(Wang Yulan previously called Xie Houming "eldest uncle", which has been corrected.)
The people Xie Qian brought were two men in their forties, one with a neutral face and a wide mouth, and the other was relatively thin, but with bright eyes. When they came in, the three of them were still talking non-stop. When they saw Xie Feibai and the other two, Wang Yulan straightened her back and greeted them reservedly, "Uncle."
Wang Yulan was no stranger to Xie Qian. He was the first person in her family to do business abroad. After returning to China, she relied on several million in start-up capital, held 30% of the shares, and brought in her classmates who were familiar with technology to establish Sitong Company. After that, Sitong Company found the right outlet and developed smoothly, making a name for itself in Zhongguancun. As a graduate of journalism, Wang Yulan was determined to make a name for herself in this field. How could she not know the current status of her uncle Xie Feibai
Xie Qian was wearing an ochre-red striped scarf. He looked tired but calm and composed, with his own aura.
Facing the greetings from Wang Yulan, Xie Feibai, and Cheng Ran, he greeted them back, met Cheng Ran's gaze, and nodded. At this time, the two men with him also smiled at them, but it was obvious that there was an unresolved topic between the three of them, and Xie Qian started chatting again.
He spoke very fast and led the topic. When discussing investment, he sometimes made a judgment in one sentence. The broad-faced man always responded with a smile, and the thin man expressed his opinions from the side. Every time he interrupted, it was just the right time, just when Xie Qian, who was speaking very fast, was interrupted. The three of them chatted with an artistic sense of advancing layer by layer. This was often not just a superficial agreement, but a real and enjoyable chat.
After entering the room, a table full of dishes had already been laid out. Xie Qian was about to introduce Xie Houming and his wife, but in fact, Xie Houming and the handsome-looking man had already shaken hands.
"Boss Xie, Boss Xie is always busy. We have met a few times before. Today, I am honored to have the honor of having you as my guest for dinner."
Xie Houming smiled, "Director Zhou, you are joking. Your Commerce Bureau should support our work more."
"What do you mean by support? You are the big brother, and I should cooperate with you."
Zhou Wenwu is the director of the Municipal Bureau of Commerce and also a former classmate of Xie Qian. Xie Qian came to Chengdu this time to discuss several investments, and Zhou Wenwu was there to help with the matchmaking, hoping to use his relationship with his old classmates to help Xie Qian implement some of the business in Chengdu.
The other person Xie Qian brought with him is the current vice president of Silicon Valley Vance Investment Consulting Company, named Feng Shan. He is currently working on Xie Qian's financing, specifically helping to package Xie Qian's company and promote it to investors. He was the matchmaker for the merger of Sitong and Huayuan. After the merger of Sitong and Huayuan, they attracted strong financial support of 15 million US dollars.
Everyone sat at the table and introduced themselves, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
Xie Qian said, "Don't think that I am trying to save money by bringing you to my eldest brother's house for a free meal."
Xie Houming glared at him and said, "We are all family, so home-cooked food is the best. When Xie Qian said he wanted to invite you, I quickly invited everyone to my house. Eating outside is too formal, and there is no such atmosphere."
Zhou Wenwu laughed, "Let me toast to you, big brother. We are all family. As your younger brother, I heard that you are a good cook when I was in school with Brother Xie. I was drooling at that time. I didn't get to taste your cooking skills, so when I heard Xie Qian say that we should come to your house for dinner, I was more than happy to do so!"
Feng Shan took a bite of the food first and praised it highly. "I'd like to toast to you, big brother. Xie Qian and I are brothers. We can talk about things more freely at home than outside."
Zhang Wei knew that the protagonists were the group of men in front of her, so she just smiled and didn't interrupt.
Wang Yulan was overwhelmed with emotion. The person in front of her was Zhou Wenwu from the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Commerce, who had recently made great efforts to promote the establishment of the Western Industrial Park. The Commercial Daily had spared no effort in reporting on him. He was a young rising star in Chengdu's officialdom. Wang Yulan had just entered the workplace. She didn't know much about the Commercial Daily Group, which had a government background, but she had heard about him. Two reporters who wrote columns wanted to interview Zhou Wenwu, and it took the group's president to intercede for him. Zhou Wenwu responded that he just wanted to keep a low profile and that it was the credit of the Bureau of Commerce. He shouldn't put too much emphasis on himself and should just accept an interview appropriately.
As a result, the two reporters almost fought for this opportunity, fighting openly and secretly, with all kinds of swords and guns swishing. Wang Yulan, who was in the middle of it, just listened to the mysterious rumors spread by people around her, saying that Zhou Wenwu was backed by the big boss of the provincial party committee, and was a practical man. People with ability can be so willful. The big boss behind him supports him to build the image of Chengdu as a key city for attracting investment. This is the person holding the imperial sword.
And now, this legendary figure was right in front of him, gently agreeing with Xie Qian.
As for the other person from Feng Shan, Wang Yulan was a newcomer and didn't know much about him, but when she heard that the other party was a venture capitalist running around in Silicon Valley, his words were full of dazzling information, and Wang Yulan could only be shocked.
After all, they came here for Xie Feibai's uncle Xie Qian. These people were worthy of being on the news. Who knows, after today's meal, Chengdu and the IT industry will make a few more far-reaching business decisions.
As a graduate of journalism, Wang Yulan knew how important these resources were and how powerful these people were. She was right in front of them, and could hear their views on the world and their unknown experiences. For a journalist, this was an opportunity that she could never find even with a lantern.
Xie Houming also introduced Wang Yulan, saying that this is Xie Feibai's sister. She majored in journalism and had just graduated. She was a top student at Shanghai University and now works at the Commercial Daily Group. Xie Qian also said to Zhou Wenwu, "Old Zhou, please take care of my niece in the future."
Zhou Wenwu smiled and nodded, saying that he had made a note of it. He did not say much, but Wang Yulan knew that he had taken it to heart. If he spoke very confidently on the surface, the truth might be discounted. On the contrary, Zhou Wenwu, who was rumored to be so reliable, was trustworthy. This was all Uncle Xie Qian's power. Wang Yulan felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
The rest of the meal began with a conversation between Xie Qian, Zhou Wenwu and Feng Shan. Occasionally, Xie Houming would interject and then hand the conversation over to the other three.
Feng Shan was humorous and experienced, and he could talk about everything he knew, becoming the liveliest person at the dinner table. Although Zhou Wenwu was the director of the Commerce Bureau and graduated from a prestigious university, he still had to consult Feng Shan on many economic matters, such as the operation of foreign-funded companies.
Wang Yulan knew that she was the junior and had no right to get a word in in such situations. She just listened attentively the whole time, sometimes laughing at the funny parts of the conversation between the three people, and sometimes putting down her chopsticks and being attracted by the topic without blinking. She just wanted to know what people in their position talked about all day.
Xie Feibai was the invisible person who was ignored throughout the whole process and ate his food quietly by himself.
Cheng Ran listened to the conversation between Xie Qian and the other two. The main topic was still the current funding issue. It turned out that Sitong Company had merged with Huayuan and was heading for the world's largest Chinese website. All departments were disbanded and reorganized. During the reorganization process, a large number of people were recruited, and more than ten fronts were advancing simultaneously, which greatly increased the operating costs.
In Xie Qian's words, "money was flowing out like a rush."
Now we are in urgent need of money. The problem is that we brought back the $15 million in financing in the early stage and deposited it into our Beijing account. It caused a sensation in Zhongguancun, but there were also problems. In order to prevent the phenomenon of "fake joint ventures", the country has extremely strict control over foreign exchange remittances in this era. North America cannot use this money at all. Secondly, if we want to build a large-scale Internet company and eventually go public, this money is definitely not enough.
So the problem now is that we need financing and business development. As of now, the company is still operating at a loss. The advertising business is not very large. The revenue in the first few quarters was only less than one million US dollars. The biggest income is the sale of the Chinese platform software of the former Sitong. It is not reasonable for an Internet company to make the biggest income from selling software.
So what Xie Qian was considering was the future strategic focus.
Zhou Wenwu, on the other hand, was eyeing the 15 million U.S. dollars that Xie Qian had in his pocket that he could not spend in North America. He wanted him to take out some of it and keep it in the industrial park in Chengdu, and he was also trying to promote business to him.
Feng Shan has many projects that want to come to the company for financing cooperation, and he wants to connect with Xie Qian.
After hearing this, Cheng Ran made a general judgment... Xie Qian, it has come to this.
When capital poured in, Xie Qian was of course the core of the crowd, a celebrity, and enjoyed unlimited glory. But this was essentially diluting his own shares, and when the dilution reached a dangerous value, if the company was going smoothly, it would be fine, but if there was any disturbance, he would probably lose control of the company.
But Cheng Ran couldn't change the path Xie Qian was going to take. The path he was going to take was the process of raising funds, growing, and then going public. He would make this company successful, and he would also bear the ups and downs of this company. But this was actually what a pioneer like him had to go through and bear.
Now, Xie Qian, Zhou Wenwu and Feng Shan are arguing endlessly about how to develop the strategic focus of the future development of Soitong Company.
Xie Houming knew that this was a critical period for them, so he and Zhang Wei did not intervene, waiting for them to figure it out on their own. It seemed that they had already studied this brain-burning thing.
Xie Qian said, "Feng Shan and I think that for now, it is best to cooperate with Hong Kong's Guangming TV to combine our portal website and TV media, fully utilize the advantages of cooperation between the two sides, shorten the process of achieving profitability, and open up 'widescreen cross-media cooperation'. So, Lao Zhou, I'm afraid your industrial park project proposal will have to be shelved for a while."
Wang Yulan's heart skipped a beat. So, Director Zhou of the Commerce Bureau was turned away by her uncle
Zhou Wenwu took a sip of wine, smiled bitterly, and said, "Alas, I still can't convince you, it doesn't matter... You have your considerations, just think of it as ours. If you succeed in this path in the future, don't forget that it was my credit for rejecting you, and don't forget to treat me to a meal when the time comes."
Zhou Wenwu said so, but he looked very depressed. However, they were all working for their own careers, and they were all adults with their own priorities. Although they were friends, they would not interfere with friendship in truly important matters. That would be immature.
Cheng Ran suddenly realized that the company similar to Xie Qian's Sitong website in his previous life also made this choice. Perhaps all portal websites in this period would have such considerations, but in the end it turned out to be a bad move.
After thinking for a while, Cheng Ran said, "I think the cross-media cooperation model is not good. First, one is the satellite TV screen, facing the TV audience, and the other is the portal website, facing the Internet users. The audience overlap is not high. I don't think advertisers will be interested in this model. Secondly, the marginal cost after cooperation is actually very high. This directly loses the low information cost advantage of the Internet that Sitong is born with. At that time, the content expenditure will be very high, which will drag down Sitong's development."
"On the contrary, I think Director Zhou's suggestion is worth considering. The Western Industrial Park has some SP content providers. With the popularization of mobile phones, the future expansion of Sitong in wireless may be a good profit breakthrough."
After that, Cheng Ran smiled at everyone and said, "Of course, I just saw an Internet book that said this."
During the conversation, there was silence at the table.
Zhou Wenwu looked surprised. Feng Shan looked at Cheng Ran who suddenly spoke with a frown on his face. He was obviously shocked that Cheng Ran had directly disrupted the established plan between him and Xie Qian.
At this table, Cheng Ran was actually like a younger member of the family like Xie Feibai. Wang Yulan would occasionally agree with him with a smile and offer some insights when appropriate. Although he was an outsider, Feng Shan, who did not neglect ladies, would give humorous answers that were as simple and easy to understand as possible, often livening up the atmosphere.
Logically speaking, in this kind of situation, it is not their turn to speak.
But Cheng Ran was still lying. Wang Yulan was already upset, thinking that Xie Feibai was really unreliable, bringing someone here casually and daring to interrupt the adults' conversation. When the adults are talking at home, how can the younger generation interrupt!
Wang Yulan couldn't help herself and said, "Do you know what everyone is talking about? The Internet? Those who write about the Internet probably don't even know what a computer is. They write a book and publish it for a year or two. After a year or two, everything they write will be outdated! And what Uncle Xie Qian and his friends did today will be reported in the future. What do you know?"
Wang Yulan thought that Cheng Ran thought he was a student of No. 10 Middle School and came out to show off, but there were big shots in front of him, why would a mere high school student like you show off! She had been away from No. 10 Middle School for many years, and now all the students in this school were so ostentatious
As Wang Yulan was talking, she found that the atmosphere at the table was not right. Xie Houming was thinking, Zhou Wenwu looked embarrassed, smiled bitterly, and just kept drinking. He didn't expect that a junior would speak up for him. What was this
But Xie Qian was stunned.
Then he said, "Oh, so this doesn't work. Fine, then let's do as you say. I'll cooperate with Lao Zhou."
Feng Shan was stunned. Zhou Wenwu's hands trembled and the wine in the glass almost spilled out.
Wang Yulan was still talking to Cheng Ran, but at this moment she slowly turned her head and looked at Xie Qian.
Such a big thing, the strategic focus of the world's largest Chinese portal website in the future, just depends on Cheng Ran's words, the balance is turned!
While Zhou Wenwu was still in a daze, Xie Qian hooked his shoulder and clinked glasses with him. "Then let's expand our future strategic focus to wireless business. We can come up with a cooperation plan for the Chengdu Western Industrial Park to build a reputation. It will also be easier to find foreign financing in the future. Old Zhou, you will have to take care of it then."
Xie Houming smiled and helped to confirm this matter. "In my opinion, Director Zhou is actually a practical person. He really wants to build our Chengdu industrial base. Now that the two powerful forces have joined forces, Director Zhou will be the cornerstone in this regard in the future. Congratulations."
Zhou Wenwu could only nod his head. A series of question marks appeared in his mind. Could it be that Xie Qian, his old classmate, was playing a trick on him
After drinking Dingjun wine with Zhou Wenwu, Xie Qian turned to Cheng Ran and said, "There is another question. We have acquired Huayuan, but we haven't decided on a new name for the future listing. What do you think should be the name?"
Feng Shan was also stunned. The name of the merged company had caused constant controversy among senior executives in Beijing and North America. Even when reported to Xie Qian, it had not been decided yet.
Why... Asking about the boy in front of you
Cheng Ran thought for a moment and said, "Huayuan's domain name is sina, right? Since it was acquired by your Sitong Company, then we should each take a name. I think we should write it as Tona, Tonglang."
Xie Qian slammed the table proudly, "Tonglang!... Let's call it this!"
Xie Houming raised his glass and said with a smile, "I think it's pretty good."
At this moment, Zhou Wenwu kept looking at Cheng Ran, and no one knew what he was observing. Feng Shan was also surprised, but then he seemed to be infected by Xie Qian and felt refreshed. "Okay, then let's do as Mr. Xie said, and call it this name! Take one character from each."
Wang Yulan's eyes, which could not be covered by her large round-framed glasses, were wide open.
Great chapter, please vote!