Reborn, back to a small county town to become a wealthy family

Chapter 748 Tacit Cooperation

In fact, Luo Yang underestimated Shen Nanpeng's shrewdness.

He had guessed this while having dinner that day, but he didn't say it out loud simply because Sequoia Capital was able to secure angel investment opportunities from overseas companies, and he made the choice that was more advantageous to himself after weighing the two factors.

Song Wan was still feeling fortunate that she hadn't shown up yesterday afternoon.

The two stayed in the office for another ten minutes or so, discussing several possible contingencies and coming up with responses.

The subsequent meetings were much simpler, chaired entirely by Song Wan, and Luo Yang didn't raise any objections.

The meeting place with Han Dongming in the afternoon was at Building 8 on the Bund.

The rooftop of Building 8 has been renovated. During the day, it serves as a coffee shop, and at night, it becomes a great place to host parties.

Luo Yang has been here before.

Not long after meeting Liu Haishan and his group, He Maosong brought them here to a film industry banquet. It was here that they met the director of "Love is Not Blind" and reached an investment agreement, which led to the idea of ​​establishing Guobao Films.
"Shanghai is still the best place."

After exchanging pleasantries, Han Dongming, now seated, chuckled and joked, "Unlike back in the capital, where everything's either a traditional courtyard house or a private club, either drab or dark, lacking any style whatsoever."

His joke was not without basis.

In fact, the smog in the capital has been very serious since 12, especially in 13. According to statistics, there were only 5 days without fog throughout the year, making the capital a veritable fog city.

People are now beginning to realize that the smog problem in the capital has reached a point where urgent measures are needed.

"Spring and summer are fine, but autumn and winter are the main seasons."

Luo Yang smiled and said, "Anyway, you have the means. Buy property in the south, come to the south in the autumn, and go to Hainan in the winter. Go wherever is comfortable."

"Hahaha"

After listening to Luo Yang's suggestion, Han Dongming laughed and said, "Following this logic, the best place to go in the summer is Kunming to escape the heat. If that's the case, I can only be a quarter of the people in the capital for a year."

When he talks about people from the capital, he probably doesn't realize it himself, but his tone carries a hint of pride.

Perhaps this is a common problem for people living in big cities.

Just like the phrase "we're from Shanghai."

Amidst the laughter, the waiter approached with two cups of coffee.
"Sometimes, region really does create different personalities."

Han Dongming let the coffee be placed on the glass table in front of him, and said while smoking, "Take this thing for example. In the north, when a group of old friends talk business, they are used to drinking large bowls of tea, but in the south, more people prefer coffee."

"Actually, people from the South also like to drink tea."

Luo Yang smiled and said, "Jingdezhen porcelain and Yixing purple clay teapots are top-notch teaware. Biluochun, Longjing, Da Hong Pao, and Pu'er tea are all produced in the south. As the master of Chinese studies Zhai Hongshen once said, 'A cup of wine amidst the bustling world, a pot of tea for a thousand-year legacy.'"

Eh?
Han Dongming's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Mr. Luo, that's a very insightful summary."

He gave Luo Yang a thumbs up, while repeating the same phrase he had just said: "A cup of wine amidst the bustling world, a pot of tea for a great cause throughout the ages. Tea is good, tea is good indeed!"

"Originally, Mr. Luo was thinking of finding a teahouse."

Song Wan suddenly spoke up at this moment: "I suggested that President Han might bring friends over, so I had someone reserve this place."

Luo Yang mentally gave Song Wan a thumbs up.

We agreed this morning that we wouldn't bring it up automatically, but that doesn't mean we can't hint at it.

"Hahaha"

Han Dongming let out another hearty laugh.

He turned to Song Wan beside him and said, "Miss Song, you always have such foresight when it comes to things. President Luo is truly envious of having such a capable assistant like you."

As it is said.

"Yesterday, Mr. Luo met with Neil Shen of Sequoia Capital in Shanghai for a game of golf and also discussed the second round of financing for the bike-sharing project."

Unfazed, Song Wan continued, "This morning, our company held another meeting to discuss the next steps in the development of bike-sharing, with a focus on the second round of financing. We decided to finalize the list of shortlisted investment institutions or individuals as soon as possible."

"You guys are pushing things forward at a pretty fast pace."

Han Dongming calmly smoked his cigarette and smiled, saying, "Last time in the capital, I heard President Luo mention that Sequoia Capital led the second round of financing. Is the reason they're communicating privately with Shen Nanpeng ahead of time because I jumped the queue?"

Generally speaking, by the time a startup that is highly regarded by the capital market reaches the second round of financing, the institutions or individuals who will be shortlisted have already been determined.

Even the shares that each company would receive were allocated in advance.

Unless the shortlisted companies raise objections to the valuation on the day of the financing meeting and voluntarily give up or reduce their demand for equity, other people will have the opportunity to snag a bargain.

"One radish, one hole."

Song Wan replied with a smile, "In order to make room for President Han, we have no choice but to negotiate with Sequoia Capital privately."

Luo Yang's private conversation with Shen Nanpeng wasn't about Han Dongming, but rather to make room for overseas investment institutions. As for Han Dongming's share, it was already in the plan and didn't need to be added.

After hearing Song Wan's words, Han Dongming fell into deep thought.

Luo Yang wasn't in a hurry. He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and turned his gaze to the Lujiazui building complex across the Huangpu River.

"Mr. Luo."

Several minutes later, Han Dongming finished thinking and said to Luo Yang, "I wonder if President Song has mentioned the suggestion of expanding into overseas markets to you?"

Finally, he brought it up on his own initiative.

Stay steady.

"This matter has already been reported to General Manager Luo."

Song Wan wanted to give Luo Yang more time to think, so she replied first, "Our chairman is very interested in President Han's idea of ​​going global."

Just interested?

They have already communicated with Shen Nanpeng privately and reserved a place for the overseas investment institutions they are cooperating with.

This is the information gap.

"When does Mr. Luo plan to expand into overseas markets?"

Han Dongming looked at Luo Yang and said, "As far as I know, quite a few people in China are already planning to replicate your model. It might not be long before we see similar companies in China. Although Edifier Technology is ahead, this lead has also pointed out the direction for others' development. As long as there is enough funding, others will catch up very quickly."

The implication is that you're not in a hurry to conquer overseas markets now. Once similar companies have accumulated experience in their business models domestically, they'll rush overseas before you, and then there will be no going back.

"Although there are no major technological barriers to bike sharing, some data and operating models still require a certain amount of time to accumulate."

Song Wan once again preemptively replied to Han Dongming before Luo Yang could, saying, "For at least three or four months, our operating model and data collection will remain in the lead. Before that, I think it's unlikely that similar companies will be able to expand into overseas markets."

Three or four months
Keep in mind that the second round of financing for the bike-sharing project will end in a month.

For Han Dongming, the decision to expand into overseas markets before the financing meeting versus making the decision to establish a company overseas made a significant difference. Ironically, Song Wan is now telling him that he doesn't need to worry about such a thing happening in the next three or four months.

"Mr. Luo, let me tell you the truth."

Finally, Han Dongming was cornered by Luo Yang and Song Wan.

He had to tell the truth: "Promoting the bike-sharing model to Europe and America was not my personal idea, but a suggestion from a friend."

"Oh?"

Luo Yang feigned curiosity: "Didn't your friend come to Shanghai with you today? Or...?"

It was mentioned in the phone call on Monday that Han Dongming said a childhood friend of his had returned from the United States and invited him to get together tonight.

"President Luo's thinking is truly sharp."

Han Dongming immediately exclaimed, "Yes, the friend I was talking about is the childhood friend I mentioned on the phone on Monday. He now works for an investment firm in the United States called IDG. I wonder if President Luo and Ms. Song have heard of him."

"IDG?"

Song Wan smiled and said, "It's an American company headquartered in Boston, a long-established investment institution with strong financial backing. IDG Capital started venture capital investment in China in 1992 and is one of the earliest international investment institutions to enter China. Currently, it has invested in more than 150 small and medium-sized startups in China, including a large number of unicorn companies such as Tencent, Baidu, Xiaomi, Sohu and Ctrip."

"As expected of Miss Song, who comes from a family of investors."

Han Dongming put a cigarette in his mouth and clapped his hands lightly, saying, "I didn't even know this much detail."

"Mr. Han, your childhood friend suggested bringing the bike-sharing model to Europe and America. Is this his personal idea, or does it represent IDG's thinking?"

Luo Yang didn't want Han Dongming to change the subject.

Since we've started, let's get to the bottom of this and resolve things before we chat.

"It represents both my childhood friend's personal opinion and some of the ideas of his company."

Han Dongming replied to Luo Yang, "He was transferred back to China in June and joined IDG Greater China. He came across the bike-sharing project during a company business survey and conducted research for a week."

"Wait a moment!"

Song Wan suddenly interrupted Han Dongming, asking with a slightly surprised tone, "You want to invest in this project, not because of your friend's suggestion, right?"

Luo Yang looked at Han Dongming with curiosity at this moment.

If this conjecture is correct, then everything that happened during my last trip to the capital makes sense.

"Yes."

As expected, Han Dongming nodded.

"I only got the idea to invest because of a friend's suggestion."

"So we're in the capital."

"Although I arranged this meeting, you also obtained agreements to have 26 universities in the capital set up operations here, didn't you?"

Han Dongming quickly explained, "Even without going through Zhang Yiming's connections, when your promotion team contacts universities, they will eventually come to me. I believe I have that ability."

Luo Yang nodded.

He definitely has the ability.

"Now that we've opened up, I'll be direct."

Han Dongming was now in a state of complete complacency, so he bluntly said to Luo Yang, "I will help you develop the market in universities in the capital and guarantee your subsequent promotion in the city. Based on this, I should be able to secure your second round of financing. It's worth it, right?"

"This is a win-win situation."

Luo Yang also frankly said, "What you said earlier is right. Even if you hadn't taken the initiative to show up last time, we might have come to you later and taken the initiative to cooperate with you."

Han Dongming said this to try and ease Luo Yang's unease.

Now it seems that this is no longer a problem.

"As for my childhood friend's suggestion..."

Han Dongming paused here: "He had just been transferred back to China and naturally wanted to make some achievements. He was interested in your project, but after conducting research, he found that the door to your second round of financing had actually closed in June. He had no choice but to think of the plan to replace it with overseas market expansion."

Good guy.
It turns out it was all part of someone else's plan.

Luo Yang and Song Wan exchanged a glance, then fell silent.

It's impossible to say that you have absolutely no thoughts about it.

However, from a business perspective, Han Dongming's friend's plan did not harm the bike-sharing project.

On the contrary, his plan could achieve a win-win or multi-win situation.

Suddenly, Luo Yang became interested in Han Dongming, his childhood friend, and wanted to see him immediately.

"Your friend wants to achieve results. What is his current position at IDG Greater China?"

Song Wan spoke up at this moment, acting as Luo Yang's mouthpiece: "How can he protect our interests in expanding overseas markets if he is working in the Greater China region?"

"It should be a senior manager position, and he is currently in charge of leading an investment department."

There's no need to hide or exaggerate this information, because it's easy to find.

Han Dongming said frankly, "As for how to protect your interests when you expand into overseas markets, he will personally explain it to President Luo, probably during tonight's dinner party."

At this moment, Song Wan turned to Luo Yang: "Chairman, senior manager of IDG Greater China, and in charge of an investment department, he has some real power. Generally speaking, they can directly decide on investment projects under ten or twenty million RMB. As for how much he can influence the US headquarters, that depends on the relationships he accumulated in the US."

According to Luo Yang's understanding of these words, if IDG Greater China wanted to invest in the bike-sharing project, Han Dongming's friend could make the decision himself.

However, when it involves overseas companies, it needs to go through a middleman.

"Mr. Han, as things stand, we can only guarantee your eligibility for the shortlist and a minimum target of acquiring no more than 5% of the equity."

After explaining to Luo Yang, Song Wan looked at Han Dongming again: "As for your friend, we need to meet and talk about it later."

Han Dongming's friend is no longer a must-have option.

Luo Yang could have chosen suitable overseas investment institutions to cooperate with himself, thus taking control of the early stages.

If all else fails, there's always Sequoia Capital as a backup option.

This gives Luo Yang a lot more options.

If Han Dongming hadn't been there, he really wanted to give Song Wan a high five to celebrate.

The two of them were working together so well just now.

(End of this chapter)