Chapter 399: Who Will Take the Lead?

Words : 1679 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

"Mr. Cheng, no rush, let the bullet fly a while~” That evening, Lu Liang received many phone calls and was invited to numerous dinner parties, but he only answered Cheng Wei’s call. Joining DiDi required finding the right moment, otherwise it would seem aimless and improper. "Clearing the King’s Side” couldn’t just be his or Cheng Wei’s belief, it had to be the public’s consensus. The right opportunity was elusive and he didn’t know when it would appear. But as they say, if the mountain won’t come to me, I will go to the mountain. Rather than wait tediously for the right time, it was better to create it oneself. For instance, at this very moment, with DiDi facing barriers to its US listing, and an individual aiding such a company in going public. After seven years of development, burning through over 20 billion US dollars, with no rivals domestically and nearly dominating the market, it was time for DiDi to bear fruit. "Mr. Lu, is it still not the right time?” Cheng Wei knew he shouldn’t rush, but he felt like he desperately needed to use the toilet, which was right in front of him, yet the cleaner kept on cleaning it relentlessly, causing him immense discomfort. With a smile on his lips, Lu Liang said in a pleasant voice, “But if you want to manage DiDi well in the future, neither you nor your people can bring this up.” He believed a third party would eventually become restless. The attitude Shen Peng displayed at the roadshow also represented the investors’ stance. Lu Liang said this indeed for Cheng Wei’s benefit. But it was also for his own benefit; the more pressing the demand side was, the more room there was for maneuvering later on. Everything should be slowed down a bit; there’s always someone impatient who cannot wait and will pay more than before. Moreover, the true fruition would come when the Panda goes public. Cheng Wei was silent for a long while, the fog before him gradually clearing and the path under his feet becoming visible, “Mr. Lu, thank you, I’ve learned a lot.” Standing beside him, Zhu Hu watched Lu Liang and Cheng Wei finish their call and couldn’t help asking, “Who would risk offending the Liu family to stick their neck out first?” Lu Liang smiled without a word and raised his glass to him. Zhu Hu widened his eyes, “Damn, you’re not planning to throw this on me, are you?” "Who invited me out to eat and followed me around? If not you, who else?” Lu Liang’s lips curved into a smile as he sipped his drink and nibbled on some snacks, looking absolutely carefree. Since he dared let Zhu Hu listen to his call with Cheng Wei, he was confident he could bind him to his battle ship. Originally, Lu Liang intended to make Shen Peng take the lead, but who knew he was as sly as a ghost, allowing no leaks. Fortunately, with the Panda’s roadshow ending and Zhu Hu knocking on his door, he couldn’t blame him for seizing the opportunity. "My Mr. Lu, we all roam in the Beijing Circle, seeing each other frequently, don’t ruin me.” Zhu Hu was almost in tears; had he known the pit Lu Liang dug was so deep, he would have never invited him to dinner. "If you don’t help, I won’t bother, after all, I’m not the one losing out.” Lu Liang appeared indifferent; helping Cheng Wei with “Clearing the King’s Side” was just a plan, not yet implemented or invested. So far, he’d only sacrificed some brain cells; if he defaulted, even if Liu Qing found out, she would pretend not to know. But Zhu Hu was different; investing in DiDi was Golden Sand River’s prideful achievement, and their greatest sorrow if it couldn’t go public. Zhu Hu, struggling in his expression and considering this, hesitated, “Golden Sand River isn’t influential enough; you need to find someone to help me.” Lu Liang smiled, looking as though he had been waiting for this, “Go find Shen Peng, he has a bone to pick with Liu Qing too.” Zhu Hu recalled that Lu Liang seemed to have been chatting with Shen Peng just now, his face darkened as he asked, “Then why don’t you target Shen Peng instead of targeting me?” "Because I did think of targeting him first, but he noticed and avoided it,” Lu Liang shook his head, feeling regretful. Zhu Hu’s expression darkened further, “Can’t you just say we have a better relationship? Otherwise, it makes me look stupid.” Lu Liang gave him a look, annoyed, “You’re over forty years old, why are you getting all sensitive with me?” After finishing his drink, he stood up and said, “I’m off, waiting for good news from me, and also from you guys.” Zhu Hu and Shen Peng would surely join forces, but if they intended to target Liu Qing, they would wait until after Panda’s IPO. Though it was an IPO, though it froze hundreds of billions, though it was 268 times oversubscribed, as long as it hadn’t gone public, accidents could happen. When it came to choosing sides, it was best to delay if possible. Leaving the restaurant, Lu Liang checked the date; it was a working day, and he took a car to the villa in the suburbs. His romance with Li Manli was public, so he easily entered her studio. As soon as he entered the house, Lu Liang saw Li Manli live streaming, “Friends, like me who often cosplay, I use this makeup remover, gentle on the skin and not irritating The moment she saw Lu Liang, she instinctively reacted and turned off the computer, “Power outage, work’s over, and off duty.” Li Manli, like a cat fond of its owner, rushed excitedly to Lu Liang, wrapping her arms around his, “When did you come back to the country, and why did you suddenly come here?” "I came back to the country at noon and just got finished this afternoon. I thought I’d come and check on you.” Lu Liang couldn’t help but laugh silently, looking at a few people who were still dumbstruck by Li Manli’s abrupt actions. She only live-streamed three times a month, and having worked for over an hour tonight, she was about ten minutes away from finishing. Shutting down the computer meant that tonight’s efforts were in vain. "Why are you all looking at me? Finishing work early tonight, aren’t you happy?” Li Manli chuckled and suddenly remembered she hadn’t announced it yet. She picked up her phone to edit her status, “There was a power outage, not sure if the circuits can be fixed by tomorrow. Friends, go to sleep early, don’t wait up.” "All set, let’s go home.” She grabbed her small bag, looped her arm through Lu Liang’s, and hopped out of the studio. Walking on the road, she almost hung on Lu Liang’s arm like a sloth, smiling, “Our Panda is going public, I subscribed to 200,000 shares~” She took out the subscription contract from her bag, $1.98 per share, 200,000 shares, totaling $396,000. Since it was an employee benefit and original stock, there was no need to go through a lottery process for subscription; the amount subscribed was as requested. She only had to wait six months before she could sell. Then she took out another contract, an additional contract from the platform, to live stream three times a month. Regardless of sales volume, each session was $500,000, with half the commission. S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She even opened her mobile bank app to show Lu Liang, she had saved $3,021,500. She didn’t know how to manage money, nor was she interested, including the initial stock allocation of 200,000 shares Panda gave her. If it weren’t for hearing that Lu Liang also had shares, she wouldn’t have bothered subscribing, “Seeing those numbers just gives me a headache.” It had been a long time since she and Lu Liang had met, both physically and emotionally, she wanted to let Lu Liang know everything, without reservations. "Oh, you.” Lu Liang chuckled, rubbing her little head, “Has our Manli become a little rich lady? You could provide for me in the future.” "What do you mean in the future? Didn’t you know? I’ve been providing for you for quite some time now.” Li Manli wrinkled her nose, her face full of pride, pointing at Lu Liang’s outfit, “I bought all these for you.” Her face was full of disdain; though Lu Liang was wealthy, he hardly bought clothes. If not for her, he would still be wearing frayed underwear. Lu Liang muttered softly, “I thought the wardrobe at home just grew bigger, and it’d automatically update with season-appropriate clothes every time the seasons changed.” "Really, you never thought it was me who bought you those?” Li Manli huffed, suddenly grinned slyly, and hopped onto Lu Liang’s back, “Then I’ll punish you by having you carry me home.” Lu Liang couldn’t help but chuckle, supporting her firmly perched behind, step by step heading towards home. "Liang, Liang, did you know? Every time I lay on your back, I feel so happy.” Her arms entwined around Lu Liang’s neck, taking deep breaths, greedily inhaling his scent. "The weather is nice tonight, so let’s take a longer walk.” Lu Liang’s lips curled slightly upward. He took a longer route, walking towards the central lake of the villa area. Li Manli hummed a sound, her arms wrapped even tighter. Her pair of high heels was nowhere to be found, leaving only her bare, rosy feet, the toes excitedly moving up and down, expressing their owner’s joy.

Chapter 399: Who Will Take the Lead?

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