Chapter 81: Influx of Venture Capital

Du Qiu had consumed quite a bit of alcohol tonight. Taking a taxi back, he stepped out at the entrance of his residential complex and felt the alcohol hit him harder as the wind blew, leaving him feeling groggy.

“Du Qiu, how much did you drink?”

Du Qiu raised his head and saw a figure flit by, one that seemed vaguely familiar. As he squinted and turned his head to get a clearer view, the breakfast shop owner, Old Luo, appeared in front of him.

“Uncle Luo, I didn’t drink much.”

“Not much? You’re staggering as you walk. Let me help you back,” Old Luo insisted without waiting for an answer, supporting Du Qiu as they walked towards the interior of the complex.

Not far off, under a tree, stood a woman with a striking figure. Watching Du Qiu being helped into the complex, she sighed deeply.

“Imanka, have you forgotten your mission? That was such a good opportunity just now.”

Imanka turned around to find a man dressed as a janitor, head down, sweeping litter from beneath the tree.

“Don’t bother looking anymore; it’s the captain who sent me to respond to you.”

Imanka’s expression changed briefly, “I’ve been laying the groundwork. After Franka’s failure, it’s clear that there are security operatives around the target. I must be cautious.”

“I thought you had forgotten your mission. I hope you’ll make your move soon.”

“Don’t worry, I will keep the sir informed of the mission’s progress at all times. This time, I must complete it.”

“That’s best. Oh, and when you get the item, I’ll be on standby to transfer it out quickly, to avoid repeating Frank’s mistakes.”

“I will confirm with the sir whether to hand over the item to you.”

“Go then, take care of yourself.”

Imanka watched as the janitor walked towards his cart and slowly moved away.

“This person must be ‘Lone Wolf’ from the organization ‘Wolf’s Kiss.’ He does indeed come and go mysteriously; I didn’t even notice I was being tracked.”

“Hmph, he must also be afraid of Tang Country’s security personnel, otherwise he would have taken action himself.”

“It seems I still have to do this; otherwise, if Walkerson recalls me, I won’t be able to continue the environmental survey work at the mouth of the Yangtze River. That would affect my special mission, and I would lose any chance of seeing my brother.”

Having thought this, Imanka glanced towards the interior of the residential complex as if she could peer through time and space into Du Qiu’s home.

Then she hailed a taxi and left.

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That night, for the first time, Du Qiu didn’t sleep with his crystal pillow; he had indeed drunk too much.

Ye Haibin had lost in a field repair today. Although he respected Du Qiu’s abilities, he felt disgruntled deep inside.

Thus, at the dinner table, he sought to reclaim his dignity, considering he had student assistants there, two against one, and in addition to socializing with Ning Yuzhe and Zhao Yicheng, Du Qiu didn’t fall on the spot, proving his good tolerance.

Ning Yuzhe had a deep conversation with Du Qiu at the table about CNC machining centers and came up with an idea right then.

Jokingly, he suggested to Du Qiu that they should establish a joint venture with Dream Technology to set up a high-end machining center manufacturing enterprise.

Du Qiu was envious of Feiyu Technology’s numerous machining center software modification businesses and verbally agreed to this on the spot.

At that time, Zhao Yicheng was toasting with Ye Haibin and didn’t hear their conversation.

When Du Qiu opened his eyes again, he only felt a splitting headache.

“Aiyo, seems I need to drink less. My headache, which I haven’t felt in a long time, is back.”

Rubbing his temples and staring at the ceiling, Du Qiu suddenly sat up, looked at the bedside, and noticed the absence of the crystal pillow.

He finally remembered being escorted back by Old Luo last night and directly falling into bed, neglecting to use the crystal pillow.

The thought of wasting an entire night without learning the technological knowledge in his dreams caused further regret.

“I definitely won’t drink this much again.”

After getting up and washing up, Du Qiu drove to work.

Sun Hongming had arrived early and followed him into the office.

“Old Sun, I have something to discuss with you. Find some time today to visit Feiyu Technology and meet their chairman, Ning Yuzhe. He will arrange for someone to sign a contract with you to retrofit our Heavenly System,” Du Qiu said.

“Yo, General Manager Du, going out with your girlfriend even gets us new clients. Seems like we should encourage you to go out with her more,” Sun Hongming said teasingly.

“It must be Rein Leinar who said that, right? That guy is just jealous,” Du Qiu thought of Rein Leinar’s ambiguous gaze when he left yesterday afternoon and knew he must have broadcasted it to the whole company.

“Hey, it wasn’t just Rein Leinar who saw—you left work right under everyone’s watchful eyes.”

After finishing with a laugh, Sun Hongming announced, “I also have good news.”

“Oh? What good news?”

“Chen Tao met with several groups of venture capitalists in the capital. These people are all inquiring whether our company needs financing. Chen Tao asked me if they all wanted to meet you; what should I tell them?”

“Oh, which venture capital firms are there?”

“More than ten venture capital institutions have approached Chen Tao, among which the more famous ones are JP Morgan, Sequoia Capital, IDG, and Yunfeng Fund.”

Du Qiu laughed, “These capital tycoons have very sensitive noses. We’ve barely made a splash, and they’re already onto us. They’ve got quite the eye.”

Sun Hongming asked excitedly, “So, are you going to meet with these venture capitalists?”

“It seems we’re a bit short on cash right now, and the company’s growth rate is also being affected. But taking money from venture capitalists now would mean our valuation wouldn’t be high.”

“So, you plan to wait?”

“Good things come to those who wait,” Du Qiu said, rubbing his temple out of habit. “Plus, I never intended to take the company public, so it’s not so easy to take venture capital money.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in Sun Hongming’s eyes, but he spoke up, “Are you planning to follow the governance model of Huawei?”

“Not exactly, I need to think it over a bit more.”

Du Qiu noticed Sun Hongming seemed a bit down and added, “For everyone’s benefit, I might consider restructuring the company.

When that time comes, a subsidiary company can take in venture capital and eventually go public, giving both venture capitalists and company pioneers a chance to cash in.”

Sun Hongming’s eyes lit up as he nodded, “That’s a good idea, just keep some patents with the parent company for a good constraint on the subsidiary.”

“Yeah, the subsidiaries will pay patent fees to the parent company, ensuring continuous funds for research and development.”

“Then we’ll temporarily refuse those venture capitalists.”

“No need to refuse just yet. You can start the negotiations and see how they evaluate our Heavenly System.”

Sun Hongming grinned, “Right, let’s see what price they can offer.”

After Sun Hongming left, Du Qiu sank into deep thought.

It seemed necessary to restructure the company early. Although the company was just a month old, its growth was rapid.

Nowadays, startups commonly offer stock options to their core staff, then take the company public so everyone can cash in on their options.

Those who want to continue the struggle do so, and those who want to retire comfortably can also have their share.

Of course, many cash out and start their businesses, as everyone wants to be the boss.

“I was thinking too simply. Sometimes following the mainstream approach is more attractive to talents and can stimulate their passion for work.”

Du Qiu’s original plan was to use a profit-sharing equity approach, which has one advantage over options: even if the company doesn’t go public, talents still get to share the benefits of the company’s growth.

People care about one-time gains rather than a steady stream of small benefits.

It was perfect timing, as his new material research was nearing success. Given the epoch-making nature of the silicon-aluminum alloy, he was considering entrusting a new company with the production of the new material.

Du Qiu quickly drew up a new company structure on the computer. After thinking about it, he called Manager Qin over.

“General Manager Du, did you want to see me?”

Manager Qin entered promptly after knocking.

“I’ve already wired the advance payment for the order of the scanning tunneling microscope. The seller said they have stock, and it’s all in Magic City; they can deliver it tomorrow.”

Manager Qin assumed Du Qiu wanted to inquire about the purchase of the scanning tunneling microscope, so she reported immediately.

“Have a seat. I have something to discuss with you.”

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