parentshiftbook Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Chapter 142: Su Xiaoxiao’s Peak MomentMr. Mo’s ideas were so profound and unpredictable that Lei Xiaojun felt he couldn’t grasp them. He cautiously asked, “You want me to make an app? Apps will definitely become the core of internet traffic in the future. I’m not very skilled in app development, but I can learn. I’ll make the perfect Penguin app.”
Li Mo shook his head. “I want you to make a phone.”
The Five Tiger Generals: “???”
They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Li Mo wanted Lei Xiaojun to make a phone? Was he trying to control the industry from the source? But what did Lei Xiaojun have to do with phones?
Lei Xiaojun: “…”
He felt certain that whatever Mr. Mo asked him to do would be something he couldn’t predict. Their thinking operated on completely different levels. But even in his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have imagined this…Mr. Mo wanted him to make a phone?
Wasn’t this a bit too outrageous?
He had always worked in the internet industry. If Mr. Mo had asked him to build an e-commerce platform, he wouldn’t have been surprised. But a phone?
“Mr. Mo, are you serious?”
“Yes. I plan to allocate one billion yuan for you to make a phone. If you need more later, just come to me. I’ll also give you a one-million-yuan annual salary and ten percent equity in Xiaomi Mobile, the new phone brand we’re about to launch.”
Lei Xiaojun: “…”
He was completely stunned by Li Mo’s generosity. Even if he sold all his shares in Jinshan, it wouldn’t come close to this astronomical figure. And now Mr. Mo was offering him one billion yuan to make a phone.
If it weren’t Li Mo…the legendary investment mogul…he would’ve thought it was a scam.
“Is that too little?” “I can add more…”
Lei Xiaojun quickly stopped him. “Mr. Mo, I feel like everything I’ve done in the internet world before was just child’s play. This is more than enough…one billion is too much. I won’t even be able to spend it all. And the salary and equity… it’s too extravagant.”
He was deeply moved by Li Mo’s trust and appreciation. One billion in funding, a million in salary, and ten percent equity…he wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a deal.
“Then it’s settled. Your office will be on the floor below Penguin.”
Hearing “office,” Lei Xiaojun couldn’t help but recall the massive space Li Mo had shown him. He began to question reality again. These benefits were beyond anything he could’ve imagined. If they were given to Qiu Bojun, it would’ve made sense. But for someone as unknown as himself?
“Mr. Mo, let me toast to you.”
Lei Xiaojun knew he couldn’t refuse anymore. Even if it cost him his life, he had to make Xiaomi a success. But why did Li Mo value him so highly?
Ma Tengyun understood his emotions better than anyone. When Li Mo had offered him a million-yuan salary, he had been even more overwhelmed.
“Mr. Mo, I know I can’t refuse your offer. But I know nothing about phones. What should I do? I have no clue where to start.”
Li Mo looked at him and said, “I want you to develop a custom Xiaomi OS based on Android, targeting low- and mid-range phones. You need to dominate that market segment…not compete with Fruit.”
“Just remember that. I won’t interfere with the rest. In a few years, just build me a company worth a trillion yuan.”
Lei Xiaojun: “…”
A trillion yuan? Was that even humanly possible? But for Mr. Mo, it seemed like a casual goal.
“I understand. I’ll explore the path of phone development step by step.”
Li Mo ordered a few more bottles of wine, and Lei Xiaojun winced at the cost.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoxiao held a video conference with her company’s executives, using Penguin’s group video feature. She had heard of Ma Tengyun a few times. Though she didn’t understand much about the internet world, the infamous “damn Ma Tengyun” had become quite popular lately.
“Is the guest list for the IPO celebration banquet ready?”
“There will be a lot of media coverage, so the more celebrities and entrepreneurs we invite, the better.”
One executive began reporting the confirmed guests. “We’ve secured the president of L’Oréal’s China division.” “Several luxury brand executives will also attend.”
Hearing the list of big names, Su Xiaoxiao felt a surge of excitement. It looked like Xiaoxiao Beauty’s stock price would soar in two weeks.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get any of the rising internet stars. We tried contacting NetEase executives, but they were too aloof. We couldn’t get through.”
Although Xiaoxiao Beauty was a listed company, it was still like a child compared to internet giants. They had no influence, and the big players didn’t bother with them.
“Who said we don’t have internet moguls?”
“The boss of Feilei Investments contacted me recently. He’ll attend the banquet.”
“He invested in Lianzhong Games and is a major backer of 370. Rumor has it he put in 3 billion yuan. 370 is now the top antivirus software in the country. Many believe it will become Penguin’s biggest rival. Yan Feilei will bring Zhou Hongwei to the banquet. Their presence will boost our valuation significantly.”
Su Xiaoxiao remembered Yan Feilei, who had once pursued her. Wu Lulu had recently mentioned that Yan’s background was impressive. He had secured a massive cash flow. Clearly, he wasn’t ordinary.
But Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t interested in Yan Feilei. The only man she had ever loved was Li Mo. He was just too mediocre.
“Still, this will be a big boost for our company.”
She always approached things from a business perspective and knew Zhou Hongwei’s presence would benefit Xiaoxiao Beauty.
Back at the banquet, after several rounds of drinks, Su Qingyan sat sweetly beside Li Mo, listening to his conversation with Ma Tengyun and the others.
“Mr. Mo, I’m really worried about 370,” Ma said. “Their user growth is too fast. They’ve captured 70% of the antivirus market. And with their bundled software, installing 370 brings along their browser, search engine, and other apps. It’s like installing a whole suite.”
“If they launch instant messaging, they’ll pose a serious threat to us.”
Li Mo nodded. “That’s why we can’t let 370 continue to grow.”
“Penguin’s next wave of user growth will come in the smartphone era. But mobile still needs time to scale.”
“To keep growing on PC, we must extend our reach into every sector.”
“Every project must serve Penguin’s core brand.”
“So I plan to launch a blitz attack on 370 using our PC Manager.”
“In two weeks, we’ll suppress 370 completely.”
The Five Tigers and Lei Xiaojun instantly sobered up. They hadn’t expected Mr. Mo to suddenly announce a new internet war. It looked like the online world was about to erupt again.
“Mr. Mo, what should we do?”
370 had surged by offering free, feature-rich software, bundled with aggressive tactics. In a short time, they dominated the antivirus market. Backed by massive funding, they posed a far greater threat to Penguin than Lianzhong ever did.
It seemed inevitable that the two companies would clash.
Just then, Ma Tengyun received a call from an unknown number.
“Hello, Mr. Ma. This is Zhou Hongwei. Do you remember me?”