Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 9 My Dear Neighbor
Yingdu Building, Block B, 11th floor.

Looking at the brightly lit office space and the programmers working overtime like crazy, Chen Xiu silently complained in her heart that Zhang Yiming was not considerate of his subordinates.

However, thinking about how often her own Didi employees also worked overtime, Chen Xiu could only helplessly purse her lips.

Being caught up in the situation, one is not in control of one's own destiny.

Since 10, the internet industry has been developing rapidly, with every track crowded with competitors. If you can't keep up with others, your company will be overtaken and eventually eliminated.

Fortunately, Didi is now in a leading position in the industry.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Zhang's meeting ends in 10 minutes. He said he wants you to wait in his office for a moment."

"OK, thank you."

Nodding to the female secretary who led her in, Chen Xiu entered the president's office alone.

After the door closed behind him, he looked around the office without any hesitation, finally stopping in front of the microwave.

The reason we stopped was not because the microwave oven was so advanced, but because of what was inside it.

Seeing the wild food bento box that had stopped heating, Chen Xiu opened it without thinking, took it out, and placed it on the coffee table.

"Old Zhang is quite thoughtful. Knowing that I hadn't eaten dinner, he specially heated up a bento box for me."

The thought flashed through Chen Xiu's mind. After thanking Zhang Yiming for two seconds, he casually grabbed a pair of chopsticks from his desk and began to eat heartily.

As she ate, Chen Xiu recalled how she met Zhang Yiming.

When he first started his business 11 years ago, he moved out of his dormitory and into Jinqiu Garden, which is opposite the Beijing Film Academy.

After a six-month initial phase, Didi gradually gained traction in early 12. Then, Chen Xiu met a new neighbor in Jinqiu Garden. When introducing himself, the neighbor said his name was Zhang Yiming.

After becoming neighbors with Zhang Yiming, and since they were both entrepreneurs in the internet field, the two gradually became acquainted.

Chen Xiu also participated in ByteDance's angel round of financing.

As a time traveler, even if the stocks he holds are not yet ready to be cashed out, Chen Xiu has no shortage of ways to make money.

ByteDance's angel round raised several million dollars, but his share was less than 100 million.

This investment deepened the connection between Chen Xiu and Zhang Yiming. Even after ByteDance moved from Jinqiu Jiayuan to Yingdu Building, he would still visit from time to time.

Having been reborn, Chen Xiu is very clear about ByteDance's value, and he wants to participate in as many rounds of financing as possible.

However, internet companies don't just look at money when it comes to financing. What entrepreneurs value is the resources and background of the investors. That's why Chen Xiu didn't get any funding in the later Series A and B rounds.

His participation in the Series C funding round, which will begin next month, is due to Didi's victory in its battle with Kuaidi.

As one of the founders of Didi and the person who helped Didi secure significant funding from Tencent, Chen Xiu is no longer an unknown figure in the internet industry.

His fame and status were enough to qualify him for ByteDance's Series C funding round.

"Uh~~"

After quickly ending the fight, Chen Xiu threw the remains of the bento box on the coffee table into the trash can before Zhang Yiming came in.

After finishing all that, just as he was wiping his mouth with a tissue, the office door opened again, and a bespectacled, smiling, and refined-looking man came in with a contract.

Chen Xiu turned her head, looked up at the person who had come, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh, isn't this my dear neighbor!"

Why are you suddenly speaking in such a strange tone?

"Tsk, I can't help it. I was just criticized today for being too old-fashioned, so I wanted to sound younger when I talk."

"Pfft~, you're talking about a woman, right?"

Zhang Yiming squinted his already small eyes, looking at Chen Xiu with a mocking expression. "Science guys like you wouldn't notice such details, would you?"

Chen Xiu's retort was also quite powerful.

Zhang Yiming, who had been joking, suddenly stopped laughing when he heard what he said.

Chen Xiu raised her chin slightly, met his gaze, and the two of them laughed at the same time, pointing at each other.

This kind of playful banter can't happen if the relationship isn't good enough. Chen Xiu and Zhang Yiming joked about each other twice out of their three meetings, and they've gotten used to it.

After the jokes and pleasantries ended, Zhang Yiming walked over to the sofa.

As soon as he sat down, he frowned in confusion: "Why does it smell like food? Did you just eat?"

"Hmm, the bento you prepared tasted pretty good..."

"What? The bento box I prepared for you?"

Zhang Yiming asked urgently, a hint of tension appearing on his previously calm face.

Chen Xiu turned and pointed to the microwave: "The bento box you put in the microwave! Didn't you prepare that especially for me because you were considerate and rushed over since I hadn't eaten dinner?"

"Xiuer, is it possible that I haven't eaten dinner either?"

Do you want to lose weight?

"His~~~"

Zhang Yiming leaned back and almost passed out.

Looking at Chen Xiu across from him, who seemed completely unaffected, he could only console himself that there was still yogurt in the refrigerator outside. After he finished dealing with the plague, he could use the yogurt to tide him over.

"Phew, let's get down to business!"

Chen Xiu nodded silently, her previously casual expression turning serious.

Zhang Yiming glanced at him, opened the contract in his hand, and began his chanting.

"The Series C funding round is for $1 million, with 20% of the shares up for sale, valuing the company at $5 million. The investors I've chosen are Sequoia Capital, Sina, and Lei Jun's investment firm; I can't disclose their respective shares. If you join, you'll get 2%, which is $1 million. Is your funding level okay?"

1 million US dollars is equivalent to 6000 million RMB.

Chen Xiu smacked her lips and realized that the funds she had on hand were only half of the amount of this financing.

In the past three years, although he has focused his main energy on Didi, he has not neglected his personal investments, and his cash flow has been more than 10 times the profit every year.

Unfortunately, the initial capital was too small, the investment period was too short, and the available funds remained limited.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Yiming noticed the difficulty on Chen Xiu's face: "Do you feel pressured by this number?"

"Let me tell you about the method of payment for the investment funds."

Chen Xiu said calmly that he had just thought of a way to make money that would be quick and profitable, and was perfect for the current situation.

Zhang Yiming was unaware of his thoughts, but simply stated the truth: "The formal contract will be signed in the middle of next month, and the investment funds must be fully received before the end of July."

"Then there's no problem. I'll have some income in the next two months."

Chen Xiu looked at Zhang Yiming confidently and joked, "If you're willing to increase your share, I might be able to earn even more!"

"Tch, the company has shareholders. If we give them too much this time, their share will be diluted even more. Do you think I can just give them as much as I want?"

Zhang Yiming rolled his eyes, indicating that he had squeezed out that 2% with great difficulty.

(End of this chapter)