I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 826 Three-Party Game: Cross-Shareholding Ecosystem Closed Loop

Of course, having such a luminary as a space consultant for one's company is indeed a waste of talent. Fang Qingye immediately decided that if the new company were established, Yang Weikang must be hired as an independent director—but all of this was contingent on reaching an agreement with the "two Mas" and getting the company established first.

A week later, at noon, under the bright spring sunshine, the courtyard of the Four Seasons Nursery was spotless. A set of elegant tea utensils was already prepared on the tea table in the pavilion, and fresh tea had been brewed.

Fang Qingye returned to the courtyard early and waited for the arrival of the "two horses".

Around 2 PM, four luxury cars arrived quietly in two groups at Nanxin and parked in turn along the roadside outside the Four Seasons Nursery. Ma Yun and Ma Huateng arrived as scheduled, each accompanied by their entourage.

Fang Qingye greeted them with a smile as they went out the door.

The three sat down in the pavilion in the courtyard to enjoy tea, while the rest of the entourage were received by Fang Fei, the manager of the Four Seasons Nursery.

The tea was top-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and the tea set was a sweet white glaze with an incised orchid design that Fang Qingye had acquired from a charity auction in Hong Kong.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air, the cups were warm and inviting, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Of course, tea tasting is just a formality; the main event today is discussing business.

Fang Qingye first told Ma Huateng the whole story of her conversation with Ma Yun while they were fishing by the river that day, including their disagreements.

After listening to Fang Qingye, Ma Yun nodded and said, "Pony, we'd like to hear your opinion."

Ma Huateng habitually adjusted his glasses, smiled slightly, and cut straight to the heart of the matter: "Gentlemen, since neither of us can convince the other of the importance of 'Star' and 'Arrow', let's try a different approach. Instead of arguing about which is more important, let's think about how to bind together the most irreplaceable elements of our three companies to form a closed loop that no one else can achieve."

Upon hearing this, both Fang Qingye and Ma Yun showed focused expressions.

Ma Huateng continued calmly, "My suggestion is that we do not measure value by cash alone. We will establish a new company that will be responsible for the future of Starlink in China, and we will contribute our most core strategic resources as equity."

He looked at Fang Qingye: "Qingye, you will invest in OKM Satellite Company and be responsible for the research, development, manufacturing, and constellation operation of Starlink satellites. This is your 'star,' your foundation."

Then, turning to Jack Ma, he said, "Mr. Ma, the Alibaba Group will not contribute cash, but will instead offer LandSpace's long-term, priority, and cost-effective launch rights as equity, and will be responsible for providing the 'arrow' to space. This is your channel advantage."

Finally, he pointed to himself: "I, Tencent, will contribute cash, plus priority access and cooperation rights across the entire ecosystem, including WeChat and QQ. Starlink's network services will be seamlessly embedded into Tencent's billion-level traffic portal. I will be responsible for transforming the signals from the sky into tangible applications and value for users on the ground—this is my foundation."

"No!" Fang Qingye and Ma Yun shouted in unison, their voices so loud they startled each other.

Fang Fei, who was arranging tea and snacks under the flower racks in the nursery not far away, looked up when she heard the sound and glanced in surprise in the direction of the pavilion.

She had never seen these three men so out of control on any occasion. The bodyguards guarding the gate couldn't help but exchange glances—these big shots, who were usually unfazed by the ups and downs of the business world, were now as agitated as vendors haggling in a market.

Ma Huateng said somewhat helplessly, "If you disagree, you can discuss it slowly. There's no need to make such a fuss."

Fang Qingye smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Pony, cash is fine, and deep integration with the entire ecosystem like WeChat and QQ is also acceptable, but it can't be 'priority'!"

“Qingye is right,” Ma Yun chimed in. “What about Tmall, Taobao, and Ant Financial? What about Ele.me and ByteDance under Qingye’s umbrella? I think all the apps under our three companies should be integrated equally! Of course, they should be given priority to other companies.” “Professor Ma is right!” Fang Qingye wholeheartedly agreed.

“You two really aren’t willing to suffer any loss,” Ma Huateng sighed. “If you insist on this approach, I was originally prepared to invest 10 billion, but now I can only invest 5 million.”

5 million?
Fang Qingye and Ma Yun exchanged a glance, each quickly making their own calculations.

Fang Qingye owns the vast majority of the shares in OKMicro Satellite—except for the 30.56% held by Zhang Yang's founding team, the rest have all been transferred to Tuofang Technology, with a total investment of approximately 87 million yuan. In other words, OKMicro is currently worth over 100 million yuan.

Ma Yun was also quickly calculating in her mind: Alibaba had previously invested 2 million yuan in LandSpace through a controlling stake financing, acquiring 70.2% of the shares and achieving absolute control. She wasn't at a disadvantage with this arrangement.

"So, how will the equity be distributed?" Ma Yun asked directly, getting to the heart of the matter.

Ma Huateng was clearly confident: "A stable structure needs balance. Qingye's 'star' is the core technology, and Mr. Ma's 'arrow' is the guarantee from the heavens. Both are indispensable. I think we can each account for 35%. I will account for 30%. This ratio not only reflects the equal contribution of the two core members, but also ensures that I have enough motivation to tilt the entire Tencent ecosystem toward 'China Starlink'. As for subsequent investment amounts, we will each contribute according to our equity ratio, thus keeping the equity structure unchanged."

“Okay.” Fang Qingye nodded. “OK Aerospace will provide the satellite.”

Jack Ma immediately saw the opportunity: securing a 35% stake by using future launch rights and bringing Tencent into the game to form a stable triangle was far more shrewd than maintaining a stalemate with Fang Qingye. This ensured Alibaba's relative dominance in business operations while simultaneously gaining two major strategic allies.

“I have no problem with that.” Jack Ma also agreed, “I will take the lead in providing launch services.”

“Then, last and most important,” Ma Huateng said solemnly, “we have signed an exclusive agreement. Satellites, launches, and ecosystems—not limited to Tencent, but also including Alibaba and Topway—will all prioritize serving ‘China Starlink.’ What we are building is an ecosystem that is unbreakable externally and collaborative internally.”

After listening, Fang Qingye picked up the teapot and refilled the three empty teacups with clear tea. He was the first to raise his cup:
"So, for our 'China Starlink' with its 'cross-shareholding, closed-loop ecosystem'?"

Jack Ma laughed heartily and raised his glass in response: "To this sea of ​​stars we've painted together!"

Ma Huateng calmly raised his teacup and smiled gently: "It's also for this closed loop that can lead us to a truly boundless future."

Three teacups gently clinked together, producing a crisp sound. This soft sound echoed clearly in the courtyard, which had quietly returned to tranquility.

"Gentlemen, our Starlink China doesn't have an official name yet," Fang Qingye suddenly thought of a question.

"Qingye, this is the first question you've thought about. I suppose you already have a suitable name in mind?" Ma Huateng asked.

“Hmm…” Fang Qingye pondered for a moment, “Let’s call it ‘Galaxy Loom’. It can be shortened to ‘Loom System’.”

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated by the Milky Way. With slender, fair hands, they weave swiftly at their loom." Ma Yun recited a line of ancient poetry, nodding in admiration, "Excellent, excellent."

Ma Huateng nodded slowly.

I just wonder, why have these two suddenly become interested in classical literature?
(End of this chapter)