Chapter 145: Full Preparation for Battle

Words : 1860 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

"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. 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—the 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—a 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." Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Chapter 145: Full Preparation for Battle

Comments (0)