Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

After half an hour.

Lu Yang pushed open the glass door of the Tianfu Cola laboratory, and a unique aroma mixed with syrup and carbon dioxide wafted out.

The R&D director, dressed in a white lab coat, immediately handed over a glass of bubbly liquid: "President Lu, this is the thirteenth improved formula. We've reduced the herbal flavor, increased the sweetness, and added layers of citrus aroma."

He took a sip, the carbonated bubbles dancing on his tongue, and the slightly bitter aftertaste was closer to the classic flavor of cola in his memory.

"We're getting close."

Lu Yang put down his cup and glanced at the densely packed data reports on the lab table. "Store the ingredient data first and send it to the Sichuan Tianfu Cola headquarters. Also, start experimenting with other sparkling water formulas. Don't be afraid of overly disrupting the current market for similar products. Remember, what we've always been doing is creating a 'Chinese flavor' that will be unforgettable for Chinese people with just one sip."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the entire laboratory turned to look at Lu Yang.

They were clearly shocked by Lu Yangqi's high-profile remarks and the phrase "Chinese taste".

How can you be so virtuous!
Do people like them even deserve to use those four words?
But how will you know if you don't try?
As a result, everyone's eyes lit up, and they were all full of enthusiasm.

Lu Yang patted the supervisor in the white coat on the shoulder, "I'm leaving this to you. Also, everyone's bonus will be doubled this month. In addition, take some time to organize a team building activity. Families are allowed to bring their families. It's not good to always stay in the lab and work hard. You have to go out and relax. As for the expenses, the company will pay for everything."

Amidst cheers and shouts of "Long live the boss!"

Lu Yang left the laboratory.

He had just come out and gotten into the car when, before he could even give any instructions, he told Xiao Jiu to drive the car home.

The phone vibrated again.

It was an urgent telegram from Xiao Jun: "The Li family just announced that they are going to join forces with several investment banks to establish the 'Asian Audio-Visual Fund' to support several large-scale VCD manufacturers and help them go global and sell their products throughout Asia. I received news that Xianke Electronics from our Pengcheng alone has been selected. Damn, this is clearly aimed at our little prodigy's VCD market!"

Lu Yang's eyes suddenly sharpened.

The Li family's counterattack came faster than he expected and struck at his weak point.

They just shook hands and made peace after their last confrontation. It seems that the other side wants to defeat them through the capital market in order to regain the face they lost.

"A third round of financing is absolutely necessary!"

Lu Yang gazed out the window and muttered to himself, then spoke into the phone: "I understand. Don't worry. The Li family is coming on strong and seems intimidating, but in reality, they can only compete with our Little Prodigy by supporting a mainland VCD manufacturer and encroaching on our market. This is a crisis, but also an opportunity. As more and more capital is invested in our industry, the pie will only get bigger. We are the leaders in this industry. If anyone dies, it will be the small, copycat manufacturers below us. What's there to be afraid of?"

Lu Yang was absolutely telling the truth. In any industry, when the top two fight, the third-place winner is usually the first to fall, followed by a whole bunch of weak underlings who don't even deserve to have a name.

Xiao Jun seemed reassured and nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, okay, I knew you had a plan. So, should we wait and see?"

Lu Yang stated bluntly, "It's time to launch the third round of financing and complete the final step of equity adjustment before the IPO. Don't blame me for not reminding you, once the financing is completed and the share capital expands, the equity of all original shareholders will be diluted simultaneously, without exception, understand?"

Last time, in order to help Xiao Jun consolidate his position as the president of Little Prodigy, we made an exception and allowed him to become the only original shareholder in the first round whose equity was not diluted.

This time, we must treat everyone equally to avoid the other original shareholders feeling it's unfair.

Xiao Jun smacked his lips, feeling a pang of regret that he couldn't participate in the third round of financing and protect his equity from dilution. But then something else occurred to him, and his eyes lit up as he said, "Well... according to the agreement, the investors in the second round have priority to lead or follow up in the third round. So, for this third round, what about my father-in-law and my dad's side..."

Lu Yang nodded. "Let's forget about the lead investor position. This time, we need to select a powerful enough partner to help us take our child prodigy public. As for the Zhao and Qian families' follow-on investments..."

To be honest, Lu Yang was actually somewhat resistant to the idea of ​​the two companies continuing to invest.

Because the data is quite obvious.

Last time, Lu Yang had already diluted his shares in Little Prodigy on a large scale. In order to keep Xiao Jun's position as president of Little Prodigy, and to help him get started and make sure he was in a stable position, Lu Yang not only allowed him to retain his original shares so that they would not be diluted by the financing, but also specially enriched the Qian family and Zhao family, two family businesses that are closely related to this kid, and they also participated in this second round of financing.

This didn't seem like much at the time.

After all, both family businesses were co-investors, not the lead investors, and their shareholdings in Little Prodigy were limited. Even with Xiao Jun's involvement, the three families combined couldn't match Lu Yang's total shareholding in Little Prodigy, and he remained the sole largest shareholder.

Hidden behind the scenes, they hold it in their hands from afar, turning it into their own money-making tool to fleece investors in the capital market.

All of this is predicated on the premise that even if Lu Yang remains behind the scenes, he can still maintain firm control over the Little Prodigy company through his agents.

If, in this Series C funding round, Lu Yang not only significantly reduces his shareholding again, but also allows local powerful families like the Zhao and Qian families to continue to intervene and co-invest in this third round of funding.

What would be the consequences?
Xiao Jun is bound to get arrogant, because even if he leaves Lu Yang, as long as he keeps his father-in-law's Zhao family and his stepfather's Qian Group in check, he can still maintain his current position with the support of these two major local families in Pengcheng. So, in that case, will Lu Yang's words still be as effective as before?
Figured this out.

Lu Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "The combined share of the Zhao family and the Qian family in this financing cannot exceed 5% of the total share capital. You can discuss the specific details with them yourself."

Although the two are now considered relatives, and Qian Youyou is pregnant with his child, Lu Yang will not allow any gaps or hidden dangers to emerge in his control over the company before he has finished profiting from the company's IPO. (End of Chapter)