Hong Xiaotian and Secretary Wang Jinrong of the Municipal Party Committee commended the main leaders of several government agencies, including the Construction Commission, Urban Planning Bureau, Land...Chapter 137: Rivals

Just as Su Cen's trip to the United States stirred up a commotion in California, making the most prestigious nobles compete for his attention, Wall Street elites convened roundtable meetings and began discussions on Silicon Valley's plans to invest in Facebook this winter.

On the other side of the globe in Eastern Asia, some of Su Cen’s friends in Rongcheng suddenly discovered that he had gone missing overnight.

This news left some of his friends who came from Xiahai, including Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui as well as local playboys like Zhang Xi, secretly grumbling: "We made plans to visit during our holiday. How could this guy disappear on us at the last minute"

These individuals didn't restrict their activities to just Xiahai; some had gone to university in Rongcheng even though they were from Xiahai. Some of them had already bought houses in Rongcheng, and when Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang invited everyone over from Xiahai this time after Su Cen's departure, it brought together a group of close friends numbering around seven or eight people. Among these were not only Su Cen’s friends but also former rivals like Zhang Xi who had now become part of their social circle.

Wang Weiwei, Lin Zhouda and Lin Luoran were currently in Beijing; upon hearing that they would be visiting Rongcheng, Wang Weiwei specially contacted Zhuo Zhiyu and Zhang Xian to receive them. Zhuo Zhiyu, who had met Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang a few times before, readily agreed to drag everyone to the Su He bar at Nine-Eye Bridge No. 8, not only their group but also some of their friends. This brought together nearly fifteen people in all, making for quite a lively scene.

"I called his house; his dad said he went traveling abroad. Just when we were planning to visit, he decided to leave early. When he comes back, I’ll give him a piece of my mind," Xue Yiyang explained.

Su Cen's trip to the United States was work-related and didn't require extensive publicity, so Su's parents had mentioned that he went traveling for leisure.

"Has Tang Wu not yet done anything with Su Cen What a pity. I thought they would already be a couple at Nanjing University," Zhang Feifei, the most outstanding girl today, remarked. Not only was she now a favored student of a professor who serves as vice-chairman in China’s Oil Painting Society, but her refined demeanor over the past year also made her stand out; without Lin Luoran and Tang Wu, she would be considered extremely excellent.

Zhang Xian said with an indulgent smile, "Not living together off campus doesn’t mean they aren’t a couple… Su Cen might have successfully seduced her… If that guy didn't make trouble for Tang Wu, I wouldn't believe it..."

As Zhang Xian and Zhang Feifei chatted on the bar's second-floor terrace from afar, Xue Yiyang leaned over to Zhuo Zhiyu: "Her name is Zhang Feifei, right"

Zhuo Zhiyu glanced at Xue Yiyang: "Yes, she’s quite good."

"Do you want me to introduce her She doesn’t have a boyfriend currently, but she's not easy to deal with. You need to be confident and impress her; I'll support you," Zhuo Zhiyu said with an awkward smile.

"Me" Xu Yi Yang's expression was odd as he hesitated, saying, "It’s too far. She studies in Hangzhou at the China Academy of Art…"

The rest of what Xu Yi Yang didn’t say was that Zhang Feifei’s father was the general manager of a subsidiary company of Chengdu Telecom. There was a huge gap between them. In Xu Yi Yang's eyes, Zhang Feifei could be considered someone who was out of reach and whose life and world were completely different from his—she was an heiress. His experience in life had taught him that such girls should best be kept at arm’s length.

Zhuang Zhi Yu took a drag of his cigarette, saying, "Before Su Can met Tang Wu at the No. 27 Middle School, did he seem far away to you In the end, they both entered Nankai University, that school which makes me feel dizzy just thinking about it. Just like what you said, even though Su Can’s grades weren’t as good as yours, once he started working hard and improving his grades, he got into your Xiahai No. 1 High School. Would these things seem unbelievable to you before they happened"

Zhuang Zhi Yu exhaled a smoke ring: "Before I met him, I actually thought the same as you do now. Although my family arranged many things for me, this only made me feel that without all of them, I would be nothing. When hanging out with friends, I think we might still be doing it ten years later, but what’s the point We won’t change anything."

"When I first saw Su Can, I couldn’t figure out why Wang Weiwei paid so much attention to him. Back then, I also said that Wang Weiwei wasn’t being considerate enough. But all Wang Weiwei did was tell me to get along well with him. Indeed, there are some things you can’t express in words. Just like how he could stand on the rooftop and face Li Ying who wanted to jump off a building, asking her whether she had thought about what kind of life she would have ten years later and what kind of life she wanted to create. He even used Pushkin’s 'If Life Betrays You' to save her from jumping off that building. Don’t laugh at me for saying this; it was the first time I met someone like him who made me feel amazed."

Zhuang Zhi Yu leaned by the window, smoking as his thoughts drifted far away: "We drink and fool around in bars, compete over drinks without thinking about the consequences, and bicker over girls. But at No. 19 Guojing Road, only he could smash a Ferrari belonging to a big brat like that. They say evil people will meet their match, but this kid isn’t an evil person; he’s just crafty. However, if he was just simply clever, do you know what kind of feeling he gave me"

"He doesn't seem to be from our time. People like him are becoming increasingly rare and may even become extinct…"

On the other side of the bar, Zhang Xian smiled at Zhang Feifei, saying, "That guy has been staring at you since just now; it looks like your great charm is making someone fall for you again. I remember he’s a good friend of Su Can's named Xu Yi Yang. It’s said that people with similar traits gather together and those who play well with Su Can from childhood couldn’t possibly be too docile. How about it, Miss Zhang, do you have any thoughts on taming him"

Zhang Feifei looked at Xu Yi Yang through her mascara-coated eyelashes before smiling: "Don’t use such a cheap trick to provoke me; are you guys really so eager to push my beautiful and lovely friend onto someone else Without me, you will feel lonely."

"I promise I won't," Zhang Xian said awkwardly as he was at a loss for what to do now that Zhang Feifei had figured out his and Zhuang Zhi Yu's intentions.

Under Zhang Feifei’s gaze, Xu Yi Yang also looked over. When he saw her smile, his heart started pounding faster.

Zhang Feifei turned around with a coquettish expression to look at Zhang Xian and said, "I’ll say it again: does he have ten million"

Zhang Xian was momentarily speechless.

"Back then, Wang Weiwei got mad at me over this matter. But was what I said wrong In school, I admitted that Su Cen is indeed exceptional and you all look up to him. What he says and thinks seems very reasonable to you guys, but my question is, does this bring anything for him Does he have a million dollars now I also admit that Tang Wu and he are a good match in terms of appearance and talent. But who can guarantee that this will last Are you willing to live a life with daily necessities like rice and salt Maybe Zhang Xian would say something about it being for the woman you love."

"But I won't, regardless if he's my beloved man or not. My dad has given me an excellent environment, so I don't hesitate to say that I'm a materialistic girl. My man can’t be too bad either; at least he needs to aim for my dad’s standard. The house we’ll buy in the future should not cost any money from my family. For those who need my parents' money to cover our future expenses, all I can say is sorry."

After saying this, Zhang Feifei glanced over at Xue Yiyang's direction, leaving him momentarily at a loss and nervously looking around.

Zhang Xian looked at the scene but didn't know what to feel. Indeed, he couldn’t criticize anything; many people choose material security over an easily changeable promise in time and environment.

USA, South California Peninsula Palo Alto

"He is Sean Parker, the one who helped Fan Ning establish the music website nten. He's a genius in the Internet wave era; if the word 'genius' has any real meaning in Silicon Valley’s numerous reputations."

Before Su Cen, Zuckerberg introduced someone with high cheekbones and curly hair, around 20 years old but looking older like he was 27-28. His eyes had a profound and enigmatic American man's look.

The visitor clearly gained the Zuckerberg team’s attention because of his credentials. People who were playing pool in the lounge also got up to greet him, and the girls upstairs including Katherine seemed very concerned. Katherine showed unusually enthusiastic hospitality, which was clearly targeted at Su Cen after he refused her earlier, making Su Cen somewhat awkward.

Su Cen felt the respect and admiration that this Sean Parker had earned from Facebook employees around him for his previous accomplishments. The man spotted Su Cen with a glance upon entering and then smiled casually before walking over to shake hands with Su Cen, "This is the founder in China who first proposed the 'fe' concept" Zuckerberg nodded, "Yes, he's Su Cen."

After greeting Sean Parker, Zhang Xian excitedly said, "You might not believe it; Sean and his girlfriend live opposite us. When we just moved here, a group of young people walked over, and I saw the hat he was wearing. We had contact through the network earlier on 'fe,' then he called me himself to confirm who he is. Isn't that too coincidental!"

Su Cen nodded, "Indeed, very coincidental." He looked at Sean, whose light blue eyes revealed a profound gaze and gave Su Cen a half-smile.

"This is the biggest surprise I have for you, Su!" Zhang Xian excitedly said. "Sean knows many venture capitalists, and he has found us one of the best ones, Red Leaf Fund. Sean was an intermediary in pitching them. They agreed to provide $20 million to acquire 10% equity of Facebook."

Su Cen frowned and said, "If we're selling 10% for $20 million, Viacom Group is offering the same price. Why not choose them And considering their fame, if they enter our company, it will make Silicon Valley recognize our value even more."

Sean immediately spoke up when Su Cen finished his sentence, "Indeed, but don't forget that Viacom Group won’t be this generous. Their real purpose is to acquire your company. If the acquisition fails, this investment plan actually has a high chance of not being fulfilled, which is common in such venture capital deals. They first use one scheme to make you recognize your company's value while using another far higher valuation as an acquisition proposal. Under this comparison, it’s hard for you to make accurate judgments. Forget about Viacom Group; they won’t provide $20 million investment to Facebook. That’s just bait."

The audience could sense that there seemed to be some tension between Su Can and Sean.

Su Can looked at the man with a proud smile and a prominent nose, who was staring back at him just as determinedly. The two were evenly matched in terms of presence.

It was hard for everyone around them to choose sides psychologically; Su Can was the founder and also their boss, someone they had recently grown closer to. However, Sean was a new internet celebrity who many tech-savvy graduates from prestigious universities admired. The music website he created made him highly influential among American youth, including some of Facebook’s founding members. Perhaps there were exceptions, but one person stood out clearly in favoring Sean—Catherine, the tech beauty.

Night fell.

On the second floor of a cafe, after making himself a cup of coffee, Su Can stood on the balcony looking at students coming and going in Stanford University’s campus. Footsteps approached from behind him; Sean casually leaned against the door frame, took a sip of his coffee, then walked over. "You should accept this investment offer because I know no other Silicon Valley company is willing to give you better terms."

Su Can turned around and looked at Sean without hesitation, saying, “It’s rather dramatic—just so happens that Mark Zuckerberg was across the street, just so happens that you contacted the investor… Your arrangement is quite well thought out.” Sean had been smiling as he listened to Su Can speak, but his expression changed briefly before he chuckled. "This is a win-win situation; Red Leaf Fund asked me to intervene, and I owe them for it. From an investment standpoint, this offer is very reasonable, whether you or Mark Zuckerberg are concerned. Even I am surprised."

Su Can felt a slight anger rising within him. “You arranged everything directly with Zuck [Mark Zuckerberg] after contacting him without informing me first, and then Zhange’s call about the situation being out of control actually wanted to keep Mark Zuckerberg steady for you guys, making sure that any venture capital approach to Zuck during this period would be in vain, right…”

"Red Leaf Fund can’t prevent Zucker from attending these events, so they had no choice but to invite you."

"So you’re saying I’ve been manipulated" Su Can thought about Zhange after all these incidents. He was indeed still just a businessman who would resort to any means for the greatest benefit. Sean said, "This is also to protect your and Zuck’s mutual interest. You shouldn’t be attending those events with him but should quickly end these pointless actions and let Zuck choose Red Leaf Fund. End these meaningless banquets; as far as I know, a $20 million purchase of 10% shares is already impressive. If I were Zuck's partner, I would definitely advise him to sign the contract as soon as possible and avoid signing with these fools."

Su Can wanted to refute that if one signed such a deal then they'd be foolish, but indeed, he had such confidence because of his rebirth. To Sean, who often deals with American venture capitalists, this investment is like a gift being handed over. He just didn’t understand why Su Can was asking for so much. "Sixteen million dollars for 5%… This is simply unrealistic." Sean shook his head and sighed. "Venture capitalists can sometimes be terrifying; as someone who used to be an entrepreneur myself, I advise you to make a decision sooner rather than later before Mr. Zhange turns into one."

"I’ve never been threatened by threats. If Zhange wants to continue our cooperation, please consider the original 5% offer. Otherwise, even if I invested over a million dollars for this investment… I can also revoke it at any time." Sean quietly observed Su Can, who remained calm while speaking and did not show any signs of weakness. Sean’s eyes immediately sharpened, conveying a sharp force as both men continued to clash. Su Can only felt an unnamed anger; Zhange was playing with fire. The proposal Su Can put forward infuriated him so much that he directly bypassed Su Can and came to America, finding Sean Parker, who the tech-oriented Mark Zuckerberg admired greatly in Silicon Valley. He utilized his influence to mobilize Mark Zuckerberg. And they indeed succeeded; Zuckerberg showed great interest in Zhange’s two million dollar investment for ten percent shares, and it seemed that he was highly interested. Once Su Can agreed on the terms and refined some details, a decision could be reached.

Compared to their previous sixteen million dollar proposal, not only had they lost twelve million dollars here, but Facebook would also have to give up five percent of its shares at no extra cost. How great an amount these five percent shares would become in the future was being divided away simply and plainly. Su Can wasn’t willing to accept this. Even if Sean Parker was a web prodigy and difficult to deal with, and behind him was Zhange’s support, Su Can didn’t intend to compromise.

Zhang’s small actions already made Su Can feel annoyed; the most impressive thing about his arrival in America was how precise it was, hitting the pulse perfectly. He found someone like Sean Parker, who had created a website that amazed American youth, indeed having the ability to influence Zuckerberg. And he himself wasn’t an easy person either—just look at him arriving and making the Facebook staff respect him greatly to know his strength. Before this, these people fighting alongside Mark Zuckerberg didn’t have any corresponding admiration for Su Can; perhaps in their eyes, Sean Parker could guide them, while Su Can was just one of them.ings seemed to happen daily. Life was always more dramatic than fictional plots, just as his rebirth and gradually seizing control over destiny were now. He wanted to tell Tang Wu that fate and all th...