Restart life

Chapter 169 0166 [Striving for Maximum Autonomy]

A few days ago, Chen Guiliang faxed the contract for investing in a game company to Director Hu, whom IDG had arranged to work with at ByteDance, and immediately received a questioning phone call from Director Hu.

Why weren't you informed beforehand?

"Yes, I've informed them."

"I meant signing the contract. I'm still arranging the due diligence team, but you've already signed the contract and faxed it over!"

“A startup with no external business can be due diligence done by me with my finance and legal teams. You’re too slow, I can’t be bothered to wait any longer.”

“Your attitude is extremely offensive! I will inform the founding partner of IDG China, as well as the partner who invested in you.”

"Please."

On the very day Chen Guiliang arrived in Shanghai, Lin Dongliang called again.

When Lin Dongliang heard that he had arrived in Shanghai, he didn't mention the investment. He only said that he would invite Chen Guiliang to dinner and meet Xiong Xiaoge, the founding partner of IDG China.

Out of respect for the capital tycoon, Chen Guiliang specifically asked before going to the meeting: "Is it okay to wear a T-shirt and shorts? It's too hot in Shanghai these days, I really don't dare to go out in a suit and tie."

“Haha, no problem,” Lin Dongliang laughed. “I’ll arrange a place that doesn’t have any dress code.”

This summer is really hot.

Shanghai is known as one of China's "furnace cities" (cities known for their extreme heat), and this year's temperatures have broken historical records. The rainy season only lasted four days, followed by continuous heat into autumn.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, Chen Guiliang immediately bought a new outfit: a T-shirt, shorts, and sandals.

"Driver, go to No. 803 Julu Road. It's the only one in Xinduli."

"Ok."

Taxi drivers in Shanghai are quieter and more formally dressed than those in Beijing.

It's even more formal than Chen Guiliang's.

Shinto-ri Muu-er is a Western-style Japanese restaurant run by Taiwanese businessmen.

Chen Guiliang was indifferent to this stuff and figured he wouldn't be able to fill his stomach today, so he'd have to grab a bowl of noodles on his way back to the hotel.

The environment is quite nice, nestled in a bamboo grove, offering a tranquil and Zen-like atmosphere amidst the hustle and bustle.

But the architecture inside is modern industrial style, and it even has art installations. Combined with cool-toned lighting, it creates a futuristic and minimalist space.

It particularly appeals to certain groups: it's neither East nor West, it's close to everything yet close to nothing, but it has a strange kind of sophistication.

The waiters were dressed in a Western style, not the typical Japanese attire of a Japanese restaurant.

Chen Guiliang walked in wearing shorts and sandals. The waiter was clearly taken aback for a moment, then greeted him, "Hello sir, do you have a reservation?"

“My friend booked a private room; his surname is Lin.”

"Okay, please follow me."

The private rooms here must be booked in advance.

There are very few private rooms; most guests dine in the main hall.

The waiter who guided Chen Guiliang was clearly taking a detour, using an inconspicuous route to reach the private room, in order to avoid Chen Guiliang's attire affecting other diners.

The atmosphere here is fairly casual. If you were to eat at a restaurant like No. 3 on the Bund, you wouldn't be allowed in dressed like Chen Guiliang.

There were three people sitting in the private room.

Besides Xiong Xiaoge and Lin Dongliang, there's another person I don't recognize.

Seeing Chen Guiliang's attire, the three exchanged glances and understood that Chen Guiliang was doing it on purpose: by adopting a posture that was out of place in a dining setting, he was implying that IDG should stay out of ByteDance's business in the future!
“Mr. Chen,” Lin Dongliang introduced with a smile, “this is Mr. Xiong Xiaoge, the founding partner of IDG China.”

Chen Guiliang stepped forward and shook hands: "Hello, Mr. Xiong."

Xiong Xiaoge smiled broadly: "President Chen is truly young and promising."

Lin Dongliang then introduced, "This is Mr. Zhang Suyang, an investment partner at IDG. He has invested in Ctrip, eBay, AdChina, Wumart, and Home Inns, and has a very unique investment vision."

"Hello, Mr. Zhang."

"Hello, Mr. Chen."

Lin Dongliang said, "Having heard that Mr. Chen and Director Hu had an unpleasant working relationship, we have decided to replace Mr. Zhang Suyang with Mr. Chen as a director of ByteDance."

"You're most welcome," Chen Guiliang said with a smile.

Zhang Suyang joined IDG in 1994 and is a very senior figure in the investment world. He is able to keep Chen Guiliang in check when it matters.

This guy often gets into arguments with people at the board meeting.

At the same time, Zhang Suyang was not particular about details. As long as Chen Guiliang did not cross his bottom line, he would not interfere too much, because he himself was not very rule-abiding.

This was essentially a way to replace Chen Guiliang with the most suitable director.

The previous person always loved to spout nonsense. After ByteDance raised funds, they held a board meeting, and that director was still pontificating at the meeting.

"Let's order," Xiong Xiaoge said.

The three of them quickly ordered, but Chen Guiliang didn't know what else to eat.

This Western-style Japanese restaurant has quite unique dishes.

Seeing Chen Guiliang hesitate, the waiter took the initiative to introduce the dish: "Foie gras sushi is our restaurant's original creation, combining French foie gras with Japanese sushi. The foie gras is seared to perfection, resulting in a rich and flavorful dish, paired with vinegared rice and red wine sauce..."

Roasted foie gras, vinegared rice sushi, and red wine sauce—Chen Guiliang felt it was like a culinary disaster. As the dishes were introduced, most were a fusion of Japanese and Western styles.

The waiter kept mentioning molecular gastronomy, so Chen Guiliang couldn't help but ask, "What is molecular gastronomy?"

The waiter explained, "Molecular gastronomy studies the relationship between temperature and cooking time in food, adding different substances to induce physical and chemical changes. After fully understanding this, it is deconstructed, reconstructed, and applied. Take this sous-vide salmon as an example; its foam sauce is in the style of molecular gastronomy, and you can choose between wasabi foam or miso foam."

“No molecular gastronomy,” Chen Guiliang said. “I’d like a sashimi platter, thinly sliced ​​truffle beef, Wagyu beef rolls with foie gras, sizzling lobster with sea urchin sauce… No sake, just a creative cocktail.”

Xiong Xiaoge smiled without saying a word.

First, we asked the waiter to explain molecular gastronomy. After he explained a lot, he said he didn't want anything that included molecular gastronomy.

They're still expressing their dissatisfaction with that Director Hu, and telling IDG to interfere less in specific matters in the future!

After ordering, Chen Guiliang took out a contract and handed it to Zhang Suyang, saying, "Mr. Zhang, since you are here to replace the director, you can take a look at this contract directly."

Zhang Suyang took a look and exclaimed in surprise, "You've invested in another company?"

“Yes, if you’re sure you want something, then invest. There’s no need to let your money sit in the bank earning interest,” Chen Guiliang said.

Zhang Suyang carefully reviewed the contract and handed it to Lin Dongliang.

The dishes were being served one after another. Chen Guiliang picked up a piece of tuna sashimi and dipped it in soy sauce. The waiter reminded him, "It tastes even better with a little wasabi."

"Your service is very attentive, but I don't like wasabi. Thank you."

Chen Guiliang didn't make any hints this time; he genuinely couldn't stand wasabi.

Xiong Xiaoge said to the waiter, "You can go out now."

"Please enjoy your meal." The waiter smiled and left.

Xiong Xiaoge asked, "Why is Mr. Chen so optimistic about Bailian Technology?"

Chen Guiliang said, "The reason this company was founded is because of the game idea I came up with. I am confident that we can make money."

"This company was registered around the beginning of last year, right? You were still in your senior year of high school then," Zhang Suyang said.

Chen Guiliang said, "I came up with the game idea back in 2003. It was going to be a paid game! I was just a poor student back then, and I took the idea to a local boss. This boss spent over 100,000 yuan to buy the idea and then sold everything he owned to make the game the following year. What do you think of this game idea?"

“If it’s so good that people are willing to risk everything, it must be amazing. I won’t ask anymore,” Zhang Suyang said, but then asked Tudou.com, “What about this video website?”

Chen Guiliang said, "This is another major innovation of Web 2.0. I estimate that by next year, there will likely be twenty or thirty similar websites popping up in the United States and China."

"Are you that confident?" Xiong Xiaoge asked with a smile.

Chen Guiliang said, "UGC is the mainstream trend for video websites in the future. Moreover, Xiaonei.com and Tudou.com can form a synergy. These kinds of websites are very expensive, and I hope IDG will also invest in them next year."

With Chen Guiliang's early investment and clear development model, Tudou.com's growth rate should be even faster than in another timeline.

Perhaps they could have gone public before 2008, instead of dragging it out for several rounds of financing!

While reading the contract, Lin Dongliang suddenly asked, "Why is there a prenuptial agreement clause for the founder?"

Chen Guiliang laughed and said, "Just in case. If the founder doesn't sign a prenuptial agreement, the board member I've arranged will automatically have veto power, and the founder will have to compensate me with 10% of their equity."

Lin Dongliang was both amused and exasperated: "I've never heard of such a thing."

The three asked a few more questions about Tudou.com, which Chen Guiliang answered in general terms.

After that, I stopped asking about it and we talked about investment while eating.

The cocktails were even worse than the sake, so Chen Guiliang switched to a bottle of sake halfway through. The sizzling lobster with creamy sea urchin sauce tasted strange, but surprisingly delicious.

Chen Guiliang thought he wouldn't be full, but he ended up eating until he was stuffed.

After a satisfying meal, Zhang Suyang suggested going to a club, but Chen Guiliang politely declined and left directly.

Watching Chen Guiliang get into a taxi, Lin Dongliang asked, "How was it?"

Xiong Xiaoge said, "He is suited to be an investor. He is bold, has a keen eye, and a very sharp business sense. As long as he doesn't go too far, we shouldn't interfere with ByteDance."

“Sigh, I was worried that he was young and inexperienced, so I asked Lao Hu to say a few more words at the board meeting and help with the project,” Lin Dongliang sighed. “I didn’t expect him to react so strongly and deliberately not cooperate with Lao Hu’s work.”

“Young people, when they suddenly succeed, are bound to become arrogant and unwilling to listen to advice,” Zhang Suyang said.

In a taxi.

After drinking some wine, Chen Guiliang gazed at the dazzling night view of Shanghai and suddenly wanted to go to the Bund to enjoy the breeze: "Master, let's go to the Bund."

The evening rush hour had passed, and traffic was relatively smooth.

Chen Guiliang got off the bus at the Bund and strolled around, looking at the brightly lit banks and the not-so-large number of tourists. He felt a sense of déjà vu as the alcohol took effect.

He leaned on the railing, gazing at the river in a daze for a long time.

There's nothing I can do; after drinking, my "intellectualism" flares up intermittently again.

"Hello, could you help me take a picture?" A young couple approached.

Chen Guiliang smiled and took the camera: "Move to the left a bit, yes... move closer..."

Mr. Chen's photography skills are very professional. He was an undercover reporter in his previous life and also studied photography when he was studying journalism.

If I have the opportunity, I could also explore the art of nude photography in the future.

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(The web series "Rebirth of the Wild Era" is now available on Hongguo Short Drama. Those who have time can check it out and give it a critique. Don't blame me if you don't like it.)
(End of this chapter)