Xiao Shan Entrepreneurial Park, Building C.
Lu Liang found Hu Weiwei's assistant's phone number on Mobike's official website.
They arranged to et at the coffee shop by the entrance.
Approaching eleven, Hu Weiwei ca alone.
At 32, she was a mature woman with a lot of charisma, similar to Tang Caide, but with a confidence Tang never had.
"Mr. Lu, I'm so sorry, I hope I'm not late."
Her laugh was hearty, instantly letting Lu Liang know she was not just a pretty face or Li Bing's rumored lover.
Lu Liang said, "I just arrived too, Mr. Hu, what would you like to drink?"
"An Aricano is fine."
Hu Weiwei smiled, sizing up Lu Liang.
She considered ofo Mobike's biggest competitor, so much so that without ofo, Mobike wouldn't exist.
Yesterday, when ofo secured funding, Hu Weiwei had received the news imdiately, which was why she had agreed to et with Lu Liang.
Otherwise, the re 6 million in registered capital at Tianxing Investnt wouldn't have been appealing enough.
Lu Liang sipped his coffee and said, "Yesterday, I invested in a company at Shangcai, its na is ofo."
Hu Weiwei nodded and admitted, "I t them early this year while I was in Beijing. It's also because of ofo that Mobike exists now."
Lu Liang said, "I think the relationship between ofo and Mobike is like the early ituan and Dianping."
"So, Mr. Lu, you want to hold both ends? You won't lose no matter who wins?" Hu Weiwei asked with a smile.
Lu Liang nodded with a smile, openly admitting it.
Hu Weiwei went on, "Mobike has no money, so Mr. Li helps pull in investnts. When there are supply chain issues, he brought in Foxconn, and when there's a need for managent talent, he brought Wang Xiaofang to to be CEO."
At the end, she looked at Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, what do you think you can do for Mobike?"
Funding for a company, beyond the initial rounds, requires not just money but also a network of relationships.
For internet companies' final rounds of funding, they tend to favor foreign capital since ambitious companies want to go international, and foreign investors can provide overseas networks.
If Tianxing Investnt only offers money,
Then I'm sorry, she wouldn't accept Lu Liang's investnt.
Lu Liang with a smile said, "From what I hear, Mobike sounds more like Mr. Li's Mobike, rather than your Mobike, Mr. Hu."
"Mr. Lu, if that's what you're here to discuss, then let's end today's eting here, I have other matters to attend to."
Hu Weiwei's expression changed slightly, Lu Liang's words hitting an especially sore spot.
Li Bing was like a super nanny, safeguarding Mobike's growth and solving its early challenges, making her feel like a re puppet.
Funds, supply chains, and even managers, all were brought in by Li Bing. If she ever clashed with Li Bing, it was obvious who they would support.
Lu Liang calmly said, "Our Tianxing may not be as rich and powerful as Mr. Li, but what Tianxing can offer is unconditional support for any of your decisions."
Last night, he had thought it over a lot. Compared to Li Bing, he and his Tianxing Investnt were small players.
Lu Liang was dissatisfied, watching wealth slip past him, which is why he thought of focusing on Hu Weiwei.
Having a guardian in the early stages of a startup is good, but when the guardian is overly involved, it's easy to lose sovereignty.
Therefore, Lu Liang wanted to test the waters, to see if rumors about their relationship were true or not.
If true, he would imdiately have Chen Jinchun book a ticket back to Modu; if not, there was still a chance.
Hu Weiwei stayed silent for a long while, "Mr. Lu, Mobike isn't short on funds for now, but if we need to, I will contact you."
She feared her tone might make Lu Liang misunderstand, so she added with a smile, "Then, please don't pretend not to know ."
Unable to reject sovereignty even if it didn't seem much, Hu Weiwei realized even a little help counts when amassed—just in case she did clash with Li Bing, it wouldn't leave her helpless.
"How could I? I'll await your good news, Mr. Hu."
Lu Liang's lips curled up with a knowing smile.
They talked until noon and then found a place to eat.
Lu Liang refused to believe the skeptics and insisted on trying Hang City's only specialty dish: West Lake Vinegar Fish.
Then he realized why West Lake, vinegar, and fish were such a magical trio.
No wonder it was considered authentic only if eaten by the lakeside—they could throw the plate into the lake afterward.
"West Lake Vinegar Fish teaches a lesson to anyone stubborn."
Hu Weiwei couldn't help but laugh, and after finishing the al and paying the bill, she bid farewell and left first.
With everything settled, Lu Liang had nothing else to do. After taking a few photos by West Lake as a tourist, he planned to return to Modu.
Chen Jinchun quietly reminded him, "Mr. Lu, isn't the hotel room going to waste?"
"Since it's already booked, if you want to stay, feel free, but rember to get an invoice to reimburse from Mr. Tang," Lu Liang said with a smile.
"No, I want to go back with you."
By four in the afternoon, the two had returned to Modu.
"It's a bit out of the way; you should take a cab ho."
Lu Liang left a remark and headed for the parking lot to drive.
Chen Jinchun, feeling resentful, watched his departing figure and wished he could stick a little doll with Lu Liang's na on it and jab it with needles.
Upon leaving the high-speed rail station, Lu Liang stopped at a mall and bought a Mickey Mouse, then went to visit Zhang Qian's house to see his goddaughter.
The little girl had received the news ahead of ti and was happily waiting at ho. As soon as she saw Lu Liang, she sprinted towards him and clung to him.
"Do you like this Mickey Mouse?" Lu Liang asked affectionately, holding the little girl and presenting the hidden toy from behind his back.
"Thank you, Uncle, but the ones with bows are Minnie~"
The little girl hugged the toy dearly, but she still corrected Lu Liang's mistake.
"No wonder I felt that this mouse didn't quite look like the one I saw when I was a kid."
"Uncle, did you watch cartoons when you were young?"
"Of course, 'Black Cat Sheriff,' 'Hulu Brothers,' and 'Shuke and Beta.'"
"Mom lied to again; she said she never watched cartoons when she was little."
The little girl, seeing her mom about to get angry, shrieked and hurried back to her room, "I still haven't finished my howork."
Zhang Qian's face was tender yet helpless, "You'll spoil her rotten one of these days."
"Girls are ant to be pampered."
Lu Liang said, laughing, then suddenly noting that today Zhang Qian was dressed very attractively—a blue knit dress accentuating her graceful curves, voluptuous and enticing.
Without a certain social experience, one could hardly emulate the vibe that Zhang Qian exuded, akin to a ripe peach.
Lu Liang embraced Zhang Qian, and they snuggled on the sofa as she began to update him on recent happenings.
Her mother was discharged from the hospital but still needed rest, not wanting to be a burden, so she had her father take her back to their hotown.
She had also been exploring entrepreneurial opportunities recently.
Zhang Qian asked, "Liang, what do you think about fast-food restaurants in the city?"
Although working in a beauty salon was relatively easy, she wasn't very confident about it nor felt it could be a long-term venture.
But city fast-food was different; as long as they established a good reputation, they could keep going indefinitely, even for ten or twenty years.
She knew she would eventually grow old and that day wasn't too far off.
By then, Lu Liang wouldn't be interested in her.
Zhang Qian needed a steady, long-lasting source of inco and had considered the city fast-food project for a long ti.
"If you've decided, go ahead, just let know how much money you need."
Lu Liang responded lethargically; he had woken up early today and had run a trip to Hang City, making him a bit tired.
Zhang Qian spoke gently, "This project might not need it; I still have so savings."
However, after a while, Lu Liang gave no response, only the sound of even breathing filled her ears.
Zhang Qian couldn't help but smile, gently extracted her arm, and covered him with a blanket.
She leaned down to kiss Lu Liang's cheek, then walked to her daughter's bedroom, closed the door, and kept the living room quiet.
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