Chapter 42 - Sing a Double Reed Opera
Fang Hong was unaware that influential figures in the industry were now following his every move. Although he didn't know the exact identities, he had a strong suspicion, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
On Wednesday, October 14th, Zhongxin Securities opened with a sharp rise of +5.29%. Fang Hong sold off his position at the opening, and more than 400 million yuan changed hands within the first minute of the market opening. It seemed that the market consensus had already formed.
If the stock price rises so quickly and investors don't sell, can it still break past previous highs? It would take tens of billions of yuan to release the locked-up shares.
The stock fell sharply after the opening, eventually hitting the daily limit. Anyone who entered at the opening price would have incurred a loss of more than 15 points by the end of the day.
But none of this bothered Fang Hong. After earning 590,000 yuan in early trading, he remained unfazed. His current capital had grown to 12.31 million yuan.
After finishing his transactions, Fang Hong decided to take a break from the stock market and shift his focus from the secondary market to the primary market, especially Quantum Beat.
He closed the market software and made a direct call to Cao Chenghui.
"Boss, are you looking for me?" Cao Chenghui answered.
"Come over and see me. I'm at home," Fang Hong replied succinctly.
Cao Chenghui responded, "Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."
About five or six minutes later, Cao Chenghui arrived. They lived in the same neighborhood, just one building apart.
Cao Chenghui entered and sat in the living room, smiling as he asked, "Boss, what can I do for you?"
Fang Hong, reclining on the sofa with his legs crossed, spoke calmly, "Come with me tomorrow and join me for a 'double reed opera.'"
Cao Chenghui was taken aback. "Which one are we singing?"
Fang Hong spoke confidently, "I have a few classmates and roommates at Xincheng University, and they're running a startup. I'm part of the team as well. Tomorrow, you'll accompany me as a VC executive from Qunxing Capital's venture capital department. They're raising funds in the angel round."
Cao Chenghui was confused. "Since it's your team, why do we need to act this out? Wouldn't it be easier just to merge?"
However, Cao Chenghui kept his thoughts to himself and nodded to show he was listening.
Fang Hong then added seriously, "Remember, this performance has to be convincing. Act like a true VC."
Cao Chenghui chuckled to himself. He thought, Is this just about pretending? Well, pretending is my strength, and I love it. What's not to like?
Fang Hong, sensing his thoughts, replied with a serious tone, "If the performance doesn't go well, don't blame me."
Cao Chenghui immediately felt a bit of pressure from his boss's sudden aura, and he nodded earnestly, "Boss, don't worry. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."
Fang Hong nodded, then proceeded to explain the finer details of the plan.
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Later that afternoon, around 5:30 PM, Fang Hong finished his call with Cao Chenghui and headed over to Quantum Beat Studio.
"How's everything going, guys?" Fang Hong entered the studio, smoothly transitioning into the role of a 20-year-old college student.
Xu Jingren looked up and said, "It's all set. We've tested it multiple times, and it's ready for launch. Come check it out."
Fang Hong sat down at a computer and quickly tested several functions of their Weibo-like website. After a few minutes, he nodded in approval at the user interface (UI), and then tried out other features.
This was the result of two months of hard work from the team.
"Looks good. Let's go live tomorrow," Fang Hong decided after reviewing the platform.
At this point, Yuan Jie, lounging on a second-hand sofa, cracked open a bottle of soda and said, "Good news is, it's finally ready. The bad news is, we're almost out of money."
Xu Jingren added, "The UI design drained most of the funds. You contributed 100,000 yuan, but there's less than 30,000 left. Sponsoring an art festival and handing out a few chicken legs will probably wipe out the last of it."
Lou Gaoyuan turned to Fang Hong and asked, "Boss, how are things with the investors? You've been talking about it for a while now, but nothing's happened yet."
Wang Ping also chimed in, "Yeah, you always say it's progressing well. But, brother, are we getting the truth? Did the deal go through or not? Just tell us straight, we can handle the truth."
The room fell silent for a moment, and then Fang Hong smiled, breaking the tension. "I have good news for you all."
The others looked at him expectantly, eager for details.
Fang Hong continued, "Tomorrow, the investor will come to the studio in person. If everything goes smoothly, I'm confident we have an 80% chance of success."
Hearing this, Xu Jingren and the others were stunned for a second before their faces lit up with joy.
Sun Xin excitedly said, "The investor's coming tomorrow? 80% success rate? That's great!"
Wang Ping immediately looked around the messy studio and said, "Damn, we need to clean up quickly. We can't let the investors see this mess."
At this point, Fang Hong adopted a slightly exaggerated expression and pretended to complain, "We're under so much pressure. The investor told me a month ago he'd come, and I've been dragging my feet. Do I dare bring him here before the product is ready?"
The others nodded, understanding the difficulty.
Fang Hong added, "I have to keep the investor calm, and I need to reassure you all as well, so we don't lose confidence. If we mess up, it could damage the team's morale, and that's something we can't afford."
His roommates, listening to his words, realized that being a good leader wasn't easy. They were impressed by how thoughtful Fang Hong was, and they wholeheartedly supported his leadership.
Sun Xin, with a grin, said, "Alright, I get it. You're really working hard. How about I treat you to some karaoke with some crowdfunding money, and then we can go get foot massages?"
The others quickly joined in with their own teasing suggestions. Fang Hong chuckled to himself but played along, enjoying the camaraderie.
As the evening continued, the team began to clean up, preparing for the investor's visit the following day.
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The end.