After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 773 Ant Group Halts IPO
After finalizing the location of the second-phase factory, Wang Xiaofeng stayed in Wuhan to proofread the details of the cooperation, while Lu Liang, Hu Weiwei, and some members of the inspection team took a plane back to Shanghai.

As soon as the plane landed at Pudong New Area Airport, Xu Jiawei was browsing online news when he suddenly said, "President Lu, some media outlets online have reported that regulators have entered Ant Group and forcibly suspended its IPO."

"Where did the news come from?"

Lu Liang frowned, but didn't show too much surprise, because he knew that it was only a matter of time before regulators halted Ant Group's IPO.

But Old Ma is stubborn, or there's no turning back, so he can only go down this path to the bitter end, trying to seize that little bit of possibility.

Xu Jiawei continued browsing the relevant news and made inquiries from various sources before saying, "Although the news has not been confirmed, it was initially reported by the Hangzhou Metropolitan Daily."

It has already topped the trending searches on Weibo, and in just twenty minutes, the topic has been viewed over 100 million times.

It doesn't seem like mere speculation.

Lu Liang looked thoughtful, picked up his phone, and called Yang Zhenyuan on Douyin: "Hey, Lao Yang, I need to ask you something."

"Okay, thanks." After ending the call with Yang Zhenyuan, Lu Liang sighed softly, "Old Ma, this time it's going to be tough."

If a company encounters a public opinion crisis, it will normally choose to contact various platforms, handle the situation calmly if necessary, and divert attention if appropriate.

Alibaba is a large internet conglomerate and should be adept at handling such matters. If it is false information or there is no official document yet, they should come forward to clarify it immediately and would never let the public opinion fester.

Yang Zhenyuan said that he did not receive a call from Alibaba's public relations department, which means that the news is definitely true and there is no room for maneuver. Denying or clarifying it would be meaningless.

During the forty-minute drive from Shanghai Airport to Suzhou, Lu Liang kept browsing online discussions.

The Thief of the Nation!

The Intention Behind Establishing Lakeside University!

A detailed account of the seven deadly sins of the Ali Group!

"996 Blessing? Capitalist Arrogance!"

"3 billion leverages 300 billion, and then another 3 trillion!"

Ant Group's IPO Path? Wrong, a Path to Suicide!

One picture to understand the relationship between Lao Ma and the Squid Tribe!

Months ago, Lao Ma criticized financial regulation for not being open enough. His many insightful articles, which revealed his true intentions, went unnoticed at the time, but now they have all been unearthed.

Along with Lakeside University, Ali and Lao Ma's past remarks, and various other issues were also brought up to settle old scores, much like the scene when Lenovo was purged by the entire internet.

Netizens who used to call Jack Ma "Father Ma" are now calling him "Old Thief" and "Capitalist."

"When fortune smiles, even heroes are powerless."

Looking at the overwhelming and one-sided public opinion, Lu Liang's eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions.

One wrong step leads to another.

One mistake can negate a lifetime of achievements.

Was Lao Ma wrong?
Have!
But it cannot be denied that he also made contributions.

The booming development of the e-commerce industry has brought buyers and sellers closer together and reduced the profit margins of middlemen.

The decentralization of payment authority by financial regulators has enabled China to rapidly become a cashless society, reducing many social incidents.

However, he is different from Lu Liang. Lu Liang knew he was cheating, so he kept learning and always maintained a sense of awe.

In contrast, Lao Ma has been cultivating an image of himself as someone who started from scratch, worked hard, and used to sell goods by carrying a shoulder pole.

However, some people don't even know that English exists until they are 12 years old, and have never seen a foreigner since childhood, while others are fluent in English by the age of 12 and often have the opportunity to communicate with foreigners.

Old Ma's claim of starting from scratch is just as ridiculous as Little Ma's claim of coming from an ordinary family.

His early life was too smooth, which led to his ambition gradually expanding. Even though he knew it was a red country, he still wanted to cross the red line.

……

In the following days, Ant Group's IPO was halted by regulators, and Ma Yun fell from grace and became a hot topic on the internet.

In response to public discussion, Ant Group neither clarified nor denied the allegations, essentially acknowledging them.
As public opinion continued to ferment, a few days later, news broke that Ant Group had disbanded its IPO team and indefinitely postponed its IPO plans. This news was confirmed by a P8 executive.

In an instant, the average price of apartments in Hangzhou plummeted by 3,000 yuan overnight, with some properties near the Ali Park experiencing even steeper drops of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan.

Where did Ma Yun go?

As the incident unfolded for nearly a week, the question of Lao Ma's whereabouts quietly rose to the top of Weibo's trending topics.

In the past, Lao Ma was similar to Lu Liang, appearing in the public eye every now and then and making his presence felt.

However, since Ant Group's IPO was suspended, Jack Ma, the person involved, has disappeared without a trace.

So much so that rumors began to circulate that he had fled. Meanwhile, in Suzhou's Tianxing Industrial Park...

"Mr. Lu, I've lost."

Old Ma sighed softly, his hair was gray, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were like ravines, as if his energy had been drained away.

The once spirited Mr. Ma has disappeared, replaced by a nearly fifty-year-old man.

"If you know it's impossible but still do it, isn't the outcome already predetermined?" Lu Liang handed over a cup of hot tea.

Old Ma stared blankly at his reflection in the teacup, then gave a bitter smile: "I thought... never mind, I won't say anything more."

"You think regulators will back down as they have before, until Ant Group successfully goes public and the die is cast?"

Lu Liang smiled and finished saying what Lao Ma hadn't finished saying.

Old Ma remained silent for a long time before asking, "Did you already know the fate of Ant Group?"

Lu Liang picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and asked in return, "Don't you know?"

"To do something knowing it is impossible."

The same words, spoken by Lao Ma, showed no trace of regret, only a calm acceptance of defeat.

He picked up the slightly cooled tea, drank it all in one gulp, and regained his composure: "When do you plan to take over Alipay's business in East Asia?"

Ant Group, which cannot go public, is already a failed project and is not worth wasting any more time on.

He had previously agreed with Lu Liang that if Ant Group's IPO failed, they would spin off Alipay's overseas business to help Tianxing Financial develop its online presence overseas, thus providing themselves with a way out.

Now that Ant Group's IPO has failed, it's a fait accompli, and he should fulfill his promise.

Lu Liang did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "What attitude has the regulatory authorities taken towards Alipay?"

Ma Yun said softly, "Someone recommended a CEO to me. He's very good, with extensive investment banking experience, and should be able to lead Ant Group out of its current predicament."

Ant Group, valued at nearly $2000 billion, is unable to go public, and someone needs to step up and take responsibility, as well as clean up the mess.

After pondering for a long time, Lu Liang gave a precise time: "After National Day, the business in Hong Kong will be almost finished."

"I will inform the newly appointed CEO and take charge of the handover process with you," Ma Yun said.

"And what about you?" Lu Liang asked.

Ma Yun laughed and said, "What I miss most is the time I spent as an English teacher. I should probably pursue a career as a volunteer teacher in the future."

Lu Liang's eye twitched slightly, but his smile remained: "I wish you success in having students all over the world in the future."

Ma Yun smiled and said, "I also wish you can fulfill the dream that ants have not been able to achieve."

The two looked at each other, shook hands, and both showed friendly smiles.

Ma Yun left, and Lu Liang watched his retreating figure, unable to suppress a laugh: "Old fox, still putting on an act."

The taste of power is addictive; once you've had it, you'll spend your life chasing fame and fortune.

Given Lao Ma's personality, he'll probably just take a break for a while, and then he'll probably be back in action soon.

"Will Guang Sheng Bank be able to finish its internal restructuring by October 8th?" Lu Liang pondered for a moment and then called Wen Chao.

He had a premonition that this fire would eventually spread to Tianxing Financial, and they had to take action as soon as possible.

Wen Chao sensed the commanding tone in Lu Liang's words, patted his chest, and pledged, "Yes, sir."

"Then I'll go on the 8th."

After finishing his conversation with Wen Chao, Lu Liang called Hilt to inquire about the recent situation of Harris and Delimei.

“Sir, neither Harris nor Delime are doing well.” Hilterton sighed helplessly.

Harris is a sharp double-edged sword; he can hurt others, but he can also hurt himself.

With Delime filing lawsuits in 49 state and federal courts, the IRS is keeping a close eye on Delime, just waiting for them to make a mistake.

It's like running a KTV, but the police raid the rooms every few days; customers wouldn't dare stay in such a place for long.

The previously developed savings and wealth management businesses have almost come to a standstill, with only the loan department still operating as usual.

　There's only one available tonight.

　　Let's go out for a short get-together.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)