"Mr. Lin, isn't it a little inappropriate for you to take all forty percent of the shares yourself?"
Mr. Smith thought highly of the Penguin Company and wanted to buy a stake himself.
"Heh, if you have the money, you can make a higher offer! I don't mind..."
Lin Chao Ci was blunt. What he meant was that anyone without money should stop competing, pack up shop, and get lost.
Mr. Smith bristled with rage, unable to accept being mocked like this by a yellow-skinned monkey.
Before this, he had always been the one looking down on them.
"Who says I can't afford it? Two million six hundred thousand dollars!"
Mr. Smith gritted his teeth and made an offer of his own.
He was only a deputy general manager and couldn't allocate too much of the company's money. Its other projects needed investment too, along with cash flow to keep them running.
In fact, he could only access three million dollars this time, and he couldn't spend all of it on the Penguin Company. He still needed to invest in other companies.
"Two million seven hundred thousand dollars!"
Lin Chao Ci calmly named another figure.
Everyone's lips twitched. Was Lin Chao Ci really that wealthy? He acted as though money meant nothing.
Raising the bid a hundred thousand dollars at a time—who could keep up with that?
"That's a major family for you. Incredible!"
"Say no more. I'm sending my résumé to Young Master Lin's company later. Work for him, and you've got a bright future!"
"Wu Daojun's hit the jackpot this time. He only wanted two million to begin with, but the bidders just kept offering more. Now it's up to two million seven hundred thousand. That's an extra seven hundred thousand dollars for nothing!"
The people from the other companies all looked at Wu Daojun with envy.
He hadn't done a thing, yet the investment kept climbing.
At this rate, it might actually reach three million dollars.
Wu Daojun was delighted. He had known that Lin Chao Ci's involvement would make the bidding livelier.
He hadn't expected the results to be this spectacular. His expectations had been exceeded.
Lin Chao Ci was practically his lucky star.
"Fine, you win! I'm not investing!"
Smith ground his teeth but didn't dare raise his offer again. After hesitating for a long time, he finally backed down and abandoned this funding round.
Penguin isn't the only project the company has its eye on anyway. I don't believe you'll invest in every single one! So what if I give up on Penguin? I'll just make a little less money!
Smith comforted himself with that thought.
He had no idea how much he would regret this in the future. What he had lost was far more than a little money.
"Goodbye!"
Since the deal had fallen through, Smith didn't want to waste any more time here. With that, he left with his assistant.
After he was gone, Chen Minghao, who had been sitting silently to one side, rose with a broad smile.
"Hahaha, Young Master Lin, I'm Chen Minghao, deputy general manager of the Harbor Island Technology Company. I've heard so much about you!"
Chen Minghao also stepped forward to curry favor with Lin Chao Ci. He had little choice; Lin Chao Ci was the local power in Haikou City.
Lin Chao Ci naturally knew his company, which was another major enterprise. He shook his hand politely and exchanged a few pleasantries.
"Mr. Wu Daojun, since we've reached a preliminary agreement, let's go to my company to sign the contract!"
There were too many people in the private room, so Lin Chao Ci didn't intend to say much more here. He invited Wu Daojun to the company he had just bought.
"Of course! I'd be honored!"
Wu Daojun smiled and nodded in agreement.
He had already reported to Brother Ma over the phone.
The two left the private room as the others saw them off.
Lin Chao Ci had contacted Uncle Li beforehand and asked him to pick him up.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw the car Uncle Li had brought.
The license plate made Wu Daojun even more satisfied and put his mind further at ease.
The two got into the car and soon arrived in the eastern district, in front of a tower dozens of stories tall.
"Since the company is just starting out, we don't have a building of our own. We can only rent office space in someone else's!"
Lin Chao Ci spoke as he led Wu Daojun inside.
Lin Chao Ci used facial recognition to enter the executive elevator, which was reserved for bosses and managers.
Ordinary employees could only use the public elevators.
They reached the twelfth floor, where a logo came into view as soon as they stepped out.
Galaxy Group! That's an ambitious name!
Wu Daojun marveled inwardly as he looked at the company's name.
People in this country took mystical beliefs seriously. Certain words and names weren't chosen lightly.
"Hello, boss!"
"Hello, boss!"
When they reached reception, they saw the young receptionist. All the employees had seen Lin Chao Ci's photo, so she recognized him at once and hurriedly bowed in greeting.
The other employees also bowed immediately when they saw Lin Chao Ci.
Lin Chao Ci nodded to each of them before heading to his office.
An assistant brewed two pots of tea, set them down, and left the room.
Lin Chao Ci and Wu Daojun sat facing each other.
Beep, beep, beep!
Just then, Wu Daojun's phone sounded.
Wu Daojun looked down and saw a message from his boss, Brother Ma.
He had agreed to let Lin Chao Ci buy a stake and wanted to speak to him over the phone. He wanted to know why Lin Chao Ci was investing in him and had so much confidence in him.
"Mr. Lin, my boss would like to speak to you on the phone. He wants to know why you think so highly of the Penguin Company!"
Wu Daojun chose not to conceal anything and told him the truth.
Lin Chao Ci nodded. Naturally, he wouldn't refuse.
Lin Chao Ci took Brother Ma's call.
"Hahaha, Mr. Lin, I've heard so much about you. I never expected you to have such confidence in my company!"
"I've heard so much about you too, Brother Ma. You're one of the leading figures in the internet industry. I've used the PP you developed, and it's excellent! It has tremendous potential..."
"Thank you for the compliment, and thank you very much for investing. I'll show you Penguin's worth. Your investment will definitely turn a profit. By the way, two million seven hundred thousand for forty percent isn't a very good deal for you. Two million three hundred thousand would be more appropriate!"
"All right, I'll remember this favor. If you ever need help, get in touch!"
The two got along very well. As a gesture of goodwill, Brother Ma voluntarily lowered the amount he was asking for, unwilling to let Lin Chao Ci overpay.
Naturally, Lin Chao Ci wouldn't turn down a chance to save money.
After just a few exchanges, the two were already calling each other brothers.
Wu Daojun watched from the side, dumbfounded.
Wasn't his boss a stereotypical engineering guy, usually aloof? When had he ever been so warm toward anyone?
Once they had more or less finished talking, Lin Chao Ci handed the phone back to Wu Daojun.
Wu Daojun took it, listened to a few more remarks from Brother Ma, and nodded repeatedly before hanging up.
"Mr. Ma said the forty-percent stake will be priced at two million three hundred thousand! If you have no objections, Mr. Lin, we can sign a letter of intent first. The formal contract will take a few more days..."
"All right..."
The two first signed a letter of intent. The formal contract would have to wait a few more days.
Lin Chao Ci nodded in agreement.
After a little more conversation, Wu Daojun left.
Lin Chao Ci leaned lazily against the sofa and gazed down through the window.
"At last, I've caught the first wave. The internet will be the hottest business for the next decade or so!"
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