Rebirth: Starting with Capturing the Goddess Mentor

Chapter 267 Money really doesn't last long, we're broke again!
The afternoon sun, with a touch of languor, pierced through the towering glass curtain wall of the office building, casting long shadows on the mirror-like marble floor.

Chen Yan drove his Mercedes-Benz S400 into the underground parking garage of an office building located in the core business district of Shanghai.

As soon as the car door unlocked, Gao Yang, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward and deftly opened the driver's side door for Chen Yan.

"Mr. Chen."

Gao Yang, dressed in a black suit, bowed slightly, his posture respectful but not servile.

"Ah."

Chen Yan responded and stepped out of the car.

He had changed out of his loungewear and put on a well-tailored, high-quality dark blue casual suit, with a white short-sleeved shirt underneath.

Jiang Zhixin personally picked out this outfit for him before he left the house.

"Condition?"

As Chen Yan straightened his cuffs, he strode briskly toward the elevator lobby, his steps light and airy.

Gao Yang followed closely behind, reporting in a steady tone: "General Manager Mao and General Manager Qu are already in the conference room. I arrived half an hour early and exchanged a few pleasantries with them. The atmosphere was fairly peaceful, but I felt that they were very clear about their insistence on the price."

Expected.

Chen Yan nodded and pressed the elevator button for the target floor.

The elevator doors opened with a "ding," revealing a logo of a small red book.

The receptionist had already been notified, and a young and capable administrative staff member immediately came to greet them.

"President Chen, Assistant Gao, this way please. President Mao and President Qu are already waiting in the conference room."

Walking through the open office area, you can feel the energy and busyness of this startup.

Inside the cubicles, young programmers typed code on their screens, while operations staff huddled together discussing something; the air was thick with the scent of caffeine and innovation.

The conference room door was pushed open.

This is a conference room with a wide view, and huge floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the bustling city.

Two people were sitting on one side of the conference table.

On the left is a bespectacled man, around thirty years old, with a refined and scholarly air. He is Mao Wenchao, the founder and CEO of Xiaohongshu. He appears calm and reserved, and his eyes behind his glasses reveal focus and contemplation.

On the right is a woman around 30 years old, with a capable demeanor and bright eyes, and short, neat hair; she is co-founder Qu Fangfang.

The moment Chen Yan stepped into the conference room, Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang looked up almost simultaneously.

Both of them maintained their expressions well, but Chen Yan still keenly caught the fleeting surprise in their eyes.

too young!

Even though Gao Yang had given prior notice, the visual impact of seeing "General Manager Chen," with whom they were about to discuss a multi-million dollar deal, was still strong.

Although Chen Yan was wearing a suit, he still looked like he was only in his early twenties, too young for his age!
His calm and composed demeanor, along with the shrewdness in his eyes, seemed completely out of place with his youthful appearance, creating a striking contrast.

"Mr. Mao, Mr. Qu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Chen Yan spoke first, extending his hand.

Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang quickly suppressed their surprise, stood up, and put on polite smiles.

"Hello, Mr. Chen!" Mao Wenchao shook hands with Chen Yan warmly, his words sincere.

"Mr. Chen, welcome, welcome!"

Qu Fangfang smiled and shook hands, her gaze lingering on Chen Yan's face for a moment longer. "President Chen is truly a handsome man!"

Chen Yan: "Hahaha, so handsome!"

Mao Wenchao: "..."

Qu Fangfang: "..."

Both parties took their seats.

Gao Yang sat to the side and slightly behind Chen Yan, with his tablet beside him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and tea, the atmosphere quickly became formal.

As CEO, Mao Wenchao got straight to the point, speaking sincerely: "President Chen, thank you very much for your attention and recognition of Xiaohongshu. We attach great importance to the cooperation intention that Assistant Gao brought yesterday. After careful consideration, we agree in principle to introduce you as a strategic investor. We have also had in-depth discussions on the specific cooperation terms."

He paused, looking directly at Chen Yan: "Based on our platform's current development speed, unique community atmosphere, and huge future growth potential, our final offer is: to offer you 10% of our shares, with an overall company valuation of US$3000 million."

A valuation of $3000 million, for a 10% stake. Exactly the same as what Gao Yang reported on the phone this morning; there's no room for negotiation.

Qu Fangfang added at the opportune moment, her tone equally firm: "President Chen, this valuation is based on the explosive growth of our user data after our Series A funding, the significant improvement in user stickiness, and our clear plan for the future business model. We believe that this price fully matches Xiaohongshu's future value. Furthermore, 10% is the maximum we can currently offer; we need to ensure that the founding team has absolute control over the company and the dominance of its strategic direction."

The conference room fell silent, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning vents. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting bright patches of light onto the gleaming conference table.

Chen Yan leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers tapping lightly on the table, producing a rhythmic, soft sound. He didn't immediately refute the offer, nor did he show any impatience. His deep eyes calmly swept over Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang, lost in thought.

"General Manager Mao, General Manager Qu."

Chen Yan finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Xiaohongshu's community genes and growth momentum are indeed impressive, which is why I'm sitting here."

"Admittedly, Xiaohongshu has great potential, but it takes time to realize that potential and more funding and resources to nurture it."

"Furthermore, as far as I know, a valuation of $3000 million is a full 200% premium over your Series A funding round."

Mao Wenchao interrupted Chen Yan in time: "President Chen, you don't know this, but four months ago when we were in the Series A round, Xiaohongshu's MAU had just broken one million, and now it's close to three million."

Chen Yan leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp: "Even so, a 10% share is rather meager for a strategic investor."

Qu Fang frowned slightly, about to speak.

Chen Yan raised his hand and gestured for me to finish speaking.

"I am not questioning the value of Xiaohongshu, Mr. Mao and Mr. Qu. On the contrary, I am more optimistic about Xiaohongshu's future than your current offer."

"Therefore, my sincerity is: to accept a valuation of 3000 million US dollars."

A hint of surprise flashed in Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang's eyes; they hadn't expected Chen Yan to accept their conditions so quickly.

“However,” Chen Yan’s gaze swept over the two of them, “10% of the shares is not enough, I demand 15%.”

15%!

Mao Wenchao and Qu Fang's expressions became somewhat serious.

This ratio is already approaching the limit of their psychological defenses.

"President Chen, that's impossible!" Qu Fangfang blurted out, her tone filled with a resolute refusal. "10% is our bottom line, 15% is too much!"

Mao Wenchao also said in a deep voice: "Mr. Chen, we understand your demands. But 15% is indeed beyond our acceptable range. We need to ensure that the founding team still has enough say in future rounds of financing. 10% is a well-considered and relatively fair proportion for both parties."

The negotiations immediately stalled.

Chen Yan wasn't angered by the other party's firm refusal. Instead, he relaxed, picked up the water glass on the table, and slowly took a sip. When he put the glass down, his eyes became even more profound.

“How about this,” Chen Yan leaned forward slightly, placing his hands crossed on the table—a gesture of sincerity and seeking consensus—“Let’s each compromise. The valuation will be the $3000 million you insist on, and I will not negotiate further.”

“But the shareholding percentage,” he paused, then clearly uttered two words, “13%.”

13%!

This is a typical compromise.

A brief silence fell over the meeting room once again.

Mao Wenchao's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, while Qu Fangfang pursed her lips slightly, her brain rapidly calculating and weighing options.

With a valuation locked at $3000 million, this is a victory for them.

The 13% stake, although 3 percentage points higher than expected, dilutes the founding team's shareholding, but it is still within an acceptable range and will not immediately threaten control.

Time ticked by. The sunlight outside the window shifted, and the light and shadow inside the conference room changed accordingly.

Finally, Mao Wenchao raised his head and looked at Qu Fangfang.

Qu Fangfang nodded almost imperceptibly.

Mao Wenchao took a deep breath, turned to Chen Yan, and showed his first genuine smile since the negotiations began, a smile that indicated a consensus had been reached: "President Chen, it's been a pleasure cooperating with you!"

He held out his hand, "13%, deal!"

Chen Yan stood up and shook hands firmly with Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang respectively: "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you!"

In the following time, Chen Yan called in the company's legal counsel, and the two sides had a more harmonious exchange on some specific cooperation terms and preliminary intentions for subsequent resource integration.

When Chen Yan shook hands with Mao Wenchao and Qu Fangfang to say goodbye again, the city outside the window was already lit up with streetlights.

Just now, Chen Yan transferred US$390 million (RMB 2400 million) to Xingjin Technology using his private account.

His bank account balance was less than 500 million yuan.

Of course, although the balance in his card was not much, Chen Yan was not only the largest shareholder of both Boss Technology and Daily Technology, but also owned two properties (a 200-square-meter duplex in Hangzhou and an 89-square-meter two-bedroom apartment in Shanghai), a loan contract for 5000 million yuan to Boss Technology, and 13% of Little Red Potato's shares.

These are all his personal property.

As for the house given to Jiang Zhixin and the Porsche 911 bought for Ruan Yusang, since they were registered in their names at the time, they became their private property the moment they were given away.

…………

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(End of this chapter)