lcionline Chapter 112 A Cup of Wine to Release Military Power
Chapter 112 A Cup of Wine to Release Military Power
Chapter 112 Releasing Military Power Over a Cup of Wine (7k)
"Honey, I passed my online interview! I finally got an offer to be a nominal partner at a newly established Arctic Capital."
"My new boss asked me to go to Shanghai to handle two small investment signings. I will do my best, both for my boss and for ourselves, to successfully secure these two projects."
"I have to leave for a few days, but I'll be back in Hong Kong to be with you soon. Take care and wait for me."
In a private sanatorium in Hong Kong, Li Dongping had just finished carefully washing his unconscious wife and then gently turned her over.
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his wife's thin but warm hand, and whispered to her as if she were just asleep listening.
After receiving Gu Wanning's message, and after two days of struggle, he finally accepted the "base salary + project commission + performance sharing" employment terms offered by Arctic Capital.
The fixed annual salary of HK$600,000 was far lower than his peak income, and even lower than his bottom line after losing his job, which he was very dissatisfied with.
What truly impressed him was the promised work model: projects were infrequent, and he only needed to get involved in the mid-to-late stages, without having to participate in the tedious initial searching and negotiations.
This means he can spend more time with his wife in her hospital bed.
This is the biggest perk of the job, but it also means that the seemingly tempting "project commission" and "performance sharing" are likely just a pretty but unattainable "pie in the sky".
But no matter what, at least there is a fixed income, which can provide a stable cash flow for the family.
This reasonably well-equipped private nursing home costs HK$50,000 annually for bed fees, basic care, and medical monitoring. With the addition of specially formulated nutritional supplements, specific medications, and occasional specialist consultation fees, the total cost approaches HK$700,000.
Sitting idly by and spending all your savings will eventually lead to ruin; your previous savings won't last long.
Returning to his somewhat deserted home from the sanatorium, Li Dongping carefully reviewed the information about the "Ele.me" and "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" projects, as well as his boss's concise instructions: complete the signing according to the issued TS terms.
After ironing several shirts and packing two suits, Li Dongping packed his suitcase and headed to the airport to fly to Shanghai to participate in contract negotiations with the "Ele.me" and "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" teams.
In office 315 of Jiaotong University Science and Technology Park.
Since Ma Chunmei moved in, the atmosphere here has subtly changed, with a subtle sense of tension amidst the comings and goings of people.
She got up to speed quickly, not only mastering the business in no time, but also becoming very close with the future board representatives of Baihe.com, adopting many of their management suggestions.
Immediately afterwards, she personally stepped in and hired a human resources manager and a finance director at high salaries, clearly indicating her intention to quickly take control of the company's "people" and "money".
Thanks to the efficient management of the new HR manager, a slightly balding manager named Zhao from ChinaSoft International was hired in a flash to take on a technical management position.
Subsequently, new faces joined positions in operations, field sales, and R&D.
Of the original core members of Geng Zhi's startup team, only CEO Li Haipeng, who led the team to expand into new territories, and irreplaceable psychological expert Sun Xiaowen are still being given important roles.
Li Haipeng and Sun Xiaowen did indeed behave very well and listened to Ma Chunmei.
In terms of managing university student teams, Ma Chunmei heavily relied on Zhang Xinxin, while gradually marginalizing Shu Beibei, Yang Mingxia, and Zhao Jie, who occasionally expressed different opinions.
At this moment, the CEO's office door was tightly closed.
Ma Chunmei was yelling at the newly hired technical manager and programmer, Xiao Ding: "Manager Zhao, you've been here for a while now, why is the website development progressing at such a snail's pace? There's not a single improvement!"
"Mr. Ma, this really can't be entirely our fault." Manager Zhao looked troubled. "The technical control and core code of the website are all in CT0."
Geng Zhi was clutching it tightly in his hand. We wanted to help, but there was nothing we could do! And—”
"And what?" Ma Chunmei asked hurriedly.
"Moreover, Gengzhi and his senior classmates are all researching Android and iOS, discussing it enthusiastically every day. But for our website, it's not that it's not helpful at all, it's practically useless!" Manager Zhao continued to complain.
"Chunmei, after hearing what Manager Zhao said, I guess that Geng Zhi did it on purpose, to make you feel that the company can't do without him," Ma Wenbiao reminded her from the side.
Ma Chunmei wholeheartedly agreed, and frowned as she asked, "Then—what should we do now?"
Manager Zhao's eyes darted around, and he tentatively said, "If Mr. Ma can let me rightfully take over the responsibilities of CTO, I dare to promise that the website launch speed will be greatly accelerated!"
Ma Chunmei's heart stirred.
Manager Zhao is thirty-six years old, with a shiny forehead and an impressive resume, looking just like the legendary sweeping monk widely circulated online.
Ma Chunmei was willing to believe what he said.
But after careful consideration, she shook her head: "This—it's not feasible at the moment."
She could oust Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia, but she didn't have the ability to oust Geng Zhi right now, because Geng Zhi's shares hadn't been transferred to her yet, and she didn't dare to act recklessly.
"Chunmei, if what Manager Zhao says is true, that someone who's just sitting around doing nothing is indeed an obstacle to the company's development," Ma Wenbiao said again, pointing out the pros and cons.
Ma Chunmei looked at Manager Zhao: "Is there any other way for you to smoothly take over the technical work from Geng Zhi without causing too much trouble?"
Manager Zhao, already prepared, immediately said, "Aren't they particularly interested in that 'MM' project? Mr. Ma, why don't you just go with the flow and officially launch it, letting Geng Zhi dedicate himself to incubating it?"
"I'll take full responsibility for the main website. This way, he can focus on his innovations without any problems, while we can fully push forward with our core business—a win-win situation."
Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmei thought carefully for a moment and asked, "Manager Zhao, based on your experience, do you think Geng Zhi and his 'MM' project can succeed?"
"If it succeeds, that would be a miracle!" Manager Zhao laughed. "Mr. Ma, have you ever seen a dating app that's this successful? If not, why should his straightforwardness make it work?"
Ma Chunmei had overheard Song Qing and his group's discussions a few times. After a moment's thought, she realized that there really wasn't such a dating app on the market.
But she was still hesitant. After all, Zhu Xiaohu had once been very optimistic about Geng Zhi's plans, and she was worried that if Geng Zhi really succeeded, she might not be able to control the overall situation.
Seeing that Ma Chunmei was still hesitant, Manager Zhao continued to fuel the fire: "President Ma, if the website's progress keeps dragging on, and when investors Baihe.com and President Zhu ask about it and find out that we've received funding but haven't achieved any online results, it might affect our future funding support and their trust in us."
These words struck at Ma Chunmei's weak spot.
Without further hesitation, she said to Ma Wenbiao, "Uncle Biao, could you please ask Geng Zhi to come to the office for a talk?"
Ma Wenbiao didn't move, and curled his lip: "Now? It's not even 10:30 yet, that kid definitely hasn't come to work yet."
Ma Chunmei frowned, slammed her hand on the table, and said, "Does he often arrive this late? That's outrageous!"
"It's not often," Manager Zhao interjected, his tone indignant, "it's like this every day! That damn Senior Brother Song of his is the same; he acts more like the boss than the boss himself."
He and Xiao Ding both start work at 9:30 in the morning and finish get off work promptly at 6:30 in the afternoon.
He only saw that Song Qing came to the company on weekdays for three days, arriving at 10:30 every day, but he didn't know that Song Qing often stayed up until 10 or 11 at night, and spent the whole day here on Saturdays and Sundays.
At 10:29, Geng Zhi, as usual, strolled leisurely into the office to start work.
"Hey, Beibei?" He was a little surprised to see Shu Beibei, who should have been on a business trip in Jinling, sitting at her desk scrolling through her phone. "Weren't you supposed to be in Jinling since you didn't have classes these days?"
"Mr. Ma—he handed over the business I was in charge of to someone else." Shu Beibei pouted and said in a low voice, her eyes showing grievance.
With many eyes and ears around, she didn't say much.
Geng Zhi frowned.
"Boss," Yang Mingxia, who was standing next to her, couldn't hide her feelings any longer. Her face fell. "You haven't been here for the past two days, and my operations team leader—is gone too." As she spoke, she glanced toward the CEO's office.
They acted so quickly?
Geng Zhi sneered inwardly. Was Ma Chunmei's brain made of mush? She was too eager to seize power, but her skills were too low.
Seeing his two favorite subordinates being bullied like this, Geng Zhi worried that Ma Chunmei might find an excuse to fire them one day, so he hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened? Tell me!"
Shu Beibei, mindful of the large number of people around, gestured with her eyes to go outside to talk.
Yang Mingxia, disregarding all that, spoke up right there at her workstation: "Beibei organized an event at Jinling University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, but more than a dozen students who signed up canceled at the last minute. We didn't have enough people to fill in, so the event's success was affected. Boss Ma criticized Sister Beibei for her poor organization!"
Geng Zhi nodded, knowing that Shu Beibei was the scapegoat, and asked, "And what about you?"
"I'm even more wronged!"
Yang Mingxia said angrily, "I helped you manage your personal Weibo account, and your followers have increased to over 20,000. Last Friday, Boss Ma asked me to manage hers too, and after only two days, I only have a little over 1,000 followers."
"Huh? So what? What's the reason for the criticism?" Geng Zhi asked, puzzled.
"The reason I was biased and had personal motives is that she only has 1/20th of your number of followers, yet you removed me from my position!"
"You've been managing this for me for so long, and you've only been managing it for her for two days? A thousand-plus increase is pretty much!" Geng Zhi was amused by the situation.
"Yes, but Mr. Ma doesn't think so—" Yang Mingxia spread her hands, equally puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi was furious, and his voice rose involuntarily, "Nonsense! Isn't this blatant bullying of my people?!"
He gently patted their shoulders and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'm here. This matter can't be left like this."
After saying that, he turned around and strode towards the CEO's office.
The air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.
All eyes were quietly drawn to his upright and straight back.
Some were worried, some were curious, and some were excited, as if they wanted to stir up trouble.
Just as Geng Zhi reached the office door, the door opened from the inside, and Ma Wenbiao walked out.
"Straightforward, what a coincidence, Mr. Ma was just looking for you." Ma Wenbiao stepped aside.
Geng Zhi ignored him and walked straight into the office, his face still showing lingering anger.
Seeing Geng Zhi's accusatory look, Ma Chunmei knew exactly what it was about. Instead, she put on a smile and took the initiative to speak: "Geng Zhi, you're here? Is there something you need?"
Geng Zhi glanced at Manager Zhao and Xiao Ding standing beside him and sneered inwardly. It seemed that he was going to be stripped of his power over a cup of wine today.
That's good, he was just worried about not having a chance to completely extricate himself.
He deliberately adopted a tough stance and questioned, "Mr. Ma, I'd like to ask, Yang Mingxia and Shu Beibei have always been diligent and responsible in their work. Why were they suddenly reassigned and stripped of their authority? What did they do wrong?"
"Straightforward, what you said is not right."
Ma Chunmei's smile faded, and she said seriously, "The company is developing rapidly and needs more professional and experienced talent to take on important responsibilities. This is called 'the capable rise, the mediocre step aside, and the incompetent are dismissed,' which is a basic principle of scientific management in modern enterprises."
"Yang Mingxia and Shu Beibei are still students, after all. Their experience, abilities, and perspectives are indeed lacking compared to our newly recruited senior colleagues. Putting more suitable people in suitable positions is for the better development of the company."
"Mr. Ma, are you in a hurry to cultivate your own loyal followers?" Geng Zhi sneered, directly pointing out the obvious.
"upright!"
Ma Chunmei's face darkened, and she slammed her hand on the table: "What kind of thinking is this? Nepotism is a major taboo in management! You can't protect them without principle just because they are veterans of the company's founding! This is extremely dangerous for the company's development!"
The more she talked, the more convinced she became of her point. She started reciting theories she had recently learned from management books and Mu Yan, feeling that her logic was sound and her words were righteous. A smug look even appeared on her face.
Geng Zhi rolled his eyes inwardly, but he couldn't help but admire her ability to learn on the spot and apply things haphazardly.
"Mr. Ma, we can't treat our founding members like this; it's disheartening—" Geng Zhi continued to protest, but his tone softened slightly. "Geng Zhi!" Ma Chunmei seized on the change in his tone, her voice turning cold. "If you continue to disregard the bigger picture and blindly protect your own, I'll have to consider their future according to company regulations!"
Upon hearing this, Geng Zhi seemed to have his vitals gripped, his momentum faltered, and he fell silent.
Seeing that she had outmaneuvered Geng Zhi, Ma Chunmei felt smug. Her expression immediately brightened, and she adopted a sincere tone: "Geng Zhi, I understand how you feel. They've been with you for a long time and have developed feelings for you. But my intentions are all for the good of the company. If the company thrives and the pie grows bigger, won't everyone benefit? Don't you think that makes sense?"
She not only asked Geng Zhi, but also looked at Manager Zhao and Xiao Ding.
"Mr. Ma is very insightful and absolutely right!" Manager Zhao quickly echoed.
Geng Zhi seemed to have been persuaded and nodded somewhat reluctantly.
Ma Chunmei felt the time was right and began to reveal her true purpose.
"Just as you said, the 'MM' project carries the company's future hopes and is very important. I was just discussing with Manager Zhao about having him share your work on the online website."
"You should put all your energy into incubating these projects. If they succeed, our company will reach new heights. What do you think?"
Geng Zhi didn't agree immediately. Instead, he frowned and looked at Manager Zhao with a sharp gaze, clearly distrustful.
Seeing this, Ma Chunmei quickly tried to smooth things over: "Oh, this is just my idea, it has nothing to do with Manager Zhao. He was just following the company's arrangements."
Geng Zhi remained silent, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Ma Chunmei was determined to divert Geng Zhi and his cronies from the core business. Seeing that he was unmoved by her persuasion, she had no choice but to escalate the situation.
"President Geng, Yu Jiao just said that a company downstairs has closed down and the office is now empty. How about we rent it for you and your senior colleagues so you can work quietly there? If you need any resources from the company, just let us know."
She reverted to addressing Geng Zhi as the polite "President Geng".
She pressed her advantage: "You just said that Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia are company veterans, quite capable, but they're not suited for their current positions. How about we transfer them over to assist you with the 'MM' project? What do you think of that arrangement?"
How about it? Of course, we couldn't be happier!
A private office means they can openly discuss the development of Momo without having to do it secretly anymore.
The arrival of Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia not only allows them to conduct marketing planning in advance, but also provides them with time to assist Vice President Liu Kangping's team in advancing the drafting of the white paper.
A barely concealed glint flashed in Geng Zhi's eyes. He pursed his lips slightly and slowly said, "Since Mr. Ma has arranged it this way—well then. I will hand over the relevant website permissions and data to Manager Zhao as soon as possible. From now on, I'll be leaving the website to Manager Zhao."
Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmei and Manager Zhao were both overjoyed.
Ma Chunmei was delighted by her success in gaining further power, while Manager Zhao was delighted that he had taken another step closer to the CTO position.
"Great! That's wonderful!"
Fearing that Geng Zhi might change his mind, Ma Chunmei immediately said to Manager Zhao, "President Geng has already agreed. You and Xiao Ding must fully cooperate with President Geng to ensure a smooth handover and expedite the website's launch! Don't let the company and President Geng down!"
"Don't worry, Mr. Ma! Don't worry, Mr. Geng! We will do our best to complete the mission!" Manager Zhao puffed out his chest and made a solemn vow.
He thanked Ma Chunmei, then he and Xiao Ding retreated to the doorway, waiting for Geng Zhi to come out and hand over the duties.
But Geng Zhi remained standing still.
Ma Chunmei's heart skipped a beat: "Geng Zhi—Mr. Geng, is there anything else?"
"Mr. Ma," Geng Zhi said as if suddenly remembering, "Mr. Li Dongping from Arctic Capital will be coming to Shanghai tomorrow to formally discuss a term sheet (TS) contract with us. Would you like to get involved in this personally?"
"Uh—well," Ma Chunmei's eyes darted around for a moment, "Anyway, we've already decided not to accept their investment, so I don't need to go in person to negotiate. You can go with Li Haipeng."
She had already aligned herself with Mu Yan and Zhu Xiaohu, so she wouldn't get involved in anything that might offend potential investors.
Geng Zhi glanced at Attorney Chen beside him before saying to Ma Chunmei, "Okay, Ms. Ma. Then have Attorney Chen come with me tomorrow. We'll focus on finding reasonable points in the TS clause that aren't favorable to the founding team, as reasons for rejection."
"Okay, let's do it this way." Ma Chunmei readily agreed.
"No, Mr. Geng," Attorney Chen said, sounding somewhat flustered. "Weren't these kinds of investment agreements usually reviewed by Attorney Gu Wanning? Why are you suddenly calling me in? I have some other things to do on my plate—"
He's fine handling ordinary economic disputes, but when it comes to highly specialized documents like letters of intent for investment, which are full of strategic details, he's far from capable.
"Attorney Chen, Attorney Gu has something come up and can't make it. You are our company's chief legal counsel, and we need you to step in and oversee things at this crucial moment." Geng Zhi smiled and flattered him.
Attorney Chen felt embarrassed and embarrassed to admit that he was not good at it, so he looked to Ma Chunmei for help.
Geng Zhi stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder kindly: "Attorney Chen, relax. We're not really going to sign a contract. We're just following Mr. Ma's instructions to find fault with them and politely decline their offer."
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"That's right, Attorney Chen," Ma Chunmei chimed in. "You're always so meticulous when reviewing contracts; you're the best at finding fault. Don't feel pressured."
Attorney Chen: "————Okay then."
"Attorney Chen, let's discuss this in detail in the downstairs conference room in five minutes. I'll invite Li Haipeng along." After saying this, Geng Zhi walked straight out of the office.
Shu Beibei and Yang Mingxia, who had been waiting outside the office, rushed to greet Geng Zhi when he came out with a blank expression.
"Boss, did Mr. Ma give you a hard time?" Shu Beibei asked anxiously, worried that Geng Zhi would have a complete falling out with Ma Chunmei because of them.
"Mr. Ma said he's going to fire both of you," Geng Zhi said with a straight face.
"Huh?" Shu Beibei's face turned pale.
"Huh?" Yang Mingxia was startled at first, then stiffened her neck. "Fine, I'll open it! This old lady has long since stopped serving you!"
"However, I've saved you all." Geng Zhi finally smiled. "Come with me to the new project team, are you in?"
"I do!" Shu Beibei said without hesitation.
"Fine! I'd love to! Hahaha!" Yang Mingxia's mood instantly brightened, and she was incredibly excited.
After calming his two trusted lieutenants, Geng Zhi first called Li Haipeng, who was communicating at the School of Media and Communication, and then called the anxious lawyer Chen to go downstairs to the conference room to study Arctic Capital's term sheet again.
In fact, if you really want to reject Arctic Capital, the reason can be very simple and straightforward, or you can even say directly, "We have found a more suitable investor."
But Geng Zhi's goal was never the agreement itself.
His real purpose was to take advantage of this TS negotiation opportunity to conduct a second, close-up, face-to-face assessment of Li Dongping.
In the short term, this "nominal partner" position at Arctic Capital is an employment relationship. However, Geng Zhi's long-term hope is to find a truly capable and trustworthy business partner.
He had a good impression of Li Dongping from Gu Wanning's recommendation and phone conversation last time, but there are too many examples of things "dying in the light of day".
He needs a real, hard-fought battle to test his opponent's true strength.
Unfortunately, Gu Wanning can't help because of the principle of avoidance, Attorney Chen is only half-baked, and Li Haipeng still needs more training. Tomorrow's negotiation and interview will mainly depend on his performance on the spot.
That evening, in the Nordic Doctor's Garden, Geng Zhi was lying on Gu Wan Ning's big bed, talking on the phone with Gu Wan Ning, who was also lying on the bed.
After he went through the TS plan in detail with Attorney Chen and Li Haipeng, he found some points of disagreement, but he was still not entirely at ease.
So, he sent Gu Wanning a term sheet that was basically the same as the one from Arctic Capital, under the pretext of "negotiating with another capital firm," and asked Gu Wanning for her opinion.
[Gu Wanning]: "Geng, you big liar! Just how many TS documents did you collect? Even casting a wide net wouldn't be this extensive!"
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[Straightforward]: "Just three portions, just three portions."
[Gu Wanning]: "You've already signed contracts with Baihe.com and Jinshajiang Venture Capital, and you're still dating other companies? Do you have any conscience at all?!"
[Straightforward]: "This just proves how excellent our project is! It also proves that Attorney Gu has a keen eye, investing in and binding me to this potential stock early on, making me my lifelong consultant—a sure thing!"
[Gu Wanning]: "Tch! Don't give me that!"
[Straightforward]: "Besides, what I really wanted to sign with was your client, Arctic Capital! But the Ma family, father and daughter, were blinded by money and chose Baihe.com. You, Attorney Gu, are aware of this situation."
[Gu Wanning]: "Alright, alright, stop joking. Tell me, how do you need me to scam people this time?"
[Straightforward]: "We have to politely decline that organization's offer, so we can't appear fickle."
[Straightforward]: "So I'd like to ask Attorney Gu for his sharp eyes to help me take a look at this TS (Term Sheet) and see which clauses seem ordinary but actually contain huge pitfalls for the founding team? I'll use these pitfalls as a shield tomorrow."
[Gu Wanning]: "There are many such clauses. For example, drag-along rights clauses, drag-along rights clauses, strict non-compete clauses for founders, and broad intellectual property ownership agreements—with a little manipulation, they can lock up the founders."
[Straightforward]: "Seeking advice from Attorney Gu!"
On the phone, Geng Zhi, lying on the bed, grabbed Gu Wan Ning and asked her many details, keeping her occupied for two hours before finally hanging up, satisfied.
At 10:30 p.m., an investment agreement negotiation finally came to an end in the conference room of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Academic Activity Center Hotel.
Zhang Xuhao, Kang Jia, Wang Yuan, and others from the "Ele.me" team shook hands solemnly with Li Dongping, a partner at Arctic Capital, and his accompanying lawyer. Each of them wore a tired yet excited smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Li, thank you, Arctic Capital. We at Ele.me will definitely follow the established plan and move forward quickly!" Zhang Xuhao said.
Ele.me, after being established for so long, was fortunate to encounter an angel investor—Arctic Capital—just when its funding chain was about to collapse.
Once the Series A funding is successfully completed, the company's resources will be fully utilized.
Driven by the trust placed in them by Arctic Capital and for their own dreams, Zhang Xuhao, Kang Jia, and Wang Yuan have decided to give it their all to make Ele.me a success.
"Keep it up! We hope that Ele.me can become a benchmark for our Arctic Capital's investments in mainland China and become a true internet unicorn in the future!" Li Dongping said calmly.
Stepping out of the hotel, the cold winter wind hit my face, bringing a stinging sensation.
But Li Dongping felt a rare warmth in his heart.
Before I arrived, the boss behind the scenes told me that the cooperation with the two teams had been laid out in advance and that the negotiations would be very simple.
He was still skeptical at the time, wondering if the boss was just making empty promises to encourage him.
However, the negotiations with the "Ele.me" team tonight went much more smoothly than expected.
Once the subsequent payments are completed, according to the contract, he will receive his first project commission of at least five thousand and at most fifteen thousand US dollars!
The boss was right!
Back at the Home Inn hotel, after parting ways with the lawyer, Li Dongping couldn't wait to return to his room, preparing to send an email to his boss to report the day's negotiation results in detail.
After tonight, he gained a more intuitive understanding of the negotiation style and ability of mainland university student entrepreneurial teams—they are energetic, but lack sophisticated negotiation skills.
This made him feel a bit more relaxed and expectant about tomorrow's negotiations with the "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" team.
Little did he know that he was about to face his own boss.