looking down as if he could still smell Su Wanyu''s scent on the scarf. He took off the scarf, picked up the clothes for a change, and humming a tune, headed to the bathroom.


    Although he didn''t want to taint Su Wanyu''s view of love, Lu Liang always believed that feelings are built on abundant material wealth.


    It was because he had money that he could hire a Foreign Teacher, which allowed him to meet Su Wanyu, and through time, he was able to win her over.


    Without money, they probably wouldn''t even have had the chance to meet.


    At night, Su Wanyu sat on the sofa reading, while Lu Liang lay with his head on her thigh, browsing the news on his phone.


    The international community almost unanimously thought that David Cameron wouldn''t dare to implement the Brexit referendum and was just spouting off.


    Public opinion was one-sided; anyone who held an opposing view was immediately sprayed with brainless labels.


    From macro to micro, then to people''s livelihoods, various angles were analyzed to arrive at one result.


    Old England couldn''t possibly Brexit; even if a referendum took place, it would just be for show, like the National Team playing against Brazil; there was absolutely no suspense in it.


    "The National Team playing Brazil, that''s quite an image."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, yet couldn''t suppress a tiny bit of hope; after all, who could have imagined the previous year that Brazil would be crushed seven to one by Germany.


    Even knowing that the main players were injured, the 7:1 score was still too outrageous.


    "Huh?" Su Wanyu''s small eyes were full of confusion: "The National Team playing Brazil? Poor National Team."


    Brazil and Argentina, the two great football kingdoms of South America¡ªeven if one never followed football, they would have heard their names.


    On the other hand, the National Team¡ªeven if one never followed football, they knew of their prowess, constantly enlightening others with their geographic knowledge.


    When these two teams came together, the result should be a foregone conclusion.


    "The premise for these two teams to meet is our National Team making it to the World Cup; otherwise, there''s hardly a chance."


    Lu Liang explained, smiling as she misunderstood that the phrase "The National Team playing Brazil" being used online was in reference to England''s Brexit.


    Su Wanyu cocked her head, her expression tangled. "Such a metaphor doesn''t seem quite vivid."


    She had been reading international news and watching Hollywood movies to increase her English vocabulary.


    Speaking rigorously, if the chance of the National Team beating Brazil was 1%, then the chance of Old England doing Brexit was at least 5%.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang sat up, squinting his eyes. "Indeed, it''s not very vivid, it''s simply an insult to Brazil."


    "Yu, you keep reading. I just thought of something and need to go to the study for a while." Having said that, he rushed to the study.


    [February 18, the GBP/USD exchange rate was 1.1420]


    "Tsk tsk, a drop of over 3500 basis points, the overall value of the currency declined by more than 11%, wealth evaporated by over six trillion."


    Lu Liang marveled. If he could seize this opportunity, the profits brought by this news would far exceed all his past earnings.


    Fortunately, he had three months to plan, needing to be well-prepared with ample ammunition before that day arrived.


    Due to insufficient funds during the yen''s plunge, Lu Liang could only follow behind Wall Street, picking up the scraps.


    Even though he didn''t earn much, he was still rumored to be the biggest driver behind the short-selling. This time, he wanted to be the real big driver.

 Chapter 141 - 140: Xiangjiang

    The next day at noon, Panda Interactive Entertainment''s self-produced variety show "Hellos Goddess" was launched and became a huge hit.


    On its first day, it attracted 2.28 million viewers online and the ten contestants received a total of over 20 million in gifts.


    The concept of a real-world goddess development record was warmly received upon its release, dominating hot search topics. Platforms like Douyu and Huya announced they were preparing to launch similar variety shows.


    Three days later, Wang Xiaocong kicked off Panda''s Series A financing round, offering 20% of the shares and securing 30 million US dollars in funding from Qihu 360 and Golden Sand River.


    An initial investment of less than 5 million US dollars had turned, in just four months, into a company valued at 150 million US dollars and owning 68% of the shares.


    With a return of over 30 times the investment, Wang Xiaocong''s reputation shifted, and he became a rising supernova in the business world. He was no longer seen as the foolish son of a landowner who only knew how to spend money and chase girls.


    That day, Wang Xiaocong was spirited and walked with a powerful stride, nearly sweeping up a breeze, as he entered Tianxing Capital to repay the borrowed 50 million, principal and interest included.


    "Liang, as the saying goes, it''s easy to borrow again if you pay back what you owe. Are you interested in investing more?"


    Wang Xiaocong didn''t want to repay the money. Although he had secured 30 million US dollars in financing, he had several projects ready to launch.


    He was quite cautious with funds, but there was no choice as the terms of the loan stated clearly in black and white that it must be repaid immediately after the financing round.


    Lu Liang seemed to deeply distrust him, which really annoyed him¡ªafter all, he was the founder of a company valued close to a billion.


    "Not interested." Lu Liang glanced at him coldly.


    Little Wang had been getting a bit too arrogant lately, going from respectfully calling him Liang to casually addressing him as Liang.


    After the financing round, his shares were diluted to 12%, but he was still the second-largest shareholder. He naturally knew how the 30 million US dollars were obtained.


    The Series A financing of Panda wasn''t as easy as the external rumors suggested. Little Wang had negotiated with Old Zhou and Old Zhu for two whole days before finally signing an agreement that aimed to take the company public within three years. If they failed, he would have to repay the principal and an additional 10% interest.


    He was too eager. Lu Liang had advised against it, but to no avail.


    Going public is every company''s dream, but aiming to do so in just three years was reckless¡ªeven if his father was Wanda Lin, he left no room for contingency.


    Lu Liang couldn''t be bothered to advise any further. He was already studying who might be interested in the live streaming industry, planning to sell off his shares in Panda during the Series B financing. He didn''t want to go mad alongside Little Wang.


    Wang Xiaocong sighed helplessly, "I didn''t want to be so rushed, but Douyu is already in talks with Tencent, preparing to join their major entertainment plan."


    Lu Liang said, "Why don''t you join them? Tencent isn''t Ali; as long as you can make money, they won''t interfere with the daily operations."


    Little Wang snorted with pride, "That would mean begging on my knees. My legs don''t bend that easily."


    After all, Old Wang was the current First Rich. If the company he struggled to create was just to serve Tencent, he would rather live comfortably as a super-rich second-generation without worry.


    "Tough and principled," remarked Lu Liang, clapping nonchalantly as he stood up to leave. He had booked a flight to Xiangjiang.


    Upon hearing that Lu Liang was heading to Xiangjiang, Wang Xiaocong hastily called out, "How about we go together? I have some business there, too."


    "What are you going to do?" Lu Liang asked, curious.


    "Didn''t I tell you? I''m creating cultural diversity, so I signed a few Han City girl group members and female hosts involving international cooperation. Of course, I''m heading to Xiangjiang¡ªit''s more professional there."


    As soon as he had money, he couldn''t restrain himself.


    He was ready to go shopping mode: e-sports teams, event rights, Han City actresses, Japanese idols¡ªhe planned to get them all.


    Lu Liang''s words came to his lips but then he swallowed them back down, "We''ll go our separate ways upon arrival and catch up when we''re done."


    "Ok, ok."


    At three o''clock in the afternoon, the plane landed in Xiangjiang. Lu Liang took the Peninsula Hotel''s car service directly to Central Financial Street.


    Golden Sand River had transferred the money, the equity transfer fee for ofo, but it wasn''t sent to Tianxing Investment. Instead, it was sent to a trust fund established in the name of Lu Liang''s sister in Xiangjiang.


    In total, it was 197 million Hong Kong dollars. The Hong Kong dollar is no different from the US dollar because, aside from the ten-dollar note, all other denominations of Hong Kong currency bear the words ''promise to pay on demand.''


    The bank has to back 7.8 Hong Kong dollars with one US dollar to the government to lock in the exchange rate at 7.8.


    If the US dollar rises, the Hong Kong dollar rises; if the US dollar falls, the Hong Kong dollar falls. Essentially, it''s a US dollar voucher.


    HSBC took Lu Liang''s arrival very seriously, and Vice President Li Junwei personally welcomed him: "Mr. Lu, have you been to Xiangjiang before?"


    Lu Liang shook his head with a smile, "It''s my first time."


    He had gotten his Hong Kong and Macao Pass years ago in a trend, but Modu was too far from Xiangjiang, leaving him with few opportunities to come over.


    His first impression of Xiangjiang was one of fantasy; he had crossed Yau Tsim Mong through the Red Stone Undersea Tunnel to get to Xiangjiang Island.


    Central Financial Street was lined with towers exuding modernity, not a bit inferior to Lujiazui, but Yau Tsim Mong was more cramped than any urban village.


    Every building was a dense mosaic of windows, with countless air-conditioning units like a honeycomb full of larvae.


    Li Junwei was all smiles, "So, how long do you plan to stay here?"


    "It depends."


    Before the 25th, Lu Liang had to return to the company to sign the authorization to update the net asset value this month, so he likely had a few days of free time.


    If he was comfortable and happy, he would stay a few more days; if not, he might even return tonight.


    "Mr. Lu, shall I arrange a tour guide for you? If you need anything, feel free to contact us."


    Li Junwei genuinely hoped Lu Liang would stay for a few more days because the day after tomorrow was the opening ceremony of the winter horse races.


    By that time, celebrities, politicians, and tycoons would gather.


    Before ''97 in Xiangjiang, a saying was popular: power was divided into three parts¡ªone for the governor, one for HSBC, and one for the Jockey Club.


    In a blink of eighteen years, the first had vanished, the second was humbled by Bank of China, and the third was just okay, at least not as influential as the first two.


    The opening of the winter races was an annual spectacular event and an excellent opportunity to meet both the new and established elite of Xiangjiang.


    "If I''m still here, I''ll check it out."


    Lu Liang contemplated, but he didn''t give a definite answer.


    According to Meng Changkun, Old Meng''s statistics, over twenty people had already expressed interest in the second phase of Tianxing Private Equity.


    Even if each person subscribed for only one share, with half already in the fold, that was close to five hundred million dollars. He didn''t need to drum up more investors; it was take it or leave it.


    After bidding farewell to Li Junwei, Lu Liang took a car to the hotel. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    HSBC had considerable experience in setting up trusts for the wealthy, offering almost a one-stop solution, but unlike other wealthy individuals who needed a manager, Lu Liang didn''t need one¡ªhe planned to operate it himself.


    Upon his return to the hotel, Lu Liang ran into Wang Xiaocong coming out of the elevator, his face dark with a foul mood.


    He smirked and joked, "Friend, share with me what''s bothering you, so I can have a good laugh."


    Wang Xiaocong looked at him fiercely, clearly upset. The two went to eat in the hotel''s restaurant where he felt belittled.


    Platforms usually only paid the first year of the three-year, fifteen-million-dollar signing fee.


    But he was asked to pay half upfront.


    "So what?"


    "I signed," Wang Xiaocong sighed.


    "Then why all the fuss?"


    Lu Liang chuckled and quickly turned his attention to the glossy roasted goose, taking a bite of the juicy leg that left his mouth greasy: "This is really good, try some."


    "What about you? Have you finished your business?"


    "Sort of."


    "Sort of?" Wang Xiaocong was puzzled.


    Lu Liang turned his head and signaled Wen Chao to bring over the Jockey Club''s invitation, his words muffled: "Just can''t decide whether to stay a few more days."


    "Damn it, why hasn''t anyone invited me?" Xiaocong grumbled, after all, he too was a rising star in the business world.


    Lu Liang wiped his hands clean with a hot towel, teasing, "Maybe they don''t know you''re here."


    Wang Xiaocong huffed, clearly catching the sarcasm in Lu Liang''s voice.


    He asked, "So, are you going?"


    "If you were me, would you go?"


    Lu Liang pondered and couldn''t think of any benefits the opening ceremony would offer him.


    Networking would happen without effort on his part, and capital was not something he lacked, so he left the decision to Wang Xiaocong.


    "If it were me, I''d definitely go," said Wang Xiaocong without a second thought. Why pass up such a chance to shine?


    "Alright then, let''s go," Lu Liang said with a resigned laugh.

 Chapter 142 - 141: Still Playable with Hundreds of Millions of US Dollars

    "What are your plans for tonight and tomorrow?"


    Little Wang decided to join Lu Liang for a stroll to broaden his horizons.


    The status of the Xiangjiang Horse Racing Club is higher than that of the Taishan Association on the mainland; even the selection system of the Taishan Association is modeled after the Racing Club.


    Lu Liang had no shortage of networks or funds, but what he lacked were connections with some big shots in Xiangjiang, which might come in handy later.


    The best option for Panda was definitely to go public in the US, but there was still a three-year gambling agreement.


    If the conditions for going to the US weren''t met, settling for a listing on the Hong Kong stock market was also an option.


    "Just wander around and see the sights."


    Lu Liang was not familiar with Xiangjiang and had no specific plans.


    "How about playing a few rounds next door?" suggested Little Wang.


    "Sure, you arrange it, I''ll go take a shower first."


    Little Wang, referring to next door, naturally meant Macau.


    As soon as Lu Liang let him take charge, Little Wang immediately got excited, and he made some phone calls to book a few girls. According to him, flowers always need green leaves for accompaniment, and two grown men alone seemed a bit dry.


    In the evening, the two took a boat to Macau and then a private car to the Xinpu Hotel. Upon arrival, two girls with delicate makeup and attractive appearances were waiting in the lobby.


    The leading girl smiled and waved excitedly, running forward, "Xiaocong, how come you suddenly came to Macau?"


    Wang Xiaocong casually put his arm around her waist, "Just here to take care of some things and thought I''d bring a friend along for some fun."


    He turned to introduce Lu Liang, "Xueli, my girlfriend, and this is Lu Liang, call him Liang."


    "Liang, nice to meet you. I can''t believe how young you are," Xueli said, her eyes wide open with surprise.


    If Little Wang was the top internet celebrity in China in the first half of the year, then the title should probably belong to Lu Liang for the second half.


    Unlike Little Wang, who leveraged Old Wang''s fame to become the entertainment industry''s discipline inspector, Lu Liang genuinely relied on his own abilities.


    With each deal, he pocketed profits of at least several million US dollars, especially a few days ago when he led a group to short the British Pounds against the market trends.


    At least fifty people cracked the code of wealth, earning from a thousand to several hundred thousand US dollars, pushing Lu Liang''s fame to new heights.


    Though domestic platforms banned discussions of foreign internet topics, Lu Liang''s Weibo followers had silently risen to 12 million.


    Lu Liang smiled, amused, "You make it sound like I''m actually very old but just appear young."


    "No, no, no, please don''t get me wrong, that''s not what I meant," Xueli hurriedly explained, only to dig herself deeper.


    Little Wang couldn''t help but laugh and quickly spoke up to shield her, "Lu, stop teasing her. Xueli, why not introduce your friend?"


    "Liang, her name is Kexin," Xueli said with a nervous giggle, finally breathing a sigh of relief as she introduced her friend.


    With short hair to her earlobes, crescent-shaped earrings, and a loose down jacket completely covering her shorts, she wore black long boots, presenting a mature lady''s aura.


    Smiling shyly, she said, "Liang, nice to meet you, I''m Lin Yike."


    "Kexin, hello, let''s go," said Lu Liang with a nod, and the group of four entered the casino.


    The bright lights and pleasant temperature, accompanied by soft music, made it hard to tell day from night.


    Seemingly familiar with the place, Little Wang was immediately accompanied by a dedicated casino manager, locally referred to as the ''chip stacker'', right after entering.


    He exchanged a million in chips: "It''s too noisy in the main hall; I''m heading upstairs. What about you?"


    "I''ll just wander around a bit," said Lu Liang, intrigued by everything. He also exchanged a million in chips and got a dedicated manager.


    Given his spending power, he shouldn''t have actually been assigned a manager; it was probably Little Wang who had revealed his identity.


    "Alright, see you later."


    Little Wang took his girlfriend and followed the manager to the upper floor.


    Lu Liang, leading Lin Yike and his manager, strolled around the lobby before stopping in front of a slot machine, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.


    These machines reminded him of his childhood when he played arcade games; one yuan for six tokens, five tokens to play the fruit machine lottery, playing until he was down to his last token before he accepted reality.


    He would then seriously play Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Bomberman, or Journey to the West ¡ª games that filled an entire afternoon until Lu Ya came to fetch him.


    Although these machines were more sophisticated and fun than the fruit machine, they couldn''t match the past feelings.


    After losing a few thousand, Lu Liang headed over to Baccarat and turned to ask, "Banker, Player, or Tie, which should I bet on?"


    Lin Yike shook her head, looking distressed, "I don''t know."


    "No worries, just pick one," Lu Liang replied with a smile.


    Lin Yike touched her chin thoughtfully, "Well, let''s say banker; it''s been player four rounds straight already."


    Lu Liang smiled, called over the manager, and, without even checking, pulled half his chips and tossed them onto the table: "All on banker."


    A bystander exclaimed, "Young man, reversing four with four hundred thousand, max bet two million, how long can you last?"


    Lin Yike also widened her eyes, covering her mouth in surprise, "Liang, isn''t that too much?"


    She didn''t want her casual suggestion to result in Lu Liang losing four hundred thousand.


    "It''s just for fun; I trust your luck," Lu Liang shrugged it off with a smile, not concerned about the stakes.


    Ding, ding, ding,


    With three clear chimes ringing out, there was no turning back now.


    Upon hearing this, the man beside him suddenly lit up, just in time before the dealer rang the bell, and followed by betting fifty thousand.


    He had a big smile on his face, revealing two large golden teeth, "Casino rules, newcomers have a protection period."


    Lu Liang was astonished, "Maybe."


    The dealer dealt two cards, Lin Yike stared intensely, clenching her little fists, silently cheering on.


    Lu Liang didn''t have any fancy moves, he picked up the cards and saw a 4, gently pushed it to reveal a 3.


    "Seven points, not bad," he smiled.


    Nine points was the maximum, seven points was already quite high.


    The man with the golden teeth smacked his lips and sighed, "Indeed not small, but also not stable."


    Lu Liang looked around, observing the expressions of the gamblers.


    At the table, there were more than a dozen people, only he and the man with the golden teeth bet on the banker, the others bet on the player, commonly known as chasing the dragon.


    The first card revealed by the player was a 5,


    Everyone was shouting, "No sides, no sides¡­"


    However, contrary to their wishes, three sides appeared.


    The reveal was a 6, followed by another 2. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Banker seven points, player three points, banker wins."


    The man with the big golden teeth''s smile was crooked, he hurriedly bent down to collect the money, "Young man, I told you newcomers have a protection period."


    Lu Liang gave a light smile, Lin Yike stared at the chips, dazed, "Just like that, won 400 thousand?"


    "No, just 380 thousand."


    Lu Liang smiled, playing with the chips, banker wins one round takes a 5% commission, 20 rounds just to break even.


    No wonder there''s the saying that frequent gambling leads to certain losses,


    He took out eighty thousand and handed it to Lin Yike, "For you."


    Lin Yike shook her head, Lu Liang smiled, "Take it, it''s because of your good luck that we could win."


    After that, the two of them continued to play several rounds, it seemed like there really was such a thing as a newcomer protection period.


    Four consecutive wins, each bet was generally around four to five hundred thousand, a million chips had already turned into more than three million.


    Lin Yike also got the spare change that Lu Liang didn''t want, together in five rounds it added up to 410 thousand.


    Her excited cheeks were flushed, including the man with the big golden teeth who was also beaming with joy.


    Lu Liang''s expression remained unchanged, now if he were to go get his heart rate checked, it probably wouldn''t exceed 90.


    The man with the big golden teeth was amazed, "Young brother, you must be a big businessman, right?"


    Lu Liang just smiled, giving no response.


    The harm of gambling is it destroys one''s values.


    Like earning a few tens an hour, in one day of hard work it may be just a few hundred, a single bet could win or lose thousands or tens of thousands. Once you taste the sweetness, there''s no turning back.


    But Lu Liang''s values had already been destroyed by finance.


    He had experienced the feeling of losing millions of US dollars in a few minutes, to earning tens of millions of US dollars.


    Losses and wins of hundreds of thousands or millions, to him it was like playing rock-paper-scissors, the loser treats to a drink game.


    Lu Liang asked the manager to collect the chips on the table, stretched lazily, and smiled, "Let''s go upstairs and see how much Little Wang has lost."


    Lin Yike nodded, hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to hold Lu Liang''s arm, showing a sweet smile on her face.


    Not just because she earned a few hundred thousand in tips, but because it was Lu Liang, this opportunity, she didn''t want to miss.


    Girls must take initiative to get what they want, just like her best friend Xueli.


    The two went upstairs, the scale was smaller than below, and there were fewer people, but the betting limit on the gambling tables was higher.


    Lu Liang''s prediction turned out to be true, Little Wang was sitting in front of the Baccarat table, his face flushed, it seemed he not only lost, but was also getting carried away.


    His girlfriend Xueli saw them coming, hurriedly whispered, "Liang, can you please try to persuade Xiaocong?"


    It turned out the million chips were gone, Little Wang had exchanged another five million, and there were less than a million left in the tray.


    Lu Liang knew the cardinal sin of gambling, walked over and directly pressed Little Wang''s shoulder, smiled and said, "Let''s go eat some late-night snacks."


    "Don''t touch me¡­"


    Little Wang, touched on the shoulder, nearly flipped out, but seeing it was Lu Liang, reluctantly nodded with a bitter smile, "Alright, let''s go."


    "Mr. Wang, why leave so soon, didn''t we agree to play till dawn? Can''t afford to lose this bit of money?"


    Someone teased, with a pile of chips in front of them, seemingly taking Little Wang as a sure guide to winning.


    "Who the hell can''t afford to lose?" Wang Xiaocong''s face darkened.


    Lu Liang patted his shoulder, signaling him not to be impulsive, sat in Little Wang''s place, smiled and said, "Sir, since you''re so interested, I''ll play with you. This is boring, how about we play high-low no limit betting?"


    The man looked disdainful, sneered condescendingly, "Who are you, daring to talk so big?"


    "My name''s Lu Liang, I can pull out a few billion to play with you, and I can afford it, how about it? Do you dare to play?"


    Lu Liang smiled, relaxed and casual.

 Chapter 143 - 142: The Friendship of Gentlemen, As Mild as Water

    "Ugh, this is so boring, I''m going back to sleep."


    When that person heard the name Lu Liang, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, and he immediately made a swift exit, beating a hasty retreat.


    Wang Xiaocong was obviously bragging, but Lu Liang did have the capacity to produce hundreds of millions, which might even be in US dollars.


    They were still playing big and small, this kind of binary bet, whoever had more chips could laugh last, and he wasn''t stupid.


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently and didn''t bother arguing with the other party, after all, Little Wang''s surname was Wang, not Lu, and it was enough just to let off some steam.


    "Such a damn coward."


    Little Wang cursed under his breath and looked at Lu Liang''s chips in surprise, "Did you guys win all this?"


    "Kexin''s just lucky, hitting every target she points at," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "You''re really lucky," Xueli said with eyes full of envy.


    She wasn''t envious of her best friend earning so much in tips, she was just envious of the luck that brought men good fortune.


    In contrast, her own luck wasn''t good, if she hadn''t pointed wrongly, Little Wang wouldn''t have gotten so riled up and lost so much.


    The group of four went downstairs to exchange their chips.


    Lu Liang kept only three million to exchange for a check, and the scattered couple hundred thousand were given as a generous tip to the manager, the rest was all transferred to Lin Yike''s account.


    "Liang, that''s too much,"


    Lin Yike was flattered and pleasantly surprised; after deducting 20% in taxes, she still had nearly five hundred thousand in her account.


    "Keep it, Xinxin, Liang gave it to you because he likes you and feels you bring him good luck," Xueli said, trying to play matchmaker for the two.


    The internet said that the second phase of Tianxing Private Equity Fund amounted to one billion dollars, with a single subscription of twenty million dollars.


    Those who could fork out were either rich or noble.


    All of these people were about to become friends of Lu Liang.


    Even though Wang Xiaocong was good friends with Lu Liang, there was no direct contact between him and her, but if Lin Yike became Lu Liang''s girlfriend, then their connection would significantly grow, after all, she was the matchmaker for the both of them, and Lin Yike was also her best friend.


    "Thank you, Liang," Lin Yike kept thanking him, her smile growing sweeter.


    Lu Liang just smiled and looked at Xueli, patting Little Wang on the shoulder, "Let''s go, time for some late-night food."


    You could say Xinpu Hotel is a huge money pit, as long as you had the money, you could experience all kinds of entertainment without leaving the premises.


    The temperature in the south was very pleasant, even in late November you could still catch the tail end of summer, with the evening temperature around 20 degrees. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The group, sitting on the private lawn, enjoyed barbecue and beer with dedicated chefs and waiters.


    After chatting about everything under the sun, Lu Liang also found out that Xueli was an internet-famous blogger who ran her own women''s clothing online store.


    Lin Yike was her schoolmate and colleague, both of whom graduated from Zhejiang Business University, and were recently looking for new products for their online store in Yangcheng.


    The reason Xueli explained in such detail was also to subtly remind Lu Liang that an internet celebrity isn''t a derogatory term.


    It''s just that there are too many unethical internet celebrities causing scandals online, which is why being an internet celebrity has come to carry a negative connotation.


    She didn''t want Lu Liang to see them through prejudice and was also trying to elevate her own value.


    As the night grew deeper, Little Wang clutched his head, pretending to be overwhelmed by alcohol, creating an opportunity for Lu Liang.


    "They''ve gone back, let''s go back to our room too."


    Lu Liang walked ahead, Lin Yike followed behind.


    Everyone was an adult, some things didn''t need to be spelled out; they would naturally take their course, and this path was also a shortcut to a woman''s innermost feelings.


    Having slept together or not made a big difference.


    Now that they had been honest with each other physically, Lin Yike wasn''t as timid as before, she snuggled quietly against Lu Liang with bedding in her arms, "Liang, what do you like about me?"


    Lu Liang lit a cigarette, slowly exhaling the smoke, "Your short hair, your style, they remind me of a friend."


    "Was she a girlfriend?" Lin Yike asked curiously.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, "Sort of."


    "How did you two break up?"


    "We gradually lost contact."


    "Were there no signs?"


    "What signs do you need?"


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently,


    Months went by without contact, and it was natural that they drifted apart.


    Last Friday, he received a package.


    Inside was just a credit card.


    She had made her choice, and he wasn''t going to disturb her.


    The friendship of gentlemen is as light as water.


    Lin Yike hugging the bedding, suddenly lay down on the bed, cutely staring at Lu Liang, "Am I your girlfriend now?"


    Liang burst into laughter, standing up to stub out his cigarette and incidentally patted her butt, "Let''s not talk about such a mood killer."


    Lin Yike yelped in pain and whined with her nose wrinkled, "You''re so annoying, can''t you just deceive me?"


    Liang came back after washing his face, pinning her underneath him, "If you try hard enough, maybe you can be deceived."


    Lin Yike bit her lip, unable to help but moan softly, "Then can you give me a rough direction, please?"


    "That''d be too deliberate if I just gave it away."


    "You''re fishing without bait."


    "Whoever is willing will take the bait."


    "What if I don''t want to bite?"


    "You''ve already been caught."


    "~"


    ...


    The next day, two men and two women spent a day playing in Macau, and on the opening day, Liang returned to Xiangjiang with Wang Xiaocong.


    Little Wang, though very fond of Xueli, also knew clearly which occasions he could bring her to and which he couldn''t.


    As for Liang''s relationship with Lin Yike, it was a gentlemen''s friendship: if fated, they''d meet again in worldly society; if not, they''d forget each other in the same realm.


    "You''re really a scumbag," Wang Xiaocong shook his head, his words and expressions laden with disdain for Liang.


    They had known each other for only half a year, and in front of Wang Xiaocong, Liang had flirted with three girls ¨C Wen Shanshan, Zhang Tian''ai, Lin Yike, and also Li Xiaomeng, making it four precisely.


    "A fling is a fling, a girl is a girl, you''ve got to differentiate."


    Liang curled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a roguish smile.


    The things one cannot possess in youth will haunt one for life; he probably will never escape it.


    Playboy founder Hugh Hefner was his role model ¨C 89 years old this year, married three times, with more than 2,000 girlfriends, and it''s said he''s determined to be buried next to Monroe when he dies.


    Wang Xiaocong grumbled angrily, cursing, "Sooner or later, you''ll end up with renal failure like Liu Cixin."


    He always considered himself a man of deep love, devoted to one until the next.


    "A man can on average take action 8,000 times in his life. Even if it''s eight times per, a thousand conquests is a breeze."


    "You, on the other hand, should not take your youth for granted and indulge without limit. You should get some replenishment and exercise; it''s not like you lack the means."


    Liang laughed with a mischievous glint in his eye and gently kicked Little Wang in the calf, nearly bringing him to his knees.


    "No need, I''m still young. What the hell do I need to replenish?" Wang Xiaocong retorted disdainfully, his mind already calculating plans to seek advice from Old Meng back in Modu ¨C he was an expert in this area.


    The two returned to the hotel to freshen up,


    then set off for the race meeting at the Racecourse.


    Xiangjiang''s high society still maintains the old traditions, especially today since it''s the opening day of the winter horse races.


    Each one dressed in a suit and shiny shoes, Liang, wearing casual clothes, stood out like a sore thumb in such a setting.


    Polo shirt, jeans, sneakers ¨C if it weren''t for their exclusive invitation from select members, the security staff would have thought they were tourists from outside the venue who had taken a wrong turn.


    "Should we go out and change our clothes?"


    Little Wang felt slightly embarrassed, while Liang looked at him with disdain, "Think about your dad being Old Wang, and I''m with you. What are you afraid of?"


    Little Wang suddenly felt confident, but then realizing something was off, he cursed, "Damn it, you''re taking advantage of me again."


    Liang laughed and, upon seeing HSBC''s Li Jun, waved and said, "Mr. Li, is today''s event really that formal?"


    Out of politeness, it is appropriate to follow local customs, but if they were unaware, there was no need to go back and change.


    Still, it''s better to make it clear,


    it''s ignorance, not impoliteness.


    Li Jun smiled and said, "It''s not that formal; it''s just that everyone is used to it. It doesn''t have the relaxed feel of the mainland."


    He knew Wang Xiaocong and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Wang, nice to meet you. I''ve had the honor of meeting your father a few times."


    Just before last Christmas, Wanda went public on the Hong Kong stock market in one of the largest IPOs of the past two years.


    And for businesses going public in Xiangjiang, there''s no way to avoid dealing with their HSBC Bank.


    "Mr. Li. I''ve heard my father mention you," Wang Xiaocong responded with a smile.


    Although he acted like a fool in front of Liang because of their close relationship,


    in public, he was still the aloof prince, the son of a wealthy family.


    After some idle chat, Li Jun turned to several people nearby, "Mr. Lu, I was just talking about you with a few friends."


    Gambling is rampant in Xiangjiang, from the financial stock market all the way down to the gambling stalls in the marketplaces. Today, surprisingly, many people came, and most were here for Liang.


    As of the 25th of last month, in just two months, Liang turned one hundred million dollars into two hundred million dollars.


    They were very interested indeed.


    If the tycoons from the mainland are willing to put only 10% of their wealth into high-risk, high-return private equity funds, then the tycoons from Xiangjiang are willing to put at least 20%, if not more.

 Chapter 144 - 143: Money Really Can Make Money

    "Let''s go meet them."


    Liang was just too lazy to make acquaintances, not unwilling. Since he was already here, he certainly intended to make more friends.


    Having more friends meant more opportunities, just like Little Ma, who spent a long time in Xiangjiang because he had many friends there.


    "Li Zhikai." "Zheng Jueming." "Guo Guicheng."


    Li Junwei introduced everyone, with Li, Zheng, and Guo representing the top families of Xiangjiang.


    The older generation had either retired or passed away, and they now stood as the new generation of business leaders in Xiangjiang.


    They, led by Li Zhikai, had made their name as far back as the end of the last century, with the Digital Port project.


    Under the guise of a digital technology port, they built a super real estate project and made a fortune.


    "Nice to meet you."


    Liang greeted everyone with a smile, his grin growing even wider when he saw Li Zhikai.


    In recent years, the Old Super Man had cashed out over 150 billion in both regions and left, but it was like out of the frying pan into the fire.


    Since his escape was to Europe, heavily investing in Old England, whether he would be flayed as a foreigner was still unknown.


    But with Brexit approaching next year, a decrease in assets was inevitable.


    "Mr. Lu, have we met before?" Li Zhikai was puzzled and felt that Lu Liang''s gaze was somewhat strange.


    "No, I''ve only seen you on the news before," Lu Liang said with a smile, then introduced Little Wang to everyone. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He knew what Little Wang was thinking¡ªif Panda''s situation didn''t improve, he would leave, but for now, he would help where he could. Who knows, with his bizarre ways, he might even manage to take the company public.


    "Mr. Wang, hello."


    Everyone chatted merrily, and suddenly the conversation shifted to the recent Old English elections, adding another victory to Lu Liang''s achievements.


    He also revealed the frustration of not being able to subscribe, as Hong Kong Capital usually flowed to two places: either Beijing or the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau area.


    The former is the capital, and the latter is closer.


    Modu was in an awkward position, and even if they invested there, they rarely interacted with people from the Shanghai circle.


    Meng Changkun was even less familiar to them.


    "If you''re all interested, then when the time comes, I''ll have Mr. Meng send out the invitations to each of you. Remember to come."


    Liang agreed readily, sharing the specific time the second phase of subscriptions would start¡ªsometime in the latter half of January.


    "Looking forward to the good news from Mr. Lu."


    Everyone was delighted, their conversation turning even more jovial. Li Zhikai, nearing a significant age, also shared amusing stories about the Xiangjiang entertainment scene with Lu Liang.


    Regardless of status, when men want to bond, it usually involves women. As it happened, he was also interested in that arena.


    But Xiangjiang''s entertainment glory days were no more; the flowering of the industry in the 90s had become a thing of the past.


    As Li Zhikai told his stories, Lu Liang longed for that era, which had seen so many stunning beauties that amazed an age.


    Soon, a sharp whistle sounded, and the winter horse race officially began. Instantly, gongs and drums blared, and firecrackers burst forth in unison.


    Everyone stepped out from the indoor venue to a high platform to watch the opening ceremony.


    Wang Xiaocong came up to Lu Liang and asked quietly, "Is the date for the second phase of the private equity set?"


    Liang nodded. Although it was close to the Chinese New Year, it couldn''t be helped since the Brexit referendum would start at the beginning of February.


    However, he also reserved 20 days'' preparation time.


    Wang Xiaocong looked troubled and hesitated.


    Liang chuckled, as if he could see through his thoughts, "The lock-up period ends next month, and the first dividend will be distributed."


    It wasn''t just Little Wang who didn''t have the funds to subscribe; he didn''t have the money either, not even 50 million dollars.


    So the plan was to distribute all the profits from the Tesla dividend, going all-in and shorting the British Pounds.


    "Liang~ you really are the worm in my stomach; have I ever told you I love you?"


    "Get lost."


    "Alrighty~"


    In the meantime, many of the Xiangjiang elites had come to the event.


    Wen Chao had almost run out of the hundred business cards he had prepared and had received an equal number, mostly from leaders in various industries from Xiangjiang and some wealthy merchants from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau area.


    Little Wang was green with envy because his business cards were only requested by a few, and some people didn''t even notice him.


    This made him feel slighted: "Next time, I''m definitely not coming out with you. It made me feel like I didn''t exist at all."


    Liang laughed and teased, "Come on, don''t they all know you, Mr. Wang?"


    "Less of that bullshit."


    Wang Xiaocong fumed, being called Mr. Lu while being referred to as a young master clearly signified lower status.


    "Let''s go, back to Star City to shoot the program."


    After the opening ceremony, Little Wang was ready to leave.


    He''ll manage his Panda well. As long as it lists successfully, he''ll transition from Mr. Wang to Mr. Wang.


    Respect isn''t given by others, but earned by oneself, even if by one''s own father.


    Liang was a prime example of this, everyone he met greeted him with a respectful Mr. Lu.


    "Oh right, that guy with the last name Wu¡ªtell him to watch his eyes, and not to leer so much."


    Liang recalled watching the live broadcast yesterday, Wu Fan had looked at Li Manli with lecherous eyes, making annoying popping sounds with his mouth.


    "If he dares to mess around, I''ll castrate him myself," Little Wang said grimly, not just on behalf of Liang, but for his own sake as well.


    Panda is his lifeline; anyone who messes with his vital interests will find theirs fed to the dogs.


    Little Wang left first, and Liang followed shortly after, catching a flight and arriving back in Modu by the evening.


    That night, he stayed at the company, logged into his HSBC account, and personally bought into stocks such as Apple and NVIDIA.


    Since he planned to hold them long-term, he wasn''t concerned about the current share price, so he gradually invested 6 million dollars.


    The following day, he bought 25 million worth of Moutai and 25 million Tencent at the high price of 78 yuan each, filling his portfolio.


    Once everything was done, including locking the encryption keys in a safe, he would invest more money when he had it, buying more.


    Liang aimed to save a billion-dollar retirement fund for himself; it''s easy to switch from frugality to extravagance, but hard the other way around¡ªsaving more is always right.


    Approaching noon, Wen Chao handed him a net value update confirmation report.


    "4.17? Did I make another 100 million plus dollars? It can''t be that much, can it?"


    Liang was puzzled, he remembered making just over 36 million dollars short selling British Pounds¡ªwhere did the remaining 70 million come from?


    BYD didn''t earn much His shares were worth 417 million, only a 20 million increase from the last month, a 5.12% appreciation.


    It wasn''t until he saw his US stock holdings that he realized¡ªTesla shares had gone up by 15% that month, with a stock price of 281.75 dollars, valuating at 266 million dollars.


    The stock''s profit had broken the 100 million dollar barrier and reached 116 million dollars.


    He had 86.28 million dollars in available funds.


    "No problem, you can take it," he said.


    Liang couldn''t help but feel that money indeed made money.


    He had thought he''d make at most 50 million dollars in profit that month, but it turned out to be over a hundred million again.


    He wished to be low-key, but his capabilities didn''t allow for that.


    For three months in a row, every 25th day at noon became a reserved show for netizens.


    Because that month, Liang wasn''t just quiet, he had led the charge in short selling the British Pounds, and they were eager to know how much he made.


    Although only a profit of over 5 million was publicized, they didn''t believe it was just that small, convinced it was just the tip of the iceberg.


    As soon as the net value updated, they could guess the approximate situation.


    However, one hour, two hours,


    even an entire afternoon passed, there was still no word from the knowledgeable brother on the specific value.


    "Why isn''t anyone talking?"


    "Where''s that knowledgeable brother from last time?"


    "The knowledgeable brother has deactivated his account."


    "Could it be a loss? That shouldn''t be the case, right?"


    "Let''s say, is there a possibility that he made so much this time that everyone is afraid to mention it?"


    Ten thousand netizens had ten thousand thoughts, but they ultimately guessed the truth.


    He really made too much, and it was brutal.


    Although the growth rate had fallen compared to last month, to 36%, he had made another 110 million dollars, equating to over 700 million RMB.


    The money came pouring down like rain.


    They didn''t dare to say, nor to reveal.


    Money doubled in a month, a sure bet, something to be kept to oneself, even if it was their own son, they couldn''t tell.

 Chapter 145 - 144: Full Preparation for Battle

    "Tesla," the stock price was $281.75.


    Although there was still a 21.5% increase to follow, Lu Liang felt it was time to prepare for cashing out and exiting the market.


    Because they held a total of 944,000 shares, valued at $266 million, comprising 0.97% of the market''s circulating shares.


    Without any significant positive news, the withdrawal would need to take a very long time, so it was even more necessary to start preparing early.


    That night, Lu Liang assigned the task, there was no limit set on the first day of selling, but they also tried their best not to impact the market, in order to test the market''s capacity to absorb the sell-off.


    Tesla''s individual stock activity was stronger than he had imagined, a frontrunner in the US stocks, selling off $22.5 million in one night with almost no market impact.


    The following day, Lu Liang reviewed the report and drafted a plan for the next half month, expecting to complete the liquidation within ten working days.


    He also asked Tang Caide to recruit twelve more traders, still with the arrangement of four veterans leading eight newcomers.


    Lately, with days and nights reversed, the four young people were nearly at their limit, not to mention the old-timers Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing.


    Lu Liang planned to establish three shifts, six people each, rotating 24 hours a day, to monitor the global financial market.


    Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, it was the beginning of December, leaving only the last month of the year.


    Mobike launched its Series B financing, firing the first shot at the end of the year, favored by Tencent with a valuation of $100 million.


    As Double Ma Group once again came to a head, capitals from all quarters also began to pick sides and queue up to enter the fray. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mid-year''s lukewarm bicycle-sharing industry had now spread across first- and second-tier cities, forming a pattern with two giants and many strong contenders, changing the face of city after city.


    That day, Hu Weiwei sought out Lu Liang, suddenly feeling lost, the entire industry seemed fast-forwarded at 64 times the speed.


    Facing rapid changes every day, she felt exhausted and didn''t know whom to talk to, and found herself walking to the New International Building.


    She thought of Lu Liang, he was the one who provided the first financing for ofo, and Dai Wei ignited the entire industry with this capital.


    Lu Liang was still the only one who held shares in both companies, so Hu Weiwei wanted to hear his thoughts.


    What she didn''t know was that Lu Liang had transferred the equity of ofo to Zhu Hu''s Golden Sand River and had successfully cashed out.


    "Mr. Hu, you''re feeling lost because you haven''t settled on your own thoughts," entrepreneurship is not always a romantic affair.


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, after several conversations, he could tell that Hu Weiwei was an idealist and an artistic young woman.


    She had said that riding a bicycle was a romantic thing, one that brought you closer to nature and let you personally feel the changes in a city.


    It wasn''t just for her persona; she indeed believed in that, just undervaluing the urgency of capital.


    Capital wanted a quick resolution, the brutal thousand-group war was still vivid in memory, they didn''t want to repeat the same mistakes.


    Hu Weiwei sighed, "I used to have thoughts, but now I no longer have time to think."


    "It''s so simple," then stop thinking, focus on making money and expanding the market. Lu Liang placed a cup of tea in front of her.


    Hu Weiwei gave a wry smile, realizing that seeking out Lu Liang to talk had been a mistake, "Did you say the same to Dai Wei at the beginning?"


    Lu Liang laughed, "But Dai Wei took it to heart."


    Hu Weiwei was silent for a long time, then laughed self-deprecatingly; if she could have taken it to heart, she might not be so lost now.


    Dai Wei pioneered the misappropriation of deposits, forcing them to follow suit quickly, but it was a path of no return.


    Only those in the thick of it knew how tight the financial chains of each bicycle-sharing company were, stretching a penny as if it were five.


    Once the follow-up funding couldn''t keep up, the company would immediately collapse. To keep the funding up, they needed more financing, and with financing, capital would whip them furiously, forcing rapid expansion.


    It was a vicious cycle.


    The key was, she couldn''t see the end, but looking down she could clearly see the cracked ice beneath her feet and the dark undercurrents surging below.


    "If I had been more resolute at the beginning and firmly stood by your side, would the outcome be different?" Hu Weiwei asked.


    Lu Liang shook his head without hesitation, "I invest to make money, and I have no interest in businesses that don''t turn a profit."


    He paused, then added, "And you wouldn''t have been able to make that decision at the time, nor can you now."


    "That''s quite harsh."


    Hu Weiwei felt helpless, sighed, and prepared to leave. Lu Liang stood up to escort her, passing through the office area.


    "Mr. Lu, if I lose, can I find a job here with you?" Hu Weiwei asked.


    The office area was bustling, though intensely busy, you could not feel the invisible pressure on them.


    Lu Liang was like their piece of sky, a wall defending against enemies, letting them focus on their own jobs.


    She too wanted to experience this kind of work environment.


    "Of course, you can." Lu Liang chuckled, then suddenly thought of something, "Actually, there is a job that would be perfect for you."


    "What kind of job?" Hu Weiwei asked, curious.


    "Let''s talk about it when you''re unemployed."


    "It''s not that easy."


    Hu Weiwei''s gaze was resolute. If no one else gave her confidence, she would have to encourage herself.


    "Hopefully," Lu Liang watched Hu Weiwei leave, not optimistic about her ability to hold on.


    Redwood and Tencent were major shareholders of Meituan, and Li Bing was busy with building cars. If Hu Weiwei had the confidence to break through, she wouldn''t be so confused now.


    Returning to his office, Lu Liang picked up Xia Luo''s box office revenue sharing detailed report. By the end of last month, Xia Luo''s public screenings had ended, and the final box office tally stood at 1.508 billion.


    That was 67 million more than predicted, likely due to his fame playing a role.


    8.62 billion went to the theaters, 1.16 billion for distribution, and 1.2 billion for the film fund''s business tax. The production side took home 4.1 billion.


    Tianxing Investment got a sole share of 1.025 billion. After deducting taxes and the invested capital, the net profit was 70.21 million.


    However, the money would have to wait another two months, until February 1st of the next year, before Wanda would make the payment.


    Lu Liang was not dissatisfied, having only invested twice and barely involving himself throughout the process.


    He earned the money just by sitting back with his legs up.


    After signing authorization, he handed over the report to Wen Chao, then headed to the adjacent trading room.


    "Manager Wu, how much have we sold off?"


    Lu Liang inquired of Wu Jie, who was in charge during the day.


    Since mid-month financial settlements were coming up, he planned to liquidate all chips, including BYD''s stocks.


    Even if such in-and-out trades could wipe out his already minimal profits, there was no choice.


    He now needed to prepare fully for battle, to ready his ammunition for shorting the British Pounds mid-February next year¡ªthe more capital, the greater the earnings.


    Wu Jie replied, "Mr. Lu, in this period, we''ve gradually sold off 1.45 billion, and we still have 2.76 billion in chips."


    Lu Liang looked at the Big A market trends. The year''s end was approaching, and with new energy policies about to be implemented, the sector was getting restless again.


    With BYD''s market value at 265 billion and an average daily trade volume of over 5 billion, their sell-offs wouldn''t be too conspicuous.


    "Continue."


    Later, Lu Liang glanced at the US stocks account, with Tesla''s share price at 293 US dollars, holding a value of 187 million US dollars.


    He was selling off both domestic and international simultaneously, and the capital was being reclaimed. Both sides should be able to complete liquidation by the 12th.


    Stepping out of the office,


    Wen Chao passed him a data report from Bilibili.


    As of yesterday''s early morning, Crown Princess Consort''s episodes had reached 22, with more than 1.1 billion views, but there were only 68,000 new members.


    The view count far exceeded the threshold of 800,000 views per episode, but the new memberships just barely met the 400,000 conditions.


    Lu Liang looked puzzled: "Really? Has there been no falsification in the new member count?"


    Anticipating about one more week until the finale, no matter how much the number of new members increased, it was estimated that it wouldn''t meet the target of 120,000.


    "We''ve verified with a third-party agency and confirmed with investors from the last fundraising round, virtually ruling out the possibility of fraud."


    Wen Chao thought for a moment then added, "Mr. Lu, the willingness to spend among Bilibili users is indeed lower compared to other platforms."


    Lu Liang chuckled: "Are they all just offering company?"


    Wen Chao nodded: "That''s also why Bilibili''s valuation has only reached 530 million US dollars."


    He had previously conducted research on the video industry for Lu Liang. Bilibili''s daily active users were unbeaten in the industry.


    With 15 million daily active users and an average viewing time of more than two hours per person per day, they were far ahead of their competitors.


    High daily activity didn''t mean high income.


    But as Lu Liang said, excelling in companionship, not spending money¡ªa top-tier website but with third-rate income. That''s why Chen Rui always thought about transforming.


    "Which platforms are more interested in the subsequent rights?"


    The first-round revenues should have been a loss. After all, only 400,000 per episode amounted to 14 million in total, which was even less than giving it to Little Wang''s Panda.


    Although the cost was only just over five million, plus two million from Panda''s sponsorship, earning less was akin to losing money.


    Wen Chao said, "Currently, Youku has offered 5 million, LeEco 6 million, and Bilibili 12 million to buy the rights outright."


    "Mr. Li is trying to compensate me, isn''t he?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help grinning: "Then let''s go with Bilibili."

 Chapter 146 - 145: What if it really comes off?

    On December 7, Douyin quietly launched.


    As a platform-type product with no specific direction, identity, or uniqueness, its download volume was less than three digits within 24 hours.


    Moreover, at least half of those were downloads by Yang Zhenyuan''s team, artificially inflating the data. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang didn''t help promote it on Weibo because Douyin at that stage wasn''t worth his effort.


    With Yang Zhenyuan being a novice entrepreneur, although his concept was recognized, his personal management capabilities remained a question mark. Not every tech-savvy engineer can successfully start a business or manage a company.


    He needed to rely on himself to accumulate a group of initial users to prove to Lu Liang that he was a competent business manager.


    Lu Liang set a target of 100,000 users, giving him enough time to develop but wouldn''t invest another dime during this period.


    "Mr. Lu, make it 500,000 instead. I don''t want you to set your hopes so low."


    Yang Zhenyuan''s tone was firm. If he couldn''t meet this requirement even with an investment of five million dollars, then both he as a manager and the product they were producing were failures.


    Lu Liang was taken aback, then smiled, "Alright, 500,000 it is. If you reach that, I will personally help promote Douyin and pull in investments for you."


    "Okay!"


    On December 11, the Chancellor David Cameron, after assuming office, held his first National Parliament and eventually passed his Brexit referendum plan with 72 votes, a 62% approval rate.


    The vote was scheduled for February 18 next year and would last for 15 hours, with over 40,000 polling stations primarily set up in libraries, churches, schools, and community centers nationwide, with 46 million citizens participating. The result of the referendum would officially determine whether or not to leave the European Union.


    Upon announcement, the news shocked the world.


    Nobody expected Great Britain to be this decisive; however, upon further thought, it seemed like a feigned show of force.


    After all, David Cameron had released his campaign promises; he had to take some action and not just talk without doing anything.


    "This is just political posturing!"


    Media around the world reported with such headlines, naming it the biggest political posturing of the century.


    As for voting, those who know, know.


    This way, the Chancellor fulfilled his political promise, appeasing the European Union while also managing to seek advantages from the United States¡ªa win on multiple fronts.


    Given the complex relationship between the United States and the European Union, characterized by long-term cooperation and competition,


    the United States hoped for a strong Europe but not too strong. David Cameron saw this as an opportunity to benefit from both sides.


    The global media summarized this as: He doesn''t have the guts to Brexit, but he has and quite substantially, the guts to profit in the name of Brexit.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang, who had been missing from the public eye for almost half a month, returned online and updated his Twitter: "What if it really happens?"


    Although he didn''t tag his post, at this timing, netizens knew he was referring to a potential Brexit.


    "Mr. Lu, you might be a whiz in finance, but politics isn''t your thing. Unless David Cameron is a fool, Great Britain definitely won''t leave the EU. He knows the difference between a feast and regular meals."


    A fairly mild-mannered netizen disputed this, but more aggressive ones joined in, "Liangzi, I think you''ve gambled yourself silly. Just putting it out there, if you dare short the British Pounds, I''ll definitely blow up your position."


    "Liangzi, don''t be so impulsive. Just make a small profit; everyone knows Great Britain won''t leave the EU."


    "Liangzi, you''re considered a veteran in finance, don''t you understand the principle of going with the flow?"


    "I guess Liangzi''s head got foggy from a few lucky winnings."


    One after another, they all started calling him Liangzi.


    Suddenly, the entire internet was mocking him; with 1.3 million followers on Twitter, Lu Liang was, nonetheless, something of an international internet celebrity.


    The news that he believed Great Britain would leave the EU quickly spread worldwide, and his followers instantly surged to 2 million, mostly there to scoff and watch the spectacle.


    Although there were not a few online celebrity media that held pro-Brexit views, all were well-known and constantly courted controversy like clowns.


    Now, Lu Liang was also categorized among the clowns, and Wilson from JPMorgan Group 3 bluntly stated: A strong man defeated by a stronger man can survive the disgrace, but to be defeated by a weaker one is a lifetime''s shame.


    Though he did not name names, everyone knew he was talking about Lu Liang.


    In an unnoticed corner, only a few people continued to speak up for Lu Liang, including Welfare Girl Qingyin.


    "The world is just a grand farce; why can''t Great Britain leave the EU?"


    Yet, soon she was labeled as a brain-dead fan: "Dumb dog, did you stroke yourself into stupidity? Stop spouting nonsense, if you really agree, go die with Liangzi on the day of the referendum."


    "Who says I''m just talking? You''ll see whether I dare to short the British Pounds with Lu God on that day."


    Welfare Girl was indignantly defensive, ready to follow Lu Liang through thick and thin, even if it meant marching into a hellfire.


    After posting his message, Lu Liang didn''t bother with the follow-up. He had made his stance clear¡ªtake it or leave it.


    That afternoon, he called Old Meng and Little Wang over, handing them a document, "Take a look."


    He had cleared all positions, domestic and international, totaling 458 million US dollars. He planned to distribute dividends of 358 million US dollars and clear the net value.


    Twenty percent of the total earnings, amounting to 71.6 million US dollars, went as fund management fees, with Lu Liang pocketing 42.96 million US dollars, and Old Meng and Little Wang each receiving 14.32 million US dollars.


    "Tsk tsk, over ninety million RMB."


    Meng Changkun continually marveled; though he had anticipated a substantial amount, thinking it and actually receiving dividends were two different matters.


    This was just from stock dividends; the main profits came from the fund. He couldn''t help but ask, "Lu, do you feel like you''re still missing something?"


    Having effectively earned over ninety million for no reason, not buying something for Lu Liang made him feel somewhat uneasy.


    Lu Liang smiled and shook his head, "No issues, just sign here, and then notify the bosses to come over on the 15th to sign and collect their money."


    Little Wang silently finished signing, then picked up the phone and said, "Bring over that big Bull, to New International here."


    He then turned to Lu Liang and added, "It just arrived last week, hasn''t been registered yet; it hasn''t even hit a hundred kilometers."


    Meng Changkun''s eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Little Wang, get me one too, at least more expensive than yours."


    "Do it yourself," Little Wang smugly retorted.


    "Forget about it."


    Lu Liang smiled and took out his credit card, slamming it on the table, "If you''re embarrassed to transfer the money directly, multiple transfers are fine."


    "Considering money too seriously makes things awkward, so just leave it,"


    After Old Meng signed, he sneaked away to find a way to get a car.


    A fully-equipped Bull was just over nine million; he needed at least one worth over ten million, otherwise, he couldn''t overshadow Little Wang.


    Wang Xiaocong laughed and said, "Just wait to receive the car, Old Lu. After all, stock rights are something we can or cannot have."


    "How could that be?" Lu Liang frowned, then suddenly joked with a smile, "At the very least, you would still shout ''666''."


    "Screw ''666''."


    Little Wang cussed, then turned to ask, "Do you really think Great Britain will exit the EU?"


    If Great Britain really left the EU, it would have a dramatic impact on global commodities.


    It was unclear about others, but Gold would definitely rise; during international turmoil, the price of gold always soared.


    In prosperous times buy antiques, in chaotic times, buy gold. When global capital seeks a safe haven, gold is the best sanctuary.


    "As a speculator, of course, I hope Great Britain exits; opportunities are everywhere, but it''s also tough, you know."


    Lu Liang smirked, offline banter and online banter were different; after all, online requires no accountability.


    "Is there really not even a slight chance?" Little Wang asked.


    Lu Liang sighed, "There''s a bit, but just a bit; who can really say for sure?"


    "So, is there a chance or not?" asked Wang Xiaocong with knitted brows, feeling that Lu Liang was holding back; he was not satisfied, having tasted success once, he wanted more.


    Lu Liang chuckled dismissively, "If I could be certain, do you think you''d still be sitting here talking to me?"


    "Not sitting, then what?"


    "Of course, kneeling in worship."


    "Go to hell."


    Wang Xiaocong glared at him, then suddenly received a message from his assistant and grumpily said, "Come on, let''s go downstairs and check out your new car."


    "What color is it?" Lu Liang asked nonchalantly, smiling; since it was already on the way, rightfully his.


    "Red."


    "Seems a bit flashy."


    With a look of disdain, Little Wang said, "You''re driving a Lamborghini, even if it''s gray, could it be understated?"


    "I''ve only driven a 718 before; I don''t know about others."


    "God, I really don''t want to talk to you anymore, you compare a 718 to a Lamborghini? It''s an insult even to place them together."


    Lamborghini traditionally named their new models after famous bulls, and the name ''Aventador'' also comes from a bull that was one of the fiercest in the Spanish bullfighting world.


    The big red body, the polygon design of the car''s front, had a strong impact, continuing Lamborghini''s legacy of power and sharp lines.


    Little Wang grabbed the car keys and passed them to Lu Liang, gently caressing the hood and smiling, "How about it? Still like it?"


    He really liked the car but had never driven it.


    When it just arrived last week, he was still in Star City recording a program, and it was only today that Lu Liang had called him back to Modu.


    "It seems pretty good." Lu Liang sat in the driver''s seat; the interior was as sharp and sci-fi as the exterior.


    The multitude of genuine hexagon designs, combined with metal, created a cockpit-like ambiance filled with an aura of battle.


    "You''re as stubborn as a dead duck,"


    Wang Xiaocong shook his head and sighed, then beckoned Secretary Wen over, "Secretary Wen, come help your boss fill out the transfer documents."


    Wen Chao looked towards Lu Liang, who nodded, "Go ahead, I''ll take it out for a spin first, see how it feels."


    With that, he stepped on the accelerator and left the parking lot, leaving behind Little Wang cursing.

 Chapter 147 - 146: Money Distribution Conference

    An hour and a half later, Lu Liang returned to the New International Building with a look on his face that suggested he wanted more.


    Little Wang was still in the parking lot, waiting for client feedback, and asked with a smile, "How does it compare to your ''Bison''?"


    After thinking for a moment, Lu Liang replied with a smile, "All I can say is that the ''Bison'' is not obviously expensive enough."


    Even the most expensive SUVs rarely cost more than five million, and their designs are not as exaggerated or eye-catching as sports cars.


    This ''Big Bull'' outshone everything on the street¡ªits powerful engine, its deep roar announcing its arrival before the car even appeared.


    The driving experience was indeed impressive; no wonder Little Wang''s garage was filled with sports cars and he kept buying more.


    A content smile appeared on Little Wang''s face. "If you''re rich, you should spend more; it''s also a way to boost the country''s GDP."


    Lu Liang''s smile held a hint of amusement, "If you really were that enlightened, I would just give you the dividends directly."


    Little Wang hastily waved his hands, "No, no, no, let''s keep it on the company books."


    From stock dividends to fund dividends, this round, he would likely get about 380 million in cash.


    If it weren''t processed through the company books and he went on a spending spree, followed by some strategic manipulations, he might end up being directly deducted over eighty million.


    "Thanks, the car''s great; I quite like it."


    With a light smile, Lu Liang returned to his company upstairs and summoned Tang Caide to consider suitable charity projects.


    If Little Wang was going to be deducted over eighty million, his deduction would only be larger, with stock and fund dividends totaling 1.346 billion US dollars.


    If he were to pay 25% in income tax, he would get 856 million RMB after a deduction of 220 million RMB.


    Lu Liang had no intention of avoiding taxes; after all, having earned so much money, he felt it was only right that the state also got its share.


    However, using normal methods was still feasible¡ªit wasn''t his money after all, why not use it to boost his reputation?


    Tang Caide nodded, feeling relieved; ever since she heard Lu Liang mention dividends, her heart had been in her throat.


    Shangcai University had quite the reputation, and nine times out of ten, dividends ended up causing issues.


    Fortunately, Boss Lu was kind-hearted and didn''t make things difficult for her.


    "By the way, didn''t I mention increasing your salary last time? Let''s start your annual salary at two million for now, and don''t drive that Audi anymore; buy a new Panamera instead."


    "Let''s skip the salary increases for the other employees for now; they only joined this year. We can talk about that next year. But we could give out more year-end bonuses and prizes."


    "For Jingchun, Wen Chao, and Shiyu, let''s give them three months'' worth; for others, one to two months. You can arrange it."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, then instructed a few more tasks with one goal in mind¡ªto spend money.


    Spend more, declare more taxes, and ultimately, be deducted less.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu."


    Tang Caide bowed gracefully, looking slightly dazed.


    She had worked at Redwood Investments for eight years, and her annual salary just before she resigned, including bonuses, did not exceed one million.


    She hadn''t expected that, three years after leaving the industry, she would earn an annual salary of two million in her first year back.


    And judging by Lu Liang''s way of doing things, two million was just the starting point¡ªit would only increase.


    It goes without saying, life is full of wonders.


    On the 15th, at Tianxing Assets, the place was packed with big shots.


    Not only was Wang Xiaocong''s mother there, but also Guo Changguang from Fuxing Group; they had all come in person.


    "Good afternoon, everyone. It looks like you''re all in good spirits; I am too,"


    With a confident smile, Lu Liang stepped up to the podium and asked Wen Chao to distribute documents to everyone.


    They had only received a notice and did not know the details.


    When they saw the actual funds, their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost¡ªamazed, admiring, marveling continuously.


    After a 20% management fee deduction, there was still 286.4 million US dollars left, clearly indicating that they had made tens of millions of dollars this month.


    Moreover, the types of investments and the volume of capital movement were substantial; otherwise, it wouldn''t have been possible to withdraw so smoothly.


    There was also a possibility that this month''s profits substantially exceeded last month''s, but inevitably, some were lost during the withdrawal process.


    In conclusion, one word: awesome.


    After about fifteen minutes, seeing that everyone had finished reviewing the documents, Lu Liang succinctly stated, "Gentlemen, if there are no issues, please sign here."


    The voices fell, and applause thundered!


    People signed their names one by one, all smiles, with no objections.


    They liked Lu Liang''s way of doing things. They started with two million dollars each, and now each could distribute $5.728 million in dividends¡ªa silent but powerful response.


    Guo Changguang asked, "Mr. Lu, the year-end isn''t here yet; are you planning to start the New Year''s holiday this early?"


    People echoed his sentiment, because the more the principal, the more one earns, and after clearing the accounts, only one hundred million dollars remained.


    If there was an opportunity to earn a 20% return, the previous four hundred million could earn eighty million, now it would only be twenty million.


    Though dividends were pleasing, especially as the year-end approached and money was needed on all fronts, earning more was undoubtedly more gratifying.


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, "It''s not really a New Year''s holiday. You all should know that phase two is in preparation, and distributing dividends early also allows for subscription to a few more shares."


    The crowd''s expressions varied. This subscription to a few more shares, of course, referred to himself.


    Lu Liang had personally subscribed to sixteen shares, a fact which was no longer a secret, and his earnings this time were as high as 134.6 million dollars.


    Just the thought of it was thrilling¡ªan excess of eight hundred million in cash. Even for tycoons with assets of ten billion, they didn''t have this much liquid assets.


    Even if they did, it belonged to the group''s fund, and to use it required at least several board meetings to explain its utilization.


    Not so for Lu Liang; he used it as he pleased.


    But they were just envious, as after all, this was Lu Liang''s capability, and they would rely on him to earn more in the future.


    Someone clamored, "Mr. Lu, this is being too modest. One billion dollars, just share it and it''s gone."


    "That''s just a little money, I''m subscribing for three shares first."


    "I''ll take two shares."


    Everyone responded. They now had great confidence in Lu Liang. Tens of millions of dollars, if squeezed, could still be squeezed out.


    Investing more, earning more ¡ª after all, there were dividends and the preparation of phase two, it all seemed like there were major plans.


    As for the rumors that Lu Liang was optimistic about Old England''s Brexit, preparing to heavily short the British Pounds, just listen and let it go.


    Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn''t do it, let alone broadcast it online. If it''s online, could it be considered serious?


    "Everyone, let''s just talk about dividends today, and leave phase two for another day."


    Lu Liang''s smile remained unchanged, but his tone was unmistakable.


    According to Meng Changkun''s statistics, subscription intentions exceeded fifty shares, and now it was his turn to choose the participants.


    This time, he would probably release forty-five shares, keeping five for himself, everyone present except Little Wang and Old Meng.


    Next phase, they probably won''t be included.


    People also frowned, understanding Lu Liang''s intention, and turned to look at Guo Changguang, the highest in status there, hoping he would stand up and say a few good words.


    Guo Changguang smiled and then asked, "Mr. Lu, I heard that lunch was also prepared today?"


    He wasn''t foolish, talking to Lu Liang alone might still get him a few shares, but with so many people around, he shouldn''t even think about it.


    "17th floor, there''s a very nice restaurant there. Mr. Tang, please take Mr. Guo to see it," Lu Liang said with a bright smile.


    People turned to Little Wang''s mother, who had a beaming expression, deterring them from even thinking of inciting her.


    Old Guo relied on capabilities, and Little Wang''s mother relied on connections; these two were no hope, so their sights turned to Old Meng.


    Old Meng behaved nonchalantly, pretending to be hungry, "Oh, I''m actually quite hungry, Mr. Guo, wait for me."


    Lu Liang walked over to Little Wang''s mother, "President Lin, hello."


    "Mr. Lu, hello, these days, thank you for taking care of our Xiaocong, I really appreciate it." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lin Ting''s face was all smiles, her hands clasped together in gratitude. Her visit was merely to see Lu Liang and express her thanks.


    Lu Liang showed his appreciation, "President Lin, that''s saying too much. We take care of each other, and Xiaocong is quite a smart kid."


    Little Wang''s face darkened, his back molars grinding noisily, Lu Liang, that bastard, was taking advantage of him again.


    Lin Ting scolded, "Don''t be so impolite. Normally, you should learn more from Mr. Lu; it''s good for you."


    Little Wang forced a smile, "Yes, indeed, I should really learn more from Mr. Lu."


    The word "learn" nearly came out through gritted teeth.


    "President Lin, Xiaocong, this way please."


    Lu Liang beamed joyfully, inviting them to the restaurant on the 17th floor for a meal.

 Chapter 148 - 147: Subscription Allocation

    "President Lin, standing next to Xiaocong, I almost thought you were his sister at first glance."


    Lu Liang was all smiles. Having previously sold properties, he often dealt with middle-aged women and knew exactly what they liked.


    Moreover, unlike before, he was now the owner of Tianxing Capital, which gave his words a weight far superior to that of the past.


    Even a simple compliment coming from a real estate agent versus a mogul of capital felt entirely different to the recipient.


    Lin Ting couldn''t stop smiling and waved her hands dismissively, "Mr. Lu, you''re too kind, but honestly, Xiaocong indeed grew up a bit too quickly."


    "Mom, didn''t you say you had something to do? Why aren''t we leaving yet?"


    Seeing Lu Liang chatting so happily with his mother, Wang Xiaocong was extremely annoyed, and his resentment deepened. If they kept talking, he feared he might have to start calling Lu Liang ''Uncle Lu.''


    At this moment, Tang Caide came over, giving the mother and son a polite smile, then whispered something into Lu Liang''s ear.


    Lu Liang hummed a response and then turned to say with a smile, "President Lin, Xiaocong, I''ve got a bit of business to attend to, please enjoy your meal."


    "Mr. Lu, please go ahead with your work," said Lin Ting with a sunny smile, while Little Wang looked impatient, almost writing ''hurry up and go'' across his face.


    As the two watched Lu Liang leave the restaurant, Lin Ting turned her head to look at Meng Changkun, who was still in the restaurant, attending to the guests.


    Her smile slowly faded, "Lu Liang is someone of influence now. You should learn more from Old Meng and stop putting on airs all the time."


    Lu Liang was indeed proud, and rightly so, considering he had the capital to be arrogant. But then again, each person present had a net worth of several hundred million, if not billion.


    Despite Lu Liang''s strong stance, it left a slightly bitter taste for some. That''s where Old Meng played a crucial role.


    A real estate tycoon worth several billion, acting like a servile attendant, warmly welcoming everyone, any dissatisfaction would just evaporate.


    In contrast, Wang Xiaocong, putting on airs as if he mattered, failed to understand that Lu Liang no longer needed his network. If he didn''t make an effort to impress, he risked being eliminated at any moment.


    Looking indignant yet swallowing the words he wanted to say as he observed Old Meng''s busy figure, Wang Xiaocong finally said, "I understand."


    Lin Ting smiled contentedly and patted the back of his hand gently, "I''m leaving now, no need to see me out."


    On the other side, Lu Liang followed Tang Caide upstairs, where Guo Changguang and Yu Shirong awaited in the office.


    "Mr. Guo, President Yu, would you like some tea?"


    With a slight smile, Lu Liang brewed the tea, and through the conversation, he understood their intentions, offering them two portions each of the subscription shares.


    Guo Changguang of Fuxing Group, known as Shanghai''s Cash King and China''s Buffett, had an extremely powerful network and was worth befriending.


    Yu Shirong, who subscribed to three shares in the previous round of the private equity and held a great deal of goodwill towards Lu Liang, also deserved a quid pro quo.


    Seeing Lu Liang''s generous gesture, both men smiled, and the subsequent conversation became particularly harmonious.


    Soon, word of Tianxing''s dividend spread, and although no insider revealed it, rumors swirled about the tremendous amount.


    Many netizens suggested strict investigations to ensure taxes were paid according to regulations, and the legitimacy of the capital origin.


    To these comments, Lu Liang turned a deaf ear. There were plenty of companies that evaded taxes, but rarely did financial companies.


    Especially for them, purely moving capital around, primarily within the international financial markets and without tangible investments, auditing was simple¡ªjust pull up the account statements to make everything crystal clear.


    Just like Wu Junle and Li Jianlin, who had faced a substantial fine of 720 million and did not utter a word of complaint, they had no choice but to pay up to settle the matter honestly.


    The state had no trouble cracking down on financial firms; a simple asset freeze would make it impossible for them to flee, so no one dared to cross the line.


    Online speculation was rife, with guesses on how much was distributed.


    Some said one hundred million dollars, others two hundred million dollars¡ªthere were all sorts of figures being thrown around.


    But no one confirmed the amount, including Little Wang, who loved to show off but now played dead, and gradually, the speculation died down.


    Eventually, it was overshadowed by celebrity scandals in the entertainment world.


    In recent days, Lu Liang had been considering the allocation of Tianxing''s second round of private equity shares, trying to ensure an even spread.


    He could only personally subscribe to five shares and no more, as subscribing to six would stretch the funds too thin, leaving 45 shares.


    State-owned Xiao Xin secured ten shares plus a 20% stake, leaving 35 shares. Old Guo and Old Yu took two each, leaving 31 shares.


    For the three prominent families from Xiangjiang¡ªZheng, Li, and Guo¡ªLu Liang planned to offer ten shares for them to allocate amongst themselves, bringing the count down to 21 shares.


    Although Hong Kong Capital had declined in recent years, its international strength remained formidable. Maintaining good relations with them was essential.


    Five shares each for Old Meng and Little Wang¡ªthey could subscribe or gift them; it was up to them, leaving 11 shares.


    Zhu Hu from Golden Sand River had a decent relationship with Lu Liang, so he would be given three shares; Redwood''s Shen Peng was okay for two shares, and Lei Jun also for two.


    In the blink of an eye, only four of the fifty shares remained, and Lu Liang wasn''t in a rush to choose. He held onto them, just in case they were needed later.


    Perhaps there would be a big fish; after all, there were plenty of prospects, such as DiDi''s Liu Qing, tycoons'' mistress Zhuang Xiaoting¡ªpicking at random would easily make up the fifty shares.


    Once the planning was done, Lu Liang called over Old Meng and Little Wang to inform them of the distribution and to get the word out.


    Tianxing Private Equity''s second phase aimed to raise one billion dollars and was set to launch on the 27th of this month.


    As soon as the news broke, the insiders received their invitations, while those who didn''t only had themselves to rely on to find a subscription.


    Lu Liang left the follow-up in the hands of Old Meng and Little Wang, telling them to contact him if they couldn''t handle it, and then he took Su Wanyu up north to see the snow.


    They also took the opportunity to experience the northeastern bathhouse culture. It was somewhat embarrassing, being picked up directly, scrubbed all over from left to right.


    Born and raised without ever having been scrubbed in his thirty years, Lu Liang left behind a thick ring of dirt, but he didn''t care with his thick skin; Su Wanyu, however, completely shut down.


    "How is it? Not having fun coming out with me?"


    Lu Liang teased and pinched Su Wanyu''s arm. Her skin was soft, tender, and smooth, just like a freshly peeled egg.


    Her figure was incredibly statuesque¡ªtall at 171cm, with dark hemp clothes, short and sleeveless, she could have been mistaken for a runway model.


    "Happy, but my head''s a little fuzzy right now," Su Wanyu answered dazedly, her earlobes red as a cooked crab.


    While being scrubbed, the attendant chatted her up with such crude topics she wished she could just burrow into the ground.


    With a playful smile, Lu Liang joked, "We booked private rooms, which is already decent enough. Downstairs in the hall, it''s all just walking about in the nude."


    "That''s a bit terrifying."


    Su Wanyu stared blankly, uneasy with the scene of such candid interaction, even among girls.


    Lu Liang held her as though she were a human-shaped hot-water bottle, soft and squishy: "Let''s rest a bit before we eat. Afternoon we''ll go skiing. I''ll be busy soon and may not be able to accompany you."


    Su Wanyu was considerate and gentle, making a sound of acknowledgement, her upper body curling up in Lu Liang''s embrace as she whispered, "I''ll take good care of myself."


    Her long legs had nowhere to settle, her toes playfully wiggling. Fresh from the bath, her whole body emanated a powdery sweetness.


    Suddenly Lu Liang grabbed her foot, triggering a switch in Su Wanyu as she twisted her hips and cried out, "Don''t touch, tickles~"


    "Tickles? Then let me scratch it for you."


    Lu Liang smiled mischievously; such words could be quite provocative to a man and sparked a rebellious spirit within him.


    They played and laughed together, loosening their already loose bathrobes, and a little white bunny made its fleeting appearance.


    Gasping for breath with moisture-filled eyes, Su Wanyu''s soft skin turned progressively redder and started to feel warm.


    She suddenly realized this couldn''t go on; she had to conserve her energy for the skiing she had been longing for in the afternoon.


    "I''m going to eat now. I still want to go skiing."


    With a quick spin of her eyes, Su Wanyu made her escape, bending over to clutch her chest as she ran off, leaving a trail of giggles behind.


    Watching her soft pink retreating back, Lu Liang shook his head with amusement: "She''s getting more crafty by the day."


    He looked down with a resigned expression, then laid back on the couch and picked up his phone, seeing a message from Little Wang.


    "This one''s a big fish, call back ASAP."


    Surprised, Lu Liang called back: "What''s going on?"


    "Powerful, from Beijing."


    Little Wang''s mother even strongly recommended that if Lu Liang still had shares available, he should make a good connection¡ªit would be beneficial and harmless.


    The voice hinted at the Hong Clan. Lu Liang pondered for a while before asking, "I''ve still got four shares left; can you handle it?"


    "We don''t need that many, at most two. They don''t have that much money," Wang Xiaocong quipped.


    "Why don''t you share it with them yourself?" Lu Liang wondered.


    "Didn''t you notice? I''m looking out for you."


    Little Wang sounded disgruntled; his own five shares had long been allocated and couldn''t be divided any further.


    Lu Liang laughed coldly, seeing right through it: "Hang up."


    "Hey, when are you coming back?"


    "In a few days."


    "And the other two shares?" sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''ll see."

 Chapter 149 - 148: Circuit Breaker Mechanism

    "Shiyu, you take Yu home."


    Lu Liang had spent three days in the northeast with Su Wanyu, and on Christmas Day, they took a flight back to Modu.


    Upon arriving at the company building, he instructed his cousin, then gently stroked Su Wanyu''s cheek, "You go home first, I have to get busy."


    Su Wanyu hummed in response and suddenly gave Lu Liang a quick kiss on the lips, waving goodbye with a happy smile on her face, "Bye, take care of yourself, remember to eat on time."


    A trip is the best way to test whether two people are compatible.


    Being away from home entails numerous trivial matters, and the way one handles unexpected situations can truly reveal one''s character.


    Over the past three days, except for the initial awkwardness of going to the baths, she had been very happy most of the time.


    With no worries, once she stepped out of the hotel, she just needed to hold Lu Liang''s hand, and everything was perfectly arranged.


    She felt that this year she could tell her family that she had a really good boyfriend.


    "Goodbye."


    Lu Liang touched his lips, his mouth curving slightly upwards.


    Su Wanyu was shy, as kissing in public was already her limit of acceptance.


    Taking the elevator up to the office, Lu Liang reviewed the documents that needed his attention. Crown Princess Consort had finished airing yesterday, with 35 episodes garnering over 1.9 billion views, becoming a dark horse.


    Since the subscriber increase was only 101,200, he could only sell it at 400,000 per episode, totaling 14 million for 35 episodes, and 12 million for five-year exclusive rights¡ª26 million in total.


    Lu Liang sighed, signed the authorization, and tossed it aside.


    2.4 billion had turned into 1.9 billion, and with only 14 million from the premiere fees, he understood that the wrong platform had been chosen.


    The style of B Station was indeed suitable for Crown Princess Consort, but B Station''s users were not, as their willingness to spend was extremely low.


    Still, he had earned over 22 million and was resigned to it.


    He spent most of the next half day reviewing documents.


    December 27th, morning.


    After resting for a night, Lu Liang arrived at the office refreshed to meet with the subscribers of Tianxing II private equity.


    The fee structure was still 2+20, each share costing 20.4 million dollars, equivalent to 130 million RMB.


    Since everything had been agreed upon in advance, the subscribers arrived in a steady stream without objections, the process went extremely smoothly, contracts were signed, funds would be transferred within three days, and the net value updated on the 1st of each month.


    The first three months were the lock-in period, after which one could apply for redemption a month in advance, but it would involve a 5% deduction of the principal along with no entitlement to any benefits from this event.


    Zhu Hu suddenly stood up with a smile and bowed, "Everyone, if anyone is interested in an early redemption, please contact me. Golden Sand River is eager to take on as much as possible."


    The dividend amount of the first phase was a secret to outsiders, but not to him¡ª386 million dollars in dividends.


    2 million per share, four months of dividends was about 5.728 million dollars, his mouth watered just thinking about it.


    "Mr. Zhu, Golden Sand River really is financially impressive," Shen Peng said with a smile that seemed like a compliment but was actually sarcastic.


    The people present were all either rich or noble, and anyone who did something impulsive could probably be laughed at.


    "You never know who might suddenly need money."


    Zhu Hu was indifferent, taking it as if Shen Peng was complimenting him.


    Lu Liang just smiled and had no intention of persuading them, as this was just how these two interacted.


    He asked Wen Chao to secure the contract files, and at that moment, Guo Changguang came over smiling and asked, "Mr. Lu, what''s your view on the Big A introducing the circuit breaker mechanism?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A ''circuit breaker'' is a protection mechanism, like when there''s an overload in electrical use or a circuit fault, the fuse is blown, resulting in a power outage. Once the load is reduced or the fault cleared, reconnecting the fuse restores the power.


    In early September, after a draft request for comments, the Securities and Futures Commission issued regulations on index circuit breakers in mid-December, to be officially implemented from January 1.


    "It should be a good thing, as it has a stabilizing effect on the market," Lu Liang had heard of the term but had not seen it in action.


    The circuit breaker mechanism originated from US stocks, also known as an automatic trading halt mechanism, but the most recent activation was in ''97.


    That year, during the financial crisis, the Dow plunged 7.18%, triggering a level-one market circuit breaker and halting trade for fifteen minutes.


    However, it recovered the next day and wasn''t a big deal.


    The Big A had introduced the mechanism and localized it, with circuit breaker thresholds set at 5% and 7%.


    Level-one circuit breaker, suspension of trading for fifteen minutes,


    Level-two circuit breaker, pause of trading until the market closes.


    "Do you really think introducing the circuit breaker mechanism is a good thing?" Zhu Hu stopped his debate with Shen Peng, his face showing an odd expression.


    "What? Is there some insider information?"


    Lu Liang suddenly felt puzzled, wondering why everyone was looking at him so strangely.


    Shen Peng smiled at the corner of his mouth, his tone relaxed, "The word online now is that Mr. Lu is not in favor of the circuit breaker mechanism, so he sold off his stocks in advance, using dividends as just an excuse."


    Initially, people speculated whether Lu Liang''s dividends and the launch of the second phase of private equity were really preparations to short the British Pounds.


    Suddenly, someone mentioned the soon-to-be-implemented circuit breaker mechanism.


    Consequently, the rumor transformed into Lu Liang being bearish on the circuit breaker mechanism for Big A stocks, thus clearing his stocks and fleeing in advance.


    "It''s all rumors and misrepresentations."


    Lu Liang was both amused and vexed, he really hadn''t been paying attention to the circuit breaker mechanism.


    In Big A, they had only bought shares of BYD, which accounted for less than 20% of the total portfolio.


    That sum of money was too insignificant for him to bother with.


    Guo Changguang stared into Lu Liang''s eyes for a long time, unable to fathom his thoughts, and eventually sighed, "Circuit breakers might suit US stocks, but not necessarily our Big A stocks."


    "Perhaps, but we will see in a few days," Shen Peng chimed in, inadvertently glancing at Lu Liang, clearly one of those who believed the rumors online.


    Lu Liang still wore a smile on his face but inwardly sighed, hoping the introduction of the circuit breaker mechanism would be beneficial, otherwise, he would probably have to carry this blame.


    A first phase of dividends, initiating a second private placement, was indeed to short the British Pounds, but no one believed him, and there was nothing he could do about it.


    On December 30, Tianxing II finished raising funds, with one billion dollars gradually arriving into accounts, entering a three-month lock-up period.


    That same afternoon, Li Manli snuck back from Star City, her body clad in fluffy attire, resembling a walking stuffed teddy bear.


    When Lu Liang got home and saw her, he showed surprise, "Isn''t your show still ongoing?"


    During his leisure, he would watch the live stream and send some gifts to boost Little Wang''s Panda popularity.


    He had watched it just the previous night, knowing the show still had seven days to go, and today was only day three.


    "I took a leave."


    Li Manli, hopping and skipping, hung on Lu Liang like a sloth, coquettishly said, "I wanted to spend New Year''s with you, to experience our first New Year together."


    Seeing Lu Liang seemed hesitant, she couldn''t help but softly ask, "Do you still have work tonight?"


    "Nothing much, let''s find a place to eat later."


    Lu Liang found the situation ironically humorous. He firmly patted her bottom, prompting Li Manli to get off him; he had intended to go home to change clothes and then meet Su Wanyu.


    The plan was for the two to welcome the New Year together, clasp hands at the stroke of midnight, blending souls, marking the first moments of the year.


    However, Li Manli had come back from so far away, and it had been a long time since they''d seen each other, so it seemed okay to be with her too.


    "Ow~"


    Li Manli rubbed her bottom with a wronged expression, having gradually shifted toward becoming a comedy actress since the live stream.


    "Really? Could I have been too rough?" Lu Liang feigned concern, his hand delivering another slap.


    This time he held back his strength, but her cries were louder, as she rolled around on the ground, "It hurts so much, it feels like it''s splitting~"


    "I''m going to shower first, you decide what we should eat," Lu Liang said, tuning her out and tossing her a set of car keys.


    Seeing that acting pitiful was useless, Li Manli chuckled mischievously, sitting upright, "Pagani? What kind of car is that?"


    "Pagani," Lu Liang said, heading for the bathroom.


    Old Meng was very generous; to outshine Little Wang, he had gifted a Pagani Zonda, which apparently had a domestic price tag of over twenty million.


    "I''ve heard of it, seems very expensive."


    As Lu Liang entered the bathroom, Li Manli deviously smiled, revealing a cunning grin; she vaguely felt that Lu Liang had another woman outside, but she wanted to be the most special one.


    To spend the New Year''s Eve with him!

 Chapter 150 - 149: A Thousand Stocks Hit the Daily Limit Down X2

    "Wow~ So cool!"


    The silver-white body, smooth lines, and visually striking design made it look like a product from the future.


    Li Manli''s eyes sparkled with novelty, like a curious baby, touching here, tapping there, covertly snapping a few photos.


    "If you like it, you can take it for a spin," Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile, pressing the car key and opening the gull-wing doors.


    On second thought, he realized he had quite a few cars himself: the Wild Bull, Mushang, Big Bull, and this Pagani.


    But the one he rode in most was the Mushang, and the one he drove most was the Wild Bull. Sports cars have too low a chassis; they''re okay for an occasional thrill.


    "Really?" Li Manli''s face lit up.


    Lu Liang chuckled, "And here I thought you would refuse."


    Li Manli looked serious: "I''m all yours now, isn''t it normal to drive your car?"


    Lu Liang laughed out loud: "Let me teach you how to drive it."


    "Mhm."


    As evening fell, the traffic increased.


    Families and couples alike were seeking the perfect spot to celebrate the New Year.


    The silver-white Pagani hit the road, its deep roar and cool design turning heads everywhere it went.


    "Where shall we eat?" Lu Liang, bored out of his mind, rolled down the window, enjoying the scenery and the beauties along the road.


    Li Manli drove too slowly. It was New Year''s Eve, the roads were crowded, and it was unclear when they would reach their destination.


    In truth, he disliked going out on holidays. He could go anywhere he wanted on regular days, not that he lacked the means to do so.


    "You''ll know when we get there."


    Li Manli focused intently, not looking away. Ever since she learned the car was worth 25 million, she was paying extra attention.


    Half an hour of starting and stopping, they finally reached their destination.


    The Global Center building, a hotel on the 94th floor, where she had booked a luxury suite.


    "I reserved it a month in advance. This place has the best view in all of Modu and you can see the light show too."


    Li Manli tilted her chin up, pride written all over her face as if the words "Come on, praise me" were displayed across it.


    Securing this room cost her almost half a month''s salary. It was expensive normally, but the price skyrocketed on New Year''s Eve.


    But the thought of spending the New Year''s Eve with Lu Liang made her feel like no amount of money was too much.


    "So, how do you think I should compensate you?" Lu Liang said, embracing her as they collapsed onto the sofa.


    "Hold on, we haven''t even had dinner yet."


    Li Manli giggled, made a phone call to have the hotel prepare dinner, and then ran into the bedroom with her suitcase.


    Lu Liang waited and waited. The dishes were nearly served, but Li Manli was still not out.


    He couldn''t help asking, "Are you not ready yet?"


    "Here I come~ How do I look? Nice?"


    Li Manli emerged, smiling, twisting her slim waist and taking small steps before Lu Liang, then twirling around.


    She wore a light pink strapless tulle dress, with white high heels. Her makeup was exquisitely done, as if she had stepped out of a painting like a fairy.


    Lu Liang''s eyes lit up, he couldn''t help but exclaim sincerely, "With you looking like this, I''ve lost all appetite for dinner."


    Li Manli beamed with joy. Lu Liang''s affection was the best recognition for her: "As long as you like it, that''s all that matters."


    Suddenly, she sat on Lu Liang''s lap, not caring if her dress wrinkled, her breath as fragrant as orchids: "Liang, I''m your doll tonight, you can do whatever you want."


    Lu Liang paused, then grasped the theme of the night and teased: "My robot girlfriend?"


    Li Manli nodded, her face expressionless, her voice mechanical: "Please issue your command, Master!"


    "You really know how to have fun. Sit down and let''s have dinner first," said Lu Liang, half amused, half exasperated.


    "Please adjust the tenderness level first, Master, minimum 80, maximum 120."


    "Let''s go with 120 then."


    "Liang~ Let me feed you,"


    Li Manli''s smile was sweet, as she seductively bit into a cherry and brought it to Lu Liang''s lips.


    "Actually, let''s make it 80. I can''t handle 120."


    "Yes, command accepted."


    Li Manli continued smiling, nearly back to her usual self.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but marvel,


    She is truly a ''96, almost too much for him to handle.


    They took half an hour to finish their meal.


    Li Manli remembered their theme for the evening and without a command, she sat motionless at the dining table.


    "Come over and sit with me for a while,"


    Lu Liang said, moving towards the window and waving at her with a smile.


    "Command received!"


    Li Manli marched over with mechanical steps and a high knee lift.


    The two leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the city''s night view. The weather was clear tonight with a cloudless sky and a high moon.


    As Lu Liang wrapped his arms around Li Manli''s waist and felt her possibly having abs, noticing she also felt lighter, he asked, "Have you lost weight?"


    "Yes, 166 cm tall, 47 kg in weight."


    "Isn''t there a manual override?"


    "Yes, it''s loading~"


    Li Manli rubbed her cheeks, huffing with annoyance, with her lips pursed high in the air, "They should''ve taken over manually a long time ago, it''s so uncomfortable to keep it stretched like this."


    She chattered on about the daily routines of the past few days. Although she was a guest, she trained alongside the contestants.


    Suddenly, Li Manli became excited, "Liang, I recently learned a type of classical dance. Do you want to see it?"


    "Let''s have a look." Lu Liang smiled and nodded. Every time he saw Li Manli, he felt a sense of accomplishment as if raising a protege.


    The once plain wine-serving girl had now become an internet sensation with millions of fans.


    On the show "Panda," aside from the five who made the group, Li Manli was probably the biggest beneficiary.


    With money and looks, a love for cosplay and cooking, and a willingness to learn, her many appealing traits made her a magnet for fans.


    "Then wait for me, I''m going to put on some music."


    The lights suddenly dimmed, and the emotive strains of classical music began to play.


    She walked out of the room with a sweet smile on her face, her chiffon dress billowing in the wind, moving gracefully with the music like a woodland nymph, lively and ethereal. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Until outside the window, lights flashed brilliantly like daylight, and every tower in Lujiazui participated in this citywide light show.


    The lights flashed faster and faster, as if counting down to the last second.


    It was almost as if one could hear people shouting from the Bund.


    Lu Liang, with a smile on his face, raised his glass, "Happy New Year."


    Li Manli kicked off her high heels, barefoot, and came up to Lu Liang, downing her drink in one gulp, "Liang, Happy New Year."


    Then, embracing Lu Liang with eyes full of love, "This is the first New Year we spend together. I hope to be with you for ten years, twenty years, forever and always."


    "Me too."


    Lu Liang chuckled. He had once told Lin Yike that she was not worth deceiving, but Li Manli was different.


    ...


    The three-day holiday passed in the blink of an eye,


    And Li Manli had returned to Star City early.


    For the next two days, Lu Liang spent his time with Su Wanyu, making up for the regret of not being together on New Year''s Eve.


    January 4th, the first trading day of the new year and after the introduction of the circuit breaker mechanism,


    Investors in the Big A stock market could never escape fate, with holidays inevitably leading to calamity being an immutable law.


    Just as they had returned from a pleasant holiday to work, Big A dealt countless workers a severe blow right out of the gate.


    The market opened to a sharp drop of 0.2%, continuing its descent.


    The phenomenal news from the new energy sector attempted to pull up the market, almost breaking its back, but it couldn''t keep the market flying high.


    Finally, at one o''clock in the afternoon, trading resumed, but the new energy index couldn''t hold up, and the market nosedived.


    It seemed like a test to see if the circuit breaker mechanism really existed; at 1:13 PM, the market fell over 5%, triggering a level-one circuit breaker.


    After a fifteen-minute trading halt, the market reopened at 1:28 PM, and within five minutes, tumbled past 7%, triggering a level-two circuit breaker.


    Trading ended 87 minutes early for the day.


    The entire market was awash in green.


    Out of 3292 stocks in both exchanges, 1260 hit the daily limit down.


    The tragic spectacle of a thousand stocks hitting their limit down reappeared.


    However, retail investors in the Big A stock market were some of the most persistent in the world.


    After several days of bottom-fishing,


    They managed to produce back-to-back bullish days.


    It''s fortunate that the Big A stock market never disappoints when it comes to disappointment, just when everyone thought the issue would pass like the 1997 US stocks incident.


    The Big A stock market took a big dive again.


    On January 7th, within only 12 minutes of opening,


    The stock index tumbled 5%, triggering a level-one circuit breaker again.


    Fifteen minutes later, upon resuming trading, it only took 2 more minutes before the market plunged past 7%, activating a level-two circuit breaker.


    A double thousand-stock limit down!


    The introduction of the circuit breaker mechanism was cursed all the way to the trending searches.


    "Damn it all."


    "US stocks don''t have limits on price fluctuation, that''s why they have circuit breakers, and you damn Big A stock, you have a strict 10% fluctuation limit for the day, and yet you copy others with a circuit breaker. Now, truly broken."


    "Damn, I came to work in high spirits today, now it''s all ruined."


    "Why ruined? Be happy. Work for 27 minutes and then off you go, it''s freaking awesome, I want to die. Hahaha~~~"


    "Lu Liang is really onto something, he ran so freaking fast. He must''ve known what a circuit breaker was all about."


    "Lu God, Lu God, where are you!! I was wrong, save me, I will never call you Liangzi again."


    Netizens almost dug up the chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission''s ancestors, but as they cursed, they suddenly thought of Lu Liang.


    In mid-December, once he heard about the announcement of the circuit breaker mechanism, he chose to distribute dividends and clear his positions.


    It has to be said, that was fucking smart.


    If they hadn''t taken it as a joke, maybe they wouldn''t have suffered such horrific losses now.

 Chapter 151 - 150: Orders Changed Overnight

    In October 1987, the United States stock market experienced the largest crash in history, with the Dow Jones Index dropping by -22.6% in a single day.


    Due to the lack of a circuit breaker mechanism and limits on price fluctuations, many millionaires became poor overnight. This day was also known in the financial world as "Black Monday."


    In October 1988, the US stock trading commission approved the circuit breaker mechanism. When the index fell by 7% within a short time, all markets would suspend trading for fifteen minutes.


    It took nine whole years until October 1997 for the US stock market''s circuit breaker mechanism to be triggered for the first time.


    The US stocks needed time to test the feasibility of circuit breakers, but Big A emphasizes efficiency, with two circuit breakers in four days, four triggers, and a thousand stocks hitting the limit¡ªtwice. A new level above the old, indeed.


    "I guess Big A''s spectacle is unprecedented and likely unrivalled in the future," Lu Liang marveled and quietly enjoyed the spectacle online, chuckling several times at the endless stream of satirical jokes. This generation of netizens is truly talented.


    Even though his backstage was nearly blown up with notifications, he just didn''t come out to respond. He dared to swear to the heavens that the clearing of positions and dividend distribution was purely coincidental, but nobody listened.


    One by one, they indulged in conspiracy theories, claiming his liquidation was a silent criticism of the circuit breaker mechanism.


    Any explanation would seem like a cover-up, so it was better to say nothing.


    Approaching noon, Zhao Jisheng from the Securities and Futures Commission called with a very humble attitude, "Mr. Lu, do you have time? Our boss would like to talk to you and hear your opinion."


    Lu Liang gave a wry smile. Clearly, the other party also thought he had liquidated his positions because he did not favor the circuit breaker; he just wasn''t sure if the call was to ask for accountability.


    "I have time now."


    He pondered for a moment, nodded in agreement, and Zhao hurriedly said, "Then please wait, I''ll let our boss listen in."


    After a few seconds, an apparently tired male voice took the call and got straight to the point, "Mr. Lu, hello, is the circuit breaker mechanism really not adapted to our stock market?"


    "Mr. Xiao, the Commission''s intention is good. A circuit breaker can provide investors a chance to think calmly and avoid irrational investment decisions under panic."


    "But some mechanisms are only suitable for US stocks. We have a limitation on price fluctuation range; implementing another circuit breaker may be a bit redundant."


    Lu Liang spoke with confidence, although he did not know if introducing a circuit breaker was beneficial or detrimental to Big A. However, based on the market''s performance, it seemed to be detrimental.


    The past few days'' events hadn''t been in vain; he was able to cite a few examples and analyze with the benefit of hindsight.


    Regardless of whether his points were reasonable, the current outcome had already proved that the circuit breaker mechanism was indeed not suitable for the Big A market.


    Old Xiao fell silent for a long time, then sighed, "Mr. Lu, I understand. Thank you, but please don''t lose faith in the domestic market."


    Lu Liang felt helpless but could only respond earnestly, "Mr. Xiao, you worry too much. We are very optimistic about the domestic market; we are just making a temporary technical adjustment."


    Even the head of the Commission said so. He guessed that until the Old England referendum was over, he would have to carry this burden.


    In the evening, the Securities and Futures Commission held a press conference. To maintain market stability, they would suspend the circuit breaker mechanism starting from January 8th.


    The spokesperson stated that the two actual circuit breakers failed to achieve the expected effect; the mechanism had certain "magnetic appeal," so weighing the pros and cons, the negative impact outweighed the positive. Therefore, to maintain market stability, it was decided to suspend the circuit breaker mechanism.


    The next day, Lu Liang received news that Old Xiao was processing his resignation papers and applying for early retirement.


    A new policy had existed for seven days, was specifically implemented for four days, yet resulted in a tragedy of a thousand stocks hitting the stop limit¡ªtwice. Big A had become an international financial joke, and someone had to take responsibility.


    "Big A is heading downhill."


    Lu Liang muttered, a thousand stocks hitting the stop limit¡ªtwice¡ªwas a minor issue, but the blow to public credibility was significant. Although the problem was quickly corrected, the impact was profound.


    If the follow-up was not handled well, Big A would slowly decline. After all, who would dare to invest long-term in a market that changes orders overnight?


    Approaching nine o''clock,


    The first trading day after the cancellation of the circuit breaker mechanism.


    Lu Liang went to the adjacent trading room, planning to use 30 billion RMB to bottom-fish new energy constituent stocks, as well as various blue-chip stocks.


    11 billion US dollars, more than 70 billion RMB, lying in the account wasn''t earning any money, and the referendum was still over a month away.


    Investing in bottom-fishing Big A now, with a short-term strategy for a month, was definitely not a loss, just a question of how much would be earned.


    Not just he had this idea, institutions, speculative funds, and even retail investors, for the first time had a unanimously similar thought.


    The Shanghai Stock Exchange Index had a trading volume of 77.2 billion just one minute after opening, with a sea of rising stocks and over 200 hitting the daily limit.


    Looking around, a sea of red as if Monday and Thursday, with four days and two circuit breakers, with a thousand stocks hitting the stop limit¡ªtwice¡ªwas nothing but a dream.


    "From today, there are 20 trading days until the Spring Festival holiday, starting from the last five working days."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then assigned the next tasks to Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing. Once this was done, it would be the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.


    On the 27th and 28th we''ll tally everything up, and then organize a year-end feast for all the employees. On the 29th, the New Year''s Eve, we''ll start the holiday.


    When we return on the sixth day of the new year, that is, February 13th, we can start preparing to short the British Pounds.


    Lu Liang stepped out of the trading room and entered Tang Caide''s office to inquire about the charity project and the annual event plans.


    He subscribed to five shares in the second phase of the private equity fund, totaling 120 million US Dollars, and he still had 32.6 million US Dollars in his account.


    Since he had also made commercial investments, the funds were always kept in the company''s account, and it wasn''t yet time for settlement and taxation.


    "Forget about the Red Cross project, see if there are any more reliable ones."


    Lu Liang planned to allocate 50 million for charity, but he really couldn''t trust that bunch at the Red Cross.


    Each of them driving BMWs, Mercedes, and keeping mistresses¡ªof the 50 million given to them, who knows if even 500,000 would actually be used meaningfully.


    Although it was for tax deduction, Lu Liang still hoped that the funds would go where they were supposed to, helping those who needed help.


    Tang Caide also detested those feasting idlers with no real responsibilities. Suddenly, she had an idea, "Mr. Lu, take a look at this One Egg Per Child project."


    Initiated by the singing artist Cao Yi, the 100 Cities Charity Concert was held every few years to help impoverished children in mountainous areas have one egg a day. Since its launch, the project received strong support from eight major ministries including civil affairs, agriculture, technology, and commerce.


    "If you think it''s good, go have a look."


    After reading it, Lu Liang fully authorized Tang Caide to inspect the project while he looked at the next document about the arrangements for the annual event.


    The company had a total of 85 employees. Aside from the fixed year-end bonuses, it was planned to allocate 2.3 million for the activity expenses.


    The venue cost was estimated at 300,000, leaving 2 million for prizes and bonuses, with the smallest Sunlight Award at 3,888.


    An Apple phone was only a third-level prize, the second-level prize was a laptop worth tens of thousands, and the first-level prize was three BMW 3 Series cars.


    Initially, the total budget for the prizes was only 1 million, but Lu Liang felt it was too little and doubled it.


    "Let''s leave it at that for now."


    Lu Liang was not quite satisfied, feeling it was still not enough, but with few employees in the company, the 2 million average out to more than 20,000 per person.


    In the evening, Little Wang returned from Star City. Hellos Goddess ended successfully, with Panda firmly occupying the third spot in the live-streaming industry. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Top-tier venture capital firms like Redwood, Goldman Sachs, and Gaoling successively raised the company''s valuation from 150 million to 270 million US Dollars.


    This investment of 35 million in the variety show led to an increase in Panda''s value by more than 20 times.


    "Old Lu, it seems I still hold 72.25% of the shares," Little Wang said, beaming with joy. Just with Panda, he had an increase in personal wealth of 1.2 billion RMB.


    He felt he could speak a little louder in the future.


    "I have over 7 billion in cash on hand, so just tell me what you want to do," Lu Liang''s tone was very calm.


    In front of others, acting a bit is fine, but daring to put on airs in front of him, he could smash him with money.


    Moreover, Panda was still operating at a loss, with a net loss of 35 million last year, and profitability was a distant prospect.


    Valuations are illusory, if something goes wrong, it could be wiped out in an instant, which is common enough.


    "Can''t you stop being so discouraging?"


    Little Wang looked indignant. Even a company like Wanda might not be able to come up with 7 billion in cash.


    "You''re asking for it, you can''t blame anyone else," Lu Liang packed up his things, ready to leave work.


    "How about a drink at Zhuang''s place tonight?" Little Wang hurriedly said.


    For the sake of the show, he hadn''t been to the bar in two months and longed for the glitzy nightlife.


    "Not interested."


    Lu Liang shook his head, walked to the door, and suddenly stopped: "If you really care about Panda, I suggest you go less often too."


    Little Wang looked displeased, "Since when did you become so old-fashioned?"


    "It''s not being old-fashioned, it''s just that you don''t have the capability yet to go against the trend and stand out."


    Lu Liang smiled, said no more. If it were him, maybe, but Little Wang still had a long way to go.


    Constantly hanging out in bars made it hard to believe he could manage a company well.

 Chapter 152 - 151: Annual Meeting

    Throughout January, Lu Liang stayed mostly secluded.


    Just like a hibernating brown bear, he continually suppressed his hunger, waiting for the springtime to feast.


    On the 25th, Tianxing Phase One private equity fund updated its net asset value, with only a 3.55% increase for the month, earning just 3.55 million US Dollars.


    Five days later, Tianxing II private equity also updated its net asset value, with a first-month increase of 4.25%, earning only 42.5 million US Dollars.


    Although this return greatly disappointed many investors, they still had tremendous confidence in Lu Liang.


    Because the worst fear is comparison, throughout January, due to the stock market''s circuit breaker activating twice in the first few days.


    Whether private or public funds, all showed losses.


    Lu Liang managed to issue an early warning, and still realize profits, which was already incredibly impressive.


    Moreover, holding such a huge amount of money, no matter what industry he invested in, they believed that time would bring a bountiful harvest.


    "I, terrifyingly strong."


    Lu Liang reflected, he had originally prepared excuses, such as not feeling good or being clueless, but unexpectedly these investors were so adaptable, they had already figured out excuses for him.


    Once could be luck, twice might be luck, but four or five times, even if he felt inadequate, others believed he was capable.


    On February 3rd, the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.


    He had sold off 128 stocks, cashing out 3.182 billion and profiting 182 million yuan.


    All funds were recollected and integrated, with available capital of 1.128 billion US Dollars, everything was ready, except the east wind.


    From February 4th to February 5th, the company conducted a two-day year-end inventory, and on the evening of February 6th, they held the annual meeting.


    When the bonuses and prizes at the annual meeting were announced, Tianxing and Lu Liang once again dominated the hot searches online.


    The consolation prize was 3888 yuan, other companies'' first prize, an Apple phone, here was only a third-level prize, and there were 20 of them.


    Not to mention ten Alienware laptops valued at 28,000 each, and three BMW 3 Series cars priced over 300,000.


    Netizens also noticed from the photos shared by Lu Liang that they only set up 11 tables, each with 8 people.


    That meant, the company had at most 88 employees.


    This also implied, one in every 29 people would win a BMW, one in every 8 would get a laptop, and one in every 4 would receive a phone.


    The winning rate was as high as 33%, and even if they didn''t win anything, there was still a consolation prize of 3888 yuan.


    This was undoubtedly a significant blow for workers who had barely had time to catch their breath after a year of work.


    Insiders revealed, although the company was only established for half a year, everyone received a year-end bonus, even the interns received a month''s salary.


    Another point, Tianxing Investment''s standard salary for all newcomers during their probation period was five thousand, and with meal and housing allowances, it summed up to six thousand four hundred.


    "Next year, I''m applying for a job there, not even Jesus can stop me, I say."


    "Just checked, the minimum recruitment requirement is a master''s degree from a top university, are you?"


    "I at least saw three cleaning ladies, surely they can''t all be from top universities, right?"


    "And the receptionist, they just need a bachelor''s degree and English level six, I think I''m capable."


    "Envious, just look at our company''s year-end bonus prizes."


    Someone posted a photo of their own company''s annual meeting prizes, just a dry two hundred yuan.


    Thus, the comment section suddenly shifted, turning into a forum where netizens boasted about their miseries.


    By 9 o''clock at night, the annual meeting ended.


    Lu Liang drank a bit of alcohol and wearily returned to Tangchen Yipin, where his place was empty. Not bothering to turn on the lights or take off his clothes and shoes, he laid directly on the sofa and closed his eyes for a nap.


    Wanyu had gone home for the New Year a few days ago, and Liang had taken her to the airport. He guessed he would not return until after the lunar month.


    Manli was said to be returning home in the afternoon, but since he was preparing for the annual meeting, he did not see her off. By now, she should also be home.


    Suddenly, a pair of cold hands reached from behind to Lu Liang''s temples, gently massaging them, suppressing a laugh. "Does this feel a bit better?"


    Lu Liang suddenly opened his eyes and saw two naturally falling curly ponytails. Manli was looking at him with a smile. "Is this a surprise?"


    "Weren''t you supposed to go back this afternoon?" Lu Liang asked in confusion.


    "I thought about it and decided not to go back after all."


    Manli hesitated and looked evasive, reluctant to tell the whole truth. Instead, she asked, "Liang, when will you be back?"


    "I guess on the third day of the lunar month. I''ll stay at home for a few days." Lu Liang sat up straight and asked with a smile. "Can''t you even tell me?"


    "It''s not that, I just don''t know how to put it in the best way."


    With a smile on his face, Lu Liang held Manli and made her sit on his lap. "Start from the beginning, take your time."


    Manli began to explain that her reluctance to go home for the New Year was largely due to the gossip in the village.


    Ever since she funded the construction of a new house for her family, rumors had been circulating in the village that she was working as a hostess in Modu. Even her parents and brother firmly believed it.


    She had explained many times, including showing them her live streams, but her family refused to believe her and even threatened to disown her if she didn''t return.


    Her father has a very old-fashioned personality, poor yet proud, and always self-righteous, which led her to have a big argument with him.


    That''s why she didn''t want to go home.


    "Liang, you''re not going to force me to go back, are you?" Manli pursed her lips, a look of grievance on her face.


    She couldn''t understand why her family wouldn''t believe her even though she had explained everything so clearly and every penny was taxed.


    Even if she were to fabricate stories and lie, could the hundreds of thousands of viewers in her live stream room also be faking it?


    Though she had indeed hidden some things, like the existence of Lu Liang and his help, she had always believed that their relationship was true love since Lu Liang wasn''t married.


    "If you don''t want to go back, then don''t. How could I force you?" Lu Liang laughed softly, informing her he would come back early after the New Year to be with her.


    "Liang, I love you so much." Manli''s face lit up with joy, and she hugged Lu Liang tightly.


    Her family valued sons over daughters, and she had always been neglected since she was young, so she didn''t have deep feelings for them.


    If her old man wanted to sever ties with her, let him; she didn''t care. She just needed Lu Liang. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next morning, Lu Liang said goodbye to Manli and went home with his cousin, as there were no tolls on the highway on New Year''s Eve, making it an intermittently slow exit from Modu.


    "Shiyu, how much did you save this year?"


    Out of boredom, Lu Liang had no choice but to start a question-and-answer session with his cousin.


    His cousin was a bit wooden, and if Lu Liang did not engage him, he probably would not speak throughout the journey.


    After thinking, Shiyu said, "Including the year-end bonus and prizes, a bit more than 100,000."


    "That much?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    Shiyu''s monthly salary was 12,000, and even though he lived in his house and mostly ate with him, after working for over four months and with a three-month year-end bonus, it would amount to a bit more than 80,000 at most.


    Shiyu grinned sheepishly, "Because yesterday I won a computer in a draw, and Chao said if I didn''t want it he would buy it from me, so I sold it for 20,000."


    "Lucky you."


    Lu Liang laughed wryly, also recalling yesterday''s prize draw where he only won a consolation prize of 3888, but in the end, he also sent it off.


    Three BMW 3 Series were drawn; one was won by Chen Jinchun, another by the deputy director of finance, and the last one seemed to have been won by a cleaning lady.

 Chapter 153 - 152: Spring Festival

    They set off at nine in the morning. Covering just under six hundred kilometers with occasional stops, it took them over eight hours.


    It went relatively smoothly, after all it''s always busier headed north or west from Modu.


    Lu Liang was browsing Douyin and saw that traffic jams were happening everywhere, with serious accidents in some places.


    Yang Zhenyuan had his own vision, seemingly unwilling to let Douyin become merely a music and social networking platform.


    He invited numerous online media personalities to join in and constantly chased after current political news and hot social topics.


    Some of the content was so shocking that even Lu Liang felt alarmed, although how many warnings it received was unknown, the download figures were pretty impressive.


    As of last week, fifty days since the launch, it had surpassed 400,000 registered users, with daily active users stable at around 50,000, and approximately 1200 short video creators.


    There was still about 1.2 million funds in the account; it was anticipated that once it ran out, they could prepare for Series A funding.


    Despite Douyin''s decent performance, it seemed to have provoked Zhang Yiming, as Watermelon Video was set to launch early in April.


    Lu Liang had also heard from Zhu Hu that Zhang Yiming was persuading investors to prepare a billion yuan to support short video creators.


    Time was running out for Yang Zhenyuan and Douyin.


    Perhaps he was aware of that, which was why he frantically chased after political issues and social hotspots to build up the user base first and plan for improvements later.


    Just like Little Wang''s Panda and the two leading platforms¡ªdou and hu¡ªat night, they could be likened to a parade of ghosts, straddling the line of propriety with all sorts of nefarious elements emerging.


    After all, if he didn''t do it, others would; now that everyone was growing wildly, once the state turned its attention to this area, it would be seen who could better withstand a heavy blow.


    "Brother, we''re almost at Ya''s shop."


    They exited the highway and arrived in the town where their family was from, when Fang Shiyu suddenly spoke up to give a reminder.


    The old convenience store had been converted into a larger storefront and they rented a five-hundred square meter warehouse across the street.


    As evening approached, the place bustled with activity, adults and children purchasing supplies for the New Year.


    Winters weren''t cold at home, the chilliest it ever got was 2-6 degrees Celsius, so it wasn''t necessary to stock up on goods, just buy whatever came to mind.


    From a distance, Lu Liang spotted his two nephews, donned in new clothes and playing with new toys by the roadside.


    "Let''s all go down and say hello." He smiled, approaching his nephews, "Dabao, Erbao, do you remember me?"


    "Uncle... Uncle."


    In early November, Lu Liang had come back to celebrate his mother''s birthday, so his nephews didn''t find it strange to see him.


    With a beaming smile, Lu Liang picked up Erbao¡ªa girl named Luo Ziqing, about to turn five after the new year: "Erbao, uncle knows magic tricks~ Want to see?"


    "Uncle, I want to see."


    She had large double-lidded eyes like her sister, and greatly resembled her when she was younger.


    "Mummy mummy hong~"


    Lu Liang smiled mysteriously, reached back with his hand, and Fang Shiyu gave a goofy smile, quietly handing over a gift box.


    It was a Disney Frozen set, containing a model of the character Elsa, her castle, and over a dozen different outfits.


    "Do you like it?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    "Thank you, Uncle, mua~~"


    Erbao''s eyes crinkled with joy, and she suddenly planted a big kiss on Lu Liang''s cheek, leaving a slobber mark.


    "Uncle~"


    Dabao watched, wide-eyed. Now eight years old, he felt a bit embarrassed, but his eyes overflowed with yearning.


    "If Erbao has a gift, of course Dabao does too."


    Lu Liang kept up his cheerful demeanor, taking out from the trunk a large and cool Lego Star Wars battleship.


    Dabao''s eyes sparkled with delight and, hugging the toy, he shouted, "Thank you, Uncle."


    When dinner time rolled around, Lu Ya came out to look for people and saw Lu Liang playing with the two nephews.


    A smile spread across her face as she approached slowly: "You like kids so much, why don''t you have one of your own?"


    "Kids are always more fun when they belong to someone else."


    Lu Liang replied breezily, giving his brother-in-law a nod.


    His brother-in-law laughed and asked, "Liang, have you eaten yet? If not, why don''t you stay and join us for the New Year''s Eve dinner?"


    "No thanks, mom and dad are probably waiting for me at home."


    Lu Liang politely declined with a shake of his head, bade farewell to his sister''s family, drove their cousin home first, and then finally drove back to the residential complex.


    The new apartment had been aired out for two months, and they had recently started with the soft furnishings, but his parents were still living in the previously purchased complex.


    "It''s the first time we''re celebrating New Year in a commercial apartment, it feels a bit odd," Dad said with a smile, opening the bottle of Moutai that Lu Liang had brought.


    Ever since he quit his job at the grinding tool factory and didn''t have to work day and night, he spent his days fishing and gardening, stepping into retirement early, and he really seemed much more spirited.


    "I just came from Sister''s place, and she said we could move in another three months," Lu Liang helped Dad pour the drink.


    "I''m happy today, I''ll have a little too."


    Mom, with a radiant smile, came out of the kitchen holding a dish of braised shrimp, and she seemed to have come to terms with things too.


    Lu Ya had done a great job on the ideological work with her, making her understand that her son had apparently become an important person.


    She had also used some very vivid examples, like if Lu Liang were to invest in his hometown, the city leadership would have to come and pay a visit.


    And if he were to marry carelessly and meet a bad woman, his fortune worth hundreds of millions could end up being split in half. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If they really cared about Lu Liang''s best interest, they shouldn''t rush him to get married. He''s already 30, and he''ll figure it out himself.


    Who knows, maybe one day he''ll suddenly bring home a chubby grandson out of the blue, after all, that''s how it''s played out in TV dramas.


    Actually, Lu Ya wasn''t that clear about all these unwritten rules either, but she used whatever was scary to intimidate them, and as she said, it''s hard to change the mindset of the older generation without a mix of intimidation and temptation.


    Clearly, she had succeeded.


    "Mom, the alcohol content is quite high, don''t drink too fast."


    Lu Liang was all smiles, grateful to have such a sister and secretly gave her 120 likes.


    A New Year''s Eve dinner with no pressure to marry was even more harmonious, as the family chatted and watched TV together.


    On the first day of the new year, Lu Liang followed his dad to the village brigade and donated two million yuan to build an activity center.


    He wasn''t always at home, nor would he always be, but since his parents probably wouldn''t go out in their lifetimes, helping them gain some local prestige would allow them to walk proudly through the village.


    On the second day, Lu Liang visited his uncle''s place in the neighboring town, which was also Fang Shiyu''s home.


    His parents didn''t come because his grandparents had passed away early, and they now had their own daughter and son-in-law, so they stayed home awaiting their visit for the New Year''s greetings.


    Lu Liang brought along two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of liquor, "Uncle, Aunt, Shiyu might come back to Modu with me the day after tomorrow."


    Uncle laughed and said, "No problem, he could leave with you right after this, no worries. The kid has always been honest, and we feel reassured with him following you."


    Lu Liang, grinning, protested playfully, "Uncle, your words make it sound like I''ve never been well-behaved."


    He got on well with his uncle.


    Whenever he got into trouble, he would pedal his bike for several kilometers to the neighboring town to seek refuge with his uncle until his parents cooled down.


    "And who was it that always came begging me for money to play online games?" Uncle scowled disapprovingly.


    "Let''s smoke and leave those past matters behind."


    Feeling embarrassed, Lu Liang hurriedly handed out cigarettes to prevent his uncle from bringing up old stories again.


    After having lunch at his uncle''s, he didn''t actually take Shiyu away, he merely informed them about his departure the next morning.


    Returning home, he saw his sister''s family and his parents each holding a baby, immensely amused by the two grandchildren.


    Lu Ya came over and asked quietly, "Hey, isn''t it quite popular among those rich folks to have children out of wedlock?"


    "Not sure about having children out of wedlock, but there are a few cases that I''ve heard about ''playing the field''," Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Suddenly, Lu Ya thought of something and looked suspicious, "So, is it that you don''t want to or that... that..."


    "What are you thinking about, it''s definitely not ''that''."


    Lu Liang suddenly realized the implication and glared at her annoyed. He had a medical checkup last month and was in excellent health.


    He always took precautions with girls whose risk status was unknown to him.


    A moment of pleasure or a lifetime, he had a clear line.


    For those whose risk status he knew, like Su Wanyu and Li Manli, they would usually take precautions themselves.


    It wasn''t that Lu Liang forced them, it''s just that one wanted to study for a higher degree and the other felt she was still a baby.


    He was quite laid-back about the matter, if they wanted to, they would, if not, and there was a "win", then have the child, it''s not like he couldn''t afford it.


    "Then I''m relieved."


    Lu Ya gave him a slanted look playfully teasing, "Little brother, you have to know, there''s a heavy burden on your shoulders."


    "Seeing you is so annoying, already a mother of two, and yet you still act like this," Lu Liang said disdainfully.


    Lu Ya glared at him menacingly, "Dare to say that again and see if I''ll cover for you in the future."


    Lu Liang smiled sheepishly and quickly changed the subject, "Dabao, Erbao come, come, Uncle will take you out with Grandpa and Grandma for a ride."


    Lu Ya squinted her eyes and brandished a victorious fist, she mused, money or not, he was still her little brother.

 Chapter 154 - 153: Financing Leverage of 20 Times

    On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Liang went out for a stroll, made plans to catch up with a few old friends, chat, drink, and celebrate the Spring Festival.


    What used to be endless conversations had turned into an alcohol-fueled game of Mahjong. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And just as the game began, a series of urgent phone calls ripped apart the rare opportunity for an annual reunion.


    "Jianwei, that woman at home is a real tigress, ferocious beyond words."


    One of the old friends sighed, clearly not the first time experiencing such an occasion.


    "What about you?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    "Me? A man''s got to have some style. I say ''one,'' and she wouldn''t dare say ''two.''"


    In the middle of his boast, his phone rang. Answering the call, his expression immediately changed: "Alright, alright, I''m coming right back."


    His demeanor slightly embarrassed: "Liang, Gui, you guys enjoy. Something''s come up at home; I''ll have to go back first."


    Gui teased: "His ''say one and she won''t say two,'' means if they agree he decides, if not his wife decides."


    Lu Liang chuckled and watched the two leave, then turned to Gui and inquired: "Have you run into any difficulties lately? We''ve known each other for nearly thirty years. Is there anything you can''t talk about?"


    When they initially got together, he noticed that Gui seemed to have something to tell him, but when Jianwei joined, Gui immediately clammed up.


    They were all childhood friends. Lu Liang had his struggles, and could fully empathize with the situation, so he took the initiative to ask.


    Gui tensed up, hesitating: "Liang, are you tight on cash lately? If not, could you lend me seventy thousand yuan to tide me over?"


    Finally finding the courage to ask, he hurriedly added, "It might take a while before I can pay you back."


    Lu Liang asked no further and simply pulled out his phone: "Account number ending in 9231, is that your Alipay?"


    Gui nodded, and as he saw Lu Liang transfer seventy thousand yuan, he pulled out a crumpled IOU from his pocket.


    Lu Liang shook his head and asked again: "Is seventy thousand enough?"


    He had just heard from his parents at home that Gui had a tough year. His wife had a difficult birth and had to have a cesarean section, a significant hospital expense.


    Before the New Year, his mother had also taken a fall. Although it wasn''t serious, she still spent several months in the hospital.


    Medical expenses were a mountainous burden on ordinary people. After a year of hard work, a family illness could render all the effort fruitless.


    Gui hurriedly replied: "That''s enough, that''s enough."


    His face showing gratitude: "Liang..."


    Lu Liang interrupted with a wave of his hand, and cursed jokingly: "Those two guys have no loyalty at all. They disbanded the game just like that. Let''s go find something to eat outside instead."


    Gui fell silent, nodding heavily: "Alright."


    On the morning of the fourth day, Fang Shiyu, laden with bags, came over to Lu Liang''s place to mooch breakfast, getting ready to head back to Modu.


    He had a huge appetite, a major force in consuming New Year goods.


    Lu Liang let his mom stuff the trunk with items carelessly, with a cousin like him, strong and capable, he could handle any amount.


    They set off at 9:30 am, before the back-to-work rush, and it only took six and a half hours to get back to Modu.


    "Shiyu, you go on ahead."


    Lu Liang had many cars now, the Bentley was generally driven by his cousin. A quick call ahead, and he''d be there.


    Before work resumed on the seventh day, there shouldn''t be much to do. Coming back to Modu early, work was just an excuse - he just wanted some peace.


    Taking the elevator up, Lu Liang entered his apartment, and with a bang, a confetti cannon exploded, vibrant and colorful.


    "La la la~~~ Welcome back, happy New Year!"


    Li Manli greeted him with a big smile, wearing a pair of white fluffy short boots, a loose fluffy coat covering her thighs, and a large hood with two rabbit ears naturally drooping behind.


    "Have you been watching the garage surveillance the entire time?"


    Lu Liang looked around the decorated home, bright and festive, filled with lucky characters and red decorations everywhere.


    "Of course not, just glanced at it when I was bored."


    Li Manli''s eyes darted around, suddenly meeting Lu Liang''s playful gaze, she deflated: "The occasional frequency was a bit... frequent."


    She had just turned twenty that New Year. The past nineteen years were all spent at her hometown for the festival, only this year was she alone in the big house in Modu.


    Whenever she went out to buy supplies and saw everyone in groups, chatting and laughing, she really longed for Lu Liang to return.


    So, she would keep watching, hoping to spot that familiar car in the surveillance monitors.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly, ruffling her hair. "It''s beautifully decorated, it really has the atmosphere of a holiday celebration."


    "Hehe~ looks good, right?"


    Li Manli''s smile bloomed like a flower, hurriedly pulling Lu Liang to the balcony adorned with butterfly orchids, lucky bamboo, and daffodils.


    During the Spring Festival, she had no desire to work, and to fend off boredom, decorating the inside and outside of the house became her greatest pleasure.


    She also bought a very pretty rattan swing chair, coaxing Lu Liang to squeeze into it, then followed suit herself.


    Today in Modu, the temperature was close to sub-zero, and if one person sat on the balcony admiring the flowers and cityscape, it would be a bit cold.


    But with two people, it was just perfect. She hugged Lu Liang tightly, murmuring, "Liang, this is the scene from my dreams."


    This year, for the first time, she spent the New Year alone.


    She had always felt as if the world had abandoned her, but with Lu Liang''s return, her world seemed to come back to life.


    Lu Liang''s mouth curved into a smile, gently pulling her into his embrace, savoring this moment of tenderness.


    At night, Lu Liang drove the Pagani, taking Li Manli out for a stroll to find some food.


    A young girl''s sentimental nature is only occasional, stemming from loneliness. With Lu Liang back, she reverted to her true self.


    On a whim during the cold weather, she wanted to drive the convertible Big Bull parked at the company, but Lu Liang ruthlessly vetoed the idea.


    Just like that, the two of them spent two leisurely days together.


    In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival holiday ended, and on the morning of the seventh day of the first lunar month, Lu Liang and Tang Caide stood at the company''s entrance handing out red envelopes.


    The amount was small, 800 yuan per person, mainly as a symbolic gesture. The company didn''t have many employees, so they finished in half an hour.


    Today was the 14th, and the Brexit referendum in Old England was imminent. Although various international media dismissed it as a political show, they kept a close watch on the latest developments.


    On the 15th, Lu Liang first visited Hilt of State Street, then flew to Xiangjiang to meet with Li Junwei of HSBC.


    His purpose for meeting both of them was the same.


    To secure financing, and to borrow British Pounds.


    The available funds added up to 1.128 billion US Dollars, reserving 28 million US Dollars as backup funds, investing 1.1 billion US Dollars.


    Liang first negotiated with Hilt at State Street: 550 million US Dollars as collateral, 550 million US Dollars as operating funds, leveraging 20 times, borrowing 11 billion US Dollars.


    Then through the channel of HSBC, he contacted the Bank of England to convert the 11 billion US Dollars into 7.7 billion British Pounds at an exchange rate of 0.7.


    Due to the substantial amount of funds, it took two days to complete all procedures. The combined daily interest from the two banks was 0.1%.


    The daily interest was 550,000 US Dollars, requiring at least a seven-day lease, with the cost of this alone being 3.85 million US Dollars.


    Although the interest rate was high, in Lu Liang''s eyes, it was completely worthwhile, given the unimaginable potential profits.


    The current GBP/USD exchange rate was 1.4850,


    having slowly regained 300 points over the past two months.


    Financial markets don''t deceive people like the media sometimes does, indicating that the views of institutions and the public were aligned.


    They generally believed that Brexit was just a red herring, that David Cameron did not have the courage to leave the EU and was merely using the name of Brexit to collect money.


    Since his re-election announcement of implementing the Brexit referendum, EU member state leaders visited turn by turn, offering earnest persuasive advice.


    The exact benefits promised are unknown at this time, but it''s certain that they must have helped Old England make quite a fortune.


    The EU advised keeping peace, while the United States encouraged separation. Ma Ao also personally paid a visit to discuss US-UK relations warmly.


    During this period, David Cameron strutted with vigor, as if he was back in the glorious era of the Hanover Dynasty when they once ruled a quarter of the globe.


    In such a situation, anyone with a bit of sense wouldn''t choose to Brexit after all, given that Old England wasn''t as powerful as before. Being on good terms with both sides was their best option.


    "But who would have thought he would actually dare to leave."


    Looking at the foreign exchange market trends, Lu Liang estimated that the British Pound would continue to rise at least until the referendum.


    The lowest point of 1.1420 in the GBP/USD exchange rate was predicted by the voice, and as of this second, there was a decrease of 3430 points.

 Chapter 155 - 154: Start Shorting British Pounds

    18th at noon, Beijing time was 12 o''clock.


    London time is seven hours behind, so it''s five o''clock in the morning there now, and in another 120 minutes, polling channels would open.


    42,400 sites would simultaneously count,


    Starting from seven in the morning, continuing until ten in the evening, with counting concluding at 10:15 P.M., the voting results would be announced.


    This year''s first major event was about to unfold, and various national media were also publishing poll data from the past two months.


    The latest public opinion polls showed that support for "staying in Europe" and "leaving Europe" were neck and neck, either 51 to 49, 49 to 51, or 50 to 50.


    This directly maximized the suspense of the referendum''s outcome, as if nobody dared to be certain until the very last moment.


    Beijing time in the afternoon at two o''clock, London time in the morning at seven o''clock, the Brexit public voting channels opened.


    Various national media were competing to report, even Channel C launched a channel, inviting several international political experts to conduct a live broadcast for 15 hours.


    The forex market was agitated, the British Pound/US Dollar exchange rate steadily rose, and there were already a large number of long position takers building their portfolios, firmly believing that Old England could not possibly leave the European Union.


    The British Pound/US Dollar exchange rate surged by 120 points, reaching 1.4970, on the verge of breaking through the significant 1.5000 level.


    The results would not be announced for another 15 hours, so Lu Liang wasn''t in a hurry to sell off a lot at that moment, only by building positions at the highest points could he maximize his profits.


    Lu Liang instructed Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing among others to sell in small amounts in the early hours and not to rush.


    "I''m going to sleep for a while, if nothing emerges by midnight, come and knock on my door."


    The entire fifteen hours of voting time, the first ten hours, even up to fourteen hours, were irrelevant.


    The forex market trading volume was lively, and the market situation changed in an instant, the outcomes could be determined within those last one or two minutes.


    He would need to wait at least until four in the morning Beijing time, when the struggle between bulls and bears would be most fierce.


    "Okay, Mr. Lu," Wen Chao looked at him admiringly, his admiration for Lu Liang was overflowing with words.


    This was the true heart of a big player, even though he did not know how much money Lu Liang had invested.


    But from his earlier visit to State Street Bank and personally going to Xiangjiang to negotiate with HSBC,


    He guessed the investment was not small, at least half-portfolio, five hundred million dollars.


    Lu Liang went to the adjacent resting room, tossed and turned unable to sleep, so he opened Twitter to catch up on international news.


    But as soon as he went online, he saw a bunch of people mocking him: "Liangzi, the referendum has started, why are you suddenly playing dead?"


    Accompanied by pictures, showing they were going long on British Pounds, using 400 times leverage, they had already profited 20,000 dollars.


    Lu Liang had no time to bother with these jokers, because he saw Soros updating his status, claiming: Old England wouldn''t dare to leave Europe, if it did leave, the British Pound would plummet by 30%, causing irreversible damage to the national economy.


    "What time is it, how old are you, aren''t you resting yet?"


    Lu Liang directly replied back, disliking this old man directing affairs; he was a staunch supporter of China threat theory.


    Born in 1930, 86 years old this year, Mr. Suo''s existence was the best interpretation of the old saying "old but not dead is the thief."


    Always coming out to pontificate at every international event.


    He had been bearish on British Pounds two months prior but the more he sang this tune, the more the British Pound rose, and many short retailers got harvested.


    This was also his consistent style, he probably was quietly going long on British Pounds behind the scenes, letting retail investors boost the price.


    After clapping back, Lu Liang got ready to rest, it was three o''clock in the afternoon Beijing time, three in the morning United States time, probably not him speaking personally.


    Unexpectedly, Old Suo replied to him: I''m in Europe, just woke up, heard you think Old England will leave Europe?


    Lu Liang was surprised, but did not respond directly: "Is Quantum Fund going long on British Pounds?"


    Soros pondered for a long time but did not respond directly: "If Britain does not leave Europe, the British Pound will continue to rise."


    Although he had always been bearish on the British Pounds, his bearish stance was based on the assumption that Britain would not leave the EU. Furthermore, he also believed that it would not happen.


    Lu Liang replied, "There are still 13 hours left, by then everything will be clear."


    "Young man, it''s good to have ideas, I hope things turn out as you wish," Soros said, his words filled with arrogance.


    Although Lu Liang did not reveal his intention to short the currency, his views were already clear and ran contrary to mainstream opinion.


    A few brief exchanges between the two quickly spread across the globe as the most prestigious speculators from the East and West were directly engaging.


    One was clearly bullish, the other suspected of being bearish, the election results in 13 hours would determine who would win or lose.


    Upon seeing these comments, Lu Liang chuckled, "What win or lose? The world is not just black and white."


    A bullish position can be a bearish one, and vice versa¡ªeverything depended on whether Britain would leave the EU or not.


    If it stayed, the British Pounds would likely rise a few points, and the situation would be blandly resolved; but if it left, only the citizens of Old England would suffer.


    At that time, speculators from around the world, regardless of their positions, would turn bearish, brandishing their scythes to harvest the wealth of Old England.


    Lu Liang planned to rest, preparing himself for the big battle tonight, when suddenly he saw Little Steamed Bun, still busy maintaining his heated online exchange.


    As it was too bright, it did not seem like a man-made creation, which left a profound impression on him for this Welfare Girl.


    He then browsed backstage, looking for any messages from her, and found that she had sent him 38 messages in total.


    "Lu God, I too wish to short the British Pounds and make it big. Could you give me some guidance, even just a number or a symbol would suffice."


    For the past two months, she had been sending similar messages every few days, always including a portrait picture, much clearer than anything in the comment section.


    After reading all the messages, Lu Liang felt distressed but understood her motives. She really wanted to follow him and short the British Pounds, but Lu Liang''s comments were always ambiguous, leaving her unable to make a definitive decision.


    "."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, then replied with a period and closed Twitter.


    The moment the message was sent, Qingyin received it and was overjoyed, "Wakaka~ It''s a miracle, I''m going to make it."


    As time ticked by, official media from China, Japan, and the United States all had correspondents stationed at voting sites, randomly interviewing the voting public. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Media from these three countries yielded results that remained 49 against 51, or 51 against 49, or even 50 against 50.


    Thirteen hours had passed, and the situation was still extremely tense, as it seemed the final outcome couldn''t be determined until the very last moment.


    At two o''clock in the morning, Beijing time, there were just 120 minutes left until the closure of the voting channels.


    Lu Liang entered the trading room, where, in the past thirteen hours, the British Pounds had soared another 100 points, breaking through the 1.5000 mark.


    The current exchange rate of British Pounds to US Dollar was 1.5050.


    Lu Liang checked his account, 7.7 billion British Pounds, with only 1.2 billion spent, leaving him with 6.5 billion to play with.


    Their account''s margin was 550 million US Dollars, allowing them to withstand a loss of up to 269 million British Pounds.


    Having only deployed 1.2 billion British Pounds, they would not be forced to liquidate their positions unless the exchange rate broke 2.


    Approaching three o''clock in the morning, with the last 60 minutes remaining, it was nine o''clock in the evening London time, and three o''clock in the afternoon United States time.


    If it were the London Gold market, this would also be the most active trading period of the day.


    With a daily trading volume of twenty trillion US Dollars, at least 10% of it occurred during this time period.


    After all, Western countries pay more attention to the financial markets.


    The same is true for the foreign exchange market.


    As three o''clock approached, the sentiment in the British Pounds to US Dollar forex market escalated dramatically, generating over a billion dollars in trades per minute.


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, knowing that the optimal time to sell had arrived, and immediately commanded, "Start selling."

 Chapter 156 - 155: Yin, are you serious?

    Lu Liang held a considerable amount of capital, during the previous fourteen hours $1.2 billion British Pounds were slowly sold off, the market was still unaware of their presence.


    At 3:15 AM,


    A large number of sell orders to short the British Pound appeared in the market.


    At this moment, investors in the market began to feel the presence of a mysterious and massive force.


    The rising momentum of the British Pounds was abruptly halted.


    "Do we have any more chips left?" Lu Liang asked.


    He was not naive enough to believe that they could drive down the exchange rate by deploying just a few billion.


    The main issue was that there were no counterparties trading against them, or they were luring the enemy deeper, waiting for them to invest more.


    As short sellers, the more they invested, the more the longs would earn when they blew up their positions.


    At the present market, still shorting and possessing such enormous funds, besides him, there probably wasn''t anyone else.


    Most likely, everyone held the latter view, wanting to thoroughly blow up his position and teach him a lesson.


    "Group one still has 1.9 billion."


    "Group two has 2.1 billion."


    "Group three has 1.4 billion."


    After tallying, they still had 5.4 billion in chips; just a few minutes ago, they had utilized 1.1 billion of funds.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, "Reserve 800 million in each group for emergencies, and the rest, fire it all out before 4:00 AM."


    He needed to reserve some capital to face the final counterattack from the longs, as long as they could hold out until the vote results were announced; then the victory would be his.


    Those in the market who were long, preparing to harvest him ¨C count them one by one ¨C all of them must perish.


    As Lu Liang commanded, a large number of sell orders to short the British Pound appeared in the market, but the exchange rate was not suppressed; instead, it began to assault 1.5100.


    Currently, the situation was that there were more wolves and not enough meat; Lu Liang was that piece of meat, and someone would inevitably take the first bite.


    "The situation has changed, reduce all selling, let the exchange rate break through 1.5200, then make a decision."


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips, "High-end hunters often appear in the guise of prey."


    Now everyone considered themselves the wolves and saw him as the only piece of meat in the market; then they couldn''t blame him for trapping people.


    This trick was also learned from them,


    It could similarly be called luring the enemy deeper.


    The more he appeared to be struggling under the burden, the more the longs would invest and encircle him.


    The more they invested, the more they would lose, because the market is fair; if they wanted to earn more, they could only invest more.


    For every 10-point rise in the exchange rate, Lu Liang would throw out a few billion in chips, always acting as if he was about to burst.


    Gradually, the Blackstone Fund, JPMorgan Fund, and Quantum Fund all deviated from their original plans, investing more and more.


    In fact, their attitude towards buying British Pounds was not so decisive; primarily, the risk and return were utterly disproportionate.


    In the current scenario, going long on British Pounds, if Brexit failed, the exchange rate could rise at most 1-2%.


    While there was a one in ten thousand chance that if Brexit succeeded, they might face a massive drop of several points.


    The foreign exchange market typically employs high leverage.


    Several points drop was enough to blow up everyone''s positions, even exhausting their margin accounts.


    So initially, they planned to invest only a few billion to earn tens of millions of dollars and then fold.


    But Lu Liang always appeared so frail; just a bit more effort and they could blow his positions.


    It was like a seductive, enticing beauty, just a bit more push and they could enter Taoyuan.


    Soros, an old comrade weathered and seasoned at 86, could barely withstand it, let alone others.


    The advantage was primarily with me.


    Because the whole world knew that Old England''s Brexit referendum was just a political showpiece, Old England didn''t have the guts for Brexit.


    Thus, one by one, they invested more and more, the three entities together had already put in over $5 billion, nearly 3.5 billion British Pounds.


    And their chips, just so happened to be almost entirely taken up by Lu Liang, still at the current peak of 1.5220.


    Time ticked away by the second, and soon it was 10 PM London time, the voting channels closed.


    "Every minute, release 200 million in chips until all chips are used up."


    Lu Liang narrowed his eyes, knowing that the final moment had arrived; it was said that the results would be announced at 15 past the hour, but they didn''t necessarily have to wait until then.


    It might be known by ten past the hour, or even earlier; after all, that old guy Soros claimed to be in Europe.


    Eighteen traders operated their respective accounts, each dumping British Pounds sell orders, tens of billions worth of sell orders flooded the market, and the GBP/USD exchange rate broke below 1.5200.


    "Hurry up, all come to my bowl."


    Lu Liang knew there were three forces trading against him, but he could only barely confirm the presence of Quantum Fund.


    The other two were unknown, but they were likely Wall Street giants; they had more information channels than Lu Liang.


    They might not even need to wait for the results to be announced to know the outcome; thus, Lu Liang didn''t want to pretend anymore.


    He was ready to lay his cards on the table, forcing them into a difficult position at the last moment, making them lose as much as possible.


    Though Lu Liang was unable to consume all their capital, he would be quite pleased if they could lose a bit more.


    With the 1.5200 exchange rate defense line breached, fund managers at Blackstone and JPMorgan both fell into hesitation.


    Their conviction wavered and they began to doubt their own ideas, "Is Brexit really going to happen?"


    Because Lu Liang''s stance on short-selling was so resolute, it was as if he already knew the outcome.


    "Just a few minutes left, let him be arrogant for a little while."


    After some contemplation, the two made a joint decision to hold their position; after all, there were only a few minutes left.


    They planned to wait for the results to be announced and then crush Lu Liang''s position.


    Without the support of the two firms, the bulls had no resistance, and the exchange rate broke through the 1.5200 mark, opening a downward channel.


    Soros was also constantly monitoring the market situation and couldn''t help speaking to himself when he saw this scene, "They are faltering."


    Though there were still a few minutes before the results were announced, timidity was timidity, and all explanations seemed weak.


    "Boss, what about us?" manager Kadi asked.


    Although Soros was always directing strategies in the public eye, he was already 86 years old.


    Over the years, he had rarely taken direct action, serving more as a spokesperson for Quantum Fund.


    It was only because of Lu Liang''s statements that his interest was piqued, prompting him to monitor the market in person tonight.


    "How much money have we put in?"


    Soros looked at the clock; it was already 22:09.


    "A total of 12 billion US dollars," Kadi replied.


    Soros frowned, his decision already firm, "First, lock the position, then invest 1.5 billion US dollars to short the British Pounds for hedging."


    He had looked through Lu Liang''s data, who in one year, went from nothing to now controlling a fund worth over 11 billion US dollars.


    In the 1980s, it took him a decade to establish Quantum Fund, while Lu Liang took less than a year.


    He believed that under the renown was indeed substantial capability, perhaps that one in ten thousand chance could actually happen.


    Kadi was shocked, a strange expression spreading across his face.


    To Soros, the behavior of JPMorgan and Blackstone seemed like faltering, so what should his own behavior be called?


    Surrender?


    Soros, as if seeing his thoughts, said coldly, "An excellent fund manager must first ensure that there will be no substantial losses before considering making a profit."


    Tonight''s investment had already exceeded their expectations, and if Brexit failed, they naturally could earn more.


    But what if? Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had indeed been intimidated by Lu Liang''s momentum.


    JPMorgan and Blackstone faltered, Quantum switched sides.


    The three Wall Street institutions were nearly completely defeated.


    The GBP/USD exchange rate plummeted by 100 points, returning to 1.5100.


    And thus, a series of ripple effects ensued.


    After all, it was already 22:12, and there were three minutes left until the results were announced, so why would there suddenly be a major drop?


    International speculators, each cunning in their own right, had one thought flashing through their minds¡ªwas someone aware of the results in advance?


    This led to further sharp declines in the GBP/USD exchange rate, which almost breached the 1.5000 mark, returning to today''s opening price.


    Lu Liang furrowed his brows, "Who is it? Defection? Or did someone already know the result?"


    There wasn''t time for him to ponder further, as the stage in the live broadcast room was already set up, ready to announce the results.


    Knowing there were still 500 million in chips, Lu Liang shouted loudly, "Don''t worry about the market impact, sell them all."


    A 500 million British Pounds short settlement order appeared in the market, instantly breaking through the 1.5000 defense line, plummeting by 50 points.


    At the same time,


    the broadcast camera was facing the National Parliament podium.


    On the stage, alongside the spirited David Cameron, were several deputies as well as key officials from various departments.


    They looked at each other with extremely odd expressions on their faces as if they had suddenly seen a long-deceased great-grandmother.


    Not giving international media reporters time to think,


    David Cameron announced the results with a smile on his face. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, a total of 33,128,400 voters participated in the referendum, with 17,176,000 supporting Brexit and 15,952,400 supporting Remain, representing 52% of the total votes in favor of Brexit,"


    "Therefore, the Brexit Bill will be officially implemented!"


    Yin, are you serious?


    Reporters from various countries widened their eyes in shock, their faces expressing horror.


    Subsequently, shock turned into excitement, symbolizing the arrival of the largest political black swan of the century.


    The news that "the Brexit Bill will be officially implemented" swiftly spread across the globe, with various media outlets competing to report it.


    The most surprised were not the country-commenting experts or financial market speculators, but the voters who had personally voted for Brexit.


    They were like they had seen a ghost.


    They had only voted as a joke, never actually expecting Brexit to happen, let alone spearheading the implementation of the Brexit plan.


    However, there are no regrets in the world.


    The foreign exchange market had already collapsed.

 Chapter 157 - 156: Over one billion dollars in profit

    "Quick, quick, quick, reserve 10% of the funds and transfer out all the rest to short the British Pounds."


    "Go all out, short the British Pounds! If there are excess funds, go long on Gold and short crude oil!"


    Today was destined to go down in history as the Prime Minister David Cameron announced to the world the formal implementation of the Brexit Bill.


    International institutions, speculative capital, and individual investors, like a super sports car suddenly flooring the accelerator, all rushed out en masse.


    Commodities and currencies such as British Pounds, Gold, crude oil, and Euros became the targets of global speculators.


    The British Pound was the absolute center of this storm as capital from various nations repeatedly charged in.


    Everyone had an unprecedented unanimous thought, congregating here with only one purpose, to reap massive fortunes.


    Those who had gone long were too slow to react, and as a result, they were continuously liquidated, like JPMorgan and Blackstone Fund which had a combined 800 million dollars evaporate in moments.


    They didn''t even have time to feel afraid, almost instinctively taking remedial measures, such as locking in positions or closing positions, and then going short.


    Huge losses were inevitable, now the only thing to do was to minimize those losses as much as possible.


    "Lu Liang!"


    JPMorgan''s Wilson looked complexly towards Lu Liang, unable to hate him anymore, even feeling somewhat afraid of him.


    As he said publicly, a strong man can be defeated by someone stronger, and Lu Liang was undoubtedly that stronger man.


    He couldn''t help but look at the currency market quotes, where in just a few minutes, the British Pounds had plummeted 2800 points, falling by -9.55%.


    Wilson didn''t know how much money Lu Liang had invested, but conservatively estimated it was no less than five billion British Pounds.


    Assuming he only invested five billion British Pounds, he would now have a minimum of 750 million US Dollars in profit.


    After today, Lu Liang would definitely become globally renowned, emerging as the biggest beneficiary of this black swan event.


    At this moment, somewhere in Europe.


    "The GBP/USD rate is now at 1.2200."


    Soros, feeling a mix of emotions, suddenly asked his Chinese assistant, "Andy, is there a saying in your country about one person being more capable than another?"


    The female assistant smiled slightly and corrected, "Sir, I was born on the streets of Manhattan, New York, but I think, what you mean to say is, ''Each generation produces its own talents.''"


    "That seems to be the phrase." Soros sighed deeply, seemingly aging a few years in that instant.


    Although he made the correct decision at the last minute and did not make a profit, he managed to minimize most of his losses.


    Seeing Lu Liang dominating the international stage, unstoppable in his conquests, he felt as if he truly was getting old.


    At 4 AM, Regent International, Hang City.


    "The GBP/USD rate is at 1.2050, I''m getting out now."


    In the dimly lit room, Welfare Girl was in tears, her body trembling with excitement as she pressed the button to close all her positions.


    She had opened her position at 1.4800, earning 2750 points and turning 200,000 US Dollars into 910,000 US Dollars, equivalent to more than 5.5 million RMB.


    From now on, she no longer had to stay in a rental room that never saw sunlight, selling risqu¨¦ photos and videos.


    With this money, she could buy a car and a house in her dream city, open a caf¨¦, and live out her life in peace.


    "Thank you, Lu God, bless Lu God with safety and health, and abundant prosperity."


    Unable to sleep, Welfare Girl posted her portfolio gains online, announcing her retirement from speculative trading.


    She planned to delete her Twitter and other contact methods, intending to be a good girl from now on.


    But suddenly thinking of Lu Liang, who had graced her with such fortune, after some thought, she sent a few domestic photos showing her face.


    She explained that all the past content was produced solo with tools to assist, she was very clean, and available if needed.


    Lastly, she added, "I am truly naturally fair."


    ...


    At 4:45 AM,


    The GBP/USD rate had lost the 1.2000 level.


    Even after thirty minutes, the sentiment to short was still fiery.


    After all, before this, various national media and institutions had predicted a fall.


    If Brexit really happened, then the British Pounds would definitely fall between 15%-30%.


    Now the decline was only 11.54%, not even reaching the lowest estimate of 15%, there was still room to fall.


    "Begin to close positions."


    Lu Liang''s expression remained calm, 1.1900 was pretty much the bottom.


    Although the traders were surprised, they immediately carried out the new order, their past experiences had proven that to follow Lu Liang, you didn''t need to think, just execute his commands.


    Because he was almost a legendary figure, at a time when the whole world didn''t believe England would carry out Brexit, he resolutely chose to short the British Pounds.


    Though it was said to be courting a massive risk, he indeed succeeded and silenced all the skeptics.


    As 5 AM approached,


    they closed all positions at the price level of 1.1680.


    "Secretary Wen, prepare a report on this for me later."


    Lu Liang stepped out of the trading room, and Chen Jinchun stood at the door, handing him his phone. "Mr. Lu, your phone has been ringing non-stop."


    "Wang Xiaocong?" Lu Liang asked with a smile. At 5 a.m., except for Little Wang, there probably wasn''t anyone else calling him.


    He took the referendum event very seriously; including himself, everyone had handed in their communication devices.


    "Mr. Wang called three times."


    Chen Jinchun nodded and quietly yawned.


    She wasn''t unaccustomed to staying up late, just to staying up late without doing anything. Since last night, she had only done one thing: she had gone downstairs to pack 20 meals.


    Then she had just watched Lu Liang''s phone.


    Suddenly she remembered, "Mr. Lu, should I prepare breakfast?"


    "Go ahead."


    Lu Liang nodded slightly and walked to the window in the lounge area, opening it to let the cold wind pour in.


    The cold wind mixed with drizzle fell on his face, instantly dispelling the fatigue from the all-nighter.


    Lu Liang leaned back against the window and lit a cigarette, then dialed back Little Wang''s call. "Hello, what''s up?"


    Wang Xiaocong''s tone was melancholic, "I wanted to invite you to breakfast."


    Originally, he had asked Lu Liang if he was optimistic about Old England''s Brexit, and Lu Liang''s response was ambiguous, so he chickened out.


    Tonight, he hadn''t invested a cent,


    Watching as immense wealth slipped away right before his eyes.


    "I just had someone go buy some; it''s too cold to go out," Lu Liang said grinning.


    Suddenly, Little Wang asked, "How much did you earn tonight?"


    Although he hadn''t participated, he had been keeping tabs and knew that Lu Liang was one of the main forces shorting the British Pounds.


    Financial practitioners from Europe and America revealed that Lu Liang''s earnings for the night were at least 800 million dollars.


    JPMorgan, Blackstone, and Quantum, three Wall Street giants, had taken long positions on British Pounds; their positions were apparently wiped out by him, resulting in losses totaling several billion dollars.


    "Today''s the 19th; the net value will be updated on the 25th and the 1st. You will know by then."


    Lu Liang was in a good mood, fiddling with his lighter, making a click-click sound.


    Little Wang was silent for a long while, then suddenly pleaded, "Can you please just tell me? Otherwise, I won''t be able to sleep." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "What does your sleep have to do with me?"


    Lu Liang smirked, flicking ash from his cigarette, "Think about it. Lots of people are curious about how much I earned, but only I know. Imagine how cool that feels."


    To be precise, Wen Chao, who was in charge of statistics, knew too, but he dared not say because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.


    Moreover, after the New Year, Lu Liang gave a 30% salary increase to all non-intern employees, with an average monthly salary reaching 21,000 RMB.


    Wen Chao and Chen Jinchun, as his secretaries and assistants, had annual salaries of 400,000 RMB and 320,000 RMB respectively.


    Little Wang, indignant, suddenly burst out, "Can''t you just be a sport, I enjoyed it if you''ve enjoyed it?"


    Lu Liang, smiling broadly, decided to tease Little Wang a bit, "What''s the word out there? How much did I earn?"


    Little Wang''s eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "Around 800 million dollars, roughly."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, "It''s more than that."


    "How much more?"


    "Not very clear."


    "Huh?"


    Lu Liang said annoyed, "Do you even look at the time? It hasn''t been calculated yet."


    In fact, he had just glanced roughly; the profits were indeed over one billion dollars, but he had to wait for further calculations to be clear.


    "Could it possibly double?"


    Little Wang breathed rapidly, his initial subscription in the first phase was 16 million dollars, and in the second phase, 40 million dollars.


    If the capital could double, that would mean a profit of 56 million dollars, equivalent to over 350 million RMB.


    Lu Liang grinned, "What do you think?"


    "I damn well can''t guess like a little kid."


    Little Wang was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling like a lump had formed in his chest.


    Lu Liang not saying anything would have been better, but saying half and keeping half made him itch, feeling like there were ants crawling inside.


    Lu Liang kindly advised, "Couldn''t you learn from Old Meng? Look how calm he is; he hasn''t even made a single call all night."


    On the other end of the phone, a slightly embarrassed cough came through, "Well, brother Lu, actually, I''m not that calm either."


    Ever since finding out that Lu Liang was shorting the British Pounds, Meng Changkun was also freaking out, but he knew, Little Wang would be more anxious.


    Making one call was better than making two, so since last night he had contacted Little Wang, together taking foot baths and saunas, waiting for news from the front.


    "Let''s leave it at that, by then you all will know."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh; he really wasn''t clear yet, only leaving a tidbit about the earnings of over one billion dollars.

 Chapter 158 - 157: A Ten Billion Dollar Overnight Turmoil

    Having seen off Meng Wang and his companion,


    Lu Liang arrived at the office for breakfast.


    He flipped through the profit report: starting with 11 billion US dollars, distributed across 36 trading accounts, split into three groups.


    Each account averaged earnings of 35.205 million, totaling 1.267 billion US dollars. After stamp duty, channel usage fees, and leverage interest, the total costs were 16.16 million US dollars.


    "The net earnings this time are 1.251 billion US dollars, and the current available funds in the account are 2.379 billion US dollars."


    Lu Liang checked multiple times, signed to confirm, and then approved a bonus plan of 5 million.


    The heads of the three groups each received a bonus of 500,000, the deputy heads 400,000 each, and the rest of the traders 200,000 each in bonuses.


    As the sky began to brighten, Lu Liang felt no desire to sleep.


    He saw that last night London Gold had surged by 130 points, breaking through 1,600 US dollars per ounce, with the increase almost matching his short position on British Pounds.


    And then there was International Crude Oil, which had fallen by -4.31%, all triggered by a series of chain reactions caused by Old England deciding on Brexit.


    Lu Liang sighed, lamenting that he had too little capital to be everywhere at once; he could only focus on one thing.


    After all, such a good opportunity does not come often, and there were others who had earned more than him last night.


    "Even though others made more money, their rate of return was not as high as mine."


    Suddenly feeling pleased, Lu Liang had Wen Chao hang a ''Do Not Disturb'' sign on the door, then he went to the rest area to sleep.


    An hour later, when it was fully light,


    it also signified the start of a new day.


    The entire Chinese internet, every social platform, was flooded with news of Old England''s Brexit.


    "Yin, you actually dared to leave?" S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "There are strange things every year, but this year has been particularly abundant."


    "David Cameron, what a man, he said he would leave and then he did, without hesitation."


    "Those who said it was just political showmanship, come out and apologize to me now, I told you Old England would go through with Brexit."


    "If you''re so amazing, then how much money did you make?"


    "What do you mean, ''how much money''?"


    The person being asked was bewildered; they were a political junkie, studying international affairs purely as a personal hobby.


    What, could this actually make money?


    Suddenly, someone sent him an article from Finance Net, which had been reposted by the Wall Street Journal.


    "Really amazing, should have shorted it like him, this guy made more money than I do in-game currency, and it''s in US dollars."


    The article detailed how JPMorgan, Blackstone, and Quantum three funds had gone long on British Pounds, resulting in losses of several billion dollars.


    And last night in the forex market, the only institution that had shorted British Pounds was China''s HeavenlyStar, with an estimated profit of one billion dollars.


    An enthusiastic netizen even worried he wouldn''t understand English, so they specifically explained: "HeavenlyStar means a star in the sky, which in our Chinese context, can also be called Tianxing."


    "Tianxing? Is it Lu Liang?"


    With that, the news that Lu Liang had shorted the British Pound and raked in one billion dollars overnight spread like wildfire across the internet.


    Netizens suddenly remembered that two months ago, Lu Liang had mentioned, what if it actually happened?


    At that time he was mocked as Liangzi, until the company''s annual gala, and then he became known again as Mr. Lu.


    And yesterday''s conversation with Soros seemed like he was also on the side of shorting the British Pound.


    So, with this, two global Speculation Gods were in direct confrontation, and Lu Liang had won?


    "Damn, Lu Liang is so fierce, taking on three by himself and still winning?"


    "It''s not that he''s fierce, but who would have thought yesterday that Old England would actually go through with Brexit?"


    "Is it really that hard to admit someone else''s excellence? Look at it, I''m so jealous, the opportunity for financial freedom is right in front of me."


    Welfare Girl''s profit chart, and her ''washing her hands clean'' post, thanking Lu Liang, were also transported from the international sites to domestic ones.


    An initial capital of 200,000 US dollars,


    overnight, turned into 910,000 US dollars.


    Someone in the know lamented: "Qingyin had initially shorted Tesla and nearly went underwater, but following Lu Liang''s twice shorting of British Pounds, turned 50,000 US dollars into 910,000 US dollars, successfully getting out of the red."


    Without any fuss, he posted a screenshot of his short position on the British Pound; a base of 50,000 US dollars turned into 530,000 US dollars.


    Using an 800x leverage, he shorted British Pounds at almost the highest point at 4:12 AM, earning more than tenfold return.


    "Damn, I''m so jealous it''s giving me an out-of-body experience, Brother Fu''s V50, how about it, craving KFC."


    "The world is in decline, the human heart not like in ancient times, another Welfare Girl makes it big, and again, it''s us honest folks getting the short end of the stick."


    "You honest folks want to buy her out? A net worth of 5.8 million, a pure white lolita? Go wash and sleep, you can dream of anything you want."


    Suddenly, the tone of the comments changed,


    after all, Lu Liang''s usual tens of millions, even billions of dollars in earnings left netizens numb, no longer envious.


    The gap between them was too great, they couldn''t even dream of having so much money; instead, they were envious of those few netizens who had made money by following Lu Liang''s lead.


    Although they didn''t have 50,000 US dollars, squeezing out 20 or 30 thousand was still possible.


    "Lu God, give us a hand, I really don''t want to go to this damn class; I want to defy the heavens and change my fate."


    Over one hundred thousand netizens came to comment on Lu Liang''s Weibo, wishing for overnight wealth.


    As noon approached, it wasn''t just netizens discussing.


    The NIO shareholders group.


    Lei Jun said: "Did not expect Old England to actually leave, Lu Liang''s bagged another hefty profit."


    Li Bing: "Heard he made one billion dollars, terrifying indeed, even printing presses can''t keep up with his earnings."


    Daqiangzi sighed: "Too bad I wasn''t in China at the time, otherwise I''d have wanted to subscribe for a share or two."


    Lei Jun posted a smiling emoji, the dagger finally comes into view: "Just remembered, I think I subscribed for two."


    Li Bing: "..."


    Shen Peng also popped up: "What a coincidence~ I also subscribed for two, should have made about 30 million now, in US dollars."


    Daqiangzi indignantly said: "Where''s Lu Liang? Come on @him, he''s a member of the group too, why don''t we have a share?"


    Little Ma: "Add one."


    Li Bing: "Add two."


    Zhang Lei: "Add three."


    After a long wait, Lu Liang didn''t show up, Shen Peng said: "You need to send a red packet, otherwise he''ll keep playing dead."


    He sent a five-dollar red packet and commented: "Such bad luck, only got five bucks from a two hundred dollar pot."


    Daqiangzi played along: "I''m even worse, only got 4.2."


    Lu Liang suddenly came online and opened the red packet.


    His face darkened instantly: "Such big shots sending red packets of five dollars? And you said it''s from 200?"


    Shen Peng grinned maliciously: "Would you come out if I hadn''t said 200?"


    Lu Liang, with a dark face, said irritably, "Been busy all night, going to sleep, we can talk another time."


    He never slept long during the day after pulling all-nighters; fell asleep at 7 am and woke up by 12:30 pm.


    Lying in bed, he played with his phone for half an hour, checking his social media, also giving his brain some boot-up time.


    "Is she that pretty?"


    Lu Liang saw a snapshot of a homey Welfare Girl on WeChat, a youthful buxom lolita, not especially beautiful but had that pure and lovely girl-next-door vibe.


    What caught his attention was her constant claims of being naturally white.


    After a moment''s thought, Lu Liang left a secondary WeChat account, just in case, as he was too curious ¡ª after all, the artificial was the norm.

 Chapter 159 - 158: Global Stock Market Plunge

    The alternate account had just been used, when Lu Liang''s backup phone suddenly rang with a notification for an added contact.


    A small cat avatar, the friend circle shared daily photos with faces in them, as well as group pics with friends and family.


    "A life account?"


    A satisfied smile appeared on Lu Liang''s face, and he approved the friend request. He could use an alternate account to add others, but he didn''t want others to use alternate accounts to add him.


    "Lu God, is that you?"


    "I''m in Modu, come hang out for a few days when you''re free."


    "Yeah, yeah, I''m in Hang City, and I was actually thinking of going there to have a good time."


    "What''s your name?"


    "Yang Xiaoxiao."


    "When you get there, go to the Peace Hotel and report my name, you can stay for however many days you want, because I can''t be sure when I''ll be free."


    Lu Liang made a call to Tan Tao at the hotel, telling him if a girl named Yang Xiaoxiao used his name, to help her check in.


    Yang Xiaoxiao was astonished, she hadn''t expected Lu Liang to be so direct, but she didn''t reject: "Okay~"


    ...


    Lu Liang put away his phone and went to the adjacent trading room.


    Old England''s Brexit had happened against global disbelief, a stellar opportunity not seen every day.


    There was still 2.379 billion US dollars in the account, lying idle wouldn''t earn any money, one always had to find a good way for the funds to flow out.


    Lu Liang formulated the 532 plan, 50% invested in US stocks, 30% in Big A stocks, and 20% kept as reserve funds.


    Since ''08, US stocks have been on a slow bull run, with Nasdaq increasing from 1300 to 4500 points. Over the past 8 years, almost no losses were made as long as one bought blue-chip stocks.


    In contrast with Big A, which showed a bit of revival last year only to be knocked down again, it faced two circuit breakers at the start of the year, bringing it to half life. If it were not for the subsequent new energy plan, Lu Liang really wouldn''t want to play with Big A.


    Because today''s Big A market was like this: international markets go up, I stay still, I''m different. International markets fall, I fall too, I''m influenced by international markets.


    The impact of Old England''s decision to Brexit was still spreading, with stock markets worldwide taking a nosedive, and capital fleeing to the gold market for safety.


    Lu Liang didn''t plan to join the crowd. The good news for gold was already 90% digested last night; entering now would likely result in being stuck holding the bag.


    Better to wait and buy the dip on US stocks in the evening, as the announcement of Brexit came just fifteen minutes after the US market closed.


    At this moment, Chen Jinchun came over and inquired, "Mr. Lu, did you place an order for a ModelX at the end of last September?"


    "Seems like there was such a thing," nodded Lu Liang, taking the envelope from Chen Jinchun''s hand.


    A letter from Tesla to its customers, he was fortunate to be one of the first batch of fifty owners to receive the car delivered to China.


    The ModelX delivery event would be held in three days at the convention center, and they hoped he could be there on time.


    "Is this about money? Or is it an attempt on my life?"


    Lu Liang furrowed his brows; this was too much of a coincidence. If it was just to ride the popularity wave, he didn''t mind.


    But the key point was JPMorgan was Tesla''s second-largest shareholder, and they took a hit of several billion US dollars from him last night.


    Tesla''s electric cars were connected to the network, making them susceptible to remote control, and there was also the possibility of losing control suddenly while driving.


    A wise man keeps away from danger; he absolutely wouldn''t attend this delivery event, nor ride in an electric car, unless he built it himself.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment and then looked at Wen Chao: "On the 22nd, you go help me pick up the car." S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He really wanted to give Tesla''s stock price a boost, since it was also one of the blue-chip stocks they planned to buy into. Unfortunately, the timing of the invitation was too sensitive, he could only apologize.


    At 9:30 in the evening, US stocks took a heavy dive.


    Lu Liang also instructed to start establishing positions, ever since the five million US dollar bonus plan was known, everyone was chomping at the bit.


    Most of them were fresh graduates from last year, while their acquaintances were still enduring internships, they had already been formally employed and had received several bonuses.


    By ten o''clock, Liang instructed Wen Chao to monitor the stocks and to notify him immediately if there were any issues, and then he left the company by car.


    Arriving at the Peace Hotel on the Bund, upon seeing Liang, the lobby manager greeted him with a beaming smile, "Mr. Lu, Miss Yang is upstairs."


    Liang nodded slightly, received an extra room card, but he didn''t swipe the card to unlock the door directly; instead, he stood at the door and knocked, waiting for a response from inside.


    "Who is it?"


    A timid voice came from inside.


    Although she had heard that high-end hotels would not check the rooms, she still couldn''t help but be a little frightened inside.


    "It''s me," Liang said with a smile, and through their afternoon phone call, Yang Xiaoxiao could recognize his voice.


    She opened the door, looking at Liang with disbelief, "Wow~ Lu God, why are you so young."


    Ever since Liang''s company had expanded its recruitment, his appearance was no longer a secret. However, there were rarely any straight-on photos; the employees usually took sneaky shots.


    The sneaky shots were dark, or the angles were off, making Liang look old and dark in the photos, almost like he was about 40.


    Now, finally seeing him with her own eyes, she found Liang to look very young, and he even had the handsome charm of a mature man.


    "You can either call me Mr. Lu or Liang."


    A hint of surprise flashed in Liang''s eyes as Yang Xiaoxiao stood up, reaching almost to his nose, she must have been at least 1.72 meters tall.


    It was seriously incongruent with the height of a big Lolita, but fortunately, her looks weren''t a photo deception. She still appeared innocent and charming, with especially bright eyes.


    Her coffee-colored pleated skirt was matched with a gray wool sweater, and her chest puffed out, only the car saleswoman Li Yue could compare with her.


    Perhaps unaware that Liang would come over tonight, she was walking around the room barefoot, with soft and tender feet.


    "Liang~"


    Yang Xiaoxiao was at a loss and called out timidly, looking down and fidgeting with her fingers, suddenly unsure of what to do.


    "Xiaoxiao, are you hungry? Why don''t you join me for some late-night snacks downstairs at the restaurant?"


    Liang invited with a smile. Yang Xiaoxiao paused, hastily put on her socks and shoes, and followed him out.


    After the late-night meal, she realized that Liang wasn''t hungry but simply wanted a better room.


    Yang Xiaoxiao suddenly understood, tilted her head, and asked with a grin, "Liang, are you worried you''ll end up in a little movie?"


    "Not bad, not too dumb," Liang admitted generously. While navigating the worldly society, safety should be a priority.


    This was her main job, and although Liang didn''t particularly care, if she made a little movie, it would be troublesome.


    "What about the trust between people? I really have turned over a new leaf," Yang Xiaoxiao pouted and acted upset.


    "If you were to play that game, it wouldn''t be fun. Actually, I prefer you just the way you are."


    Liang''s lips curved into a smile as he took out his phone and played a video: it was the first time she shorted British Pounds and made money, feverishly shouting his name.


    Even though her face wasn''t visible, the large movements of her body gave off an innate seductiveness.


    If Liang preferred the sensible and obedient type, he could have easily sought out Li Manli, so why bother coming to see her?


    Her paleness was one thing, but more importantly, she had great allure, like a seductive sprite, simply put - erotically appealing to the bone.


    This was her livelihood, without her charm, she wouldn''t have been able to save up tens of thousands of US dollars at such a young age.


    Liang had seen her ID card; she was 24 years old and a talented graduate from South China Normal University.


    "Liang, shall we go take a shower first?"


    Yang Xiaoxiao''s cheeks flushed red, suddenly feeling as if she was being executed in public. Although she had video-chatted with others, they couldn''t see her face. It was like wearing a false mask; the face she was losing belonged to someone else.


    For the first time having eye contact and being publicly executed by her idol, although the halo of this idol was almost gone, she wished she could just find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

 Chapter 160 - 159: Pure Love Warrior, The Catfish Enters the Scene

    So smooth~


    Skin like creamy silk, slippery as butter.


    Liang started to believe Yang Xiaoxiao''s self-account.


    With her conditions, indeed she could avoid accompanying bosses, even just with photos and videos, plenty of people online would pay.


    "What are your plans for the future?" Liang lit a cigarette, picked up his phone, and checked the Nasdaq performance for the evening.


    The market opened with a 1.2% decline, a low start with a downward trend, a total plunge, not even Apple or Microsoft were spared.


    Old England''s Brexit was an unexpected black swan event, only suitable for bottom-fishing, not for short-selling.


    Yang Xiaoxiao''s eyes shone with aspiration, "I plan to take a train westward, and I might end up staying in Mountain City or Tianfu."


    Since her sophomore year, she had been a blogger and had planned her life well, with the ideal scenario being retirement before 25.


    To achieve this goal, even though she might earn fifty to seventy thousand a month, she spent very little, with expenses no more than five thousand.


    Now having nearly six million, she could use two million to buy a house, two hundred thousand for a car for transportation, eight hundred thousand for some small business, two million for government bonds, and the remaining one million for investments in high-risk stocks or funds.


    The five-year government bond''s annual interest rate was 4.39%, which equaled an interest of 87,800 yuan per year, averaging to about 7,316 yuan per month.


    7,316 yuan was a fixed monthly salary, plus the eight hundred thousand from her small business, and the one million in high-risk investment capital.


    The future life could not be too comfortable.


    Liang exclaimed in surprise, "You really graduated from South China Normal University?"


    "Hmph, a disbeliever in people."


    Yang Xiaoxiao huffed, picking up a towel from the floor to wrap around her chest and trotting barefoot towards the living room.


    She returned with her personal bag, pulling out her diploma from an inner pocket, "Here, see for yourself, Bachelor of Accounting from the School of Economics and Management, class of ''13."


    If it were someone else, she might hesitate, worried about exposing her personal information which could be exploited in the future.


    But she trusted Liang, a towering figure in finance who had kindly helped her make money.


    He probably wouldn''t fuss over her.


    "Once you''re settled, remember to send me a message; I might come to visit you."


    Liang chuckled lightly, returning the diploma to her; Yang Xiaoxiao''s plan was indeed the dream of many.


    He too had once planned similarly, only to find that plans could not keep up with changes, money multiplied endlessly, and with it, his ambitions grew.


    Yang Xiaoxiao bounced back to the bed, lying prostrate, holding her cheeks in her hands, and looking up at Liang, "Liang, if you really come to find me, remember to check my Friend circle first. If I''ve blocked you, it means I have a boyfriend."


    She was a Pure Love Warrior, willing to maintain a ''more-than-friends'' relationship with Liang as long as she was single.


    But if she had a boyfriend, she would be devoted and wouldn''t mess around.


    "Mhm." Liang smiled and nodded.


    Two days flew by in an instant.


    That day, Liang arrived at the train station to see Yang Xiaoxiao off.


    She said she liked taking trains because high-speed trains represented China''s speed, but regular trains represented China''s warmth.


    From Modu to Mountain City, the full journey spanned 1,927 kilometers, crossing five provinces and stopping in eleven cities, taking an estimated 26 hours.


    She said she wanted to see the great rivers and mountains of her homeland with her own eyes, not willing to miss any of the scenery along the way.


    Therefore, Liang gave her a new Sony camera, hoping she could capture the beautiful moments in photos.


    After Yang Xiaoxiao left, Liang received a call from Musk, inviting him to the first delivery event of the Model X.


    He crossed thousands of miles to China, not only for the new car delivery but also for the super factory project.


    It was said that after over three months of negotiations with Modu, the cooperation''s general direction was finally determined, with an initial investment of 12 billion yuan.


    "Mr. Musk, I''m sorry, I''m quite busy recently."


    After a moment of hesitation, Liang used the excuse of being tied up to politely decline Musk''s invitation.


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, the Model X delivery event took place, making waves in popularity. The gull-wing doors, a unique feature normally seen on sports cars, appearing on an SUV, was a highlight in itself.


    "The catfish has entered the scene."


    Liang muttered to himself. Although he didn''t attend, he watched the delivery event online and saw the public''s commentary, reminiscent of the iPhone 4 days.


    Li Bing said with a hint of sourness in the chat group, "Foreign monks always seem to chant better."


    There''s a feeling of being born at the wrong time, NIO, at least three steps behind Tesla.


    First, he needed to get the concept car out, then showcase it for some achievements, and after that, develop the next mass-produced model.


    Those three steps could only rely on time; therefore, at the moment, he could only watch Tesla dominate the scene.


    "Do none of you have one of the first fifty cars?" Lu Liang suddenly piped up, sounding quite surprised.


    There were six people in the group, and as far as he knew, five cars had been ordered: one by him, three by Li Bing, one by Lei Jun.


    "Do you have one?" Li Bing was very surprised.


    Lu Liang forwarded Wen Chao''s video, his Model X, which had already arrived at the company''s parking lot.


    Li Bing was green with envy, "Mr. Lu, could I borrow it to study for a while?"


    With a sales volume of almost forty thousand, the first batch delivery of fifty cars, he had no idea when his three would come.


    "I''ll have someone drive it over later."


    Lu Liang really wanted to experience driving an electric car, but he was quite risk-averse. It suddenly occurred to him that the NIO experience center had an indoor track that he could try.


    In the evening, a Bentley led the way, followed by a Tesla, both entering the NIO experience center.


    Three months had passed, and the interior of the center was still empty¡ªnot a single car in sight, as if it had never opened.


    Wen Chao drove the Tesla onto the indoor track as instructed by the staff, with plastic wrapping on both sides of the road.


    Lu Liang was itching to try it; after understanding the principle of the single-pedal operation and how to engage the gear, he eagerly got behind the wheel.


    Li Bing looked puzzled; why did Lu Liang seem even more anxious than he was, as if he had never driven before?


    Then, it dawned on him,


    Lu Liang might genuinely have not driven the car since collecting it.


    After all, the tabloids on Wall Street were still buzzing just the day before yesterday, saying: HeavenlyStar is a mysterious organization from the East, and Lu Liang''s arrival signaled the beginning of Wall Street''s decline.


    It would be normal for him to be afraid with such a big label hanging over his head.


    "Okay, okay, I know how to drive now."


    Lu Liang switched to acceleration mode and pressed lightly on the accelerator.


    The sensation of driving an electric motor was really unique, light and airy, as if he took off without much effort.


    On the eight-hundred-meter track, he drove round and round until he got dizzy and had to stop.


    Getting out of the car, Lu Liang suddenly asked, "Mr. Li, what do you think the mainstream price range for electric cars will be in the future?"


    A Model X that costs 1.2 million on the road¡ªif he had to choose, he would definitely go for a Cayenne or other fuel cars like BBA.


    But if the on-the-road price was around one or two hundred thousand, then it would be a different story, especially since he had heard that new energy vehicles would be directly registered and exempt from purchase tax.


    The allure of this policy was too great, given that in big cities, it was not only hard to find housing but also very difficult to get a car license.


    Li Bing pondered for a long time before saying, "It really depends on the market acceptance."


    The price is not determined by the automakers, but by the supply and demand of the market. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If the country vigorously promotes it, but the electric car market still can''t take off with few interested buyers, then naturally, the price will be very expensive.


    On the other hand, if the market is large and acceptance is high, the competitive nature of the Chinese people will be triggered, bringing the price down to a few thousand per car.


    Lu Liang understood and, after a moment''s thought, asked again, "Will there be a breakthrough in the battery technology?"


    The top configuration of the Model X had a range of 480 kilometers, but he thought it was grossly overstated.


    It''s very difficult to charge above 90%, and below 10% leads to range anxiety.


    There''s also the actual overestimation; even if it''s by 5%,


    480 kilometers immediately got a discount of twenty-five percent.


    360 kilometers, just like a large elderly scooter, was only suitable for city driving and difficult for longer trips.


    "I think it''ll be difficult to make a breakthrough in the short term. The focus would be on the number of charging stations and battery swapping."


    Li Bing talked about his recent visit to Hu Jian for an inspection, where he visited Ningde Era and planned to use Ningde''s ternary lithium batteries on their EP9.


    He couldn''t praise the ternary lithium battery technology and Ningde Era enough; he thought they were a battery manufacturer no less impressive than BYD.


    Lu Liang initially listened with interest¡ªall of this was valuable experience¡ªbut the more he listened, the more he felt something was off. He looked puzzled and asked, "Do you have a stake in Ningde?"

 Chapter 161 - 160: Ningde Era

    "I''m hardly that fortunate."


    Li Bing''s expression was somewhat awkward as he visited during Ningde Era''s preparations for B-round financing.


    They were raising three billion, with a one-billion shortfall, so he modestly mentioned it, considering he had a good relationship with Lu Liang.


    Old Zeng had asked for his help to connect some dots and put in a good word to see if he could pull in ten to twenty billion for Ningde.


    After all, Lu Liang had openly declared his optimism about the new energy industry and was often seen buying and selling BYD stocks.


    Not just new forces like Weiliao hoping to gain his favor but also battery companies looking to invest.


    Because after Ningde Era''s B-round, there might not be a C-round; they could possibly go straight to an IPO.


    Lu Liang shone brightly in the speculative field, directly confronting three institutions led by Soros and winning.


    So much so that people had forgotten that he also had a keen eye for investments.


    Although he just dabbled, none of those companies had failed yet.


    ofo is currently valued at 250 million US Dollars, Mobike at 190 million US Dollars, and Panda at 320 million US Dollars.


    And then there''s NIO, still in its infancy, with no achievements yet, but with a luxurious lineup of investors.


    JD, Tencent, Xiaomi, Redwood, and Tianxing, almost born with a golden spoon in its mouth.


    Though valued at only one hundred million dollars, with such a lineup, it could easily be sold for several times more.


    If the companies Lu Liang invested in went public, it would surely attract a swarm of individual investors following the trend.


    Old Zeng hoped that Ningde could bring in Lu Liang,


    to join forces and push Ningde towards listing.


    "Ningde Era? I''ll have someone look into it."


    Lu Liang appeared thoughtful, waiting until the end of the month to update net worth. His new energy ecosystem plan was also about to unfold.


    If he could get original shares during the financing stage, it would certainly be more cost-effective than acquiring them on the secondary market, but it was hard to know if Ningde was as good as Li Bing had claimed.


    Lu Liang could tell that Li Bing wasn''t earnestly speaking on Ningde''s behalf. After all, with a net worth of several billion, he wouldn''t so easily advocate for others.


    Unless there was profit to be made, some plan to be devised, otherwise, unless there was a signed document in black and white, any spoken words could be completely dismissed as hot air. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang was unclear about what exactly Li Bing was after. Was he seeking personal connection? Or forcing him to make serious commitments in the new energy sector?


    Li Bing seemed to perceive Lu Liang''s thoughts and said softly, "The bigger the market, the better for all related practitioners."


    New energy wasn''t exactly a novel concept, it had existed for a long time before, but traditional capital had always been inactive.


    Hence, the government had to issue command after command, favoring new energy and bringing in Tesla, the catfish.


    They lashed out not only at car companies but also at capital.


    Though capital can be detestable, economic and corporate development cannot do without it.


    Take the bike-share craze of last year: in the first half of the year, it struggled, and by the second half, it exploded.


    By February this year, bike-shares of red, yellow, blue, green, and cyan covered the nation, with the market still expanding.


    However, capital tends toward profit and shuns harm. The new energy industry still doesn''t show promises of profit to them.


    And naturally, they won''t invest; without capital investment, the market can''t develop.


    But Lu Liang was different; he represented emerging capital and had the boldness to lead the way.


    If he could ignite the new energy sector, he might stimulate the market several years earlier.


    Bringing results sooner might also let people like Li Bing see whether this path is correct and if it''s worth persisting.


    After all, not every new force is like Tesla, crowned and endorsed by the state, destined to succeed.


    "I''ll consider it. How''s Mobike doing lately?"


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently. Although Li Bing praised himself highly, Lu Liang didn''t quite believe him but had no better explanation and had to take his words at face value for now.


    Li Bing sighed, not continuing the original topic, "I hear they''re about to enter C-round, right?"


    Lu Liang chuckled, "I''m asking if you and Shen Peng have found a buyer."


    "Shen Peng said that Wang Xing is quite interested, but I don''t really want to sell."


    "Because the money''s too little?"


    "Right."


    Li Bing had always been researching new energy and hadn''t managed Mobike much, inadvertently reaching a valuation of 190 million US Dollars.


    He felt that the market''s potential had not been fully tapped, and it should be possible to reach 1.9 billion US dollars, or even more.


    Anyway, Meituan, Redwood, and Tencent all had loads of money, and he planned to fleece them for as much as he could.


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "Let me know when you''re ready to sell, I believe I still have some shares."


    Tianxing Capital held 3% of Mobike, and after the B round, still had 2.7%, which should also sell for a lot of money.


    "Rest assured, I will let you know."


    The two chatted and laughed as the Tesla parked in the workshop was disassembled and studied by engineers.


    "I''m leaving, no need to see me out."


    Lu Liang didn''t mind, as he wasn''t interested in driving anyway.


    After saying goodbye to Li Bing, he returned to his company, instructed Wen Chao to pull up Ningde Era''s information, and then headed to the trading room.


    Following the acclaimed delivery of the Model X, Tesla''s stock opened with a significant increase of 5.5%, with the share price rising to 362 US dollars per share.


    They had completed building their position during the significant drop a few days earlier, acquiring 420,000 shares, and had made a tidy profit of over 20 million US dollars.


    Blue-chip stocks like Apple, NVIDIA, and Microsoft followed suit with gains, accumulating a total profit of over 44 million US dollars.


    Approaching midnight, Lu Liang returned to his office and reviewed the financing report of Ningde Era.


    Ningde Era had a valuation of 30 billion, and planned to finance by offering 10% of its equity.


    As a non-internet company planning to raise 3 billion dollars, this sum was quite extravagant.


    Because traditional companies would typically file for an IPO with valuations of a few billion and couldn''t sustain financing figures as high as 3 billion dollars.


    Ningde Era dared to finance in such a manner, naturally it had the confidence to do so; its predecessor was the lithium battery leader ATL, primarily manufacturing consumer batteries for phones, computers, cameras, and other electronic devices.


    Old Zeng was one of the founders of ATL, and five years ago, he took the power battery division and started anew, thus founding Ningde Era.


    In the first year, they participated in the largest global demonstration project for wind and solar energy storage and transportation¡ªthe Zhangbei Storage Project.


    In the second year, they reached a cooperation with Huachen BMW to develop a power battery system for a pure electric SUV.


    In the third year, they began developing power batteries for buses for Yutong Group, the world''s largest bus manufacturer.


    In the fourth year, they directly ventured out of Asia and established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Germany to develop technology for recycling used batteries.


    They made a mark each year,


    Stepping up a level every single year.


    In just five years, Ningde Era had rapidly risen to become one of the leaders in the domestic power battery industry and gained a foothold in the global market.


    "Old Li wasn''t just boasting."


    As the bells tolled in the early morning, Lu Liang''s eyes widened in disbelief, "Five years? A trillion in market value?"


    [On May 31, 2021, Ningde Era''s stock closed at 434.1 yuan per share, with a market value of 1.01 trillion yuan.]


    Lu Liang gasped in shock, scratching his head.


    He began to doubt if he had heard wrong, or if money had become worthless.


    Currently in Big A, including the Hong Kong market, only five companies had crossed the trillion market value mark; Tencent was the only private enterprise, with the other four being the top four banks.


    Even considering the distant US stocks, adding Ali, there were only six: four banks and two internet giants.


    Ningde Era must be exceptional to reach a trillion in market value as a battery manufacturer.


    "Perhaps it''s not Ningde being exceptional, nor money becoming worthless," Lu Liang pondered, stroking his chin.


    This message revealed a very important piece of information.


    The future development and prospects of the new energy market were faster and larger than anyone could have imagined.


    Ningde Era, now focusing on power batteries, would likely maintain this as their main strategy for at least the next five years.


    A battery supplier breaking the trillion market value threshold suggested that the new energy market could rival the internet in size.


    Shallow waters cannot raise big fish.


    "Five years, it happened so quickly."


    Lu Liang furrowed his brow, as Li Bing had said that it would be at least three years before NIO''s vehicles could go into mass production.


    This meant that it would take at least three years from establishment to mass production.


    Ningde Era planned to go public within the next two years; taking a conservative estimate, even if it were a year and a half, that would be the second half of next year.


    The rise of the new energy market would not start until after 2018, leaving him perhaps less than two years.


    It was time for Lu Liang to begin making his plans as well.

 Chapter 162 - 161: Investing in Ningde Era

    The following day, Lu Liang called Li Bing to express his desire to talk to Old Zeng of Ningde Era.


    Although Tianxing Investment couldn''t produce one billion dollars, the two funds under Tianxing Assets had nearly ten billion dollars in cash.


    He planned to initially list Ningde''s shares under the funds'' names, and, several years later when he had the funds, transfer them to his own name.


    This process would result in a loss of some share premium, but it didn''t matter much since Ningde wasn''t going to go public soon; it was treated as interest on a loan.


    Through Li Bing''s networking, Lu Liang soon got in touch with Zeng Minqun, confirming the time and place for their meeting.


    Two days later,


    Zeng Minqun led his team to the New International Building.


    "Mr. Zeng, good to see you. Was your trip here smooth?"


    Lu Liang, with a smile on his face, also met this doctoral expert in physics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics who enjoyed special allowances.


    His first start-up overcame the challenge of battery swelling, making ATL a benchmark in the mobile phone battery industry.


    In his second venture, he founded Ningde Era and in five years, climbed into the top three worldwide in sales of automotive batteries.


    "I knew that commuting during peak hours in Modu was congested, so we purposely avoided those times."


    Zeng Minqun responded with a hearty laugh, sizing up Lu Liang, whose very existence was something of a miracle.


    After all, who could have imagined that a man selling houses last year would suddenly turn into a financial magnate?


    The term "rising star" seemed inadequate for Lu Liang, especially since even the renowned Soros had been bested by him.


    As everyone knows, the only ones who could defeat Wall Street institutions were other Wall Street institutions.


    Yet, Lu Liang''s emergence broke this rule. The Wall Street Journal declared that his arrival marked the beginning of Wall Street''s decline, which was no exaggeration.


    "Everybody, let''s not just stand around chatting at the door. Please come this way."


    Tang Caide, all smiles, was fully energized knowing this was a deal worth one billion dollars.


    Even in her previous role at Redwood, she had rarely dealt with such a massive project, and when she had, her role was more supportive.


    She had never imagined she would have the honor of participating in and leading such a project.


    "Mr. Zeng, right this way."


    A group of eight people entered the company''s reception room, with Chen Jinchun serving tea and Wen Chao helping distribute Ningde''s materials.


    Lu Liang also received more detailed information; Last year, Ningde Era sold a total of 2.4 GWh domestically.


    A gigawatt-hour, a common unit of energy in storage sectors, is equivalent to one million kilowatt-hours.


    Battery manufacturers typically use GWh as a unit of shipment volume, where 1 GWh is roughly 20,000 lithium batteries.


    2.4 GWh amounts to 48,000 lithium batteries. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Considering only 250,000 new energy vehicles were sold nationwide last year, this number, making up 19.2% of the national market, was actually quite substantial.


    After perusing the data, Lu Liang understood how Ningde Era achieved a market value of a trillion in five years.


    Li Bing had mentioned that batteries for new energy vehicles were expensive, often accounting for more than 35% of the total vehicle cost.


    With 24.5033 million gasoline vehicles sold last year, should the sale of new energy vehicles reach 10% of that figure,


    A market share of 19.2% for Ningde Era breaking one trillion in value seemed not so far-fetched.


    "This tea is really good. Mr. Lu, are you also into tea?"


    Zeng Minqun asked with a smile, raising his cup to his nose, his demeanor relaxed as if he were the investor himself.


    Lu Liang closed the brochure, smiling back, "I''m not much for tea myself, but I have a friend from Chaoshan who is quite into it. He''s the one who sends me these teas."


    "No wonder. In terms of studying tea, aside from Chaoshan people, only Hu Jian could outcompete them."


    Zeng Minqun laughed, uncritical and unhurried, seemingly considering the financing for Ningde Era merely a step towards going public.


    And indeed, this was the case. The major difference between manufacturing and internet companies was creating a large number of jobs and owning substantial assets. With these in place, and a fair performance, securing bank loans wasn''t difficult.


    Although both industries could create abundant jobs, manufacturing positions were generally accompanied by essential insurances, unlike delivery drivers, rideshare drivers, and online retail workers.


    Workers with full insurance are financially secure; businesses are then accountable to their employees, stabilizing society.


    Workers without the "five insurances" stop working as soon as their hands stop, and their mouths stop too, easily becoming a destabilizing element in society.


    This is the most fundamental difference between the two.


    A company that can always secure loans from banks makes it difficult for venture capital firms to control.


    Old Zeng was aware of this and also wanted to make it clear to Lu Liang that financing was just the icing on the cake for Ningde, as they were not really short of money.


    They were sincerely looking for collaborators for the IPO and hoped that Lu Liang would reciprocate with sincerity and maintain an attitude of equality.


    After pondering for a long time, Lu Liang put forward two conditions, and Zeng Minqun nodded slightly, concealing his smile, "I am all ears."


    Lu Liang said, "First, we want to lead in the IPO round, and second, we want a seat on the board of directors."


    Zeng Minqun''s brow furrowed, he could agree to the first condition, if it weren''t for the prior agreement with Zhao Yin International, he would have preferred Lu Liang to take all 10% share.


    Ningde Era was a mature company, and their original team held more than 50% of the shares; even if they gave away 20%, it did not matter.


    Moreover, the more shares Lu Liang held, the more attention he would pay to Ningde Era, and the more devoted he would be during the IPO.


    But as for the board seat, he wasn''t sure whether Lu Liang wanted to be an executive director or a non-executive director.


    If it was the latter, it could be negotiated,


    but if it was the former, it was absolutely impossible.


    Who knows how many companies have been destroyed by investors acting as executive directors, the amateurs directing the professionals.


    Lu Liang simply smiled, "A non-executive director will do, to participate as an overseer but not engage in decision-making."


    The first condition was purely because he wanted to earn more; after all, the future market value was in the trillions, and the more shares he held, the more he would earn.


    The second condition was privately beneficial; he wanted to get into car manufacturing, and since the power battery was the core of a vehicle, getting inside Ningde would also allow him to access the latest information.


    Zeng Minqun appeared contemplative and then nodded in agreement, "Mr. Lu, we also have a condition."


    "Please speak," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "After your company invests in ours, you are not allowed to transfer the shares before the IPO."


    Zeng Minqun intended to use Lu Liang''s fame, forming a powerful collaboration to list on the A-share market.


    Therefore, he did not want Lu Liang to exit halfway, at least not before the IPO.


    Lu Liang, smiling, said, "Mr. Zeng, it''s a pleasure to cooperate."


    Although private equity has a one-year term and agreeing not to transfer shares might complicate settlements, it was not without solutions.


    It was simply a matter of mortgaging them, exchanging them for some money, and then redeeming them; an extra step in the process was no big issue.


    "A pleasure to cooperate."


    Shortly afterward, Zeng Minqun and his team left the New International Building, and the news that Ningde Era had secured one billion dollars in financing for a 3.33% stake from Tianxing also spread within the circle.


    "Is Lu Liang not speculating anymore but investing?"


    "It''s about time, as speculation isn''t a sustainable practice. Often walking by the river, one cannot avoid getting wet."


    Although speculative profits are high, they pose high risks, just like JPMorgan Blackstone Quantum, losing billions of dollars overnight.


    Lu Liang displayed a sense of crisis, diversifying funds and engaging in value investments, earning high praise from industry insiders.


    Meanwhile, various capitals began to mobilize.


    Because in a sense, Lu Liang had become a weathervane for the finance industry, heavily invested in the new energy sector, funding NIO and now investing in Ningde Era.


    He seemed genuinely bullish on the new energy industry, not just paying lip service but making substantial investments.


    It made venture capitalists reconsider and reassess the new energy market with an annual turnover of only 250,000 vehicles.


    Capital was eager, and many decided to increase investment in the new energy vehicle market the following quarter.


    Companies like Weiliao, LeTV Car, and others suddenly became the darlings of the industry because investing in new sectors meant investing in new enterprises to maximize benefits.


    Investing in long-established companies like BYD, SAIC, FAW didn''t offer the same lucrative returns.


    "I think the whole industry should erect a monument to me and sing my praises."


    Li Bing thought to himself with a gleefully narcissistic smile.


    Although it was Lu Liang who ignited the industry''s fuse, it was he who had placed that fuse in front of Lu Liang.

 Chapter 163 - 162: Falsely Claiming One Billion Dollars

    The long-awaited 25th had finally arrived.


    A week earlier, Lu Liang had shorted the British Pounds, confronting three renowned Wall Street institutions and bringing them down.


    This led to JPMorgan losing 1.75 billion dollars, Blackstone Fund losing 1.82 billion dollars, and Quantum Fund losing 320 million dollars.


    Rumors were that he had scooped up one billion dollars overnight.


    But Lu Liang did not come forward to confirm, and Little Wang only hinted in a live stream that maybe it was true.


    Whether it was true or not remained a question mark.


    Now it was finally going to be revealed.


    Although the 25th was the day to announce the net worth of the first private equity phase, it was possible to estimate the profit made from shorting the British Pounds that night from the net value of the second phase.


    With the first phase at 100 million dollars and the second phase at one billion dollars, multiplying the earnings of the first phase by ten would essentially confirm the earnings of the second phase.


    Though there might be variations due to the different timings of the two updates, they should not be far off.


    Just after twelve noon, Wen Chao''s office phone started ringing incessantly.


    No sooner had he hung up, another call came through, continuing non-stop for a whole half hour.


    The net value of the first phase spread quickly.


    On the 25th of last month, the net worth was only 1.035, but this month it had more than doubled, reaching 2.224.


    This also meant an earnings of 189 million dollars for the month.


    Multiplying this figure by eleven amounted to 1.3079 billion dollars.


    It confirmed that scooping up one billion dollars overnight was false.


    It was actually 1.3 billion dollars, a bit more than a billion.


    Upon receiving the news, most people stuck to the goal of making a fortune quietly. However, the Wall Street research institutes couldn''t help wanting to know how much money Lu Liang had made from them by shorting the British Pounds that particular night.


    On the international financial stage, even a penny drop was Wall Street''s concern; whatever Lu Liang earned represented their loss.


    There were threats and bribes, and inevitably someone couldn''t help but disclose the net worth situation, with a current net value of 2.224 and an estimated profit of 1.3 billion dollars.


    As soon as the news got out, Wall Street was in an uproar, posting several articles late into the night, severely criticizing Lu Liang, portraying him as a financial butcher.


    He was blamed as the chief culprit for the twelve percent plunge of the British Pound, and the 46 million Britons should remember him as the one who devalued their wealth.


    The news went round and round internationally and finally reached domestic shores.


    "Incredible!"


    "Financial butcher, kind of cool~"


    "I remember Old Suo''s peak record was about one billion dollars, right?"


    "Just to add, he used over ten billion dollars at that time to make a billion."


    "11 billion in principal to earn 13 billion, that''s seriously fierce."


    "It''s not about being fierce, he''s too ruthless, definitely used more than ten times leverage."


    "With such a huge amount of money and such high leverage, Mr. Lu should really consider checking if he has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy."


    "Wow, 1.3 billion dollars, that''s enough for everyone in the country to have two bottles of Coca-Cola."


    Netizens were abuzz, all marveling at Lu Liang''s strong heart; ordinary people would have had heart attacks playing like this.


    Once again, a million people volunteered, hoping that Lu Liang wouldn''t just lead the wealthy but also give them a chance.


    Ever since he frequented foreign networks, Lu Liang, unexpectedly online on Weibo, responded, "Will consider."


    The responded netizen widened their eyes in disbelief; they had actually been noticed by Lu Liang.


    What surprised him even more was the implication of the statement; was Lu Liang considering involving himself in Public Funds?


    Once the message was released, it rapidly climbed to the top of the trending searches.


    Shortly after, even the Director Zhao of the Modu Human Resources Bureau called to inquire about the specifics.


    They dared not invest in private equity, but public funds were different, being supervised and thus without concerns.


    But the voice over the phone seemed a bit noisy, "Mr. Lu, is it inconvenient to talk on the phone right now?"


    "Is it better now?" Lu Liang asked Little Wang to turn off the box music and went to the restroom to take the call.


    "Mr. Lu, are you considering getting involved in public funds?" Director Zhao asked politely.


    "I''m considering it," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "Mr. Lu, if you encounter any difficulties, just let us know, and we will assist you as much as possible to overcome them."


    "Thank you in advance, Director Zhao."


    "Then you carry on."


    Lu Liang washed his face and walked out of the bathroom.


    Little Wang was being hugged left and right, playing a silent game of poker with the girls.


    Suddenly his phone rang. He picked it up, looked at it, and chuckled, "The gold content in these four characters of yours is really high."


    Setting up a public fund meant that from now on, everything needed to be steady and sound, with little opportunity for speculation, which made some people anxious.


    "A public fund is a public fund, and a private fund is a private fund," Lu Liang chuckled, feeling it was time to get back down to earth and get some real work done.


    Setting up a public fund didn''t mean he would give up on private funds. As long as there was an opportunity for speculation, he would still strike hard.


    "You saying that puts my mind at ease."


    Little Wang breathed a sigh of relief, inevitably curious, "Why the sudden interest in setting up a public fund? Are you playing at being a savior now?"


    Lu Liang picked up his glass, took a sip, and laughed, "Do I look that noble?"


    "Not really." Little Wang was brutally honest.


    "That settles it then."


    Lu Liang smiled, offering no further explanation.


    The public fund was just for the service of the new energy industry ecosystem, while the private fund was a cash cow.


    He wouldn''t give up on either. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let''s go, I''m going back to sleep."


    Lu Liang said his goodbyes and was about to leave when Little Wang suddenly stopped him, "Zhuang Xiaoting is planning to come over, aren''t you going to see her?"


    They were spending the evening at someone else''s bar, and hearing that Lu Liang was also present, she had come specially from home to join for a few drinks.


    It seemed a bit inappropriate for Lu Liang to leave so suddenly.


    "You''re here, just tell her I had to leave for something."


    Lu Liang chuckled, waved his hand, and didn''t take a cloud with him.


    Tomorrow, he was off to Beijing to help Douyin pull in investments, hoping to have a fighting chance before Watermelon Video launched.


    After all, holding a 40% stake and being considered a co-founder, it would be embarrassing if Douyin died a terrible death.


    The next morning,


    Lu Liang boarded a ten o''clock flight to Beijing.


    Douyin, which had been online for 80 days, had a registration count that had surpassed one million, and an average daily active users count over seven days of 78,000.


    If it wasn''t for the Damocles sword of Watermelon Video, even Douyin without Byte''s backing could have been a company with promising market prospects.


    The first round of financing was valued at ten million dollars,


    out of which Lu Liang''s presence probably accounted for 50%.


    After all, it was his investment, however bad, they still had to save face. Shen Peng from Redwood, Zhu Hu from Golden Sand River, and Zhang Lei from Zhang Lei all showed up.


    A dozen venture capital bigwigs from top-tier domestic firms were there just for the chance to fight over an investment quota of 1.5 million dollars - probably only Lu Liang had that kind of clout.


    Yang Zhenyuan bowed deeply and passionately spoke about Douyin''s future developments and the goals after the financing.


    Zhu Hu glanced at Lu Liang, and asked with a grin, "Are you going to manage things? If you''re not, I''ll start playing for real."


    By playing for real, he naturally meant giving a capital lash to the start-ups, pushing them to develop as hard as they could.


    If they failed to meet the expected goals, they would have to return the invested capital along with the profits.


    After all, with Byte''s Watermelon Video about to launch, nobody really had high hopes for this emerging company.


    "Whatever, I don''t really care," Lu Liang said nonchalantly, signaling Old Zhu not to worry about saving his face and to just do whatever needed to be done.


    In the crowd, he spotted a familiar figure and quickly approached, "Mr. Zhang, long time no see, how have you been?"


    Zhang Yiming gave a smile that didn''t reach his eyes, "Thanks to Mr. Lu, work has been smooth and everything''s going well."


    "Mr. Zhang, don''t be so stern. Who knows, we might have a chance to cooperate."


    Lu Liang said softly, smiling, suggesting that while Douyin and the upcoming Watermelon were separate entities, they might not remain so indefinitely.


    He was somewhat pessimistic about Yang Zhenyuan''s team because ByteDance''s tech lineup was too powerful. So, changing his strategy, he planned to find an opportunity to set history back on its proper course.


    Let Douyin return to the arms of Byte.


    And naturally, he''d keep his slice of the pork, leaving a layer of grease and thus securing a stake in Byte.


    Zhang Yiming was taken aback, glanced at Yang Zhenyuan on the stage, and squinting his eyes, asked, "Does Mr. Yang know?"


    "Does it matter?" Lu Liang retorted with a smile.


    Zhang Yiming was silent for a long while before sighing, "It doesn''t matter."


    Lu Liang held 40% of the shares, and the investors present had come merely to give him face. When the day came, Yang Zhenyuan''s opinion wouldn''t matter that much.

 Chapter 164 - 163: Li Xiang Cars

    "Douyin is still not up to par."


    Zhang Yiming was outspoken, but he didn''t oppose the idea.


    After all, ever since Douyin was launched, he and his team had been paying close attention. If it hadn''t been for Yang Zhenyuan and Lu Liang, he would have wanted to acquire it long ago and make it his own.


    The algorithms and push system of Douyin were simply too terrible, utterly wasting the brilliant concept of Musical.ly.


    Fashion, music, beauties¡ªit was far superior to Kuai Shou, which only knew how to cater to lowbrow tastes; it already had the elements to conquer the nation.


    "Then let''s talk when it''s up to par."


    Lu Liang smiled broadly, a trick he had learned from Li Bing; that''s how he had dealt with Mobike and Hu Weiwei.


    However, he was kinder than Li Bing. He would try his best to secure a good position for Yang Zhenyuan, such as the general manager of Byte Douyin.


    Zhang Yiming couldn''t help but shake his head and sigh. These capitalists deserved to be strung up on street lamps; otherwise, it wouldn''t quell public anger.


    Others'' dreams were merely tools for their profit-seeking. He could already imagine how desolate Yang Zhenyuan would be on that day.


    Yet as a collaborator,


    he didn''t really have the right to criticize others.


    Zhang Yiming kindly advised, "Tell Mr. Yang to restrain himself a bit, stop riding on political and social hot topics. It''s easy to run into troubles."


    He didn''t want to find that Douyin had already made the blacklist of the Internet Information Office by the time they took over.


    Lu Liang laughed, "The pressure from Watermelon is great, but I''ll remind him to be cautious."


    After Zhang Yiming left, the angel round of financing for Douyin also came to a close, securing one and a half million US Dollars in financing funds for 15% equity from Golden Sand River and Redwood.


    Yang Zhenyuan was all smiles and full of vigor, coming up to Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, what were you and Mr. Zhang talking about just now?"


    People who undergo their first round of financing often have an illusion, mistaking valuation for value. Without a doubt, he also fell into this mindset.


    3 million turned into 38.28 million¡ªYang Zhenyuan felt that leaving Byte and starting a business with Lu Liang was an extremely correct decision.


    "Just came to see, and had a casual chat." sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang smiled, offering no explanation but changing the subject, "I heard you received a warning from the Internet Information Office last week?"


    Yang Zhenyuan''s face showed embarrassment; he knew all too well that riding on political and social hot topics was risky. But without doing so, Douyin definitely wouldn''t have developed so quickly.


    "Rein it in a bit. Watermelon is a mid-length video platform, and there''s no direct competition with Douyin for now, so don''t feel too pressured."


    Lu Liang had already found a buyer for Douyin, and naturally, he hoped it could stabilize itself to avoid an eventual ban.


    Yang Zhenyuan nodded. Now with one and a half million US Dollars in financing funds, he could also launch a multi-million short-video creator support program.


    Douyin had also started off on the right foot and naturally needed to pay attention to core values, supervise public opinion, and regulate platform operations.


    "Mr. Lu, won''t you join us for a simple meal?"


    Seeing Lu Liang about to leave, Yang Zhenyuan hurriedly requested, as the company''s entire staff had been working almost restlessly for months, always motivated by Lu Liang''s reputation.


    If Lu Liang didn''t join them for a meal, he might find it difficult to explain to the company''s staff.


    Taken aback, Lu Liang chuckled and thought it over, then agreed, "Let''s have something, but I have an appointment later."


    "No worries, just making an appearance is enough."


    At the company lunch, attended by 23 people in total, Lu Liang truly just made an appearance, using tea instead of wine for a toast.


    After leaving the restaurant, Lu Liang traveled to Zhongguang Village in Beijing, where Li Xiang Motors had its headquarters.


    Li Xiang and Li Bing''s development paths were extremely similar, both transitioning from automotive platforms to new energy.


    Because Wen Chao had contacted Li Xiang early on,


    Lu Liang received a warm welcome.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s an honor to have you here. If there''s any neglect in our hospitality, please forgive us." Li Xiang was all smiles, forming a stark contrast with his reputed fiery temper.


    After all, a fiery temper also depends on whom one is dealing with.


    Lu Liang was extremely optimistic about the new energy industry and had first invested 10 million US dollars in NIO, followed by 1 billion RMB in Ningde, solidifying his status as a major financial backer.


    He dared to confront colleagues, the media, and technicians, but he never dared to confront his financiers, especially since Li Xiang was particularly short of funds.


    "Mr. Li, you don''t have to be so polite. I just came by to take a look." Lu Liang said with a smile, noticing a slogan on the wall that read "Creating a mobile home."


    This phrase also set the tone for Li Xiang''s motor vehicles, focusing on medium-to-large luxury SUVs.


    This positioning was quite good. If Lu Liang were driving, he would also prefer an SUV.


    Though sedans offered a better view, he had the illusion that sitting higher allowed him to see farther.


    Li Xiang laughed, "Mr. Lu, according to our research, people in our country especially love SUVs. There''s a saying, ''Bigger is better, longer is stronger.''"


    "Therefore, our country also has many special edition cars, often larger and longer than the standard models in Europe and America, which are very popular with consumers."


    Although Lu Liang said he was just casually looking, he couldn''t miss such a great opportunity to explain Li Xiang''s car-making philosophy.


    Creating a luxury family car brand, providing safe and convenient products and services for family users through innovative technology.


    The first concept car was to be a medium-to-large luxury SUV, eschewing frivolous honors that waste time.


    Lu Liang was surprised and chuckled, "Mr. Li, are you referring to NIO when you mention frivolities?"


    "Yes, Mr. Lu, forgive my bluntness," Li Xiang retorted, "in my view, Li Bing''s NIO is purely a waste of time and money."


    Li Xiang nodded with a look of disdain for NIO, copying Tesla, merely picking up scraps from others.


    Now that the country was so committed to promoting the new energy market, engaging in such frivolities, he personally despised it on the record.


    Lu Liang smiled, "Each company has its own philosophy. Right or wrong, only time will tell."


    He suddenly thought of making movies. Li Bing''s choice was to start with art films to build reputation and win awards.


    Li Xiang''s choice was very straightforward, directly making commercial comedies, explicitly aimed at making money.


    Li Xiang''s smile was full of confidence, "Mr. Lu, time will prove that my choice is correct."


    Lu Liang suddenly laughed, "Mr. Li, I like your confidence. When is the A Series funding round?"


    Li Xiang also smiled, "This May."


    "Remember to send me an invitation then."


    "Definitely."


    Despite Li Xiang''s arrogance, he had considerable personal charm.


    Since Lu Liang had already invested in NIO, he didn''t mind investing in Li Xiang as well; it couldn''t hurt to hedge his bets.


    "Sedans, medium-to-large SUVs, and Xiao Peng''s compact SUVs."


    On the way back, Lu Liang looked up in contemplation, finding it difficult to stand out in vehicle types.


    After much thought, it seemed the only path left was autonomous driving: "Did Tesla actually get it right?"


    Lu Liang thought about the Model X that had been disassembled after less than ten kilometers of driving.


    Tesla rarely focused on configurations, concentrating primarily on developing its autonomous driving system.


    To be fair, the interior was indeed rubbish.


    "Another iOS?"


    Lu Liang gradually realized that he should start with vehicle systems and autonomous driving technologies.


    Because neither NIO nor Li Xiang had core technologies; essentially, they were just stacking features.


    If you have core technology, it''s never too late to enter the market, even letting brands like NIO and Li Xiang test the technology for him first.


    "Go to Huaqing University."


    Lu Liang stayed in Beijing for three days and used 20 million US dollars to fund the construction of a new energy laboratory at Tsinghua University.


    The main focus would be on vehicle systems and autonomous driving technologies, unsure of success but willing to plant the seed.


    If successful, it would be a profitable investment; if not, it would merely be tuition fees, a chance to gain experience.

 Chapter 165 - 164: The Wealth Code

    Liang invested a hefty sum in the establishment of the Tianxing New Energy Research Institute at Huaqing Hao, news that quickly spread and was confirmed by the university administration.


    The reactions from various powers were mixed. Investing in NIO and the Ningde Era could be categorized as venture capital or value investment.


    But to build a new energy research institute from scratch was an act of investment in its own creation.


    Liang, was he planning to enter the fray himself?


    Soon, a new energy technology company named Tianxing Technology came into public view.


    Registered with a capital of 20 million US Dollars and with the same amount paid in full, the company was associated with the Tianxing New Energy Research Institute at Huaqing University, primarily engaged in the technological development within the new energy and intelligent system technology sectors.


    The company was entirely owned by Lu Liang, who also served as its legal representative. It became one of only two companies where he held this position and had full ownership¡ªthe first being Tianxing Investment and the second, Tianxing Technology, clearly representing the heart of Lu Liang, known to all.


    He had truly entered the arena.


    "Does new energy really hold such great allure that even Lu Liang would step in himself?"


    This question surfaced in everyone''s mind.


    The state granted subsidies and policies, indicating a resolve to develop the new energy industry.


    But after all, last year''s sales volume was only 250,000 vehicles, not even a fraction of a fraction of fuel-powered cars.


    Even if he were to monopolize the market, the estimated annual profit wouldn''t exceed the remainder from his short-selling of British Pounds that one night.


    Even if the future prospects were promising, entering the market now, gambling on an uncertain future, seemed unwise. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The various forces were not optimistic, with some even thinking that Lu Liang felt making money was too easy and wanted to add a difficulty coefficient to his life, scoffingly suggesting he was stuffed yet pressing on.


    However, that very morning, as the A-shares market opened, it viciously swelled the faces of the doubters.


    The new energy sector surged 2.55%, skyrocketing by 68 points.


    "Lu God, when the whole world was pessimistic about Old England''s Brexit, he resolutely short-sold the British Pound, with the results speaking for themselves. He always ends up right. Moreover, now with the state actively pushing the development of all new energy industries, why wouldn''t we support him?"


    A self-media blogger, nicknamed Little Yang, made this statement, which was liked by tens of thousands of netizens.


    "Brothers, I''m charging in."


    Yang Xiaoxiao posted a selfie with a sweet smile, accompanied by a screenshot of her owning full-stock shares in BYD: "As long as Lu God continues to be bullish on new energy, I will keep holding the related stocks."


    The beauty retail investor always received special favor from netizens: "I declare, starting today, Little Yang is my 108th ''Honey.''"


    Public opinion was astir, as Lu Liang for the first time showed to the citizens his unparalleled dominance in the domestic financial market.


    Unlike those stock gods who relied on inside information, Lu Liang tore open a gap from the suffocating Wall Street with his own strength.


    In the domestic financial market, he was the king without a crown, and there were practically none who could suppress him with their personal capability.


    Approaching noon, the net asset value of the second phase of the private fund updated.


    Last month''s net value was only 1.055, but this month it more than doubled, reaching 2.34.


    This month''s earnings were 1.285 billion US Dollars, firmly solidifying his gains of over 1.3 billion US Dollars from short-selling the British Pound.


    In the afternoon, as the stock market began, the new energy segment opened high and continued to rise, closing with a gain of 5.85%, inflating the sector''s market cap by a whopping 80 billion.


    "What is ''His word is law''? This is ''His word is law.''"


    Seeing such a spectacle, the doubters, as if silenced, fell collectively mute.


    They had underestimated the influence of the top figure in the domestic financial field, as well as the fervor of Lu Liang''s fans.


    "It''s not madness. Suppose you missed the opportunity to short-sell the British Pound during David Cameron''s re-election, and again missed the chance during Old England''s Brexit referendum¡ªwould you still miss this third opportunity?"


    Someone calmly stated the reality.


    The wealth codes were missed the previous two times, whether due to disbelief or the high barriers of the foreign exchange market being the main reason.


    But new energy was different; anyone over eighteen could easily open an account at any broker found at the roadside.


    Out of the 54 stocks that made up the new energy sector, the lowest-priced one was merely 6.5 yuan, which meant that with just 650 yuan, one could buy a lot.


    In essence, there were no barriers at all.


    Capital from all corners surged forth, the state actively encouraged it, and the leading figure of the financial sector personally entered the fray, giving them all the more reason to join in.


    Top headhunting firms received invitations en masse, brandishing their digital hoes as they targeted engineers from joint ventures or traditional car companies.


    Parents in their forties, upon seeing related news, were inspired to encourage their high-school seniors to apply for majors related to automotive engineering.


    It was foreseeable that, in four years, a large number of talents with expertise in the automotive field would join the new energy industry.


    Meanwhile, the very instigator of all this was accompanying a girl on a shopping trip in Wangfujing.


    "Beijing is rather cold, are you getting used to it?"


    "Don''t forget, I''m a Northeastern girl. Where we come from, the temperature can drop below negative thirty degrees."


    "Is it that extreme? Let me test it out."


    Lu Liang wore a mischievous smile as he suddenly reached out, slipping his hand past Zhang Tian''ai''s shoulder, gliding down her collarbone, and into her pocket to feel the warmth of the Heart Protectors.


    Zhang Tian''ai shivered with cold but, with pedestrians around, she didn''t dare scream out. She pleaded softly, "Take it out quickly, I''m freezing~~ Although it''s over negative thirty degrees back home, the indoors are heated, and I get cold easily, you know."


    Lu Liang grinned, unmoved, "Little Love, why do I feel like you''ve become a bit plumper recently?"


    Zhang Tian''ai wore a look of indignation, her eyes brimming with sulky resentment.


    Lu Liang chuckled, pinched her cheek, and looked towards the storefront of LV, "Don''t be mad, let''s go in and pick a few things."


    Zhang Tian''ai huffed a little, coquettishly complaining, "Maybe it''s because I haven''t been on screen recently and don''t feel so much pressure, I''ve been eating quite a bit more."


    It''s a fact that both the big and small screens add weight, explaining why stars are so thin.


    She was now engaged in theatre acting, and being too thin wouldn''t look good when facing the audience directly on stage.


    "No wonder. So now I shouldn''t get bruised by bumping into you, right?" Lu Liang said, his eyes gleaming with a deep meaning.


    Zhang Tian''ai''s cheeks suddenly flushed, and she grumbled annoyedly, "Didn''t we agree not to talk about that?"


    She recalled the premiere night of Crown Princess Consort, where she had been quite excited due to impressive statistics across the board.


    Which led her to be a little wilder than usual.


    Back then, she was quite slim, with a height of 165 cm and weighing less than 100 pounds, and Lu Liang, caught in the thrill, hadn''t noticed.


    It wasn''t until the next morning that he realized his belly, three inches below the navel, had turned bruised.


    "Alright, alright, we won''t talk about it."


    Chatting and laughing, they entered the mall, where a warm current of air surrounded them, feeling rejuvenated.


    Lu Liang took Zhang Tian''ai to the second-floor LV store, "Have a look around, just grab whatever you want."


    Zhang Tian''ai beamed with joy, like a bee buzzing into a garden of flowers, selecting a coffee-colored purse, "Does this look good?"


    "The color''s a bit common."


    Lu Liang glanced up and noticed a white one on a shelf that seemed quite nice, "Let''s take a look at that one."


    Zhang Tian''ai followed his gaze and before she could reply, the sales assistant was already beaming, "Right away, sir."


    "How about it? Is it nice?" Lu Liang, unsure, pinched it casually as if he were checking a watermelon.


    Zhang Tian''ai squinted her eyes and smiled sweetly, "As long as it''s a gift from you, I love it."


    "Such sweet talk."


    Lu Liang''s lips curved in a smile as he pulled out his bank card, not bothering to check the price, "Let''s take this one."


    When shopping, he rarely looked at prices; after all, there''s a limit to how expensive things can get.


    His card usually had a casual balance of twenty million, which was enough to cover almost anything without maxing out.


    After buying the purse, they strolled leisurely around the mall. Zhang Tian''ai spotted an Audemars Piguet store, "Liang, how come you never wear a watch?"


    "I don''t like wearing them."


    Lu Liang had never gotten into the habit of wearing watches, initially because he was always on the move.


    Come the summer heat, he''d rather strip off his skin than wear something that added discomfort.


    Now, he simply hadn''t thought to wear one when he first got money, and at this point, he didn''t need luxury goods to assert his taste.

 Chapter 166 - 165: Doing Good Deeds Should Be Known

    "How long do you plan to stay in Beijing?"


    "Leaving tomorrow."


    Liang was sitting at the entrance of the milk tea shop, holding Zhang Tian''ai in his arms, gently pinching her earlobe with his thumb and index finger, "Staying another day is just to see you."


    He had originally booked a flight for 9:30 in the morning, but just before setting off, he suddenly thought of Zhang Tian''ai.


    The last time they parted had been over two months, and he didn''t know how she was doing at Mahua Theater, so he came to see her.


    "It''s pretty good, Mr. Zhang and Mr. Shen, and many theater teachers all take good care of me."


    Zhang Tian''ai was slightly disappointed, having hoped and waited so long for Liang, only to spend a single day together.


    The feelings were there to some extent, but more so, she had already experienced the benefits of having a strong backer.


    As Liang''s fame grew, Zhang Chen''s attitude towards her improved as well.


    In just two and a half months of joining the group, she was already able to play one of the lead roles in a stage play.


    Everyone she met were good, kind people, willing to help her.


    Had she not struggled for years in Hengdian, she might have almost believed that all was peaceful and orderly.


    Zhang Tian''ai knew it all stemmed from Liang.


    Liang asked, "Is Mahua having a performance tonight?"


    Zhang Tian''ai thought for a moment, "There''s one, but I''m not the lead. I''m just a supporting actress and bow out after the second scene."


    She was just a supporting actress, and besides, the play was dominated by male roles, which is why she managed to take a leave and was free to hang out with Liang.


    Liang smiled and said, "I''ve grown up so much and it seems I''ve never watched a stage play, let''s go watch it tonight if there''s nothing else."


    Zhang Tian''ai was stunned, moved, and embraced Liang''s neck with her arms, her eyes watery with deep affection.


    She clearly understood that Liang was going to see the play purely to support and bolster her.


    "Let''s go, and stop by to talk to Zhang Chen to see if there''s any new movie project."


    Liang smiled lightly, kissed Zhang Tian''ai''s cheek, making no attempt to hide that it was all for her.


    He was not so high-minded; he believed in letting the beneficiary know of the good deeds.


    If the beneficiary doesn''t acknowledge his kindness, then the good deeds he did would be in vain.


    Liang thought of an egg project, which Tang Caidie had almost finished reviewing, just waiting for his signature to authorize.


    Leaving Wangfujing, Liang called Zhang Chen, and then the two headed to the Mahua Theater in the Xicheng District.


    "Mr. Lu, why are you here all of a sudden, we weren''t prepared at all."


    Zhang Chen panted as he ran out from the inner theater, his face beaming with a radiant smile.


    His eyes fell on Zhang Tian''ai as he said with a rueful smile, "Tian''ai, Mr. Lu is here, why didn''t you inform us in advance?"


    "Mr. Zhang, you''re too kind, no preparation needed. It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to come over."


    Liang patted Zhang Tian''ai on the back of her head with an intimate gesture, "You have a leading role in a play later on, go get ready."


    "Liang, Mr. Zhang, you guys talk. I''ll go ahead and prepare," Zhang Tian''ai obediently nodded.


    Her attitude towards Zhang Chen remained as respectful as usual, not using Liang''s presence to throw her weight around.


    Zhang Chen smiled genuinely, pleased, "Mr. Lu, you really are a benefactor to Mahua. Tian''ai has always been very diligent; she''s quickly becoming one of our theater''s beauties."


    Liang smiled broadly, "Individual effort is definitely helpful, but in the face of a stage to display ambitions, it counts for little."


    "You flatter me, Mr. Lu."


    Zhang Chen beamed joyfully, seizing the opportunity to invite, "Tonight''s play is called ''Friends'', starting in an hour. Why don''t you rest in our reception room first?"


    Liang nodded, following Zhang Chen through the large theater to the administrative area behind, which also housed the Mahua''s main headquarters.


    People coming and going, a few of whom seemed like film and television actors, looked vaguely familiar to Liang, but he couldn''t quite place them.


    Zhang Chen introduced with a smile, "This is Mr. Lu from Tianxing."


    "Mr. Lu, hello..."


    Upon hearing their boss, everyone widened their eyes, their expressions filled with shock.


    Because the new energy sector surged by 172 points today, Lu Liang once again made the hot search on Weibo.


    It was hard to imagine that a legendary figure in the financial world had actually appeared before them.


    Contrary to the mature appearance rumored among the folks, he looked to be only in his late twenties or early thirties.


    "Um, hello."


    Lu Liang gave a slight smile, and Zhang Chen noticed his lack of interest in these people, quickly waving his hand: "Go back to what you were doing."


    He then turned to Lu Liang and said, "Mr. Lu, this way, please."


    A group of employees awkwardly smiled until Lu Liang and Zhang Chen entered the office, and then they suddenly remembered the company''s rumors.


    Zhang Tian''ai, who had joined the Mahua Team due to the viral web series last year, seemed to have a vague relationship with Lu Liang.


    The Crown Princess Consort was an investment by Lu Liang, Zhang Tian''ai was the female lead; she was able to leave Xitian Media without being blacklisted after the series'' success.


    This was enough to prove that she had someone behind her, someone with a background far stronger than Xitian Media.


    If it was Lu Liang, it explained why Zhang Chen dared to take the risk of offending Xitian by accepting Zhang Tian''ai.


    Lu Liang''s appearance today was like an invisible thread, connecting all the disparate pieces together.


    The director of "Friends" casually said, "Little Love has suddenly decided not to take the night off and to come back for the performance."


    Everyone looked at each other, and the case was solved.


    They began to reflect on whether they had ever offended or made things difficult for Zhang Tian''ai; this girl had a terrifying background.


    Although Lu Liang wasn''t on the wealth rankings or the Hu Run elite list, no one dared to question his capabilities and his network. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not to mention Tianxing Private Equity gathering the nation''s top elites, Lu Liang''s personal ability was also a presence not to be overlooked.


    Yesterday, he invested 20 million US Dollars to establish a new energy research institute at Huaqing University; today, the sector soared by over eighty billion yuan.


    Last year, the film industry''s output barely broke the hundred billion mark.


    The new energy sector today, simply because Lu Liang decided to enter the field personally, directly increased by eight times the total output of films.


    There were many in various industries across the nation stronger than Lu Liang, definitely not the practitioners of the film industry.


    Inside the office, after Zhang Chen exchanged a few pleasantries, he gradually moved onto the main topic: "Mr. Lu, I have something I''d like to consult with you about."


    "Feel free to speak."


    "Last year, our Mahua was listed on the New Third Board."


    With the hit of Xia Luo, Zhang Chen also took advantage of the market''s still existing heat to push forward with listing on the New Third Board.


    But since the New Third Board had poor liquidity, coupled with the unprecedented four-day two circuit breakers at the start of the year, financing became exceedingly difficult.


    That made him consider delisting from the New Third Board and transitioning to the Growth Enterprise Market, but the audit was never passed.


    Among the various requirements for re-listing on the Growth Enterprise Market, Happy Mahua met them all except for lacking a lead figure.


    Lu Liang was silent, flipping through the documents, as Happy Mahua had a market value of 4.32 billion yuan on the New Third Board.


    Last year alone, Xia Luo brought in 1.95 billion yuan in revenue for Mahua, accounting for 51.8% of the annual total revenue.


    This year, by mid-January, they issued 1.52 million shares at the price of 24 yuan per share, which was successful.


    But just two months later, issuing 2.84 million shares at 106 yuan per share turned out to be a failure.


    Lu Liang closed the documents and smiled slightly: "Mr. Zhang, haste won''t get you hot tofu, so it''s normal for the Growth Enterprise Market audit not to pass, as Mahua''s revenue is too unstable."


    Without Xia Luo, with Mahua''s annual revenue not even reaching 200 million yuan, how could they justify a market value of 4.3 billion yuan.


    Zhang Chen''s mistake was knowing about the poor liquidity on the New Third Board, yet still rushing to finance¡ªa failure was foreseeable.


    Displaying an obvious fundraising intention, the Securities and Futures Commission wasn''t foolish enough to let him pass the Growth Enterprise Market audit.


    The lead figure was merely a facade.


    Since there has always been a rumor online,


    On January 7, the night of the second circuit breaker.


    Mr. Xiao from the Securities and Futures Commission had called Lu Liang, asking for his opinion on the introduction of the circuit breaker mechanism.


    What they discussed then was unknown.


    Thus, there was a rumor that Mr. Xiao finally decided to cancel the circuit breaker mechanism because of Lu Liang''s remarks.

 Chapter 167 - 166: Withering Away for Her

    "Mr. Lu, we also know that the company needs stable revenue."


    Zhang Chen showed a look of worry, sighing helplessly, "But the production cycle of movies is just too long, too long."


    Even if every movie becomes a hit like Xia Luo''s, just the settlement process alone requires an entire year. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If Lu Liang could help them list on the Growth Enterprise Market, they would even be willing to hand over 20% of the shares as a gift.


    After all, someone who can converse with the bigwigs at the Securities and Futures Commission and whose suggestions are adopted must be extraordinarily capable.


    Although Old Xiao, an old acquaintance, is no longer around, Lu Liang is in a phase of rapid development and must still have some connections.


    "Mr. Zhang, if we can''t stack quality, then let''s stack quantity, maybe that will also lead to success."


    Lu Liang showed a smile, with no intention of doing them this favor.


    Although he didn''t know whether his influence at the Securities and Futures Commission was as mystical as rumors on the internet made it out to be.


    But one thing was certain, in the domestic and international financial sectors, he could be considered someone with a modest reputation.


    Invariably, any enterprise he invested in saw its market valuation rise, to a greater or lesser extent.


    Currently, none of them were listed companies.


    One could imagine that once a company he invested in went public, its stock price would inevitably be inflated by retail investors in the market.


    This was an excellent opportunity, if used well, his reputation would rise a notch; if not, it would be a shameful waste.


    Lu Liang needed to cherish his reputation, and good steel should be used for its cutting edge, like Ningde Era, the most promising to go public soon.


    Happy Mahua was just one entertainment company with an easily foreseeable limit, not worth wasting his reputation on.


    Zhang Chen''s mouth turned bitter as he naturally heard the implied meaning and quickly changed the subject: "Mr. Lu, we plan to wrap up ''Donkey Gets Water'' at the end of the month and have decided to continue working with Wanda."


    Even the most sincere offer within their capabilities was not enough to pique Lu Liang''s interest.


    They had no choice but to let the matter go.


    As if nothing had happened, Lu Liang smiled and said: "Working with Wanda is good too, after all, we have the experience from last time."


    "Exactly, that''s what we think as well," Zhang Chen replied with an ingratiating smile, not daring to blame Lu Liang for his reluctance to help.


    During their conversation, Zhang Chen''s assistant knocked on the door to inform them that the play would start in a few more minutes.


    "Mr. Lu, this way please." Zhang Chen arranged for Lu Liang to be seated in the best position, right in the center row.


    He smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, please enjoy the show. If you''ll excuse me, I''ll leave you to it."


    Zhang Chen had received a message from his assistant that Zhang Tian''ai''s part in the play ended after the second act.


    She would probably leave the backstage early to join Lu Liang for the rest of the show, sparing him from being a third wheel.


    Lu Liang nodded slightly: "Mr. Zhang, go ahead with your work."


    "Friends" was Mahua''s ace project, telling a series of hilarious stories about a star voluntarily going to jail to find inspiration.


    Zhang Tian''ai played a female prison guard¡ªdressed in pure black prison-chic, leather pants, knee-high stilettos, a black fitted long-sleeve shirt¡ªshowing off her graceful figure, with fair skin, beautiful looks, fiery red lips, and a prison guard hat adding a touch of mature femininity.


    Seeing this costume, Lu Liang thought of Wen Shanshan. She seemed to be more suitable for it, after all, with a Hong Kong-style filter''s enhancement.


    The pace of the plot was fast, and the second act ended quickly. Zhang Tian''ai also changed into regular clothes and quietly slipped from backstage to the front.


    She bowed her head and leaned over, sitting down quietly beside Lu Liang, and asked softly, "Liang, how was my performance just now?"


    "Not bad at all, the outfit looked good too," complimented Lu Liang, although slightly less than Wen Shanshan''s, but still very beautiful.


    Zhang Tian''ai flushed with joy and whispered, "I have a spare set of the same outfit at home."


    Right after she left backstage, she felt that suddenly, everyone''s gaze towards her had changed.


    If it was polite and enthusiastic before, now it was respectful and somewhat ingratiating.


    Though it felt like some friendships had soured, she didn''t mind the change and knew what Lu Liang had brought her.


    "Shall we go?"


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a teasing smile, believing no one could say no to a female prison guard.


    "Wait a minute, it''ll be over in more than an hour."


    Zhang Tian''ai pouted and pleaded.


    She wanted to be a long-lasting star, otherwise, she wouldn''t have given up the opportunity to make quick money from a hit to join Mahua and hone her acting skills.


    Every production is the hard work of the creative team, deserving of respect¡ªespecially "Friends," which is an excellent work.


    "Alright, let''s finish watching it then," Lu Liang smiled and refocused his attention on the stage until the performance ended and the curtain call was over.


    At a little past nine in the evening, following the exiting crowd, Lu Liang left the theatre and headed to the nearby apartment that Zhang Tian''ai had rented.


    As a second-tier actress, she had joined Happy Mahua with Lu Liang''s support, and Zhang Chen had given her a pretty good deal.


    A base salary of thirty thousand a month, with a total of roughly one hundred twenty thousand in comprehensive performance fees, her living conditions were not bad at all.


    On the 22nd floor of a mid-to-high-end apartment building, she had rented a two-bedroom apartment with an area of about 80 square meters.


    "It''s a bit messy for one person."


    Zhang Tian''ai hadn''t expected Lu Liang would want to visit her place, so she hadn''t tidied up the room in advance, and now she was hurriedly blushing, cleaning up the empty beer bottles from the table.


    As a Northeastern girl through and through, she enjoyed blowing through a few bottles quietly by herself when the night grew deep.


    "It''s okay, not as messy as I imagined."


    Lu Liang casually smiled, toured each room, and finally entered the kitchen to open the fridge.


    Half of the refrigerator space was crammed with beer, while the other half contained neatly organized portions of fruits.


    "Want a drink?" Lu Liang opened a bottle of beer; although the weather outside was cold enough to nearly freeze the ground, he always felt that beer, like cola, tasted better icy cold.


    "Wait, I''ll go take a shower and change."


    Zhang Tian''ai said flirtatiously, winked.


    She darted off into the bathroom and then suddenly popped her head back out, all smiles as she handed over her phone, "I just ordered late-night snacks, if someone calls, could you help me fetch it?"


    After saying this, the sound of water trickling followed. She didn''t want to make Lu Liang wait too long as she still had to put on makeup.


    Lu Liang chuckled, taking the beer into the living room, he turned on the TV and discovered Zhang Tian''ai was somewhat self-absorbed.


    She was following Crown Princess Consort and even had the bullet comments turned on, seemingly very concerned about other people''s opinions of her.


    Not long after, the ordered takeout arrived.


    It could only be delivered to the ground floor, so Lu Liang had to go down to pick it up.


    When he returned with the takeout, Zhang Tian''ai had already changed into a female prison guard costume, her lips fiery red, eyeliner sharp, seemingly even wearing blue contacts to enhance her enchanting look.


    She was half-reclining on the sofa, casually dangling one leg, holding in her hand the half-finished beer that Lu Liang had left.


    Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes were sultry, she took a small sip from the bottle and licked the rim, making a popping sound.


    Lu Liang, surprised, laughed, "Don''t get too fired up yet, come over and eat something first, to line your stomach."


    Zhang Tian''ai pouted with indignation, mouth jutting out, her heels clinking crisply against the tile floor.


    She pouted and complained, "Hmm~ I''ve dressed up all hot and gorgeous, and this is your reaction?"


    She was very satisfied with her look, even fantasizing while doing her makeup that Lu Liang would pounce like a hungry tiger upon seeing her.


    Zhang Tian''ai had planned to play a defiant female prison guard to spice up their interaction.


    It felt like hitting cotton with a punch.


    Suddenly, her arm was seized.


    Lu Liang pulled her into his embrace, smiling, "So this reaction, does it satisfy you?"


    Even through the leather pants, Zhang Tian''ai could feel the restless force. She smiled, laying her head near Lu Liang''s ear, "Of course, I''m satisfied~"


    Lu Liang teased, "A long night stretches ahead, we''ll eat and drink, and when the mood is ripe, things will naturally fall into place."


    "But what if I skip the first two steps?" Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes were brimming with amorous desire, overflowing like a flood.


    It had been over two months since their last parting, a day apart felt like an age; it seemed to her as if a century had passed.


    "You are so hot~" Lu Liang suddenly felt his blood surge, his hand firmly grasping her uplifted butt, which felt even firmer and more shapely through her leather pants.


    "There''s hotter to come," Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes were alluring as she bit her lower lip gently and began to slide under the table.


    Her long legs slowly spread apart, in a complete split, showing her dedication, never regretting it even as her sashes loosened.


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, unable to refrain from admiring, "Have I ever told you that I really like you?"


    Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes widened with surprise, "Hmm~ Have you said that before? If so, I would remember it for life."


    Lu Liang held Zhang Tian''ai''s cheeks in his hands, "Is it too late if I say it now?"


    "It''s not, as long as it''s from Liang, it''s never too late~"


    Zhang Tian''ai beamed with a knowing smile; she was well aware of her strengths, being young and beautiful, in an entertainment circle famous for its chaos.


    Between accompanying one or many, she believed that anyone would choose the former.

 Chapter 168 - 167: Xiao Chen Goes Online, Promoting Douyin

    The next morning, under the lingering gaze of Zhang Tian''ai, Lu Liang boarded a plane back to Modu.


    Upon arriving at the company and walking through the office area, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Chen Jinchun, who still had a student-like innocence.


    "Come with me."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, wondering if he sometimes protected his subordinates too well.


    After all, despite working for over half a year, Chen Jinchun''s eyes still revealed a clear stupidity, devoid of any sophistication.


    By contrast, Wen Chao, who followed him everywhere dealing with all matters big and small, public and private, had grown increasingly mature.


    Yet Chen Jinchun''s childishness could now be useful, and Lu Liang planned to help her transition into a new role.


    Looking dumbfounded as usual, Chen Jinchun was taken aback because usually when Lu Liang returned, he first called for Tang Caide; why had it suddenly changed to her?


    However, she still followed Lu Liang to his office with utter sincerity, where Lu Liang asked, "Do you know how to make short videos?"


    "Uh¡ªMr. Lu, what kind of videos are you referring to?" Chen Jinchun frowned, not quite understanding his question.


    Lu Liang sighed, "Go download Douyin and see how others do it. From tomorrow, start making some videos around the company."


    Before the New Year, he had promised Yang Zhenyuan that if Douyin''s user registration exceeded five hundred thousand, he would personally help promote it.


    Now, as the registration count on Douyin had surpassed one million, Lu Liang needed to fulfill his promise.


    So, on the flight back from Beijing, he had been figuring out the better ways to promote it.


    He suddenly noticed that someone had been sharing their daily work videos on Douyin, with each video often hitting over a hundred thousand views, becoming a top figure on Douyin.


    Lu Liang thought they could do the same.


    By capturing the daily operations of a top domestic venture capital firm¡ªhis company¡ªit should attract a good number of people.


    With this idea in mind, Lu Liang began looking for potential subjects, hoping to boost promotion while positively advertising the company.


    His style was rather aggressive; he needed someone softer, and the first person who came to mind was Chen Jinchun.


    Chen Jinchun looked baffled, "Mr. Lu, you had already instructed me to use Douyin before, but how exactly should I film?"


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "Just maintain your style and start filming, but don''t go next door and leak any company information."


    Chen Jinchun let out an "Oh" and pondered for a long time, then couldn''t help but ask, "Mr. Lu, what style do I have?"


    "Cute and clumsy assistant struggles at top investment bank. Just the title sounds like it will get a lot of traffic."


    "¡­"


    Chen Jinchun widened her eyes in disbelief, was that cute and clumsy description about her?


    Lu Liang looked up with a stern expression and coldly said, "Isn''t it clear enough to understand?"


    He was feeding her the answers, and if she still couldn''t understand, it wasn''t an issue of character but intelligence.


    "I... I have an idea now."


    Chen Jinchun started, sensing trouble as this was a sign of Lu Liang about to lash out, and hastily added, "Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, I will step out and think it over."


    "Go and call Mr. Tang."


    Lu Liang looked helpless, called Tang Caide over, and decided to delay the addition of an "egg" charity project for a while.


    This was explained by letting Chen Jinchun shoot regular corporate operations for Douyin to help increase user registrations.


    Tang Caide thoughtfully nodded, "When the time comes, it would seem more sincere for Assistant Chen to personally engage in the charity work." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Chen Jinchun held a special position in the company; although she graduated from a second-tier college and was among those with the lowest educational qualifications in the company.


    As Lu Liang''s assistant, strictly speaking, she was employee number two, having interviewed an hour earlier than Tang Caide.


    For her to lead the team and personally deliver donations and supplies to those in need would be quite fitting.


    Lu Liang''s delay of the charity project was evident¡ªto have Chen Jinchun first shoot some routine company videos to somewhat lay the groundwork, so it wouldn''t seem too contrived later.


    "Exactly."


    Lu Liang showed a satisfied grin, contemplating the gap between people, which sometimes seemed even larger than that between a person and a pig.


    Chen Jinchun was the first employee he had interviewed; while not very capable, her attitude was impeccable.


    But as time passed, she increasingly failed to keep up with the company''s pace. Unwilling to give up on her, Lu Liang just let her do the busywork, being fortunate to finally find a suitable position for her.


    Tang Caide couldn''t help but remark, "Assistant Chen meeting someone like Mr. Lu as her benefactor is the biggest fortune in her life."


    Lu Liang was startled, then laughed, "Tang, when did you also learn to flatter?"


    Tang Caide looked serious, "Mr. Lu, I never flatter."


    The existence of Chen Jinchun was perhaps the best testament to the idea that opportunity often trumps effort.


    She met the right person at the right time and made the correct choices.


    To put it rather bluntly, if she were to interview now, she probably wouldn''t even qualify as a receptionist.


    This wasn''t meant to disparage Chen Jinchun; it was simply a fact¡ª their receptionists all came from top universities.


    "Tang, you can go back to your tasks now."


    The next day at noon, Lu Liang logged onto Weibo and updated his status: "Unveiling a corner of the mystique of investment banking."


    The random post left many curious netizens puzzled, lacking context to even begin understanding.


    "What''s going on? Has someone hacked Lu Liang''s account? Starting to play games like ''See You on Monday'' too?"


    "According to statistics, Lu Liang had registered on Weibo for six months and had posted a total of 9 updates: 2 with giveaways, 4 calling people out, and 3 for advertisements. This one is the 10th update¡ªany guesses what he''s up to this time?"


    "Does he post this frequently? But why do I feel like he''s posted a lot more updates?"


    "Because he rarely posts updates, he mostly replies in the comment section, so it gives that illusion."


    A netizen revealed the truth and was then retweeted by Lu Liang who replied, "You guessed right, it''s another ad."


    Three o''clock in the afternoon, the stock market closed.


    Lu Liang updated his Weibo again: "Tonight at seven, Tianxing Investment is joining the Douyin platform, unveiling the mystery of domestic investment banking to those interested."


    "I knew it, another ad."


    "You can also choose not to accept it."


    "But I can''t help myself."


    "This is a straightforward plot."


    After all, Lu Liang was the famous distributor of wealth secrets. Even if people didn''t like him, they still wanted to dig for these wealth secrets and see how an investment bank operated daily.


    Moreover, netizens also wanted to see firsthand the daily life of workers who reportedly earned an average monthly salary of 21,000 yuan.


    Meanwhile, at ByteDance in Beijing.


    Zhang Yiming was fuming, "Lu Liang really has no shame."


    It was agreed that Douyin and Watermelon would develop peacefully until an appropriate time to merge, but Lu Liang backstabbed them, even though he had previously mocked, claiming Douyin wasn''t qualified.


    But Lu Liang shouldn''t be playing like this,


    Not only supporting Douyin but also having his company establish a presence there.


    The recent surge in the new energy sector was still fresh in his mind.


    Lu Liang had the ability to turn decay into magic, his strong reputation might compensate for Douyin''s algorithm and funding shortcomings.


    Xie Xin sighed, "Even if we criticize him as a social media celebrity, what can we do? It doesn''t impede his transcendent status in the financial circle."


    Indeed, this did lower the classiness of a financial mogul, but he was just having fun, what could others do about it?


    Even if he mimicked streamers with kitschy calls, the next day he would launch the third phase of a private equity fund and tons of people would still wave their cash, begging to get in.


    Prestige was earned by oneself, not given by others.


    Li Liang whispered, "We need to get Watermelon online as soon as possible, we can''t let Douyin take hold, otherwise, we''ll be at a disadvantage."


    Although they had agreed to wait for the right time for a strong alliance, that was just one possible future path.


    Without a clear contract, it was all empty talk, it was still necessary to target Douyin when needed.


    In a blink of an eye, it was nearly seven o''clock in the evening.


    The new Tianxing Investment account, without having posted a single video in a day, had accumulated over a million followers.


    Yang Zhenyuan looked at the back-end data and couldn''t help but be amazed, one Weibo post from Lu Liang equated to three months of their efforts.


    As seven o''clock arrived, Douyin''s user registration count had already broken the 2 million mark.


    During the current time slot, there were as many as 620,000 online active users, all waiting for the video to be released.


    In the evening, at seven o''clock sharp.


    Tianxing Investment released their first video.


    "Hello everyone, I''m Mr. Lu''s assistant, you can also call me Assistant Chen."


    A girl with a cute, dumpling-like face suddenly appeared in front of the camera, smiling and waving cheerily.


    "This is where we work, Tianxing Investment. There''s another company on the left, but Mr. Lu won''t let me go there, I can only take you to look around the right side."


    "This is the office area, but my desk isn''t here, Flomi, follow me, right here."


    "Three desks, the one on the left is mine, the middle one is Secretary Wen''s, and the right one is for the driver."


    "This room here is Mr. Lu''s office."


    "Ah, seems like we''re out of time."


    "That''s all for today, see you tomorrow, bye~"


    In just fifteen seconds of video, it felt like they saw something, yet saw nothing. Hundreds of thousands of netizens came confused, and left still confused: "That''s it?"


    "I even took my pants off for this?"


    "Is this girl Lu Liang''s assistant or his daughter?"


    "Daughter, plus one."


    "The vibe of this investment bank is too playful, suddenly I''m filled with despair for my future job."


    "I actually think it''s pretty good since an investment bank is also a company, just in a different field."


    "To be fair, it''s damn short."


    "Really short."


    One video, half an hour.


    The number of comments reached over a hundred thousand.


    If you didn''t read the comments section and just looked at the data, there was no doubt it was a success.

 Chapter 169 - 168: Three Trillion Support Plan

    Lu Liang flipped through the comments section on Douyin, with Chen Jinchun looking tense, her mood reminiscent of waiting for college entrance exam results.


    The fifteen-second time limit was quite restrictive¡ªshe intended to use a serialized approach, showcasing the whole company over three to five days.


    Although the video''s play data was very good, even becoming the most liked, commented, and shared video on Douyin.


    She knew all too well that the netizens were here for Lu Liang, and since he wasn''t in the first segment of the video, she wasn''t sure whether this filming method was a good idea.


    "Not bad."


    Lu Liang expressed his approval, paused, and then said, "Next time, don''t have Shiyu help you hold the filming equipment. If you''re short-handed, just hire a couple more yourself, whether internally or externally."


    Whether the plan to promote Douyin had been achieved was still unknown, as it was only the first day of video release.


    But as for softening the company''s image, that was well done¡ªChen Jinchun''s harmless appearance was quite persuasive.


    Though some netizens doubted her as a nepotism hire, or suspected she was his goddaughter, Lu Liang, being upright, wasn''t afraid of skewed shadows.


    She might be as cute as a bun,


    But cuteness pales in comparison to sexiness.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu. I will keep trying hard," Chen Jinchun said excitedly, bowing in gratitude.


    "Filming the work is fine, but don''t shoot my face."


    Lu Liang suddenly reminded her, as he wanted to enjoy some peace for a while, not keen on being in the public eye just yet.


    "Got it!" Chen Jinchun nodded earnestly. Since the company''s inception over half a year ago, only two people had been fired.


    Though officially, the firings were due to ''philosophical differences'', everyone knew that leaked photos of the boss originated from them.


    Sources revealed that they had a tough time after being dismissed, struggling to find jobs and forced to return to their hometowns for government exam preparation.


    After all, they were in venture capital, patrons of various industries. While Lu Liang hadn''t delved into it, no one wanted to risk offending him and take them in.


    Thus, an unspoken rule formed¡ªexisting employees would also tell newcomers that accidentally offending Lu Liang was okay as he was very magnanimous, often letting it slide with a smile, but secret photography was absolutely forbidden.


    The next day, Xiao Chen from Tianxing logged in again.


    Continuing where she left off, she went straight into Lu Liang''s office, showcasing the working environment, which lacked its owner''s presence.


    This left many netizens disappointed; they were eager to see clear images of Lu Liang, but unfortunately, they didn''t get their wish.


    However, it revealed quite a few subtle messages, such as the office not being large, just over a hundred square meters, no golf facilities, no calligraphy on the walls, not even a pretentious bookshelf¡ªjust filing cabinets, emphasizing simplicity and modesty.


    Still, sharp-eyed netizens noticed that it wasn''t as modest as it appeared, such as the tea table made of golden camphor wood, and a bull figure that seemed to be made of pure gold.


    Thus, Little Wang registered with his real name to get online and clarify: "No need to doubt, it''s pure gold because I gave it as a gift."


    Yang Zhenyuan also pushed the video through streaming. As long as users opened Douyin, within three videos, they were bound to come across Tianxing Investment.


    After all, with Lu Liang and his company''s clout, the conservative estimate for the promotional fee he devoted to promoting an app was an eight-figure sum.


    He treasured this opportunity. If used properly, it might create a snowball effect before Watermelon Video even came online.


    At the same time, Lu Liang headed to the high-speed railway station. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the Lunar New Year was almost over, Su Wanyu also left her family home, preparing for her postgraduate retest in mid-March.


    "Long time no see, did you miss me~?"


    With a beaming smile, Su Wanyu dropped her suitcase and outstretched her arms for a hug.


    A girl always has special feelings for her first man, and considering how impressive Lu Liang was, she could still see news about him every day online, even while at home.


    "If you didn''t come out, I was about to go to your house to fetch you," Lu Liang said with a smile, lifting Su Wanyu in his arms and spinning around in place.


    Su Wanyu laughed joyously, resting her chin on Lu Liang''s shoulder, and said softly, "During the New Year, I told my mom that I have a boyfriend."


    Lu Liang was startled and asked with a smile, "And what did my mother-in-law say?"


    "Who''s your mother-in-law," Su Wanyu blushed shyly, squinting with laughter, the corners of her mouth curving up involuntarily.


    She said softly, "It''s like mom already knew, she just told me to be careful not to get cheated."


    Lu Liang joked, "Didn''t you say you''ve already been cheated?"


    "Stop it~ You wouldn''t cheat me."


    "I meant in other ways."


    "Hmph~"


    Wanyu''s cheeks turned red, but she understood the other meaning, and said proudly, "If I''m willing, it cannot be called deception."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, as he placed her luggage in the trunk: "Let''s go, let''s go home and take a look, I too haven''t been there for a while."


    "Ah~ Then all my flowers must be dead."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "I still go to water them every other week, and they''re growing exceptionally well."


    Of course, he didn''t have the leisure for that, but instead hired a cleaner to clean and care for them on a regular schedule.


    Leaving the high-speed train station, the two took a ride to the Scholarly Splendor District in University City.


    As soon as they entered the door, Wanyu sensed something was off: "You lied to me."


    It was too clean. Based on her understanding of Lu Liang, there was no way he would clean it himself.


    "Watering the plants doesn''t necessarily require me to do it personally."


    Lu Liang embraced Wanyu from behind, whispering, "I didn''t really want to come here without you."


    "Alright, I''m not blaming you," said Wanyu, holding onto Lu Liang''s hand: "Now I''m back."


    Suddenly, she reached out her hand: "Right, give me your wallet."


    Wanyu took out a folded triangle talisman from her bag with a smile and said, "This year, our village held the super-large street temple fair that comes once every twelve years, and I got a peace charm for you."


    She placed it solemnly in the wallet compartment, specifically instructing, "Don''t lose it, we have to go back next year to offer thanks."


    Lu Liang laughed, "Are you that superstitious?"


    "It''s not superstition, it''s a place to put one''s hopes," Wanyu said earnestly.


    She knew she couldn''t be of much help to Lu Liang, the only thing she could do was not to cause him trouble.


    But she also hoped to contribute a little, which was why on the day of the temple fair, she went to pray and get a talisman with her mother at five in the morning.


    Lu Liang fell silent, holding Wanyu in his arms, whispering, "I''ll take good care of it."


    "Last time you went to Lu Island, didn''t you say you liked the fried oysters and vinegar pork? I learned how to make them over the New Year. Let''s go to the supermarket later to buy some ingredients, and I''ll try cooking them for you to see if the taste is authentic."


    "If it doesn''t taste good, I''m going to spank you."


    "Isn''t there any justice left?"


    "Do you have any objection?"


    "None~"


    When Wanyu returned to Modu, Lu Liang spent a few days with her, then went back to the office to work.


    The middle and beginning of March passed uneventfully until Li Bing dropped a bombshell in the automotive circle.


    NIO was set to launch a new electric vehicle in London on March 31, securing the leading position among the new powerhouses in car manufacturing.


    A dark silhouette of a car went viral online, with Li Bing proclaiming that it would be the fastest electric vehicle in the world.


    As the founding investor, Lu Liang also received more detailed data: four high-performance motors paired with 4 independent adjustable gearboxes, capable of producing 1,360 horsepower, accelerating from 0 to 200 kilometers in 7.1 seconds, with a top speed of 313 kilometers per hour.


    The entire vehicle was priced at 1.2 million US dollars, with only six units produced in the first batch, likely to be the only six ever made, one for each shareholder in the group.


    "Li Xiang may be arrogant, but he''s pragmatic."


    Lu Liang muttered to himself, after reviewing the new vehicle''s proposition document, which was full of empty words.


    In his view, you''d probably need a new set of batteries and motors after just one lap, and not a word was mentioned about the battery life.


    This kind of car was only suitable to be a showroom face or a toy in the garage, hardly practical for actual road use.


    Li Bing thought so too, which is why the EP9 didn''t even go through crash testing and wasn''t intended for mass production.


    It was purely a show of performance, determined to claim the title of the first domestically new-force produced, fastest electric supercar in the world.


    Lu Liang just glanced at it and didn''t care much, instead focusing on the newly announced government subsidies for the new energy industry.


    In total, they could be divided into four categories: purchase subsidies, installation subsidies, generation subsidies, and tax incentives.


    Over the next five years, three trillion yuan of funding was to be invested in support.


    As soon as the policy was announced, the new energy sector took off instantly.

 Chapter 170 - 169: A Complete Mess

    "Money truly does breed money."


    Since he shorted the British Pounds, Lu Liang had taken a long rest, merely engaging in stock investments according to the 532 distribution pattern.


    He had thought the profits would be less than 10%, but unexpectedly, a governmental decree was issued, and the new energy sector collectively surged.


    The act of taking advantage of the system wasn''t limited to ordinary people. Some enterprises did it more fiercely and even established systems for this purpose.


    With three trillion in support funds, anyone, human or ghost, wanted to get a piece of the action. The financial markets led the charge, with the entire sector soaring by 6.55% that day.


    Of the new energy constituent stocks Lu Liang had bought, nine out of ten hit the daily limit, and even those that didn''t were close.


    The 5.8 billion invested in the A-shares earned him over 4 billion just for today, and as expected, Tesla would probably rise even more fiercely tonight.


    Lu Liang suddenly understood why NIO''s originally scheduled autumn release of the ep9 was abruptly moved forward by nearly half a year.


    It seemed that Li Bing was aware that if Tesla continued to lead uncontested, it may well become the Apple of the automotive world.


    He didn''t want to see a future market with only two types of new energy vehicles: one Tesla and the other all the rest.


    It seems Old Wang from Dizi also understood this point, announcing a mid-next-month new car launch event, named the Dynasty Series.


    Once the news was released, the entire network was abuzz, because Dizi was different from other car manufacturers. With their strong industrial system, new cars could be mass-produced three months after being launched.


    The name "Dynasty Series" was also quite intriguing, suggesting both dominance and that these would be a range of models.


    One day later, He Xiaopeng publicly stated that the Xiao Peng G3 would meet everyone in the second half of this year, please look forward to it.


    Although it was only the end of March, at least half a year away from the second half, with everyone making noise, if Xiao Peng remained silent, investors might think they were about to drop out first.


    If you don''t speak out, you can''t get things done,


    Even if you''re lagging, you can''t afford to lose momentum.


    Li Xiang from Ideal also showed his ambition, announcing an imminent Series A funding round with a valuation of 620 million US Dollars.


    Following closely was Old Jia from LeEco, raising the banner of subverting the traditional automotive industry and declaring that supercars were ready for mass production.


    Boss Xu from Hengchi also loudly proclaimed the establishment of the Hengchi project, with an expected investment of ten billion in R&D over five years.


    Suddenly, the automotive world was thrown into chaos.


    Under the stimulus of three trillion in support funds, the entire new energy industry was like last year''s sharing bicycles, hitting the fast-forward button.


    Then, out of the blue, Old Zeng from Ningde Era called Lu Liang, his tone full of helplessness: "Mr. Lu, look at the fine mess you''ve created."


    "What fine mess have I created?" Lu Liang looked bewildered.


    He''d been behaving these past days, resting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, accompanying Su Wanyu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and spending weekends with Li Manli.


    He''d been practicing a balance of work and rest, not even making a move on Weibo, quietly sitting back and watching.


    He had noticed something interesting: it seemed that LeTV was about to implode, as Boss Jia had been sued by the court.


    "National Bank, Xiangyang, CIC, they''re all urging us to go public as soon as possible."


    Sighing deeply, Zeng Minqun said, Lu Liang''s investment in the New Energy Research Institute of Huaqing University had completely ignited the new energy industry.


    To his knowledge, the three trillion support plan was supposed to be rolled out in the following year or the year after, but it had been enacted right away.


    Now the whole automotive circle was a mess, everyone wanted to join in the fray and take a swipe at the state''s wool.


    As one of the only two top-tier domestic power battery manufacturers, they were also being urged by investors to list early and take advantage of the current tailwind.


    Zeng Minqun intended for Ningde to go public, but not now; they weren''t prepared, so he used Lu Liang''s opposition as an excuse.


    Lu Liang looked intrigued, pondering for a long time: "Then just say it was my idea. Right now, Ningde isn''t suited for going public; all hype and no performance will not make for lasting success on the stock market."


    Zeng Minqun looked relieved: "Mr. Lu, you''re sensible. Sorry for the offense earlier, please excuse me."


    He felt the same; unlike Lu Liang, Ningde Era couldn''t convert fame into actual revenue.


    To go public, they at least needed to wait another year or so, until various new energy vehicles were launched and mass-produced.


    That would be the ideal time for them to go public.


    Lu Liang was distracted: "I didn''t expect my unintentional actions to stir up such a storm."


    "History rolls on irresistibly, beyond the control of any individual. One day, Mr. Lu''s name will inevitably be recorded in the annals of new energy development."


    "I just hope it''s a good name, not a curse." Lu Liang smiled bitterly.


    The flap of a butterfly''s wings in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil might cause a hurricane thousands of miles away.


    Now, his influence wasn''t just that of a butterfly; perhaps from the moment he invested in the new energy research institute which caused the sector to explode by eighty billion or more.


    The direction of the entire new energy market had been altered beyond recognition; news regarding new energy could only be used as a reference, not the definitive answer anymore.


    After ending his call with Old Zeng, Lu Liang furrowed his brow and fell deep in thought: "Does Ningde still have a market cap of a trillion?" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He ultimately reached a conclusion: it absolutely did. Ningde had core technologies, and he wasn''t involved in the management.


    His interventions proved to be more effective the less frequently they occurred.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but turn his attention to Douyin, where he had also interfered quite a bit.


    Chen Jinchun had posted eight videos to date, each garnering at least 500,000 views.


    That also indicated at least five hundred thousand daily active users.


    "Old Yang, put up a fight, will you? If you keep this up, I might really sell you off, and then you''ll end up working for Zhang Yiming again."


    The time left for Douyin was running out; at most, it had just over a month left.


    Because next Thursday, Watermelon Video would launch, and as Zhu Hu had explained, ten billion in video support funds had also been approved.


    A month after launch, victory or defeat would be apparent.


    If Douyin could compete with Watermelon, that would be ideal. If one waned as the other waxed, then in the next round of financing, Lu Liang would opt to cooperate with Zhang Yiming.


    Because for the next round of financing, Lu Liang would also seek Redwood and Golden Sand River to continue investing and increase their stakes.


    This way, the two firms would hold at least 25% altogether, plus Lu Liang''s own shares, which would already exceed a majority.


    Whether or not to merge wouldn''t be up to Yang Zhenyuan anymore.


    Approaching noon, Wen Chao brought over the confirmation letter.


    As of the 25th this month, the net value was updated to 2.435, a growth of 0.211 from last month, slowing slightly.


    The main reason was that this month didn''t present many speculative opportunities; profits were purely from the natural growth of stocks.


    Once the news spread,


    The investors didn''t express any dissatisfaction.


    They knew that opportunities like shorting the British Pounds didn''t come every month, or else they wouldn''t be called black swans.


    They should be content, as even the world''s most famous fund, Vanguard, only had a total return of 32.4% last year.


    In contrast, Tianxing Phase One had a monthly profit rate of 21.1%, leaving them with no grounds for complaints.

 Chapter 171 - 170: High-End Gameplay

    At the end of March, during the EP9 launch event in London.


    Because a Douyu streamer had live-streamed adult content, the related video went viral across the internet, attracting the attention of the "Anti-Pornography and Illegal Publications" office.


    A sudden internet crackdown swept across the entire web, investigating and shutting down over 2,500 illegal websites.


    Douyu received special scrutiny, and the heads of several other leading live streaming platforms were successively called in for talks by the relevant departments.


    "My dear Liang, help me~~"


    That afternoon, Wang Xiaocong rushed to the company, seeking financial assistance from Lu Liang.


    He had always been extravagant with money, and so had his company, of the thirty million US Dollars he''d raised, barely anything was left.


    He had hoped to start Series B funding in May, but the sudden internet crackdown had completely disrupted all plans.


    The state''s heavy-handed approach targeted just the top platforms like Douhu Cat, ordering the closure of over 3,500 live streaming rooms.


    Venture capital firms also downgraded their expectations for the live streaming industry; Panda, originally valued at four hundred million dollars, was now cut down to just two hundred and fifty million.


    With the current situation, the temporary Series B funding plan set for mid-May would likely be canceled, and money was extremely tight.


    Lu Liang replied with disinterest, "Tianxing Phase One''s lock-up period has ended; you can now request redemption."


    Little Wang still had eight shares, each worth two million US Dollars, easily able to cash out a hundred million dollars with little effort.


    Little Wang''s face darkened, licking his face in desperation, he said with a forced smile, "How about you lend me some money to tide things over?"


    "Sure," Lu Liang said with a smile. Little Wang was elated, but before he could celebrate, Lu Liang added, "I''d lend you, even ten billion if you want, but to Panda, no."


    The internet crackdown swept across the network, and he wasn''t blind; various institutions were implementing a 40-60% valuation markdown.


    Even if he was bullish on the live streaming industry, he had to consider market conditions, and besides, he wasn''t confident in Little Wang''s entrepreneurial skills.


    Little Wang had always epitomized the saying ''doesn''t know the cost of firewood and rice until becoming head of the family''; no sooner had he come into a bit of money than he wanted to get involved in every field.


    Although he had certainly made a splash, his ability to withstand unknown risks was almost nil¡ªas evidenced by the current situation.


    Wang Xiaocong smacked his lips and sighed, "Then I guess I''ll have to figure it out on my own."


    The company was the company, and he was himself; because of Panda, he had already taken on a thirty million dollar bet.


    It would be insane to pour more money into it.


    Lu Liang suddenly said, "How about I show you a clear path?"


    Little Wang was startled, and although he guessed what Lu Liang was suggesting, he would''ve rejected it outright before; but now, he hesitated, "Let''s hear it."


    "Find a suitable opportunity to cash out."


    "We''ll see when the time comes." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Take care."


    Lu Liang chuckled to himself, noticing a change in Little Wang''s attitude.


    Some people won''t turn back until they hit the south wall, and when they do, they want to break through it; Little Wang represented the former half of that sentiment.


    Since returning home, he''d had smooth sailing until now, the internet crackdown completely messed up his original plans, igniting a desire to withdraw.


    In short, his spirit was broken.


    "After all, with dad being so rich, wouldn''t it be great to just relax as a super-rich second-generation?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t understand; countless examples show that ''outdoing the master'' happens only in a minority of cases; the common scenario is that they end up embarrassing their parents instead.


    "It seems Douyin has also been hit hard." Lu Liang suddenly felt that Byte might really have some destiny on its side.


    Tomorrow Watermelon Video was going online, and this cleanup was like clearing obstacles for them.


    Because of the crackdown, not only live streaming, but all entertainment and social platforms across the network were required to self-inspect or were called for talks.


    Douyu was specifically taken care of in the live streaming field, Kuai Shou particularly so in the short video field, especially with its crackdown on illicit behavior.


    Unwittingly, Lu Liang''s image in Yang Zhenyuan''s mind became even more imposing.


    Douyin was merely warned to avoid crossing lines in the future. If it hadn''t already abandoned current affairs and social hotspots, it would have faced a heavy blow too.


    That evening, Lu Liang received a massive package.


    Half an hour ago, NIO ep9 held its new car release event in London, earning the nickname "Mai Kai Wei".


    The remaining five limited edition supercars were also delivered to the company entrances of every founding investor.


    With a blue body and falcon wing doors, it indeed looked even cooler than the Pagani Zonda by a fair margin just from the exterior.


    Lu Liang had no intention of driving it, so he simply snapped a photo to upload to Weibo and Twitter before tossing it into the parking lot to gather dust.


    After all, not even crash tests were done, and besides, Li Bing had said in the group chat that he didn''t recommend they drive it¡ªit was meant as a keepsake.


    Lu Liang didn''t have a death wish, so why would he go seek his doom?


    Right after the ep9''s release event in London concluded, the company''s market valuation skyrocketed by 20 times, hitting two billion US dollars in an instant.


    Lu Liang also gradually understood this play: it was way more sophisticated than mere fundraising for development, with much more enormous returns.


    To say NIO was valued at two billion US dollars wasn''t because it genuinely had that valuation; it was because they wanted it to be valued at that.


    Because the institutions bumping up the valuation were Redwood, Tencent, Tokyo, and Gaoling¡ªall of whom were NIO''s founding investors.


    Only when they invested did other institutions and the market investors believe NIO''s valuation.


    What they, as founding investors, needed to do was to keep talking it up and investing money before it was recognized by the market.


    Until NIO''s valuation was accepted by the market and even went public, becoming a real market value.


    Lu Liang owned 10% of NIO, and for the next round of two hundred million dollars in funding, if no outsiders followed suit,


    These few venture capital firms would need to pool together the full two hundred million dollars according to their shareholdings to solidify NIO''s valuation.


    Until NIO was recognized by the market,


    They could then retire triumphantly and simply wait for the IPO.


    NIO wasn''t the only one playing this game; Li Xiang operated similarly, and probably Xiao Peng from afar off in Yangcheng was on the same track.


    The difference was that over at Li Xiang''s, some couldn''t afford to play and wanted to bow out mid-way, which is why Li Xiang turned to Lu Liang to take over.


    In the next round of funding, Lu Liang could get involved by just contributing 1% of the capital for 10% equity.


    Because those who couldn''t afford to play had to pay the price; with this mode of operation, you couldn''t just come and go as you pleased.


    Unless it was recognized by the market and someone took over, giving up midway on following up with the funds meant losing everything.


    The next day, on the 1st, Watermelon Video launched on schedule.


    Byte''s in-house jokes, Toutiao, and Feishu all vigorously promoted Watermelon Video''s one billion dollar support plan.


    The amount of capital invested was a hundred times that of Douyin''s, and in just half an hour after launch, user registrations broke the hundred thousand mark.


    Approaching noon, registration numbers already breached one million, and the platform was brimming with all types of short and medium-length videos.


    Lu Liang also contributed one registered user using his company''s phone, browsing the edge-skimming content he loved most on ordinary days.


    "Damn this network purification."


    Lu Liang sighed heavily, ever since the cleaning of the net, the ladies'' outfits had become more conservative, no longer revealing as much as before.


    Now they even covered their chest while bending over to prevent wardrobe malfunctions, whereas before, they almost couldn''t wait to show off to the audience.


    Ten minutes later, Lu Liang also experienced the terrifying nature of Byte''s algorithm and recommendation system.


    He had merely liked a few posts,


    Spending a bit longer on them than others.


    And it kept pushing the same type of content creators to him.


    It was irresistible, making one want to keep watching.


    He also realized how big the gap was between Douyin and Watermelon.


    Because Yang Zhenyuan had said that cultivating a user''s viewing habits required at least two hours of algorithm simulation, but Watermelon only needed ten minutes.


    "That''s at least a 12-fold difference."


    Lu Liang marveled, exclaiming that it was terrifying, effectively issuing a critical condition notice to Douyin.


    Now his only hope was that Douyin could last a little longer, so he could sell it for a nice price.

 Chapter 172 - 171: Spring Has Arrived

    Watermelon Video came in with a fury, and the industry cried out that the wolf had come.


    However, among the original video platforms, the biggest impact was not on Douyin or Kuai Shou, but on Bilibili, which had been seeking a transformation.


    ByteDance had clearly conducted an in-depth market research and found short videos were too short, long videos were too long, so they finally chose mid-length videos of 1-20 minutes.


    Bilibili was known for its long videos, and somehow, it seemed the longer the video, the better.


    After babbling on and on without ever getting to the point, Bilibili had already caused much dissatisfaction among users.


    There were also a bunch of self-righteous original second-dimensional users who looked down on this and that platform and were very resistant to outsiders, causing a lot of grief for many bloggers.


    A large number of video creators, having received the news, began to shift platforms, and if it really came down to choosing sides, they would likely abandon Bilibili without hesitation, unless they couldn''t make money on Watermelon.


    Chen Rui was an innocent victim, crying and fainting in the bathroom.


    Approaching noon, Lu Liang signed and confirmed the documents, updating the net value of Tianxing II private equity.


    This month''s net value was only 2.534, only a 0.194 increase from last month, and a 1.7% fall compared to the first phase.


    But this was a fund with an initial capital of one billion dollars, so even a 0.194 increase in net value amounted to earnings of 194 million dollars.


    If there were such earnings every month, the total annual earnings would be 2.28 billion dollars, a return of 228%.


    With such a high rate of return, who needs a bicycle?


    In short, Lu Liang had exceeded the annual performance target by shorting the British Pounds.


    Even if he stopped now and didn''t earn another penny.


    Even if there were losses, as long as the net value was above 2 at settlement, there would still be plenty of people waving their cash eagerly wanting to come in for the next phase.


    It wasn''t just about turning one dollar into two, but turning one billion dollars into two billion dollars.


    Vanguard led the world because they managed assets in the trillions of dollars, achieving a minimum annual return of 15.5% over the past five years, representing 155 billion dollars.


    The more funds there are, the harder it is to manage.


    "The total asset scale is 2.776 billion dollars."


    "US stocks took up 1.388 billion dollars."


    "A-shares took up 832.8 million dollars."


    "There is still 5.552 million dollars."


    "I invested 156.7 million dollars in Ningde."


    "That leaves 398.5 million dollars."


    With nearly four hundred million dollars in liquid funds, Lu Liang thought about how to spend it.


    Money not spent, just lying in an account, would only depreciate, which was a form of despicable waste.


    Regarding the new energy industry, apart from the financing agreed with Li Xiang next month, he didn''t want to invest in anything else for the time being.


    The market was overheated at the moment. Even the valuation of Ai Bao electric bicycles had been inflated by 30%.


    The national three-trillion support fund had a profound impact, driving the whole market into a frenzy.


    Now, at the peak of the tide, even nearly bankrupt LeEco had raised one billion dollars, making him cough up blood in astonishment.


    Who knows how many enterprises like LeEco there still are - if one wasn''t cautious with investing, they could end up buying in at the peak.


    Lu Liang shifted his focus internationally. The citizens of Old England couldn''t afford to play the game, personally feeling the negative effects of currency devaluation.


    A million people marched in the streets, applying to initiate a second national referendum; this time, they definitely wouldn''t vote for Brexit again.


    However, at the time of the vote, out of over thirty-three million voters, 17.17 million had voted for Brexit, far surpassing the opposition by 1.22 million.


    David Cameron hadn''t taken it seriously, stating it was just temporary pain, darkness before dawn, a bright future was waiting for them.


    Right now, he was like a woman who had initiated a divorce, with the decision already made and being implemented, determined to prove that her choice was correct.


    He was gambling that the EU, this big family, would fall apart without Great Britain, as if the divorced woman always felt she was very important.


    As long as the EU crumbled, even if it was just a facade of unity, they could return to the exalted status they had before marriage, sought after by many.


    Unlike the divorced woman, however, Old England could afford to wait.


    This process might take ten or even fifteen years, but he believed time would prove everything.


    All day long, Lu Liang had been perusing related news, until the clock struck midnight.


    "So stubborn."


    Silence filled the air; not a sound could be heard.


    This also meant that his idea of going long on British Pounds after Old England''s second referendum had fallen flat.


    The next day, Lu Liang received a phone call from Liu Mingxuan inviting him to his home.


    "Are you free this evening?" he asked, having cooked up a feast of four dishes and a soup, very sumptuous.


    "Nothing much."


    Lu Liang was puzzled, the house was practically empty, as if no one had lived there for a long time, and couldn''t help but ask, "Where''s your wife?"


    "She''s gone back to her hometown to prepare for childbirth, the due date is roughly early next month." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Mingxuan smiled, opened five or six bottles of beer, seemingly ready for a good, hearty drink.


    "What''s happening today?"


    The puzzled look on Lu Liang''s face intensified.


    "Both she and I are only children, it''s not ideal to keep staying in Modu. If something happens to the elders at home, I''m afraid we might not even have someone around to care for them."


    Puffing on a cigarette and sipping his beer, Liu Mingxuan talked about how he had already sold the house, and he had a high-speed train ticket for the next morning, but before leaving, he wanted to meet with Lu Liang for one last drink.


    Lu Liang remained silent, drinking most of a bottle himself, and after a long while, he asked, "Have you figured out what you''re going to do back home?"


    Liu Mingxuan laughed and said, "Her family has a small factory, and there are some connections, I plan to go back and get into e-commerce."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then said, "You might want to keep an eye on Pinduoduo; it seems to have quite a bit of growth potential."


    Last year, Pinduoduo had launched, and amidst a nearly solidified e-commerce market, it forcefully carved out a slice of the pie for itself.


    And it was currently in a state of wild growth, far easier to make a name for oneself than in the established systems of JD and Taobao.


    Although it''s synonymous with ''cheap,'' nearly 600 million people in the country still have a monthly income of less than 1,000 Yuan.


    When Taobao started, it went through the same process, and Jack Ma was even called the king of knock-offs, only just this year he became Ma Ba Ba.


    It was a pity that Lu Liang came into money too late, missing the A and B rounds of financing; currently, Pinduoduo''s valuation had reached 18 billion US dollars.


    With the financial and traffic support from Tencent, he saw no chance for himself to enter the fray.


    "I will go take a look," Liu Mingxuan said earnestly, after all, not many people received personal advice from Lu God.


    "Wishing you a safe and prosperous journey."


    Lu Liang raised his glass; having been in Modu for so many years, he was accustomed to the departures of friends and didn''t have much else to offer in the way of help.


    Liu Mingxuan probably wasn''t short on funds, because the house had been bought back when Lu Liang helped him get ahead in sales.


    With the real estate market now booming, it should be worth more than five million.


    He initially made a 70% down payment, nearly a full payment, and the mortgage was paid off by 2012, pocketing over five million.


    "Once a young man with ambitions everywhere, envying the geese flying south~~" Liu Mingxuan suddenly began to hum a tune.


    Lu Liang''s face darkened, and he glared, "Can you not be so melodramatic?"


    "Liang, Liang, the one I can''t let go of is you," Liu Mingxuan said with a face full of sorrow.


    "Don''t make me smack you down."


    "Bring it on; after this, even if you wanted to hit me, you''ll not get the chance."


    Lu Liang glanced over, took out his phone, and opened Weibo: "This one, and this one too, I''ve slept with them."


    "Damn, you''ve even scored with my Ai Bao."


    Liu Mingxuan''s face darkened, then suddenly he grinned, trying to butter up, asking with a sycophantic smile, "Was it good?"


    He understood Lu Liang; the people he would brag about were not the ones he truly cared about.


    Liu Mingxuan was no exception.


    In the past, when Liu Mingxuan casually mingled, he''d even take sneak photos of the full backside of his jogging buddies and send them to Lu Liang to show off his charm with women.


    As for his now wife, it wasn''t until his wedding day that he introduced her very formally to Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang grinned wickedly: "Your Ai Bao used to be thinner, she''s gained some weight, fairly plump."


    "Go to hell, drink up."


    Liu Mingxuan appeared indignant, the wheel of fate turns, no one is spared by heaven, and now it was his turn to defend.


    They drank until after two in the afternoon, with Liu Mingxuan practically passed out, ending up asleep on the table.


    Lu Liang had five bottles but was still standing,


    He helped him up to the sofa and covered him with a coat.


    Leaving behind a red envelope of 2000 Yuan for his soon-to-be-born nephew, or niece.


    Lu Liang walked out of the house and found it was raining, a fine mist in the air with a kind of sticky feel.


    "Spring is here, another new year."

 Chapter 173 - 172: Wealth Brings Firepower Coverage

    The next day, Liu Mingxuan sent a message, "I''m leaving, thank my son for your red envelope."


    "Safe travels."


    Lu Liang received it, replied with a message, and then ignored it.


    When a relationship reached a certain level, even if they only met once a year, they could quickly regain the old times'' feeling.


    He and Liu Mingxuan had that kind of relationship.


    On April 7, Watermelon Video had been online for a week.


    The data was extremely impressive, with registration volume breaking the ten million mark.


    Initially, most came for the "wool," but Byte''s algorithm was exquisite, and the "wool" wasn''t for everyone to exploit.


    Gradually, some creators'' data weren''t favorable, and they gave up on their intent to exploit, thus staying on Watermelon Video.


    Although Douyin''s user base had reached five million and was considered a modestly successful app, Watermelon Video''s sudden rise put Yang Zhenyuan under a lot of pressure, making him sleepless night after night, his broad forehead even more prominent.


    That day, he rushed from Beijing to Modu to discuss with Lu Liang, planning to use clause twenty-one of their contract early.


    Clause twenty-one stated he had the right to suggest that all shareholders dilute their shares to pool 5-10% into an equity incentive pool, but this needed a 66.7% majority to pass.


    Even without Series A funding, his holding was only 60%, so he needed Lu Liang''s support.


    Yang Zhenyuan knew where Douyin fell short compared to Watermelon, so he planned to poach several industry bigwigs.


    Real bigwigs couldn''t be swayed by money alone; the price Douyin could afford, others could easily outbid.


    Equity was the sole tether.


    Originally, it was because of this that Yang Zhenyuan included clause twenty-one in the contract.


    He just never thought he''d have to resort to it so soon, but there was no choice¡ªthe algorithm of Watermelon was too strong.


    Douyin couldn''t even see its competitor''s back.


    "Wait a bit longer, if we use it now, we won''t have another chance."


    Lu Liang reviewed Douyin''s various data from the past week; although both the user base and daily active users had increased, the quality had clearly declined.


    Before Watermelon appeared, Douyin''s average daily active users were about 250,000, with an average online duration of about 72 minutes.


    Since the launch of Watermelon, in just seven days, the average daily online time had forcibly reduced to 66 minutes, with a downward trend.


    Yang Zhenyuan sighed bitterly and couldn''t help feeling a bit pessimistic, "If we don''t use it now, will there ever be another chance?"


    "There will be."


    Lu Liang''s brow was tightly furrowed, and Yang Zhenyuan''s pessimism was not a good sign.


    If Douyin couldn''t rise up, how would he ever sell it at a good price?


    A spirited competitor and a beaten cur by the roadside were incomparable in price.


    "Let''s do this, first recruit a large number of engineers, attract talent by offering salaries 150% above the industry average."


    "Don''t worry about financial issues, just ensure the funds are put to good use, and if money is insufficient, I''ll figure something out."


    Lu Liang pondered, if plan A failed, they only had to change tactics and pave a golden path with money.


    If history hadn''t changed, by mid-November next year, Toutiao would expend one billion dollars to acquire Musical.ly for Douyin, resulting in a merger.


    For Byte to invest such a large sum in Douyin, its valuation must exceed one billion dollars, conservatively estimated at two billion dollars.


    Lu Liang still had nearly four hundred million dollars in cash, worrying about nowhere to spend it¡ªhe could engage in a real battle with Zhang Yiming.


    According to Zhu Hu, Byte''s liquid funds were just over two hundred million dollars, already spending one billion to promote Watermelon Video.


    Though not disbursed all at once, including Byte''s funds, it wouldn''t exceed two hundred million dollars.


    Nearly four hundred million dollars, couldn''t he overpower them, completely undercutting their foundation?


    After all, times had changed, and as the saying goes, the poor must interweave tactics, while the rich cover with firepower.


    Lu Liang now possessed the capital for covering with firepower; Zhang Yiming had better come over honestly to negotiate peace, or Lu Liang wouldn''t mind fighting him to the end.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu. You are our anchor. With your words, we can rest assured."


    Yang Zhenyuan was overjoyed. It was good to rely on a big supporter; equity was important, but real gold and silver were more essential.


    The real tech moguls were out of reach, but they could produce volume, through massive piles of shitty code, simulating algorithms.


    They could at least reduce the gap in algorithms from a factor of 12 to within a factor of 6, that is, building user profiles in one hour.


    Yang Zhenyuan didn''t realize that Lu Liang''s heart wasn''t in it; he was solely focused on electric vehicles, and this move was merely a tactic for seeking peace through battle.


    In the afternoon, Yang Zhenyuan returned to Beijing with Lu Liang''s promise, and then the whole Beijing Circle''s internet giants exploded.


    Baidu, the old employer, took the brunt, offering a salary 150% higher than the current rate to poach an entire tech team.


    Next were ByteDance and Kuai Shou, who continuously lost more than fifty people who formed a research team of over one hundred members.


    "Holy shit, has Yang Zhenyuan gone mad?"


    "Raising 1.5 million dollars in Series A, could that make him so aggressive? Jumping over, it''d be hilarious if he ends up broke."


    "My cousin works at Douyin, heard Yang Zhenyuan just got back from Modu, seems like he went to meet Lu Liang."


    "Lu Liang... isn''t he into new energy? What''s he doing meddling with short videos?"


    "New energy is current, but earlier he saw potential in short videos; it''s said that it was because of him Yang Zhenyuan left Byte to start his own thing."


    "No need to say ''it''s said'', Lu Liang is the founding investor of Douyin, still holding a 33.25% stake even after the Series A financing."


    "Damn, Byte''s in for it now; when it comes to splashing cash, who nowadays can outspend Lu Liang?"


    In some place in Zhongguang Village, several big company employees were chatting idly, when it came to splashing cash, nobody could outspend Lu Liang, that was almost consensus.


    After all, the first quarter of this year isn''t over yet, and Lu Liang''s two private equity funds already earned 1.3 billion dollars.


    Even if he decided to spend 300 million dollars just for fun, and even if it all went down the drain, investors wouldn''t dare complain.


    In contrast, Byte is just an unprofitable internet company; talking about splashing cash, they really can''t compete with Lu Liang.


    As evening approached, Zhu Hu suddenly called: "Has Yang Zhenyuan gone crazy? Was this really your idea?"


    "Yes, it was my idea."


    Lu Liang smiled, paused, then added, "If you don''t want to follow, I can take back the shares from Golden Sand River."


    Zhu Hu pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked, "How much of a premium are you planning to pay?"


    "How about 10%? Making some interest isn''t bad."


    Zhu Hu turned gloomy, gruffly retorted, "Can you be any more ruthless?"


    "Does that mean you''re in?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    "I''m in for whatever amount; I think Shen Peng feels the same, don''t think about leaving us behind."


    Zhu Hu was fiercely resentful; by now, no one would question Lu Liang''s insight in investment or speculation.


    As a victim, he had particular authority.


    Sometimes, he couldn''t help but wonder if Lu Liang had calculated it all.


    Otherwise, how could he have timely withdrawn from ofo, letting him voluntarily pay a 20% premium to take over.


    Although ofo''s valuation reached 500 million dollars, management issues and financial problems were continuously revealed.


    Especially Dai Wei, this guy seemed determined to carry the Enfeoffment Decree through to the end, planning to bring Jingwei Capital into the Series C financing and even give up another veto right.


    Hearing this news, Zhu Hu was extremely frustrated, already discussing with Ali about exiting the deal even at a loss.


    Lu Liang exiting in Series B was admittedly very timely, as if he had predicted it.


    Now, Golden Sand River holds shares in Douyin, and Lu Liang let Yang Zhenyuan go ahead and provided financial support.


    It seemed he was very optimistic about Douyin''s development; despite Byte''s looming threat, Lu Liang was a man adept at creating miracles.


    He insisted on staying to the end,


    even if it meant losing money.


    Lu Liang felt somewhat disenchanted: "If you''re in, then fine, I''ll ask Shen Peng''s opinion."


    After ending the call with Zhu Hu, Lu Liang phoned Shen Peng, who answered almost identically.


    He laughingly said, "Just tell us the shortfall directly, as long as you''re still in, Redwood will keep following."


    Even though he too couldn''t grasp Lu Liang''s thoughts, losing a few hundred million was still something he could afford.


    He trusted Lu Liang''s vision. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 174 - 173: The Flames of War Spread Outwards

    "Wait until Douyin spends all the money in its account, then raise another 10 million US dollars,"


    Lu Liang sighed helplessly, suddenly understanding what it meant to be burdened by fame; this was the burden of fame.


    Fame is a double-edged sword, you can call to arms and countless people will charge with you, but everything you want to do is scrutinized.


    Moving quietly into the village, no gunslinging needed.


    That would be basically impossible from now on, either lay the groundwork in advance, or go in openly. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No problem."


    Shen Peng was all smiles, in a very good mood.


    Not only the netizens wanted to make a fortune with Lu Liang, but they also wanted to join him in making big money.


    Now, even if Lu Liang said poop was chocolate flavor, there would probably be people who couldn''t resist trying it out.


    The caveat was that Lu Liang needed to taste it first.


    Just like Douyin now.


    ByteDance is strong, experienced, and has the technology, but the probability of it dominating the original video market is definitely not as high as that of Old England leaving the EU.


    Old England leaving the EU, such a low-probability event, yet Lu Liang dared to use all his capital, even deploying at least ten times leverage.


    Call him a gambler or a maniac, but he bet right, and so far, he hasn''t lost a single time.


    Once or twice could be good luck, but five or six times, it''s about strength, so Shen Peng and Zhu Hu are willing to play along with Lu Liang.


    After a few days, three institutions pooled together 10 million US dollars and injected it into Douyin, resulting in a reallocation of shares.


    Lu Liang invested 3.4 million US dollars, his 34% stake remained unchanged.


    Golden Sand River invested 3.52 million, and Redwood invested 3.08 million US dollars, each holding 16% and 14% stakes respectively.


    Yang Zhenyuan''s 51% ownership could have remained undiluted, but he couldn''t come up with 5.1 million US dollars.


    Fortunately, after dilution, he still held 36% of the shares, still the largest shareholder of Douyin.


    Lu Liang''s lips curved into a smile as he murmured to himself, "After the next round of financing, Douyin will take the Lu surname."


    He could have actually taken over Yang Zhenyuan''s diluted shares, but there was no need. Once he became Douyin''s major shareholder, Yang Zhenyuan would probably be wary of making any abrupt moves.


    Lu Liang didn''t want Douyin to become another ofo, and moreover, Shen Peng and Zhu Hu invested in Douyin again because they trusted him.


    Having the shares in their hands was no different than in Lu Liang''s; it just meant earning a little less in the future.


    Another critical point was that both Redwood and Golden Sand River were Byte''s shareholders.


    When Zhang Yiming didn''t want to make peace, Shen Peng and Zhu Hu would also push his head down and facilitate a merger of both parties.


    Ever since Douyin received the ten million dollars, it suddenly became aggressive, no longer shrinking back, but taking the initiative to strike.


    Increasing offers and quantity, it launched a billion-yuan creator incentive plan and then lifted the medium video restrictions, directly targeting Watermelon.


    For a time, it went back and forth with Watermelon, and the battle gradually spread throughout the original video industry.


    When the big dog fights the second, sometimes it''s the third that gets killed ¨C this happens often in the business world.


    Because the third party, while eating popcorn and watching the drama, fails to realize that the first and second''s user growth comes from sucking the third''s blood.


    Watermelon is not the industry leader, nor is Douyin the second in line, but nobody wants to become the third, drained by others.


    Therefore, Kuai Shou and Bilibili also refuse to show weakness, launching their billion-yuan creator incentive plans overnight.


    One after another, all claiming to invest a billion yuan.


    But how much they actually invested, outsiders wouldn''t know. However, outsiders saw that the self-media bloggers'' spring seemed to have arrived.


    Because the published videos were free content, they basically didn''t involve product promotion; uploading a video onto four platforms and benefiting from all four was basic practice.


    One day, a blogger couldn''t resist sharing their earnings, revealing that a video with over 100,000 views on four platforms had a total revenue exceeding 4,000 yuan.


    Once announced, it caused a sensation across the internet; overnight, self-media became the hottest emerging profession.


    Soon, the war of self-media spread beyond the industry.


    It''s said anybody could enter the self-media industry, but at the very least, a slightly clearer imaging device was needed for shooting.


    OPPO was the first to react since they specialized in photography smartphones. They caught this lucrative wave perfectly and launched the R9 model.


    That month''s sales, beating Apple and kicking Xiaomi, made Chen Mingyong''s mouth crooked with joy; fortune had fallen from the sky while he sat at home.


    Seeing this, other smartphone brands panicked.


    Although the autumn launch was still half a year away, they rallied and joined the fray with this year''s new models.


    If need be, they''d develop another new phone in the fall.


    Even if they couldn''t catch this immense wave of wealth, they definitely couldn''t let OPPO shine alone.


    Because since the advent of the smartphone era, it''s been difficult to innovate upon existing functionalities, with the only option being to optimize and re-optimize them.


    Camera capabilities became almost the unanimous next target for all smartphone manufacturers, also serving as the entry ticket to the high-end flagship market.


    If OPPO captured all this traffic wave, from then on, when people thought of camera phones, they''d think only of OPPO.


    Then they''d be eating dust.


    "Mr. Lu, everyone in our competitor''s chat group is cursing you," Lei Jun couldn''t help but complain in the group.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Then, Mr. Lei, did you curse me too?"


    He hadn''t expected that merely backing Douyin and Watermelon would spark a wildfire on the grassland in the dry season. The fire grew more and more uncontrollable, spreading across the country and affecting the mobile phone industry.


    Lei Jun was silent for a long while, then sent a sighing emoji, "I should be the one who cursed you the most."


    "???" Lu Liang was utterly confused.


    Not until the next day, when the entire internet was abuzz with Xiaomi''s newly introduced concept phone, did he understand why Lei Jun had said that.


    The Xiaomi MIX, the world''s first full-screen phone, featuring a front side devoid of physical buttons, an astounding 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, and a visually stunning ceramic body design.


    Upon its release, it caused a national sensation.


    "Xiaomi''s ambition isn''t ordinary at all."


    Lu Liang was shocked, finding it much better looking than the Apple 6s, and thinking he should probably avoid Lei Jun next time, lest he get beaten up.


    After all, such an epoch-making phone was likely scheduled to debut at the end of the year to impact the high-end flagship market, but it got leaked so much sooner.


    Even he felt a bit regretful.


    In the meantime, the online discussions were rampant.


    However, when netizens discussed how much longer Xiaomi MIX would be playing monkey tricks on them, they always brought up Lu Liang.


    "Tsk tsk, at that time and at this moment, who could have imagined they''d be so alike?"


    "It''s uncannily similar. This situation is just like last year''s bike-sharing craze, sparked by Lu Liang''s first shot, which then suddenly swept the nation."


    "This guy has a strong knack for causing trouble. I''m quite looking forward to electric cars now. When will Lu Liang step in?"


    "Don''t even think about new energy vehicles without three to five years, that''s just the R&D cycle. Bike sharing had quick success because it''s simple to manufacture, and the smartphone market is already a battlefield of many contenders."


    A netizen with keen insight spoke the truth.


    But one had to admire Lu Liang''s ability to attract traffic. In whichever industry, he could stir great waves.


    Wang Xiaocong''s position as the top internet celebrity in the country might be overtaken, especially since without Wanda, Little Wang is nothing.


    In contrast, Lu Liang rose to prominence in an era where grassroots success stories are nearly extinct, always making a big splash.


    Battling in the original video content sector, he could even spread the war to the smartphone arena; it was as if absurdity''s mother opened the door to more absurdity, bringing absurdity right to home.


    At this moment, in Beijing, ByteDance.


    Zhang Yiming narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself, "Does he really want to go head-to-head with us, or is he just looking to sell at a good price?"


    He couldn''t quite understand Lu Liang''s actions. After all, causing such a commotion, if it was just to negotiate a truce, seemed like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.


    But if it wasn''t for negotiating a settlement,


    what was Lu Liang''s purpose?


    Could he truly believe that Douyin could beat Watermelon?


    Although Yang Zhenyuan poached quite a few engineers, Byte''s R&D team was centered around him.


    As long as Zhang Yiming was there, Byte would always be able to perform dimensionality reduction attacks on Douyin on the algorithmic technology level.


    He suddenly felt lost.


    After much thought, he decided to call Zhu Hu, planning to gauge Lu Liang''s intentions through him.


    If it was to grow the market, then everyone should just focus on doing well, instead of this life-or-death struggle.


    Why not just merge when the time is right.


    Zhu Hu laughed, "I don''t know what he''s thinking either; I just feel that he has good judgment, so I''m just playing along."


    "¡­"


    Zhang Yiming was at a loss for words, but Zhu Hu added, "Why think too much? If you don''t understand, just ask him directly."


    Zhu Hu said, "In a few days, Li Xiang Auto will be securing funding, and he should come to Beijing. I can set up a meeting for you guys to have a good chat, how about that?"


    Zhang Yiming pondered for a long while, "Thank you, Mr. Zhu. I''ll personally seek out Mr. Lu and ask him then."


    Lu Liang had money, but Byte didn''t; every penny of theirs was earmarked for a specific purpose.


    If it''s about playing with technology, Zhang Yiming is confident to push them all in together, but when it comes to capital, they really can''t compete with Lu Liang.

 Chapter 175 - 174: Vehicle System 3.0

    In early May, before heading to Beijing, Lu Liang casually attended Panda''s financing meeting.


    With a valuation of 280 million US dollars, Panda offered 25% of its shares and received 446 million dollars in financing funds from five venture capital firms including LeEco, Golden Sand River, and Chenhai.


    As soon as Lu Liang arrived, he encountered Jia Yuetting, who was all smiles and chatting cheerfully, seemingly rejuvenated after securing a billion in financing to clear some loans and get the court case dismissed.


    It seemed that LeEco was leading the investment again, fiercely throwing 158 million RMB into Panda, as if to declare to outsiders that LeEco was still standing strong, and Old Jia was still spirited.


    "Mr. Lu, I heard you are going to invest in Li Xiang?"


    Boss Jia looked slightly resentful. NIO invested, Li Xiang invested, but why not invest in his LeSEE?


    If he could get Lu Liang''s investment, he could raise another three billion, possibly giving him a second shot at life.


    The financial situation at LeEco was actually much more severe than people imagined, severe enough that he booked a flight to the United States every day, ready to seek opportunities there.


    "Last time I went to Beijing, I had a pleasant conversation with Li Xiang. I am quite optimistic about the new energy industry." Lu Liang smiled.


    "What do you think of our LeSEE?" Jia Yuetting asked.


    "It''s quite promising, the connected car ecosystem has great potential, perhaps it will be mainstream in the future," Lu Liang expressed his admiration undisguised.


    Jia Yuetting brightened up, sensing an opportunity, "Mr. Lu, our LeSEE is going to have its Series B fundraising next week."


    "LeSEE is a good project, but it shouldn''t be under the LeEco name. We prefer to invest in startups."


    Lu Liang maintained his smile, sharing his company''s investment philosophy, which was also a tactful way of declining LeEco''s fundraising invitation.


    A company can be entangled in lawsuits for failing to pay suppliers or for other reasons, but should not be sued by banks for loan defaults.


    The reasons for failing to pay suppliers can vary, such as substandard quality or delayed delivery, which cannot satisfy inspectors.


    But there''s only one reason for failing to pay back bank loans and that''s simply having no money.


    And Lu Liang was also telling the truth, he preferred to invest in developing companies, wanting to save his first substantial investment for Ningde Era, to help Ningde break through to a trillion market value sooner.


    "Well, coincidentally, Mr. Lu, you might not know this, but I founded a new energy vehicle company called Faraday Future in Las Vegas two years ago."


    Jia Yuetting was excited, feeling he found a like-minded person, and decided to start anew as he thought LeEco was past the point of return.


    A hint of speechlessness flashed in Lu Liang''s eyes. Old Jia really thrived on the slightest of positivity. He turned to Little Wang, "Mr. Jia, let''s find another time to talk in detail; Mr. Wang seems to be looking for me about something."


    "Ah, alright, alright."


    Jia Yuetting nodded repeatedly, watching Lu Liang walk away, and suddenly felt this opportunity was half successful.


    Lu Liang, more famous in Europe and America than domestically, dominated the Wall Street scene for so many years. Few could make Wall Street bow down.


    Just like NIO unveiling a concept car, the EP9, and it being hyped to a valuation of two hundred million dollars, which was generally considered overvalued in Europe and America.


    A bit high?


    That meant that just a slight reduction would make the valuation reasonable. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A high-performance assembled car valued at two hundred million.


    Jia Yuetting''s eyes turned red with envy.


    He was well aware that this had something to do with Lu Liang.


    Li Bing knew too damn well where to hold the new car launch, in London, right after Lu Liang had shorted the British Pounds.


    With Brexit causing the Pound to plummet, Lu Liang might not have earned the most, but he certainly was the most dazzling.


    Li Bing, during an interview with The Times, also carefully chose his words, saying their NIO vehicle was the project Lu Liang had invested the most money in over the past year.


    His statement wasn''t wrong; a single investment of tens of millions of dollars was indeed the major investment Lu Liang made last year.


    The venture capitalists, loving both the house and its crow, felt that NIO vehicles indeed had something to offer.


    Man''s reputation, like a tree''s shadow.


    Hating Lu Liang didn''t mean they didn''t respect him.


    Boss Jia secretly decided, as long as Faraday could secure an investment from Lu Liang, he would flee directly to the United States and lay low for several years.


    After achieving results, he planned to make a triumphant return, so he wouldn''t have to constantly battle the severe internal strife due to LeEco''s finances.


    "What''s up?"


    Wang Xiaocong was completely confused, seeing Lu Liang quickly approaching, while the person talking to Little Wang tactfully smiled, greeted, and left.


    "Just came to see." Lu Liang shook his head and chuckled; Old Jia was too enthusiastic, he was a bit hard to handle.


    Wang Xiaocong didn''t ask much and began to talk about the details of the financing, mainly signing a stock repurchase agreement.


    Three years later, if they couldn''t meet the listing requirements, they would need to repurchase 25% of the equity raised this time at a 10% premium.


    "Is it Panda, or is it you?" Lu Liang asked.


    "It''s Panda," Wang Xiaocong said softly.


    He thought it over and decided to follow through to the end. If they couldn''t be listed in three years, he would simply apply for bankruptcy.


    By then, sell what needed to be sold, at most compensate a hundred million or so, and then live peacefully as a rich second generation.


    Lu Liang heard his plan to go all in and sighed, "Don''t be too ambitious, stabilize until you get listed before you stir things up."


    His equity had been diluted in two rounds, left with only 9.56%, even if Panda applied for bankruptcy, the responsibility wouldn''t fall on him, it would just mean a loss on the initial investment.


    "When the money is spent, if there are still no results, I''ll go seek out Tencent or Ali."


    Little Wang showed a helpless expression, after being beaten down, he had gotten honest. Internet entrepreneurship was impossible to go through without dealing with these two giants, and Lu Liang wasn''t willing to support him like he supported Douyin.


    Without major capital backing and unwilling to get close to Ali or Tencent, entrepreneurship was damn hard.


    "Tencent is reliable, Ali has money."


    Lu Liang left these words and then left the venue.


    He would support Douyin because Douyin could bring him benefits, but supporting Little Wang, he couldn''t see any benefit.


    That noon, Lu Liang took a flight to Beijing to attend a financing meeting for Li Xiang. This financing amounted to two hundred million dollars, with Tianxing Assets contributing twenty million, acquiring 10% equity in Li Xiang.


    This time it was said to be financing, but it was actually a follow-up investment, some couldn''t keep up, inviting Lu Liang to take his place, only needing to provide 1% of the funds to gain 10% equity.


    But they still called it financing because it was a good opportunity to raise the valuation.


    After the meeting, Zhu Hu found Lu Liang and mentioned that Zhang Yiming intended to meet him for a chat.


    "The recent moves you''ve made have really made a big impact."


    Zhu Hu said with a smile.


    With the support of Lu Liang''s funds, Douyin''s recent valuation had soared, nearly reaching eighty million dollars.


    If they now removed restrictions and allowed outsiders in, numerous people would wave their money and line up to join, unlike the falsely inflated two billion dollars valuation of Liang and NIO.


    "That was not my intention," sighed Lu Liang.


    In the mobile phone industry, he knew Lei Jun, which he had also met through NIO. Now with the mobile sector creating a buzz around the city, and even blaming him as the instigator, where could he go to argue his case.


    "The greater your ability, the larger your responsibility," Zhu Hu reflected.


    "That doesn''t sound like something you would say," Lu Liang said in shock.


    Zhu Hu laughed, "Maybe I''ve been with Shen Peng, that bastard, for too long, and he''s rubbed off on me."


    The two of them chatted and laughed, preparing to leave.


    Li Xiang suddenly stopped Lu Liang: "Mr. Lu, is Huaqing''s research institute developing Vehicle Machine 3.0?"


    Vehicle Machine was a shorthand, which could be called an automotive computer, or smart control system, or onboard navigation, but Vehicle Machine was simpler and more straightforward.


    The concept of Vehicle Machine was first introduced in the 1980s. Vehicle Machine 1.0 only had tape playback and radio functions. Vehicle Machine 2.0, which is the mainstream in today''s market, included DVD, MP3, and navigation features.


    Arriving at Vehicle Machine 3.0, the third-generation product needs to incorporate a driver assistance system, a 360¡ã 3D panoramic driving visual assistance system, and a new smooth UI 2.0 information aggregation desktop.


    Globally, only Tesla''s Vehicle Machines have reached 3.0; this is one of the reasons why Tesla dares to ask for high prices with its bare interior, much like Apple.


    Lu Liang nodded in acknowledgment, "But at the moment, I''ve only just assembled the research team."


    He was also planning to visit the research institute to check how well the team was being organized. After all, having invested twenty million dollars, one can''t just listen to the noise.


    This money was his own.


    "Mr. Lu, if the research institute achieves results, please make sure to inform us promptly," Li Xiang said sincerely.


    He understood Lu Liang''s intentions; Vehicle Machine was like the mobile systems of the past, once widely accepted and setting the standards, he would just need to lie at home and collect money.


    Li Xiang also had the idea of developing Vehicle Machine, but research is a money pit, they didn''t have the energy or funds to waste on it.


    If there were a mature Vehicle Machine system available, Li Xiang wouldn''t mind cooperating with Tianxing Technology, and that could bring him even closer to Lu Liang.


    The current new energy vehicle industry is like the mobile industry of ten years ago when just assembling phones was enough, who cared about the system?


    Surely, Li Xiang''s future would involve in-house development of Vehicle Machine, but right now, the company''s main task was to survive.

 Chapter 176 - 175: Suitable for Douyin?

    "No problem, it''s a trivial matter."


    After saying goodbye to Li Xiang, Lu Liang and Zhu Hu left the company. Unable to restrain himself, Zhu Hu asked, "Do you really see such great potential in new energy?"


    Although Lu Liang had also invested heavily in Douyin, he always felt that Lu Liang treated Douyin almost the same as he treated ofo.


    In contrast, he was especially attentive to new energy.


    Due to national support, the total sales of the new energy market reached 74,000 vehicles in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 32% year over year.


    But even if steady growth is maintained, the total annual sales would only reach 296,000 vehicles, an increase of 46,000 vehicles from last year.


    What of it?


    Data do not lie; on average, a vehicle can only earn 12,000, including national and local subsidies.


    If the country were to cancel the subsidy program, every sold vehicle would result in a loss. No matter how you look at it, it''s a losing deal.


    Lu Liang didn''t seem like someone who would farm subsidies from the government; after all, earning a small amount of money by farming subsidies is less appealing than playing the stock market.


    Lu Liang showed a smile. "It''s the same idea as Golden Sand River investing in Li Xiang and Redwood investing in NIO."


    He had initially just wanted to engage in some industrial activities to let himself ''walk on two legs,'' firmly grasping both finance and industry.


    Later he learned that in five years, Ningde Era''s market value had broken through a trillion, which only made him more determined about new energy.


    Zhu Hu frowned tightly, as Lu Liang''s nature of investment clearly differed from their type of investment.


    Lu Liang didn''t want to explain, and Zhu Hu didn''t continue to ask. He informed him of the meeting location. "Zhang Yiming should have arrived."


    "See you in a bit."


    Lu Liang smiled and waved his hand as they each got into their cars and headed to Lanting Restaurant in the western part of the city.


    Zhang Yiming was waiting in a private room of the restaurant. Lu Liang took the initiative with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, we meet again."


    "Yes, Mr. Lu, how have you been recently?"


    Zhang Yiming also extended his hand, and a smile appeared on his face.


    "Not bad, everything''s going smoothly."


    After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Yiming directly asked, "Mr. Lu, regarding what you said at the Douyin financing meeting, does it still hold?"


    Lu Liang smiled, without a second thought, "Of course, it still holds."


    Zhang Yiming breathed a sigh of relief. With Lu Liang putting it this way, it meant he didn''t want to compete fiercely to the end with them; there was room for a turnaround. He pondered for a moment, "I think it''s almost time."


    Lu Liang inquired, "Mr. Zhang, how do you plan on cooperating? Who will take the lead, and who will assist?"


    Zhang Yiming naturally stated, "Of course Watermelon will lead, and Douyin will assist."


    "No, that won''t work," Lu Liang shook his head.


    Zhang Yiming''s expression soured, and he couldn''t help but look at Zhu Hu.


    How much had Douyin invested, and how much had Watermelon invested?


    To have Watermelon play a supporting role to Douyin? Does Douyin deserve that role?


    Even if Lu Liang is wealthy, it wasn''t fair to bully them like this, right?


    It was no longer a matter of a snake swallowing an elephant but an ant stepping on an elephant.


    Even if he agreed, would Byte''s shareholders agree?


    From the conversation between the two, Zhu Hu also understood the situation.


    He quickly offered a placating smile, "Mr. Lu, why don''t we discuss the specifics of the cooperation plan again?"


    Both Douyin and Byte had investments from Golden Sand River. Although they held more shares in Douyin, he also felt that Douyin wasn''t qualified.


    "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhu, don''t worry."


    Lu Liang''s lips curved up suddenly as he asked, "If the technology of both companies were the same, which product, in your opinion, has more developmental potential, Douyin or Watermelon?"


    "Well~" Zhu Hu appeared conflicted, as he really didn''t understand this area and didn''t have a habit of watching videos daily.


    Zhang Yiming furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. After a while, he sighed, "It should be Douyin."


    With his experience of founding startups five times, his judgment was that Douyin''s name and product concept were undoubtedly of the world''s top standards, only held back by lagging algorithm and systems technology.


    Zhang Yiming suddenly looked at Lu Liang with a resentful gaze.


    If it weren''t for Lu Liang''s visit to Byte that day, Yang Zhenyuan might not have resigned, and perhaps Douyin might have become their product of Byte.


    Each time he thought of this incident, he felt a pain so profound that he couldn''t breathe, leading to many sleepless nights, causing Byte to strictly ban anyone from visiting for a long time.


    Lu Liang coughed a few times and chuckled, "Mr. Zhang truly has a background as a top technologist, your assessment is quite objective."


    Zhang Yiming said irritably, "Mr. Lu, stop beating around the bush and just say what you want to say."


    He suddenly felt like he might have misunderstood something¡ªWatermelon being the complement to Douyin was purely from a cooperative perspective, not about the ownership after the merger.


    The next second, Lu Liang''s words confirmed Zhang Yiming''s suspicion, "Douyin''s management rights, decision-making rights, even calling it Byte Douyin, I have no objections, but it must be centered on Douyin."


    Since learning that Yang Zhenyuan''s Douyin was underperforming compared to Zhang Yiming''s Watermelon, Lu Liang had decided to facilitate a merger between the two parties.


    However, blood relation and adoption were different, so he needed Byte''s assurance that they would treat Douyin as their own. The best way was to have Watermelon support Douyin.


    Zhang Yiming pondered for a long time. Watermelon was just a month old and didn''t yet carry a brand effect¡ªproviding support to Douyin was feasible as long as the sovereignty was in his hands, "Mr. Lu, how do you propose we cooperate?"


    Now he saw that Lu Liang had no emotional attachment to Douyin, his interest was purely financial.


    "Both parties should disclose their data and have a third party verify it, then reallocate the shares based on the valuation."


    "Agreed."


    Douyin''s valuation was around 0.7-1.2 billion US dollars, while Watermelon''s was between 1.8-2.2 billion US dollars.


    No matter what, Watermelon was firmly in an advantageous position, and securing the leading role was already a certainty.


    "Mr. Zhang, a pleasure doing business with you," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    "A pleasure doing business."


    Zhang Yiming smiled slightly, then curiously asked, "Mr. Lu, how do you plan to arrange for Yang Zhenyuan?"


    "Mr. Yang, although from a technical background, seems more suited to be an operations officer."


    "Zhenyuan is indeed quite skilled in operations."


    Zhang Yiming nodded but did not inquire further on how Lu Liang would convince Yang Zhenyuan¡ªit wasn''t his concern.


    Zhu Hu suddenly stood up and clapped, his face beaming, "Only by strong unions can we be invincible."


    He felt like it was overkill¡ªLu Liang had caused such a stir over Douyin, upsetting numerous smartphone manufacturers¡ªwas this really a perfect ending?


    It seemed slightly unrealistic.


    What happened to bringing them all fortune?


    Just this?


    The return was quite meager.


    Lu Liang said cheerfully, "Without Mr. Zhu''s matchmaking, Mr. Zhang and I wouldn''t have had the opportunity to collaborate."


    "Mr. Lu, you flatter me," Zhang Yiming also laughed, his eyes flickering with a hint of perplexity.


    Could it be that last year, when Lu Liang visited Byte and he had rejected Lu Liang''s investment, Lu Liang had taken offense?


    And thus, this whole series of events?


    If so, then Lu Liang was frighteningly petty.


    But if not, he couldn''t think of a better explanation.


    Could handing Douyin over to them really transform it qualitatively? There was a possibility, but it seemed unlikely.


    After dinner, Zhu Hu suggested going out for fun, but Zhang Yiming politely declined¡ªhe knew what "fun" entailed, but he was a serious person.


    "Just as pretentious as Shen Peng."


    Zhu Hu scowled, then turned to Lu Liang, winking and grinning with a smile that only men could understand.


    Lu Liang laughed, "I ''m going to talk with Yang Zhenyuan."


    "Do you need authorization from Golden Sand River?" Zhu Hu knew that Lu Liang held only 34% of the shares, whereas Yang Zhenyuan had 36%.


    "Let''s talk first."


    Lu Liang smiled mildly, opting not to exert pressure with shareholdings right away; better to start with negotiation and proceed from there if necessary. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At 8:30 pm, the office floor of Douyin was as bright as daylight.


    "Mr. Lu, you should have let us know in advance that you were coming."


    Yang Zhenyuan was startled, mainly because his current appearance was somewhat disgraceful.


    Greasy and disheveled, his already sparse hair clumped together, revealing his scalp with a glance.


    "I came here today for the financing of Li Xiang."


    Lu Liang entered the company and glanced at the office area. Dozens of programmers looked worn out, with heavy eye bags, clearly having worked overtime for many days.


    The floor was littered with cigarette butts, empty Red Bull cans, and snack wrappers. A peculiar odor permeated the air, taking him back to the dark internet cafes from over a decade ago.


    "Mr. Lu, let''s talk outside,"


    Yang Zhenyuan rubbed his hands together and smiled nervously. He too felt the office environment was somewhat dirty and shabby¡ªhe didn''t mind much for himself, but he worried about slighting Lu Liang.

 Chapter 177 - 176: The Evil Capitalist

    "Let''s give everyone the night off tonight, go for a bath, get a massage, and relax; I''ll cover it."


    Hearing Lu Liang''s words, Yang Zhenyuan was shocked. He was about to refuse when he met a pair of eyes eager as hungry wolves.


    Especially those partners who had been with him since the start of the venture, some of whom hadn''t even gone home for the New Year.


    For half a year, they hadn''t taken a single day off, nearly spending their entire lives in the company.


    After hesitating for a while, Yang Zhenyuan left a few team leaders on duty: "Don''t you want to thank Mr. Lu quickly?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the office erupted into excited howls: "Thank you, Mr. Lu~ Mr. Lu, we love you."


    Although they received overtime pay and subsidies, their physical appearance had noticeably thinned after several months. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Everyone was working overtime, and even if they wanted to ask for leave, they felt embarrassed to do so; Lu Liang seemed like a deity descended to earth at that moment.


    Lu Liang smiled and instructed, "Old Yang, give those on duty an extra two thousand RMB each."


    "Sure, Mr. Lu," Yang Zhenyuan nodded.


    Lu Liang had Wen Chao contact the Hilton Hotel where they stayed to send three business vehicles.


    Dozens of people made a grand entrance at Beijing''s largest bath center, the Hot Mansion, reportedly built at a cost of six hundred million RMB.


    With over fifty thousand square meters, nearly five hundred spa technicians, and an average consumer spending around two thousand RMB.


    Lu Liang led everyone to the reception and pointed at the crowd behind him: "Put all their expenses on my tab."


    The lobby manager was startled but quickly put on a flattering smile and hurriedly had his colleagues distribute wristbands.


    He then looked at Lu Liang: "Sir, may I have your surname?"


    "Lu."


    "Mr. Lu, what are you expecting to spend? I need to arrange things for your colleagues."


    The lobby manager rubbed his palms together, his face all smiles, instantly recognizing most of them as programmers.


    It was too easy to tell since eight out of ten were greasy-haired, bespectacled, and clad in checkered shirts.


    Lu Liang turned to face everyone, a slight smile curving his lips: "Guys, how much do you think we should spend tonight?"


    From the crowd, someone bravely shouted: "Since Mr. Lu is treating, the higher the spending, the better."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile: "Taking me for a big spender, huh?"


    He thought for a moment: "As long as it''s nothing illicit, anything goes, up to ten thousand each¡ªeat well, drink well, rest well."


    All in all, including Lu Liang''s driver and secretary, there were 46 people, totaling 460,000 RMB, still less than what he and Little Wang had spent at a bar one evening.


    "Mr. Lu is awesome~~"


    Suddenly, more exuberant howls erupted.


    Some from the north gleamed with excitement; they had scrubbed themselves for nearly thirty years, and their bathing expenses over those years might not have reached ten thousand.


    A jubilant crowd signifies one man''s loneliness.


    Yang Zhenyuan was deeply worried, sensing something abnormal¡ªand ominous.


    "Please take good care of these colleagues."


    Lu Liang patted the manager''s shoulder and then reserved a business pool for fifteen thousand eight hundred RMB.


    In a private room, he changed into a bathrobe, and he and Yang Zhenyuan, in slippers, went to a secluded outdoor hot spring.


    In early May, Beijing''s temperature was still quite low, over twenty degrees during the day, dropping to teens at night.


    The weather was just right for an outdoor hot spring.


    Lu Liang entered the water, closed his eyes, feeling the warm currents envelope his body, and after a while, suddenly said, "Just now, Zhu Hu and Zhang Yiming wanted to meet."


    Yang Zhenyuan opened his eyes, his face showing surprise, waiting for Lu Liang to continue, Lu Liang said, "He wants to facilitate a merger between Douyin and Watermelon, saying that together we have the highest chance of success, and if it came to a fight, all investors would suffer losses."


    Since Zhu Hu wasn''t there, Lu Liang kept pushing the responsibility onto him, but even if he were, it wouldn''t matter.


    Yang Zhenyuan remained silent, his voice slightly hoarse after a long pause, "Mr. Lu, what do you think?"


    "I proposed to Mr. Zhang that Douyin should lead and Watermelon supplement," Lu Liang said unhurriedly.


    Yang Zhenyuan was stunned: "Mr. Zhang probably won''t agree."


    Clearly, he misunderstood, looking up at Lu Liang with newfound respect. His Mr. Lu still loved him.


    No matter how strong Zhang Yiming''s team was, as long as Lu Liang continued to provide financial support, the gap between the two sides would eventually close.


    "At the time, Zhang Yiming indeed did not agree."


    Lu Liang spoke slowly, and just as he finished, Yang Zhenyuan suddenly felt uneasy¡ªthis meant there must be a ''but''.


    Lu Liang sighed, opened his eyes, and stared directly at Yang Zhenyuan, showing a strained expression, "Old Yang, the Douyin brand can be retained, and in the future, Watermelon will become an auxiliary tool for Douyin."


    Yang Zhenyuan''s heart trembled, revealing a bitter smile, "But have you given up the decision-making power, the management rights, including yourself?"


    He had once been a member of the Watermelon development team and knew how much hope Zhang Yiming and ByteDance had pinned on Watermelon.


    Being able to make Zhang Yiming accept the terms that prioritized Douyin and used Watermelon as a secondary tool meant that Douyin would be left with nothing but a shell.


    Lu Liang looked displeased, "What kind of person do you think I am, Lu Liang? Since I''ve invested in you, I wouldn''t just abandon you."


    He said, "If you are willing, you can still be the general manager of Douyin. Byte is merely a technical supporter."


    Yang Zhenyuan fell silent, seemingly lost in deep thought, swallowing back the words he was about to say.


    Initially, he thought of Zhu Hu, but then gave up the idea knowing that Zhu Hu had set up the arrangement.


    He then thought of Shen Peng, but realized that Shen Peng had invested in Douyin just to give face to Lu Liang.


    Suddenly, Yang Zhenyuan felt suffocated, like an insect that had carelessly fallen into a spider''s web.


    It seemed he had no choice.


    Though decisions like mergers and restructuring required more than two-thirds of the absolute votes to proceed.


    Tianxing, Redwood, and Golden Sand River together accounted for only 64%. As long as he disagreed, it wouldn''t pass.


    But what could he do if he disagreed?


    Once Douyin ran out of funds, it would die, and with the three top domestic capitals blacklisting it, who else would dare invest?


    Once Douyin went bankrupt, he would have to repay the $1.5 million in financing from Redwood and Golden Sand River from the Series A investment.


    Although Lu Liang was to cover 40% of Douyin''s liabilities, the debt remaining on his head would still be $900,000.


    $5.74 million RMB, plus the initial investment of $3 million, would lead to nearly a total loss of ten million.


    And there were the software developers recently hired at high salaries, each on a three-year contract, requiring at least a million in compensation.


    Just that item alone would amount to over $30 million in compensation, with Yang Zhenyuan having to pay at least $18 million.


    This left him with just one house and a car, losing everything else.


    His child was still in elementary school and his wife had resigned from her job to become a housewife for the sake of his startup.


    Yang Zhenyuan weighed his losses and gains and after a long time, asked, "Mr. Lu, may I ask you for a promise?"


    "Go ahead."


    "If I am fired within two years, I hope the company will buy back my shares at a valuation of 10 million dollars."


    Yang Zhenyuan sighed and bowed to reality.


    If it were ten years ago, he might still have had the courage to take on capital to the end, but not now; he had too many concerns and too much to consider.


    "You may."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, though he didn''t explain why.


    Clearly, Yang Zhenyuan mistook his continuation as general manager of Douyin as merely a placating measure.


    Much like ancient times when surrendering wasn''t killed outright - rewards were plentiful, promotions and honors granted, but how many actually enjoyed those privileges?


    Instead, just when one felt secure in their position, they would be purged for the minor infraction of entering a door left foot first.


    Yang Zhenyuan was securing his backup plan; a $10 million valuation for a 36% stake equating to $3.6 million¡ªover 20 million RMB¡ªenough for a comfortable retirement.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu."


    Those words seemed to drain all of Yang Zhenyuan''s energy as he shrank back, disappearing into the depths.


    Douyin had revitalized him in his midlife, even his wife praised him for being more vigorous and wanting another child.


    But now, he felt deflated again.


    Lu Liang, unable to help but laugh, stood up and helped Yang Zhenyuan to his feet, opened a chilled beer, and handed him one.


    After clinking glasses, he downed half the bottle in one gulp, letting out a satisfying burp, "Old Yang, what kind of person am I in your eyes?"


    Yang Zhenyuan asked, "Can I speak truthfully?"


    Lu Liang smiled and replied, "You can say whatever you like, tonight''s memories end here with you."


    Yang Zhenyuan chugged down an entire bottle in one breath, pointed at Lu Liang''s nose, "Damn it, the epitome of evil capitalists. I suddenly recall, during the Series A financing with Zhang Yiming, you probably had already agreed, but the conditions offered by Zhang Yiming were not satisfactory to you then."


    He let out a long sigh, feeling instantly better, his frustration swept away.


    "Feeling much better now, aren''t you?"


    Lu Liang sat on a nearby rock, took a sip of liquor, and nodded with a smile, "Indeed, we didn''t reach an agreement at that time."

 Chapter 178 - 177: A New King is About to be Born

    "Old Yang, what do you think of my judgement?"


    "Very strong, badass, and impressive!"


    After a few beers, Yang Zhenyuan had completely let loose, his face showing admiration, he gave a thumbs up.


    Anyone, including himself, could question Lu Liang''s character, but no one would question his judgement.


    Yang Zhenyuan was a talent, and Lu Liang didn''t want him to fall from grace, speaking earnestly, "Don''t be too resistant to Byte; the philosophy of Douyin combined with the technology of Byte, it''s definitely not just one plus one, it could be one times ten, or even one times a hundred."


    "You might not quite believe me, but one thing is absolutely true, both I and Zhang Yiming hope that you will continue with Douyin."


    "Maybe in less than two years, at most a year, or even half a year, you will definitely be glad about the choice you make today."


    Yang Zhenyuan was silent for a long time, then he took another bottle of beer from the ice bucket and drank more than half of it, "I''ll try to convince myself."


    Lu Liang smiled slightly and said nothing more, patting Yang Zhenyuan on the shoulder, "Mr. Zhang will bring people over at noon tomorrow, you should get a good night''s rest tonight."


    He wrapped himself in a bathrobe, stepped out of the business pool, mingled with the employees of Douyin, and even joined their card game.


    "Short one player? Count me in, and let''s not bet too high, ten or twenty is fine," Lu Liang joined the mahjong table with a smile on his face.


    Seeing this scene, Yang Zhenyuan could only force a smile, he actually had no choice but to trust Lu Liang. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They played until late into the night, and though the limit was ten thousand per person, the final tally for the 46 people was less than 250,000 yuan. Excluding Lu Liang''s expenses, each person spent less than five thousand on average.


    The next day at noon, Lu Liang and Zhang Yiming arrived at Douyin.


    Zhang Yiming looked at the office area with nostalgia in his eyes, "Byte was like this when it first started, I still remember eating instant noodles for over three months."


    Lu Liang glanced at him and teased, "Isn''t ByteDance Mr. Zhang''s fifth entrepreneurial project? How could conditions have been so tough back then?"


    Zhang Yiming suddenly fell silent, smacking his lips, not sure how to continue the conversation; he just wanted to express the difficult feelings of entrepreneurship.


    The two entered the company, and it was extremely awkward for new and old owners to meet - not just for Yang Zhenyuan, many former Byte, now Douyin employees felt the same.


    They were puzzled, not knowing why Zhang Yiming suddenly appeared, walking with Lu Liang, and also receiving enthusiastic hospitality from Yang Zhenyuan.


    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhang, this way please," Yang Zhenyuan forced himself to appear calm; he was the most embarrassed one.


    Seven months after resigning from Byte, and after being passed around, Zhang Yiming had become his boss again.


    "Zhenyuan, don''t be too formal. Business is like this, with constant changes and, after all, it''s not your fault."


    Zhang Yiming wore a smile, suddenly glancing at Lu Liang, it was obvious who was mainly to blame.


    Lu Liang''s smile lingered on his lips, seemingly indifferent, fiddling with a lighter in his hand while waiting for Shen Peng and Zhu Hu to arrive.


    This collaboration was the merge of Watermelon and Douyin; Watermelon was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Byte.


    For the Watermelon side, just Zhang Yiming''s presence would suffice, but for Douyin, they needed to wait for Yang Zhenyuan, Tianxing, Redwood, and Golden Sand River to gather.


    Soon after, Shen Peng and Zhu Hu rushed over, with a third-party assessment report of both companies.


    Douyin was valued at 90 million US dollars; Watermelon was valued at 200 million US dollars, with a size 2.22 times that of Douyin.


    After merging into Watermelon Douyin, Watermelon owned 69% of the new company''s equity, and Douyin owned 31%.


    Douyin''s 31% equity was redistributed according to Yang Zhenyuan''s 36%, Tianxing''s 34%, Golden Sand River''s 16%, and Redwood''s 14%.


    Eventually, Yang Zhenyuan owned 11.16% of the new company, Tianxing held 10.54%, Golden Sand River had 4.96%, and Redwood had 4.34%.


    "Now we''ve finally shaken hands and made peace, it''s a win-win situation," Zhu Hu said with a smile, clapping his hands in approval.


    The merger of Douyin and Watermelon was surely a case of one plus one being greater than two, with a minimum combined valuation of 350 million US dollars.


    Golden Sand River had made two investments totaling 4.32 million US dollars, obtaining equity valued at 17.36 million US dollars.


    A fourfold return, which although not worth mentioning compared to Lu Liang''s past achievements, was better than nothing.


    Yang Zhenyuan managed a strained smile on his face; seven months ago, his investment of 3 million turned into 39.06 million US dollars.


    An 83-fold increase, with the technology backed by Byte, and the finances supported by Tianxing, Redwood, and Golden Sand River.


    This was definitely a company with boundless prospects, and that was the only consolation he could give himself.


    After redistributing the equity, Zhang Yiming exercised his right of absolute control for the first time, calling a shareholders'' meeting.


    Taking full control of Douyin''s technology department, Douyin''s original employees would only be responsible for routine maintenance and operations.


    Without major decisions being implemented, they would retain as much independence as possible, placing great trust in Yang Zhenyuan.


    Zhang Yiming didn''t know how Lu Liang had persuaded Yang Zhenyuan, but now that Yang Zhenyuan had agreed, he would be responsible for the future.


    Yang Zhenyuan was astonished, thinking of Lu Liang''s words from the night before, which seemed to be no deception, but he wondered if it was just a soothing tactic.


    After the meeting, Lu Liang found Zhang Yiming for a one-on-one chat, "Mr. Zhang, I''m very optimistic about Douyin and hope that Byte will pay more attention in the future."


    "Rest assured, Mr. Lu, so do I."


    Zhang Yiming looked serious, Byte held 69% of West Melon Douyin''s equity, having achieved absolute control.


    In his view, Yang Zhenyuan had simply gone out for a while and brought him a very good product and investors.


    He would not look at Yang Zhenyuan and Douyin with any prejudice.


    After ending the conversation with Lu Liang, Zhang Yiming had a private chat with Yang Zhenyuan where he made the same assurances.


    A few days later, Douyin rolled out a version update, this time optimizing the algorithm and integrating the backend of Watermelon.


    As soon as the news broke out, the whole internet was in an uproar.


    "Isn''t this way too fast?"


    "Have Douyin and Watermelon merged?"


    "Douyin as the main, Watermelon as auxiliary?"


    "Has Zhang Yiming gone crazy?"


    Netizens were discussing fervently, and those most worried were the video creators who had invested in social media.


    The battle royale situation had lasted less than a month when it suddenly turned into a three-way stand-off.


    They feared that past incidents had proven that the more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it was for industry practitioners.


    Like the great war of a thousand groups, one US Dollar lunches were common, and the ride-hailing wars had made one US Dollar rides nothing out of the ordinary.


    Now, Meituan nearly monopolizes the food delivery market, and DiDi nearly monopolizes the ride-hailing market, with the price per order climbing sharply.


    There''s also the current fierce battle of shared bicycles.


    Some overwhelmed competitors exited the market, while others quietly raised their prices, from riding for one hour for one US Dollar to a new price of thirty minutes for one US Dollar, without any notice.


    Those beautiful days are gone, never to return.


    Watermelon and Douyin made a joint statement, asserting that it was just normal business cooperation and their respective creative incentive projects would not interfere with each other.


    Luo of Hammer Technology, with a belly full of grievances, updated his Weibo: "Lu Liang, are you playing around with Hammer?"


    Hammer phone was already in a difficult position, hoping to make a comeback with the M1 phone, a close imitation of the Apple 6s.


    However, due to the self-media era suddenly initiated by Lu Liang, their plans were completely disrupted.


    Small companies are inherently less capable of weathering risks, adding insult to injury for families that were already not wealthy.


    If it were beneficial to one at the expense of another, it would be acceptable since that''s just business, but the key issue was that it did not significantly benefit one''s own interests while harming others.


    All the fuss only to end in a merger, it seemed that ultimately, Zhang Yiming''s interests were maximized.


    Luo was extremely aggrieved.


    Once the news was released, it quickly shot to the top of trending searches, as he was the first entrepreneur to publicly criticize Lu Liang.


    Before Lu Liang could respond, Little Wang stepped up to speak for him: "What else is there to play with besides Hammer? CrookedSmile.JPG"


    "Mind your own business; without your daddy, what are you bragging about?"


    Luo was really upset and suddenly went full throttle in his attacks.


    Lu Liang, he dared only to grumble about, but Little Wang was fair game¡ªthe self-made generation could completely overpower the second-generation rich.


    Just recently, after Little Wang mocked Lei Jun''s poor English, claiming it embarrassed the nation, he had to hastily apologize and explain that same night.


    In the eyes of the older generation, Little Wang was truly nothing more than a braggart.


    The verbal battle escalated and threatened to spread across the entire internet.


    Over the past year and more, Lu Liang had offended quite a number of people, but due to his strength and prestige, they had not dared to speak out.


    Now that Wang Xiaocong dared to be the spokesperson, they might not dare to criticize Lu Liang, but who said they wouldn''t dare to attack Little Wang?


    Suddenly, Little Wang found himself under siege by a group of entrepreneurs, and the netizens enjoyed the drama, happily watching from the sidelines with popcorn in hand.


    Just when the situation seemed to be spiraling out of control, a graph went viral that, like a flood, instantly doused the flames of conflict.


    In the past 24 hours, Douyin topped the user stickiness ranking with an average daily active duration of 128 minutes.


    If there were a hundred thousand daily active users, then their average viewing time would be over two hours.


    This set of staggering data, particularly after those in the know learned that Douyin''s duration was only 62 minutes last week.


    To judge the success of an app, not only the number of daily active users matters, but user stickiness is also a crucial indicator.


    The higher the stickiness, the more one can charge for advertising, and after the update, Douyin''s numbers had doubled.


    For a moment, the entire internet fell into a deathly silence.


    Luo fell silent, no longer interested in clashing with Little Wang, as this clearly wasn''t a simple addition problem.


    This was all in just one day.


    Such was the magnitude of change.


    "I apologize, this is freaking awesome."


    After updating his status, Luo went offline.


    His way of thinking was too small; Lu Liang''s vision, still so keen.


    The philosophy of Douyin combined with Byte''s technology was simply unbeatable; Kuai Shou was already in danger, a new king was about to be born.

 Chapter 179 - 178: Information Gap is Advantage

    "Tsk, tsk, technology is the core competitive power."


    Lu Liang, browsing through the optimized TikTok, suddenly understood why Zhang Yiming dared to make such bold claims.


    If it''s about technology, Byte isn''t afraid of anyone.


    Their use of algorithmic recommendations had reached a state of perfection to the point where many aspects were incomprehensible in how they were achieved.


    For example, while Lu Liang was watching a video of a blue knitted garment, he opened the comment section, and the name of the broadcaster immediately appeared at the top, with just one click leading to their page.


    Another example, when a gaming video appeared, Lu Liang didn''t understand the meaning of ''cpdd,'' but upon clicking the search bar, a line of gray text ''what does cpdd mean'' appeared immediately.


    A mere ten-second video, coupled with Byte''s algorithms, is akin to digital poison¡ªone keeps scrolling for the momentary thrill, and it''s endlessly satisfying.


    Unbeknownst to him, an hour had passed.


    "Old Yang, what do you think?" Lu Liang put away his phone and looked at Yang Zhenyuan, who was also scrolling through TikTok.


    Yang Zhenyuan remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Thank goodness Watermelon Video chose to focus on longer videos."


    What he thought was a back-and-forth turned out to be his wishful thinking; if Watermelon Video had focused on short videos, they would have stood no chance.


    Perhaps there was one option to continue burning cash, luring in those who are after freebies until there was nothing left, which would be the end of TikTok.


    Before introducing Byte''s algorithms, Yang Zhenyuan always thought that time and sufficient funds could bridge the gap between them.


    But after adopting Byte''s algorithms, he realized how narrow his view was¡ªhe found it incredibly difficult to catch up.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, "Don''t sell yourself short. I reckon even Zhang Yiming didn''t foresee the immense power of short videos combined with their algorithms."


    Yang Zhenyuan stayed silent for a while, his face showing admiration, "Perhaps Mr. Zhang didn''t expect it, but you must have, right?"


    At first, to the public, this acquisition seemed like a loss for Lu Liang, since Byte, although strong, had limited power.


    After much effort and many complications, in the end, Byte still obtained 69% absolute control.


    That''s why Luo would grumble and fiercely criticize, but the results spoke for themselves¡ªMr. Lu was always right.


    Lu Liang replied with a faint smile, without confirming nor denying, "Let''s give it a try, there''s not much to lose anyway."


    He didn''t know precisely when TikTok was born, but he knew that from its inception to when Toutiao spent one billion dollars to acquire Musical.ly for it, it took less than two years.


    One billion dollars was not just a valuation; it was cash, and even with share swaps involved, at least three to five hundred million had to be put forth.


    Zhu Hu had once said that Byte''s liquid assets amounted to at most two hundred million dollars, and they had already splurged five hundred million RMB on Watermelon Video.


    The funds at their disposal were extremely limited; that''s why Zhu Hu had to organize a gathering to facilitate the merger to avoid a cash-burning war.


    So the question arose, with promoting Watermelon Video nearly draining Byte''s cash flow, where did they find the funds to help TikTok acquire Musical.ly?


    The answer was obvious: it relied on TikTok.


    To raise three to five hundred million dollars, the valuation couldn''t be less than two billion dollars, and it had to gain market approval.


    Information disparity was Lu Liang''s advantage.


    He patted Yang Zhenyuan on the shoulder, smiling, "Just cooperate well with Mr. Zhang in the future. Maybe one day, TikTok will become what you imagine it to be."


    Yang Zhenyuan had once said that the future TikTok could be like Meituan, Taobao, or WeChat.


    Lu Liang was looking forward to that day, as well as to TikTok growing to break the monopoly of Shuangma Group.


    Yang Zhenyuan, with a serious face, nodded vigorously; as long as Zhang Yiming would tolerate him, he vowed not to leave.


    After leaving TikTok Company, Lu Liang headed to the last stop of his trip to Beijing: Huaqing University.


    During his last hurried visit, he hadn''t had the chance to truly explore this top national institution. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Considering faculty strength, there are a number of universities in China that are considered on par with Qingbei.


    Such as Fudan and Jiaotong University in Modu, and Zhejiang University, but the status of Qingbei was unparalleled.


    Even in the eyes of many Chinese, there were only two categories of universities: Qingbei and all the rest.


    Lu Liang was accompanied by Wen Chao and Fang Shiyu, strolling down the shady path by the Tsinghua Pond.


    He suddenly looked towards the rows upon rows of bright yellow shared bikes, "I heard you have to apply seven days in advance to get the deposit back now?"


    Wen Chao said, "Ofo updated that notice last week."


    Lu Liang mused to himself, "It''s about to blow up."


    Limitations on deposit withdrawals meant that ofo''s funds were stretched thin, and their leverage was high.


    To lend an umbrella on a sunny day and take it back on a rainy one wasn''t the exclusive practice of banks; ordinary people also have this sense of crisis.


    For ofo, it was just one spark away from disaster.


    Shared bicycles are now expanding haphazardly, and even in Lu Liang''s hometown, a small city far beyond the fifth tier, the sight of Little Huang bikes during the New Year''s visit is enough to illustrate the point.


    "I hope Old Zhu can find someone to take over," someone said.


    Lu Liang and a few others circled around Huaqing Pool and prepared to head to the New Energy Research Institute on the northern campus.


    Suddenly, a careless female student collided head-on with them; she bent down to pick up some materials, apologizing while bowing as if she was a scene straight out of a melodramatic TV show.


    "I''m sorry..."


    When she saw Lu Liang''s face, she suddenly froze, hesitated for a long time, and couldn''t help but ask, "Are you Mr. Lu from Tianxing?"


    "Yes, it''s me." Lu Liang smiled and nodded, helping to pick up the scattered files on the ground when he saw a document with her name and class on it, a junior in journalism named Xu Huiqi.


    "Wow, I finally met someone in person."


    Xu Huiqi''s eyes widened with excitement, then she glanced at her watch with a bitter expression, "It''s over, I''m going to be late."


    "Mr. Lu, I hope we meet again," she said hastily, waving her hand and taking off like the wind, coming in haste and leaving just as quickly.


    Lu Liang''s smile grew at the corner of his lips, squinting his eyes as he watched her departing figure, "Did she mistake me for Daqiang?"


    High-end headhunters often appear in the guise of prey, and he did not believe in so-called coincidences.


    Such a coincidence to run into her, to recognize him, and also such a coincidence that Lu Liang saw her class and name.


    A female student from a top-tier university majoring in journalism hardly looked like someone who was easy to deal with.


    The three men reached the northern campus.


    They met with Zhao Jiaqun, a professor at the School of Computer Science and also the director of the New Energy Research Institute.


    Upon seeing Lu Liang, Zhao''s face was all smiles as he hurriedly greeted him, "Mr. Lu, your visit graces us. Sorry for not meeting you further away."


    Lu Liang said with a smile, "Director Zhao, you''re too polite. I came to Beijing on some business and thought to drop by."


    Where there are people, there are rivalries, and elite institutions are no exception. Some focus on research while others build their networks.


    Zhao Jiaqun was one of the latter, which was why he could be the director of the institute, responsible for team-building and daily operations.


    Lu Liang liked dealing with these kinds of people because he could satisfy their desires, and they understood his needs.


    Because the 20 million dollars was not transferred in one go, only 2 million were sent in the first installment. If he wasn''t satisfied, it could become the last installment.


    "Mr. Lu, let me give you a tour," Zhao Jiaqun said, beaming as he led Lu Liang into the institute.


    He introduced the project''s review members, led by two computer science professors, four Ph.D. students, and ten masters students.


    They were all teachers and students from Huaqing University. Zhao Jiaqun hoped to keep Lu Liang''s interest and develop this project long-term.


    Therefore, his own skills might not matter, but the expertise of his subordinates was crucial. Otherwise, it would be challenging to retain Lu Liang.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I may not know much about technology, but I believe in leaving professional matters to professionals."


    Lu Liang said with a smile as he presented his requirements.


    Whether professors or students, he hoped that someone could deliver a satisfactory plan within three months.


    He was only interested in capability, without regard to seniority.


    Open to all the university''s teachers and students, whoever passed the review could receive a research grant of one hundred thousand yuan.


    And this was just the beginning. Tianxing Technology had several positions with annual salaries in the millions, awaiting their rightful owners.


    As his words resonated, the students all started breathing quickly.


    After discussing dedication for over a decade, someone was finally straightforward about benefits, and they suddenly found themselves liking Lu Liang a bit more.


    The point of studying was to achieve something,


    And success was often equated to salary,


    The higher the annual income, the more successful one was considered to be.


    Lu Liang''s face showed a satisfied smile as he liked the crowd''s reaction.


    He did not trust in seniority or so-called experience; instead, he felt that young people had more imagination and creativity.


    After all, the computer industry had only been developing for a decade or so, so the notion that the older one gets, the wickeder one becomes, did not apply here.


    Twenty-somethings and those just over thirty were in the prime of their careers.


    Moreover, through the merger of TikTok and Watermelon Video, Lu Liang deeply understood the benefits of having technology on his side.


    He wasn''t concerned with short videos; that was not his interest, but new energy was crucial for his other endeavors to thrive.


    In-car systems were one of the core elements of new energy, and this technology, even if it cost one billion or ten billion dollars, he would see it developed.

 Chapter 180 - 179: Fishing, Two Movies

    "Mr. Lu, won''t you stay a few more days?"


    As Lu Liang prepared to leave, Zhao Jiaqun tried to persuade him to stay and expressed his desire to show him around.


    The last time Lu Liang was here, it had been snowy and the ground was frosted over, so there had been no chance to show him the campus scenery.


    The two best times to visit Beijing are early summer and early autumn, neither cold nor hot, the climate pleasant.


    Although Hua University receives substantial funding every year, nobody would complain about having too much money. Perhaps if Mr. Lu was in a good mood, a generous donation of hundreds of millions might be forthcoming.


    These were the achievements that could advance his career.


    "I just looked around."


    Lu Liang smiled in response, his mind set on leaving; he had already stayed long enough in Beijing and it was time to go back.


    "Mr. Lu, let me see you off then," Zhao Jiaqun said, a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he led a few people out of the research building.


    "Director Zhao, please hold on."


    As Lu Liang was about to leave, he suddenly stopped, catching sight of a girl in a yellow hoodie by the Huaqing Pool.


    At the moment, she was following a teacher and a group of students emerging from another research building.


    Xu Huiqi was delighted, very happy to see Lu Liang again, and waved cheerfully, "Hello, Mr. Lu, we meet again."


    "Just made it in time, I hope," Lu Liang nodded and smiled.


    Xu Huiqi widened her eyes and gestured for silence; she had arrived late, but fortunately, the teacher hadn''t noticed.


    She then playfully winked at Lu Liang. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao Jiaqun, thoughtful, asked with a smile, "Mrs. Li, are you planning to attend today''s debate competition?"


    "Yes," Mrs. Li nodded, her attitude respectful. She looked at Lu Liang, "Who is this?"


    "Mr. Lu from Tianxing."


    Mrs. Li was surprised and greeted him, "Hello Mr. Lu, I''m Li Juan from the Law School, and these are my students."


    The students who were with her, upon learning who Lu Liang was, introduced themselves one after another, "Mr. Lu, my name is Xu Huiqi."


    "Mr. Lu, my name is Zhou Xin¡­"


    Huaqing is a top university nationally, and these students were among the best of their peers, a pride of their elders.


    However, comparisons are often daunting, and even on an international scale, Lu Liang ranked among the very top, a small elite group.


    His past achievements were well-documented and exceptionally impressive; even the famously successful Soros had suffered setbacks against him, his prowess undeniable.


    Moreover, they were students of the law school; knowing more wealthy people could only be beneficial without harm.


    "Mr. Lu, would you be interested in sitting in?"


    Li Juan talked about today''s topic of genuine goodness; they represented the proposition that goodwill was genuine goodness, while the opposition believed that good deeds represented genuine goodness.


    Lu Liang was about to decline when he suddenly saw Xu Huiqi''s expectant look and smiled, "Sure, let''s listen."


    He had once heard about Daqiangzi''s escapade in Columbus and suddenly wanted to experience what it felt like to be ganged up on.


    Daqiangzi was born in ''74, 11 years older than Lu Liang, while Milk Tea Girl was born in ''93.


    Having just turned 22 last year, the pair had married, a situation even more outrageous than Huang Mingming marrying Yang Tianbao.


    It was all fun until Qiang took it seriously.


    Despite cashing out his shares before marriage and mortgaging his salary for ten years, certifying all his assets so he would only receive one dollar a month for the next ten years,


    Lu Liang still couldn''t understand how it had come to marriage - was milk tea really that tasty?


    Without practice, there would be no say.


    He wanted to experience Qiang''s emotional journey; if it turned out to be a trap laid by a woman, he''d concede entirely.


    "Mr. Lu, right this way," Zhao Jiaqun, overjoyed, invited Lu Liang to today''s debate hall.


    With not a few students and teachers sitting in, Lu Liang declined the seats Zhao Jiaqun had arranged for them, choosing instead a neglected corner.


    The two teams prepared briefly, then started their heated debate, focusing on the topics of goodwill and good deeds.


    Xu Huiqi, representing the proposition, discussed that genuine goodness starts with an inherently good mindset, which is the true, essential goodness.


    The opposition argued that regardless of the motives of those who perform them, good deeds carry positive social significance, promoting positive social impact.


    "The opposition, we are discussing what constitutes genuine goodness, not its social meaning," Xu Huiqi seized the crucial point and heavily criticized.


    Not to be outdone, the opposition retorted, "Universal good deeds represent true goodness, so we believe that good deeds are genuine goodness."


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, his eyes reflecting admiration; he wasn''t too focused on the topic, the process, or the outcome.


    In his view, such debates were pointless.


    They were purely exercises in public speaking and mental agility, a competition to see who could better grasp and attack the opponent''s arguments.


    "If Lu Liang was truly to be convinced of an idea, from a benefit-oriented perspective, he would agree that charity of the affirmative side is right."


    "Because Chen Jinchun had already gone to the Southwest Mountainous Region to help the company deliver charitable contributions and materials to those in need."


    "Since a good deed was done, it must be acknowledged as an act of kindness, otherwise, the good deed would have been done in vain."


    "Lu Liang had always been paying attention to Xu Huiqi, young and beautiful, brimming with youthful energy, her face full of confidence, a spirited presence."


    "People generally have two attitudes toward beautiful things."


    "The first is to cherish, the second is to destroy."


    "Daqiangzi probably belongs to the first category, Lu Liang considered himself the second, wanting to break this aesthetic."


    "Because he wanted to know, could she maintain such overflowing confidence when she is underneath in pleasure?"


    "Zhao Jiaqun fell into thought, then suddenly had a bright idea, whispering a few words to Li Juan."


    "During a break in the debate, he approached Lu Liang, ''Mr. Lu, let me forward Xu''s contact information to you.''"


    "Thank you," Lu Liang smiled but did not refuse."


    "As the thinking and pausing time of the opposition grew longer, the debate competition concluded with a victory for the affirmative side."


    "Lu Liang clapped his hands, offered a look of approval, and walked out of the council hall. He messaged Xu Huiqi to meet at the entrance."


    "After a while, Xu Huiqi hurried over, her face beaming with the joy of victory. ''Mr. Lu, how did we do?''"


    "''As long as everyone has kindness, the world will have a beautiful tomorrow.'' Lu Liang invited her to dinner that evening."


    "''I have plans with my classmates for dinner tonight~'' Xu Huiqi hesitated, leaving the decision to Lu Liang."


    "With a slight smile and a meaningful expression, Lu Liang replied, ''Then we must wait for another time. I am returning to Modu tomorrow.''"


    "Xu Huiqi tried to persuade him, ''Won''t you stay a few more days, Mr. Lu? There''s still a lot to eat and enjoy in Beijing.''"


    "Lu Liang shook his head, ''The business is done, and it''s time to leave. After all, there are many official matters to attend to in Modu.''"


    "After much thought, Xu Huiqi said reluctantly, ''Mr. Lu, how about I treat you next time you visit Beijing?''"


    "''That''s fine, goodbye.''"


    "''Bye-bye~~ Have a safe journey.''"


    "Xu Huiqi watched Lu Liang depart with a smile until his figure completely disappeared, gradually losing her smile."


    "Milk Tea Girl is a legendary figure at Huaqing University and her life mentor. If she had agreed to have dinner with Lu Liang tonight, she would have seemed cheap, just being on display."


    "Just like fishing, releasing and pulling, playing hard to get."


    "Unbeknownst to Xu Huiqi, the moment she refused, the fishing line had already snapped."


    "Lu Liang was not in the mood to play house; there would be no next time since she declined tonight."


    "Old Meng put it well, the world is not devoid of beautiful women, hanging oneself from one tree is the dumbest thing to do, when one isn''t without options."


    "Leaving Huaqing University, Lu Liang visited Mahua Headquarters; ''Donkey Gets Water'' had been released during the May Day Golden Week."


    "As a product considered even inferior to Xia Luo, still, Shen Teng and Mary had gained some fame by appearing on the New Year''s Gala stage, with only Ren Susu, who had previously played in stage dramas as the lead."


    "With an investment of 10 million, it amassed 70 million in box office revenue in five days, though not on par with Xia Luo, it was widely praised for its depth and realistic themes."


    "Being a low-budget dark comedy, it undoubtedly qualified as successful, and Happy Mahua once again demonstrated their powerful box office appeal and fearsome starmaking ability."


    "''Mr. Lu, this year we plan to launch two movie projects, take a look,'' Zhang Chen said, beaming, as he handed over two documents, one titled ''Shameful Iron Fist,'' the other ''Xihong City''s Richest Man.''"


    "One featuring Mary as the lead and the other Shen Teng, though they are a golden pair, it was uncertain what the effect of splitting them up would be."


    "But since Mahua aimed to be listed on the Growth Enterprise Market, they needed to maximize their fame, to test their capacity to carry major roles."


    "The investment for both films was about 200 million, and Lu Liang''s share was reduced to 15%."


    "Observing Lu Liang''s expression and fearing his dissatisfaction, Zhang quickly explained, ''Mr. Lu, Mahua''s investment only accounts for 30%, with Xinli and Maoyan joining this time.''"


    "Mahua hits the jackpot with every film they shoot, and many covet their share. With Xinli backed by Tencent and Maoyan representing Ali."


    "They dared not refuse but had to reduce the share of Mahua''s investment and that of Lu Liang''s original portion."


    "''I understand.''"


    "Relieved by Lu Liang''s response, Zhang then brought up that Zhang Tian''ai was planned to be the leading lady for ''Xihong City''s Richest Man.''"


    "Although Mary was initially confirmed, their childhood friends relationship in the script would make the ending consistent."


    "However, since Mary had to shoot ''Iron Fist'' and could not manage the schedule, and with Mahua planning one movie for the next summer and another for the next National Day holidays."


    "Script changes were necessary, and assigning Zhang Tian''ai as the female lead was also a gesture of goodwill to Lu Liang, to apologize for the reduced share."


    "''You guys decide.''"


    "Lu Liang was very satisfied with Zhang Tian''ai''s performance, and now that there was an opportunity for her to be in a 150 million big production, he certainly was not opposed."

 Chapter 181 - 180: ofo Exploded

    In the rest area for Mahua Staff, Zhang Tian''ai propped her cheek with one hand, aimlessly swiping on her phone out of sheer boredom.


    Liang approached, his lips suddenly curving upwards as he discovered that Zhang Tian''ai was browsing the comment section of his Weibo.


    Seeing complimentary comments, she''d give a like to show support; facing negative ones, she''d dive in to clash directly.


    She was very cautious, having once been a secondary actress herself, so she created a small account named "I Am Lu Liang''s Treasure~"


    "Why bother with them?"


    Sitting beside her with a smile, Liang wrapped an arm around Zhang Tian''ai''s neck, his fingertips gliding across her delicate and fair cheek.


    Whether it was because she was acting in plays and had a more regular schedule, or because she was living a wealthier life, her skin had become increasingly better.


    "But when I see them cursing you, I just get angry."


    Zhang Tian''ai was visibly indignant, turning into a pianist, using the T9 keyboard with both thumbs flying furiously.


    "What the eye doesn''t see, the heart doesn''t grieve over."


    Liang patted her head, then said, "Get ready for the recent developments. Zhang Chen will probably want to have a chat with you."


    "About what?" Zhang Tian''ai asked quizzically, and Liang, with a smile, said, "Naturally, about the role of the female lead in the upcoming movie."


    He had read the synopsis of ''First Rich''. Although it was a standard hero-centric film with the female lead''s role not being particularly remarkable, the role had plenty of screen time.


    Appearing from start to finish, as long as Zhang Tian''ai didn''t act too awkwardly, being a somewhat talented vase would suffice.


    As long as the movie was a box-office hit, it would significantly raise her fame and rank.


    After all, this was a massive production with over a hundred million invested, perfectly embodying the saying, "better to be the tail of a phoenix than the head of a chicken," within the entertainment industry.


    With the experience of being the female lead in a big production, her future paychecks and brand endorsement fees would also rise substantially.


    Zhang Tian''ai was thrilled, never expecting happiness to come knocking so suddenly, her eyes brimming with affection: "Liang, thank you."


    "This is what you deserve. Let''s go eat somewhere; I have to return to Modu tomorrow."


    Liang chuckled lightly; he was always generous with his own people, mainly because his social circle was still small as his career had only recently begun to develop.


    As such, as long as it didn''t diminish his own interests, he was willing to favor those he was close with.


    "Mhm~" Zhang Tian''ai gave him a secret peck on the cheek, then put on her mask and left the Mahua Theater with Liang.


    Through their time together, she had understood a principle: Liang could give, but she shouldn''t actively ask.


    As long as she behaved, didn''t trouble Liang, and quietly remained his secret lover.


    Liang would think of her when an appropriate opportunity arose.


    Wen Shanshan just didn''t understand this point; perhaps she regarded their relationship as a pure transaction.


    RESULT: The web series tanked, and Liang no longer wished to deal with her. She could only vent on Weibo, declaring Beijing the place of her sorrows, saying she was leaving and wouldn''t return.


    Zhang Tian''ai felt fortunate that Wen Shanshan hadn''t figured it out; had she done so, Zhang Tian''ai may not have had this opportunity.


    ...


    The next afternoon, Liang concluded his trip to Beijing and returned to Modu to dive back into work.


    A few days after his departure, a sudden piece of news from Beijing arose: ofo was sued by a supplier for unpaid goods.


    Rumors quickly spread that ofo was about to collapse, and if the deposit wasn''t withdrawn soon, it would become impossible to do so.


    Although 99 yuan wasn''t much, its sudden disappearance would cause anyone distress, after all, it could buy two meals at KFC.


    Even more so for those users who registered after the deposit increased earlier in the year; their loss was even greater at 199 yuan.


    All at once, millions of users flooded ofo to request deposit refunds, which caused the website to crash due to immense traffic.


    While the website crash was due to the surge in visitors, in the customers'' eyes, it seemed like a sign of impending doom.


    More and more people got the message and wanted to take their deposits back, further complicating the website''s recovery efforts.


    Dai Wei urgently made a statement: "Dear users, please don''t believe baseless rumors. Ofo''s financial situation is very stable, and our delayed payments are not intentional but due to the factory parts not meeting our delivery standards.


    The website crash is simply due to a sudden influx of users causing server overload. Our team is working overtime to fix it, and we expect it to be back up by eight o''clock tonight.


    If you need to request a deposit refund, please try to do so after eight tonight. The deposit will be returned to your payment account within the specified time.


    Finally, the internet is not outside of legal jurisdiction, and we will pursue legal responsibility for each person spreading rumors, according to the law."


    The official statement was of a high caliber, and in the end, a screenshot was shared showing 255 million yuan in liquid funds in the public account.


    Saying a thousand words is no match for abundant capital, which can move hearts more effectively¡ªa balance starting with a two, and nine digits, provides a strong sense of security.


    Ofo had 13.5 million deposit users, some paid a 99 yuan deposit, and others a 199 yuan deposit.


    The public account lazes with 255 million yuan in liquid funds; rumors of a crash seem truly to be groundless.


    "There must be a mastermind behind this."


    Liang reflected that he wouldn''t be surprised if Mobike handled things in such a way, but ofo''s reaction clearly had a master''s guidance.


    Having met Dai Wei a few times, he sensed an air of youthful success and the arrogant pride of a wild horse in fresh attire.


    Born of noble roots, a Beijing University student and student council president, he launched ofo during his first venture at university.


    This couldn''t really be blamed on Dai Wei; with such a background, anyone would be prone to arrogance and complacency.


    "What would I do in this situation?"


    Liang pondered, the sudden storm of public opinion entangling ofo surely indicated someone stoking the flames behind the scenes.


    It could be Mobike or perhaps some other competitor, but there were certainly numerous individuals who wouldn''t mind seeing ofo die.


    Liang, with a cigarette in his mouth, attempted to see things from their perspective when a bizarre expression surfaced; it seemed he might get dragged into this mess.


    The next second, as if to confirm his suspicions.


    A financial big V on the internet revealed: "Someone actually isn''t optimistic about ofo''s future. He cashed out and left the scene at a high during the B-round of fundraising."


    Once this statement was released, Dai Wei wrote a long article, and the public opinion that had just been pacified exploded once again.


    Although the big V didn''t name names, if this information was true, it meant that person joined either during the A round or the angel round.


    That was basically naming names as if saying this person is 31 years old, male, with a company name related to the heavens.


    Because only two institutions joined ofo during the A round, Golden Sand River and DiDi, both institutions invested more in the B and C rounds; therefore, they definitely weren''t the ones who cashed out at a high point.


    There was only one participant in the angel round,


    That was Lu Liang''s Tianxing Investment.


    "Damn, if even Lu God isn''t optimistic about the enterprise, is there any hope left?"


    "Danger¡ªrun, if you don''t cash out now, you''ll really never get your deposit back."


    The recently restored website was on the brink of collapse yet again.


    This time, the users'' rush to refund was unprecedentedly resolute.


    After all, without ofo there''s still Mobike, Kuqi, Yong''an, but if the deposit is gone, it is truly gone.


    Dai Wei was shocked and at a loss. Suddenly he thought of Lu Liang and made a call: "Mr. Lu, did you really transfer the equity?"


    Liang responded indifferently, "I was in need of money at the time, and Mr. Zhu was interested, so I just transferred it to him straightforwardly."


    Dai Wei felt a lump of old blood stuck in his chest, and though he had curses on the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back down: "Then I''ll have a talk with Mr. Zhu."


    "If there really is 255 million yuan in liquid funds, there shouldn''t be such a panic."


    Liang stroked his chin, contemplating a possibility.


    The public account''s screenshot that Dai Wei showed could have been tampered with; there might not actually be 255 million yuan.


    If that was true, ofo only had seven days left.


    If they could not return the deposits in seven days, then ofo would be finished.


    A while later, Zhu Hu called: "Lu my brother, who do you think is targeting ofo?"


    He hadn''t ruled out Lu Liang, but upon deeper consideration, the likelihood seemed minimal, though he could not completely dismiss the possibility, so he opted for a less offensive inquiry.


    Liang chuckled, perceiving the subtext: "Whoever benefits from it, is the pusher behind the scenes."


    He did hold equity in Mobike, but after dilution from the B and C rounds, only 2.168% remained.


    Even though Mobike''s valuation had reached 400 million US dollars, that bit of equity was worth less than ten million US dollars.


    Even doubled, it was just under twenty million; he definitely wouldn''t engage in such actions.


    Zhu Hu also heard the implication and dismissed his suspicion completely, sighing, "Ofo is probably done for."


    "The public account is falsified?"


    "Right."


    Zhu Hu''s headache worsened; after all, there isn''t a single bicycle-sharing company that hasn''t misappropriated deposits.


    Dai Wei''s little tricks may fool the users, but they certainly can''t deceive industry insiders.


    It is just that misusing deposits has become an unspoken rule; rival companies dare not criticize publicly for fear of burning themselves and attracting national regulatory attention.


    If a company''s finances come under national scrutiny, it would be a fatal blow to the entire industry. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Whether it''s ofo or Mobike, the operational logic of all shared bicycle enterprises is to use deposits to expand the market, then finance to develop, and continue to misuse deposits.

 Chapter 182 - 181: King Qin Sweeps the Universe

    "May Lord Guan bless me, Amitabha Buddha~"


    Lu Liang felt that he absolutely had to arrange for a few beautiful girls next time Zhu Hu came to Modu on a business trip.


    One yellow, one white, one black, to definitely keep his spirits high as he entered the room and support his waist as he left.


    This was a really good man, who bought back the equity at a high premium and took disaster in his stride. He deserved to be treated to the blessings of the Temple.


    "Damn it, if you really want to help, give me back my money or reinvest in ofo."


    Zhu Hu''s face darkened; as a traditional man, his own kind was yellow, the enemy was white, and black was something he just couldn''t deal with.


    "It seems like there''s an incoming call, so let''s leave it at that. Next time I come to Modu, I''ll definitely satisfy you."


    Lu Liang chuckled and hurriedly hung up the phone, but not as an excuse. There really was another call coming in. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You really sold ofo''s shares during the Series B financing?" Little Wang was curious about who it was sold to.


    The rumors circulating online were mostly about Lu Liang, and since he wasn''t into gossip, it had been bothering him for a long time.


    "$72 million US Dollars, a 20% premium."


    "Holy shit, who''s the big sucker?"


    "I''d advise you not to dig into this gossip; you could get into trouble."


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently and didn''t reveal who he had sold them to.


    Golden Sand River was Panda''s investor, and although Zhu Hu didn''t look as easygoing as he seemed, he was still approachable with Lu Liang.


    If Little Wang spread rumors online and offended Zhu Hu, Golden Sand River could make things difficult for Panda in a minute.


    As a result, Panda''s already not-so-rich family would be hit even harder.


    Lu Liang suddenly asked, "Xiaocong, what do you think about me becoming sworn brothers with Jianlin? Otherwise, it always feels slightly awkward to keep looking out for you."


    Little Wang didn''t react at first, and suddenly, with a dark face, retorted irritably, "Go to hell."


    "Not considering it? Opportunities don''t come back once they''re gone~"


    Lu Liang teased with a smile. Since Liu Mingxuan left, he''d been bored and making fun of Little Wang had become a source of amusement.


    However, his response was a series of busy tones. Lu Liang sighed, "No appreciation for the finer things."


    Soon, his attention was drawn to the international news of the day, "A businessman has become a candidate?"


    The news broke, and the S&P index, Nasdaq, and other financial sectors surged by 1.2% in response.


    Investors expected that his election would bring massive tax cuts and relaxed financial regulations.


    Especially the industrial and tech sectors, which soared by 5.4%, because he had said he wanted to bring all the overseas factories back home.


    Although he seemed out of tune, even having participated in WWE with staged fights, having such ideas meant he could be a good leader.


    "What a truly free country."


    Lu Liang was curious about the conditions for candidacy, so he did some research and found he didn''t stand much of a chance; one had to be a true-blooded American.


    Moreover, even if a person of Chinese descent held a high position, they were almost always squinty-eyed; they say there''s no discrimination, but that''s just lip service.


    "The first phase produces the party''s delegates, the second phase battles for the White House, and the third phase is the ultimate showdown."


    Lu Liang understood the election process and found it was still over half a year until the third phase; it was still early.


    However, with the businessman becoming a party delegate, the US stocks they held saw a small surge in the market.


    Three days later, on May 7th, the time left for ofo was less than 100 hours.


    Despite online claims that their deposits had been returned, they were incapable of making an impact.


    A credit crisis was like a crumpled piece of paper; even if smoothed out, creases would remain.


    Furthermore, ofo had yet to smooth out, and unless they could ensure the return of deposits to the tens of millions of users after May 11th, perhaps then the users might give them a chance to rebuild the trust system.


    Days passed, and before long, it was May 10th.


    There was less than 24 hours until ofo users started applying en masse to get their deposits back.


    While the public''s attention was focused on ofo, with users hoping for their deposits to be returned, netizens online enjoying the spectacle, and competitors kicking them while they were down.


    BYD in Shenzhen announced the Dynasty Series'' first car, the BYD Qin, firing the opening salvo in the new-energy vehicle market.


    Equipped with BYD''s self-developed super hybrid system, it boasted the highest thermal efficiency in the world at 43.04%,


    Putting Mazda, which has always prided itself on natural aspiration engines, firmly underfoot and giving them a good squeeze.


    Thermal efficiency, put simply, is the engine''s ability to combust every drop of gasoline. The higher the value, the better the fuel economy.


    0-100km/h acceleration in 7.3 seconds, a maximum range of 1245 kilometers with a full tank and battery, the official price is between 250,000-290,000, and the price after subsidies is around 150,000.


    The press conference had ended, and topics related to it quickly surged to the top of the hottest searches online, overshadowing the news of ofo nearing a financial explosion.


    "BYD''s ambition isn''t small at all, to dare to use such a name. Do they really think themselves as King Qin sweeping across the six states?"


    "I''ve already pre-ordered the all-electric version, with a down payment of sixteen thousand. You can get a license in any major city across the nation, and a full charge only costs 30 yuan for 300 kilometers. Using it for taxi service is simply too appealing."


    "Perhaps that''s the meaning of Qin, not that it''s luxurious or expensive, but rather to absolutely crush in terms of quantity."


    "Damn this sucks, I''m done with shaking for car plates for so many years. If it''s electric, then so be it, I''ll just drive it around the city."


    "I should have bought an electric car a long time ago. You can drive one home for just 30,000."


    The country''s push for the new energy vehicle industry is all-encompassing, from manufacturing to landing on the road and getting loans, the green light is on in almost every aspect.


    The price of the BYD Qin is so people-friendly, unlike a Tesla that easily costs over a million, a price of tens of thousands is acceptable to most people.


    Besides not being able to drive back to your hometown without ridicule, spending tens of thousands on an electric car, this car seems almost flawless.


    What''s more, some people openly say that if the new energy industry can develop in the country, BYD would have made the greatest contribution. This car is just too suitable for opening up the market.


    Lu Liang agrees with this and has posted two screenshots on Weibo, reserving two models, one all-electric and one hybrid.


    He had Wen Chao rent a warehouse of over six thousand square meters in the outskirts of Modu, planning to use it exclusively for storing cars in the future.


    Every time a new model hits the market, he bought one, in order to integrate the best features of everything and create his own new energy car.


    "Damn it, I might be sued for manipulating stock prices, huh?"


    Seeing the comments online, Lu Liang looked a bit upset.


    His original intention was to help Dizi open the market and let netizens not be so prejudiced against electric cars.


    The larger the market, the better for practitioners, just like Li Bing recommended he invest in Ningde Era.


    But netizens think he''s again benefitting from insider knowledge; BYD''s stock surged 6.52% due to the new car release, maxing out at an increase, with a market value soaring by 22.1 billion.


    And the key point is, Lu Liang had indeed bought Dizi''s stock,


    and not just a little, about 1.5 billion worth.


    This was also the first time that he publicly expressed optimism about a listed company, presumably not even three limit-up halts could contain it.


    "I just hope that Dizi can show some mettle."


    Lu Liang could only pray inwardly that tomorrow''s first-day sales would be explosive, so it couldn''t be considered stock price manipulation.


    The next day, news came from Beijing: ofo was saved and had received 30 million US dollars in financing from Ali Group.


    Golden Sand River withdrew from ofo''s board of directors, transferring all equity to Alibaba along with its veto power.


    A week earlier, users who applied for a refund of their deposits had gradually received their money back, as if ofo had safely passed through its crisis.


    That night, Zhu Hu came to Modu and found Lu Liang: "You said you''d arrange a Three Kingdoms Battle for me."


    "No problem, that''s a small matter. I can even drain you dry afterward, but what''s really going on?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile, suddenly understanding Little Wang''s sentiment; gossip is the fourth innate human instinct.


    In his view, ofo shouldn''t have been able to make it; how did things suddenly get better? Although Ali is known for making sometimes unwise investments, it shouldn''t be this foolish.


    As far as he knew, ofo had nothing left but a pile of bicycles, with just suppliers bearing 1.5 billion in bills.


    "Old Ma is a bit ambitious, and the Dai Family has an interest in rescuing their venture, so the two sides just clicked."


    Zhu Hu took a sip of his drink, reluctant to delve deeper into the topic, but his face said it all about the profit and loss: "I''ve really been working for you."


    All the equity held by Golden Sand River was valued at 80 million US dollars and transferred to Alibaba Group.


    The equity that Lu Liang once held was bought by him at a valuation of 72 million US dollars, a 20% premium on the purchase.


    Setting aside the sunk cost, altogether, he lost more than six million US dollars, more expensive than sleeping with International Fan.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, calling Old Wu to bring people in, three girls, and an Ethiopian black pearl.


    He murmured a few words to Wu Tianzheng, then turned and said with a smile, "Hu, have fun, it''s all on me."


    Zhu Hu had his eyes on that black pearl immediately, a height of about 170cm, with a stunning figure.


    Embracing the woman, he pondered why her skin was so black, yet so smooth.


    Seeing that Lu Liang was about to leave, Zhu Hu suddenly asked, "Where are you off to?"


    "I can''t simply watch you have fun, can I?"


    "Well, it''s not impossible."


    "I don''t swing that way."

 Chapter 183 - 182: Meituan Takes Charge

    "Whoever benefits is the puppet master behind the scenes."


    After bidding farewell to Zhu Hu, Lu Liang walked out of the hotel and suddenly thought of this phrase, muttering to himself, "Could it be Ali?"


    Ali had entered the scene personally, holding at least 30% of the share, making every competitor sweat profusely.


    Not many people knew that Lu Liang had transferred his shares, but Ali definitely did, as Zhu Hu had been connecting Ofo with Ali for some time, so it was not surprising that Ali knew.


    "What''s the agenda? Political capital?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t figure it out, but he knew that Mobike and other friendly competitors were in for trouble, at least Meituan wouldn''t stand by idly.


    Army against army, general against general, since the big capital had entered the scene personally, it suggested that the final battle was nearly upon them.


    The next day, Lu Liang was waiting for a call from someone. After waiting for a long time without a call, he instead received Qin''s sales figures.


    In the first day, 24 hours, the total bookings were 25,200 units, almost 28% of the entire market''s sales volume for the first quarter.


    Dizi had a complete industrial system and could mass-produce within three months, unlike Tesla, which was secretive and mournful.


    As a result, the company''s stock soared, achieving a "three-day winning streak", bringing its market value to 2.74 trillion Yuan, thereby boosting the sector by 2.43%.


    "New energy credits, 2400 Yuan each, invaluable, Dizi is going to dominate the market."


    "The shabby car companies, their good days are over."


    "Dizi, charge for me~~"


    "Looking forward to 500 billion!"


    A group of retail investors predicted that starting this month, the entire new energy industry would enter a rapid development phase.


    Just as the mobile phone circle wouldn''t allow OnePlus to excel alone, the car circle wouldn''t allow BYD to excel alone either.


    Moreover, there was also the new policy of carbon credits.


    The calculation method for the new energy credits was 0.012xR+0.8, where R represented the driving range.


    Using the pure electric version of Qin as a standard, with a top configuration of 300 kilometers range, it could generate about 4.4 credits.


    The country had set a cap of 5000 Yuan per credit, but since it was not yet time to settle accounts, no one needed them yet and no one was selling, with the market price hovering around 2400 Yuan.


    So when Old Wang said that a car only earns 5000 Yuan, it wasn''t just boasting. After all, selling cars only made a bit of money, but selling credits and subsidies later on would be the bulk of earnings.


    According to the current situation, surplus new energy credits could be sold at the end of the year.


    Except for BYD, there was also Tesla. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was now like a classroom with a new transfer student with excellent grades, and a classmate was also silently trying hard, obviously waiting to hit them hard next year.


    A group of car companies cried wolf: "The wolf is here."


    That afternoon, Lu Liang finally received the call he had been waiting for, a call from Hu Weiwei, "Mr. Lu, Meituan has parachuted in."


    After Ali entered the scene, Meituan couldn''t sit still either, Li Bing reached an agreement with Shen Peng, who in turn reached an agreement with Wang Xing.


    So, Meituan sent people to parachute in, completely sidelining her authority, and Wang Xing even planned to merge Mobike into Meituan.


    "What are you thinking?" Lu Liang asked.


    Hu Weiwei was silent for a long time, full of melancholy, and sighed, "I really don''t know now."


    Although there had been confusion before, there was always something to look forward to, a direction to know where to go, thinking that everything was for Mobike.


    But now that Mobike was essentially Wang''s, she was completely lost, even if she wanted to keep busy, she didn''t know what the point was.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, then suddenly said, "I mentioned before that I saved a position for you, do you remember?"


    "I remember."


    "If you''d like, then head to Beijing, Tianxing Technology still lacks a deputy general manager in charge."


    Hu Weiwei had been a car journalist for ten years and had even founded the tech media ''Geek Auto''.


    When Lu Liang invited her, he had already thought of the position for her, a deputy general manager in charge, with a status equal to Tang Caide.


    "Beijing, the car circle..."


    Hu Weiwei was bewildered for a moment, after going around in circles for over a year, it seemed she was about to return to the starting point from more than a decade ago.


    She had always thought Lu Liang was joking and was surprised when he actually reserved a very suitable position for her.


    Hu Weiwei thought for a long time.


    Lu Liang knew she was weighing her options and wasn''t in a hurry.


    He leisurely lit a cigarette, basked in the smoke, and patiently waited for her final answer.


    After a while, Hu Weiwei took a deep breath and suddenly made up her mind, "Mr. Lu, give me three months to sort things out at Mobike, then I will head to Beijing."


    She knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if she refused, there wouldn''t be a next time.


    Even considering it for a few days wouldn''t work due to the dynamics of playing hard to get, which only existed when the parties were of equal standing.


    The gap between Lu Liang and her was even bigger than between her and Li Bing, and there were too many people to choose from.


    "Three months, four months, all fine; just give me a call when you''re ready," Lu Liang said with a satisfied smile on his face.


    He was relieved that Hu Weiwei was aware of her situation and didn''t bring up welfare benefits or even stock options.


    Because discussing those matters now was too premature.


    Soon, news started spreading online.


    It was rumored that Meituan was investing $465 million to take over Mobike, making Mobike a part of the Meituan conglomerate.


    The news was quickly confirmed by Li Bing, Hu Weiwei, and Wang Xing from Meituan.


    Once it broke out, public opinion was in an uproar.


    Netizens complained, "That was way too fast."


    The entrance of major capital not only signified that the ultimate battle was about to begin but also meant that, regardless of who won or lost, low-cost rides were a thing of the past.


    The Thousand Group War, the Ride-Hailing War, countless incidents were proving this point: the fiercer the competition, the greater the benefits to the public.


    Conversely, once the market was down to the last two or three companies, they would reconcile and stop burning cash to seek profits.


    First market, then money; this has been the pattern for internet companies for over a decade.


    At the same time, Li Bing also approached Lu Liang, full of regrets, "Hu Weiwei is resigning."


    "Rain falls and women marry; who can stop that?" Lu Liang said with a smile.


    Li Bing sighed, "This, I have wronged her."


    Initially, he had urged Hu Weiwei to establish Mobike, planning blueprints for her, pulling in investments, introducing suppliers, and ultimately bursting her bubble himself.


    Lu Liang joked with a laugh, "In business, there''s no real concept of wronging someone unless there''s more than business between you two."


    "Stop spreading rumors," Li Bing glared, he and Hu Weiwei were purely old acquaintances.


    Decades ago, when the automotive market wasn''t as large and auto journalists were few, he founded Yiche and frequently dealt with auto journalists; gradually, they grew familiar.


    The year before last, Li Bing saw the potential in the sharing market but was busy building compact cars, so he thought of Hu Weiwei.


    "I was just joking," Lu Liang was taken aback.


    "I know you were joking, but I truly have wronged her," Li Bing sighed, detailing this only in hopes that Lu Liang would treat Hu Weiwei better in the future and personally vouch for her.


    Lu Liang''s main business was in finance, and investing in new energy was merely out of interest, but his core business was NIO, which left no room for Hu Weiwei.


    He always felt quite sorry for Hu Weiwei because he didn''t provide her with a fallback plan, and these past few days, he had barely dared to meet with her.


    Fortunately, Lu Liang offered her a refuge.


    "It still depends on her capability."


    Lu Liang smiled and didn''t make any definite promises.


    While Hu Weiwei was experienced, if she lacked capability, in the end, no one''s words would help.


    Li Bing hesitated to speak and finally sighed, swallowing his words and pulling out a contract to change the subject, "Take a look, if there''s no issue, sign to authorize."


    Meituan was to use $465 million for a full takeover, which he managed, and Lu Liang held 2.168%, currently valued at $10.0812 million.

 Chapter 184 - 183: Image Spokesperson

    Lu Liang had joined during the Series A funding when Mobike was valued at ten million US dollars, and he invested just three hundred thousand to acquire a 3% stake.


    After numerous rounds of stock dilution, his 3% had dwindled to 2.168%, a decrease of 0.832%, yet the value had increased by 33.6 times.


    "It seems like a considerable gain," Lu Liang muttered quietly, though Li Bing still heard him despite the volume. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he remarked, "It''s mainly because you have a good eye."


    The returns on venture capital are high, often reaching multiples of ten or even a hundred, but failing is often the norm.


    Lu Liang was an exception; whatever he aimed at usually hit the mark.


    It was thought that ofo would make him stumble, but unexpectedly, the guy ran faster than a rabbit.


    He had early on sensed issues with ofo''s business strategy and discreetly cashed out during the Series B funding.


    The profit wasn''t substantial, but it was undoubtedly the best timing.


    With a valuation of seventy-two million dollars, not too high but not too low, it was just the right price for quickly recirculating capital.


    Lu Liang had a sharp eye, and because of his cash-out, ofo was on the verge of a breakdown, which was hardly unjust.


    Out of so many bike-sharing companies, he had specifically chosen Long Yi and Long Er, and always managed to come out whole.


    Netizens blindly trusted him, and from the perspective of a Monday morning quarterback, none could find fault in his choices.


    "It''s just a coincidence, and such opportunities will only decrease from here on," chuckled Lu Liang, seeing clearly that the days of low investment for high returns had passed.


    Just this year, he barely invested in projects worth less than ten million, mainly focusing on those worth tens or even hundreds of millions. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the scale of capital increased, minor investments could no longer contain him, forcing him onto a path of high investments for high returns.


    Li Bing forced a bitter smile, not knowing how to continue the conversation.


    He couldn''t understand that feeling, although having assets worth eight billion, the capital he could mobilize was only a few billion.


    Lu Liang controlled nearly one hundred to two hundred billion dollars in actual cash flow, how could he comprehend?


    "Mr. Lu, NIO has finalized the mass-production model, named the ES8."


    Li Bing instructed his assistant to secure the buyback agreement and talked about NIO''s second car, a mid-to-large size all-electric SUV.


    Ever since the EP9 set the record for the fastest lap at the Nordschleife during testing in Germany.


    At the same time, the racing team they sponsored won the first annual championship for drivers in the International Electric Formula Championship.


    "NIO" had gained a slight reputation in the European and American car circles.


    It was almost time to develop their second model, and also the first that could go into mass production.


    Both Li Bing and Li Xiang agreed on targeting the family car market, fitting it with refrigerators and big-screen TVs, and going directly for the high-end market.


    Because once electric vehicles become common, the industry will expand and costs will plummet drastically, so they decide to start high and lower gradually.


    It''s easier to move from top to bottom than the other way around.


    "All electric? No hybrid models?"


    Lu Liang was puzzled; he favored BYD''s development path.


    Hybrid models, offensive when advancing, defensive when retreating.


    Electric in the city, fuel out of town, undoubtedly the best choice when charging stations are not widely available.


    Li Bing''s face stiffened slightly: "We''re not considering hybrids for now, we plan to collaborate with Ningde to launch a battery-swap model."


    Lu Liang understood upon seeing the pricing, and said with a laugh, "This market is just developing, and indeed, everything must be tried."


    NIO isn''t avoiding hybrid models,


    not that they don''t want to, but because they can''t.


    The ES8 is expected to be priced at $448,000, similar to the BMW X3, Audi Q5L, and Mercedes GLC.


    But the contract manufacturer is Jianghuai, primarily a maker of light trucks and large vans, with limited expertise in internal combustion engines.


    A luxury car worth over four hundred-thousand with an engine worth only a few ten-thousands, or even less, would simply degrade its value; better not to have one.


    In contrast, the BYD Qin''s on-the-road price is just over a hundred-thousand and even if equipped with a three-cylinder engine, people would still praise it.


    At this price, including the license, there''s no need for bicycles.


    Li Bing gave a forced smile and then added, "Mr. Lu, NIO plans to conduct Series A fundraising this Thursday."


    The production base is currently undergoing its second phase of construction, and Jianghuai has constantly been asking him for money; the initial one hundred million US dollars is nearly spent.


    If NIO gets off to a good start, as long as the ES8 is accepted by the market and goes into mass production, preparations for public offering can begin.


    Investors can''t wait for too long, but backers can; they can accompany NIO until it profits.


    Just like JD, which even to this day incurs losses of ten to twenty billion annually, it didn''t hinder its listing in the US, with a current market value of 38 billion US dollars.


    "When the time comes, send me NIO''s financing plan."


    A valuation of two billion dollars was a price they had inflated together, so they would have to foot the bill as well.


    When NIO''s valuation was accepted by the market, that''s when they could retire successfully.


    Tianxing held 10% of NIO''s shares, needing to contribute twenty million US dollars for this round of financing, totaling two hundred million dollars.


    After seeing off Li Bing, Lu Liang encountered Chen Jinchun at the company''s entrance, who had just returned from the Southwest Mountainous Region.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve returned," Chen Jinchun waved excitedly.


    From a white steamed bun, she had turned into a wheat bun, her skin a shade darker, no longer possessing the glamor of a city beauty.


    "Hard work pays off, come in and let''s chat."


    Lu Liang smiled, calling Chen Jinchun over to make her some tea, ready to listen to her experiences over these past days.


    He had seen the project''s proposal, which seemed to be located in Guizhou, but where exactly, he couldn''t recall.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu," Chen Jinchun respectfully took the teacup with both hands and slowly began to recount her experiences.


    Though it was the Southwest Mountainous Region, the country had never forgotten them, offering several policies and substantial aid.


    Except for a few families, hardly anyone was so poor they couldn''t afford food; it was more a feeling of helplessness.


    There were too many children left behind; in several villages they visited, almost no young adults could be seen, with 90% being left-behind children.


    "The help we can provide is really limited."


    Chen Jinchun sighed, her biggest realization from this trip was understanding just how fortunate she was.


    She had always thought that everything she had was a given, only to suddenly realize that her life was an unreachable dream for others.


    If she hadn''t been born in Six Dynasties Capital, if her parents weren''t both wage earners, if she wasn''t an only child, if her first job after graduation hadn''t led her to meet Lu Liang...


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but smile, "This doesn''t sound like a charity mission, rather more like taking part in a transformation plan."


    "True indeed," Chen Jinchun said earnestly, then suddenly stood up and bowed deeply, "Mr. Lu, thank you very much."


    Lu Liang, smirking modestly, replied, "Work hard, that''s the best thank you to me."


    Chen Jinchun nodded firmly.


    She bid farewell to Lu Liang and returned to her workstation to edit videos.


    "Hello everyone, I''m Xiao Chen from Tianxing, today we came to the Southwest Mountainous Region."


    When she had initially taken on this new job, she spent a whole night discussing it with Tang Caide.


    Tang Caide was her mentor and a sagacious advisor, who straightforwardly identified the role of this position.


    Simply put, it was to be the corporate spokesperson, though she wasn''t sure why private equity needed a spokesperson.


    But Lu Liang had his reasons, and all they needed to do was to execute.


    Thus, Chen Jinchun decided to create a 30-minute video, divided into three parts: national, familial, and corporate social responsibilities.


    The first stage was to praise abundantly, even remote mountainous areas had access to water and electricity, with well-developed infrastructure.


    Though it might hint at exploiting patriotism, she believed it was the reality, as these were her firsthand experiences.


    The second stage revolved around the village''s left-behind children, a social issue stemming from rapid economic growth, which led to the third stage about a company''s sense of social responsibility.


    "Our Mr. Lu has decided to establish a charity foundation, investing no less than thirty million annually, with dedicated funds, fully transparent financial details, and we welcome oversight from all sectors of society."


    "That''s right, I almost forgot, we don''t accept any channel of donations, so be careful~beware of fraud."


    "Bowed down!"


    In just thirty minutes, the video let numerous netizens witness Chen Jinchun''s transformation from a white steamed bun into a wheat bun.


    The video was made with great care, especially the second part about the left-behind children, which greatly resonated with netizens.


    They had also been through similar situations, and now followed in their parents'' footsteps, moving south to work in factories.


    Although many were aware that these corporations engaged in charity primarily for tax reduction purposes,


    the difference between heartfelt effort and lack thereof was crystal clear.


    After all, some enterprises, too lazy to even pretend, treated charity as if they were dismissing beggars.


    In contrast, Lu Liang''s Tianxing Investment felt like a breath of fresh air, and not to mention, Chen Jinchun was so adorable.


    As a result, the video unsurprisingly exploded in popularity, and along with it, the registrations on Douyin also surged significantly.

 Chapter 185 - 184: Knocking

    The next morning, Meng Changkun rushed to the company, looking like he had something to say but was hesitating, stammering over his words.


    Lu Liang felt puzzled and couldn''t help but laugh, "Mr. Kun, just say what you want to say, no need to look like you''re constipated."


    "I''ll just say it then, don''t get angry too quickly, and let me clarify, these aren''t my words, I only heard about it."


    Meng Changkun had heard that someone was plotting against Lu Liang, spending money on charity and even publicizing the financial details, which had touched on certain people''s interests.


    Some people were counting on this "fat of the land" to make a living, and while Lu Liang had earned himself a reputation, he had put the entire industry on the hot seat.


    Lu Liang chuckled, "So, what are they planning to do to me?"


    Meng Changkun said, "They probably wouldn''t dare to confront you openly, but I guess they might resort to some mean tactics."


    After all, Lu Liang was no ordinary person, if they wanted to mess with him, they''d have to ask if they agreed to it first.


    Gradually, Lu Liang sensed something was off, feeling that Old Meng''s hints seemed more like a warning than just a heads-up.


    "It''s no big deal, worst comes to worst, we go our separate ways." He said nonchalantly, planning to probe Meng Changkun''s intentions.


    It was clear from Lu Liang''s attitude that he was sensitive, unable to bear even the slightest grievance.


    If it came to it, he''d simply dissolve the fund and go it alone, believing that the world was his oyster.


    Meng Changkun was taken aback, met Lu Liang''s gaze, and sighed, "It doesn''t have to come to that, it''s not that serious."


    Lu Liang was very perceptive, this time it was indeed more of a warning than a reminder, but it definitely wasn''t his true intention. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Whose idea was it?" Lu Liang asked.


    Meng Changkun shook his head, "Let''s just say it was mine."


    Lu Liang''s brow furrowed, and after a long moment of contemplation he said, "There''s no such thing as a free lunch."


    The comment was meant for Meng Changkun, but it was also intended for the person behind him.


    If they wanted him to continue making money, they''d have to clean up after him, even if it was a mess he started himself.


    Meng Changkun nodded in agreement, though he didn''t disclose who exactly had asked him to do it.


    Lu Liang looked thoughtful, and after a long time, in a calm tone said, "Mr. Meng, is there anything else?"


    Meng Changkun seemed to have anticipated this, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes, as he forced a smile, "No, that''s all."


    Lu Liang brewed some tea, poured a cup for Meng Changkun, and after they finished drinking, he did not offer more tea.


    Meng Changkun took the hint, "Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, I''ll be leaving now."


    "I''ll see you out."


    "No need."


    Lu Liang smiled and watched Meng Changkun leave until his figure disappeared at the end of the hallway, sighing to himself.


    He knew there must be some unavoidable difficulties, but since it had been done, he couldn''t pretend that nothing had happened.


    The dragon''s reverse scale, touch it and meet death; if he gave in because of soft-heartedness, it would be like giving up one city today, and ten cities tomorrow.


    "Who exactly is it?"


    Lu Liang returned to his office and lay straight on the couch, sometimes finding the sofa more comfortable to sleep on than a bed.


    He browsed online news, as the video released by Chen Jinchun yesterday had made the company''s reputation exceptionally good.


    After all, a company that showed outward "harvesting" and inward charity was really easy to attract followers.


    They even publicized the financial details, causing countless charity organizations to be called out and derided by netizens.


    Online public sentiment, although fast to come and go, the internet still had a memory.


    Corruption cases from 2008 and 2012 were still unresolved mysteries.


    "Is he afraid of being exposed for past deals, so he had Old Meng come and warn me?"


    Lu Liang muttered to himself thoughtfully, but didn''t take it too seriously after thinking it over.


    Having only Meng Changkun deliver the message, instead of someone else, showed that the influence of those involved was limited.


    Considering Old Meng''s stature, if it had been a warning from Wang Xiaocong, or the financial magnates Shen Peng and Zhu Hu, then Lu Liang would have taken it very seriously.


    One was the son of the richest man, the other two were heavyweights in finance, and the person capable of convincing them to risk offending Lu Liang had to be even more influential.


    After a while, Lu Liang got up and checked the business plan; Li Bing''s electric replacement proposal from yesterday had given him a wake-up call.


    The new energy market was not yet mature, it wasn''t time for him to enter, but some supporting industries could be prepared in advance.


    Charging stations are the gas stations of the future. Everyone knows how dominant the two top oil companies are, and the development of new energy is bound to drive the rise of new industries.


    Battery swapping is one aspect, and charging piles are another.


    Although it''s unclear which market has a broader audience, casting a wide net first is never a mistake, especially when there''s a sufficient margin for error.


    Come nightfall, Lu Liang arrived at Scholarly Splendor.


    Celebrating Wanyu''s successful entrance into graduate studies, from now on, she would be a graduate student at Tongji.


    "Isn''t there a saying, ''The first sword strikes the beloved one upon reaching the shore?''" Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    "Nonsense, there''s no such thing." Wanyu, dissatisfied, wrinkled her nose ¡ª she would never strike her beloved.


    "Let''s celebrate properly tonight. You were all plump and well-fed by me, but now you seem to have slimmed down again."


    Lu Liang pinched Wanyu''s smiling face. She had been preparing for the retake exams recently, visibly worn out, almost returning to the slim figure she had when they first met.


    He didn''t like girls being too thin. A bit of chubbiness was best, making for a comfortable embrace.


    "You''re the one who''s been well-fed and plump. But indeed, it''s definitely time to celebrate properly."


    Wanyu smiled slyly, stealthily pulling out a string of beads from her pocket and placing it directly onto Lu Liang''s wrist: "Happy Birthday."


    She had secretly checked their astrological compatibility; Lu Liang was a Taurus man from May, matching perfectly, 100%, with her, a December Capricorn woman.


    "In the blink of an eye, I''m already 31," Lu Liang stared at the black and white beads that looked like the Nine-Eyed Sky Bead from the Tibetan Region.


    "So what if you''re 31, didn''t they say, ''a man is a flower at thirty-one?''" Wanyu reassured repeatedly.


    Thinking that Lu Liang, like girls, would be sensitive about his age, after all, they had an eight-year age difference.


    "It really isn''t a big deal." Lu Liang said with a smile, wrapping his arms around Wanyu''s waist, but his mind drifted back to last year.


    At that time, he had sold his house, quit his job, and was in debt by hundreds of thousands, having invested all his funds into the stock market.


    In just one year, he possessed a car, a house, several close girlfriends, and an estate worth over a billion.


    The experiences of the past year were a hundred times more exciting than those of the previous twenty-nine years.


    Suddenly, Wanyu slipped out from Lu Liang''s arms, took small steps to the kitchen, and came back with a cake lit with candles, singing the birthday song.


    Lu Liang smiled, setting a romantic mood by turning off the main lights, leaving only a dim table lamp.


    "Make a wish," Wanyu said, hands supporting her cheeks, eyes full of expectation, curious about what wish Lu Liang would make.


    "I hope for world peace and for everyone to have enough food and clothes," Lu Liang brought his palms together seriously.


    After saying this, as he prepared to blow out the candles, Wanyu covered his mouth: "Don''t blow it out; that''s so insincere, choose another."


    "Is it just insincere, or do you not like hearing it?" Lu Liang asked with a grin.


    "Hmph, both," Wanyu retorted, tilting her chin up proudly.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, brought his palms together again, closed his eyes, mumbling something, then suddenly blew out the candles.


    Wanyu, full of curiosity: "What wish did you make?"


    "If I tell, it might not come true. Are you sure you want to hear it?"


    "Does it involve me?"


    Lu Liang thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes."


    Wanyu was torn, curious yet hoping it would come true: "Maybe just give me a little hint?"


    Lu Liang smiled and shook his head. Wanyu made a pouting face, squirming in his arms like a worm: "Come on, even a hint will do."


    Lu Liang grinned, unyielding.


    Wanyu, frustrated, suddenly opened her mouth wide, sucked fiercely on his cheek, and left a mark like a red cherry.


    Lu Liang''s smile turned mischievous: "You want to play this game with me?"


    Recalling past events, Wanyu felt uneasy: "Let''s not play, let''s eat the cake instead; I was wrong."


    "Too late."


    "Help~"


    As always, Lu Liang was fair; the red cherry on his face had almost faded, but Wanyu''s neck sported several fresh strawberries.


    Wanyu''s eyes brimmed with tears, and Lu Liang, leaning close to her cheek, chuckled softly: "My wish is that you can become a mother right after you graduate."


    Wanyu, delighted, her internal discontent evaporated instantly, blushing yet sneakily raising two fingers: "Then I want two, preferably an older brother and a younger sister."

 Chapter 187 - 186: One Sentence Causes the Yen to Plummet

    "There are still two months left,"


    Lu Liang, with a pensive look on his face, instructed Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing to arrange for the withdrawal of 2 billion US dollars in cash before July if possible.


    He was being closely monitored by too many people, both domestically and internationally, and it was no longer appropriate to use high leverage due to the high probability of position disclosure.


    To earn more, one could only increase the capital investment. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mr. Lu, from which market specifically should we withdraw?" Sun Yutao asked.


    The entire trading team, after over half a year of integration, saw him become the second-in-command of the trading floor, managing all traders and second only to Lu Liang.


    The two funds now almost reached a total size of 3 billion US dollars, and withdrawing 2 billion within a month and a half was not a difficult task.


    Because they had always implemented a 532 allocation scheme: 50% in US stocks, 30% in A shares, and 20% in liquid assets.


    With four to five hundred million dollars in liquid assets regularly on the account, they only needed to withdraw another 1.5 billion.


    But as for how exactly to withdraw the funds¡ªwhether evenly from all markets or from a single one¡ªhe needed Lu Liang''s instructions.


    After much thought, Lu Liang decided: "Withdraw from the US stock assets."


    Despite the southern affairs causing the A-share market to be sluggish, the country''s firm stance would ensure a strong stock market performance.


    In the short term, the A-share market had even greater potential to rise compared to US stocks, especially since they held a large position in new energy constituent stocks.


    The name "King Qin" was gradually gaining recognition in the market.


    Everyone was waiting for the first batch of deliveries in early August. If the market''s reception was good, BYD''s stocks would inevitably see a minor rally, which would in turn drive up the entire new energy index.


    In contrast to the US stock market, even though businessmen had become representatives within the party, and the industrial technology sector had taken off, with a strong performance in the financial markets,


    they were not very optimistic about the businessman, given that his electoral rival was Kling''s wife, who boasted a rich political legacy.


    And the businessman, much like the supermale specimen of Old Wang and Little Wang, was mockingly called Joker by supporters of the opposing party. Some even bluntly said that his election would be a tragedy for the United States.


    When weighing the benefits, Lu Liang decided to withdraw funds invested in US stocks, while temporarily retaining the A-share assets.


    After arranging the tasks for the next month and a half, he stepped out of the trading room and logged into his Twitter account.


    Since successfully shorting the British Pounds against three major players and coming out victorious, Lu Liang''s Twitter followers had long surpassed the ten million mark.


    And not just celebrities and politicians from across the Strait, three locations, his comment section was flooded with languages from China, Japan, Korea, Britain, and other countries.


    Besides domestic fans, those from Japan and South Korea were the most numerous, nearly 3.2 million, as naturally gambling-prone countries like these two were very similar to Xiangjiang, where leveraging is a trend.


    If there were only one hundred retail investors worldwide, China would have thirty, Japan and South Korea combined would have another thirty, and the other countries forty.


    Lu Liang pondered for a while; the southern event had not yet reached a boiling point, and speaking out now would be too obvious in its intent.


    Moreover, the so-called freedom of speech, much like racial discrimination, is just lip service, and picking sides could easily lead to being banned.


    This time, Lu Liang hoped that the more people who joined, the better, to facilitate the withdrawal of funds, requiring the influence to continue to ferment.


    After much consideration, he decided to start by criticizing Anshan''s governance policies and expressed a pessimistic view of the future of the Yamato people''s economy.


    He mockingly hinted, both overtly and covertly, for them to mind their own national affairs and not to think they still dominated Asia as in the past.


    "Lu, are you planning to make a move on the yen again?"


    "The army has yet to move, but public opinion precedes it. Ding Xie now gives off more and more of a big-shot vibe,"


    Lu Liang''s remarks on doubting the Yamato economy quickly spread from Twitter worldwide, even making headlines in the Wall Street Journal and The Times, sparking heated discussions among global financial practitioners.


    Astute net users noticed that Lu Liang''s bearish sentiment on the Yamato economy was likely in preparation to short the yen, a strategy that was very much in line with Mr. Suo''s techniques.


    But a good tactic doesn''t age¡ªwhat works is what matters.


    As soon as the news broke out, the US dollar to yen exchange rate dropped three hundred basis points, as Lu Liang once again demonstrated his unparalleled financial influence, far surpassing the long-revered elders.


    After all, Mr. Suo, in his eighties, was already knee-deep in dust. The China collapse theory he had proposed since the early 2000s had proven wrong. Over the past decade or more, not only did China''s economy not collapse, but it also surpassed the Yamato economy to become the world''s second-largest.


    His predictions had been wrong more than once or twice.


    But Lu Liang was different. In his early thirties, strong and vigorous, he had not made a wrong prediction yet, and they often came to pass within the following few months.


    "Oh, the sky is falling," the Yamato people thought, wondering why everyone wanted to short the yen. Had they violated some heavenly law?


    Even though there were historical hostilities between China and the Yamato people, those were the sins of generations past. They were a new generation¡ªwhy should they bear the brunt of repaying the old sufferings, which had nothing to do with them?


    Many citizens, feeling aggrieved, decided to protest on the streets, directing their anger at Anshan; if Lu was critical of the governance, then change the leader¡ªafter all, it''s not as if one can''t be replaced.


    International media were all taken aback upon hearing the news; the thought processes of the Yamato people apparently differed considerably from those of other nations.


    Without responding to the evolving rumors, Lu Liang was laying low, waiting for the judgment to come down in that period of time.


    At two o''clock in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at Hongqiao Airport to take a flight to Beijing, invited by Zhang Yiming.


    He waited in the VIP lounge at the airport, feeling bored, as his travels had been rather frequent in recent months.


    He was contemplating whether to purchase a private jet.


    Although the high-speed train took over five hours and the plane just two hours, the overall time spent was roughly the same.


    Trains are rarely late, but flight delays are common, wasting a lot of time waiting at the airport.


    "Buy it."


    Lu Liang suddenly decided, turned his head to inform Wen Chao to inquire about the models and prices, and to place an order first.


    Delivery for luxury cars normally takes one to two months, but a private jet requires even more time¡ªtypically at least half a year.


    Lu Liang could also follow Old Ma''s tactic of buying a plane with his own money and then renting it to the company at a high price for his own use.


    If a plane was valued at three hundred million dollars, he could sign a ten-year lease with the company worth one billion dollars.


    Thus, he would not only make a hefty profit of seven hundred million dollars but also have the company cover the daily maintenance costs of the plane.


    Old Ma had always been cunning in finding loopholes, a strategy worth in-depth study for Lu Liang.


    By five-thirty in the afternoon,


    Lu Liang arrived at the hotel booked by Byte.


    The inaugural capital raising dinner for Watermelon Douyin attracted countless domestic and international capital magnates.


    Since Douyin was taken over by Byte, Zhang Yiming advocated for development both at home and abroad, competing with Kuai Shou domestically and progressing in step internationally.


    This time, offering 15% of the company''s shares at a valuation of six hundred and fifty million dollars, they aimed to raise ninety-seven million and five hundred thousand dollars in capital.


    They planned to use seventy million dollars to expand internationally, intending to take on foreign competitors first and gauge their depth.


    If they could outfight them, they''d beat them; if not, they''d adapt the strategy. The target was naturally deemed the legitimate Musical.ly.


    However, enterprises require the assistance of foreign capital to go overseas, which is why many international investors were present today.


    Although today was the financing event for Watermelon Douyin, Lu Liang''s presence immediately turned him into the focus of the entire gathering.


    A single statement caused the yen to plummet by three hundred basis points, prompting masses to spontaneously take to the streets and impeach the prime minister.


    Although it was also related to Anshan''s unpopular governance in recent years, the incident was ultimately triggered by Lu Liang.


    Looking at the international scene, the last person of such prowess was Soros in ''97.


    Back then, promoted by Wall Street as their spokesperson, his influence was formidable and unrivaled.


    During that period, his achievements were ferocious.


    Without the relentless lifesaving inflow of funds from the mainland, Xiangjiang would have faltered long ago, and Russia would have perished if it hadn''t played dirty.


    Without any background support, countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan each suffered severely.


    Now, Lu Liang was even more remarkable.


    Zhu Hu approached with a beaming face and gave a hearty embrace, "Lu, how can you be so cool?"


    He seemed to understand better than Meng Changkun who intended to use the name of a charity fund to give Lu Liang a good lesson.


    But Lu Liang''s tweets and the subsequent influence had frightened them one by one into quails.


    Facing such an impressive godly figure, not just they but even their predecessors together might find themselves in trouble.


    "Zhu, if you hadn''t brought it up, I would have almost forgotten about it, did I choose the wrong time?"


    Lu Liang truly hadn''t taken the matter to heart, but recalling Zhu Hu''s words, he suddenly felt that he''d spoken too soon on Twitter.


    He should have waited a bit longer to speak up, at least to see first who was trying to mess with him, and then wipe them out.


    Suddenly dealing with unclear foes that disappeared just as obscurely left his mood quite depressed.


    Zhu Hu could only smile wryly, "No need, as the old saying goes, ''Better to reconcile than to persist in hostility.'' From now on, no one will dare to mess with you."


    He looked at Lu Liang with eyes full of admiration; some people are replaceable, others irreplaceable.


    Both he and Shen Peng fell into the former category.


    But Lu Liang was in the latter, his influence internationally far more significant than his ability to make money.

 Chapter 188 - 187: Each Harboring Ulterior Motives

    "There might be a next time if not for this one."


    Lu Liang had a tough attitude and put on a determined look as if he wanted to investigate the matter to the end, until Zhu Hu repeatedly persuaded him to drop the idea.


    True or false, but at least one needs a fearless mindset to minimize the trouble.


    Zhu Hu understood, so he didn''t expose it.


    He even actively cooperated and helped Lu Liang finish playing their double act.


    The effect was good, the two argued with a bit of noise attracting attention, and many people heard them, so the news spread quickly.


    As the host, Zhang Yiming hurried over with a big smile on his face and said, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhu, harmony brings wealth, doesn''t it?"


    Ever since Zhang Yiming learned of Lu Liang''s strong international appeal, he felt fortunate that Lu Liang wasn''t interested in short videos.


    Byte had the technology, but Lu Liang had the money and fame and didn''t like to meddle, posing a great temptation to entrepreneurs.


    Yang Zhenyuan was the best example¡ªif the competition continued, who knew how many more Yang Zhenyuans would emerge.


    They would likely all come from Byte''s core team.


    So, he reached out to Lu Liang, and initiating the merger before the money-burning war was definitely the most correct choice of the year.


    Lu Liang and Zhu Hu exchanged glances, both smiling tacitly, "No hard feelings, just making small talk."


    Lu Liang walked over to the side, picked up an orange juice from the table, and added ice cubes, "Mr. Zhang, who are you planning to bring in for this round?"


    "Softbank and Temasek both want to lead the investment, but we''re still selecting other partners."


    Zhang Yiming squinted, confused about the play these two were putting on.


    But since both Lu Liang and Zhu Hu were shareholders, he didn''t avoid the topic and analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the two institutions leading the investment.


    It was unnecessary to elaborate on Softbank''s fame; after all, it was with Sun Zhengyi''s funding that Ali took off.


    Temasek was like Singapore''s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and before ''97 was HSBC, which had been extremely keen on investing in the Chinese market in recent years.


    The former would facilitate entry into the Japan and Korea markets, but Softbank''s conditions were rather numerous and demanding. The latter would help in entering the Singapore and Malaysia markets, and Temasek hadn''t set any conditions.


    Zhu Hu asked, "So, what do you think?"


    After a long thought, Zhang Yiming planned to give each company 7%, so as not to offend either side, and the remaining 1% would be dispersed.


    Shen Peng came over, chastising, "How can you divide it like that? Not offending both means offending both."


    Zhang Yiming''s face darkened; even if his decision was wrong, there was no need for such disrespect.


    He frowned, looking at Lu Liang, who was sipping his drink, "Mr. Lu, do you have any better suggestions?"


    Redwood and Golden Sand River both had shares in Byte and Douyin, and he urgently needed a powerful ally to balance them.


    Shen Peng and Zhu Hu looked at each other with serious expressions and then turned to Lu Liang, all waiting for him to take a stand.


    This was a small matter, not even a dispute, but it involved the struggle between investors and founders.


    Previously, they had consistently pressured Zhang Yiming, but with Lu Liang joining Zhang Yiming''s camp, the situation would change.


    Lu Liang glanced over the three of them, chuckling, "It''s up to Byte to decide how to do it, but Mr. Shen makes sense."


    Shen Peng''s face stiffened; Lu Liang had picked Zhang Yiming. Although supporting him, Lu Liang had first declared Byte''s right to speak.


    The order determined the priority.


    Zhang Yiming was delighted, smiling openly, and repeatedly apologized, "Mr. Lu is right, I''m sorry Mr. Shen, I indeed didn''t consider thoroughly."


    He paused, then added, "Then let''s have Temasek lead the investment. After all, Douyin''s international headquarters is based in Singapore, where there are many relevant technical talents, most of whom are Chinese, making communication more harmonious."


    Lu Liang narrowed his eyes and spoke softly, "It seems Mr. Zhang has already done his research; Temasek would be more suitable."


    The sudden thorough consideration and quick decision by Zhang Yiming made him suspect that Zhang was perhaps deliberately enticing him, aiming to balance Shen Peng and Zhu Hu.


    Zhang Yiming hurriedly explained, "Whether Temasek or Softbank, we''ve conducted in-depth research on both. Despite Softbank''s fame, their demands are too high, and they''ve been declining in recent years, plus the island nation''s economy isn''t doing too well."


    Although he had intentionally enticed Lu Liang, it was mainly because the capital side led by Redwood and Shen Peng was too aggressive. Partnering with Lu Liang was undoubtedly the best choice.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and smiled, "Looking at it this way, Temasek does seem to be the more suitable choice."


    The last statement that Zhang Yiming made was essentially a declaration of his stance. If Lu Liang supported him now, he would support Lu Liang in return. Going forward, they would be like brothers from different mothers.


    Shen Peng watched the pair exchanging glances and spoke in a deep voice, "Since Mr. Zhang has made his decision, it wouldn''t be appropriate for us to say anything more."


    Zhu Hu shrugged and said, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen has already spoken, so we at Golden Sand River have no objections either."


    His good relationship with Shen Peng was genuine, but personal feelings aside, accounts must be clear, and he now favored Lu Liang more.


    In his view, Lu Liang and Shen Peng were fundamentally similar, and Zhang Yiming''s actions were akin to seeking the skin of a tiger.


    Should the day come when his relationship with Lu Liang evolved into what it currently was with Shen Peng, it wasn''t an impossibility.


    Aligned interests made allies, misaligned interests made enemies, but relationships weren''t absolutely solid ¡ª they were only temporary.


    "Gentlemen, take your time chatting. Temasek''s Mr. Li seems to be coming over. I''ll go have a look," Zhang Yiming excused himself and left.


    Shen Peng looked at Lu Liang, his gaze complex, and after a long while, he sighed, "Mr. Lu, I don''t understand."


    He didn''t know what Lu Liang was planning. Obviously, if the investors were on the same side, their benefits could be maximized.


    Lu Liang''s mouth curled into a smile, "Mr. Shen, I''m not interested in the power struggles over Byte or Douyin, but you''re being too assertive, which might scare Mr. Zhang into inaction."


    He didn''t expect Zhang Yiming to be of much help, he simply didn''t want to see Douyin, at its most critical stage of growth, fall into endless internal strife due to disputes over control.


    There''s a saying that goes well here; he was here to join the family, not to break it up. As long as the family was doing well, so was he.


    Lu Liang was willing to play the role of peacemaker to foster a delicate balance between the investors and the founder.


    Shen Peng was left speechless; although he didn''t think Lu Liang had such noble selflessness, he didn''t know how to argue against it.


    Zhu Hu coughed a few times, his expression odd, "Mr. Lu, isn''t there a new term on the internet, something about ''tea-fumed air''?"


    Lu Liang showed displeasure, "Am I ''tea-fumed''?"


    He had spoken sincerely, so why was the world so superficial? If Douyin were to be ruined by their handling, who would go and acquire Musical.ly the following year?


    Zhu Hu laughed, "A little."


    Shen Peng joined in, "More than a little."


    The two exchanged smiles. Although they disagreed, it didn''t affect their relationship.


    Over the years, Redwood and Golden Sand River had jointly invested in at least thirty overlapping companies. There must have been at least a hundred if not eighty disagreements over business matters, but both men kept a clear distinction between business and personal.


    Shen Peng treated Zhu Hu and Lu Liang in the same manner and didn''t let temporary differences of opinion lead to an embarrassing fallout.


    As the three conversed, the topic shifted to Xiaomi.


    So many top international venture capitalists had gathered today, not just for Douyin''s financing round, but also because of Xiaomi.


    "A $55 billion valuation? Is it really that high?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but doubt. Although Xiaomi was preparing for an IPO and had been the top-selling mobile phone brand for three years,


    jumping from $45 billion to $55 billion in value, not even internet companies had surged as fast. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was as if a cow had taken flight, its awesomeness soaring.


    Zhu Hu teased, laughing, "Mr. Lei is very good at marketing. Never mind $55 billion, he''s even shouted slogans for a $100 billion valuation."


    Shen Peng added, "A $100 billion valuation is just talk, making it much easier to accept something between $50 and $60 billion."


    He saw clearly. Lei Jun was drawing a pie in the sky for investors ¡ª a mobile phone manufacturer following a low-end strategy.


    Being the sales leader only proved a solid base, but it didn''t mean Xiaomi could achieve an exorbitant 85 times price-earnings ratio.


    Such a high price-earnings ratio was fitting for a rapidly growing internet company, but not for a smartphone manufacturer with slowing sales growth.


    Shen Peng suddenly looked at Lu Liang, his expression odd, "You''re not interested as well, are you?"


    Lu Liang nodded and said directly, "I was interested before the new year, but now, not so much. The valuation is ridiculously inflated."


    He was in the process of raising funds, planning to short the Japanese yen and didn''t have the extra capital to invest in Xiaomi.


    Moreover, for a manufacturing enterprise, an 85 times price-earnings ratio was indeed excessive; Ningde Era''s ratio was only 15 times.

 Chapter 189 - 188: Straight Hooks and Salty Baits, Clear Objectives

    "New energy vehicle special license plates, it is said that after approval, they will be issued on a pilot basis in places like Shenzhen and Modu starting December 1."


    "I''ve seen the sample, green background with black lettering, kind of ugly."


    "The traditional fuel vehicle''s blue background with white lettering isn''t much better. It''s just that we''ve grown accustomed to it over time."


    While they chatted, Yang Zhenyuan stepped onto the podium to represent Douyin and Byte, delivering a speech on financing.


    Zhang Yiming treated him well, not only appointing him as the general manager of Douyin but also as the vice president of Byte.


    Not far away, Zhang Yiming was enjoying a pleasant conversation with the head of the Temasek Fund, leaving Sun Zhengyi with nothing to do but stare.


    Softbank had declined over the years so much that even their brilliant move of investing in Ali was now chalked up to mere luck.


    However, in Lu Liang''s view, Softbank''s decline was intricately linked to Sun Zhengyi''s family background.


    With ancestry from Hu Jian, a Korean of Japanese descent who grew up in America, his family background was undoubtedly layered.


    Before becoming strong and influential, a complex background could indeed navigate favorable currents and provide support.


    Yet once one aimed to enter the most core circles, a complex family background could lead to exclusion.


    In America, he was Asian; in Japan, Korean; and in Korea, he was Japanese. The top-tier circles in any country would not accept someone who wasn''t purely from their nation.


    Coinciding with Japan''s economy progressively declining, the core circles tightened further, leaving even less cake for outsiders.


    "Where lies the opportunity in the depreciation of the yen?" Shen Peng asked.


    "The Anshan economic theory really doesn''t work; it''s just like the shocking therapies of the north."


    Lu Liang smiled, still only targeting Anshan, revealing none of his true thoughts.


    Hearing this, Shen Peng fell into contemplation and did not pursue further.


    Suddenly, Zhu Hu nudged Lu Liang''s shoulder, a knowing smile on his face, "Mr. Lu, you seem to be quite the ladies'' man."


    Lu Liang was puzzled, following Zhu''s gaze and saw a familiar figure from Huaqing University, Xu Huiqi.


    She, dressed in an evening gown, was following a young male. Upon seeing Lu Liang, she grinned broadly and waved.


    "Xu Xiaojun of Chenyi Investment," Shen Peng said to Lu Liang, gesturing to Zhu Hu to move elsewhere.


    Zhu Hu grinned broadly; having finished discussing official matters, they certainly didn''t plan to be third wheels.


    Seeing Lu Liang left alone, Xu Huiqi pulled at her gown, took long strides, and, getting ahead of others, reached Lu Liang''s side.


    She said with a smile, "Mr. Lu, we meet again."


    "Indeed, it''s fate."


    Lu Liang looked toward Xu Xiaojun, smiling back.


    He was aware of Chenyi Investment and had met Xu Xiaojun once last year during the fundraising for Tianxing II.


    Xu Xiaojun subscribed for two shares; at the time, Lu Liang was touring the northeast with Su Wanyu, and Little Wang had called explicitly to ask for them, mentioning that his mother highly recommended it.


    Xu Xiaojun and Xu Huiqi, judging by their last names, even if they weren''t siblings, they were at least cousins.


    Xu Xiaojun hurried over, his smile as warm as a spring breeze, "Mr. Lu, it''s been a while, do you know my sister?"


    "Recently at Huaqing University, we met a few times," Lu Liang maintained his smile.


    He remembered clearly; last time, Little Wang had said that the $40 million were pooled by several families.


    Chenyi Investment was their shell company, and Xu Xiaojun was their spokesman.


    "Huiqi didn''t cause you any trouble, did she?"


    Hearing her brother''s words, Xu Huiqi''s face showed displeasure as she retorted coquettishly, "That time at the debate, Mr. Lu, you even praised me for speaking well."


    Xu Xiaojun couldn''t help but smile as he spoke of today''s trip for Douyin''s financing, mentioning that his sister insisted on coming along to see for herself.


    "Broadening one''s horizons is indeed good."


    Lu Liang commented neutrally, showing no interest in continuing the conversation with the siblings.


    After being refused a dinner invitation last time, he lost interest in Xu Huiqi. And knowing Xu Xiaojun was her brother diminished his interest even further.


    If Daqiangzi being won over by Milk Tea Girl was just easy mode, then once Lu Liang got involved in this situation, he would be facing hard mode.


    Old Wang is the perfect example¡ªhe''s a real estate tycoon who has traveled far and wide, come rain or shine, with only Little Wang, his only son, who either couldn''t or didn''t dare.


    Xu Xiaojun furrowed his brow, thinking that his arrival had disturbed the conversation between his sister and Lu Liang.


    So, he quickly found an excuse to leave, giving the two some space to be alone and cultivate their affections.


    Xu Huiqi wasn''t aware of the change in Lu Liang''s attitude and smiled as she said, "Mr. Lu, is Tianxing also participating in Douyin''s financing?"


    "No, just came to take a look."


    Lu Liang replied, adding that Douyin was seeking foreign investment for its expansion into international markets this time.


    The two chatted casually, with Xu Huiqi trying to find topics to discuss: "I heard about a second-year graduate student who single-handedly secured several sponsorships for a new energy project." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "By himself? Doesn''t he have a team?"


    "Apparently not."


    Lu Liang suddenly became interested. "What''s his name?"


    He personally oversaw the new energy project and had picked up quite a bit of knowledge through involvement.


    A superb tech development team needs the elite of the elite to lead a group of other elites.


    Taking Byte''s team as an example, Zhang Yiming was among the elite of the elite, and Yang Zhenyuan was just one of the elites.


    To be able to develop independently and secure multiple sponsorships, if it wasn''t due to connections, he must be an impressive tech mogul.


    "His name is Li Jiahui, a super scholar from the School of Computer Engineering, currently in his second year of postgraduate studies. In his sophomore year, he''d found a flaw in Microsoft and received an invite from them, but he declined it to continue his studies."


    Xu Huiqi was thrilled, finally having something that caught Lu Liang''s interest, and spilled all the information she knew as if pouring out beans.


    "Li Jiahui." Lu Liang remembered the name, recognizing anyone remembered by Microsoft would certainly be a tech expert.


    Half an hour later, Yang Zhenyuan stepped onto the stage and declared the public financing round closed.


    Temasek Fund invested 65 million US dollars for a 10% stake leading this round. Softbank from Japan and Monroe Venture Capital from North America jointly subscribed to a 5% share.


    It''s worth mentioning that Monroe Venture Capital held 18.2% of Musical.ly and was also its second-biggest shareholder.


    Zhang Yiming had likely already prepared for all scenarios: if they could out-compete, they would go all in; if not, they''d opt for a merger.


    With the financing round over, Lu Liang planned to leave.


    Xu Huiqi looked around and suddenly received a text message that made her stomp her feet in frustration, visibly upset: "That guy Xu Xiaojun, saying he needed to discuss something with a friend, left me here and took off first."


    "Xu, I''ve got to get going too," Lu Liang said, his lips curling slightly as he walked off with Wen Chao.


    Being straightforward with ulterior motives, dealing daily with sly old foxes was one thing, but he disliked having to be on guard even in intimate moments.


    Xu Huiqi blinked, standing there dazed, unable to respond in time, and watched as Lu Liang gradually walked further away.


    Biting her back teeth in frustration, when had she ever been so humble struggling to find topics, and hinted so obviously.


    All Lu Liang had to do was offer to escort her, taking the chance to invite her to dinner, and she would definitely have agreed.


    But Lu Liang not only showed no appreciation, he also lacked any gentlemanly demeanor, leaving her standing there by herself.


    On the other side, Lu Liang left the venue and happened to meet Zhu Hu, who was waiting for his driver.


    Zhu Hu was surprised: "Alone?"


    Lu Liang smiled with a hint of meaning: "Being alone offers freedom."


    "Being alone indeed offers great freedom, to play as one pleases, without constraints."


    Zhu Hu suddenly smiled too, having guessed the Xu family''s intentions the moment he knew they knew Lu Liang, but he had no obligation to warn him.


    Fortunately, Lu Liang was also astute, knowing the kind of trouble a woman from such a family background could present, sticky as an adhesive plaster, impossible to shake off, and likely branding him with a political label.


    He and Shen Peng thrived domestically precisely because they only invested and did not take sides, embracing the government while staying away from politics.


    The driver approached, and Zhu Hu opened the car door, smiling, "Are you free tonight? How about a drink?"


    He was growing more appreciative of Lu Liang, foreseeing that Tianxing could surpass Golden Sand River and even Redwood, and it was just a matter of time.


    "I''ve got plans already, maybe next time," Lu Liang declined with a shake of his head.


    The "First Rich" project was greenlit, and Zhang Tian''ai was preparing to start, but upon learning he was coming to Beijing for work, she had delayed a few days.

 Chapter 190 - 189: A Hundred Flowers in Bloom

    That night, Lu Liang stayed overnight at Zhang Tian''ai''s place.


    Entering the film set meant he couldn''t leave for at least a few months.


    Zhang Tian''ai was very attentive, and although Lu Liang wasn''t in Tokyo, she made him feel very warm and allowed him to experience the ultimate bubble bath.


    The next morning, Lu Liang went to Huaqing University, planning to meet the super academic achiever Li Jiahui.


    When Zhao Jiaqun found out, he admired Lu Liang''s well-connectedness and praised Li to the skies, "Mr. Lu, Li is our School of Computer Science''s trump card. International corporations like Microsoft and Huawei have offered him annual salaries of over a million RMB."


    "Why didn''t he agree?"


    As Lu Liang looked through the materials, Zhao Jiaqun might have been exaggerating, but Li Jiahui was indeed very capable.


    At 24 years old and still a second-year graduate student, his resume was already more extensive than could fit on an A4 sheet of paper.


    His hands were sore from collecting awards and rankings in all sorts of math competitions since childhood, and he scored 665 on the college entrance examination but was directly recruited by Huaqing University on special terms.


    He barely wrote an essay, but received full marks in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. After entering Huaqing University, it was like he was on a roll; over the past six years, he had been involved in over a dozen projects, each receiving excellent evaluations and significant scholarships.


    "Maybe the conditions Li proposed were a bit high," Zhao Jiaqun said with a strained expression, hesitantly revealing the truth.


    Li Jiahui wanted to be solely responsible for a project and also wanted the special privilege to use the supercomputer at any time.


    However, when it came to research outcomes, he wouldn''t make any commitments or guarantees, so naturally, nobody was willing to engage him.


    After all, no matter how talented, he was still just a second-year graduate student; even the fellows of the National Engineering Academy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences wouldn''t dare to make such demands.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, suddenly very interested, "Director Zhao, please invite him over then, I want to meet him."


    "Mr. Lu, Li has a bit of a straightforward personality. If he unintentionally offends you later, I hope you won''t hold it against him."


    Zhao Jiaqun proceeded to give Lu Liang a heads-up.


    Lu Liang laughed, "Genius always comes with its quirks."


    "Mr. Lu is truly understanding," Zhao Jiaqun said with a forced laugh.


    He hurried off to contact Li Jiahui.


    Twenty minutes later, a boy with hair that looked like it had been slicked back with water and wearing glasses appeared at the doorway.


    "Mr. Lu? You look much younger than what''s circulated online."


    Li Jiahui examined Lu Liang curiously, the ordinarily unflappable expression in his eyes finally revealing a hint of excitement.


    Among the sixty thousand students at Huaqing, he might have been a legend in their eyes, but Lu Liang was a legend to billions of people.


    "Many people say that," Lu Liang said with a smile, asking how the planning for the new energy project was going.


    Li Jiahui glanced at Zhao Jiaqun and replied with a naive smile, "Actually, it''s done; I was just worried that if I finished it too quickly, it wouldn''t be taken seriously, so I haven''t submitted it yet."


    Lu Liang was startled, then asked with a smile, "How do you view Tesla''s smart driving system then?"


    Li Jiahui thought for a long time, "Tesla has taken a purely visual approach, relying on cameras to collect and process environmental information to achieve autonomous driving. However, Lidar technology can provide high precision and high-resolution environmental data in complex conditions."


    "So do you think the future of smart driving will move towards Lidar?" Lu Liang asked again.


    Li Jiahui shook his head, "It doesn''t necessarily have to focus solely on one technology. Visual collection and Lidar are not in conflict."


    As he spoke, he gradually became more animated, mentioning that domestically there was an unrivaled technological advantage in big data collection.


    Gaode was already beginning to implement it, and could infer journey time through user information.


    "Mr. Lu, I don''t know if you''ve noticed, but Gaode''s estimated journey times are very accurate; as long as there are no accidents en route, even if you suddenly speed up, the arrival time differs very little."


    "I haven''t paid much attention to that," Lu Liang said thoughtfully, informing him that the NIO ES8 would be unveiled at a new product launch in December, but the vehicle''s system had yet to be officially determined.


    Li Bing was more cautious than Li Xiang and did not want to use someone else''s system, nor did he want to train algorithms for others for free.


    But he had to give Lu Liang face.


    So they agreed that before the new car launch event, whichever company provided the better car OS performance, the ES8 would use that system.


    Lu Liang wanted to know if they could have something presentable by December if he provided the necessary funds and personnel now.


    "There''s less than seven months left," Li Jiahui muttered.


    Although he didn''t know what the NIO''s OS was like, except for Tesla, it was probably based on an Android framework. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since it was an Android architecture, there was no need to write basic code; the timeline was tight, but it wasn''t impossible.


    And NIO''s car OS technology can''t be that advanced; it''s probably just an improvement on the second generation.


    Zhao Jiaqun hurriedly expressed his support, "Li, all members of our research institute can assist you with the project."


    He wasn''t sure about Li Jiahui''s ability to lead, but he saw that Mr. Lu thought highly of Li Jiahui.


    This was a good opportunity, no matter the consequences, they had to get the remaining 18 million US Dollars in sponsorship first.


    Li Jiahui pretended not to hear, his face serious as he looked at Mr. Lu, "Mr. Lu, I want to try, but I can''t make any guarantees."


    Mr. Lu smiled and said, "As long as you''re willing to try, even if there are no results, you can learn from the process. Money is a minor issue."


    A talent coveted by giants like Microsoft and Huawei, even if it takes twenty million US Dollars to play along with him, it''s a pretty good deal.


    Technology is the primary productive force. If Douyin had technology on par with Byte, he wouldn''t have to give Douyin back to Byte.


    Li Jiahui nodded solemnly, "Mr. Lu, I will give it my all."


    "From now on, whether it''s life or work, if you need anything, talk to Director Zhao."


    Mr. Lu smiled, turned to Zhao Jiaqun, and informed him that he would send someone with the 18 million US Dollars in a few days.


    His preferred choice was actually Hu Weiwei, but Hu Weiwei was still processing her resignation at Mobike. It was estimated it would take a few months before she could take over the work here.


    Zhao Jiaqun was overjoyed, patting his chest in a hurry, "Li, just let us know whatever you need."


    In total, twenty million US Dollars, converted to 130 million RMB, the position of vice chancellor seemed within easy reach.


    "If there''s anything you can''t handle, you can also call me."


    Mr. Lu left his private number, had lunch in the school cafeteria, and then left.


    He rested in the hotel for two hours.


    In the afternoon, he went to the headquarters of Li Xiang.


    The Li Xiang ONE was about to be launched, and Li Xiang was preparing to feature the new range-extended electric technology.


    Range extension is a type of hybrid technology; it''s considered high-tech, but simply put, it''s using oil to charge, not requiring particularly advanced internal combustion engine technology.


    From another perspective, range-extended vehicles also addressed Li Bing''s concerns; there''s no need to worry about matching a high-cost vehicle with a cheap internal combustion engine.


    Li Xiang and Li Bing both had the same concern, it''s just that the two companies chose different solutions.


    If the internal combustion engine technology wasn''t up to par, it was replaced with a generator.


    If there were no widespread charging stations, they would adopt a battery-swapping strategy.


    Li Xiang took Mr. Lu to the lab, where the prototype vehicle had already come out, but it hadn''t passed all the tests yet.


    "Mr. Lu, what do you think?"


    Li Xiang asked with pride, inviting Mr. Lu into the car.


    "It really is like a moving home," Mr. Lu admired.


    Panoramic sunroof, leather sofas, massage chairs, mini fridge, large color TV, they installed whatever equipment they could. Ignoring the vehicle''s performance, it was indeed pretty good.


    Li Xiang smiled and said, "With such expensive housing prices everywhere, buying a car becomes both a mode of transport and a home."

 Chapter 191 - 190: Mother and Daughter Making a Scene

    Lu Liang had to admit that for a moment, he had indeed been persuaded by Li Xiang.


    If the performance of the car was set aside, this was undoubtedly a comfortable and good car.


    But after all, it was a car, and the most important thing was performance.


    However, Li Xiang''s concept wasn''t bad, either; these configurations initially existed only in luxury cars costing over one million.


    Taking last year''s SUV sales king, the Honda CRV, as an example, a car priced at two hundred thousand wasn''t cheap, but even the LCD screen had to be added for an extra charge.


    In contrast, Li Xiang ONE, expected to be priced at 349,800, had refrigerators, colored TVs, panoramic sunroofs, and massage seats all arranged.


    So what if the performance was slightly inferior?


    After all, driven by an electric motor, it could outpace most fuel cars in the market from the start. As for high-speed driving, as long as it could exceed 150 km/h, that was enough; too fast wasn''t necessary.


    "My friend~" Hearing Lu Liang''s analysis, Li Xiang''s eyes brimmed with tears, deeply moved; that was exactly his thought.


    Those so-called branded cars had been too comfortable for too long; the birth of new forces was intended to overthrow them.


    Even if electric cars were abandoned by the market in the future, the price of family cars would definitely be driven down since they existed.


    Just like the current shared bicycles, Mobike''s Hu Weiwei was about to be ousted, and ofo''s Dai Wei was struggling; but their existence indeed solved the "last-mile" problem.


    "Electric cars won''t be abandoned."


    Lu Liang was silent for a long time before suddenly looking to the south.


    During this time, he had been collecting data, and the reasons and consequences of the yen''s sharp fall were becoming clearer.


    If ordinary people were on the first level, Li Xiang on the third, and him on the fifth, then national strategy was standing in the stratosphere.


    Energy security, industrial upgrading, and intending to the Middle East were just three advantages. Once the development of new energy vehicles kicked off, Japanese cars would be the first to suffer.


    Taking BYD Qin as an example, costing as low as 0.1 yuan per kilometer, the traditionally fuel-efficient Japanese cars, what could they compete with, especially when including the license plate, exemption from purchase tax, and policy subsidies?


    Moreover, Japan''s ambitions were vast; they had been quietly laying out hydrogen energy and held many related patents, planning to harvest globally.


    As a result, both China and America tacitly struck back with new energy. Hydrogen energy, having technology but no market, would inevitably be abandoned by capital due to eternally distant profitability after decades of research.


    The issue to the south should be an opportunity; major countries wouldn''t easily engage in hot wars, and Japan would likely be used as cannon fodder. As for the Philippines, they didn''t even have the credentials to be cannon fodder.


    "What''s the thermal efficiency of the range extender?" Lu Liang suddenly asked.


    Although range extenders used fuel to generate electricity and then drive, which sounded redundant,


    it wasn''t absolute because using fuel to generate electricity, despite more intermediate processes, often had higher thermal efficiency, commonly known as energy-saving and fuel-efficient.


    "42.2%."


    Li Xiang''s expression was somewhat unnatural because BYD Qin was a plug-in hybrid while theirs was a range extender hybrid.


    Logically, the thermal efficiency of a range extender should be higher than that of a plug-in, but essentially, their technology fell short.


    Lu Liang just smiled and said no more.


    Li Xiang couldn''t help but ask, "Mr. Lu, are you seriously considering entering new energy?"


    He had discovered that Lu Liang knew much more than average; normal investors wouldn''t bother to understand these; they would focus on data, sales volume, and the market, excluding technological issues from their considerations.


    Lu Liang chuckled, "Mr. Li, isn''t it obvious from my behaviour?"


    "Indeed it is very clear. Are you planning to enter the field yourself?"


    "Let''s wait a bit longer, the market isn''t mature yet."


    Lu Liang was still researching.


    Sedans, off-road vehicles, purely electric, plug-in, extended-range, family cars, luxury cars; he hadn''t decided yet.


    Anyway, there was still time; he''d let the new forces pave the way while he observed slowly behind them.


    Lu Liang believed that he wasn''t alone in this thought; at least Lei Jun thought the same.


    Li Xiang smiled bitterly, his face showing envy, holding substantial capital, they could enter the market anytime.


    Unlike them, who could only rely on financing to progress, whipped forward by capital, serving as pioneers in the new energy industry.


    Just like the first Europeans who set foot on American land, good luck could bring wealth, bad luck could mean dying from yellow fever in a strange land.


    After a few idle talks, Lu Liang planned to leave, but before leaving, he instructed to send him one of the new cars when they were released.


    Li Xiang patted his chest, "It''s no big deal."


    Lu Liang had stayed in Beijing for two days doing nothing much.


    Zhang Tian''ai had also joined the group, and he had been alone in an empty house for several days until finally, the E+ round of financing came through for Xiaomi.


    Temasek really had some serious money, they just invested 65 million in Douyin, and then threw 2 billion US dollars into Xiaomi right after. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Xiaomi acquired a one-time financing of 55 billion US dollars and became the third global company after Ali and Facebook to have financing exceeding five billion dollars.


    "An 85 times price-to-earnings ratio, and still there are takers," Lu Liang marveled, no wonder netizens called Lei Jun the chosen one.


    Xiaomi, established in 2010, had reached a valuation of 55 billion US dollars in just six years, and was preparing to go public in Hong Kong.


    Apart from marveling, there was only marveling.


    "Mr. Lu, you are no inferior," Zhu Hu said with a curious expression, he didn''t know how Lu Liang dared to admire someone else.


    Lei Jun was a genius and had caught the perfect timing, successively experiencing key moments in reform and opening, the internet, and mobile communications.


    In comparison, Lu Liang''s journey was even more unbelievable; just over a year ago he was still unknown, and suddenly his career skyrocketed.


    Lu Liang smiled and said nothing; he had finished his business in Beijing and could just catch the housewarming celebration back home.


    Then he would make a trip to Ningde to talk with Old Zeng about financing and the subsequent IPO.


    On the 23rd, the eighth day of the first lunar month, it was suitable for moving house and housewarming.


    Lu Liang, together with his cousin and Wen Chao, took a flight from Beijing back to his hometown.


    From afar, they smelled the strong scent of gunpowder and saw the ground covered in red firecracker paper.


    The exquisite and gorgeous three-and-a-half-story western-style house stood out strikingly among the rural villas.


    The chefs in charge of the banquet had set up tents at the entrance, with the head chef vigorously wielding his spatula.


    "Brother, your house is really beautiful."


    Fang Shiyu didn''t envy Lu Liang for his frequenting upscale places or for having many beautiful girlfriends.


    He only envied that Lu Liang could build a new house in their hometown and that it was so beautiful, making their elders proud to live there.


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "Yu, if you want, your family can start building next year too."


    "That won''t be so soon; I''ll need to work at least another two years," Fang Shiyu responded naively, giving serious thought to the matter.


    His monthly salary had risen to 25,000; with the year-end bonus, it should exceed 400,000, and another two years of work should do it.


    Lu Liang laughed and patted his shoulder, "Come on, let''s go inside and take a look; it''s been many years since I''ve been to a banquet."


    They came by plane and had only driven an Audi A8, so the family likely didn''t know he was back yet.


    As soon as they entered, they heard loud scolding coming from inside. Lu Liang frowned deeply when he saw his former mother-in-law.


    "Oh, Lu Liang is such a heartless man; gets rich and then abandons his wife," she sobbed sitting on the ground.


    Lin Wenjing stood beside her with her head lowered, silent; last month, unable to stay in Modu any longer, she had reluctantly returned home.


    Only to hear upon her return that Lu Liang had struck it rich, driving a luxury car worth millions and spending millions to build a new house, even donating two million to build a sports center for the village, quickly becoming the renowned gentleman in the area.


    Rumors were, he had won several hundred million from the lottery.


    The more Lin Wenjing thought about it, the angrier she got, feeling she also deserved a share, so she came with her mother on this day to settle scores.


    Lu Liang darkened his face and sternly rebuked, "Aunt Lin, don''t make a scene here. Lin Wenjing knows very well what she has done; do I really need to spell it out for you?"


    After all, they were once relatives, and she didn''t want to make things too embarrassing, especially since today was the big joyous day of moving into the new house.


    "Look, my daughter is such a sensible and well-mannered child, what wrong could she possibly do? It''s all because Lu Liang that bastard forced¡­"


    The woman was in tears and trying to gain sympathy from the neighbors and villagers around, but before she could finish, her left cheek took a slap.


    A crisp sound.


    The mother and daughter were dumbfounded; the onlooking villagers were stunned as well. They had always heard that Lu Ya, Lu Tiechui''s eldest daughter, was formidable.


    It turned out the rumors were true; indeed, she was formidable, harsh in action but not in speech, she delivered a slap that stunned everyone.


    Lu Ya, holding back her anger, tried her best to speak in...

 Chapter 192 - 191: Money, Power

    "Lu Jiancheng''s daughter, Lu Liang''s sister, is a murderer~"


    The old woman''s tears streamed down her face as her wails grew louder, as if she had not just been slapped, but stabbed, and she lay on the ground thrashing about wildly.


    "Lu Ya, you actually dared to hit my mom."


    Wenjing glared furiously, her eyes flaming with rage, and the last bit of guilt in her heart had vanished at that moment.


    At that moment, she embraced her identity as the victim, determined to seek justice from the Lu Family and Lu Liang at all costs.


    At this time, a burly man, 175 cm tall with a face full of scars, stood in front of the mother and daughter: "Lu, I know you''re a local, but we in Yumu Village won''t be bullied either."


    Wenjing and her mother, daring to make a scene at the housewarming banquet in someone else''s village, naturally did not come alone¡ªthey had brought some helpers.


    Four men and a woman stood out, all cousins or relatives of the Lin Family.


    When one person succeeds, everyone related benefits¡ªif Wenjing could get millions from the Lu Family, it wouldn''t be unreasonable for these relatives and friends who came to help to get tens of thousands each.


    Lu Ya laughed in anger, facing them without the slightest fear: "I''m bullying you? You really have the nerve to say that. Isn''t it because you despised my brother for having no money before, and now that you see he has money, you want to come over and see if you can get a share?"


    Since they had chosen to cause trouble today, it was simply to make it widely known, hoping that they would pay money to resolve the issue.


    But how could she possibly comply with their wishes, as this was not just about money, but also about her brother''s reputation.


    Lu Ya showed no mercy, puncturing their intentions.


    As her words finished, Wenjing and her relatives, one by one, found it hard to save face.


    To ask for money, one must find a clever pretext.


    Lu Ya made it clear, cutting off their retreat¡ªnow, even if they were right, it wouldn''t matter, especially since they weren''t right.


    The 175 cm tall burly man couldn''t hold back, raising his hand to hit someone, cursing: "Fuck you, stop spouting so much bullshit."


    Lu Ya didn''t have time to react and could only close her eyes, prepared to take the hit.


    The village chief''s eyes were red with fury: "What the fuck, stop it, daring to hit someone in our village."


    As a child, Lu Liang had been quite active in the village, but after beginning his studies, he gradually faded from the villagers'' sight.


    Now that he had money, the villagers only talked about how Tiechui was making a fortune outside, and that Lu Tiechui would now be able to enjoy his life.


    Apart from some relatively close relatives and friends, few people remembered that Tiechui''s real name was Lu Liang, and Lu Tiechui was Lu Jiancheng.


    A while ago, the village chief''s son, who worked in the city, sent him a photo.


    A blurry candid shot, which, up to this point, was the only verifiable front-facing picture of Lu Liang.


    Although a bit blurry and the background somewhat dim, the village chief had just dealt with Lu Liang during New Year''s and could recognize him at a glance.


    His son educated him on all things Lu Liang.


    Rumors of fortunes in the tens of billions, managing funds in the hundreds of billions, the hot Douyin was one of his investments, and the omnipresent Little Yellow Bikes and Little Red Bikes in town were also his endeavors; even the son of the current First Rich was just one of his followers.


    The village chief was shocked; not sure exactly how many digits were in tens or hundreds of billions, he knew that Old Wang had surveyed their city two years ago.


    Clean-up started three days in advance, and it was almost as if a leader was visiting, barring the lack of road closures and city-wide alerts.


    If Old Wang was so impressive and Little Wang, as his only son, was willing to follow Lu Liang, then Lu Liang''s strength, even if not half of Old Wang''s, must be substantial.


    His family was moving into a new house on this auspicious day, and there were people causing trouble at his doorstep, with his own sister being hit.


    The village chief didn''t dare to dwell on it too much, feeling as if the sky was falling.


    Suddenly, a figure, like a small mountain, burst forth from the crowd, like a demon from the heavens or a tyrant of the mortal world.


    The 175 cm burly man was strong, but next to a 195 cm tall hulk, he was like a frail little chick, easily sent flying.


    Fang Shiyu rushed out, standing in front of Lu Ya, majestic without anger, his broad chest exuding an invincible aura.


    Yet, when he suddenly cracked a smile, it revealed his inherently honest and simple nature: "Ya, I''m back with Liang."


    "Tiechui is back?"


    The voice was soft, but many heard it, and faces among the onlookers¡ªguests and villagers alike¡ªshowed excitement.


    Abandoning a humble spouse, relatives causing a stir at home, the host''s elder sister striking back, now the person in question appears.


    Damn, this is much more exciting than just attending the feast.


    After today, this incident will circulate in the village for at least three to five months, becoming a hot topic of conversation for every household.


    Lu Liang appeared with a smile, calm and composed.


    He stepped out of the crowd, not even glancing at the woman sprawled on the ground causing a scene, or at the shocked Wenjing.


    Lu Liang walked up to Lu Ya, grinning and giving a thumbs up: "You''re really something, Ya. Absolutely amazing."


    Lu Ya glared displeasedly and said nothing further; she walked up to the two children, patted their little heads, and whispered, "Don''t be afraid, don''t be afraid, your uncle is back now."


    Being the eldest daughter and with Lu Liang away from home, people came to make trouble. She had to stand up and take charge to avoid people saying her family lacked authority.


    Now that Lu Liang had returned, she gratefully stepped back from the limelight.


    "Continue saying whatever you want to say. Now that I''m back, let''s lay everything on the table."


    Lu Liang ignored everyone''s stares and walked straight to Lin Wenjing, as calmly as if he were facing a stranger.


    Presence is a feeling, a unique spiritual business card that, although invisible and intangible, undoubtedly exists.


    Although Lu Liang only managed a bit over a hundred people, there was almost nothing over the past year that could make him bow his head and yield.


    Moreover, those who encountered him always made concessions, extremely cautious in their speech and behavior, fearful that any misstep might upset him.


    As a result, he emitted an air of extreme self-confidence.


    His heart thundered with conviction, yet his face was as serene as a still lake.


    However, in contrast to the self-assured and composed Lu Liang, Lin Wenjing seemed a bit flustered, and, steeling herself, she roared, "I came here today with my mom to get an explanation from you."


    "What kind of explanation?" asked Lu Liang.


    "Did you already strike it rich when you were with me, and pretend to be poor just to get a divorce?"


    Lin Wenjing, seething with rage, yelled at the top of her lungs, as though only by doing so could she feel more confident.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly, "No."


    "Then where did your money come from?"


    "Don''t think this will end until you explain clearly."


    "I''ve never seen someone so vicious."


    "Don''t think just because this is your village that we are scared of you."


    Seeing that Lin Wenjing was at a disadvantage, her relatives, sensing trouble, boldly stood up against Fang Shiyu to support her.


    Lin Wenjing couldn''t get money from the Lu Family, and their appearance fees were also in jeopardy; to protect their interests, they couldn''t allow her to back down.


    "Such a racket."


    Lu Liang''s expression grew colder as he looked at the people around him. He only recognized two faces; the rest were strangers to him.


    At that moment, outside the house, there was the sound of roaring engines.


    Lu Liang looked outside; Wen Chao had returned, accompanied by several local law enforcement vehicles.


    The police captain pushed through the crowd and bellowed, "Who is causing a disturbance here?"


    With a calm demeanor, Lu Liang pointed to Lin Wenjing''s relatives in front of him: "Today is the housewarming feast for our new home, and for some reason, these people came to cause trouble."


    Although he had no investment projects or connections in his hometown, his partners did, which meant he did as well.


    The year before last, Old Wang planned to invest 1.5 billion in the city to build a new Wanda Square.


    Even though it was just a commercial plaza, Wanda Group''s influence was significant, and Wanda Square was touted as the central hotspot and a new landmark of the city.


    Especially for some small cities without tourist attractions, scenery, or commerce, the impact was exceptionally great.


    Because it could drive up the surrounding real estate prices, and the sale of land often made up nearly half of a small city''s annual fiscal revenue.


    Therefore, the city''s leadership team went out in full force, accompanying Old Wang for half a day of sightseeing before finally locking down the project.


    Lu Liang had Wen Chao contact Little Wang, who then contacted Old Wang, who got in touch with the person in charge of the local Wanda Square.


    The process wasn''t complicated¡ªit was just three phone calls.


    The whole affair probably didn''t even take three minutes.


    Wen Chao whispered in the police captain''s ear, who then looked at Lu Liang with newfound solemn respect.


    He put on a stern face, showing impartiality, and pointed to the troublemakers: "Take them all away."


    He had just been about to eat when suddenly, city leaders called, reaching directly to their station chief.


    Thus, before Wen Chao even arrived at the station, they were ready to go and followed him over.


    The onlookers were stunned, viewing Lu Liang with a hint of awe.


    Although the team leader appeared to be the police captain, Lu Liang simply had to say a word for them to take the people away.


    Without any objections, it was clear proof that Lu Liang knew higher-level leaders.


    Wealth and power cannot be equated. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 193 - 192: Once and for All

    Ordinary people have an instinctive fear of law enforcement.


    Before Lin Wenjing could react, she was sandwiched between two police officers and immediately plunged into panic, struggling and crying, "It''s not my fault, I didn''t want to come here, they coerced me to come."


    "It was me who didn''t want to stay with Lu Liang anymore, I was the one who initiated the divorce, it has nothing to do with Lu Liang, please let me go."


    Lin Wenjing cried her eyes out, regretting her decisions deeply, she thought Lu Liang was just wealthy, never realizing he also had such connections.


    She exposed herself, hoping only that Lu Liang would spare her.


    In public, able to command the police officers, what inhuman treatment would she encounter once at the police station?


    Thinking of her past interactions with Lu Liang and his family, she was truly frightened.


    Lu Liang seemed indifferent, smiling as he approached the police captain while Wen Chao quietly introduced him and his position.


    Lu Liang smiled, "Captain Liu, hello, the banquet at home is about to start, why don''t I have Secretary Wen accompany you first, and I''ll come over in the afternoon?"


    Although he didn''t know whom Little Wang had contacted, a county official outweighs the immediate manager, and the captain, who leads police across several towns and villages, deserved respect.


    "That''s fine, it''s not a big deal anyway, Mr. Lu. We''ll be going then, you carry on."


    Captain Liu''s face broke into a smile, obviously pleased, and he even bowed to offer his congratulations before leaving, "A joyous housewarming, may good luck follow."


    "Thank you for your kind words."


    The crowd automatically made way, Lu Liang walked to the door, watching the law enforcement vehicles drive away.


    Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed a bit too quiet, the guests still immersed in shock.


    "Third Uncle, Uncle Chun, you all too, don''t just stand there, please take your seats and let the feast begin."


    With a smile, Lu Liang picked up the cigarettes on the table and distributed them in order from the older to the younger generation.


    Brother-in-law Luo Haitong, too, upon receiving a cue from Lu Ya''s eyes, took out cigarettes to help entertain the guests.


    Soon after, the lively atmosphere returned, though people still occasionally stole glances at Lu Liang.


    In their village of slightly over a thousand residents, it seemed a significant figure had emerged.


    Lu Liang made a round in the courtyard, greeted friends and family, then headed back inside.


    Six tables were set up, five outside and one in the living room, the main table.


    His mother, feeling sympathetic, tentatively asked, "Liang, what are you planning to do about Wenjing and Juan?"


    "What else can I do but scare them a bit, to deter them from coming back?"


    Lu Liang picked up some noodles with chopsticks; he especially enjoyed the noodles steamed under crabs, so flavorful.


    "That''s for the best."


    His mother''s face lit up with joy, her mood greatly improved.


    After today''s event, Lu Liang had finally cleared his name, no longer labeled as someone who abandoned his wife when she fell out of favor.


    His father, also in a good mood, didn''t care that it was only midday, poured a shot of white liquor, and clinked glasses with his son-in-law.


    Lu Ya, holding her young daughter, was peeling shrimp for her; hearing this, she glanced at Lu Liang but said nothing.


    After the luncheon, Lu Ya carried her daughter back upstairs to their room, chuckling, "Children get sleepy after eating."


    "That means she''s growing." Lu Liang rested awhile, had a few cups of tea, then prepared to visit the police station.


    "What do you plan to do with them?" Lu Ya asked quietly.


    "Nowadays, it''s a society ruled by law, what I say doesn''t count," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    Lu Ya hesitated then sighed, "Don''t go too far."


    "Just teaching them a lesson."


    Lu Liang had just phoned Wen Chao, learning what could be done with these people; at most, they could be detained for fifteen days for causing trouble.


    He stepped outside, bumping into the village chief, who was all smiles, "Liang, the community center is finished, do you want to check it out?"


    "Uncle Bo, I trust your work, maybe next time, I have to step out."


    He had heard over dinner that the community center, invested with two million at the start of the year, was partly embezzled.


    The contractor was the chief''s brother-in-law, but he wasn''t too bothered; after all, generosity can pacify many an issue.


    Today''s performance was satisfactory to him; at the very least, no one would dare harass his family in his absence.


    The village chief, all smiles, responded, "Then you go ahead and get busy."


    Lu Liang, joined by Fang Shiyu, drove to the town''s police station.


    Chief Zhou''s surname was Zhou, and upon learning that Lu Liang had come, he personally accompanied him to take his statement.


    "Nowadays, there are too many people who are blinded by greed."


    Chief Zhou was visibly indignant, firmly taking Lu Liang''s side.


    Lu Liang smiled, "Fortunately, we have Chief Zhou and our hardworking frontline police comrades."


    "Mr. Lu, you give us too much credit; it''s simply our duty," Chief Zhou responded righteously.


    As they talked, they didn''t avoid Lin Wenjing and her daughter, and Lu Liang was telling them not to mess with him without a good reason.


    This matter would pass with just a few days of detention, but if there were a next time, Lu Liang would make their lives perpetually miserable.


    Seeing how well Lu Liang got along with the chief, Lin Wenjing''s face turned ashen, and she resigned herself to her fate.


    Yet, she had one lingering question, one that, if unanswered, would not let her rest in peace even in death, "Liang, we were once husband and wife; can you tell me if you became wealthy before or after our divorce?"


    "Does it matter?" Lu Liang asked with a chuckle.


    "It matters a lot to me."


    "After the divorce."


    Lu Liang left them with that response and walked away.


    Lin Wenjing fell silent, unable to hold back her tears; she completely lost her spirit and slumped to the ground, powerless.


    Lu Liang sighed, but before leaving, his heart softened, "Chief Zhou, let the mother and daughter go tonight."


    "Right, it''s not a major issue."


    Chief Zhou nodded, a hint of respect flashing in his eyes.


    Indeed, none who succeed are pushovers; even in dealing with his ex-wife, he was ruthless.


    This time, a total of seven people were detained, including the mother-daughter pair and their friends and family.


    By doing this, Lu Liang undoubtedly put them through the wringer, as the main schemer got away, while the accomplices were detained.


    The censure from friends and family alone could drown them, and they likely wouldn''t dare show their faces in their hometown again.


    It was a meticulous plan to cut them off for good.


    After leaving the police station, Lu Liang drove around the village and saw the community center he had sponsored.


    Covering three acres, it had a basketball court, a table tennis room, and dozens of other sports facilities.


    The village kids, under the blazing sun, were freely sweating on the field, filling the air with bursts of laughter and cheer.


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a satisfied smile; managing to achieve all this with two million was quite impressive.


    Even if there was greed, it was minimal. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Back at home,


    Lu Liang went up to the third floor of his new house for the first time.


    The first and second floors housed his parents and sister''s rooms, while the third floor was his private space, featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room, without a kitchen, furnished with only the best brands.


    Lu Liang lay on the couch, squinting his eyes, feeling a peace that the big city lacked.


    Gradually, the sun set.


    Lu Liang heard a crisp ringing of bells, and a chubby little hand patted his cheek, "Uncle, wake up, it''s time for dinner."


    Lu Ya stood at the door with a loving smile, letting her little daughter bounce on Lu Liang.


    She asked with a smile, "Are you satisfied?"


    "Definitely satisfied."


    Lu Liang rubbed his eyes and suddenly, playfully, grabbed his niece under his arm and ran downstairs with her, "Off we go, let''s have dinner."


    Their laughter, crisp as bells, echoed down the spacious corridor, and Lu Ya, smiling, followed them downstairs.


    Having stayed at home for two days, during which Lu Liang visited the municipal office to chat with leaders in charge of business operations.


    "Leader, if there''s a chance in the future, I''d definitely invest in some industries back home."


    Apart from real estate or man-made marvels, Lu Liang couldn''t think of anything else to invest in.


    He could only outline a potential opportunity to the city''s leaders for now; the chances were there, just not yet ripe.


    The leaders were understanding, considering that as a small city without specialties, nestled between the Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau,


    it was hard to retain talent or industry and develop anything, especially since Lu Liang worked in finance.


    Having the intention to think of the hometown in the future was enough to satisfy them.

 Chapter 194 - 193: Tit for Tat

    On the afternoon of the 25th, Tianxing Phase One updated its net value.


    The net value this month still hadn''t broken 3, and even the growth rate for the month had hit a new low, not even reaching 10%.


    However, a host of investors were very patient, since Lu Liang''s comments on Twitter indicated he was considering a move against the yen.


    It wasn''t the most opportune moment yet; perhaps the current calm was the quiet before an impending storm.


    Meanwhile, the brother-in-law drove his father-in-law''s Volvo, dropping off Lu Liang and a few others at the nearby high-speed rail station.


    The family home was less than three hundred kilometers from Ningde, which was best accessed by high-speed rail¡ªit only took an hour and a half.


    "Brother-in-law, you can go back, we''re about to enter the station,"


    As Lu Liang watched his brother-in-law leave, he suddenly remembered that his sister''s family seemed not to have a family car, just a delivery van.


    By contrast, in his Modu warehouse, he had seven or eight vehicles that were operable or not.


    Just Tesla Model X alone he had two, because Li Bing took one apart, so he ended up with two.


    But as for pure electric ones, Lu Liang was not quite convinced by their reliability, and Lamborghini and Ferrari seemed a bit too flashy.


    Wen Chao seemed to have picked up on Lu Liang''s thoughts and said softly, "Mr. Lu, the company still has an A4 that Mr. Tang gave up."


    Lu Liang''s eyes brightened, and he smiled approvingly, "Then contact them to arrange for someone to drive the car here."


    As far as he knew, Tang Caide''s A4 might not even have 3,000 kilometers on it, having been swiftly exchanged for a Panamera.


    Since then, it had been collecting dust in the parking lot.


    He would let Lu Ya drive it for a while, then later put on a crippling discount sale for her.


    Just giving it to her outright probably wouldn''t be accepted, and he might even suffer a lashing from her.


    At 2:30 in the afternoon, the high-speed train arrived in Ningde.


    Ningde Era sent several cars to pick them up, accompanied by a vice president named Su Boyuan.


    "Mr. Lu, that across is the West Factory, our main production base; we''re now heading to the engineering center,"


    Upon reaching Chijian Lake, Su Boyuan warmly introduced everything, noting that the lakeshore stretched with their industrial parks.


    Ningde was the name of a city, and their daring to call themselves Ningde Era naturally stemmed from the support of the local government¡ªthey wanted to showcase Ningde''s powerful strength.


    Lu Liang laughed, "Recently I visited Shenzhen and noticed that many city buses there have switched to electric power."


    His visit was for the financing of Ningde Era, and he planned to take on all the subscription shares by himself.


    The valuation of Ningde was between 33 billion and 36 billion US dollars, Su Boyuan hoped for the higher end, while naturally, Lu Liang aimed for the lower.


    Hu Jian was in a coastal province, and Ningde was a coastal city where the economy is hardly poor.


    If he let him brag, it''s as if Ningde was born for Ningde Era, then the valuation would certainly be maxed out.


    Su Boyuan wasn''t in the mood to feel embarrassed about being seen through: "BYD has been established for 21 years now, with power batteries, complete vehicle manufacturing, and rail transit being among their main businesses."


    Ningde Era had been established for just five years, yet they had already become one of the top three power battery suppliers globally.


    If they were given another sixteen years to develop, their achievements might well surpass BYD.


    "The pace of technological replacement is incredibly fast," Lu Liang remarked.


    Once formidable Nokia''s cellphone division alone was valued at 300 billion US dollars, but recent news suggested a plan to sell off the entire division for 3 billion US dollars.


    A dynasty could disappear just like that¡ªin sixteen years, the president could have changed four times.


    Caught off-guard, Su Boyuan became momentarily speechless; sixteen years could indeed change a dynasty, and there were indeed many uncertainties.


    Luckily, the car stopped, and they arrived at the engineering center.


    Zeng Minqun greeted them with a smile at the entrance, with a red carpet and banners, while employees lined up to welcome them.


    "Mr. Zeng, long time no see, today''s setup seems a bit over the top," Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    Old Zeng shook his head slightly, his smile still present: "Not excessive, there may be opportunities for cooperation in the future."


    Clearly, he also believed the rumors as Lu Liang had first invested in NIO, then Li Xiang, and even established a research and development project team.


    This wasn''t typical investor behavior, it could only mean that Lu Liang intended to get personally involved in car manufacturing.


    "I hope everything goes as Mr. Zeng wishes," Lu Liang chuckled.


    The group followed Zeng Minqun into the engineering center, visiting the R&D department, the battery division, and the production department in turn.


    Lu Liang had spent a week at Ningde Era, during which a steady stream of colleagues from Modu came to join in the corporate audit.


    This was an investment project exceeding 3 billion, presumably the last round of financing before Ningde Era went public.


    If all went smoothly, they could kick off the IPO process by the end of the year, then conduct roadshows, aiming for a listing on the A-shares market the following year.


    Originally, Ningde wanted to list on US stocks, and they were even on the verge of finalizing a 3.5 billion US Dollar deal with Ford.


    Last year, Ford was prepared to invest 3.5 billion US Dollars to establish a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery factory entirely at its expense, while Ningde Era was responsible for providing technology and service support to this factory, in simple terms, Ningde Era would provide the expertise while Ford would provide the funding.


    However, the move was curbed by the state, and Ningde''s path to listing in the United States was abruptly cut off, leaving A-shares as the only option.


    "We''ll need at least 500 million US Dollars."


    Lu Liang planned to invest in US Dollars, an offer too tempting for any company to refuse.


    Especially for Ningde, who had no hope of listing in the United States, they probably needed this US Dollar investment even more since they had been establishing labs around the world for the past few years.


    "The issue is where the money will come from."


    Lu Liang had a bit of a headache, even though the two funds he managed had a combined total asset value of over 2.85 billion US Dollars.


    But it was already June 3rd, and in less than 40 days, the results of the situation in the south would be made public.


    The funds they had prepared, including the reserve funds, amounted to only 1.25 billion US Dollars, 7.5 billion short of the 2 billion target.


    If they were to invest 500 million US Dollars in Ningde Era, the funding gap would widen to 1.25 billion US Dollars.


    It was uncertain whether they could gather the complete amount by early July.


    After much deliberation, Lu Liang decided to delay the investment into Ningde Era, at least until the end of July.


    After all, he could offer financing in US Dollars,


    and that meant the terms could be negotiated further.


    The next morning, both parties engaged in intense discussions.


    The main point of contention was the valuation of Ningde Era.


    Ningde''s side naturally wanted the highest valuation possible and presented the new energy sales report from the first quarter of the year.


    Both new and old car manufacturers were gearing up, and capital from all quarters was eager to break into the new energy industry.


    As one of the world''s leading power battery suppliers, they naturally expected an explosive increase in future sales.


    Analysts predicted that this year''s shipments should reach over 7.0 GWh, equating to 140,000 lithium batteries.


    Tang Caide rebutted, "According to our company''s investigation, Ningde''s power batteries make up 19.2% of the national market. So, does your company believe that this year''s new energy vehicle sales will reach 700,000 units?" Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The sales volume for the first quarter of this year was only 78,000. Is your company suggesting that for the following three quarters, there will be an average sales volume of 200,000 units each quarter?"


    Teams from both sides were at loggerheads, arguing with sound reasoning, and trimmed the valuation to between 33.5 and 34.5.


    Though there was only a difference of one billion, this round Ningde was offering 10% of its equity for financing.


    With each additional billion in valuation, Tianxing Investment would need to put up an extra ten million in financing funds.


    And that was just for one billion.


    Lu Liang and Zeng Minqun sipped tea on the side, chatting and laughing carefree, but whenever they touched on matters of national importance, they inevitably circled back to the situation in the south.


    "This time, there''s absolutely no giving in, nor can we afford to."


    Zeng Minqun''s expression turned stern, utterly resolute.


    If they gave in this time, decades of progress since the reform and opening up would vanish into thin air, because wealth without the backing of military strength is nothing but castles in the air.


    Much like the neighboring country to the east, they are at the mercy of the United States'' cuts, something Lu Liang surely could relate to, as he was reportedly one of the harvesters himself.


    Lu Liang agreed, "We definitely can''t and won''t back down, the question is whether the United States will."


    Zeng Minqun pondered for a long time, "Whether the United States will back down depends on whether our stance is firm enough."


    He couldn''t help but reflect, "If we had the ambition of the strategic shifts from years past, even the United States wouldn''t dare affront us, no matter how bold or daring."


    Lu Liang also sighed, "Back then, we had nothing to lose, the barefoot were not afraid of those with shoes. Now, we have families to consider."

 Chapter 195 - 194: Are They Going to Run Away?

    As the two of them conversed, the negotiations next to them were also nearing an end.


    Tang Caide, seeing that the negotiations were about to conclude, played the trump card given to her by Lu Liang, offering investment in US Dollars.


    Redwood was known for its strength as the "big brother" of venture capital, not only for its keen insight but more importantly, for its dual-currency fund characteristic, able to provide enterprises with US Dollar investments. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Although it''s no longer like before when enterprises considered foreign exchange earnings as their top priority, most companies still faced a scarcity of foreign exchange.


    Especially industrial technology companies, which often needed to import high-end precision equipment from abroad, had an even greater need for foreign exchange reserves.


    Although the state provided support for high-tech companies, Ningde could always apply for interest-free foreign exchange loans from banks anytime.


    However, loans still needed to be repaid and the procedures were cumbersome.


    Coincidentally, Tianxing too was a dual-currency fund.


    With financing of 520 million US Dollars, Su Boyuan could only agree to value Ningde at 33.228 billion yuan.


    However, in this round, since only Tianxing Institution was involved, naturally, they would dictate how the matter was communicated externally.


    Tang Caide smiled, expressing no objections.


    Before financing, she naturally hoped for a lower valuation as it would mean less capital investment.


    But after financing, everyone was part of the same team, and the higher Ningde''s valuation, the higher their notional profits appeared on paper.


    Both parties finalized the cooperative details, and the funds would be transferred into Ningde''s account within the next 60 business days.


    Su Boyuan raised no objections; after all, over 500 million US Dollars was not a small amount, and two months was already quite fast.


    "Mr. Zeng, it''s a pleasure doing business with you."


    Lu Liang showed a smile, as after this round of financing, they would hold 13.33% of Ningde''s shares.


    Even though the IPO next year might dilute it slightly, they would still hold at least 11.997%.


    Given time, once Ningde went public and its market value surpassed one trillion, these shares would be worth 119.97 billion yuan.


    Once Lu Liang had the funds, he would transfer the shares from Tianxing Assets to Tianxing Investment.


    In this way, relying solely on Ningde''s share assets, he could become a bona fide hundred-billionaire.


    "Mr. Lu, a pleasure doing business."


    Zeng Minqun also showed a smile, feeling quite pleased.


    If all went as expected, Ningde Era would become the first listed company in Lu Liang''s investment portfolio.


    Lu Liang''s acumen needs no further praise; after the merger of Watermelon and Douyin, it quickly swept across major cities in the country.


    Even Kuai Shou, known for dominating the three northeastern provinces, saw a breach, with user numbers breaking the eighty million mark.


    In the domestic short video sector, it had truly become a rising supernova, second in market share only to Kuai Shou and unmatched in user stickiness, unchallenged by any.


    The merger of the two companies, according to professional assessment agencies, was worth at least a hundredfold.


    Those who had initially criticized Lu Liang for being a fool had now changed their tune, praising his unparalleled foresight.


    His investment insight was unmatched, and his market judgment was even more exceptional.


    They at Ningde had decided to go public on the Growth Enterprise Market, and Old Zeng was already eager to witness the grand scene on that day.


    Once the collaboration was finalized, the groups headed to a restaurant by Chijian Lake, funded by the investment of Ningde Era.


    Meanwhile, news that Ningde had secured a valuation of 35 billion yuan through an investment of several hundred million US Dollars by Tianxing spread quickly.


    The head of Public Relations at Ningde stepped forward to confirm the news.


    And noted, this financing round would be their last before going public; they would now focus entirely on preparing for the IPO, planned for the end of this year or early next year. Interested investors should stay tuned.


    The moment these words were announced, the new energy sector surged, with lithium raw material suppliers skyrocketing.


    In February this year, Lu Liang had invested one billion yuan in Ningde, and just over four months later, another thirty-some billion.


    These two investments of over forty billion far surpassed the total of his past investments, practically broadcasting his optimism on new energy.


    Domestic funds took Lu Liang as a benchmark; after all, it was easier to follow him than to laboriously research the market.


    You should know, institutions that had followed suit in buying into new energy at the beginning of the year, had now seen at least a 20% return.


    Seeing Lu Liang doubling down, they adjusted their holdings, increasing their investment in the new energy sector.


    Institutions followed suit, and so did retail investors.


    Further driving the rise in the new energy sector.


    The new energy index had now become the most influential sector in the Big A market, thus propelling the entire market upwards.


    "Folks, quick, come back; the village is giving out gold bars, the silver party has started."


    "If the bull turns its head, there must be a reason; it looks like a 6000-point rally," he said.


    At that moment, the retail investors in the market teared up, as if they had seen last year''s crazy bull market, and some turned their attention to the international market, mainly focusing on the yen exchange rate.


    They had not forgotten that Lu Liang had predicted a downturn in the Japanese economy, likely planning to short the yen.


    Following Lu Liang had become the consensus for countless domestic and international investors and speculators.


    After resting for a night in Ningde, early the next morning, Lu Liang took his team on the high-speed train to Modu.


    He had just arrived at the office when Wang Xiaocong came over, smelling the gossip and planning to savor this juicy piece of news.


    An ex-wife showing up and turning into an enemy, he suddenly realized that Lu Liang''s life was spectacularly dramatic.


    "Is Panda not done yet?" Lu Liang gave him a harsh look, showing no kindness.


    "How could it be? The clean-up is just a breeze; it passed and everything''s fine."


    Little Wang was smug, with the last fundraising of 446 million slowly trickling in, he had safely weathered the clean-up storm.


    Now sitting as the third top player in the live-streaming industry, he suddenly felt he could speak loudly again.


    "Be careful, or joy may turn to sorrow," Lu Liang scoffed, Douyin and Live Tiger had Tencent''s support, Panda had nothing.


    In his view, given that the business was still running well, they should consider cashing out.


    Like Little Wang, thinking of cashing out when broke, suddenly becoming ambitious once well-off, being indecisive will lead to downfall sooner or later.


    "You think I don''t want to? Just can''t manage to get free," Little Wang sighed. Even if he felt lofty again, he wouldn''t dare show it in front of Lu Liang, just couldn''t find the right person to take over.


    Lu Liang paused to ponder, then smilingly said, "LeEco is a big fool, you might try talking to Old Jia."


    Last week, while attending Douyin''s financing meeting in Beijing, he discussed LeEco with Shen Peng and Zhu Hu, their thoughts nearly aligned.


    LeEco''s financial situation must be serious, but to avoid exposure, they could only act boldly.


    Because there''s a saying that goes, when everyone thinks he''s rich, he becomes rich even if he isn''t.


    And when everyone thinks he''s broke, he becomes broke even if he isn''t.


    Little Wang looked furious, "Look for what, the last round of funding from Chenhai and Golden Sand River came through, only LeEco didn''t, still talking about foreign exchange settlement, delaying another month."


    Lu Liang was surprised, "Did he really say that?"


    "What else?"


    "Hold on."


    Lu Liang looked bemused, phoned Wen Chao, and asked him to investigate the assets LeEco had mortgaged to the banks.


    Because he recalled that when he was back in his hometown, Old Jia had tried to contact him about investing in Faraday Future.


    But he had declined due to being busy, and now Panda''s funding was being continuously delayed.


    A thought suddenly struck Lu Liang; could Old Jia be planning to flee?


    "Something wrong?" Little Wang was puzzled.


    "Perhaps."


    Lu Liang looked grave, his mind elsewhere, suddenly receiving breaking international news; the South had escalated, Korea had entered, agreeing with the United States to place a Saman on their territory.


    Upon the news being announced, it sparked a heated discussion online, almost instantly stirring a boycott Korean products frenzy.


    It was like digging a massive hole in their own backyard.


    Lu Liang browsed related news, well aware that the southern situation had started to move from behind-the-scenes to the forefront.


    Right then, Wen Chao knocked and entered. He had just discovered that LeEco had a loan of 530 million using equity as collateral.


    Lu Liang pulled up the stock price chart for LeEco, coincidentally, last month LeEco''s stock price had plummeted, and its equity was on the verge of insolvency.


    At that time, by choosing to lead Panda''s investment, the stock price had surged, safely navigating through the insolvency crisis.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, laid out all the data, looked up at Little Wang, "See what''s happening now?"


    "The 158 million from LeEco leading Panda''s investment is gone?"


    Little Wang looked shocked, disbelief coursing through him.


    Lu Liang had practically spoon-fed him, even a fool should see what this meant.


    Old Jia used Panda as a stepping stone, most likely a disposable one at that.


    This so-called foreign exchange settlement was merely a pretext.


    He probably never intended to invest in Panda from the beginning, just exploiting the First Rich''s son and Lu Liang''s renowned participation to boost LeEco''s stock price, thus overcoming the insolvency crisis.

 Chapter 196 - 195: Liangzi, Stop

    "You better not get your hopes up."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh. When LeEco had led the investment in Panda, he had felt it odd but hadn''t thought much about it.


    Panda''s last name was Wang, not Lu; Li Manli''s ties to Panda might even be deeper than his.


    Even if things turned sour, he would only lose eighteen million, which wasn''t a huge problem and he didn''t particularly care.


    Now, it could only be said that Accountant Jia''s calculations were spot on; Little Wang would likely be exploited for nothing.


    If LeEco''s liabilities hadn''t been falsified, then a guaranteed debt of ten billion wouldn''t make a difference of slightly more than a hundred million to Panda.


    In his anger, Wang Xiaocong suddenly had a brainwave, "Lu, do you think Old Jia might take over Panda?"


    Although LeEco''s stock price had been steadily falling since the end of last year''s bull market, even dropping below a hundred billion last month and soon to lose its position as the top on the Growth Enterprise Market,


    a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. He wanted to sell Panda to LeEco in exchange for stock equity and then cash out from the secondary market.


    Once Panda joined LeEco, its stock price would surely soar. As long as it lasted till the six-month lock-up period, he could easily cash out.


    Not only could he repay the thirty million US dollars he owed to Golden Sand River and Qihu, but he might also make a huge profit.


    Since he had seen Tencent''s determination to dominate the market, he had silently given up the Eastern Disneyland plan.


    Lu Liang was surprised, "When did you get such a brain?"


    "Being close to vermilion gets one stained crimson."


    Little Wang chuckled and didn''t argue with Lu but eagerly asked, "Will this work?"


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, "It seems workable, but it would take at least six months to complete the process."


    "Putting aside whether LeEco can last that long, do you think you can outplay Old Jia?"


    A man who could suffocate for his dreams and walked at the forefront of business, as Shen Peng had said, he might doubt the authenticity of LeEco''s financial reports but never doubted Boss Jia''s capabilities.


    On the other hand, looking at Little Wang¡­


    "Do you really look down on me?" Little Wang said indignantly.


    Lu Liang nodded seriously; he did not want to play games with Boss Jia because he was unsure how deep the pit of LeEco was.


    Little Wang still thought about conspiring with the tiger, but it seemed like sending warmth over a thousand miles, he would probably end up bedridden.


    Little Wang walked away angrily, his face full of fury.


    Lu Liang chuckled and had no intention of persuading him.


    He logged into Twitter to post derogatory comments about the Japanese economy, preparing for his upcoming shorting of the yen.


    Meanwhile, Korea''s agreement with the United States to deploy shamans on its territory was still fermenting.


    Weibo and Tieba, as the internet''s most famous women''s and men''s restrooms, had stood unshaken for many years.


    Due to their keen sense of watching, they knew what would disrupt unity should not be discussed, but beneficial things could be freely spoken.


    Seeing that Weibo, Tieba, and other major forum platforms were not banning the spread of the shaman news.


    The influential online personalities also understood the authorities'' stance and joined in analyzing the dangers of shamans.


    "Going into battle with justified reasons, taking the initiative."


    Lu Liang sighed, "Troublesome times."


    Taking a firm stance needed public support, allowing influencers to analyze dangers was essentially brewing momentum.


    Lu Liang only knew to take a hard line and knew that the situation would make this international incident''s first sacrifice.


    But he was unclear about the consequences of being so resolute, and how the United States would respond to their firmness.


    He was a businessman, not involved in military industries; other countries could be messy, but he didn''t want his own to be.


    In June, amid the wave of boycotting Korean products, and by early July, all comments online had suddenly stopped.


    As Lu Liang guessed, allowing influencers to spread the word was essentially building momentum; once the task was completed, it naturally ended.


    If nothing happened, then everything would remain as usual.


    If something happened, people would suddenly realize how it came to be that way.


    That day, Lu Liang went to the adjacent trading room; after a month and a half of fundraising, he had successfully earmarked two billion US dollars.


    The current USD/JPY exchange rate is 104.4600.


    Over the past month and a half, the yen has surged by 9000 basis points.


    Apart from the significant drop of 300 points on the first day when Lu Liang advocated for a bearish stance, there was a feeling that the more he talked down the currency, the more it rose.


    Countless international speculators who trusted Lu Liang were repeatedly cut, and Lu God was about to turn into Liangzi.


    That afternoon, Lu Liang visited State Street Bank.


    He invested 20 billion US dollars, used 10 billion as initial capital, and using four times leverage, he acquired a short position of 41.784 trillion yen.


    For every 1 basis point increase in the price at 104.46, there would be a profit of 3820 US dollars and assuming it dropped to 113.15, there would be a profit of 332 million US dollars.


    Even if he took full advantage of this market move, the overall profit was still less than a third of what he had earned from short selling the British Pounds, but Lu Liang was already very satisfied.


    Old England''s Brexit was a political black swan event, impacting not only Old England but all of Europe, and such events were rare and unpredictable.


    The decline in yen was probably due to the automotive industry being impacted by the new energy industry, with the influence of the two not even comparable.


    Approaching the 12th, turmoil reemerged in the South.


    The US Army, with one aircraft carrier, two fleets, around 150 various-warplane types, about 10 warships, forced their way into our doorstep for what was about to be announced.


    Domestically, there was a swift reaction with three major fleets, totaling over a hundred main warships, all dispatched, and four generals personally commanded on the front lines, though it was announced as just a combat exercise.


    More than a hundred main warships represented their entire capacity and also a posture of a fight to the death.


    Over Qiong Island, there was an air of grim solemnity.


    Meanwhile, the internet was all abuzz about Disney investing 5.5 billion US dollars, covering 1.16 square kilometers, and taking 17 years to build the super theme park, which was set to open that Saturday.


    The topic swamped the entire internet, and the disclosed military operations in the South were squeezed into a small corner of the news, garnering no interest.


    TV Station, always ahead of its time, was currently airing "With You at the Same Table," and C1 was also showing the animated series "Panda on the Loose."


    The public sentiment seemed calm as though nothing had happened.


    Compared to the online frenzy, influential figures, even those with slight fame, consciously kept silent.


    Little Wang, heeding advice from his elders, stayed low-key, avoiding online confrontations and staying away from bars at night.


    During this time, he always found reasons to visit Lu Liang''s company, intending to hear his opinions.


    "What can I think? Isn''t the attitude obvious?" Lu Liang remained composed.


    Little Wang sighed deeply, "If it really comes to war, it might just be the preseason of S3. Can''t we just step back?"


    The real estate and entertainment industries thrive only in prosperous times; once a war begins, both Panda and Wanda would suffer heavy losses.


    Having studied abroad, he deeply understood how hard-earned today''s peace was. Moreover, with his ways of operating domestically, in the United States, he would probably have been long taken down by American corporate raiders.


    Lu Liang sneered, scorning Little Wang''s naivety, "How to step back? Today you cede one city, tomorrow ten. Only those unafraid to die deserve to live."


    While he also did not desire war, there was no retreat.


    In his discussions with Old Zeng, once they retreated, decades of achievements would be undone. The Silk Road''s international strategic plan would not be feasible either, as no nation would trust the promises of a country that couldn''t even protect its own doorstep.


    Besides, for someone like Lu Liang, who often hedged against Wall Street funds, he likely faced a difficult choice.


    Lu Liang''s current comfort was inseparably linked to having the backing of a strong country.


    Had he been from Japan and South Korea, he would likely have been swiftly dispatched to Wall Street, to either submit or die.


    Samsung next door was the prime example, making up 25% of the national GDP, it could diplomatically be called an overlord, yet it still frequently had to pay its dues to the United States.


    By contrast, Lu Liang wished he could shove his size 45 shoe into their faces, constantly targeting them for special attention.


    Had he not been in his own country, he probably would have been shot eight times in the back and declared a suicide.


    That day, the local stock market remained depressed, and gold prices suddenly skyrocketed, breaking through 350 RMB per gram.


    Meanwhile, the RMB exchange rate continued to fall, breaking past the 6.5 mark before the 12th.


    In the comments section on Twitter, traitors filled it with mockery, "Liangzi, give it up. The yen hasn''t fallen, but the RMB has dropped a lot. Your foresight isn''t that great." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Netizens from the Land of the Rising Sun also left messages, "Mr. Lu, come to Tokyo. We, the Yamato people, welcome you. The US Army is a powerful and invincible force."


    Unlike the domestic low-key approach, foreign media, especially from Japan and South Korea as the leaders, loudly declared their unconditional support for the Philippines, resolutely standing with the United States.


    And the underlying logic of Lu Liang''s bearish stance on the Japanese economy, intentionally short selling the yen, was also exposed by the Wall Street Journal.


    He stood with his country, firmly believing his nation could overcome this crisis and thereby implementing countermeasures.

 Chapter 197 - 196: One Against Eight

    Time ticked away, second by second.


    Suddenly it was the afternoon of the 12th.


    The results from the south were out, and the spokesperson reacted promptly, stating that the outcome was nothing remarkable, just a piece of worthless paper, and that no one could impose a judgment on them.


    The picture reading "Not a penny less" circulated online.


    "Not a penny less!"


    Lu Liang also shared the image, indicating he was officially entering the fray.


    He began short-selling the yen, and a fierce battle played out in the foreign exchange market between the bulls and the bears.


    "All accounts, reserve 20% of positions, sell the rest at the price level of 102.5200." S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang entered the trading floor with a solemn expression, issuing the latest trading instructions methodically.


    Meanwhile, Wall Street''s capital from all quarters converged on the foreign exchange market, entering the fray and taking positions against Lu Liang.


    Mr. Suo, interviewed by the media, declared loudly, "Resisting to the bitter end is a dead-end street."


    His words not only targeted Lu Liang as an individual.


    This time, the Quantum Fund was also investing more than five billion dollars, intending to completely crush Lu Liang.


    They were prepared, once more, to proclaim to the world who the true uncrowned king of the international stage was.


    Lu Liang was merely a meteor.


    What right did he have? He was not even qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as them.


    The head of JPMorgan Fund''s third group also stepped forward, saying, "Mr. Lu has a good eye, but unfortunately, he has made the wrong choice this time. Emotion should not overcome rationality; he may be a qualified patriot but is no longer a qualified speculator."


    Wilson was thoroughly persuaded by Lu Liang, both intellectually and emotionally, willingly addressing him with respect, but their navy was the most powerful military force in the world. The only thing that could defeat half of the United States'' navy was the other half.


    This time, there was no doubt that Lu Liang was bound to lose. JPMorgan Fund mobilized more than 3.5 billion dollars, taking a position against Lu Liang.


    A businessman in the race also stepped out to ride the wave of public interest, "Maybe I''ve never told you, but I''ve always admired Lu Liang from China. It''s a shame that in my heart, his score has dropped from a 97 to an 82."


    In recent years, the United States had been focusing on the Middle East, exhausting both the people and the treasury, while the Eastern Country had been developing quietly and had become a force that they could no longer ignore.


    Whether he or Mrs. Kling came to power at the end of the year, their strategy towards the Eastern Country would not change.


    After all, the world''s resources were limited. Nearly 1.4 billion people wanted to live well. What then should the remaining 300 million do?


    It would be best if, as before, they helped produce low-cost goods like clothing and shoes, and having food to eat would be good enough.


    Wall Street''s major institutions stepped forward to state their positions one after another, with as many as eight institutions participating in the yen hedging.


    According to incomplete statistics from the Wall Street Journal, the capital they invested this time exceeded thirty billion dollars.


    Even if Lu Liang used the total assets of both his funds, it amounted to no more than three billion dollars.


    If he didn''t use leverage, that was fine. He would only be left with a loss of three to five hundred million dollars. But if he dared to use high leverage, with twenty billion hedging against three billion, his defeat was certain.


    "The storm is coming, just like a century ago, at that moment, as it is at this moment."


    "Damn it, this is no longer about money. Lu God, we support you."


    "Three billion hedging against thirty billion, what are you counting on to hold up?"


    "Disperse already. It would be better to short-sell the RMB or to go long on gold. Chaotic times are upon us, and earning more money is also good for self-defense."


    A sense of powerlessness enveloped everyone''s hearts. They were not Lu Liang''s die-hard fans, just speculators looking to make money.


    The eight Wall Street institutions of great repute united to attack; who in the world could compete?


    Soon, Lu Liang responded on Twitter.


    "Who claims to be invincible? Who dares to say they are undefeated?"


    The capital Lu Liang used was actually more than three billion; after leveraging, it turned into four billion dollars.


    Four billion dollars hedging against thirty billion dollars wasn''t entirely without a chance of winning.


    The competition between the bulls and the bears in the international financial market was like a battlefield with enemy forces on either side.


    On the battlefield, there weren''t just these two forces; there was also a third party that was often overlooked yet immensely powerful.


    Xunzi once said that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it. The same logic applies to the financial market. The third force is retail investors.


    If the power of retail investors could come together, let alone eight institutions, even the whole of Wall Street combined would not be able to win.


    Lu Liang knew he was now in a perilous position with no allies and did not expect anyone to join him in going against the current and short-selling the yen.


    He only hoped, as much as possible, to buy some time, so that the wavering market participants would not make a hasty, wrong choice.


    "Maybe... let''s just wait a bit longer."


    Lu Liang''s commanding statement made those who were about to make a choice, once again, patiently opt for a wait-and-see approach.


    Despite seeming stubborn, he was, after all, the Lu Liang who had fought three at once and had yet to taste defeat.


    After much consideration, they were inclined to place a bit of trust in him, unanimously deciding to wait, to wait for the moment the results were announced.


    By then, they might earn a bit less, but at least they could ensure they wouldn''t face huge losses.


    His original supporters became even more resolute.


    "Damn it, at worst I''ll just find a job, I still have over seven thousand in fixed deposit interest every month anyway."


    At this time, Little Yang in Tianfu, fully aware of the tough situation Lu Liang was in, broke her own financial planning after much thought.


    She pooled all her capital meant for starting a business, 800,000, along with 1 million in high-risk investment, into the foreign exchange market.


    She decisively used a 50 times leverage, amplified her capital to 45 million, to support Lu Liang with her actions.


    Although her "Lu God" didn''t take her seriously at all.


    When they first met, he seemed interested only in exploring whether the rumors were true.


    But without Lu Liang, she would''ve hit rock bottom.


    It could be said that the car and house she now owned were all thanks to Lu Liang, a favor from a person, remembered for a thousand years.


    At this moment, in Tianxing''s trading room.


    "How much of our position is left?" Lu Liang inquired.


    "Mr. Lu, we have 30% left, with available funds already less than 130 billion yen."


    "What''s our current loss?"


    Lu Liang looked towards the yen exchange rate, about to fall below 100, their losses should be significant.


    A basis point equals a gain or loss of 3,280 US Dollars, and it had fallen over forty thousand points to date.


    "16.685 billion yen."


    Sun Yutao was full of concern; since he had joined Lu Liang''s team, he had never seen such large losses.


    16.685 billion yen, calculated at the settlement exchange rate, amounted to a loss of 164 million US Dollars, accounting for 16.4% of the decline in investment.


    Lu Liang looked southward, pondered for a long time, and made a decision, "Continue to increase the investment, until all our chips are played."


    Now it was five in the afternoon, and although summer days were longer, there was less than an hour left before darkness fell.


    If they were to act today, the yen exchange rate would not have just a 7.55% drop.


    When Zhong lost his cool, Good Day would bear the first brunt, undoubtedly settling both new and old scores at once.


    Lu Liang was resolute, reinforcing his positions.


    More and more onlookers in the foreign exchange market grew, and the eight major institutions, despite their reluctance, could only reduce their capital input.


    As they said, speculators should be rational, not emotional, no matter how formidable the US Army might be.


    "Couldn''t he have hit the mark again?" JPMorgan Manager Wilson murmured to himself, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.


    Because he remembered the terror of being dominated by Lu Liang, five months ago on the night of the Brexit vote in Old England.


    Although he was confident in the strength of the US Army, Zhong was no longer the Zhong of the past.


    Once, with nothing to his name, he had managed to rout a five-star general.


    What more now.


    And there were many who shared this sentiment.


    A sense of unease gradually spread in the market, on what basis was Lu Liang so certain? Had he heard some insider tip?


    For a moment, Lu Liang, playing the bear, faced eight to one, holding off pressure from eight Wall Street institutions.


    Suddenly, the Flower Society updated their news with a picture showing a Hong Liu patrolling over Yan Shi Island.


    It seemed to hint that the coordinates had been exposed; an aircraft carrier might be strong, but it had a fatal weakness, once discovered, it could be destroyed.


    Before long, more news came.


    The US Army had withdrawn from the territorial waters; the silent contest between both had been decided in secret.


    Upon this news breaking out, the yen plummeted.


    Gold also instantly fell back to its previous gains.


    Withdrawal meant backing down, it also meant Zhong had triumphed in this skirmish; next was the moment for settling scores.

 Chapter 198 - 197: Unpredictable Process

    On the other side of the ocean, a pale dawn broke on the horizon, and the first rays of the morning sun fell upon Wall Street.


    Amid the blistering summer heat, a new day was about to begin, but the participants from the eight major institutions couldn''t feel the warmth of the sunlight.


    Years of planning for the "Return to Asia-Pacific Strategy" had failed, and the so-called Invincible Fleet, the Li Gen, had retreated.


    Upon hearing this news, the participants'' hearts chilled instantly as if someone had doused them with cold water on a freezing day.


    Cold in body, and even colder in heart, a bone-chilling cold emerged from the depths of their souls, and everyone felt their scalps tingle as calamity loomed.


    Lu Liang had only been developing for one year, holding just two funds, with all told maybe thirty billion dollars in assets.


    But they had been developing for many years, managing assets that were at least ten times, or even a hundred times, more than Lu Liang''s, if not more.


    The yen was only part of the battlefield; if Lu Liang hadn''t been involved, they would have invested just a few billion dollars at most.


    After all, the funds had to go where they were needed, like International Crude Oil, International Gold, Offshore RMB, and even major trading commodities like soybeans.


    After all, with a GDP of 74 trillion and a 6.5% annual growth rate, being touted as the world''s second-largest economy, there was simply too much to harvest, even more so than with Japan back in the day.


    The total capital they invested was at least one zero more than thirty billion dollars, perhaps even more.


    However, the Invincible Warship Li Gen that had such high hopes pinned on it had fled, scared off.


    They no longer had time to worry about Lu Liang; the only thought in their minds was to close positions, stop losses, and take the opposite side of the trades.


    Once the market caught on, the unaffiliated third parties would raise their scythes and harvest their wealth.


    But they could also strike first; better for a Daoist friend to die than to die poor themselves, to become harvesters rather than the harvested.


    So-called allies were just temporarily in agreement; once opinions differed, it was time to see whose scythe was sharper.


    At this moment, in the building where the Quantum Fund was based.


    Soros''s gaze was complex, watching the fund managers busy about, with hoarse shouts of anger often ringing in his ears.


    He did not blame the others for their loss of composure because he had been far crazier when he was young, fortunate not to have encountered Lu Liang.


    Soros let out a deep sigh, silently walked out of the trading room; he no longer had the energy to monitor the markets personally and had just come to see the turn of events.


    Looking out the window at the slowly rising sun, he suddenly said, "Andy, I''ve looked into it, and I think the saying shouldn''t be ''dynasties change, new talents arise,'' but rather ''the waves behind drive on those before, with the foremost ones to die on the beach,'' right?"


    His Chinese-American assistant remained silent for a long while; "Sir, maybe my Chinese isn''t that good."


    "It''s your mother tongue; you should study more when you have the time, as China''s development has become unstoppable."


    Soros was filled with mixed emotions; he had a premonition that this event might be a crucial turning point for the world order. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Running away happens either once or countless times. Once the Li Gen retreated, the Return to Asia-Pacific Strategy became a joke.


    At least the smaller countries in Asia wouldn''t believe the slander anymore; the Philippines was the best example, with the Americans fleeing, Japan and South Korea followed suit.


    They were probably breaking out in cold sweats now, thinking of how to apologize, and how they might be forgiven, since the trouble down south had been stirred up under their names.


    The female assistant nodded firmly; "I will, sir."


    She suddenly wanted to visit her ancestral home in Funan and to meet that legendary Lu Liang.


    What kind of person could force the globally dominant short-sellers into feeling emotions usually reserved for pondering retirees?


    ...


    The news of the US Army''s retreat was very secret, so far it had only spread within a small circle, and had not reached the outside world.


    But as the yen''s exchange rate suddenly collapsed, and gold prices plunged, opportunistic investors realized that Lu Liang seemed to have won again.


    A mass of institutions closing their positions at the same time meant that, except for a few individual investors, there was no longer any sign of advocates for a stronger yen in the market.


    Their will to long the yen was as strong as their current determination to short it; they had to explain to their investors.


    Since Lu Liang talked down Japan''s economy and shorted the yen, they would lend him a hand and make a bigger issue out of it.


    If they couldn''t take down the Eastern Country, they''d hit the two smaller countries in the East; after all, they had to recoup their losses.


    The big three Wall Street credit rating agencies, Pu''er, Moody''s, and Fitch, took the lead in attacking with an "objective and fair" stance, citing China''s initial success in developing new energy industries as the reason to criticize the automobile industry of Japan and South Korea for potentially facing a catastrophic blow.


    He listed various factors, describing the annual export volumes and economic shares of Japanese and Korean cars, as well as the proportion of imports in China.


    He predicted that next year''s export volumes would drop by 15% compared to the same period, and within the next five years, Korean cars might be abandoned by the Chinese market, and sales of Japanese cars would halve and then halve again.


    The three articles, totaling nearly 50,000 words of research reports, could essentially be summarized in one sentence: the economies of these two countries were not doing well, and their national credit ratings were set to be downgraded.


    As soon as the articles were published, a large number of institutions caught wind of it and unreasonably swooped into the foreign exchange markets of both countries, brandishing their scythes and feverishly reaping the wealth of the nationals.


    At that moment, in the Tianxing Trading Room.


    "I can always guess the outcome, but not the process."


    Lu Liang''s face showed melancholy as he thought Zhong was starting to settle scores, but it turned out to be infighting, with Japan and Korea being sacrificed.


    But on second thought, it made sense. They had just repelled the US Army, and if they started settling scores directly, it would undoubtedly cause others to be wary.


    Moreover, the principle of the Silk Road was joint development and breaking US Dollar hegemony. If they settled scores, wouldn''t that be just like the US Army?


    "Managing a large country is like cooking a small fish; one must not act impetuously."


    A sly smile curled the corners of Lu Liang''s mouth, revealing his not-so-kind intentions. Zhong might not be able to show his face, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t.


    He glanced at the USD/JPY exchange rate, which had dropped 10.12 yen, a daily loss of 8.75%, already exceeding predicted figures.


    The eighteen accounts they managed had all turned losses into profits, with nearly 20 million dollars in earnings for each account.


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, then forwarded the short-selling articles from the three major rating agencies, accompanied by a photo of the Hong Liu surveillance aircraft over Yan Shi Island.


    He wanted to know where the floor was for the yen''s fall, whether it would break below 120, or even more.


    The moment his status updated, Lu Liang''s smile was still unwavering; he hadn''t had the chance to read the comments and messages from netizens around the world.


    The smile on his face abruptly stopped as a system notice alerted him that his account posed a risk and was temporarily banned for 72 hours.


    "Screw you."


    Lu Liang was uncontrollable in his anger, realizing after much thought that he seemed to have no countermeasures.


    "Damn Twitter, if I use it again, I am a dog."


    The more Lu Liang thought, the more stifled he felt. He took a screenshot and sent it to Little Wang, asking him to help repost it, then stormed back into the trading room, fuming.


    "Liquidate everything! Don''t worry about the market impact, don''t leave a single contract."


    Since they miffed him, he might earn less, but he was determined to make others feel discomfort as well.


    Eight institutions had jointly invested 30 billion dollars. Lu Liang estimated it wasn''t quite that much, but there should be 20 billion.


    They hedged against Lu Liang at the 104 level, which was now up to 114.52.


    That meant a loss of at least 2 billion dollars.


    Now, they were short selling at the 110 level. If the short selling capital was double that of the long capital,


    they would need the price to rise to 120 at least to recover the cost.


    As Lu Liang began selling off without regard for the cost, the yen''s exchange rate started a rebound from its lows.


    It rose 100 basis points every second, forcibly curbing the downward trend.


    Numerous people cursed aloud, but had no choice but to begrudgingly buy in and support the market.


    The market operates on momentum; a decline after the initial push, then exhaustion on the third try.


    If they didn''t buy Lu Liang out, allowing him to continue his massive sell-off leading to a yen rebound, the losses they had incurred from going long previously would solidify from paper losses to actual losses.


    Once the market momentum was gone, not to mention stopping losses, even closing positions would be exceedingly difficult.


    "Asshole."


    Countless people cursed Lu Liang in their hearts. With such market conditions and him holding so many chips,


    aside from the Japan Central Bank, probably only Lu Liang had such power.


    Unlike the Japan Central Bank needing to issue public announcements when they wanted to spend money to save the market, Lu Liang didn''t need to do that.


    He could have left quietly, but instead, he made a spectacle; after filling his own plate, he flipped the whole table, utterly inconsiderate of others.

 Chapter 199 - 198: Great Fortune

    "The market''s gone."


    Lu Liang chuckled as he read the statement from the Japan Central Bank.


    His Water Ghost strategy seemed to have worked; all the institutions, without exception, had been dragged into the fray by him.


    Little Wang wasn''t one to merely roll with the punches. Dirty and tough jobs were tolerable only when profitable.


    The failure of the US Army''s return to the Asia-Pacific strategy was one thing, but now meddling with their profits¡ªsomething even the most tolerant uncle couldn''t stand, let alone the aunt.


    The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Japan stepped forward to issue a statement, promoting the development of domestic industries like automobiles and semiconductor equipment among five sectors.


    The government provided a decade-long tax incentive program where enterprises could avail up to 20% income tax relief each fiscal year.


    In common parlance, a price reduction.


    The three major rating agencies, citing the development of new energy sources in neighboring countries, predicted that the export volume of Japan''s cars would significantly decline.


    So, they would start reducing prices from the source.


    This move was not only a response to the international institutions shorting the market but also a countermeasure against China''s burgeoning new energy industry.


    Because only by containing the growth of new energy could they buy enough time for their hydrogen-powered vehicles.


    Last year, Japanese cars performed exceptionally well in China''s market, with sales surging, accounting for 22% of the total yearly sales.


    Out of the total 24.5 million fuel vehicles sold that year, 5.39 million were Japanese makes.


    Popular models like Xuanyi, Corolla, CRV, and Accord were often subject to price markups in most regions.


    The Ministry of Internal Affairs was well aware of the status of Japanese cars in neighboring countries; after years of development, they''d become a national brand.


    Developing new energy would take time and might not even be successful, but they were confident that this move would stump the institutions that were shorting the yen.


    The US dollar to yen exchange surged in response, halting the downward trend and showcasing a dramatic revival.


    "How much do we still have left to close?"


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but admire the strong foundation of the Japanese cars.


    Despite the active push for new energy development domestically, it would take at least a decade, if not more, to threaten the status of Japanese cars.


    After all, among the older generation, the wealthier drove German makes, the average person drove Japanese, and if not that, then Korean or American, with domestic cars coming in last.


    As for new energy vehicles, they were almost unheard of, probably on par with some low-end electric cars made for senior citizens.


    Sun Yutao nodded as he listened to the data coming through his headset and quickly compiled the figures: "There''s still 8.25 billion yen."


    They held contracts worth 417.84 billion yen, nearly all cashed out, with about 2% of the position remaining.


    "Close it all out, and then give me a report," Lu Liang said, glancing at the market, where the US dollar to yen rate was 114.5300.


    If calculated at the current price, each pip move was worth $3,820, perhaps resulting in a $400 million profit.


    However, it likely wouldn''t reach $400 million since there was still 2% of the position open, so at least eighteen million had to be deducted.


    Lu Liang stepped out of the trading floor, his phone receiving a signal and a message from Little Wang: "Damn, I got blocked too."


    He laughed and made a call: "Not bad, you lasted a half-hour longer than me."


    Fifty minutes earlier, Lu Liang had sent Little Wang a screenshot message.


    Feeling a sense of mission, as though bearing some sacred duty, he resolutely helped Lu Liang forward the message.


    With 16.12 million followers, the global internet celebrity had his account suspended without warning, sparking heated discussions among netizens worldwide.


    Many sympathized with him; they might be involved in selling followers or smuggling arms, but the United States was founded on the principle of free speech.


    They broke the law, and Fu Bole could arrest them, so why block their social media accounts? That''s dictatorship.


    Though Little Wang was disdainful to associate with them, he took great joy in fanning the flames of secret conflicts, averaging a post every ten seconds for heated back-and-forth exchanges.


    Moreover, since he was posting messages on behalf of Lu Liang, he also gained the support of Lu Liang''s fans.


    Thus, he led thousands into battle against America.


    Globally speaking, when it came to malicious comments, Japanese and Korean netizens were unmatched, but for the ability to hit vulnerabilities, Chinese netizens were invincible. They had emerged from a battleground of hundreds of millions, each capable of taking on hundreds alone.


    Under Little Wang''s lead, they almost planted Red Flags across every US media website and the social accounts of those human rights advocates clamoring for freedom.


    "Tsk tsk, you didn''t see the prosperity just now, if there is such a thing next time, be sure to find me."


    Little Wang lingered on the thought, his tone filled with nostalgia.


    Fondly referred to as the silly son of a wealthy but foolish landlord, he never imagined that he would be able to command such a high-quality, formal elite force.


    Though those people weren''t taking action for his sake, he could somewhat appreciate that feeling described as "calling upon old troops to the battlefield, brandishing flags to slay the King of Hell with a hundred thousand men."


    "Good grief, you really deserve to be banned, no injustice at all."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help laughing and crying, surprised that Little Wang could cause such a big commotion. He suddenly had a bad feeling, worrying that he might end up having to clean up the mess.


    "Er... That shouldn''t be the case," Little Wang said with a guilty conscience, hurriedly changing the subject, "Did you make a good profit today?"


    Lu Liang took the audit report that Wen Chao handed over, looked down, skimmed through it, and said after a while, "Almost 388 million."


    "That little?" Little Wang''s eyes widened, today''s uproar was no less significant than Old England leaving the EU.


    Once the news spread domestically, he suspected that Lu Liang might be worshipped by many, offerings burned for him.


    "Little? It''s enough to buy a Panda outright and have change to spare," Lu Liang said gruffly, he wasn''t getting carried away, so where did Little Wang get the nerve to be so buoyant?


    After all, the exchange rate in the market almost broke a hundred at one point, luckily he anticipated potential targeting and only used a leverage of four times.


    Had he been brasher and used leverage above ten times, he might not have lasted until the US Army retreated, his positions would have been blown up during that interval.


    In the future, if there are more opportunities like this, Lu Liang might not even use leverage again because the risks were getting higher and higher.


    Tonight, he had made enemies of several institutions, and he figured he must be on every Wall Street institution''s blacklist by now.


    Little Wang chuckled nervously, his face full of sycophancy, "So, are you done with your work now? How about going out for a few drinks?"


    The business down south had wrapped up, and naturally, the family''s ban on him was lifted.


    He had caught a disease common to the ordinary man¡ªwithout drinking, clubbing, or women, he might drop dead at any moment.


    "No time, maybe next time," Lu Liang refused decisively.


    Because he was checking his missed calls, he saw an unexpected name, Zhou Yongjiang from the Beijing Foreign Exchange Office, who had called him half an hour ago.


    "Director Zhou, hello, I was busy just now and didn''t see it."


    "Most of the work is almost done, yes, I did it."


    "Mm, okay, I''ll be more cautious next time."


    The benevolent reminder from Zhou Yongjiang stated that their funds had been targeted during the withdrawal but they had dealt with it.


    At the same time, Director Zhou also expressed his admiration not only for him, but his leadership also said it was a great fortune for the nation.


    A very high praise indeed.


    Director Zhou sounded envious when he said those words.


    "Director Zhou''s leadership..." Lu Liang murmured to himself, that must refer to a few of the top leaders in charge of the economy.


    Night fell, Lu Liang stayed in his own office, going nowhere, eating his supper, and browsing international news.


    Lu Liang saw global financial derivatives moving erratically and suddenly realized that he might have really screwed them over.


    London Gold skyrocketed from 1576 to 1740, just to swiftly plunge back to 1590.


    Brent Crude Oil prices soared from 36.28 US dollars per barrel to 51.82 US dollars per barrel and then back to 37.25 US dollars per barrel.


    It could be said that the globally traded commodities all went through a round of dramatic fluctuations within a short period.


    "After all, it was the most dangerous, the largest-scale naval standoff between the two most powerful nations in the world since the Cold War."


    Lu Liang also saw discussions about the incident on international military forums.


    Someone said that dozens of Dongfeng "Express" missiles were already nocked and ready to be delivered that afternoon. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Another person, still shaken, recounted that there was a strategic nuclear submarine deep in the Pacific, aiming at the American continent.


    Others speculated that a four-star general had actually given the order to launch a war, but it was only the inquiry to Congress by his deputy that ultimately halted the conflict.


    Everyone had their say, opinions were diverse, containing both truth and fiction, it''s just unknown how much was true and how much was false.


    However, one thing was certain, the situation in the afternoon was indeed fraught with danger, on the brink of accidental discharge at any moment.

 Chapter 200 - 199: New Staff Line-up

    The next day, C1 discreetly declared the exercise had ended.


    With war clouds gathering and no fear of powerful enemies, dozens of missiles were poised and ready to launch, casually narrated in just a few brief sentences.


    The piece that took up the main news broadcast did not last a minute, its tone was light, as though reporting a trivial matter.


    Those netizens eagerly anticipating Disney''s opening the next day were completely unaware that the day before, they had stepped on the edge of war.


    "Don''t show off, pretend nothing happened."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then called Little Wang, instructing him to forget yesterday''s events and to watch his words during live broadcasts.


    He saw the neighboring country''s news where the Philippines'' pro-war faction and all members of the arbitration tribunal had been taken down by Old Du, citing various reasons, and demanded that the US Army cover the expenses.


    Whether it was about money or not wasn''t the point; demanding payment was a way to show an attitude that the relationship with them was purely transactional.


    Furthermore, Old Du proclaimed the two countries'' friendship would last and planned to appoint his predecessor as a special envoy for a visit.


    The Flower Website also updated its status, still featuring the Hong Liu but quietly switching from "combat ready patrol" to "normal cruising." Regarding the south, there was no longer any need to be discreet; after all, the territory belonged to them since ancient times.


    The Silk Road initiative, which initially had to beg nations to join, now saw many countries along the route voluntarily expressing interest: "Zhong, you know me well; I''ve always been interested in this project. Set the time and place, and I can be there."


    This victory was complete; there was no need to care about the false reputation. After all, they followed the path of strategic alliances; being too aggressive might lead others to mistake them for a second United States.


    "Do I look like the type who likes to show off?"


    Little Wang looked mortified and indignant.


    He had genuinely considered hosting a live stream in the evening to boast about yesterday''s heroic accomplishments.


    Life is but a few decades; not even his father might have had the chance to partake in such a historic turning point.


    "Hang up." Lu Liang had no desire to lecture him.


    He stepped out of his office and into the neighboring reception room, where Hu Weiwei had already resigned from Mobike.


    Lu Liang greeted her with a smile and poured her a cup of tea, "Mr. Hu, I thought you might not come."


    Mobike was sold for $465 million, and after several rounds of financing, Hu Weiwei still had a 9.75% stake.


    She had nearly three hundred million RMB, truly becoming a beautiful rich woman; the world was hers to roam.


    Hu Weiwei gave a wry smile and sighed, "I''ve thought about finding a nice place to rest and recuperate for a few years, but I just don''t feel quite content doing that."


    Lu Liang chuckled, "Once physical needs are met, people seek spiritual fulfillment. Like many small business owners, they like to stay at the office for seemingly no reason, they enjoy holding meetings, because the taste of power is captivating."


    Hu Weiwei was taken aback and fell silent for a long while, "Mr. Lu, you just understand life too well."


    She had said before that she felt emotionally drained every time she went home late from work, having to reconstruct herself each morning was a never-ending, torturous cycle.


    But the joy wasn''t completely absent; in the past year, the funds passing through her hands had grown from millions to tens of millions and finally to hundreds of millions.


    Mobike had gone from a company with a registered capital of 10 million yuan to making multiple quantum leaps within a single year; the sense of achievement was indescribable.


    Perhaps, as Lu Liang had mentioned, the taste of power was too enticing to give up just yet.


    "What''s wrong with living life with a clear understanding?"


    Lu Liang smiled nonchalantly and motioned for Wen Chao to come over, pulling out a contract prepared for Hu Weiwei, "Mr. Hu, please take a look."


    The position of vice president at Tianxing Technology Company, with a provisional annual salary of five million, and after a three-year term, a 5% stake.


    Hu Weiwei glanced over it briefly and indicated she had no objections, "Mr. Lu, there''s also someone else who would like to join me."


    "Who?" asked Lu Liang.


    "The CEO of Mobike, Wang Xiaofeng." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hu Weiwei hoped Lu Liang would accept Wang Xiaofeng, since at Mobike, they made a great team.


    She was the COO, responsible for the company''s product operations, while Wang Xiaofeng was the CEO, managing all aspects of the company.


    Over the past year, Mobike had been expanding rapidly and hadn''t spiraled out of control like ofo, largely thanks to Wang Xiaofeng''s key role.


    "Mr. Li, you haven''t found a good position for him?" Lu Liang expressed his surprise.


    Hu Weiwei shook her head, realizing her wording was off, "Mr. Li, it seems a bit too focused on NIO."


    Actually, calling it obsessed would be more appropriate, but Li Bing was, after all, her benefactor, so it wouldn''t be right for her to say too much.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, "Weiliao and the other two, after all, NIO is ranked first, which puts a lot of pressure on Mr. Li."


    Li Xiang ONE and Xiao Peng G3 were both models ready for mass production, while only NIO EP9 was used to score victories in the international market.


    NIO should be the leader amongst the new powers, yet it ended up trailing behind, causing Li Bing to wonder if there was an issue with his strategy.


    Therefore, he could only work overtime, focusing solely on developing the ES8, striving to release a new concept car soon and catch up with the progress of ''Li Xiang.''


    Hu Weiwei whispered softly, "Ten years ago, when I first knew Mr. Li, he had the ambition to build cars, and now he can finally fulfill his wish."


    Lu Liang looked down at Wang Xiaofeng''s profile, pondering for a moment, "Mr. Hu, ask him to come over; I''d like to meet him first."


    A top talent from Lu Island University, class of ''97, he joined Google China after graduation, then moved on to become Vice President at Tencent''s advertising department, and served as General Manager at Uber, before finally being invited by Li Bing to join Mobike as CEO.


    An invincible resume, a very professional career manager, Lu Liang had also met him a few times but hadn''t had an in-depth conversation.


    "Alright, I''ll contact him; he should be quite available right now."


    Hu Weiwei showed a look of joy. Meituan was too dominant; once it had a stake in Mobike, from top to bottom, a thorough purge ensued.


    All significant positions were occupied by Meituan''s management, making both her and Wang Xiaofeng''s situations extremely tough.


    However, she was slightly better off than Wang Xiaofeng, as Lu Liang had extended a job offer to her, so she had submitted her resignation early.


    Wang Xiaofeng responded to the message, and two and a half hours later, he arrived at Modu, travel-weary from Hang City.


    Lu Liang had reserved a private room by the Pujiang riverside, had dinner with Hu Weiwei, and waited for his arrival.


    "Mr. Wang, sorry to have you make the trip so late; please, have a seat and a cup of tea," Lu Liang greeted with a smile.


    After conversing for a few minutes, Lu Liang learned that he didn''t have his own set of beliefs; his strength was in managing the company.


    Simply put, he was a utility person, capable of handling all sorts of trivial issues that a startup faces.


    This included, but was not limited to, organizing the company structure, personnel dispatch, and managing various daily affairs.


    "Mr. Wang, once you''ve wrapped up your work at Mobike, head to Beijing to assist Mr. Hu in setting up the framework."


    Lu Liang thought for a moment, "You and Mr. Hu will be at the same level, both vice presidents, and for now, let''s set your annual salary at 5 million."


    He didn''t mention the stock option incentive plan, nor did he make any promises; it was simply a high-paying job offer.


    There would be stock incentives, but not right now; after all, they''d only met a few times, and though his abilities were apparent on paper, they still needed to be proven in practice.


    Wang Xiaofeng pondered for a moment, then responded with a smile, "Mr. Lu, I''m honored by your generous offer; I should be able to head to Beijing in about a month."


    He was very interested in Lu Liang; shared bicycles, short videos, new energy, all were like industry mudslides, causing chaos wherever one went.


    Since there was no place for him at Mobike anymore, he might as well follow Lu Liang to see what sort of waves he could make in the new energy sector.


    "Vice President Wang, Vice President Hu, from now on, Tianxing Technology is relying on you both," Lu Liang said with a smile, standing up to raise his glass.

 Chapter 201 - 200: Lu Liang? Lu God!

    Tianxing Technology, with Hu Weiwei as the lead and Wang Xiaofeng as the auxiliary, was about to unveil their new car release. Until then, Lu Liang would remain temporarily behind the scenes.


    It was a little past eight in the evening when Lu Liang returned to Tangchen.


    As the car came to a stop, he looked out the window where a silver Pagani was parked in the garage, a knowing smile spread across his face.


    He left the Daniu at the company, driving it around leisurely now and then, while he let Li Manli take the Pagani.


    Ascending to his floor in the elevator, sure enough, as soon as he walked in the door he saw Li Manli sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in a game.


    An agricultural pesticide game launched by Tencent towards the end of last year had taken the nation by storm upon its release, becoming yet another cash cow for Tencent.


    If he remembered correctly, the revenue from this game for just the first and second quarter had totaled a staggering 5.958 billion RMB.


    He had worked hard for half the year, and as of yesterday, he had only made 2.168 billion US Dollars, which converted to 13.875 billion RMB.


    It might just be this year''s total revenue that a Tencent game''s half-year earnings were already close to half his own, and likely to surpass him by year-end.


    Suddenly, Li Manli looked up and caught sight of Lu Liang, her eyes crescent-shaped with mirth, "Liang, hang on, I''ll be done with this round soon."


    "Aren''t you live-streaming tonight?" Lu Liang sat down beside her, casually resting his hand on her firm, upturned behind.


    With money to spare and time on her hands, Li Manli took great care of her figure, often doing yoga or Pilates.


    Women over thirty, with proper care and exercise, could easily pass for twenty-somethings.


    Li Manli, already a twenty-year-old girl herself, had muscles that flowed smoothly and were plump, yet retained bounce, from her hips to her thighs, down to her calves.


    A black garter was hidden beneath her coffee-colored pleated skirt, which made her look even more enticing.


    Li Manli couldn''t help but let out a soft moan. She no longer cared whether she finished the game or not, and decisively locked her phone screen and tossed it aside.


    Wrapping her arms around Lu Liang''s neck, she cooed, "I missed you."


    "Why? You want to join the buzz tomorrow too?" Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle as he remembered that tomorrow was Disney''s grand opening day.


    Little Wang loved the excitement, having booked the presidential suite at the Disney hotel more than a month in advance, and had also booked one for him.


    He had originally planned to take Su Wanyu there for a stroll, but since Li Manli brought it up first, it was just as well that she would go.


    "I love you love you love you~~" Li Manli was thrilled, turning into an emoticon spree as she smothered Lu Liang''s cheek with fervent kisses.


    Amid her excitement, she sneakily observed Lu Liang''s expression and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Liang, what if I were pregnant..."


    Lu Liang was surprised, "When did it happen? How many months along?"


    "I''m not, I mean if~~"


    Li Manli quickly explained, even patting her flat stomach as proof.


    They always took great precautions, she herself was still a baby and wasn''t thinking of having one so soon. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang gave her a look and said irritably, "Obviously would keep it, can you not ask such silly questions?"


    "I''m sorry, I was wrong to ask that," Manli apologized with a flower-bright smile, acting cutesy and seeking forgiveness.


    "What''s up?" Lu Liang asked.


    He didn''t have many girlfriends, and only two and a half had been acknowledged by him: Su Wanyu, Li Manli, and Zhang Tian''ai as the half.


    Li Manli had always been obedient and sensible, and although their first meeting hadn''t been particularly pleasant, he had long since put it out of his mind.


    As long as her vanity was satisfied, she behaved like a sweet cat, flattering, charming, and never inquisitive.


    For her to ask such a question today,


    was very strange in itself.


    "I just think you''re amazing."


    Li Manli went on to tell him about a message she read online, learning about an international event in the south that Lu Liang had a hand in.


    "You actually pay attention to these things?" Lu Liang widened his eyes in more surprise than when he''d heard about the possibility of Manli being pregnant.


    As far as he knew, Li Manli''s daily routine consisted of only three things: streaming, cosplay, and gourmet food.


    Li Manli, not satisfied, "It''s four, actually."


    Lu Liang, holding her in his embrace, the warm and fragrant lady in his arms, asked with a chuckling smile, "What else is there?"


    "And you, of course!"


    "What a sweet talker."


    "Mu~a~ sweet?"


    "Pretty fragrant, average sweetness."


    "Hmph, next time I''ll apply some beeswax."


    Li Manli pretended to be fierce and bit Lu Liang, who then realized she had come across related content on BÕ¾.


    Although Lu Liang had reminded Little Wang that the nation was planning to implement a magnanimous strategy, given their sensitive identities, they should avoid standing out and showing off,


    there are no impermeable walls in the world, especially since so many people had followed him in conquests just the day before.


    There will always be those who believe they''re the only sober ones in a world of intoxicated people, those who can''t stand the ignorant netizens who indulge in entertainment to death.


    Consequently, some couldn''t resist making a video that detailed how war was merely a step away from them just yesterday.


    As Li Manli played the video, it also narrated that Lu Liang had been bearish on Japan''s economy for months, discreetly supporting on the battlefield without the smoke of gunfire. With his sharp financial market instincts, it was impossible for him not to be aware that shorting the RMB would be even more profitable than shorting the yen.


    "Perhaps, as JPMorgan Fund manager Wilson described, Lu Liang is a qualified patriot but not a qualified speculator¡­"


    Today, Li Manli only streamed for two hours, one of which was spent looping this 15-minute clip.


    She watched it over and over again, using the bathroom as an excuse to secretly change her underwear twice.


    She was too excited, too thrilled.


    If only she didn''t know that Lu Liang didn''t want their relationship exposed, she would have loved to boldly proclaim to the hundreds of thousands in her live stream,


    "I''m Lu Liang''s girlfriend. We''ve been dating for a year, and this week, we even spent two nights together."


    "Liang, is what he''s saying true?" Li Manli''s eyes were filled with admiration, a subtle sense of inferiority flickering in them.


    "More or less," replied Lu Liang with a furrowed brow. The vlogger wasn''t crystal clear about his affairs since it was mostly conjecture, but their guesses were pretty accurate.


    The problem was the news from the south; this blogger knew way too much, down to the specifications of warships and submarines, and how many nuclear warheads they carried, including their range.


    Lu Liang even began to suspect whether it was an inside publicist at work, given that even he wasn''t certain about the truth of some news.


    Yet, the blogger presented evidence and explanations with confidence.


    Even the background music was somewhat provocative, full of passion and pride.


    It seemed to declare that from now on, the world order had changed; it was no longer a unipolar world, but a bipolar one with multiple strong countries.


    The video had been released at four in the afternoon, and within six hours had already broken ten million views on BÕ¾.


    It had successfully gone viral, trending on Weibo, with its popularity skyrocketing, almost overshadowing Disney''s park opening.


    "I''m in Qiong Island. Recently, there have been many military vehicles with caterpillar tracks and trucks wrapped in camouflage tarps on the roads."


    "I''m only finding out about this now? Turns out the world has never been peaceful; we''re just living in a peaceful country."


    "Lu Liang is this badass? Little Wang finally did something significant. Why didn''t anyone let on sooner? I''d have loved to join."


    "Lu Liang? More like, Lu God!"


    "Lu God, I love you! I want to have your babies~"


    Little Yang also jumped into the fray, bluntly sharing a screenshot of her profits, which soared from 1.8 million to 4.23 million.


    Following Lu Liang led to profit; she felt it was time to replace her BMW mini, at the very least with a Porsche Macan.


    Otherwise, it wouldn''t suit the status of a millionaire.


    Soon after, Little Wang sent a message too, with an air of elation, "I didn''t say anything, alright~"


    While the netizens'' praise was just a byproduct, those heartfelt comments were enough to make him feel like he was on cloud nine.


    After all, the petty scandals of the entertainment industry couldn''t hold a candle to the sense of achievement from participating in international affairs.


    Who knows, Zhong might rise from now on, and he could even leave a small mark in history.


    Lu Liang didn''t bother replying, but eventually, he saw the term he disliked the most, "red capitalist."


    He wasn''t against shorting the RMB; it was just the risk was too high. He didn''t know when the market might explode; yesterday''s fluctuations were at least 3,000 basis points.


    Those institutions and speculative money that shorted the RMB yesterday all took a severe beating.


    Wall Street was in a frenzy,


    with ambulance sirens blaring all day long.


    Lu Liang just wanted to make money steadily; he truly didn''t want to be labeled a "red capitalist."


    He didn''t have a head big enough to wear such a hat.

 Chapter 202 - 202: Running for real: Episode 201

    "If it really was the internal propaganda team taking action, what were their intentions?"


    Lu Liang had a feeling, as if it were directed at him, with a 15-minute video in which he occupied one third of the duration.


    Although it was a positive image, he wasn''t sure whether they were worried he would leave, planning to tie him down, or both.


    Lu Liang thought it over and decided to execute the three no''s principle: not initiate, not refuse, not take responsibility.


    Let the uproar be as loud as it may, he would turn a deaf ear.


    Things were fine as they were now, everyone doing their own thing, nothing to do with each other on regular days. He would step in and help whenever he could, but he wouldn''t be co-opted.


    A cat''s meow snapped Lu Liang back to reality.


    Li Manli sat in front of him, her legs in a W shape, blinking her adorable big eyes, gazing at him with dewy eyes, her manicured nails lightly scratching the sofa, making a creaking noise.


    "What''s wrong? Do you have a fever?"


    "Meow meow~" Li Manli nodded heavily, her eyes shimmering like clear autumn waters, full of tender affection.


    "At least let me go take a shower first."


    "No, you can''t, you mustn''t~"


    ...


    The next day, a little after nine in the morning, Lu Liang took Li Manli to Puxin Disneyland.


    He wore cooling sleeves on his arms and his glances were unfriendly. Last night she was like a cat in heat, wildly scratching at him, leaving his arms and back covered in nail marks that probably wouldn''t fade for a couple of days.


    "The cooling sleeves are for sun protection." Li Manli giggled, pinching her earlobes, looking resigned to any scolding or beating.


    Lu Liang wouldn''t actually hit her, but occasionally he would poke her forehead to see if there was the sound of waves inside.


    After checking into the hotel, he ran into Little Wang and his girlfriend, greeted them with a smile, and didn''t interact further.


    Mr. Wang, after all, was a major internet celebrity. Lu Liang didn''t like to show off, and naturally, Mr. Wang wouldn''t want to bother him.


    "Xiaocong, who is that man? And the girl beside him, why does she seem familiar?"


    Little Wang''s new girlfriend was also part of Shanghai''s internet celebrity circle. Although Li Manli wasn''t dressed in her signature Lolita style today,


    just simple jeans and sneakers, complemented by a white off-the-shoulder top, her figure looked great ¡ª curvy in all the right ways.


    But she still felt familiar, like she had seen her at Panda''s year-end gala but suddenly couldn''t remember her name.


    "Friend, don''t ask what you shouldn''t."


    Little Wang looked at Lu Liang''s retreating figure, full of mixed emotions.


    Last night, his mother had specifically called him, advising him to keep in touch with Lu Liang whenever possible.


    Lin Ting had a keen political sense and immediately recognized the internal propaganda''s involvement, with major platforms tacitly cooperating in the publicity.


    It wasn''t out of fear that Lu Liang would flee, thus morally binding him, but rather, they were forging a gilded image for him so that he could conduct business and act with more ease.


    A person like Lu Liang was more fitting outside the party than within it.


    Just like a financial nuclear weapon, if not in the wild and relying on its independent development, it would lose its deterrent power.


    After all, having a background makes a difference as opposed to having none.


    It''s like a college student who always claims to be self-supporting through hard work but is actually from a rich family ¡ª that basically collapses their personal image.


    If they intended to co-opt Lu Liang, it probably wouldn''t be a questionable internal propaganda move, but rather CCTV taking a stand and speaking out personally.


    "Let''s go play."


    Li Manli sprayed on some sunscreen, helped Lu Liang with a bit as well, and put on a mask and hat, excitedly charging into the park.


    When going out with Lu Liang, she preferred wearing a mask and hat. After all, as a minor internet celebrity with millions of followers, if she was recognized, it could cause quite a bit of trouble for Lu Liang.


    At ten o''clock sharp in the morning, the beating of drums and the sound of firecrackers filled the air, announcing the official opening of the Disneyland that was invested with 55 billion US Dollars.


    At the same time, one plane flew from Modu to Beijing, another from Beijing to Xiangjiang, then on to Singapore, and finally to the United States.


    The former was Hu Weiwei; she left Mobike to join Tianxing Technology in Beijing, ready to start the second act of her life.


    The latter was Dai Wei; ofo was rotten to the core, ruined by his self-righteous Enfeoffment Decree.


    A board of directors, each with a veto right ¡ª if the enterprise could maintain normal growth, there would be peace.


    But now, things were clearly not normal. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meituan powerfully took over Mobike, with Tencent assisting on the side.


    Shared bicycles had become integrated into the lives of hundreds of millions of people, and it was time to raise the prices and start making a profit.


    The two companies shared the same goal, to end this costly war of attrition, to help Meituan consolidate resources, and then to embark on the road to an IPO.


    In contrast to Tencent, which supported ofo, Ali''s biggest difference lay in its fondness for sending executives to meddle in the businesses it invested in.


    UC, once strong, was literally played to death by Ali, and Youku had been played until it was half-dead, now barely clinging to life.


    Dai Wei didn''t want to follow in their footsteps, so he took the initiative to use his veto right, which opened Pandora''s box.


    The four veto rights were used in turn, rendering the execution of any project impossible, and the company fell into endless infighting.


    Mobike took advantage of their weakness, urging suppliers to demand payment, and disclosed that Little Huang''s loss rate was as high as 22.5%, meaning for every 1,000 bicycles, 225 were lost due to various reasons.


    Then there was the group that came out of nowhere.


    Every night, under the cover of darkness, they would drive trucks around, collecting Little Huang''s bikes and dumping them in some deserted groves.


    This led to a significant decline in daily active users and revenue.


    Dai Wei suspected Mobike was behind it, but he had no evidence, and neither did he have the energy to pay attention to these matters anymore.


    Because the $30 million was spent again.


    The chaotic management system also made Ali lose interest in further investment, as did DiDi and Jingwei, the other two major financiers.


    ofo, the industry leader with over 22.5 million users, collapsed like a mountain, with funds less than $5 million on their accounts, not even enough to pay next month''s salaries, let alone the billions in unpaid bills.


    Dai Wei had thought of many solutions and even asked his family for help, but the news of the four veto rights had already spread far and wide.


    A business bound to lose money, nobody wanted to take over this mess, so he decided to go abroad in search of a solution.


    Soon, Lu Liang also received news of Dai Wei''s departure.


    He couldn''t help but be stunned, "He''s just running away? Won''t the Dai Family help?"


    Zhu Hu gloated, "Would Iron Boss invest in a privately-owned enterprise on the verge of bankruptcy? Especially when the founder is his own son¡ªdo you know how many eyes are watching this unfold?"


    Although he had taken over Lu Liang''s shares and lost a few million US dollars, discovering that someone had invested tens or even hundreds of millions for nothing made him feel better.


    "He should still come back."


    Lu Liang appeared thoughtful. He had learned from Zhu Hu that, in fact, ofo was on the verge of collapse more than a half month ago, and Dai Wei had been put on the court''s list of enforcees.


    Somehow, he managed to get another $20 million and stubbornly hung on for another twenty-something days.


    Lu Liang suddenly realized, because just over twenty days ago, there was a crisis in the south, and choosing to flee at that time would drag his whole family down with him.


    After all, deserting before the battle was rare and would label him a traitor, but now, he could go abroad under the guise of finding solutions.


    He hadn''t burnt all his bridges; there was still room to maneuver.


    "If he finds money, he''ll definitely come back, as all his family connections are here, but without money, what can he do even if he does return?"


    "True, but what about the users'' deposits?" Lu Liang suddenly became curious. After all, there were at least 20 million people.


    "I heard Ali went to Meituan and conceded defeat, deciding to raise the hourly rate simultaneously since they still owe so many people their deposits. From now on, ofo has to fend for itself, making money each day and refunding deposits in the order they come in, until the day Little Huang''s bikes completely disappear from the market, turning it into bad debt."


    Zhu Hu shook his head with a sigh, "Young people just can''t hold up. They could have toughed it out, but running away changes the nature of things. No matter how nicely it''s put, fleeing is fleeing."


    Lu Liang lamented, "This does indeed set a poor precedent."


    He suddenly thought of Old Jia. He initially thought he would be the first to flee; he did not expect Dai Wei to beat him to it. Now with a precedent set, if Old Jia also entertained such thoughts, it would probably be too late to run.


    "I heard Hu Weiwei joined Tianxing Technology?"


    Zhu Hu was beating around the bush, showing interest in the projects Lu Liang had invested in, chuckling as he spoke, "If you''re short of funds, just let your Hu know."


    "Hu, I''ll remember your words. When it''s time for fundraising and I invite you, don''t you play dumb," Lu Liang teased with a laugh.


    Zhu Hu also responded with laughter, "Just ask, I might not have anything else, but I''ve still got some money."


    Ending his call with Zhu Hu, Lu Liang slumped onto a bench in the rest area of the amusement park like a salted fish.


    Li Manli stood behind him, massaging his shoulders and hands, coquettishly urging, "Let''s go play a little more, huh?"


    "I''m tired, let''s rest for a while."


    Li Manli nodded, flashing a sweet smile, "Then you rest, and I''ll go buy you an ice cream cone, okay?"


    "Sure."


    Lu Liang scrolled through Weibo and saw Old Jia furiously blasting Dai Wei, publicly revealing the ofo collapse.


    As he watched Old Jia break down, he couldn''t help but laugh out loud, murmuring to himself, "Could it be that Old Jia wants to run too?"

 Chapter 203 - 202: Start Arranging

    The ofo spokesperson quickly stepped forward to clarify and explain that General Manager Dai Wei''s trip to the US was merely a market inspection in Europe and America, planned to last a month. There were no sudden disclosures to speak of, and he hoped that users wouldn''t be misled by those with ulterior motives.


    Certainly, they would refund the user deposits, but, as always, it would require a week''s time for review.


    Old Jia also received a warning promptly to take care of his own LeEco and not to meddle in other''s affairs without cause.


    "It''s none of your damn business. This wretched fool is walking the path I was supposed to take," Old Jia muttered resentfully.


    If Dai Wei didn''t come back, individuals like him who posed a high potential risk surely wouldn''t be able to apply for exit for a short time.


    He could only try to hold out for another year or half, at least until Dai Wei''s influence from escaping had dwindled to its lowest.


    Meanwhile, remaining shared bicycle companies like Mobike and ofo tacitly raised their prices.


    From the previous rate of 1 yuan for 30 minutes to 1 yuan for every 20 minutes, they declared an end to this costly war, for the moment.


    One person ran off, and the whole industry had to clean up his mess. There was no point in continuing the competition; winter was coming in a week.


    But they were too optimistic.


    It didn''t even take a week.


    "Weren''t we agreed on a week? How come it''s been a week, and my deposit refund is still stuck in review?"


    "Same here, it''s been eight days."


    The day after Dai Wei left the country, multiple topics about ofo users being unable to withdraw their deposits aggressively hit the top of the internet''s hot searches.


    The spokesperson came out again, this time to apologize to the vast number of users, admitting that indeed the company was facing difficulties in its operations.


    Dai Wei''s trip to the US was, in fact, to seek a solution, and he hoped the users could give them a bit more time.


    Assuredly, the deposits of a total of 202,012 users would be refunded in full, but it would require just a little time, a little patience.


    Half an hour after the declaration was published, someone suddenly discovered that the deposit refund interface began showing the queue number.


    "Damn it, 8,250,124 in line, who can help me count how many zeros this is? The ''in this lifetime'' series?"


    "Just over eight million and you can already snicker. Look at me, 16,023,502nd in line¡ªthat''s what you call the ''in this lifetime.''"


    "No way, this can''t be happening. Is there a glitch in your queue interface? Why am I at number 825?"


    "Showing off, dog. Drag him out and chop him."


    Dai Wei''s escape and ofo''s thunderous collapse, leaving deposits unrecoverable, became an established fact. Netizens could only use sarcasm to mask their sadness.


    Thus, more and more people saw the news and logged onto the app to apply for their deposit refunds.


    ofo might as well have given up, directly informing every user wanting a refund of their specific place in line. They would refresh the ranking every day at midnight, and the top place was more than 20 million.


    They also claimed that they had abolished the rule preventing the use of bikes during the deposit refund period, hoping users would ride more and thus help expedite the deposit refund.


    They weren''t refusing to refund; they just needed some time.


    "Your mother, give back the money!"


    "Damn, doesn''t anyone care?"


    "Click this link to move up in the queue."


    Suddenly, ofo''s official comment section became a haven for chaos, as Pinduoduo users also jumped in for the fun.


    Since receiving an investment of five hundred million dollars from Tencent, Pinduoduo''s ''slash price'' strategy spread across the internet like a virus.


    Unbelievably, netizens'' ridicule turned prophetic, and it wasn''t long before ofo introduced a link to Pinduoduo''s store.


    They held a ''slash price'' event that could speed up the refund queue.


    "Holy sh*t, this is absolutely ludicrous."


    "Who''s running ofo? They''re really good at stirring things up?"


    "The core team and investors have all given up. Apparently, it''s been entrusted to a professional manager."


    All of a sudden, an internet unicorn company degraded to a third-rate enterprise full of tomfoolery.


    Countless netizens also vented their frustrations in the comment section, their 99 yuan or 199 yuan seemingly gone for good. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Purely throwing in the towel."


    Lu Liang chuckled to himself, quietly opening the deposit refund interface. Since he applied later, he was ranked after the 20 million mark.


    Then he opened the Mobike app, and sure enough, Meituan''s management had grasped this tremendous surge in traffic.


    If Mobike users needed seven days to refund their shared bicycle deposit through the Mobike app, with the Meituan app, it only took one hour.


    Sometimes it took just a few minutes or tens of minutes to swiftly refund the 299 yuan deposit.


    Such efficiency was in stark contrast to that of ofo, much like the contrast between the poor student and the top student in class, winning countless internet users'' praise.


    It could be said that Meituan didn''t spend a dime and gained several million users, not only securing a strong market reputation but also smoothly incorporating Mobike into the Meituan fold.


    They became the biggest winner from ofo''s implosion.


    "Has ofo really gone under?" Little Wang asked in a daze.


    Just last month, ofo was valued at five hundred million US dollars; now it was worth less than a hair.


    "Who would dare to take it over now?" Lu Liang couldn''t help but snicker.


    After all, taking over meant shouldering the responsibility of refunding the deposits of more than twenty million users and billions in accounts payable.


    At the very least, you''d need to shell out forty to fifty billion in one go, and for such a vast sum of money, you''d only receive the notoriously troubled ofo.


    Any sensible person wouldn''t invest in it, and the previous investors like DiDi, Ali, and Jingwei could only curse their bad luck under their breath.


    Especially Ali, solidifying its reputation as the harbinger of doom for industries, which many startups both covet and fear for its investment.


    Wang Xiaocong was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Panda, could it end up like this too one day?"


    Seeing Lu Liang shake his head, Little Wang was overjoyed but before he could celebrate, he heard Lu Liang say, "ofo still has 1.3 million shared bicycles, which could last at least a year or half, even without logistical maintenance."


    Little Wang''s face turned ugly: "Does that mean, if it were Panda, it might not even last that long?"


    "Isn''t that obvious?" laughed Lu Liang, stretching lazily, planning to leave Disneyland today.


    These past couple of days, with throngs of people coming and going, he suddenly longed to return to his company for some quiet, solitary time.


    Little Wang stopped Lu Liang and anxiously asked, "What do you think about my proposal from last time?"


    "To introduce LeEco?"


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment: "Now, it might actually be plausible, with Dai Wei as a precedent, Old Jia likely wouldn''t dare to flee for the time being."


    "However, I would still not recommend doing so. Panda isn''t so poor that it''s struggling to make ends meet; there''s no need to partner with LeEco."


    Little Wang hesitated and watched helplessly as Lu Liang walked away. Without Lu Liang''s support, he had lost his biggest bargaining chip.


    This July was quite eventful.


    On the one hand, there was ofo''s collapse, and on the other, BYD Qin''s early car deliveries.


    Unlike Tesla, which had to ship its cars across the ocean and scrape together fifty cars for delivery,


    BYD Qin had a first batch of 3,000, announcing that from the next month onwards, they would deliver over twenty thousand units per month.


    There was a reservation volume of 64,000 for this model, and they planned to complete all locked orders'' delivery by October.


    Lu Liang also received a plug-in hybrid and an electric car. Apart from the unsightly interior and design, the kinetic performance was very impressive, accelerating as well as any premium sports car.


    The intelligent driving system was another highlight of the car: lane-keeping, adaptive cruise control, and yielding to pedestrians and non-motor vehicles.


    Previously, these features may not even be found in luxury cars costing hundreds of thousands, yet now they appeared in cars costing just over a hundred thousand.


    After receiving the car, Lu Liang had Wen Chao drive it; the two went to the NIO experience center. Even though the showroom was no longer empty, it only displayed one ep9.


    As soon as he arrived, Li Bing hurried to greet the engineers, ready to disassemble the car and study it thoroughly, grumbling, "Why are you always able to get in on the first batch?"


    If Tesla''s delivery was to ride on Lu Liang''s fame, then BYD didn''t need to do so, and there was no point in it.


    After all, it was just a sedan worth tens of thousands.


    "Maybe I''m just lucky," Lu Liang replied with a smug smile, quite pleased with himself. Out of the 64,000 reservations, only 3,000 cars were in the first batch, and he had snagged two of them.


    This was pure luck outclassing all.


    Lu Liang also learned from NIO engineers that intelligent driving levels in the world today range from Level 0 to Level 5.


    Level 0 has no autonomous driving capabilities, such as an eighty thousand yuan van, where all operations are controlled by the driver.


    Level 1 has assisted driving features, such as adaptive cruise control, which automatically adjusts speed and braking based on the distance and speed of the vehicle in front.


    Level 2 involves partial automation, achieving functions like automatic lane changes, parking, and following.


    The intelligence level of BYD Qin''s driving system fell between Level 1 and Level 2.

 Chapter 204 - 203: $2.245 Billion Dividend

    "They must have mastered L2-level intelligent driving but just don''t want to put it in the Qin."


    Li Bing, in conversation with several engineers, could be considered a semi-expert after so many years in the automotive industry.


    His prediction was that if BYD Qin''s sales were pleasing and its reputation was good, they would soon launch the next model, most likely an SUV aimed at the mid-range market.


    The low to mid-range market, while coveted by several new forces, was out of reach for them to engage in a price war with BYD.


    After all, BYD boasted that they could produce even a nut on their own, while their competitors still needed to have others manufacture for them.


    If they had to compete with BYD in the future, they definitely wouldn''t outcompete them and would have to target the high-end market, winning with quality.


    Listening to their conversation, Lu Liang absorbed knowledge like a sponge, feeling as if he had gone back to the days of learning foreign languages last year.


    Li Bing was engrossed in the discussion, yet he did not dare to neglect Mr. Lu, "Mr. Lu, how is the development of the car machine going?"


    "It''s estimated that in another three to four months, there will be a basic version 1.0."


    Since Hu Weiwei went to Beijing, Lu Liang had been at ease, basically not worrying about the matters there.


    And her first task after joining Tianxing Technology was to integrate the project data into a report that Lu Liang could understand.


    Li Jiahui was a genius, but still mortal, even though he had Tsinghua University behind him, often guided by academicians of the National Engineering Academy, along with thirty-five professors, doctors, and masters from the field of computing to assist.


    But with only half a year''s time, to develop a completely autonomous car machine system was obviously unrealistic. However, Lu Liang''s requirement was just to have something that was up to the mainstream market''s standard, with gradual improvements to follow.


    After consideration, they decided to adopt Android''s basic architecture while drawing appropriately from Tesla''s public patents.


    After all, Tesla disclosed all their patent technology either to become the industry''s benchmark or to nurture the industry, letting all companies help train their algorithms for free.


    But since they were starting from scratch with nothing, it was okay to borrow a little when necessary.


    Taking the best of others and compensating for their own shortcomings.


    Lu Liang did not object, as these were open technologies, but reminded that while borrowing was fine, they must not rely on the other party''s framework and needed to distinguish primary from secondary.


    After all, if the other side wants a unified industry while they play the role of the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, if you use their technology, later on, they can also use yours.


    If the progress bar was 100%, they were currently at 10%.


    However, it took over a month to progress from 0 to 1%, but only two weeks from 1 to 10%. Another three to four months should be enough.


    "It''s quite fast, I hope the Tianxing Car Machine can surpass our NIO Car Machine," Li Bing said, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes; envy naturally arose at the thought of the advantages of having money.


    The progress of Lu Liang''s development team was catching up from behind, almost equal to theirs, and the contest of car machines in December was still an unknown outcome.


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently and softly said, "Mr. Li, it''s not about who surpasses whom, it''s all for the good of the ES8."


    He reminded Li Bing as an investor that NIO could develop a car machine, but the focus should still be on the ES8.


    Research and development is a bottomless pit. If NIO insists on going its own way, they might have to reconsider whether to continue investing in NIO.


    "Yes, it''s all for the good of the ES8," Li Bing quickly smiled apologetically, obviously picking up on the reminder from Lu Liang.


    For a moment, he nearly forgot that Lu Liang was not only a competitor in the car machine arena but also one of the founding investors of NIO.


    Even if everything went smoothly, NIO would still be in a severe cash crunch over the next two years.


    You can''t afford to offend the financier.


    "I''ll leave the car here. It''s not worth much, don''t bother with any of that ''borrow one, owe two'' business." Lu Liang planned to leave.


    The pace of development in the new energy industry was faster than he had expected, and it was time to expand the scale of his assets a bit more.


    The next day at noon, invitations were sent out from the company to all fund investors.


    The first fund was distributing its second dividend, the second fund its first dividend, and discussions for the establishment of the third fund.


    That day, business magnates from all over the country, including Zhu Hu and Lei Jun from Beijing, Shen Peng and Guo Changguang from Modu, along with the Li Guo Zheng trio from Xiangjiang, all gathered together.


    Before the meeting, people chatted in the reception room and saw many familiar faces, each with countless thoughts in their hearts.


    These people, including themselves, were all part of Lu Liang''s network.


    It''s no exaggeration to say that, should a terrorist attack occur at this moment, the nation''s economy would likely be set back by at least three years.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s always the same with you, liking to keep people in suspense," someone couldn''t help teasing with a laugh.


    Today is the 24th, and by tomorrow at noon, Sky Star One would update its net worth for the month, which would also reveal how much Lu Liang had made from shorting the yen last week.


    Yet, he had chosen today and even sent out invitations three days in advance, nearly hooking them all by their eager lips.


    Xu Xiaojun, dressed in a tailored suit, joined the crowd and started a conversation with a smile, "I heard it''s something like 300 to 500 million dollars."


    This figure was what he had heard from Little Wang¡ªgiven their relationship, it should be quite convincing.


    As he looked at the group, his eyes were full of sentiment. If Lu Liang became his brother-in-law, these people would become connections of his family too.


    Unfortunately, Lu Liang wasn''t interested in Xu Huiqi, and even that day, his sister had to take a taxi home by herself, for which he was scolded a long time.


    "More than the dividends of one and two, I care about the fundraising scale of three," someone else suddenly said.


    If it were only about dividends, probably not so many major players would have come today. The key issue was the initiation and negotiation for fund three.


    Without a doubt, the management scale of fund three was expected to far exceed the combined capital of fund one and fund two.


    "Why bother speculating here when Xiaocong is over there? Just ask him and save the trouble."


    This person knew Wang Xiaocong well and gestured for him to come over, prompting Little Wang to hurry over, "Mr. Zhou, long time no see." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Xiaocong, you have a good relationship with Mr. Lu. What''s the situation with fund three?" the man asked with a smile.


    Little Wang looked embittered: "Mr. Zhou, to be honest, he considers me a loudspeaker and refuses to divulge anything to me."


    The day he received the invitation, he had rushed to find Lu Liang, but despite all his talking, Lu Liang simply wouldn''t reveal any details.


    After a pause, he added, "Mr. Lu seemed to still be considering the scale at that time, and the amount involved must be substantial."


    Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhou laughed, "Even if it''s 2 or 3 billion dollars, it wouldn''t be enough to go around for everyone present."


    In the middle of the month, Lu Liang shorted the yen and even if the profit was 300 million dollars, the minimum profit for the two funds would be 2.2 billion dollars.


    With the principal doubling in six months, even if fund three aimed to raise 5 billion dollars, there would be plenty of people eager to invest.


    Hearing this, everyone nodded and agreed, each asserting that money wasn''t the issue.


    Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Mr. Lu is here."


    Lu Liang donned a suit, which he rarely wore, and smiled and waved to the crowd, "Everyone, please come inside."


    He was grateful that he had leased a 3,800-square-meter office space in one go last year; otherwise, he would have had to find a new venue this year.


    While larger spaces do not necessarily mean better or more beautiful, if the space is too small, the flaws become glaringly amplified.


    The two-hundred-square-meter conference room,


    easily accommodated seventy to eighty people.


    Lu Liang greeted the audience and then took a seat, allowing Wen Chao to go up and recount the investment journey of the past six months.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, good day. Nine months have passed since the launch of fund one."


    "In December last year, we carried out our first dividend distribution, handing out 286.4 million dollars."


    "The yield of the dividend cycle at that time, I believe, was unmatched by anyone else globally."


    "Half a year has passed, and we have gathered once again, adding 23 investors to fund two."


    Initially, Wen Chao was a bit stiff in front of all the big shots but gradually became comfortable and spoke with ease.


    Although he said a lot, seemingly unnecessary pleasantries, it was all done with Lu Liang''s blessing.


    Because he needed them to realize that money doesn''t just fall from the sky. They pay high management fees, and even the shares they acquired through connections have been worth it given the returns at this moment.


    After speaking at length for over ten minutes, he finally got to one of the topics everyone was most concerned about: the amount of the dividend and the total assets of the two funds.


    The combined assets of the two funds were 3.345 billion dollars. They planned to reserve 1.1 billion dollars of the principal, distributing the remaining 2.245 billion dollars of profit as dividends.

 Chapter 205 - 204: Half Step to Ten Billion

    "2.245 billion dollars?"


    "All the earnings taken out for distribution?"


    The entire room erupted into murmurs, everyone exchanging glances.


    Although everyone expected a substantial amount of money to be distributed, no one anticipated that Lu Liang would choose to distribute all the earnings.


    The investors of Fund II had personally experienced what the investors of Fund I felt during last year''s distribution.


    Taking Fund II as an example, with each share being twenty million dollars, even after deducting a 20% management fee, the dividends amounted to 32.6545 million dollars each.


    In just six months, the enormous asset management scale of one billion dollars achieved a return rate of 226.545%.


    No wonder Wen Chao looked so proud, boasting that their company''s profit cycle rate was unmatched globally.


    The investors from Fund I felt envious, but that was all, as this was already their second distribution.


    Originally a twenty million dollar share, the first distribution yielded 5.728 million dollars, and now another 3.2654 million dollars.


    In nine months, with two distributions totaling 8.9934 million dollars, the return rate reached a frightening 349.67%, and their principal was still intact.


    If there was any dissatisfaction, it was probably the resentment of not being formidable enough to earn Lu Liang''s favor.


    Like Guo Changguang and Yu Shirong, they had managed to secure two authorized contracts just like Wang Xiaocong and Meng Changkun.


    For Little Wang and Old Meng, partners of Lu Liang, receiving authorized contracts for two funds was not surprising.


    But Guo Changguang and Yu Shirong also managed to do so, clearly indicating that Lu Liang had flexible eligibility criteria for subscription.


    The notion that if you subscribe to Fund I, you shouldn''t subscribe to Fund II to give others a chance, was all bullshit.


    Ultimately, it boiled down to not enough capability; they lacked what was necessary for Lu Liang to make flexible decisions.


    At that moment, Lu Liang also had two authorized contracts, not just as the fund manager but also as an investor.


    Subscribed to sixteen shares in Fund I, earning dividends of 52.2464 million dollars, and five shares in Fund II, earning dividends of 163.2 million dollars.


    A total of 215.4 million dollars in dividends.


    If one considered the sixty percent management fee of approximately 24.4909 million dollars for Fund I, and the eighty percent fee of about 326.5 million dollars for Fund II, Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    after today, Lu Liang''s liquid assets would amount to 566.3 million dollars, equivalent to 3.624 billion RMB.


    Clearly, he wasn''t the only one who realized this. His seatmates, Little Wang and Old Meng, were also aware.


    If you added the capital in the funds and Lu Liang''s haphazardly invested industries, his net worth was nearing five billion.


    Just short of ten billion.


    Little Wang genuinely envied this.


    Taking Shen Peng as an example, he became the founding and executive partner of Redwood China in 2005.


    After 11 years, he only amassed a fortune of 13.2 billion; Golden Sand River''s Zhu Hu had even less, at 6.2 billion.


    It wasn''t that Zhu Hu was much worse than Shen Peng, but rather that before taking over Redwood, Shen Peng was a founder of Ctrip and Home Inn.


    However, their current role as fund managers meant they managed wealth, and consequently, they could mobilize even more funds.


    Redwood took 11 years, Golden Sand River nine years, but Lu Liang had matched them in just one year.


    Wang Xiaocong sighed, wearing a sorrowful expression, and the playful nickname Little Wang might follow him for a lifetime.


    Moreover, it was highly likely that soon others would intensely envy him, as not everyone was privileged enough to be affectionately called "Little Wang" by Lu Liang.


    Thinking about this made him feel even worse, considering he was the son of a billionaire, a national husband, and an integrity officer in the entertainment industry. When had he ever needed to envy anyone?


    Meng Changkun put away his complicated expression and silently signed his name on the two authorization contracts.


    Not a day went by that he didn''t regret his initial decision, but if given the chance, he would do it all over again.


    Over the years, he had accrued too many debts of gratitude, some of which might take a lifetime to repay.


    Lu Liang, composed as ever, sipped his steaming tea until the last person in the meeting room stopped writing.


    He had Wen Chao gather the contracts and approached the podium, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you are quite satisfied with these returns."


    Everyone exhibited a friendly smile. Receiving the principal back on the first dividend distribution was already satisfying. If they weren''t content, nothing would satisfy them.


    "This gathering was organized not only for distributing dividends but also to discuss preparations for Fund Three."


    Fund Three wasn''t as wild as everyone imagined; it wasn''t a one-time capital raise of ten billion dollars but rather five billion dollars.


    However, many changes were made in the details such as the period and the management fee which were either extended or increased.


    As soon as these words were spoken, the brows of those present furrowed, expressions varied, and chatter ensued.


    One year turned to three years. If there was a 100% profit, profit sharing would occur at least once a year.


    They had no objections to this change; in fact, they were quite pleased, as it indicated that Lu Liang had altered his investment strategy. He would now focus on medium-to-long-term investment projects and reduce short-term speculative activities.


    A proverb says, "Often near the river, one''s shoes are bound to get wet."


    This decision was undoubtedly wise, and it reassured the investors of Fund One. They didn''t have to worry about being excluded due to insufficient capabilities based on Lu Liang''s flexible standards.


    The point that caught everyone''s attention was the increase in management fees, from an initial 2+20 to 5+25.


    Fund Three, with its five billion-dollar asset scale, was still divided into 50 parts, each amounting to one hundred million dollars.


    Although it seemed a lot, when Lu Liang launched a new fund and established a new company, they did the same.


    One hundred million dollars is a lot, but when broken into five or ten parts, it becomes significantly less.


    Those who obtained subscription shares could use this opportunity to make more friends. For instance, by paying for subscriptions themselves, they could give some distant relatives a share of the profit distribution.


    When Lu Liang later distributed profits to them, they would distribute it further to those individuals, thereby broadening their network.


    This would create a pyramid effect, with Lu Liang at the apex, dividing it into fifty parts, which then subdivided into five hundred shares, forming a large interest group.


    However, 5+25 was somewhat excessive.


    Taking out five million dollars as an entry fee per share, they had no objections, considering it a reasonable amount for a three-year period.


    The key issue was the 25% profit management fee. If, in the future, profits were 100%, they should have received 80 million dollars, but now only 75 million was left.


    That''s a loss of five million more and a rounded up loss of ten million, calculated in dollars¡ªor about 64 million RMB, rounded, is approximately one hundred million.


    Murmurs of dissatisfaction rang around, but Lu Liang smiled and stayed silent. Accepting 5 and 25 was just a matter of time.


    Li Zhikai, deep in thought and discussing with his friends, was the first to stand up and state, "Mr. Lu, our three companies can accept it. We hope to subscribe for ten shares."


    The previous generation of Hong Kong Capital was rather arrogant, which made it difficult for the current generation to integrate into the mainland circle.


    Although Lu Liang did not explicitly say, his attitude was clear¡ª subscriptions for Fund Three would be preferably selected from Fund One and Two.


    Now it was their time to express support. If they hesitated, there might not be much left for them.


    Even with an additional 5% in management fees, a six-month return of 226.54% was worth it.


    A 5% increase would make Lu Liang think about giving more for more work.


    Xiaochao took the lead, even before Lu Liang could respond, one by one they shouted, "Mr. Lu, we have no objections."


    Although fifty billion dollars was a large amount, there were 37 investors present, and Lu Liang himself would surely co-invest.


    If allocated according to Fund Two''s subscription scheme, Lu Liang would hold five parts, Hong Kong Capital ten.


    Thus, only 35 shares were left, insufficient for each person to hold even one, and they wouldn''t accept that.


    Lu Liang''s lips curved into a smile, "Since everyone agrees, then it''s settled."


    Later, he informed them about the subscription plan for Fund Three and the necessary conditions for subscribing.


    They still used a "random" selection mode, with the intent to subscribe set for the morning of the 27th.


    However, asset verification was required first; each share needed a financial proof of at least seventy million dollars.


    Lu Liang gave investors with less than one hundred million dollars in liquid assets three days to raise funds.


    He didn''t want anyone signing the subscription contract without being able to produce the necessary funds during the capital-raising period.


    One hundred million dollars was not a small sum after all.


    Everyone looked speechless, not because of the asset verification¡ªas that was common practice.


    It was Lu Liang''s "random" allocation method most found ironic; essentially, it still involved selecting based on personal preference.

 Chapter 206 - 205: Half-Brothers with Different Fathers

    After the meeting, Shen Peng, Zhu Hu, Lei Jun, and Guo Changguang exchanged smiling glances, sitting steady as if they were calm anglers waiting for their catch.


    They were well aware that they would inevitably be randomly selected because strength, too, is a form of luck.


    In contrast, the investors of fund number one were in a panic like old dogs, each seeking out Meng Changkun, hoping he could put in a good word for them.


    Someone said, "With your relationship with Mr. Lu, if we together subscribe for three shares, that shouldn''t be too big of a problem, right?"


    "Three shares might be a bit too few, let''s try to get five," another person suggested, as three shares were not quite enough to go around for the eleven of them.


    Meng Changkun''s face showed difficulty, internally struggling, as he confidently said, "I''ll do my best."


    He dared not tell everyone the news of his deteriorating relationship with Lu Liang, because once he did, he would inevitably be squeezed out.


    After all, with personal fortunes ranging from several hundred million to tens of billions, if it weren''t for the connection with Lu Liang, why would they be so eager?


    At that moment, Wen Chao walked over with a smile, "Mr. Meng, Mr. Lu invites you to his office with Mr. Wang."


    "Alright, I''ll head over now."


    Meng Changkun nodded, while others gave him subtle looks, as if he carried the hopes of an entire village.


    He could only smile wryly and sigh.


    Meanwhile, in Lu Liang''s office.


    "I won''t accept it, why only three shares?"


    Wang Xiaocong was indignant and loud, totally shameless. Little Wang is Little Wang, but as long as there''s money to be made, he wouldn''t mind being called Lu Ankou.


    After all, he was only three years older; as long as he wasn''t younger, that was fine.


    "Ah, bitten by the hand that feeds you," Lu Liang sighed, "If you can come up with 350 million US dollars by the 27th, I''ll give you five shares."


    Lu Liang had considered giving Little Wang three shares, since the required capital verification of 210 million wasn''t a small amount.


    Little Wang revealed a satisfied smile and, looking sideways, said, "Old Lu, do you look down on Wanda and the Lin family that much?"


    Their family had a trust fund in Xiangjiang, managing nearly one billion dollars of family assets for a long time.


    "You trust me so much? You''re willing to shell out your entire fortune?"


    Lu Liang was surprised, as he thought Little Wang would just use it for socializing, like Xu Xiaojun and the others, so he didn''t reserve too many shares for him.


    "Trust is only one aspect," Little Wang said, his face showing an uncharacteristic seriousness, but he didn''t continue because Old Wang hadn''t made things clear to him. He could only vaguely sense some inexplicable crisis looming.


    The best way to deal with a crisis is to earn more and save more. With food in hand, your mind doesn''t panic.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time and realized Little Wang wasn''t joking, "If it''s not enough, just let me know; I can give you up to seven shares."


    He himself didn''t plan to invest much this time, subscribing for three shares totaling 315 million US dollars.


    Setting aside 251.3 million for year-end tax settlement and investment into new energy vehicle technology.


    The dividend income of 566.3 million dollars, with a base tax rate of 12%, would mean an expense of 67.95 million dollars.


    That was a legal red line Liang wouldn''t cross; the remaining 13% was to be spent fiercely, to offset as much as possible.


    Facing the tax settlement, 141 million dollars had to be reserved, leaving only 110 million for the company and R&D.


    Investing in an additional share would make life uncomfortably tight; Lu Liang was used to living large and couldn''t cope with constraints.


    "Liang, from now on, we are brothers from different fathers and mothers."


    Little Wang''s tone was earnest, giving him so much face he could almost bear to hug Lu Liang and plant several kisses on him.


    "Stop disgusting me."


    Lu Liang''s face was filled with revulsion.


    Just then, Meng Changkun knocked and entered the room, and on seeing this scene, he laughed heartily, "Have I come at a bad time?"


    "You''ve come at just the right time," Lu Liang responded with a smile, as if their relationship was still like before, as if nothing had ever happened.


    He signaled to Secretary Wen Chao to bring over the fund number one''s equity dividends paperwork, with each person holding a 20% stake, earning 8.1636 million US dollars.


    Little Wang didn''t even glance at the document before signing his name, and Meng Changkun did the same, exclaiming, "Another eight million-plus US dollars."


    "I reckon this is one of the last such payouts."


    Little Wang took over the conversation, "There''s only three months left before this fund closes its curtains."


    Liang had hooked up with State-owned Xiao Xin. In this red land, no connection is harder than one with State-owned Xiao Xin.


    This extra income was about to slip through his fingers.


    Liang glanced at him and, too lazy to bother with Little Wang''s gripes, asked softly, "Old Meng, how many shares do you need?"


    Meng Changkun paused for a moment, then replied, "Four shares, I guess."


    He could see that Liang was the type to honor old ties. Even if he had asked for seven or eight shares, Liang would have agreed.


    Meng Changkun was content with four shares even though others hoped he''d get five, but he didn''t want to fulfill their expectations.


    Because this was likely the last time.


    Liang looked towards Wen Chao, instructing him to remember, "Secretary Wen, reserve Mr. Meng''s four shares."


    Meng Changkun spoke gravely, "Thank you. If there''s ever anything you need in the future, just let me know."


    Liang smiled and nodded, saying no more. He knew it was a genuine offer¡ªOld Meng was good in every aspect, only too heavily swayed by personal relationships.


    He also knew that it might have been beyond Old Meng''s control initially, but the different stands they took made it impossible for him to forgive.


    "If there''s nothing else, then I''ll take my leave," Meng Changkun said, altering his usual casual demeanor for a more respectful one.


    "Take care, no need to see me out."


    The terse exchange between the two, hinting at their distant relationship, caused Little Wang to subconsciously restrain his smile.


    After Old Meng left, he joked, "Which one of you stole the other''s corner?"


    Liang, recognizing the jest, lamented, "It''s not about who stole from whom; it''s just that Old Meng was lured away."


    Little Wang widened his eyes in surprise, "Who has the ability to steal your corner? Has Old Meng lost his senses to agree to that?"


    "It''s not a matter of ability''s size..."


    Liang looked at the eager Little Wang, words almost leaving his lips, then swallowed them back, "You''re still young; you''ll understand when you''re older."


    Little Wang''s face darkened, his back teeth grinding with a creak as he maintained a strained smile, "Interested in some boxing practice?"


    He really wanted to beat Liang up fair and square, but Liang slowly shook his head, smiling indifferently, "Not interested."


    In a blink, it was the 27th. Over the past three days, Tianxing Asset Management had distributed dividends again, concerning funds amounting to 2.245 billion US Dollar, as if it were an insignificant matter, not worth mentioning to outsiders.


    Those who needed to be in the know were aware, and whether they were direct or indirect investors in the fund, each chose to quietly make a fortune.


    That afternoon, Wen Chao and the others completed the capital verification and statistics work, receiving in total 64 subscription letters of intent.


    It also meant that, should Liang wish to change the total capital raised for fund number three, he could control 64 billion US Dollar in a very short time.


    Together with the assets managed by funds one and two, he could instantly reach a staggering 75 billion US Dollar, equivalent to around 480 billion RMB.


    Insiders marveled repeatedly¡ªlooking at the A-share market, there were only 168 listed companies with a market value exceeding 45 billion RMB.


    And there probably are only a few top state-owned banks and the Double Ma Group that could manage a cash flow of 480 billion RMB.


    Zhu Hu looked at Shen Peng, teasing with a smile, "Old Shen, it looks like your seven-year title as the best investment person is going to change hands."


    Even Redwood, in terms of the scale of funds managed, was only marginally better compared to Tianxing Assets now.


    Moreover, Liang was a newcomer, and newcomers always receive special treatment. Next year, all the titles belonging to Shen Peng would probably fall upon Liang.


    "So what?" Shen Peng said with a smile, playing along, "I''ve held it for seven years, I''ve become numb to it. Perhaps it''s you who is envious." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn''t pretend not to care about these empty titles, aware that where there''s a ranking, no one is indifferent.


    Even Mr. Wang of Wanda, who constantly claims not to care about the title of First Rich among the Chinese, still secretly enjoys the thought.


    It''s only human nature.


    Just as Shen Peng said, after having been the nation''s top investor for seven years, the sense of achievement had become somewhat muted for him.


    On the other hand, Zhu Hu, who was perennially second or sometimes third, would bring it up, showing his envy.


    "What''s there for me to envy?" Zhu Hu, seemingly pricked to the core, darkened in the face and left in a huff.


    Shen Peng chuckled, looking towards Liang''s office, squinting his eyes, "With so much capital, how do you plan to manage it?"


    A private fund scale of 75 billion US Dollar was not a small figure by global standards.


    If the funds were not made to flow, to generate more money, then they were devaluating every day.

 Chapter 207 - 206: Just Making a Friend

    "64 choose 50."


    Every time it came to this, Lu Liang would get a headache. It was supposed to be random, but it couldn''t really be random.


    He had to categorize based on the closeness of relationships and the magnitude of influence. Lu Liang personally got three shares, Little Wang got five, and Old Meng got four.


    As the first tier, Little Wang was a relative, Old Meng was a promise, followed by State-owned Xiao Xin''s ten shares.


    Shen Peng, Zhu Hu, and Guo Changguang each had their five shares cut down to two. Lei Jun and Daqiangzi''s five shares were also reduced to two.


    Xu Xiaojun also received two shares. Although he hadn''t slept with his sister and couldn''t become family through marriage, everyone was still friends.


    Little Superman represented the three families from Xiangjiang, Li Guo Zheng, and was the first to support Lu Liang''s management fee increase, so their ten shares couldn''t be reduced.


    The remaining six shares were allocated to a few new friends like Ningde''s Old Zeng, Hengtai Xu, and Baidu''s Old Li.


    Zeng Minqun temporarily held 23.22% of Ningde''s shares, and no matter how diluted the shares became, he would still be a future billionaire.


    Old Xu personally called, expressing his long-standing admiration for Lu Liang, and mentioned he owned a dance troupe renowned for its elegant choreography.


    Lu Liang wanted nothing more than to make a friend. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even though Baidu''s Old Li had seen a severe dip in stock price early in the year due to the Putian hospital scandal, damaging his reputation significantly,


    Li Jiahui and Yang Zhenyuan had mentioned that Baidu''s computer research team was among the top five in the country.


    Among the original BAT internet giants, Baidu was ranked first and had deep foundations and substantial investments.


    Thus, Lu Liang planned to first befriend Old Li, then find a time to visit their company.


    From the afternoon until late into the night, he meticulously picked fifty shares. Although it wasn''t absolutely fair, it was relatively fair.


    In the end, Lu Liang also made a bonus distribution plan, since there was still US$73.05 million in tax credit quota. It couldn''t all go to charity without remembering his own employees.


    Ensuring his interests were unharmed, he always chose relations over logic.


    In the trading room, each of the eighteen people received a minimum of one million in bonus, and the salary for all employees including janitors was increased by 50%.


    "Tomorrow, go and get Mr. Tang''s signature."


    Lu Liang handed the plan to Wen Chao, packed up his things, and left the office, suddenly noticing Chen Jinchun still at her workstation.


    "Why haven''t you left work yet? What are you doing in the office at this hour?" He glanced at his watch ¨C it was 10:20 pm.


    Chen Jinchun, with a dazed expression and slow to react like a student daydreaming in class, hurriedly stood up, pointing at the screen, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Yang asked me to help with a live broadcast."


    Lu Liang suddenly realized, recalling Douyin''s last financing, Yang Zhenyuan seemed to have mentioned launching a live broadcast feature.


    Perhaps this was why Little Wang felt a sense of crisis, continuously trying to collude with Old Jia to harvest retail investors in the secondary market, though Lu Liang had stopped them.


    After all, with Douyin''s users having surpassed 80 million with extremely high user stickiness, since entering the live broadcasting field, the leading live broadcast platforms all cried wolf.


    Lu Liang walked over, avoiding the camera, and saw the live room had tens of thousands of users, the screen filled with comments.


    "Xiao Chen, how could you speak ill of Mr. Lu?"


    "Xiao Chen, it''s better not to go solo; jobs are hard to find these days."


    Chen Jinchun, on the verge of tears and feeling aggrieved, said, "Mr. Lu, they are slandering me; I really didn''t say anything."


    Lu Liang chuckled, not taking the matter to heart, "Don''t work too late, go back and rest earlier."


    With that, he left, with Chen Jinchun watching until Lu Liang''s figure disappeared at the end of the hallway.


    She plopped down into her chair, her face full of resentment, "I''m so mad, almost lost my job, I''m going to end the stream."


    "Xiao Chen, chat for a bit longer, didn''t we agree on 11:00?"


    The online audience pleaded, her expression as doughy as ever, now even more so.


    Through this incident, they could see that Chen Jinchun wasn''t feigning innocence, she genuinely was.


    They were now curious about more things, how one of the top VCs in the country could tolerate such a na?ve sweet girl.


    After all, Lu Liang was a financial magnate, unlikely to have such an odd taste to favor a cute-faced girl.


    "You are the na?ve ones."


    Chen Jinchun, annoyed, took out her work badge, covering all information except her work number.


    "Open your eyes wide and see clearly, I am 003, 001 is our Mr. Lu, that''s the real value."


    She spoke with pride, strictly speaking, her number should have been 002, but since Tang Caide had helped her during the hiring process, she ended up with 003.


    Chen Jinchun intended to end the broadcast, but gradually got distracted by the audience''s comments, "Does Mr. Lu work this late every day?"


    "Pretty much, this time is still considered early; pulling all-nighters is quite common, given he has to manage such a large company."


    "Is Mr. Lu good looking?" Chen Jinchun fell into a deep thought, then suddenly realized, "Don''t ask¡ªit''s Daniel Wu."


    "Does Mr. Lu have a girlfriend? Hey hey hey, can you guys stop screwing me over? I really need to get off work..."


    Leaving the company,


    Lu Liang headed to the She Mountain villa area on the outskirts of Modu.


    Li Manli had recently become obsessed with pesticides and couldn''t pull herself away even at eleven at night, still live streaming and playing games.


    Suddenly, she received a text message from Lu Liang and decisively unplugged the power to end the broadcast, "Power outage, see you tomorrow."


    Dressed in silky pajamas, like a little duck, she quickly rushed out of the room headfirst.


    At the doorway, seeing Lu Liang, her eyes were like crescents, squinting slightly, "Liang, why did you come over tonight?"


    Li Manli leapt up and jumped onto Lu Liang''s back, wrapping her arms around his neck, cheek to cheek, the joy apparent on her face.


    The last time he had come over was last year when he helped her rent this studio, and he hadn''t come since then.


    "I missed you and wanted to come see you," Lu Liang said with a gentle laugh, his hands supporting her buttocks as they strolled leisurely through the villa area.


    "Me too," Li Manli said with a beaming smile, biting him hard¡ªkissing couldn''t express her joy enough.


    Then, she got a solid slap on the butt.


    Lu Liang looked at her disapprovingly, "Thinking of it again?"


    He still remembered last time, his arms and back scratched with more than a dozen marks, which took two days to fade.


    "I didn''t use much force this time," Li Manli said sheepishly.


    Suddenly, she realized that Lu Liang seemed to be purposefully walking through the villa area, "Liang, where are we going?"


    "To find a place to sell you," Lu Liang joked, still carrying Li Manli, treating her 96 pounds as weight training.


    "Don''t~"


    Li Manli squinted her eyes, lying on Lu Liang''s back, her lightly swinging legs, and sandals that could fall off at any moment all conveyed her inner joy.


    In the late night and the cool breeze, Lu Liang carrying her around the sparsely populated villa area was a kind of romantic gesture.


    After walking for about fifteen minutes, they arrived at a brightly lit villa entrance. Lu Liang entered the password and unlocked the security lock.


    Li Manli''s eyes widened in surprise, speechless, "Liang, did you just buy this house?"


    "Smart, from now on you''ll move here to live stream," Lu Liang said, nodding with a smile.


    Su Wanyu has one, and Li Manli should have one too; he couldn''t play favorites.


    Suddenly, Li Manli fell silent, not uttering a word for a long time. Lu Liang looked back and saw the tear shimmer in her eyes.


    Lu Liang placed her on the table, looking straight into her eyes with a smile, "What''s the matter? Aren''t you happy?"


    Li Manli hastily shook her head, her tears falling, filled with hope, "Liang, will this place be our home from now on?"


    Before the New Year, she had argued with her dad and hadn''t gone home during the Spring Festival. For five whole months, her family hadn''t called her once, as if she didn''t exist.


    A few days ago, she couldn''t help but call her mom under the pretense of sending money, but once her dad found out, he scolded her harshly again.


    The words were hurtful, his temperament as foul and unyielding as stones in a toilet pit, even preferring rumors to spending time trying to understand the industry she worked in.


    There''s nothing more devastating than depression.


    She knew, she no longer had a home.


    "Of course, otherwise why would I buy it?"


    Lu Liang smiled warmly, wiping Li Manli''s tears, "This will be our home from now on."


    The moment he finished speaking, her red lips met his, and he could even taste a few salty tears, "Don''t cry, you still have me."


    Li Manli nodded firmly, her expression serious, "The whole world can abandon me, but as long as you don''t give up on me, I have the whole world."


    "Let''s go upstairs and take a look."


    Lu Liang caressed her hair, and the two went to the rooms upstairs, spanning three floors and covering 328 square meters.


    "This master bedroom will be our room, and this secondary bedroom will be our future baby''s room."


    Li Manli''s face was filled with anticipation, tirelessly roaming from room to room, already imagining their wonderful future life.


    Lu Liang said with a light laugh, "Let''s go back for now. I just bought it, it hasn''t been set up yet; from now on, I''ll leave its arrangement to you."


    "Okay~"


    Li Manli, holding onto Lu Liang''s arm, looked back three times with every step, reluctant to leave their home.

 Chapter 208 - 207: Cant Hide It Anymore

    The early morning sunlight was as gentle as silk, slipping through the gaps in the curtains and sprinkling across the bedroom floor.


    A foot suddenly stretched out from the thin covers, all five toes flexibly wriggling.


    Li Manli rested her chin on her hands as she lay on the bed, staring blankly at Lu Liang. Gradually, her lips curled into a silly smile.


    Because she saw a set of keys on the bedside table and a note with a password written on it, She Mountain Villa 177, which would be their home from now on.


    Li Manli actually knew she was not the only one for Lu Liang, but she also knew that Lu Liang definitely liked her and cared for her.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have helped her establish a studio and plan out her career; he could easily, like the platform''s vanished streamers, spend some money each month and keep her like a canary.


    She remembered clearly all the kindness Lu Liang had shown her. Moreover, being by his side, she felt a sense of security and belonging that she had never experienced at home.


    Therefore, she was also willing to feign ignorance.


    "Now this is nice," Li Manli murmured to herself and, unable to resist, stole another kiss on Lu Liang''s cheek.


    After who knew how long,


    sudden frantic footsteps came from outside the door.


    Li Manli had a bad feeling and, before she could grab her phone to call and halt the action, the next second came a loud knocking: "Manli, are you awake? We''re going to the Bund for a photo shoot soon."


    She hastily got out of bed, barefoot, and scrambled to the door, whispering, "You all go ahead and get ready; I''ll come by myself later."


    The assistant was confused but didn''t ask further. "Hurry up, don''t be too late. Liangliang, Zhouzhou, and I will head there first."


    "Mhm, go ahead," Li Manli sighed with relief, tiptoed back to the bed, and carefully lifted a corner of the duvet.


    Lu Liang, half-asleep, stretched out an arm around her waist, feeling the girl''s delicate skin: "What are you going to the Bund for?"


    "The platform is hosting a summer event recently; they want me to take a series of promotional photos."


    Li Manli smiled, and once again snuggled into the covers, draping the bedding only halfway across her chest, revealing the faint blush of cherry red.


    She hurriedly added, "The platform''s event isn''t going live until the day after tomorrow, so it''s okay to shoot tomorrow."


    Her work wasn''t important; as long as Lu Liang had time, she was always available.


    "After breakfast, I''ll take you there," he said.


    Lu Liang pinched her cheeks, rich with collagen, and Li Manli, eyes squinting, thoroughly enjoyed it before suddenly giving a mischievous lick.


    He let out a soft laugh and picked up his phone to see a message from Wen Chao; the new energy and film industries were all extending olive branches.


    News that Tianxing Assets held five hundred million dollars had already spread, and countless enterprises were eager for his investment.


    Rumor had it that the third fund''s settlement cycle was three years, which also indicated that Lu Liang had a high probability of making medium- to long-term investments.


    To gain his favor, they needed to cater to his interests. New energy was an industry he was bullish on, followed by the film and TV industry.


    Lu Liang rubbed his eyes, pondering for a moment, and replied, "Set aside the new energy projects for now, organize the rest into documents, and I''ll look over them when I return to the company later."


    He did favor the new energy sector, but as it was currently overheated with excessive premiums, it wasn''t suitable for investment.


    At the very least, he would have to wait until the end of the year, or perhaps the following year, because with the official start of autumn next month, a large number of new cars would be launched.


    Despite the industry''s boom, the market was not hot.


    The second quarter''s sales were only a hundred thousand units, and it was expected to surpass four hundred thousand for the year, but it was still a case of too many wolves and not enough meat.


    With over a hundred years of established base in fuel vehicles, businesses eager for quick profits were doomed to fail and the industry as a whole was about to experience its first cooling.


    That would be Lu Liang''s time to buy in.


    He put down his phone and suddenly noticed that Li Manli was staring intently at him. Lu Liang chuckled, "What?"


    "You look so handsome." Li Manli moved all her limbs, wrapping around Lu Liang like an octopus, inexplicably thrilled.


    "Handsome doesn''t fill the stomach; time to get up," Lu Liang laughed, heading to the bathroom, "Do you have any toiletries?"


    "I do; I''ll get them for you."


    Li Manli picked up her nightgown from the floor and slipped into it. Her bare thighs flashed in and out of sight, making her seem even more alluring than if she wore nothing.


    Lu Liang glanced over and realized it had been a while since he carefully observed her, not knowing when she had started exuding a sense of maturity.


    "What is it?"


    Li Manli had a toothbrush in her mouth and cocked her head. The bathroom was spacious enough for two people to freshen up comfortably.


    "Did they grow again?"


    Lu Liang wondered, the once immature little apples seemingly slowly turning into ripe juicy peaches.


    "Can you tell?"


    Li Manli was surprised but then beamed with pride and said, puffing out her chest, "My old clothes are all too small now."


    Though she had a touch more maturity in her bearing, her youthful physique remained¡ªtight and perky, with sharp contours.


    "Look how proud you are," Lu Liang said with a mischievous smile, flicking a red bean, which earned him a scolding glare from Li Manli.


    After freshening up, Li Manli was the first to dash out of the room, sneakily checking out the situation downstairs like a thief. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Fortunately, the house was empty, the videographers, assistants, and social media operators had all headed to the shooting location.


    "Don''t act like a thief," Lu Liang grumbled, to which Li Manli cooed, "I just don''t want to cause you any trouble."


    Lu Liang ate a simple sandwich and suddenly asked, "Are you still uploading videos on Bilibili now?"


    "Not much, mostly just clips from live streams."


    "And Douyin?"


    "Clips as well. Mr. Long doesn''t really want us to go there. Someone tried and ended up being throttled."


    Panda might have been founded by Wang Xiaocong, but the general manager and person in charge was Long Fei, a career manager.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly and said, "Don''t worry about him. You signed a live streaming contract; just put a bit more effort into Douyin."


    Little Wang''s initial rejection of Tencent''s olive branch was a mistake that left him in a difficult position now.


    Above, there were two behemoths supported by Tencent, and Douyin was eyeing them covetously. Below, he had no way down, no cushion to fall back on.


    Despite the recent spike to a valuation of five hundred million dollars, last month''s valuation of ofo was even higher, and now they could only rely on their million-plus bikes to slowly pay off their debts.


    But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, capable of demanding a higher price and pleading for sympathy, all the while maintaining a definite will to repay the debt.


    These days, their daily active users had surged back to the top tier, and Lu Liang''s refund queue had reached 19 millionth place.


    "Then I''ll mention it to the operations team later."


    Li Manli nodded, trusting Lu Liang unconditionally.


    Stepping outside, Lu Liang''s Bentley had been waiting for a while, and Li Manli waved enthusiastically, "Yu, long time no see."


    Fang Shiyu grinned sheepishly, "Miss Li, hello."


    After dropping Li Manli at the Bund, on the way to the office, Fang Shiyu hesitated for a long time before suddenly saying, "Bro, I need to take a few days off."


    Last night, he had received a call from his mother. His grandmother had taken a fall a while ago, and lately, her consciousness had been fading; it might just be a matter of days.


    "Afterward, go back and pack your bags. I''ll have Wen Chao book your flight."


    Lu Liang recalled how, during the New Year''s visit, his uncle had complained about how his brother-in-law was no good, indulging in all four vices and lazing around.


    His aunt was the eldest daughter at home. If Fang Shiyu''s grandmother passed away, the responsibility of managing the funeral would likely fall on his uncle''s shoulders.


    Lu Liang transferred him 200,000 yuan and said softly, "Come back when you''ve settled everything. Don''t worry about work."


    Fang Shiyu''s grandma was just his own grandmother, while his own, Lu Liang''s grandmother, had passed away many years earlier.


    Fang Shiyu was slow to react, and it took a while before he uttered, "Bro, thanks."


    "In a lifetime, we''re like brothers. ''Thank you'' is too formal," said Lu Liang with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.


    That very afternoon, Fang Shiyu set off for home.


    In the office, Lu Liang was browsing through investment-seeking projects when he suddenly called Wen Chao over, planning to hire a few more security personnel.


    His appearance seemed to be getting harder to hide. After all, Tianxing Assets had now surpassed Golden Sand River and was on par with Redwood.


    The Internet was abuzz, spreading his high school and university graduation photos. The netizens were digging with increasing excitement, unstoppable in their frenzy.


    Lu Liang thought it over. Rather than keeping the public in suspense, which made them excessively curious and left a lasting impression, it might be better to find an opportunity to expose himself proactively and then downplay the situation.


    After all, there were plenty of photos of Shen Peng online, but if he walked down the street, most people would still not recognize him.

 Chapter 209 - 208: Investing in War Wolf 2

    "Have there been any interview requests recently?"


    Upon hearing Lu Liang''s words, Wen Chao was taken aback, knowing that Lu Liang disliked being in the public eye, so such invitations were usually outright rejected.


    He thought for a moment and answered, "Forbes magazine has been wanting to interview you, and there''s also the municipal commendation ceremony."


    The former wanted to interview this year''s best investor. After all, Shen Peng had won the title for seven consecutive terms. Everyone had speculated that if it wasn''t Shen Peng this year, it would at least be Zhu Hu. Unexpectedly, Lu Liang had emerged suddenly as a strong contender.


    The latter was due to last year''s tax settlement, where they had contributed a one-time tax payment of 51.2 million yuan, becoming a tax pioneer in Puxin District.


    Although Puxin District is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers with enterprises paying billions in taxes every year, they had achieved over 50 million yuan in taxes in their first year of establishment, with more expected the following year.


    The title of tax pioneer was well deserved.


    Wen Chao continued, "Director Zhou from the municipal publicity department also mentioned that if Mr. Lu, you are willing to personally receive the award, they would also grant you the city''s Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award, and next year, you may even have the chance to compete for the National Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons."


    The municipal publicity department also cared about appearances, and if Lu Liang personally attended, then the award would definitely be his, no one else could take it. If Lu Liang decided not to show up, then it wouldn''t concern him.


    After pondering, Lu Liang said, "Tell Forbes I will first accept the municipal commendation, then their interview."


    He previously didn''t want exposure, so whether it was official or media reporter invitations, he had Wen Chao turn them all down.


    Now wanting to take initiative in gaining exposure, an official platform was undoubtedly the best choice, and with the official commendation and Forbes'' interview, there should be slightly fewer people paying attention.


    Wen Chao was taken aback, then quickly responded, "Alright, then I''ll contact the municipal officials first."


    "Go ahead."


    Lu Liang flipped through film projects, noticing War Wolf 2, Mermaid Legend, and Monkey King.


    He was drawn to War Wolf 2''s investment list; Little Wang had also invested 20 million yuan.


    The previous film had good reputation and box office results, so by reason, a sequel shouldn''t lack investment. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, Wu Jing had screwed up; the original production cost of 110 million yuan, due to various reasons, had risen to 210 million yuan, an investment cost increase nearly approaching 100%.


    Generally, a film''s production cost multiplied by three was necessary just to break even, meaning the future box office needed to exceed 630 million yuan to be profitable.


    A sudden funding shortfall of 100 million yuan forced Wu Jing to leave the production crew and return from Africa to the mainland in search of investors.


    The plot of the film was not complex, akin to a typical commercial blockbuster promoting individual heroism, like Captain America, coupled with the influence of the red flag in Africa.


    Lu Liang was interested, but one billion was not a small amount. After some thought, he called Little Wang, "Hello, I heard you invested in War Wolf 2?"


    "It seems the project has circulated to you."


    Little Wang laughed, having anticipated this, as investors able to spare one billion yuan for a film in the mainland could be counted on one hand.


    Shen Peng and Zhu Hu could easily come up with the money, but they weren''t interested in films. Nowadays in the mainland, the investors who had both the capability and interest were narrowed down to Lu Liang.


    Little Wang added cheerfully, "The plot feels quite impactful, mainly because Wu Jing has good judgment."


    "What do you mean by that?" Lu Liang was puzzled.


    "He initially invited me to play the secondary male lead, that wealthy factory heir¡ª isn''t that evidence of good judgment?"


    Little Wang was proud; Wu Jing had invested one million yuan inviting him to perform, but he didn''t want to go to Africa, a place he disliked.


    So in a good mood, he invested 20 million yuan.


    Lu Liang, with a teasing face, speculated, "Is there a possibility that he''s setting a trap, and the old man''s intent isn''t in the wine?"


    Little Wang was at a loss for words, suddenly angry, "If you keep being so scheming, you''ll end up without friends."


    Lu Liang chuckled, ready to hang up, but Little Wang quickly called out, "Keep an eye on it, the project is desperately short of funds, I heard Wu Jing is even planning to sell his house."


    "You are so kind-hearted?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    Little Wang replied resentfully, "He set me up, I need to find someone to cushion the blow, plus the project is genuinely good. Don''t you think it''s a potential way to promote the benefits of the Silk Road?"


    Lu Liang paused, musing, "I''ll consider it."


    Following that, he reviewed several other projects, during which Wen Chao returned to inform him that the commendation ceremony was confirmed for this Thursday, with Forbes'' visit scheduled for Saturday.


    The next day, while Wu Jing was at the bank processing the mortgage of multiple properties to continue filming, he suddenly received a call from his agent, "Jing, hurry back, we''ve found a financier."


    "Who is it now?" Wu Jing sighed, his eyes weary, having no more hope.


    He had looked everywhere for institutions, but now all the investments were from small investors who provided little money and created a lot of trouble.


    They''d invest a few hundred million and either want to harp on the unwritten rules with the female lead or have their own children or lovers play significant roles.


    Wu Jing wanted to curse; he genuinely didn''t want to deal with them.


    All he wanted now was to quickly mortgage his house, obtain enough capital, and then rush back to Africa to resume filming, as the production crew sitting idle each day was costing him millions.


    "Guess what," his agent said excitedly.


    "Guess my ass, spit it out if you have something to say."


    Wu Jing spoke harshly. If his agent had been standing in front of him, he would''ve given him a piece of his mind.


    The agent smiled awkwardly, "Jing, calm down, it''s Lu Liang who contacted us."


    "Tianxing''s Lu Liang?" Wu Jing was surprised. Even though he had been busy with "War Wolf 2" recently, he had heard of Lu Liang''s big name.


    In his early thirties, with a cash flow of several hundred billion, unchallenged in the international market, a real financial mogul.


    "I just took a chance and reached out to Mahua''s Zhang Chen, asking him to recommend our project to Lu Liang."


    The agent was extremely excited; he thought it was a long shot, but unexpectedly, Lu Liang''s secretary got in touch with him, inviting them to Modu for a detailed discussion.


    If Wu Jing could persuade Lu Liang to invest, the one billion funding gap would be just a drop in the ocean for this mogul. There wouldn''t be any need to look for other investors.


    "Holy shit, why didn''t you say so earlier? When are we going to Modu?" Wu Jing asked urgently.


    He decisively put away the house deeds; it was always better to let others invest if possible.


    If he mortgaged the house and the movie flopped, decades of effort might go down the drain.


    "An hour and a half later, I''ll meet you at the airport. We''re scheduled to meet Mr. Lu at three o''clock in the afternoon."


    "Wait for me; I''ll be right there."


    The two headed to the airport from different locations and arrived at the New International Building half an hour early at half-past two.


    Wu Jing''s face was tense, and he couldn''t help but jitter his leg to relieve his anxiety, the agent by his side was no less anxious.


    After all, they were about to meet the most mysterious and legendary financial mogul in the country.


    It had just turned three o''clock.


    Lu Liang arrived at the reception room right on time, with a smile on his face, "Mr. Wu, Mr. Li, hello, have you been waiting long?"


    He sized up Wu Jing; the first time he saw him on screen was during middle school summer break, in the film "Little Li Knife," starring Jiao Enjun.


    Decades had passed, the once fair-skinned young actor had now turned into a dark-skinned, crew-cut strong man. It was hard to imagine that next year, he would make a historic mark with "War Wolf 2."


    With a box office of 5.494 billion, it was more than double that of last year''s champion "Monster Hunt," which even involved money laundering.


    A film involved in money laundering only dared to circulate 2.4 billion. Mr. Lu was curious about how a clean film managed to make it to 5.4 billion at the box office.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, we just arrived too," the agent said with a big smile plastered on his face, Wu Jing was also sizing up Mr. Lu.


    His first thought was how young he was, then he quickly averted his gaze, as staring was impolite.


    He was still hoping to secure Mr. Lu''s investment.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, smiled, and said, "I''ve looked at the synopsis of the movie. It''s very good."


    He bluntly asked, "Is one billion enough?"


    The two exchanged glances, seeing surprise in each other''s eyes. Mr. Lu''s offer was unexpectedly generous.


    These words from Mr. Lu clearly indicated his decision to invest and even suggested the possibility of adding more funds.


    Are all moguls this straightforward?


    Or perhaps, was one billion just a number to him?


    Possibly, considering the rumors that Mr. Lu currently controlled cash flows amounting to several hundred billion.


    The agent was about to say it was enough when Wu Jing scratched the back of his head, his face showing an embarrassed smile, "Mr. Lu, if we could get a bit more, the quality and storyline of the movie could be improved even further."


    Mr. Lu chuckled, "As long as it''s a project I believe in, no amount of money is a problem. So, Mr. Wu, just boldly name a figure."

 Chapter 210 - 209: Selective Picking

    "Mr. Lu, 120 million, what do you think?"


    Wu Jing pondered seriously. A total investment of 210 million would barely cover the completion of the entire film, but if he had an additional 20 million, he could arrange a few more large-scale live-action scenes.


    At the very least, he could rent several more tanks, avoiding the need to skimp and scrap using obviously fake CG effects, and producing shockingly better results when shot.


    Lu Liang smiled at the corner of his mouth, "Mr. Wu, think it over carefully, you only get one chance."


    "Mr. Lu, I''m sure, 120 million is already enough, any more would just be a waste of funds." Wu Jing didn''t dare to ask for more; he believed that a box office of over 1 billion would be considered a success for War Wolf 2.


    As long as Lu Liang agreed, the total investment for the project would reach 230 million, with an estimated break-even box office of 690 million.


    The remaining 310 million, after deducting the box office share, would guarantee at least a 15% return on investment, which should satisfy the investors.


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile and called for Tang Caide and Wu Jing''s agent to speak, "Mr. Wu, the crew is still in Africa, right? You can go back to filming at ease. I''ll have Mr. Tang transfer the funds to your account as soon as possible."


    "Oh, okay." Wu Jing was stunned, momentarily daydreaming; previous encounters with investors involved haggling over tens of millions.


    This was an investment of 120 million in real silver, and it took less than ten minutes to finalize?


    It seemed simpler than having a meal.


    "Mr. Wu, don''t have any worries."


    Lu Liang wore a smile, and although Wu Jing was 11 years his senior, it didn''t matter as he patted Wu Jing''s shoulder.


    The reason he could invest so decisively was also due to the future message received last night.


    [On September 28, 2017, War Wolf 2 ended its run with a total box office of 5.694 billion.]


    As soon as Lu Liang received the message, he immediately had someone investigate whether the movie was involved in money laundering.


    Having ruled out the suspicion of money laundering, the investment became natural; the higher the investment stake, the larger the profits.


    Tang Caide giggled, "That''s Mr. Lu''s style. As long as it''s a project he favors, even tens of billions would be the same."


    To date, the highest single investment of their company is probably the 520 million US dollars in Ningde Era.


    At that time, because they were the sole investors and due to the large sum of money involved, Ningde Era had been established for some time, so they took a week to investigate the financials.


    But film projects are similar to real estate developments; essentially, a new company is built for each project, and if they are willing to open the data, the investigation doesn''t even take half a day.


    Wu Jing was suddenly taken aback, his expression serious, "Mr. Lu, rest assured, I will deliver a performance that will satisfy you."


    "Just do your best."


    Lu Liang chuckled and said no more.


    They had been buying up US stocks and A-shares lately, still having 32.3 billion in capital; an investment of a bit over one billion was nothing but a drop in the bucket.


    If it weren''t for the astonishing 5.4 billion box office results and the fact that the movie market is difficult to manipulate,


    Even if Lu Liang intervened, the situation would develop positively; for example, his fame could cause the box office to rise further.


    If not for these reasons, this message might have been ignored by Lu Liang like the few before it.


    After all, his capital was too large now, and too many people were watching; he could no longer pilfer as surreptitiously as he wished.


    Just like last month with Sanjiang Shopping, thanks to Ali''s entrance, the stock price soared tenfold, like it was injected with adrenaline.


    Lu Liang knew the price would increase tenfold beforehand, but even after a tenfold increase, it would only grow from 1.8 billion to 18.2 billion, with a market circulation share of 25%.


    If he joined, it might even reach 30 billion, but there was a high probability he would become a long-term shareholder of the company.


    So often, he chose projects that were hard to influence, rather than blindly following trends.


    Suddenly, Wu Jing had an idea, "Mr. Lu, why don''t you play the role of Zhuo Yifan in the film?"


    Last year, he invited Little Wang not because he thought Little Wang had a particularly good image, but because he was the super internet sensation of the year.


    His film had all its budget allocated to filming, with actor salaries accounting for less than 8%, and desperately needed the addition of big names.


    Undoubtedly, Lu Liang was a more appropriate choice; it was said that this year, his popularity had already surpassed that of Little Wang, becoming the number one internet sensation.


    The agent, sweating profusely, hurriedly offered an apologetic smile, "Mr. Lu, please don''t take offense, Jing works so hard he seldom goes online."


    Lu Liang''s preference for remaining out of the spotlight had become a well-known secret, otherwise, the internet wouldn''t still be without a clear portrait of his face.


    Wu Jing''s invitation for him to act was akin to dancing in a minefield; if it upset Lu Liang, the 120 million investment could evaporate in an instant.


    Lu Liang didn''t mind and just laughed it off, "Maybe next time. The role has too many scenes, and I can''t handle it."


    Wu Jing obviously wanted to say more, but his agent pinched his palm, so he could only leave with a resigned air.


    At four o''clock in the afternoon, the two walked out of the building, the agent cradling the contract, feeling as if it was all a world away.


    One hour, to lock down 120 million in film investment, as long as Tianxing''s financial review found no issues.


    Within three days, the money would be wired into the public account.


    Wu Jing''s face was full of indignation, "Why didn''t you let me speak just now."


    With Lu Liang''s involvement in the movie, he was confident the projected box office could go up to 1.5 billion, or even more.


    To let such a big publicity opportunity slip away.


    "Don''t be ungrateful, Mr. Lu doesn''t like showing his face, even if you offered him 200 million in remuneration, he wouldn''t take on the role."


    The agent glared at him irritably, speaking of Lu Liang''s various personas, the secretive speculative tycoon being just one among many.


    It was one thing to ask him to play a role, but to expect him to go abroad? Who didn''t know that Lu Liang had repeatedly clashed with Wall Street funds and taken them down.


    To go to some godforsaken place in Africa, a backstabbing bullet might suddenly appear. If anything happened to Lu Liang, his investors would surely tear Wu Jing to pieces as a sacrificial offering to the heavens.


    Wu Jing was taken aback, not expecting there to be these reasons. He laughed awkwardly, "I can''t thank you enough, Brother Zeng. Please book a ticket for me, I''ll return to Africa tonight, and I''ll leave logistics headquarters to you."


    In the night, Lu Liang met Little Wang at a riverside bar.


    Little Wang looked perplexed, "You''re going to the city''s award ceremony tomorrow?"


    Lu Liang had covered the remaining investment for War Wolf 2, which didn''t surprise him at all; given Lu Liang''s capabilities and his previous investments in several film projects.


    But the key was Lu Liang planning to attend the award ceremony and deciding to step out from behind the scenes. That was what truly surprised him.


    "Your information is quite up to date?" asked Lu Liang, astonished.


    Little Wang snorted proudly, "I''m no big deal, just last year''s top ten outstanding young entrepreneurs of the city, next year I''ll be one of the country''s top ten." S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang frowned, and a smug Little Wang said, "I''m just one year your senior, so how about calling me ''senior''? That wouldn''t be too much, right?"


    Lu Liang glanced at him and drank his drink, a look of dejection on his face, "Isn''t the honor a bit too trivial?"


    He had been looking forward to it, the last time he received an official honor was for coming third in high school sprinting.


    Hearing that Little Wang was also an awardee, and one year his senior, and that he was about to be recognized as a national outstanding young entrepreneur, Lu Liang suddenly felt less enthusiastic, as if he wasn''t particularly looking forward to it anymore.


    Little Wang''s eyes flashed dangerously, but he could only sigh helplessly in the end, "Lu, do you know, everyone else calls me Mr. Wang or Mr. Wang''s son; if nothing else, they just call me by my name."


    Only this damn jerk Lu Liang.


    Calling him Little Wang all the time, and the worst part was, he became desensitized and seemed to have accepted the nickname.


    "Is that so? I hadn''t noticed," Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    "Forget it, I won''t hold it against you."


    Little Wang suddenly relaxed and with a forced smile said, "Hellos Goddess is planning for a second season, are you interested in being a judge?"


    "Not interested," Lu Liang rejected without a second thought, decisively.


    He was trying to avoid exposure, not wanting to be dug into too deeply by netizens, leaving too profound an impression, and he would try to reduce exposure as much as possible in the future.


    Unless it was really time for him to step out as a spokesperson, and quite clearly, Little Wang''s Panda wasn''t up to par.


    Little Wang''s face darkened, the rejection too blunt, and he started cursing, "Believe it or not, I''ll leak your scandals."


    Lu Liang smiled nonchalantly, "And do you believe, you won''t be able to leak them, or that they just won''t get around?"


    Little Wang was suddenly lost for words, silent.


    He took the bottle and began guzzling his drink.


    He believed.


    Mid-last month, the unofficial video had elevated Lu Liang to a very high status.


    Once Lu Liang stepped out from behind the scenes, his protection would only improve; so-called scandals were probably impossible to leak.


    "Little Wang, take your time drinking, I need to get up early tomorrow, so I''ll head back to rest."


    Lu Liang was in high spirits, giving Little Wang a pat on the shoulder and waving to the distant bodyguards.


    There were four of them, from a professional security company, each tall and strong, towering around 1.8 meters.


    Little Wang was fuming, and he lost the mood to drink anymore. Bars were suited for old people; for someone as vibrant as him, he should be at a club, enjoying the dazzling nightlife.

 Chapter 211 - 210: I am Lu Liang

    The next morning, Lu Liang got up and took a shower.


    He was still a bit self-conscious about his image, after all, it was his first public appearance through an official platform, which was bound to be reported in the media.


    He needed to work on his image, so he chose a light blue casual suit, applied some mousse to his hair, and put on some BB cream to enhance his skin''s glow.


    Usually, Lu Liang did not use these products and did not even own makeup. He simply used Li Manli''s, who naturally became his stylist.


    "How do I look?" Lu Liang stood in front of the mirror, his lips slightly curved upwards, quite satisfied with his outfit for the day.


    Li Manli''s eyes brimmed with affection, almost palpably so, as she held her phone with great expectation, "Can I take a picture?"


    Lu Liang was handsome, only he usually did not care much about his appearance. A little dressing up turned him into the true definition of a powerful executive.


    With a demeanor gentle as jade, his every action exuded an air of calm and indifference that made people fall for him.


    She was moved to tears.


    "Go ahead and shoot, but can you not act so exaggerated? You''re a host, not an actor," Lu Liang said with a laugh.


    "Don''t slander me, I really am not acting, you just look very handsome," Li Manli retorted, yet her hands never stopped moving.


    She took out her phone and continuously snapped photos from various angles.


    Wang Xiaocong was already called the National Husband, and Lu Liang was clearly much more handsome than him, not to mention being a rich second generation with immense financial power.


    He was much more suited to that nickname.


    Unfortunately, her ''National Husband'' was bound to become public, and she did not know how many admirers he would attract in the future, to share her love.


    The path of love was tough, Little Li sighed.


    At nine in the morning, Lu Liang arrived at the city government.


    Wen Chao had come over for the rehearsal the previous day, knew the procedures, and pinned a small red flower on Lu Liang''s chest.


    Today, many businessmen, mostly around thirty, attended the event at the city government, men outnumbering women, totaling over thirty people.


    The commendation ceremony at the city government was scheduled to start at ten, and the leadership had asked them to arrive early, intending for these young entrepreneurs to network.


    During their interactions, an idea might spark, potentially leading to the birth of a new unicorn company.


    Lu Liang made a round to see if he could find a few promising stocks up close.


    After the circuit, he lost all his enthusiasm. The majority were founders of e-commerce and cross-border e-commerce vertical platforms, followed by P2P, which, according to Old Ma, belonged to fintech, commonly known as lending.


    Lu Liang had borrowed from P2P lenders and knew that even Ali barely touched the edge of fintech; though they had indeed broken the banks'' monopoly,


    Back then, inter-bank out-of-town withdrawals required a fee; now, that had become a thing of the past, and indeed their contribution was significant. But that did not mean they could label lending as fintech.


    Lu Liang sat in a corner, waiting for the leadership to come over, while not far away, someone else also sat alone in a corner.


    Unlike Lu Liang, who smiled and looked at ease, the person nearby looked rather deep in despair, with a gloomy expression.


    The two men conversing passed by Lu Liang: "Poor Sun Ying, he was originally promised a spot in the Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs Award, but was suddenly told it was cancelled."


    "P2P Lending House causing trouble?" the other softly inquired.


    "It''s not related to the company. Apparently, his slot was squeezed out by someone."


    "They can squeeze someone out last minute? Who is that impressive?"


    "Not sure, keep it down, though."


    The man scoffed, "They squeezed him out, not us, which shows we are more valued by the city government."


    "That may be, but it''s best not to provoke him, especially when he''s upset¡ªno need to..."


    Lu Liang''s face showed a peculiar expression; if nothing unexpected, he was probably the person who squeezed him out.


    The commendation ceremony had been decided half a month ago, and he only decided last week to attend.


    By him attending, naturally, someone else was eliminated.


    However, Lu Liang did not feel much of a psychological burden, just as those passersby had mentioned, squeezing him out but not them spoke volumes.


    At nine forty, the leaders started to arrive one after another.


    Director Zhou from the city propaganda department searched through the crowd and, upon spotting Lu Liang, his face lit up with delight.


    The responsibility of the city propaganda department was to publicize municipal policies, and as an official platform as formal as they come, it rarely attracted much attention.


    With few people paying attention, the publicity was rendered ineffective, like working in isolation; therefore, last year they had invited Wang Xiaocong.


    The effect was significant; the web traffic on the city propaganda website surged dozens of times, and the promotion of new policies also saw great success.


    The city''s propaganda department received commendation from the authorities, so this year they planned to replicate the success by inviting Lu Liang.


    However, Lu Liang initially did not accept the invitation, which left Director Zhou feeling quite disappointed. He had thoughts of reprisal but didn''t dare act on them.


    Officials could afford to be slow, but their instincts must not be dull.


    In mid-July, the video that went viral online prematurely donned Lu Liang with an unauthorized yellow mandarin jacket. Although it wasn''t officially sanctioned, the yellow mandarin jacket was still quite significant.


    Some people are replaceable, ready to be substituted at any moment; however, some are irreplaceable.


    Lu Liang belonged to the latter category, and he kept a low profile, unlike Old Ma who was always lecturing, criticizing either the system or specific individuals.


    Being low-profile yet powerful meant that no one dared to offend him.


    Unexpectedly, hope emerged just when all seemed bleak.


    Director Zhou and Lu Liang exchanged glances across the distance, both of them smiling faintly and nodding, a gesture which also revealed that Lu Liang was the one who had edged out Sun Ying.


    As the leaders arrived, a group of promising young talents also began to enter the awards hall.


    Lu Liang looked toward the center of the second row where a card with his name was placed on a table.


    He was just about to head there when someone approached him with a broad smile, saying, "Brother, how may I address you?"


    After all, society is not like a school where a student valued by the teacher is not only not ostracized but treated with sincerity by classmates.


    Suddenly, someone noticed Lu Liang''s seat and couldn''t help but exclaim softly, "Lu Liang is here?"


    In institutions, seat arrangements also reflect a hierarchy, such as placing higher status on the left or placing men above women.


    There were five rows of seats in this hall; the first row was for the leaders and the second row for the youth entrepreneurs about to receive awards.


    The seat in the center of the second row prominently displaying Lu Liang''s name left no doubt that he was indeed Tianxing Lu Liang.


    The whispers of discussion were incessant.


    Sun Ying, whose spot had been taken, suddenly laughed.


    There were many attendees today, but there were only ten spots for this year''s outstanding young entrepreneurs of the entire city.


    Previously, according to what he knew, the strongest candidate was Mao Wenchao from Little Red Potato, who had upgraded from community services to e-commerce, completing a business cycle and securing tens of millions in US Dollars from Redwood and Jiyuan Capital, amassing a fortune worth hundreds of millions.


    If nothing unexpected happened, Mao Wenchao would likely stand out just as Wang Xiaocong did last year, eclipsing all others.


    However, an unexpected turn of events occurred; Lu Liang''s arrival effectively diminished everyone else''s significance.


    After all, which provincial outstanding young entrepreneur boasted wealth of four to five billion and managed hundreds of billions in cash flow?


    While his net worth could be speculatory, hundreds of billions in actual cash flow were genuine, dwarfing the combined reach of the other nine.


    Sun Ying, whose spot had been taken, was resentful, yet what could he do?


    With Lu Liang''s wealth and social influence at this time, he was more than qualified to compete for the national title of outstanding young entrepreneur.


    Just see, getting to know his true self had everyone craning their necks in anticipation, wanting to glimpse his real face.


    After all, he was one of the leading venture capitalists in the country. Aligning with his interests and having an engaging conversation could mean an investment of several hundred million without a second thought. sea??h th§× ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the person who had approached Lu Liang also attracted attention.


    Suddenly he came to his senses, staring blankly, "You wouldn''t happen to be Mr. Lu, would you?"


    There were quite a few others with the same thought, counting on Director Zhou''s distinctive regard which seemed reserved for none other than Lu Liang.


    Numerous intense gazes converged on Lu Liang, and faces around him registered shock, for he looked much younger than rumored.


    Standing tall at about 180cm, his posture erect and commanding, it was evident that he worked out regularly, his chest rather robust.


    Lu Liang smiled at everyone and turned to pat the man''s shoulder, "Hello, I am Lu Liang."

 Chapter 212 - 211: #Personal Appearance#

    "Mr. Lu, hello, I am Chen Qi from Mogu Street."


    The man was astonished, quickly regained his composure, and with a full-faced smile, he took out his company''s business card, introducing his business which is mainly engaged in an e-commerce platform dealing with women''s clothing, shoes, and hats.


    "Mr. Chen, hello." Lu Liang nodded with a smile and took his seat arranged by the municipal government.


    Everyone looked at Chen Qi with envy, jealousy, and hatred in their eyes, as meeting Mr. Lu was not an opportunity that came every day.


    Even just leaving an impression was good, for when they met again, they would no longer be strangers, and cooperation would be easier to discuss.


    After all, a familiar face would be favored over a complete stranger by any normal person.


    This is also why many grassroots entrepreneurs, even if they had to go to great lengths, would try to squeeze into high-end business gatherings.


    Reality is cruel, but this is the truth; a word from a big shot is more effective than anything they could possibly say.


    Unfortunately, Lu Liang had already taken his seat, and it would be presumptuous and impolite to approach him now, which could backfire.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, I am Mao Wenchao from Little Red Potato."


    Lu Liang sat in the center; on his left was Mao Wenchao from Little Red Potato, and on his right was Cai Haoyu from Miha You.


    Both men had radiant smiles as they took the opportunity to provide their business cards.


    "Mr. Mao, Mr. Cai, hello."


    Lu Liang wore a smile and chatted leisurely with them, learning that one was involved in a women''s community and the other in anime-themed games.


    Wang Xing had said that the purchasing power of young girls surpasses that of children, young wives, the elderly, dogs, and men, and it wasn''t a random order but in descending sequence.


    At that time, someone argued that men also had strong purchasing power, but it depended on what it was for; for instance, men were willing to spend generously on games.


    Little Red Potato and Miha You each had captured the key markets for men and women, and from a product positioning standpoint, they should have considerable potential for development. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang also distributed his own business card, a very simple white card with only the company name and his and Wen Chao''s numbers.


    They took it seriously and carefully put it away; who knows when it might come in handy.


    As soon as it was ten o''clock, leaders took their seats in turn and went to the stage to speak according to their rank.


    It could be summarized in a single sentence: Reflect on the past, strive in the present, look forward to the future.


    During this time, Lu Liang went on stage twice.


    Once was to represent the company to receive the Pioneer in Tax Contribution plaque; another time was to accept the honor certificate of Outstanding Young Entrepreneur.


    Each time Lu Liang went to the stage, the last row of the auditorium would erupt in a series of shutter sounds, creating a stark contrast with other business representatives or young talents.


    This was what they couldn''t envy, and they could even imagine that once Lu Liang''s photo was uploaded online after the event, it would create quite a stir.


    #Lu Liang himself appears in photo#


    There was no doubt that it would soar to the top of the trending search list; unless a major event occurred, it would stay there for several days.


    Indeed, just a few days ago, and even earlier, when Lu Liang''s high school and college graduation photos were revealed, they immediately topped the trending search list. Now, with the person himself appearing, it would undoubtedly be the same.


    Realizing these two events, many people had a sudden epiphany and understood why Lu Liang, who had always been reluctant to reveal himself, suddenly made an appearance.


    Because it was almost impossible to keep hiding, it was better to take the initiative and pierce through the mystery, at least to be prepared in advance on how to face public opinion without being caught off guard.


    The commendation meeting lasted until eleven-thirty, and Lu Liang followed everyone to the municipal government''s cafeteria for a meal of government provisions.


    Meanwhile, the news photos that were supposed to be uploaded at three o''clock in the afternoon were hurriedly processed by the municipal propaganda department and uploaded ahead of schedule.


    After half an hour''s fermentation, a photo of Lu Liang receiving an award spread from the official municipal website and strongly topped the hot search on the entire network.


    "???"


    "Fake, right?"


    "Lu Liang is so young?"


    "Didn''t they say he was very anxiously looking?"


    "His features are sharp, his gaze deep, giving off the vibe of a suit-and-tie gangster. Is this the Mr. Lu you were talking about?"


    "Xiao Chen really wasn''t just flattering; although he''s not as handsome as Daniel Wu, he has a special charm."


    "I''m almost embarrassed to break it to you guys, are you craving his body? Clearly, you''re coveting my husband''s money."


    Mr. Lu Liang''s award photo was exposed and sparked a nationwide debate, instantly turning Wang Xiaocong into "National Ex-Husband Brother."


    The official camera is known as the "demon-revealing mirror." High-definition cameras can show everyone''s true appearance, unretouched.


    Those who can withstand this scrutiny are not necessarily handsome or beautiful, but at the very least have symmetric features that are pleasant to look at. Not to mention, Mr. Lu looked quite handsome under the lens.


    At thirty-one, Mr. Lu was in his prime, a self-made billionaire owning tens of billions in assets and holding hundreds of billions in liquid capital.


    To keep calling Little Wang, a second-generation rich kid, the "National Heartthrob" just didn''t seem fitting anymore, a view unanimously agreed upon by countless girls.


    Last month Mr. Lu''s Weibo post suddenly turned into a national beauty contest, with female guests from all over the country sharing their own beautiful photos.


    Some saw the situation clearly: "Wake up, girls. The older generation may be impressive, but they''ve fought and struggled through hardships. Most are inherently indifferent. Don''t indulge in those unrealistic fantasies. Little Wang is more your type."


    Such sober comments were plenty, but no one seemed to take them to heart.


    Gradually, professing love to Mr. Lu became a trend, a battleground for all the beautiful internet celebrities to outshine each other.


    Meanwhile, in a small factory in the south,


    Lin Wenjing stared blankly at the photo. Ever since that incident, she couldn''t stay in her hometown.


    With mother and daughter safe, the relatives and friends who had come to support them ended up detained for three to fifteen days.


    The verbal abuse from their relatives was enough to drown them. They had no choice but to depart overnight with the whole family, fleeing their hometown.


    She couldn''t have imagined that Mr. Lu, whom she had lived with for three years, had become a tycoon?


    And all of this happened within just a year and a half after leaving her, practically starting from scratch.


    ...


    News of Mr. Lu appearing in person caused an uproar online, but the reaction offline was rather muted.


    There were quite a few people who knew Mr. Lu and had seen him, but they were only surprised that he had stepped from behind the scenes to the forefront. That was it.


    After all, as Mr. Lu''s business grew and he managed more assets, it was only a matter of time before he appeared in the public eye.


    At that moment, Wen Chao received a call from the Weibo operations director and relayed the message in Mr. Lu''s office, "Mr. Lu, Weibo is asking if you need help suppressing the heat on your trending topic?"


    Mr. Lu chuckled, "Thank them for their kindness, but there''s no need for now. Let it be lively for a while."


    The day after tomorrow, he had an interview with the Forbes editor scheduled, along with a cover shoot, which was bound to stir discussion again.


    Let the netizens make a fuss for this period. Once their curiosity is spent, they won''t pay excessive attention to him in the future.


    But things don''t always go as planned, and Mr. Lu''s careful plans couldn''t keep up with unforeseen changes.


    Late at night, sudden breaking news swept across the internet, overshadowing Mr. Lu''s trending topic - Wang Bao had released a divorce announcement, revealing his wife''s affair with her agent.


    In an instant, it had over a hundred thousand shares and a million comments.


    Finance was too distant for ordinary people; Mr. Lu was like a star out of reach. Although people paid attention, looking up for too long would make their necks sore.


    Although Mr. Lu was self-made, Wang Bao had a better public image, unpretentious and simple, like a mirror to countless people.


    Moreover, Wang Bao was more famous; the previous Xu Sanduo, Mr. Tree, Feng Yuxiu had made a deep impression in people''s hearts.


    Stepping back ten thousand steps, a wife cheating with an agent was explosive news when the husband himself disclosed it on Weibo.


    The eager gossips, Little Wang, called in no time: "Did you do this?"


    "Do you think I have nothing better to do than feed you gossip?" Mr. Lu replied curtly.


    The entertainment industry has always been known to shield itself with high-profile figures whenever a social hot topic emerges.


    Including himself, he also wanted to do so, but there was no need just yet as the Forbes interview hadn''t started.


    It wasn''t surprising that Little Wang would suspect him.


    "Really, it wasn''t you?"


    Little Wang was doubtful and at the same time excited.


    If it had nothing to do with Mr. Lu, he could just enjoy the show and make comments on the side.


    But what answered him was a dial tone.


    "Seems it truly wasn''t him."

 Chapter 213 - 212: Blessing Friends and Relatives

    "None of my business."


    Lu Liang sighed. That day, he had also received many calls and messages from relatives and friends inquiring about him.


    Even the class group, which had long been silent, reduced to a battlefield for Pinduoduo''s slash-a-thorn campaign, showed 99+ messages.


    Although the vocational college students from ten years ago had some value, if they hadn''t caught the wave of the times around 2007, they were pretty much the same as the current ones.


    At that time, those who were going to prosper already had, and those who hadn''t probably never would in this lifetime.


    Unexpectedly, the legendary concept of accumulating knowledge and experience over time happened to their class, and it was one of their classmates who exemplified it.


    With a fortune of several billions and control over hundreds of billions in liquid assets, there was no doubt that Lu Liang had become the most badass person they knew.


    "I remember Lu Liang once pursued Zheng Xiuqin, right?"


    "That was probably eleven years ago, I guess everyone has long forgotten about it."


    "Now, the only person who still has contact with Lu Liang is probably Liu Mingxuan."


    "Forget it¡ªhe''s gone home with his earnings and is now dealing with mini electric cookers. Anyone interested can get in touch."


    Liu Mingxuan suddenly chimed in, sharing a product link. He was instrumental in turning the class group into a battlefield for Pinduoduo''s slash-a-thorn campaign.


    "Mingxuan, our company is planning to hold an event for new and returning customers for Mid-Autumn Festival. Can we make a custom special order?"


    Big Huang, Huang Lihui, who had been notably generous at Liu Mingxuan''s wedding banquet, replied first. She messaged Lu Liang privately, apologizing for an earlier issue, but Lu Liang didn''t respond.


    The more Big Huang thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Although the chances were slim, what if Lu Liang was the type to hold grudges?


    A casual comment might result in her building materials company having no place in Modu.


    So, she thought of an indirect approach.


    Although Big Huang liked to show off, she wasn''t foolish. She knew well that men''s friendships are entirely different from women''s.


    Men''s friendships can be like marriage vows, weathering poverty or wealth, sickness or health, lasting decades without change.


    She figured she''d first get on good terms with Liu Mingxuan, so in case Lu Liang decided to settle accounts later, Liu Mingxuan could at least put in a good word for her.


    As soon as Liu Mingxuan received the message, he forwarded it to Lu Liang with the demeanor of a bystander: "Does this count as relatives and friends sharing their good fortune?"


    Big Huang''s Hongxin Building Materials wanted him to customize 3,000 electric cookers, as long as the purchase price didn''t exceed 30 yuan. There was only one condition: they had to create a new link, upload it to the online store, and price the product above 200 yuan.


    This kind of operation was actually quite common. Not long ago, he had negotiated a similar deal with a local telecom business.


    After all, as giveaways, the higher the price tag, the more prestigious it looked, and there were also kickbacks to be had from the purchases.


    Lu Liang chuckled, seeing right through Big Huang''s intentions, and said with a smile, "If you think there''s a profit to be made, just agree to it."


    Liu Mingxuan replied in a hurry, "Definitely profitable. The cost is only about 16 yuan each. Even if we make 3,000 units, the cost won''t exceed 20 yuan per piece with a new mold."


    "Not bad. A neat little profit indeed."


    Lu Liang''s face lit up with a smile and added, "Seems like you''re doing well in the e-commerce game. Send me your business card. I''ll be visiting the Industrial and Commercial Bank in a few days. They should have a similar event and will probably do me this favor."


    Liu Mingxuan sighed, "Feels a bit like cheating. I haven''t experienced any of the hardships of entrepreneurship at all. Why''s that?"


    Lu Liang, not amused, asked, "Do you want it or not?"


    After all, they had been friends for many years. Back in their school days, they were so poor they would share a single cigarette between them.


    He always kept Liu Mingxuan in mind, willing to help financially or through introductions, which Liu Mingxuan couldn''t possibly refuse.


    "Of course, I want it. Homegrown water shouldn''t flow into outsider''s fields, and we''re certainly not outsiders," Liu Mingxuan laughed.


    Giving a man a fish or teaching him how to fish¡ªhe was over thirty now, a father, not someone incapable of adapting.


    After all, when he had sold his house and saved millions in the bank back in his hometown, the bank manager had been exceptionally attentive.


    Considering Lu Liang had several hundred billion, Liu Mingxuan couldn''t even imagine how the bank holding those savings would repay him.


    This small request was nothing, less significant than a mosquito bite, so of course, it wouldn''t affect Lu Liang, and Liu Mingxuan naturally wouldn''t decline.


    "Should I say something to Big Huang?" Liu Mingxuan suddenly asked, bearing in mind the saying that one is beholden to those who give.


    "No need to say anything, just leave her be," Lu Liang replied. Although he didn''t care, he also wasn''t going to make a special effort to explain.


    He then saw messages from his parents who were thrilled, saying the village ancestral hall was planning to honor him with an inscription.


    He had heard rumors that being an outstanding young entrepreneur could be a stepping stone to the People''s Congress.


    Moreover, since Modu''s administrative status was much higher than that of an ordinary province-level division,


    Even if Lu Liang went elsewhere now, at the very least, he''d be guaranteed a position at the city-level People''s Congress.


    Rounded up, he''d be considered an official.


    Lu Liang just smiled, unsure of what to say, and simply asked if his parents needed more money, offering to transfer some to them.


    "No need, your mom and I are both old now, we have a car and a house, and practically no place to spend money on."


    Dad was beaming with pride; having a successful and wealthy son was a great honor for any parent.


    He then inquired about someone who had brought over an Audi a while back, wondering if it was at Lu Liang''s instigation.


    "Yes, that car was just sitting in the parking lot unused, so I thought my sister could drive it for a while."


    Lu Liang planned to let Lu Ya use it for a year or so, before sending it to the great parking lot in the sky, figuratively speaking.


    Probably it wouldn''t even cost ten thousand.


    "Very good, very good."


    Dad''s face was full of gratification. After chatting about some family matters, he hung up the phone.


    The next day, the divorce scandal involving Wang Bao continued to ferment.


    A male star, whose dirt couldn''t be dug up by either those closest to him or his agent, had become the entertainment industry''s ''White Lotus,'' with public opinion overwhelmingly sympathetic toward Wang Bao. As a result, Lu Liang was left unbothered.


    That day, Lu Liang had an exclusive interview with Forbes, which mainly focused on his investment criteria and decision-making process.


    As expected, OFO was dragged through the mud, given that the next day marked Dai Wei''s annual trip to the US, which was also rumored to be his return date.


    OFO often pulled various stunts due to deposit issues, and as a company with 19 million creditors, its prominence remained high, something Forbes was keen to capitalize on.


    So, they sent their ace reporter, Wang Chuting, a tall, Eurasian beauty, to conduct the exclusive interview.


    Wang Chuting, with a pleasant smile and her 1.2-meter-long legs having no place to rest, had to keep her knees tightly together and slightly offset to one side. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She glanced down at her interview script and smiled sweetly, "Mr. Lu, there''s been an ongoing discussion online saying if OFO''s success was an illusion of invincible capital power, then OFO''s collapse represents the shattering of that illusion. What do you think about this?"


    Lu Liang, who had cashed out at the market peak ahead of everyone else, likely had a unique perspective.


    He pondered for a moment, then answered with a nonchalant smile, "So many analyses, but not one has pointed out the real reason."


    "The demise of OFO ultimately boils down to inexperience on the part of its creators, the chief culprit being the veto power of a single vote."


    OFO had cooled off, and with Dai Wei probably not returning, Lu Liang didn''t mind revealing some insider information.


    OFO and Mobike started on an equal footing, and due to cost reasons, OFO even had an advantage over Mobike.


    Yet, one joined forces with Meituan and achieved success, while the other went to the US in search of answers and was due to return next month.


    This could all be traced back to Dai Wei''s stubbornness and arrogance.


    "When multiple people hold veto power, the seeds for a disastrous outcome were sown from the moment that decision was made."


    Lu Liang was all smiles, speaking freely as he fully embraced the benefit of hindsight.


    After all, he was the only investor to profit from OFO, cashing out at the peak.


    So, even his slightest remark was considered golden.


    "Indeed, a thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant burrow."


    Wang Chuting mused, her interview yielding far more than she had anticipated.


    After all, such details were generally known only to insiders, who were likely reluctant to speak out.


    Only Lu Liang, who had been an insider but now stood apart, could speak so candidly.


    Soon, the fifty-minute interview was over.


    "Mr. Lu, thank you for taking the time to do this exclusive interview with our magazine."


    Wang Chuting stood up, and even in her low-heeled flats, she was almost as tall as Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang chuckled and shook her hand, "Miss Wang is too kind. An exclusive interview with Forbes is something many people are eager for."


    As the world''s first magazine dedicated solely to business news, Forbes had created the marvel of building an empire with just one publication.


    Forbes was about to celebrate its centennial, with celebrities and elites from all over the world taking pride in being featured in its rankings.


    "Indeed, many individuals and organizations are eager, but I presume that doesn''t include you, Mr. Lu."


    Wang Chuting''s face carried a hint of resentment. Since last December, they had extended at least four interview requests to Lu Liang.


    Each time they were met with silence, and when he finally agreed to an interview, he gave his first exclusive to the city''s public relations team.


    "Miss Wang, your expression makes me feel as if I have done you some wrong," Lu Liang teased with a smile.


    Wang Chuting, charmingly annoyed, tucked her hair behind her ear, and coquettishly asked, "How does Mr. Lu plan to apologize, then?"


    "I''ve heard there''s a new French restaurant next to the International Financial Center that''s quite good. Do you have time this evening, Miss Wang?"


    Right or wrong was not the point,


    The key was having a good excuse.

 Chapter 214 - 213: Biting Lighters When Theres No Work

    "I''m flattered."


    Wang Chuting flashed a sweet smile and playfully winked.


    There is an old saying, "When one''s learning is complete, one''s talents can serve the emperor''s home." Perhaps today it can be modified to "When one''s learning in song and dance is complete, one''s talents can belong to the homes of the powerful."


    She started working at Forbes magazine right after university graduation, and for the past five years, she turned down many suitors, choosing to remain alone while waiting for an opportunity to climb the social ladder.


    The celebrities and politicians she interviewed before were either too old or too unattractive, but now, she felt the time had come.


    "Meet me at the restaurant on the 91st floor at 7 PM," Lu Liang said with a smile, watching as the interview crew left.


    He was about to head back to his office when he suddenly felt a resentful gaze behind him.


    Turning around, Lu Liang saw Chen Jinchun hastily tidying up her desk. He approached her and inquired, "Is something the matter?"


    Chen Jinchun appeared sheepish and stammered, "Mr. Lu, our team has hit a creative bottleneck recently."


    The company''s Douyin account had reached five million followers but struggled to grow further, and the viewership had severely declined in the past few days.


    In other words, there was no buzz.


    "So, what then?"


    "Mr. Lu, why don''t we do an exclusive interview with you?"


    Chen Jinchun grew more enthusiastic as she spoke. If Forbes could do it, so could they, and they''d make sure Lu Liang looked exceptionally charming.


    Lu Liang hesitated, sighed, and answered, "If there''s no buzz, hire a few more planners. If all else fails, bite on a lighter."


    Their company didn''t sell any products. Being featured in magazine interviews was one thing, but shooting videos daily was another matter.


    Perhaps when the new product launches and sales flop, that will be the time for him to show his face and attract traffic.


    Chen Jinchun frowned deeply, thoughtfully tapping her teeth with her fingernail, "A lighter shouldn''t be chewable, right?"


    Lu Liang felt a rush of frustration welling up in his chest, unable to help but ask,"How did you even get in here?"


    Chen Jinchun replied confusedly, "Mr. Lu, you were the one who hired me, don''t you remember?"


    "Go to Director Liu in HR and ask her to recruit a few more planners for brainstorming."


    Suddenly, Lu Liang smiled, his irritation dispelled. Having such a naive and sweet mascot in the company wasn''t too bad after all. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Alright then," Chen Jinchun said with a look of regret.


    Lu Liang chuckled, waved for Wen Chao, and instructed him to reserve the neighboring restaurant and book a room in the hotel upstairs.


    Back in his office, he reviewed the documents on his desk, tracking the development journey of Miha You and Little Red Potato.


    Cai Haoyu, a postgraduate from Shanghai Jiaotong University, received a startup fund of 100,000 US Dollars from the local government''s ''Chuying Plan'' in 2011.


    That same year, he co-founded Miha You with two classmates. Over the past five years, they had only secured one million in funding.


    With just that million, Miha You endured hardships until the creation of "Benghuai 1" and "Benghuai 2."


    "Benghuai 1" generated two million in revenue its first year, marking their first profit, but life remained challenging.


    However, the release of "Benghuai 2" coincided with the growth of mobile internet, and last year they saw a revenue of 154 million, entering a harvest period.


    In the gaming industry, once you make a name, money usually follows, and Miha You was no exception, though they had other plans.


    Cai Haoyu sought out Lu Liang with an idea similar to Zhang Chen''s from Mahua: they wanted to go public but were rejected by the Securities and Futures Commission.


    Mahua faced instability in revenue, while Miha You suffered from a lack of income diversity, with 90% of profits coming from a single product.


    They resolved to evolve beyond the Benghuai series, but currently, they faced a funding shortfall of 70 million.


    "190 million US Dollar valuation."


    Lu Liang realized that Miha You sought him out not just for funding but also to share the risks.


    "In the second half of the year, ''Benghuai 3'' was set to launch. Uncertain about its profitability, they planned to seek additional investors before the product''s launch to share the risks.


    If ''Benghuai 3'' failed to generate revenue and their market value plummeted, they would have enough capital to develop new projects, aiming for approval from the Securities and Futures Commission in the next year or the year after.


    Lu Liang put down the Miha You documents and picked up the Little Red Potato file. Compared to Miha You, fundraising for Little Red Potato had gone much more smoothly.


    It raised 3 million US dollars in an angel round from Zhenge Fund, and tens of millions of US dollars from Golden Sand River in Series A and B rounds.


    Valued at 380 million US dollars, in this Series C round they planned to release 20% of their equity for fundraising of 76 million US dollars.


    After some thought, Liang decided to invest in both companies; he had met Mao Wenchao and Cai Haoyu and had a few conversations with them.


    Both companies were mature, one targeting women''s wallets, the other men''s.


    There seemed to be promising prospects. Moreover, Liang trusted Zhu Hu''s judgment¡ªsince there was money to spare, why not follow along and give it a try?


    After finishing his work, Liang picked up his phone and saw a WeChat message from Wang Chuting, checking the transcription of his interview from the afternoon.


    Forbes worried he might be misinterpreted, so they sent him the final version to see if he wanted any changes.


    "Yes, just like that."


    Liang opened Wang Chuting''s social media profile and saw her three main hobbies beyond work: yoga, traveling, and photography.


    Legs that went on for miles, peachy round buttocks, tight yoga pants¡ªeach photo exuded a woman''s allure.


    Scrolling further back, Liang learned from her posts around the Spring Festival that her family hailed from a certain place in Yuzhang; although she had Western ancestry, the family photos showed purely native Chinese, missing a middle-aged male figure.


    Liang had Wen Chao contact the chief editor of Forbes on some pretext to obtain more detailed personal information about Wang Chuting.


    Born in 1990, her father''s name was not known; she had her mother''s surname and grew up in a single-parent family, excelling in academics from a young age, graduated from the Journalism department at Zhejiang University, and had multiple top-three-campus rankings in her major. During her university years, she had applied for a financial aid scholarship for impoverished students, and after graduation, she joined Forbes right after topping the written examination and had been working there since.


    A very hard-working and ambitious girl.


    Liang concluded that, while he had some free time, he should head next door to the International Financial Center mall and bought an expensive necklace.


    Although Li Manli was materialistic and not very intelligent, Wang Chuting was different, consistently a high achiever, and a top one at that.


    If the Forbes information was accurate, and she had been without a boyfriend during her university years and the five years since graduation, her intelligence was frightfully high.


    A man''s first time isn''t worth much, but a woman''s first time is very valuable¡ªif she chooses the right person at the right time, it could secure a life of comfort for the rest of her life.


    Like Su Wanyu, although Liang had recently always used work as an excuse not to see her, he still held a place for her in his heart, and if she graduated, he was willing to pave the way for her.


    At 6:30 in the evening, on the 91st floor of the International Financial Center,


    Wang Chuting arrived, clad in a light gauze white dress that revealed the beguiling collarbones and a subtle portion of her beautiful back.


    The dress had a long train, yet her stature was taller, a pair of Valentino pointy shoes peeking out from under the dress intermittently.


    Occasionally, with a larger movement, her pale ankles were exposed, prompting Liang to think of Li Manli''s interpretation of Japanese yukatas.


    The reason yukatas were designed that way, according to centuries-old Japanese belief, is that a woman''s mature allure was best represented by her fair neck and ankles.


    The thick and modest yukata, with a slightly larger movement from the wearer, would reveal these aspects, massively amplifying the visual impact.


    Although he wasn''t sure if it was just a bizarre superstition, now it seemed that the subtly exposed ankles indeed had a striking impact.


    "Miss Wang, you look truly beautiful this evening," Liang smiled as he approached the entrance, lending a hand to prevent her from falling.


    "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Lu," Wang Chuting smiled broadly and bowed slightly, glancing at the empty hall, her curiosity piqued.


    "Is it empty today?" she asked curiously, and Liang led her to a table by the window. "Perhaps business isn''t good tonight."


    Wang Chuting covered her mouth as she chuckled seductively and rolled her eyes playfully, "I heard that it''s difficult to get a place here. It must mean there''s an even more esteemed guest tonight."


    "Miss Wang, you really are conceited," Liang joked as he pulled out a chair for her to sit.


    It seemed only natural to then produce a transparently gleaming necklace: "It''s strange, really. I saw it just now in the mall downstairs, and from afar, it seemed as if it could speak, asking me to find its owner."

 Chapter 215 - 214: Tonight!

    "Mr. Lu, I can''t accept this..."


    Wang Chuting was stunned, unable to refuse in time before feeling the unique cold touch of metal against her neck.


    "Miss Wang, don''t move for now, be careful not to pull your hair. Let me put it on for you."


    Lu Liang wore a slight smile as he gently lifted her hair, careful not to touch the skin of her neck, and fastened the clasp of the necklace.


    He took a half-step back, inspecting her carefully, a look of admiration appearing on his face: "It seems it didn''t deceive me. There truly is a destiny that shapes our ends. Precious swords for heroes, beautiful jewels for lovely ladies."


    Her snow-white, flawless neck was adorned with a necklace of sapphires and platinum that complemented each other perfectly.


    Some people wear necklaces and make the necklace shine bright, while others wear necklaces and make themselves shine even brighter.


    Wang Chuting undoubtedly belonged to the latter. Even if nothing happened tonight, this necklace was still worth its price.


    Wang Chuting quickly said, "Mr. Lu, I appreciate your kindness, and I thank you, but I really can''t accept it."


    Lu Liang was too straightforward, which had already caught her off guard, but she didn''t want their relationship to progress so quickly.


    "Miss Wang, just keep it. It''s already bought, and it''s no use to me if you don''t want it."


    Lu Liang''s lips carried a smile, not stopping Wang Chuting from taking off the necklace but instead returning to his seat across from her.


    He picked up his wineglass and swirled the red wine inside: "If you take it off now, there probably won''t be another chance to wear it."


    These words conveyed two messages. First, he did not have a girlfriend, at least not in front of Wang Chuting. Second, it was literal: opportunities swiftly pass by, and once missed, they''re gone forever and won''t come again.


    It''s like fishing; you can bait the fish, but the bait must pay off. You can''t just feed them without getting a bite.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t be the one fishing; instead, the fish would be catching him.


    Lu Liang wasn''t patient. If he didn''t succeed at once, he would give up on this fishing spot, and he would not return in the future.


    Wang Chuting fell silent, catching the subtext, and ceased her movements, turning to look at the slightly reflective glass.


    She turned back with a smile, full of charm, her pale blue eyes expressing delight: "It''s really beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Lu."


    Although there had been a slip in her plans, she hadn''t anticipated that Lu Liang would be so forthright. However, she didn''t want to let this opportunity slip away, especially since she was already 26 years old.


    A girl''s prime is short.


    Wang Chuting wasn''t sure if she would have another chance to meet someone as fitting as Lu Liang.


    Wealthy and powerful, and most importantly, she found him easy on the eyes.


    "As long as you like it," Lu Liang responded with a casual smile, as if nothing had happened.


    He gestured, summoning a waiter who had been waiting at a distance: "Miss Wang, feel free to tell him any dietary restrictions you have."


    In a high-end restaurant, you dine on more than just the food and atmosphere, you enjoy the service. To avoid overhearing their conversation, the waiters stood far away, but they would immediately come over at a beckon.


    Wang Chuting gave a light smile: "I have quite the appetite; I''ve yet to come across something I can''t eat."


    "Girls still need to eat more. Many colleagues in our company eat only once a day, and it''s easy to get a stomach illness."


    Lu Liang smiled and had the waiter pour Wang Chuting a drink: "Then let the kitchen prepare. I don''t have any dietary restrictions either."


    Wang Chuting spoke with feigned distress: "Eating is joyous, but looking at the weight scale afterward doesn''t make me happy."


    "Eat more, move more, it will digest eventually" Lu Liang raised his glass, gazing out the window: "The night view of Modu is truly beautiful."


    From the 91st floor, without any obstructions in front, the Pujiang River could nearly be seen in its entirety, along with the bustling Bund on the opposite shore.


    "It is beautiful, but this beauty ultimately belongs to the few," Wang Chuting remarked, following his gaze, feeling reflective.


    Back in the day, when Bai Juyi first arrived in Chang''an, he did so as a scholar-official, akin to a county-level official of today; even he lamented the immensity of Chang''an, finding it hard to settle in.


    Let alone people from ordinary families like them. She had lived in this city for five years; no matter how splendid and bright the daytime was, each night she had to endure a subway ride of over an hour to the suburbs because the rent there was cheaper.


    Though her salary wasn''t low, over thirty thousand a month, she needed to save money to polish her appearance and to select a satisfactory groom.


    "This view is indeed one that belongs to the few. Once, I took seven years to measure every inch of this city on foot."


    Lu Liang took a sip of red wine and sincerely exclaimed, "But later I realized that the right choice often matters more than the right effort."


    He was just expressing his feelings on the spur of the moment, reminiscing about the days when he was running solo. But when Wang Chuting heard this, she took it as a hint, and after a long silence, she said, "The right choice does indeed matter more than effort."


    Lu Liang laughed wryly but didn''t explain, because he knew that this mixed-race girl in front of him had already made the right choice.


    As half a bottle of red wine was finished, more dishes appeared on the table, and the two of them also became more conversational.


    Wang Chuting was quick-witted and very intelligent, always able to find common topics with Lu Liang. Usually, he would lead the conversation, but tonight, he was outshone.


    It was undeniable that talking with her was very comfortable, allowing Lu Liang to realize that both her IQ and EQ were quite high.


    But then again, it should be so since Forbes, as one of the world''s top business magazines, interviews the titans of commerce.


    They absolutely would not allow a journalist to ask something as offensive and showing such low emotional intelligence as, "Really? I don''t believe it."


    Such remarks are less like conducting an interview and more like an interrogation, immediately trapping the interviewee into a situation where they must defend themselves.


    Those who say such things are either stupid or malicious.


    As the night deepened and two bottles of red wine were opened, Wang Chuting''s fair skin also started to blush.


    "Mr. Lu, I''m going to the restroom."


    She was about to stand up, and seeing that her balance was shifting, Lu Liang quickly stepped forward to support her, "Miss Wang, let me help you there."


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu," Wang Chuting said, her eyes blurry with intoxication, charming and seductive, standing in her high heels almost as tall as Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang supported her out of the restaurant and into the elevator. Technically, the restroom wasn''t in this direction, and a glint of sobriety flashed through Wang Chuting''s eyes, but she chose to remain silent.


    The elevator went straight to the 100th floor. The International Financial Center had a total of 101 floors, but the top floor was a helicopter pad, making the 100th floor somewhat unsuitable for living.


    Lu Liang had asked Wen Chao to book a room here in the afternoon. Right after he swiped the card to enter, he embraced Wang Chuting''s slender waist.


    The two were almost the same height, which allowed him for the first time to kiss without having to lower his head, and their bodies fitting together in every part was just perfect.


    Wang Chuting, with eyes closed, seemed to realize what was about to happen, suddenly lifted her leg, and used the heel of her high shoe to close the door.


    From then on, there were just the two of them in the space.


    As Lu Liang grew unsatisfied with only kisses through clothing, a hint of panic appeared in Wang Chuting''s eyes, and she almost voiced out from her throat, "Mr. Lu, maybe I should take a shower first."


    She knew that this moment would come sooner or later, but she didn''t expect it to come faster than she anticipated, as if on 64x speed, tonight.


    Lu Liang pursed his lips, still tasting the scent of lipstick, smiled, and said softly, "Go ahead."


    His kissing lacked finesse, strikingly different from the witty Wang Chuting he knew just moments before, and he became more forgiving.


    Wang Chuting, with flushed cheeks, hurried into the bathroom, and just as she breathed a sigh of relief,


    Suddenly a crisp sound came, like a switch being flipped, and the obscured walls of the bathroom suddenly became clear.


    She saw Lu Liang sitting on the sofa, taking out another bottle of beer from the fridge, and waving at her.


    Lu Liang had just discovered this feature as well, enjoying a beer while watching a beauty bathe, quite a surprise.


    Wang Chuting felt both ashamed and angry, but she was helpless and could only glare fiercely, venting her dissatisfaction.


    "Since I''m already here," "the child is still young," "it''s the opening of the year," "it''s not easy for anyone." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    One by one, these phrases popped into her mind as her clothes were being removed piece by piece.


    First was the gossamer white dress, leaving her with only one garment.


    Because her dress didn''t require it, she mostly used pasties.


    Wang Chuting covered her chest with one arm, standing in Valentino high heels, with likely longer than 1.2-meter legs.


    Lu Liang watched intently at her perfect figure, reminiscent of Venus, lingering on the moment, but still turned off the glass switch.


    Too much was as bad as not enough, and too much offense wouldn''t be good, especially since Wang Chuting was resistant.


    Suddenly the glass fogged over again, and Wang Chuting was surprised to hear Lu Liang''s voice from outside, "Miss Wang, I''m going to use another bathroom to freshen up."


    Upon hearing this, Wang Chuting''s eyes gradually softened, and she muttered softly, "Not too bad, he''s not that malicious."

 Chapter 216 - 215: No Great Generals in Shu, Lu Liang Leads the Vanguard

    During that time, Wang Chuting was constantly keeping an eye on the glass wall, fearful that it might suddenly become clear again. Her heart pounded with trepidation until she finally let out a sigh of relief at the end of her shower.


    She had stayed in the bathroom for quite a long time, probably about half an hour. Had it not been for the occasional sound of the hair dryer, Lu Liang might have considered checking on her.


    Twenty minutes earlier, he had finished his grooming in another room and waited, and waited some more, until the buzz from the wine hit him, and his amorous mood nearly completely waned.


    Not until the bathroom''s sliding door opened, and a pair of sexy, enticing legs stepped out, the height alone definitely exceeding 175 cm.


    The bathrobe was nearly worn by Wang Chuting as a short, connected dress, with her knees teasingly visible now and then. Her fluffy hair cascaded over her face, and with light makeup reapplied, her already delicate features appeared more sculpted.


    Lu Liang''s eyes lit up at the sight, suddenly feeling that the wait was worth it. He patted the spot beside him gently.


    Wang Chuting gracefully made her way over and sat next to Lu Liang, her long, restless legs instinctively pressing close and shifting to the side.


    Lu Liang reached out and circled her slim waist, his fingertips gliding over the flat stomach. Wang Chuting let out a soft moan, her complexion becoming increasingly coquettish.


    Although she was a mixed-race beauty, she did not have the coarse pores typical of Westerners, and her skin was soft and delicate, without any hint of body odor.


    Lu Liang''s smile grew as his hand slowly moved lower, surprise flickering in his eyes. It was fine and soft, scarcely there, reminding him irresistibly of Little Yang.


    He had heard that she had settled down in Tianfu and, as she had wished, opened a boutique coffee shop. Lu Liang had seen her Weibo, which seemed to be located at the starting point of the 318 route into Tibet.


    Rumor had it that the caf¨¦ was doing well, already becoming a beautiful new sight along the 318 route.


    Wang Chuting had an orchid''s elegance and a delicate heart. She was observant and perceptive. Though inexperienced, at this moment, for Lu Liang''s mind to wander suggested he was probably thinking of another girl.


    She felt both shy and angry, and filled with indignation, suddenly straddling his lap, sitting atop and glaring down at him, biting down hard on her lip.


    Lu Liang, surprised, let his palm rest on her thigh, finally seizing the plump clove of garlic and demonstrating his skill to lead and teach the uninitiated.


    Young men liked mature women because they were unskilled; older men favored young girls to pass on their skills in a legacy of knowledge.


    At this moment, that''s exactly what Lu Liang was doing with Wang Chuting.


    Wang Chuting, panting lightly, suddenly realized that they were entering the fray bare, and with a hurtful gasp... she collapsed, limp and powerless, onto Lu Liang''s shoulder.


    She bit his ear fiercely, threatening, "If you ever dare to treat me badly in the future, be careful¡ªI might hex you."


    "What counts as treating you badly?" Lu Liang asked with a smirk, suddenly remembering something from her file¡ªWang Chuting seemed to be not of Han ethnicity.


    "I haven''t decided yet, the final interpretation is mine," Wang Chuting huffed, her forehead beginning to bead with sweat.


    "Then we''ll talk when you''ve made up your mind," Lu Liang said with a wicked smile, embracing his belle and moving the battle to the bedroom.


    Inexperienced, without a clue, it was hard for him.


    ...


    Early in the morning, Lu Liang was awakened by the vibration of his phone. Opening his eyes, he saw the long legs, bare, straight, and slender, with the soft morning sunlight filtering through the curtains casting a golden glow on them, as if adorned with golden stockings.


    The visual impact was indescribable, the faint palm prints littered across her legs spoke volumes of Lu Liang''s affections.


    He admired them quietly for a moment, then picked up his phone, walked out of the bedroom, and into the living room bar to light incense and taste tea.


    Hu Weiwei had just called him. Lu Liang called her back and learned that Wang Xiaofeng had arrived in Beijing and was ready to start preparing the company''s basic personnel structure.


    It could all be summed up in one phrase: he needed money.


    The $20 million was the research and development funding Lu Liang had provided for Li Jiahui''s team, and there wasn''t a penny left in the company''s account.


    When it was just her alone, it didn''t matter much; even if they had to squat in a Huaqing University office, it was doable.


    Now that Wang Xiaofeng had come, even though the company had no products yet, they still needed to complete the basic personnel structure.


    Lu Liang laughed wryly, "How much do you need?"


    After a moment''s hesitation, Hu Weiwei said, "How about $15 million?"


    Apart from the R&D projects, the largest current expenditure for Tianxing Technology was her and Wang Xiaofeng''s salaries.


    Together, the two of them had an annual salary of about ten million. Before any products were launched, five million should suffice for one year.


    When Lu Liang called Tang Caide to check on the financial status, he learned that Tianxing Investment had $235 million in liquid assets in its account.


    After some contemplation, she wired 80 million US dollars to the public account of Tianxing Technology to make up the one hundred million dollars.


    After all, Tianxing Investment and Tianxing Technology were wholly owned by Lu Liang, meaning it was his one-man show.


    NIO and Li Xiang had initial capital of one hundred million dollars, so if others had it, they should too.


    "Mr. Lu, might that be too much?" Hu Weiwei was astonished; they had so much money but seemingly nowhere to spend it.


    A whole 80 million US dollars, if lent out as foreign currency loans, would bring in at least an 8% yield annually.


    "It''s not too much."


    Lu Liang walked out to the balcony, puffing smoke into the air as he looked southward, "Tesla''s new Model 3 is launching next month. If Tesla''s vehicular system becomes established, then it''ll be the next iOS."


    Tesla''s biggest current problem was insufficient production capacity. However, construction was underway for the first phase of their giant Modu factory.


    Expected to be completed around next September, even just the first phase would enable 50,000 cars to roll off the line each month.


    There was also support from Modu''s municipal government and various national funds for new energy industry projects. The runway was cleared; just waiting for Tesla to increase production capacity and then truly take off.


    Once no domestic competitor could stand against it, Tesla would become the next Apple.


    Like half a year ago, with the sudden advent of the era of short videos, seeing OPPO about to seize this sky-opening fortune, all major mobile manufacturers rushed to bring out their most precious products, with Xiaomi even unveiling its full-screen phone.


    All willing to suffer major losses to hinder an enemy, better to sustain a small loss than to let OPPO shine alone.


    The same principle applied to the automotive industry. Although BYD had stepped up, BYD''s car system was truly indescribable, perhaps due to product positioning, they simply didn''t focus much on it. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The old forces were still watching and waiting. Though spurred by policies, sales figures didn''t lie¡ªJapanese joint venture cars and other traditional fuel vehicles still dominated the market.


    Earning money just by lying in the glory book¡ªwhy bother with the exhausting effort of developing new models? Just update a few old models, put in a minimal effort, and call it a day.


    Though the new car-making forces were spirited, they were still playing with concept cars, hearts full but hands tied.


    Thus, with no great generals in Shu, after much reflection, Lu Liang decided to be the Liao Hua.


    They could hold off on making cars, but the car system had to be introduced to give consumers a choice in the market.


    A fiery passion seemed to burn in Hu Weiwei''s chest. Having spent ten years as an automotive journalist, she understood the importance of seizing the initiative. She said solemnly, "I''ll do my best to hurry Li Jiahui and the others."


    "Don''t rush them; this matter can''t be hurried nor can it be pressed," Lu Liang mused, suddenly revealing a nonchalant smile.


    He informed Hu Weiwei that he was going to take a trip to Beijing in the next few days, planning to meet with his new friend, Old Li from Baidu.


    If it''s money they need, they''ll have money. With so many internet giants and talents available, he refused to believe they couldn''t outdo Tesla.


    Hu Weiwei remained silent, and after a long pause, she asked, "Mr. Lu, can new energy vehicles really replace fuel cars?"


    Although the concept of new energy was surging high, data did not lie¡ªthe second quarter shipments stood at 97,000 units.


    Not to mention the three big Japanese mother models¡ªLeiling, Xuanyi, and Corolla, the market''s bestselling heavyweights.


    Even BMW''s X5 luxury model alone outsold the entire new energy market in the second quarter.


    This harsh statistic cast a shadow over the heart of every industry professional; they had no choice but to confront it.


    Even Li Bing often contacted her, beating around the bush, to hear Lu Liang''s opinions through her.


    The future seemed dark, giving way to despair.


    Every midnight was fraught with sleeplessness, her mind racing ceaselessly.


    Had they made the right choice, or the wrong one?


    Did their current efforts mean anything at all?


    "Fuel cars won''t be replaced; consumers will simply have an additional choice," Lu Liang said with utmost conviction. In five years, Ningde, with a market value of a trillion dollars, would be the best proof.


    Currently valued at 35 billion yuan, Ningde Era was expected to go public next year, with an eventual valuation around 50 billion yuan.


    With a battery supplier alone holding such high market value, the new energy market could only grow more prosperous and thriving.

 Chapter 217 - 216: Short Selling the Dow

    Seeing Lu Liang end the conversation, Wang Chuting wrapped herself in a bathrobe, gracefully walked over with bare feet, her posture dignified.


    She quietly sat next to Lu Liang, picked up the lighter and cigarette from the table, lit one, and exhaled a plume of smoke, "The smell of this cigarette is too strong and harsh, but the lighter is nice."


    Wang Chuting recognized the English words "Forever Love" which means eternal love. The elegant and forceful script on the back read ''Smoke less often,'' likely the handwriting of a girl.


    "What do you usually like to smoke?"


    Lu Liang merely smiled lightly without much explanation.


    This lighter had been a gift from Su Wanyu; it was also the first gift he had received in the past seven or eight years.


    He had always cherished it and carried it with him.


    "Probably explode-beads, but you probably don''t like smoking."


    Wang Chuting inhaled sharply, coughing repeatedly, seemingly aggravating a pain as her eyebrows lightly furrowed.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle softly, finally taking away the cigarette she held between her fingers, "If you can''t smoke properly, smoke less¡ªor better yet, don''t smoke at all."


    He had started smoking in college, and over the past decade or so, it had become a bad habit; without a cigarette, he probably wouldn''t even be able to use the bathroom.


    But apart from contributing to the "military expenses," smoking had no benefits, so he had been trying to cut down his intake, gradually going from three packs every two days to one pack.


    Lu Liang could tell that Wang Chuting did smoke, but wasn''t proficient¡ªeither she had just learned recently or she wanted to find some common ground with him.


    "Try your best."


    Wang Chuting gave a faint smile and glanced at the time on the wall, "Mr. Lu, please rest easy; I need to go to work now."


    Lu Liang was surprised, "You have to go today?"


    "I only took a half-day off. I have an interview this afternoon with Mr. Li from NIO about his views on you."


    Wang Chuting pulled a white blouse and a business skirt from her bag, quickly dressing herself back into a bright and beautiful urban lady.


    "That''s not what I meant," Lu Liang looked at the couch and carpet, spotting a few drops of deep red, guessing the security deposit was probably gone.


    "What could be the problem?"


    Wang Chuting glared playfully, feeling a bit strange and uncomfortable, but otherwise okay.


    Moreover, she had changed her plan last minute, which gave Lu Liang the space, yet it still maintained an air of tantalizing mystery.


    If she had stayed the night, it would''ve been like being a clingy leech always bothering Lu Liang, something she couldn''t bring herself to do.


    She had her own plans. Since she couldn''t marry into a wealthy family, she would use her relationship with Lu Liang to make herself into one.


    "I''ve booked the room for three days; your clothes can stay here. Come and get them after you''re done."


    Wang Chuting suddenly stopped, "Will you be here then?"


    "I won''t be here; I''ve got things to do; I have to visit Beijing afterward."


    "So, will we still keep in touch?"


    A fleeting look of worry crossed Wang Chuting''s eyes; her plans all hinged on the hope that Lu Liang wouldn''t be the type to leave without a word after getting what he wanted. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If she got nothing out of this, it would all be for naught.


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Miss Wang, do you want me to keep in touch, or not?"


    Embarrassed and angry, Wang Chuting regretted her decisions, fully realizing that Lu Liang was just a scoundrel¡ªa man who wouldn''t bite unless hooked, and once hooked, she couldn''t do anything but let him have his way.


    With a smile still playing at the corners of his mouth, Lu Liang approached Wang Chuting, gently caressed her cheek, and kissed her lips, "Let''s have dinner together another time."


    Wang Chuting, with haughty pride, turned her head with a few cold snorts as a way to express her dissatisfaction.


    However, before leaving, she suddenly stole a kiss on Lu Liang''s cheek, cheerfully waving her hand, "Mr. Lu, goodbye."


    Fishing requires a balance between tension and slack,


    but when fishing for Lu Liang, this docile mule,


    one can only keep it tight, very slack.


    Lu Liang laughed heartily, feeling great as he entered the company''s trading room. After resting for about a month, this month, the three funds had an average increase of less than 3%.


    It was time for Tianxing Fund to set sail once again and provide some explanation for the new and old friends of the three funds.


    This time, Lu Liang set his sights on the Wall Street bastion, the Dow Jones Industrial Average.


    [September 1, Dow at 18370.33]


    Although over 18,000 points on the Dow Jones Index was six times that of Big A, it was indeed the number after a crash.


    As of last night, the Dow closed at 19430.16 points, assuming entry now would yield a profit from a decline of 1059.83 points.


    After all, the Dow is not Big A. For Big A, just focusing on declines is enough, but the Dow had many factors to consider, and a decline of over 3% was considered significant.


    Especially since this decline exceeded 5%.


    "How did it fall?"


    Lu Liang had Sun Yutao and others prepare to short the Dow while he sat at his trading desk, browsing international news.


    Although the Dow''s market was large enough to accommodate even $50 billion multiplied by ten times, without understanding the cause of the major decline, he couldn''t be confident.


    "Businessman, did Kling''s wife get knocked off?"


    Lu Liang looked perplexed as he focused on the United States elections.


    In a sense, US stocks served as a financial weathervane for global stock markets; if they fell 5%, markets like Big A, Nikkei, and Hang Seng would plummet even more violently.


    Recently, the only significant event in US politics seemed like this, and with precedents not lacking, Lu Liang''s wild guess wasn''t unfounded.


    Soon, Lu Liang discarded the political factors because the next phase of the race for the White House would not start until the end of September.


    If setting aside political factors, the only thing that could cause such a sudden and dramatic drop in the Dow Jones Index, over 5%, was the economic factor.


    A piece of news caught his eye.


    Since the financial crisis of 2008, the Federal Reserve had implemented a quantitative easing policy lasting eight years.


    By pegging the world to the US Dollar, it forcibly drove up global asset prices, making other countries pay for the financial crisis.


    Starting this year, the Federal Reserve began to reduce its balance sheet, with the ten-year Treasury yield rising from 2.16% to 2.86% within six months, and breaking a 30-year downtrend.


    "Could this be the reason?"


    Lu Liang furrowed his brow, feeling that this was indeed the reason, though it was hard to tell from just one aspect.


    But crucially, he had received another piece of news two days earlier about the domestic real estate market, which he wasn''t interested in and had ignored at the time.


    [September 4, major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen implement credit and purchase limits...]


    As someone who had been in real estate for seven years, Lu Liang knew exactly what this policy meant.


    Unless there was a surprise, the release of the new policy would lead to long queues at the Ministry of Civil Affairs'' marriage registration offices.


    But not for marriages, rather for divorces.


    Fake divorces for real house purchases, something Lu Liang had seen too often; real estate prices in major cities would face another surge.


    Because purchase and credit limits indicated a heated market sentiment, the more restrictions imposed, the more people believed that house prices would continue to rise.


    Thus, further driving up property prices.


    Combining the two pieces of news, Lu Liang pondered for a long time, roughly guessing the intentions of the nation.


    Rather than being dominated by the US Dollar hegemony, leading to a significant decline in purchasing power, it was better to be dominated by the real estate market, where at least the assets remained in play.

 Chapter 218 - 217: Who Killed ofo?

    Throughout the entire day, Lu Liang was busy gathering evidence and conducting investigations, deducing processes from the known outcomes.


    As some often say, he strikes wherever he points.


    In reality, it''s the opposite; he points wherever he strikes.


    He first identifies the outcome, then deduces the process from that outcome, arranges the causes and consequences, and ultimately strives to maximize benefits.


    With less capital in the past, he could afford to charge in recklessly, but with a significant amount of funds now, he has no choice but to proceed this way.


    In the end, Lu Liang set his sights on the nonfarm payroll and unemployment rate data to be announced at the end of August.


    These two sets of data could be the fuse for the Dow''s big fall; if that were the case, they had only three days left.


    During these days, Lu Liang, accompanied by Sun Yutao, Wen Chao, and others, visited major investment banks such as Citibank, HSBC, and State Street throughout Modu.


    He planned to use four billion dollars to short the Dow, and another one billion dollars to buy London Gold with a five-times leverage.


    It''s an ironclad rule: when the stock market plummets, gold soars.


    Moreover, it was the plummet of US stocks, known as the financial lighthouse, that drove even more capital to seek refuge in the London gold market, further driving up the price of gold.


    With more and more funds at his disposal, Lu Liang could also execute multiple strategies; shorting the Dow was a steady profit, while going long on gold came with high risk and high reward.


    Because he only knew the lowest point of the Dow, but not the highest point of gold.


    The London gold market''s trends could only be determined by his judgment, so he did not dare to engage too much capital with increased leverage.


    He just wanted to make a bit of profit on the side and then make a quick exit.


    While Lu Liang was busy with his preparatory work, two not-so-big but not-so-small things happened on the internet over the past few days.


    The one-month deadline had passed; Dai Wei had not returned, claiming to be still seeking investment, but it was almost certain he had fled.


    Consequently, a bunch of suppliers sued Mobike, and Dai Wei was listed as a discredited individual.


    However, it was of no use; Mobike disclosed its assets, with just over a million in company funds.


    Whoever wanted it could come and take it.


    But if anyone took it and walked away, over a million shared bicycles would be left unmanaged, and the website would be left inoperative, ensuring complete and utter failure.


    A company that''s given up has nothing to fear, as the current vice president merely collects a monthly salary and acts as a monk for a day, ringing the bell for one day''s service.


    The suppliers were indignant but powerless; the larger suppliers even had to help Mobike by persuading the smaller ones not to take the money.


    Taking it would mean Mobike''s bankruptcy would turn into a bad debt.


    By not taking it, at least it was considered a non-performing loan, tiny as the chance of recovery might be, but there was still some hope.


    After all, there were still over a million bicycles.


    As the news spread, over 18 million creditors berated Mobike online once again, along with Dai Wei and his family.


    This gave Weibo quite a shock; they could only forcibly push the hot topic of Wang Bao''s divorce to try to cover up Dai Wei''s news.


    However, Forbes decisively kept the news hot by publishing Lu Liang''s interview "Who Killed Mobike?"


    "This is a case about a single veto right..."


    Through Lu Liang''s account, netizens learned why the once-powerful Mobike collapsed almost overnight.


    During round A funding, Golden Sand River became Mobike''s strategic investor and acquired veto power in the boardroom.


    In round B funding, DiDi also became a strategic investor, gaining veto power as well.


    Including Dai Wei, the company now had three veto powers, but Mobike was still not satisfied.


    During round C funding, they introduced Jingwei Capital, birth to the fourth veto right.


    If the company had been progressing smoothly, with each capital institution counterbalancing the other, Dai Wei would still have been Mobike''s helmsman.


    But when Meituan made a strong bid to take over Mobike, and someone, unwittingly revealed Lu Liang''s high-level cash-out news,


    Mobike had no choice but to bring in Ali, who took over Golden Sand River''s shares and wanted to parachute into the management team. Dai Wei disagreed, so the four veto rights started being used in turn.


    Ali wanted to bring in Softbank, and the originally agreed five hundred million dollar investment was dragged on until it disappeared.


    "Damn, did Dai Wei think he was Emperor Wu of Han, playing around with Enfeoffment Decrees? He really should check out what the United Nations is like."


    "I''ve never done business and even I know companies should avoid having two kings; they ended up with four suns."


    "Heh¡ªWith decisions like that, Mobike deserved to die."


    "Am I the only one who thinks Lu Liang looks even more handsome and youthful than his official photo on the market announcement website?"


    "Stop dreaming. No matter how handsome he is, can you eat that? Or can it help me get my 199 yuan deposit back?"


    "At this point, what can we do? We might as well look forward to Lu Liang''s public fund offering."


    "Don''t you know that public and private funds can''t coexist? Do you have any idea how long the cycle of Tianxing No. 3 is? Three years, by then the flowers will have wilted."


    Seeing public opinion shifting, the operation department of Weibo decisively chose to harm both sides less, opting for the lesser of two evils.


    Dai Family is truly someone you can''t afford to provoke, so they have to apologize to Lu Liang first, and help him look for juicy scandals in the entertainment industry that could be released to deflect public attention from him.


    These past few days, they''ve been very nervous, worrying about receiving an accountability call from Lu Liang.


    However, Lu Liang seemed unaware, as online public opinion smoothed out over the first few days.


    It wasn''t until the divorce incident of Wang Bao reignited and Ma Song began to stir trouble that the focus of public opinion shifted away from Lu Liang.


    "Thanks to Wang Bao and Ma Song."


    The Weibo operations department would have liked nothing more than to erect a monument for them, and they certainly turned up the heat on the Wang Bao divorce incident.


    After all, it''s best to stick to the entertainment industry when it comes to chatter, to avoid getting involved in more complex issues that they couldn''t handle.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang adjusted to the time difference and adopted a nocturnal lifestyle to prepare for short selling the Dow.


    "Is it failing to break through the 20,000-point barrier?"


    That night, he entered the adjacent trading room and looked at the three major stock indices displayed on the wall, which were Dow Jones, S&P 500, and NASDAQ.


    Although their significance and status are worlds apart, if pushed, you could find their counterparts in China.


    They are the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and Growth Enterprise Market Index.


    The Nasdaq corresponds to China''s Growth Enterprise Market, but with relatively low listing requirements, no mandatory profit goals, only the need to meet one of the conditions like net profit, total market value, or net assets to list.


    Companies like Panda, NIO, and Li Xiang, and even the nearly defunct Mobike, would probably choose the Nasdaq if they met one of the criteria.


    However, while the Nasdaq''s pre-listing requirements are lenient, there''s a strict set of standards to follow after listing, unlike Big A, where being listed is pretty much like holding a secure job.


    Nasdaq-listed companies have to maintain an opening price above 4 US dollars for 90 days, afterwards, the price must not drop below 1 dollar, or they risk being downgraded or delisted.


    On the other hand, meeting these standards can propel them to the global market, making them visible to more people and institutions, and financing becomes much simpler.


    By short selling Dow Jones, in a way, Lu Liang was short selling the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index of the United States. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the world''s largest and self-proclaimed freest market, short selling futures has indeed become a specialized project.


    Forking out only one-thousandth of a percent in stamp duty for a single trade from forty billion dollars, with no other charges thereafter.


    "Base it on the Dow, and when there''s an attempt to break through the 20,000-point mark, place short sell orders on the index while going long on London Gold."


    Lu Liang looked relaxed and leisurely, munching on a pineapple bun and sipping soy milk, having long lost the initial feeling of tension.


    After a year of team coordination, his crew operated with ease, and he just had to steer the ship.


    It probably wouldn''t take long for Lu Liang to step back and, transforming his private fund into a public one, to retire from the private sector and move into public funding.


    If public and private funds can''t coexist, then don''t make them.


    There''s no reason why he couldn''t support a puppet to take the lead, with the private side focusing on overseas and the public side on domestic.


    By 9:30 at night, the US stock market opened, with the three main indexes showing a slight increase ranging from 0.14% to 0.22%.


    The Dow was at 19,850 points, and since the implementation of the quantitative easing policy in ''08, it had been setting new historic highs almost every month.


    In six years, from a low of 6,469 points, it rose to almost 20,000 points today, more than tripling.


    This reminded Lu Liang of a trip to Macau with Little Wang earlier in the year. He remembered a blackjack table that went on a streak of ten in favor of the dealer.


    He heard from the casino gamblers that there was a professional term for this pattern, called "chasing the dragon."


    Lu Liang saw many gamblers start by betting 1,000, then 2,000 for the second round, followed by 4,000 for the third.


    If they kept doubling like this for ten rounds, 1,000 would turn into 1.024 million by the tenth round.


    But by the third or fourth round, they began to bet less and less until the dealer didn''t win anymore, referred to as "cutting the dragon."


    The stock market worked similarly, as fear of heights is human nature.


    Such rapid growth had accumulated a large pool of profits, and the market''s expectation for continuous rises was too high.


    As soon as any unfavorable news appeared, it could shake investor confidence, potentially triggering massive sell-offs.


    And thus, a flash crash could occur.

 Chapter 219 - 218: Good for the Economy, But Not for Capital

    The long night dragged on, and Lu Liang had no idea when the United States'' non-farm employment data and unemployment rate would be released.


    Bored out of his mind, Lu Liang was about to open Twitter when he suddenly remembered how he got banned last time¡ªhe had sworn never to use it again or else consider himself a dog.


    With no choice but to give up cheerfully, Wen Chao was helping to keep an eye on the Labor Bureau''s statistics anyway, so as soon as there was an update, he would be informed immediately.


    Lu Liang was happy to enjoy some leisure time by logging onto domestic forums to see what was happening in various industries.


    Autumn was approaching, and with the harvest season of "golden September and silver October," there would be spending for harvests, and all sides of the auto industry were eagerly stirring.


    Li Xiang fired off the first shot in the new energy vehicle market for September by announcing plans to host a launch event for the Li Xiang ONE on September 5.


    Closely following were Yangcheng''s Xiao Peng G3, then Tesla''s Mao Dou 3, and then the second model of the BYD Dynasty Series named "Song."


    Just as Li Bing had predicted, this model was a compact family SUV, with plug-in hybrid and pure electric versions pre-selling for over 200,000 yuan.


    Even the old forces were beginning to make their move¡ªnot the traditional powerhouses like Beiqi, FAW, and SAIC, but Wuling Automobile, known as the king of minibuses.


    Six years ago, as soon as the Wuling Hongguang was launched, it was hailed as the "Earth Light" and was acclaimed by Forbes and other magazines as a supercar that would go down in history.


    Living up to its reputation, the Earth Light had maintained more than 4 million units on the domestic market after six years of sales, consistently ranking in the top three in terms of domestic car sales and having exported nearly 1.5 million units to Asia, Africa, and Latin America, gaining international acclaim.


    This time, they were rolling out something big: they were about to release a new pure electric sedan called the Hongguang Mini.


    The price was yet to be announced, but the first digit was revealed to be 2¡ªbut clearly not 200,000 yuan, as a standard Hongguang sold for just 50,000 to 70,000 yuan. Looking at the shape, it looked like a shrunken version of the Hongguang without the trunk, resembling a chopped chili fish head.


    The price of this new car would be just over 20,000 yuan.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh to himself, "Luo''s phrase has been stolen; this is really making ''friends'' on a true sense."


    He pondered for a bit and quickly realized the reason behind it¡ªa car that costs just over 20,000 yuan could only bring in very limited profit.


    An electric bike from Yadi costs thousands of yuan; wrapping an actual car in sheet metal that can go on the road, even if it''s self-produced and sales costs are minimized, the overall cost can''t be too low. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He guessed it was for the end-of-year new energy credit accounting and regional subsidies. With such high sales volumes, the carbon credits generated by Wuling would be astronomically high.


    Though the new energy credits were not yet being bought and sold, the market price was around 2,400 yuan per credit.


    Assuming the Hongguang''s 1.2L engine as a standard, exceeding the national allocation of carbon credits, they would need about 1.8 credits to offset each car sold, which means 4,560 yuan.


    Since the Earth Light was a volume seller, having to buy new energy credits from other car manufacturers would be like working for them.


    Better to try launching their own model.


    After all, it''s called the Hongguang Mini; it''s just a matter of reducing sizes in various aspects, which is not a big deal. If it''s a hit, they''d earn a fortune; if it flops, they wouldn''t lose much.


    "I really want to get one to drive."


    Lu Liang stroked his chin, feeling a kind of excitement he never had even for top-tier sports cars.


    Although he knew that with this design, it probably wouldn''t be fast, and it might not be highway-legal, it was like a big toy.


    It could compensate for every man''s childhood dream of a drivable toy car¡ªwhat a pity there isn''t a convertible version, which would be even more exceptional.


    Lu Liang continued surfing the internet and eating melon seeds, also following up on the later developments of the Wang Bao incident, and couldn''t help but sigh at how tragic it was, almost losing everything, and still not knowing whether the child was his.


    He felt fortunate that because of the pressure from the mortgage, he hadn''t decided to have children so early. Otherwise, having a child as a tie, he probably would be in a mess that could not easily be resolved.


    While he was engrossed in the online gossip, close to ten o''clock at night, Wen Chao rushed in to inform, "Mr. Lu, the US Labor Bureau has published the non-farm data and unemployment rate for the second quarter."


    The number of non-farm jobs in August increased by 228,000, ?far exceeding the expected 190,000 and ?growing by 18.4% year-over-year.


    The society''s unemployment rate had dropped significantly, from 4.8% at the beginning of the year to 4.1%, ?which also indicated the labor market''s improvement and the economy''s growth.


    Without a doubt, both sets of data were good news for the US Dollar, showing that the American economy was very healthy, especially in the labor market.


    Wen Chao couldn''t help but feel concerned; they were shorting the Dow, and this was clearly huge positive news.


    "It''s a positive sign, but it depends on the market."


    Lu Liang slowly shook his head and gave a mysterious smile.


    But a thriving economy does not necessarily benefit capital.


    Because the capital economy has created a term called ''appropriate unemployment,'' which aims to facilitate resource allocation, stimulate labor enthusiasm, and enhance corporate vitality. The control over population production, rational migration, and the adjustment of education policies will all have positive impacts.


    They make it sound as if unemployment is something favorable, but the truth is, if everyone has a job, how could there be a scarce commodity?


    In a capitalist society, labor and talents are commodities, and if the supply of this human commodity exceeds demand, then the price will certainly favor the buyer.


    Maintaining a certain unemployment rate makes it easier for businesses to manage their workers. To put it plainly, if you don''t work hard today, you''ll have to work hard to find a job tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, as two sets of data were released, US stocks rose slightly before swiftly opening the downward channel.


    Not just because the unemployment rate was lower than expected, but also because the Federal Reserve had raised interest rates three times last year, creating monetary policy uncertainty, which put pressure on the stock market.


    More importantly, US stocks had been rising for eight years, and institutions and investors had been chasing the dragon for the same duration. Everywhere they looked, they saw potential threats, any small movement could trigger a chain reaction.


    A large number of institutions began technical sell-offs to prepare for the upcoming market correction.


    But they underestimated the power of the eight-year itch; they were like dominoes, and they pushed over the first one themselves.


    A multitude of investors followed the institutions'' lead, and capital fled, turning the once positive news of low unemployment into a significant negative.


    Super blue-chip stocks like Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon were unable to withstand this wave of selling pressure.


    The crash in blue-chip stocks triggered a reactive selling and buying frenzy in passive funds.


    Leading to a further decline in the three major indexes.


    Outflowing capital entered International Gold for safe-haven investment, causing a sudden surge in gold prices.


    News of the sharp rise in gold prices reached the US Stock Market, attracting a wealth of investors to abandon US stocks and follow the trend to go long on gold.


    As gold soared, US stocks plummeted even more fiercely, with the Dow instantly falling by more than 1%, a drastic 198.5 points.


    Lu Liang''s four billion dollar short position, not having used leverage, had only profited tens of millions of dollars so far.


    At the same time, they also established positions in London Gold at low prices, one billion dollars split between margin and operational funds, with five hundred million dollars leveraged by five times.


    Purchasing at the price level of 1721, with a current increase of 1.25%, the investment in London Gold of one billion dollars yielded returns comparable to shorting the Dow with forty billion dollars.


    Wen Chao admired him immensely; the more he understood Lu Liang, the more he realized his own insignificance and ignorance.


    What the public considered to be good news was only what they thought; Lu Liang always dared to be different, and hindsight always proved him right.


    Little did they know that the virtuous Lu Liang they revered was stroking his chin, pondering how best to take advantage of others.


    As long as the dominance of the US Dollar remains, US stocks will certainly rise, and short-term declines are merely technical corrections.


    Expecting it to halve like Big A did last year is obviously unrealistic. The major uptrend in US stocks is irreversible.


    At two in the morning, the Dow continued to trend downward, currently at 19,405 points, having already dropped 700 points.


    There is still about a 300-point drop to its lowest point, which should complete the correction all at once today.


    Lu Liang and his team should almost be ready to close their positions,


    But before closing, he took a picture.


    Planning later, after closing the position, to send it to Little Wang, to give him the chance to show off.


    Because Lu Liang decided that, after closing the position and going long, he would buy blue-chip stocks at low prices. Through the channel provided by Little Wang, others would know he had been shorting the Dow.


    At that time, they would probably trade against him, helping to raise the price of the stocks he was buying.


    It was indeed killing several birds with one stone.

 Chapter 220 - 219: Shooting Oneself in the Foot

    "Liang, I love you (?¡ä?¨F?)"


    Little Wang received the message, brimming with enthusiasm, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. It was finally time for him to show off again.


    These past few days, he constantly sneered at the adulterous duo Ma Song, yet he felt something was lacking.


    It wasn''t until he received a message from Lu Liang that Wang Xiaocong had his epiphany, realizing what that missing element was.


    He fondly remembered how over a month ago, he spread his banners by the tens of thousands, planting the Red Flag across all major forums and accounts of celebrities and politicians in the United States.


    To hell with them if they said it, he really did it, with such high spirits back then. After being accustomed to dining on an international banquet, he couldn''t stomach the scraps of Domestic Entertainment.


    With decisive action, Little Wang kicked aside the new girlfriend he had just met, hastily threw on some boxer shorts, and hurried to his study.


    He fired up his computer, worth a million dollars and acclaimed as the fourth in the world and the first in Asia, and began streaming on Panda.


    Lu Liang hadn''t restricted him, only allowing him to send out tweets; with such a golden opportunity, he definitely had to help Panda boost its KPI.


    Although live stock trading is not allowed by law, he wasn''t actually trading stocks; he just wanted his brothers in the live stream to see how he showed off.


    As the ancients said, one could skip meals or date fewer girls, but one must never stop showing off.


    At half-past two in the morning, there was no shortage of night owls.


    Once Little Wang''s live stream started, tens of thousands of real viewers flooded in instantaneously.


    After all, he was the second-biggest internet celebrity on the entire network, the son of First Rich, owner of the #10000 live room, with a room named "Tonight, We''re Not Sleeping, Sniping the Dow".


    The earlier gimmicks were all fake, the real reason that attracted viewers to stop by was the name of the live room.


    Little Wang didn''t have the ability, and those who did, both domestically and abroad, could be counted on one hand. Coincidentally, one of them happened to be an acquaintance of Little Wang, rumored to be partners in crime.


    "Cong, is Lu God making a move tonight?"


    "Holy shit, the Dow has been dropping since last night. Could it be the work of my bro, Liang?"


    "That''s enough, don''t be so brainless. One Dow is worth at least ten Big A."


    "Cong, will you say something?"


    The moment Little Wang started broadcasting, he fell silent, opened the three sections of US stocks, and pretended to peruse them over and over again.


    He learned that tonight''s Dow Jones Index suspected of failing to breach twenty thousand points, currently at 19,120 points, had fallen by 4.32%.


    He began to wonder ¨C considering he had witnessed two circuit breakers in just four days at the beginning of the year ¨C was this drop really significant enough to be called a crash? It wasn''t even as much as a single dip in Big A.


    Gradually, he also realized that the current drop of over 1060 points was the highest single-day drop since 2008.


    Calling it a big drop wasn''t an exaggeration.


    The tens of thousands of viewers in his live stream surged to over a hundred thousand, all of them impatient and eagerly awaiting the close of the market in a little over an hour.


    They were extremely eager to hear about Lu Liang''s actions from Little Wang so they could get a piece of the action.


    Leisurely, Little Wang used his phone to log into Twitter. Although he was banned for a week last time, his number of followers had soared as a result.


    After a moment of hesitation, he followed Lu Liang''s instructions and posted a photo of a short position index, not a large amount, just 50 million US Dollars, with a profit of 4.81 million.


    After finishing everything, he turned his attention back to the live stream, continuing to feign sophistication while browsing international financial news.


    He knew the difference between a one-time feast and a regular one. If his account got banned again, he wouldn''t have such opportunities in the future.


    Moreover, this trick ¨C to speak half-truths and leave others hopping mad ¨C was also something Little Wang learned from Lu Liang. The feeling was undeniably good.


    However, he wasn''t Lu Liang; at best, he was just a mouthpiece and predictably the viewers mocked him relentlessly.


    "Piece of shit, pretending to act knowledgeable."


    "Everyone, just disperse, Lu Liang is definitely short-selling the Dow."


    "Tsk tsk, Little Wang is such a coward, streaming while quietly tweeting, and doesn''t even talk, pretending to be a pro."


    "I''m embarrassed to follow such a streamer."


    "Come on, let''s all unfollow and leave."


    A screen full of mockery, what did it matter if he was the son of First Rich or the master of Panda? How about coming through the internet to punch them?


    A little respect referred to him as Cong; devoid of respect, they called him a ''piece of shit,'' and even that was holding back. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "For the love of god."


    With a darkened face, Little Wang was so angry he could hardly find the strength to curse, as a surge of bile stuck in his throat.


    At the same time, the picture of short-selling the index appeared on the desks of major institutions on Wall Street.


    Liang was their major thorn in the side, and Little Wang was also included on their priority list.


    "He, guessed right again?"


    This sentence, emerging in the trading room, hung over everyone''s heads like a dark cloud.


    Old England''s Brexit, an extremely rare political black swan event, he had predicted correctly; the issues down south, a significant international military event, the Li Gen approaching their doorstep, the brink of war, he had called that too.


    Now he had shorted the Dow, and judging by the ratio of investment to profit, it was highly likely that he had preemptively entered the market and had already filled his position at an earlier stage of the movement.


    A sense of helplessness flooded over everyone.


    "Keep calm; don''t listen to what he says; watch what he''s doing," Wilson pondered deeply.


    Over the past year, he had clashed with Lu Liang four times, from his perspective, two wins and two losses.


    The two wins came from shorting the yen and going long on Tesla, the losses from going long on British Pounds and the yen.


    However, those two wins were when their goals aligned.


    It was like a man boasting that at home his word was law when in fact they were of the same mind if the man spoke, it was decided; if opinions differed, what the woman said went.


    If you looked at it from Lu Liang''s perspective, he had been victorious in all four battles and had yet to taste defeat, an unbeatable opponent.


    But they didn''t necessarily have to oppose each other.


    Wilson was a professional fund manager; he didn''t need opponents or allies, only profits.


    The losses in the two encounters had caused the fund he managed to see negative growth, and he was facing an annual settlement in three months.


    He had to turn losses into profits within the next three months, delivering a satisfying report to investors to retain his clientele.


    Following the principle "if you can''t beat them, join them", this time he decisively chose not to oppose Lu Liang, becoming part of the group that shorted the Dow and went long on London Gold.


    Meanwhile,


    There were many others who shared the same thought.


    "Others sleeping beside the couch cannot be tolerated,"


    Though angry, they had not lost their reason.


    The finance world was vast; as long as Lu Liang remained active on the international finance stage, they would inevitably cross paths again.


    Should the timing and location be just right, they could pull the internet plug, lock up funds, and make Lu Liang cough up principal and profits.


    In an instant, a massive number of institutions and retail investors poured into the Dow, shorting the index, causing the stock index to fall even further.


    Lu Liang was confused and abruptly halted his accumulation of stocks.


    With the Dow about to fall below 18,500 points, currently down 1,300 points, it seemed almost headed for a circuit breaker.


    He couldn''t understand why no one was on the other side, not pushing up stock prices; what then was the point of accumulating stocks?


    Lu Liang stopped all buying and selling activities and took out his phone, planning to check the foreign websites to see what was really going on.


    First, he saw a tweet from a businessman: "If the Dow falls more than 1,000 points in a single day, then the current officeholder should be stuffed into a cannon and shot toward the sun at an astonishing speed! No excuses!"


    Next, Lu Liang saw Little Wang''s tweet, no tricks, just a simple, unadorned picture.


    After a quick round on the outside, Lu Liang returned to his Twitter and finally understood where the problem lay.


    In the comments section, one after another expressed their gratitude, hands pressed together thanking Lu Liang for leading them to riches.


    They shared their profits from shorting the Dow, varying from tens of thousands to millions of US dollars.


    Though the amounts were small, the numbers were vast.


    A few thousand people had already become a force that could not be ignored in the financial market.


    Lu Liang pulled up the recent transaction details of the Dow, only to find the net inflow of market funds to be pitifully small.


    A sea of short-sell orders flooded the market, and it seemed no one was interesting in salvaging the market; everyone was short selling.


    Lu Liang''s face darkened as he realized the reason.


    Following the principle "if you can''t beat them, join them", Wall Street institutions were all shorting the Dow alongside him.


    No one was opposing him, which meant stock prices weren''t being driven up; instead, he and the market were on opposing sides.


    Lu Liang accessed his back-end account, excluding the $618.2 million profit from previously shorting the Dow.


    Subsequent bottom-fishing behavior in blue-chip stocks had resulted in a loss of $115 million.


    The only consolation was that the blue chips were relatively resilient, and the harvest from London Gold was not insignificant.

 Chapter 221 - 220: A Big Mouth Eats from All Around

    "What else can we do?"


    "We can only play tough when we''re actually soft."


    Lu Liang sighed, and after a moment of contemplation, the corners of his mouth gradually lifted into a smile that returned to his face.


    These international institutions were more rational than he had imagined, not swayed by emotions. That was bad, but also good.


    It meant they were not united as one; the so-called glory of Wall Street was not worth mentioning before personal interests.


    Since they could unite over mutual interests, it also meant that, as long as their goals aligned in the future, Lu Liang could become collaborators with them.


    Though the tuition was expensive, it was not without its gains¡ª at least Lu Liang did not have to always consider them as hypothetical enemies.


    It also made Lu Liang realize that with his current size and reputation, he no longer was a butterfly; a large trading volume was sufficient to drive the market, a small one could change the market.


    Investing in the future had to be more cautious; tricking people into buying and then killing it could work once, maybe twice, but not a third time.


    The opening price of the Dow today was 19,750.15 points. If it fell below 18,367.65 points, it would trigger the first level circuit breaker.


    The circuit breaker incident in ''97 was too distant, nineteen years have passed, and people could hardly remember the situation at the time.


    However, at the beginning of the year, the A-shares experienced two circuit breakers in four days. Although the two markets are not comparable, there might still be some patterns to be found.


    Taking the A-share market as a reference, it shows that a circuit breaker¡ª be it just one or countless¡ª so-called cooling-off periods, will only make the market even more panicked.


    For the past few decades, it was always like a rabbit trying to cross the river by feeling the stones; today, the rabbit had let someone feel it as well.


    At 3:50 AM, various institutions tacitly stopped their short-selling at the Dow at around 18,400 points.


    There were ten minutes left in today''s trading. Continuing to smash the plates was pointless. It was better to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.


    As the institutions stopped, the whole market also stopped the selloff, and the prices of various blue-chip stocks rebounded.


    Take Microsoft and Apple for example; today the Dow fell by 1,250 points, a decline of over 6.25%, yet they only had a drop of less than 9%. Their resistance to pressure was quite outstanding.


    If tomorrow''s market conditions are poor, at least buying blue chips now won''t result in too severe a drop. Conversely, if there''s a rebound, their upward momentum won''t be inferior to other stocks.


    The 4 AM chimes rang out, signalling the end of today''s trading in US stocks.


    Lu Liang glanced at the profit and loss. They had chosen to hold a large number of blue chips immediately after closing their positions.


    With heavy investments in blue chips at the closing, there was an increase, and the original loss of 115 million US dollars had become a loss of 82.5 million US dollars.


    Tesla''s share price had the steepest pullback, from a drop of -12.51% to -6.55%.


    That was normal. There were differences in the size of blue-chip stocks; Apple and Microsoft were major blue chips, while Tesla was at best a minor blue chip, if it could even be considered one. But Lu Liang had a special affection for new energy.


    However, there was no time to count tonight''s profits, because although the US stock market was closed, the London Gold market was still trading aggressively.


    Since the Federal Reserve implemented quantitative easing policies in 2008, money had become less valuable, and gold had been one of the hottest items in recent years.


    Tonight, US stocks tasted the bitter fruit of quantitative easing, as all three main boards were in decline, the Dow narrowly avoiding a circuit breaker, and uncertainty at the close.


    For the London Gold market, these were all favorable news.


    Last night at eight, they bought 24 billion US dollars worth of gold at the 1721 price level, totalling over 1.39 million lots.


    Up to this second, London Gold had seen a massive surge of 65.5 US dollars per ounce, with a current price of 1786.5 US dollars.


    With over 1.39 million lots, and an increase of 65.5 US dollars per lot, the total profit had reached 91.342 million US dollars.


    "Close the position."


    Lu Liang''s influence was enough to drive the market, but the fundamental logic for the rise in US stocks was the hegemony of the US dollar holding the world hostage.


    Since the Cold War, the United States had always had this mentality; if it needed money, it spent money. If there was no money, they would print money or issue US bonds.


    Anyway, the people of various countries around the world all recognize the US Dollar, as long as the issuance of US Dollars is sufficient, it''ll be enough to offset their expenses and losses over the years.


    As long as the monopoly of the US Dollar hegemony isn''t broken, the logic behind the rise of US stocks won''t change, and all declines will be technical corrections.


    US stocks might not surge tomorrow, but they definitely won''t plummet, and the funds that ran off to London Gold will return to the embrace of US stocks.


    Invest one billion dollars, five hundred million as margin, five hundred million for trading, using a five-times leverage, made over ninety million.


    After deducting the leverage fee for London Gold and the stamp duty generated from trading, it should almost offset tonight''s losses, and there might even be a small profit.


    "Multiline operations indeed can spread the risk; make big money steadily, and small money swiftly."


    Lu Liang was in a great mood, walked out of the trading room, lit incense to enjoy a cup of tea, stretched his waist, and embraced the first ray of morning sunshine, waiting for the inventory report.


    Suddenly, he saw, from the reflection in the glass, what seemed to be a dark camera lens not far behind his head.


    Outside the security check, Chen Jinchun, with a bare face and dark circles under her eyes, held a camera, her face still had traces of a forced smile.


    Seeing Lu Liang approaching briskly with an unfriendly expression, she suddenly couldn''t smile, and with a stiff wave said, "Mr. Lu, good morning."


    "When did you get here?" Lu Liang asked puzzled, as he remembered not seeing Chen Jinchun last night.


    "Probably after two in the morning," Chen Jinchun replied in a daze, quickly pointing to the yellow line on the ground, indicating that she hadn''t crossed it.


    She understood the rules; the trading room was a core area, and without Mr. Lu''s permission, no one could cross the yellow line at the security check.


    "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" Mr. Lu asked, irritated.


    Chen Jinchun looked down at her shoe tips with a guilty face, "Before going to bed last night, I saw Mr. Wang''s live stream and felt there could be material, so I came over to check." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She had once been Mr. Lu''s assistant, accompanying him through several all-nighters. Though she was still an assistant, her focus had shifted towards short videos.


    She knew Mr. Lu had a habit; every time he finished working overnight, he would stand by the window, look into the distance, and welcome the first ray of morning sun.


    Long ago, Chen Jinchun thought it was particularly cool, and last night when she scrolled upon Little Wang''s live stream, she learned Mr. Lu was up all night again.


    So, on a whim, she decided to come over for some candid shots, although Mr. Lu didn''t like to be on camera now, maybe it''d be different in the future.


    Or it could just be a keepsake.


    "Let me see."


    Lu Liang smiled and had no intention of blaming her; remembering to stand outside the yellow line showed that Xiao Chen still had a sense of measure.


    Chen Jinchun pulled up the photos, five snapshots, one of which had the best angle; Mr. Lu was spreading his arms as if bathing in holy light.


    "Tsk, not bad, send it to me later," Lu Liang said after scrutinizing them, more pleased with each view, planning to use one as a profile photo.


    Accidentally pressing the camera, a photo suddenly appeared of Chen Jinchun swallowing a whole pitaya in one bite.


    He looked bewildered, speaking earnestly, "Xiao Chen, when I told you to bite the lighter last time, it was a metaphor, do you understand?"


    Lu Liang was worried; she might actually bite it, he was unsure which neuron misfired last year, hiring such a blockhead.


    "I know, Mr. Lu, you were joking," Chen Jinchun said, mortified, head low, wishing she could vanish into a crack in the ground.


    Mr. Lu''s look grew even more peculiar, but this was someone''s hobby, perhaps she just liked eating that way, it wasn''t his place to say more.


    Chen Jinchun protested with a childish stomp, "I promised my followers last time, that every time I reach a million fans, I''d perform a talent."


    "This is a talent?" Mr. Lu was shocked.


    "Why isn''t it a talent? Mr. Lu, I can even swallow my fist," Chen Jinchun retorted defiantly, ready to shove her clenched fist into her mouth.


    This was her hidden talent, she wouldn''t have revealed it if not for increasing the company''s Douyin fans.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh and cry, hastily stopping her, "I believe you, you came just in time, go get some breakfast then."

 Chapter 222 - 221: Losing Silver, Cant Lose Face

    "Mr. Lu, I''ve already purchased it."


    Chen Jinchun timidly raised his hand, when suddenly there was a doorbell ringing, and employees from the nearby Cantonese Restaurant delivered dozens of portions of dim sum.


    "Did you have them issue an invoice?" Mr. Lu asked, startled, seeing the familiar Fuyue Building staff uniforms.


    He had tried their chicken feet and water chestnut cake last time and found the taste quite good; Xiao Chen really did put some thought into it.


    Chen Jinchun nodded quickly, and Mr. Lu smiled, saying, "Distribute it to them later, and after you finish, you go back to rest early too."


    At that moment, Wen Chao came out of the trading room, and Mr. Lu picked up some dim sum as the two headed to the office next door.


    "Alright, Mr. Lu."


    Permitted by Mr. Lu, Chen Jinchun turned into a canteen lady, smiling and standing at the door, distributing breakfast to everyone.


    "Short-sold the Dow for 4 billion, yielding 689 million."


    "Bought into blue-chip stocks for 4.2 billion, a loss of 82.5214 million."


    "Long on London Gold with 1 billion, yielding 91.232 million."


    "Net profit of 697.7 million US Dollars."


    In review, Mr. Lu glanced over the holdings of 4.2 billion US Dollars, plus a contingency of one billion, totaling 15.9 billion dollars in accessible funds.


    The profit of 13.5 percent from last night, though not much, marked a deep dip in the market with significant room for upcoming rises.


    The purchased blue-chip stocks, averaging a rebound of 8 percent, could easily make up a total revenue of one billion dollars.


    After an intense night, Mr. Lu had no desire to sleep at this moment; eating breakfast, he browsed domestic and international news.


    The collapse across all three main US stock boards nearly triggered a circuit breaker as the news spread on the internet since last night.


    Many believed that another financial crisis was impending, worrying about their own pockets.


    At three in the morning, Little Wang''s live-streamed topic flashed across trending searches, associated with Mr. Lu''s short-selling of the Dow.


    Yet unlike before, this wasn''t any good reputation¡ªheadlines like "The evils of Mr. Lu, hard to document," suggested if a financial crisis ensued, he''d be the main culprit.


    Amidst the mounting outcry, Mr. Lu almost became the Soros of ''97, the Lehman Brothers of ''08.


    Some spoke out, saying, "Last night''s US stock plunge has nothing to do with him. The bitter fruits of the Federal Reserve''s quantitative easing policy implemented eight years ago were already sewn, with no chance for a bear market given the high employment and low unemployment rates." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It wasn''t until after 2 a.m. that news of Mr. Lu''s short-selling of the Dow broke, yet US stocks began their descent at ten last night."


    "From ten to just past two, over four hours, the Dow continually fell, dropping over a thousand points."


    "If he truly had such influence, he''d either be co-opted or eliminated by now."


    A well-known financial scholar revealed the truth; today, aside from the Federal Reserve, no entity could dominate the US stock market''s course.


    And even the Federal Reserve could only indirectly influence the market through rates adjustments; the market was simply too large.


    Yet, the truth often goes misunderstood, unaccepted¡ªconspiracy theories, self-righteous, dominate the mainstream.


    And the conspiracists divided into two groups¡ªone fervently building a golden statue for Mr. Lu, hoping he was a significant short-seller against the US stocks, boosting our national pride.


    The other group, moral crusaders, wished for global peace, condemning Mr. Lu''s actions as selfish and destructive to the long-standing friendship between nations.


    Amid the verbal battles,


    the clock gradually moved to 9:15 a.m.


    The Shanghai Stock Exchange began its pre-market bidding, and over half of the more than three thousand stocks were lush green, just as retail investors thought today marked another tough battle around the 3000 point mark.


    Big A never disappoints when it comes to disappointing; surprisingly, when everyone is in despair, it always manages some leaps.


    If international stocks rise, I don''t; I''m different from the international markets. If international stocks fall, I fall as well; the international markets affect me.


    Though so, countries recognize US stocks as the international standard, which Big A or Zhong doesn''t acknowledge.


    This is the bitter fruit of the Federal Reserve''s quantitative easing policies¡ªthey couldn''t possibly accept it, nor would they pick up the tab.


    Even holding three trillion US Dollars in foreign reserves, second only to Japan, cannot be considered a major victim.


    But even if money is lost, face must not be.


    With US stocks collapsing all around, led by the United States and its followers, he is not one to follow; he must stand out from the crowd.


    At 9:30 AM, Big A''s stocks opened with a sharp decrease of 2.15%.


    A massive amount of capital poured into the banking sector, swiftly lifting it, which in turn drove up securities, and then real estate sectors.


    The three pillars, at the very outset, exerted their force simultaneously and literally lifted the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index.


    Fifteen minutes after the opening, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index turned from red to green and continued to rise steadily, painting a glorious picture of the nation''s landscape.


    The 43rd defense of the 3000-point battle was declared victorious even before it had begun.


    Lu Liang sighed and went home to sleep.


    The day after tomorrow, even stricter measures on buying and mortgage restrictions would be implemented to use real estate to hedge against US Dollar quantification. It was unclear whether this was good or bad.


    But there was no other option, only this path to follow. The larger the country''s economical stature, the more significant the impact of US Dollar quantification.


    US Dollar quantification was like financing with the global economy as the main body, with the Federal Reserve as the only investor.


    Rather than waiting passively for equity dilution, it made more sense to invest heavily in hard assets first, then develop light assets. Real estate represented hard assets, whereas mobile phones, automobiles, and other high-tech industries were considered light assets.


    In the evening, Lu Liang woke up in Su Wanyu''s bedroom, seeing a vaguely shaped blue Haima cushion.


    This cushion had a complex history; Su Wanyu mentioned it was a birthday gift from her father when she was 12.


    She cherished it deeply, taking it from her hometown to Modu, from her dormitory to her rental and finally here.


    Every now and then, she would take it out to wash and sun.


    According to her, this cushion could be kept for the baby to play with in the future as it held her motherly scent.


    Lu Liang found it uglier the more he looked at it, out of sheer boredom, he fiddled with its long, curly nose.


    Su Wanyu tiptoed into the room. Seeing this scene, she said indignantly, "Stop playing with it, its nose is about to fall off."


    She wore blue jeans paired with a pink hoodie, blue light-blocking glasses to prevent myopia adorned her nose, and her hair was straight and smooth.


    Lu Liang embraced her tightly, and they tumbled on the bed, causing Su Wanyu to giggle incessantly. Suddenly, he smelled the aroma of food: "Don''t you have classes today?"


    Frowning, Su Wanyu replied with dissatisfaction, "You forgot, I just finished my thesis. I have a two-week summer break now."


    "I slept through it," Lu Liang chuckled, though it was early September, Su Wanyu had just started her summer break last week.


    He checked his phone and saw two missed calls from Fang Shiyu; it must have been something to do with family.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang remembered, he had spoken to his mother the day before yesterday, Fang Shiyu''s grandmother had passed away.


    The elders seemed to have also mentioned they wanted to visit Modu?


    Thinking of this, Lu Liang hurriedly called Fang Shiyu, "Yu, are you back?"


    "Your aunt and uncle are at your apartment now? Okay, I''ll come right over."


    Lu Liang hurriedly got out of bed. Although his mother had mentioned early on that they were just bored at home and wanted to go out for a stroll.


    They wanted him to focus on his work and not worry about them since they still had some savings and the public safety was good.


    But it was the first time the elders had left their hometown to visit the city where he had been living and working for ten years, how could he truly neglect them?


    Seeing Lu Liang getting ready in a hurry to leave, Su Wanyu quickly asked, "Aren''t you eating dinner?"


    "My parents have come over, I need to go there first."


    Picking up his phone, Lu Liang pinched Su Wanyu''s cheek playfully, "You might have to help host them later."


    Su Wanyu''s eyes widened, her face turning a flush red almost instantly, she stammered, "So soon, I''m not ready yet."


    "What''s there to prepare? Just being there is enough." Lu Liang laughed, kissed her cheek, "I''ll go first then."


    "Bye~" Su Wanyu said, her mind a blur, raising her stiff arms, her thoughts tangled, Meeting the parents???


    Meanwhile, on the road, Lu Liang asked Fang Shiyu to take the elders to Linjiang Pavilion; he had just reserved a private room there.


    Forty minutes later, upon arriving at Linjiang Pavilion, Fang Shiyu brought them over.


    Both parents were dressed in brand-new clothes, and although they were financially better off now, they still preferred wearing their old clothes; new clothes were reserved for crucial occasions only.


    However, Lu Liang was somewhat relieved by one thing: they only wore their old clothes because they felt comfortable, not out of miserliness.


    With improved living conditions, they stayed in hotels as usual and wouldn''t pick dingy motels just to save a few hundred dollars.

 Chapter 223 - 222: The Girl in the Dream

    "It''s nice to get out and about."


    Lu Liang called over the waiter, ordered a few dishes, and asked why his sister and brother-in-law hadn''t come along.


    The elderly couple seldom goes out, and with Lu Ya not around, he was still somewhat worried they might get scammed.


    "The older one just started elementary school, and the younger one is going to kindergarten, so we''ve been quite busy lately." His father was relieved because Lu Liang didn''t feel burdened by their visit.


    "How could it be a bother? You can stay as long as you want." Lu Liang laughed and quickly bought a few more properties before the prices went up.


    He planned to set one up for his parents, so if they got bored at home and wanted a change of scenery, they could stay there.


    In Green City Puwan, he had two properties, each around 240 square meters, roughly valued at fifty million each.


    Lu Liang remembered when they sold, it was 3.8 million per square meter, setting a record for luxury apartment prices in Modu.


    But selling was one thing, buying was another, and the total cost of the two wasn''t even one billion.


    Though Lu Liang didn''t always live in those properties, having them helped with the real estate sales promotions, claiming he resided there.


    Just like when he used to market luxury properties, he would mention that some celebrity or champion lived there.


    Moreover, Lu Liang and their boss were friends, Meng Changkun had even participated in both phases one and three of the investment.


    After dinner, Lu Liang took his parents for a tour around his company.


    It was nearly nine thirty, and US stocks were about to start trading.


    "Shiyu, why don''t you show them around? If they get tired, they can head back to the hotel and rest, and we can look at properties tomorrow."


    After giving instructions, Lu Liang went to the trading room next door, just as Tang Caide was getting ready to leave work, noticing the confusion on the faces of the two elderly people.


    Fang Shiyu said, "Mr. Tang, these are Mr. Lu''s parents."


    He also quickly introduced Tang Caide''s role as the company''s vice president, colloquially the second-in-command.


    "Miss Tang, hello."


    The elders looked tense, feeling out of place in their son''s company given its grand decor.


    During all these years, the fanciest place they''d visited was probably the town''s administrative office.


    The New International Building and the nearby buildings often appeared on promotional materials for Modu landmarks, comparable to the city''s administrative buildings.


    "Hello, uncle and aunt. Please, just call me Little Tang."


    Tang Caide greeted them with a smile and excused herself shortly, not wanting to overstay.


    After all, they were Lu Liang''s parents, and she needed to give the proper respects, but getting too close could lead to misunderstandings.


    Having been through similar situations, she understood the parents'' mindset very well. Any slight hint of closeness might have led them to start making wild guesses.


    Could it be that there are feelings involved, each aware but too embarrassed to admit, thus they''d step in to try and set things up?


    Parents are the same everywhere.


    Tang Caide had experienced this before.


    But Xiao Chen wasn''t as shrewd about these life skills. Although she should have left work by now, with no boyfriend, no pets at home, and nothing much to worry about,


    she was also the near-miss for becoming ''002''s 003'', managing the company''s Douyin account, which made her immune to criticism, and she enjoyed staying at the company.


    "Shiyu, you''re back from vacation? Are these your parents?" Xiao Chen asked, tilting her head, her face full of curiosity.


    "These are my aunt and uncle," Fang Shiyu shook his head.


    "Hello uncle and aunt."


    Chen Jinchun puzzled, still curious, "Then what is their relationship with Mr. Lu?"


    Fang Huijuan smiled before he could respond, "They are Mr. Lu''s parents."


    "..."


    Xiao Chen''s pupils dilated, suddenly becoming very behaved.


    "Xiao Chen, you don''t mind if I call you that, do you?"


    "Not at all, not at all."


    "We even came across your Douyin this afternoon."


    "Auntie... I was just playing around."


    Xiao Chen was stunned, completely shutting down.


    The video of her swallowing a dragon fruit had been posted at noon, and as expected, they had seen it.


    It was one thing for colleagues, friends, or classmates to see it, as they''d understand the culture behind it, but for elders...


    She wanted to leave work.


    "Xiao Chen, can you tell auntie what you''re usually busy with at work?"


    Fang Huijuan looked affectionately at her, her face round and cute, exactly the type that appeals to middle-aged women.


    Indeed, Chen Jinchun was considered a breath of fresh air in the online celebrity world. She had very few male followers; most of her followers were moms and dads.


    To this day, many could understand why this na?ve girl was working in a leading domestic venture capital firm.


    Luck was only part of it, another part was her festive appearance, the type that people find hard to dislike.


    The reputation of Lu Liang wasn''t bad,


    but without Chen Jinchun, it would be worse. Her presence had improved it slightly.


    "The main role is to create Douyin videos for the company''s publicity."


    Xiao Chen was earnest; he responded to questions as they came, one by one. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Soon enough, his family''s details, what his parents did for work, whether he had a boyfriend, were all deftly extracted.


    Around 10:30 PM, Lu Liang left the trading room.


    The US stocks market, much as he''d predicted, neither rose nor fell but seemed poised to fluctuate horizontally for a few days.


    Their heavily invested blue-chip stocks had a minor increase of 1-2%, reducing their loss from over eighty million to just over thirty million.


    Lu Liang observed for a while, then instructed Sun Yutao and the rest to reserve 15% of the portfolio for further slow purchases.


    Lu Liang came next door and saw in the company''s lounge area his mother chatting with Xiao Chen, holding onto his hand.


    Xiao Chen stood up swiftly, eyes brimming with tears, a smile spreading across his face, finally seeing his savior: "Mr. Lu."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, "It''s getting late, aren''t you off work yet? Don''t you have an early shift tomorrow?"


    "Getting off work now." Xiao Chen nodded repeatedly, and hurriedly bid farewell to the elders, "Uncle, Auntie, I''ll be leaving first."


    With that, he sprinted off to punch out.


    His mother lingered, not quite satisfied, "We haven''t even exchanged WeChat info."


    Lu Liang laughed, "I can give it to you later."


    "What do you think of Xiao Chen?"


    "He''s quite good, a round face and large mouth, naturally blessed; hard to be poor with a face like that."


    Despite being a bit simple, he had a cheerful appearance; just seeing him could lift your spirits.


    Ideal as a company mascot, much like the solid gold bull on Lu Liang''s desk.


    His mother was pleased but before she could speak further,


    Lu Liang glanced over, "Don''t go matchmaking; I''ll take you to meet the real deal tomorrow."


    His parents had suddenly come from their hometown, and he didn''t believe it was without ulterior motives.


    Fortunately, Su Wanyu was on vacation, so they could meet her. He had plans to travel to Beijing the day after and wouldn''t have time to entertain them.


    The usually reticent father couldn''t help but ask, "How did you two meet?"


    "It''s been a while, almost a year."


    "Where is she from? What does she do?"


    "From Lu Island, she''s pursuing her master''s."


    "Girls from Southern Fujian are nice, gentle, and virtuous."


    Lu Liang was surprised, "Dad, how do you know that?"


    His father briefly stumbled over his words, then hurriedly explained, "I heard it from someone else."


    His mother shot a glance, hinting at a past long gone but chose not to delve further, instead curiously asking, "Does she know about your divorce?"


    "She knows," Lu Liang nodded.


    "Didn''t she say anything?"


    "What could she say? We didn''t have kids."


    Lu Liang barely suppressed a laugh, the older generation thought divorce was catastrophic, but it was now quite common.


    As long as there were no children or financial disputes, it was just like an impulsive relationship.


    His mother breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Fang Shiyu, "Shiyu, what do you think of Xiao Chen?"


    ...


    Fang Shiyu remained silent.


    Lu Liang was torn between laughter and tears, "Can we not worry about this? Why don''t you both head back and rest?"


    From his observations, his cousin seemed smitten with someone online, often seen grinning foolishly at his phone.


    Lu Liang, a fellow traveller down romance''s road, hoped for the best, but even if it didn''t work out, he was there to show him the ropes.


    Eventually, when the time came, he''d take him home to find a nice girl to marry.


    As the night deepened, Fang Shiyu escorted his parents back to their hotel, and Lu Liang returned to Scholarly Splendor District.


    He informed Su Wanyu about meeting his parents the next day.


    She stiffened, then bravely asked, "What kind of girl do my uncle and aunt like?"


    "Just dress normally, they''d probably like a literary girl like you," Lu Liang assured her as they tangled in the sheets.


    "Tall, slim, and tender, someone who evokes a desire to protect and cherish."


    Su Wanyu, like Chen Jinchun, had the traits most favored by the elders.


    The former was sensible and obedient, while the latter was joyous and adorable.


    Su Wanyu pouted, mumbling softly, "So that''s how you see me?"


    "Why, is that bad? You don''t think you are fierce, do you?"


    "Fierce?"


    "Fierce?"


    Lu Liang suddenly pinned Su Wanyu underneath him, smiling cheekily, "Then show me how fierce you can be."


    Blushing, Su Wanyu fell silent.

 Chapter 224 - 223: Good Design Always Resonates

    The next day, to better match Lu Liang, Su Wanyu wore glasses again, giving her a more mature air.


    However, unlike the previous black frames, she switched to a pair of petite, gold-framed glasses, which imparted a restrained and cold beauty.


    The glasses suited Su Wanyu''s temperament well, as she usually came across as a distant beauty to those who didn''t know her well.


    Lu Liang watched her tirelessly trying on clothes and yawned, "Stop choosing, anything looks good on you."


    "Really?" Su Wanyu couldn''t help but ask repeatedly, the more she cared, the more concerned she became.


    Lu Liang said jokingly, "Have some confidence, you are the Su Wanyu ranked 19th among the 14 high schools in Yangpu."


    Su Wanyu gave him a stern look, the most ruthless method she employed to express dissatisfaction or anger.


    "How about I help you choose?"


    Unable to watch any longer, Lu Liang picked a denim knee-length skirt and a white shirt with letters, "How about this set?"


    Su Wanyu''s face was conflicted, "It looks nice, but it doesn''t really suit these glasses; it''s too schoolgirlish."


    Lu Liang took off her glasses and threw them aside, "Why does a graduate student need to act so mature?"


    "We need to hurry, or we''ll be late."


    "Alright~"


    On the way to the restaurant, Su Wanyu murmured to herself: "Auntie, hello, my name is Su Wanyu, you can call me Su... or Yu, my parents call me that... that doesn''t seem quite right."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, "You''ve already passed your graduate entrance interviews; why so nervous?"


    "Entrance exams are minor; if not passed, one can retake them. But a poor first impression is hard to change."


    Su Wanyu''s face was full of worry, the preemptive effect, although not always correct, was the most striking and largely determined the future course of interactions.


    Seeing Lu Liang''s teasing look, she suddenly became curious: "What would you do if you were meeting elders?"


    "Doesn''t your dad smoke too? Start with a few cigarettes, a couple of drinks, and maybe you''ll become sworn siblings."


    "..."


    Su Wanyu was so annoyed she clenched her teeth, since her father and Lu Liang might indeed end up that way.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang''s parents were also inquiring about Su Wanyu from Fang Shiyu.


    "Yu is a really nice girl."


    Fang Shiyu was not as articulate as Chen Jinchun, managing only to squeeze out that comment; he couldn''t tell his aunt that compared to Li Manli, Su Wanyu was truly gentle.


    In case his aunt asked who Li Manli was,


    that could lead to serious issues, he was reticent, not dumb.


    Near eleven o''clock, the private room door opened.


    Su Wanyu decided to trust Lu Liang''s taste and wore the white shirt with the denim skirt and a pair of white shoes.


    Her outfit made her look like a college girl, either still studying or freshly graduated, giving off a sense of fresh charm.


    "Uncle, Auntie, hello¡­"


    Su Wanyu smiled, braced herself for introduction; her voice soft and sweet, her ears red from nervousness.


    "Yu, come and sit next to me," the mother said with a beaming smile, while the father also showed a warm smile.


    "How many people in your family?" "What do your parents do?" "Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"


    A barrage of probing questions came, and Su Wanyu spilled everything like a torrent, leaving nothing unsaid.


    Seeing that all was going well, Lu Liang took the opportunity to say, "I have to make a trip to Beijing this afternoon, and it might take some time; Yu, why don''t you take my parents around for the next few days?"


    Su Wanyu''s pupils contracted, unaware of this plan, Lu Liang said with a smile, "I forgot to mention it."


    Speaking, he called over Wen Chao and took out a set of property deeds, along with related documents and keys.


    "Just bought it, haven''t been over yet, if it''s okay, take them to see the new house this afternoon."


    Lu Liang then looked at Fang Shiyu, "Yu, you stay in Modu for a few days and drive for my aunt and uncle."


    He arranged everything meticulously, Su Wanyu for company and Fang Shiyu as the driver.


    Having both a car and a house meant they could stay as long as they liked, even permanently.


    However, the old mother wasn''t appeased.


    She only had eyes for Su Wanyu.


    Her parents were alive and well, running a factory back in their hometown, and both siblings owned property; their family circumstances were quite good.


    A graduate from a prestigious university, beautiful and gentle, planning to stay on at a top university, such a girl was hard to find.


    Why would the old mother bother about her wayward son?


    Realizing he was superfluous, Lu Liang quickly finished his lunch, "Well then, I''ll leave them to you, I''m off."


    Under the table, Su Wanyu quietly tugged on his shirt, blinking her eyes to convey her reluctance and confusion.


    Lu Liang chuckled lightly and touched her cheek. "Don''t be so nervous, just treat it like you are hosting your own parents."


    Su Wanyu''s face turned as red as a cooked crab, and her mother''s face showed a loving expression. "Go on and do what you need to."


    Despite her strong reluctance, Lu Liang still left.


    Very decisively, leaving her alone. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At three o''clock in the afternoon, the plane arrived in Beijing.


    Lu Liang boarded the hotel''s shuttle, and his phone finally regained the mobile signal. Originally only having five members, the group "Family Doting Family" welcomed a new member.


    "Wow~ Our group finally has a newcomer. Pretty girl, hurry and send your photo and a red packet," Lu Ya teased like a hooligan.


    She was a married woman with a second child, with a careless personality, a typical bully for the innocent Xiao Bai.


    Embarrassed, Su Wanyu could only send a red packet honestly, "Hello everyone~"


    "Just got off the plane."


    Lu Liang squinted his eyes, smiling, and used his group admin authority to kick out Lu Ya.


    It didn''t take long for her to rejoin via an invitation from her brother-in-law, raging, "You dare to kick me?"


    Seeing that Lu Liang didn''t respond, Lu Ya decisively spilled his secrets, which could also be dubbed Lu Liang''s sorrowful history.


    But it was mostly limited to childhood and adolescence anecdotes; after all, he was her little brother, and she couldn''t really speak ill of him.


    Lu Ya kept it appropriate,


    intentionally letting Su Wanyu integrate more quickly.


    On the other side,


    Lu Liang arrived at Li Xiang''s driving experience hall.


    The day after tomorrow, a new car would be released, and the Li Xiang ONE was also showcased at the center of the experience hall.


    There wasn''t much to say about the design, which was standard, but Lu Liang thought the car''s front resembled that of a Bentley.


    The rectangular grid in the central area of the front face had a resemblance to Bentley, almost identical.


    Li Xiang chuckled awkwardly, "A good design always resonates with others, the key lies in the overall driving experience."


    "How much is the fuel consumption?"


    Lu Liang looked at the data, frowning.


    Although it featured a range-extending hybrid system, a 1.2T engine seemed a bit weak, comparable to Wuling Hongguang.


    "Between 6.8-9.6L/100km."


    Lu Liang''s brows gradually relaxed, the range-extending system indeed impressive. Such a large car having such low fuel consumption was a highlight.


    Although he didn''t care about fuel consumption, it was the public''s main concern, or else Japanese cars wouldn''t dominate the market.


    Lu Liang then entered the cockpit for an experience. It was spacious enough, with a fridge, TV, sofa, heating, and massage, all included.


    "Li Xiang mate, open the sunroof, activate heating for the driver''s seat, massage for the co-driver''s seat."


    Lu Liang learned the command instructions, and as soon as he spoke them, Li Xiang showed another awkward smile, "Mr. Lu, currently the car''s system is still being optimized, the commands need to be executed one at a time."


    "That''s fine."


    Lu Liang also experienced the so-called intelligent driving, which was essentially equipped with several driving radars and a 360 camera.


    He couldn''t help but sigh, "Intelligent driving is far behind Tesla."


    Basic forward collision warning, automatic lane change, lane keeping, and consistent speed with traffic were all absent.


    Li Xiang looked bittersweet, but insisted, "A bit of intelligence is enough, the main focus is still driving comfort."


    He argued confidently, "Mr. Lu, if you put aside intelligent driving, tell me, for a car priced around 300 thousand, which other model on the market has so many features?"


    "Indeed, there isn''t." Lu Liang conceded wryly.


    Despite the Li Xiang ONE''s numerous shortcomings, the fridge, TV, and large sofa at this price point was virtually unbeatable.


    Even a Bentley Moshang didn''t have as many features, and there was still substantial room for future improvements.


    "Regarding the car system, I''ll go over to the research institute tomorrow, there might be a possibility for optimization."


    If Li Xiang''s vehicle system was of this level, Lu Liang was confident their vehicle system could replace it.


    After all, they are far from true intelligence; at most, it''s an intelligent control system, making it run smoothly shouldn''t be hard.


    "That would be excellent," Li Xiang beamed, not as resistant to external vehicle systems as Li Bing.


    After all, financing was truly hard, each penny was split in half to be spent, leaving no room to develop vehicle systems.


    Including the current Li Xiang vehicle system, as long as it worked, intelligent driving wasn''t a priority.

 Chapter 225 - 224: Tesla Model

    New energy vehicles were an endurance test.


    After all, a new product, second only in price to a house, required consumers to be extremely cautious in their selection.


    Both Li Xiang, as an entrepreneur, and Lu Liang, an investor, were prepared to sustain losses for at least three years.


    Having bid farewell to Li Xiang, Lu Liang murmured to himself on the way to the hotel, "Could it be that the Tesla model is the right one?"


    The approach to going public in the United States is quite different from that in Mainland China, where companies need to have proven track records, steady revenue, and even a balance of income before they can list.


    By contrast, in the United States, as long as a company can list, it does so immediately, drawing a blueprint for the market, using market funds to develop itself.


    Tesla was among the best of this group, with consecutive annual losses exceeding 800 million US dollars before listing, with only one electric sports car model, the Roadster, in its lineup.


    It went straight into an IPO, applying for a listing, with an initial offering price of 17 US dollars per share, giving the company a valuation of only 1.7 billion US dollars.


    In six years, it raised over 5 billion US dollars, growing ever stronger, with a current market value surpassing 35 billion US dollars. In short, it operated its car business as a financial product.


    The new forces in car manufacturing all wanted to follow Tesla''s lead, especially NIO''s Li Bing, who was already pondering how to IPO the next year.


    The threshold for listing on the Nasdaq is quite low, requiring only three conditions and one principle to be met for application.


    The first is a prerequisite, which demands the company to have been economically active for over a year and to possess significant growth potential.


    The second, a negative condition, states that the company must have a net asset value of over 5 million US dollars and a company valuation of 50 million US dollars.


    The third, a positive condition, stipulates that after the Securities and Futures Commission''s review is passed, a company needs to have a public shareholder base of over 300 people.


    The fourth is the integrity principle, with a popular saying at Nasdaq: any company can go public, but time will prove everything.


    Compared to the Growth Enterprise Market, which requires at least three years of registration, stable revenue, and balanced earnings, it''s incredibly easy.


    However, as easy as it is to go public, delisting is just as easy.


    A company needs to have a certain social influence; otherwise, going public won''t attract the necessary funding, and the listing is in vain.


    "They lack money; I don''t."


    After much thought, Lu Liang decided to stick to his path and follow BYD''s model, pursuing a fully industrialized strategy.


    Public funds exist precisely for full industrialization, and although there are many restrictions, they have strong liquidity.


    As long as a company is profitable on paper, it can go three to five years without distributing dividends, and even if some sell their shares, others will buy in.


    Fund management fees don''t matter; Lu Liang isn''t the type to covet that small revenue. What he wants is the principal.


    Somewhat similar to the once-popular Blue Sky Plan, yet different, the new energy industry has great potential.


    In the evening, Lu Liang returned to the Marriott Hotel, and just as he lay down on the sofa to rest his eyes for a moment, the sharp sound of the doorbell rang.


    As he opened the door, Zhang Tian''ai stood there with a beaming smile, wrapping her arms around Lu Liang''s neck, "Miss me?"


    Lu Liang replied with a smile, yawning while casually ruffling her hair, "Did you finish filming the movie that quickly?"


    "Not yet; I just got back from Penglai yesterday. I''ll rest for a few days before heading to Lu Island for shooting. They''re still in the preparation phase there."


    Zhang Tian''ai squinted her eyes in pleasure. She was recently shooting Xihong City''s Richest Man, which required traveling to multiple locations for filming.


    Since she had finished the scenes in Penglai and had a few days off, upon hearing that Lu Liang was in Beijing, she hurried over.


    "But I might not have time to keep you company these next few days," Lu Liang said as he headed to the bathroom to splash water on his face, instantly invigorated.


    He had a packed schedule for the next few days, not only to check on the progress of the research and development but also because he had made plans to meet with Old Li.


    Then there was LeEco''s Old Jia, who was like a persistent itch, always wanting to discuss the grand financing plans for FF. It seemed unavoidable, especially since Li Xiang''s new car launch had also invited Old Jia.


    Although LeEco''s stock price continued to slump, it was still the top dog in the Growth Enterprise Market. Lu Liang might look down on Old Jia, but that didn''t mean others would.


    Boss Jia still had a very loud reputation.


    "Anyway, I''d be bored alone at home. If I stay with you at least I''ll have someone to chat with at night."


    Zhang Tian''ai silently took off her shoes and tiptoed behind Lu Liang, embracing his broad arms.


    "Is it just talking?" Lu Liang smiled and, turning around, held Zhang Tian''ai, burying his head in her soft chest, "Have you lost weight?"


    She used to have a bit of fleshiness, but after not seeing her for a while, the plumpness seemed to have disappeared. Now her weight probably fell below one hundred pounds.


    "Being slimmer looks better on camera," Zhang Tian''ai said with a giggle, standing on her tiptoes and nibbling on his ear, "I''ll be careful this time."


    She remembered once using too much force, bruising Lu Liang, an incident he nagged about for quite some time. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang chuckled, and the two left the restroom, embracing each other, and also talked about investing in Wolf Warrior 2 over the past period.


    Thinking that filming on the African continent would be too arduous, she didn''t even bother to ask Wu Jing for the lead female role.


    Otherwise, the doctor''s role should have been quite a fan magnet.


    Mid-conversation, Zhang Tian''ai passionately offered her red lips, releasing her emotions like an overwhelming flood.


    West Red Persimmon''s Richest Man followed Charlotte and Donkey Gets Water as another strong play by the Mahua Team, with an investment of up to 120 million yuan.


    Since the movie was greenlit, both top and lesser-known actresses had their eyes on the lead role, many even reducing their asking price.


    But as the main cast was announced, no one expected that someone of web drama origin would snatch this huge opportunity.


    Everyone said she was undeserving, but Mahua''s Zhang Chen was clearly protective of her, unwavering despite criticism.


    Zhang Tian''ai was well aware of the reason.


    As long as Lu Liang could still spare her occasional thoughts, what she was receiving now already far exceeded what she had given.


    Before Lu Liang could react, Zhang Tian''ai slipped off her coat and took two pills from her bag, swallowing them.


    Her eyes tantalizingly seductive, she bit her lower lip gently as a warm breeze brushed her ears, and she whispered softly, "Double protection~"


    Who could resist that?


    As night deepened, Lu Liang''s original plan for dining out was abruptly canceled and instead had the hotel staff deliver the meal to their room.


    "Eating so little, won''t you become hypoglycemic?" The shirt that belonged to him was now being worn by Zhang Tian''ai.


    Zhang Tian''ai looked even more stunning in it. The loose shirt just covered the roots of her legs, her collarbone exposed, her thighs barely visible, exuding charm from every angle.


    "I need to accept roles. If my body changes, the director would scold someone," she said.


    Zhang Tian''ai ate with relish, avoiding the skin of the chicken and only having boiled vegetables, complementing her meal with vitamins to ensure she was nourished.


    Lu Liang could only shake his head, standing at 168 cm, weighing 95 pounds, she was already very slim, but she still thought she was too heavy.


    Such a career as a star was too contrary to human nature.


    The next morning, Lu Liang visited Zhongguang Village.


    Due to its proximity to Qingbei, two top universities, Hu Weiwei and Wang Xiaofeng had also rented an office there.


    The company''s office was not large, just over ninety square meters, a modest little space like many start-ups.


    Without insider knowledge, nobody would guess this was a company with a registered capital of one hundred million US dollars.


    The main business was interfacing with research institutes and there were no other operations. Including Hu and Wang, the company had just five people.


    "Mr. Lu, please wait a moment, Li Jiahui will be right here."


    Hu Weiwei said hastily, knowing Lu Liang''s intentions, Wang Xiaofeng had already gone to scout for a suitable new office.


    This office was merely rented temporarily for transition, with a daily rent of only 500, paid by the week.


    Lu Liang, bored out of his mind, looked towards the nearby Baidu headquarters building, having just been briefed by Yang Zhenyuan.


    Before joining Byte, he worked for Baidu for eight years as a senior engineer.


    Lu Liang also learned that Baidu''s research and development departments were on the 19th to the 24th floors. He pondered how to sneak up without giving away his purpose.

 Chapter 226 - 225: Jobs Successor

    Li Jiahui and Wang Xiaofeng returned to the company one after another.


    Lu Liang, not versed in technology, only explicited to Li Jiahui the functions of the car systems currently used by Li Xiang, asking whether they could be optimized on the existing basis, or even surpassed.


    Li Jiahui pondered for a long time, "Millimeter-wave radar and 360 imaging can''t be the measure for intelligent driving; they''re just auxiliary equipment for the car. If you just want a smooth smart control system, achieving that isn''t difficult."


    He also frankly admitted his own shortcomings as well as those of the current R&D team, and informed Lu Liang that there was a team that might be absorbed.


    "Whose team?" Lu Liang was puzzled. Nowadays, both the internet and the vehicular network were in full swing; how could there still be wild teams out there?


    "The development team of SmartisanOS."


    Li Jiahui had a senior brother working as an engineer in that team. With the Hammer phone out of the picture, their whole team was on the brink of unemployment.


    It wasn''t that Huaqing''s R&D team was inadequate, but they leaned more toward academia and hardly considered commercialization.


    If they had help from the Hammer team, he could guarantee that before December, he would present a report that would satisfy Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang asked, "Without relying on an external team, with the current R&D progress, how long would it take to surpass Li Xiang''s car system?"


    Li Jiahui gave a shy smile, "Mr. Lu, our system is just a slight improvement away from surpassing Li Xiang''s car system."


    According to Mr. Lu''s description, the difficulty of executing three commands at once, to put it unflatteringly, a five million outsourcing budget could produce a similar control system in less than two months.


    In contrast, their STOS system, with a 20-million US dollar investment, was aimed at intelligent driving from the start. Even just revealing the basic architecture would be enough to thrash Li Xiang''s control, they weren''t even on the same level.


    "Li, you''re that confident?"


    "Mr. Lu, I can still guarantee that."


    Lu Liang contemplated for a moment, then turned to Wen Chao, "Contact Mr. Li''s assistant; change this afternoon''s meeting to the day after tomorrow."


    He then looked at Li Jiahui, "How much time do you need to prepare? I can take you there now for a direct inspection."


    Li Jiahui replied, "An hour and a half, I''ll go back to the university to collect some things and bring a few installation assistants."


    "Okay."


    Lu Liang called Li Xiang to inform him of the current situation. Without hesitation, Li Xiang expressed his warm welcome.


    A new car launch was slated for the day after tomorrow; if he could optimize the car system a bit, he would have more to boast about.


    It would be best if it could be put into use, but it wasn''t a problem if it couldn''t be. After all, there was still time before mass production began.


    While Li Jiahui returned to the university to prepare, Lu Liang asked Wen Chao to retrieve Hammer Technology''s information.


    His deepest impression of Hammer Technology was Luo Yonghao, and concerning Luo Yonghao, it was the "medium, large, and super large" cups.


    A few months ago, when Lu Liang facilitated the merger of Douyin and Watermelon, Luo had cursed him out, and Little Wang had a heated exchange with him.


    "The first-generation internet celebrity?"


    Seeing the information about Luo, Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Like Jack Ma, he came from a teaching background but managed to become the first-generation internet celebrity by blowing his own trumpet and letting loose.


    After resigning from New Oriental in 2006, he created an elite blog site, also known as niubo, roughly equivalent to the current Zhihu, but it quickly fizzled out.


    However, it attracted a crowd of Luo''s fans, and Luo became synonymous with "sentimentality" and "idealism."


    Six years ago,


    The most popular tech trend worldwide was smartphones.


    As soon as Luo revealed his intentions to venture into mobile phones, a large number of fans supported him.


    "Luo, you just focus on being earnest, we''ll help you win."


    Translated, it meant, "We the leeks are ready for you to harvest."


    And so, Luo naively believed it.


    In the year that Jobs died, proclaiming himself the sole inheritor of Old Qiao''s legacy, Luo established the Hammer phone, aiming to make the best phone in the East Half Ball since Apple was in the western half.


    He also said that Apple was inevitably heading for decline.


    As the only successor to Old Qiao, his responsibility was to refine Hammer Technology, preparing for the future acquisition and revival of Apple.


    But taking things too seriously, the R&D progress was painfully slow.


    For instance, Xiaomi''s updates and iterations were released weekly, while Hammer kept postponing its press conferences, dragging them out for a year and a half until users lost all patience.


    Three years ago, when Hammer''s first phone, the T1, was finally launched amidst great anticipation, full payment was required to preorder, but not even that could deter Hammer Fans from impulsively buying.


    However, the thrill of ordering was fleeting, and waiting for the delivery was akin to waiting for a cremation. Production couldn''t keep up, and even the most devoted fans lost patience.


    Consequently, the rate of order cancellations skyrocketed from 2% to 90%.


    With customers cancelling their orders, warehouses piled up with unsold stock, and funds on the books dwindling, they had no choice but to slash prices by a thousand yuan in promotions.


    And yet, they had previously declared they would never reduce prices and strive to mirror Apple. This reversal of policy led to intense criticism from both media and fans, and corporate reputation plummeted.


    Last year, while all smartphone manufacturers were upgrading to 4G, Hammer was still fixated on 3G, dismissing 4G phones as meaningless gimmicks.


    The pitfalls a start-up should avoid, Luo seemed to have fallen into almost every single one of them, burning through 580 million yuan within three years, leaving no cushion.


    Just this year, there were rumors of Hammer''s bankruptcy six times, potential acquisitions five times, and financial chain breakdowns three times.


    Not long ago, Luo was sued for "business fraud" by users after overstating claims at a product launch, landing the company in legal trouble.


    "He is indeed talented."


    Lu Liang smirked, Luo should have become a motivational speaker instead of an entrepreneur; it would have been more lucrative.


    Although the demise of Hammer phones was imminent, it did not mean that Hammer OS was a failure.


    On the contrary, with its distinctive features, Hammer OS was regarded as one of the most unique smartphone systems in history.


    Since Luo saw himself as the sole inheritor of Jobs'' legacy, Hammer''s mission was to acquire Apple; thus, the OS philosophy aligned closely with Apple''s. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It featured a clean and efficient interface, along with many iconic functions, such as Thought Capsules, voice interaction, and smart voice assistant.


    Li Jiahui endorsed it, particularly interested in Hammer OS''s smart voice assistant, which could nearly be transposed directly onto vehicle systems.


    In this domain, they excelled, and it''s not an exaggeration to say they were among the leaders in voice interaction.


    "With Hammer owing so much and losing so much, but not fleeing, it seems they won''t be easy to deal with."


    Lu Liang muttered to himself. He was interested in Hammer OS''s R&D team, but Luo didn''t seem easy to handle.


    If Luo were in Dai Wei''s shoes, he would be laughing in his sleep at such a wonderful start.


    Conversely, if Dai Wei were in Luo''s place, he''d likely have fled by now. The mess was more serious than ofo.


    Luo''s reluctance to give up suggested that he was a challenging person to negotiate with, and unless absolutely necessary, he probably wouldn''t surrender.


    After consideration, Lu Liang decided to start with Hammer''s investors and creditors. Golden Sand River led the C-round investment in Hammer, and Ali was a creditor.


    As the financing would certainly have involved some form of a betting agreement.


    Golden Sand River had the right to force Hammer to repay its debts, while Ali, having taken the pledged shares from Luo, could just opt for an overpriced transfer. They would likely grant Lu Liang this favor.


    The investors and creditors represented external pressures,


    while Lu Liang would personally handle the internal problems.


    During this time, he could have headhunters poach staff and wait until Hammer was under enough pressure to sell assets, then scoop up the patents for Hammer OS.


    An hour later, Li Jiahui returned from school and before heading to Li Xiang, Lu Liang found Wang Xiaofeng.


    He shared his plan and assigned the task to hollow out Hammer''s R&D members and prepare to take over the R&D team.


    The cost didn''t matter as long as it was reasonable, granting him substantial financial authority.


    Last year, Hammer was valued at 2.6 billion yuan. Taking action then would have been difficult. But this year, its value plummeted to less than 1 billion yuan, with several months of unpaid salaries.


    "Understood, Mr. Lu. I''ll start looking into it right away."


    Wang Xiaofeng nodded, feeling a pang of pity for Luo for a fleeting second. With Lu Liang''s focus, Hammer was doomed whether it died or not.


    With both internal and external troubles doubling down,


    Even the mighty deities couldn''t save the faltering Hammer Technology, let alone Luo.

 Chapter 227 - 226: We Are All Friends

    Zhongguancun may be called a village, but it''s actually a park.


    North to the Northern Fifth Ring Road, south to the West Second Ring Road, the total area is 217 square kilometers, occupying one seventy-fifth of Beijing.


    The Beijing office of Tianxing Technology, even though in the same Zhongguancun as Li Xiang Automobiles, takes over half an hour to drive between them.


    "How''s it going?"


    A group of people surrounded a computer on the car hood, discussing heatedly, and even Li Xiang managed to get a few words in now and then.


    Lu Liang felt like an illiterate when it came to computer technology; he only knew to reboot if something couldn''t be fixed, and if rebooting didn''t work, then to reinstall the system.


    Li Jiahui, always mindful of Boss Lu, stepped out from the crowd and whispered, "Mr. Lu, just as I thought, Li Xiang is using the Linux system."


    Linux is a free operating system available for use and distribution, and his recent claim that it would cost five million to outsource to a team was an overestimate.


    Just offer a million-dollar bounty, recruit a few relevant engineers, and within two months, they''d have the system adapted to the car.


    The degree of smart driving is virtually nil; it''s just a voice control system used mainly for operating functions within the cabin.


    Such as playing music, raising and lowering windows, seat heating, seat massaging, interior lighting, and other auxiliary entertainment functions.


    "So you''re saying our system is better than theirs?"


    Lu Liang didn''t understand, but he heard the arrogance in Li Jiahui''s voice.


    Li Jiahui pondered and explained in terms Lu Liang could understand: "The ONE is equipped with a 14nm Snapdragon 820A chip, if the fluidity of executing the Linux system is rated at 70%, then using STOS would be over 90%."


    The focus was mainly on improving smart driving; with system optimization, they could at least reach 110%.


    Lu Liang understood: "Then I have a clear idea now."


    He didn''t take to heart Li Jiahui''s comment that they were still far from interfacing with the power and braking systems.


    If auxiliary entertainment functions experienced lag or were slow to respond, no big deal, but if that happened when connected to the powertrain, it would be life-threatening.


    Lu Liang didn''t dare let them use it for reasons Li Xiang might not have considered.


    Soon, Li Xiang also stepped away from the discussion, exclaiming, "Mr. Lu, I didn''t expect you to give me such a surprise."


    "Mr. Li, this system isn''t mature yet; it''s merely passable," Lu Liang humbly smiled, appearing quite indifferent.


    "To have such results in just six months is already quite remarkable," Li Xiang said with a forced smile, cursing Lu Liang a hundred times in his heart.


    With less than 48 hours to go before the press conference, he truly wanted the TSOS system to be installed on the Li Xiang ONE.


    He knew very well the nature of the Linux system¡ªif it lagged or didn''t respond during the conference, it would be embarrassing.


    Li Xiang could only brace himself and asked, "Mr. Lu, about the cost, what are your thoughts?"


    "We are friends," Lu Liang said generously, "What need is there for money? Besides, it''s an immature car system."


    Lu Liang was magnanimous, offering everything free of charge, including future system updates.


    As Li Jiahui had said, the current version of the car system may not be able to interface with the power system, but it could act as an observer, collecting driving data, and lay a good foundation for future smart driving.


    Li Xiang saw what Lu Liang intended and chuckled, "If Mr. Lu is being so generous, then we won''t be polite."


    "We''re friends," Lu Liang beamed.


    He was already planning to get his hands on Luo''s Hammer OS as soon as possible, then to properly optimize the central control before finally following Tesla''s lead in offering free access.


    As long as everyone got used to their system, when the smart driving edition was released, they could reap a considerable harvest.


    But there was a prerequisite: they must stay far ahead, encouraging carmakers to think it''s better to buy than to build.


    If the lead in car system performance was not significant, they would definitely choose self-development, like NIO''s Li Bing.


    However, for the next three or perhaps two years, no one would likely bet heavily on this area, giving them enough time.


    Because the new energy market was still small and its prospects unclear, newcomers to car manufacturing spent all their energy just surviving, let alone having spare funds to develop their own car systems.


    Just like the current phone market, it''s only been in recent years that domestic systems like Boundaryless, Pengpai, Xiaomi, and HongMeng have started to emerge; earlier, these manufacturers simply used Android.


    After a while, Lu Liang left Li Jiahui and a few scientific researchers at Li Xiang to assist with system fine-tuning before the press conference.


    He went to Jile Tang in Beijing with Wen Chao and his security entourage, renting out a large pool and waiting for Zhu Hu to arrive.


    "Lu, how come you''re free tonight to invite Hu over for a hot spring?"


    Old Zhu was all smiles, having heard that Lu Liang had shorted the Dow and made a pretty penny; he knew he could worry less this year. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Golden Sand River, like a private equity fund, managed about 2 billion US dollars in assets and had invested two hundred million dollars in Lu Liang.


    If Tianxing could earn more, Golden Sand River could afford to earn less, and the pressure for performance wouldn''t be as great.


    "There must be no smoke without fire," Lu Liang said with a laugh as he waved the service staff away from the poolside.


    Seeing this, Zhu Hu restrained his smile and sat down by the pool to soak his feet. "If you need help, just say the word."


    Lu Liang sat next to Zhu Hu, soaking his feet together. "How much do you know about Hammer Technology?"


    He had arranged to meet Zhu Hu that evening specifically to discuss how they might dismantle Hammer Technology.


    Zhu Hu thought for a moment. "Not much, I just felt Luo was good at stirring up trouble, so I casually invested a bit."


    Luo Yonghao was known for his extravagant style; each time there was an announcement, it would be held at the national conference center.


    Although renting it for a day would only cost hundreds of thousands, laypeople wouldn''t know that. Seeing the name of the national conference center, they would think he was incredibly impressive.


    So even though Zhu Hu knew Luo was just fishing for attention, he took the bait and led the Series C funding with 70 million, which wasn''t particularly a lot.


    "How are their finances now?" Lu Liang asked again.


    "I remember taking a glance last month; there was less than five hundred thousand in the account, and they owed over a billion in payables."


    Zhu Hu was surprised. "You''re not interested in Hammer, are you?"


    If Lu Liang was interested in Hammer, then he would also have to re-evaluate the company.


    Douyin had completely conquered the southern market and threatened Kuai Shou in the north; its international version had also made significant waves in Southeast Asia.


    The market valuation for Douyin was skyrocketing from 800 million dollars all the way to 1.8 billion dollars, already surpassing Byte''s valuation.


    This was enough to prove that Lu Liang''s eye for finance was sharp, and his sense for the internet was top-notch.


    Although the new energy sector he was most optimistic about still looked half-dead, industries always take time to develop.


    Lu Liang was forthright. "I want Hammer''s operating system. What are the chances that Luo would sell the entire team?"


    Zhu Hu asked tentatively, "Planning to switch to car software?"


    Lu Liang nodded, not worried about revealing his intent and sparking a scramble for the target because the mobile phone market landscape had essentially solidified. Surviving manufacturers all had their own systems.


    Whether it was OV, Xiaomi, Meizu, or other brands, if they used Hammer''s system, they''d be laughed to death by their rivals.


    As for the auto industry, the saying still holds: the market is too small and uncertain, so no one would invest significant effort in car software.


    Zhu Hu pondered. "Luo is rather stubborn. Asking him to sell the operating system is tantamount to selling the whole Hammer."


    "So you''re saying there''s no room for discussion?" Lu Liang narrowed his eyes. If words fail, he thought, don''t blame me for getting tough.


    He could just push Hammer Technology into bankruptcy, and then, whether Luo liked it or not, he''d have to sell.


    Zhu Hu coughed a few times. "Actually, Hammer still has some brand value."


    If Hammer went bankrupt, 70 million would be down the drain. Although Luo would lose money, Zhu Hu wondered when Luo could afford to pay.


    The best-case scenario would be for Lu Liang to take over and quickly go public by wrapping it in a shell company. With his influence in the financial market, it could easily turn into 700 million in minutes.


    Lu Liang looked unimpressed and glared. "Pick up a mouse and open an internet cafe?"


    Hammer was in debt for over a billion, the company''s account was empty, except for a warehouse full of outdated stock. The mobile phone ecological niche had been pretty much divided up; he would have to be insane to take over Hammer.


    Zhu Hu coaxed, "Well, you can''t put it that way. You know, the car software, it''s like a phone in a car, there are similarities."


    Lu Liang shook his head outright; he had looked into Hammer''s information. They even outsourced phone production to Foxconn, with no industry to speak of.


    The staff was barely over 400 people; they had nothing, really, except that the system patent might be worth something. The rest was worthless.


    Lu Liang stopped Zhu Hu from going on. "Hu, are you going to help me or not?"


    Zhu Hu was at a loss for words, his reply swallowed back, and he nodded emphatically: "I''ll help."


    The account loss of 70 million was nothing compared to Lu Liang''s friendship.


    After all, when Lu Liang had brought him on board Douyin, with the current valuation, he had made more than five times that amount in profit.


    Besides, Hammer looked beyond redemption, and this doomed investment might as well be a favor to ensure good relations.


    After all, Zhu Hu was still eyeing Tianxing Technology.

 Chapter 228 - 227: Disliked Wherever I Go

    The next day, even stricter real estate purchasing restrictions were piloted in 12 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.


    This move acted like an adrenaline shot; new housing developments across major cities saw a surge in prices.


    Those who owned homes were pleased, while those who didn''t were miserable.


    "YunOS."


    Lu Liang had a long conversation with Zhu Hu last night and learned a lot of information beyond the regular data.


    For instance, last year Luo pledged 27.84% of his shares to Ali in exchange for a loan of 350 million dollars.


    Ali was the lender, or you could say the prospective financier.


    Recently, Ali continuously hyped up the Yun system and even took a stake in Meizu, persuading them to use their operating system.


    However, smartphones equipped with YunOS had lackluster market sales, which in turn affected the development of the Yun system.


    A few days ago, Meizu launched this year''s flagship phone, abandoning Ali''s YunOS in favor of their own Boundaryless system.


    Rumors said Ali was very dissatisfied and reluctant, and to improve the subsequent development of their own system and to increase their say in the mobile sector, they were likely to keep betting.


    The existing setup of Hammer Technology was prime to potentially become the next wrapper for the Yun system''s filling.


    Lu Liang wanted the filling, they wanted the wrapper ¨C cooperation between both parties was a possibility.


    "Umm~~ Why are you awake so early?"


    Zhang Tian''ai hummed softly, her eyes bleary and full of a bewildered daze as she clutched the bedding.


    She stretched lazily like a kitten, her long legs lifting high, her skin as pale as ivory.


    With a sharp crack, Zhang Tian''ai''s eyes widened, sucking in a breath from the pain as she rubbed her thigh, rolling back and forth on the bed.


    Lu Liang chuckled slyly, revealing a triumphant smile, "I need to head out early today; you can keep resting."


    "You''re mean~"


    Zhang Tian''ai looked up piteously, lying at the head of the bed...


    After breakfast at the hotel, Lu Liang arrived at the Byte Building.


    Zhang Yiming took his visit very seriously, waiting for him at the entrance early in the morning, guarding closely throughout to prevent Lu Liang from speaking with anyone else.


    Lu Liang could hardly keep a straight face and wanted to ask if all this was necessary, but on second thought, he decided not to ¨C worried that Mr. Zhang might lose his temper.


    Douyin''s valuation had surpassed ByteDance, even though ByteDance held more than half the shares and had control over its managerial decisions.


    It should have been an entirely ByteDance product, but Anyone would feel uneasy knowing that Lu Liang had once had a hand in it.


    Entering the company''s reception room, Zhang Yiming dropped his guard and asked with a smile, "Mr. Lu, what brings you to grace us with your presence today?"


    After some pleasantries, Lu Liang stated his purpose, "I heard ByteDance holds a 14.55% stake in Hammer Technology?"


    The equity structure of Hammer Technology was divided among Luo with 28.46%, Ali pledged with 27.84%, ByteDance with 14.55%, Golden Sand River with 15%, and a number of company executives and small investors collectively owning 14.15%.


    With Ali being too dominant, and Lu Liang coming empty-handed, a direct approach to negotiations would likely fail.


    If he managed to secure the shares from Golden Sand River and ByteDance before negotiating with Ali again, the chances of reaching an agreement were probably high.


    Since the three of them together possessed 57.39% of the shares, exceeding half, Hammer Technology''s shape was practically theirs unless Luo managed to secure 350 million to repay Ali and reclaim his pledged shares.


    Zhang Yiming nodded, "That is the case. Are you interested, Mr. Lu?"


    His expression was strikingly similar to Zhu Hu''s from the previous night.


    Since the M1 phone''s sales setback, Hammer Technology had been given a stay of execution by various financial backers, its eventual burial dependent solely on how long Luo could hold out.


    This was an investment doomed to fail, and Zhang Yiming was surprised that Lu Liang would show interest.


    Lu Liang responded noncommittally, continuing, "Mr. Zhang, would you be willing to part with it for the painful price of 145.5 million, transferring it to Golden Sand River?"


    Not being a shareholder of Hammer, if he managed to acquire ByteDance''s shares, the board of directors'' approval would be needed.


    Admittedly, this would unavoidably arouse Luo''s suspicions, but luckily Zhu Hu was willing to help him out ¨C Golden Sand River, being a shareholder, had the right of first refusal for stock repurchase.


    A gleam flashed in Zhang Yiming''s eyes, "Mr. Lu, I fear that price might not be quite fitting."


    Though he didn''t know what use Lu Liang had for Hammer''s shares, the opportunity to make a hefty sum from him didn''t come every day. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang smiled faintly, "Mr. Zhang, you must be well aware of Hammer''s predicament. With a valuation of one billion, buying back this share is already a sincere offer."


    Zhang Yiming''s face was all smiles, "I am aware, Hammer''s situation isn''t great, but who doesn''t know Mr. Lu''s sharp vision, calling you ''Golden Touch'' wouldn''t be an exaggeration."


    The chances were slim, but perhaps Hammer was an uncut gem; otherwise, Lu Liang wouldn''t have set his sights on it.


    "Such is the burden of reputation."


    Lu Liang laughed wryly, revealing his real intentions, "I''m only interested in Hammer''s operating system. If Mr. Zhang does not agree, then I shall have to let it go. I could only turn to Mr. Luo to discuss system patent licensing; he would probably be very pleased."


    Acquiring patents from Hammer Technology is the cheapest and most convenient method, but he didn''t want to rent, he wanted to buy them out permanently.


    If everyone thought they could cash in on him, Lu Liang would rather talk to Luo about licensing.


    At most, he would just pay a few more years of patent fees, and wait until Hammer naturally went bankrupt, then take the patents into his hands.


    Whether or not Hammer Technology would go bankrupt, and when it might file for bankruptcy, was currently an unknown.


    Like QVOD, a few years ago, it was jointly strangulated by Youku, iQiyi, and Tencent; the company received a suspended sentence, the founder was imprisoned, but up to now, it still hadn''t gone bankrupt.


    Lu Liang didn''t want to wait for this uncertainty. The best strategy was to acquire controlling shares, force Hammer into bankruptcy, and force Luo to sell off his assets.


    Zhang Yiming showed a thoughtful expression, unsure whether Lu Liang''s words were true or false, but Lu Liang seemed genuinely disinterested in talking further, even frequently glancing outside, as if he had designs on the scientists from his company.


    Zhang Yiming sensed trouble and quickly said, "Mr. Lu, it''s not that there''s nothing to discuss; we can talk some more."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then gave Mr. Zhang a way out, "Mr. Zhang, how about a 10% premium on one billion dollars?"


    "Fine." Zhang Yiming agreed without hesitation. A matter of tens of millions was small, but face-saving was significant; he was waiting for this opportunity.


    Afterward, Lu Liang contacted Zhu Hu, asking him to send someone for negotiations. Zhang Yiming smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, it''s getting late now; let''s find a place to eat?"


    Lu Liang was a danger to have around; he didn''t want Lu Liang to stay at the company any longer, only wishing to send him away quickly.


    Lu Liang looked displeased. It wasn''t even eleven. Why would he eat now? Was he that undesirable? He sighed, "Mr. Zhang, let''s wait until later, I haven''t even digested breakfast."


    Zhang Yiming laughed it off, "That''s true, perhaps it''s just that we''re used to having an earlier lunch in our family."


    Lu Liang''s face was expressionless.


    After a while, since Zhu Hu had nothing urgent, he came over personally, and both parties signed the stock transfer agreement.


    Golden Sand River invested 1.605 billion yuan and acquired a 14.55% stake in Hammer Technology held by ByteDance.


    With that, Golden Sand River''s ownership reached 29.55%, surpassing Luo as the largest shareholder of Hammer.


    Thus, Lu Liang also obtained power of attorney from Golden Sand River.


    Zhu Hu asked, "What are you planning to do next?"


    Obligations were one thing; accounts had to be clear.


    Helping out was a matter of good will, but this favor was not to be given for free.


    Although Lu Liang hadn''t put in any money himself, he had promised Zhu Hu that Tianxing Technology would give up 10% of its shares in return afterward.


    This was also due to Old Zhu''s high regard for Lu Liang, as they had collectively invested 1.605 billion yuan and shares worth 70 million yuan.


    A total investment of 2.3 billion only for 10% of Tianxing Technology''s shares, indicating an inferred valuation of the company at 23 billion yuan.


    Keep in mind, Lu Liang only invested 640 million yuan, and despite not having achieved any results yet, his name alone had added a premium of 1.66 billion yuan.


    "In the afternoon, I''ll swing by Baidu, and after Li Xiang''s press conference tomorrow, I''ll head to Hang City to talk with Ali."


    During the meal, Lu Liang also briefly outlined the schedule for the next few days.


    "A visit to Baidu?" Zhu Hu showed a curious expression.


    "What about it?" Lu Liang asked, puzzled.


    "Nothing."


    Zhu Hu shook his head, and Zhang Yiming also had a mysterious smile.


    Lu Liang was clueless.


    It wasn''t until he arrived at Baidu Building in the afternoon that he understood why those two had those expressions.


    Li Yanhong had received the news early and was standing at the entrance of the company, watching him like he was guarding against a thief.


    No chance to even see the 19th to 24th floors¡ªLu Liang was directly taken to the top office by Old Li.


    After drinking tea for two hours, besides Old Li, his assistant, and secretary, he didn''t see anyone else.


    Lu Liang felt very aggrieved and later found Zhu Hu to inquire about the reason; what on earth had he done to warrant such animosity?


    Why was he treated with disdain everywhere he went?


    Zhu Hu laughed heartily, "This really isn''t your fault, the story about Yang Zhenyuan has spread too widely."


    A senior architect earning an annual salary of three million, after encountering Lu Liang and then going for a spin outside.


    In just over nine months, returning to Byte''s embrace, his status and wealth soared like a rocket.


    Becoming a co-founder of a unicorn enterprise valued at 1.8 billion US dollars and holding 10.45% of the shares.


    Such temptation was irresistible to anyone.


    If it was said that Yang Zhenyuan was a legend, then Lu Liang was the guide on the path to legendry.

 Chapter 229 - 228: The Annoying Sticker

    "Old Li, he really lacks vision," Lu Liang said with indignation, Zhu Hu nearly spat out his beer: "Everyone knows that Baidu is brimming with talent. Xiaomi has poached from them, Byte has done it, and so has Meituan. Mr. Li is now like a startled bird. Bro, you might as well give up on your scheming."


    "If subtle approaches don''t work, then we''ll have to be overt."


    Lu Liang had heard that while others were still developing smart driving systems, Baidu had already taken a step ahead with their autonomous driving project.


    The project was named Apollo and included four major modules: high-precision mapping, localization, perception, intelligent decision-making, and control.


    In the field of navigation, Baidu Map is the only company that can compete with Gaode Map, giving Baidu a natural advantage in the development of autonomous driving.


    Lu Liang was truly envious; he had money now, but no people, otherwise, he wouldn''t have gone to such lengths with Hammer.


    Out of curiosity, Zhu Hu asked, "How do you plan to do this overtly?"


    "Let''s get Hammer''s matter out of the way first."


    Lu Liang didn''t want to talk more about it, and Zhu Hu didn''t ask further, but he could guess that aside from throwing money, there seemed to be no other way.


    Because Lu Liang''s advantage was his wealth, but as long as he was willing to spend money, and spend it where it should be spent, it was not impossible to bite off a chunk from Baidu.


    Baidu had been established for too long, and they had been listed for too long as well, with the internal hierarchy already solidified and stock incentives mostly carved up.


    Those who joined later could only endure the bitterness of hard work, picking up the scraps and leftovers from the established beneficiaries.


    The longer an enterprise has been established, the more serious this situation becomes, creating opportunities for outsiders.


    The next day, Lu Liang drove Zhang Tian''ai to the airport; her vacation had ended, and she was off to Lu Island for filming.


    This meant that they wouldn''t be able to see each other for at least two more months.


    Thus, there was still an hour and a half before boarding.


    The car bore the brunt of their cramped and impassioned space, and Lu Liang found that he had been bruised again.


    Zhang Tian''ai giggled, her cheeks flushed, with fine beads of sweat still on the tip of her nose. Taking advantage of the fact that Lu Liang wasn''t angry yet,


    She quickly kissed his cheek, then put on her hat and mask, grabbed her suitcase, and dashed off with her head down.


    "Watch where you''re going, don''t trip!"


    "I know~~"


    Lu Liang chuckled and sighed; he could only return to the hotel to change into a new set of clothes before heading to the National Convention Center.


    Meanwhile, Zhang Tian''ai sent him a message, with pitiful emoji: "I think it''s leaking out."


    Lu Liang teased with a laugh, "Then you should take more antipyretics."


    "I took them before and after."


    "¡­"


    Lu Liang fell silent.


    Women, when they catch fire, can really push the envelope.


    She was born in ''90, and Lu Liang felt like he couldn''t keep up with her.


    ...


    At one o''clock in the afternoon, at the National Convention Center.


    Today, Li Xiang was holding a new car release event for their one model, having booked the entire A1 area, and many news media were present.


    Li Bing was also there to show his support, chatting with He Xiaopeng. Rumors were spread that NIO, Weiliao, and Li Xiang had a mutual help group; it seemed the rumors were true.


    As soon as Lu Liang appeared, he immediately became the focus of the whole venue, and the sound of discussion within the conference room subconsciously quieted down by several degrees.


    Not only because it was his first public appearance but also due to his active support for the new energy industry.


    Especially Old Jia from LeEco¡ªhis gaze was almost tangible.


    Lu Liang felt a chill running down his spine; just two hours earlier at the airport, the way Zhang Tian''ai looked at him was identical.


    It was one thing with a woman, but with a man...


    He couldn''t handle it.


    Luckily, Li Bing saw him too and hurriedly waved him over. Ignoring Old Jia, Lu Liang walked up to them, and Li Bing introduced, "Mr. Lu, this is Mr. He from Xiao Peng."


    "Hello, Mr. He," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    He started working with computers in 2002 and had personally witnessed the evolution of the internet from the PC era to the mobile era.


    If he had to say which software left the greatest impression on him from the PC era, it was QVOD; for the mobile era, it was UC, or more precisely, UC before it was acquired by Ali.


    Associated with He Xiaopeng, too, there was a natural fondness.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ve long admired your reputation."


    He Xiaopeng humbly smiled, also sizing up Lu Liang.


    Unlike Li Bing and Li Xiang, it was his first time meeting Lu Liang, the man hailed as the biggest financier (currently) of the new energy sector.


    Just in Ningde alone, he had invested more than four billion, not to mention the tens of millions of US dollars in both NIO and Li Xiang, and the hefty sum over one hundred million US dollars in self-developed vehicle systems.


    In fact, the country had long been promoting the development of the new energy industry, but the person who truly made the term "new energy" widely known was Lu Liang.


    Because normally, major national policies are like a drizzle, silently nourishing everything; in the first few years of development, apart from industry professionals, few others were aware.


    It was Lu Liang who ignited this industry. Whether or not the market accepted it was another story, but it was indeed him who made more people aware of the existence of new energy and that the nation was actively pushing forward.


    He Xiaopeng too decided to enter the field early because of Lu Liang, otherwise he would have stayed at Ali for another half a year, carefully observing.


    "Mr. Lu, I heard that Li Xiang''s vehicle is also equipped with Tianxing''s system?" Li Bing asked with a smile, probing indirectly.


    Surprise showed on He Xiaopeng''s face as Lu Liang laughed, "It''s not really a system, just a smart central control."


    Li Jiahui had told him it wasn''t that their system was so incredibly amazing, it was just that Li Xiang''s original system was trash.


    It was like a rushed job.


    Lu Liang could understand; after just completing their Series A funding, it was heard that Li Xiang was out of money again. They needed to produce some results to ensure continued investment.


    "If Mr. Li adopted it, there must be many advantages."


    He Xiaopeng made no attempt to hide his strong interest.


    He inquired whether the system was customized for Li Xiang, or if there was an intention to bring it to the market, expressing Xiao Peng''s great interest.


    Although he wasn''t from an automotive background like Li Xiang and Li Bing, he was from a tech background; it was no disgrace to learn from others where one lacked.


    If Tesla''s patents weren''t so fraught with potential pitfalls, he probably would have borrowed them a long time ago.


    "It''s not yet perfect, we''ve only licensed it to Li Xiang, but we should be able to release the first public version in December."


    As Lu Liang spoke, he turned to glance at Li Bing, whose smile became somewhat stiff, "Looking forward to the official version''s launch."


    Their ES8 probably couldn''t escape; they could only hope that Lu Liang''s vehicle control system wasn''t too impressive, otherwise, they would likely find it hard to justify not using it in the future.


    He Xiaopeng handed over a business card, smiling broadly, "Mr. Lu, if you launch the public version, remember to contact me first."


    "Definitely, definitely," Lu Liang took the card and also took out one from Wen Chao''s bag to return the favor.


    "What are you all discussing here?"


    Old Jia approached, his smile as warm as a spring breeze, climbing the proverbial mountain if it wouldn''t come to him.


    "We were just discussing the in-car control systems, Mr. Jia, you might be interested, too," Lu Liang replied, his smile unchanged but with a silent sigh in his heart¡ªinevitably, what was to come had come.


    "I''m very interested indeed."


    Old Jia rambled on, recounting LeEco''s supercar and the plan to hold a new car launch by the end of the month.


    The others showed odd expressions upon hearing this.


    If we were to consider the founding dates, LeTV Car had a five to six-year lead over them.


    Over the years, the number of new car launch events LeTV had held and the models announced couldn''t be fewer than five, but they all existed only in PPT.


    Till now, as Weiliao''s new cars were emerging with actual products, Old Jia was still pondering concept cars.


    "Mr. Lu, Mr. Jia, I''ll leave you to it; I see an acquaintance," Li Bing said, fearing he couldn''t hold back laughter and recognizing that Old Jia had come for Lu Liang, so he promptly left.


    He Xiaopeng also excused himself, and the two of them left together. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang''s heart sank as he was left to keep up appearances with a strained smile.


    Old Jia was still talking, "Mr. Lu, I know you''re not like the others, we''re of the same kind, you should understand my thoughts."


    "The current new energy market is too small, annual sales total no more than 400,000 units; it''s not suitable for someone of our size to enter the market. That''s why you began developing the vehicle control system, just as I had thought. We must adapt to a changing market with unchanging goals and firm resolve."


    Mr. Jia found reasons for his PPT car-making; the first batch of new energy vehicles definitely had many drawbacks, and the first batch of owners would undoubtedly regret their current decision.


    For the sake of the consumer market at large, he was waiting for the right moment. It seemed as though there was no mass production, but the technology was constantly being updated and iterated.


    "Mr. Lu, have you heard of the Xiong''an New District?" Old Jia tossed out the bait. This was a soon-to-be trillion-yuan investment to build a supercity, which was also the rising city for LeEco.


    Over the next decade, they planned to rely on the Xiongan New District to create a city of autonomous driving.


    Lu Liang was speechless, his expression saying it all: "Mr. Jia, I''m really not interested, perhaps you should find someone else."


    After playing middleman for so many years, he well understood the difference between school district housing and non-school district housing; no matter how much buzz a new district generated, if it still carried the Hebei license plate, it wouldn''t see the day of success.

 Chapter 230 - 229: Refrigerator, Sofa, Big-screen TV

    "Mr. Lu, sorry to disturb you."


    Old Jia felt embarrassed as Lu Liang was so straightforward, making any further interruptions seem rather shameless.


    After all, he was once the top figure on the Growth Enterprise Market, treated with great respect wherever he went, as if he desperately needed Lu Liang''s investment.


    "Mr. Jia, I apologize," said Lu Liang calmly, watching Old Jia leave. It seemed the rumors were true: LeEco''s financial situation was more severe than imagined.


    Approaching two o''clock, guided by the staff on site, Lu Liang took his seat in the front row of the press conference, flanked by Jingwei''s manager Zhang Ying and Meituan''s Wang Xing.


    Even though it was their first meeting, the three conversed amicably.


    Wang Xing teased, "Mr. Lu, it looks like Mr. Li plans to leverage your golden signboard."


    He glanced at the photographer on stage, whose lens often paused on Lu Liang, or swept past him.


    Clearly, Li Xiang intended to use Lu Liang''s fame to launch Li Xiang''s new car with a bang.


    "Just use it then."


    Lu Liang smiled indifferently, having anticipated this scenario¡ªthe new Li Xiang car was equipped with TSOS, after all, they ought to pay some advertising fees.


    Suddenly, a resentful gaze came from behind, sounding almost like a ghost, "Mr. Lu, don''t neglect one for the other."


    Li Bing regretted to the core; NIO was even more in need of money than Li Xiang because they were building battery swap stations.


    Such an excellent opportunity had slipped away, making him feel he had lost out on a possible few hundred million in valuation.


    Lu Liang chuckled helplessly, "When the new NIO car is released, I''m willing to go up and host it myself."


    Said in jest, yet taken seriously by those around, including He Xiaopeng¡ªthese words suggested that NIO was soon to launch another new car.


    And it wasn''t a supercar, it had to be a mass-produced vehicle.


    Two o''clock arrived.


    Li Xiang, with a beaming smile and flanked by Li Xiang oen, appeared at the center of the stage. With the reveal of the interior, it was officially declared that cars were entering the era of refrigerators, TVs, and large sofas.


    While the press conference was still ongoing, photos and video clips had already spread online, sparking hot discussion across the net.


    The luxurious interior of the Li Xiang oen was nearly on par with that of a Toyota Alphard, perhaps even surpassing it.


    But the front face of the car, which resembled a Bentley, inevitably became the subject of mockery, earning it a new nickname, ''Binli''.


    Lu Liang''s attendance at the press conference also sparked discussions online, with netizens joking, "He''s not hiding anymore, planning to debut?"


    In the second half of last year, and in the first half of this year, he was famed as the most mysterious man on the internet. Recently, he''s been seen more frequently, prompting netizens to tease that he is officially debuting.


    "Just debuting my ass, he''s just addicted to getting free publicity."


    "If it weren''t for Lu Liang''s investment in Li Xiang, and if Li Xiang weren''t equipped with STOS, do you think he would come?"


    "No way, don''t tell me there are people who don''t know STOS stands for ThestarsOS."


    "Nowadays, every Tom, Dick, and Harry are developing infotainment systems and putting them in electric cars¡ªeven saving their cremation money."


    "I agree that Tom, Dick, and Harry shouldn''t develop infotainment systems, but you''re wrong about electric cars¡ªthat is a totally ''pants-down'' car."


    "Range extender hybrid technology sounds good, but it''s just using gasoline to generate electricity which then powers the car, and the equipment that generates electricity from gasoline is called a range extender." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m really curious if there''s a way to skip the range extender and directly drive the car with gasoline?"


    "Ha ha ha~ Is it something that, once you put it into the tank, the car can run?"


    "Can it also be divided into 92, 95, and 98?"


    "Can it be divided into manual, semi-automatic, and automatic?"


    "Stop being sarcastic, the range extender isn''t that bad¡ªit does improve fuel efficiency. The claimed fuel consumption figures of 6.8-9.6L/100km have to be true."


    The Le Xiang OEN, equipped with a range-extender hybrid system, became the center of online discussions once its fuel consumption data was publicized.


    A mid-to-large size SUV that can achieve 6.8-9.6L per hundred kilometers is bound to sell well; after all, a fridge, a flat-screen TV, and a large sofa are the dream vehicles for married men and travel enthusiasts.


    The only requirement is that it can''t be a laughingstock.


    Netizens were fervently discussing, but the buzz was there, and the goal of Le Xiang''s new product launch was achieved.


    After all, it would be a year and a half before the official presale, so it was important to leave an impression with the public, good or bad, so that it wouldn''t be mistaken for a no-name car when the time came.


    Li Bing was extremely envious, as their own EP9 launch hadn''t even made a splash.


    Sports cars might earn you prestige, but if you want to make money, you have to develop SUVs.


    After the meeting, he hurried off, his desire to advance the release of the NIO ES8 stronger than ever.


    Meanwhile, Li Xiang convened the shareholders of Le Xiang, outlining the plans for the future, aiming to start production by the end of next year.


    He was also hinting that it was time to invest more money.


    Car manufacturing is costly. Despite not having done much and not having even built a production base yet, 600 million US dollars had already been spent.


    This time, the plan was to raise 450 million US dollars in one go, which should last until the OEN officially started production.


    Zhang Ying pondered for a long time before turning to Lu Liang and asking, "Mr. Lu, what do you think?"


    "Should we finance or follow on with additional investment?" Lu Liang asked with a nonchalant smile.


    Le Xiang may become the first new-energy automotive company among the three major players¡ªWeiliao¡ªto start mass production.


    Ningde Era is destined to break through a market value of a trillion dollars, and the new-energy market is forming a scale. No matter the amount, he is willing to make a follow-on investment.


    Li Xiang was overjoyed, quickly saying, "Mr. Lu, we plan to offer up 15% of our equity for financing this time."


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, if you''re not interested, how about Tianxing takes the lead in this round of investment?"


    Zhang Ying and Wang Xing looked at each other. Everyone knew that Lu Liang had a sharp eye for investments, but market data once again proved that the future was uncertain.


    They wanted to trust Lu Liang''s judgment, but they couldn''t because they needed to be accountable to their shareholders. Unlike Tianxing, which was entirely up to Lu Liang''s decisions.


    After much thought, they both agreed, "Mr. Lu, then let Tianxing lead this round of investment."


    Tianxing invested 300 million US dollars to lead this round, holding 18.5% of Le Xiang''s equity, second only to Li Xiang''s 34%.


    This was followed by Dragon Ball''s 17.5%, Jingwei Capital''s 17.5%, and Ming Shi Capital''s 12.5%.


    That night, Lu Liang took a flight to Hang City, planning to meet with Huang Hao from Ali''s mobile division.


    Jack Ma was too busy delivering speeches around the world to pay attention to such trivial matters.


    The reason for investing in OFO was to gain political support, Lu Liang learned from Zhu Hu. Such a typical Western business mindset¡ªit was unclear if it would work in this red land, but if it did, it would pave a totally new path.


    After resting at the hotel for a night, the next day at noon, Lu Liang was invited to Ali Park.


    He met Huang Hao from the mobile division and Zhang Yong, the then COO of Ali who played a significant role in creating the Double Eleven shopping festival.


    "Mr. Lu, hello, Mr. Ma is away on business and can''t return at the moment, please forgive us," Zhang Yong greeted with a smile.


    Lu Liang, with tens of billions in funds, was no minor character. It would''ve only been polite for Old Ma to meet him personally if he had been there.


    Lu Liang smiled and exchanged pleasantries, then got straight to the point, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Huang, has it been mentioned to you?"


    Zhang Yong nodded, "Mr. Lu, we are indeed interested in promoting the YUN system and the Hammer smartphone is a good carrier for it."


    "Pleased to do business," Lu Liang said with a smile at the corner of his mouth.


    Although Luo was the main character in this event, his consent was not required for this decision.


    In just a few words, the fate of Luo and his Hammer Technology was decided by them.

 Chapter 231 - 230: Comprehensive Ban

    This day, Luo Yonghao would never forget.


    Even after ten or twenty years, the mere thought of it would send chills down his spine.


    That morning, as soon as he arrived at the office, before he even had time to warm his seat, a group of people marched into his office.


    "Yaowen, don''t tell me the system crashed."


    Luo Yonghao joked with a smile. Even though the company''s account was empty and a handful of ignorant people online were spreading rumors of bankruptcy, a charismatic leader needed to face everything with a positive, optimistic, and cheerful demeanor.


    If even he, was constantly frowning, then the company wasn''t far from truly hitting rock bottom.


    He must have confidence to instill confidence in his employees.


    Zheng Yaowen spoke solemnly: "Mr. Luo, the system is fine, and the new version is expected to launch on schedule next Tuesday."


    "What''s the matter then?"


    Luo was puzzled. The seventeen people in front of him were all key members of the system development team, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.


    The next second, Murphy''s Law took effect; what he feared most plopped onto the desk¡ªseventeen resignation letters, neatly arranged.


    Luo''s face turned grim: "Old Zheng, can''t you give me some more time? The company will be receiving an investment of five hundred million soon."


    Although they hadn''t paid salaries for three months, both Suning and Tianfu Municipal had already expressed their intention to invest in Hammer.


    At this time, so many people resigning could lead to a failed loan review and the complete collapse of the company.


    Several people looked at each other. Zheng Yaowen, with a guilty expression, spoke first: "Mr. Luo, I''m sorry, you know my situation. Both of my children just started elementary school."


    He was adamant, and others followed suit: "Mr. Luo, I''m sorry, as you know, I live paycheck to paycheck. Without a few months'' salary, I really can''t hold on."


    "Mr. Luo, you know I just got married and just bought a house. I have to pay over thirty thousand a month in mortgage."


    "Mr. Luo, I''m sorry¡­"


    One by one, they all had their compelling reasons, but the resolve in their attitudes was decisive, seeming beyond persuasion as if resignation was inevitable, even if it meant walking out.


    "Who is it? Byte, Meizu, or Xiaomi?"


    Luo''s face grew darker¡ªhe wasn''t a fool.


    If it had been just one or two people resigning, maybe they were genuinely unable to persevere and couldn''t accompany the company through the low ebb.


    But seventeen key members of the development team leaving indicated that someone was poaching aggressively.


    The intent behind such an act was malevolent, aiming to completely strip Hammer Technology of its engineers.


    Everyone was silent; Zheng Yaowen sighed, "Mr. Luo, let''s not ask about it, and part ways amicably."


    They were bound by contracts and couldn''t reveal it.


    The other party was immensely powerful.


    Although Luo didn''t know why they were targeting Hammer, it was evidently a force he couldn''t resist.


    A stifled frustration built up in Luo''s chest, eager to know who the authoritative and aggressive poacher was who didn''t even allow others to speak.


    He inquired, "Do you really have to go? Is your mind made up?"


    Luo couldn''t hold them back with a contract since the company hadn''t paid salaries for months, already breaching the terms.


    They wanted to leave, and they didn''t even need his permission.


    "Yes."


    Led by Zheng Yaowen, the group had determined looks.


    Even if Luo hadn''t exaggerated, and the five hundred million in loan funds had been received on time, they had already decided to leave.


    Because the inviting company had immense potential¡ªsaying it sat on a mountain of gold and silver was not an exaggeration. In comparison, Hammer was like a mayfly viewing the sky, a frog in a well gazing at the moon.


    Rather than staying with Hammer, waiting for an uncertain future, they preferred to pursue a brighter financial prospect.


    The new company offered significantly superior benefits and had signed a three-year guarantee against salary cuts or layoffs; they had to consider whether this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    Luo remained silent for a long while, his gaze sweeping over everyone. The older ones met his eyes unflinchingly, while the younger ones looked down in shame.


    "The rain falls, and a woman marries; if salaries can''t be paid, employees will leave. How could he possibly stop them?"


    All Luo could do was play the pity card, heaving a weary sigh: "If you want to leave, then go. Even if Hammer is no more, as long as I''m still here, I''ll make sure to pay you the salaries you''re owed for these months."


    After speaking, he paused intentionally, but only received thank-you''s and no response like he had imagined.


    Luo remained silent, solemnly signing and stamping the seventeen contracts, officially releasing them from their employment agreements.


    The employees were reluctant, yet no one spoke out. Each of them collected their contract, bowed deeply, and then departed.


    If anyone were to ask, they would definitely say, "We loved Luo, we were devoted Luo''s fans."


    But if given a second chance, they would still choose to resign.


    Talking about money hurts relationships, but talking about relationships hurts money.


    People work to earn money; otherwise, who would want to endure this forced labor.


    Companies that only talk about feelings and ignore money are nothing but hooligans.


    Until the last person had left, the office was filled with crackling sounds.


    After a while, Luo vented his emotions and sat atop the ruin, gasping for breath.


    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.


    His voice grave, he said, "Come in."


    The assistant, looking at the debris everywhere, spoke bravely, "Mr. Luo, Jingfang Technology and Hongxing Communication are taking us to court again."


    Luo exhaled a murky breath, forcibly suppressing his blood pressure, "What did Mr. Duan from Jingfang and Mr. You from Hongxing say?"


    "The assistants of Mr. Duan and Mr. You didn''t pick up the phone; they told us to contact our lawyer directly," the assistant said, looking displeased.


    Jingfang Technology and Hongxing Communication were two major suppliers of Hammer Technology, currently owed a total of 185 million yuan by them.


    Previously, lawsuits could always be discussed; as long as some part was cleared first, they would withdraw the lawsuit.


    But this time, their attitude was unprecedentedly resolute, refusing even an out-of-court settlement as if they wouldn''t rest until the court enforced judgment on Hammer Technology. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "There''s more," the assistant hesitated.


    Luo gave a wry smile and looked up, "Go ahead and say everything, I can still handle it."


    Hesitantly, the assistant said, "ICBC is also urging you to quickly pay back the 12.05 million yuan for the second phase."


    This year, the company''s financial situation was very bad, and Luo had also signed a personal unsecured guarantee totaling 125 million yuan.


    According to the loan agreement, even if the company went bankrupt, it had to be repaid, and ICBC, concerned about risk control, also required Luo and his wife to sign.


    "I understand, you can leave now."


    After the assistant left, Luo''s expression turned heavy, his agitated emotions gradually calmed, and he understood that he had been betrayed.


    Otherwise, employees wouldn''t resign, suppliers wouldn''t be so resolute, and banks wouldn''t rush to demand repayments.


    Though this year was indeed difficult for Hammer Technology and rumors of bankruptcy or acquisition had surfaced multiple times,


    there was always room for maneuver; blustering could buy some time because those in debt were always in charge.


    But this time, clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and a storm seemed imminent; Hammer was like a solitary leaf on the vast ocean, ready to be engulfed at any moment.


    Luo pondered for a long time and dialed Zhu Hu''s number, "Mr. Zhu, are you busy?"


    "Actually, the company''s funds are a bit tight recently."


    "Oh, okay, okay; then I won''t bother you."


    Luo smiled bitterly. As soon as he mentioned needing money, Zhu Hu directly showed disinterest and reminded him about the 70 million yuan financing.


    This money had also been secured under a personal agreement, requiring repayment to Golden Sand River even if Hammer later filed for bankruptcy.


    Luo then called Zhang Yiming from Byte, who was slightly more tactful, explaining that Douyin was focusing on international market expansion and couldn''t allocate funds temporarily.


    He thought of Ali''s Huang Hao, pondered for a long time, and finally decided to first contact Shen Peng from Redwood to see if he had any investment interest.


    Ali''s ambition was known to all.


    He had already pledged 27.84% of the shares; if he went to Ali now, Hammer would eventually be owned by the Ma family.


    It was a last resort Luo truly did not want to seek Ali''s help, especially since he knew that Meizu''s new flagship was using the Boundaryless, and Ali''s YUN system was looking for a new host.


    When Shen Peng tactfully declined, Luo''s mood sank to rock bottom; even when he invited investment at a very low price, the other party still refused.


    "Who is it?" Luo felt a chill, an invisible pressure engulfing him from all directions, nearly suffocating him.


    Those invisible hands were like a signal jammer, preventing anyone from extending a helping hand to them.


    After pondering for long, holding on to his last shred of hope, Luo contacted Suning''s Zhang Zuofeng, "Mr. Zhang, hello."


    After pondering, Zhang Zuofeng sighed, "Mr. Luo, you should contact Ali."


    He had just received a message from their financial backer, instructing them not to invest in Hammer. Last August, Ali had invested 28.2 billion yuan and became the second largest shareholder of Suning.


    "Alright, thank you for the reminder, Mr. Zhang."


    Luo''s face turned pale; the situation he feared most had still happened¡ªhe was being targeted by Ali.


    He realized that only Ali had the power to orchestrate a comprehensive blockade against them.

 Chapter 232 - 231: The Underworld Hall Press Conference

    "Mr. Zhang, how long do you think it''ll be before Mr. Luo comes calling for help?"


    At Hang City Xixi Resort Hotel, nestled deep in the wetlands, Lu Liang''s lips curled into a smile as he and Zhang Yong enjoyed their tea and incense, speaking freely and laughing heartily.


    That day, the various predicaments faced by Old Luo and Hammer was largely the result of their own orchestration.


    Golden Sand River and Byte were orchestrated by Lu Liang, while Redwood, Suning, and Tianfu Municipal were handled by Zhang Yong.


    Old Luo should feel honored, Tianxing''s money, Ali''s power, both companies taking turns attending to him.


    Such fortune was not something everyone could come upon.


    With an air of calm, Zhang Yong replied with a light smile, "Mr. Lu, in less than a week, the dust will settle."


    They had prepared Hammer''s asset distribution together, Tianxing would take over the system patents, and the rest would belong to Ali.


    Hammer had about 1.255 billion in debt, with Old Luo personally shouldering around 225 million.


    The company''s assets could probably sell for 700-800 million, mainly because of a plot of land in Tianfu that was quite valuable.


    The remaining 200 million in debt, if Old Luo took it on, Hammer would continue; if not, Hammer would be swept into the dustbin of history.


    Of course, he could also run away, provided he could make it out.


    "Then let''s await the good news."


    After saying goodbye to Zhang Yong, Lu Liang took the high-speed train back to Modu, concluding his week-long business trip.


    Yesterday, he learned in the group chat that his parents had finished their trip to Modu and had taken the high-speed train back to their hometown at noon.


    Before leaving, the elders specially instructed Lu Liang, implying, in every possible way, their satisfaction with Su Wanyu as a daughter-in-law.


    It seemed his mother had even binge-watched a lot of Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas, going so far as to assert that getting married didn''t matter, to "first cook rice to make it mature."


    "Li, such a nice girl, if you let her slip away, you''ll surely regret it for the rest of your life," his mother said with great conviction.


    Initially, because Su Wanyu was beautiful, they carried the stereotype that beautiful girls were not good at managing a household.


    However, after spending a few days together, their impression of Su Wanyu improved significantly.


    Well-educated, gentle and understanding, with a kind temperament, and a graduate of a prestigious university, she was just like the paragon of virtue and grace described in ancient times.


    "Yu''s personality might not stand out, but that''s also her strength; even if we have wealth aplenty, life eventually returns to simplicity."


    Even Lu Tiechui approached Lu Liang for a one-on-one chat, speaking with the tone of someone who had seen all the vicissitudes of life, and seemed to guess that his son was a bit flamboyant and had trouble settling down.


    He pointedly reminded him not to miss out on a good girl.


    At six in the evening, Lu Liang returned to Scholarly Splendor.


    Su Wanyu''s face lit up with joy, she quickly set down her book and threw her arms around Lu Liang''s neck, "I saw you at the press conference."


    She had also followed the release of the new Li Xiang car, and at the time, many online said that Lu Liang developing a car system was overreaching.


    She was really upset, but there were too many people, and she couldn''t argue with them all.


    "Though millions oppose me, I shall prevail~" Lu Liang boasted arrogantly, then suddenly changing his tune, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Handsome or not?"


    "Super handsome," Su Wanyu replied with a radiant smile. She really thought Lu Liang was very attractive, a charm that was uniquely handsome.


    Lu Liang smiled, embracing his beloved, letting Su Wanyu play with his fingers, enjoying the warmth of the moment.


    No one knows a son better than his father, and although Old Tiechui was usually silent, whenever he spoke, he always touched the soul.


    He hadn''t had his fill of fun, and he didn''t know if he ever would, but that didn''t prevent him from keeping a path to simplicity open for himself.


    Suddenly, Lu Liang pinched Su Wanyu''s chin and selectively shared his parents'' advice, aggressively interrogating, "Tell me, what kind of enchanting soup did you feed them?"


    "Did uncle and aunt really say that?" Su Wanyu''s eyes widened with joy spilling over.


    "They nearly praised you as a woman so rare¡ª''for such a beauty is not often found in this world.''"


    "I''m not that good though~"


    "What, feeling ''fat'' and out of breath?"


    "Can you really tell?"


    Su Wanyu became alarmed and quickly tightened her abdomen.


    She had maintained her figure for a long time, standing at 170cm, floating around 100 pounds. But since meeting Lu Liang, she had gained over eight pounds in a little over a year, and now she even almost had a little belly.


    Suddenly, a pair of wicked hands split into two fronts, one sneakily attacking the armpit, making her deflate and relax her abdomen, while the other hand grabbed the flesh on her belly.


    Gently kneading, Lu Liang said with a grin, "A bit of flesh here, feels quite comfortable."


    He remembered Zhang Tian''ai, still feeling a twinge of pain three inches below his navel, and thinking that Su Wanyu wasn''t a star, gaining another ten pounds would be perfect.


    "Ten pounds? That would be almost 120 then."


    Su Wanyu appeared indignantly offended and decided to start working out; at least she couldn''t afford to gain any more weight.


    "Let''s talk about it tomorrow, I''m starving~ Just got back from Hang City, haven''t eaten anything since noon." Lu Liang''s lips curved upward, revealing a faint mischievous smile.


    "You should have said something earlier when you got back."


    Su Wanyu glared at him, then scurried into the kitchen like a worried mother, rushing to prepare something for Lu Liang to eat.


    ... S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the following days, bankruptcy rumors about Hammer Technology kept surfacing online, but nobody really took them seriously.


    After all, Mr. Luo was considered a tough survivor in the modern business world, having launched the M1 at the beginning of the year due to the arrival of the era of short videos.


    When the market feedback wasn''t good, there were constant rumors of bankruptcy and acquisition, but Mr. Luo always managed to stand tall.


    However, this time, it seemed to be real.


    On September 11th, the Tesla Model 3 launch was imminent.


    Suddenly, Hammer announced they would hold a press conference and granted live streaming rights to Douyin, opting for an online broadcast.


    Mr. Luo didn''t choose the morning or the more common afternoon time slots, but rather the traffic-heavy eight o''clock in the evening.


    The backdrop featured black letters on a white background, displaying a message.


    [Perhaps the most heart-wrenching press conference in history]


    Mr. Luo walked up to the podium with a solemn expression, clad in his classic black shirt, as if paying tribute to something.


    With its funerary style, as soon as he appeared on stage, he shot to the top of the internet search rankings, attracting millions of online viewers.


    A self-proclaimed heir to the Steve Jobs legacy, who boasted about acquiring Apple, this Joker garnered emotional responses from many, who constantly monitored Hammer''s latest moves.


    "Today, there''s no new product launch, and I see no need to proceed with the planned release of the Nut phone."


    Mr. Luo sported a smile, his lips curling upwards, displaying an ostensibly carefree grin, yet it was laced with bitterness and unspoken sorrow.


    Zheng Yaowen refused to tell him who had poached them, but that didn''t mean he had no way to find out.


    After having people investigate for two days, Mr. Luo found that the seventeen poached employees had all visited the SOHO Building on the 15th floor in Zhongguang Village.


    Further investigation revealed that Block B of the 15th floor, which had been vacant for a long time, had just been occupied by a company.


    This company, with deep pockets, had leased more than 2,800 square meters of office space all at once, and its name was Tianxing Technology.


    When he first heard the news, Mr. Luo felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar; he hoped so much that this Tianxing was not the one he thought it was.


    Then, Hu Weiwei, the former head of Mobike, was photographed. After Mobike was acquired by Meituan, she had joined Lu Liang''s command.


    The results speak for themselves as to why Golden Sand River, ByteDance, and Redwood Capital hadn''t helped him. Everything made sense.


    Adding that Suning had advised him to work with Ali, whereas Lu Liang never showed up, the whole situation started to become clearer.


    Hammer was being targeted by Tianxing and Ali.


    A feeling of powerlessness rose in his heart.


    Hence the farewell press conference tonight.


    "Six years have passed, it''s time to hit the pause button on Hammer."


    Mr. Luo started from the establishment of Hammer Technology six years ago to setting up Hammer phones four years ago.


    Last year, Hammer was valued at 2.6 billion yuan, probably the highlight of his life, but the glory was short-lived.


    Since this year, the company''s capital chain had been extremely tight, several times to the point of breaking.


    "I tried, but it was futile, so I think this is it for now."


    "However, I believe that what doesn''t kill me will make me stronger. The journey through this worldly society is long, and we''ll meet again if it''s meant to be."


    The press conference lasted an hour and a half.


    Throughout, Mr. Luo was reminiscing about the past, talking about the hardships of starting a business over the years, without mentioning the targeting he had faced.


    He was aware that Lu Liang was a co-founder of Douyin and owned a significant share of the company, even after the merger with Watermelon.


    To curse his financier on a platform like Douyin, in front of tens of millions, would probably get him banned.


    And there was another crucial point.


    Lu Liang, this heartless bastard, was not only coveting his Hammer but was about to become his new creditor.


    Because yesterday, Mr. Luo had called Zhu Hu again, revealing Lu Liang''s name, and informed him that he knew the company had lost so many people recently because of Lu Liang''s doing.


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Hu simply stopped hiding it and told him Golden Sand River was just holding shares on behalf of Lu Liang.


    All those shares would eventually end up under Lu Liang''s name, including personal agreements signed with Mr. Luo and the transfer of debt.


    Considering Hammer Technology''s current situation, it was unlikely to meet the gambling targets set during the previous funding round with Golden Sand River.


    The 70 million would have to be repaid with interest, and the payee would now shift from Golden Sand River to Tianxing.

 Chapter 233 - 232: Products Have a Price, Sentiments are Priceless

    "Thank you..."


    Mr. Luo started to speak but suddenly choked on his words.


    Tonight''s launch event was coming to an end, and he was ready to thank the top ten donors in the live stream.


    He had spent all of last night doing calculations. Golden Sand River Venture Capital 70 million yuan, ICBC 125 million yuan; a total debt of 195 million yuan. Unless he fled the country with his family, there was no escaping it.


    This launch event was meant to be a farewell, and making some extra cash would be great, so he deliberately pretended not to know and didn''t turn off the tipping feature in the live stream.


    But Mr. Luo''s face darkened when he saw who was at the top of the list.


    Although number two on the list had donated gifts worth millions of yuan, he couldn''t bring himself to express his gratitude when he saw who was number one.


    Lu Liang had been sending gifts from the start of the event and hadn''t stopped, totaling over six million yuan in donations.


    "Could Lu Liang be one of Luo''s fans?"


    "Luo''s fans my ass, there must be something more to it."


    "You can tell by Mr. Luo''s awful expression."


    The live stream audience was buzzing with speculation.


    Mr. Luo suddenly felt deeply humiliated; he couldn''t curse, couldn''t blame anyone, yet he still had to say thank you.


    He forced a smile, "Thank you for the gifts from Lu Liang, thank you for the gifts from Chen Qiang, thank you for the gifts from Luo''s fans..." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He quickly rattled off the names of the top ten donors and promptly went offline.


    He couldn''t stand to be in that live stream room for another second.


    It was fucking bullying!


    Lu Liang was pushing it too far!


    The live stream suddenly went black, but the speculation continued.


    Lu Liang and Mr. Luo, two people who had nothing to do with each other, how did they end up together at Mr. Luo''s farewell event? What was Lu Liang''s role in all this?


    There was too much inside information that begged for a deeper investigation.


    The curiosity of the viewers was the drive for the media.


    However, there was no need for reporters to dig deep.


    The next day, Mr. Luo sold the Hammer OS and all its patents to Tianxing Technology for 235 million yuan.


    Moreover, rumors spread that Mr. Luo was negotiating with the head of Ali Mobile Group, planning to sell all the assets of Hammer, excluding its debts, to Ali.


    "A true man faces the music. Even though the Hammer phone has failed, I will not shirk the responsibility. It''s my duty as an entrepreneur. I''m very sorry to all the users who have trusted me over the years."


    Mr. Luo boldly proclaimed on Weibo that he would retain the Hammer Technology brand and would absolutely not file for bankruptcy.


    He would also personally take on all of the company''s debts, paying for his past actions, and would not dodge any payments; he only hoped the creditors would give him some time to earn money.


    A slick apology and acceptance of responsibility resonated with fans, even more so than the entertainment industry.


    "Laugh at the jokes, not the person. Mr. Luo is a real man."


    "Mr. Luo, brave in flight; Luo''s fans forever follow."


    "Mr. Luo, we wait for your triumphant return!"


    Suddenly, Mr. Luo became the synonym for a tragic hero, attracting countless followers. Weibo followers skyrocketed by millions, and the comment section filled with comforting words.


    Ali and Tianxing, the beneficiaries, now became the two major villains forcing the tragic hero into a corner.


    Some crazy fans even stormed Lu Liang''s Weibo page, flooding the comment section.


    Little Wang, despite just trying to help with a few words, suddenly became the target of Luo''s fans'' attacks.


    It was already a public consensus that Lu Liang was addicted to causing trouble and he would absolutely not go online on Weibo unless necessary.


    Lu Liang''s fans were also calm investors, daily sheared by Old A to the point where they had no more temper left; let them curse, it''s not costing them anything.


    "You can''t take advantage and then expect not to be criticized."


    The fans of Luo were like talking into the air, with no sense of achievement. It was better to find Little Wang, the internet addict who frequently engaged in gossip.


    As expected, Little Wang couldn''t handle it.


    "Tsk tsk, finding opportunities in desperate situations."


    Upon learning Mr. Luo''s intentions, Lu Liang was amazed, his face filled with admiration.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call it the biggest marketing move of the century.


    The 70 million transferred from Golden Sand River Venture Capital to Tianxing and the 125 million loan from ICBC, these two debts wouldn''t be avoidable even if Hammer Technology went bankrupt. Mr. Luo couldn''t escape them.


    After all, he wasn''t Dai Wei, probably getting stopped by law enforcement at the airport, banned from leaving the country, and even possibly put under 24-hour surveillance.


    Mr. Luo knew this.


    Even if he declared bankruptcy, the total debt of 195 million was something he could never pay off in his working lifetime.


    So with the mentality of not worrying about lice when you''re already covered in bites, he might as well shoulder Hammer''s two to three billion in debt as well.


    After all, owing two billion or five to six billion was the same debt. If you could make two billion, making a few more billion wouldn''t be too hard.


    Why not create an image of a responsible, tragic entrepreneur? There might even be a chance to turn things around later.


    Clearly, his plan had worked.


    Phone manufacturers like Meizu and Xiaomi sent invites, offering him positions with annual salaries not less than ten million, hoping he''d come on board as a product manager.


    After all, with tragic entrepreneur Mr. Luo''s endorsement, selling a phone for an extra thousand or eighteen hundred wasn''t too much, right?


    It could also be claimed that it wasn''t the phone manufacturers making money, but money being raised to pay off Mr. Luo''s debts.


    Material goods have a price, but sentiment is priceless; all those fans of Luo couldn''t just talk the talk without showing their support, right?


    However, these invites were all declined by Mr. Luo, citing the need to wrap up Hammer Technology''s affairs.


    Though wrapping up Hammer''s operations was true, what was more important was that he wanted to wait for the best offer.


    He wanted to find an industry that allowed for sustainable development, that could help him pay off debts and enable him to make a comeback.


    That night, Lu Liang arrived at the Skyline Garden neighborhood in Xuhui.


    Before the new restrictions on lending and buying had been issued, he had actually bought three properties, two in Green City and one right here.


    The houses in Xuhui weren''t expensive; getting one for just under 14 million in cash, each average square meter costing no more than one hundred thousand.


    Lu Liang couldn''t be bothered to rent them out and wasn''t lacking money, so he simply gave the residence to the tall, leggy reporter Wang Chuting to live in.


    Whether she could change from a temporary homeowner to a permanent one would depend on her future performance.


    Previously, Lu Liang had always considered himself firmly not a leg man, but at this moment, he hesitated.


    With bottoms up and magical legs, not to mention paired with 1.2-meter long, ultra-sleek beauties.


    For a time, he became the diligent ox, relentlessly cultivating this newly plowed field.


    "Mr. Lu, you should be going to Beijing these next few days, right?"


    Afterward, though Wang Chuting was dripping with sweat, she still helped light a satisfying cigarette for Lu Liang.


    "Yes," Lu Liang slowly exhaled smoke, resting his hand on the seductive, tempting leg.


    With Hammer OS sold for 235 million, although the deal was settled, neither Hu Weiwei nor Wang Xiaofeng could make the call alone; it required him to personally make a trip to Beijing.


    "Then could you introduce me to Mr. Luo? I''d like to interview him," Wang Chuting wheedled and flirted, deploying various schemes as her ankle gently grazed Lu Liang''s leg hair.


    Since Mr. Luo had decided to take on all of Hammer''s debts, he had become the internet''s top influencer, unmatched by anyone.


    Mr. Luo was overshadowing Lu Liang, and even Tesla''s model 3 which had just gone public and announced at a price range of 363,900 to 509,900 yuan.


    The press, countless media reporters, all wanted to interview Mr. Luo to understand his thoughts and get the firsthand news.


    "Tomorrow at noon, just come with me then."


    This was a small favor, and Lu Liang agreed readily because Wang Chuting had made him very happy, so he was happy to reciprocate.

 Chapter 234 - 233: Holding Up a Sign for Tesla

    [December 11th, Tesla, $713]


    The chime rang out at dawn, and Lu Liang fell silent. If he remembered correctly, the day before yesterday Tesla''s stock price was only $368.


    Today is September 12th, less than three months, accounting for only 66 trading days, Tesla''s market value had more than doubled with an increase of over 40 billion US dollars. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He realized he had neglected Tesla for far too long. The company that could be chosen by the state and supported by the municipal government of Modu, to be thrown into the pond as a catfish, was actually the real hidden big BOSS.


    Combining this piece of information, he could reasonably deduce that Tesla''s newly released Model 3 could perhaps be a legendary car on par with the Mercedes from back in the day.


    "Mr. Lu, what''s wrong?"


    Wang Chuting was sensitive and quickly noticed the shift in Lu Liang''s emotions, stopping her ambiguous advances.


    After all, half her body was pressed against him; her 120-pound weight was certainly not light, she thought she was making him uncomfortable.


    "It''s nothing."


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then got up to dress: "Let me know when you get to Beijing tomorrow. Once I''m done with my work, I''ll introduce you to Luo."


    Although he had never met Luo and had even driven Hammer to the brink of bankruptcy, he was Luo''s creditor.


    Even if Luo was displeased, he had to show him some respect.


    Wang Chuting''s expression suddenly turned frantic, thinking she had done something wrong: "Are you going to leave now, this late?"


    "I''ve just thought of something, need to go to the office."


    Lu Liang''s slight smile curled, and he ran his hand over her semi-spherical body, reassuring Wang Chuting it was not about her, yet he didn''t say much more.


    This left Wang Chuting playfully pouting, secretly relieved.


    Lu Liang stepped out of the bedroom and made two phone calls, one to Fang Shiyu and one to Wen Chao.


    He asked the former to come by his residence to pick him up and requested the latter to contact Sun Yutao and Zhang Jing to go to the office and await further instructions.


    Half an hour later, Fang Shiyu hurried over by car, and when he returned, he had been promoted.


    He became the deputy chief of security. Other people would now take care of the security work; he need only concentrate on driving.


    "Haven''t rested yet?" Lu Liang glanced at the rearview mirror, where a black Mercedes closely followed behind.


    The minivan often came with four security personnel. The 12-person security team worked in three shifts.


    Fang Shiyu responded with a simple smile: "I was just about to rest."


    As Lu Liang looked out at the night view from the window, he suddenly asked, "How''s it going with that girl?"


    "Which... which girl are you talking about, bro?" Fang Shiyu''s face turned embarrassed, suddenly stumbling over his words.


    "The one from the internet." Lu Liang said impatiently.


    The advancement of communication technology had given countless young men and women a new channel for making friends.


    When he first entered society, he himself had an internet romance and naturally could tell the reason behind Fang Shiyu''s silly grin while holding his phone.


    However, Lu Liang''s own online dating experience wasn''t particularly pleasant. Although the person was indeed a woman and not a tranny, she was just a woman.


    When finally meeting in person, he had been cautious, asking Liu Mingxuan to call no matter what after three minutes.


    If the girl was attractive, he would hang up Liu Mingxuan''s call. If not, he would say he had an emergency and needed to leave.


    "It''s alright," Fang Shiyu grumbled in response.


    "How long have you been talking?"


    "Over three months."


    "How far have you progressed?"


    "What do you mean, ''how far''?"


    "Texts, voice messages, or video?"


    "Texts."


    "..."


    Lu Liang gave a look of disbelief and asked further, "How much have you spent?"


    "Not... not much."


    "Where did you meet her?"


    "Momo."


    "..."


    Lu Liang knew it must have cost a pretty penny, so he only solemnly reminded, "Since we''ve known each other for so long, it''s about time to take our relationship a step further."


    Momo was once again mocked by him and Liu Mingxuan as the "concubine selection menu," where they would open it before deciding on a place to play and pick out a favored red-card technician.


    Decent girls seldom appear on it.


    Fang Shiyu hummed an acknowledgment and parked the car in front of the building''s main entrance, "Brother, go ahead inside. I''ll find a parking space."


    Lu Liang nodded, without trying to persuade.


    Teaching people, if they don''t learn, then let events teach them, they''ll understand after one occurrence.


    Every man must go through a romantic ordeal at least once. If he gets deceived, consider it a tuition fee.


    It''s better to be cheated when you''re younger. At least you don''t have much money, the cost is limited, but the lessons last a lifetime.


    Even if tormented by love to the point of life and death, he still had his brother here, who would certainly not stand idly by.


    At 1 am, the building was brightly lit.


    Modu was a financial city, and Lujiazui even more so a financial district. This building housed numerous cross-border enterprises.


    There were people on duty around the clock, as well as people coming and going for work.


    Lu Liang took the elevator to the company on the 32nd floor, where Wen Chao, Sun Yutao, Zhang Jing, and others had been waiting for some time.


    Calling them over at this hour in the early morning, if not unexpected, meant dealing with international markets. Zhang Jing informed him that there were eight people on duty tonight.


    If more hands were needed, they could call in people right now.


    "No need," Lu Liang shook his head.


    They passed through the security gate and headed to the trading room.


    Lu Liang glanced at Tesla''s stock price, 375 US Dollars, which had risen slightly by 2.42% due to the release of a new car today.


    The increase was quite limited, as it seemed the market hadn''t yet reacted, thinking that today was just an ordinary product launch.


    Lu Liang looked at the Dow Jones Index; after a week of sideways adjustments, it was gradually regaining lost ground and once again challenging the 20,000-point level.


    The blue-chip stocks he had bottom-fished and held were all rebounding from their lows and outperforming the broader market, with an average increase of 8% to 12%.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then turned to Wen Chao, asking him to pull up all the asset details. The three funds had started with a total of 6.1 billion US Dollars and had now turned into 7.315 billion US Dollars.


    Going short on the Dow, short selling, and then going long, they had profited over 1.1 billion US Dollars so far, with 1.237 billion RMB and 1.568 billion US Dollars available in the account.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time, looking at Tesla''s current market capitalization of only 42.1 billion US Dollars. They held 757 million US Dollars in stock, accounting for about 1.8% of the market''s circulating shares.


    They were already approaching the top ten of circulating shareholders. If they were to increase their investment significantly, they would unavoidably appear on the prominent shareholders'' list.


    Once they were on the major shareholder list, they were almost exposed to the institutions on Wall Street.


    However, the temptation to double their money in three months made Lu Liang unwilling to give up.


    Tesla''s trading volume was large enough to accommodate the influx of their capital.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time, and then his eyes lit up with an excellent idea.


    If he sneaked in, he might be targeted, so he decided to enter the market openly and magnanimously.


    If his funds were affected, it would be a resounding slap to the proudly proclaimed free US Stock Market.


    It would certainly have repercussions for the enterprises holding shares.


    "Buy a large amount of Tesla stock. As soon as we reach 5% of the market''s circulating shares, immediately issue a takeover announcement."


    The approach Lu Liang had in mind was to increase the investment until they reached the 5% threshold for declaring a stake.


    This would be his first stake claim in a company. Once the news spread, Tesla''s stock price would definitely surge sharply.


    When the news reached China, Tesla''s fame would grow even further. After all, if he was staking a claim in the company, what reason was there not to buy the stock?


    But for those new forces in domestic car manufacturing, it definitely meant adding insult to injury for families that were not wealthy.


    Including in his own heart, Lu Liang actually didn''t want to contribute to Tesla''s prestige, but to make money, sacrifices were necessary.


    Tesla might become a competitor in the future, but at present, it was a tool that could help him make money.


    These two points did not conflict, and a rational investor should not be swayed by emotions.


    While the benefits of declaring a stake were numerous, the only downside was having to lock up the investment for six months.


    Lu Liang decided to take a gamble; in the following three months, Tesla''s stock price would continue to soar.


    After all, with Modu''s super factory phase one completed next year and a significant increase in production capacity, he didn''t need a huge rise in stock price, at least, it wouldn''t fall too much.

 Chapter 235 - 234: Is This Also Part of His Calculations?

    The buying process went smoothly, largely because Tesla released a new car today, which greatly increased market activity.


    On the other hand, it was due to Musk, who often made outrageous statements, such as threatening to immigrate to Mars, and was hailed as the modern ''Iron Man''.


    Regardless of whether it was good or bad, much like black traffic is also traffic, it at least ensured that Tesla wouldn''t fade into obscurity in the financial market.


    Near three o''clock, Lu Liang and his team bought another 880 million US dollars'' worth of chips, and Tesla''s stock price broke through 390 dollars.


    "3.96%, continue to increase capital investment, no need to worry about exposure of the capital sources."


    Lu Liang worried that delaying could cause problems; it was best to reach a circulating share ratio of 5% before the market closed at four in the morning, triggering the reporting threshold.


    At his command, eight traders rapidly manipulated their mouse and keyboards, absorbing the market''s floating chips like sponges.


    At the same time, Wilson of the JPMorgan Fund, the second-largest shareholder of Tesla, also realized that someone was accumulating shares.


    "Buying at a high price? Who could this be?" he frowned, thinking that the positive news about Tesla should have been fully released by now.


    The other party had used over one billion dollars in funds, definitely not a nobody. Why hadn''t he received any news?


    Wilson turned to his assistant: "When will the list of the top ten circulating shareholders for Tesla come out?"


    With such a large fund investment, they would definitely make it onto the list of the top ten circulating shareholders, and he would know who was accumulating the shares.


    "We''ll have to wait until after 4 o''clock," the assistant replied.


    The other party had taken action only in the second half, so the statistics on circulating shares would only be disclosed after the market closed.


    Wilson contemplated for a while, a smile playing on his lips: "Then let''s sell at 395 dollars, take the opportunity to cash out a portion of the funds."


    JPMorgan was indeed a major player in Tesla''s success, and he personally was very optimistic about Tesla''s future, believing it could become another leading global conglomerate tech company after Microsoft and Apple.


    Holding chips long-term was the strategic goal, but that didn''t prevent them from profiting by buying low and selling high during their ownership.


    Take the JPMorgan investment team three as an example, they held Tesla chips worth 6.4 billion dollars, constituting 14.82% of the circulating shares.


    Normally, 5 billion was the untouchable base position, but the remaining 1.4 billion could be used for trading or market stabilization.


    "Who''s the kind soul giving us these chips?"


    Lu Liang was taken aback and chuckled, noticing that as they increased their investment, the stock price fell instead of rising, indicating that someone was selling off a large number of shares.


    There''s a saying, "He who plants flowers with intent, the flowers will not bloom; he who inserts willows without intent, the willows flourish."


    Initially, he had been worried they wouldn''t complete their stake acquisition tonight for fear of the long night bringing more dreams, but now it seemed he was purely overthinking.


    Approaching four o''clock, Lu Liang looked at the balance in the main account; only 320 million dollars remained, and they were just 0.58% away from reporting their stake. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Even if the sellers stopped offloading their shares, allowing the stock price to jump directly to 400 dollars, their 320 million dollars would be enough.


    Lu Liang smiled, "Pull out three people to sell Apple and Microsoft shares, free up some of the funds."


    Doubling their money in three months, buying more now would simply earn them more, and the extra earnings could help mitigate the risks of the following uncertain three months.


    If people were willing to sell low-priced chips for them to buy, Lu Liang didn''t mind buying more.


    If enough chips were sold off, Lu Liang was even willing to sell all of the Apple, Microsoft, and NVIDIA stocks.


    Even a second reporting of their stake was not out of the question.


    As the two institutions clashed, one buying and one selling, Tesla''s stock price, although hovering around 395 dollars, saw a surge in trading volume.


    If someone were to open the trading volume K-line chart at this moment, they would definitely see a super bullish line that shot straight to the sky.


    "How much did we sell?"


    "We''ve recovered 723 million dollars."


    "..."


    Wilson''s frown deepened as he watched that unknown force continue to aggressively purchase shares, with Tesla''s stock price nearly uncontrollable.


    The smile on his face gradually stiffened, and his eyes showed disbelief as he suddenly got a bad feeling.


    Could they have inadvertently sold too soon?


    That couldn''t be, right?!


    Selling too soon should only happen to individual investors.


    He was the head of JPMorgan investment group three, not someone to misjudge market trends and prematurely sell off stocks.


    Not long ago, Wilson had even spoken with Musk, and other than the new car release, there shouldn''t have been any good news in the short term.


    As they hesitated, Tesla''s stock price broke through 400 dollars per share, creating a new historical high.


    Only ten minutes remained,


    and today''s trading was about to conclude.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment, then issued another order, "Buy as much as you can before closing at $420 a share."


    The resistance at $395 was no longer there, signifying that those selling had either run out of shares or given up on suppressing the stock price.


    His stake in Tesla was definitely positive news for the market, not to mention, a 5% increase should be expected.


    Buying at $420 or lower was guaranteed to at least break even in the short term.


    However, in the last few minutes before the close, suddenly another force entered the market, competing with them for shares.


    The stock price surged by 7.5%,


    breaking through the $420 mark.


    Lu Liang was taken aback, "Stop, let''s not buy for now."


    He roughly knew who was selling and who was buying again.


    Without any surprises, it should be Tesla''s main backer, a familiar face to Lu Liang, though they had never met in person, but had crossed swords several times¡ªComrade Wilson from JPMorgan''s Investment Group Three.


    He must have realized he''d sold too soon and was trying to remedy the situation.


    Lu Liang''s lips curled into a smile. Suddenly he really wanted to call the other party, to see what his expression was.


    Just now, at 4:03 PM, the New York Stock Exchange detected that an institution''s holdings exceeded 5%, triggering a stake disclosure reminder.


    Tesla was also set to find out who was taking a stake in them; they would then make a public announcement and reveal the details of the stake.


    "Fuck!"


    Wilson''s face darkened. He didn''t actually harbor much animosity towards Lu Liang. On the contrary, he even harbored a small amount of admiration.


    Although the Western world prides itself on civilization, the nature of the world is survival of the fittest, especially so in the capital markets.


    Lu Liang''s victory despite their efforts to shut him out was a living legend, deserving of anyone''s respect.


    Wilson had researched Lu Liang and had collected a lot of photos of him; he even had a magazine with an interview of Lu Liang by Forbes on his bedside table.


    His anger was purely because he''d missed out on the sale.


    Lu Liang held 6.58% of the shares, well above the disclosure threshold, clearly bullish on the future of Tesla.


    Wilson sighed, then his lips curved into a smile. His idol shared his view, bullish on Tesla and willing to put down a hefty sum to back it up.


    In a sense, their spirits were intertwined.


    No one could rival Lu Liang''s foresight, further proving that betting on Tesla was the right choice.


    As Tesla issued its stake disclosure announcement, revealed to be Tianxing from China.


    The news spread, causing a stir on Wall Street, as various institutions began to chatter.


    Each was sharpening their knives, already discussing how to harvest this lost lamb after the six-month lockup period.


    You forsake the path to heaven, yet break through the gateless realm of hell.


    Taking a 6.58% stake in Tesla indicated Lu Liang had invested $2.8 billion of cold, hard cash.


    Tianxing Asset Management currently has three funds, managing assets totaling about $7 billion.


    This investment accounted for 39% of their entire position.


    If they could lock up this portion of funds, even if Lu Liang wouldn''t be finished, he would be severely weakened.


    Yet, immediately someone stood up to oppose.


    Lu Liang had invested $2.8 billion in Tesla, and it would take less than 24 hours for the news to be known throughout the globe.


    If they were to break the rules of the free market, it would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the credibility of the US Stock Market.


    Losing is one thing, but making money and not being able to leave,


    what would differentiate the US stock market from an illegal gambling den?


    "And don''t forget, behind Tesla stands the United States Energy Department and the space agency,"


    "Doing this would inevitably cause irreparable damage to Tesla''s global strategy."


    "After all, the last Tesla Gigafactory is in Modu, and Lu Liang is in Modu. If they act slyly, couldn''t Lu Liang do the same?"


    "Would Tianxing''s backers stand idly by as their capital was tied up in US stocks?"


    With these words, everyone fell silent.


    Although $2.8 billion was tantalizing, it could cost them the credibility of the US Stock Market and a potentially limitless new star company.


    This deal didn''t seem worthwhile no matter how they crunched the numbers.


    A thought emerged in everyone''s minds¡ªcould this also be part of his calculated plan?

 Chapter 236 - 235: Pride and Prejudice

    "Liangzi Makes Another Move"


    "Tianxing Acquires a Stake in Tesla"


    "With a Massive Investment of 2.8 Billion US Dollars, Tianxing Becomes Tesla''s Fourth-Largest Shareholder."


    "Golden Hand Continues to Raise the Stakes, Will New Energy Emerge from the Winter in the Second Half of the Year?"


    As dawn broke, the news of Lu Liang acquiring a stake in Tesla was circulated by major media outlets and quickly spread throughout the country.


    "Now we have yet another reason to buy a Mao Dou 3."


    "I''d like to buy one, but the half-year waiting period for delivery is just too long."


    "Next year, the first phase of Modu Puxin''s super factory will be completed, and production capacity should greatly increase."


    "Next year... in December, it''ll change to a green plate, and with that design, they dare to market it? Even dogs would shake their heads."


    Netizens were abuzz with discussion; Lu Liang''s news swayed their opinions in favor of Tesla.


    After all, it came from an American technology enterprise and was recognized by Lu Liang, plus the Mao Dou 3 wasn''t particularly expensive.


    If it''s electric, then so be it; a standard-range model with over 400 kilometers is not too bad for city driving.


    Many people had quietly changed their stereotypes and started seeing new energy as their second household car.


    Especially in big cities where it''s difficult to get a license plate, some even chose new energy vehicles as their first option.


    The burgeoning automakers saw the news, and the intensity of their group discussions rivaled that of the netizens.


    "Liangzi, you''ve supported Tesla after all."


    Although they addressed him respectfully as Mr. Lu in public, in this small three-person group chat, Lu Liang was just Liangzi.


    Li Xiang sighed, "There was no other way, given how slow the development of the new energy industry has been."


    He Xiaopeng said, "Including this sum, Tianxing has invested over 23 billion in new energy; he needs to speed up the market." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It takes at least five years to market a new industry, and there''s no guarantee of success, but Lu Liang had investment pressure; it seemed he didn''t want to wait it out step by step.


    So he chose to support the national policy. The country introduced Tesla to act as a pike to prod the complacent small fish in the pond, stimulating some enterprises to become active and join the market competition vigorously.


    Clearly, Lu Liang was not content with the size of Tesla, the pike; he forcefully injected it with steroids, making it even stronger.


    Li Bing sighed, "Let''s hope it''s a pike and doesn''t turn into a snakehead, which has no natural predators here."


    Facing this foreign pike, the native blackfish at least had the power to fight, but the snakehead had no natural enemies in the country.


    Li Xiang said with a laugh, "Even if it''s a snakehead, there are still fishermen, and Liangzi will eventually get into the fray himself."


    Lu Liang''s intentions were well known; for new energy vehicles, the three most important components are the battery, motor, and electronic control.


    He had invested directly or indirectly in two industries, Ningde, and his self-developed vehicle machine system.


    It was almost an open secret that he would personally enter the fray eventually; the only unknown was when.


    He Xiaopeng wondered, "It''s strange, why has Liangzi never invested in me?"


    "Maybe he thinks you are quite wealthy, after all, you sold UC for 30 billion."


    "Bullfeathers, I sold UC for 30 billion, but that doesn''t mean I made 30 billion."


    Now at a high position, every word and deed of Lu Liang were scrutinized for intent through a magnifying glass.


    Tianxing''s move to acquire a stake in Tesla was commonly understood to boost the new energy market.


    No one thought he was just looking to make more money and that making a big deal out of it was a way to ensure steady profits.


    Meanwhile, Lu Liang took a high-speed train to Beijing.


    He had been busy until 5 am the prior night, hadn''t gone home, and only slept for less than three hours in his office before heading to Beijing.


    Airplane seats were uncomfortable for sleeping, and the airport was a bit far, so he canceled his flight ticket at the last minute in favor of a business class seat on the high-speed train.


    He closed his eyes on the train and, upon opening them next, found himself in Jinmen, with less than forty minutes left in the journey.


    Lu Liang washed his face, ate a dry lunch, and enjoyed a fairly tasty coffee while browsing international news.


    As he had anticipated, Wall Street institutions reluctantly welcomed him to join the Tesla family, noses pinched.


    Pu''er, Moody''s, and Fitch, the three major rating agencies, also raised Tesla''s rating to AA+ following Lu Liang''s move, which was even higher than the national credit rating of the Land of the Rising Sun.


    In the short term, the market was optimistic that Tesla''s stock price would hit 520 US dollars, and they vigorously touted the investment freedom of US stocks and Tesla''s future prospects.


    This should have been a cause for celebration, but Lu Liang wasn''t as happy as he thought he would be: "Still too weak."


    It was like the matter in the south in mid-July, which didn''t really affect the cooperation between the two countries. It wasn''t because they were particularly polite or civilized; fundamentally, it was arrogance, a looking down upon others.


    Whenever they started playing dirty,


    it meant there was a substantial threat to them.


    They could still maintain their righteous facades because Lu Liang hadn''t yet qualified to make them break the rules.


    Next stop, Beijing West Railway Station~


    Hearing the announcement, Lu Liang prepared to get off the train and spotted the film crew led by Wang Chuting, whose sexy, seductive legs were the focus of attention wherever she went, drawing sidelong glances from passersby.


    The two simply looked at each other from a distance, nodded slightly, and smiled on their faces, like familiar strangers.


    At three-thirty in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at the company.


    The new headquarters that Wang Xiaofeng had found for the company was on the 15th floor of Zhongguang Village SOHO building.


    Before meeting Luo, Lu Liang always had trouble distinguishing him from the short stocky guy¡ªthey looked similar to him.


    But after meeting him in person, Lu Liang realized that Luo obviously had a more pleasant appearance than the short stocky guy.


    "Mr. Luo, hello," Luo said with a smile, bowing slightly to shake hands, his smile somewhat unnatural.


    By now, he''d figured out why Hammer had caught Lu Liang''s attention. The conspiracy theories and tales of love and hatred online, all of it, were nothing but fabrications.


    The fate of Hammer was like a line from the "Three-Body Problem": "To destroy you is no loss to me." Among the market''s excellent mobile operating systems that were relatively easy to manipulate, Hammer''s was the only one.


    Lu Liang was unemotional, random, objective¡ªnot driven by hatred, purely out of necessity.


    The key was, he had sold his heart and soul and still had to beg Lu Liang to extend the buyback of the 70 million shares for a few more years.


    In this plight, the fact that he could still smile without hurling the ashtray on the table at Lu Liang''s head was extreme restraint.


    "Mr. Luo, what plans do you have moving forward?" Lu Liang said grandly, giving Luo a five-year extension.


    Luo had signed a three-year deal with Golden Sand River to sell 10 million units. If Hammer couldn''t meet its performance targets,


    after three years, they''d have to buy back the 15% stake owned by Golden Sand River at a 5% annual interest on a 70-million-dollar valuation.


    The shares of Golden Sand River were transferred to Tianxing Investment, swapped for 10% of Tianxing Technology''s equity, and the debts were transferred as well.


    Lu Liang had the authority to waive any late fees.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu."


    Luo showed a genuinely happy smile. "Mr. Lu, have you heard about Mogu Street''s shopping guide model?"


    "I''m all ears," Lu Liang said. He knew Chen Qi from Mogu Street, having met at a city council appreciation event.


    It seemed to be a vertical e-commerce platform focused on women, but he wasn''t too familiar with the shopping guide model.


    "Taobao plans to introduce this model," Luo said with a self-deprecating laugh, feeling like he was living in the past.


    It was all about making money. He planned to join Taobao, sell goods live, and make a commission on the transactions.


    Using his own fame, he would guide potential consumers to spend, but wouldn''t be held hostage by any single brand.


    Once it scaled up, he might even force manufacturers to act or even gain the power to set the price of the goods sold.


    Live commerce was like a supermarket; the supermarket was a channel, and the channel was the ultimate power.


    Even though he, Luo, had left the tech world, he was not content. One day, he would make his comeback.


    "That''s an excellent choice."


    Lu Liang applauded. He always thought Luo was better suited to be a get-rich-quick guru; it turned out he really became one, not selling courses, but products.


    Not being tied down by platforms or single brands was indeed a wise choice, at least it offered some control.


    The products provided could be handpicked, ensuring not to ruin his reputation due to overpriced and under-equipped goods.


    Who knows, he might really make a turnaround, and his 70 million might still have a chance to be recovered.

 Chapter 237 - 236: Making Promises, Mr. Lu is a Professional

    After a brief conversation, Luo closed the documents and contracts. Selling Hammer''s patents was probably still about one billion RMB in debt.


    He planned to go to Hang City personally to talk with Old Ma and see if he could sell himself along with the package for a good price.


    If possible, he actually wanted to follow Dai Wei''s example and just run away, but he simply couldn''t escape.


    Dai Wei had set a bad precedent¡ªnow people like them, high-risk individuals, were under strict surveillance.


    Walking out of the reception room, Luo happened to meet Zheng Yaowen, who approached him with a smile.


    Luo was relieved, feeling some consolation that his old colleague still knew how to greet him.


    However, it was purely his own wishful thinking¡ªZheng Yaowen merely gave him a slight bow and briskly walked towards Lu Liang, all smiles, "Mr. Lu, hello, I''m Zheng Yaowen."


    Yang Zhenyuan was very famous, and Lu Liang was even more so. Although he wasn''t as lucky as Yang Zhenyuan, he wasn''t doing too badly either.


    Even if the outside world didn''t think highly of Lu Liang''s self-developed car systems, no one dared to question his ability to make money.


    Now, joining under Lu Liang''s command, he at least didn''t have to worry about living hand to mouth or being without clothes.


    Faced with Luo, Zheng Yaowen wouldn''t turn his back on him, but it was best to keep a distance from Luo in front of Lu Liang.


    He was worried that Lu Liang might misunderstand.


    From now on,


    living as a Tianxing person, dying as a Tianxing spirit.


    Luo? Hammer? Sorry, not very familiar.


    Luo''s face darkened, suddenly feeling stifled, "Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, I''ll be on my way."


    Lu Liang nodded with a smile, then suddenly called Luo back, who was almost at the door¡ªhe almost forgot about Wang Chuting wanting an interview.


    Luo hesitated for a long time, his expression troubled, "Mr. Lu, I''m afraid it''s not quite convenient to accept interviews right now."


    He planned to lay low for a while, feigning despair to gain his fans'' sympathy, waiting for the Taobao guide mode to go online before really making a big splash.


    Accepting an interview now would be contrary to his plan, leading to overexposure, which might diminish the anticipation when he reappeared.


    Just like real actors do not like appearing on reality shows, like Lu Liang does not like being in the public eye, it''s all the same logic.


    "No problem, I''ll just mention it to Mr. Zhang, they should also be happy to leverage Forbes to promote Taobao''s new feature."


    Lu Liang''s expression remained amiable, his tone leaving no room for refusal. What Luo thought was his own business, but Lu Liang had already promised Wang Chuting.


    Whether willing or not, since he had promised Wang Chuting, even if Luo didn''t want to go, he had to.


    Luo was silent for a long time, then forced a smile, "Oh, it''s Forbes. That might actually be okay."


    Now he was prey on the chopping block.


    To refuse, he needed to consider the consequences.


    A satisfied smile appeared on Lu Liang''s face, "Thank you, they should contact you soon."


    "Okay, Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, I''ll leave now."


    "Go ahead."


    Lu Liang watched Luo leave and then called over Wang Xiaofeng, Hu Weiwei, and the newly joined Zheng Yaowen.


    Zheng Yaowen was a PhD from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, having worked at Baidu, Sohu, and Hammer, with thirteen years of industry experience.


    He had participated in over ten major projects, including but not limited to the development of Baidu Maps and the Sohu search architecture.


    Four years ago, Luo invited him to join Hammer Technology as the chief architect of Hammer OS by offering him a 10% share dividend.


    "Baidu again," Lu Liang muttered.


    No wonder it stood first among the BAT giants, contributing so many talents to the industry. It''s no surprise it''s known as the Pu Huang Military Academy.


    Tianxing Technology invested one hundred million dollars, with twenty million going to the Huaqing Research Institute, leaving eighty million US dollars, equivalent to 512 million RMB.


    Acquiring Hammer along with its research department cost just 250 million RMB. After subtracting the cost of leasing office spaces and other daily expenses, there was still 255 million RMB left.


    Looking ahead, Lu Liang intended to shift his focus to Baidu¡ªthere was no reason Byte, Meituan, and Xiaomi could poach talents, but he couldn''t.


    After waiting for a while, Li Jiahui hurried over, his face full of admiration as he looked at Lu Liang. He had only made a slight suggestion, and Hammer was no more.


    In less than a month, such efficiency was terrifying, perhaps even beyond what Ali Penguin could achieve.


    The larger the enterprise, the more bloated its internal system becomes, and every important decision always required meeting after meeting.


    In one month, others might not even have completed their planning.


    Lu Liang smiled lightly, "Since everyone is here today, let''s get acquainted and use the opportunity to have a small meeting."


    He restructured again, Hu Weiwei''s position remained unchanged, Wang Xiaofeng retired after his achievements, taking the position of deputy financial director, and for the director position, he planned to appoint someone else through an external hire to prevent Mobike System from taking shape.


    The company''s chief architect position was temporarily vacant, with the deputy chiefs being Li Jiahui and Zheng Yaowen.


    The former had talent and the latter had experience; Lu Liang wasn''t sure whether talent or experience was more important.


    He decided to let them collaborate first, to transform Hammer OS into Tianxing OS and then port it to automobiles.


    Whoever was capable would become the company''s chief architect, enjoying an annual salary of fifty million dollars.


    Besides Hu Weiwei''s three-year 5% vested shares, Lu Liang did not plan to use stock incentives again, at least not for now. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Stock incentives were merely a method used by cash-strapped companies to tie down talent, or by companies at the development bottleneck, to motivate employees to break through their limits.


    Although they were just starting, they were not short of money, and preferred to use less stock rights when money could solve the issue.


    This round of adjustments had satisfied most, and Zheng Yaowen was particularly pleased, couldn''t be more satisfied.


    He thought that Lu Liang had poached him to serve as fertilizer for the new company, but now there seemed to be a chance for advancement.


    Setting aside the future stock incentives, the mere fifty million dollars annual salary laid out before him was sufficient to drive him to work tirelessly.


    Li Jiahui''s face looked grim, his heart felt uncomfortable, yet he had no choice but to accept it.


    He knew very well that his previous importance to Lu Liang was merely due to the lack of better generals from Shu, letting him take the lead.


    Now that the entire Hammer research department had joined, there were more suitable people, and he had become less important.


    Lu Liang, smiling, keenly noticed the change in Li Jiahui''s expression but did not say much.


    Then, he delegated some minor tasks, like targeting Baidu and poaching more talent from the Apollo project.


    After the meeting, Lu Liang asked Zheng Yaowen, Hu Weiwei, and Wang Xiaofeng to leave, keeping only Li Jiahui.


    He walked to the beverage station, "Jiahui, what would you like to drink?"


    "Anything," replied Li Jiahui, distracted.


    He had many things he wanted to say, but wasn''t sure how to say them appropriately.


    Lu Liang poured a glass of iced Coke, joking with a smile, "Still brooding over what I just said?"


    Li Jiahui stared directly at Lu Liang, his eyes filled with a young man''s indomitable spirit, "Yes."


    He had initially agreed to take the lead on this project, but now there was a breach of promise.


    Lu Liang suddenly found him kind of endearing, "Yaowen is different from you; after all, he''s an outsider, and there are so many of his colleagues from Hammer outside. If we don''t make him feel secure, showing him there''s hope, how can he be wholeheartedly devoted in the future?"


    "But you are different; I''ve always had high hopes for you, provided money when needed, more personnel if necessary; when have I ever treated you unfairly?"


    Li Jiahui subconsciously nodded, his stubbornness gradually turning into confusion.


    Lu Liang continued, "But you still lack experience, this is a great opportunity, learn well from Yaowen, and strive to stand on your own soon."


    Li Jiahui, still young and enclosed in his ivory tower, couldn''t be enticed by money alone; he still needed proper motivation.


    Lu Liang''s words implied a clear message, young man, I have high hopes for you, Zheng Yaowen is just a bundle of experience, the future still depends on you.


    Li Jiahui was silent for a long time, then when he looked up again, his confusion had turned to emotion, and he said solemnly, "Mr. Lu, I''m sorry."


    "Let''s skip that topic,"


    Lu Liang chuckled and patted his shoulder, "Jiahui, by mid-November, can you bring out the central control system?"


    The impact of holding signs for Tesla was still fermenting, Li Bing was getting impatient, thinking of holding the new car launch meeting earlier.


    There was still some time before mass production, but NIO hadn''t made a statement in a long time; if they didn''t make a peep, others might think they had gone bankrupt.


    After pondering for a moment, Li Jiahui nodded heavily, "Yes, I can promise you that."

 Chapter 238 - 237: Settlement of Fund Number One

    "A military order isn''t necessary, just do what you can. After all, it''s the release of a new NIO car, and there''s still some time before the pre-sales start. Don''t put too much pressure on yourself."


    Seeing the sincerity in the young man''s eyes, Lu Liang felt a twinge of guilt, but just a twinge.


    After all, he wasn''t one to make the horse run without letting it graze.


    The deputy chief''s annual salary was 8 million, even more than the company''s vice president Hu Weiwei and the financial deputy director Wang Xiaofeng.


    At nine-thirty in the evening, when the US stock market opened, Lu Liang''s influence as a Tesla shareholder began to materialize.


    Tesla''s shares surged 8.55% at the opening and continued to climb, breaking through $450, with a market capitalization firmly over 50 billion US dollars.


    Lu Liang was alone in his hotel room monitoring stocks. Zhang Tian''ai had gone to the seaside to film, and Wang Chuting was preparing to interview Luo. Tonight, he could only keep to his solitary room.


    Approaching ten o''clock, he suddenly received a call from Old Zeng of Ningde Era: "Mr. Lu, we''re planning to go public with an IPO next spring."


    Ningde''s listing application had actually been approved a while ago, but he had been holding off, wanting to wait until the market grew larger.


    But Lu Liang was making waves every day in the new energy market, and he''d even recently taken a position in Tesla, causing their stock to rise sharply.


    Wall Street''s rating agencies were also successively raising their outlook for Tesla, strongly recommending a buy and long-term hold.


    If Lu Liang could wield such influence in the US stock market, which was not his home turf, then Ningde''s share price would surely skyrocket once it was listed on the Big A.


    Lu Liang was very impressive, unbeaten to date, but if one always walks by the river, one will wet their shoes eventually; it was just a matter of when.


    Zeng Minqun couldn''t persuade the board of directors and the company''s senior managers, who were all pushing for a speedy IPO.


    They had to capitalize on the momentum, lest Lu Liang fall from his pedestal and they end up missing the boat despite rising early.


    Unable to convince them, Old Zeng himself was persuaded; Lu Liang''s influence might well compensate for market deficiencies.


    So they decided to prepare for the IPO next spring, aiming for an official listing on the Growth Enterprise Market in summer or autumn.


    Lu Liang pondered for a moment and did not object, "Let me know if you need help."


    He didn''t know when Ningde would go public, but it definitely wouldn''t be next summer or autumn.


    Although history had changed beyond recognition, the rise and strengthening of new energy were inevitable and would not change.


    Lu Liang planned to hold onto Ningde''s stocks in the long term, that wouldn''t change either.


    Early listing, late listing,


    It wouldn''t have much impact on him anyway.


    Zeng Minqun agreed, saying that on the day of the bell-ringing, Lu Liang would definitely be invited to speak on stage.


    After all, it was due to Lu Liang''s fame that Ningde had accepted his financing, and a 13.33% equity stake couldn''t be taken for granted.


    The next day, the Xiao Peng G3 had its new car release.


    He Xiaopeng was rather unfortunate; the relevant news about the new car hadn''t even had time to ferment on the internet before it was completely overshadowed by the buzz created by the spiced fish head dish.


    The Xiao Peng G3''s launch coincided with that of the Hongguang Mini.


    The Earth Light Youth Mini edition made a stunning entrance.


    With a price range of 23,900 to 38,900 yuan, it came with the assurance of a long-established company, no frills in its launch, directly going to market and pre-sale.


    The standard range was 120 kilometers, roadworthy and licensable, and they claimed they only made a profit of 69 yuan per car, which immediately caused heated discussion on the internet. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The Xiao Peng G3 was merely a concept car; whether the brand could survive until the production stage was another matter.


    But the Hongguang Mini opened its pre-sale channel straight away and promised deliveries within the next 12 weeks.


    Thus, any news about the Xiao Peng G3 was swept into the internet''s rubbish pile.


    Xiao Peng''s debut was less than ideal, and He Xiaopeng was devastated in the restroom.


    As Lu Liang had guessed, the Hongguang Mini''s top speed was capped at eighty kilometers per hour, and it couldn''t go on the highway.


    Yet that didn''t stop him from reserving a top-end version, fitted with Ningde''s Lithium Iron Phosphate battery, with a range of up to 180 kilometers.


    Lu Liang genuinely liked it and proudly displayed his order on Weibo: "An adult''s toy car, I suggest Wuling develop a convertible version."


    The first thought in everyone''s mind was, "Liangzi, when did you invest in Wuling?"


    As everyone knows, Lu Liang was addicted to advertising. He rarely came online, but when he did, it was always for a new product launch.


    The idea of him giving a free promotion was unlikely.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh at the response: "I haven''t received any business endorsements lately, I genuinely like this model from Wuling."


    Wuling also immediately cleared the air, stating there was no cooperation with Tianxing or with Lu Liang personally, but they looked forward to future collaborations.


    An unexpected boon fell from the sky, someone was endorsing their product for free, and they were sure to milk this wave of popularity.


    Suddenly, the Hongguang Mini''s sales soared, with pre-orders surpassing thirty thousand units in just an hour and a half.


    "The standard model only costs twenty-four thousand," cheaper than an Apple full product suite, and it can even use 220V household AC power, no need to install a special charging pile.


    For daily commuting, picking up kids, and short trips, it''s a good choice.


    Most importantly, driving it in the countryside isn''t embarrassing.


    Spending two hundred thousand on an electric car would make you the laughingstock of the village, not as good as a Camry or an Asia Dragon and other Japanese cars.


    But spend a bit more than twenty thousand on an upgraded version of the Hongguang Mini, and you can hit the road; people would just give you a thumbs-up and say you''re really wealthy.


    The former emphasizes practicality, the latter is a big toy; the two can''t be generalized.


    Wuling''s management received the news, overjoyed, and hurriedly ordered the production line to be changed to ensure quality and quantity, absolutely not allowing the cooked duck to fly away.


    The Hongguang Mini single model alone caused the third quarter sales volume in the new energy market to surge by 50%.


    Various established auto companies secretly cursed their luck; Wuling''s move was clearly targeting their wallets.


    Though they hadn''t gotten their hands on a real vehicle, the company''s product analysts made a price estimation report through hardware observation.


    At 23,900, each car only makes a profit of 69 Yuan; it''s really not Wuling bragging¡ªif they did the costing, it would only come out higher.


    After all, Wuling has experience making these boxy minivans; except for the battery, it''s almost a whole industry.


    It''s impossible to make a product without aiming to make money; this indicates the car has other profitable channels.


    They almost instantly thought of new energy credits, with an average of 0.68 credits per hundred kilometers.


    Taking the Hongguang Mini as an example, the standard 120 kilometers can get approximately 0.82 credits.


    With the new energy credit market price fluctuating around 2,400 Yuan, the pure profit from credits alone is 1,968 Yuan, not to mention government subsidies.


    Each car can earn a minimum of 5,000 Yuan.


    This profit, almost on par with the Earth Light.


    Leaders from FAW, GAC, BAIC, and the like made calls to SAIC''s leaders since Wuling belongs to SAIC.


    This year''s new energy targets, they are probably unable to complete; if they go by the new regulations, next year will surely see reduced production and volume.


    Regulations are rigid, but people are flexible; except for BYD, there probably isn''t an automaker that can meet the standard, and BYD isn''t a state-owned enterprise.


    When no one meets the target, it''s as if everyone has met the target.


    They can also join forces to push back against the policy, seeking a grace period or postpone settlement for a few years.


    It was agreed everyone would slack off together, but then SAIC''s Wuling secretly worked hard; where does this leave them?


    SAIC''s leaders were smug, having seen but not responded.


    He is he, they are they, who is they to them.


    When poor, huddle together for warmth; when rich, transform into reapers.


    With such a great opportunity, forget allies; even a biological father would be cut with a knife.


    Considering whether to contact BYD Wang next year to jointly raise the price of new energy credits and make a hefty profit.


    The first day''s sales hit thirty thousand; being bold, aiming for one million by year''s end, should not be too difficult.


    In this way, not only can Wuling help its parent company SAIC offset carbon credits, but it can also sell the surplus credits.


    Meanwhile, a big event happened on the Big A; Buffett announced that he would increase his stake in BYD once again.


    Since buying into BYD in 2008 with a total of 145 million shares, back then the share price was only 8.52 Yuan.


    Eight years have passed, risen to 78 Yuan per share; Buffett has not only refrained from selling but has chosen to buy an additional 45.8 million shares.


    BYD''s stock price surged to the daily limit immediately, with a massive influx of funds unable to enter, turning instead to other new energy component stocks.


    The two stock market giants from the East and the West unanimously see a bright future for the new energy market; retail investors decisively followed suit, buying aggressively.


    Upon hearing this, Lu Liang couldn''t help but sigh, "Accelerating too fast."


    With the new energy market outlook so hot, there''s no telling if it will cool down next spring.


    The chance he was hoping to buy in at the bottom seems to be slipping away.


    However, soon Lu Liang shifted his attention elsewhere.


    After wrapping up his business in Beijing and staying only one night, he hurried back to Modu non-stop because the time of one year had come to an end; Tianxing Phase One Fund was about to exit the stage of history.


    All investments were made simultaneously by three funds, so the overall return rate of Fund Number One over the past half-year wasn''t very high.


    But it was enough to beat other private equity funds, having already distributed dividends twice, with a final settlement of 126 million US Dollars.


    A 26% return rate.


    26 million US Dollars in profit, minus a 20% management fee of 5.2 million US Dollars, leaving 20.8 million US Dollars, issued to each investor along with the original investment of 50 shares.

 Chapter 239 - 238: Panda Transformation

    "This year, it went by so fast~"


    Little Wang''s face was filled with melancholy as he couldn''t resist lighting a cigar, reminiscing about the good old days.


    The first dividend was $5,728,000, the second was $326,540, and the third was $416,000.


    Though each was less than the last, the total was substantial, amounting to $9,409,400 in dividends¡ªthe principal had more than quadrupled.


    He also enjoyed a 20% management fee income, but now, as Fund No. 1 came to a close, it had vanished like smoke in the air.


    It was like a dream, so hard to let go.


    Meng Changkun couldn''t help but glare at him with a look of disgust, "Don''t waste my cigars if you can''t appreciate them."


    It was really hard for him. He had initially subscribed to seven shares, and the total profit for the year was $65,865,800.


    In RMB, that was about 421 million yuan, equivalent to the total revenue of his foreign trade company over the past three years.


    It was tragic and lamentable. Little Wang still had the chance to participate in the fourth, fifth, and sixth phases, but his own hopes were already dashed.


    Though he regretted it, if given another chance, he would make the same choice again. After all, one is often helpless in the face of worldly society.


    "Take a look everyone, if there''s no problem, then sign it."


    Lu Liang gave a faint smile. When the first phase was issued, no one believed in it, but he alone subscribed to sixteen shares.


    This time, he had retrieved $32,000,000 of principal, along with $6,656,000 in profit and $3,120,000 in management fee income.


    That was an additional $41,776,000 of available funds for his personal Tianxing Investment, with cash flow once again breaking $200 million.


    But there was still a distance from $720 million.


    Because Lu Liang wanted to get Xiaopeng car''s shares from Tianxing Assets. Initially, he spent $650 million, and now he needed at least $720 million ready.


    As long as he could transfer 13.33% of shares into his name, Lu Liang would be a future billionaire.


    Ningde Era was now valued at $35 billion, and even Old Zeng himself probably didn''t expect it could aim for a trillion in the future.


    Lu Liang''s personal investment had an 8% premium to transfer shares, and it seemed the fund''s investors wouldn''t have any objections.


    By early December, once Fund No. 2 was settled and the dividends for Fund No. 3 were issued, the capital should be just about right.


    "How could there be a problem." Little Wang smiled cheerfully, setting aside his sorrow and decisively signing his name.


    Meng Changkun didn''t think twice before signing, fully aware that Lu Liang and Little Wang probably had matters to discuss.


    "Mr. Lu, if there''s nothing else, then I''ll take my leave," he said, gathering his materials, ready to leave.


    "Take care," Lu Liang said, nodding slightly.


    Little Wang stayed silent, stroking the pure golden bull he had gifted to Lu Liang, pretending as if he saw nothing.


    If it weren''t for Lu Liang, he and Meng Changkun wouldn''t even know each other, their relationship being genuinely superficial.


    "Has Panda cooled off?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    He had heard from Li Manli that Panda''s funds seemed to be a bit tight lately, even delaying her signing bonus of two million for over a month.


    "Cooled off my ass, can''t you hope for something good for me?"


    Little Wang was visibly irate but couldn''t help sighing, "It probably won''t be long now."


    He felt like giving up, constantly investing without seeing any returns, unable to find a buyer to take over.


    If only he had accepted Tencent''s offer back then, now he wouldn''t be stuck in this awkward position.


    "$30 million isn''t something I can''t afford to lose; just let it die a natural death."


    Lu Liang said with a laugh, knowing that Little Wang had signed a three-year bet with Zhu Hu, which was now looking impossible to fulfill.


    Two years later, honestly losing $30 million and living comfortably as a wealthy second-generation couldn''t be more soothing.


    "How could sparrows understand the ambitions of a great swan?"


    Little Wang said proudly. Although Panda was losing money, his Pu Si Investment was consistently profitable.


    Lu Liang glanced over, too lazy to argue.


    If it weren''t for Pu Si''s investment in Tianxing Fund, his investments in those haphazard industries wouldn''t have yielded any profits.


    He almost forgot, there was also War Wolf 2. Pu Si had invested $20 million, and next year it should bring in several hundred million in profits.


    Lu Liang took a sip of his tea, clearly indicating it was time for Little Wang to leave.


    Little Wang hurriedly intervened, "Come on, let''s talk."


    "Talk about what?"


    "New energy."


    Little Wang''s eyes gleamed as Lu Liang kept raising the stakes, and Buffett held more shares in BYD again.


    The stock gods of the East and West had unexpectedly similar thoughts; both were extremely optimistic about the future of the new energy industry.


    Even if only 10% of the market share was taken from fuel vehicles, it would still be a market worth several trillions. The industry''s ceiling was far higher than live streaming, and he was also very interested.


    Panda was out of money, but that was Panda''s problem, not his, as he still had quite a bit of funds at his disposal.


    Leaving it in the bank unused was a despicable waste.


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, turned his head, and began to sift through the filing cabinet, finding the expenditure details of NIO from the past year.


    "Take a look, how many rounds do you think you can withstand?"


    Both NIO and Li Xiang started with one hundred million dollars, and then came investing in strategic production bases worth tens of billions.


    In the past year, NIO had received $680 million in financing but now had just over ten million dollars left in their accounts.


    Li Bing too wanted to follow Li Xiang''s footsteps, release the ES8 to give an account to the investors, and then start Series B financing.


    These car companies'' spending speed frightened even Lu Liang, but the key was that every penny could be accounted for; there was no water in the numbers.


    He wouldn''t dare enter the arena without saving up tens of billions in funds.


    Little Wang?


    Forget it; Old Wang might be more apt.


    Little Wang pored over the materials with a grave expression. The more he looked, the colder he felt, and he couldn''t help but wipe the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.


    No wonder Lu Liang looked down on Panda; the tens of millions and billions of dollars in turnover were enough to buy out Panda.


    However, after investing so much money, not even a mass-produced car was available, and profitability was even further off.


    Investors didn''t even expect the car companies to make a profit; they were all waiting for an IPO to recoup funds from the capital market.


    With a beaming face, Little Wang chimed in, "Liang, with such a big market, there must be some ancillary industries, right?"


    Manufacturing cars required too much capital, which he couldn''t afford to play with, but messing around with peripheral areas was still within his reach.


    Lu Liang suddenly asked, "How about going into electric motor R&D?"


    He had invested in batteries, developed electronic control in-house, and now he was only missing an electric motor.


    He hadn''t found a suitable candidate yet, but when it came to investing in motors, he preferred to invest whenever possible.


    Little Wang stared blankly, then pointed at his nose and asked incredulously, "Do I look like someone who can handle R&D?"


    Lu Liang was at a loss for words, "It''s about time, let''s go grab some food instead."


    "Liang~ Isn''t there an industry suitable for my transformation?" Little Wang pleaded with a melancholy expression, clinging like a woman, knowing Lu Liang was soft on persuasion rather than force.


    Lu Liang looked disgusted but annoyed beyond help, "Then transition to live stream selling."


    "Live stream selling?"


    Little Wang''s eyes suddenly lit up; live streaming was his specialty.


    Lu Liang slowly started to explain, mentioning the guide-shopping model he had heard about from Luo, commonly known as the interactive version of TV shopping.


    He also gave Little Wang Chen Qi''s contact, since Mogu Street was supposedly the first live-stream selling platform in the country.


    Taobao had even borrowed the model, and Luo wanted to make a comeback in the industry; it must have some merit.


    "It seems quite promising," Little Wang mused, suddenly thinking about suppliers. "Who should we collaborate with?"


    Panda lacked everything but anchors; the key was the source of the goods, as he needed a stable channel.


    Lu Liang replied grumpily, "Apart from Pinduoduo, who do you think would partner with Panda?"


    Taobao replicated it directly, JD was arrogant, and Pinduoduo welcomed all comers.


    [On July 26, 2018, Pinduoduo went public with a market value of $24 billion]


    A company established in April of the previous year went public in just 39 months with a market value of $24 billion.


    Lu Liang was envious, but since Pinduoduo was backed by Tencent, it didn''t lack development funds. He had received the news early but missed the earlier rounds of financing; now, he could only watch.


    "Thank you, Liang~" Little Wang suddenly had an idea, picked up Chen Qi''s business card, and left promptly.


    He planned to visit the founder of Mogu Street first and then study the model thoroughly.


    Lu Liang glared disapprovingly, "You''re like a dog, aren''t you?"


    Little Wang grinned, "We''re so familiar, do I need to buy you a meal? Should I also call a few girls to keep you company?" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You think you shouldn''t?" Lu Liang sighed in resignation, not in the mood to eat, and headed to Tang Caide''s office.


    He planned to ask her to recommend a suitable director to be parachuted directly into Tianxing Technology in Beijing, to avoid staffing it entirely with people from the Mobike system.


    A triangle was the most stable shape; Lu Liang formed one corner, Hu Weiwei and Wang Xiaofeng another, and another corner was needed.

 Chapter 240 - 239: The Charm of Journalism

    Beijing Tianxing Technology, owned 90% by Tianxing Investment and 10% by Golden Sand River Venture Capital.


    Although Zhu Hu seemingly doesn''t care, allowing Lu Liang to do as he pleases and to just speak up if he runs short on funds¡ªGolden Sand River will neither interfere nor inquire.


    Yet, after all, they had invested over two hundred million yuan in tangible money into the Hammer patents to acquire 10% of the shares in Tianxing Technology.


    Zhu Hu''s silence was a sign of trust and politeness.


    Lu Liang couldn''t afford to take it lightly, especially since the daily expenses at Tianxing Technology were genuinely high.


    Taking Baidu''s T5/T6 level senior technicians as an example, their original monthly salary was thirty thousand yuan, and to poach them, it had to be at least fifty thousand yuan, along with a guarantee of no salary cuts or layoffs for the next three years.


    For small project leaders above the T7/T8 level, their original annual salary was close to a million yuan. To poach them, he needed to offer at least a 50% raise and a lump sum relocation fee.


    Because those at T4 and below were mainly fresh graduates or somewhat experienced technicians, they were not currently within his consideration.


    Now, the primary task was to get the central control system out, and the training of technical reserve talents would have to wait until later.


    It could be said that the minimum monthly salary started from fifty thousand yuan, and currently, there were over forty technical staff, with ongoing increases.


    Each month, just the salary expenses amounted to over three million yuan, making having a competent chief financial officer particularly important.


    When Tang Caide learned why Lu Liang had come, she pondered for a moment, "Okay, Mr. Lu, I''ll contact some people."


    After all, she was a Ph.D. from Shangcai University and had worked at Redwood for eight years, knowing quite a few talented individuals in this field.


    But to avoid any conflict of interest, she wouldn''t make recommendations herself. Instead, she would list all the suitable candidates and let Lu Liang pick.


    As Lu Liang was about to leave, Tang Caide hastily called out, "Mr. Lu, it''s time we established our own salary system."


    After over a year of development, the staff count at Tianxing Investment and Tianxing Assets had already surpassed a hundred.


    As standardization gradually took place, an inevitable differentiation in class, akin to the T-series at Baidu, the P-series at Ali, and levels in games, was forming.


    Without a label of lv99, how could a lv0 newcomer know they were dealing with a level 99 veteran?


    Detailed rankings would provide clear recognition of salaries, positions, and privileges; this clarity would help motivate employees.


    Ordinary salaries, bonuses, and benefits could also be distributed according to rank coefficients.


    "Go ahead and arrange that, and show me when you''re done."


    Lu Liang nodded; he wasn''t opposed to the evolution of hierarchy, though every company promotes equality, true equality did not exist.


    If one day, the security guard downstairs suddenly clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh saying, "Lu is off to work again."


    Unless that person was his father, he''d probably be fired the next day for entering the door left foot first.


    After work, Lu Liang went to Skyline Garden.


    With Wang Chuting, it was like they had just met and were still in the novelty phase of a relationship, mainly because she was a journalist with broad experience and high emotional intelligence, giving them plenty to talk about.


    "Is the interview going smoothly?"


    Lu Liang took a bottle of homemade honey water out of the refrigerator.


    "It''s going alright," Wang Chuting casually grabbed a water glass, added some ice cubes, and handed it to Lu Liang.


    "Just alright? Is Luo not cooperating?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    "He''s quite cooperative, just a bit odd."


    Wang Chuting remembered the interviewing scene with Luo, and it seemed like he knew about her relationship with Lu Liang, displaying a demeanor of resentful silence.


    Lu Liang gave a slight smile, wrapped his arm around her waist, and whispered softly, "A beauty matched with a gentleman, it''s not strange to have guessed it."


    He had invited her so adamantly, and Luo was no simpleton; judging by Wang Chuting''s appearance, he probably had guessed.


    Wang Chuting grinned playfully and blinked, "Aren''t you worried about the negative impact on you?"


    Whenever Luo was interviewed, he always made veiled criticisms, frequently mentioning that an innocent man harbors no ill intentions, but unwarranted possession leads to trouble.


    The resentment almost seemed tangible; if not for Lu Liang being his creditor, he''d have cursed out loud. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You and I, neither married, even if rumors spread, what of it?" Lu Liang was unconcerned.


    "Indeed, it''s not so great."


    Wang Chuting squinted her eyes and suddenly grinned like a sneaky cat, making a scissors gesture with her fingers, "But I snipped it a few times."


    The part of the interview with Luo was actually quite unfavorable for Lu Liang, invoking phrases like "the crime of not fighting", "weakness is the original sin", and so on.


    Although there was praise, it all seemed to pat himself on the back, claiming Hammer Technology was unmatched, only dragged down by hardware quality control and production capacity.


    Enterprises with vision were destined to shine in the future, those without it were bound to be eliminated by the market.


    Although he didn''t name names, his decision to join Taobao naturally couldn''t be a veiled criticism of Ali.


    Who he was mocking was self-evident.


    Luo was currently the hottest internet celebrity with many topics to his name. Once these contents spread, Lu Liang would likely face an onslaught from Luo''s fans.


    But she had quietly snipped a few times, blurring and even misrepresenting some of the meanings. It made it seem as if Luo was resenting fate and admiring himself lonesomely.


    With the altered content, once it got out, many would probably unfollow him or lessen their sympathy for him.


    They would think he was someone with high expectations but low abilities. Hammer''s bankruptcy seemed inevitable, not occasional and certainly not targeted.


    "Never offend a woman," Wang Chuting said triumphantly, as she dared to say bad things about her man right to her face. That''s seeking death.


    Lu Liang was speechless, "No wonder you studied journalism."


    Wang Chuting mumbled unhappily, her face full of displeasure: "I''m thinking about you like this, and you''re still mocking me?"


    "So, tell me, how should I repay you?" Lu Liang smiled, his arms embracing her waist suddenly squeezed tighter.


    Wang Chuting hummed softly, leaning on his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "Then I want to be on top."


    Thinking of that scenario, Lu Liang with his bent knees, a naughty smile appeared on his face, "That''s not impossible."


    ...


    The next day, after Hammer Technology liquidated, Luo''s first interview content spread across the internet.


    The charm of Journalism was showcased at this moment, just as Wang Chuting had envisioned.


    The content Luo expressed wasn''t under his control but entirely up to the interviewer''s wishes.


    The first part and the last part were left unedited, but why the bankruptcy and liquidation happened was blurred in the middle.


    Mainly blaming the manufacturers, then the hardware, and even the market, blaming consumers for not having enough patience.


    Everyone was wrong, only he was right.


    "It wasn''t an unjust death."


    The relevant topics surged on hot searches, the "tragically idealistic" buff had a layer brutally shaved off.


    After all, this was somewhat similar to what Feng Kuzi said, his movies weren''t garbage, the market and audiences are.


    Feng Kuzi in the entertainment industry, this might make some sense, but in the phone industry, there are numerous high-quality domestic brands.


    Fans of Xiaomi charged forward the first chance they got: "If not for Lei, there wouldn''t be thousand-yuan smartphones. What does Hammer count for?"


    "Established for 4 years, only sold three million phones, a market share of just 0.7%, how dare they say such things?"


    "Competitors are all moving to 4G, only Hammer is still on 3G, yet shamelessly claims manufacturers are just showing off."


    "Hammer phones only collapsed today, we all have an inescapable responsibility."


    Luo just woke up, saw the comments, and almost had a stroke from anger, hurriedly going online on Weibo.


    He typed a status but then deleted it, typed again but deleted again.


    Because his first thought was to curse at bastards and bitches, but if he dared to send it, he would probably be finished.


    He wanted to clarify but didn''t know how to do it.


    He certainly couldn''t tell the public that he was actually mocking Lu Liang but got misrepresented. Pointing fingers at Wang Chuting would likely drag Lu Liang into it, and that too would be a path to doom.


    Forbes is an international top finance publication, and he seemed unable to afford offending them either.


    "I''m sorry, I misspoke in the heat of the moment, just came out from the bank managing a loan extension and related matters, years of hard work went to vain, suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable."


    Luo thought hard, grinding his molars, swallowing them down his belly, nobody could be offended, and he could only carry this black pot.

 Chapter 241 - 240: Panda Online Supermarket

    Luo''s apology statement was dismissed by most netizens, except for a portion of the crystal powder fans.


    He had his own difficulties, luckily the divorce incident of Wang Bao was still providing cover, and Old Song was suspected of being involved in ''Prison Storm 4''.


    For a while, netizens rushed to support Wang Bao, the male star whose agent and spouse couldn''t dig up any dirt on.


    In late September, just before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Panda reached a collaboration with Pinduoduo and launched its live-streaming shopping section.


    The first day saw a small test from ten streamers, and the total transaction volume for goods broke through ten million in 24 hours.


    Even though they only took a 5% commission and had to split that with the guilds, ending up with only 2.5%, which is 250,000,


    it undoubtedly opened up a whole new track, and Little Wang suddenly felt he was back in the game, ready to rise again.


    Proudly, he boasted to Lu Liang, "Boss Lu, Panda''s valuation has jumped back up to 500 million dollars."


    Online shopping has transformed people''s lives, almost replacing 50% of offline store consumption; e-commerce has always been a hot competition track.


    Domestic institutions highly appraised Panda''s transformation, raising their valuations and spiking nearly 200 million dollars.


    Golden Sand River and Qihu both called to express concern and inquire if Panda was short on funds and when their next fundraising would be.


    You should know that not long ago, Little Wang was tirelessly calling them, only to be brushed off.


    From an empty house to a bustling court, all because of a small change.


    "So what?" Lu Liang, barely lifting his head, as the company was planning an upcoming team-building trip.


    With over fifty million left in their tax deduction quota for the year, they were planning to charter a plane and enjoy a few days in Sanya.


    With food and lodging at the highest standards, they allocated a preliminary spending budget of 20,000 per person, planning to spend a total of roughly eighteen million.


    Full of resentment, Little Wang grumbled, "I own 9.65% of Panda, is that not even worth a bit of happiness for you?"


    Lu Liang put away his documents and chuckled, "Well, if you decide to buy back my shares, then I''d be happy."


    The valuations given by institutions are not the same as market value; they rise and fall on a whim and are not very convincing.


    Little Wang retorted in annoyance, "Keep dreaming. I''m still waiting to cash in on your fame when we go public on NASDAQ."


    He suddenly realized that using live-streaming platforms for sales is incredibly suitable. Each streamer has fans to varying degrees. It might be difficult to persuade them to watch live-streaming and give presents,


    but using the streamer''s influence to promote the products and getting them to buy practical items is relatively easy.


    Within Panda''s guild system are over a hundred large and small guilds, and the associated streamers amount to at least ten thousand.


    The ten streamers from yesterday, who sold goods, were insignificant, with follower counts barely breaking ten thousand.


    Usually, their streaming rooms have only a hundred or to viewers, but who knew selling everyday items would be such a hit.


    Once streamers like PDD, Ruo Feng, Thomas, or Li Xiaomeng sell products, the transaction volume could easily break one hundred million.


    "Cong, you''re getting ahead of yourself," Lu Liang laughed but didn''t continue to dampen Little Wang''s spirits.


    The data provided by Little Wang were convincing; it was as if Panda had been given a second life, and going public was no longer a castle in the air.


    According to Little Wang''s new plan, Panda would no longer be called Panda Interactive Entertainment; it would be Panda Online Supermarket.


    Each product would have its dedicated promoter streamers, and Panda planned to start with thirty streaming rooms.


    Because the product linkages came from Pinduoduo, they mainly focused on daily necessities and small household appliances with high cost-performance ratios.


    They were also planning to establish a middleman platform, to put all streamers up with clear pricing.


    In the future, they might go around Pinduoduo, allowing merchants to contact them directly for product promotions.


    "How about that? Not bad, right?" Little Wang was quite proud, extremely satisfied with the plan.


    Panda intended to initiate Series C funding next week, aiming to raise one hundred million dollars first to build the basic infrastructure.


    "Indeed not bad."


    Lu Liang praised and then paused before adding, "But I suggest you keep the latter part of the plan secret. Embrace the big players when you need to, and don''t think of going solo before your wings are strong."


    Little Wang''s move was like when he was a middleman, running around tirelessly only to find a satisfactory house for his client, but then the client went behind his back to deal directly with the landlord.


    This kind of sales model could work for Panda, Douyu, Huya, and even Douyin.


    If they upset Pinduoduo, they would almost immediately stand against Tencent and could be crushed within minutes given Panda''s size.


    "That''s for sure. Besides you, I haven''t told anyone else."


    Little Wang suddenly caught on, his smile meaningful, "It seems you''re interested too?"


    Lu Liang smiled and nodded, "Indeed, a bit."


    As long as he didn''t fret over the failed Eastern Disneyland project, Panda still had a lot to offer.


    At the very least, among the top three platforms in the live streaming industry, Panda was the one with the best reputation among users.


    "I''ll give you a 20 million US Dollar share."


    Little Wang was thrilled, sweeping his hand broadly, very forthright.


    This time, the Panda plan was to get 20% of the shares by raising one hundred million dollars; 20 million was 4%.


    As Lu Liang''s shareholding increased to over 10%, he no longer needed to worry about being restrained by other capital.


    After all, who didn''t know that Lu Liang was his close Friend and Tianxing was a major player in the domestic capital market?


    "Then send me an invitation when it''s time."


    Lu Liang chuckled, though he still hadn''t received any information about Panda''s future. Judging by past experience, Panda''s fate was probably bleak, but the outcome could be changed.


    Live streaming e-commerce had brought in tens of millions in sales on the first day; if focused on this track, there might be a chance to change fate against all odds.


    He didn''t mind lending Panda a helping hand.


    "No problem."


    Like a gust of wind, Little Wang came in a hurry and left just as quickly.


    Before, his life was going nowhere, stuck without progress, but now, suddenly, life had direction, and he was all geared up to go at it full throttle.


    Perhaps, in the future, Wanda would need his support.


    Lu Liang snickered and continued to review documents.


    In the evening,


    Several buses arrived at the base of the New International Building.


    With Sun Yutao and a few duty personnel remaining at the company, Lu Liang and Tang Caide led nearly two hundred people, including family members, majestically to the airport to board the plane.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, today our company is having a team-building event, and our destination is sunny, sandy, and sea-view Sanya~"


    Chen Jinchun was thrilled, like a kid on a spring outing, holding the camera, running from the front of the queue to the back, capturing everyone''s smiling faces. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Suddenly, she came up to Lu Liang and, with a gleeful expression, said, "Mr. Lu, say hi to everyone~"


    Lu Liang smiled and waved his hand, no longer avoiding the camera, noticing it was on record mode, "Why are you alone?"


    This team-building event didn''t restrict the number of participants too much. As long as you reported in advance, boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, and children could join.


    Thus, the company''s hundred-some people became a nearly two hundred strong group, fortunately, the Boeing 747 plane had enough seats.


    "Otherwise?" Chen Jinchun asked with a smile, "Is Mr. Lu making an introduction?"


    "With so many young talents in our company, isn''t there one that catches your eye?"


    Lu Liang glanced towards his cousin, an honest and sunny hunk, and then to Wen Chao, elegant and witty with a sense of humor.


    Chen Jinchun shook her head repeatedly, then whispered, "Actually, both Shiyu and Secretary Wen already have girlfriends."


    "How did you know?"


    Lu Liang was surprised, it was obvious from Shiyu''s online romance demeanor, but he indeed didn''t know about Wen Chao having a girlfriend, as she wasn''t brought along either.


    "I guess Shiyu is probably having an online romance, and I''ve met Secretary Wen''s girlfriend on the street; she''s his high school classmate."


    Chen Jinchun was smug, familiar with the company gossip. Wen Chao didn''t bring his girlfriend, probably because, as Lu Liang''s secretary, he needed to be on standby 24 hours a day.


    It wasn''t convenient, so he didn''t bring her along.


    "You, so young, yet such a gossip, I''m afraid you''ll end up single."


    Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, looking towards Wen Chao, who was discussing the itinerary with the tour guide, his fondness for him increased a notch.


    Due to the special nature of his job, it indeed wasn''t suitable for him to bring a girlfriend along for the team building.


    "If I''m single, then so be it."


    Chen Jinchun was quite upset, but facing Boss Lu, she was helpless and snorted a few times before ignoring him.


    At night, the plane took off from Pu Xin Airport, and the company''s entire staff headed to Sanya to embark on a three-day, two-night team-building retreat.

 Chapter 242 - 241: Tiered Management Fees

    The plane had just landed in Sanya, and the MGM Hotel had dispatched several buses to pick them up from Macau''s He family''s branch at Yalong Bay.


    Being friends, Lu Liang always liked to look after acquaintances; he had booked 102 rooms, the cheapest of which were the 1800 yuan sea-view rooms.


    Close to nine, they finished the hotel check-in procedures.


    With money paving the way and connections to boot, essentials like clothing, food, accommodation, and recreation were all neatly arranged.


    The most exhausting part of traveling, asking for information, was not a concern for them; the hotel assigned ten housekeepers, ten guides, and six drivers to ensure they had a smooth experience.


    Near ten, a large group, dragging kids and luggage, arrived at the hotel''s private beach for an outdoor barbecue.


    Lu Liang even changed into an outfit like Tommy from Vice City.


    Dressed in a blue beach outfit and flip-flops, aside from his slightly pale complexion, he blended in almost perfectly with the locals.


    Xiao Chen widened his eyes and secretly aimed his live-streaming phone at Lu Liang, whispering, "Folks, I''m risking my life here smuggling this footage; not too much to ask for a follow, right? Once we hit 7 million fans, I''ll eat a light bulb candy on camera for you all."


    "Holy crap, Tommy?"


    "Quick, keep Mr. Lu away from the water."


    "True to form, my idol rocks even flip-flops."


    The live stream''s viewership soared as netizens spread the word about this rare opportunity.


    It was a surprise to see such a bigshot so down-to-earth.


    Lu Liang glanced around and changed directions to where Chen Jinchun was standing. She stood up, stuttering, "Mr. Lu."


    "Are you live streaming?" Lu Liang asked curiously.


    Chen Jinchun nodded, and Lu Liang smiled, "Let me have a look."


    As soon as Lu Liang appeared on camera, the number of live viewers spiked again, with the top right corner showing 180,000 online and still rapidly increasing.


    Live streaming was just an additional feature on Douyin; Yang Zhenyuan didn''t fuss over inflated popularity metrics; essentially, what was shown online was the accurate count.


    Wanting to leave after a quick glance, Lu Liang suddenly had an idea, "Go have some barbecue; I''ll take over the stream for a while."


    "Okay." Xiao Chen was stunned and didn''t quite understand, but obediently did as instructed and handed the stream over to Lu Liang.


    "Hello, everyone, I am Lu Liang; we are currently at our company retreat." Lu Liang said, smiling broadly and appearing very relaxed in front of the camera.


    Last year, he had streamed for over a hundred hours on Douyu, and although he didn''t show his face or talk much, the process was mostly similar.


    The viewers were thrilled and eagerly asked the question they cared about the most, "Mr. Lu, is your company hiring?"


    Company retreats were common, and some large companies even held them twice a year, but chartering a flight directly to Sanya was definitely uncommon.


    Although Xiao Chen hadn''t disclosed the budget, just the private beach at Yalong Bay and the full booking at the MGM Hotel suggested that the three-day retreat cost at least ten thousand per person, and many children were seen, indicating that families could also join, a truly generous benefit.


    "Beijing''s Tianxing Technology is always hiring, and our benefits far exceed others in the industry," Lu Liang announced with a smile, sharing how to send in applications.


    He wasn''t streaming out of boredom; recruiting talent was just one aspect; there were at least two more pieces of information he wanted to reveal.


    Lu Liang, being inherently lazy, always had a motive behind his actions.


    "Damn, it''s just a promotional stunt again."


    The viewers immediately cursed and complained.


    Lu Liang grinned, deliberately correcting, "Friends, this is called being eager for talent, not a promotional stunt."


    Tianxing''s live stream session seemed to get a boost from Douyin, with the online viewership almost instantly breaking the 300,000 mark.


    Various comments flooded the screen, covering all sorts of questions, making it unnecessary for Lu Liang to prompt any.


    Even a cursory glance provided him answers he was interested in and wanted to share.


    "When will you start making cars? Let''s wait at least another year."


    "Is the Public Fund still active? Of course, it is."


    "What''s your take on contending for the White House? You look with your eyes."


    Lu Liang sipped his beer and ate barbecue, conducting a casual half-hour interview.


    He also revealed two significant updates: he would personally enter the new energy sector and hadn''t given up on public funds.


    The former isn''t particularly explosive news, as there have been rumors online, but tonight it was confirmed by the person involved.


    The latter is a major event, though. Private and public funds cannot coexist, but Lu Liang brought it up again, indicating he would give up private funds.


    This news made many people restless, and those who weren''t familiar didn''t feel comfortable asking the reason; even those close to him felt the same.


    Everyone was incredibly conflicted. The news kept spreading until it finally reached Little Wang, who has a good relationship with Lu Liang.


    "First off, it''s not me asking, whatever decision you make, just count me in, and I''ll support you blindly."


    Little Wang made a call, firstly reinforcing his trust in Lu Liang, then revealing the individuals who had entrusted him.


    He then expressed the concessions they were willing to make, stating that if Lu Liang wasn''t satisfied with the low management fees, they could be adjusted next time.


    For instance, if the profits were 100%, the management fees might increase to 30% for anything above 100%, and 35% for 150%.


    A maximum of 40%, was within their acceptable range; if not, they could discuss it further.


    But never give up on private funds. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Because public funds represent stability, but also low returns. Used to delicacies, they couldn''t swallow simple food anymore.


    Lu Liang was stunned, not expecting this windfall, and feigned contemplation. "Tell them not to worry, I won''t give up private funds."


    The establishment of a public fund wasn''t for profit, but to position in the new energy industry chain. Private funds were the constant source of cash flow; without this cash cow, his plans for car manufacturing would be indefinitely stalled. How could he possibly give up?


    "That''s settled then." Little Wang was about to hang up, but Lu Liang, smiling, invited him, "Nothing much? Come relax in Sanya for a few days."


    "No time, that bastard Chen Shaojie is copying me, and I''m going to fucking destroy him." Little Wang was uncontrollably furious.


    Panda''s live shopping segment had just been online for two days before Douyu rapidly followed suit with a project, nearly driving him mad.


    With Douyu''s technology, they could launch their platform in no more than three days; Panda needed to urgently secure its lead.


    Lu Liang chuckled. "You called it a supermarket, and it''s normal to have so many supermarkets on the street."


    "It''s normal, but I''m pissed."


    Little Wang''s face was filled with indignation, he couldn''t help rushing, "Hurry back after playing, it''s time to fund."


    If Chen Shaojie lacked sportsmanship, then he should not be pushed to kickstart the funds and poach people. His Pu Si was preparing to reenter the scene too.


    Old Wang put it well; those from Tsinghua and Beijing University are nothing compared to those who dare greatly. Fortune favors the bold.


    If all else fails, they could pull in Wanda Capital. Little Wang didn''t believe they couldn''t outdo those two platforms.


    "When did you become so spirited?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    "Previously there was no hope, but now there''s something to look forward to, I will definitely go at it full throttle."


    "I''ll be back before next Monday."


    "Just waiting for those words."


    Ending his call with Little Wang, Lu Liang joined Tang Caide, observing the crowd, singing joyously, raising their glasses.


    Xiao Chen had also ended his livestream early, taking on the role of a nursery director, playing games with a dozen kids.


    Wen Chao took over Xiao Chen''s duties, holding up the camera, capturing this beautiful scene.


    Lu Liang drank a sip of beer, smiling as he asked, "Why don''t you join them for a bit?"


    "I feel happy just watching from afar; they might be uncomfortable if I joined them."


    Tang Caide''s eyes were tender. The financial world is actually quite chaotic, sometimes even worse than the entertainment industry.


    There''s a movie called "Wolf of Wall Street" that unpacks just the tip of the industry iceberg, but their company was an exception.


    With Lu Liang''s presence, the employees were not stressed, and the funds did not have to be procured through unscrupulous means.


    She liked this company; she liked this atmosphere, and couldn''t bear to join them and break such a harmonious scene.


    In the company, after all, she always played the role of the tough one.


    "Happiness isn''t just seen, it''s felt through participation." Lu Liang led the cheer, urging Tang Caide to sing a song.


    "Mr. Tang, give us a song."


    Lu Liang waved his arms, and the crowd responded enthusiastically.


    Xiao Chen appeared to be tipsy, his face flushed red, excitedly waving and shouting, "Tang, get up here, I love you."


    Tang Caide couldn''t help but laugh and look helplessly at Lu Liang before delivering a song, "Moon Over the Lotus Pond," pushing the evening''s mood to its peak.

 Chapter 243 - 242: Haima Automobile, Chance Encounter

    The next day, everyone went to the nearby Hai Island for snorkeling and sea fishing, while Lu Liang was invited to the municipal building.


    Hai Island is quite large, only slightly smaller than Taiwan by 0.06 square kilometers, separated from the Mainland by an 18-kilometer strait.


    This strait not only separates the two places but also grants Hai Island more administrative autonomy compared to other Mainland provinces.


    Promoting the new energy industry is a significant national policy. Hai Island, due to its geographical location and high transportation costs, has relatively high oil prices. Its wind and solar industries are fairly developed, making it naturally suited for new energy development.


    Hai Island has its own automaker, Haima Automobile, but Haima has faced difficult times. The last new model they launched was the M8 in 2013, and they hadn''t introduced any new products in three years. In the past three years, the M8 had sales of only about 100,000 units.


    Without the provincial government''s continuous support, Haima would have already faltered; although they could help, they couldn''t do so indefinitely.


    It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Until the end of last year, Li Xiang had collaborated with Lifan, and NIO had partnered with Jianghuai.


    The provincial government was deeply concerned about this lone seedling of their native industry, constantly contacting Xiao Peng, hoping to facilitate a partnership.


    It just so happened that Lu Liang was very interested in the new energy industry. He had officially decided to personally enter the field, and his company was currently engaged in team building in Sanya.


    They decisively abandoned their sole focus on He Xiaopeng and made a last-minute decision to implement a wide-net strategy. The municipal secretary was already waiting at the hotel entrance early in the morning, inviting Lu Liang to the municipal building for a discussion.


    "Haima Automobile..."


    Lu Liang showed a thoughtful expression, flipping through Haima''s information.


    Since losing the Mazda brand licensing rights ten years ago, Haima Automobile was forced to shift to self-development, subsequently launching the Fumeilai series of cars. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    However, their lack of R&D strength gradually became apparent; their exterior designs became increasingly non-mainstream, and their sales were consistently lukewarm.


    The 2013 M8 had a total sales volume of 118,500 units over the past three years. It can''t be denied that surviving until now was already a miracle.


    And this miracle seemed to still have a chance to continue a bit longer because the country was currently promoting the new energy industry.


    No matter how poorly Haima performed, it still had a complete automobile manufacturing production line. Although the equipment was a bit old, it was still usable, exactly what the rising new automotive forces needed.


    The investment manager beside him held his breath, absent-mindedly drinking tea and not daring to interrupt.


    If this partnership were confirmed, it would be a strategic project worth tens of billions at least. At that time, the provincial leadership would personally receive them, and he wouldn''t even have the chance to serve tea.


    In the world of officials and businessmen, although "official" comes before "businessman," it also depends on the businessman. Lu Liang, holding hundreds of billions in funds, would undoubtedly be treated with great respect wherever he went.


    "Director Gao."


    Lu Liang closed the information file, and Director Gao hurriedly responded. Lu Liang said, "To be honest, I am indeed very interested."


    Director Gao was thrilled, but then Lu Liang spoke again, "However, I will not invest; I will only acquire, delist, and privatize."


    Haima Automobile is a state-owned enterprise, established for 28 years now. It is not hard to imagine that it has all the typical issues of a state-owned enterprise.


    It''s a publicly traded company with a market value of only 5.8 billion. Lu Liang did not want to deal with all those infuriating trifles.


    If he were to take over, the first thing would be to delist and privatize, and then from top to bottom, perform a major clean-up.


    He would sweep out all those who were warming chairs, the parasites and vampires, without leaving a single one behind.


    Director Gao''s smile stiffened, and the corners of his mouth turned bitter. "Mr. Lu, Haima is, after all, a prestigious enterprise with a 28-year history."


    They had invited Mr. Lu to join their family, not to tear it apart.


    If Lu Liang acquired Haima and it continued production on Hai Island, it would indeed benefit the development of the new energy industry.


    But if he agreed, he would offend many people.


    Privatization would certainly involve removing many personnel, and those connected through nepotism would be the first to go.


    "Being around for a long time doesn''t necessarily mean strong," Lu Liang said with a smile.


    Director Gao gave an awkward smile and then said, "Mr. Lu, what do you think of our Hai Island''s business environment?"


    If they couldn''t save Haima or sell it, they would seek the next best thing¡ªinviting Lu Liang to invest and build a factory here.


    They would definitely treat him with exceptional hospitality, offering him the extraordinary treatments Tesla received in Modu and BYD in Shenzhen.


    Lu Liang pondered for a long time, then said, "Director Gao, I''ve always been very interested in the new energy industry and have invested significantly in related industries, but it''s not yet the right time for car manufacturing."


    There had been ongoing rumors online that Hai Island would soon become a free trade port, which indeed makes it suitable for developing the new energy industry.


    However, its geographical location is the biggest downside, like Li Xiang''s collaboration with Lifan to establish a factory in Su Nan, and NIO''s partnership with Jianghuai in Lu Zhou, which can radiate to the whole country from all directions.


    Hai Island is just an island; behind it lies the vast sea.


    Even with substantial support from the provincial government, it could only radiate in one direction and not flourish in multiple directions.


    After all, the other party was the director of municipal investment solicitation and had received hints from the provincial government. It was not possible to outright reject the other party''s goodwill.


    He had to be somewhat tactful, not shutting down the conversation completely,


    leaving some room for maneuver so they could still be friends the next time they met.


    Director Gao deciphered the underlying message, "Mr. Lu, next time you have an idea, please be sure to contact us."


    "Definitely, definitely."


    Throughout the afternoon, Lu Liang wandered around the municipal government area, and Director Gao also revealed a lot of insider information.


    For instance, the rumors online about the free trade port were true; there were indeed plans for it, and they would be implemented soon, just like the already-approved World New Energy Automobile Conference, which would likely be held on Hai Island.


    All these words boiled down to one thing¡ªthey knew Hai Island had a less than ideal location, inconvenient transportation, and a population not even reaching ten million.


    But the national government had never forgotten them; there was a plan to transform this place into a new energy experiment zone and create a unique national economic free trade port.


    In terms of financial industry jargon, investing now was like holding original shares with boundless potential in the future.


    Upon hearing, Lu Liang always responded very tactfully, indicating he would go back and seriously consider it.


    Director Gao did not persuade further, focusing on taking Lu Liang around for sightseeing and visits, hoping he might get some ideas.


    By nightfall, Lu Liang politely declined the dinner invitation and returned to the MGM Hotel.


    At night, Yalong Bay was bustling.


    While dining at the hotel''s restaurant, suddenly a group of people ran past the door, followed by a group carrying cameras and equipment.


    It was very noisy and disrupted the tranquil atmosphere, causing Lu Liang to frown and look toward Wen Chao, "Go ask, what''s going on?"


    After a while, Wen Chao came back with the information and answered, "Mr. Lu, they are filming a variety show."


    Lu Liang nodded in understanding and did not ask further, knowing that although they booked over a hundred rooms, they hadn''t booked the entire hotel.


    In recent years, reality shows had been very popular, especially the hit shows; filming in one place could ignite its popularity.


    The crew using the venue for shooting and promoting it for free was something no hotel would reject.


    Lu Liang dined alone, enjoying a dish unique to Hai Island; today''s planned activities included snorkeling, fishing, and camping on a deserted island.


    After noon, Tang Caide had gone with her colleagues on a yacht out at sea, leaving him alone in the hotel; hence, he found no one else to dine with.


    Soon, a petite figure dashed swiftly past him, followed by several cameramen.


    Before Lu Liang could turn to see what was happening, he only looked up to see Huang Xiaoming standing in front of him.


    "Mr. Lu..."


    Huang Xiaoming''s eyes widened, his expression dumbfounded; he was also an investor in the fund, though through Little Wang''s channel.


    He was close with Little Wang; last year, during his million-dollar wedding with Yang Tianbao, Little Wang had attended as a groomsman.


    Back then, they had discussed Lu Liang more than once. Huang Xiaoming had always admired and wished to meet Lu Liang.


    He had just never had the opportunity, and he hadn''t expected their first meeting to be under these circumstances.


    "Mr. Huang, what show are you filming?" Lu Liang smiled and nodded.


    "Mr. Lu, you can just call me Xiaoming."


    Huang Xiaoming, looking embarrassed, quickly stated, "Our show is called ''All-Out Team Up.''"


    "Have you eaten yet? Why not sit down and join me for a bit?"


    Lu Liang had never heard of it nor watched it. But he recalled, having heard from Little Wang that there was an episode with a stake from Huang Xiaoming.


    Though it was only $1 million US Dollars, not even a full share, it still made them friends.

 Chapter 244 - 243: Finally Got Hard for Once

    "Mr. Lu, maybe next time. It''s probably not convenient right now; I''m still filming."


    Huang Xiaoming looked conflicted. He really wanted to agree, after all, he could film at any time, but an opportunity to talk with Lu Liang wasn''t always available.


    However, it would be inappropriate and might give off an impression of being unprofessional and overly opportunistic.


    Lu Liang glanced at the camera and said with a light laugh, "Then, let''s do it next time."


    Huang Xiaoming nodded repeatedly, "Mr. Lu, please take your time, I''ll be leaving first."


    Lu Liang nodded and continued to dine.


    Previously, in his mind, celebrities were always surrounded by a mysterious aura, but now, although he hadn''t met many, the sense of mystery about celebrities had long since vanished.


    If he wanted, with any excuse, he could command the presence of most celebrities.


    At that moment, the female guest running ahead also sensed that something was off; logically, Huang Xiaoming was supposed to be pursuing her, but there had been no movement for a while.


    So, she turned back and walked up to Huang Xiaoming, "Xiaoming, what''s going on?"


    Huang Xiaoming looked awkward and pulled her away from where Lu Liang was dining, "Little Ju, didn''t you recognize him?"


    "Who?" Little Ju was clueless; she had been chased haphazardly and hadn''t noticed who was in the restaurant.


    "Tianxing''s Mr. Lu." Huang Xiaoming said seriously, simultaneously turning his head to instruct the crew to cut this segment out.


    Even though Lu Liang had moved from behind the scenes to the forefront, whenever he appeared in public, it was always by his own initiative.


    A rash appearance on a variety show might boost the show''s topicality, but it was unclear what Mr. Lu intended.


    They couldn''t gamble on such uncertain popularity; winning the gamble might add a topic of discussion, but losing could be a cost they couldn''t afford.


    "Mr. Lu," Little Ju was stunned, was such a prominent figure right before her eyes, and she had completely missed him?


    At the same time, as Lu Liang finished his meal and turned around, he also caught sight of Little Ju, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.


    He hardly recognized any modern actresses, but this one famed as a ''beauty of four thousand years'' was an exception.


    It all started because of Little Wang. With her sweet look and petite frame, Little Ju was exactly his type. For a while, like a star-struck fan, he had silently liked all her updates, yet never got any response.


    Out of scorn born from unrequited affection, he derided her online daily as a drama queen, eventually even getting blocked.


    Mr. Lu knew about this and had laughed about it for a long time, thus recognizing this rarely seen beauty.


    However, Little Ju wasn''t his type; he preferred healthy-looking girls with a bit of curves.


    Seeing Lu Liang leave, Huang Xiaoming also breathed a sigh of relief and turned to smile, "Little Ju, you have ten seconds to run, after this shot we are wrapping up."


    Reality shows are all about the show; what the audience sees is just what the crew wants to show them.


    "Thank you, Xiaoming."


    Little Ju bowed, lingeringly watching the direction Lu Liang was leaving in, the imagined scene of being flirted with never materialized.


    She felt disappointed and started to doubt her own charm.


    Mr. Lu had scheduled an SAP therapist, enjoying the night breeze and a Thai massage on the terrace, relishing this moment of tranquility.


    Three days had passed in a blink of an eye.


    The entire company staff, along with their families numbering 215 in total, had all arrived and left together.


    The arrangements were very humane; after a three-day corporate retreat, they returned right in time for a festive Mid-Autumn celebration with two days off.


    Originally, the plan was to have the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival off included for the retreat, but Mr. Lu had denied that.


    Returning from a three-day trip and resting for two days made for a better start to the new work week.


    Back at the company, each employee was handed a 2000 RMB celebration bonus, ready to joyfully welcome Mid-Autumn Festival with their families.


    This year, Mr. Lu didn''t go back but chose to spend the festive period with Su Wanyu at home.


    She was a bit socially anxious and didn''t like noisy gatherings; Lu Liang, just back from Hai Island, didn''t want to go out either.


    So, they set up an oversized recliner on the balcony, sliced some mooncakes and fruit, and quietly enjoyed the moon at home.


    The weather was perfect, the Mid-Autumn night was cloudless, and the orange-yellow moon hung high, its light exceptionally bright.


    "Tonight, the moonlight is so beautiful," Su Wanyu commented. She spoke of the moon but her gaze was on Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang gently caressed her cheek, his voice soft and tender, "The wind is also very gentle."


    Su Wanyu''s eyes curved like crescent moons as she kissed Lu Liang lightly, "With this scenery and mood, shall we have a drink?"


    "Aren''t you allergic to alcohol?"


    "How many times do I have to tell you? I''m not allergic; I just can''t hold my liquor well and I don''t get a rash or feel itchy."


    "The Chinese folks who try so hard throughout their lifetime, always undergoing desensitization treatment." Lu Liang couldn''t help but chuckle, but he didn''t persuasively stop her either. Drink slowly, drink a little, there won''t be any problem.


    Mainly because Su Wanyu looked really adorable when tipsy¡ªher skin became smoother, tender, and delicately rosy.


    She already resembled a soft, rosy little bun and, with the boost from her slightly drunken state, looked as though she''d been dusted with talcum powder.


    Lu Liang''s smile deepened playfully, but then his chin was suddenly bitten. Su Wanyu seemed to have read his mind and flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger, "You jerk, stop imagining things."


    "So do you like it or not?"


    ...


    After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it also came time for Panda''s Series C funding.


    Little Wang, having not seen for a few days, appeared overindulged, sporting dark circles, and still needed to use concealer to cover them up.


    "This is due to overworking. You think everyone is chilling like you, all relaxed with team building and celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival."


    Little Wang bristled with resentment; Douyu''s live commerce segment had launched two days ago, and transaction volume had surged past fifty million.


    Although Panda had also reached a transaction volume of over one hundred million, other streaming platforms such as Huya and Bilibili had announced projects to follow suit.


    Suddenly, it seemed that every major online platform had discovered the method for monetizing traffic, ushering in the era of live-stream commerce.


    As the first mover in live commerce, Panda had no absolute advantage and led by a small margin, placing Lu Liang under significant pressure.


    Lu Liang smiled enigmatically, hinting at something, "We''ve barely just begun, and King and Little Wang are still watching."


    Little Wang was stunned, "Douyin is entering the market too?"


    He caught the implication¡ªKing probably referred to Kuai Shou, while Little Wang was Douyin.


    "I don''t know about Kuai Shou; Douyin is still watching."


    Lu Liang pondered, then added, "If this turns out to be the ultimate destination for traffic, do you think they''ll stay indifferent?"


    How Kuai Shou thought, he was not clear, nor could he be certain.


    But Yang Zhenyuan had long said that Douyin, once well-established, could rival Meituan, Taobao, or even WeChat, and they definitely had plans in this area.


    Little Wang frowned, clearly struggling with some frustration that seemed ready to dissipate.


    Kuai Shou, with its earlier establishment and deep heritage, was called King; due to its style, it found it difficult to penetrate the developed tier-one cities.


    Douyin was different, known as Little Wang but currently poised to sweep across the country, dominating markets from north, south, east, to west.


    Both adopted the lifestyle sharing approach, undoubtedly more suited for live-stream selling and a paradigm shift for all platforms. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Liang glanced over and, seeing what Little Wang was thinking, couldn''t resist teasing, "Getting cold feet again?"


    Though Little Wang was not as unbearable as netizens claimed, calling him the foolish son of a landlord,


    he indeed wasn''t cut out for business¡ªsometimes overconfident, other times despondent, his overly fickle mindset was a significant flaw.


    "How could that be? This Series C round is led by Pu Si with a forty million US Dollar investment," Little Wang declared defiantly, his gaze resolute.


    Aware of his shortcomings, he was also trying to overcome them by increasing capital investment to cut off any retreat. If he failed this time, he would gracefully accept defeat and stop striving, thereafter clinging to Lu Liang''s coattails just to collect money.


    "Not bad at all, having such awareness is also worth the twenty million US Dollars I invested to join your venture."


    Lu Liang showed a trace of gratification on his face, like seeing a usually indecisive son finally showing some backbone.


    Little Wang ground his back teeth noisily, his look fierce, "Did I not tell you never to look at me with that expression?"


    "So what?"


    Lu Liang''s smile was full-faced, displaying an air of relaxed ease.


    Little Wang took a deep breath¡ªthe world was so beautiful, yet he was so irritable; this was not good. Lifting his stiff lips, he forced a smile, "How about we find a time to go boxing?"


    He really wanted to give Lu Liang a beating, his current defiance also stemmed from being constantly mocked by him.


    "Go take care of someone else." Lu Liang laughed heartily, knowing when to stop and not to provoke Little Wang further.

 Chapter 245 - 244: Reverse Index Surges

    Panda was raising funds publicly this time.


    Pu Si planned to lead this round with forty million US dollars, partly because Little Wang was determined to go all in.


    On the other hand, the market wasn''t really buying into Panda''s valuation of five hundred million dollars.


    If three days ago, Panda had been the only player in the live streaming marketing game, a valuation of five hundred million dollars would have seen capital flocking.


    But today, three days later, Douyu had rapidly caught up with ferociously rising transaction volumes and support from Tencent Capital, causing Panda to gradually lose its first-mover advantage.


    According to Little Wang''s estimates, including the twenty million US dollars invested by Lu Liang, the total was only around sixty million US dollars. To solidify the valuation, he had to ensure a follow-up investment of forty million US dollars.


    This was why Lu Liang often said that sometimes a company''s valuation is particularly illusive and should not be used as an actual reference standard.


    Just like when Li Xiang ONE was launched, its valuation skyrocketed from two billion to three billion US dollars immediately.


    That number sounded good and looked good.


    But if Li Xiang went to a bank for a loan, he likely couldn''t borrow even one hundred million dollars because only Tianxing, Meituan, Jingwei, and Ming Shi Capital acknowledged that valuation.


    They were all co-founders of Li Xiang, and before the car company was recognized by the market, they had to keep investing money until it went public or the company''s valuation was recognized by the market.


    It was somewhat similar to the rules of trading in antiques and calligraphy.


    An item might fetch five hundred at one auction and five thousand at another.


    Before the value was recognized by the market, the sellers had to shuffle it back and forth until a willing buyer appeared.


    As long as it was hyped up through a few cycles, even a low price could be inflated, due to increasing participation and nobody wanting to be left holding the bag.


    But this was still slightly different; at least Li Xiang had development potential and wasn''t purely a capital game of musical chairs.


    Just past ten in the morning, interested investors had essentially arrived, and Little Wang, dressed in a suited smile, took the stage.


    "Before last May, the market always thought that the e-commerce platform had matured, with all the ecological niches occupied by Taobao and JD. However, Pinduoduo emerged and rewrote the e-commerce landscape."


    "There''s never been a fixed market, just a lack of the ability to sniff out opportunities."


    "Hence, Panda took the initiative to change, combining e-commerce with live streaming and greatly promoting the online guide shopping model."


    "From zero to one hundred million dollars in transactions, Taobao took two years and ten months; Pinduoduo took three months and twelve days, but Panda only took six days."


    Little Wang eloquently spoke, continuously adding glitter to Panda.


    As an industry leader, a reform pioneer, and so on.


    Old Ma once said, seeing JD rise, he was relieved because the existence of Taobao was to cultivate more companies like JD.


    This statement originated when Old Ma and Qiangzi were bantering, but that didn''t stop Little Wang from applying it to Panda.


    If Taobao was the 1.0 e-commerce model, and JD the 2.0, then Panda, with its live shopping, was the 3.0 e-commerce model.


    Blow the trumpet as one might, many words could be summed up in one sentence: five hundred million dollars, won''t buy you a loss, won''t deceive you.


    With Ali valued at two hundred and forty billion US dollars, JD at thirty-eight billion US dollars, the 3.0 e-commerce Panda was projected to have a baseline value of twenty billion US dollars in the future, now offering a forty-fold return on investment.


    "Mr. Wang''s speech does indeed have some substance, and he must have done his homework, but this model is too easy to replicate, and Douyu has more potential, with Huya and Bilibili following suit."


    "And Kuai Shou and Douyin must have noticed as well."


    Despite Wang Xiaocong''s flowery claims, the lack of interest in the subscription room showed that the investors present were not convinced.


    There''s an unspoken rule in the venture capital industry: invest in either the leader who dominates the field, or the second in line who has the potential to surpass the leader.


    Or invest in the last in line, for low investment and high returns.


    Panda being third was somewhat awkward, especially facing competitors who were both backed by Tencent.


    Under Tencent''s grand entertainment strategy, it was inevitable that the two companies would merge and go public, leading to a monopoly.


    Panda, in third, was in danger!


    It was understandable that investors were not optimistic.


    Little Wang''s expression was slightly troubled, although the round was tentatively set at sixty million, with Pu Si leading with forty million, topping up to exactly one hundred million.


    But with no competitors, apart from Lu Liang, the investors might propose some outrageous conditions.


    They might even retract at the last minute, as the rule of buying high and not chasing low is almost universal.


    Lu Liang grinned, unwilling to let his friend Cong be caught in a dilemma, and turned to instruct Wen Chao.


    Wen Chao nodded and headed straight to the subscription room.


    Being Lu Liang''s assistant, many recognized him around.


    Seeing him processing to the subscription room, the minds of the investors started buzzing.


    Wang Xiaocong and Lu Liang were friends, true, but Lu Liang was known for being a very sensible investor.


    Like in the last round, and the round before that, when Panda was facing an almost broken capital chain.


    Lu Liang, as a co-founder of Panda, firmly didn''t invest a cent, indicating business is business, despite relationships.


    And this time, he did invest.


    Lu Liang''s insight was undeniable, among so many present, no one dared to say they had a better vision than him.


    Could it show that Panda''s launch of the online guide shopping model, despite facing the huge challenges from Douyu and Huya, still had potential?


    Soon, Wen Chao walked out of the subscription room.


    The funding subscription office went from deserted to bustling, all because Lu Liang had invested.


    Upon witnessing this scene, Little Wang cast a grateful glance, though his eyes conveyed an indescribable difficulty. On stage, he had talked and talked, yet none of his words had matched the impact of Lu Liang''s simple act, filling him with frustration.


    Lu Liang patted his shoulder, smiling reassuringly, "It''s just that there was a need for a leader."


    Little Wang felt slightly better. Lu Liang''s words weren''t always hurtful; he could indeed say something nice occasionally.


    The next second, he promptly retracted that thought as Lu Liang, still smiling, said, "But being that leader is even more crucial."


    Little Wang turned grim, then quickly switched to a smile, "Indeed, being the leader is crucial."


    He repeated in his mind ten times that Lu Liang was a freak. So many bigwigs had floundered before him.


    He was nobody in comparison; just a change in perspective was enough to brighten his mood.


    Lu Liang felt a slight sadness, sighed and said, "Xiaocong, recover yourself a bit. I''m not used to this version of you."


    Wang Xiaocong gritted his teeth, his gaze unfriendly: "Are you asking to die?"


    Little Wang was joking, but Xiaocong took him seriously; after all, in his mind, Xiaocong was his junior. The founder of a company valued at five hundred million dollars¡ªsuch tolerance was beyond expectation.


    "That''s more like it," Lu Liang grinned.


    The Series C funding for Panda,


    attracted investment from twelve institutions.


    Pu Si led this round with thirty million US dollars, closely followed by Tianxing and Qihu, each investing twenty million US dollars.


    The remaining thirty million US dollars were divided among nine institutions or individual investors.


    Post the Series C funding, Tianxing''s stake in Panda rose from a diluted 8.2% to 12.2%, ranking it fourth after Little Wang, Qihu, and Pu Si, along with Golden Sand River.


    Now at an approximate investment of twenty-five million US dollars, they held a stake valued at sixty-one million dollars, seemingly more than double.


    But as always, valuation is valuation and value is value. The company has not yet listed; it''s all unreal.


    Lu Liang planned to leave, uninterested in Panda''s upcoming internal meeting; he knew all he needed to know.


    Just as he was leaving, he was stopped by the Red Robed Sect Leader.


    The 360 at the start of Go, the infamous ''3Q War,'' and even surpassing Tencent in public opinion back then. Now infamous and known as the lending King, Zhou Hongwei played no small part in it.


    "Mr. Zhou, good day."


    Lu Liang paused, chatting casually with Old Zhou.


    Seeing how bullish Lu Liang was on the new energy market, the financially robust Qihu showed interest as well. They had been discussing with Fang Yunzhou from Chery recently, planning to invest in setting up a new energy brand named Nezha, and asked Lu Liang if he was interested in investing.


    "Mr. Zhou, I''m sorry, I have no plans to invest further for now."


    Lu Liang shook his head, politely declining. NIO and Li Xiang were still in early stages with numerous expenses; investing in similar products would be too much for him.


    "That''s all right then."


    Old Zhou''s eyes flashed with disappointment. Qihu had the full capability to support Nezha alone; involving Lu Liang was merely for added security. They would welcome it, but didn''t push for it.


    360 wasn''t LeEco; they weren''t short on cash.


    That night, Lu Liang returned to the office to follow the second phase of America''s presidential race¡ª the race to the White House.


    Every time he thought about how the next leader would emerge from one of these two, he marveled at the freedom in the United States.


    One was a real estate tycoon climbing to the pinnacle of power; the other was the first female since the founding.


    Whomever it ended up being, it was bound to be full of discussion.


    To really stir things up, one had to look at America; no sound until a big bang is made.


    "Businessman, it might be difficult," Lu Liang suddenly sighed upon seeing the ''Businessman inverse index'' spike.


    The ''Businessman inverse index'' was similar to domestic A-shares focusing on new energy or AI intelligence themes¡ªa concept born specifically for businessmen.


    It included the Mexican peso and the ten-year US Treasury yield.


    The former because the businessman advocated driving out millions of illegal immigrants annually, banning illegal drugs entries, and even claimed he would build a border wall.


    Going to America and illegal drug production had become significant economic activities for Old Mexico.


    The political declarations of the businessman would clearly break both of Old Mexico''s arms, thus affecting the value of the peso.


    The ten-year US Treasury yield rises because the businessman also favored imposing import tariffs, bringing capital and industries back to the United States.


    Not all corporations and funds would embrace this; take for example an employee, earning three thousand yuan versus three thousand US dollars.


    Any sensible business knows the right choice, but they couldn''t resist, thus the capital flowed into financial markets like US Treasuries in quiet protest. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The surge in Mexican peso and stocks like the US stock market getting stronger were the market''s strongest indicators for Larry winning the debate.


    "Businessman, what do you have to win?"


    Lu Liang mumbled to himself, waiting for dawn.


    Though the businessman''s actions were somewhat extravagant, his sense of ethics and governing policies resembled a normal person, truly considering the nation and its citizens, earnest and loyal not an exaggeration.


    Yet, in this world influenced by power, his rival was supported by the husband of a former presidency, and the full support of the previous leader.


    Together, they had sixteen years of political legacy. Compared to that, the businessman had nothing but money; he was virtually empty-handed.


    The gap between the two sides was bigger even than between eight hundred thousand versus six hundred thousand.


    What did the businessman have to win? It wasn''t surprising that the market generally favored Larry to win this election.

 Chapter 246 - 245: Patriotic Sentiments

    "In this lifetime, just witnessing history."


    The sound of the midnight bell startled Lu Liang, as this year''s Black Swan events were exceptionally frequent.


    [November 9, the businessman won 304 electoral votes.]


    In America''s fifty states, each state holds different sway, some states have more votes, others have fewer, and still others cast abstention votes.


    Looking at the previous 522 votes and the 522 votes from the session before that, just surpassing 270 votes generally gives a 98% likelihood of winning the election.


    The businessman surpassing 300 votes pretty much meant a sure victory, since no election in history had reached a total of 600 votes.


    "The peso could be worth a shot, at least for the next year, US stocks will re-enter a crazy bull market."


    The ''businessman''s reverse indicator'' was Lu Liang''s forward indicator for speculation, but the businessman''s political declarations couldn''t be taken entirely at face value.


    Elections are like wooing a woman; sweet promises are made before sleeping together, but afterward, you might go from a little sweetie to Mrs. Niu.


    However, the first and the fourth year should see the fulfillment of political declarations, one acting as a role model, the other seeking re-election next term.


    All night, Lu Liang planned the direction accordingly, like betting on the peso crashing and gold soaring a month later.


    This swan wasn''t as black as Old England''s Brexit, but it was at least a grey swan with many profitable interests to be schemed.


    Both the peso and gold could be opportunities for short-term speculation while US stocks and other risk assets are worth holding in the mid to long term.


    "After finishing this deal, that should be just about it."


    Lu Liang reviewed the asset details which currently showed a total of $7.58 billion in domestic and foreign assets. The initial capital was $6 billion, and the two funds had increased by only 26% over the past six months.


    Compared to other funds, this was indeed quite a profit, even surpassing the annual total earnings of most private funds.


    But he was Lu Liang, after all, the one who made dividends of over $9 million a year on investments of $2 million.


    The settlement for the second phase was due early in December, along with the dividends for the third phase, others had high expectations of him, and he had demands of himself.


    At least before the dividends, there had to be over 50% in returns, which would make just the management fees around $500 million.


    He also then had the money to transfer the shares of Ningde.


    As dawn broke and with the second debate concluded, scandals about the businessman burst forth explosively.


    Within just one day, at least ten women had accused the businessman of sexual assault.


    The latest polls showed the businessman had only a 42% approval rating, trailing far behind Larry''s 49%.


    No one expected him to become the deciding authority in the next term.


    "Truly inspiring," Lu Liang said with a smirk upon learning this.


    Too bad he wasn''t in North America, or he would have definitely added fuel to the flames to make them burn even more fiercely.


    The greater the public opposition, the more effective the outcome once it emerged, causing more severe market fluctuations.


    Just like with Brexit, when Lu Liang stood against the whole world, he made over $1 billion overnight.


    He hoped to replicate this success, but that was only a hope, as the businessman still had a 42% approval rate.


    Unlike Brexit, which had almost a 0.1% chance of happening, yet the miracle happened, and David Cameron was just as adamant.


    The upcoming week of the national holiday saw Panda taking the lead in initiating a major battle among livestream platforms.


    Panda directly recruited two of Douyu''s ''Three Sillies'', and Huya''s Miss and Hai were poached as well.


    Little Wang leveraged his network in the entertainment industry, inviting top stars such as Chen Chichi, Lin Gou, and Huang Xiaoming to join the platform for a genuine all-star live streaming competition.


    Although it was triggered by livestream-based sales, Little Wang didn''t target this aspect directly initially; he decided to grab traffic first, expand the base, and then move onto livestream sales.


    During the national holiday, Douyu suddenly announced another investment of $150 million from Tencent, taking an offensive approach, and challenging the whole industry.


    Panda''s hosts were the first to be targeted, and Li Manli''s Mengmengda Studio also received an invitation from Douyu.


    A three-year contract with a signing fee of $6 million might have been appropriate a year ago, but this year, it was far from enough.


    "$18 million, your value has risen quite fast," Lu Liang exclaimed, almost catching up with the signing fees of second-tier stars.


    It was Douyu that made the offer to Li Manli, proposing $6 million for the first year and agreeing to pay a $4 million penalty to Panda on her behalf.


    Li Manli responded in a muffled voice, "I don''t want to go."


    After livestreaming for over a year, she was no longer a novice; the contract amount offered by Douyu was high.


    But it came with conditions, requiring 150 hours of livestreaming per month and 700,000 in revenue.


    Unlike originally with Panda, which was content with just 90 hours a month on Lu Liang''s account and didn''t require revenue.


    She felt it was enough as long as she had enough money; too much was of no use.


    After all, at 20 years old, she occasionally stayed in the 60-million Tangchen Yipin, often lived in the 50-million She Mountain villa, and drove a 26-million Pagani.


    Besides the annual post-tax contract fee of 800,000, she also had a monthly income of about 100,000 to 200,000 from gifts, which she could never fully spend.


    Over the past year, the most expensive thing she had bought was a watch for Lu Liang, worth 1.2 million.


    Now, four months had passed, and her bank savings had once again hit a seven-digit figure, beginning with a two.


    When she wanted to buy something, she could generally do so without looking at the price, following her whims, buying whatever she wanted. Gradually, she lost her craving for money, and now livestreaming was just a way to pass the time when Lu Liang was away.


    "Even if I don''t go, I might mention it to Long Fei and ask him to raise the three-year contract fee to 10 million."


    Lu Liang smiled and did not insist, although he seemed to hold 90% of the shares of Mengmengda Studio.


    But the few million in contract fees on the account had never been touched, used only to pay for utilities, management fees, and employee salaries.


    During the National Day holidays, Lu Liang stayed at home, celebrating the festival with Li Manli since Su Wanyu had gone to her hometown, Wang Chuting was out on an interview, and Zhang Tian''ai had not returned from filming.


    Meanwhile, they went to see a movie, and Lu Liang had an idea why next year''s War Wolf 2''s box office would explode.


    This year marked the first year of transformation for domestic films, where movies starring "little fresh meats" and "damsels" completely flopped at the box office. The dominance of Hollywood blockbusters also waned as Mekong River Action surged to the top, becoming the king of box office during the National Holidays.


    "War Wolf 2, coming at such a good time; once nostalgia is over-consumed, admiration turns into scorn."


    Capital seeks profit and desires stable returns; the explosive box office of Mekong was unexpected by anyone.


    Though the patriotic sentiment of Mekong had sold well, and many projects of various types were greenlit, producing a final product took time.


    Contrastingly, War Wolf 2, which was finished filming and in post-production, was expected to be released next summer, taking full advantage of the market trend.


    Once a multitude of patriotic movies crowded the market, even if the films were good, with excess viewing, it could lead to nausea and vomiting.


    Moreover, as capital hurried the process, poorly made, illogical movies just aiming to cash in on patriotism were sure to be plentiful.


    A good theme, likely ruined within two years.


    "But over five billion is just too much; could next year''s international situation really change that drastically?"


    Lu Liang furrowed his brows, pondering deeper reasons. Last year''s Monster Hunt reached over two billion on hype alone; the second place was Lost in Hong Kong, a sequel, and the third was Xia Luo.


    This year''s Mermaid achieved over three billion, promoted under the premise of owing Zhou Xingxing a movie ticket, which was then settled, owing no more.


    Though China''s film market was rapidly increasing, Wu Jing seemed to have no explanation for the sudden leap from three billion to over five billion.


    Surely some frustrating international event had occurred, prompting people to participate in retaliatory viewing.


    International incidents could influence the global market, affecting forex and Gold, indicating profitable opportunities.


    Lu Liang thought for a long time but could not pinpoint the reason, so he decided to stop thinking about it, as there were still ten months left.


    In the beginning, there would surely be signs, and by then, it wouldn''t be too late to think about it.


    The entire October passed in mundane daily routines, mundane being relatively speaking.


    The Hongguang Mini,


    Toward the end of October, underwent massive deliveries.


    Suddenly, the "spicy fish head" design of the cars appeared on streets nationwide.


    Lu Liang''s car also arrived, and when driven on the road, it was photographed, essentially providing free promotion for Wuling.


    Consequently, numerous internet celebrities, seeking to jump on the trend, bought one each and covered them in extensive graffiti.


    Adding a few different colors to the stark black and white roads, they attracted a large number of fans to purchase.


    In 40 days of its release, the Hongguang Mini had over 180,000 orders, leading all major automotive charts, undisputedly.


    Owners of the cars, eager to show off, became like faucets, praising the benefits of new energy vehicles. At less than one cent per kilometer for electricity, it hanged Japanese cars out to dry. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Old stereotypes were slowly changing; orders for BYD Qin and Song, as well as Tesla Model 3, all surged.


    By November, the new energy market accelerated once again.

 Chapter 247 - 246: First is Not Only Honor, But Also Responsibility

    In November, internet forces began to enter the field, with 360 partnering with Chery''s Fang Yunzhou to establish Hezhong New Energy Automobile and create the sub-brand Nezha.


    Alibaba threw in five hundred million dollars to invest in Xiao Peng Car, and Baidu announced loudly that they would no longer be late to the game by investing two hundred million dollars in Weima and developing their autonomous driving technology.


    The sales of the Wuling Hongguang Mini were so good that they drove up the sales of BYD and Tesla, making it seem as though the era of new energy vehicles had already begun.


    Internet giants are also considered new forces; they do not carry the psychological burdens of traditional enterprises. After all, in new industries, it''s just about investing money.


    If others invested and they did not, they could be eliminated from the market if the new energy market were to take off.


    If everyone invested and the market did not take off, they would all lose together, which meant no one really lost.


    Sometimes, the market is not about who does better, but about who does worse¡ªand them not doing as badly.


    Li Bing could not contain himself and hurriedly found Lu Liang to inquire about the progress of the Tianxing OS development.


    Their NIO''s new car launch had been scheduled, set for November 8th, just before Double Eleven.


    Last year, Taobao''s Double Eleven transactions reached 91.2 billion, and this year it was bound to aim for one hundred billion. If they could break through one hundred billion in a single day, the news would likely be all about Double Eleven by late November.


    NIO had been quiet for too long; there were even rumors online that they were pulling out of the competition.


    Li Bing could not stand it any longer.


    "Has the ES8 come out?" asked Lu Liang with a smile.


    "It came out a long time ago."


    Impatient, Li Bing pulled out a miniaturized version, a 1:300 replica model weighing eight kilograms.


    And he informed them that they planned to start introducing a battery-swapping scheme to address the slow charging and the scarcity of charging stations.


    Battery-swapping stations represented a significant investment; NIO had an extra expense compared to Li Xiang, thus requiring more capital injection.


    "I''ll ask around."


    Lu Liang knew that research and development could not be rushed, so he had never inquired about the situation in Beijing.


    Through a phone conversation, he learned that the Tianxing OS, which had origins in Hammer OS, its Version 1.0 had already taken shape.


    It was more mature and stable than when Li Xiang One was launched, though it was still being tested.


    Li Jiahui couldn''t help but mention that the design of Hammer OS was exquisite, as if it were made for vehicle systems, and its voice execution capability was unmatched.


    During the conversation, he also recorded a short video and sent it to Lu Liang. The system''s carrier was still the Li Xiang One.


    Although Li Xiang One had not yet started mass production, like the NIO EP9, each of the co-founders had one.


    The one belonging to Lu Liang was left in Beijing for Li Jiahui and their research institute to experiment with.


    "Li Xiang student, open the sunroof shades, activate the passenger seat massage, set the air conditioning to 23 degrees, and play ''South Mountain South.''"


    Li Jiahui issued four commands in one breath, and the smart voice control system executed them without any hiccups.


    "Mr. Lu, it''s good enough."


    Li Bing''s eyes widened, almost drooling.


    It was worth the high price that had bankrupted Hammer compared to developing their own¡ªsignificantly stronger.


    And now, the vehicle system interface was more straightforward, smoother, and more aesthetically pleasing than when Li Xiang One was launched.


    Although Tianxing OS had been licensed to both Li Xiang and NIO, other than these two, no one else knew about it yet.


    The new Tianxing OS, originating from Hammer OS, was more like a completely new vehicle system.


    Once loaded onto the NIO ES8, and changing the wake word, unless he mentioned it, others would mistake it for their in-house system.


    This was also a gimmick.


    The new forces in new energy vehicle manufacture were not afraid of being called pretentious; they were afraid of being ignored.


    Trying not to smile, Lu Liang informed him that they decided to reveal NIO ES8 earlier on the 8th and inquired how long the system test would need.


    Li Jiahui pondered for a long time: "System tuning needs three days, and with only four days for testing, some bugs might not be detected."


    Lu Liang asked a rather silly question: "What bugs are there?"


    "I don''t know," Li Jiahui replied, half amused, as that was exactly why testing was necessary to see if there were any command conflicts.


    Lu Liang repeated exactly what had been said. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Bing cleared his throat several times: "Mr. Lu, these are minor issues; I can stick to the script."


    Even though command conflicts were still being tested, he could emphasize some of the commands that had been tested, like those in the video.


    Lu Liang bowed his head, "Alright, I''ll let them know, and NIO will send the car for testing then."


    Next, he inquired about mass production issues. Weiliao, after all, was ranked first in line.


    Although the mass production car was confirmed rather late, the Luzhou factory was continuously under construction and should be the first to start mass production.


    Li Bing pondered for a long time, "Mr. Lu, that''s actually the second reason I came to see you."


    By the end of the year, the first phase of the factory would be complete, and Jianghuai was ready to go, deciding to follow the example of the Hongguang Mini by announcing and launching it.


    Lu Liang furrowed his brows, "Crash testing, safety testing, can it pass in such a short time?"


    The NIO ES8 differed from the Hongguang Mini, which could launch quickly because of the experience with Earth Light.


    And they were very clear about their product positioning, an advanced version of ageing joy, with a speed limit of 80.


    Lu Liang had driven it and also floored it once; it started to drift over 70, making it a bit hard to drive.


    But the NIO ES8 was different, with a maximum power of 400kW and a horsepower of 544, it could sprint up to 200 kilometers per hour.


    At speeds over 120, any minor problem could lead to a catastrophic accident, so safety performance testing was absolutely necessary.


    "If we follow the normal process, it would take at least two years."


    Li Bing didn''t want to wait. No matter the consequences, he wanted to seize the title of the first mass-production car company.


    This could significantly boost NIO''s reputation. There might be safety risks, but he was willing to bet on the odds.


    "Mr. Li, this is a car, not a smartphone."


    Lu Liang''s expression grew colder.


    Last month, the Samsung Note7 had exploded, leading to a ban by various national aviation departments, but an exploding phone would at most cause burns to hands and faces.


    Cars were different. Even at a speed of 70, it was enough to kill someone, and Li Bing was actually willing to gamble with people''s lives on performance.


    Although accidents occurred with any car model, those were rare incidents that happened after safety testing.


    Lu Liang couldn''t accept it. Li Bing''s deliberate choice, which could be done yet wasn''t, was just to rush for the top spot.


    Especially now, during the market development stage, one bad apple could spoil the bunch.


    "First place is not just an honor, it''s also a responsibility," Lu Liang said solemnly. "Mr. Li, perhaps reconsider this."


    Li Bing had his response on the tip of his tongue, but seeing Lu Liang''s icy gaze, he swallowed his words, "Alright."


    After some small talk, Li Bing left. He had to lead his team to Beijing to tune the car''s system.


    Lu Liang leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply, "Rapid market development doesn''t seem to be entirely beneficial."


    He remembered when he first met Li Bing, who had unconditionally introduced him to the Ningde Era to promote the new energy market.


    Hoping to leverage Lu Liang''s fame so more people would know about the industry, enlarging the market would benefit everyone involved.


    First place is not just an honor, it''s also a responsibility, and Li Bing surely knew this, yet he still wanted to proceed.


    It showed that the past year''s rapid development and associated pressures had compelled him to overlook his original intentions and choose a risky path.


    "Does Li Xiang and He Xiaopeng also harbor similar thoughts?"


    Lu Liang''s brows furrowed. He had equity in Li Xiang, which he could potentially influence.


    But Xiao Peng, and the emerging various forces, lay beyond his control.


    "Troubled times."


    Lu Liang rocked in his chair, suddenly thinking of BYD Wang, the vice-president of the New Energy Automobile Association.


    He made a call to express his concerns, "Mr. Wang, healthy market development benefits every practitioner."


    He hoped that Old Wang could bring forward suggestions next year, like tightening approvals and enforcing periodic safety tests.


    First place isn''t just an honor, it''s also a responsibility ¨C a principle that applied equally to Lu Liang.


    Having gone to great lengths to promote new energy, many people had embraced new energy vehicles because of their trust in him, and he had to assume some responsibility for market regulation.


    Old Wang''s brows were furrowed, Lu Liang had the duty to supervise the market, but they at BYD had an even greater responsibility.


    After pondering for a moment, "Mr. Lu, why don''t you come to Shenzhen when you have the time? I recommend you join the association."


    The headquarters of the New Energy Automobile Association was in Beijing, but its main office was in Shenzhen. Shenzhen was not only a key trial city for new energy but also home to their BYD.


    BYD had begun to take over Shenzhen''s rail transit, expected to completely replace fuel buses in ten years.


    BYD could be considered the ruling party, while Lu Liang could be seen as the opposition; both powers exerting influence simultaneously.


    The upper management had to consider their decisions carefully.

 Chapter 248 - 247: Old Xu Strikes

    "I''ll make time for a trip there."


    Lu Liang thought about it and a smile played on his lips. Clearly, Old Wang didn''t dare to act as a one-man roadblock to the industry.


    But since he brought it up, leaving Old Wang to take the heat alone seemed a bit unkind.


    Lu Liang called Wen Chao over to book a flight to Shenzhen.


    He also wanted to understand the comparative advantages and disadvantages between plug-in hybrid and range-extended electric vehicle models.


    The vast size of the country, long-distance trips home over a thousand kilometers, chronic traffic jams during holidays, and reduced battery life in frigid regions¡ªall these factors contribute to ''range anxiety,'' which exists now and will continue to exist. Even if charging stations become ubiquitous throughout the country, even in every village, there will still be range anxiety.


    Refueling a gas tank takes, at most, two minutes.


    Charging, even with fast chargers, takes at least half an hour to reach 80% battery capacity.


    NIO''s battery-swap strategy is a solution, but lately, shared power banks have hit the market and in some popular areas of Modu, they''re still hard to come by.


    For purely electric vehicle models, one starts to worry about charging once the range drops below 150 kilometers, both due to exaggerated claims and the possibility of not finding an available charging station at your destination.


    But it''s different with fuel vehicles. Even if the fuel gauge shows only 50 kilometers remaining, there''s no panic, because you are guaranteed to get fuel at the next station.


    Not finding a gas station within 50 kilometers, or a station running out of fuel, is an exceedingly rare event, the kind you might never encounter in a lifetime.


    Although Lu Liang was optimistic about the new energy industry, he wouldn''t deny the sense of security that comes with fuel vehicles.


    Therefore, the popularity of hybrids was inevitable. Even if you get addicted to driving electric daily, you might not use more than two tanks of gas a year.


    But if the opportunity arises just once, it would prove that choosing a hybrid at the time was absolutely the right decision.


    Lu Liang already had a strategy. Prioritize pure electric first, because it represents purity and high-end, then downwardly compatible with hybrids.


    It''s just that for hybrids, he hadn''t yet decided whether to opt for plug-in hybrids or range extenders.


    He planned to learn from the BYD folks in Shenzhen and, better yet, to meet a few top-notch talents.


    BYD had plenty of talent. As a newcomer to the industry, it was necessary for him to help BYD share the burden of talent.


    The next day at noon, the plane arrived in Shenzhen.


    Lu Liang traveled light, with only a secretary, a driver, and two bodyguards.


    Shenzhen''s market support for BYD was unbeatable, even the airport tug and the express buses to the city center used BYD''s self-developed railway transportation.


    From Anbao Airport to Nantian City, Lu Liang saw what seemed to be new energy vehicles, at least three times more than in Modu.


    It''s still difficult to distinguish the new energy vehicles now because they all share blue license plates, only recognizable by familiar car models.


    However, starting next month it will be much easier because the new energy exclusive green plates will be officially introduced.


    It''s just that one wonders what the designer was thinking¡ªthe green plates for new energy vehicles look increasingly ugly the more one looks at them.


    Although Shen Peng once said that the current blue and yellow plates aren''t much to look at either, it''s just a matter of getting used to them.


    On this point, Lu Liang disagreed. At least he felt that the white plates for official cars and the black plates for Hong Kong vehicles were nice-looking at first glance, even if they weren''t familiar.


    Upon reaching Nantian City, Wen Chao just finished the hotel check-in process, planning to visit BYD''s headquarters in Pingshan the next day.


    Not long after, Lu Liang received a phone call from Hengtai Xu, "Mr. Lu, why did you sneak off to Shenzhen without making a sound? Didn''t we agree that if you had time to come to Guangshen, I would surely show you a good time?"


    "Mr. Xu, it was a spontaneous decision, and I didn''t want to impose by bothering you," Lu Liang replied with a laugh.


    Being a significant internet celebrity, it wasn''t surprising that Old Xu learned about his trip to Shenzhen without any hide-and-seek.


    "How could it be imposing? We''ve only been in touch over the phone, and I''ve wanted to meet you for a long time," Old Xu laughed heartily and asked, "I happen to be in Shenzhen. Where are you staying? Do you have plans later?"


    Lu Liang, caught between laughter and tears, informed him of the hotel address, "For today, I have no plans."


    "Alright then, see you later."


    "Okay, see you later."


    Forty minutes later, Wen Chao knocked on Lu Liang''s door, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Xu has arrived."


    "Let''s go then," Lu Liang couldn''t help but laugh, surprised at how quickly Old Xu was moving, as if afraid he might run away.


    "Where is he?" Lu Liang couldn''t help wondering, because as they entered the elevator, Wen Chao did not press for the first-floor lobby but for the 53rd floor at the top.


    A puzzled look also appeared on Wen Chao''s face. "Mr. Lu, didn''t Mr. Xu just clarify with you? He came over by helicopter."


    Lu Liang laughed, remembering how Old Xu had gotten close to Hong Kong Capital and picked up their habit of helicopter travel, which suddenly didn''t seem so strange.


    Back in ''08, when Hengtai faced a severe crisis, Old Xu headed south to Xiangjiang and spent a month playing cards with the big shots, eventually securing 20 billion in capital.


    In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau area, they likely played the card game "Digging up the Earth," also known as "Big Two." Playing cards wasn''t just about the game; it was crucial to have the time for in-depth conversations. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just as the card game Gan Dang, recently popular in Modu, is favored by the tycoons of the Yangtze River Delta, mainly because this game doesn''t involve gambling money, but rather pits intelligence and strategy against each other.


    So much so that there''s a saying, "No Gan Dang after dinner, is like a meal eaten in vain."


    A few rounds before and after meals served to pass the time and refine one''s sentiments, avoiding awkward conversations.


    When Lu Liang reached the 53rd floor, the first thing he saw was the dazzling gold of a Herm¨¨s bag, and then Old Xu''s smiling face.


    He glanced at the helicopter outside and made a joke with a smile, "Mr. Xu, your entrance method is quite unique."


    "The main thing is that helicopters are convenient, they go straight to the point, and it''s relatively easy to get to where you want to go," Old Xu beamed with joy.


    "Mr. Xu, where are we planning to go?" Lu Liang asked with a light smile, understanding Old Xu''s mood.


    This year marked the first year of rapid development for the Hengtai Group, with total revenues in just the first three quarters breaking the trillion mark, up 78.8% year-on-year, and a cash balance of over 300 billion on their books.


    Indeed, with success like the wind at one''s back, Old Xu had the right to be showy, as he had the capital to do so.


    Considering that Wanda seemed to be facing a crisis of both stocks and debts, and in the coming year, the likelihood was great that the title of First Rich''s son, held by Little Wang, would change hands.


    And the person to whom it might go was likely to be Old Xu''s son.


    "We''re heading to Yangcheng, just a 25-minute flight."


    Old Xu was all smiles, personally picking up Lu Liang, concerned that he might be afraid to fly in a helicopter.


    Aircraft poses the smallest yet biggest risks, and his personal accompaniment was meant to spare Lu Liang any worries.


    Old Xu cared a great deal about Lu Liang, even though Lu Liang''s personal wealth didn''t even come close to matching his.


    However, the social impact and capability to mobilize funds of a fund manager cannot be measured by personal wealth alone.


    Just like the initial Tianxing III Fund, with a 5 billion-dollar scale, each subscription amount was a staggering one hundred million dollars.


    Such an exaggerated subscription amount wasn''t about investors choosing him, but about him choosing the investors.


    And there was also a rule set that if the funds weren''t transferred within three days, he wouldn''t wait any longer and would charge a 3% breach-of-contract fee, highlighting an arbitrary and unreasonable stance.


    But Lu Liang''s arrogance was backed by solid capital, reliant on his terrifying profit-making ability.


    Since its establishment half a year ago, as of last month, Tianxing III Fund had already made a profit of 1.425 billion dollars.


    What''s more, Lu Liang had more than once expressed his desire to venture into public funds, and with his influence, raising one or two hundred billion in a short period should be no problem.


    One or two hundred billion in cash available at will, even the cash king, Tencent, would have to weigh their options.


    Every company has its downfalls, even the currently thriving Hengtai Group.


    Better to cultivate relationships in advance rather than seek salvation in a crisis.


    Lu Liang, along with Wen Chao and Fang Shiyu, followed Old Xu into the cabin and put on noise-cancelling headphones.


    The helicopter was no ordinary model; it was a large, luxury helicopter with six spacious seats, hardly feeling cramped at all.


    Old Xu, looking unimpressed, said, "Mr. Lu, when you have time, I''ll take you on a ride on Hengtai''s private plane. Now, that''s luxury."


    "I''m very much looking forward to it," Lu Liang replied with a smile; he had indeed been planning on buying a private plane, but after some consideration, he decided to put the idea on hold for now.


    The current economy was not yet stable, and there were no plans for long-haul travel, plus travel schedules were quite unpredictable.


    Flight plan applications took too much time; it was easier to just go to the airport, pick an upcoming flight, and leave whenever one wanted.


    Old Xu hadn''t lied; it took just 26 minutes from the center of Shenzhen City to Hengtai Center in Yangcheng City District.


    They landed on the helipad on the 43rd floor of Hengtai Center.

 Chapter 249 - 248: Using This as a Test for Cadres?

    Hengtai Center is located in the heart of Zhujiang New City, and it''s also the place where the so-called "rent-collecting lord" of Yangcheng made his fortune online.


    The building covers an area of about 7,000 square meters, with a total of 43 floors, of which floors 41-43 are the private club of the Hengtai Group board of directors, as well as the group leadership''s offices.


    The entire 43rd floor, excluding the helipad, swimming pool, and golf training field, is Old Xu''s personal office, occupying more than three thousand square meters.


    The interior is splendidly decorated, with murals of colorful Chinese thoroughwort peaking, and no fewer than ten pure and glistening crystal pendants. Even the imperial courts of ancient times would not have been any different.


    To say it''s extravagantly luxurious is by no means an exaggeration.


    "Mr. Lu, welcome to my office~"


    Old Xu, with a smile on his face, confidently led Lu Liang on a small tour of the office while talking about his daily routine.


    Although this is his office, it is also his home. In his dedication to Hengtai, he has worked tirelessly, day and night, not knowing how many dawns he''s witnessed here.


    "It''s really tough," Lu Liang laughed it off.


    He believed that what Old Xu said was true; when it was busy, one really would lose track of day and night, as he had experienced it himself. But to say it was like that every day was pure nonsense.


    Lu Liang was in international markets and was in the office at most three to five days a month, sometimes longer, perhaps seven or eight days, but not every month.


    Furthermore, Old Xu was in real estate projects¡ªif he was that busy even ten days a year, it would be impressive. More likely, he couldn''t bear to leave.


    Here, after all, he was the king of his domain, and just openly, he had eight assistants to serve him and help with his office work.


    Who knows how many more there might be out of sight?


    However, one thing surprised Lu Liang¡ªeveryone was a handsome male assistant.


    This was seriously inconsistent with Old Xu''s reputation.


    "Lu, what suddenly made you think of going to Shenzhen?"


    The two had just sat down, intending to chat casually since it was still early.


    Suddenly, a small door opened, and several tea mistresses dressed in light blue long gowns, with smiles on their faces and graceful bearing, came over, carrying a complete set of tea utensils.


    "I''m planning to go to BYD to talk to Mr. Wang about something."


    Seeing the tea mistresses gracefully performing the tea ceremony, Lu Liang''s doubts were lifted, and he showed an understanding smile. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It had to be Old Xu who knew how to play the game. The male assistants on the surface were probably the eunuchs by the emperor''s side.


    If they were all women, it would be easy to get into unnecessary trouble if something unintentional happened or if they were seduced.


    Men tend to be more rational, including Lu Liang now, who began preferring male employees.


    The idea that women are more meticulous than men is just a concept instilled to promote gender equality.


    Except for giving birth, which only women can do, what women can do, men can also do¡ªit''s just a matter of appropriateness.


    Just like the current tea mistresses, women performing the role may be more pleasing to the eye, but that''s about it.


    Old Xu looked thoughtful but didn''t ask Lu Liang what he was doing at BYD. It was nothing more than discussing new energy, nothing beyond the obvious.


    He cheerfully introduced the water for brewing tea and the tea leaves.


    Today, he merely wanted to meet with Lu Liang to deepen their relationship.


    In making friends, it is best to avoid being superficially friendly while speaking about deep topics.


    "Mr. Lu, please."


    "Then I won''t be shy."


    Lu Liang picked up the teacup, tasting the mineral water that cost thousands per bottle, flown in from Switzerland, which wasn''t worth anything if not drunk within 48 hours, and the tea leaves that were said to cost millions per pound.


    Old Xu, full of anticipation, asked with a smile, "Mr. Lu, how is the taste?"


    Lu Liang tasted it carefully and smiled faintly, "It''s alright¡ªit tastes like tea."


    He genuinely couldn''t tell any significant difference, and there was no need to flatter Old Xu deliberately.


    If Old Xu''s status were higher than his, then today it would be Lu Liang inviting Old Xu to his office in Modu, rather than him inviting Lu Liang to his office in Yangcheng.


    Old Xu''s smile stiffened momentarily, and then he laughed again, giving a thumbs-up, "Mr. Lu, you''re truly authentic."


    To ease the awkwardness, he added quietly, "Actually, I can''t tell the difference either. It''s mainly about being unique."


    "Haha..."


    Lu Liang burst out laughing. As they conversed, suddenly a male assistant came up to Old Xu and whispered a few words.


    Old Xu nodded slightly, turned his head with a smile, and said, "Mr. Lu, it''s getting late, how about we go downstairs for a meal? Everything has already been arranged."


    "Let''s go then."


    Taking the elevator down from the 43rd floor to the private club on the 42nd, they were greeted by decor that was just as lavish as the one above, if not more so.


    The grand hall was resplendent with lights, circumferenced by Swarovski crystal light strips, and floored with imported marble.


    And unlike the 43rd floor''s male staff, here, they saw nothing but beautiful female attendants, no fewer than thirty of them.


    As Old Xu walked, he explained that the club had a restaurant, cinema, bar, karaoke, bathhouse, and other entertainment facilities¡ªincluding a special stage for performances.


    "Our Hengtai''s ethnic dance troupe has performed on the Spring Festival Gala and provincial satellite TV many times, receiving critical acclaim. Mr. Lu, you''ll have a good opportunity to appreciate them later."


    Old Xu''s face was full of smiles as he greeted the security at the entrance and led Lu Liang into the dance hall.


    The vast dance hall featured only a performance stage and a single dining table, on which rested bottles of fine, decanted wines.


    "Mr. Lu, let''s drink to the music and savor the splendor of life."


    Old Xu invited Lu Liang to take a seat, clapped his hands, and the lights in the dance hall nearly dimmed completely, leaving only a few above the dining table.


    Suddenly, a misty and lingering background music started to play, as if it were reaching out from ancient times.


    Lu Liang suddenly looked up to find that three high-definition, oversized screens were positioned directly above the dining table, angled towards the stage to offer a variety of perspectives to enjoy the dancers'' movements.


    Old Xu''s mouth quirked upward as he whispered, "Mr. Lu, this piece is called ''The Peony Hymn,'' and it has won multiple international golden awards."


    A half-minute intro drew everyone into the atmosphere.


    A dozen actresses in light gauzy dresses, revealing collarbones and slender waists, their faces stunning and their manners graceful, stepped out from backstage amidst the dry ice fog, performing a dance entitled ''The Peony Hymn.''


    Lu Liang suddenly understood why, a few years back, Old Ma had splurged 1.2 billion yuan investing in Hengtai football and said it was to pay for some ''tuition'' to see what the people inside were up to.


    Despite having seen the world over the last year, today''s experience still shocked him deeply.


    Those senior players really knew how to live; not like the younger generation who only knew how to throw flashy parties.


    ''Beauty like flowers'' was no longer just a figure of speech.


    A dozen actresses lay on the stage, forming a circle, revealing nearly identical contours of their enticing buttocks, as high-definition cameras above the stage captured the literal ''beauty like flowers.''


    As the piece concluded and Lu Liang thought the performance was over, the music suddenly became more vigorous. Slowly, three large drums rose in front of the stage.


    In groups of three, hand in hand, the most beautiful actresses stepped lightly as if ascending to immortality upon the drum skins.


    Their dance was as vivacious as that of sprites, with feet like hammers striking the drum skins in a beautiful Dunhuang dance piece.


    As the music reached an even more intense crescendo, the three actresses swiftly bent their knees and crouched down in an enticing squatting dance.


    Old Xu stole a glance at Lu Liang, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile, and discreetly gestured under the table.


    This gesture wasn''t meant for Lu Liang but rather for the actresses, indicating that they could proceed with the next plan.


    When the performance ended and the music stopped, Lu Liang''s gaze lingered, unconsciously revealing a hint of regret.


    He could suddenly understand why everyone was saying that the aesthetics of Domestic Entertainment had degraded, unable to see what made the pale, young, and thin attractive.


    Healthy figures, slender waists, plump buttocks, with a touch of softness¡ªthese were the characters embodying the true classical beauty of the East.


    The next moment, the actresses who had danced on the drums floated like fairies, playfully handling their water sleeves as they cheerfully approached Lu Liang.


    Old Xu introduced them with a smile, "Mr. Lu, these are Qingqing, Xiuxiu, and Jingjing."


    "Mr. Lu, Qingqing offers you a toast."


    "Mr. Lu, Xiuxiu offers you a toast."


    "Mr. Lu, Jingjing offers you a toast."


    The three actresses, different in their voluptuous and graceful beauty, had voices rippling like running water, soft and tender.


    Just a minute ago, they were dancing gracefully on the stage, showing off their beautiful moves.


    Now, they were by Lu Liang''s side, giving him the feeling of breaking through a dimensional barrier and seeing his dreams realized in front of him.


    One wonders which official could withstand such a temptation.

 Chapter 250 - 249: Celestial Fairy Descends to the Mortal World

    "Mr. Lu, please enjoy your meal. We''ll come back later~"


    Several actresses, having taken their turns toasting, left with eyes that seemed to reject yet invite, like devils with hooks that could stir one''s heart, but they didn''t linger for too long and dispersed to change their clothes backstage.


    After all, having danced for over forty minutes, their dance dresses were becoming more clingy, outlining their figures more clearly.


    Even though the wet, enticing look made them more alluring, they didn''t dare stay too long, for fear of leaving a bad impression on Lu Liang.


    Covered in fragrant sweat, which was only tolerable right after one has perspired, but as carbon-based beings when they dry, there would be an odor.


    And fishing requires a give and take,


    a brief separation was also to make the next meeting even better.


    They left, but the dance troupe''s leader came over. Old Xu introduced with a glowing face, "Mr. Lu, this is Mr. Bai."


    "Good to meet you, Mr. Bai," Lu Liang nodded slightly. The insect that had almost climbed into his brain had resettled in its place.


    He silently recited the Heart Clarity Spell several times to quell the lascivious thoughts rising within him.


    "Mr. Lu, you radiate a majestic presence, with a demeanor so lofty. Dandan has always heard of your deeds, and she truly admires you."


    Mr. Bai, with her strikingly beautiful face and large, watery eyes that seemed to speak, was full of admiration.


    She was pretty, but as a leader, she needed to be not only attractive but also have high emotional intelligence ¨C and her soothing words did make one feel very comfortable.


    The softness of a Southern belle manifested in her at this moment.


    Her gaze was so sincere it almost made one unable to discern truth from pretense. Lu Liang''s reputation was well-known, and her admiration wasn''t just for show.


    "Mr. Bai, feel free to order. I am not great with my alcohol,"


    Lu Liang replied with a smile, picked up his glass, and took a small sip.


    Old Xu''s eyebrows knitted together, sensing that their plan might be going awry, and he hastened to strike while the iron was hot, "Mr. Lu, how about we go sing some songs later? Jingjing and the others will be ready soon."


    "Sure," Lu Liang nodded, his smile natural, but under the table, he quietly made a sign.


    Wen Chao was waiting four meters away, having followed him for so long, he would definitely understand the signal.


    Although it was still a bit forced, experiencing this was enough; if they pushed him, he wouldn''t dare refuse. It was clear that the dance troupe was Old Xu''s personal network expansion tool.


    Had it been earlier, when they stepped out of their world to invite him, Lu Liang would most likely have given in.


    But they should not have given him time to think.


    Lu Liang was new to this and wasn''t an official without such privileges. He didn''t want to gamble, even with a one in a ten thousand chance.


    A few minutes later, Jingjing and the others changed into sexy, glittering short skirts, like fairies descending to the mortal realm, their aura no longer concealed.


    "Mr. Lu, this way, please," Old Xu led the way, with everyone preparing to head next door to sing.


    Just then, Wen Chao suddenly took a call and quickly walked over to whisper to Lu Liang.


    Lu Liang''s face changed slightly, and he turned to say, "Mr. Xu, I am really sorry, I''ve got an urgent matter to handle."


    Old Xu frowned deeply, quickly asking, "Mr. Lu, what''s the matter, do you need help?"


    "No need to bother, I can handle it."


    "I''ll arrange a helicopter to take you back."


    "I''m not too used to flying; just send a car."


    "Alright then."


    Old Xu and Bai Dandan stood downstairs, smiling broadly as they watched Lu Liang gradually go off into the distance.


    "Dandan, do you think he really had something urgent or was it an excuse?" Old Xu''s smile faded as he suddenly asked.


    The leader of a dance troupe not only needs to be competent but also has to manage the group well.


    Diligently guiding them, as a girl''s youth doesn''t last many years ¨C it''s better used to secure a bright future than wasted.


    In essence, Bai Dandan was his right-hand person.


    Bai Dandan furrowed her brows lightly, pondering for a while, "I think it''s mostly an excuse; he still has some reservations about you."


    She didn''t dare to be too certain because, from the stage, she could see that there was a moment when Lu Liang seemed to be moved.


    But due to her miscalculation, letting Jingjing and the others go change their clothes, they missed that fleeting opportunity.


    Old Xu sighed helplessly, "I figured as much. Even though we''re all in finance, those who can make a name for themselves internationally are always stronger than those bank idiots who only know how to take money."


    He had also realized that Lu Liang, just like Old Ma, came to see what games they were playing.


    They won''t make bets with stakes, even if there''s just a one in ten thousand chance.


    Moreover, with Lu Liang being so young and wealthy, he could play with any woman he wanted. Key to note, he was also divorced; having a few girlfriends was merely a moral issue.


    Bai Dandan spoke softly, consoling, "Mr. Xu, don''t lose heart. If there''s a first time, there can be a second. Once the relationship develops, things will naturally fall into place."


    "That''s true," Old Xu chuckled.


    Meanwhile, the borrowed Maybach was leaving Yangcheng.


    There were only three people in the car: Lu Liang, Fang Shiyu, and Wen Chao.


    "Distant waters can''t quench immediate thirst."


    Lu Liang''s face showed sorrow; he was a bit upset by the provocation. It was just Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau; he didn''t often come here and seemed to lack resources.


    "You have it tough, Little Lu. Just endure it for now, and don''t do something in the heat of the moment you''ll regret for life."


    An hour and a half later, back at the hotel in Shenzhen, Lu Liang drank several more bottles of beer before he could finally fall asleep peacefully. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next morning,


    they set out for BYD Road in Pingshan.


    The entire street was about seven kilometers long, and both sides were lined with BYD''s industry or related enterprises.


    Lu Liang also saw the newly turned-fifty-year-old Boatman Brother at the entrance of the Hexagonal Building.


    As the market digested the news of Buffett''s increased holdings, BYD''s market value also broke through the 300 billion threshold.


    According to public information, Old Wang, who held 17.85% of the shares, saw his personal fortune also surpass the significant mark of fifty billion.


    The substantial 300 billion market value of BYD meant they could walk into a bank and secure a loan of a hundred and eighty billion at any moment if the days turned tough.


    Self-produced and self-sold throughout the whole production chain, they comfortably occupied the leading position in China''s new energy sector and were among the world''s top suppliers of power batteries.


    The direct and indirect job opportunities they created numbered more than a million, far too substantial for companies like NIO and Li Xiang, which were mere shells, to even touch.


    "Mr. Wang, hello, I''ve long admired your reputation."


    Lu Liang''s face was full of smiles, quite gratified.


    Obviously, his notorious reputation in Beijing''s internet circles had not spread to the Pearl River Delta.


    Mr. Wang''s first stop was to show him BYD''s patent wall, which boasted over twenty thousand patents.


    A dense array of certificates surrounded the eight characters "Technology Reigns Supreme, Innovation is Fundamental."


    "Mr. Lu, this is the result of twenty years of accumulated investment of over 100 billion by our 100,000 research and development personnel," Mr. Wang said pridefully. There were few privately-owned domestic enterprises like theirs that were willing to invest so much in research and development.


    However, he suddenly realized that there was something in Lu Liang''s gaze beyond admiration, a kind of indescribable implication.


    It was a pity that Zhang Yiming was not there; otherwise, he would surely have reprimanded him with the anguish of someone who had seen it all and was unable to forget the past.


    Clearly, Lu Liang had set his sights on something.


    "Mr. Wang, could we take a look over there?"


    Lu Liang cleared his throat a few times and found an excuse, "I saw from the overpass earlier that there''s a collision test happening today?"


    "The new Tang model is going to be released." Although Mr. Wang was older, he was still vigorous and immediately led Lu Liang to have a look.


    Major domestic automakers rarely poached talent, comfortably counting money from joint ventures, while new energy upstarts were still playing at faking car production with empty pockets.


    BYD''s benefits were not too shabby, and over time, naturally, there was no sense of crisis.


    Lu Liang watched at the testing ground as several engineers pointed and took notes on relevant data.


    He did not presumptuously approach to disturb them, merely silently remembering their names; one was called Lin Dongyao, the other Wu Lei.


    Mr. Wang hadn''t realized that these two strong players had been marked by Lu Liang, who chuckled and asked, "Mr. Lu, what do you think of the new Tang model?"


    "Want to hear the truth?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.


    Mr. Wang smiled, "What''s the point of lies?"


    "Couldn''t it be a bit more sporty, a bit more fashionable?"


    Lu Liang sighed. BYD''s car models all looked the same, not particularly outstanding nor particularly bad, mainly plain and simple.


    Mr. Wang smiled without being offended and hinted, "Traditional styling represents stable mechanical structures, aerodynamic coefficients, and safety tests. It can easily pass without adjustments. New designs require time for validation."


    "But some people can''t wait," Lu Liang heard the implied meaning in Mr. Wang''s words - this was also the purpose of his visit.


    A worried expression also appeared in Mr. Wang''s eyes as he suddenly asked, "Mr. Lu, how long do you plan to stay in Shenzhen?"


    Lu Liang thought for a while and answered, "NIO is releasing a new car on the 8th. I should stay for about three days."


    After consulting with his assistant about the schedule, Mr. Wang discussed, "How about the day after tomorrow? I''ll take you to meet a few people."


    "Sure, I''ll follow your lead," Lu Liang nodded, planning to scout a few more suitable candidates.


    With the right leverage, there''s no corner that can''t be dug.


    Going out to work is all about making money, and he too aimed to raise the industry''s average salary.


    Sacrificing one to benefit millions in the industry, Lu Liang always found the right justifications to convince himself.

 Chapter 251 - 250: Defeating Magic with Magic

    Lu Liang talked a lot with Old Wang and gained much knowledge about automobiles.


    In terms of performance and intelligent driving systems, those could be added gradually later, but for now, the focus should be on crafting the shell and the frame.


    Creating a car is like painting a picture; first, you splash the ink to sketch a basic outline, then you add landscapes and unique rock formations.


    Old Wang also talked about his decisive errors, mentioning his somewhat outdated views, which led to the rejection of many novel designs.


    It''s like how the older generation thinks that square and grand is beautiful, but young people today don''t think that way; they pursue dynamism and fashion.


    Whether it''s Apple or Tesla, they are both following this trend.


    BYD is also feeling their way forward, only they got up early and ended up late to the marketplace.


    If Lu Liang had an idea and was willing to invest money, he shouldn''t just wait for the intelligent driving systems to emerge.


    Preparations should be made now.


    Although this market is small, it has great potential for growth, enough to accommodate three to five leading companies.


    Lu Liang was so dedicated to promoting this market, Old Wang hoped he wouldn''t waste his precious time in vain.


    Lu Liang, pensive, then asked about the pros and cons of hybrid plug-in and range-extended models.


    "Hard to say," Old Wang thought for a long time and slowly shook his head.


    Which is better or worse would have to be decided by the market; even the best technology is useless if not accepted by the market.


    BYD chose plug-in hybrids from the beginning, so before the market made a choice, they would keep focusing deeply in this direction.


    Of course, they also developed range-extended models but didn''t invest much money in them, mainly serving as a safety net.


    Research and development are costly mainly because there is no specific direction¡ªyou dab a bit here, a bit there, casting a wide net.


    It''s like BYD; initially, they hadn''t even planned on making cars, and even if they did, it was merely symbolic.


    Otherwise, they wouldn''t have only released five car models before 2012, the year the state promoted new energy.


    Their focus was mainly on batteries and rail transit, but it just so happened to coincide with the national initiative to promote the new energy industry.


    So, they shifted their focus to car manufacturing.


    Old Wang paused and asked, "Not going pure electric?"


    "Do both, but not just pure electric," said Lu Liang.


    Old Wang imparted everything he knew, which made Lu Liang feel a bit embarrassed about troubling him. He decided firmly to only contact Lin Dongyao and Wu Lei moving forward and to return to Modu to plan further.


    Because next spring, the first phase of the Tesla Gigafactory would be completed, possibly bringing many engineers to oversee the project.


    As the fourth-largest shareholder of Tianxing Assets, visiting and touring would likely not be refused by Musk.


    As they walked around, they arrived at an automobile showroom, and BYD''s "Spicy Fish Head" was about to hit the market.


    The sales of the Hongguang Mini were terrifyingly high, surpassing 200,000 units last week alone.


    Just one company, one model, accounted for 31.3% of the total sales in the entire new energy vehicle market.


    Although they only made a profit of 69 yuan per car, with 0.82 new energy credits and government subsidies, the guaranteed profit per car was 4500 yuan.


    A microcar with a standard price of 23,900 yuan, having a net profit margin of 19%, was simply unbelievable.


    Every major carmaker was jealous, but none could reduce their costs below 24,000 yuan.


    Even BYD, manufacturing and selling on its own, could only reduce the price to 56,900 yuan, but they managed to increase the range to 300 kilometers.


    Power batteries were a weakness for Wuling, despite the involvement of Ningde Era; but Ningde was ultimately out to make a profit.


    Fortunately, power batteries were BYD''s strength, with a range over 180 kilometers, which should level the price difference.


    Old Wang, smiling cheerily, joked, "Mr. Lu, interested in taking it out for a few spins?"


    The high sales of the Hongguang Mini were indeed closely linked to Lu Liang.


    "The same models as major influencers, followed by minor ones, gradually endear fans."


    Thus, sales exploded.


    Lu Liang shook his head repeatedly, "I was just about to go ask Wuling for some advertising fees."


    "Are you going to Liuzhou?" Old Wang asked, surprised.


    Lu Liang smiled and said, "Since I''m out, I might as well visit different places."


    Last week, the sales of the Hongguang Mini had broken through 200,000 units, and Wuling had sent him a letter of thanks.


    Lu Liang disliked these empty honors, so he took the opportunity to promote his own Tianxing OS system.


    Coincidentally, Wuling had seen the growth potential in the new energy market and was preparing to launch a colorful version of the mini next year.


    Originally, there were only two versions, one with a range of 120 and another with 180, with barely any interior or auxiliary features.


    Therefore, they planned to add a new version that, while increasing the range, would also include features like an LCD display and other electronic controls.


    Adding more flashy features would be more profitable, and with the free car machine delivered to their doorstep, they could hardly find a reason to refuse.


    After all, Wuling had never entertained the idea of developing car machines. Earth Light, with total sales of over five million units, had car machine functionalities limited to playing media and receiving radio only.


    After spending a day at the Hexagonal Building,


    walking around and observing, Lu Liang became increasingly convinced of the idea he had in mind, that he could no longer just sit back and wait.


    By nightfall, Lu Liang returned to the hotel in the downtown area.


    He called Hu Weiwei, asking her to go to Modu tomorrow to set up a research and development center.


    Lu Liang had seen the local support and planned to build the factory in Modu in the future, competing for attention with Tesla.


    After all, Tesla is purely foreign-funded and the only car manufacturer in the country fully invested by foreign capital.


    This was also one of the conditions when Modu City and the national government had invited Tesla to set up there. S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    NIO, although also based in Modu, had Li Bing choosing to collaborate with Jianghuai, with the contract manufacturers located in Luzhou, and the company merely registered in Modu.


    If Modu had another competitive local enterprise in new energy vehicles, Modu''s municipal government might show slight partiality.


    Originally, introducing a powerful competitor was meant to drive out the smaller ones, but if the small fish turned into big fish, then the powerful one would lose its purpose.


    The next morning, Lu Liang made a trip to Liuzhou, had a chat with Wuling''s Lv Botao, and confirmed the cooperation principles.


    He returned to Shenzhen the same night.


    The trips were very rushed because, before the 8th, Lu Liang needed to settle the affairs here and then get back to Modu.


    Not only because of NIO''s new car launch but also because the 9th was election day.


    He had prepared for over a month, almost reallocating all the funds he could, waiting for that day to short the Old Mexican peso and long International Gold.


    On Saturday, through an introduction by Old Wang, Lu Liang met with the president of the New Energy Automobile Association, who was also the local deputy leader.


    They warmly welcomed Lu Liang''s involvement.


    They also informed that the New Energy Automobile Association would soon be renamed the World New Energy Automobile Association, planning to hold its first conference next year on Hai Island.


    "First-rate companies set standards, second-rate companies build brands, third-rate companies make products," this saying applies to countries as well.


    The nation had put so much effort into promoting the new energy industry, even granting Tesla the privilege of full foreign ownership, all to lead the sector and establish standards that benefited itself.


    Facing the Western world''s introduction of carbon neutrality and eco-friendliness, they were merely using the situation to their advantage.


    Zhong was best at joining the rules, understanding the rules, and eventually using the rules to defeat their creators.


    The West claims developing nations pollute severely, thus introducing concepts like environmentalism and carbon neutrality to curb their progress.


    They then embraced these concepts, promoting the development of the new energy industry, upgrading industries, and ultimately reversing the situation.


    If the West rejects new energy, it''s seen as non-ecological and against carbon neutrality, contradicting the natural order.


    "Magic is the only way to defeat magic."

 Chapter 252 - 251: Sudden Accident

    "This market has just developed; it''s still a sprout that can''t withstand any negative news. If we don''t raise the threshold, I''m afraid there will be many companies scamming subsidies to make up the numbers."


    Lu Liang''s expression was grave as he shared his concerns with the leaders. This matter was indeed inconvenient for Old Wang to mention first.


    If BYD were to raise the issue first, it would probably leave a bad impression of being narrow-minded and closing doors as soon as they got on board.


    They just want to block the road and ensure their company, their family prospers for eternity.


    If Lu Liang were to mention it, there wouldn''t be such worries because he only wanted to enter the market, but hadn''t yet.


    Raising the review threshold for new energy vehicles now was a restriction for him, but he didn''t mind.


    Seeing this, Old Wang quickly agreed, "Mr. Lu''s worry is not without reason."


    As a leader in the finance industry, Lu Liang knew very well that new energy was the hottest topic at the moment.


    Take Big A for example. At the end of last year, there were only 53 new energy stocks, but that number has now surged to 115.


    The amount has more than doubled, and companies, regardless of their relevance, all want to shamelessly latch on, just like internet companies that, no matter their previous specialty, ended up offering everything.


    But cars are different from other industries. If we don''t raise the review threshold, it might lead to major disasters.


    A young tree that isn''t pruned doesn''t grow straight. Now is the golden period for market development, and we must regulate our actions more."


    "This is indeed a problem."


    The leaders showed contemplation and indicated they would go back and discuss it, to introduce more regulated provisions.


    The biggest difference between leaders from the south and the north is that southern leaders really listen to the opinions of enterprises.


    They also don''t indulge in excessive social drinking. Usually, after discussing business and a little chit-chat, they eat and go their separate ways.


    At the door, he saw off the leaders.


    Old Wang asked with a smile, "Mr. Lu, are you heading back to Modu?"


    Lu Liang nodded, "The NIO ES8 is launching tomorrow."


    "Equipped with Tianxing OS?"


    "Mr. Wang is really well-informed."


    Old Wang chuckled, "It''s not that I''m well-informed, but NIO''s Mr. Li can''t stay idle."


    Since yesterday, the internet had been bustling as digital armies began to vigorously promote the upcoming NIO vehicle.


    All sorts of rumors flew everywhere, with numerous supposed insiders revealing to media that NIO''s vehicle system was far ahead, enough to match or even surpass Tesla.


    Li Bing, this guy, may fool outsiders, but he can''t fool industry insiders.


    Although the car system hasn''t been launched yet, hyping it up as a selling point indicates that there must be something commendable.


    NIO was simultaneously developing a new car, building factories, and constructing battery exchange stations, advancing on three fronts.


    According to available data, to date, NIO only had 680 million US Dollars. Where would they have the spare money to develop vehicle systems unless, predictably, it was Lu Liang''s doing?


    Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Mr. Wang, is BYD also interested?"


    Old Wang glanced and said indifferently, "DiLink has been in development for several years, and if that fails, there''s always Huawei''s HongMeng next door."


    "HongMeng? Is Mr. Ren also planning to enter the fray?" Lu Liang''s brows furrowed; his biggest fear was coming true.


    These smartphone manufacturers also plan to enter the new energy market and take a slice of the pie. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Once they enter, they will directly compete with Tianxing OS.


    "There''s always more than one burrow for a cunning rabbit."


    Old Wang gave a slight smile, his tone tinged with a teacher''s instructiveness, "These big companies won''t miss any opportunity, whether there''s a rabbit or not, they will take action first and ask questions later."


    Hearing this, Lu Liang fell into deep thought.


    Every company wants eternal prosperity. As long as there''s money, they''ll cast a wide net, hoping for success somewhere if not everywhere.


    Old Wang''s words were a wake-up call.


    Recently, Lei Jun had mentioned wanting to visit Tianxing Technology in Beijing.


    Was his idea similar to his?


    The more Lu Liang thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Beyond smartphones, Xiaomi had already reached out into the appliance sector.


    Xiaomi''s development path was almost identical to LeEco''s, except that Lei Jun was action-oriented while Old Jia was all talk.


    Once the market picked up, Xiaomi entering car manufacturing was inevitable.


    "Mr. Lu, I''ll take my leave first." Old Wang smiled warmly.


    Two days ago, he had taken Lu Liang to visit the Hexagonal Building. Afterwards, someone had told him a story.


    A search architect, after having been away for over nine months, returned and became the founder of a unicorn company.


    As a result, two rumors circulated within the Beijing Circle¡ªthe first among leaders of major companies: secure against fire, theft, and Lu Liang.


    The second, among senior management of major companies, to trust Lu Liang was to get rich quickly, with Yang Zhenyuan being the prime example.


    Old Wang wasn''t sure if he was letting the wolf through the door that day, but it didn''t stop him from trying to give Lu Liang some trouble.


    The idea of Tianxing OS was common knowledge, but compared to tech companies, it was like the light of fireflies against the bright moon.


    "Mr. Wang, take care,"


    Lu Liang said with a smile, waiting for Old Wang to leave before the smile slowly faded from his face.


    He realized that Old Wang was causing him anxiety, but was also indeed giving him a warning.


    If Hongmeng had ideas, then surely Pengpai, Boundaryless, and Le Chu did as well.


    They would be more advantageous in developing vehicle systems, although Weili and Wuling were equipped with Tianxing OS.


    But on a national scale, these three companies were insignificant, with only Wuling having started mass production.


    Smartphone manufacturers could easily collaborate with established automakers to launch their vehicle systems.


    Time was running out for Tianxing OS.


    "Next year is going to be a brutal one."


    By nightfall, Lu Liang caught a flight.


    He reached Modu by 2:30 a.m, walking out of the cabin, he involuntarily shivered and sneezed several times.


    Although Modu is a southern coastal city, compared to Shenzhen, it might as well be in the north, with chilling winds and drizzling rain in mid-November, the temperature barely in the single digits.


    Fang Shiyu drove out of the parking lot, "Brother, where are we heading?"


    "Let''s go home."


    Lu Liang''s voice was nasal, and he felt a bit dizzy and couldn''t help but cough a few times.


    He had felt off since returning from Liuzhou yesterday. After sleeping on the plane, his nose suddenly got blocked, and his throat was constantly itchy.


    Fang Shiyu asked, "Which home?"


    Lu Liang had several homes¡ªTangchen, She Mountain, Scholarly Splendor, and lately, he frequented Skyline, which also seemed to count as one.


    If Lu Liang didn''t clarify, Fang Shiyu really wouldn''t know which one was truly his home.


    After a pause, there was no response in the car.


    He couldn''t help but turn his head to look back, under the dim light, Lu Liang was breathing rapidly, and his complexion unusually flushed.


    Fang Shiyu touched Lu Liang''s forehead, then hurriedly called Chao, who had already reached home, "Chao, Mr. Lu seems to have a high fever."


    "I just left the airport, take Mr. Lu to the hospital immediately, we will meet there, I am now contacting the hospital to prepare," Chao said calmly.


    "Okay, I''m on my way."


    Hearing this, Fang Shiyu changed from the usually stable driving mode to a furious one.


    He learned to drive in the military, although he usually drove steadily, it didn''t mean he only drove slowly.


    From the airport to the hospital, a 20 kilometer distance, he got five speeding tickets and, due to excessive speed, attracted the attention of night patrol law enforcement.


    Fang Shiyu chose to ignore the warnings, stepped on the accelerator, and in the city area, shot up to 130 km/h, and was eventually pulled over not far from the hospital.


    The officer looked ahead at the building top''s red lettering and asked, "Is there a patient in the car, needing to get to the hospital?"


    Fang Shiyu hurriedly nodded, the officer thought for a moment and said, "Follow us, we''ll go do a statement together later."


    It didn''t matter whether the car was good or bad, or who was in it. When it came to human life, even if it were a taxi, they would lead the way.


    "Thank you."


    Fang Shiyu showed gratitude, drove into the hospital, and the medical staff were all waiting outside, but Chao was nowhere to be seen.


    He almost single-handedly lifted the 150-pound Lu Liang out of the car and placed him on a medical wheelchair.


    The officer saw Lu Liang, somehow feeling he looked familiar, but couldn''t quite place him, though he felt he was very famous.


    Because the moment Lu Liang got out of the car, a few exclamations arose from the bystanders.


    Although the emergency room at three in the morning wasn''t as crowded as during the day, it was certainly not empty.


    The officer, seeing the crowd gathering, frowned, "Sir, please inform other family members to come, then come with us."


    Fang Shiyu called Chao, finding out midway that he had been in a car accident, stuck in traffic, and completely immobile.


    Chao thought for a moment, "Shiyu, hand your phone to the officer, I''ll talk to him."


    "Officer, hello, the person just now is our Mr. Lu, Lu Liang from Tianxing Investment, I am his secretary, my name is Chao. Could you perhaps wait half an hour for me? There was a car accident on Tiantong Road, and I''m stuck."

 Chapter 253 - 252: Has Lu Liang Gone Mad?

    "Secretary Wen, hello, maybe you could contact some other people to come over? It''s really inconvenient right now."


    If there hadn''t been an audience, he probably would have agreed, but at the moment, there were at least dozens of onlookers.


    What''s more, some had already taken out their cell phones, ready to record the collusion between government and business, a scene of bending the law for personal gain.


    He wanted to agree, but he didn''t dare.


    "Sorry for the trouble." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wen Chao''s words reached his lips but were swallowed back; he couldn''t say much more. Although he was Lu Liang''s secretary, he had just graduated a year ago and had never been involved in using his position to bully others.


    He could only ask Fang Shiyu if he knew anyone who was particularly close to Lu Liang and could come over quickly.


    He had already found someone to help drive, was walking away from the congested accident site, and then taking a cab over.


    Without hesitation, Fang Shiyu called Su Wanyu. He only had her number, and Yu had even met his aunt and uncle before, likely the cousin closest to him.


    Twenty-odd minutes later, Su Wanyu hurried over and, after getting the full picture, said, "Shiyu, you go ahead and give your statement. I''ll keep watch here."


    After that, she followed the medical staff to the ward where the ward director informed her, "Miss, Mr. Lu has acute pneumonia. We''ve already given him preliminary treatment. If Mr. Lu wakes up, please be sure to let us know immediately."


    "Okay, okay, thank you all," Su Wanyu sighed in relief, having been startled when she first heard Lu Liang was hospitalized.


    Fortunately, it was just acute pneumonia, not some serious or complicated disease that would require surgery or leave sequelae.


    "Always so busy with work, living irregularly, and fond of smoking..."


    Su Wanyu sat in front of the hospital bed, looking at the always dynamic Lu Liang, who now lay with his eyes closed tightly, coughing unconsciously, and felt an inexplicable heartache.


    "I''ll definitely make you quit smoking this time. Keep it up and later on, you won''t even be able to have kids. Then you''ll be scared."


    Su Wanyu muttered softly, following the doctor''s instructions to moisten his lips with a cotton swab and timely replace the towels to reduce his fever with physical cooling.


    Not long after, Wen Chao also hurried over. Seeing Su Wanyu caring for Lu Liang in the ward, he breathed a sigh of relief.


    He didn''t dare to leave first and exchanged a silent greeting with Su Wanyu, keeping vigil at the hospital ward''s doorway.


    Ten minutes later, Wen Chao''s expression changed dramatically when he saw a pretty, hurried-looking girl.


    His heart cursed silently.


    Fang Shiyu was setting him up, but not like this.


    He was asked to contact one person, so why reach out to two?


    Was this heading towards a chaotic scene?


    "Secretary Wen, I finally found you. I just saw on Weibo''s trending topics, which ward is Mr. Lu in?"


    Li Manli looked panicked, having recently been addicted to King of Glory, streaming until two or three in the morning each night.


    Just as she was about to end the stream, her chat flooded with comments that Lu Liang was done for.


    At first, she thought they were joking until she saw the real-time trending list on Weibo.


    Lu Liang in a car accident?


    Lu Liang''s life hung by a thread?


    Lu Liang was done for?


    Related trending searches quickly soared into the top ten, along with numerous on-site photos.


    Lu Liang being carried by Fang Shiyu, then pushed in a wheelchair by the medical staff into the hospital, throughout the whole time, his eyes remained tightly closed.


    In a panic, Li Manli tried calling but got no answer. Once she learned that Lu Liang was at the city hospital, she didn''t even remove her makeup before rushing over.


    Wen Chao glanced at the ward and reluctantly said, "Miss Li, Mr. Lu isn''t in any serious danger. How about you head back first? I''ll explain the situation to Mr. Lu later."


    Although he had a girlfriend, she was his high school sweetheart. They had a strong relationship of six years and planned to marry. He really didn''t know how to deal with this situation.


    But one thing he was sure of, he absolutely couldn''t let the two girls meet each other, or else it would be a disaster.


    "He''s fainted, how could he not be in serious danger?"


    Li Manli didn''t listen, just pushing into the ward.


    She suddenly froze upon seeing Su Wanyu sitting by the bed, carefully wiping the sweat from Lu Liang''s forehead.


    Their eyes met, and seeing Su Wanyu''s puzzled expression, Li Manli suddenly understood.


    A trace of desolation flashed in her eyes as she quickly bowed in apology, "Sorry, I walked into the wrong room."


    She knew she wasn''t Lu Liang''s only one, but she never expected to encounter a romantic rival in this way.


    Li Manli remembered the font on the lighter and a Nine-Eyed Sky Bead that had appeared out of nowhere.


    With a girl''s sixth sense, she felt these items were all gifts from the cool-tempered girl before her.


    She knew Lu Liang treasured them, and she knew about her and her, thus she also knew where she stood in Lu Liang''s heart, which was weightier.


    "No problem," Su Wanyu, with her delicate brows slightly furrowed and her big eyes filled with confusion, watched Li Manli turn and hurry away.


    Wen Chao tried to smooth things over, "Miss Su, I just accidentally dozed off, please don''t tell Mr. Lu, please?"


    "It''s getting late, why don''t you go back and rest? I can handle things here," Su Wanyu struggled to keep her smile.


    "No problem, I''ll just wait outside. If anything happens, just call me," Wen Chao said with a smile plastered on his face, closing the room door.


    Suddenly, Su Wanyu said, "Secretary Wen, could you please look after Lu Liang for a moment? I''m going to the restroom."


    Although she didn''t want to admit it, she had seen the loneliness flashing through that girl''s eyes. It was unmistakable.


    She wanted to know why. Could it really have been that Wen Chao dozed off and she walked into the wrong room?


    Could such a coincidence happen?


    Wen Chao nodded, relieved, thinking he had narrowly escaped the impending chaotic scene.


    The next second, his face turned pale.


    Obviously, the private ward had its own restroom, yet Su Wanyu had walked out of the ward.


    "Mr. Lu, save me~"


    Wen Chao''s eyes widened, and his heart suddenly turned cold. Looking at Lu Liang with his eyes tightly shut, he sensed big trouble looming.


    Wake up quickly~ my Mr. Lu.


    Su Wanyu chased out of the ward and after searching around, saw Li Manli wiping her tears in the corridor.


    She stopped in her tracks, held her breath, and summoned the courage to offer a tissue: "Do you know Lu Liang by any chance?"


    Li Manli was startled, her expression panicked as she hurriedly explained, "Who is Lu Liang? I don''t know a Lu Liang."


    Su Wanyu looked into her eyes. Her heart felt as though it was being tightly squeezed by an invisible pair of hands. She fell silent for a long time: "I feel like you were here to see him."


    "Sis, you must have felt wrong about it."


    Li Manli forced a few laughs, her glance evasive, quickly fabricating a story about her dad being in a car accident, just entering the operating room, his fate uncertain.


    "Thank you for the tissue. I just heard wrong; it''s actually the building across," she said as she wiped the corner of her eyes and hurried away.


    "You really like him, don''t you?"


    Su Wanyu shouted toward the staircase, and Li Manli paused briefly before continuing on without looking back.


    Su Wanyu remained silent, returning to the ward quietly, sitting in front of the bed without uttering a word.


    Her face was deathly pale, revealing a hint of bitterness: "Is it money? But I feel like it''s not about money. That girl seemed to really like you a lot. Such an expression can''t be faked."


    Wen Chao shivered, completely lacking his usual composure.


    He suddenly very much wanted to call his girlfriend and ask how to handle this situation.


    Staying in the ward didn''t feel right, but leaving, he worried that Su Wanyu, out of love turned to hate, might harm Lu Liang.


    Who will come to my rescue~~~


    Fang Shiyu, you bastard, why haven''t you come back yet.


    "Lu Liang, actually, I should have guessed earlier, but I always didn''t want to believe it or think about it," Su Wanyu murmured.


    "Treat her well. She likes you more than I do. She can accept it, but I can''t."


    Su Wanyu''s heart ached so much she could hardly breathe, leaning down to kiss the corner of Lu Liang''s mouth, leaving two trails of tears on his face.


    She bowed her head and walked out of the ward.


    "Su..."


    Wen Chao''s words reached the edge of his lips but were swallowed back, as he watched Su Wanyu leave helplessly.


    Suddenly feeling somewhat relieved, Su Wanyu had left peacefully, and that meant it was no longer his problem.


    Having survived the danger.


    Half an hour later, Lu Liang woke up.


    In the ward, a violent coughing fit erupted.


    Wen Chao quickly handed over a cup of warm water, asking with concern, "Mr. Lu, how are you feeling now?"


    "It''s okay," Lu Liang, his throat so sore he didn''t want to speak, instinctively touched his cheek, feeling a bit oily and sticky.


    Why was it sticky?


    His mind was a mess, and he didn''t want to think about it.


    Wen Chao''s headache returned. Seeing Lu Liang''s state, he didn''t know whether to speak up now.


    Suddenly, the door swung open, and Fang Shiyu returned after finishing his police statement. He asked in confusion, "Where''s Yu?"


    Lu Liang''s eyebrows furrowed: "Yu was here?"


    "Miss Su came by, and so did Miss Li."


    Wen Chao spilled everything he had witnessed, as if pouring out beans.


    Fang Shiyu''s eyes widened, and he quickly explained, "I only contacted Yu."


    Lu Liang grunted, fell silent without a word, touched the slightly sticky spot on his cheek again, and then closed his eyes.

 Chapter 254 - 253: Snatching Food from the Mouths of the Two Oil Barons

    As soon as dawn broke, Wen Chao''s phone wouldn''t stop ringing with investors calling to inquire about Lu Liang''s illness.


    At the hospital entrance and the lobby of the first-floor payment hall, there were many people obviously not family members of patients.


    Rumors spread that Lu Liang was staying in this hospital, everyone came to try their luck, hoping to get firsthand information.


    They didn''t have the guts to go upstairs to disturb him, nor dared to ask about Lu Liang''s condition, but they still had the guts to ''casually'' inquire.


    "Mr. Lu, you should pay more attention to your diet and stabilize your daily routine, remember to eat less spicy food, and quit smoking and drinking..."


    Acute pneumonia wasn''t a serious disease, a few IV drips the previous night had already brought down Lu Liang''s high fever.


    What remained was to take medication on time and slowly recuperate, under normal circumstances, he could recover in 7-10 days without any residual effects.


    Wen Chao made a mental note of the doctor''s advice and indicated he would remind Lu Liang to take his medicine on time, after talking to the doctor.


    He walked to the bedside, crouched down, and asked softly, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Li just called."


    According to the original schedule, they were to go to the exhibition in Modu at ten in the morning to attend the NIO ES8 new car launch event.


    "Can I be discharged now?" Lu Liang muffled a cough with his hand, feeling itchy in his lungs whenever he spoke.


    "It is possible, but the hospital recommends that you stay for observation for 12 hours."


    "Come back later then."


    Perhaps due to his regular exercise, Lu Liang felt fairly well. Except for his limbs feeling weak and an uncontrollable urge to cough, which caused lung pain accompanied by thick phlegm.


    His mind was clearer than ever, feeling as if a lot of junk information was cleared, and his CPU was running faster.


    Unable to persuade him otherwise, Wen Chao asked the doctor again about the precautions needed for discharging now.


    Soon after, Lu Liang put on a mask and walked out of the hospital door under the escort of security personnel.


    As soon as he got into the car, he coughed violently and couldn''t help exiting, "Change the car."


    His mind was clear, and his sense of smell was exceptionally sharp; there was a faint smell of smoke in the car that nauseated Lu Liang as soon as he smelled it.


    He got into the business Mercedes of the security personnel and after a moment said, "Let''s go to the exhibition first."


    Business matters were urgent, and Lu Liang had neither the time nor the energy to deal with Su Wanyu''s matter now.


    One thing at a time, there was the United States election tonight, he just couldn''t spare the time.


    By past nine, Lu Liang arrived at the exhibition, and a large crowd of reporters with cameras, like sharks sensing blood.


    Seeing Lu Liang, the rumor of his critical injury and illness circulating online self-destructed.


    Li Bing rushed over, looking concerned, "Mr. Lu, you really must take care of yourself."


    Waking up to hear that Lu Liang was in a coma and hospitalized had made him feel like the sky was falling.


    Why fall ill just before the NIO new car launch, especially being captured in photos during hospitalization.


    If it was a minor illness, it would have been fine, but a serious one? The Xiao Peng G3 launch colliding with the Hongguang Mini would meet the same fate as the NIO ES8 launch.


    If something serious had happened, he wouldn''t know whom to turn to replace Lu Liang''s position for the financing after the launch.


    Fortunately, heaven had answered his prayers, allowing Lu Liang to safely come and attend the launch of the new car in the morning.


    "No worries," Lu Liang was sparing with his words, Wen Chao explained, "Mr. Li, Mr. Lu finds it difficult to speak at the moment."


    "Understood, understood." Known it was pneumonia, Li Bing quickly invited Lu Liang to rest in the lounge for a while.


    As long as Lu Liang showed up, even if he didn''t say a word, just making an appearance was enough.


    Lu Liang was always trending; admitted to the hospital last night, and today attending the NIO new car launch. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What good car was it that garnered his support so strongly, all filled with topics of discussion.


    Li Bing cleared out section one of the lounge for Lu Liang, making sure he wasn''t disturbed.


    Lu Liang also picked up his phone, replying one by one to messages from friends and relatives from last night.


    His mind was clear, but it was just his illusion.


    Just earlier in the car, seeing his phone screen, Lu Liang felt very dizzy and had no intention to look.


    There weren''t many messages on WeChat, just around ten people, after all, the incident was sudden and during the late night.


    Mostly were night owls like Little Wang or Liu Mingxuan waking up in the middle of the night to care for their baby: "If you''re still alive, give a squeak?"


    "Squeak~"


    Lu Liang uniformly replied, thanking everyone for their concern.


    His gaze finally rested on two people¡ªLi Manli and Su Wanyu¡ªeach of their last messages were sent at three and four in the morning, respectively.


    Li Manli initially sent a dozen voice messages, and eventually, she seemed to have reached the hospital, so she did not inquire further.


    "I''m okay now," Lu Liang replied to her.


    Li Manli almost instantly responded, "You scared the hell out of me."


    The chat interface kept showing "typing," and after a while, a voice message of fifty-something seconds came through.


    "I''m sorry..." she started talking about last night, about Su Wanyu chasing after her, and things Wen Chao did not know.


    "That woman, so elegant, so beautiful, and so smart."


    Li Manli felt a bitter sorrow, unable to hide her own insecurities.


    Su Wanyu was the type of girl everyone admired at first sight, beautiful and intelligent.


    Just like her class monitor during her senior year of high school¡ªpretty, academically excellent, with a well-off family.


    Unlike her, with poor grades, working right after high school, naively letting herself be taken advantage of.


    Had it not been for her good fortune in meeting Lu Liang, she might have ended up like her former colleagues.


    Nightclubs had easily corrupted many people''s moral compass; bartending and tips made her barely seven to eight thousand a month.


    But accompanying guests for drinks and tolerating occasional touches on the thigh, she could easily make a five-figure sum each month.


    And if one was willing to play even freer, a six-figure monthly salary wasn''t too difficult to achieve.


    A colleague from early in the year had even bragged to her about being wealthy now.


    As the gap between them widened, they gradually lost contact.


    Until a couple of months ago, that colleague suddenly contacted her, asking to borrow money for an abortion.


    Li Manli transferred five thousand to her, then permanently blocked her.


    It was from that moment that she truly grasped how fortunate she was.


    "You''re not bad yourself, you haven''t slept all night. Get some rest early."


    Lu Liang turned his attention to Su Wanyu.


    At four in the morning, she sent a message with just a sad emoji of a yellow bean.


    Looking up through earlier messages, still from yesterday.


    "Have heard that the flu is rampant in Shenzhen, be sure to take care of yourself and drink plenty of water."


    "It''s gotten colder in Modu, remember to wear more clothes when you come back."


    "Got some good news, I scored eighth in the whole school in the last joint exam, hehe~"


    "My tutor even wants to recommend me for an exchange in England next year, but I declined."


    "I was asked about my plans for the future, and I said I want to have two babies after graduation, then we''ll see. I still remember her expression."


    "She almost pointed at my forehead and said, ''Six years in primary, three in junior high, three in high school, four in university, two for a master''s... eighteen years of hard study, just to be a housewife...''"


    "But who cares, as long as I''m happy~"


    Su Wanyu''s messages revealed her anticipation for the future, she knew Lu Liang was busy and not often responding, but that didn''t stop her from cheerfully sharing snippets of her life every day.


    Suddenly a severe coughing fit echoed throughout the rest area.


    Lu Liang covered his throat, his eyes bloodshot, feeling like he was about to cough up his lungs.


    Wen Chao quickly passed him a cup of warm water: "Mr. Lu, have some water to ease it."


    Lu Liang looked somber, put away his phone, drank some water, closed his eyes, and seemed to fall asleep.


    Until Wen Chao reminded him that it was time for the press conference, and they needed to take their seats.


    Lu Liang nodded, arrived at the front row of the venue, half-asleep as he listened to Li Bing boasting onstage.


    The latest Lithium Iron Phosphate battery from Ningde Era, accelerating from zero to a hundred meters in 4.9 seconds, with a vehicle length over five meters, and a wheelbase over three meters.


    Constructed entirely from aluminum alloy body and chassis, standard equipment includes active air suspension and dual electric motors with all-wheel drive.


    "To address range anxiety, we plan to set up battery swap stations nationwide, offering an energy acquisition experience that surpasses refueling gasoline vehicles."


    With the battery swap plan announced, applause thundered and exclamations filled the venue, marvelling at NIO''s bold move.


    If electric vehicles were widely accepted, NIO could secure a significant market share.


    The prospects of the battery swap project were absolutely imaginative, as it represented seizing food from the mouths of the oil giants, currently the best and relatively perfect solution to resolve range anxiety.

 Chapter 255 - 254: A Chance to Escape

    Li Bing spoke passionately on stage, discussing the battery exchange plan, which indeed was very innovative, with a far smoother vehicle system than Li Xiang.


    The advantages of the NIO ES8 were too numerous to be encapsulated in just a sentence or two; however, a common issue with new automotive forces was only talking about their considerable lead.


    Yet, when it came to specifics regarding when mass production would start and when the new car would roll off the assembly line, not a word was mentioned.


    The cameraman also understood live streaming well, and the camera unintentionally always focused on Lu Liang''s pale face.


    His drooping eyelids no longer showed his usual vitality, and although it was heartbreaking, it did not stop the netizens from making fun.


    "Is there no end.JPG"


    "He''s almost dead, yet still not off work.JPG"


    "I really don''t want to work this job.JPG"


    Before the press conference ended, twelve animated GIFs filled with workplace negativity featuring Lu Liang were quickly created.


    Rolling his eyes, yawning, coughing a few times.


    These various weak expressions looked just like their usual sick, yet unavoidable work mode.


    "Although it looks pitiful, these GIFs are hilarious."


    In just over a year of becoming a top internet celebrity, Lu Liang also saw the creation of his 25th set of featured photos today.


    Some people indeed worried about Lu Liang tonight since it was the United States'' election night, and the international market was bound to be turbulent.


    Given Lu Liang''s personality, he likely had made preparations, but in his current state, was he still capable of operating?


    After the meeting, Li Bing gathered NIO''s shareholders for a meeting to discuss a prospective $700 million in funding, receiving the news with mixed feelings.


    The advantage was clear; it would no longer go unnoticed, but the disadvantage was also clear; all attention was concentrated on Lu Liang.


    "You guys go ahead and discuss, just send me the financial plan later," said Lu Liang, his voice raspy as if his throat was filled with sand.


    "Sure, Mr. Lu, then I will see you off."


    $700 million was no small amount, and Li Bing did not expect to secure the funding today.


    It was merely to inform everyone that approximately so much money was needed to keep going until mass production.


    Lu Liang returned to his car, let out a long sigh of relief; the car had just been cleaned, leaving no trace of cigarette smell.


    Fang Shiyu whispered, "Mr. Lu, are we going home?"


    Lu Liang shook his head, "First to the company."


    He had Wen Chao contact the hospital to arrange for a home visit.


    Planning to get another IV drip to support himself, he needed to at least last until tomorrow noon.


    By 7 p.m., all fifty states in the United States would begin progressively announcing vote counts, with the final winner decided by 10 a.m. the next day.


    A week ago, he had already moved $4.3 billion US Dollars, mainly divided into two parts: one billion in peso and three billion in Gold.


    For the peso, to not disclose any intentions, Lu Liang only used a five-times leverage, but for the London Gold, he used ten-times.


    From the $3 billion US Dollars, half was for margin, half for trading, turning $1.5 billion through leverage into $15 billion.


    The remaining $300 million was reserved, ready to provide logistical support to both markets at any moment.


    In early next month, the second phase of settlement and the third phase of dividends were due, to ensure the following plans weren''t affected.


    Tonight, a profit of over $1 billion was essential, so collapsing now was not an option.


    On the way to the company, Lu Liang asked in a low voice, "Little Wen, are you from Fudan''s Finance Department?"


    Wen Chao responded softly, "Yes, Mr. Lu."


    He knew that a sick person''s senses were heightened.


    A normal tone of voice might now seem like a piercing noise, so he spoke very gently and quietly.


    "If the businessman is elected, where do you think we can profit?"


    Lu Liang suddenly thought this could be an opportunity, perhaps a chance to step away from private equity.


    Because tonight was the vote counting day in the United States, but back home, everyone already knew he looked half-dead.


    Even focusing was difficult, let alone engaging in high-intensity market speculation.


    If he could still turn a huge profit tonight, he could also signal to the outside world that private equity didn''t need his direct involvement; just steering the overall direction was sufficient.


    "Offshore Renminbi."


    Wen Chao was taken aback, for compared to Old Mo''s peso and International Gold, he cared more about the Offshore Renminbi.


    Should the merchant be elected, first and foremost, the peso would definitely plummet and Gold would soar, but there was an even more important market¡ªthe Offshore Renminbi.


    Having followed Lu Liang for so long, he could not understand why, several times when there were excellent opportunities to short the RMB, Lu Liang selectively ignored them.


    From Old England''s Brexit at the beginning of the year, to the issues in the south at mid-year, and now, assuming the merchant was elected, all were negative news for the RMB.


    Just within nine months, the RMB to US Dollar exchange rate had risen from 6.38 to 6.58 now, and if the merchant were elected, it could even break 7.


    Because he advocated for the return of capital and job positions, from where would they return? Naturally, from East Country back to America.


    Foreign exchange is a magical market; a slight increase is called good news, a sudden large increase is called bad news, inflation.


    "Yes, I''ve ignored the Offshore Renminbi for a while." Lu Liang chuckled, then suddenly couldn''t help coughing.


    "Mr. Lu, the doctor suggested you should speak less; your illness will heal faster," Wen Chao softly reminded.


    "Wake me up at seven."


    Upon returning to the company, Lu Liang lay in the resting room.


    Hooked up to an IV, he dozed and woke, then slept and woke again, spending over six hours in a dazed state.


    Until the evening at seven, Wen Chao squatted by the bed and whispered, "Mr. Lu, it''s already six forty-five now."


    Lu Liang, groggy, had regained a fair amount of energy, but his throat still felt as if it were being cut by a knife.


    He sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, his face breaking into a smile, pushing through the fatigue, he moved to the adjacent trading room.


    After preparing for more than a month, eighteen traders were all ready to go, but on the eve of the great battle, their leader had fallen ill.


    Each face showed concern, Sun Yutao could not bear it: "Mr. Lu, perhaps you should rest this time."


    Lu Liang was their mainstay; they had never feared facing three or even eight opponents initially.


    It was all because of the strong confidence that Lu Liang gave them, undefeated to this day, he was the uncrowned king of the financial market. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The once high-spirited man was now utterly devoid of vigor, looking sickly.


    Although it might sound unpleasant, it truly dampened their spirits and easily made people apprehensive. Were the decisions now still correct?


    "Business as usual," Lu Liang shouted loudly, his face breaking into the confident smile of the past.


    Though his throat felt as if it had been elbowed, he knew he could not show any sign of weakness now.


    "Received."


    "Received."


    "¡­"


    The team members all showed smiles; sick or not, Lu Liang was still the same confident Lu Liang.


    One by one, people went back to their stations to make final preparations, for this was to be a grueling battle lasting over 14 hours.


    Lu Liang also took his seat at the main position, but unlike before, this time, he used the computer screen to block most of his body.


    He called Sun Yutao and Wen Chao over, cleared his throat, and said, "I will be watching from here, this time, Wen Chao will take the lead, and Yutao, you will assist."


    Both men''s faces showed shock, Lu Liang swallowed and continued, "With the merchant''s election as a premise, you should be as bold as possible."


    He looked up at Wen Chao, "Do you have confidence?"


    Although Sun Yutao had over a decade of experience, when he was recruited, there was no consideration of him making decisions; his role was purely that of a utility person.


    But Wen Chao was different, Lu Liang had always treated him like a successor, always having him by his side, never avoiding him in decisions.


    After more than a year, it was time for a major test.


    Considering the merchant''s election as a given, with a full score of one billion US Dollars, he was very eager to see how many points Wen Chao could score.


    Wen Chao suppressed the excitement in his heart, clenched his teeth, his eyes determined: "I''ll give it my all, without holding back."


    "Move the computer over here, sit next to me," Lu Liang said with a smile, unable to suppress a muffled cough, very satisfied with the answer.


    Sun Yutao widened his eyes. Are today''s young people all this fierce, not even hesitating for a moment?


    He couldn''t help but look towards Lu Liang, 4.3 billion US Dollars, truly comfortable handing it over to a young man?


    Lu Liang looked at him: "Yutao, do you have any questions?"


    Sun Yutao quickly shook his head: "No."

 Chapter 256 - 255: What is Not Forbidden by Law is Permissible

    "Let''s begin."


    Lu Liang looked up at the screen, feeling a touch cold as though he had a fever, and instinctively tightened his wool coat around himself.


    It was just past seven, in the live broadcast room for the United States election, a map of fifty states with a gray pattern showed the first Blue State appearing.


    The results for New York had already been announced, with Larry securing 57.3% of the votes, and the businessman securing 42.7% of the votes.


    Although New York is a standard Blue State and a stable stronghold for Larry''s party, it didn''t hinder a promising start.


    The moment the news was released, the "Businessman Inverse Index" surged significantly.


    Wen Chao nodded firmly, held his breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and took charge on behalf of Lu Liang, "Group one, buy Gold at 1750.12, Group two, short the Peso-US Dollar at 18.21."


    "Group three..." Wen Chao couldn''t help but glance at Lu Liang, intending to mobilize half of the reserve funds.


    That is 150 million US Dollars, divided into two parts of 75 million each, one for the margin account, and one for the operations account.


    75 million US Dollars, leveraged twenty times, would amount to 1.5 billion US Dollars, betting on a rise in the RMB against the US Dollar.


    Lu Liang covered his mouth coughing violently, took a sip of water, cleared his throat, "What isn''t prohibited by law can be done."


    Whether shorting or longing, both were market activities¡ªhe had previously opted not to, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t.


    Going forward, he planned to focus on his career; concerning money matters, he would only direct the strategy, everything was acceptable as long as it wasn''t illegal.


    Perhaps it was self-deception, but from now on publicly, the private funds would no longer be managed by Lu Liang, and whatever happened would have nothing to do with him.


    Empowered, Wen Chao''s confidence soared, "Group three to withdraw 150 million US Dollars, use 20 times leverage, and long the RMB."


    Compared to Old Mo''s Peso and International Gold, he was actually more optimistic about the RMB''s continuous strong performance.


    East Country had been overlooked by America for too long, regardless of who would take office, they would face targeting.


    Thus, a short-term surge and a long-term continuous rise in the RMB against the US Dollar was inevitable. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At 7:32 PM, the first Red State emerged.


    It was just the stronghold of the businessman''s party, and it wouldn''t have much impact on the financial markets.


    What really would be decisive should be the ongoing announcements of Swing States at three twenty in the morning.


    With the orders from Wen Chao, a total of 4.15 billion US Dollars flowed into three major markets: Peso, Gold, and RMB.


    Among these, the Peso market was the smallest, although Old Mo had a territorial area of 1.96 million square kilometers and a population of 122 million.


    But it was too far from heaven and too close to the United States, also the final barrier used by the United States to fend off South American refugees.


    Last year''s GDP just barely broke through one trillion US Dollars, only one-twelfth of East Country''s, one-eighteenth of the United States'', and one-fifth of Japan''s.


    Their GDP per capita was only 8,644 US Dollars, just 518 US Dollars more than East Country, likely to be overtaken by next year.


    Thus, although the election of the businessman would impact Old Mo''s Peso foremost, Lu Liang had only invested one billion US Dollars.


    That included five hundred million for margin and five hundred million for operation, leveraged five times to make two and a half billion US Dollars.


    But 2.5 billion US Dollars was not a small number; as the funds entered the market, they were immediately noticed due to the small size of the Peso market.


    Everyone looked up and saw, suddenly a massive unknown force emerged, drawing too much attention.


    "Who?"


    Lu Liang''s old friend from JPMorgan''s Group Three, Wilson, was also involved, alongside Blackstone, Vanguard, and other well-known Wall Street investment banks; they had entered the Peso market early too.


    It wasn''t a coincidence; any investment bank on Wall Street had control over hundreds of billions of US Dollars.


    If funds sat idle, they would depreciate, so wherever there was any movement globally, they would definitely be involved.


    "Is it Lu Liang?" someone asked.


    Over the past decade, Wall Street had always been a backstage supporter of the Red State, but this time, they abandoned the Red State, not optimistic about the businessman winning.


    Because the businessman was a real estate magnate, who didn''t lack political donations, hadn''t taken their money, and if he won the big prize, he was unlikely to help them.


    Otherwise, there wouldn''t be the creation of the "Businessman Inverse Index," the word "inverse" alone was indicative enough.


    Over the previous 44 elections, although there were election weather forecasts, there had never been an "inverse" index.


    Only the businessman was unique, also indicating that Wall Street was not optimistic about him.


    Thus, they all chose to long the Peso.


    Because Larry was a traditional Democrat, who embraced diversity and advocated for compassion to all living beings.


    Once elected, the Peso would definitely rise sharply.


    "It doesn''t quite seem like his style, but we can''t completely rule it out."


    Wilson frowned severely; just yesterday afternoon, he received news of Lu Liang being hospitalized.


    He was deeply worried for a long time, fortunately, by last night, he saw the news of Lu Liang attending a press conference.


    Although not as spirited as usual, likely unable to concentrate and engage in market investment activities.


    But it couldn''t be entirely ruled out.


    When they heard this, their faces broke into smiles, and they felt relaxed, "As long as it''s not Lu Liang, it''s fine."


    That Lu Liang really is somewhat sinister, having faced him so many times and never reaping any benefits.


    This caused everyone to naturally be tentative when opposing Lu Liang; if it wasn''t him personally, it would be a different matter.


    "It''s definitely not him, that guy is an extreme racist." Suddenly, someone spoke up.


    They had a large amount of capital invested in Offshore Renminbi, and at the same time, there were unknown forces entering the market.


    From the style, the trading methods of these two forces were extremely similar, likely the same organization.


    As everyone knows, Lu Liang, though often accurately assessing the international situation, always deliberately ignored the world''s second largest market.


    He was also dubbed a racist, and if it was Lu Liang, he would never short his own country''s currency.


    "Is it really not him?" Wilson murmured to himself.


    If it was Lu Liang''s doing, then he would need to reconsider whether to continue basing market investments on Larry''s anticipated victory.


    The last time he followed the trend and shorted the Dow, it had been profitable, sweetening the previous losses incurred from going long on British Pounds.


    The feeling of winning effortlessly was just too good.


    Time ticked by, nearing midnight, with results from 23 states now public¡ª12 from Blue State, 11 from Red State, with a narrowing gap between the two parties.


    But generally, they were the strongholds of each side, and the market still believed Larry would win the election.


    Next was a two-hour break, as it was the United States'' lunch break, so all states would stop counting.


    Lu Liang''s face turned flushed red as he quickly walked out of the trading room, unable to help but cover his chest as he coughed heavily.


    Coughing in the evening was usually a bit worse than during the day, he habitually pulled out a cigarette.


    But after thinking it over, he threw it directly into the trash bin and opened the window to let in some air: "It''s time to quit."


    There''s nothing sadder in life than living without money, but clearly, Lu Liang didn''t need to worry about that.


    He planned to take this chance to quit smoking, to live a few more years, to enjoy a few more years of lavish nightlife.


    Suddenly his phone rang, he received a message from Li Manli: "I cooked some pear and white fungus, do you want to try it? It can moisten the lungs."


    Lu Liang replied: "I''m still at the office."


    "I can bring it over to you."


    Li Manli suddenly got excited, worried about disturbing Lu Liang''s work, she added: "Or Shiyu can pick it up downstairs."


    All day, she was so worried that Lu Liang might leave her for that ''sister'' that she couldn''t even focus on eating.


    Now, at midnight, Lu Liang was still at work, which at least meant he wasn''t with that ''sister''.


    She hadn''t been abandoned, at least not yet.


    "Then bring it up."


    "Okay, I''ll be there soon."


    Li Manli was probably at Tangchen, it only took her twenty minutes to call and come up to the office.


    It was her first time at Lu Liang''s company, her eyes filled with curiosity, always sneaking glances.


    Lu Liang patted her head, then led Li Manli to his office: "If you get sleepy, there''s a lounge inside."


    Li Manli quickly waved her hands, her head shaking like a rattle: "After you drink, I''ll go back."


    Lu Liang looked at her, patting the seat next to him, and Li Manli obediently, quietly sat beside him.


    Lu Liang drank the pear and white fungus soup, feeling the searing pain in his lungs being soothed: "Skilled craftsmanship, tastes good."


    Li Manli squinted her eyes, grinning broadly: "I''ll go back and cook some lily soup later, you can eat it tomorrow morning."


    Lu Liang stroked her head for a long time, Li Manli enjoyed herself greatly until Lu Liang suddenly asked, "Would that make you angry?"


    Li Manli fell silent, hesitating for a long time, she bit her lower lip and whispered: "I won''t be angry, just a little scared, scared that you don''t want me because of that ''sister''."


    "Of course not."


    Even if Lu Liang liked Su Wanyu a lot, he wouldn''t give up the whole forest for her, and neither would Li Manli.


    If he really had to make a choice, he would only give up the person forcing him to choose.


    "Hehe, then I''m not worried."


    Li Manli''s smile bloomed, she hugged Lu Liang tight, not even worrying about whether pneumonia could be contagious, just wanting their faces close together.


    "You should head back and rest early," Lu Liang chuckled, used to Li Manli''s way of expressing love.


    If his body wasn''t ailing at this moment, Li Manli would probably wish to experience what a fever of 38 degrees felt like.


    Clumsy, but also very sincere.

 Chapter 257 - 256: Creating a Legend

    "Bye-bye, I''ll go first."


    Li Manli watched as Lu Liang finished his sugar water, looking back every few steps, hesitating for a long time before finally saying, "Don''t work too hard."


    Lu Liang was probably going to pull an all-nighter; he was clearly ill, and clearly wealthy enough not to need to do this. She didn''t understand, but besides feeling sympathetic, there seemed to be nothing she could do.


    Lu Liang touched her cheek and said with a gentle laugh, "See you tomorrow morning. Be careful on your way home."


    After seeing off Li Manli, he headed to the reception room where several medical staff members specially invited by the hospital had been waiting.


    After receiving another IV drip to slightly alleviate his condition, Lu Liang forced himself to stay alert and entered the trading room next door, crossing his arms and staring at the brightly colored screens with a weary face.


    Wen Chao glanced at him and relaxed a bit inside. Even if Lu Liang did nothing, just having him there was reassuring.


    The two hours of rest passed in a blink, and the market started to become restless again as the results from the first swing state were about to be released.


    Wisconsin was the first, with Businessman at 50% and Larry at 49%, securing a narrow 1% advantage to take the first swing state.


    Upon the announcement, the market reacted swiftly.


    Mexican Peso against US Dollar surged, RMB against US Dollar surged, and International Gold prices also soared significantly.


    Among the fifty states, only seven were swing states, the outcome of which was always filled with uncertainty and could determine the winner of the election. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Wen Chao''s face showed excitement, "Use 150 million dollars of the contingency fund, divide it into three parts, and stabilize the three markets."


    As the results of the first swing state were announced, the scales of victory began to tilt towards them, and towards Businessman.


    Although Businessman was still trailing by twelve electoral votes from one state, securing the first swing state was enough to close the gap.


    As the medication began to wear off, Lu Liang fought off sleepiness and in a drowsy state, glanced at the total accounts for the three trades.


    RMB earned 32.21 million US dollars, Mexican Peso earned 232 million US dollars, and the most was put into International Gold, which also had the largest increase.


    Breaking 1800 per ounce, they had invested 1.5 billion US dollars and used a 10x leverage; now, their profits exceeded 420 million US dollars.


    Given the current situation, they probably wouldn''t need to wait until 10 AM; around 6 or 7 AM would likely suffice.


    With seven crucial swing states, securing half would mean the rest of the time was insignificant.


    Meanwhile, institutions on Wall Street were furrowing their brows, as there were quite a few black swans this year.


    Polls had consistently shown Larry far ahead; the question was how Businessman managed to make a comeback.


    "The polling audience was different; Businessman shifted focus towards the internet," a professional research firm quickly provided a preliminary analysis.


    Elections were one person, one vote, but for many years, young people had typically abstained.


    Larry was still using traditional methods to canvass votes, but Businessman leveraged new media channels.


    This engaged voters who typically didn''t care and would have abstained, to participate in this election and support Businessman.


    At 4:05 AM, the number of Red States surpassed the Blue States, capturing the second swing state.


    Businessman was now sitting with "half a butt" on that supreme throne, and the market quickly reacted.


    Mexican Peso rose to 19.2500, International Gold increased to 1850 US dollars, and RMB also broke through the 6.5 mark.


    "Wait until the third swing state turns Red to firmly establish the victory before cashing out,"


    Wen Chao was very composed, aware that a segment of the market still believed in Larry''s supporters who were stubbornly resisting.


    When they gave up or shifted their policies to start operating under the assumption of Businessman''s election,


    That would be their best moment to cash out because there would be someone to take over, maximizing their returns.


    Wen Chao glanced over; since after midnight, no more of Lu Liang''s coughing could be heard in the trading room.


    It wasn''t that he had recovered, but rather his coughs had been replaced by snores which, due to his illness, were quite loud.


    Many traders were sneakily looking this way, their faces no longer displaying nervousness but replaced with admiration.


    Now with a 75% chance of victory, Lu Liang''s snores brought at least 15% confidence.


    Dealing with speculation involving billions of dollars and still being able to sleep indicated unmatched confidence.


    Obviously, they didn''t know that all trading orders tonight were issued by Wen Chao, with Lu Liang hardly speaking.


    At 5:45 AM, although the third swing state turned Blue, Larry was already without hope.


    With only eight states left to report, Businessman held 265 electoral votes and was supported by 24 states.


    Remaining eight states, including Kentucky, a traditional Red State for over a hundred years, possessing eight electoral votes.


    This meant, no matter what, the businessman securing support from over 25 states and over 270 votes was already a done deal.


    The probability of winning the election had skyrocketed to 99.99%.


    Unless aliens invaded Earth, unless East Country suddenly attacked, unless the businessman suddenly died, respecting these uncontrollable factors, there remained a 0.01% chance.


    "Damn America~~"


    "These Red State Party members should perish for letting a Joker rise to power."


    "It''s just like us, truly free, truly democratic, we''ve made history once again."


    Above New York State, the clouds were dense, the more developed the area, the more it leaned towards Blue State.


    Because in their view, the Red State Party was just a bunch of crude, redneck laborers.


    In America culture, this wasn''t a compliment but specifically referred to southern rural whites, equivalent to white trash.


    Defined in media and mainstream culture as poor, backward, dirty, uneducated, with a tendency towards racism.


    Meanwhile, on Manhattan''s Wall Street, the clouds were even denser. One by one, the participating market investment banking institutions couldn''t help but feel depressed.


    They had bet wrongly again.


    This was the third time this year.


    Although losses were cut in time and they went long on Gold instead, there was still a bit of profit. However, the gain was absolutely incomparable to that of the mysterious forces that had made the right choice from the beginning.


    "Has anyone found out? Who is it that can make the right decision amidst such chaos?"


    Just moments ago, that batch of capital had massively withdrawn, choosing the timing very cleverly, only taking 80% of the market movement and leaving 20%.


    They were forced to stabilize the market for the remaining 20%, reluctantly helping the other party to exit smoothly.


    After all, everyone had thought Larry would win, betting on the wrong direction, and they had to absorb 20% of the market movement to hedge their bets.


    "Number 1, HK Garden Road." Wilson''s eyes widened upon hearing the news.


    Immediately, silence ensued.


    Number 1, HK Garden Road was the address for the Bank of China Building, indicating that this capital came from HK. They had heard this name more than once; the last time was when Old England exited the EU and during the southern incident.


    Lu Liang''s entry into international financial markets was mainly channeled through Number 1, HK Garden Road.


    They knew the channel of funds, but could do nothing, as East Country''s Foreign Exchange Administration also routed many funds through this channel.


    East Country''s Foreign Exchange Administration, as of last quarter, controlled over thirty trillion dollars in US treasury bonds, making them dare not play any tricks.


    Wall Street institutions, even if just using the force of an institution could suppress many countries, definitely did not include East Country.


    "Is it Lu Liang again?" A sigh expressed the sourness in everyone''s hearts.


    So much so, they began to speculate that Lu Liang''s hospitalization was fabricated simply to make them lower their guard.


    "It''s Tianxing, but it shouldn''t be Lu Liang, the real operator must be someone else." Wilson said gravely.


    Only an enemy truly understands one''s self; he had replayed many times the past transactions conducted by Lu Liang.


    Aggressive, biased, nearly synonymous with Lu Liang, the person operating tonight was clearly more cautious than Lu Liang.


    If it had been Lu Liang, he wouldn''t have left them 20% of the market movement, considering a 5% wiggle room cause for celebration.


    Sometimes he wouldn''t even give them that 5%, instead pondering how to trap them.


    Wilson shared his speculation, "He''s probably planning to exit the private fund market."


    According to East Country''s financial law, public and private funds cannot coexist, Lu Liang had more than once expressed his intention to establish a public fund.


    Tonight, perhaps was a signal, a signal Lu Liang gave to investors, that even if not operated by him personally, the fund could still profit.


    As his words fell, someone immediately exclaimed in frustration, "Damn it, so you''re saying we''ll never be able to beat him head-on?"


    Everyone was silent, recalling a legendary figure, Bruce Lee, who died suddenly in the most glorious period, creating a legend.


    If it were as Wilson speculated, after tonight, Lu Liang would completely retire backstage, signifying his 100% success rate in the international markets.


    All the institutions present would forever become the supporting cast in the grand narrative of Lu Liang''s unparalleled reputation, and lose any chance of turning the tide.


    Wilson gave a bitter smile, "Maybe that''s what he''s planning."

 Chapter 258 - 257: Throwing Dirty Water, Useless!

    "Different from usual, every settlement was accompanied by cheers, for it represented another victory for them.


    This time, everyone tacitly suppressed their excitement, worried about disturbing Lu Liang''s rest.


    Wen Chao took a deep breath and gently shook Lu Liang''s shoulder, ''Mr. Lu...''"


    "''Is it done?'' Lu Liang struggled to open his eyes and felt completely drained.


    That weakness was even more intense than when he was young and had managed eight times in one night.


    Wen Chao nodded and handed over a partial settlement report for Lu Liang to review.


    He had settled only in pesos and gold, planning to hold onto the RMB for a bit longer.


    Despite the RMB exchange rate reaching 6.55, he believed there was still market movement to anticipate, since their new hypothetical enemy was the very one they faced now.


    Lu Liang glanced at the settlement report, profits from international gold reaching 825 million US dollars, and from pesos, 385 million US dollars.


    Combining the two markets, the profits surpassed one billion US dollars; Wen Chao had delivered an impeccable result.


    Lu Liang took a sip of water and summoned Sun Yutao, looking at them, ''How do we plan to allocate the funds next?''


    After a moment of thought, Wen Chao said, ''Use 50% of the funds to enter the US stock market. If the businessman firmly implements the political declaration, the US stock market should experience some volatility before entering a slow bull trend.''


    Lu Liang hummed in agreement, ''Let''s proceed with that for now.''


    The rise of the US stock market was the base tone for the coming years, though he had received messages of significant drops along the way.


    But now, he only wanted to lie in bed, think of nothing, and rest well for ten days to a fortnight, to recover from his illness.


    With the first rays of dawn, Lu Liang returned to the Tangchen District, not far from the New International Building.


    He hadn''t slept all night, and neither had Li Manli, who had been making sweet soup in the kitchen before dawn.


    ''I haven''t finished cooking it yet.'' Li Manli, looking dazed, hurriedly came forward to support Lu Liang.


    ''Then we''ll drink it when I wake up.'' Lu Liang swallowed some pills and went back to the bedroom to rest.


    His head barely touched the pillow, still in his clothes, when heavy breathing could be heard.


    Illness struck like a falling mountain, forcibly enduring an all-nighter when he most needed rest.


    Now, the task was finally complete. Though not as severe as snapping a string, it was nearly as bad.


    ''Liang, shall I help you wipe down your body?''


    Li Manli spoke softly and repeated her offer several times, but Lu Liang did not respond.


    Suddenly, she smirked cunningly and, with the excited steps of a duck, happily ran to the bathroom to fetch a bucket of warm water.


    She started by wiping his face and arms, the parts exposed, and finally helped him remove all his clothes, not even sparing Little Lu, lifting and wiping it left and right.


    ''Smells good.'' She sniffed, detecting no bad odor, stealthily kissed him, then helped Lu Liang into comfortable pajamas.


    ''I''m exhausted.'' Li Manli was sweaty and out of breath; she weighed only 95 pounds, while Lu Liang weighed 150 pounds.


    Turning him over, being very careful not to disturb his rest, was no less demanding than a major surgery.


    ''He''s sick, business is also wrapped up, so he should rest well these days and not go out, right?''


    Li Manli suddenly grinned, showing a silly smile. She could already imagine, in the coming days, Lu Liang would belong only to her.


    Thinking this, she picked up her phone, drafted a message to her fan group as well as on Panda, ''Got to go back to hometown, taking a half-month leave.''


    After sending the message, she decisively logged out.


    Though live streaming was just a job, just a way to pass idle time, she always felt embarrassed taking leave, feeling like she was letting her fans down.


    But between Lu Liang and her fans, she would always, without a doubt, choose Lu Liang, hence out of sight, out of mind.


    ''Oh no, my sweet soup, I hope it hasn''t scorched.''


    Li Manli hurried out of the bedroom, thankfully the sweet soup hadn''t dried up and there were still two bowls left."


    She set the water heater to conservation mode, humming a tune, hopping and skipping towards the bathroom to wash up.


    She removed her makeup, as well as the accessories on her wrists and neck, and changed into a couple''s bathrobe.


    Li Manli tiptoed back into the bedroom, taking off her slippers at the door and quietly slipping under the covers, lying next to Lu Liang.


    Even just gazing at him, her heart felt inexplicably satisfied until sleep overtook her, entering her dreams with a sweet smile.


    Dawn broke, and it was eleven o''clock at night Eastern Standard Time in the United States. Every state''s voter and electoral votes had been completely tallied.


    The businessman secured 304 electoral votes from 28 states, whereas Larry had only 232. The businessman won the election by a nearly overwhelming advantage.


    At half past eleven in the evening, according to a spokesperson, Larry had followed procedure and conceded defeat to the businessman over the phone.


    Thus, the real estate magnate, a political novitiate, just had to get through the next month without any incidents.


    Next January, he would be the ruler of this land of America for the next four years.


    The news spread domestically, and the idea of a free election system threw the intellectuals into a frenzy.


    "What is democracy? Democracy is equality in the face of opportunity, but on the other hand¡­ ah, forget it."


    "Shut up about it already. If any of them actually went out and saw, they''d know there''s overwhelmingly negative feedback, with only a rare few still advocating for this system." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "To be fair, not to praise the intellectuals, but my father-in-law truly inspired me, and just like that, he climbed to the top."


    "Cut the crap, it was actually my father-in-law."


    Domestic netizens always had unique focal points. When the businessman won the election, the first to gain popularity was his immediate daughter.


    Born in ''81, at the ripe age of 35, standing tall at 180cm, her long legs, blonde hair, blue eyes, and cute face made her the epitome of an American beauty.


    This caused those who had never heard of the businessman to develop a favorable impression upon seeing his daughter.


    "It''s truly death by entertainment. They ignore what should concern them; last night, the RMB broke 6.55."


    "Isn''t currency appreciation good? It means the RMB is becoming more valuable."


    "Are you an idiot? A spike like that overnight, and you think it''s good news?"


    "I earn 3000 a month; what does it have to do with me?"


    "It actually does affect those earning 3000 because it indirectly makes the things we buy more expensive."


    "Do you know why so many people went to Tokyo to shop early this year? It was because the yen had plummeted. Our money was the same, but it bought more foreign currency, like when the news covered the Chinese aunties sweeping through Tokyo''s toilets."


    "Though they mock the aunties for not being worldly, who wouldn''t be tempted if they previously could only buy a toilet but now could also afford a sink?"


    "If you were a shop owner, what would you do? Without a doubt, you''d raise the prices, hence spreading the cost to everyone."


    Last night, the RMB plummeted, and companies engaged in export trade woke up feeling like the sky had fallen.


    Especially those exporting textiles to Asia, Africa, and Latin America, who generally operated on low profit margins with high volumes.


    The RMB had dropped by 0.12 overnight, meaning if they settled accounts now, they would be operating at a loss.


    Suddenly, rumors emerged that Lu Liang had somehow been involved in the RMB''s spike, profiting immensely from it.


    "Damn them; I always said those capitalists have dark hearts. Capital is capital, there''s no good or bad."


    "It must be a rumor. Lu Liang was hospitalized in a coma early yesterday morning, attended the NIO new car launch looking near death by noon, and then he supposedly stayed up all night keeping an eye on the United States election? He must have a death wish."


    "I''m a nurse at that city hospital, and I heard from the next department that Lu Liang had acute pneumonia, there''s no faking that."


    "There''s an old saying, if you want to spiritually destroy a nation, start by slandering its heroes."


    "I guess last night, Lu Liang heavily cut into their gains again, they lost, felt pissed, so they started slinging mud."


    Three months ago, that video "The day CCTV broadcast Panda Bear¡­" garnered Lu Liang a lot of public sympathy.


    So much so that when the truth surfaced, the majority of netizens were skeptical, thinking that foreign forces were slandering Lu Liang.


    "Freaking hell¡­"


    Meanwhile, in an office on Wall Street, a voice cursed in furious frustration.

 Chapter 259 - 258: The King of Mobile Phones

    Rumors ran rampant online, yet discerning the truth from falsehood was challenging.


    Because sometimes black could be turned into white, and white could be claimed as black, especially when there was no evidence to support casual gossip.


    Wen Chao felt a chill of fear, as he had been closely monitoring the market and the public sentiment. At the moment the news broke, he decisively liquidated his positions, investing $150 million and securing a profit of $52.21 million.


    Also that evening, he promptly called Lu Liang to inform him that he''d settled his positions in offshore RMB.


    The sway of public opinion mattered, but it was the sudden upheaval in the market that was more significant. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ever since the businessman had become a central figure and made a political declaration, a massive surge of capital had instantly flooded the market, thwarting the rise of the RMB.


    Just when it was about to break 6.6, it suddenly fell back to 6.55, reminiscent of a market maker manipulating stock prices at high levels.


    Such market conditions, Wen Chao had seen similar cases in textbooks, like the 1997 Xiangjiang financial defense battle.


    The RMB was bound to appreciate in value, perhaps even surpassing 7 in a very short period of time, but it couldn''t be because of extraneous forces.


    He also remembered what Lu Liang had once said, "When the world rises, I don''t; I am different from the world. When the world falls, I fall too; the world has an influence on me."


    The international market, as perceived by most countries, implied the United States, but East University Market couldn''t and shouldn''t see it that way.


    Unless the Federal Reserve adjusted interest rates, being hijacked by the US Dollar was an irresistible force, otherwise, East University''s market was destined to follow its independent trajectory.


    It could rise, but not now, otherwise, it would just become a lackey of the United States.


    "Just sold it then," said Lu Liang succinctly, instructing Wen Chao to spread some news that they had conducted market operations the previous night and had reaped substantial rewards.


    No explanations were given, nor did he wish to elaborate; it was enough for people to know that they had definitely participated.


    "Alright, Mr. Lu." Wen Chao''s mind was restless, and he couldn''t calm down for a long time, suddenly entertaining a ridiculous idea.


    But it should be, well...unlikely.


    Meanwhile, when Lu Liang woke up, he realized even his underwear had been removed, leaving him momentarily dumbfounded as a smile slowly crept onto his lips.


    After washing up, he stepped out of the bedroom and saw Li Manli lying on the couch, engrossed in her tablet and phone once again.


    After this midnight, it would be Double Eleven, and tonight Tianmao was hosting a grand carnival in Shenzhen.


    Manli''s tablet broadcast the Tianmao event live, while her phone was open to a shopping site, ready to place an order at the first opportunity.


    For the sake of breaking through a hundred billion in single-day turnover, Tianmao had made extensive preparations, bringing in guests like Kobe, Beckham, and Scarlett - truly a luxurious lineup.


    The camera panned over to the electronics salesperson, and Lu Liang spotted Luo, his face revealing an odd expression.


    Luo, always priding himself as a successor to Jobs, seemed to have finally achieved his wish, selling phones and tablets on Tianmao.


    The brands he peddled included, but weren''t limited to, Apple, Xiaomi, Meizu, OV, rounding up to a veritable king of phones.


    Lu Liang cleared his throat, which was still a bit sore, but felt substantially better after sleeping off the night before.


    Hearing the noise, Li Manli immediately sat up cross-legged, her large eyes filled with concern, "You''re finally awake, are you hungry?"


    Lu Liang had slept a solid thirteen hours, and from the tenth hour, she had been frequently checking on him in the bedroom, genuinely worried that he might fall asleep and never wake up.


    "Not really hungry, let''s eat later," Lu Liang chuckled softly, stroking his aching head, and sat down beside her.


    Seeing more than thirty items in the shopping cart, he couldn''t help grinning, "The delivery is going to be slow these days, why not buy them some other time?"


    "Double Eleven is cheaper~" Manli wiggled her hips and squirmed closer into Lu Liang''s embrace.


    Seemingly remembering something, she suddenly slipped away to pour a glass of warm water, returning with a packet of medicine, "This afternoon, Secretary Wen asked Shiyu to bring this over and reminded me to make sure you take it on time."


    She coaxed like one might with a child, "It''s not bitter, take your medicine like a good boy, and you''ll get better quickly ¨C illness, illness~ fly away~"


    Lu Liang laughed, opened his mouth, and waited to be fed.


    Just 53 seconds past midnight, Tianmao''s Double Eleven sales broke ten billion. Within seven minutes, it exceeded a hundred billion, and the total daily turnover reached 120.7 billion, accounting for 81.87% of the total online transactions for the day.


    The news of the day''s turnover surpassing a hundred billion became a powerful solo performance and continued to ferment over the subsequent days.


    Lu Liang also rested at home for a few days and on the 16th of November, he went to the hospital for a check-up.


    The inflammation in his lungs had nearly dissipated, but the doctor advised that he should still be cautious in his daily life.


    "I could really use a smoke."


    Lu Liang smacked his lips, his pneumonia healed, breathing was smooth, yet he always felt his mouth was bland and tasteless.


    The hardest part of quitting smoking wasn''t nicotine; it was the mental craving and habit ¨C without smoking, he didn''t know what to do with himself.


    "Brother, are we heading back to the company?" Fang Shiyu asked.


    "Let''s go to Scholarly Splendor."


    Lu Liang threw two pieces of chewing gum into his mouth. Now that the illness had passed and the work was done, it was time to see how Su Wanyu was doing.


    Fang Shiyu was startled and drove off, hesitant, he said, "Yu called me yesterday."


    "What did she say?" Lu Liang was surprised.


    "Just asked how you were doing, if you were better from the illness?"


    "What did you tell her?"


    "Alright, just still coughing a little."


    "And what did she say?"


    "There was a long silence, but she said nothing."


    "She didn''t tell you not to tell me?"


    "No."


    Fang Shiyu thought for a while, then added in a muffled voice, "Yu seemed very sad."


    Lu Liang hummed in response and opened the car window to let the winter breeze pour in.


    Half an hour later, they arrived near Scholarly Splendor District in University City.


    Lu Liang fumbled at the fire hydrant at the doorstep; the key to the house was still in its old spot. Upon opening the door, he found the inside clean and tidy, as if someone had tidied up but no one had lived there.


    He walked to the balcony, where three rows of small potted plants had been well-cared for¡ªone of them had even sprouted a new shoot in the winter.


    From the distance Tongji Campus''s sports ground seemed to be having an 800-meter trial, clusters of boys and girls chatted and laughed together.


    Lu Liang sent Su Wanyu a message to let her know he was back and waiting for her at home. Soon, the message was replied: "My class ends at 3:30 PM; I''ll probably arrive by 4:00 PM."


    "I''ll wait for you."


    Lu Liang took out a lounge chair from the storage room, set it up on the balcony, and laid there, enjoying the sight of energetic young men and women.


    He thought he understood Su Wanyu''s mindset, teetering between sensibility and naivety, undecided between the two.


    After waiting for more than an hour, Lu Liang yawned and, in a drowsy state, heard footsteps behind him.


    "You just recovered from the illness; take care to not relapse," Su Wanyu''s cool voice arose.


    Lu Liang turned around to look back. Su Wanyu''s makeup was immaculate as if she had dressed up specially.


    She wore a loose white sweater with black high-waisted wide-leg pants, having significantly slimmed down.


    Unlike Li Manli''s style of dress, she seemed to want to make herself appear more mature.


    "I just went to the hospital for a check-up; it''s just a bit of a cough left, it needs to be slowly taken care of."


    Lu Liang talked about his condition and patted the spot next to him. With her eyebrows slightly furrowed, Su Wanyu hesitated briefly before sitting down beside him: "It''s best if you quit smoking."


    However, she only sat halfway because the lounge chair was bought by her; sitting completely down would make it easy to sink in again.


    "I''m already quitting. When I want to smoke, I chew two pieces of chewing gum," Lu Liang said with a chuckle.


    "Quitting is good for your health¡­"


    Su Wanyu''s words reached her lips, then swallowed them back; she thought of the lighter.


    After quitting cigarettes and finding a substitute, naturally, one wouldn''t need a lighter anymore.


    She took a deep breath, took out a bunch of keys from her bag, and two property deeds for Pujiang Green City apartments.


    Though Lu Liang had bought them for her parents, they hadn''t taken them when they left last time, asking her to keep them safe.


    Finally, she took out a car key and a black gold credit card from an industrial and commercial bank, murmuring, "I''m returning these to you."


    "How much do you weigh now?" Lu Liang suddenly asked.


    "Why are you asking that?"


    "You seem to have lost a lot of weight."


    Su Wanyu looked down, silent. After a long time, she uttered as if the words struggled out of her throat, "Yes, I''ve lost weight."


    It was as if she used all her strength, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, and suddenly she looked directly at Lu Liang, "Why can you be so calm?"


    For the first time, Lu Liang saw her eyes and knew that tears didn''t need to be brewed; just like that, they could naturally fall.