Invincible King is not an empty phrase; of course, this requires strength. A petty scoundrel who tries to be an invincible king will only become a laughingstock, like the famous Duke Xiang of Song in history.
A large part of the reason He Zhengcheng was like this was that he didn't care. Whenever he thought of still holding 10% of Google's shares, he wasn't too bothered by the mere few million dollars in transactions he was currently making. After all, his entire investment was less than 1 million dollars, and perhaps he would spend more than that on a car in the future.
Another reason was that he wanted to use this test to see if Lenovo was worth supporting, worth long-term cooperation, and if the business elites of Daxia Country truly possessed great character.
It's important to understand that the foundation for the long-term stability of all business collaborations is absolutely not contracts. While profit is important, the most crucial element is trust between people.
Perhaps some people find this difficult to comprehend, especially in a commercial society where everyone prioritizes profit and won't get up early without it.
Trust is often too expensive, so expensive that most people dare not easily give it. He strongly believed what Ma Xiaoyun said: credit is the key to a company's future development.
There are still honest and moral fools in this world, such as John Tu and David Sun of Kingston. After Kingston grew and expanded, Masayoshi Son took an interest in the company and offered approximately 1.5 billion dollars to acquire 80% of its shares.
Later, in 2000, SoftBank faced financial difficulties due to over-expansion and the internet stock market crash. As a result, SoftBank only paid 1.14 billion dollars, with over 300 million dollars still outstanding. So, Masayoshi Son approached the two to discuss whether the remaining 330 million dollars of the acquisition payment could be delayed.
How would an ordinary person handle such a situation? Perhaps they would adamantly refuse, worried that the investment would go down the drain. Some might agree. But John Tu and David Sun unexpectedly stated that they didn't want the remaining 330 million dollars.
Such generosity, probably not even world's richest people, Bill Gates and Bezos, have ever been so generous, yet these two did it.
Well, in typical legendary stories, good people are rewarded, and the same was true for them. SoftBank's crisis was more than just the internet bubble. Finally, unable to sustain itself, Masayoshi Son wanted to transfer Kingston and only charged the two 450 million dollars.
Among countless successful cases, Masayoshi Son had this one failed investment. Including the unpaid 330 million dollars, he lost about 700 million dollars on Kingston. But he was also successful, having met two fools!
The foolishness of John Tu and David Sun didn't stop there. Modern corporate procurement always tries to drive down prices, including the great Apple, which actively squeezes its suppliers.
However, Kingston, controlled by these two, was different. Kingston sells memory cards and other storage products, and their biggest procurement is memory chips. While others buying from manufacturers like Samsung, Elpida, Hynix, and Micron were pushing for lower prices, Kingston was willing to pay high prices. Even when the market was bad and memory was oversupplied, Kingston still acquired at high prices.
Good people are rewarded. When memory chips were in short supply, these memory chip suppliers always prioritized Kingston.
The different business thinking and vision of entrepreneurs determine a company's height. He Zhengcheng wants to become an excellent entrepreneur, and even if he doesn't possess these qualities now, he can learn to be such an entrepreneur. Paying tuition when weak is much better than paying tuition when strong.
"Aren't you afraid I'll take these documents and bypass your patent application?" Liu Chuanzhi asked.
"Mutual trust is the most important thing for long-term cooperation. I'm willing to start with myself to build mutual trust between us. And perhaps Lenovo currently considers this a large sum of money, but as Lenovo grows, perhaps this ten million dollars can be easily decided by a manager of just one of the company's business units," He Zhengcheng said.
"But why shouldn't I save a little if I can?" Liu Chuanzhi asked.
"Because I can bring more wealth to Lenovo," He Zhengcheng replied.
"Is that so?" Liu Chuanzhi asked.
"I have a way to make Lenovo's stock price triple in about a year!"
"Hahahaha..." The good impression Liu Chuanzhi had just formed of He Zhengcheng instantly vanished without a trace.
"Cheng Zai..." Xu Xin didn't expect He Zhengcheng to speak so carelessly at this moment.
"If you can do that, I can decide to buy your patent right now!" Liu Chuanzhi declared.
"Mr. Liu doesn't need to be so excited. There's no need to make a decision so quickly," He Zhengcheng said.
"If ten million dollars can make Lenovo's stock price triple, that's an incredibly cost-effective deal for us," Liu Chuanzhi said with a hint of disdain.
"I said I have a way; I didn't say it could be done without cost," He Zhengcheng explained.
"How much will it cost?" Liu Chuanzhi looked even more displeased with He Zhengcheng.
"Let me think..." He Zhengcheng quickly estimated, and it seemed like it really wasn't much.
"I don't know how you estimate operating costs, but based on general Silicon Valley practices and considering the specific situation in Daxia Country, the total cost should not exceed one hundred million rmb, which is probably just over ten million dollars," He Zhengcheng said.
"Really?" Liu Chuanzhi looked at He Zhengcheng's serious expression. Could this really not be an unlearned person?
"Since Mr. Liu isn't very convinced, then let's try a different model: I'll use my money to do your work, and after it's done and shows results, then you pay," He Zhengcheng proposed.
"..." Liu Chuanzhi no longer had the heart to continue speaking, feeling as if this person had a screw loose.
"CEO Liu, Cheng Zai is indeed different. He was the first to discover the bankruptcy of Long-Term Capital Management. He also insisted on investing in eBay and Lenovo. He bought 1 million shares of Lenovo stock last year. I believe he isn't trying to fool you," Xu Xin chose to support her unreliable partner at the critical moment.
"Tell me about it?" Liu Chuanzhi asked.
"My method is simple, but can CEO Liu truly decide to buy my patent or the shell company that developed the patent?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"If I promise you, I will definitely deliver," Liu Chuanzhi stated.
"Alright then, I trust CEO Liu. Has CEO Liu paid attention to NASDAQ? Then you should also know that our success on NASDAQ is due to our investment in eBay.
In half a year, eBay's stock price and market capitalization increased by nearly 20 times. Do you think investors in Hong Kong aren't envious of such a miracle?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"Oh!" Liu Chuanzhi seemed to understand.
"Do I still need to say more?" He Zhengcheng said with a half-smile.
"Cheng Zai, stop being so secretive!" Xu Xin urged. The rise in Lenovo's stock price aligned with Shanhai Capital's interests.
"While the internet is good, Lenovo's transformation shouldn't be too abrupt. It can be an extension of its existing business.
For example, Lenovo could establish an online sales platform specifically for selling Lenovo products. Consumers could pay directly online, and then Lenovo would be responsible for home delivery, installation, and debugging.
In the initial stages, corporate or government bulk purchases could be channeled through the online platform, easily creating an e-commerce platform with unlimited potential.
In the future, whenever Lenovo has new products, there won't be a need for special promotion; simply listing them on this platform will make countless people aware.
If e-commerce still isn't enough for Lenovo, then what about a portal website? Lenovo computers seem to have a one-click internet access function, so establishing a portal should be easy. As for the content of the portal website, that can be gradually added," He Zhengcheng explained.
"Yang Yuanqing? Come over quickly, I need to talk to you," Liu Chuanzhi made a quick phone call.
"I'll buy your patent, but I'll pay in installments," Liu Chuanzhi said.
"I hope to be paid in shares," He Zhengcheng said directly.
"That might be difficult." Liu Chuanzhi wasn't stupid; paying in shares now would definitely result in a huge loss later.
"Then I'll lower the price. Fifty million Hong Kong dollars. Lenovo will acquire a tech company and all its patents for one percent of its shares," He Zhengcheng offered.
"Good..." Before his words had fully stopped, Liu Chuanzhi made a decisive decision.