Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1428 A henchman who doesn't want to be the boss isn't good cannon fodder.

Andrew didn't know much about the internet industry, but he had heard of Silicon Valley figures such as Anderson, Jim Clark, Jerry Yang, and Bezos.

But if you take any one of these people out individually and compare them to Li Dongling, Andrew feels that they are simply not good enough.

Li Dongling is not well-known in America, but in recent years, Andrew feels that the profits he has made from Nasdaq have surpassed those of Silicon Valley trendsetters like Anderson and Yang Zhiyuan.

More importantly, the internet is just one of Li Dongling's businesses. Li Dongling started his career in the electronics industry, and the MP3 players that were popular in America also belong to Li Dongling!
Seeing this, Andrew felt a chill run down his spine. Originally, Andrew had an absolute psychological advantage over Reynolds against Ruyan.

But when it came to facing Li Dongling, Andrew felt a little uncertain.

Yes, Reynolds is indeed a giant in the tobacco industry, but when he faces figures like Bill Gates and Jack Welch, the head of General Electric, he is hardly qualified!

While Li's current status and influence may not be on par with the two mentioned above globally, at least within Southeast Asia, Li Dongling's influence is comparable to theirs.

Ruyan e-cigarettes took Andrew's arrival very seriously and gave him considerable recognition.

Zhang Xiaocheng personally greeted Andrew downstairs at the Dongke Building. Li Dongling, along with Wei Jiaxuan from Bear Stearns, Cornell, president of Goldman Sachs Asia, and others, were also waiting for Andrew's arrival in the conference room.

"China.com's IPO application has been approved by the American Securities and Exchange Commission!"
"Once the roadshow is completed, China.com will be able to go public next month!"

Wei Jiaxuan spoke to Li Dongling, her words tinged with excitement.

Successfully getting China.com listed on NASDAQ was a major achievement for Wei Jiaxuan within Bear Stearns.

"It is estimated that China.com's popularity on Nasdaq may exceed expectations."

The subscription rate for China.com's shares may far exceed our expectations!

According to market research conducted by Bear Stearns, a considerable number of people are quite interested in China.com, which claims to be the world's largest Chinese-language internet website.

After all, just think about it and you'll know how big the market is in a country with over a billion people undergoing a massive internet transformation!
In the past, some companies, relying on the concept of the Chinese Internet, even if they were just using it as a front, saw their stock prices soar after listing on NASDAQ. Not to mention, China.com really has something to offer, so how could it not attract investors from Wall Street and America, big and small?
It remains to be seen what the subscription rate will be when China.com issues its public shares, but based on current market research, it may be quite astonishing, with many people hoping to make a fortune by subscribing to China.com's IPO!
After Wei Jiaxuan, Cornell also spoke up, "If the plan can be completed today, then Ruyan e-cigarettes can submit its listing application to the NYSE!"

Like China.com, the launch of Ruyan e-cigarettes is also a foregone conclusion.

The launch of Ruyan e-cigarettes was exactly what Wall Street had been hoping for; many institutions were waiting to hype it up and make a fortune.

Wall Street is now waiting to see what tricks Ruyan e-cigarettes can come up with to further increase its influence, so that it can easily manipulate the stock price and fleece retail investors in the future.

As they were talking, the conference room door was pushed open, and Zhang Xiaocheng and a white man in his forties or fifties walked in together.

"President Andrew, it's a pleasure to have you here!"

Cornell shook hands with Andrew first, then looked at Li Dongling and said to Andrew, "This is..."

"Li, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Seeing Andrew's attitude toward Li Dongling, Cornell and Wei Jiaxuan exchanged a glance. Andrew showed no arrogance, nor any dissatisfaction from flying across the Pacific Ocean. On the contrary, his attitude was somewhat respectful, which was a surprise to the two of them.

However, Andrew's attitude prevented today's negotiations from becoming tense.

Li Dongling could also sense that Andrew's attitude towards him, although he was somewhat puzzled, made him a bit warmer in front of Andrew.

“I’ve always believed that Reynolds is the best tobacco company in America!” Li Dongling praised Andrew.

Andrew could only shake his head helplessly when he heard this; he could obviously tell that it was just polite talk.

Reynolds' Camel brand tobacco is of course sold all over the world and has a huge reputation worldwide. However, it is also dominated by Marlboro, which suppresses it.

As long as Marlboro exists, Camel Tobacco will always be relegated to a supporting role. Over the years, it has never been able to overcome the Marlboro mountain.

"Actually, I've been paying attention to Torch Group for a long time, especially their Zorro lighter ads. This is the best ad I've seen in the last ten years."

"You wouldn't believe it, but Zorro's commercial destroyed America's anti-smoking organization after ten years of hard work!"

When Andrew mentioned the advertising video that Zorro had released, a burst of laughter rippled through the meeting room.

The controversy surrounding the Zorro metal lighter is well-known, and the American Anti-Smoking Organization is reportedly furious about the Zorro lighter's advertisements.

One commercial rendered over a decade of anti-tobacco campaigns futile. That commercial not only opened the American market for Zorro lighters but also spurred a surge in sales for tobacco companies like Reynolds that month!
"So, what exactly is the purpose of bringing me to Hong Kong this time?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Andrew finally got to the point and asked the question he most wanted answered. Zhang Xiaocheng glanced at Li Dongling before saying to Andrew, "Inviting President Andrew here is a gesture of goodwill from Ruyan Electronic Cigarettes."

Ruyan e-cigarettes hopes to collaborate with Reynolds Tobacco!

"what?"

Andrew had considered all sorts of possibilities, but Zhang Xiaocheng's words still made him pause in surprise.

E-cigarettes, considered a fierce rival of traditional tobacco, are reportedly going to partner with America's second-largest tobacco company.

“This joke isn’t funny!” Andrew said seriously to Zhang Xiaocheng.

"There are no permanent enemies in the world; today's adversary may become tomorrow's ally!"

At this moment, Li Dongling spoke to Andrew.

"Ruyan e-cigarettes hopes to cooperate with Reynolds Tobacco. E-cigarettes and traditional tobacco may be competitors, but Ruyan and Reynolds are not!"

Andrew wasn't angry. Instead, he was thinking about Li Dongling's words. If it were just Zhang Xiaocheng alone today, Andrew would not have acted this way. But he couldn't be domineering in front of Li Dongling.

“Andrew, what Li said is true. In fact, have you investigated how much influence e-cigarettes have on Reynolds?”
I think Morris Tobacco Company is probably Reynolds' biggest rival!

Cornell then joined in, telling him that Morris was Reynolds' real opponent, not someone eyeing the e-cigarette.

Andrew shook his head. "The tobacco industry will not allow e-cigarettes like Ruyan to exist in America!"

The American Tobacco Association is actually quite wary of e-cigarettes like Ruyan, fearing that they might become too big and replace them.

"But e-cigarettes like Ruyan have already appeared. Once they are born, they will not disappear. Andrew, you know it's impossible for them to disappear from America!"

Li Dongling looked at Andrew and said, "Ruyan e-cigarettes hopes to cooperate with Reynolds. To this end, Ruyan e-cigarettes is willing to license some of its e-cigarette patents and components to Reynolds to support Reynolds in developing the Camel brand e-cigarette!"

Andrew stared at Li Dongling in shock. He hadn't expected Li Dongling to propose such a project. Was he trying to recruit Reynolds?

"you you……"

Andrew was so shocked that he was speechless. He had considered all sorts of possibilities, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

Ruyan e-cigarettes actually supported Reynolds in launching e-cigarettes, which is almost equivalent to recruiting Reynolds and causing Reynolds to turn against the traditional tobacco alliance.

If Reynolds were to turn against the tobacco company, it would absolutely shock the global tobacco industry. Regardless of whether it is the perennial runner-up in the American tobacco industry, it is still a tobacco giant.

Once Reynolds enters the e-cigarette industry, the impact will be unimaginable. It could potentially completely change the landscape of the tobacco industry in America and even globally.

Previously, traditional tobacco companies ridiculed e-cigarettes as something low-class and just a toy. But now that traditional tobacco companies are also launching e-cigarettes, does that mean that the roles of traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes have reversed?
“Andrew, Reynolds is Reynolds, and the American Tobacco Association is the Tobacco Association.”

You need to consider Reynolds, the board of British Tobacco, and... think of yourself, not be bound by the tobacco association!

Li Dongling gently persuaded Andrew, telling him not to live in the past.

"Now the outside world is watching America's tobacco companies closely, and Reynolds is of paramount importance. We must show everyone Reynolds' determination to transform!"
What could better demonstrate Reynolds's determination than the shift towards e-cigarettes, a way to quit traditional tobacco?

“Of course, this is not about making Reynolds give up traditional tobacco, but about showing the outside world Reynolds’ determination!” Li Dongling said, looking at Andrew.

Just imagine, Reynolds has already started producing e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. It's like they've stabbed themselves a few times. Doesn't that show Reynolds' determination?

"Regarding traditional tobacco, Reynolds can make a commitment to gradually abandon it in the future, but not immediately."

Instead, it's a gradual, step-by-step abandonment; Reynolds can't just ignore its users, can it?
The future Reynolds will offer both traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes, providing Reynolds products to more American users.

"Andrew, can you think about what level Reynolds' market value could reach?"

"Who says that the position of America's largest tobacco company must belong to Morris?"

"Traditional tobacco, Camel can't outsell Marlboro, so how could the e-cigarette version not outsell it?"

(End of this chapter)