Chapter 265: The Richest in the World

Words : 2115 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

"You're already getting busy this early?" The next morning, Lu Liang leaned against the headboard, his eyes full of appreciation as he watched the beauty dress. Wang Chuting came out of the bathroom after her shower, wrapped in a towel and walking barefoot on the carpet. She took out a pair of newly unwrapped silk stockings, folded them neatly, slipped them onto her toes, and slowly pulled them up. Her graceful movements were a delight to the eye; of all the girls Lu Liang knew, Wang Chuting was the one who loved stockings the most. Particularly fond of flesh-toned ones, and made of high-quality material that could ladder from a gentle tug, unlike some inferior nylon stockings that felt plasticky and wouldn't tear. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Today, our department is responsible for recording six exhibition halls," Wang Chuting said as she applied a BB cream and then a light-colored lipstick. Her purse, which was about a foot in size, was like a treasure chest containing everything. She took out a curling iron to style her hair. "It really is hard work." Lu Liang stretched languidly, turned his head to look at the time, 8:30 AM; the opening ceremony was at 2 PM. There were still five and a half hours; plenty of time. "Hehe, you still know how to be concerned about me?" Wang Chuting's eyes held a playful accusation, recalling last night, feeling her calves still a bit soft. She couldn't help but silently criticize, "People say that after recovering from a serious illness, there are usually some sequels, but why haven't I seen any?" "So you'd be happy if I have sequelae?" Lu Liang's lips curled upwards, he suddenly got out of bed and, holding Wang Chuting by the waist, they both lay down on the bed again. Wang Chuting pounded on his chest, her eyes petulant, "Stop it, my clothes will get wrinkled again." She dashed away swiftly, standing in front of the mirror to check herself from all angles and swiftly decided to leave, "I'm off, not playing with you anymore." Wang Chuting opened the door, looking around like a thief, and left through the service corridor while nobody was around. Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle, "I should get up as well." The conference lasted for four days and was divided into three phases: exhibition, discussion, and summary. The highlight was the forum to be held tomorrow. Lu Liang had a tourist's mindset: after attending the opening ceremony, he'd just stroll around the exhibition. His targets were Baidu's autonomous driving technology and Cisco's connected car technology. The former had an exhibition area of 1200 square meters, of which a large urban street scene model took up more than 400 square meters. A number of white cars equipped with mini-radar, mainly visual tech supplemented by lidar, and other technologies like decision-making and precise positioning, simulated the vehicles' experience in autonomous driving, including potential incidents and how to resolve them. Many people were watching, and the staff enthusiastically presented the Apollo project, aiming to sell it to tycoons from the Middle East. Wearing a cloth headdress as a mark of wealth, the Saudi Sovereign Fund managed assets of over two trillion US dollars. They were like oversized penguins who simply invested without meddling in the daily operations of businesses, shining wherever they went. Soon, Old Li from Baidu received a message and rushed over, his old face creasing into smiles. One could imagine that the top patron from the Earth's live broadcasting room must have tipped generously. Lu Liang lost interest after a few glances. The staff responsible for the presentation was just that, presenting; the real tech experts were all hidden away by Old Li. Even if he were keen to wield his shovel, he couldn't pinpoint any targets. Just like the last time he visited Shenzhen, Lin Dongyao and Wu Lei from BYD had said they'd consider and then there was no follow-up. It wasn't entirely without effect — not long after, he heard that all BYD engineers got a 20% pay raise. He went, and then the other side increased salaries; there probably wouldn't be a next time. In the 21st-century talent is expensive, everyone is a treasure and it's best to cultivate one's own talent. Lu Liang planned to leave, but suddenly Old Li chased after him, panting, "Mr. Lu, may I have a word with you?" Lu Liang was curious, but nodded and followed Old Li to the VIP reception room where they met a rich man from the Middle East. "Mr. Lu, this is Mr. Sergey." Old Li, brimming with enthusiasm, introduced them to each other. Sergey, smiling widely, said in his imperfect Mandarin, "Mr. Lu, I saw you just now, but was too embarrassed to disturb you. That's why I asked Mr. Li to help introduce us." He had long heard of Lu Liang's fame and held him in high regard. The capital and enterprises of the East Country weren't fully aware of Lu Liang's international influence and reputation. It's like how the public doesn't understand why, in some countries, people are scared of fireworks or instinctively raise their hands when they see police. Wall Street capital has been traversing international waters for many years, shorting countries or enterprises has developed into a mature pipeline. First, a wave of media generates hype, then the three major rating agencies downgrade the credit rating, causing market panic, and finally capital strikes, creating a flood-like momentum for harvest. There have been few failures over the years; even if they don't accomplish their goals, they can still significantly weaken the opponent, leaving them on edge. Lu Liang was an exception; with each counter-move, no matter the process, the outcome always led to victory. It was like slapping Wall Street in the face each time; to the smaller countries, it seemed like a deity had descended. "Mr. Sergey, nice to meet you." Lu Liang was puzzled; he didn't seem to have any business dealings with Middle Eastern tycoons. Sergey glanced at Old Li, who immediately understood: "The two of you have your chat, I'll go check on things outside." After he finished speaking, he took the assistant and the receptionist with him, leaving the two men alone in the room. "Mr. Lu, I've always admired you." Sergey got straight to the point and inquired if Lu Liang had any plans to issue new funds, expressing their keen interest. "Mr. Sergey, we do indeed have plans to issue new funds, but we are not going to issue any private funds for now." Lu Liang pondered for a moment and revealed the truth. Private funds would be issued in the future, after all, they were his cash cow. Recently, however, he had no plans to issue private funds; his focus would first be on public funds. Only after sorting out the public fund matters would he consider launching new private funds. Lu Liang also honestly informed Sergey that if Tianxing Assets were to issue private funds again, they would not be initiated under his name. Sergey's expression remained the same, and his smile did not diminish, "Mr. Lu, as I just said, we have great respect for you." Whether setting up public or private funds, as long as Mr. Lu had an idea, they were prepared to provide a minimum of 1 billion and up to 10 billion US Dollars at any time. They did not impose hard profitability conditions; management fees, settlements, and dividend cycles—all would be based on Mr. Lu's discretion. They simply wanted to make friends with him and also had faith in Mr. Lu's investment insights. "..." Lu Liang was rendered speechless for a moment. There was a time when he felt he would never again bow before the seduction of money. Now, all he wanted to say was, "My dear sir, please come in~" A patch of cloth over the head, truly treating money as if it were nothing. Just last year, according to Forbes' ranking of the top ten richest people in the country, Ding Sanshi, in the tenth position, had a personal fortune of only 63 billion Yuan. 10 billion US Dollars at the current exchange rate amounted to 65.5 billion Yuan, and that was cash readily available to use. "Overwhelmed by your generous offer, I am deeply grateful." Lu Liang thought for a moment, then decided to share a bit of insider information with the top-ranked leader. "Mr. Sergei, in recent years, our country has been promoting the new energy industry." "I'm aware; you've always been very bullish on the development of the new energy industry, hence you also set up a technology company." Sergey nodded, how could he not know? East Country was the world's largest oil importer. Developing new energy and reducing dependency on oil dealt a significant blow to those countries that relied on selling oil. However, he could understand, given East Country's enormous and exponentially growing demand for oil each year. Like them, they were seeking transformation, aiming to reduce dependency on oil exports. "Our establishment of a public fund is also for the development of the new energy industry." Through his words, Lu Liang conveyed his optimism about the new energy industry. Even if the current annual sales were only 500,000 units, he believed it would soon break through the 5 million mark, or even more. The trillion market value of Ningde gave him enough confidence. A company focused mainly on power batteries could have such a high market value. Five years later, the overall market would definitely see an exaggerated increase in volume. After all, the market wasn't limited to Ningde; there was also BYD, Tianneng, Chao Wei, and other power battery manufacturers. Ningde Era only accounted for about 19% of the market; there was still an 81% share available. The most critical component of an electric vehicle is the battery; any ambitious enterprise would aim to self-produce and self-consume, building a complete industry chain as the ultimate dream. Wuling's ability to disrupt the market with 20,000-plus pricing relied on self-production and self-consumption. BYD could sell the "Qin" at a price below 150,000 for the same reasons. With such a large population in East Country, no matter the industry, as long as the market took off, it would reach extreme heights. Self-production and self-sales were a strong ace; even without a price war, they could maximize profits without being dependent on others. What's more important was the technology; good products and new technologies were priorities for internal use, while older generations leaked out. Especially for leading enterprises like Ningde Era, it was well-known that Lithium Iron Phosphate was their flagship product. However, if Lu Liang weren't a shareholder, he would not have known that they were also developing a super-performance battery named Qilin. This battery was said to be between lithium ternary and lithium iron phosphate, with high volumetric utilization and greater energy density, both indicators of longer-lasting and stronger endurance. If Lu Liang personally went into car manufacturing, he was confident that he could persuade Old Zeng to bring out the latest technology for him. After all, he was a shareholder of Ningde and an idle board member; Old Zeng would grant him this favor. Sergey listened, and his heart remained stirred for a long time. He trusted Lu Liang's vision. If the growth of the new energy market was indeed so rapid, then time was running short for them. As a small country, they had no power of choice and couldn't restrain the actions of larger nations. When the tide of the times came rolling in, their only option was to adapt and not be left behind. He thought about hedging risks; besides investing in Lu Liang, perhaps they could also invest in other new energy industries in East Country. Investing in Tesla was a must, considering Lu Liang had taken a stake, and its share price had even surpassed 600 US Dollars. BYD was also a consideration, as well as investing in some of East Country's new energy rising forces. It was not a lot of money, so might as well cast a wide net. Even if the investments failed, it would be a good thing, signifying that new energy had not taken off, and oil remained the absolute mainstream.

Chapter 265: The Richest in the World

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