yournovel Chapter 133 Heading North to Discuss Financing
Chapter 133 Heading North to Discuss Financing
Chapter 133 Heading North to Discuss Financing (5k)
In the capital city, snowflakes fluttered and the north wind howled.
No. 1 Zhongguancun East Road, Building 18, Tsinghua Science and Technology Building, NetEase Beijing Headquarters.
Inside the large office, a lively atmosphere was taking place as several heads of the operations and technology teams were arguing heatedly about the features of NetEase Weibo.
Some insisted on adding filters, some were determined to get on the trending topics list, and some were arguing about whether to copy Xinlang or create their own. The sound of keyboards and the noise of debate were all mixed together.
"So what if they copied it? QQ copied ICQ, but who remembers ICQ now? Besides, wasn't Xinlang Weibo copied too?"
"The problem is we're too late to copy! They've already run a hundred meters ahead, and we've just put on our running shoes!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"If I knew what to do, I'd be your boss!"
The sounds of the argument could be faintly heard even through the door.
In the office of the deputy editor-in-chief of the website department, the door was closed and it was quiet.
31-year-old Tang Yan was lounging in his office chair, leisurely browsing American internet news and various websites.
TechCrunch, Mashable, The Verge—I browsed through these websites one by one, my eyes gleaming.
On the screen, one novel product after another appeared: Foursquare, WhatsApp—like seeds taking root and sprouting on the other side of the ocean.
As the deputy editor-in-chief of one of the four major portal websites, Tang Yan has always had a keen sense of the forefront of the Internet.
He became more and more excited as he scrolled through the pages.
Groupon became a hit across the ocean, and a whole host of group-buying websites immediately sprang up in China, such as WoTuan.com, Manzuo.com, Lashou.com, and Meituan.com.
Twitter on the other side of the strait became a hit, and Weibo in Xinlang emerged overnight; Foursquare became a hit —
He vaguely sensed a warm current of the internet blowing in from across the Pacific Ocean, and it was getting faster and faster.
The golden age of copying to China has begun. The next few years will undoubtedly be a chaotic era of heroes and a frenzy of wealth creation.
Last August, when Xinlang Weibo imitated Twitter and launched its own version with the full force of the company, there was a lot of panic within NetEase.
Boss Ding immediately made the decision to proceed.
But what about the results?
Although NetEase has two major traffic pools, email and news comment community, Xinlang Weibo has already formed a first-mover advantage, and user stickiness is snowballing, widening the gap.
Five months is enough to kill you several times over in the internet industry.
This caused Tang Yan great distress.
He knew all too well where the problem lay: large companies made decisions slowly, with layers of approvals. By the time the leaders had finished three meetings, written five reports, and completed ten slides of PPT, it was too late.
Tang Yan worked at NetEase for seven years, rising from a regular editor to deputy editor-in-chief, with his annual salary increasing to a million yuan.
Having stock options, status, and a voice—for most people, this is already the pinnacle of life, and they should be content.
But Tang Yan was different; he had higher aspirations.
So, before the new year, he took the initiative to resign, wanting to start a mobile internet business with his former colleagues.
However, his resignation was persuaded to stay by his direct supervisor, Li Yong, the president of NetEase's portal division. Li Yong promised that he would be appointed as the editor-in-chief at a suitable time in the future.
Tang Yan failed to resign and remained as deputy editor-in-chief. But at this moment, his heart was already drawn to the booming mobile internet development across the ocean.
He kept an eye on the news from across the ocean every day, watching one new model after another emerge, and he was so anxious he was practically tearing his hair out.
Mobile Internet, it must be mobile Internet.
As he was thinking, his fingers didn't stop; he was still scrolling through the news.
Boom boom boom!
The knocking interrupted his thoughts. He instinctively closed the webpage, and the screen instantly switched back to the NetEase News backend.
"Please come in!"
The door opened, and the assistant poked half his body in: "President Tang, Lu Siyu from Mingfan Technology called again."
Tang Yan frowned.
Mingfan Technology? Lü Siyu? Who are they?
Seeing his blank expression, the assistant added, "It's that startup in Shanghai that contacted you last week. They said they'd like to discuss a location-based news push collaboration with NetEase News, and their CEO would like to meet with you in person."
Tang Yan remembered.
Last week, a girl did call him, claiming to be from Mingfan Technology in Shanghai, wanting to discuss something about "media transformation in the mobile internet era." Her reason was too vague and abstract, so he declined immediately.
This time, the reason seemed plausible, which piqued Tang Yan's interest a little more.
"What is location-based push notification? What is the background of this company? Have they developed the product? Do they have any data?" Tang Yan asked a series of questions.
"I asked them, and they said it's a newly established company with a product about to launch. Their idea is—"
Upon hearing that the product hadn't been launched yet, Tang Yan immediately waved his hand to interrupt: "Let's talk about it after their product is launched. Just say that my schedule is full and I don't have time at all."
"Okay, Mr. Tang, I'll reply." The assistant said, turning and leaving.
Tang Yan shook his head and continued reading his American news.
The number of people who want to see me every day could stretch from Beijing to Shanghai. If I had to see them all, how could I get any work done?
On the other end of the phone, Lü Siyu held the receiver, listening to the busy tone. Her expression changed from expectation to disappointment, and then to frustration.
She bit her lower lip and turned to look at Geng Zhi: "Boss, Tang Yan has refused our meeting invitation again. He said his schedule is full and he doesn't have time."
After a pause, she couldn't help but complain, "He's so arrogant!"
Geng Zhi smiled and waved his hand: "It's okay. He's the deputy editor-in-chief of NetEase. Countless people want to see him every day. Put yourself in his shoes, it's normal for him to refuse us."
"Then I'll call again tomorrow to ask him out." Lü Siyu was already racking her brains for a new excuse. "I need to think carefully about what kind of excuse I can come up with to get him to give in—"
"For example, are we related to Ding Lei?" Geng asked directly.
Lu Siyu paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Boss, that's such a flimsy excuse!"
"So, stop calling," Geng Zhi said. "Constantly calling will only become harassment."
"But how can we make an appointment if we don't call?" Lü Siyu asked anxiously. "If you can't get an appointment with Tang Yan, your trip to the capital will be ruined."
"It's okay, we'll think of other ways. There's always a way." He was very straightforward and calm.
Lu Siyu stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly raised her chin and said, "If all else fails, I'll go and wait for him outside NetEase! I mean what I say!"
Geng Zhi raised his eyebrows, stared at her for two seconds, and slowly smiled.
"That's a good idea." He nodded, his tone appreciative. "You truly are worthy of being my company secretary."
"Absolutely!" Lu Siyu raised her head even higher, looking smug.
bite-
A text message notification sounded on my phone.
Geng Zhi took out his phone and glanced at it. The sender was Zhou Haoran.
[Zhou Haoran]: "Mr. Geng, Ms. Xu Xiaoping has agreed to talk to you. She gave two times: tomorrow night at 8..."
"Which one do you think is more suitable, the day after tomorrow at 2:30 pm?"
Xu Xiaoping is an angel investor and the founder of ZhenFund, known in the investment world as the "old rascal." She was one of the three key figures at New Oriental before venturing into angel investing, where she has invested in a number of unicorns.
It wasn't easy to get a date with him.
Geng Zhi smirked, put away his phone, and asked Lü Siyu, "Tell me the schedule in the capital again."
Lu Siyu immediately opened her notebook and reported one by one: "General Manager Zhu of GSR Ventures, tomorrow at 3 pm."
"Mr. Shen from Sequoia Capital, 3 PM the day after tomorrow."
"Mr. Liu from Morningside Capital hasn't given us a specific time yet; we're still waiting for a reply."
After a moment's thought, Geng Zhi added, "Add Ms. Xu Xiaoping's time as well, at 2 PM the day after tomorrow."
"Ah! Okay!" Lü Siyu quickly jotted it down, her eyes sparkling. "The boss is amazing! He even managed to get Xu Xiaoping on the date!"
"It's not that I'm amazing, it's that Zhou Haoran is amazing," Geng Zhi said. "She's the one who made the connection."
As the two were talking, a cheer suddenly erupted outside the office, mixed with screams and applause.
"What's going on? I'll go check it out!"
As Lü Siyu spoke, she walked towards the office door. Before she even reached it, the door was flung open.
Yang Mingxia rushed in and almost collided with Lü Siyu. She slammed on the brakes and steadied herself.
"Sister Siyu, I'm so sorry!" Yang Mingxia apologized while excitedly looking at Geng Zhi, her eyes shining like light bulbs. "Boss! Senior Lü is back from the 'If You Are the One' program! He's back hand in hand with Sister Xiaowen!"
"Huh?" Lü Siyu's eyes widened. "They actually took their acting off?"
Yang Mingxia nodded emphatically, and at the same time gave Geng Zhi a thumbs up: "Boss, you're awesome! You've been a great matchmaker!"
'
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi immediately smiled, stood up, and followed him outside.
A group of people had already gathered in the office lobby.
Lu Sifeng stood in the center of the crowd, with Sun Xiaowen beside him. The two held hands and smiled.
"Senior Brother Lü!" Geng Zhi walked over with a smile, his gaze landing on Sun Xiaowen. "Oh, sister-in-law! Congratulations! You two have finally become a couple!"
When Sun Xiaowen heard the words "sister-in-law," her face instantly turned red, and even the tips of her ears turned pink.
Lu Sifeng stepped forward, grasped Geng Zhi's hand, and grinned from ear to ear: "Junior brother, thank you! Thank you for helping me come up with this idea!"
"Aha!" Sun Xiaowen exclaimed in sudden realization, her eyes widening as she looked at Geng Zhi. "So it was the boss who planned this! No wonder!!"
"No, no, no," Geng Zhi quickly waved his hands. "I only provided a tiny bit of direction; it was mainly thanks to Senior Brother Lü. Of course, the biggest credit goes to you, Sister-in-law, for your great charm, which gave Senior Brother Lü immense courage!"
Sun Xiaowen was embarrassed by the praise and smiled with her lips pursed.
"The boss is such a smooth talker!" Yang Mingxia interjected from the side, then leaned over to Lü Sifeng with a gossipy look on her face. "Senior Lü, Senior Lü, tell us quickly! What was the whole process like? Start from when you went on stage!"
Lu Sifeng cleared his throat and began to speak.
"As soon as I went on stage and finished my self-introduction, 22 lights were still on." He said this with a hint of pride.
"Wow!" everyone exclaimed.
"However, I told you right away that I came here for Xiaowen."
Yang Mingxia covered her mouth: "And then? And then?"
"Then the whole place went wild. Many of the female guests kindly turned off their lights one by one." Lü Sifeng gestured as he spoke. "The atmosphere was really, really touching. The host, Meng Fei, even interviewed Xiaowen for a few minutes."
Sun Xiaowen added from the side: "I was on the other side of the stage at that time, my heart was beating very fast, and my hands were shaking."
Next, he gave a detailed account of how he presented himself, how he unexpectedly confessed his feelings to Sun Xiaowen, how the two interacted on stage, and how they eventually won each other's hands.
A series of envious exclamations rang out in the office.
"How romantic!" Yang Mingxia clutched her heart with both hands, her eyes reddening. "I was so moved I cried!"
"Yes." Shu Beibei nodded, then looked at Sun Xiaowen, "Sister Xiaowen, what was your reaction at the time?"
Sun Xiaowen's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was a little choked up: "It was completely different from the script we rehearsed beforehand. It was so unexpected—I burst into tears on the spot. I could see that many of the female guests in the audience were also crying."
She paused, her voice even softer: "I swore then and there that I would choose Sifeng for the rest of my life."
Lu Sifeng quickly took out a tissue and carefully wiped away her tears.
"Wow!" Huang Haitang couldn't help but exclaim, "This is the first time I've seen Lü Bo so considerate! I'm so touched!"
"That's the power of love," Du Yujiao, a married woman, remarked. "Love can change a person."
"Excellent people are finally no longer alone, that's wonderful!" Zou Lu stood on the outskirts of the crowd, watching this scene. While moved, a slight sense of loss welled up in his heart.
When he joined the company, Meihao Encounter, besides being optimistic about its prospects and financial future, there was another important reason: he was drawn to the single women on the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" platform.
The results of it?
The company became Mingfan Technology, and I didn't get a single girl.
"Mr. Zou, are you a little disappointed?" Shu Beibei noticed his expression and asked with a smile, "Don't worry, the boss said he'd be a matchmaker for all of us!"
"Really, boss?" Zou Lu looked at Geng Zhi expectantly. "Boss, you'd better keep your word!"
"Absolutely." Geng Zhi patted him on the shoulder. "Once you're worth tens or hundreds of millions, will you still worry about not having a good girl?"
"That makes sense!"
After chatting for a few more minutes, Yang Mingxia, undeterred, pressed on, "Xiaowen, Senior Lü, could you tell us some behind-the-scenes stories from the show's production? Were they fun?"
Lu Sifeng shook his head, his expression somewhat complicated: "I only realized this time when I went to record the show that many of the so-called exciting moments seen on TV are actually scripted by the production team beforehand —"
"Huh?" There was a collective gasp of surprise around them.
Sun Xiaowen added, "It's true. Even the story of 'crying in the BMW' is supposedly scripted—but that's just hearsay."
There was a few seconds of silence in the office.
"Sister Xiaowen, do you have a chance to bring up your resignation from Jiaotong University's matchmaking service this time?" Shu Beibei suddenly asked.
"Yes, I did mention it. The first time was when Teacher Mengfei introduced my background to a guest again. I was worried it would be cut, so after Sifeng confessed to me, I explicitly mentioned again in my speech that I had left Jiaotong University's matchmaking service," Sun Xiaowen said.
"How was the reaction on the ground?" Shu Beibei asked hurriedly.
"Many people in the audience were surprised, and I gave a brief, subtle explanation."
"When will this episode of your show be broadcast to the public?" Yang Mingxia asked again.
"It should be on the evening of March 13th," Sun Xiaowen said, then looked at Geng Zhi.
Geng Zhi nodded slightly, then smiled and said, "Senior Brother Lü, Sister-in-law, why don't you two come to my office?"
99
CEO's Office.
Geng Zhi cut to the chase: "Senior brother, sister-in-law, Wan Ning, Si Yu, and I are flying to Beijing tomorrow to discuss Momo's financing with several investors. If you two have time, could you come along?"
"We definitely have time," Lü Sifeng said without hesitation, "but I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I don't know anything about negotiation."
"Senior, your status as a doctoral student at Jiaotong University is enough."
"Boss, what's my role?" Sun Xiaowen asked immediately.
"You were very popular on the dating show 'If You Are the One,' you were our number one psychology expert." Geng Zhi smiled and said, "Just sitting there, you were basically maxed out with buffs."
"I see----"
Lu Sifeng suddenly recalled the scene when he went to Teacher Jin Zhilong's place to discuss renting an office, and felt a pang of emotion. He had also been used as a "background prop" that time.
"Boss, if we need to ask for help, what's the best way to ask?" Sun Xiaowen asked.
Geng Zhi began to explain the details one by one: "If you ask about psychological matchmaking, sister-in-law, you can—"
"If you ask about technical issues, Senior Brother Lü can elaborate on the difficulties, such as the accuracy of LBS and concurrent processing —"
The two listened attentively, nodding repeatedly.
The next day, Geng Zhi took Gu Wan Ning, Lü Si Feng, and Sun Xiao Wen to the capital. Lü Si Yu arrived a day later.
After getting off the plane, the four of them took a taxi directly to the headquarters of Jinshajiang Venture Capital.
In the taxi, Lü Sifeng sat in the back seat, constantly rubbing his hands together.
"Junior brother," he lowered his voice, his nervousness barely concealed, "I'm still a little nervous."
Geng Zhi turned to look at him: "Senior Brother Lü, you weren't nervous about appearing on TV shows and meeting so many people, so why are you nervous about just meeting one person?"
"That's different!" Lü Sifeng shook his head. "Last time we followed the script, this time I'm doing something I'm not good at. What if I answer poorly and it affects your important matter, junior brother?"
Geng Zhi felt a warmth in his heart.
Fifty-five minutes later, in Zhu Xiaohu's office.
"————That project's valuation is too high. I suggest we wait and see————" Zhu Xiaohu was on the phone when his assistant led the four of them to the office.
Seeing Geng Zhi and the others, he pointed to his phone and waved his hand, indicating that they should sit down first.
The four of them sat down one after another.
Geng Zhi and Gu Wanning looked relaxed as they casually surveyed the office. Sun Xiaowen was also quite composed, her gaze sweeping across the walls. Lü Sifeng, on the other hand, sat ramrod straight, his hands resting on his knees like a schoolchild.
While Zhu Xiaohu was on the phone, Geng Zhi took a quick look around the office.
The office space wasn't large, but it was decorated in a very stylish way. Several trophies sat on the desk, and a calligraphy scroll hung on the wall, its powerful strokes declaring that investing is a form of spiritual practice.
At this moment, the assistant brought over a tea tray and served tea to the four of them.
"Old Chen, that's all for now. I have guests here. We'll talk later."
With that, Zhu Xiaohu hung up the phone and then smiled as he shone his selfie on the four straightforward men.
"President Zhu," Geng Zhi began the introductions, "This is lawyer Gu Wanning, whom you know. This is my senior fellow PhD student, Lü Sifeng, who serves as the CT0 of our company. This is Dr. Sun Xiaowen, a psychology PhD."
"Welcome, welcome!" Zhu Xiaohu nodded with a smile, his gaze lingering on Sun Xiaowen for a moment longer.
He had heard Ma Chunmei mention Sun Xiaowen twice and knew she was a key figure in the "Jiaotong University matchmaking" team. Her quick decision to join Geng Zhi surprised him somewhat.
"Xiao Geng, has the money from the sale of the shares to Baihe.com arrived in your account?" Zhu Xiaohu asked.
"Here it is, 600 million." Geng Zhi shook his head. "After tax, I only have 480 million left."
"Be content," Zhu Xiaohu complained, half-jokingly. "You've cashed out nearly ten million in less than six months. I, on the other hand, have lost quite a bit following your lead!"
"It's all thanks to Mr. Zhu's guidance!" Geng Zhi said with a smile. "Mr. Zhu, look, we've come to repay you by bringing you money!"
"Every time you flatter me, you're about to trick me," Zhu Xiaohu said, rolling his eyes at him.
"Mr. Zhu, what you're saying is—"
"Alright," Zhu Xiaohu interrupted him, "Introduce your new project."
"I saw the business plan you sent me. The product focuses on location-based social networking with strangers, which seems pretty good. It's a bit like Foursquare in the United States."
PS: 10,000 views daily tomorrow and the day after.