Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 308 Li Rongzhen Gives Birth (6k views, please subscribe)

Horses will go wherever there is plenty of grass.

As a circle that deals directly with money, the investment world naturally has a lot of interesting stories to tell. The power struggles between presidents of different investment institutions are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Art of War, Sun Tzu's "The Beauty Trap," the Divide and Conqueror Trap, and the Self-Inflicted Injury Trap are all common tactics found here.

It's like they had clearly agreed in their own small group not to sell to Lü Yao, but then they turned around and wanted to sell their Douyin shares to recoup their losses.

They actually know that not everyone will believe what they say.

But if I can fool one, I'll fool one.

Just like before a Ponzi scheme collapses, those who know about it certainly hope to escape faster than others.

Although the future of TikTok is still unclear, they have invested a lot of money after all.

Investing in ByteDance is not like it used to be, where you could get a decent stake for a few million or tens of millions of dollars. Now, the amount to invest in ByteDance is calculated in hundreds of millions of dollars!

For example, Tiger International Investments invested $1 billion last year, and before Douyin was launched this year, it invested an additional $300 million through internal channels, acquiring a 5% stake in Douyin.

This price is actually very reasonable.

Because ten years from now, this 5% stake of $300 million will balloon to $7 billion, bringing Tiger International Investments a return of more than twenty times.

However, because none of these investors were able to foresee the future and did not know that Douyin would become ByteDance's most important asset in the future, they were extremely panicked at the moment.

Especially for large investment banks like Tiger International Investments, when the market is down, they naturally need to hedge their risks as much as possible.

After Lü Yao pulled this group of people into a group chat, he started to privately message each of them to continue negotiating prices.

The quotes given by this group varied in price.

Initially, the increases were all higher than the 10% increase that Lü Yao had mentioned. However, as Lü Yao pulled these people into a group chat, and then refused to disclose the specific details of the transactions to them, the prisoner's dilemma arose due to the one-sided lack of information flow.

The presidents of these investment banks and funds were all wondering what prices others had offered to negotiate with Lü Yao, and how much ammunition Lü Yao still had.
The longer it goes on, the more uncertain they become.

And this is exactly what Lü Yao wanted.

After a night of negotiation and trading, Lü Yao finally acquired 3.7% of the shares from the group of investment bank presidents, for which he paid approximately $2.31 million.

Some investment bank presidents, unable to withstand the pressure, actually reached a deal with Lü Yao with an increase of less than 10%.

This transaction has essentially emptied Lü Yao's reserve fund pool.

He won't be able to continue acquiring shares in Douyin for the next month or two.

After all the transactions were completed, Lü Yao sent a message in the group: "Thank you all for your support. This trading window has now closed. I will continue to notify you in the group when it will reopen next."

Many investment bank presidents in the group who still had chips in their hands were immediately alarmed upon seeing this.

They haven't even sold any of their goods yet!
Why did Lü Yao end the deal?

That means that Lü Yao must have used all the available funds, and someone else beat them to it and completed the transaction!
Depend on!
The investment bank presidents who still held leverage and were waiting to make a deal with Lü Yao gritted their teeth, feeling that they had missed a window of opportunity.

If the next acquisition begins, they will definitely continue to expand.

After saying this in the group, Lü Yao went offline.

He compiled all the details of the transaction and sent them to the finance and legal departments, instructing them to prepare the funds and contracts to proceed with the transaction with the investment bank presidents.

Although he received 3.7% of Douyin's shares, Lü Yao was not actually very happy.

Currently, his total shares in Douyin do not exceed 10%, and this 3.7% stake alone has almost depleted his cash reserves.

If it weren't for the fact that Guang'an Network Games Company was indeed profitable, plus the international quick money from Monia and Jian Xiaojie, Lü Yao wouldn't even have been able to secure that 3.7%.

Lu Yao's funds have been suddenly emptied. The money he's burning every day in areas such as Weiguang International, Luoma Lake AI Data Center, Xiaomi Geek Phone R&D, the establishment of a high-precision map software company, and the promotion of software applications, if converted into cash, could crush him.

Without the support of the capital pool, Lü Yao was extremely panicked.

So Lü Yao began to think about how to get some funds in the short term, at least to replenish the capital pool again.

Lu Yao began to rack his brains, trying to extract wealth from future changes.

What were some things in 2016 that Lü Yao knew about that could make him money?

While browsing online information to spark inspiration, Lü Yao pondered the future-related matters discussed at the meeting.

First of all, the Land of Light on the other side of the strait is quite lively recently. A blond guy will become the focus of the whole world for the next four years. The news that blond guy creates can occupy the front page every day... He can be called the number one internet celebrity in the universe.

By following this guy's mysterious actions, Lü Yao can make a lot of money, especially before this blond guy ascends to the throne. You have to say, the Land of Light is great. Everything can be put on the market, even things like his own family can be put on the market.

Then there's Nvidia stock.

Lu Yao remembers that in 2016, cryptocurrencies were already very popular, and people all over the world started building mining operations.

Meanwhile, China's low electricity prices have made it a favorite destination for international mining teams, leading to the construction of numerous mining operations there. That same year, Nvidia's misjudgment resulted in a price surge exceeding that of the legendary 1080 graphics card. Coupled with the explosive growth in AI computing power demand at the end of 2016, Nvidia's stock is poised for rapid growth the following year.

The growth rate will continue for several years, and may even propel Nvidia to the top of the market capitalization rankings in seven or eight years.

Concessions are the key to the success of AI chip products...

All of this information will be revealed in the future due to the technological arms race, and that's about all Lü Yao can think of for now.

The remaining ways to make money either have too long a profit cycle or too low a return on investment.

Given Lü Yao's forward-looking perspective and his own experience, there really aren't many things that can support his current funds and generate a high return on investment.

However, the returns from investments in cryptocurrencies, US stocks, and domestic technology companies are probably sufficient.

Next month, Monia will receive another sum of money, and he also has investment funds with Liu Mulin, so Lü Yao still has room to maneuver.

After devising a plan to seize the money, Lü Yao began to contact Liu Mulin to make arrangements.

Two days later, when Lü Yao and his small group had a meal together, Rong Nianqing suddenly asked at the table, "Lü Yao, you've been quite free lately, you've even started researching investments."

During the dinner, Lü Yao drank a little alcohol, and the slight buzz helped him relax a lot. When Rong Nianqing asked him this, Lü Yao laughed and said, "I'm not that free. I'm so poor that I've started to find time to study investments."

Hearing this, Jian Xiaojie at the dinner table tilted her head and chuckled, "Oh? What did you do to become so poor?"

So Lü Yao told everyone about his recent acquisition of Douyin shares. Such a large expenditure had indeed put Lü Yao's cash flow in a bit of a predicament.

Jian Xiaojie wasn't particularly interested in ByteDance's operations, but she cared about Zhang Xiaonan, so she immediately squinted and asked, "Why are you starting to acquire shares in Douyin? I remember this product was launched not long ago, so why are you already trading shares?"

After Lü Yao briefly explained the situation at ByteDance, Jian Xiaojie gritted her teeth and said, "Damn it, why hasn't Xiaonan contacted me?" Then she glared at Lü Yao and said fiercely, "You didn't tell me either! What great benefits could you possibly offer that you wouldn't tell me?"

Lu Yao spread his hands and laughed, "You really think I'm kidding me. I'm doing this to stabilize the development of Douyin. If I don't do this, how can I convince others that there's something to be gained here? Confidence isn't something you can just say and expect others to believe."

"That requires others to deduce it themselves."

Just like when Jiang Gan stole the letter, would Zhou Yu directly tell him to believe it? Of course, the other party would have to overhear and steal it himself before he would truly believe it.

Upon hearing what Lü Yao said, everyone at the table showed disheartened smiles.

That's absolutely true.

Even Jian Xiaojie, who was unaware of the truth, felt that Lü Yao was doing this for personal gain. Others who knew Lü Yao would definitely be even more suspicious, thus making them hold onto their shares tightly.

The investment bank presidents' statement that they wouldn't sell that day was actually meant to provoke other investment bank presidents into releasing some shares to test the waters.

So the final result of Lu Yao's share acquisition that day was that the big investment banks didn't actually sell much of their shares; it was mostly the presidents of small investment banks with limited capital who couldn't withstand the pressure and passed the risk hedging to Lu Yao.

However, Jian Xiaojie still said, "Count me in. If you can't finish, let me eat the rest."

Jian Xiaojie has a considerable amount of "investment capital" under her control. She has the authority to dispose of this money at her own discretion, and there are targets to control the profits and losses. She can easily manage investments of a few hundred million US dollars.

After saying that, she added, "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you work for nothing."

Lu Yao laughed: "It's fine if I work for nothing, but I would suggest you let the investment bankers contact ByteDance's investors. That would be more reassuring."

Jian Xiaojie laughed and said, "Then how are you going to buy shares at a low price? I'm not stupid enough to pass up a chance to make money."

Lü Yaochong gave Jian Xiaojie a thumbs up.

Rong Nianqing said, "If you need money, you can ask Mu Lin to keep an eye on the recent Shanghai zinc futures market and be bullish. If you want to leverage, come to me and I guarantee you the lowest cost funds."

Lu Yao couldn't help but put his hands together in gratitude to the wealthy women present: "I won't thank you enough, I'll drink to that!"

As he spoke, Lü Yao picked up the liquor on the table and downed it in one gulp.

Seeing this, the others started to cheer, and the atmosphere, which had just cooled down, became heated again.

After the dinner party ended, Lü Yao and Wang Shu got into Jian Xiaojie's car and drove back together, with the driver taking them home.

In the past, Jian Xiaojie would definitely have driven herself.

Because she has a high alcohol tolerance, she didn't drink too much tonight. But now that Wang Shu is pregnant, Jian Xiaojie is more pampered than anyone else. She, who used to rarely call for a designated driver, has actually started calling for one now.

When they got home, Wang Shu wanted to make some hangover soup for Lü Yao, but Jian Xiaojie chased her away, saying, "She'll do it!"
but……

Lü Yao really couldn't compliment Jian Xiaojie's cooking skills.

Seeing Lü Yao's hesitant and frowning expression, Jian Xiaojie said with an unfriendly look: "What? It doesn't taste good?"

Lu Yao immediately said, "Of course not, it's too sobering."

Wang Shu smiled and defended Lü Yao, "Don't be so fierce." Jian Xiaojie's eyes almost popped out of their sockets: "Am I fierce? How am I fierce?"

Then she stared at Wang Shu with a resentful look, her aggrieved eyes seeming to say, "You're clearly being biased!"

Although Lü Yao's status in this new home isn't the highest, he is indeed the man Wang Shu loves the most. Occasionally, he would tease Jian Xiaojie, have a quiet and gentle time with Wang Shu, or violently confront Jian Xiaojie. It felt quite nice.

……

Daily life and work alternate, and time flies by.

Just as Lü Yao was living his life earnestly, a piece of news broke the simplicity of this period.

Li Rongzhen has given birth.

According to Li Rongzhen, she became pregnant around September of last year and is now due to give birth at full term. When the news of Li Rongzhen's impending delivery came from Wenzhenyuan, Lü Yao stared at the message on his phone in silence for a while.

Soon, Jian Xiaojie, Rong Nianqing, and even Wang Shu received this message.

As a result, Lü Yao and his friends' small group chat immediately became lively.

Jian Xiaojie tagged in the group: "You received the message, right? Do you want to go check it out?"

Rong Nianqing: "I think we should go, otherwise it would be too impolite."

Wang Shu even encouraged him, saying, "We can go with you."

Lu Yao looked at the messages popping up in the group and was a little speechless. He said, "No need, I'll just order a flower basket and send it over."

This is no different from the previous marriage alliances and political marriages. Although it's a bit special, there's no need to make things too emotional.

Since Lü Yao had already said that, the others naturally couldn't say anything more.

But Rong Nianqing in the group felt that she should go and take a look.

May 19, 2016, evening.

After the surgery, Li Rongzhen successfully gave birth to a baby boy. After a short rest, the medical team staying at the villa brought the baby to Li Rongzhen's side.

The newborn baby was wrinkled and not very pretty, but Li Rongzhen looked at the child as if he were a rare treasure. Then, Li Rongzhen's confidants and trusted men came into the room to congratulate Li Rongzhen on the birth of her son.

Li Rongzhen's face was full of smiles, and her eyes were filled with boundless tenderness.

When Li Rongzhen looked away from the child's face and scanned the group of people who had come to offer their congratulations, her originally joyful and clear eyes dimmed slightly. She did not find Lü Yao among the crowd of people who had come to offer their congratulations.

A sense of loss resurfaced in her heart.

After the medical team arrived and asked all the visitors to leave, the room suddenly became incredibly quiet and deserted.

Looking at the newborn child beside her, Lee Yong-jin pursed her lips and said softly in Silla, "This is the fate of our family. But don't worry, your future will definitely be bright."

After saying that, Li Rongzhen stretched out her finger and gently stroked the child's cheek.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door of Li Rongzhen's room. Li Rongzhen's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked at the door and said, "Come in."

When the door opened, Li Rongzhen didn't see the person she wanted to see; instead, she saw someone of even higher status.

It was Rong Nianqing who arrived.

Li Rongzhen was stunned for a moment, and then she struggled to get up.

But Rong Nianqing quickly put down the flower basket and said, "No, you should just lie down and rest."

Lee Yong-jin, flattered and overwhelmed, said in increasingly fluent Chinese, "I really didn't expect you to come. It's such a pleasant surprise."

Rong Nianqing said politely, "Lu Yao asked me to come and see you on her behalf. He's been extremely busy lately, and he doesn't have as many people as I do. He has to handle many things personally. Please don't mind that he couldn't come, President Li."

Li Rongzhen smiled.

Of course she knew that Rong Nianqing was just being polite, but what could she say when the dignified President Rong, a person of much higher status than Lü Yao, came to visit and comfort her?

So Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "I understand. Men should ultimately prioritize their careers. I completely understand."

Rong Nianqing smiled and said, "Okay, this is for you."

As she spoke, Rong Nianqing took out two gift boxes from her bag.

She said, "This is a birth gift that Lü Yao asked me to bring. This is the birth gift I chose for this child."

Li Rongzhen exclaimed with delight, "Ah! This is so precious!"

Rong Nianqing had already opened all the gift boxes in her hand. Inside were two gifts: a gold and silver inlaid Qilin longevity lock and a jade pendant carved from the finest Hetian jade, symbolizing a house full of wealth and prosperity.

Both gifts were actually chosen by Rong Nianqing.

But Lü Yao refused to come here, so Rong Nianqing had to do the formalities for him.

Rong Nianqing presented the two exquisite and valuable gifts to the child and said with a smile, "These are not for you, but for the child. Lü Yao is a very capable and important ally of mine, and his child deserves such a gift."

Hearing Rong Nianqing say that, Li Rongzhen stopped making excuses.

After putting down the gift, Rong Nianqing asked, "Have you named the child yet?"

Li Rongzhen smiled and said, "Actually, I would prefer that the child be named Lü Yao, or that you choose the name yourself. What do you think?"

This is actually a kind of test as well.

To test Lü Yao's and Rong Nianqing's attitude towards the child.

In fact, Li Rongzhen already knew Lü Yao's attitude when Lü Yao didn't appear here, but Rong Nianqing's attitude was equally important.

Rong Nianqing quickly waved her hand and said, "The naming process here is quite different from the naming process in your area. We are afraid that we will not be able to come up with a good name because of the different regional cultures. Otherwise, Lu Yao would definitely have asked me to bring a name with me."

Her answer was perfectly flawless.

Li Rongzhen didn't insist, but instead took out a name she had prepared beforehand and said, "Then, I'd like to name this child Li Dongcheng. What do you think of this name?"

Dong Cheng?

Rong Nianqing knew perfectly well that someone like Li Rongzhen wouldn't speak recklessly in such a situation, so the name had a hidden meaning.

Dongcheng is better than Chengdong.

Therefore, Rong Nianqing praised, "Indeed, with President Li's talent, the initial name was indeed quite good."

After exchanging pleasantries, Rong Nianqing chatted with Li Rongzhen about recent events in Silla and China, while also subtly discussing the child's future.

Rong Nianqing's idea is that when her child is a freshman in college, she can send him to study at the University of Tokyo so that he can have more contact with the university and lay a foundation for his future.

As for what kind of foundation to lay, Li Rongzhen certainly understood.

On the matter of letting this child inherit the Samsung Group, Rong Nianqing and Lü Yao shared the same idea as Li Rongzhen.

The point of contention between the two sides is whether the child will be able to inherit part of Lü Yao's businesses at Dongda University.

but……

When Li Rongzhen talked about this, although she still smiled and showed no change in emotion, she felt a little lonely inside.

Lu Yao, you are so much younger than her. This child is a late-life birth for her. Whether she will live to see the day the child inherits Lu Yao's assets at Dongda University is still unknown.

But anyway.

She will continue to run the business as it is meant to be.

After talking with Li Rongzhen, Rong Nianqing left, citing busy work.

After arriving at the parking lot of Wenzhen Garden, Rong Nianqing got into the car. Gan Xiaoxi, who was in the passenger seat, finally put down her phone and raised an eyebrow lazily, saying, "Why did it take so long? Was there so much to talk about?"

Rong Nianqing smiled and said, "We still have to do what we should do on the surface. After all, Li Rongzhen is not an ordinary person. Especially recently... I have a vague feeling that something is very wrong."

Gan Xiaoxi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Rong Nianqing smiled, started the car, and drove off, saying, "The changes in the domestic situation are actually closely related to the international situation, and the changes in the international situation largely depend on our adversaries."

There's a big drama unfolding between two factions in the Land of Light right now. They have completely different policies, but they're in complete agreement on one thing.

That means they want to suppress Tokyo University.

The only difference lies in the methods used.

As we all know, a new broom sweeps clean, and even the Land of Light, which is touted as the beacon of human civilization in China, is no exception. Given the growing hostility and hatred towards Tokyo University, what will the two factions in the Land of Light do to win votes?
This is actually not difficult to guess.

In recent years, the University of Tokyo has developed rapidly, achieving remarkable results in science, technology, economics and other fields, and has gradually grown into a behemoth that can challenge the world's captain's position.

In this situation, if Rong Nianqing is not mistaken, it won't be long before the Land of Light launches a campaign to suppress Tokyo University in terms of technology, economy, and other aspects.

At that time, the University of Tokyo's market will definitely be severely impacted.

Therefore, an external ally becomes especially important.

Otherwise, why would Rong Nianqing personally come over to deliver flowers and the "Gold and Jade Abundance" gift?

(End of this chapter)