âMr. Jiang, long time no see.â
âLong time no see, President Ma seems a bit haggard, huh?â
Jack Ma gave a bitter smile and said frankly, âItâs all because of Mr. Jiangâs âBlueprintâ. It has made me lose sleep and skip meals lately.â
Jiang Xu chuckled and said, âDonât flatter me too much. How could I possibly have that ability?â
The two exchanged pleasantries at the entrance of the clubhouse before heading inside.
Once they had entered the prepared private room.
At their level, matters of business were certainly not discussed right at the outset.
Instead, they began with various indulgences in food and drink, letting the girls dance and perform their talents.
It was only after a full set of procedures had taken place, leaving them well-fed and relaxed, that they began to discuss serious matters.
âMr. Jiang, what ratio do you have in mind for the equity swap?â
âPresident Maâs 0.6% share of Ali 77 in exchange for 3% of âBlueprintâ.â
Even though it was only 0.6%, at the peak market value of Ali 77 from my past life, that would still be around thirty-six billion.
Jiang Xu did not plan to hold onto it for the long term.
He simply wanted to sell these shares when Ali 77 reached its peak market value, earning a short-term profit.
After all, he knew that once Ali 77 hit its peak, it would start a decline that would last for several years.
Upon hearing these numbers, Jack Ma immediately disagreed, âNo, thatâs too low. The highest limit I can accept is 0.5% of my shares for 20% of âBlueprintâ.â
Jiang Xu sipped his tea and said with a smile, âPresident Ma, you must be joking, that wonât work.â
The two negotiated for over half an hour, but neither was willing to budge.
Jiang Xu couldnât possibly give Jack Ma more than 5% of âBlueprintâ shares.
Although âBlueprintâ was unlikely to reach the same market value as Ali 77 in the future.
If it developed normally, it still had a very good chance of reaching a market value in the trillions.
Giving away too many shares would be a losing deal.
âIt seems weâre not getting anywhere today,â Jack Ma sighed, then with a smile suggested, âHow about we go play some golf instead?â
People at this tier werenât likely to hold a grudge or exchange harsh words just because business negotiations hadnât gone well.
âI think we can come to an agreement,â Jiang Xu poured him another cup of tea and continued,
âPresident Ma, you should know that I obtained long-term usage rights to several key traffic locations on WeChat at a very low price, right?
In other words, âBlueprintâ, backed by WeChat, doesnât lack traffic.
Moreover, with Daily Headlines and the extensive entertainment platforms under my control, as well as numerous celebrities,
each is a super huge pool of traffic.
Imagine, I mean just imagine, if I develop the e-commerce sector with all my might.
And if I follow the model of TaoBao, and additionally acquire several courier companiesâ¦
Do you think, President Ma, that âBlueprintâ, with so many advantages, could become the leader in the e-commerce sector?â
President Maâs expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
What Jiang Xu was talking about was exactly what he had worried about before.
And now, laid out in front of him, it made him feel a strong sense of crisis.
With Jiang Xuâs talent and strength, if he really went all out in developing e-commerce, it could indeed have a massive impact on TaoBao.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jack Maâs eyes flickered with changing thoughts.
Finally, he made a decision, âHereâs what weâll do, I will exchange 0.48% of my Ali 77 shares for 4% of âBlueprintâ.
But I have an extra requirement, which is to stipulate in the contract that you will never follow TaoBaoâs model.
And that you will never invest in any ventures that resemble TaoBaoâs model.â
Jiang Xu thought to himself that the first request was acceptable, but the second one was definitely not.
He knew that in a few years, selling cheap goods would drag down the whole group, and then youâd start pushing out many of the small-volume sellers.
At this time, an opportunity arose.
And years later, its market value even surpassed that of Alipay Group.
Of course, Jiang Xu was determined to take a bite of that big fat piece.
However, Jiang Xu readily agreed on the surface.
Even if he couldnât invest, could An Nuonuo not invest?
Even if An Nuonuo couldnât, his parents could, right?
In any case, there were plenty of ways to work around it.
Seeing Jiang Xu agree, Jack Ma also showed a smile.
Even though, in his view, he was making a big loss with this share exchange.
But looking at the bigger picture, using a bit of shares to eliminate a super powerful rival and also obtaining part of their shares was, in fact, a very cost-effective deal.
Subsequently, both parties called their companyâs lawyers and financial staff.
They drafted the contract and it was signed on the spot.
By the time Jiang Xu got home, it was almost one in the morning.
An Nuonuo hadnât gone to sleep yet; she was watching TV in the living room.
Upon seeing Jiang Xu return, she immediately got up to fetch his slippers and helped him take off his coat, hanging it on the wall.
Arm in arm with him, âBrother Xu, are you tired, are you hungry? Shall I go make you a midnight snack?â
âNot hungry.â Jiang Xu patted her head, âWhat are you watching thatâs kept you up so late?â
âWatching âHandsome Boysâ Contestâ, itâs quite interesting.â
âReally?â Jiang Xu pretended to be annoyed, âAre those young guys handsome?â
âAre you jealous?â The girlâs smile twinkled, âYouâre so cute, Brother Xu.â
Jiang Xu curled his lip, âIâm not jealous. I wouldnât do something so childish.â
Although Jiang Xu said he wasnât jealous, An Nuonuo could tell that he was indeed overflowing with jealousy.
The girl buried her head in the manâs chest, whispering softly, âThen I wonât watch anymore; Brother Xu is my one and only.â
Jiang Xu felt quite pleased.
Still, he said, âNo, you watch it, Iâm not that petty.â
An Nuonuo: âSo I can watch?â
Jiang Xu: âYou! Just watch!â
âPfft!â
An Nuonuo couldnât hold back her laughter, âBrother Xu, youâre soft everywhere except for your mouth.â
Jiang Xu âfumedâ, âAlright, you dare to mock me, no sleep for you tonight.â
Sensing trouble, An Nuonuo quickly ran back to her room.
Jiang Xu gave chase, with a villainous laugh, âHehehe, little girl, you canât escape the palm of my hand!â
Soon, muffled sounds vaguely emanated from the bedroomâ¦
Time flows just like water, always slipping by unnoticed.
The Handsome Boysâ Contest was being held in full swing.
And the enthusiasm for it was even higher than it was for the âSchool Beautyâ.
As for why⦠those who know, know.
The competition has now reached the semi-finals.
And many promising talents had emerged.
Those suited to be singers, others suited to be actors, and some just perfect to be idols (pretty faces).
Jiang Xu didnât wait for these popular contestants to enter the grand finals; he had already dispatched Avi to take action early.