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

Outside the Gulfstream G550's porthole, the clouds receded rapidly like tattered cotton wool.

Lu Yang closed his eyes and pressed his temples, the pressure from his fingertips betraying his anxiety. There were still twelve hours to go to Los Angeles, and the footsteps of that little superman from the Li family were probably already heading towards Dongguan.

What will Duan Yongping choose?
Lu Yang was not confident.

The Li family is incredibly powerful, and Duan Yongping is a shrewd man. The fact that they can remotely control two major Chinese mobile phone brands, "Blue and Green," from overseas and maintain their leading position in global Android phone shipments is no ordinary feat.

only……

"Old Duan is such a smart man, he probably wouldn't agree to the Li family's offer so easily, would he?"

To form an alliance with the Li family.

Join the Asian Audiovisual Fund.

This is tantamount to completely severing ties with Lu Yang.

Declaring war on the child prodigy, but even if they win, will the market truly belong to BBK?
Unlikely.

Unless Duan Yongping is willing to hand over control of BBK Electronics.

Take the money and leave.

Or they could choose to step back and remain behind the scenes, simply acting as an ordinary director who doesn't speak and only receives dividends.

Bring the Li family to the forefront.

Perhaps the Li family will still support him.

However, if not for this, according to the Li family's plan, the purpose of establishing the Asian Film and Television Fund is probably to prevent one company from becoming too dominant. The final result would be nothing more than a group of companies joining forces to divide up the market for child prodigies. This is probably not what the future "blue-green giant" behind-the-scenes controller would want to see.

Think of this.

Lu Yang shook his head. He couldn't control Duan Yongping's choice. Even if he made a phone call before that "Little Superman" came knocking on his door, it wouldn't have any effect or increase his bargaining power.

So I simply stopped playing.

To avoid having the opposite effect, making this future bigwig feel that he has no chance of winning without him.

"Boss, Mr. Sun has confirmed that the appointment will be at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

Xu Siqi handed him the thermos. The water temperature was just right for Lu Yang's usual drinking temperature. She keenly noticed the faint dark circles under his eyes and swallowed back the words she wanted to tell him to rest.

Lu Yang suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint in them: "Have our people in Xingcheng keep a close eye on the Wanyan Electronics Building. The Li family's reach doesn't extend to Los Angeles, but it does to Xingcheng..."

What kind of person is Jiang Wanli?

Lu Yang knew very well.

He is not someone who is willing to easily relinquish the power he holds.

But what if there are no other options left?
Wan Yan Electronics is in a very bad situation. Although it is not yet at the point of bankruptcy liquidation, there is little doubt that it will soon be.

In this situation, a more rational person would consider how to extricate themselves unscathed.

Selling the company's shares and taking the money is undoubtedly the best solution.

But who should we sell it to?
Lu Yang had also considered that, based on their personal relationship, if they hadn't fallen out and made things so unpleasant several times, his younger brother would undoubtedly have been the best and most ideal choice for the other party to take over.

But now that things have turned so unpleasant, even if the other party were to sell their shares at a bargain price to anyone else, they might not be willing to sell them to Lu Yang.

Of course, this might be Lu Yang's own thought, or he might be judging others by his own petty standards. The other party never thought of him as a mortal enemy.

The previous discord and numerous conflicts were merely business matters.

It won't involve their personal relationships.

But Lu Yang dared not gamble!
Because the consequences of losing a bet are severe, he chose to start with the easier ones and work his way up to the more difficult ones, beginning with Sun Yansheng in North America. He was willing to spend more money to acquire Sun Yansheng's shares first.

By acquiring the shares from Sun Yansheng, his stake in Wanyan Electronics will reach an unprecedented 69%, more than enough to firmly hold the company in his own hands, making it impossible for anyone to take it away.

As for the remaining 31%, does it even matter who holds it?
. . .

Meanwhile, through the gaps in the blinds on the top floor of the Bubugao headquarters in Dongguan, Duan Yongping stroked a purple clay teapot, coldly looking down at the Rolls-Royce convoy that had just come to a stop below.

The secretary rushed in: "The young master of the Li family in Hong Kong has brought four investment banking advisors. They say they want to talk to you... about the new order in the industry."

Duan Yongping chuckled, and the lid of the teapot tapped crisply against the porcelain rim.

"Are they finally about to lose their temper?"

From the moment the news of the establishment of the Asian Film and Television Foundation broke, he had a premonition that this day would come.

Sure enough, just a few days later, the storm had already reached the mainland.

Duan Yongping gave a confident smirk: "Let them in."

He has already figured out what to do.

Two hours later...

With a hint of anger and contemplation on his face, Li Zekai left the conference room and hurriedly led his men downstairs.

After getting on the bus, he immediately called Hong Kong, "Father..."

At the Li Family Manor in Repulse Bay, Li Ka-shing took the mobile phone handed to him by his secretary, held it close to his ear, and said in a strong voice, "Have you seen Duan Yongping?"

Li Zekai dared not be negligent and immediately replied, "Yes, Father, it's pretty much as you expected. This person doesn't seem to be someone to be trifled with either. Although he agreed to our cooperation request, he refused to join the Asian Audio-Visual Alliance we are preparing to encircle and suppress the little prodigy."

In the domestic market, BBK VCDs rank second only to the industry leader, Xiaoshentong, far exceeding the total sales of the top 10 leading companies in the industry, including the fourth, fifth, and sixth ranked companies.

To put it bluntly, if BBK also joined this so-called Asian Audio-Visual Fund Alliance, in terms of market share alone, it would directly surpass Little Prodigy. Even if it were just a bunch of rabble, it would definitely be able to rival Little Prodigy and even gain an absolute advantage.

The Asian Audio-Visual Fund Alliance will have an unshakeable influence on the domestic VCD capital market. Even if Lu Yang and his team's Little Prodigy manages to survive, other small manufacturers that do not join the Asian Audio-Visual Fund Alliance will be wiped out.

They either go bankrupt or accept being acquired.

Li Ka-shing frowned. "Is there no possibility of further negotiations? What's the maximum percentage of investment he'd accept from us? And what are his reasons for refusing?"

Three questions. Each question goes straight to the core issue.

Is Duan Yongping's refusal to join firm enough? Is there any possibility of him backing down? Is it worth wasting this crucial, time-sensitive period?

The investment ratio means that even if BBK does not join the Asian Voice Alliance and remains neutral, how much the Li family can ultimately gain from it, and whether it is worth investing in.

Alternatively, one could simply refuse to invest, treat them as enemies, and ultimately eliminate the child prodigy in one fell swoop.

Why did Duan Yongping dare to refuse the goodwill of the Li family in Gangcheng?
Does that mean they look down on the Li family of Hong Kong?
Or is there another reason?
After pondering the deeper meaning in his father's words, Li Zekai immediately said respectfully, "The chances of persuading them are slim. The maximum investment they can accept is only 2000 million US dollars, representing no more than 15% of the shares. Even the reason for their refusal is quite straightforward: it's because Lu Yang of Century Group, the major shareholder of that child prodigy, is also a shareholder of BBK Electronics. It's said that he supported Duan Yongping in the early days of BBK and was one of the original shareholders who helped him establish BBK..."

These words were spoken.

For a long time, no sound from Li Ka-shing could be heard from the phone's sensors.

Li Zekai was somewhat worried, wondering whether he should remind his father across the table.

"That's a bit too little. 15% of the shares isn't enough. Increase the total investment to 5000 million US dollars and tell Duan Yongping that our Li family's shareholding in BBK cannot be lower than that of Lu Yang from Century Group."

Let's discuss it based on this.

It would be best if we could reach an agreement. Even if the other party does not join the Asian Audiovisual Fund, it is not advisable to take any further action against them for the time being. Just accept their neutral choice as they have suggested.

They couldn't reach an agreement...

Then I don't need to teach you anymore, right?

"Leave a negotiation team behind. You don't need to get involved personally anymore. This matter is irrelevant and offers no further assistance to our ultimate goal of establishing the Asian Audio-Visual Fund. As for you, you don't need to linger in Dongguan City any longer. You must immediately head to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, to find Jiang Wanli of Wanyan Electronics. Make sure you acquire the shares from the founder of Wanyan Electronics, the inventor of the VCD, before Lu Yang of Century Group does. Understand?"

As expected, experience matters, and Li Ka-shing pointed out the best way to deal with Lu Yang.

"Currently, the patent law in mainland China is not perfect enough, but with the contact between the WTO and the mainland government, the mainland government will join the WTO sooner or later, and the patent law will be improved accordingly. The market will no longer be so chaotic. Acquiring Wan Yan Electronics, the first company to create VCD, along with the inventor and chief engineer of VCD, will mean something. Do I need to explain it to you?"

As Li Ka-shing slowly recounted his story over the phone, Li Zekai was filled with awe and finally understood the gap between himself and his father.

"Understood, Father. Please rest assured, I will definitely persuade General Manager Jiang of Wanyan Electronics to complete your instructions. This time, I will not let you down."

"Go quickly."

Li Ka-shing's voice continued over the phone: "You're still looking too shallow. Acquiring only the shares held by this 'father of VCD' isn't enough. At most, it will only give our Li family an entry ticket, not enough to create an overwhelming advantage in the voting at the company's board meeting. I will send someone to North America again to contact Mr. Sun Yansheng, another patent holder of VCD. As for the specifics... you don't need to worry about it. Just get moving."

The short phone call, lasting only a few minutes, was enough to show that the Li family had indeed come prepared this time.

Having conducted a detailed investigation into the VCD market in mainland China, and having thoroughly investigated Lu Yang, the president of Century Group, who played a key role in this market transformation, he knew everything about him.

It's hard to say that the other party isn't using this as an excuse to save face and attempt to monopolize the blue ocean market of VCDs in mainland China.

Everyone is racing against time.

As soon as Lu Yang got off the plane, he made a long-distance call back to China.

To understand the current situation in China, especially the movements of Li Zekai, the "little superman" of the Li family.

This is something that must be clarified.

"Sister Wei Shu, besides raising US dollars, could you also make a phone call to Mr. Duan of BBK Electronics to thank him for his unwavering loyalty?"

As for accepting the Li family's investment, I have no objection.

The company needs to grow.

I can't just weld him shut. The Li family is my enemy, Lu Yang's enemy, and they don't get along with me, Lu Yang. But they're not Duan Yongping's enemy. If they don't side with the other side, I'll accept their favor.

I'll definitely repay him a huge favor in the future.

However, there is one condition: the Li family's total investment in BBK, and their shareholding percentage, cannot exceed that of me, Lu Yang. I must remain the second-largest individual shareholder in BBK. You must make this clear..."

What a coincidence, Li Ka-shing thought the same thing.

Next, Duan Yongping will be caught in a dilemma: accepting one offer of kindness would mean offending the other.

"Boss, the company's US dollars might not be enough. Is it possible that Mr. Sun... would accept payment in RMB?"

In recent months, Lu Yang has repeatedly established shell companies overseas and acquired Tianfu Cola Company in mainland China, making a grand entrance into the domestic beverage market.

He then went on a buying spree in Hong Kong, purchasing luxury homes on Victoria Peak.

Now they want to acquire the 20% stake in Wan Yan Electronics held by Chinese businessman Sun Yansheng.

Moreover, the company urgently needs the money, and it simply cannot raise it in a short period of time.

They can't even borrow money from each other, because in the current environment, even the country is short of foreign exchange, let alone private companies.

Lu Yang frowned for a moment. "Try your best to raise the money first. If you really can't, I'll think of another way."

Forced into a corner, Lu Yang had no choice but to sell the two luxury homes he had just acquired in Hong Kong less than a month ago, even at a loss.

Between two evils, choose the lesser.

Compared to buying back all of Wan Yan Electronics' shares, keeping this company, which holds the patents related to VCD frames, firmly in our own hands, any short-term financial sacrifice is acceptable.

Finished the phone call.

Lu Yang gazed intently at the night view outside the high-rise hotel.

Suddenly, two small hands wrapped around his waist.

Having already taken a shower, Xu Siqi, wearing a transparent silk nightgown, pressed her body tightly against Lu Yang's back, feeling the man's body temperature.

"boss……"

Her lips parted slightly, already intoxicated by his masculine aura.

Lu Yang paused.

Sensing the woman's state of mind behind him and knowing what she needed at that moment, he stopped thinking about it, a smile playing on his lips. He turned around, pulled the woman into his arms, carried her to the bed with one arm, and tossed her onto it...

The next day, dressed neatly and feeling refreshed after a pleasant evening, Lu Yang, accompanied by his secretary—who was both inexperienced and playful, but had only managed to give him a little fun before becoming somewhat exhausted from overwork—led the team to the address agreed upon with Sun Yansheng: Sun's private resort in Los Angeles. (End of Chapter)