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

San Francisco, Mint Plaza.

This is the headquarters of Blue Bottle Coffee.

Unlike the noisy Starbucks, the interior design here is as cold and austere as an industrial laboratory.

The cement walls, the huge siphon pot, and the sound of dripping coffee were clearly audible.

The air was filled with the expensive aroma of Yirgacheffe, with a slightly acidic fruity scent.

10:00 AM.

Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, but it couldn't warm the atmosphere on the stainless steel table in the corner.

Lin Che sat on a high stool.

A freshly made hand-drip coffee sat in front of him, steam rising gently.

But he didn't drink it.

He held a small silver spoon in his hand, gently and rhythmically stirring the black liquid.

"Ding, ding, ding."

The sound of the spoon hitting the side of the bowl was faint, but extremely regular.

Sitting across from him was a typical old-money Silicon Valley guy.

Douglas Leone.

Global Partner at Sequoia Capital.

He was wearing a seemingly ordinary gray cashmere sweater, but the price of that sweater was enough to buy half of the programmers in Hangzhou.

His long, slender fingers were resting on a blue folder.

Five hundred million US dollars.

Douglas spoke.

His Chinese was surprisingly fluent, though with a slightly stiff Beijing accent.

"This is the valuation for the Pre-A round. Weiguang Group sold 20% of its shares, and we invested 100 million US dollars."

Five hundred million US dollars.

Three billion RMB.

For a makeshift team that has been online for less than two months and whose core assets were all "stolen," this is an astronomical price.

Any entrepreneur in this situation would probably be heart-pounding right now, it would be like signing the contract immediately.

But Lin Che didn't even lift his eyelids.

He continued to stare at the swirling vortex in the cup.

"Mr. Douglas."

Lin Che's voice was very soft, mixed in with the background noise of the coffee machine running.

"This coffee will cost seven dollars."

He finally stopped eating, looked up, and his eyes were clear and calm.

"If you're trying to buy diamonds with the money you'd spend on cabbages, then I don't think you can afford this cup of coffee."

Douglas frowned slightly.

"Young man, greed is a good thing, but excessive greed is foolish."

He opened the folder and pushed it in front of Lin Che.

"Tencent has already blocked you. Without capital injection, your servers won't last past next month. Although Alibaba used your data in its roadshow, as far as I know, Jack Ma hasn't given you any official recognition."

"Even..." Douglas leaned forward, lowering his voice, "you could be sued by Ali for embezzlement at any time."

Hit the nail on the head.

Sequoia's intelligence network truly lives up to its reputation.

They had a clear understanding of Lin Che's current predicament: he was surrounded by enemies.

This $100 million is both a life-saving fund and a life-saving fund.

Lin Che smiled.

He extended a finger and gently pushed the priceless letter of intent back.

The movements were slow and deliberate, even carrying a hint of disdain.

"You only know one side of the story, not the other."

Lin Che picked up a napkin and wiped his fingers.

"Why do you think Mr. Ma specifically mentioned 'Project W' in the prospectus?"

Why do you think Tencent would risk being branded a monopoly to block an "illegal software"?

Lin Che took the Nokia phone out of his pocket and casually placed it on the table.

"Because it happened just last night."

He was lying. But his pupils didn't constrict at all, and his heartbeat remained at a perfect rate of 72 beats per minute.

"Alibaba's strategic investment department has already contacted me."

"Full acquisition".

"The valuation is..." Lin Che held up one finger, "...one billion US dollars."

Douglas's pupils contracted sharply.

"That's impossible," he retorted instinctively. "Alibaba wouldn't spend a billion to buy an internally incubated project."

"What if it's to counter Tencent's nuclear war strategy?"

Lin Che countered with a question.

"Mr. Douglas, you're a man of capital, you should know that for Alibaba, which is about to go public, as long as they can curb WeChat's payment scenarios, let alone 1 billion, even 10 billion, Mr. Ma will take the plunge."

"Because that's Ali's fate."

This is a perfect logical closed loop.

Although Alibaba didn't make a bid at all, Jack Ma was even thinking about how to "get" the project for free.

But Douglas didn't know.

Faced with enormous information asymmetry, he wavered.

If Alibaba really offers 1 billion to acquire it, then Sequoia's current offer of 500 million is indeed a joke.

Once Alibaba completes the acquisition, Weipintuan will become part of Alibaba's ecosystem, making it extremely difficult for Sequoia Capital to get involved.

silence.

The only sound was the dripping of coffee.

Douglas stared into Lynch's eyes, trying to detect a hint of panic.

But all he saw was an unfathomable level of self-confidence.

Or perhaps, they are fearless because they have nothing to lose.

Double.

Lin Che picked up his coffee and took a sip.

bitter.

Extreme suffering.

But he remained unfazed.

"If Sequoia wants to get involved, the valuation should be in the billions, and I'll only give up 5%."

Douglas took a deep breath.

He closed the folder.

"We need to assess this."

This is not a rejection.

In the venture capital world, this means—they believed it.

"Please go ahead."

Lin Che glanced at his watch and stood up.

"But it'd better be quick. Because Mr. Ma might officially announce the acquisition at tonight's dinner."

It's another lie.

But this was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Lin Che picked up his briefcase, didn't look back, and walked straight out of the coffee shop.

Sunlight shone on his back.

He walked at a moderate pace, each step landing on San Francisco's expensive paving stones.

Just as he turned the corner.

Douglas took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, headquarters? Immediately reassess the Microlight Group's model."

"Yes, the news is reliable. Alibaba is preparing to acquire it outright, with a valuation of one billion."

"If we don't act before tonight... we're completely out of the game."

......

That evening.

Fairmont San Francisco.

The celebratory dinner for the roadshow is underway.

Inside the magnificent banquet hall, elegantly dressed women mingled and their hair was adorned with fragrant flowers.

Mr. Ma was holding a glass of champagne, chatting and laughing with several Goldman Sachs partners.

I'm in a good mood.

Today's roadshow was a great success, with subscriptions exceeding the target by five times.

Just then, a vice president in charge of investment relations ran over, sweating profusely, and whispered a few words in Mr. Ma's ear.

"Mr. Ma, something's happened."

"There's been a lot of talk in the industry just now that Sequoia Capital is preparing to lead an investment in Weiguang Group, with a valuation reportedly reaching one billion US dollars!"

"Moreover... there are rumors that we are also vying for it, preparing to acquire it outright."

"What?"

Mr. Ma almost spilled the champagne in his hand.

He turned his head sharply, his eyes as sharp as knives.

One billion US dollars?

How did that ant that was under my nose yesterday become an elephant today?

Moreover, who spread this rumor?

No need to ask.

Mr. Ma's gaze pierced through the crowd and accurately locked onto a corner in the distance.

Lin Che was sitting there.

He still had a glass of cola in his hand.

He seemed to sense Mr. Ma's gaze, raised his head, and raised his glass in a distant gesture.

His lips curled into that familiar, humble, yet infuriating smile.

Mr. Ma understood instantly.

This is a kidnapping.

This is a blatant coup.

Lin Che is using Sequoia Capital's money to inflate Alibaba's price.

If Alibaba doesn't acquire him, or offers too low a price, Lin Che really would dare to take Sequoia's money and go solo.

Once Sequoia Capital joins the fray, WePintuan will no longer be Alibaba's "internal project," but an independent unicorn.

At that time, all the descriptions of "Project W" in the prospectus will become worthless empty promises.

This constitutes suspected securities fraud.

Mr. Ma took a deep breath.

He felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

He originally planned to return to China and use tens of millions of stock options to get rid of Lin Che, and at the same time take over Weipin Group.

It seems that bleeding money is the only option now.

"Good lad."

Mr. Ma gritted his teeth and muttered a curse under his breath.

"That was a very precise strike."

He composed himself and put on that calm and confident smile again.

"Rumors mean the market recognizes our judgment."

Mr. Ma spoke to the vice president beside him, his voice not loud, but just loud enough for the surrounding investors to hear.

"Shallow light is the most important part of our ecosystem."

"Regardless of the valuation, we are determined to acquire it."

As soon as those words were spoken...

This is tantamount to officially confirming the "billion-dollar" rumor.

The investors present exchanged glances, all knowing what was going on: it seemed that micro-group buying was indeed the next big thing.

in the corner.

Lin Che watched this scene, tilted his head back, and drank the cola in his glass in one gulp.

Carbonated bubbles burst on the tip of the tongue, bringing a tingling, pleasurable sensation.

"In this circle."

He put down his cup and said to himself softly.

"Truth is worthless."

"Rumors are the basis of valuation."