Chapter 106 Seduction

Chapter 106 Seduction

Chapter 106 Seduction
Today’s Capital is taking action.

With Qunar’s Series C financing temporarily stuck, Baixiaosheng’s Series A financing may be the company’s last move before the Chinese New Year.

As the person in charge of this survey on Bai Xiaosheng, Liu Jiankai naturally carried out investment research.

On January 1, he made an appointment with a NetEase reporter for an interview in the afternoon.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, after watching a movie in the office, Liu Jiankai called his new assistant Pang Haiyi and asked him a serious question.

"Xiao Pang, what brand of electric vehicle do you think is better to use?"

Pang Haiyi originally thought that he was called here to ask about Bai Xiaosheng's information, but he did not expect that when he heard such a question, his expression showed obvious confusion.

Liu Jiankai said seriously: "My wife sent me a text message at noon to ask me, and I thought about it, and it seems that you are the only one I know who understands this."

Pang Haiyi was stunned for two seconds before he felt the urge to fight with the rich man.

He took a deep breath and introduced the electric bikes he had used and had stolen. He still cherished the opportunity to work at Today Capital.

Liu Jiankai nodded, summarized briefly, and sent the answer to his wife.

Then he said, "Write an article now that is optimistic about the development of workplace social networking platforms. Well, the reporter from NetEase will be here in half an hour."

Pang Haiyi looked at the vice president in disbelief, almost suspecting that the other party was trying to make things difficult for him.

The interview will start in half an hour, and you want me to write it now?

Liu Jiankai noticed the new assistant's mood and said with a smile, "You can write whatever you want, just make it up, but the format must be correct. Give a copy to the reporter at the end of the interview. This is not important. What's important is our positive attitude."

Pang Haiyi took notes of the meeting yesterday morning. Knowing about the company's negotiations with Bai Xiaosheng, he opened his notebook and asked cautiously, "Boss Liu, are we trying to show our goodwill by investing in Bai Xiaosheng?"

"Hmm? Oh, no." Liu Jiankai shook his head. "What are you thinking? Bai Xiaosheng didn't agree yesterday. He didn't show any goodwill. Instead, we should tell him to agree quickly. If we miss this opportunity, we will miss it forever."

Pang Haiyi didn’t quite understand.

Liu Jiankai liked the efficiency of his new assistant, so he patiently said, "Look, Bai Xiaosheng has been in contact with NetEase several times, and its chairman came from NetEase. He must be very concerned about NetEase's reports. Or, those who do this must also be very concerned about the trends in the industry."

"We can accept interviews and express our optimism about workplace social networking and specifically mention the development of Tianji.com in China, but we won't mention the new Baixiaosheng website."

Pang Haiyi understood: "Are you trying to intimidate Bai Xiaosheng?"

"I guess so. Bai Xiaosheng likes to use public opinion, so I will also give some public opinion. I am an investor, so can't I express my opinion on a certain field?" Liu Jiankai said with a smile, "The mechanism that Bai Xiaosheng has developed to date is not a difficult thing. If it can do it, can't Tianji.com do it?"

Pang Haiyi hesitated to speak.

"It's okay, just say whatever you want to say." Liu Jiankai signaled his assistant to pour him a cup of coffee.

After a while, Pang Haiyi placed the coffee in front of the boss. Seeing that he was in a good mood, he said what he thought: "Even if it is the same mechanism, different people will have different effects. Tianji.com may not be as good as Baixiaosheng. It is in a slump and is about to be acquired. There must be many defects for its reasons."

"You're right, but this will bring changes and threats. If Skynet doesn't do well, it has nothing to do with us. We are just hinting at it, but we may not really invest in it." Liu Jiankai took a sip of coffee and said, "It's difficult to build, but easy to destroy. Smart people know this."

Pang Haiyi was slightly surprised. Skynet had its flaws and might not be able to do it well. But if it did, Bai Xiaosheng's competitive pressure would definitely increase.

In the final analysis, Bai Xiaosheng's entrepreneurial team has no relevant background or halo, while Tianji.com has both time and experience, and its core team are also veterans in the industry. What if that's really the only thing missing?
If it were another institution, with two letters of intent for financing placed on the table at the same time, they would probably be more inclined towards Skynet.

Bai Xiaosheng is short of time now. If he fails to make up the gap in the short term, if a website with a similar mechanism really appears, he will most likely become the pioneer.

At least, there is this risk.

Pang Haiyi thought about it carefully and couldn't help asking again: "Boss Liu, what if the people at Bai Xiaosheng are not smart enough?"

"Not smart enough?" Liu Jiankai said with a smile, "That's great, it means we shouldn't have invested in it. It's eliminated, and we can just take the money and continue looking for the next opportunity."

Pang Haiyi let out a small breath.

Liu Jiankai thought the assistant's expression was very funny and laughed, "Look at the people who are still alive in this market. Who is not smart? All the stupid ones are dead."

He laughed and shook his head: "Besides, I don't think Yu Xing is an unintelligent person at all."

Liu Jiankai spread his hands and said, "We didn't do anything excessive. It's just that a shadow flashed across us. If we shake hands with each other, it will be like the sun shining down, and all the shadows will disappear."

"The entrepreneurs have the breadth of mind and the courage to do so, and everyone can continue to play in harmony."

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't have the courage and vision. Now that he has the shares, he still has to work hard for them."

"Communicate with each other, cooperate with each other, don't be afraid of setbacks, and focus on the development of the overall interests. Isn't this what everyone wants?"

Liu Jiankai signaled his assistant to start working, as there was not much time left to prepare the manuscript.

Pang Haiyi took a breath, his mind focused, and he already knew exactly how to write this speech.

At the same time, he knew that his boss had taught him a lesson. It was obviously just a normal action, but it turned into a combination of soft and hard tactics and a fight without breaking.

The company only implicitly made a requirement that the other party be smart enough.

The next day, NetEase released an interview with the vice president of Today Capital, in which the company mentioned confidence in economic recovery after the financial crisis and cited the optimism about workplace social networking under the current circumstances.

In addition, Liu Jiankai specifically praised the development of Tianji.com.

Another day passed and there was no movement from Bai Xiaosheng, but Today Capital received a call from Skynet instead.

As a company struggling on the brink of being acquired, Tianji.com was pleasantly surprised by the optimism from investors and sincerely hoped to communicate.

Liu Jiankai was quite amused and could only brush it off and make an appointment to chat after the New Year.

Another day passed and Bai Xiaosheng still did not move.

Liu Jiankai was a little confused now. Could he really be a blockhead?
He thought about it again and again, fearing that a group of college students who had just graduated from campus would think that he was too kind, so he asked his assistant Pang Haiyi to register a certification account directly on Bai Xiaosheng and then reprint the NetEase news.

It's impossible that I can't see it now, right?
Although this is not subtle enough and seems a bit deliberate, the goal of mutual learning is still to achieve a win-win situation.

If all else fails, Liu Jiankai can still make a phone call before the New Year and bluntly express the competitive pressure in the market.

This may not look that good, but it also gives each other a chance to shake hands.

January 1, 14 pm, Bai Xiaosheng’s president’s office.

"Brother, there is a reposted post from a Capital Today employee on the website. It is the NetEase report." Lu Haiying walked into the office and mentioned the latest situation.

Yu Xing just said "hmm" and continued to concentrate on reading the email sent by Xiaoying.

Lu Haiying did not leave. As soon as NetEase reported on the developments of Today's Capital, he noticed it and reported it to his senior, but he did not say anything.

Two days later, there was movement from Today Capital again, and she wanted to hear more from her senior.

Five minutes later, Yu Xing closed the webpage, looked at his second-in-command, and said calmly: "You see, when capital wants to make money, it doesn't care what we think of it, whether it is despicable or noble, as long as it achieves its goal."

Lu Haiying deeply agrees with this.

Although she did not hear her senior brother's idea at the first time, she discussed this matter with Zhong Zhiling and could see what Today Capital wanted to do.

Yu Xing continued: "Last year, Liu Qiangdong said something to me on the phone. He told me to be careful with investors, saying they are all cunning. I asked if Xu Xin was included, and he just smiled without a clear answer."

Lu Haiying frowned and said, "The answer is now very clear."

"Yes, it's clear. No matter who it is, whether it's an investor or ourselves, as long as we want to make money, we will definitely try our best. This is not surprising, but when we really meet, we can verify each other more." Yu Xing smiled, "Fortunately, investors are just a broad concept, and they are not the same. I was still thinking about how to communicate with Shen Nanpeng this morning, and now I have thought about it." Lv Haiying didn't wait for her senior brother to express his ideas. She thought about it and asked a little worriedly: "What if Today Capital really invests in Tianji.com, or finds someone to make a website like ours, then what should we do?"

"Looking for someone to do business with, well, investors are not just doing business for a short time, they need to have a good reputation. This possibility is relatively small, but we can't rule out the possibility that they will invest in Tianji.com, or we can just do them a favor and explain our stuff to them." Yu Xing lowered his expectations and said seriously, "If that happens, we don't have to be afraid as long as we have new investors and new money coming in."

"If the Skynet is going to be built, then we will build the Skynet. If the Earthnet is going to be built, then we will build the Earthnet."

"Even though Xu Xin is gone, we still have Liu Xin. Also, Xiaoying is helping us find money."

“What’s a little competition?”

“We must have confidence in our careers and the will to compete. Otherwise, we may not be able to go very far.”

Yu Xing smiled and said, "This is a mutual encouragement."

Lu Haiying was quite excited and nodded vigorously.

Yu Xing waited until the second-in-command left the office before opening the webpage again, clicking into his email, and rereading the message from Liu Wanying.

In two hours, Guoshanfeng Research Company will release a focused research report on its newly launched official website, but this is a simplified version of the report used as a prelude to attract media and market funds.

At the latest on Friday, the official website will release the full version of the research report and will also require attorneys to make anonymous reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Yu Xing learned a little easter egg from Liu Wanying: if his side successfully caused the SEC to impose a fine of more than $100 million, he might receive 10%-30% of the fine amount as a reward.

"If we make it public first and then contact each other, can we still get the money this way?" Yu Xing raised his doubts.

"I don't know, I'll try my best." Liu Wanying answered honestly, "This is my first time too, everyone should give it a try."

This was the first time we had crossed the mountain, and everyone was groping their way around.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, Yu Xing refreshed the page and saw the first message from the mountain.

then……

There's no after that.

Even if the Hong Kong media were contacted, it would not be that fast and the stakeholders would not have time to react.

Half an hour later, Yu Xing called Liu Wanying: "How is it? What's the situation now? Will there be any movement in Focus Media's stock on Nasdaq tonight?"

"Let's wait, but I don't think it will have any impact. It's good enough to be seen by Focus Media right now." Liu Wanying said calmly, "We have no influence, but facts are facts, and their value cannot be ignored."

She then asked, "How is your financing going?"

Yu Xing gave the same answer: "Wait... I'm waiting too. I just sent a message to Shen Nanpeng, but he didn't reply."

One in Hong Kong and the other in Shanghai, the two were trapped in the same waiting situation.

As expected, there was no ripple on the Nasdaq that evening, and the information from a small website in the far east did not have any influence.

But near midnight, Yu Xing received a reply from Shen Nanpeng.

He simply replied with a few words: OK, I'll take a look.

So, Yu Xing was able to fall asleep that night.

January 1th is 15 days away from the Lunar New Year.

Xu Xin was already arranging holidays for her colleagues, but at 9:30 in the morning she unexpectedly received a call from Sequoia Capital China’s Shen Nanpeng.

After the pleasantries, Shen Nanpeng got down to business and asked earnestly, "Mr. Xu, what are your considerations for this round of investment in JD.com?"

Xu Xin smiled and said, "If you have invested, then invest. You have rejected Liu Qiangdong."

Shen Nanpeng knew that in such a conversation, he had to show his sincerity first: "Mr. Xu, Liu Qiangdong approached me, but I was very hesitant before. I wanted to invest but didn't want to invest, so I didn't invest in the end."

Xu Xin listened to the following.

"Sequoia held an annual meeting of CEOs of our portfolio companies in Beijing a while ago. We talked a lot and all of us felt that the situation in 2009 would not be good."

"The impact of the financial crisis was too great, and its chill was colder than winter, so I didn't invest."

Hearing this, Xu Xin asked, "If you didn't vote, then you didn't vote. So what are you still struggling with?"

"I'm a little confused and curious, so I want to hear your thoughts on your decision to invest," Shen Nanpeng asked.

Xu Xin was silent for a while, and then said: "The pessimism in the market is contagious, but I think sometimes investing requires overcoming one's fears."

She slowly asked a question: "Mr. Shen, I want to know how you judged JD.com. Did the emotions of those CEOs just give you an excuse not to invest?"

Shen Nanpeng was stunned and suddenly felt his heart palpitating.

After a few seconds, he admitted: "I think the competition JD.com faces is quite fierce. Gome, Suning and Alibaba are indeed a little unclear."

"So, I am the opposite of you. I am not saying that JD.com will definitely win, but I think as long as JD.com does not lose quickly in the competition with Gome, Suning and Alibaba, the returns it can bring will satisfy me." Xu Xin shared his views, "The global economic situation needs time to recover, but I think our investment in JD.com can survive this cycle."

Shen Nanpeng sighed and said honestly: "Boss Xu, I was only a little entangled at first, but now I regret it a lot."

Xu Xin laughed: "Then you can wait for the next round."

Shen Nanpeng sighed again, the price would not be the same in the next round.

He didn't end the call, but mentioned another small matter and asked, "Oh, yes, there is another small project, will you invest in Bai Xiaosheng?"

Xu Xin was surprised: "Why are you interested in it?"

"Its founder sent me a message saying that Capital Today wanted to invest in the A round and asked if I was interested," Shen Nanpeng replied.

Xu Xin was still surprised: "Just by sending a message, you're interested?"

"He sent it like this." Shen Nanpeng repeated, "Mr. Shen, you have missed JD.com, I hope you won't miss us again."

Xu Xin was stunned. It was that familiar feeling of being stabbed in the back. No wonder Shen Nanpeng started talking about JD.com.

She disdained to lie and admitted, "It is true, but we haven't discussed it yet."

"Then I'll ask someone to negotiate the price?" Shen Nanpeng asked for his opinion without being too polite.

Xu Xin was a little helpless: "Now that you understand, go and negotiate the price?"

Shen Nanpeng smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, I believe in Capital Today."

Today’s Capital has already conducted research.

Xu Xin was speechless.

She was silent for two seconds and said, "This is a slightly risky investment."

"I'll ask someone to ask. If they don't want to, then forget it. I won't bid maliciously." Shen Nanpeng said, "If it doesn't work, let's get together. People told me not to miss the next JD.com."

Xu Xin replied simply: "Okay."

(End of this chapter)