Chapter 188: Each Harboring Ulterior Motives

Words : 1683 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

"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—if 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." S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 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 — 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. 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 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 188: Each Harboring Ulterior Motives

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