520: Market value of 10 trillion

After A Xiang left, Ren Yi smiled and said, "This Butler A Xiang is not only beautiful but also very open, though her alcohol tolerance isn't great."

Li Bing immediately replied, "If you like her, Mr. Ren, you can pursue her. You are so talented; I believe as long as you nod, she'll be yours for the taking."

His words couldn't have been clearer: as long as Ren Yi nodded, A Xiang would be his tonight.

This was also the jargon of their inner circle; those who understood, naturally understood.

Ren Yi laughed heartily and said nothing more.

Lin Fan had been observing Ren Yi's every move from beginning to end, realizing that his 'honey trap' had not only failed but also made him look particularly low-class.

Therefore, he simply cut to the chase, saying, "Mr. Ren, are there any additional conditions you'd like to add to what I just proposed?"

He directly stated his conditions, not even asking if Ren Yi would accept his investment.

Ren Yi sneered inwardly, but a smile remained on his face: "Mr. Lin, with your wealth and background, there's nothing you can't achieve, so why insist on investing in new energy?"

Lin Fan said, "Mr. Ren, let's be frank. The government began planning for the new energy industry a long time ago. Although the market is still dominated by fuel-powered vehicles, new energy vehicles will definitely become mainstream within ten years."

Ren Yi said, "Mr. Lin, your foresight is indeed sharp, but policies can change in an instant. Who can say for sure what will happen in ten years? Moreover, Fenglei is just starting now; it's hard to guarantee it will still be alive then."

"Perhaps next year, perhaps the year after, it might be completely defeated by fuel-powered vehicles."

Lin Fan smiled, "Mr. Ren, when other companies hear about investment, they eagerly talk about their company's prospects, exaggerating endlessly. Why are you so unconfident?"

Ren Yi smiled, "Honestly, Mr. Lin, if you want to invest in Fenglei, I would naturally welcome it, but there's no need to take a stake, is there?"

"Neither you nor I can predict the future of new energy vehicles. Why bother getting involved in such murky waters? Furthermore, Fenglei is already affecting the interests of many foreign consortia; they might even launch a joint siege one day.

Even if it barely manages to survive, if it's sanctioned by major developed countries again like before, then relying solely on the domestic market, Fenglei would still be a losing proposition."

Lin Fan scrutinized Ren Yi's facial expressions. He couldn't figure out why Ren Yi was so resistant to his investment in Fenglei.

He knew he had promised to help him resolve the issues with the military, ensuring Fenglei wouldn't be sanctioned by the military due to material supply cuts.

Not everyone had that kind of influence.

Moreover, he wasn't taking equity for free but investing tens of billions of US dollars in real money.

Was that not enough?

If Ren Yi was trying to raise the price or secure more favorable terms for himself, then he should have exaggerated Fenglei's bright prospects.

However, Ren Yi kept talking about how worrying Fenglei's prospects were.

Lin Fan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Li Bing immediately knew it was his turn to speak and said, "Mr. Ren, since you can cooperate with major car brands and even acquire their operating rights, why can't Mr. Lin take a stake?"

Ren Yi shook his head and said, "Mr. Lin, Mr. Li, you two don't know, but the matter of equity is not something I alone can decide."

"Actually, like you, I am just a white glove; the real decision-maker is someone else."

"White glove" was, of course, something he made up; as long as it could bluff people, that was fine.

Indeed.

Upon hearing this, Li Bing and Lin Fan both showed signs of nervousness, saying in unison, "Who is it?"

Li Bing pressed, "Mr. Ren, who is your boss behind the scenes? Just tell us frankly."

Ren Yi smiled, playing coy: "Mr. Li, it's better to know less about such things, don't you agree?!"

As he spoke, he raised his glass, gestured into the air, and then drank it all.

Seeing this, Li Bing and Lin Fan also drank a glass of wine.

They grew increasingly curious about who was controlling Ren Yi from behind the scenes.

One must know that enabling a struggling, third-rate company to become a world leader in the automotive industry in just two years was not something an ordinary person could achieve.

Even if there were, they weren't the important figures they knew.

Because if they had that capability, China's automotive industry wouldn't have been forced to switch to the new energy track.

Who could it be??

Both of them were filled with questions.

At this moment, Ren Yi said, "Mr. Lin, to be honest, if you want to invest in Fenglei, I absolutely have no objection. However, the control of Fenglei cannot be given up at all, and your investment proportion cannot exceed three percent."

This percentage was an estimate Ren Yi made based on Fenglei's approximate market value.

After all, Fenglei's momentum is currently the strongest, and its market value is comparable to Tesla's, so ten billion US dollars would roughly buy about one percent of the shares.

Moreover, he couldn't let Lin Fan interfere with Fenglei's decisions, otherwise, if Lin Fan manipulated things later to acquire shares from other shareholders and then controlled Fenglei, it would be troublesome.

So Ren Yi laid out the unpleasant truth first: he personally had absolute say in the company.

And the reason he let Lin Fan invest was out of necessity.

If he didn't bleed a little today, he was afraid the other party would hold onto it, or even stab him in the back, which would be very troublesome.

It was better to spend money for peace of mind, bringing Lin Fan, a big shot, on board, which could also make those who wanted to target Fenglei hesitate.

Therefore, Ren Yi gave a relatively conservative number.

Li Bing and Lin Fan exchanged glances, clearly not expecting Ren Yi to directly reveal his bottom line.

Lin Fan considered it for a moment and said, "Okay, no problem. Then I'll invest ten billion US dollars for a 3% stake, but I have an additional condition: we need to sign a gambling agreement."

Ren Yi had long anticipated that the other party wouldn't be so easily dismissed, so he nodded and said, "We can sign a gambling agreement, but ten billion US dollars can't buy 3% of the equity. At most, I can give you one percent, unless Mr. Lin adds more money."

Lin Fan pondered for a long time; Ren Yi's words seemed to be within his expectations.

He suddenly got up and left, returning and sitting down five minutes later, then held up five fingers:

"Then add another five billion, for a total of fifteen billion, for a 3% stake."

Upon hearing this, Ren Yi's heart couldn't help but pound.

Good heavens, fifteen billion, and in US dollars, just like that.

Who exactly was this Lin Fan?

However, he smiled nonchalantly on the surface. This price was actually not low.

But since the other party was so wealthy, he had no reason to let it go.

So he shook his finger and said, "No, double it."

Li Bing, standing nearby, was terrified.

"Thirty billion? And only for a 3% stake? Mr. Ren, this price is too inflated, even Tesla isn't worth that much."

Ren Yi smiled slightly, confidently saying, "Fenglei will definitely become a trillion-dollar market cap company within five to ten years, so this price is absolutely worth it."

After a pause, he added, "Ten trillion is not impossible either."

The private room fell silent for a moment. Ren Yi's words were a bit boastful.

A market value of ten trillion? Is he kidding?