Chapter 233: Products Have a Price, Sentiments are Priceless

Words : 1553 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

"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. S~eaʀᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 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..." 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 233: Products Have a Price, Sentiments are Priceless

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