Zhi Ling!" He Zhengcheng exclaimed.
"Cheng Zai, what's wrong!" Zhi Ling's voice, even over the phone, was enchanting and captivating.
"I have good news for you. Google, the startup I've been pursuing for months, has finally accepted my investment," He Zhengcheng said.
"Congratulations! That's truly not easy," Zhi Ling replied.
"How many easy things are there in this world? I have great expectations for Google and hope they can become the company I envision," He Zhengcheng stated.
"What kind of company do you envision?" Zhi Ling asked.
"Of course, a company that can change the world. And I hope that one day, the name Google can become a verb," He Zhengcheng replied.
"Google, become a verb? What do you mean?" Zhi Ling inquired.
"Think about it, Google is a professional search engine. If everyone thinks of using Google when they want to search for information, then wouldn't Google become a verb?" He Zhengcheng explained.
"Wow! Really, I truly hope you can achieve that," Zhi Ling said.
"The internet can change the world, so if Google can become the king of the search domain, it will certainly change the world. By the way, everyone loves the homepage you designed for Google; it's very beautiful," He Zhengcheng commented.
"Thank you, everyone, for liking it," Zhi Ling responded.
"Zhi Ling, are you interested in interning at Google? Although the income might not be much right now, if you can persevere and get Google stock options, I'm very confident that it will be a very good income," He Zhengcheng suggested.
"Me, go to an internet company?" Zhi Ling asked.
"Exactly. With your qualifications, modeling, acting, or being an artist are all excellent choices, and there's a high chance of becoming famous later. But I hope you can join the internet industry; it's a choice that can change your life," He Zhengcheng said. Zhi Ling has high IQ and EQ; if she worked at Google, she might not be inferior to Marissa Mayer.
Of course, she is not an engineer, so her growth at Google might have a ceiling. However, this choice seems more meaningful compared to the image of a famous actress in his future memory.
"Can I do it?" Zhi Ling asked.
"You don't necessarily have to do art design; you can also be a sales manager. At that time, you'd help Google build a sales system from scratch, and if you join now, you'd be a founding member of the company," He Zhengcheng explained.
"I need to think about it," Zhi Ling replied.
"You should see that I value this company far more than eBay. You know I'm currently an advisor to eBay, owning 100,000 shares of eBay stock, and I even rejected Omidyar's invitation. But I'd rather mortgage my eBay shares to invest in Google because their potential is enormous.
I can't guarantee Google will succeed, but once Google does succeed, its market value won't be lower than Yahoo's," He Zhengcheng emphasized.
"You have to give me time to think, right!" Zhi Ling insisted.
"Alright then, I…" He Zhengcheng began.
"Okay, goodbye!" Zhi Ling said.
After hanging up the phone, He Zhengcheng felt a sense of loss. Sigh, he didn't know if it was because he hadn't been with a woman for a while, or if he had genuinely fallen for her. He stopped thinking about it. Besides the money from Shanhai Capital and his salary and subsidies, only his Yahoo and eBay shares were valuable now.
To say he lacked money, he truly did. To say he didn't lack money, he really didn't. He should still communicate with Shanhai Capital.
"I have a new project here. It's a search engine website, established about three months ago. They probably just started their venture when we first arrived in Silicon Valley. Now, it's valued at 30 million dollars, and the product is excellent, but there aren't many users. Also, the founders have great ideas, and I want to invest in this project," He Zhengcheng explained.
"Oh, weren't you planning to team up with KPCB to invest in Webvan? And there's another small project where you might collaborate with them. So, do you still have surplus funds?" Ji Jiasheng asked.
"It's not clear yet. We're co-investing, and they will ultimately decide the price. We can only participate. I don't plan to use that money," He Zhengcheng replied.
"Then are you asking me for money?" Ji Jiasheng inquired.
"The founders of this company graduated from Stanford University. I met them shortly after arriving in America and have been watching them start their business. Before, I didn't quite understand, and after they finished development, they wanted to sell the technology to a large company, but Excite didn't acquire it. So now they have no choice but to start their own company," He Zhengcheng explained.
"Cough, cough, what did you say? What was the asking price for their product?" Ji Jiasheng asked.
"Uh, it seemed to be less than a million," He Zhengcheng responded.
"Exactly how much?" Ji Jiasheng pressed.
"It should be 750,000 dollars. The two founders didn't say, so the rumors might not be accurate," He Zhengcheng said.
"A product that couldn't sell for 1 million dollars, but their own startup is valued at 30 million dollars. Do you think that's reasonable?" Ji Jiasheng questioned.
"They are all very talented individuals, with doctoral degrees," He Zhengcheng countered.
"There are plenty of PhDs in America. How many of them are richer than us?" Ji Jiasheng retorted.
"They can start a business according to my vision!" He Zhengcheng exclaimed.
"…" The other side was speechless.
"You decide what to do. If you need to use company funds, try to prepare the documents well. Don't count on me for this," Ji Jiasheng's attitude suddenly softened.
"Never mind, I'll try to find another way, to see if there's…" He Zhengcheng trailed off.
"You need to stay rational and not let personal emotions sway you," Ji Jiasheng advised.
"I understand, I'll change," He Zhengcheng replied.
After hanging up the phone, he didn't know whether he felt relieved or a little guilty. However, even the most generous person would probably not be generous when faced with an opportunity like Google.
He still needed to raise funds; he didn't have that much cash.
As a financial player, if he didn't capitalize on knowing the bottom line, he would simply be an idiot.
Therefore, high leverage was an indispensable tool for him. He not only financed the purchase of Yahoo stock but also, during the period when eBay's stock price fell and plateaued, he mortgaged his existing eBay shares to buy another 50,000 shares of eBay stock.
The average price at that time was about 35 dollars, only 2 to 3 dollars from the lowest price. At this point, eBay's stock price had once again risen to over 140 dollars.
"Are you really going to sell these shares? eBay's stock price is rising, and cashing out now might not be cost-effective. If you need money, we can offer you favorable loans," said the Citigroup broker serving him.
"This isn't a short-term loan, your financing interest rates are too high," He Zhengcheng replied.
"We can go through the normal loan channels. You have eBay shares, which guarantees you the most favorable interest rate for a personal mortgage loan," the broker explained.
"Alright then, let's first see what the loan interest rate is," He Zhengcheng said.
"Okay, I'll have someone come over right away," the broker responded.
Soon, a bank manager arrived. Citigroup truly lived up to its reputation as a banking supermarket, offering one-stop service.
Seeing the 5.1% loan interest rate, He Zhengcheng decisively chose to take out the loan.
"Can I get a personal credit loan?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"Are you an American citizen or do you have a green card?" the bank manager inquired.
"Never mind, let's stick with the mortgage loan!" He Zhengcheng said.
"How about I help you apply for an American green card? It's very convenient," the bank manager offered.
"No, I don't want to pay that much tax!" He Zhengcheng exclaimed. Damn it, global taxation alone made him very wary. Why would he seek trouble for himself? Moreover, Chinese people in America face various discriminations and are considered second-class citizens.
It's not as good as the country of maple leaves, which is Li Ban Cheng's homeland. Although there is nearly thirty percent personal income tax, non-tax residents are only taxed on domestic income. So, you understand, wealthy individuals like Li Ban Cheng are very good at tax avoidance.
The bank calculated his personal assets: 150,000 shares of eBay stock, worth 20 million dollars at market price, but the financing loan was less than 2.3 million. Even if eBay's stock price fell by half, his balance sheet would still be very safe.
A few days later, 5 million dollars in bank loans arrived, and he signed a contract with Google, acquiring 10% of the shares.