He Zhengcheng's career officially began, and Li Mingyuan's career also officially started. Hong Kong comics, which merged the styles of Japan and the United States, adopted an assembly-line production method. So he also found three or four assistants to help him draw his no-holds-barred comic titled "Lin Xing."
"Lin Xing" undoubtedly drew heavily from "Gintama." To be published in Japan, they set the location in the Ryukyu Islands or some other place; that wasn't important. Using an alternate history setting, they made this place a region where the three ethnic groups of China, Japan and South Korea merged, and the architectural style also incorporated features from all three places. Then they faced an alien invasion. The protagonist was a swordsman, the second male lead was a samurai, and their trio also included a South Korean lady skilled in disguise... Li Mingyuan brilliantly preserved "Gintama's" greatest characteristic: its no-holds-barred nature. Of course, it could also be described as Hong Kong's scatological humor; they were all somewhat similar, and how to describe it depended on whose voice had more authority.
"Not bad, young man, I have high hopes for you," He Zhengcheng said, very satisfied with Li Mingyuan's work.
"Get lost, do you know how much I sacrificed for this comic?" Li Mingyuan retorted.
Of course, he knew. The comic had one chapter, and its style appeared quite unified, not jarring, and relatively close to the Japanese manga style, while also having its own unique characteristics.
"You need to understand that your unique style is forming. You still have to go through a painful period. Perhaps after this comic, you will become a master-level figure," He Zhengcheng tried to persuade him.
"Damn it, I'd be crazy to believe you," Li Mingyuan scoffed.
After chatting for a while, He Zhengcheng left. Even on weekends, they had no time to rest. Of course, after this period, they wouldn't need to be so busy.
There were still disagreements regarding the use of funds. Should they be used centrally, or should each person be responsible for a portion of the funds? Of course, the moderate approach was for some funds to be used centrally, and some funds to be managed individually. So, would the final amount of funds raised affect the allocation ratio?
He Zhengcheng did not express an opinion. No matter how it was allocated, he had no objections.
"Why don't you express an opinion?" Xu Xin asked.
"I don't understand the specific matters. All your opinions make sense. For me, there isn't much difference between using three hundred million US dollars and thirty million US dollars," He Zhengcheng replied.
"..."
"I mean, no matter how much money is used, I need to learn. And for a country and an industry, this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket," He Zhengcheng clarified.
Showing off needs to be done in the right context. Showing off in front of partners doesn't seem like a good thing; it can easily create conflict... Actually, while it was called fund allocation, some funds needed to have their investment amount determined based on the project. The funds they could freely manage and use were not very much, quite possibly not even half of the fundraising target.
"Our investment scope has been determined, mainly Daxia Country and the United States. So how should the personnel be allocated? Who will be responsible for developing the United States market?" Lv Lang asked.
Xu Xin would definitely go to the mainland. Ji Jiasheng was the boss, so he would most likely stay in Hong Kong. Yu Dehui was from Taiwan and had a fellow countryman, Yang Zhiyuan, in Silicon Valley. Chao Yang had a background of studying abroad in the United States. Lv Lang came from London, and He Zhengcheng was a local Hong Konger. Looking at it this way, he seemed destined to develop his career in Daxia Country.
"Our capital is too small. Competing with those giants in Silicon Valley now has little chance of success. Good projects might not even reach us. Should we wait two years, until we open up the situation and win the trust of investors, before going to the United States?" Yu Dehui suggested.
"Investing in the United States might face competitors from all over the world. I currently don't want to fight this uncertain hard battle," Lv Lang stated.
Xu Xin did not speak; everyone would not let her go to the United States.
He Zhengcheng never expected that, facing such a vast market as the United States, some people would actually refuse to go. That was a vibrant world!
"Dehui, I need to stay in Hong Kong to handle various relationships. Chao Yang also can't leave; the company's capital flow and subsequent fund arrivals all require him. However, both he and I will make time to go to the United States," Ji Jiasheng said.
"Jiasheng, it's not that I don't want to go. The market environment there is much stronger than here in Daxia Country. We are still unfamiliar with the information industry and need time to understand it. Otherwise, even if I go to Silicon Valley, if I don't know what a company does or their investment logic, how can I carry out my work? Daxia Country is in a state of rebuilding; investing in any industry here has a high probability of success, and we can also refer to Silicon Valley's internet companies to price enterprises here..." Yu Dehui explained.
Upon hearing this, He Zhengcheng finally understood a little. In the beginning, everyone was actually clueless, only knowing that the internet was the future but not knowing where the internet's profit prospects truly came from. In other words, everyone was feeling their way across the river, preferring to kill the wrong one than let a single one escape.
"I'll go then. I'm more familiar with the internet. Even if I don't invest in any projects in the first year or two, I accept it. At the very least, I need to understand the startup environment there and strive to build my network of contacts! By then, our investments in Daxia Country might already show results, and perhaps we can raise more funds to expand into the United States market," He Zhengcheng offered.
Silicon Valley in this era was actually relatively easy to enter. Masayoshi Son poured money in, pushed Yahoo to go public, and became an overnight sensation, opening the doors of the entire Silicon Valley to him. Perhaps he could rely on the recently established Google to open the doors of Silicon Valley. Of course, whether for profit or for secrecy, he would not be frank about this with Shanhai Capital's partners.
"I think that's fine. Cheng Zai isn't very familiar with the entire investment industry, and he still has his own business in Hong Kong. He can gain experience in Silicon Valley while also managing his Hong Kong business well. After we invest in Lenovo, we can also communicate with Lenovo's management and try to facilitate cooperation between them," Lv Lang suggested.
"Hmm, no matter what, I need time to learn. This arrangement can both give investors an explanation and not have a negative impact on the company's development. Even if I suffer a small loss in the short term, I believe everyone will help me in other ways," He Zhengcheng said.
"Don't worry, we won't make things difficult for you financially. If necessary, we can concentrate our efforts to invest in an internet company and strive to get you a seat on that company's board of directors," Ji Jiasheng assured him.
How does an investor gain influence? Besides capital, there are connections. Just like Sequoia Capital in Silicon Valley, why does it keep getting stronger? Because startup companies know that as long as Sequoia Capital invests in their enterprise, then whether it's cooperation with other enterprises or being acquired by large corporations, Sequoia Capital can provide assistance...