Chapter 92

Today's first update! At the same time, thank you to "Ling Yuqing Shen," "Goutou Hu," and "Lao Na Wu Yu" for your support! I beg for your votes!

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On New Year's Day, Li Wan originally planned to take her son back to her hometown to pay New Year's greetings, but she considered the inconvenience of transportation and the fact that they would return for the Qingming Festival, so she decided not to visit relatives on New Year's Day. Since her relatives were not in Eastern Europe, Li Wan's decision gave Song Chen a rare chance to relax.

On New Year's Eve, although everyone was very excited, they were still relatively restrained in Li Wan's presence. A lot of alcohol was consumed, and even Li Wan, who never drank, joined in with Zhang Ruoxi and Zhai Yue for a few drinks.

The group didn't leave until around 11 PM, all of them slightly tipsy. However, they couldn't drive! So Yang De called the bar and had them send someone to drive them home.

Because it was so late, Zhang Ruoxi was invited to stay overnight by Li Wan and Song Chen. Despite her shy demeanor, she nodded gracefully in front of everyone. In fact, she had already decided to spend the night at Song Chen's place, which made her father quite jealous, thinking that his precious daughter, who wasn't even engaged, didn't want to stay at home for a moment. This amused his wife, Zhao Yingying, and their son, Zhang Qidong.

Zhai Yue, however, looked at Zhang Ruoxi with a complex and envious gaze.

In the silent night, the bedroom of Song Chen was filled with the sweet scent of spring. The intense and prolonged lovemaking not only left Song Chen without a trace of fatigue but made him even more vigorous on Zhang Ruoxi's increasingly plump and sweaty body.

But how could a man's endurance compare to a woman's? Despite experiencing multiple climaxes, Zhang Ruoxi still managed to support her soft and graceful body to match him. Soon, Song Chen was overwhelmed, and his climax was intense. His tall, soft body pressed against her delicate form, his disheveled hair sticking to his forehead. Zhang Ruoxi gently held his face, feeling the intimacy of their faces touching, their spirits and bodies connected.

"Would you like to come to my house for New Year's dinner tomorrow? My brother also wants to meet you; you haven't met him yet, right?" Zhang Ruoxi's voice was already sweet and melodious, and after the intense lovemaking, it was even more alluring.

"Sure, I know!"

Song Chen lifted his head, gazing into Zhang Ruoxi's watery, star-like eyes. He leaned down and gently captured her cherry-red lips. After a long moment, he sighed, "Ruoxi, you are so sweet!"

Her lover's sweet words made Zhang Ruoxi feel as if she had eaten honey, and she wrapped her arms around Song Chen's neck, her eyes filled with desire. "What are you waiting for? Why don't you 'eat' me!" she said, unable to suppress a giggle.

"Vixen!"

Song Chen gritted his teeth, raised his weapon, and the sweet and passionate journey began anew.

On the evening of New Year's Day, at the Zhang family home, Song Chen met Zhang Ruoxi's brother, Zhang Qidong.

Zhang Ruoxi was born with a clear and extraordinary beauty, and her brother was no less impressive. At 24, Zhang Qidong inherited his parents' excellent genes, making him handsome and tall, like a model.

When he saw Song Chen, Zhang Qidong was very curious. After sizing him up, he extended his hand and said, "I heard you dropped out of college to start your own business and have achieved remarkable success. In terms of courage, I, who follow the rules, am truly ashamed!"

"It's all out of necessity! Big brother, don't praise me anymore!"

"Ha ha!"

Song Chen and Zhang Ruoxi's relationship had become so close that they were almost living together, and both families were happy about it. However, this was the first time Song Chen called Zhang Qidong "big brother," which naturally made the relationship between the two families even closer.

Zhang Hua, Zhang Qidong, and Zhao Yingying all looked at Zhang Ruoxi with smiles. Zhang Ruoxi, holding Song Chen's arm, blushed and looked at him affectionately.

"Ruoxi, come to the kitchen and help your mom!" Zhao Yingying waved her hand at her daughter.

"Okay!"

Zhang Ruoxi nodded obediently, looked at Song Chen with deep affection, and followed her mother to the kitchen, leaving the spacious and bright living room to the three men. Zhang Hua patted Song Chen's shoulder, pulled him to sit on the sofa, and asked, "Have you had New Year's dinner with your father yet?"

Song Chen smiled without showing any emotion. "I had it not long ago! I had already told my father I wouldn't be going this time."

Seeing Song Chen's calm demeanor, even though he didn't say it, the shrewd Zhang Hua could sense the fleeting indifference in Song Chen's eyes. Although Song Chen had grown up well and was very smart, as an elder who had been in society for decades, Zhang Hua did not want Song Chen to have a falling out with his biological father. Moreover, based on the relationship between the Song and Zhang families, Zhang Hua believed that he and Song Hua should maintain a close and intimate relationship as in-laws.

This was not only Zhang Hua's personal desire but also a consideration for his career.

However, he could not and should not interfere in the relationship between Song Hua and his son. Seeing that Song Chen did not want to talk about it, Zhang Hua nodded and changed the subject. "Qidong just returned from Thailand last month. Due to the financial crisis, there are many bankrupt companies there, mostly in the financial sector, with fewer pharmaceutical companies. However, the high consulting fees from Goldman Sachs were worth it. We have preliminarily identified a few companies. After the New Year, I plan to go and see them personally, as I am not at ease otherwise."

Since this would become the foundation of the Zhang family's business, Zhang Hua was very cautious.

Song Chen nodded. "After obtaining the equipment, the next steps are research and development. There is a lack of research institutions in the country, and with our capital, it would be unrealistic to expect significant achievements in research. Besides the formulas produced by the acquired pharmaceutical companies, we should also pay attention to patents that have lost their protection."

After a moment of thought, Song Chen looked at Zhang Hua seriously. "Actually, for products like therapeutic drugs, marketing is important, but relationships are even more crucial. Most importantly, we need to establish connections with hospitals. Do you have any ideas on this, Uncle?"

Zhang Hua smiled. "Since you call Qidong 'big brother,' there's no need to be formal with me!"

Song Chen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Dad!" Song Chen called without hesitation, knowing that Zhang Ruoxi was a good choice for his other half. If there were no unexpected events, he had no plans to marry anyone else. Even though he actually loved Zhai Yan more, he had never wavered in his decision to marry Zhang Ruoxi.

"Ha ha!"

With such a good son-in-law, what more could he ask for?

Zhang Hua smiled with satisfaction and said, "I have a few friends in the government, but not many who can influence the hospital system. It's a matter of using benefits to gain influence. In the political arena, connections can be leveraged, making it easier than starting from scratch. We have more capital and more connections, so I'm not worried about this aspect."

Zhang Qidong smiled and said, "Without mentioning other things, the Zhao family across the street is quite remarkable! Ha ha!"

He was referring to Zhao Lin. Song Chen knew that Zhao Lin and Zhang Ruoxi were neighbors, so he nodded with a smile. Indeed, if the Zhao family were willing to help, it would be much more effective.

After discussing his concerns, Zhang Hua turned to Song Chen's business. "I heard that a venture capital firm is interested in your company. What's the outcome of the negotiations?"

"He rejected them!" Zhang Ruoxi, holding a plate of plump, fresh strawberries, walked out of the kitchen with a smile. She placed the plate on the light yellow table, which was already filled with many dishes, took the largest strawberry from the top, and sat next to Song Chen, blushing as she handed it to him.

"Ruoxi, you're already taking sides before you're even married!" Zhang Qidong shook his head and laughed at his outgoing sister.

"Mind your own business!" Zhang Ruoxi leaned her head on Song Chen's shoulder, blushing.

Zhang Hua smiled and asked Song Chen, "Why did you reject them? Was it because the price wasn't right? How much did the venture capital firm offer?"

"1.5 million US dollars!" Song Chen thought for a moment and added, "After the e-commerce website company is established, they require 50% equity!"

Zhang Hua's eyebrows raised slightly, and he was about to speak, but Zhang Qidong interjected.

"Over ten million RMB!" Zhang Qidong whistled. "We work hard all year for imports and exports, and our net profit is only a few million. You can get so much money just by setting up a website! It's really..."

Zhang Ruoxi scolded, "Brother! This 1.5 million US dollars isn't for you to spend; it's for the company's expansion. How can you compare them?"

Zhang Hua thought for a moment and asked, "The concept of the internet economy is indeed very popular in Europe and America, and venture capital firms are particularly interested in such emerging industries. However, the price they offered sounds good. Why did you reject it, Xiao Chen?"

Song Chen shook his head. "1.5 million sounds like a lot, but for an internet company that needs funding, it's still too little. Moreover, their price is too high. 50% equity is something I absolutely cannot accept!"

Zhang Hua asked a question that many people would ask.

How much is Alibaba worth?

Song Chen smiled and said, "The internet economy is a concept, and its valuation in the capital market is very arbitrary. If you meet a connoisseur, they will set the price of a 'thousand-mile horse.' If you meet a broker, they will only offer what they can pay and what they can imagine. The former will have the patience to wait for the harvest, while the latter are greedy, foolish, and short-sighted. They have an uncontrollable desire to control the invested company and lack respect. This kind of venture capital is a cocktail of poison for any startup, leading to chaos in the company—because you can't convince them to find a balance between aggressive expansion and healthy development."

Song Chen's lengthy discussion on venture capital left the three people present quite moved. Song Chen continued, "I don't know if these venture capitalists are the latter. What I can do now is to save on administrative expenses while maintaining a steady expansion pace. At the same time, I need to find a connoisseur. To a large extent, the first connoisseur who recognizes the 'thousand-mile horse' is very important. When the connoisseur declares, 'This is a thousand-mile horse,' others will swarm to offer favorable prices based on that recognition."

Zhang Hua smiled in understanding and said, "Your point is that you will accept their investment only when a venture capital firm offers a high valuation for your company?"

Song Chen nodded, and Zhang Hua asked, "What if you don't get that high valuation?"

Song Chen shook his head confidently and said, "I can wait because the internet economy, while a concept, is actually an irreversible economic reform. In this capital feast, there are many connoisseurs. Alibaba is so unique that these people can't possibly not know. I will wait, and I have the patience to wait."

Seeing Song Chen's spirited eyes, Zhang Hua nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then we will wait and see!"

"Stop chatting! It's time to eat. Ruoxi, don't be lazy; come and help your mom!"

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