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Upon hearing that Chen Hongxiong had actually gone to Shanghai to kidnap Su Ning, Zhao Sanjin realized that this was all the trouble he had brought upon himself.

So he personally flew to Shanghai to apologize to Suning, saying, "Ba Liang, I'm sorry! I really didn't expect Chen Hongxiong to be so ruthless."

"Call me Su Ning."

"This……"

"Who I am is not important! All I know is that Su Daqiang is my father."

"What kind of bewitching potion did Su Daqiang give you?"

Do you know what it feels like for my dad and me to depend on each other for survival?

"This……"

"Sometimes, I really wish I could live with my dad in the alley forever, living a peaceful and carefree life. That would be true happiness."

"..."

"Furthermore, I have absolutely no interest in your business empire, and I hope you will not disturb my life."

"Hmph! Do you know how much my Jinhai Group is worth? Hundreds of billions in assets! Do you know what hundreds of billions in assets means?"

"Let me tell you again, I have no interest in this. I will only obtain what I want with my own hands."

"You... are quite like me in that respect."

"Alright! I won't try to keep you, the big boss with hundreds of billions in assets."

"Does your Jiuzhoufang need financial support?"

"Thanks! No need. When accepting investment, it's usually about what resources the other party can provide. Your Jinhai Group's main business is real estate, so..."

"Okay! Call me if you need anything. Also, your grandma is really upset, you'd better go and have a good talk with her."

"My name is Su Ning! My dad is Su Daqiang! I don't have a grandma."

"You... are utterly foolish!"

Then Zhao Sanjin angrily got up and left, suddenly feeling that his eldest son, who had been missing for many years, was too hateful.

"By the way! I heard from Chen Hongxiong that Nalan Changsheng was the mastermind behind the kidnapping case back then."

"Hmph! I knew it all along! Xu Zhenhong has always been Nalan Changsheng's henchman, but Nalan Changsheng is a very complicated person."

"Mr. Zhao, do you realize that you are completely incomparable to my father, Su Daqiang?"

"What do you mean?"

“If my dad knew someone was bullying me, he would definitely go and kill them, but you…”

"..." At this moment, Zhao Sanjin noticed the disdain in Su Ning's eyes as she looked at him.

……

In March 2005, the conference room at the headquarters of Jiuzhoufang in Shanghai was filled with smoke.

"Mr. Su, eBay EachNet has raised its transaction fees again." The marketing director slammed the latest data on the table. "They now charge a 3% transaction commission, plus a 5 yuan listing fee."

Suning twirled the pen in his hand, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes under the light.

A dozen or so executives in the conference room held their breath, all knowing that the young CEO was about to make a major decision.

"Notify the technical department." The pen slammed against the solid wood table. "Effective immediately, Kyushufang will permanently waive all listing fees and transaction commissions."

CFO Chen nearly slid off his chair: "President Su! Our Series B funding won't last six months! Your measures will only make things more difficult for us."

“Old Chen,” Suning said with a cold smile, “do you know why eBay is so successful in Europe and America, but struggles to make a name for itself in China?”

He pulled up a set of data and projected it on the screen: "China has 4000 million small and medium-sized enterprises, 90% of which have never been exposed to e-commerce. What we want is this blue ocean, not to grab eBay's existing market share."

At this moment, Qi Dongcao handed over a document: "This is the user growth forecast for UnionPay Kyushu Pay. If we can integrate it..."

“It’s not a ‘what if’,” Su Ning interrupted her. “It’s a must. Your Majesty, contact the technical heads of the five major banks, including ICBC and CCB. I need to see them tonight.”

"it is good."

After the meeting, the Queen jogged to catch up with Su Ning: "Eight... Mr. Su, eBay sent someone to contact us, saying they want to discuss cooperation..."

"Leave them to their own devices." Suning said without turning his head. "They can come to me again when their market share drops below 30%."

"All right!"

The headquarters building of UnionPay Jiuzhou Payment in Shanghai was brightly lit.

“Mr. Su, your ‘you dare to pay, I dare to compensate’ proposal is too aggressive.” The general manager of ICBC’s e-banking department wiped his sweat. “What if systemic risk occurs…”

However, Suning presented an actuarial report: "According to our simulation, the probability of compensation is no more than 0.003%, while the resulting user growth is at least 300%."

He tapped the table. "More importantly, this will completely resolve the trust crisis in Chinese e-commerce."

In a corner of the conference room, Qi Dongcao was talking quietly with UnionPay's legal representative.

She was wearing a navy blue business suit today, and her jade bracelet gleamed coldly under the incandescent light.

When he heard the words "full refund," UnionPay's legal director was so shocked that he dropped his pen.

"Assistant Qi, has your boss gone mad? How much deposit is required...?"

"One billion yuan," Qi Dongcao smiled. "It has already been transferred to the regulated account."

"what?"

At 11 p.m. that night, the agreement was finally signed.

On the way back, Su Ning closed his eyes to rest, then suddenly asked, "Dongcao, how many connections does the Zhao family have within UnionPay?"

Qi Dongcao's fingers trembled, and the bracelet hit the car window with a crisp sound: "Dad... saved the life of the founder of UnionPay back then."

“No wonder.” Su Ning chuckled. “Have the tech department work overtime tomorrow to launch the ‘message box’ feature.”

This instant messaging tool, later known as "Jiuzhoutong," would become the deadly weapon that brought down eBay.

……

At Alibaba's headquarters in Hangzhou, Ma Yun stared at the traffic curve of Jiuzhoufang on the screen, his brows furrowed.

"Where did they get their search algorithm?" The VP of Technology was sweating profusely. "It's even more accurate than the Yahoo technology we just bought..."

"It seems we all underestimated Kyushu Ward."

"Mr. Ma, according to our investigation, Suning is the eldest son of Zhao Xin of Beijing Jinhai Group."

"No wonder he's so domineering! He really does have that barbaric northerner vibe."

"Mr. Ma, should we take countermeasures in response to the impact of Jiuzhoufang?"

"Of course! It's not my style to passively take a beating."

"Understood! Mr. Ma, I will be able to come up with practical and feasible measures tomorrow."

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous little building in Shanghai, the Queen was handing a box of cash to several young people wearing plaid shirts.

"President Su said that the search team will continue to expand." She glanced at her watch. "We're negotiating with JD.com next week; we need a more accurate algorithm for recommending 3C products."

One of the programmers pushed up his glasses: "Assistant Wang, is President Su really going to build a search engine from scratch? That's an investment ten times bigger than e-commerce!"

"Why do you think he rejected SoftBank's investment?" the Queen asked in a low voice. "Mr. Su said that search is the commanding height for the next ten years."

"..."

It was already past midnight when I returned to the headquarters of Kyushu Ward.

Suning stood outside the glass door of the technology department, looking at the dozens of programmers inside who had been working tirelessly through the night.

Qi Dongcao quietly approached and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Ma Yun from Alibaba sent someone to tell you that he wants to meet you."

Su Ning's left eye suddenly turned bloodshot: "Tell him that I will personally visit him on the day Kyushu Search is officially launched."

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? Ma Yun is a pioneer of the Chinese internet?"

"Bullshit! He just seized the opportunity of the times, and that mouth is a traditional skill of pyramid schemes."

"Fine! You're the boss, so you call the shots."

“Dongcao, from now on, Ma Yuncai will be our mortal enemy in Kyushu Fang, so there is no point in meeting and negotiating with him. At the same time, Taobao, which has Alipay, will not welcome our UnionPay Kyushu Pay.”

"understood."

……

On Singles' Day in 2005, Jiuzhoufang achieved a single-day transaction miracle of 8.2 million yuan.

eBay EachNet's market share has fallen to 15%, forcing it to announce its withdrawal from the Chinese market.

At the celebration banquet, Suning got drunk, which was unusual for him.

He leaned against the balcony railing, looking at the neon lights across the Huangpu River.

Qi Dongcao and the Queen stood on either side of him behind him, like two guardian deities.

"Did you know?" Suning suddenly spoke up, "eBay headquarters offered $10 billion to acquire us."

The queen's eyes widened: "You refused?"

“I told them…” Su Ning turned around, his eyes flashing with domineering power in the night, “Jiuzhoufang is not a business, it’s revenge.”

Qi Dongcao's wine glass suddenly began to sway.

Unexpectedly, Suning rejected this windfall, as it is something many people would love to have.

At this point, Qi Dongcao and the Queen realized that Su Ning was completely different from Zhao Sanjin, and did not have Zhao Sanjin's mercenary nature at all.

……

In the study of the Su family mansion late at night, Su Ning was reviewing the year-end reports.

1500 million users, 80 billion yuan in transaction volume, 67% market share...

The numbers gleamed under the desk lamp. A knock sounded at the door.

Qi Dongcao brought in a late-night snack. She had changed out of her business attire into comfortable loungewear, but she still wore the jade bracelet on her wrist.

"Is the Queen asleep?" Su Ning asked without looking up.

"Yes, she's in the guest room." Qi Dongcao put down her plate. "She handled contracts with 32 suppliers today."

Su Ning suddenly grabbed her wrist: "This bracelet, was it given to the eldest grandson's wife by the Zhao family?"

Qi Dongcao's breath hitched: "Grandma...Grandma gave it to me."

"Take it off," Su Ning ordered. "Starting tomorrow, you'll wear this."

He opened the drawer and took out a platinum bracelet with a delicate "Su" character pendant.

Qi Dongcao's eyes instantly reddened.

As she bent down to take the bracelet, her collarbone was revealed at the neckline, which once again captivated Su Ning.

Su Ning's fingers traced the alluring collarbone: "So beautiful!"

Qi Dongcao's voice trembled, "You bad guy! Haven't you seen enough yet?"

No! There may never be enough in this lifetime.

The office suddenly went dark.

A few seconds before the backup power came on, someone let out a suppressed sob.

When the lights came on again, Suning was already back at his desk, as if nothing had happened.

"Dongcao, JD.com representatives are coming to discuss cooperation tomorrow. Prepare the necessary documents."

"it is good."

After leaving the study, Qi Dongcao gently closed the door.

At the end of the corridor, the Queen stood there, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Did he brand you?" The Queen stared at the new bracelet.

Qi Dongcao touched the hickey on her collarbone: "We've already been branded by him, haven't we?"

"..."

……

On Monday morning, the area in front of the Kyushu-bo headquarters building was packed with reporters.

As soon as Suning's Mercedes-Benz S600 drove into the underground parking garage, more than twenty microphones blocked its way.

"Mr. Su! Is it true that SoftBank has claimed to have acquired an 18% stake in Kyushufang?"

"UnionPay JiuzhouPay has been accused of illegally operating a fund pool. How do you respond?"

"There are reports that the central bank will be conducting an investigation tomorrow..."

Qi Dongcao, accompanied by security guards, pushed through the crowd, and the bracelet made a crisp sound as it was pushed.

In the elevator, the Queen quickly reported the situation: "President Su, SoftBank issued an announcement at 3 a.m., and Yahoo China simultaneously revealed that our payment system has 'illegal fund pooling' practices. Now there is panic selling in the secondary market, and the stock price has already fallen by 27%."

Suning unlocked his phone with his fingerprint and retrieved a set of data: "Contact President Zhang of ICBC to activate the 'Great Wall Watch Project.' Since they're courting death, they're naturally no longer staying behind?"

"clear."

In the top-floor conference room, the executives looked grave.

The general counsel was reading a Financial Times report: "...An anonymous source claims that 'UnionPay Kyushu Pay' failed to deposit all customer reserve funds into a regulatory account, suspected of..."

"Bullshit!" CFO Chen slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "We just passed the central bank's inspection last week!"

"What's so strange about that! The current public opinion is precisely a testament to our success. We shouldn't let these jackals disrupt our development pace."

"Yes, Mr. Su."

"Everyone, please don't worry! Our 'UnionPay Kyushu Pay' is controlled by the five major banks. Any conspiracy or trickery is a joke in the face of strength."

"..." Only then did the executives present understand Suning's plan; they had anticipated today's troubles from the very beginning.

The projection screen lit up, and SoftBank's acquisition offer stood out starkly under the lights: to acquire 51% of Kyushubo's shares at a 130% premium over the current share price, with a 48-hour deadline for acceptance.

“President Su, this is a very typical ‘bear hug’ tactic.” The chief strategy officer sneered, “First, create panic to suppress the stock price, then acquire it at a low price.”

Suning remained silent until his phone vibrated—an encrypted text message from "Reservoir" read: [There is a mole in Yahoo's technology department; evidence has been sent to the dark web].

"Everyone," he suddenly spoke, his voice chillingly calm, "proceed according to the plan: First, report SoftBank's insider trading to the China Securities Regulatory Commission; second, contact eBay to discuss technical cooperation; third..."

He looked at Qi Dongcao and said, "Please invite President Zhao to dinner."

"clear."

In a private club on Beijing's financial district, the heads of the e-banking departments of the five major banks gathered together in a rare event.

In the center of the round table was a newly released official document: "Notice on Regulating the Management of Reserve Funds of Third-Party Payment Institutions (Draft for Comments)".

"President Su, this is strange." ICBC President Zhang adjusted his glasses. "Director Wang of the Payment Department of the People's Bank of China praised your system for its compliance yesterday..."

Qi Dongcao handed over a document at the opportune moment: "This is the regulatory certificate for all the reserve fund accounts of UnionPay Jiuzhou Payment. Each sub-account can be queried in real time in the central bank system."

Jianli, the general manager, was flipping through the documents when he suddenly frowned: "Wait! The account number ending in 0973 mentioned by this 'anonymous source' is not your account at all!"

“That’s right.” Suning tapped on the tablet, which displayed registration information for a company called “Jiuzhou Payment (China) Co., Ltd.” “This shell company was just registered in the Cayman Islands yesterday, and it’s only one character different from ours.”

The bank managers exchanged glances.

Mr. Wu, the general manager of Bank of China, suddenly slammed his hand on the table: "This is a frame-up! I'm calling the editor-in-chief of the Financial Times right now!"

Two hours later, the People's Bank of China posted a statement on its official website: "UnionPay JiuzhouPay business is compliant and customer reserve funds are safe."

Almost simultaneously, the official Weibo accounts of the five major banks collectively reposted the message, along with their respective collaborations with KyushuPay.

The stock market reversed in an instant.

Kyushubo's stock price not only recovered its losses but also surged by 15%, making SoftBank's acquisition offer a joke.

"Suning, Masayoshi Son is furious this time!" The Queen stormed into the office, laptop in hand. "SoftBank just withdrew its takeover offer!"

Suning was in a video conference with the president of eBay China, and upon hearing this, he simply raised a finger.

Qi Dongcao immediately understood and pulled the Queen out of the office.

"Don't be too happy yet." In the corridor, Qi Dongcao was examining the cracks on the jade bracelet. "The matter with Yahoo isn't over yet."

Sure enough, three hours later, a pop-up window appeared on the Yahoo! China homepage: "Jiuzhoufang search algorithm suspected of stealing trade secrets".

The accompanying image shows the backs of several masked hackers, who are said to have stolen Yahoo's core search technology.

The queen, enraged, smashed her coffee cup: "Shameless! Our algorithm is clearly..."

“It’s not important.” Su Ning suddenly appeared at the door, his left eye frighteningly red. “Execute the ‘poison pill plan’ and notify all shareholders: effective immediately, each shareholder holding one share will be entitled to three shares, with the exercise price calculated at 50% of today’s closing price.”

This is a nuclear-level anti-takeover strategy. Once implemented, SoftBank's stake will be diluted to less than 5%, while Yahoo will face exorbitant exercise fees.

"And this too." Su Ning tossed a USB drive to the Queen. "Have the tech department send the code inside to the media."

The USB drive contains the complete logs of Yahoo! China's search system's intrusion into the Jiuzhoufang server. The timestamps show that the attack occurred three months ago, which happens to be the date when Jiuzhoufang was officially launched.

The technical department was brightly lit late at night.

The Queen stared at the scrolling code on the screen and suddenly exclaimed, "Found it! Yahoo's backdoor!"

The programmers gathered around.

The clear code on the screen shows that Yahoo! China's payment plugin is secretly collecting users' bank card information.

"Write an analysis report immediately." The Queen dialed Qi Dongcao's number. "Notify UnionPay that we're about to drop a bombshell!"

Meanwhile, in a high-end hotel on the Bund, Qi Dongcao was drinking with an elderly man with white hair.

“Uncle Zhao was right about him back then.” Zhao Mingde, former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, put down his teacup. “This kid Su Ning has his father’s ruthlessness and Shang Hong’s meticulousness.”

Qi Dongcao took a file out of her bag: "Grandpa Zhao, this is evidence that SoftBank manipulated stock prices through offshore companies..."

The old man put on his reading glasses and looked at it for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "Masayoshi Son has really messed up this time."

He took out his phone, "Hello? Is this the China Securities Regulatory Commission's Enforcement Bureau? This is Lao Zhao..."

The following morning, financial news headlines exploded:
SoftBank under investigation for suspected insider trading

Yahoo! China Exposed for Stealing User Payment Information

Jiuzhoufang announces strategic partnership with eBay

The three-hit combo completely turned the tide of the battle.

SoftBank's stock price plummeted 9% in early Tokyo trading, Yahoo! China posted an apology on its official website, and Kyushubo's market capitalization surpassed $10 billion for the first time.

At the celebration banquet, the employees raised their glasses in celebration.

Suning stood alone in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his whiskey untouched.

"Where's the queen?"

"They're monitoring Yahoo's system attacks in the IT department." Qi Dongcao hesitated for a moment. "Also, Dad called again today..."

“Tell him I have absolutely no interest in his affairs.” Su Ning’s pupils suddenly contracted to a thin slit. “Oh, right! I haven’t introduced you to my dad, Su Daqiang, yet. I’ll take you there when I have time.”

Qi Dongcao's hand trembled. "Should we bring the Queen?"

"Let's not do it! Hasn't she always had a problem with my dad?"

"..."

Outside the window, the lights of Lujiazui shone like a galaxy.

And Suning's business empire has begun to set sail...

...(End of chapter)