After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 467 - 462: The Constant Trouble

The meeting lasted until five in the afternoon, during which Lu Liang contacted De Mei City businessman Cruick to ask him to send a few people over.

Just as with Panda's listing on Nasdaq, listing on the New York Stock Exchange also required at least three market dealers to act as underwriters, but DiDi was different due to its much larger scale.

At that time, Panda was valued at 3.8 billion US Dollars, and its initial offering price was only 1.98 US Dollars, allowing it only to enter the third-tier capital markets.

But DiDi was different, valued at 50 billion US Dollars, and if it passed the listing review, it was expected to see a premium of about 10%.

The offering price would also be above five US Dollars, allowing it to directly enter the global select markets and catch the eye of investors from all countries.

In this aspect, Lu Liang was not familiar.

So, he planned to find professionals to come over; if they could pass the audit in the United States, De Mei would be the lead underwriter.

With Panda's listing, the three underwriters made several tens of millions of US dollars by issuing stocks. With DiDi's listing, becoming the lead underwriter to manage more issuance rights would mean even greater profits.

For the sake of smooth cooperation in the future, they had no reason to refuse.

"Jia Wei, if there's anything you don't understand, ask Director Huang and Manager Wang for more advice."

After the meeting, Lu Liang planned to leave, but he left Xu Jia Wei here and Cheng Wei chimed in, "If you encounter any insurmountable problems, you can also contact me."

Lu Liang gave Xu Jia Wei a slight nod, and just then, Zhu Hu approached and said, "Mr. Lu, I'm afraid I won't be able to dine with you this evening. I just heard that Su Shimin and Flannery and a few others have arrived early and have gone to visit Huaqing University."

Although he was not one of the invited twelve, Blackstone Group was an investor in Golden Sand River Venture Capital , holding a 12.5% stake.

Su Shimin, the American delegate at the roundtable, was the co-founder, global chairman, and CEO of the Blackstone Group.

Also, as the financial backer of Golden Sand River Venture Capital, he needed to go and say hello, likely to act as a local guide.

Meanwhile, Shen Peng stepped out to take a call at the entrance, then came back and said, "Mr. Zhu, let's go together."

It was not only Golden Sand River, not only Redwood, and not only venture capital firms; almost every well-known domestic company had received investments from Blackstone, BlackRock, or Vanguard.

The three managed assets exceeding 20 trillion US Dollars, with direct and indirect assets spread across the globe.

However, due to East Country's backing by the state with absolute sovereignty, the three groups' invasion into East Country was not as severe as in Japan and Korea.

Whether it was Shen Peng or Zhu Hu, they were united co-founders and executive partners with significant autonomy.

Lu Liang nodded but did not accompany them.

They were going to pay homage; he didn't need to, and he would meet with Su Shimin sooner or later, so there was no rush.

As several people left one after another, Liu Qing also received news that the US delegates had arrived early and had gone to visit Tsinghua University.

A contemplative look crossed her face, and an unusual emotion arose in her heart.

If capital were to be graded, Goldman Sachs would only fall in the second tier, probably not even at the forefront.

Blackstone, BlackRock, and Vanguard—the three giants—were the undisputed leaders of the first tier.

The relationship among the three was complex, not so much competition as an intertwined interdependence.

The first and second largest shareholders of Blackstone were BlackRock and Vanguard, respectively.

BlackRock's predecessor was actually an investment division under Blackstone, which later became independent, with Blackstone still holding a certain stake.

Vanguard's founder was John Bogle, the father of the index fund, idolized by Buffett, and originally named Wellington Fund.

In the 1920s, Wellington Fund underwent a split, becoming Vanguard and Lehman Brothers.

The founder of Blackstone, Su Shimin, had left Lehman Brothers to set up Blackstone.

One could say that the three giants shared common roots—if compared to a family, their relationship wouldn't extend to a fifth degree of kinship.

If one could secure support from any one of them, DiDi's situation may completely turn around, and the Liu family would restore its former glory under her leadership.

Liu Qing's thoughts quickened, and she decisively set off for Huaqing University, hoping to create a chance encounter.

At nightfall, Lu Liang arrived at Phoenix City near Sanyuan Bridge.

Zhang Tian'ai had just landed in Beijing that afternoon and was resting for the day, preparing to leave for Hengdian tomorrow to join a film crew.

"Look, these are our pictures from Australia. Mi is so nice, she doesn't put on any airs at all."

Zhang Tian'ai, never tiring, shared odd tales and amusing stories from recording the show with Lu Liang.

She was about to delve into two new TV dramas tomorrow, which meant she wouldn't be able to see Lu Liang for at least three months.

"It does look quite nice."

Lu Liang's brows were tightly furrowed, his mind elsewhere.

Because just now, Zhu Hu had sent him a message that Liu Qing had attended a welcoming dinner for Su Shimin uninvited, and the two seemed to have enjoyed quite a pleasant conversation.

Without a doubt, it must be because she felt Goldman Sachs wasn't aggressive enough and was trying to see if she could get Blackstone to join forces or become part of the Squid Clan.

Zhu Hu also said that when talking with Flannery, she mentioned him, curious why he hadn't come and saying that she planned to visit Su City in a few days.

Lu Liang glanced at the message but didn't reply, pretending to be very busy.

Liu Qing had gone; it wouldn't be right for him to follow suit. It would be like picking up leftovers, a sure way to devalue oneself.

"My head hurts~" Lu Liang sighed, hoping that Bitcoin might bring him enough of a surprise.

Liu Qing was indeed trouble—never resting for a moment. His desire to get rid of her was at an all-time high.

Because for old-timers like Su Shimin who had been immersed in the market for decades, you couldn't let them see a profit opportunity.

Otherwise, even if they didn't accept Liu Qing's invitation, they might have other ideas, like forcing their way in or demanding protection money.

It's like a business opportunity that no one knew about until suddenly, someone mentions it, and then they start considering whether they could be involved.

The more people Liu Qing sought help from now, the more uncertainties there would be later, and the more resistance Lu Liang might face in the future.

"Headache? Let me give you a massage."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tian'ai hurried over to Lu Liang's back, her slender fingers kneading his temples. She said with a smile, "I'm very professional, you know. Just last week, while filming in South Africa without enough budget, I even took a part-time job as a massage girl."

Lu Liang's head suddenly leaned back, landing right between her breasts, and he asked with a laugh, "Is this massage girl reputable?"

"To others, yes, but definitely not to you."

Zhang Tian'ai hugged Lu Liang's head, her body swaying and rubbing against him.

Suddenly, a faint scent of perfume filled his nose, and Lu Liang chuckled, patting Zhang Tian'ai's hand: "Alright, stop playing."

Last night, Yang Mi had been quite demanding, which meant a longer 'cooldown period' today. Now, he just wanted a hug, a kiss, to share the bed without going any further.

"Alright~"

Zhang Tian'ai obediently sat on Lu Liang's lap, and he asked, "What drama did you take on? Need any investment?"

"One is Yu Zheng's 'Yanxi Strategy', and the other is Li Jun's 'Peace Restaurant'. They shouldn't be lacking funds; they're paying me a good salary."

Zhang Tian'ai grinned—she was the second lead in the former and the lead in the latter. The total number of episodes for both TV dramas exceeded 110, and the total salary was 18.4 million yuan.

Both dramas would take about three to four months of filming, and she would likely only get a break during the Spring Festival. Even then, she'd probably need to take part in some activities or shows.

Zhang Chen had been trying to mend relations with Mahua and Lu Liang, which is why he had allowed her to go solo and had helped with the studio establishment. The role in 'Peace Restaurant' was also something Zhang Chen had secured for her.

"If he's offering it to you, then accept it. Moreover, it seems our company has also invested."

Lu Liang laughed bitterly. Lately, he had received quite a few messages about upcoming popular film and television projects.

Such as 'The Name of the People', 'The Demon Child Comes to the World', and 'Peace Restaurant' featuring Zhang Tian'ai, which were all about to be hits.

But he really didn't have the time; he would only mention them casually to Tang Caide whenever he thought about it. If he could invest, he would; if not, he wouldn't worry about it. The pressing matter at hand was still DiDi.

The company had developed for over two years by now, and many projects no longer required Lu Liang's direct involvement.

He would bring them up when they crossed his mind.

If he happened to forget and miss out, chances were Tang Caide would have already made the investment on his behalf.

After all, a man's reputation was like a tree's shadow; any film and television project short on funds would find their way to them.

Tang Caide and the other hundred or so people in the company weren't there for nothing; like finding needles in a haystack, they would always manage to pick a few hits.

As long as the major projects Lu Liang was responsible for didn't go wrong, a small investment failure wasn't a big deal.

"Wow~ does that mean I had funding backing me joining the crew?" Zhang Tian'ai squinted her eyes with a smile, suddenly feeling very confident.

Lu Liang laughed dryly, "When have you ever joined a crew without funding? 'Crown Princess Consort'? 'First Rich'?"

Zhang Tian'ai pouted proudly: "Doesn't my talent account for anything?"

Lu Liang thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "By your talents, you've won me over."

"That seems right."

Zhang Tian'ai really wanted to, especially since she wouldn't be able to see Lu Liang for at least the next three months.

By her own abilities, she managed to cut short Lu Liang's 'cooldown' period.

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