After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 774 The E-commerce Industry Resumes its Battle
"Actually, it's not like there's absolutely no room for maneuver."

Hilt subtly probed Lu Liang's attitude.

Harris's move from behind the scenes to the stage gave a semblance of tact to what should have been an irreversible situation.

The main shareholder of Delime is Tianxing Financial, but there are also two other shareholders: Blackstone Group and JPMorgan Chase.

The two groups, which had previously remained silent, took immediate action after Harris announced that they would file lawsuits in the remaining 49 states and federal courts.

JPMorgan Chase was under pressure to report its Q3 results and dared not make a statement easily, but Blackstone Group did not have such concerns. Schwarzman directly asked him to pass on a message to Lu Liang.

Delime has already made a name for itself in the European and American circles. Its goal has been achieved, so why make the relationship so strained?

If all the blame is placed on Harris and the lawsuits filed by the states are dropped, everyone can back down, and the frozen funds can be released instantly.

"What's the difference between this and begging on your knees?"

Lu Liang scoffed. Ever since he founded Delime, his conflicts with Wall Street institutions had escalated into a life-or-death struggle.

He smiled calmly: "Let's keep dragging this out with them. I'd like to know if the credibility of the US government is worth $50 billion."

Sacrificing Harris would be the best option to maximize profits, but he wanted to stand firm and still make money.

Seeking peace through appeasement is never true peace.

Hilt hesitated, then swallowed his words. He had no choice but to skip the topic.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Sir, Morgan's Q3 financial report will be released on the 15th. Wilson asked me to ask you when General Star will start its IPO financing round?"

Lu Liang pondered for a moment and said, "After National Day, I'll discuss the specific time with General Motors' Flannery."

Several months ago, JPMorgan Chase hedged against Tianxing in multiple markets, including gold and foreign exchange, ultimately ending with a loss of more than $20 billion.

JPMorgan Chase's total revenue last year was just over $40 billion, and its net profit was only a little over $10 billion.

A project that wipes out two years' worth of net profit is something even established Wall Street financial groups would find hard to handle.

Wilson has been preparing for the past few months.

This includes, but is not limited to, spending tens of billions of dollars to acquire Tianxing Quantitative, investing in General Motors Tianxing, and even using Tesla's original shares as leverage.

This was solely to address the crisis brought about by the Q3 report.

If JPMorgan Chase can overcome this hurdle, its dominant position on Wall Street will remain; otherwise, it will gradually decline.

Lu Liang and Hilt talked until late at night, until the clock struck midnight, September ended and October began.

In the hotel's business suite, only a table lamp was lit. Lu Liang sat by the window, overlooking the myriad lights of the city.

He sipped his beer, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "One more week, these days are going to be tough!"

It's that time of year again for the National Day Golden Week.

As in previous years, highways were congested and tourist attractions across the country were packed with people. During holidays, the concept of a country with 1.4 billion people is brought to life.

At this moment, in Hangzhou, at the Ali Park.

Since Ant Group's IPO was suspended, Ma Yun, who had disappeared for almost half a month, reappeared in the public eye for the first time, holding several high-level meetings in succession.

By leveraging the popularity of the National Day Golden Week, they aimed to cover up the news of the changes in the group's senior management and minimize the impact of his departure.

However, every move of a large corporation is scrutinized under a magnifying glass, examined closely and repeatedly.

Upon receiving word of the impending battle, Pinduoduo, JD.com, and Douyin all immediately convened emergency meetings to plan a new round of e-commerce price wars.

The departure or exodus of the founder is a major blow to any company, let alone a leader with such charisma as Jack Ma.

Although there are rumors that Zhang Yong, the founder of the Double Eleven shopping festival, will succeed Ali Group.

But Zhang Yong is not Ma Yun. Ma Yun's position in the Ali Group is irreplaceable by anyone.

"President Lu, Lu Liang, Liangzi, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Early in the morning, Xiao Wang went to Suzhou and waited outside Lu Liang's office.

The end of Ma Yun's era also marked the beginning of the decline of Ali Group's e-commerce empire.

Not only Pinduoduo, JD.com, and Douyin have taken action, but even second-tier platforms such as Kuaishou, Meilishuo, and Mogujie have announced financing plans to accelerate their expansion in the e-commerce market.

Although Panda Interactive Entertainment is a live streaming platform, they also have a live-streaming e-commerce section called Tmall Store, so they might be able to get a share of the pie.

Lu Liang glared at him: "Stop dreaming. Don't you know that you can't bite off more than you can chew? Besides, what are the sizes of Pinduoduo, JD.com, and Douyin? And what is the size of Panda TV?"

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Pinduoduo, Douyin, and JD.com dare to covet the market share of Taobao and Tmall because they have the power to do so.

Although Kuaishou can't beat Douyin, it is still the dominant short video platform in northern China.

Meilishuo and Mogujie are also vertical e-commerce platforms that focus on high-quality women's shopping.

A panda, such a tiny creature, dares to try and grab a share of the pie? It would probably be crushed at the slightest touch.

"You look down on panda cat shops that much?" Xiao Wang asked, looking displeased.

"It's not that I look down on you, but everyone has their own expertise. Focus on your esports, that's better than anything else."

Lu Liang suddenly remembered an interesting anecdote, a smile playing on his lips as he jokingly teased, "A legendary marksman with a 100% win rate?"

Xiao Wang looked embarrassed, his face turning red: "Uh... you actually pay attention to this kind of news?"

The Panda IG esports team was virtually invincible in the league, so he couldn't resist the urge to try his hand at it and registered as an esports player.

He made his debut, played only one game, and then announced his retirement, leaving behind the reputation of a 100% win rate marksman.

"Damn it, I'm only three years older than you. What's wrong with me following esports news?"

Lu Liang looked displeased and beckoned Xu Jiawei to book a flight to Beijing.

As he tidied up the documents on his desk, he said, "If IG wins the championship, I will reduce most of my shares. If you also want to cash out, you'd better seize this opportunity."

The S8 World Championship Play-In Stage kicks off today. This year's tournament will be held in Korea and will last for a total of 33 days.

Lu Liang also holds 1.58 million shares of Panda, accounting for 8.235% of the total outstanding shares, which are currently worth $2.88 million.

However, if Panda can overcome the pressure of the world championships and win the title, they can become a super team that ends the region's eight-year championship drought.

At that time, the market value of $35 billion will at least double, which will be the best time for them to cash out.

"It's not that easy. Even if IG is considered invincible in the league, that's just being considered invincible. There's still their arch-rival RNG. Not to mention the powerful Korean teams."

Xiao Wang looked dejected. He genuinely loved esports; otherwise, he wouldn't have registered to become an esports player.

Unlike Korea, where esports is truly treated as a career, esports in China is still in a stage where it's considered a waste of time and not accepted by the mainstream.

Different atmospheres and environments lead to different levels of competition and team strength.

Just like last year's finals were held in China, where the teams had such a high chance of winning, but in the end, the two Korean teams met at the Bird's Nest, which was a great disgrace.

IG has a chance to win the championship, but it's only a possibility.

"It's just a tiny place like Korea, with a population smaller than Jiangshu Province. Can't you have a little more confidence in the guys on your team?"

Hearing Lu Liang's disdainful tone, Xiao Wang sighed helplessly, "Ignorance is bliss. You don't understand, so it's normal for you to have this kind of thinking."

Lu Liang chuckled, then suddenly asked, "What are we betting on?"

Xiao Wang smiled and said, "Forget about the championship. If IG makes it to the finals, how about you come with me to Korea next month to watch the game?"

Lu Liang thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "If there's nothing urgent that day, that's fine. But what if you lose?"

"If I lose, it means IG will win the championship, and there will be a huge surge in traffic. How about I give Tianxing Motors some free advertising?"

"You know, those who pay attention to e-sports are mostly teenagers. They may not have money now, but that doesn't mean they won't have money in the future. This is highly consistent with the product positioning of Tianxing's two electric vehicles."

Hearing Xiao Wang's words, Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle. Just then, Xu Jiawei returned and informed him that the plane tickets had been booked.

But boarding time was only two and a half hours away, and since Suzhou had no airport, they had to leave now.

Lu Liang bowed slightly, and before leaving, he patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Although winning or losing is in your best interest, I've agreed. I'm leaving now."

"Look at what you're saying! What do you mean by 'benefiting me'? It means it's beneficial to you too!" Xiao Wang said irritably, glaring at him.

If IG wins the championship and Lu Liang goes to watch the game live, the stock price will soar due to the combined effect of multiple positive factors.

At that time, not only will they get free advertising, but they can also sell their stocks for a better price.

The price Lu Liang paid was merely a trip to Goryeo.

The premise is that IG can make it to the finals.

Lu Liang chuckled, a look of fatherly relief suddenly appearing on his face: "Even if you're right."

"Get the hell out of here, and stop looking at me like that."

(End of this chapter)