Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 95 Heading South to Deliver Oranges
Lu Jiazui of Shanghai.

TouchPal Technology, a star company that received venture capital from Wall Street, is like a volcano about to erupt, with undercurrents surging beneath a calm surface.

The current overseas returnees and locals are irreconcilable, and they might go their separate ways at any time.

Since Apple 4's "FeceTime" high-definition and smooth video calls became popular, overseas returnees Liang Jiawang and Li Gan have become even more determined to enter the overseas market.

They spent their days working behind closed doors with a group of newly recruited technicians, pushing forward the Android version of the TouchPal video call project, the meeting room often filled with the aroma of cold brew coffee.

Local team members He Jian and Wang Teng, along with their trusted confidants from the technical department, were buried in code, diligently improving the Android app store, their ashtrays often overflowing with cigarette butts.

When they bumped into each other in the break room, their greetings were even more polite than usual.

Liang Jiawang could communicate with Li Gan in English, while Wang Teng would take the opportunity of watching a play to deliberately curse the fake foreigner twice in the office.

As the only female founder, Li Qiaoli thought she had successfully mediated the differences between the two sides.

Last week, during the regular meeting in the conference room, she had long talks with both parties separately.

To Liang Jiawang and Li Gan, they said, "The domestic market can serve as a testing ground and has greater room for growth."

He told He Jian and Wang Teng, "Overseas revenue data can improve financing valuation, and the capital market can support the company's development."

When she saw both sides managing to force a smile at the weekly meeting, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that her efforts had not been in vain and that team cohesion had finally returned.

However, only Li Qiaoli, an "outsider," was kept in the dark. Both sides were simply waiting for an opportunity for a "decisive battle."

Now, that opportunity has arrived with the arrival of the investor representatives sent from Wall Street.

As the flight from neon-lit Tokyo to Shanghai landed, it was getting dark, and Eric Wilson's cuffs were still faintly damp with the cold rain from Narita Airport.

As the Vice President of Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific TMT Group (the ultimate form of a working man), he transforms into a living surveillance camera on Wall Street and will be stationed at Touchbao Company as a "special observer".

To prevent these young, naive founders from spending lavishly and enriching themselves at the expense of the company after receiving investment from Wall Street.

Eric stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his long-term suite at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, where he could see the Huangpu River winding towards the office building where Lujiazui was located, like a ribbon studded with diamonds.

The room phone rang at 19:05. The front desk said that Liang Jiawang and Li Gan from Chubao were already waiting in the lobby.

Eric loosened his tie in front of the mirror, raised an eyebrow, and ordered, "I'll let you know in half an hour to bring them up!"

The rose essential oil in the bathtub hadn't completely dissipated yet, so he deliberately used this time to take a leisurely bath and then change into a silk bathrobe.

As a hunter in the Wall Street, he never lets his prey see him in a flustered state.

Under the crystal chandelier in the lobby lounge, Li Gan was stirring his coffee with a silver spoon, while a corner of the Napoleon pastry on the porcelain plate had already been scooped out.

Liang Jiawang's fingertips tapped out a rapid rhythm on the sofa armrest.

"My dear CEO Li! How can you still have the appetite to eat?"

Li Gan swallowed his dessert, cream still clinging to his lips: "What's the rush? Eric's right here at the hotel, he's not going to run away!"

He pushed the coffee over the carved coffee table, and used milk to create a leaf-vein-like latte art on the rim of the cup.

Half an hour later
Eric's bathrobe draped loosely over his shoulder as he swaggered into the entryway, a Bordeaux wine bottle in his left hand and three wine glasses held between his right fingers, trembling slightly with his gesture of invitation.

"Mr. Liang! Mr. Li! Please." He stepped aside to make way for the Persian carpet-covered corridor, pointing to the neon lights of the bustling Shanghai outside the balcony. The light from the Pearl of the Orient cut through the dark night, casting the shadows of the three men onto the gilded wallpaper.

The three went out onto the balcony, where Eric handed them wine glasses, and then each of them held a glass of red wine.

“This night view reminds me of Park Avenue, where Niu Yue went.” Li Gan raised his wine glass and leaned towards the railing, the wind from the Huangpu River lifting his sleeves.

Eric chuckled, swirling his wine glass, the clinking of the liquid mingling with the horns of cruise ships on the river: "So, tell me, why are you two in such a hurry to see me?"

Liang Jiawang tapped his knuckles on the balcony glass, and the face reflected in the glass was somewhat distorted due to the two beams of light.

"We need your support at the board meeting to get He Jian and Wang Teng to leave Touchbao!"

As Eric raised an eyebrow, his eyelashes cast a dark blue shadow beneath his eyes. He abruptly stopped swirling his wine glass, leaving an amber trail of red wine on the glass.

“They are wasting company resources.” Liang Jiawang pulled a USB drive out of his inner pocket: “Our Android version of ‘Fece Time’ has completed internal testing. The latency is less than 200 milliseconds under 3G network, and the image quality can reach 1080P if the hardware allows.”

Eric's pupils contracted slightly in the darkness. In the distance, the LED screen at Lujiazui was displaying a giant advertisement for the Apple 4, which would be released in October.

"But He Jian and his team insist on focusing on the domestic market, which is simply incomprehensible. Eric, you represent Wall Street in jeopardy's interests."

“Liang! Calm down!” Eric interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over Li Gan: “Perhaps you should try to convince the capital first, then convince me, instead of complaining.”

Li Gan suddenly put down his wine glass and looked at Eric's blue eyes with a smile.

"Get rid of them, and Wall Street will have priority in purchasing their shares. As for Li Qiaoli..."

Li Gan suddenly smiled: "Mr. Eric, are you interested in her shareholding agreement?"

The river breeze carried the aroma of red wine into his nostrils, and Eric suddenly burst into laughter, raising his glass towards the spire of the Pearl of the Orient.

"Li! You really do understand the rules of the game on Wall Street better than your companions."

When the three men clinked their glasses together, Liang Jiawang saw a glint of shrewdness in Li Gan's eyes.

As the guest room door closed behind me, the clock on the Bund struck eight, and the bustling, brightly lit Bund began to come alive.

Liang Jiawang watched as Li Gan casually grabbed a glass of champagne and stuffed the tip into the waiter's pocket, and suddenly remembered what "Survive first, then talk about ideals" meant.

To satisfy the gluttonous appetites of Wall Street, they betrayed He Jian and Wang Teng; to get Eric to express his support, they betrayed Li Qiaoli.
How much of the original aspirations of the entrepreneurs can be seen in gaining control of the company in this way?

As their black sedan disappeared off the Yan'an overpass, the revolving doors of the Shangri-La Hotel slid open once more.
He Jian, dressed in a suit and tie, led Wang Teng inside.

Wang Teng also held a USB drive in his hand, which contained the Android version of the app store.

A dozen minutes later, when they walked out of the Shangri-La Hotel, He Jian's tie was crooked, and Wang Teng's eyes were complicated. He didn't expect that Brother Jian would betray the kind-hearted Sister Li.

The Huangpu River behind them still shimmered, as if nothing had happened.

Unfortunately, He Jian, a local figure, had never been abroad and didn't quite understand the greed of Wall Street capital or its rules of the game.

He thought that throwing out Li Qiaoli would be enough to satisfy Wall Street's appetite, but they wanted more.
To put it simply, He Jian didn't have the same audacity as Li Gan in betraying his interests.

The fact that Li Gan dared to give up the shares of three founders to satisfy Wall Street's appetite suggests that either he was a Wall Street mole, or he had absolute confidence that he could retain control of TouchPal under the encroachment of Wall Street capital.

Of the five founders of TouchPal, the one who is the most secretive and ruthless has to be Li Gan, a veteran entrepreneur from Silicon Valley.

He usually gives Liang Jiawang advice discreetly, but when it comes to crucial moments, he steps forward and can make all the difference with a single word.

When Wall Street capital intervened, all variables in this covert battle between overseas returnees and local factions had already led to a predetermined outcome.

There is never a fair fight in the business world. The truly fatal bargaining chips are always hidden in the undercurrents beneath the negotiating table. Before the dawn pierces the darkness, the outcome has already been quietly rewritten by the hidden manipulators.

Morning light streamed through the glass curtain wall of the Touchbao conference room, casting a sharp beam of light onto the long table.

When Li Qiaoli rushed into the conference room clutching her phone, Liang Jiawang was slowly tidying up his prized Steinfair shirt.

Li Gan was chewing on a pen cap and swishing around in his chair, while He Jian and Wang Teng stood like two silent sculptures, their knees pressed against a project proposal crumpled by their knuckles.

"Why weren't I notified about the board meeting?"

Li Qiaoli slammed her hand heavily on the conference table, startling even the projector remote control.

Eric leaned back in his leather chair, raising an eyebrow, his gold pocket watch chain gleaming in the light. "Whoosh~"

Li Gan whistled and continued picking at his nails, as if he were enjoying the show.

Liang Jiawang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses icy cold.

"I was just about to send someone to invite you, Sister Li!"

Kind people are often bullied, and good horses are often ridden. Li Qiaoli also has a temper.

"Hmph!" She snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and sat down. "Now that I've arrived, Mr. Liang, can we start the meeting now?"

Liang Jiawang, as the host, stood up.

"There are two main topics for our board meeting today."

"One key question is whether TouchPal's future market positioning will be focused on overseas markets or the domestic market?"

Liang Jiawang first looked at He Jian and the other person, then at Li Qiaoli.

"Another issue is to increase capital and expand shares for the next stage of TouchPal's development."

When Liang Jiawang uttered the words "capital injection and share expansion," Li Qiaoli understood.

Liang Jiawang and Li Gan are in cahoots; they're trying to kick the other founders out!
She turned sharply to He Jian, only to see him tucking a pen into his shirt pocket. It was a pen engraved with "VV PS First Release Commemorative".

At this moment, the faint smile on Eric's lips was reflected on the silver metal pen cap.

"Ms. Li! Let's discuss the first topic: the market direction of TouchPal!"

Eric speaks fluent Chinese, with a slight northern accent. He twirls the pen in his hand and says, "Liang! Let's begin!"

Liang Jiawang stood up and began to talk about his future plans for TouchPal, relying on TouchPal's input method to attract 6000 million overseas Chinese as its base, and using this as a foundation to promote TouchPal video calls on Android.

When Liang Jiawang finished recounting his overseas expansion plans, Eric clapped exaggeratedly.

"Liang! I believe your TouchPal video calling will change the world, just like Apple's FeceTime!"

Next, Wang Teng went on stage and began to explain, with a forced smile, his and Jian Ge's plans for cultivating the domestic market. With TouchPal Input Method already generating profits from small-batch licensing fees, he promoted a mobile application store called "AppPal".

"Clap clap clap~" Eric continued to clap: "Your Majesty! This is also a very good idea."

Before the applause had even subsided, Wang Teng, still standing, suddenly turned to look at He Jian with regret.

"But have you considered that after Google agrees to deploy local servers, the three-piece suite will re-enter your domestic market?"

Before Eric could finish speaking, his fingertips had already drawn a resolute arc in the air.

"Your app is like a house built on someone else's land. When the owner comes back, they can kick you out at any time."

“Your domestic market planning direction has systemic risks, so unfortunately,” Eric began to seemingly take sides, “What! On behalf of the investors, I support Liang’s overseas market positioning and planning direction.”

He Jian seemed to have known the result beforehand and was not surprised at all. However, Wang Teng was somewhat unwilling and clenched his fists.

Li Qiaoli had been listening to this disagreement about the direction of the two markets for more than half a year, and she remained neutral in this vote.

"Alright! Now let's begin the vote on the second item: capital increase and share expansion!"

Since entering the meeting room, Li Qiaoli had been in a state of agitation. If someone hadn't sent her a message, she wouldn't have even known that a board meeting was being held today.

Now, she has finally reached the second issue: capital increase and share expansion!
The four men, Liang Jiawang, Li Gan, Eric, and He Jian, all looked at Li Qiaoli with somewhat cold eyes.

When the vote was taken on the capital increase and share expansion, the hum of the air conditioner suddenly became ear-piercing.

Li Qiaoli's Adam's apple bobbed violently as she watched He Jian raise his hand first, then she turned to look at Wang Teng.

The veins on the back of Wang Teng's hand bulged, and finally, under He Jian's gaze, he slowly raised his arm as if his spine had been removed, avoiding Sister Li's eyes.

The moment the vote passed, it was all over. Li Qiaoli sat there, stunned.

Touchbao Technology raised 10 million yuan in capital, but Li Qiaoli was the only one present who couldn't come up with the money, and her shareholding was diluted to less than 1000%.

One by one, everyone left the meeting room, leaving only Li Gan.

He got up and opened the blinds, letting the blinds into the room, illuminating Li Qiaoli's body curled up in the shadows.

"Sister Li! Five hundred thousand, plus the remaining 3% of the shares as dividends, let's part ways amicably."

Li Gan pushed the check across the table, the pen scratching across the paper.

After signing the check, Li Qiaoli stared at the zero on the check and suddenly remembered the early days of their business, when five people squeezed into a rented room and ate instant noodles.
Liang Jiawang said, "The five of us will work together to make TouchPal the world's best input method, win the GSMA Global Mobile Innovation Award, and then work together to make TouchPal the greatest company in the world!"

At that moment, those words faded away with the sound of her footsteps as the elevator doors closed.

three days later.

On an afternoon tea terrace facing the Pearl of the Orient, Li Qiaoli, wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat, gently swirls her bone china coffee cup, the small diamonds on her nails reflecting a cool light in the sunlight.

Wang Teng, sitting opposite, gripped the side of his iced Americano, the bottom of the glass leaving a circular stain on the wooden tabletop: "Sister Li! I'm sorry."

"Silly boy!" she laughed and waved her hand, her ring finger brushing against the rim of the glass. "Now I'm receiving dividends every year, it's much more comfortable than when I was the founder."

She suddenly tapped the table with her fingertip and made a sharp sound: "Thanks to you for tipping me off, otherwise I would still be keeping them in the dark and counting money for them!"

Wang Teng's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared at her newly done manicure: "Sister Li! Jian and I are planning to head south in a few days."

"呲~"

The sound of the coffee spoon hitting the cup was somewhat sharp.

Li Qiaoli lowered her eyes and stirred the milk foam, her eyelashes casting shadows on her eyelids: "Be careful of He Jian! You want to be the loyal and devoted Lei Jun, but he may not be willing to be the behind-the-scenes Qiu Bojun."

"Brother Jian isn't that kind of person!" Wang Teng looked up anxiously, only to be met with her ambiguous smile.

Jiang Feng lifted the collar of her silk shirt, revealing a shimmering silver necklace on a patch of snow-white skin below her collarbone.

That was the first luxury item I acquired, worth 20 yuan, in exchange for nearly half of the equity transfer fee.

She liked it, so she bought it.

"When you come to Shanghai tomorrow, remember to treat me to afternoon tea!" She smiled and raised her bone china cup of coffee, while cruise ships passed by on the Huangpu River in the distance, sounding their horns. "Wishing you a smooth and successful journey!"

Looking at Sister Li, who had changed from her usual simple style to a fashionable and beautiful one, Wang Teng suddenly remembered that when she started her business with TouchPal, she couldn't even afford a ten-yuan manicure, let alone wear gold and silver.

"must!"

Wang Teng stood up and left.

This trip south to produce oranges... the future is uncertain.

Last year, the five of them stood on the podium full of confidence, winning the GSMA Global Mobile Innovation Award.

Looking back today, everything has changed.

(End of this chapter)