Chapter 847: Chapter 826: One-Star Emperor “A valuation of 30 billion US dollars, we are offering 2.5 billion US dollars for 20% in the IPO.” Initially, Lu Liang proposed to use 30% of General Tianxing’s equity for the IPO. Because he was worried that as trade tensions between the two countries intensified in the future, this investment might be lost. Just shorting of Neon, where Wall Street institutions pushed the US-Japan exchange rate to 140 yen, it’s the same principle. Moreover, as Tongtian prepares to contend with Tesla in the market, a lack of available shares would make it difficult to achieve anything significant. However, General Motors strongly opposed this. Flannery had already disagreed with Tongtian going public at this time. Now that Lu Liang wanted to offer 30% of the shares for IPO financing, they were even less likely to agree. The two sides were at a deadlock, but eventually, they both compromised, opting for 20% and raising 6 billion US dollars. Tianxing secured 2.5 billion US dollars worth of the issuance rights, Lu Liang planned to leave 500 million for Delimei, leaving 2 billion. “What do you think?” Lu Liang inquired. Xu Jiawei said, “Mr. Lu, the basic structure of the Xiangjiang market is already very stable, there’s no need to invest too many resources.” “Just as I thought,” Lu Liang chuckled. He thought for a moment and said, “Then 500 million in Xiangjiang, 500 million in Korea, 1 billion US dollars in Neon; an issue price of 20 US dollars per share, which can be adjusted upward based on market sentiment.” For this IPO, General Tianxing will issue 300 million shares, with a base issue price of 20 US dollars per share. The reason that IPOs of well-known companies are highly sought after is because there’s a high probability they can be issued at a premium. Tianxing Finance holds issuance rights for 125 million shares, even if the increase is only 5%, a premium of 1 US dollar would result in a profit of 125 million US dollars. Although compared to the profits from shorting Neon, this is just a drop in the ocean, the opportunity to short a national currency doesn’t come every day. Moreover, speculation requires taking on corresponding risks, whereas this is a steady investment with no possibility of loss. “Understood, Mr. Lu.” Xu Jiawei sighed with relief, finally giving an answer that satisfied Lu Liang. After last time, he felt something was off and consulted Secretary Wen Chao for advice. He was harshly scolded, with Wen Chao saying that though a generic answer suffices, it lacks ownership. If Lu Liang needed someone experienced, they wouldn’t be sent to expand territories. What Lu Liang needed was their enthusiasm, that fearless spirit of a young bull. Thus, Xu Jiawei resolved to remove this ‘lack of ownership’ label from himself. Just as they were conversing, news of overseas Alipay offering a trillion-yen subsidy reached the domestic market. Seeing the subsidies ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of yen, domestic netizens were envious to the point of tears, filled with both awe and disdain. “I protest, why do the Neons get such strong subsidies? Liangzi is biased.” “You protest? They traded three levels of stock market circuit breakers for a sweet reward, would you want that?” “Why not want it? I don’t invest in stocks anyway.” “But I don’t want it, damn it, the Nikkei is rebounding, yet Big A, which was brought down, remains sluggish.” “No way, no way, there are still people hoping for Big A? Didn’t you see that Liangzi set an example?” Big A is as resilient as the National Team, despite being criticized again and again, year after year, it remains indomitable. At Tokyo Time, 3 PM, the Japanese stocks closed, with the Nikkei Index surging by 2,432 points over two days, closing at 18,932 points. Though the index seems to have rebounded by 62.51%, the US-Japan exchange rate was firmly set at 140 yen, showing no signs of rebounding. The plundering of Neon’s national wealth has become an incontrovertible fact, only the sharp rebound of the Nikkei Index preserved the last shred of dignity. Anshan smoothly regained power. “Sir, do you have time this Friday evening?” Ota Ling called Lu Liang, informing him of the situation and inviting Lu Liang to attend a recovery banquet organized by the Mitsui Sumitomo Group for Anshan. “How is this different from using a figurehead to command the nobles?” Lu Liang chuckled, “Did Anshan agree to attend?” Throughout history, Neon’s tradition has never been interrupted, preserving more features and customs of ancient Chinese civilization compared to Korea. It is said, there’s no such thing as a good banquet, and even if Anshan wanted to hold a recovery banquet, it wouldn’t be up to Mitsui Sumitomo to host it. The purpose of Mitsui Sumitomo or Ota Ling hosting a recovery banquet for Anshan is solely to announce to the world. Now that Anshan is returning to the Prime Minister’s residence, the primary contributors are Mitsui Sumitomo and Ota Ling. In the future, no matter who it is, it would be best to talk to him softly. Ota Ling chuckled, noncommittal, and Lu Liang thought for a moment and said, “If I have time, I will come to have a look.” “We are always ready to welcome you, sir!” Upon hearing Ota Ling’s words, Lu Liang’s mouth curled into a smile. In the following days, Alipay’s trillion-yen subsidies continued to roll out in Neon, while Xingheng steadily infiltrated the thirteen companies through financing or mortgage under the guise of Tianxing Finance’s shareholding. The Nikkei 225 Index rose for three consecutive days, but just as the index was about to return to 20,000 points, it suddenly showed signs of exhaustion in its upward movement and began to decline. A professor of finance from Tokyo University specifically published a paper on this matter, pointing out that the main factor was because the sharp drop in the yen led to the Japanese stock’s inability to sustain its upward momentum, as the outflow of wealth was real and did not flow back. However, such statements could only be circulated in a small range, while Fuji TV capitalized on spending money for marketing, continually exposing so-called insider information during Neon’s shorting period, making its all-day viewership rates steadily rank in the market’s top three. Moreover, with PayPal Group’s Alipay under the guise of robbing the rich to give to the poor, recklessly distributing coins to gain goodwill. Now, Lu Liang has already become a deity among Neon’s young generation. The number of fan support clubs has broken through 3 million, forming an indomitable core strength within Neon’s fan community, absolutely forbidding any derogatory comments about Lu Liang, even if it comes from a Tokyo University professor. The Three-star Emperor achievement that Lu Liang anticipated was reaching a breakthrough, a star appearing to emerge, seemingly achieving the one-star Emperor achievement. As Tianxing Finance absorbed the gains of short selling Neon, the financial market of East Asia also welcomed a long-awaited tranquility. Though there’s been no major events, small incidents have been happening continuously. First, Huazhi Group announced the completion of restructuring, becoming wholly owned by Tianxing Finance, and Liu Mingwei, Liu Cixin’s son, resigned from Ocean Park to officially join Tianxing Finance. This move has been likened to calling a thief a father, though Liu Cixin hasn’t been the best person and consistently subjected his stepson to palace intrigue, yet as a father, he’s still a father, and Lu Liang was the main culprit in forcing Liu Cixin out. Next, Emperor Entertainment completed its privatization process and accepted an injection of 128 million US dollars from Tianxing Finance, holding 40% of the shares. As the general manager Yang Qisheng, along with Emperor Group in which Tianxing Finance holds shares, merged with Good Dream Production from mainland Modu to establish Imperial Dream Media Group, the once renowned Emperor Entertainment in Xiangjiang has become a thing of the past. Yang Qisheng had discussed with Lu Liang that in the future, as they plan to enter the education and media industry in Xiangjiang, it would be inappropriate to continue under the name Emperor. After all, Emperor Group is an abbreviation, and the full name is British Royal Entertainment Group, which always has a slightly foreign, posh feel. Yang Qisheng said he had consulted his elder at home, and there was no objection, so Lu Liang agreed. Finally, New World Development applied for a brand change from New World Development Real Estate Group to Hengtai New World and officially ventured into the Xiangjiang Real Estate Market. The company began frenziedly acquiring land and seeking financing, hoping to rely on the fresh infusion from the Xiangjiang Real Estate Market to rescue the internally rotten and externally golden mainland Hengtai. Time quickly rolled over to Thursday. Lu Liang rushed to the airport and invited numerous top-tier Port media to grandly welcome Wen Chao returning from the United States. From the moment Wen Chao’s team disembarked, the surrounding cameras flashed incessantly, with Lu Liang even yielding the left position of honor to stand on Wen Chao’s right. After a half-hour of stop-and-go maneuvering, the group finally boarded the shuttle bus. Wen Chao barely sat down before a strange expression appeared on his face, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Lu, are you coming up with some weird new idea again?” “That’s quite a thing to say.” Lu Liang squinted his eyes with a smile, “Getting you popular, isn’t that a good thing?” Orıginal content can be found at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 “But I’m afraid~” Wen Chao chuckled awkwardly, feeling a mixture of being flattered and a fear of the unknown. Though he hadn’t been Lu Liang’s secretary for a long time, he understood Lu Liang even better than himself. Lu Liang’s life motto was: No one offers hospitality for no reason, nothing is done without purpose, and people don’t get up early for nothing. “Don’t act like a woman.” Lu Liang glared at him in annoyance, beckoning for his new secretary Sun Zheyuan, “I’ve arranged some itineraries for you, settle these media interviews before Monday, however you see fit.” Next Tuesday, General Tianxing will start the roadshow at Xiangjiang Station, followed by Korea and Neon, so all miscellaneous matters must be resolved by Monday, leaving one day as a buffer. “Hello, President Chao, I am Sun Zheyuan, but you can call me Xiao Sun.” Facing his idol, Sun Zheyuan tried hard to restrain his excitement, informing Wen Chao that Lu Liang helped him accept interviews from six media outlets. These media originally intended to interview Lu Liang, but he somehow convinced them to interview Wen Chao instead. Wen Chao looked at Lu Liang in confusion, to which Lu Liang responded with a smile, “A normal interview will do, just think of it as creating momentum for Tongtian’s roadshow.” He grew increasingly fond of the role of a backstage boss, reluctant to publicly expose himself as an easy target, avoiding any sudden catastrophes. Thus, he devised a plan to, over the next six months, while expanding the East Asian financial market, also support a spokesperson for Tianxing Finance. In the future, Lu Liang would gradually hide himself away and decentralize all his power. Wen Chao frowned, puzzled but refrained from asking further questions. He simply responded with an “Okay.” On the way to the city, Lu Liang suddenly pulled out a house purchase contract listing the amount as one Hong Kong dollar, “It’s a gift for you, and also an apology to Xiao Wen for me.” Wen Liqing, Wen Chao’s fiancée. They had been in a relationship for twelve years and went to Tokyo together before returning to Xiangjiang with Wen Chao. The two got engaged earlier this year, with plans to marry on National Day, something Lu Liang was aware of as well. However, Lu Liang had suddenly decided to advance Tongtian’s listing, requiring Wen Chao to travel to the United States for business, delaying the wedding even further. Lu Liang only recently recalled this matter and remembered the instance when he sent Wen Chao to the United States. He didn’t utter a single word of denial, quietly postponing the wedding. Feeling guilty, Lu Liang bought him a large flat in Central as a wedding gift. Wen Chao paused for a moment, glanced at the 2,300-square-foot mention on the contract, and waved it off, “Mr. Lu, I can’t accept this.” “Not accepting it means you’re disrespecting me.” Lu Liang threatened with a stern face initially, then gently advised, “Although the company provides you with an apartment, you don’t understand a girl’s thoughts. A rental will never provide them with the feeling of home.” “Even though your salary isn’t low, the property prices in Xiangjiang are much higher. At your current income level, it would take at least three more years to save for a down payment. That young lady has already waited for you for so many years; do you really want her to wait several more?” Wen Chao was silent, and then Lu Liang added, “Regardless of whether you want it or not, I’ve already paid the unexpected capital transfer tax as the handling fee on this transaction, and you can do as you see fit.” If he were buying the property, he could do so under the company’s name, but giving it as a gift with a specified owner required real money and paying the appropriate taxes. “Thank you, Mr. Lu.” Wen Chao pondered for a long time, finally expressing his gratitude and quietly accepting the house purchase contract. “Now, that’s more like it.” Lu Liang beamed, satisfied with Wen Chao’s attitude. Saying “thank you” suffices, nothing more is necessary. Lu Liang patted Wen Chao on the shoulder, earnestly speaking, “Xiaochao, rest assured. Once General Tianxing is listed, I’ll give you at least half a month’s leave.” “You said the same thing last time.” Wen Chao abruptly remarked. Lu Liang laughed dryly, “Circumstances change.” “We’ll see when the time comes.” The usually stern Wen Chao suddenly smiled, revealing a hint of happiness on his face, “Xiao Wen, she’s always very understanding of me.”