The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

A black, extended Lincoln sped through the streets of Manhattan.

The neon lights outside the car window flashed by like streaks of light, casting flickering light and shadow inside the carriage.

The carriage was eerily quiet.

The only sound was the dull thud of tires rolling over the road.

Li Mo huddled in the corner of the leather seat, still trembling.

His Armani suit was full of wrinkles, and there was an oil stain on the collar that looked like instant noodle soup or something else.

Add to that his hair, which was as messy as a bird's nest.

He looked exactly like a homeless man who had just escaped from a refugee camp.

They no longer resemble Alibaba executives at all.

Lin Che sat opposite him, holding a bottle of Evian mineral water in his hand.

He unscrewed the bottle cap and poured the water onto his clean white handkerchief.

"come over."

Lin Che's voice was soft, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command.

Li Mo shuddered and, like an obedient puppet, leaned his face closer.

Lin Che took a damp handkerchief and gently wiped the oil and dust off Li Mo's face.

The movements were very delicate, even gentle.

It's like polishing an antique that's about to be auctioned off.

But Li Mo felt that the handkerchief was like sandpaper, rubbing his face painfully.

The handkerchief quickly turned black.

The once pristine white cotton cloth was now covered in the grime and musty smell of stale cigarette smoke typical of illegal internet cafes.

Lin Che glanced at the handkerchief with disdain and casually threw it into the trash can.

"Mr. Li, are you awake now?"

Lin Che handed the remaining half-bottle of water to Li Mo.

"Take a sip and rinse your mouth."

"When you speak later, you can't have the taste of braised beef noodles in your mouth."

Li Mo took the water, gulped it down, and almost choked.

"Cough cough cough..."

He coughed violently, tears streaming down his face.

But he didn't bother wiping it off, gripping Lin Che's arm tightly, his nails digging into his flesh.

"Lin Che...is this really going to work?"

"Do those Wall Street shrewd people really believe this?"

"That was a system outage caused by three million concurrent users! That's a genuine operational incident!"

Li Mo's voice was trembling with tears; he was truly terrified.

The report from Muddy Waters was like a gun to his head.

The PowerPoint presentation that Lin Che gave him seemed to him like the Emperor's New Clothes.

Lin Che flung Li Mo's hand away.

He straightened his sleeves, his eyes instantly turning cold and sharp.

"Mr. Li, remember this."

"In this world, there is no absolute truth, only stories that have been packaged."

Lin Che pointed to the tablet computer on Li Mo's lap.

The first page of that PowerPoint presentation was displayed on the screen.

"Don't memorize those boring numbers."

"Tell a story."

"You must believe that you yourself are the savior."

"You have to believe that you have discovered a new continent that even Mr. Ma has not seen."

Li Mo stared at the screen, his lips trembling, "But... what if they ask why the server crashed?"

"That's a question they're bound to ask."

Lin Che stared into Li Mo's eyes and said, word by word:

"I'll remember this if anyone asks that question."

"You can't apologize."

"You're still going to get angry."

Li Mo was stunned: "Get...get angry?"

"Yes, get angry!"

Lin Che suddenly slapped the armrest of the leather seat, startling Li Mo.

"You should look at them like they're fools."

"You should question them!"

"You should ask them: Why is our infrastructure lagging behind the ever-growing consumption demands of the people?!"

"This isn't a glitch; it's because our users are so enthusiastic!"

"That's because our market is too big!"

"This is a happy problem!"

Lin Che's voice echoed in the closed carriage, carrying a strong inflammatory quality.

Li Mo was stunned.

He felt as if Lin Che had forcibly pried open his brain and stuffed in a completely new set of logic.

This logic sounds so absurd.

But upon closer inspection, it fucking makes perfect sense!

"Listen carefully, I have three words that you must memorize."

Lin Che held up three fingers.

"First, the lower-tier market."

"Tell those elites who have lived on this island for a long time that China has more than just Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen; there are also 600 million people living in county towns and rural areas."

"They've never used Taobao or JD.com, but they have money, and they want to buy things!"

Second, social fission.

"Tell them that in this market, interpersonal relationships are the most valuable channel."

"This is why our customer acquisition cost is almost zero."

Third, high frequency beats low frequency.

"Use one-dollar tissues and five-dollar fruit to attract customers, and then sell them appliances worth one hundred dollars."

"This is a case of dimensional reduction attack."

Li Mo muttered to himself, repeating these three words over and over.

"Lower-tier markets...social fission...high-frequency targeting of low-frequency..."

These three concepts, which were unheard of in 2014, are now like three seeds planted in his mind.

The car shook slightly and then came to a stop.

Outside the window is the magnificent golden gate of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The doorman had already run over to open the car door.

Lin Che reached out and straightened Li Mo's crooked tie, then patted him on the shoulder.

Then he leaned close to his ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Mr. Li, I'm watching you from the audience."

"This is your last chance."

"If you mess up the performance, you'll be going to jail. I'll cover your jail time for the rest of your life."

"You did a good job."

Lin Che helped him smooth out the last wrinkle on his suit.

"Tomorrow, you will be the vice president of Alibaba."

Li Mo trembled all over.

His eyes changed.

The fear and cowardice slowly receded, replaced by the madness and determination of a gambler once he sat down at the card table.

.......

The Waldorf Astoria Hotel, the side entrance corridor of the banquet hall.

The area is covered with thick handmade carpets, so you can walk on them without making a sound.

But the air was thick with the suffocating smell of gunpowder.

Li Mo was stopped as soon as he reached the entrance of the banquet hall.

The person who stopped him was the vice president of the group's public relations department.

A middle-aged woman who always puts on airs and looks down on the business department.

She was followed by four burly men wearing headsets.

"Li Mo, what are you doing here?"

The PR VP sized Li Mo up and down.

Seeing his wrinkled suit and messy hair, the disdain in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"The roadshow is about to be postponed."

"President Cai is inside handling the follow-up matters."

"Your current appearance is not suitable for public appearances. Go back to your room and reflect on your actions."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand, her tone icy:

"Hand over your employee ID."

"This is the opinion of the group's compliance department."

Li Mo looked at the hand that was stretched out in front of him.

She wore a huge diamond ring on her hand, which sparkled under the corridor lights.

It stung his eyes.

Hand over your employee ID.

That would mean being eliminated.

This means admitting to all accusations.

This means he's destined to take the blame.

Go to jail.

Those two words struck Li Mo's mind like a bolt of lightning.

Lin Che's words in the car were echoing wildly in his ears.

"If you mess up the performance, you'll go to jail."

When people are driven to the brink, their primal instincts are unleashed.

Li Mo suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were bloodshot and red, making him look like a wild boar that had been cornered.

"Get out of here!"

Li Mo suddenly roared.

He suddenly waved his hand and shoved away the PR VP's outstretched hand.

His strength is terrifying.

"what!"

The woman in high heels didn't expect Li Mo to dare to make a move. She slipped and staggered back several steps, almost falling.

His glasses were pushed askew, hanging on one ear, making him look both comical and pathetic.

"Are you crazy?! Security! Security!"

The PR VP screamed.

The four bodyguards immediately surrounded Li Mo, trying to restrain him.

"Don't touch me!"

Li Mo pulled the silver USB drive out of his pocket, as if he were holding up a hand grenade.

He hysterically roared at the tightly closed door of the banquet hall:

"Joseph Tsai!"

"I want to see Joseph Tsai!"

"Make him come out and see me!"

The commotion was so great that the banquet hall doors were pushed open from the inside.

A man wearing a dark gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses came out.

It was Alibaba's guardian angel, CFO Mr. Cai.

His face looked terrible.

He had just been besieged by that group of angry investors for half an hour inside.

The Muddy Waters short-selling report, coupled with the server crash, practically sealed the fate of this IPO.

He coldly watched Li Mo throwing a tantrum in the corridor.

There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.

"What's going on?"

Mr. Cai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the imposing aura of someone in a superior position.

The surrounding security guards immediately stopped, and the PR VP also shut up, only clutching his wrist and glaring fiercely at Li Mo.

Li Mo was panting heavily.

He looked at President Cai and held up the USB drive in his hand.

"President Cai."

Give me ten minutes.

"Just ten minutes!"

Li Mo's voice was hoarse, carrying a kind of desperate fervor.

"If you don't let me up there, we'll all die together."

"If I were allowed to go up..."

Li Mo gritted his teeth, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"If I can't shut those investors up."

"If I can't bring the stock price back up."

"I'll jump off this building myself!"

Mr. Cai narrowed his eyes.

He looked at the director who usually only knew how to be obsequious and sycophantic.

He had never seen Li Mo like this before.

Like a madman.

But he's also like a warrior.

At this moment, Lin Che, who had been standing in the shadows behind Li Mo, stepped out.

He was holding the half-finished bottle of Evian water in his hand.

He walked over, unscrewed the bottle cap, and handed the water to Mr. Cai.

His movements were respectful and humble, just like that of an ordinary assistant.

"Mr. Cai, have some water and calm down."

Lin Che said softly.

President Cai glanced at Lin Che but didn't take the water.

Lin Che wasn't embarrassed; he simply maintained the gesture of handing over the water and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"President Cai."

"The current situation is a dead end."

"Postponing the roadshow is tantamount to admitting to Muddy Waters' accusations and admitting to fraud."

"Since he's going to die anyway, why not let him go up and try?"

"just in case..."

Lin Che looked up, his eyes calm as still water.

"What if he survives?"

Mr. Cai remained silent.

He glanced at Li Mo, who was holding a USB drive as if he were holding a bomb.

He then looked at the seemingly harmless young assistant in front of him.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the Patek Philippe.

The second hand ticked on the dial.

"Da, da, da."

Every second felt like a hammer blow to everyone's heart.

Three seconds later.

Mr. Cai stepped aside, making way for him.

"Ten minutes."

His voice was as cold as ice.

"This is your last chance."

"If you mess this up, you won't have to jump yourself; I'll push you down myself."

.......

The banquet hall doors were pushed open again.

"boom--"

The previously noisy venue suddenly fell silent the moment Li Mo walked in.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on him.

In those eyes, there was anger, mockery, disdain, and a schadenfreude of waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.

It's like watching a gladiator in the ancient Roman Colosseum being torn apart by a lion.

Those sitting in the first row are representatives of the muddy waters.

It was a blond, blue-eyed white man, with his legs crossed and a victor's smile on his face.

He even whistled at Li Mo.

Then, it's unclear who started it.

Boos erupted.

"Get out!"

"fraud!"

"We need an explanation!"

"Give me back the money I lost at Yahoo!"

Li Mo felt his calves cramping.

Every step felt like walking on cotton.

For him, those few dozen meters from the door to the podium were like the road to hell.

He finally managed to get to the front of the podium.

He gripped the edge of the podium tightly with both hands, barely managing to keep himself from falling.

My palms were covered in cold sweat, which soaked the wooden podium.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked towards the back of the hall.

In that most inconspicuous corner.

Lin Che stood leaning against the wall.

Most of his body was hidden in the shadows.

He was toying with a coin in his hand, which flew between his fingers.

Seeing Li Mo looking over, Lin Che didn't make any big moves.

He simply nodded slightly.

His gaze was very calm.

But it gave Li Mo a strange sense of power.

That's the sense of security of the manipulated.

Li Mo took a deep breath.

He remembered the first thing Lin Che taught him in the car.

"Don't apologize."

"I'm about to lose my temper."

Li Mo suddenly raised his hand.

"Bang!"

He slammed his hand hard on the microphone in front of him.

Because of the excessive force, the sound system emitted a sharp whistling sound.

"Sizzle—!!!"

The piercing sound instantly pierced through the entire hall.

Everyone covered their ears in pain.

The boos stopped abruptly.

The smile on the face of the muddy water representative also froze, and he frowned as he looked at the crazy Chinese man on the stage.

The entire hall was deathly silent.

Li Mo was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

He pointed at the representatives from the muddy waters in the first row below the stage and shouted with all his might:

"You think this is a disaster?"

"You think the server downtime is due to our incompetence?"

"madness!"

His voice cracked from shouting, but his momentum was terrifying.

"This is the greatest stress test in Alibaba's history!"

After saying that, he forcefully plugged the USB drive into the computer on the podium.

Press the Enter key.

The huge LED screen behind them lit up instantly.

A deep blue background paired with a striking red data stream.

And right in the center of the screen.

A line of white English title, like a sharp sword, pierces everyone's eyes:

"The Forgotten 600 Million"

(The Forgotten 600 Million People)

Li Mo turned around and pointed to the PPT slide.

His eyes were fanatical, and his expression was ferocious, like that of a cult leader preaching.

"In China!"

"There are 600 million people!"

"They've never been on a plane, never been abroad, and have never even used a credit card!"

"But they want to buy things every day! They want a better life every day!"

"Previously, no internet company could reach them because the cost was too high!"

"But today!"

Li Mo's voice echoed in the hall, making the crystal chandelier overhead tremble.

"We've found the key to open this door!"

"This key is called—Mini Group Buying!"

The investors in the audience began to stir.

His initially angry gaze turned to confusion, then shock, and finally curiosity.

This is a narrative logic they've never heard of before.

This is a revolutionary business model.

And in the shadows of the last row.

Looking at the impassioned puppet on the stage, Lin Che finally managed a faint smile.

He flicked the coin in his hand.

"bite."

The coin tumbled through the air, fell, and was caught steadily.

"The show is about to begin."