Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

Chapter 101 Hugging Thighs

Apple has already started talks with Russian telecom operators to sell iPhones in Russia. If things go smoothly, they could be launched in the second half of the year, or at the latest next year.

Both VK and OK, two major Russian-language social networking sites, are preparing for the smartphone era by developing mobile versions in advance.

"We also discussed the solution of combining communication software with payment, but at the time we were discussing doing it ourselves. We felt that the compliance in the financial field would be too difficult, so we rejected it in the end."

Xiao Du deliberately said, "Bringing in a third party can indeed reduce trial-and-error costs, but there are many partners to choose from, so why choose Skrill?"

Li Xiang said, "It's a two-way selection process. I'm just here to talk to you first. If we can't reach an agreement, I'll go to 0K. With such a good plan, why would I be worried about finding someone willing to cooperate?"

Xiao Du looked at Li Xiang with a smile, "Adding payment functionality may not have an effect on VK, but it will definitely be a good thing for SkriI, giving you more than five million registered users in one go."

"VK's user base has already surpassed five million?" Li Xiang asked with a look of surprise.

"Our goal this year is 50 million, and this is just the beginning."

Russian is the sixth most spoken language in the world, with approximately 1.45 million native speakers. Even including second speakers, the total number is only 2.58 million.

Although the same person can register multiple VK accounts, the target of 50 million is already quite ambitious considering the large Russian-speaking population, and the goal is to achieve this within a year, increasing the number of users tenfold.

However, communication software has a network effect; the more people use it, the stronger the network effect becomes. It seems that VK is about to enter a period of explosive growth.

"What are your conditions?" Li Xiang's eyes sparkled.

Xiao Du, arms crossed, said, "Give me a leg massage."

"It's installed already?"

Xiao Du raised an eyebrow. "Do you still want to talk about internal implants?"

"You're a real powerhouse! If you gave me those 50 million users, Skri Chuan would take off immediately in the Russian-speaking region." Li Xiang didn't massage Xiao Du's legs, but his hands were also busy, touching Xiao Du's thighs.

Xiao Du shoved Li Xiang's hands away with a look of disgust. "Get away from me. You can't even massage your legs properly, yet you expect me to carry you?"

Li Xiang said with a fawning expression, "Give me another chance."

"Since your attitude seems pretty good, let's discuss it then." Xiao Du cleared his throat and asked, "Do you admit that VK holds the initiative in this cooperation, and that you're the one begging me?"

Li Xiang said expectantly, "I admit it, that's why I'm letting you name your terms."

"

"Then I'll say it now." Xiao Du stopped joking and said seriously, "First, Skri must be exclusively licensed to VK and cannot cooperate with other communication software."

"Okay," Li Xiang agreed on the spot.

"Secondly, VK is not limited to one-to-one communication and can connect with other third parties besides SkrilI according to the actual needs of the business."

"That's not fair, is it?" Li Xiang pouted.

"Will it work?" Xiao Du asked, his face hardening.

"It's feasible," Li Xiang cautioned, "but using a monopolistic position to sign exclusive agreements and suppress competitors could constitute monopoly. If someone reports it, they'll be arrested immediately."

Xiao Du said, "I don't want to write the monopoly clause into the contract. What I want is your verbal promise. You are also a shareholder of VK. We have common interests. As long as you promise, I will believe you."

"I agree to both of these, but I have to add one thing: without affecting VK's development, you still need to prioritize SkrilI." Li Xiang started to appeal to emotions, and then said, "There are only two internet companies in St. Petersburg, and they're even in the same building, on the same floor, and from the same school. We need to stick together."

"Of course I have to help you out, since you call me your big brother."

Li Xiang asked proactively, "Is there a third one?"

"Yes, that's very important," Xiao Du said with a serious expression. "If the market proves that adding payment functionality is indeed feasible and can significantly increase user stickiness, VK might consider shutting out third parties and directly entering the payment market itself."

"That makes sense," Li Xiang nodded.

"I haven't finished yet." After beating around the bush for a while, Xiao Du finally got to the point. "You don't have any users now, and I can help you drive traffic, but if VK wants to do its own payment system in the future and needs your help with anything, you'll have to help too."

"They can't just band together when they need my help, and then turn their backs on me when there's competition."

"Am I that kind of person?" Li Xiang raised his right hand and said confidently, "Or should I swear to God and guarantee it to you?"

"You've become religious?" Xiao Du was a little surprised.

"Not yet."

Xiao Du looked speechless and waved his hand, saying, "Get lost. Have SkrilI send someone who can handle business. There's nothing to talk about with you."

Li Xiang refused to leave and shamelessly asked, "Can VK really grow to 50 million users this year? Did you miscalculate your model?"

"If the iPhone had come in earlier, the target of 50 million would have been conservative. VK has already launched a beta version on the US Apple Store, and the response has been very good, adding a lot of overseas users."

Xiao Du rolled her eyes at Li Xiang and complained, "All you do all day is chase girls. You never even come to the company. I visit Shopee more often than you do."

"When did I ever date girls? I'm always busy with important things."

"Marina," Du kindly reminded her, "Gerry seems a bit off. The last two times I went there, he was just sitting there in a daze."

"Like my brother, his greatest pleasure is coding. Even when he doesn't have a job, he finds other things to do. Now, he's actually lost interest in coding."

"Go and take good care of him. Don't let his poor performance affect the cloud service and drag us down. This year is very important for VK."

Seventh floor, Shopee.com.

The boss, who rarely comes to the company, suddenly came to check on everyone, making everyone nervous. But Li Xiang's reaction was very easygoing, telling everyone to just do what they were supposed to do.

Since Gerry didn't come out of his office, Li Xiang left the common office area and walked straight over there.

Gerry was staring blankly at the computer screen when he heard a knock on the door and instinctively said, "Come in."

Gerry turned to look at the door and realized that it was Li Xiang who had come in.

"Brother Xiang."

Caught slacking off, Gerry stood up nervously.

Li Xiang closed the door and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Xiao Du said you seemed upset, so I came to check on you. Do you need to talk?"

Gerry opened his mouth slightly, and after a few seconds spoke, "I don't know how to say it."

"If you don't want to talk, then don't. I'll give you a few days off."

Although Shopee has not developed very well, its cloud services revenue has been growing strongly thanks to its major client, VK.

Ge Li is the project manager for Shopee Cloud; even Li Xiang isn't as important to him.

"I only have two friends." Gerry held up two fingers, then added another. "Including you three, if I keep this to myself, there's really no one else I can tell."

"Let's talk then," Li Xiang paused and asked, "How about we have a drink? The alcohol might make things easier."

Gerry nodded and said, "That works too."