Chapter 163 Let's live a good life
JD.com is not in the first tier of the Internet industry, but Qiangdong’s drinking capacity is among the best in the industry.

Without playing games and just drinking, Xie Jingxing was no match at all. In the end, he was helped back to his room in a daze to rest.

When I woke up the next morning, the yacht was already docked at the port. Dong Ge and Zhang Zetian said goodbye and left first.

"He said he would think about what you talked about last night. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, he will organize a party to treat you to drinks when he returns to China after the New Year." Zhou Fenglan drove on the way home from the pier.

Xie Jingxing swallowed his saliva with a bitter mouth: "Organize a group? Joint equity transfer transaction, or pre-IPO round of financing?"

"He didn't say."

Zhou Fenglan held the steering wheel with one hand and took out a thermos cup from the armrest box on the center console.

It was honey grapefruit water with rock sugar. Xie Jingxing took a sip and the sweetness was just right. He took the initiative to explain: "JD.com is going to be listed in the United States. There are differences of opinion on the design of the VIE equity structure. The investor wants to exit early, and he is looking for someone to take over."

“JD.com’s valuation should be 20 billion US dollars, right?”

Zhou Fenglan was a little surprised. It was their first meeting to discuss such a big business, and both parties were quite careless.

Xie Jingxing couldn't explain why Brother Dong didn't tell him the details of the problems with JD.com's IPO, so he replied vaguely: "The market value after the bell is expected to be 30 billion US dollars. The rate of return is not important. The main thing is long-term strategic investment."

"This should be your first PE project." Zhou Fenglan said with a complicated tone.

JD.com's market value is 30 billion US dollars, making it the third largest Internet company in China after Tencent and Alibaba. The so-called rate of return is not important, but if you look into it in detail, it is a project that at least doubles its profit in half a year.

It is not as thrilling as the WhatsApp acquisition, but it is a real $30 billion huge project that is publicly issued.

At last year's graduation ceremony, the image of him wearing a blue bachelor's gown and singing "In New York" with his classmates unconsciously became a trance.

Time seemed to pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already a year later.

"It's highly unlikely that it will be done."

Xie Jingxing smiled and said, "In fact, at the current market level, the distinction between VC and PE is becoming increasingly blurred. Money can do anything. In the future, it will be a general trend for the top investment institutions to take over from beginning to end."

"I've been on campus for too long, and my perception of many things is getting worse and worse." Zhou Fenglan said softly.

Xie Jingxing thought of the 'breakup fee' that he had promised before: "WhatsApp's current situation is still unstable. It just finished an antitrust lawsuit with Europe and the United States, and India is having an information security lawsuit again. I will transfer Forsan's shares to you when the situation stabilizes in the second half of the year."

"What is the valuation of WhatsApp?" Zhou Fenglan did not comment.

Xie Jingxing thought for a moment and said, “There are about 280 billion US dollars at present. I will use the equity as collateral to borrow 10 billion US dollars. I will handle it before transferring the equity to you.”

"I can understand Zhang Zetian better now." Zhou Fenglan said inexplicably.

Last night they went back to their room early to rest and had an in-depth conversation. Ignoring the discordant verbal confrontation, the core issue was just - how to choose.

A 20-year-old girl with good looks only faces two men with similar abilities and wealth.

One is a young, handsome man of the same age whose previous public girlfriends were all outstanding; the other is a divorced uncle who is 20 years younger than him, has a vague past and has never had a public girlfriend.

It seems that biological instincts tend to favor the former.

So she sincerely advised the other party last night that the brilliance of rationality that humans are most proud of comes from restraining instincts, and choosing Xie Jingxing will only lose the few pitiful chips in his hand.

Maybe she could get a high rate of return, but it was definitely not what she wanted most.

However, now that she thinks about it, she seems to have fallen into the trap of self-righteousness and doesn't know the full picture of the trading model in Zhang Zetian's mind. If this girl had studied hard and knew what the "diminishing marginal effect" was...

Zhou Fenglan smiled faintly for no apparent reason: "You're on the rich list."

"Guessing and guessing are meaningless."

Xie Jingxing paused for a moment and emphasized: "Whether you believe it or not, after last night, I have no thoughts about her."

"So you had this idea before last night?" Zhou Fenglan's smile became more and more obvious.

Xie Jingxing was speechless. Throughout history, so many people liked to visit and pay tribute to historical sites and monuments. It was unrealistic for him to say that he had some evil thoughts.

But now that I have been drinking with Brother Dong, any thoughts I have have changed.

The historical record of making tens of billions of dollars in one shot also happened to Dong Ge. If we talk about admiration and tribute, such a feat is more worthy of him as a lesson for future generations to learn from.

Although the process of getting to know Brother Qiangdong through Milk Tea Sister was a bit tortuous, the result still achieved the set goal.

According to the people's historical view, Xiao Zhang successfully completed her personal historical mission. People will respect her, miss her and thank her, but they will never mention her again.

"For young talents with billions of dollars in assets, does it really matter who becomes the county magistrate in the end? A husband and wife are bound by love for a hundred days."

After returning to the apartment and parking the car in the parking lot, Zhou Fenglan leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.

Xie Jing Xing stumbled and almost fell, holding onto the car door, he reiterated, "Fake news! Hurun and Forbes are both fake news."

"Of course, the Forsan shares you hold are worth more than 10 billion." Zhou Fenglan shrugged.

Usually, the way to calculate assets on the rich list is mainly estimation, so the amount of money has to be discounted by half. For wealthy people like Xie Jingxing who have almost no public assets, the amount of money can only be calculated through various rumors.

On the other hand, many people make it to the rich list by spending money to create a personal image and package themselves, a typical example being the Kardashian family.

Adding the two together, Xie Jingxing was estimated to have a net worth of 5 billion, and together with Old Xie, his family ranked barely 100th.

This is really ridiculous. The net profit they made last year was more than 5 billion.

Zhou Fenglan thought about what Yu Tong had said to her: those who plant trees will enjoy the shade. The saplings she had planted since she was a child have grown tall and majestic.

Not only do your "best girlfriends" want to uproot you, but there are also butterflies and bees that come to cool off and suck your blood.

"What is your total net worth now?" she asked with determination.

Xie Jingxing, who was packing his luggage to go to Washington, was stunned: "I haven't calculated it."

"Calculate it later and send it to me in the form of a financial statement." Zhou Fenglan said seriously.

Xie Jingxing was confused: "What stimulated you?"

"I was inspired by Zhang Zetian."

Zhou Fenglan announced solemnly: "According to the diminishing marginal returns effect, there is a big difference between one dollar and one hundred dollars, but there is no essential difference between ten billion and one hundred billion."

"If your wealth reaches a certain level, I am willing to have a child with you without any name or status."

She slowed down her speech and continued, "If you have 30 billion in assets, your legal wife and children will get 50%-30%, and my children and I will get %. In fact, there is not much difference."

"...You're crazy." Xie Jingxing was speechless for a long time before giving his comment.

“Maybe, but I prefer to think it’s some kind of investment based on rationality.”

Zhou Fenglan said calmly, "My family is different from Yu Tong's big family. I am an only child, and my father will retire sooner or later. I am used to the good life now, and I don't want the quality of life to decline. But I don't want to sacrifice my own preferences in order to maintain the quality of life like Zhang Zetian did."

"Weighing the pros and cons, we choose the lesser evil. At least for now, investing in you is the best solution I can think of."

Xie Jingxing frowned: "So this is a deal."

"Yu Tong and you are also in a transaction, but you just happen to like each other and have an emotional foundation." Zhou Fenglan said frankly.

Xie Jing Xing was so angry that he laughed: "What about us?"

"We are childhood sweethearts. At least you don't hate me, and I love you!" Zhou Fenglan answered without hesitation.

Xie Jingxing took a deep breath: "You should confess to me in another occasion."

"Negotiation is not a confession." "Should I say now that love cannot be used as a bargaining chip?"

"If you say that, I'll be very touched and love you even more, but I'll lower my expectations for investing in you."

"Wow."

Xie Jing Xing put on his clothes and walked out, gritting his teeth and shaking his head, nodding repeatedly, cursing in black slang: "Very good, then I'm going to shoot Zhang Zetian now, will you give up investing in me?"

"It's nine o'clock now. I have an appointment with Yu Tong to have lunch together." Zhou Fenglan reminded.

Xie Jingxing responded by slamming the door and left without looking back.

This is an expected result, Zhou Fenglan said to himself in his heart.

But my nose felt sour and my eyes were slightly red and misty.

…………

Xie Jingxing wanted to put a gun to Zhang Zetian's head and ask her what she said to Zhou Fenglan last night.

Unfortunately, he didn't bring a gun, and his wallet was held by Song Anli, so Li Yan was unwilling to lend him a gun.

So he only took two hours instead of the four-hour drive from Manhattan to Washington and arrived at Georgetown University ahead of schedule.

Traffic patrol police escorted him throughout the journey and even helped him drive the car back to Manhattan and park it.

"Are you so anxious to see me?"

Yu Tong’s lab outfit never changes: a plain white outfit with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Xie Jing Xing opened his arms for a hug and kiss, and they didn't separate until they were out of breath.

Yu Tong straightened the wrinkles of his clothes without changing his expression, explained the progress of the experiment to his graduate assistant on the spot, and the two left the school and went home.

Washington is not a big place, and her apartment is less than ten minutes' walk from the school. Along the way, she met many students who greeted her enthusiastically.

Here, "Dr. Yu" has much more face than "Rich Man Xie". Students saw the two walking hand in hand. The male students expressed their envy and the female students expressed their romance.

Perhaps in their perception, this relationship was Dr. Yu's choice of love, rather than a tangible real negotiation.

"I originally wanted to finish the experiment and then come back to prepare the ingredients."

After returning home, Yu Tong was busy pouring water and serving fruit: "Take a break first. I found a 16th century telescope at the flea market. Help me check if it's real or not."

"Just make less. We won't be able to finish the extra." Xie Jingxing said as he looked at the large bags of food piled in the kitchen.

Yu Tong pushed his shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, I know. You standing here will affect my performance."

Xie Jing Xing scratched the back of his head in dismay as he walked away from the restaurant, his feet making slight creaking noises on the wooden floor.

This apartment is quite old, and its overall decoration style is in line with the cultural characteristics of the golden age of the United States in the 1980s and 1990s. It has a spacious sense of space and solid wood furniture and deep soft furnishings.

At first glance, it looks no different from the houses of nouveau riche in domestic towns, but with the accumulation of years, it has a certain historical texture.

The fireplace has exposed red bricks, with a colorful oil painting above it. An antique bronze clock is placed in the corner, and there is an afternoon tea table with a full set of silver cutlery and bone china plates and bowls.

Behind the tea table is an open study room, with collection cabinets covering the walls filled with antique books with gold-stamped covers, as well as some collectibles.

The most eye-catching painting was a painting of a shield and a lion. It was the family crest of a British noble family that Xie Jingxing had bought at an auction.

Intuitively, the owner of such a medieval-style house is more like Zhou Fenglan, who has a classical literature education background, but Yu Tong just likes this more.

"The telescope is fine."

It was hard to tell much from Xie Jingxing's skill with the sword. He played with it for a while and said dryly.

Yu Tong boasted proudly, "Teacher Xie taught me well. It seems that my identification skills are improving."

"Zhou Fenglan is not coming." Xie Jingxing said impatiently.

Yu Tong said calmly, "Then you can cook more of the light and sweet dishes that I like."

"Why don't you ask her why she didn't come?" Xie Jingxing was upset.

Yu Tong turned off the faucet and blinked: "Why should I ask if you don't tell me?"

Xie Jingxing opened his mouth but nothing came out. For so many years, she had been standing in a moral low point as a mistress who had stolen her best friend's boyfriend, and most of the time she was the one who was wronged.

The WhatsApp acquisition case required a lot of effort, but even if people who know the inside story criticize Zhou Fenglan for abusing her power for personal gain, they will have to add that marrying such a wife would save them thirty years of detour.

As for her, she is just the silly best friend in people's eyes.

Xie Jingxing went to New York first and then came to Washington this time, so why should she ask?
"sorry."

Xie Jingxing lowered his head with shamefaced brows and eyes. From this angle, his personal relationship was a mess because of what he did.

"Come on, let's save this for after I graduate. She's still your girlfriend now."

Yu Tong wiped the water off his hands, his expression changed to reveal a bright smile: "Your quarrel is a good thing for me."

"She wants to have a baby with me." Xie Jingxing was desperate.

Yu Tong's smile froze, and after a few seconds of silence, he commented, "Fortunately, she is going to have a baby with you, not for you. What does she want?"

"30% of the property." Xie Jingxing answered truthfully.

Yu Tong immediately smiled again: "It's not impossible, she is worth the price."

"Are you all sick?!" Xie Jingxing's mentality completely exploded.

"Think about it, her father is only in his fifties this year. If nothing unexpected happens, there is a high probability that he can work for another two or even three terms."

Yu Tong counted on his fingers: "In a dozen years, her father will retire and we will both be in our 30s and 40s. You won't divorce me to marry her, will you?"

"On the contrary, now she is still thinking about you, and there is a chance that you will go crazy with her, give up your career in China, transfer your assets, immigrate and marry her."

Yu Tong analyzed clearly: "As the old saying goes, you don't have to worry about thieves stealing, but you have to worry about thieves thinking about it. I just need to stabilize her first, and successfully get a marriage certificate with you and have a baby. This deal will be very cost-effective."

"Then what the hell have I become?" Xie Jingxing asked with his eyes wide open.

Yu Tong frowned and thought: "Tang Monk? It doesn't matter. It's better for the three of us to live a good life."

"Did you two discuss this?" Xie Jingxing suddenly came to his senses and became alert.

"I think this is a tacit understanding. You two have been childhood sweethearts for more than ten years. I never thought I could be with you so easily."

Yu Tong sighed in embarrassment: "She thinks so too. I have lost my dignity and have persisted despite being bullied by her for so many years. What can she do?"

"Maybe we are not the ones who love you the most, but you must be the one for whom both emotion and interests are completely unified. I can find someone who is more in line with interests, and so can she, but liking and love cannot."

"Didn't you notice?" she asked finally.

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(End of this chapter)