Black technology: a super empire spanning two worlds

Chapter 292 [By surrendering his soul, CEO Zhou chooses to win without lifting a finger]

Having managed to latch onto Lingjing Technology, Zhou Chengyang made a crucial decision without hesitation in order to secure this partnership.

Then just throw away your brain, hand over your soul to Lingjing Technology, choose a comfortable position to win, isn't that great?

That's right, he wants to emulate the actions of the owner of Xiaokang Shares, which recently changed its name to "Selis" and its collaboration with Huawei on the Wenjie M9 is selling very well.

Since handing over its "soul" to Huawei, Seres' stock price has soared, and its current market value has reached 1500 billion.

Zhou Chengyang felt that if Likang Technology missed this opportunity, he might never have such a good chance again in his life.

We must seize this opportunity. Since we've decided to entrust our "soul" to Lingjing Technology, Zhou Chengyang will do exactly what Lingjing Technology tells Likang Technology to do.

……

"Old Zhou, are you kidding me? Likang is a company that makes sex toys. Why would Lingjing Technology hire you? This story is too far-fetched." In an office, a middle-aged man invited by Zhou Chengyang looked suspicious and disbelieving, and was even a little unhappy.

He is an investor who participated in and led the Series B funding round for Likang Technology, and is now the company's third-largest shareholder.

"If that's the case, then don't say I didn't contact you, and don't say I'm dishonest or that I'm keeping the benefits to myself. I'm going to Linzhou City in a few days to discuss the specific cooperation details with Lingjing Technology," Zhou Chengyang said calmly and confidently.

He brought this investor in this time because he decided to ask him for money, and not for further financing, but for direct lending, which is to put it bluntly, borrowing money.

He asked investors for money to improve the health of Likang Technology's cash flow, so that he could successfully reach a cooperation agreement with Lingjing Technology in the future.

Zhou Chengyang wasn't entirely confident that he could get on Lingjing Technology's good side, but he knew he had to project a strong presence and be brimming with confidence in front of the investors.

The middle-aged man was skeptical, but Zhou Chengyang's demeanor seemed genuine. However, he still questioned, "Would a large company like Lingjing Technology be interested in such a niche field as the sex toy industry?"

"It's a niche market now because the technology isn't there yet. Once the technology for androids and prosthetics matures, the market size will be substantial. And the technology is already close to that point," Zhou Chengyang said with absolute certainty.

The middle-aged man then questioned, "How could a large company like Lingjing Technology stoop so low as to do this kind of business?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chengyang immediately retorted, "That's industry discrimination, and it's truly unethical to eat from the same pot while biting the pot. To put it another way, if you can't lower yourself, then you need a partner, right? That way, Lingjing Technology won't have to get involved in the business itself, doesn't that make sense?"

The investor questioned again, "Okay, even so, why should Lingjing Technology cooperate with Likang?"

Zhou Chengyang suddenly gave a meaningful smile. The middle-aged man was confused about what he was up to. Zhou Chengyang pretended to be smug and calmly said, "Why? Of course, it's about connections."

The middle-aged man was taken aback upon hearing this and immediately said, "Relying on connections? What do you mean?"

Zhou Chengyang smiled and said, "Alright, Mr. Li, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. My wife has a cousin named Yun Shu, who is Yun Shu, a core executive at Lingjing Technology. She is the company's CFO and one of the seven directors. As an investor, you should know who Lingjing Technology's senior management team is, right?"

Upon hearing this, the investor immediately lost his composure and exclaimed in shock, "Is this really true?"

Zhou Chengyang's smile remained unchanged, and he nodded with absolute certainty: "Absolutely true, what you said is not wrong. Without this connection, I might not even be able to meet with a mid-to-high-level director at Lingjing Technology."

Mr. Li was extremely surprised. He never expected that Zhou Chengyang would have such a strong network of connections. One of the directors of Lingjing Technology was actually his wife's cousin. In that case, things would have to be discussed separately.

At this moment, Zhou Chengyang calmly said, "To be honest, my wife spoke with her on the phone today. I didn't expect that she directly communicated with President Xiao to discuss this matter with me. According to the information she gave to my wife, President Xiao is interested in cooperating and has already invited me to Linzhou City to meet and discuss the details." This made the investor even more surprised, and he was already thinking about giving money.

Zhou Chengyang continued, "The biggest reason I asked you to provide financial support for the company this time is that once Likang Technology gets on board with Lingjing Technology, it won't be a small-scale operation anymore; it will definitely be a big undertaking, which will require even greater investment."

After a pause, Zhou Chengyang added confidently, "Having latched onto Lingjing Technology, Likang Technology is the next Seres, 100% certain. I'm willing to go all in, no matter how much investment is required. In short, the demand for funds will skyrocket."

When President Li heard the name Seres, his eyes lit up. Before Seres partnered with Huawei, the company was on the verge of collapse, and its stock price had plummeted.

However, since partnering with Huawei, their business has been booming, and the company's market value has soared to over 1500 billion, bringing investors a return of more than ten times.

Thinking about all this, Mr. Li was already very excited.

A moment later, Zhou Chengyang suddenly said, "President Li, are you going to give me the money or not? Just give me a straight answer. If not, I'll find other investors. I need to settle the funding issue today so I can prepare for the trip to Linzhou to discuss things with Lingjing Technology. I'm in a hurry."

Mr. Li immediately became anxious and made a decision on the spot: "Hey, hey, no need to look for anyone else, I'll give it to you. Just tell me how big the funding gap is. Even if you need 1 billion or 3 billion, I'll find a way to get the money for you. If I don't have enough money, I'll bring in people to raise enough for you."

Then, Mr. Li added, "But Lao Zhou, that's not fair. I'd like to raise more funds to get some equity."

Knowing that Likang Technology has managed to get on the good side of Lingjing Technology, the entire value of Likang Technology will need to be reassessed, and its equity will become extremely valuable.

Zhou Chengyang refused without hesitation: "President Li, refinancing is not only troublesome, but I also need to ensure the safety of the company's control. I've already given you the information, why don't you just buy the dip in the secondary market? The current stock price of 1.5 yuan is practically a steal. If it weren't for the fact that it's not suitable, I would have bought the dip myself."

Strictly speaking, this would definitely be considered insider trading, but such situations are difficult to define and difficult to trace and prove.

Information asymmetry always exists; there will always be some people who know the news first.

He understood what Zhou Chengyang meant. The implication was that he was only giving him the information now, and whether or not to buy at the bottom in the secondary market was up to him. Once the news spread, Likang Technology's stock price would definitely take off, and he would never be able to pick up such cheap shares again.

After weighing the options, Mr. Li concluded that buying at the bottom in the secondary market was indeed a safer bet.

Likang Technology's current stock price is too cheap, and there are risks involved in equity refinancing. Lending money to others may yield smaller returns, but the risks are also lower. The borrowed money must be repaid, and interest must be charged.

In case the cooperation fails, Zhou Chengyang can be asked to repay the money immediately.

Equity refinancing is essentially exchanging money for shares. Once you acquire the shares, you can't get the money back. To recoup your funds, you have to find someone to take over the shares.

Meanwhile, Likang Technology's stock price is currently extremely cheap. If you use funds to buy some shares in the secondary market at the bottom, the returns will not be low.

After careful consideration, Mr. Li immediately agreed.

After settling things with the investors and resolving the company's potential cash flow problems, Zhou Chengyang prepared to head to Lingjing Technology in Linzhou City.

……

(End of this chapter)