Chapter 85: Fine, I’ll invest
“Brother Li Mo, you’ve arrived.”
Jin Liangyong stepped forward as soon as he spotted Li Mo, greeting him with a respectful clasped fist.
Ma Yun also approached.
“Mr. Mo, quite the crowd today, Chen Tianqiao from Shanda is here. The popularity of ‘Legend’ and ‘Journey’ is undeniable nationwide!”
“Bao Yueqiao from Lianzhong Games.”
“Xu Xin, investor in NetEase.”
“Li Hongyan from Baidu, they’re all here.”
“And Zhou Hongwei from 7348.”
Even Ma Yun couldn’t help but marvel.
He had hoped to leverage the “Big Three’s” fame to boost the event’s prestige.
When Ma Yun mentioned Zhou Hongwei, Li Mo knew, this was the man who would later create 370 Antivirus.
A product that would inevitably drive Qiu Bojun’s Kingsoft into dire straits.
“But today, there’s one particularly special tycoon heir.”
“His name is Yan Feilei. Rumor has it he’s from the capital.”
[Note: This character has no further appearances, only exists as setup for Alipay’s later plotline. No protagonist suppression.]“He’s been in business for years, no one knows his exact net worth!”
“Zhou Hongwei, Li Hongyan, even Bao Yueqiao, they all sing his praises.”
“Even the Big Three are fawning over him.”
Li Mo spotted an unremarkable-looking man in the distance.
Around thirty years old…
Surrounded by Zhang Zhidong and the famed “Investment Queen” Xu Xin.
Yet Jin Liangyong regarded him with open disdain.
“Just a spoiled brat.” Clearly, Jin had no respect for the man.
Ma Yun felt the same, he would never partner with someone like that.
If he needed investment, Mr. Mo was his first choice.
If that fell through, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son would come before Yan Feilei.
Li Mo stayed silent.
Liu Pingping also glanced at Yan Feilei, but she felt nothing.
In her heart, only one young man mattered, Li Mo.
No one else could compare, least of all in looks or presence.
The world had plenty of wealthy youths, but none held irreplaceable meaning for her like Xiao Mo.
Except… now he was getting too close to Bai Lulu.
If he married Ji Wanxian someday, would he call Bai Lulu Mom?
“Everyone!”
“Welcome to the West Lake Summit!”
Jin Liangyong’s voice commanded instant silence.
Without him, this event would never have happened, his influence was unmatched.
The crowd respected his status, which transcended mere wealth.
“Thanks to Brother Xiaoyun’s efforts, today we gather the internet industry’s leaders!”
“This summit focuses on our future, let the discussions begin!”
Attendees took their seats, debating industry prospects while touting their companies’ achievements to attract investors.
Amid the internet winter, many firms desperately needed cash flow, this was their chance.
Li Ming sat in a corner with Liu Pingping and Su Qingyan, waiting for proceedings to end.
Ma Tengyun acted as his representative, any statements would come from him.
Soon, CEOs began challenging Ma in debates.
Many argued instant messaging’s profitability remained uncertain, short-term success couldn’t sustain long-term growth.
As arguments heated up, the Five Tigers jumped in.
“Our Mobile QQ division already generates hundreds of millions annually!”
Their repeated rebuttals left rivals speechless.
Before hundreds of journalists, the Five Tigers stole the spotlight.
Meanwhile, CEOs crowded around Yan Feilei, begging for investments.
“Deli, what do you think of these internet companies?”
Beside Yan, a shrewd-looking man pondered.
“They call this the ‘internet winter,’ but I believe it’s prime for investment.”
“Real estate yields returns too slowly.”
“Yet internet profits are skyrocketing, Shanda’s game point cards alone bring insane revenue.”
“Your Feilei Capital could ride this wave to rapid growth.”
“That woman you pursued, Su Xiaoxiao’s cosmetics company is nearing IPO.”
“Owning internet firms would give you leverage to promote her products.”
“Winning her over would become much easier.”
Three years ago, Yan Feilei lacked sufficient funds when he met Su Xiaoxiao in business.
Her peerless beauty, and more importantly, her virtuous character, had captivated him.
But she was married then, coldly rejecting his advances.
The unattainable only grows more desirable.
This year, he’d received a 7-billion-yuan windfall with steady cash flow.
When Su Xiaoxiao’s divorce news reached him via her best friend Wu Lulu’s husband Yin Deli, he was ecstatic.
Wu was already persuading Su to meet him, with her help, success seemed guaranteed.
“Fine, I’ll invest.”
“Bao Yueqiao, you claim Lianzhong is China’s top casual gaming platform, truth?”
Bao nearly jumped with excitement.
“Absolutely! We average a million concurrent users daily!”
“With funding, we’ll dominate the market, 10 million users easily!”
“Monetization options will bring exponential returns, post-IPO, profits could hundredfold!”
Yan Feilei’s heart swelled.