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After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future-Chapter 236 - 235: Pride and Prejudice
"Liangzi Makes Another Move"
"Tianxing Acquires a Stake in Tesla"
"With a Massive Investment of 2.8 Billion US Dollars, Tianxing Becomes Tesla's Fourth-Largest Shareholder."
"Golden Hand Continues to Raise the Stakes, Will New Energy Emerge from the Winter in the Second Half of the Year?"
As dawn broke, the news of Lu Liang acquiring a stake in Tesla was circulated by major media outlets and quickly spread throughout the country.
"Now we have yet another reason to buy a Mao Dou 3."
"I'd like to buy one, but the half-year waiting period for delivery is just too long."
"Next year, the first phase of Modu Puxin's super factory will be completed, and production capacity should greatly increase."
"Next year... in December, it'll change to a green plate, and with that design, they dare to market it? Even dogs would shake their heads."
Netizens were abuzz with discussion; Lu Liang's news swayed their opinions in favor of Tesla.
After all, it came from an American technology enterprise and was recognized by Lu Liang, plus the Mao Dou 3 wasn't particularly expensive.
If it's electric, then so be it; a standard-range model with over 400 kilometers is not too bad for city driving.
Many people had quietly changed their stereotypes and started seeing new energy as their second household car.
Especially in big cities where it's difficult to get a license plate, some even chose new energy vehicles as their first option.
The burgeoning automakers saw the news, and the intensity of their group discussions rivaled that of the netizens.
"Liangzi, you've supported Tesla after all."
Although they addressed him respectfully as Mr. Lu in public, in this small three-person group chat, Lu Liang was just Liangzi.
Li Xiang sighed, "There was no other way, given how slow the development of the new energy industry has been."
He Xiaopeng said, "Including this sum, Tianxing has invested over 23 billion in new energy; he needs to speed up the market."
It takes at least five years to market a new industry, and there's no guarantee of success, but Lu Liang had investment pressure; it seemed he didn't want to wait it out step by step.
So he chose to support the national policy. The country introduced Tesla to act as a pike to prod the complacent small fish in the pond, stimulating some enterprises to become active and join the market competition vigorously.
Clearly, Lu Liang was not content with the size of Tesla, the pike; he forcefully injected it with steroids, making it even stronger.
Li Bing sighed, "Let's hope it's a pike and doesn't turn into a snakehead, which has no natural predators here."
Facing this foreign pike, the native blackfish at least had the power to fight, but the snakehead had no natural enemies in the country.
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Li Xiang said with a laugh, "Even if it's a snakehead, there are still fishermen, and Liangzi will eventually get into the fray himself."
Lu Liang's intentions were well known; for new energy vehicles, the three most important components are the battery, motor, and electronic control.
He had invested directly or indirectly in two industries, Ningde, and his self-developed vehicle machine system.
It was almost an open secret that he would personally enter the fray eventually; the only unknown was when.
He Xiaopeng wondered, "It's strange, why has Liangzi never invested in me?"
"Maybe he thinks you are quite wealthy, after all, you sold UC for 30 billion."
"Bullfeathers, I sold UC for 30 billion, but that doesn't mean I made 30 billion."
Now at a high position, every word and deed of Lu Liang were scrutinized for intent through a magnifying glass.
Tianxing's move to acquire a stake in Tesla was commonly understood to boost the new energy market.
No one thought he was just looking to make more money and that making a big deal out of it was a way to ensure steady profits.
Meanwhile, Lu Liang took a high-speed train to Beijing.
He had been busy until 5 am the prior night, hadn't gone home, and only slept for less than three hours in his office before heading to Beijing.
Airplane seats were uncomfortable for sleeping, and the airport was a bit far, so he canceled his flight ticket at the last minute in favor of a business class seat on the high-speed train.
He closed his eyes on the train and, upon opening them next, found himself in Jinmen, with less than forty minutes left in the journey.
Lu Liang washed his face, ate a dry lunch, and enjoyed a fairly tasty coffee while browsing international news.
As he had anticipated, Wall Street institutions reluctantly welcomed him to join the Tesla family, noses pinched.
Pu'er, Moody's, and Fitch, the three major rating agencies, also raised Tesla's rating to AA+ following Lu Liang's move, which was even higher than the national credit rating of the Land of the Rising Sun.
In the short term, the market was optimistic that Tesla's stock price would hit 520 US dollars, and they vigorously touted the investment freedom of US stocks and Tesla's future prospects.
This should have been a cause for celebration, but Lu Liang wasn't as happy as he thought he would be: "Still too weak."
It was like the matter in the south in mid-July, which didn't really affect the cooperation between the two countries. It wasn't because they were particularly polite or civilized; fundamentally, it was arrogance, a looking down upon others.
Whenever they started playing dirty,
it meant there was a substantial threat to them.
They could still maintain their righteous facades because Lu Liang hadn't yet qualified to make them break the rules.
Next stop, Beijing West Railway Station~
Hearing the announcement, Lu Liang prepared to get off the train and spotted the film crew led by Wang Chuting, whose sexy, seductive legs were the focus of attention wherever she went, drawing sidelong glances from passersby.
The two simply looked at each other from a distance, nodded slightly, and smiled on their faces, like familiar strangers.
At three-thirty in the afternoon, Lu Liang arrived at the company.
The new headquarters that Wang Xiaofeng had found for the company was on the 15th floor of Zhongguang Village SOHO building.
Before meeting Luo, Lu Liang always had trouble distinguishing him from the short stocky guy—they looked similar to him.
But after meeting him in person, Lu Liang realized that Luo obviously had a more pleasant appearance than the short stocky guy.
"Mr. Luo, hello," Luo said with a smile, bowing slightly to shake hands, his smile somewhat unnatural.
By now, he'd figured out why Hammer had caught Lu Liang's attention. The conspiracy theories and tales of love and hatred online, all of it, were nothing but fabrications.
The fate of Hammer was like a line from the "Three-Body Problem": "To destroy you is no loss to me." Among the market's excellent mobile operating systems that were relatively easy to manipulate, Hammer's was the only one.
Lu Liang was unemotional, random, objective—not driven by hatred, purely out of necessity.
The key was, he had sold his heart and soul and still had to beg Lu Liang to extend the buyback of the 70 million shares for a few more years.
In this plight, the fact that he could still smile without hurling the ashtray on the table at Lu Liang's head was extreme restraint.
"Mr. Luo, what plans do you have moving forward?" Lu Liang said grandly, giving Luo a five-year extension.
Luo had signed a three-year deal with Golden Sand River to sell 10 million units. If Hammer couldn't meet its performance targets,
after three years, they'd have to buy back the 15% stake owned by Golden Sand River at a 5% annual interest on a 70-million-dollar valuation.
The shares of Golden Sand River were transferred to Tianxing Investment, swapped for 10% of Tianxing Technology's equity, and the debts were transferred as well.
Lu Liang had the authority to waive any late fees.
"Thank you, Mr. Lu."
Luo showed a genuinely happy smile. "Mr. Lu, have you heard about Mogu Street's shopping guide model?"
"I'm all ears," Lu Liang said. He knew Chen Qi from Mogu Street, having met at a city council appreciation event.
It seemed to be a vertical e-commerce platform focused on women, but he wasn't too familiar with the shopping guide model.
"Taobao plans to introduce this model," Luo said with a self-deprecating laugh, feeling like he was living in the past.
It was all about making money. He planned to join Taobao, sell goods live, and make a commission on the transactions.
Using his own fame, he would guide potential consumers to spend, but wouldn't be held hostage by any single brand.
Once it scaled up, he might even force manufacturers to act or even gain the power to set the price of the goods sold.
Live commerce was like a supermarket; the supermarket was a channel, and the channel was the ultimate power.
Even though he, Luo, had left the tech world, he was not content. One day, he would make his comeback.
"That's an excellent choice."
Lu Liang applauded. He always thought Luo was better suited to be a get-rich-quick guru; it turned out he really became one, not selling courses, but products.
Not being tied down by platforms or single brands was indeed a wise choice, at least it offered some control.
The products provided could be handpicked, ensuring not to ruin his reputation due to overpriced and under-equipped goods.
Who knows, he might really make a turnaround, and his 70 million might still have a chance to be recovered.