After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 466 - 461: Wealth and Power Are the Best Tonics for Men

As Yang Mi transformed into Juice Girl, Reba had been waiting for a long time but still received no messages from Lu Liang.

"What kind of person is he?" she asked, pocketing the necklace and listlessly typing Lu Liang's name into the search bar.

She had heard of Lu Liang and had a general idea of what he looked like, rumored to be a very formidable person, but she never had an in-depth understanding.

Reba read a lot of news; Lu Liang first appeared in public view two years ago at number 88 Punan Road.

At that time, he was an obscure speculative investor but took part in the financial battle of shorting the yen. Since then, he became famous in one battle, climbing the ladder to the pantheon, participating in international financial wars like shorting British Pounds during the Brexit vote and defending the RMB against the yen.

Not only did he earn the name "Financial Butcher" internationally, but he was also named the best investor domestically last year, successively investing in enterprises such as Mobike, Panda, Douyin, NIO, and Li Xiang.

Even though OFO went under, leaving more than ten million creditors, Lu Liang pulled out before the critical round B financing; it's rumored that he invested one million and earned a hundred million.

There was also the entertainment industry, where he invested in 'Crown Princess Consort,' Xia Luo, 'First Rich,' 'War Wolf 2,' and 'Wandering Earth,' which was hailed as the first great homegrown sci-fi.

"So impressive~"

Reba was lost in thought as if witnessing the rise of a legend, murmuring to herself, "It's not like, he is a legend!"

However, when she turned to Lu Liang's personal life, she became conflicted. Initially, Lu Liang was called Lu Shimei, and according to rumors, after he became wealthy, he abandoned his long-suffering wife.

She saw the online celebrity that Mr. He talked about too, called Li Xiaomeng, who had been in a relationship with Lu Liang for over two years.

It was probably last week that Lu Liang was suspected of dating a new girlfriend in Tokyo, and Li Xiaomeng stepped forward to clarify that they had already broken up.

Lu Liang had not made any statements, but he is not a star or celebrity; hence, the heat of that incident had gradually faded.

"Is he busy? Why hasn't he replied to my messages? Should I send another emoji? But would he find me annoying?"

Reba felt a sense of loss, holding her phone, lying in bed, and tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

…

The next morning, Lu Liang got up and picked up his phone, seeing the cute emojis sent by Reba.

He turned his head towards the pillow beside him; it was empty, save for a few strands of light red hair that told him someone had been there.

"Busy."

After sending the message, Lu Liang paid it no more heed.

He knew this was Yang Mi's scheme, but he truly had no interest whatsoever. If he encountered an able-bodied person begging on the street, he might even consider scanning for 100 RMB.

Nothing more than the belief in carrying out his evil and doing his good; he was just short of renouncing worldly desires to achieve enlightenment.

"A thirty-year-old entertainment circle madam is indeed as terrible as one fears; who could stand it~~"

Lu Liang sighed and slowly got ready, washing up and getting dressed before going downstairs to the dining room, where Xu Jiawei had been waiting for him for a long time.

A smile was on his face, clearly there was good news.

Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Did the approval come through?"

"It did," Xu Jiawei nodded. He had just received a call from the Ministry of Commerce to bring all the paperwork for processing.

The domestic review had passed, and next was the exchange's review. If that passed too, DiDi could list in the US by next April at the latest.

Lu Liang finished a glass of milk, adding some protein to his diet, feeling it to be more reliable than grilled kidneys—after all, it was all protein.

His mouth curved into a smile, "Contact Mr. Cheng to get people, three o'clock in the afternoon, meeting at the New Chenghai Building."

While Lu Liang was off to the Ministry of Commerce to handle paperwork, back in Beijing, the Liu family, Old Liu, and Liu Qing also received the news.

"Lu Liang's submitted review materials have passed," Liu Qing said with a furrowed brow, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.

"Yes, it passed," Old Liu sighed. They couldn't make it, but Lu Liang could, and that was very telling.

The father and daughter were silent for a long time, each with their thoughts. Old Liu asked, "Qing'er, what do you think?"

Liu Qing said with a heavy voice, "I'm not satisfied. Goldman Sachs Uber all support me, why should Lu Liang get the prize?"

With DiDi's domestic review passing, the time left for her was short, a month at the least, or two at most.

Because the next step was the US review, if that passed as well, Lu Liang would certainly target her before the listing.

This was Lu Liang's best opportunity; if both domestic and international reviews passed, then DiDi's listing would be set in stone.

At that point, whatever demands Lu Liang made, as long as they didn't harm the collective interest, would get approved without opposition.

That included framing her with a baseless crime, then kicking her out of the board of directors and gradually taking back the power she held in her hands.

Old Liu exhaled deeply and suddenly mentioned something apparently unrelated, "Ah Qing told me that this year's government procurement orders might be reduced by 20% compared to previous years."

He was getting old and did not want to take a big tumble in his old age but, ultimately, everything is fate, beyond human control.

They had only given up a small step before, and Huawei, Xiaomi, Shenzhou had swooped in like a pack of wolves, overwhelming them.

If they retreated again, it would be an announcement that the Liu family was past its prime, weakening day by day.

Meanwhile, after a busy morning, Lu Liang left the Ministry of Commerce and came to the DiDi Building.

Cheng Wei greeted him at the door with a smile on his face, "Mr. Lu, have you had lunch?"

"I just finished up, no time for that." Lu Liang had Xu Jiawei bring out the documents for Cheng Wei to look over.

"How about we order something simple for lunch in the company's restaurant?" Cheng Wei's smile was radiant, as he'd taken a significant step towards regaining control of the group.

"Whatever works."

They went to the restaurant on the second floor.

Lu Liang focused on his meal while Cheng Wei flipped through the documents, becoming more and more pleased as he gazed at the bright red official seal. He asked, "Mr. Lu, when are we going to the US for the inspection?"

Lu Liang thought for a moment and said, "Let's postpone it a bit."

Cheng Wei was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If we delay, she'll also have ample time to prepare."

'She' was naturally Liu Qing, and as the saying goes, it's best to pursue the enemy with the triumph of the moment, not to rest on one's laurels and emulate overconfident kings. They should strike while the iron is hot.

Lu Liang rolled his eyes and said irritably, "I need some time to get ready too."

Next up, he had two matters to deal with, both likely to aid in DiDi's US inspection proceedings.

The first was naturally attending the dress rehearsal, the second was the big Bitcoin market; cooperation between countries could affect Bitcoin, and the higher Bitcoin's price, the more influence he would have.

As long as he could use Bitcoin market leverage in negotiations with Goldman Sachs, Liu Qing could have the skills of a goddess yet still fail to turn the tide.

If the king commands the death of his minister, the minister has to die,

Facing Goldman Sachs, Liu Qing was that minister.

"Mr. Lu, about when would that be?" Cheng Wei chuckled awkwardly as he always thought of Lu Liang as an omnipotent figure.

After all, the stock listing inspection that even the Liu family couldn't handle, Lu Liang managed to do so, and he had so many friends on Wall Street.

"Early December, I guess."

When exactly the Bitcoin market would start, Lu Liang was unclear, but he knew the peak would be on December 17th.

By that time, with such high prices, there would certainly be more than just speculators and individual investors, there would be sizable international institutions pouring in real money to boost Bitcoin's soaring prices.

Getting that US inspection done before then would be most advantageous to him.

Throwing $5,000 at a stock market crash compared to $20,000 would have incomparably different effects.

As for anything related to DiDi's inspection that displeased Lu Liang, he was ready to flip the table. To hell with the new financial system.

Anyway, he hadn't spent a penny so far.

Just by hinting at this approach, if Goldman Sachs didn't want to lose face, naturally, someone would help him save face.

As three o'clock in the afternoon approached,

the same conference room, the same people.

"True to form, Mr. Lu, success follows wherever you go."

As soon as Lu Liang appeared, the sound of flattery was endless.

What Liu Qing and the Liu family couldn't accomplish, whatever means Lu Liang employed, he accomplished it, and that made him impressive.

Even Zhang Manlin, a staunch supporter of Liu Qing and representative of the staff shareholders, revealed to Lu Liang a smile she had never shown before.

In the struggle between factions, she supported Liu Qing unconditionally, but the company going public was a good thing for all the shareholders.

Because a company of DiDi's size going public could create dozens of billionaires and hundreds of millionaires overnight.

Being able to sit on the board of directors means she held some shares too, owning 0.012%, a reward for her years of hard work.

After some idle chatter, as Liu Qing arrived and all were present, the doors of the conference room closed.

"To regroup for over a month?"

Liu Qing was surprised; she had been prepared for Lu Liang to seize the moment and had her countermeasures ready.

So, she had prepared for nothing since Lu Liang had backed off?

"The US inspection is the final hurdle; we must be fully prepared to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Lu Liang still wore a smile as he explained that a lot of documentation needed translating and that the team needed more members. He looked at Liu Qing and asked with a smile, "Mr. Liu, do you have any questions?"

Liu Qing pondered for a long while and slowly shook her head: "We truly should be fully prepared; it wouldn't hurt to double the team size appropriately."

She didn't know what Lu Liang was scheming, but if they had a month or two, she could prepare even more fully.

"Since there are no objections from everyone, let's settle on this decision for now," said Cheng Wei with a beaming face; he looked like he had become ten years younger today, his hair seeming much fuller.

Wealth and power are the best beauty treatments for a man. Previously, he had wealth without power, which led to his gradual balding.

Lu Liang was his Viagra, allowing him to incrementally take back power from Liu Qing's hands and successfully revitalizing his vigor for a second spring.