After divorce, I can hear the voice of the future

Chapter 809 The End of a Legend

"Call me uncle, and I'll offer you a drink."

Lu Liang smiled and, as if performing magic, suddenly pulled out a bottle of beverage from his pocket, teasing Xiao Ma Yun.

"Xiaoqing, quickly call him Uncle Lu."

There was a beautiful nanny nearby. When she saw Lu Liang, she couldn't hide her excitement and hurriedly urged him to call for help.

Xiao Ma Yun stared at the drink, looking displeased, and shouted, "I want the drink, give it to me now!"

"Don't be angry, here you go."

Lu Liang was both amused and exasperated, and suddenly felt something was off.

How could a cunning and eccentric old woman like Ma Yun give birth to a son who seems a bit simple-minded?

"He is not my son!"

Just then, a voice clenched its teeth and snarled behind Lu Liang.

"Mr. Ma, it's been a long time."

Daqiangzi suppressed a laugh, his face turning bright red.

Huang Zheng stretched his philtrum, his mouth twitching into a grin, and greeted him while suppressing his laughter: "Mr. Ma, good evening, have you eaten?"

Lu Liang looked back and saw that Lao Ma's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and even his heavy makeup as a rock star couldn't hide the anger between his brows.

He glanced at the group of people who were holding it in and felt uncomfortable, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

Lu Liang chuckled awkwardly to ease the embarrassment, but after glancing at Xiao Ma Yun, he couldn't help but ask again, "Ms. Ma, is this really not your son?"

"His name is Fan Xiaoqing, and he is a special guest at the gala."

Old Ma suddenly looked at Da Qiangzi with a hostile gaze. Ignorance is no excuse, and he didn't blame Lu Liang.

The blame lies with those busybodies who called Fan Xiaoqing "Little Ma Yun".

If Ali doesn't invite Fan Xiaoqing, then someone else will invite him to attend.

Daqiangzi chuckled dryly and touched the tip of his nose.

Jack Ma is a pioneer in the e-commerce industry and deserves respect, but at the same time, they are also competitors.

If it only takes a small price to embarrass Ali, JD.com will definitely not let such an opportunity pass.

Unfortunately, Ali anticipated their prediction and brought Fan Xiaoqing to Hangzhou a few days in advance. Otherwise, if JD.com had invited Xiao Ma Yun to its own gala, the effect would have been absolutely phenomenal.

"Mr. Ma, this black eyeshadow looks pretty cool. Are you planning to sing rock songs tonight?"

Lu Liang glanced at Ma Yun and Da Qiangzi, and couldn't help but sigh, "Business warfare can sometimes be so simple and unpretentious."

"Mr. Lu, would you be interested in making a cameo appearance on stage?"

Old Ma nodded slightly, glanced at the pretty nanny without changing his expression, and gestured for her to keep a close eye on Fan Xiaoqing and make sure she didn't wander off.

With a face that's 95% similar to his own, he was invited to the Ali Gala. If he loses face, it'll be a disgrace to him as a person.

"Forget it, it's fine to be a spectator, so as not to go up and steal the show."

Lu Liang watched the little boy leave with reluctance, a smile playing on his lips.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a cold and piercing gaze. He laughed and had no choice but to give up.

As 7:30 approached, the gala was about to begin, and Dragon TV and Douyin (TikTok) were broadcasting it simultaneously online and offline.

An assistant ran over and whispered the message. Ma Yun bowed slightly and said to everyone, "Everyone, please forgive me if I have not been hospitable enough. I will go backstage to prepare now."

"Mr. Ma, please go ahead and get back to work."

Ma Yun went backstage, and Lu Liang chatted idly with Da Qiangzi: "Brother Dong, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Are you interested in warehousing and logistics?" Daqiangzi asked.

JD.com has always followed a self-operated model, but warehousing and logistics are capital-intensive projects, often requiring investments of tens or hundreds of billions of yuan, and it takes more than ten years to see a return on investment. Even if it goes public and can raise funds, it often finds itself in financial straits.

"I'm not very interested, but if Brother Dong needs it, just name your price."

Lu Liang was absent-minded. He looked at the celebrity guests at the gala and noticed a few familiar faces. He couldn't help but smile.

Yang Mi, Dilraba, Zhang Tianai, it seems only Tian Xi was missing; all of his lovers in the Chinese entertainment industry were present.

"Take it or leave it." Da Qiangzi glared at Lu Liang, disapproving of his pretentious attitude.

He has a temper and won't just blindly accommodate Lu Liang like Xiao Wang.

Lu Liang chuckled, sensing the dissatisfaction in Da Qiangzi's words: "Brother Dong, please forgive my slip of the tongue. As you know, I've been in Hong Kong recently and haven't been very familiar with the situation of mainland companies."

Daqiangzi softened his tone and pondered for a moment before saying, "If you have extra funds, you can invest in it. Although it may be difficult to see results in three to five years, it is a good business in the long run."

Although Ma Yun always says that the purpose of establishing Taobao is to cultivate more self-operated enterprises like JD.com, thus highlighting her status as the founder.

However, in recent years, Ali Group's business focus has clearly shifted towards Tmall, adopting JD.com's self-operated model.

Just as the full name of Double Eleven is Tmall Double Eleven Shopping Festival, Taobao has been excluded from the core of its strategy, which is enough to show that JD.com's self-built logistics and self-operated store system have been recognized.

“OK, just let me know when you’re planning to raise funds.” Lu Liang smiled, indicating that three to five billion US dollars was no problem, and even three to five hundred billion US dollars was not out of the question.

Daqiangzi was speechless for a moment, then sighed, "Sometimes, I really don't want to talk to you about these things."

He can't stand people showing off, but Lu Liang loves to show off, and he's incredibly good at it, and the key is that he can actually keep up the act.

Lu Liang chuckled, looked at the stage, and changed the subject, saying, "The gala has begun." It started promptly at 7:30, and not only did it feature top celebrities from the Chinese entertainment industry, but the lineup of hosts was also quite luxurious.

"Teacher He and Teacher Sa, Fu Nan and the CCTV hosting team were all present."

"Four returning sons, four little actresses, my goodness, and even the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong?"

"It still requires capital investment; even the Spring Festival Gala might not be able to produce such a lineup of performers."

"I hereby declare that this year's Tmall Double Eleven will be the biggest ever."

As soon as the show aired, related topics began to dominate various social media platforms.

In just twenty minutes, the online discussion had already surpassed that of IG, who won the championship a few days ago.

Weibo launched a no-prize guessing game, such as how many seconds it would take for Tmall's Singles' Day transaction volume to break 100 million, how many minutes it would take to break 10 billion, and whether the total transaction volume for the whole day could exceed 200 billion yuan.

"Even at Shanda, it's just a funeral."

Those in the know were filled with mixed emotions; the grander the scene tonight, the more heartbroken they felt.

It's a feeling I can't quite describe.
Even though he had no relation to Ma Yun and no financial ties with her.

'If banks don't change, we'll change the banks.'

'You should still have dreams; what if they come true?'

Today is cruel, tomorrow is cruel, and the day after tomorrow is beautiful, but most people die tomorrow night…

They are not qualified to judge Ma Yun. Right and wrong will be judged by future generations, but Ma Yun is undoubtedly a legend.

The end of a legend always leaves one feeling lost, especially when someone is so young, at 54 years old, in the prime of their life.

"Speaking of youth..."

They couldn't help but turn their attention to the front row of the audience, where the 33-year-old Lu Liang was even younger and had a more legendary life.

It remains to be seen whether he can break this curse, since throughout history, no businessman born at the University of Tokyo has ever had a good ending.

The gala was halfway through, nearing nine o'clock.

The hosts on stage shouted in unison, "Let's welcome Mr. Ma Yun, founder of the Ali Group, to perform 'Life in Full Bloom' for us!"

As soon as the words were spoken, dry ice smoke filled the entrance to the venue, and a cyber armored vehicle broke through the fog and drove into the venue, heading towards the stage.

How many times have I fallen on the road?

"How many times have my wings been broken?"

"Now I no longer feel lost,"

"I want to transcend this ordinary, extravagant wish..."

Inside the venue,
Suddenly, a voice that had weathered many storms rang out.

A gust of wind completely dispersed the smoke, revealing the Cyber ​​armored vehicle, which was a modified double-decker bus.

Wearing a studded leather jacket, Doc Martens, and her hair styled in a rooster comb, Ma Yun made a dazzling entrance, holding a guitar.

"I want a life in full bloom~~~~like flying in the vast sky~like traversing the boundless wilderness..."

Lu Liang sat in the front row and could see that Lao Ma's neck veins were bulging, and he was spitting saliva as he looked almost manic.

He sighed, “There’s no skill involved, it’s all about emotion.”

Daqiangzi nodded in agreement.

The song ended after a little over four minutes.

Old Ma jumped off the chariot and said with a smile, "I used to think that being a celebrity was just about singing and acting, what could be so difficult about that? But today, facing the gaze of 20,000 people, I'm honestly a little nervous, and my palms have been sweating the whole time."

"It's tough in every industry."

He is an outstanding speaker who can maintain control of the situation even when facing the top hosting teams in the country.

"I don't know if everyone enjoyed the show tonight or if they were satisfied, but I was quite satisfied. It fulfilled my long-held dream of rock and roll."

Holding a microphone, Lao Ma strolled leisurely on the stage, talking about how today is not only the tenth anniversary of Singles' Day, but also the twentieth anniversary of Ali.

"Over the past twenty years, through thick and thin, Ali Group has grown from a small sapling into a company that is useful to society and the country. This is my honor."

Thank you to all the Ali people.

But all good things must come to an end, and now I'm graduating from this university.

Old Ma bowed deeply to the audience, explaining that as he grew older, he found it increasingly difficult to handle things.

After careful consideration, he decided to step down as chairman of the Ali Group starting today, and Zhang Yong, the group's executive director, will take over the position.

From now on, he will devote himself to rural education and return to his favorite profession.

Is Old Ma retiring?

"Is it because of Ant Group's failed IPO?"

"No wonder it was such a grand spectacle; it was a swan song."

"I knew it! It's one thing for Ryoko to come, but why did Higashiko and Seiko also come?"

A single word can startle a thousand hearts; the news of Ma Yun's retirement spread as quickly as wildfire across the grasslands.

(End of this chapter)