Chapter 232: The Underworld Hall Press Conference

Words : 1910 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

"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—'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. ... 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. Searᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 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 232: The Underworld Hall Press Conference

Comments (0)