190: Flip the table! This is an enormous fortune!

Zhang Yiming, sitting at the head of the table, found Wang Lin's presence quite pleasing upon hearing these words.

This big shot's company is called Junlin Finance, right?

I heard he made his fortune in the stock market and has over 10 billion in cash flow on hand.

This is great!

A wealthy tycoon has come today.

It would be best if he could really push his company's valuation to 1 billion USD.

But Zhang Yiming knew in his heart that this was just wishful thinking.

Still, having that seed planted in his mind was enough.

He continued to listen.

Neil Shen shook his head and said, "That's not how you play the VC game. For ByteDance Company right now, it's not just a matter of lacking funds."

"There's also brand endorsement, resource integration, strategic guidance, talent support, brand promotion, and so on. These are indispensable conditions for becoming a major company."

"How many of these things can you actually provide?"

Listening to Neil Shen's words, Wang Lin naturally understood that he was right.

Without the fusion of these elements, how could there be the rapid development of ByteDance Company later on?

Wang Lin just smiled and said nothing.

Neil Shen assumed he had given up and continued, "Therefore, I propose that we follow the basic standard: using 20% equity as the benchmark, prioritizing those who can meet the aforementioned conditions for the company's development."

"Brother Lin, I'm afraid you might not be qualified enough, right?"

Well.

Hearing this, Wang Lin was speechless.

After all that talk, in the end, he was still targeting him.

As expected, this guy wasn't that magnanimous; he was still holding a grudge about the time Wang Lin raided DJI.

Besides that, pushing him down would also allow him to get a larger share of the equity.

Just as Neil Shen finished speaking, Lei Jun from Shunwei Capital took over: "We at Shunwei can provide ByteDance Company with relevant cooperation opportunities and resource matching in the technology sector. Likewise, if you need talent, I still have a bit of influence."

Wang Lin looked at Lei Jun speechlessly.

Damn it.

Back then, I only knew that President Lei liked to say "Are you OK?!"

How is it that when it comes to investing, he's also this ruthless, seizing every opportunity to jump in?!

As for William Xiong from IDG and Xu Xin from China Growth Capital, they sat there somewhat hesitantly.

It was unclear what was making them uncomfortable.

Wang Lin guessed that perhaps it was the dominance of Sequoia Capital that made them feel they couldn't become the lead investors in this round.

If they followed, they wouldn't get much benefit, so they simply listened.

The meeting continued.

The situation was becoming clearer.

The three people who had spoken represented three companies: Sequoia Capital, Junlin Finance, and Shunwei Capital.

Among the three, Sequoia Capital had the most substantial capital and influence.

In fact, Sequoia Capital was about to welcome an unprecedented victory this year.

JD.com, Ali Baba, and Jumei were all set to list in the US one after another this year.

Especially JD.com, which had just successfully listed half a month ago.

This was one of Neil Shen's proudest works!

Furthermore, two years ago, Vipshop had swept the American market!

As the biggest winner, this was the source of Neil Shen's confidence.

Moreover, Ali Baba would also be listing in the Beautiful Country soon.

These were all created by Sequoia Capital.

But... so what?

Wang Lin didn't believe in any of this; he only believed that as long as his funding was in place, he would be the one with the most equity in ByteDance Company.

As for Lei Jun from Shunwei Capital, he would just treat him as an extra.

Wang Lin began to show his true fangs.

He looked at Neil Shen and suddenly said, "JD.com just listed in May, and Ali Baba is also going to list this year, right?"

Neil Shen didn't know what Wang Lin meant by suddenly bringing this up, but he was still very proud.

"That's right, that wave with JD.com has already brought us significant returns!"

"Ali Baba will certainly be the same."

Wang Lin nodded and said, "President Shen has a great eye, and I am also very bullish on ByteDance. What I mean is, I also want to be the lead investor for ByteDance Company!"

Once these words were spoken, it was basically equivalent to flipping the table.

The other venture capital big shots present all had a flash of interest in their eyes.

Awesome!

This kid really is a newborn calf that isn't afraid of the tiger; to think he dares to challenge Neil Shen of Sequoia Capital?!

William Xiong from IDG had a smile on his lips: "As expected, it was right not to leave early. It's truly interesting to see Neil Shen get deflated today!!"

Xu Xin from China Growth Capital: "It really has to be the young people. Those of us who are older really don't dare to go head-to-head with President Shen. It was worth coming today!!"

Lei Jun from Shunwei Capital was also stunned: "Are young people these days this fierce? He doesn't even know how to give President Shen some face. And even if you want to lead the investment, can your channels keep up? You aren't really planning to pay a double premium to force your way into getting the shares, are you?"

Neil Shen was taken aback for a moment.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter: "President Wang, I know you young people are proud and arrogant, wanting to fight for first place in everything you do!"

"You have indeed achieved results in the stock market, and I admire that."

"But in this VC circle, I am a veteran. Today, let this veteran teach you what the world is really like!"

"You say you want to lead the investment—can you carry the banner for ByteDance Company? Can you provide them with brand endorsement and the other conditions I mentioned earlier?"

Zhang Yiming also looked at Wang Lin.

Although he wanted a higher valuation for his company, compared to the valuation issue, he hoped more that the company could move forward steadily.

Having capital alone is just a castle in the air.

Everyone's eyes turned toward Wang Lin.

Wang Lin, unhurriedly, took out a contract—it was an agreement he had signed with Jack Ma.

If he didn't have this agreement, how would Wang Lin dare to show off in this situation today?

"As for brand endorsement and such, I think Ali Baba would be even more capable of providing that, right? This is a cooperation agreement between me and President Ma."

"Besides that, I actually have some connections within Yu Province, guaranteeing you smooth sailing here!"

As for the rest, Wang Lin really couldn't come up with anything at the moment.

Damn, the time since his rise was too short, and his foundation was unstable.

When encountering post-Series C financing that required competing with resources, he was always at a disadvantage.

But even so, by pulling out the trump card of Jack Ma and Ali Baba, Wang Lin had proven enough that he could guarantee the future plans for ByteDance Company.

Hearing these words, Zhang Yiming was completely shocked.

Damn it?!

If they could really get Ali Baba to help promote their company and provide brand endorsement, that would truly be more stable than Sequoia Capital.

After all, Ali Baba today had already deeply entered the hearts of thousands of households.

The Double 11 Shopping Festival was the best evidence.

Not to mention Jack Ma himself; his speeches were more inclined to be soul-stirring.

Moreover, for a company like Ali Baba that was about to go public, in terms of the market and industry experience, as a company deeply involved in the front lines, they were definitely stronger than Sequoia Capital.

No matter how you looked at it, Ali Baba was better.

Thinking this way, Zhang Yiming's gaze toward Wang Lin became even more enthusiastic.

Good fellow, having such a fierce dragon enter the arena today was indeed a good thing!

Neil Shen had calculated everything, but he hadn't calculated that Wang Lin would have such a move?!

He asked somewhat skeptically: "President Ma would sign this kind of contract with you?"

Wang Lin said with a smile: "President Shen, didn't you invest in Ali Baba? Why not ask Jack Ma?"

Neil Shen truly couldn't believe it.

This was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Immediately, Neil Shen dialed Jack Ma's number.

The group of onlookers nearby stared at the two in astonishment; they had truly come to the right place today.

The call was quickly connected.

Jack Ma's hearty laughter rang out from the other side: "President Shen, what's the matter? Are you asking about the company's listing?"

Neil Shen looked at Wang Lin, shook his head, and said: "No, I wanted to ask, President Ma, do you have a cooperation agreement with Junlin Finance?"

In Hangzhou, Jack Ma was sitting in a chair, leisurely drinking tea.

Upon hearing this, he nodded and said: "That is indeed true. I find this guy Wang Lin quite agreeable!!"

Inside, Jack Ma was grumbling: "Damn, this little guy Wang Lin actually took my contract to go show off? Or is his appetite a bit too big, wanting to fight Sequoia for a piece of meat?"

Jack Ma had guessed correctly; Wang Lin was indeed here to snatch the lead investment today.

Hearing this news directly from Jack Ma's mouth, Neil Shen was stunned.

He truly couldn't believe what kind of magic Wang Lin had used to get Jack Ma to help him settle these matters.

This didn't follow common sense or logic?!

But in Jack Ma's view, investing in Wang Lin himself was the most normal logic and common sense.

He didn't like stagnant things; he liked fresh things.

Wang Lin was a fresh thing.

The 47-year-old Neil Shen was destined not to understand what a 20-something-year-old rising sun, who had just graduated from college this year, was thinking.

Neil Shen said, slightly embarrassed: "Alright, I know about this now. I'll get back to work then, talk to you later, President Ma."

After Jack Ma finished cooperating with Wang Lin's show-off, he hung up the phone, took a sip of tea, looked out the window, and suddenly said with a smile: "So, how will you repay me in the future, kid?"

Back at ByteDance.

Neil Shen's face was somewhat gloomy.

If Wang Lin had really established a relationship with Ali Baba, it meant that he truly had a chance to snatch this piece of meat from his mouth.

Seeing his expression, how could the others not understand?

Zhang Yiming was overjoyed.

Compared to Sequoia Capital, he actually wanted to get in touch with emerging finance more.

Wang Lin was a good choice.

This guy was magnanimous enough!!

This was a God of Wealth!!

The most critical thing was that, at this stage, it was Zhang Yiming choosing the investor, not the investor choosing him.

Wang Lin gently tapped the table and asked: "How about it, President Shen, did you get your answer?"

Neil Shen took a deep breath; he knew that the spot for lead investor was likely lost.

This financial tycoon, who had emerged from the stock market as a retail investor to reach his current stage, would never be soft-hearted when he was bullish on a company.

Just like the stock market situation he had recently seen, where Wang Lin single-handedly controlled the rise and fall of the entire military industry sector.

This guy's appetite was huge.

When had Neil Shen ever suffered such grievances?!

But... an excellent VC must have the ability to endure pressure and be flexible.

Neil Shen hadn't always had smooth sailing either.

Today was just tasting that old bitterness again.

"Great tactics, Brother Lin. As expected, a lucky one who can fight his way out of the stock market certainly doesn't rely on luck alone; you have real ability!!"

"I heard you are only 24 this year, and I am already nearly 50."

Neil Shen suddenly began to sigh with emotion.

He scanned the room and said: "In the 90s, those of us who studied in the US knew that our country would definitely be a place where one could make big money doing VC. To put it more nobly, it was using foreign capital to help the growth of our Chinese enterprises. Objectively speaking, I think none of you would deny this, right?"

Everyone was silent, but they all understood in their hearts.

It was indeed so.

Neil Shen continued: "President Xiong from IDG first entered our China in '93 representing IDG to conduct venture capital business. At that time, we didn't even know what venture capital was."

"Then later, Yan Yan invested in Wang Sanshi's company Shanda in '03. In '05, I also returned from the Beautiful Country and joined in, along with Xu Xin, Gao Lei, and others."

"We called that era the Pioneering Era!"

Speaking of this, William Xiong, Xu Xin, and the others all fell into memories.

Lei Jun also had some memories, though his starting point was not from the same batch as them.

He was a model of localized venture capital; in '05, he had also invested in Duowan, Lakala, and others.

Neil Shen said: "Now, I believe that starting from today, this era is bound to change—it will become the era of you young people."

"Perhaps this era would be better named by you?"

Wang Lin was a bit stunned.

Why was this guy suddenly releasing another wave of goodwill toward him?

Wang Lin shook his head and said: "I don't think I can name this era right now. Perhaps when I reach your age and have already achieved success on a global scale, I will be able to look back and sigh with emotion and recall it?!"

Neil Shen laughed: "I haven't heard an answer like this in a long time. The more I get to know you kid, the less I understand you."

"Forget it, Sequoia will withdraw from this round of financing; the lead investment is yours!!"

"But for the subsequent Series D financing, I won't be yielding anymore."

"Of course, that is on the condition that ByteDance Company can have a performance that makes my eyes light up at that time."

His meaning was clear: don't think that just because ByteDance Company is so popular now, it's only because people like them are bullish on it.

Who can say for sure about future development?

What if ByteDance crashes?

But when Wang Lin heard this, he also laughed.

ByteDance crashes?

You probably don't know to what extent this thing will dominate short videos in the future.

"I look forward to our meeting at the Series D round, President Shen."

Thus, Wang Lin's lead investment in ByteDance's Series C financing was officially confirmed.