After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 708 Countermeasures Arrive!

"Tell me."

Old Ma raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe Lu Liang would be so kind, but he was mainly curious about what kind of bad thing Lu Liang was up to.

"If Ant Group's IPO fails, it would be better to hand over the overseas market to Xingheng. I believe it can carry on your legacy."

Lu Liang looked serious. Before returning to Hong Kong from Tokyo, he had a long talk with Ota Rei.

Knowing that Jack Ma had been laying the groundwork for the East Asian market for many years, Alipay had gained control of an extremely important online payment channel.

Traditional investment banks focus on the offline market, but Lu Liang wants to follow in the footsteps of Lao Ma and take a different path.

Are you so certain that the ants will fail?

Old Ma composed himself and gradually narrowed his eyes.

After all, Lu Liang's words gave him the feeling that he was already eyeing his business even before he died.

"Whether you succeed or fail, isn't it good to have a way out?" Lu Liang said with a smile.

"Let's talk about it later." Old Ma's eyes grew cold.

"I'm full, please enjoy your meal."

Lu Liang picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth, then said goodbye and left.

Guo Changguang watched his departing figure and said softly, "Lu Liang is too greedy. Our situation is very bad."

He knew that Lao Ma would definitely agree, because Lu Liang had three options: support, remain neutral, or oppose.

He chose neutrality at the public meeting, and now he chose support at the restaurant; the only thing he hasn't used yet is opposition.

By prematurely revealing his intentions and pushing for Ant Financial's IPO, the success rate was already less than 30%. If Lu Liang were to publicly oppose it as well, the success rate would probably be less than 10%.

Now they are completely put on the hot seat.

"At this point, who wouldn't be greedy?"

Old Ma sighed, then composed himself: "It's far from time for us to make a decision."

After a one-and-a-half-hour lunch break, Lu Liang attended two more closed-door discussion meetings in the afternoon.

Because many leaders participated in the meeting, its content and process were far less exciting than the open meeting held in the morning.

Both projects were finalized, the Science and Technology Innovation Board project team was established, and a pilot program to break through the 10% daily price fluctuation limit on the ChiNext board was launched, which was officially implemented on September 15.

"April 20, 8."

After the two closed-door meetings, Lu Liang packed up his documents, a hint of melancholy in his eyes that no one else knew.

According to future news, the ChiNext board will officially decide to break the 10% daily price fluctuation limit in about two years.

He changed more and more events, and they became increasingly important, making it seem as if his precognitive advantage was about to disappear.

"Mr. Lu, you should also prepare for the press conference later."

At this moment, a staff member came over and gently reminded him, thus interrupting Lu Liang's thoughts.

His gaze toward Lu Liang was filled with reverence.

The two are the same age, both born in 1985. One is just an ordinary person struggling to make ends meet, while the other is a big shot who can influence important decisions.

"Thank you, I understand." Lu Liang smiled and nodded, following the staff to the press conference venue for preparations.

He has no regrets, and he knew this day would come long ago; he chose this path himself.

At 6 p.m., before the press conference.

A young man in an executive jacket approached Lu Liang with a smile and respectfully asked, "Mr. Lu, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

Lu Liang bowed slightly and followed the other person outside the door.

He knew the other person's background; he was the secretary of the leader who spoke second in line at the public meeting that morning.

In any important meeting, the first speaker is not necessarily important, but the second speaker is definitely important.

The first person is probably there to give an opening speech, setting the stage for the second person to appear, just like Guo Changguang and Lao Ma.

The young man said, "Director Zhao would like to have a chat with you. When would you be available?" "Then how about seven o'clock?" Lu Liang glanced at the schedule; the press conference was scheduled to end at 6:40.

He also knew the other party's purpose in coming; unsurprisingly, they wanted to hear his thoughts and opinions on Lao Ma's remarks.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up then."

After agreeing on a time, Lu Liang returned to the press conference venue to make final preparations.

Old Ma glanced at it but said nothing.

But his expression wasn't as relaxed and natural as it had been just now.

"Mr. Ma, can you get through this?"

Shen Peng and Zhou Hongwei were talking in a corner.

Zhou Hongwei pondered for a moment, then sighed, "It's probably difficult, but he still has the right to give up voluntarily."

"Is there?" Shen Peng asked, as if he were asking himself.

Zhou Hongwei remained silent, because he knew there was no answer.

Any group that has been established for more than ten years, even if the person at the helm is still the same person from ten years ago, will have much less control over the group than before.

Many decisions are made under duress, even when we know there is an abyss ahead, we still have to step on it and give it a try.

This is not to say that the person in charge bears no responsibility at all; on the contrary, the person in charge needs to bear the main responsibility.

Because they decide when to start and what decisions to make, but they have no say in when to end and what constitutes an end.

The press conference went smoothly, mainly focusing on a summary of the 23 topics covered in the daytime public meeting and six closed-door meetings.

For example, the ChiNext board will be piloted on September 15, and the issuance of financial licenses will be restricted. In addition, the online financial industry will be regulated, and the maximum annual interest rate of online lending will be limited to 24%. These are some of the policies that have been confirmed to be implemented.

However, the post-meeting interviews did not go as smoothly as the debriefing process.

A reporter stood up and asked Mr. Ma: "Mr. Ma, since you believe that the Basel Accords are like an old people's club clause, what kind of financial policy is more suitable for our country's market?"

"coming!"

Lu Liang, Zhou Hongwei, Shen Peng, Guo Changguang, and others all tensed up and looked at Lao Ma and the reporter who had interviewed him.

This question wasn't in their prepared speeches, and it probably wasn't in Lao Ma's prepared speeches either, indicating that it was added on the spot.

Who added this question at the last minute?

Who has this right?

Self-explanatory!

The countermeasures taken by the regulatory authorities this time were even more swift than they had imagined, indicating that Lao Ma had truly crossed the line.

Old Ma smiled calmly and took the microphone: "I have communicated with many entrepreneurs in the past few years. The pawnshop mentality is very serious in China. Either they mortgage all their assets and are under great pressure, or they take out loans recklessly and keep increasing leverage, resulting in huge debts."

There's a joke circulating online that you probably all know: If you borrow 1000 from a bank, you're a little panicked; if you borrow 10 million, both you and the bank are a little panicked; but if you borrow 10 billion, you don't need to panic at all, the bank will be very panicked.

"The pawnshop mentality of relying on collateral cannot support the financial needs of the world's development over the next 30 years. We must use today's technological capabilities to replace the pawnshop mentality with a credit system based on big data."

This system is not built on IT or on a close-knit social network; it must be built on big data to make credit equal to wealth.

Even begging requires integrity; without integrity, you won't even get food..."

Old Ma is an outstanding speaker. He is very good at taking sharp and self-critical topics, repackaging them as social issues, confusing the questioner, and inserting his own agenda.

However, the reporter didn't use evasive tactics; he went straight to the heart of the matter: "The public can use the credit system for regulation, but what about businesses? What should be relied upon to restrict them? Is allowing businesses to develop unchecked what you consider new finance?"

He was clearly prepared, because even if a normal person wasn't confused by Lao Ma, they would still fall into the trap he set.

Because building a credit system has always been something Ant Group has been doing, it's wrong to use this as a starting point to criticize Jack Ma's remarks, accusing him of prioritizing personal gain over public good.

Old Ma will surely say righteously again that he is willing to give everything he has as long as the country needs him.

In this way, even if the IPO plan fails in the future and Ant Financial is taken over by the state, it will still leave the market with the impression that it did not commit any crime.

However, the reporter avoided the pitfalls and instead followed Old Ma's approach, standing from the perspective of the market and from a macro perspective, just like him.

(End of this chapter)