Chapter 179: Chapter 177: An Unexpected Plea for Help
While Lin Chu was chatting with Zhu Yxian, Geng Yue, who had just spoken on stage, came over to greet them.
He follows the money.
He didn’t know most of the people here, so he had to rely on Zhu Yixian to make introductions.
In truth, he wasn’t very good at socializing; his strengths lay in technology and product development. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have built a company that went public on the US stock market only to have it usurped by others, getting himself kicked out in the process.
Lin Chu was somewhat interested in him and was still weighing his options, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to chat more. He took the initiative to invite Geng Yue to sit down and, while he was at it, introduced Gu Tong.
Upon hearing that there were two investors present, Geng Yue was instantly intrigued, even showing a hint of pleasant surprise.
’Looks like I really came to the right place,’ he thought.
"President Geng, which investment fund screwed you over before?" Lin Chu asked casually, referencing his earlier speech. "Pulling such a shady move is just classless."
Geng Yue sighed softly. "Foreign capital, and the dogs of foreign capital! Domestic private funds were always hesitant about the sector I was in, and those with state backing wouldn’t even consider investing. Foreign investors are the most aggressive. They’re quick to give you money, but their methods are the dirtiest. Before the IPO, they made me sign an agreement guaranteeing the stock price and a buyback... Hah..."
Hearing this, a flicker of awkwardness crossed Gu Tong’s eyes.
’This entrepreneur... Hah. He deserves it,’ she thought.
’His emotional intelligence is ridiculously low. He doesn’t read the room and just blurts out whatever comes to mind.’
Lin Chu chuckled inwardly. ’They say character is destiny. Some things really never change.’
’With a way of speaking like that, it’s really easy to offend people in this world.’
When you’re cursing someone out, the biggest taboo is making a sweeping generalization.
If you grab one person and curse them out by name, everyone else will just mind their own business unless they have a stake in it. You’ll only have one enemy.
But if you attack a whole group, aren’t you just asking for a fight?
But Lin Chu had no plans to correct him. He wasn’t obligated to teach him anything. Besides, people with low emotional intelligence weren’t entirely without their merits; they were often more reliable when it came to getting things done.
It was Zhu Yixian, however, who spoke up seriously. "Brother Geng, if I may be so bold, the ones who acted unethically were that one or those few investment funds. Just name them specifically. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush. Just a small suggestion."
Geng Yue glanced at him, slightly stunned.
His face flushed, and he quickly nodded in agreement, only then realizing that he had gotten a bit too emotional.
"My apologies, my apologies. I lost my composure..." he said, offering an apology.
Lin Chu glanced at Zhu Yixian again and suddenly felt that this man’s character was actually quite good. He had the air of a true gentleman.
To be honest, the wealthy young heirs from Xiangjiang usually fell into two extremes. There was the Da Liu type, known for his flashy, decadent playboy lifestyle, and then there was the ’Diving Queen’s Husband’ type—the traditional, low-key gentleman.
It seemed this Zhu Yixian belonged to the latter category.
Huh?
Lin Chu sensed that his ability to judge character was improving. With a slight smile, he casually changed the subject. "President Geng, what direction are you planning to take for your next venture?"
’Might as well get some free ideas from a top gun in the social media space,’ he thought.
Geng Yue, having been prompted, was much calmer now. He thought for a moment before replying, his idea still a bit vague, "The core of first-generation social media was gender—men and women. The core of the second generation was appearance, like Momo and Tantan. The core of the third was information, like Soul. For the fourth generation, I’m actually thinking of verifying wealth—for example, under a million, in the tens of millions, over a hundred million—and sorting users into different tiers at the software level."
"But the specific concept is still being refined. There are a lot of issues to consider."
Lin Chu: ?
Holy shit!
’What kind of cyberpunk social media is this?’
’To be honest, these social media gurus really have some unique ideas. This one, in particular, is wildly unconventional.’
’But a social media app that perfectly mirrors real-world social stratification... the thought of it is pretty damn cool. It really has a cyberpunk vibe.’
"The hardest part is solving the problem of fake income verification. But that can be handled. Using a paid membership system can circumvent many of the issues. Plus, from the very beginning, it establishes the company’s core profit model. It won’t be free social media; it will definitely be a paid service. The screening cost we save our users is our value, our source of profit," Geng Yue added.
He actually had more detailed ideas but didn’t lay them all out. What if they were just trying to get a freebie out of him?
Gu Tong chimed in, "What about the core gameplay loop?"
Geng Yue glanced at her and said ambiguously, "A partitioned design. Pyramid-shaped."
"I’m in on this idea. How much do you need for the initial startup phase?" Lin Chu suddenly cut in, getting straight to the point.
The man’s resume was proof of his ability. And while his current idea might still have some issues, it was worth a shot. If he could really pull off the top-tier user bracket, it could synergize well and drive a lot of traffic for Lin Chu’s own ventures.
Besides, it was only the angel round, an investment in the low millions. It wasn’t that much money—less than what he spent on Douyin ads in a single month.
’Just think of it as buying a potential new traffic source,’ he reasoned.
Huh?
Hearing Lin Chu’s words, both Zhu Yixian and Gu Tong were a little stunned. ’He’s investing, just like that?’
It wasn’t just them; even Geng Yue was somewhat shaken. ’How could he be... so decisive?’
He stared at Lin Chu for a few seconds, only to see the certainty in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he considered for a moment. "For the initial stage... two million should be about right? It’s mainly for employee costs. Several members of my core team followed me when I left, and the guys have to eat."
"Alright, two million it is. I want thirty percent."
’Two million is peanuts to me, and thirty percent equity is pretty much the upper limit for an angel round,’ he thought.
Geng Yue hesitated for a moment before nodding. The equity percentage was acceptable, especially since this year’s financing environment was absolutely brutal. He added a condition, "Equity investment is venture capital—purely risk capital. We can’t sign any mandatory share buyback clauses."
This was the biggest lesson from his last startup, and his biggest taboo.
Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh.
"I’m not a foreign investor."
Zhu Yixian and Gu Tong looked at Lin Chu with slightly complicated feelings. Lin Chu’s style was truly aggressive and decisive; the moment he had an idea, he would back it with cold, hard cash.
Of course, perhaps it was just a reflection of his wealth and net worth. If you had a ten-figure net worth, two million was just pocket change.
A thought quietly surfaced in Gu Tong’s mind: ’Should I get in on this?’
But after a quick consideration, she decided against it.
She was a professional manager, not the capital holder. The social media sector was a dying industry, and it was highly unlikely her investment committee would approve it. Everyone was investing in AI these days.
However, at that moment, her impression of Lin Chu had deepened considerably.
’A truly unpredictable big shot,’ she thought.
...
After settling the matter, the four of them continued to chat, rambling about business, life, and all sorts of other things.
Lin Chu felt like making the rounds and showing his face in other circles, but a glance around told him the other members were much older and already had their own established groups. Even if he went over...
He couldn’t be bothered to suck up to them and play the role of a junior. Without the right opportunity, it was better to just forget it.
Anyway, this wasn’t a one-time gathering; they happened every month.
They chatted for a while longer.
BZZZT...
Suddenly, the sound of a microphone crackled from the stage.
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt everyone. I’ve requested to speak because I need to ask for help from everyone here."
"My name is Wang Huating. I’m a chief physician, and I also run a pharmaceutical lab. We’re currently researching small-molecule drugs and medicine that integrates Chinese and Western practices. We need some rare and valuable traditional medicinal ingredients as lab samples to precisely identify their active components and explore the possibility of artificial synthesis."
"However, some of these items are on the state-controlled list, making them very difficult to purchase through public channels. That’s why I’m hoping you all might be able to provide some useful information or make some introductions for me. Please, I’d appreciate any help you can offer."
Wang Huating appeared to be in his fifties. He was tall and sturdy, wore glasses, and sported the shining bald pate of a ’Mediterranean powerhouse’ that glinted with wisdom. His words were humble, but he spoke with a certain conviction, showing no stage fright even in a venue packed with bosses.
The medical profession carries its own halo, and doctors are rarely disrespected, especially among the wealthy.
After all, who knows when you might need one?
As soon as he finished speaking, many people in the audience immediately started asking what he needed.
His popularity in this circle was clearly quite high.
Zhu Yixian also hurried onto the stage, adding his own voice to the call for help.
The weight of one’s status determines the weight of one’s words.
While Wang Huating might not have been a titan of the medical world on a national level, he was certainly among the top tier in Peng City. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to afford the 2.6 million annual fee for his golf membership.
Everyone chimed in to help, and a buzz of discussion filled the room.
Wang Huating posted the list of required medicinal ingredients to the group chat.
They were truly rare—basically a shopping list of ’go-to-jail-for-life’ ingredients.
Class I protected items like tiger bone, leopard bone, antelope horn, and sika deer antler; Class II protected items like pangolin, white-banded krait, black-striped snake, and long-nosed pit viper... and so on.
"As for the paperwork, you absolutely don’t need to worry. I will apply for the legal permits for legitimate academic research in my lab’s name. I just need to source the items."
"In terms of price, as long as it’s not too outrageous, anything is acceptable."
"Thank you, thank you. This offer to purchase is long-term."
Wang Huating added in the group chat that the main issue was that these things were simply too rare to find. Since he was the one seeking to buy, he knew he had to address any potential worries upfront.
At that moment.
Seeing the list, Lin Chu’s heart truly stirred. He immediately started searching through his chat history.
After searching for a moment.
He found it.
Sister Tang.
When he had bought the house in Swan Castle, she had been using it as a storehouse for valuable medicinal ingredients. She had wanted to sell them and had even sent him a list.
Now, comparing the two lists, Lin Chu immediately discovered that two of the ingredients overlapped.
Oh-ho?
And what’s more, his "sworn brother" from Bohe Island, Xiong Jianwu, had saved a tiger bone for him—a Bengal Tiger bone. The only problem was he couldn’t bring it back into the country.
"I might have some channels... but I’m not certain yet. I need to ask around."
After some thought, Lin Chu sent a message to the group chat.
A personal network is like a web; suddenly, all the threads were connecting.
The value of a top-tier doctor went without saying—they could save your life in a critical moment.
Besides, there was no downside for him in making an introduction like this.
Soon, Wang Huating saw the message, looked around to identify who sent it, and then hurried over in Lin Chu’s direction. The eyes of many others followed him.
...
...
