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

Hangzhou, Alibaba Xixi Campus.

Building 5, Strategic Investment Department.

This is where Alibaba's IQ density is highest.

Those coming in and out of here are all MBA graduates from Ivy League schools, former Goldman Sachs or McKinsey analysts.

They wore impeccably tailored suits, spoke jargon interspersed with large amounts of English, and held investment budgets worth tens of billions of dollars.

11:00 AM.

The air in meeting room number 3 was filled with the aroma of braised pork.

This scent clashes sharply with the original high-end fragrances here, appearing extremely jarring and even provocative.

At the head of the conference table sat Jason, a senior director from Alibaba's investment department.

He frowned, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, and looked at the fat man sitting opposite him with disgust.

Fatty Wang.

He is the nominal chairman, legal representative, and 100% controlling shareholder of Weiguang Group.

At this moment, this tycoon, whose net worth is "estimated at one billion US dollars," is placing one foot on a Herman Miller ergonomic chair worth 50,000 yuan.

He wore a thick gold chain around his neck and a diamond-encrusted Rolex on his wrist.

In front of him was a half-eaten "preserved mustard greens and braised pork" boxed lunch.

"Smack, smack."

Fatty Wang chewed loudly, and oil splattered onto the thick Due Diligence Checklist in front of him.

"Mr. Wang."

Jason suppressed his discomfort and tapped the table.

"Can we begin? We need you to explain the equity structure and history of Weiguang Group..."

"Explanation my ass!"

Fatty Wang shoved his chopsticks into his rice and mumbled a curse.

"Why are you guys in suits so slow and inefficient?"

"I've been sitting here for half an hour! They didn't even pour me a cup of tea, just gave me a bunch of scraps of paper to fill out?"

He casually grabbed the due diligence document, didn't even glance at it, and used it to wipe the oil from the corner of his mouth.

"This paper is too stiff; it's even too rough to wipe my mouth with."

Jason's face twitched.

Those were drafts of confidentiality agreements and letters of intent for investment!

But he dared not get angry.

Because the task from above was very demanding: take over Weiguang Group at all costs.

And it has to be fast.

"Mr. Wang, please understand."

Jason forced a professional, fake smile. "This is standard investment procedure. We have a responsibility to the company, and also to you. After all, this acquisition involves a huge sum of money..."

How big?

Fatty Wang let out a burp and glanced at him sideways.

"Five hundred million? Or one billion?"

"I'm telling you, less than this number, forget it."

He held up one finger and shook it.

There was still some red oil left from peeling crayfish under my fingernails.

"One billion RMB?" Jason asked tentatively.

"US dollars!"

Fatty Wang slammed his hand on the table, making the box of braised pork jump.

"One billion US dollars! Not a penny less!"

The meeting room erupted in uproar.

The young analysts looked at each other blankly, as if they were looking at a madman.

One billion US dollars?

A shell company that has been established for less than six months?

Even if the data is good, this is still outrageous! This is practically robbery!

"Mr. Wang, are you joking?"

Jason's face turned cold. "According to our estimates, your company's net assets are no more than 50 million RMB. A valuation of 1 billion USD is unprecedented in the entire history of the Chinese Internet."

"No precedent?"

Fatty Wang sneered.

He pulled a tattered Nokia phone from the pocket of his tight Versace T-shirt.

It was slammed onto the table with a "thud".

"Take a look at this."

Fatty Wang pointed at his phone with a look of disdain.

"Just last night, someone from Shenzhen treated me to dinner. It was at Lou Wai Lou restaurant by West Lake."

"Martin poured the wine for me himself."

"They said that as long as I nod, the group buying feature can immediately be added to WeChat's 'nine-square grid,' and I can set the price myself."

This is a lie.

A complete lie.

Last night, Fatty Wang did eat at Lou Wai Lou, but he ate there with Zhao Sihai, drank Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and talked about how to get rid of that batch of unsold leggings.

As for Tencent?

Tencent just wants to destroy him now.

But Jason didn't know.

Or rather, he was afraid to gamble.

That's the magic of information asymmetry.

Weiguang Group is now Alibaba's "front man" and a thorn in Tencent's side.

Logically, it's entirely possible that Tencent might try to snatch Alibaba away at a high price just to spite them.

"this......"

Jason's eyes flickered.

He quickly gave his assistant a wink, signaling him to verify.

But Fatty Wang didn't give him a chance at all.

"What? You don't believe it?"

Fatty Wang stood up, pulled the gold chain out of his collar, and dangled it in his hand.

"Don't believe me if you want."

"I'm uneducated, a roughneck. I don't understand strategy or ecology."

"I only care about money."

Fatty Wang picked up the greasy lunchbox and casually threw it into the trash can.

"Give me the money, and I'll sell."

"If they don't pay me, or if they don't pay me willingly, I'll go to Shenzhen."

"Anyway, I've already bought the high-speed rail ticket. Second class seat, just over a hundred yuan, very cheap."

As he spoke, he actually pulled a crumpled train ticket out of his pocket and slapped it on the table.

G1301 Hangzhou East -> Shenzhen North

Departure time: 14:00

Those were props that Lin Che specifically asked him to buy.

Even the train number was carefully selected; it was the last high-speed train to Shenzhen that day.

Jason looked at the train ticket and broke out in a cold sweat.

It's 11:30 now.

In other words, if they can't reach an agreement within two hours, this fat man will really take the data and code of the Microlight Group and defect to the enemy camp.

If WePintuan aligns with Tencent, Alibaba's roadshow promises will become a joke, its stock price will collapse, and it will have to pack its bags and leave.

"Mr. Wang! Wait! Wait!"

Jason finally couldn't keep up the act anymore.

He rushed forward, grabbed Fatty Wang's arm, and plastered a fawning smile on his face.

"Let's talk this over! One billion US dollars is indeed a bit high, but we can discuss structured financing! For example, cash plus options..."

"Talk my ass!"

Fatty Wang flung his hand away, his muscular face trembling.

"I only want cash!"

"Options are just empty promises; they're only for fooling idiots!"

"I want real money! I want chips to gamble in Macau!"

vulgar.

greedy.

Shortsighted.

Fatty Wang perfectly embodied the image of a "nouveau riche".

And that's exactly what Lin Che wanted.

Only with this kind of image could Ali believe that this person could be bought off and had no long-term ambitions.

Only in this way will Alibaba feel comfortable spending money without worrying about future repercussions.

"Eight hundred million!"

Jason gritted his teeth and announced a number, "This is my maximum limit! And it's for three installments!"

"Nine hundred million! Paid in full at once!"

Fatty Wang, spitting as he spoke, declared, "If you're short even a penny, I'm going to the train station right now!"

Just when the two sides were deadlocked and the atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely tense.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Not in a hurry, not slowly.

It has a good rhythm.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The door was pushed open.

Lin Che walked in.

He was wearing the iconic Alibaba P7 employee badge, with an orange strap around his neck, and holding a laptop in his hand.

His expression was humble, even showing a hint of awe towards the "big boss of the investment department".

"Jason, sir."

Lin Che stood at the door and bowed slightly.

"I heard the negotiations are at a standstill? Mr. Ma asked me to come and see if I could help."

Jason felt like he had seen a savior.

"Lin Che! You've come at the perfect time!"

He pointed at Fatty Wang, and said angrily, "Your... friend is simply unreasonable! He doesn't understand business rules at all!"

Lin Che turned his head and looked at Fatty Wang.

His eyes were completely expressionless, as if he were looking at a stranger.

But Fatty Wang saw it.

He saw a satisfied smile deep in Lin Che's pupils.

That was the director's affirmation of the actors:

Well done, Fatty.

"Mr. Wang."

Lin Che walked over, his tone indifferent.

"This is Ali. Not a vegetable market."

"You can ask for whatever price you want, but you should also consider who else, besides Alibaba, would dare to take on this mess."

Fatty Wang was stunned for a moment.

Then, following the script, he revealed his anger and embarrassment at being "exposed".

"Lin Che! You pretty boy! If I hadn't funded your server setup back then, would your pathetic micro-group buying business have even gotten going?"

"Now that you've hooked up with a rich guy, you're helping outsiders to drive down my price?"

"I'm not helping outsiders."

Lin Che straightened his cuffs.

"I'm trying to help you."

He walked up to Fatty Wang, his back to Jason, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"That's about it."

"Close the net."

Then he turned around and looked at Jason.

"Jason, give me ten minutes."

"I'd like to have a private talk with Mr. Wang."

"I will make him understand what...the big picture" means."

Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Lin Che with gratitude, as if he were looking at a beast tamer.

"Okay. Ten minutes."

"Lin Che, if this succeeds, you'll be credited with the greatest contribution."

The meeting room door was closed.

Only Lin Che and Fatty Wang remained.

The tense atmosphere vanished instantly.

Fatty Wang plopped down in a chair, grabbed the half-finished bottle of mineral water, and gulped down half of it.

"Damn, I'm exhausted."

Fatty Wang wiped his sweat. "Brother Che, how was my 'going to Shenzhen' scene? I practically squeezed that train ticket dry."

"The Oscars owe you an Oscar."

Lin Che pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"Next."

Lin Che's voice became low.

"That's the real negotiation."

"It's not about talking to Alibaba."

"It was a conversation with me personally."

He took out his phone and sent a message to Jason:

"It's settled, but he has one extra condition."

"What are the conditions?"

Fatty Wang came over and asked.

Lin Che looked at the screen, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"The most perfect transaction in the world is simply transferring money from one hand to the other."

"I want Alibaba to feel that they bought the most valuable assets at the lowest price."

"But in reality."

"They just paid money to buy... a ticket to my trap."