Chapter 154: How Much Do You Need?

After Yoon Chang-ho’s press conference, the formation of the new party began to gain momentum.

Starting with the junior members of the Conservative Party, more legislators from the Progressive Party also began to express their willingness to join.

Of course, my efforts were behind this.

Those who could be bought with money were bought off, and those who couldn’t were coerced with their weaknesses.

I helped in every way I could.

Though the party hadn’t even been established yet, it had garnered enough public interest to surpass the Conservative Party, ranking second in approval ratings.

Having made numerous trips to secret meeting spots for the work, I felt the need for a secure space to protect against information leaks.

I asked Lee Sang-geun for a shop that I could use alone, without any guests.

The first person I met there was Han Gyeong-yeong.

“Oh, nice atmosphere!”

Han Gyeong-yeong looked around the empty shop.

From the outside, it looked like a closed restaurant, but there was a back entrance accessible through the underground parking lot.

The hidden room below was somewhat small but decorated in a comfortable and luxurious way, resembling a hotel room, and most importantly, it was soundproof.

There was only one staff member, who handled both cooking and serving.

“Is everything okay?”

I poured Han Gyeong-yeong a glass of liquor from the bottle placed on the table.

“You’ll be heading straight to the U.S. after your trip to China, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Even if it’s tough, you have to come back for Yoon Chang-ho’s party launch ceremony.”

“Let me know in advance, and I’ll clear my schedule. But isn’t it too deep to get involved in politics?”

Han Gyeong-yeong said with concern as he grabbed some ice with the tongs and dropped it into his drink.

“I can’t help it. There are circumstances domestically. Once I’m in place, I won’t need to step in much.”

“I told you just to get a U.S. citizenship. Would you refuse it if given?”

“Politics and economy aren’t separate in the U.S. It’s even trickier than in our country. There, campaign financing is legal. Lobbying too.”

“But it should be better than in Korea.”

“Anyway, just trust me.”

“Right, you’ll handle it well. You’ve never made a wrong choice before.”

Han Gyeong-yeong raised his glass.

The clear sound of glasses clinking echoed in the quiet room.

“I got a call from Eric. He asked when you’re coming to the U.S.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I heard he just pulled out of Kosovo and got deployed to the African civil war again.”

“Sounds like he’s doing well.”

Black Bear was gradually increasing the number of mercenaries.

An astronomical amount of money was spent, but with Dream High’s generous support, they continuously acquired the latest equipment and skilled personnel.

“What’s the reason for growing the mercenary company so much?”

“Insurance. Just like with the Hong Kong incident. It would’ve been difficult without Black Bear.”

“You’ve made enough money by now, right? You could take it slow, so why bother gathering everything even from the shadows?”

As I smirked, a puzzled look was cast towards me.

“Have you never thought that the world we know isn’t the whole picture?”

“Are you becoming a conspiracy theorist?”

“The Rothschild family definitely exists, and there must be many other families too. No, they do exist.”

His expression was one of skepticism.

But I was certain; it wasn’t just because of what Putin had told me earlier.

“I can’t fathom how far their influence stretches. Perhaps they’re leaving me be for now since I’m not a significant threat, or maybe they’re already watching me.”

The whispers that lingered in the world like conspiracy theories were faint memories I held.

But what if it were true?

How much wealth and power do they possess?

What impact could centuries of accumulated wealth and power have on my future?

“To be fair, there were forces that followed our every move when we purchased those Russian bonds. At the time, I suspected someone was keeping an eye on us.”

“You still haven’t figured out who it was?”

“Yeah, since I passed through several ghost companies, it’s hard to track them down.”

Han Gyeong-yeong seemed to be similarly uncomfortable, having looked into it one way or another.

“We shouldn’t worry about their scrutiny. We just need to follow our path. There’s no need to fear them for tagging along. We should always be ready to face them.”

Han Gyeong-yeong nodded, appearing to agree.

“Right, I’ll leave that to you. For now, we need to handle things in China well.”

“Have you checked on the companies?”

“I’ve already sent employees to China. They have meetings lined up. Whether they get investments or not is still up in the air, though.”

“I think they will. They will definitely need funding. The real problem is how much of an investment they can get and how much equity they will receive. In China, foreign investors can’t hold management rights to domestic companies. If negotiations stall, let me know.”

Was it South Africa… How much did that investment firm offer for a 32% stake in Tencent?

It was a bit hazy in my memory, but I remembered it being in the mid-2000s.

For now, there shouldn’t be any competitors.

“If there aren’t any competitors, it shouldn’t be difficult. As long as they don’t despise money, you don’t need to go to China.”

“I like that confidence.”

Laughing quietly, Han Gyeong-yeong shot me a side-eye.

“But wouldn’t Eva be more suited for this kind of job than I am? It is about China, after all.”

“Your name carries more weight than Eva’s. Chinese people place great importance on appearances, even if it’s just bravado.”

“So you’re saying you plan to promote it as a company that Dream High invested in?”

“Eventually, Eva will take care of the Chinese investments, but for now, her name isn’t as influential.”

While I comforted a frustrated Han Gyeong-yeong, who couldn’t quite settle on China, I added,

“What about Chinese translators?”

“Luckily, one of our staff is a Chinese-American, so I’ve sent them to China.”

“There are Chinese people everywhere, huh?”

“It’s just that there are ridiculously many of them. And the landmass is enormous.”

Behind Han Gyeong-yeong’s sigh, the sound of melting ice clinking together rang out.

“Did you finish scheduling with Wen Jiabao?”

“Yeah. He said he’d attend events in Beijing and Shanghai. He specifically asked me to stay by his side. I’m not some doll…”

Grumbling about feeling like a politician’s accessory, Han Gyeong-yeong lifted the liquor bottle and poured into my glass.

“Make sure to leverage it well. You’ll gain something out of it.”

“Right, I’ll do that.”

With no chance to meet face to face for a while, our drinking session continued late into the night.

* * *

Once in China, Han Gyeong-yeong attended a Communist Party event as a figurehead with Wen Jiabao for his first schedule.

By flaunting his close relationship with Wen Jiabao, he declared an intent for continuous investment in China.

“Thank you. You’ve saved my face.”

Wen Jiabao spoke to Han Gyeong-yeong in fluent English.

“I’ve heard everything from Mu-hyeok. Let’s see each other in Shanghai.”

“Do you have other schedules?”

“I have several investment destinations. I’ve set appointments; we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Wen Jiabao showed interest upon hearing about investment in Chinese companies.

“May I ask which companies you are considering investing in?”

“I plan to invest in IT companies. They may not be big now, but I want to secure their futures.”

“Ah…”

Wen Jiabao looked noticeably disappointed.

Han Gyeong-yeong slowly added,

“I will also be investing in institutional projects. Soon, the Jungwoo Group will be looking for a place to set up a factory in China. I will keep my promise, so don’t worry.”

“Hahaha… there’s no need to worry.”

In a slightly awkward silence, Han Gyeong-yeong moved on from Wen Jiabao’s obvious disappointment and headed towards Zhongguancun in Beijing.

An employee, dispatched earlier for translation, soon followed.

“Who will you meet first?”

“Li Yanhong.”

“Which company is he from?”

“He hasn’t established one yet; he’s in the preparation stage. He was quite famous in the IT sector back in the U.S.”

Han Gyeong-yeong, with his arms crossed and head resting against the seat, raised an eyebrow.

“I hear he has multiple patents in the U.S. They say he even built websites for Wall Street companies. He secured $2 million in investment and returned to China.”

“So, that means investments have already started?”

“It’s only $2 million, though. I received positive feedback, but the problem is, he’s headstrong like a typical Chinese person…”

“Well, how stubborn can one be when money is involved? We’ll see.”

As the car traveled through Beijing’s roads, it soon came to a stop.

Stepping out of the car, Han Gyeong-yeong looked around and let out a sigh.

“…Is this really the place?”

“Yeah, he said he’s preparing to start a business here to save money.”

The hotel looked like it could collapse any moment.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

He made his way to a building that was either a hotel or a inn.

The reception was empty. I was left wondering if they were actually operating.

Following the interpreter’s guide to find the room, Li Yanhong opened the door with a smile.

“I’m Li Yanhong.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m James Han.”

Inside the room, another Chinese man waited.

“This is Xu Ying, my business partner.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Xu Ying.”

Li Yanhong and Xu Ying offered the only chair to Han Gyeong-yeong, hurriedly sitting on what seemed like a makeshift chair they’d brought with them.

The employee who was there for translation had to awkwardly stand next to Han Gyeong-yeong.

“I’m sorry to invite you to such a poor place. We haven’t been able to secure an office yet.”

Li Yanhong scratched his head awkwardly as he apologized.

“I heard you secured investment in the U.S.”

“It’s not that much. There aren’t many Wall Street folks who believe in the Chinese market. I got it through connections but barely managed to scrape together $2 million.”

It seemed true that they were staying at such a run-down place to save money.

Han Gyeong-yeong nodded indifferently.

“Let’s hear your business plan.”

As Li Yanhong handed over the prepared business plan, Han Gyeong-yeong passed it to his employee for review.

He believed discussion was a better way to gauge a person than paperwork.

“But how did you find me? I’m still in the stage of planning how to get this business off the ground.”

“You’re a famous figure.”

Han Gyeong-yeong smiled casually at the inquisitive-looking Li Yanhong.

After Kim Mu-hyeok suggested he investin Baidu, he had researched Li Yanhong thoroughly.

There had been reports from the employees earlier, revealing that Li Yanhong was quite a well-known figure in the American telecommunications industry. He held patents on search engine algorithms.

“I’m not that famous.”

“It’s not easy to give up a successful future and return to your homeland to take on a challenge. I want to hear a solid plan from you.”

Li Yanhong went on to explain that for the initial stage of the business, they planned to offer search engine services to other portal companies.

I thought, ‘He’s probably planning to be a supplier for search engines. But that wouldn’t be profitable, so I’d suggest he create a new portal. If he has enough money, he would want to do that.’

It was another moment when Kim Mu-hyeok’s predictions turne out to be accurate.

Now that Han Gyeong-yeong had abandoned common sense for Kim Mu-hyeok, he shook his head nternally.

“Is the problem a lack of funds or a lack of technology?”

Li Yanhong, slightly agitated, responded.

“James! If you’re here to invest, you should learn to respect your counterpart.”

“Shouldn’t the direction of the investment be informed with accurate knowledge? I intend to invest. I genuinely want to know what you want to achieve.”

“…”

Understanding each other’s vision is essential for moving forward as partners.

It was a sufficiently persuasive argument.

“Cancel all current plans. What capital would be required to create a search site like Google or Yahoo? I heard your algorithms are also used by Google. In the end, it comes down to money – how much do you need?”

Li Yanhong glanced at Xu Ying and then replied.

“We’ll need a moment to discuss this.”

“Please go ahead.”

Li Yanhong and Xu Ying entered the bedroom and closed the door.

During that time, Han Gyeong-yeong turned to the employee beside him.

“What do you think?”

“It seems like a decent business. But I question whether it’s worth investing in.”

“Really? In what way?”

“Ultimately, they’re just a supplier. There are many companies in the U.S. with strong technology. I can’t see the merit in coming all the way to China to invest in them.”

“What if they create a site like Yahoo?”

“That would be a different story.”

Meanwhile, in the other room, Li Yanhong and Xu Ying were engaged in a serious conversation.

“Xu Ying, what do you think?”

“What do you mean? Are you talking about James?”

Xu Ying shrugged.

“I can’t speak for others, but he’s well-known even on Wall Street. You might not know much about it, but he’s also a major shareholder in IT companies like Yahoo, Apple, and Microsoft.”

“He’s telling us to create a site like Google.”

“Wasn’t that what we initially wanted to do? We aimed to supply search engines because we were short on funds.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What’s holding you back?”

After some hesitation, Li Yanhong mumbled,

“Aren’t you worried about losing management rights?”

“This is China, where foreigners can’t hold management rights. I don’t think you need to worry too much. I’m in favor of it.”

Xu Ying smiled brightly, patting Li Yanhong’s shoulder.

“Li, don’t ponder too much. You came to China to do what you want. James will readily offer you investment.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s talk more…”

“That sounds good.”

Resolutely deciding, Li Yanhong opened the door and stepped out with Xu Ying.

“We’ll accept the investment.”

“Great! How much do you need?”

Xu Ying replied from next to Li Yanhong.

“We need at least ten million dollars. It will take a year or two to establish a profitable structure. We need funding to sustain us during that time.”