After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 462 - 457: Needle-tip Against Wheat Grain

The next morning, Lu Liang planned to leave Tokyo.

Erii was helping pack his luggage in the room while Miyuki, her face filled with anxiety, presented him with a wallet, "Sir, this is for you."

She was quite embarrassed, although Lu Liang had mentioned that a loss of two million was on him, and if they made a profit, she could take a 10% commission.

But after all, it was Lu Liang's money that made the profit, buying him a gift with his own money was essentially using his money to buy his own gift.

Yet, she had no other means to make money.

Although they had once blown up their Bitcoin position, there was still a profit of 200,000 US Dollars, so the commission amounted to twenty thousand dollars.

She had spent eighteen thousand five hundred US Dollars to quietly buy this wallet at a Gucci store.

"Thank you, I really like it."

Lu Liang couldn't help but smirk, gently patting Miyuki's little head, "I've said before, you have a 10% commission of the profit, so the money you make is yours to spend without feeling guilty."

Miyuki hummed softly, her eyes squinting into thin lines, quickly nodding her head, thoroughly enjoying Lu Liang's affection.

She had lost her father, and even though Lu Liang was her boyfriend, subconsciously she had come to rely on him as a father figure.

Lu Liang fiddled with the wallet and found inside a charm with the engraved words "Guardian", which faintly smelled of sandalwood.

He knew 'Guardian' in Chinese, but was unclear about its meaning in Japanese.

Miyuki explained, "This is a peace charm we got at the Inari Shrine when I went there with my mom, both my mom and I have one."

"Shrine?" Lu Liang frowned, he knew shrines were similar to temples and Taoist temples in China, but the term always made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Reading his expressions, Miyuki quickly took it back from him and made up an excuse, "Sir, do you follow a religion?"

Lu Liang shook his head, "No, but in my hometown, we mainly worship Saint Guan, also known as Guan Yu."

"From this country too—then in the future, I will also worship Saint Guan."

Miyuki smiled sweetly, hobbies can be compromised and so can beliefs.

"Let's go."

Lu Liang picked up his suitcase and left, without mentioning when he would come next.

The current price of Bitcoin was less than 4500 US Dollars, but it was less than two months away from escalating to 20,852 US Dollars.

The real big market, a super bull market was coming, and in the next two months, he unavoidably had to come back to Tokyo.

Three and a half hours later,

the plane smoothly landed at Capital Airport.

At the same time, Liu Qing, Cheng Wei, Zhu Hu, Shen Peng, among others, arrived one after another at New Chenghai Building.

Today, after more than eight months, DiDi was applying for its second IPO review, everyone was looking forward to it.

DiDi Technology, formerly Xiaoju Technology, was established on July 10, 2012, it had been over five years and three months.

From getting 3 million US Dollars from Golden Sand River in its Series A round to now, it had gone through 11 rounds of financing, accumulating a total of 22.8 billion dollars in funding.

Last year, after acquiring Uber and ending the costly battles, its valuation had reached 50 billion US Dollars and it was time to go public, turning investors' expectations into reality.

"Mr. Cheng, are you implying that I'm to blame?" Liu Qing narrowed her eyes, a hint of fierceness flashing in them.

People say settling accounts after the autumn harvest – here they weren't even past the summer solstice and she's being confronted with past issues?

Cheng Wei said sternly, "Mr. Liu, you are taking it too seriously, I am merely stating a fact. Going public is the expectation of all investors and the whole staff of DiDi Group, at this point, we should join hands and give it our all."

"Then, Mr. Cheng, please tell me, where am I not cooperating?" Liu Qing asked with a smile.

Cheng Wei coldly questioned, "I didn't want to bring it up, but why have you repeatedly called back Wang Xin who was clearly assigned to the review team?"

Liu Qing laughed in exasperation, "Mr. Cheng, high up as you are, out of touch with reality, I don't blame you, but do you know how many terrible incidents have occurred at DiDi this year, or how much public outcry they have caused?"

"Wang Xin is the main person handling these issues, some matters have recently resurfaced that had not been fully dealt with. Is there a problem with calling her back to handle them?"

"Yes, indeed, the IPO review is very important, but if we neglect the company's ongoing development for the sake of going public, that would be a grave mistake."

During the days of Lu Liang's absence, once hailed as the business world's phenomenal "Liu-Cheng duo," they gradually moved to opposing sides.

Initially, they were restrained, merely brushing against each other without outright confrontation.

It wasn't until Liu Qing wanted to be informed about the review team's status, and Cheng Wei intervened, that the reassignment issue with Wang Xin escalated fiercely.

Shen Peng spoke to mediate, "Whether it's Mr. Cheng or Mr. Liu, fundamentally, both of you act for the company's best."

"Since the public opinion has been pacified and the review team's project has also been completed as scheduled, perhaps we should let this matter rest."

Scenes like this, he had seen too many.

Brothers turning against each other over interests were common, only because DiDi had achieved scale and they had investors backing them.

Had such a major disagreement arisen early on, the company likely would have fallen apart, and it was uncertain how many startups had died in the struggle for control.

"Mr. Lu, really, are you still in Tokyo, cozying up with your girlfriend and forgot about today's meeting?"

Zhu Hu chuckled and playfully teased Lu Liang to ease the atmosphere in the meeting room.

Although they sided with Cheng Wei and had agreed to kick Liu Qing out of the board,

such actions needed to be decisive.

Just like the Xuanwu Gate Incident, it was best to execute swiftly and limit the impact as much as possible.

DiDi's position in the market wasn't entirely secure, and any internal turmoil could cause issues.

Other companies aside, Douyin and Meituan would definitely be interested in throwing large sums of money to shake DiDi's status.

"Mr. Lu, after all, is young and energetic."

Shen Peng smiled,

Such things were typically the privilege of celebrities.

In the investment world, probably only Lu Liang could make headlines by changing girlfriend.

"Energetic~" Zhu Hu chuckled slyly,

emphasizing the word in a way that led the imagination astray.

"Mr. Zhu, remember there are several women present."

Liu Qing glared at him, and everyone burst into laughter, lightening the previously tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, the conference room door swung open, and Lu Liang entered with a beaming smile, "What's so fun here?"

He strode in, followed by Xu Jiawei, Huang Molin, Wang Xin, and other members of the audit team.

Zhu Hu grinned, "We were discussing your romantic exploits."

"What's there to talk about those."

Lu Liang chuckled and waved Xu Jiawei to distribute a set of documents to everyone, "New audit documents, please take a look and give some feedback. If there are no issues, we'll send them for review shortly."

Although he was fully responsible for this, the necessary procedures, such as obtaining everyone's approval and resubmission, were indispensable.

If the audit failed this time, it would be a significant blow to DiDi, and their valuation of 500 billion US dollars could be downgraded.

A company that can't go public is worthless no matter how high its valuation; non-liquid assets are fictitious.

Upon hearing this, everyone began to check the materials, with Liu Qing examining them most carefully, as she had been in charge of the project last time.

She wanted to know which part failed last time that allowed Lu Liang an opportunity.

Hours passed in a blink, and those on Cheng Wei and Lu Liang's side had finished reviewing the materials.

Goldman Sachs Uber representatives were waiting for Liu Qing's stance and only began signing after she did.

"Since Mr. Lu is in charge, we naturally feel reassured," Liu Qing said with a forced smile.

"As long as Mr. Liu feels at ease, that's the best."

Lu Liang was all smiles, confident in the review materials he had provided openly.

The real review documents were like a book, and he supplied only the title page.

If Liu Qing could detect any differences from the title page alone, that would be a marvel.

Seeing Xu Jiawei secure the confirmation letters, Lu Liang said cheerfully, "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."

They needed to send the consolidated documents for review by the Ministry of Commerce, a process that could take up to a week.

It's safe to say, the real drama would unfold after that week.

If the audit failed, Lu Liang could be ousted from DiDi's board and lose his right to participate in decision-making.

If successful, the next move would be up to Liu Qing, whether to cooperate wholeheartedly or obstruct.

"Mr. Lu, have a good journey, call if you need anything."

Liu Qing maintained her composed expression with a smile,

A flash of concern in her eyes revealed her awareness that the review results would directly determine her future.

"Gentlemen, no need to see me out."

Lu Liang clasped his hands together and, along with Xu Jiawei and others, took his leave.

With Lu Liang's departure, the council was naturally adjourned, and they would reconvene when the review results were in.

For the following week, Lu Liang stayed in Beijing.

Accompanied by Xu Jiawei, he visited various important departments, met numerous leaders, and tirelessly worked towards DiDi's public listing.

Although the approval was supposed to be prearranged, many eyes were watching, so necessary processes were essential.

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