Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 925 The Undercurrents Behind the Noise

1860? !

In just a few days, his salary increased by more than 200 million, which is equivalent to his annual salary.

However, this did not surprise Lin Tianming but delighted him. Just as his colleagues had said, even if he did not live there himself in the future, he could make a fortune by reselling it.

Originally, such a property was out of reach for him. His annual salary was about two million yuan, and after deducting taxes and personal expenses, it would take him ten years to afford it if he relied solely on his salary.

But with Ant Group's IPO a done deal, he estimated that he could get at least 20 million yuan after cashing out his shares—this gave him a lot of confidence, and he could even buy a property outright, something he had never dared to imagine before.

The woman's eyes lit up as she gazed at the renderings of the show flat, but she gently shook her boyfriend's arm: "1860 million? Tianming, that's too expensive. Should we look at something else?"

"do you like it?"

"I do like it, but this puts too much pressure on you, and it breaks my heart." She bit her lip, her hesitant expression belying her status as a rising star in the entertainment industry.

"If you like it, then buy it!" Lin Tianming waved his hand dismissively and said to Xiao Li in a decisive tone.

"I'll take this set!"

"Mr. Lin, you have excellent taste; many of our clients are your colleagues."

"Oh? You know where I work?" Lin Tianming feigned surprise.

Xiao Li smiled and pointed to the logo on his T-shirt, his tone carrying just the right amount of flattery: "Who doesn't know about Ant Group's IPO? The whole of Hangzhou is paying attention. We can't wait to admire a tech and finance elite like you."

The salesperson's smiling face and his girlfriend's adoring gaze made Lin Tianming feel very pleased, and he felt that this was probably the most glorious moment in his life.

He smiled, his casual tone revealing a Versailles-like nonchalance: "Our company's IPO is just a formality."

The company has made us rich, so we should also contribute to the local GDP, right?

This apartment is alright. It's close to the company, so it'll be convenient to get home if I work late.

Of course, you've seen that my girlfriend likes it, and that's the most important thing.

Hearing Lin Tianming say this, the woman smiled even more sweetly. Since her boyfriend was so considerate, she wrapped her arms around his and subtly puffed out her well-proportioned chest in return.

"How much is the down payment?" Lin Tianming got down to business.

Xiao Li quickly replied, "Our current policy is 60%."

"60%?" Lin Tianming frowned.

Observing the situation, Xiao Li immediately changed his tune: "However, if you meet the requirements, we also have a policy that can reduce it to as low as 40%."

He deftly pressed the calculator: "The down payment is approximately 744 million, and you can choose a loan term of 10 or 20 years."

"Let's calculate based on ten years."

"The monthly payment would be 12.15, and the total interest would be approximately 342 million."

Do you support early repayment?

"After the IPO, right? No problem."

"Then let's sign it."

"Honey, you're amazing!" his girlfriend exclaimed softly, her eyes filled with admiration.

She was determined to secure this long-term, high-quality meal ticket, and it seemed she would have to put in a lot of effort tonight; maybe her name would even be on the property deed.
Although taking out 744 million yuan at once was a considerable burden for Lin Tianming, he remained calm: with Ant Group's IPO imminent, once his stock options were liquidated, this house would be nothing.

He plans to sell his current place and add the money he's saved over the years; that should be enough.

The reason he dared to spend money was because he believed he would have more money in the future. Supported by this belief, Lin Tianming completed the formalities and returned to work at the company.

A colleague asked curiously, "Did you take the day off yesterday to buy a house?"

Lin Tianming smiled faintly: "I just bought a large apartment nearby and solved my housing problem. How can I compare to you, who even ordered a Niu electric scooter?"

"Next, we just need to wait for it to go public."

"Yes." Lin Tianming's eyes shone, his tone full of anticipation.

Like many of his colleagues, he had already mentally "pre-empted" his wealth. The expectation of an imminent IPO and instant riches permeated every corner of the company.

They look at cars and houses in advance, pay deposits, and wait for their equity to be realized—these people are both the driving force behind the rising housing prices around the company and the tiny ants at the bottom of this capital feast.

On June 18, the smoke from the e-commerce promotion had just cleared up.

Ant Financial has officially changed its name to Ant Group. Instead of conducting a separate new round of financing during the pre-IPO stage, it plans to raise funds from the public market through a simultaneous listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

According to its prospectus, Ant Group plans to raise approximately US$400 billion (about RMB2700 billion) through A+H shares, corresponding to a valuation of up to US$3500 billion (over RMB2 trillion).

This unprecedented IPO will break global records, far exceeding Saudi Aramco's previous fundraising of $290 billion.

Since Ant Group announced its IPO plans, it has been very high-profile, with everything out in the open, and the sentiment among capital institutions, the market, and the public has been extremely high.

The consensus that "too big to fail" and "must succeed" permeated the entire market, and almost no one doubted that its listing would fail.

The working class in the job market has mixed feelings, and is extremely bitter.

They don't envy Jack Ma, nor do they envy the Ant Group executives whose net worth was already over 100 million yuan. After all, these people are too far removed from them. They have their own rationalizations to convince themselves that their gains match their efforts. What makes them most resentful is that those employees who received stock options worth two or three million yuan may actually only have a few hundred or a thousand shares, far from achieving financial freedom.

But it is precisely these joys that pierce their hearts most.

Because fighting is just one of the countless laborers, working themselves to the bone just to live a good life, but suddenly a small number of people abandon everyone else and change from living a good life to living a good life.

This sudden wealth has led to a widespread concern among working-class people about inequality rather than scarcity.
Thus, Ant Group's IPO is now 5 months away, with an expected official listing in mid-October.

But as June drew to a close, despite having already divided the "cake" among various investors, Lao Ma still felt uneasy.

It was so quiet.
In stark contrast to the market's fervor, the other side of the river remained completely still, like a stagnant pool.

There was nothing unusual about the other side's various businesses. Whether it was gaming, cloud computing, or cybersecurity, they were still filled with an extremely strong sense of pressure.

The more things were like this, the more Lao Ma knew rationally that even if Chen Mo was incredibly intelligent, it would be too late at this critical juncture, unless he blew up the entire internet!
But emotionally, I still feel a little uneasy.

If it weren't for Chen Mo, there would be no WeChat Pay, and Ant Group's valuation might have exceeded $5000 billion.

However, things are not bad now. As long as Ant Group successfully goes public, he can return to the same starting line as Chen Mo. In the subsequent battle for the title of "Internet King", he will not only have the Internet card, but also the bigger trump card of finance. At that time, it will be a dimensional reduction attack.

In addition to monitoring business activities, he also secretly sent people to keep an eye on the Beyond Science Park, especially Chen Mo's whereabouts.

During this period, the feedback he collected indicated that Chen Mo was very well-behaved and went to get off work and back normally. He didn't even go to the "palace" anymore. He only occasionally took a private plane trip, but the destination was unclear, and each trip lasted for several days.

Where exactly did you go? Who did you meet? When will you make your move?
Old Ma stared at a money tree in his office, muttering to himself.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Hong Kong, at Ma's home.

After dinner, the two went into the study.

Upon hearing Chen Mo's purpose, Brother Ma looked troubled: "To be honest, Old Ma also came to see me last month."

"Trying to get you on the ant's warship?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.

"Otherwise what? You've got some nerve, bringing just a few people to see me. Aren't you afraid I've already sided with Old Ma and set up a trap for you?"

Chen Mo curled her lip dismissively: "Stop acting, you're not that kind of person."

"So certain? Is it confidence or arrogance?"

“You are different from me. You have a family, and Ali’s ship has too much and too heavy cargo, making it easy to sink. You have always been low-key and steady, and you would rather not be praised than make a mistake on your own initiative.”

"Is this your reason for not getting married and having children?"

"I'm at the age where I should be taking risks; getting married and having children is a matter for later. More importantly, we're friends, and there should always be some trust between friends, right?"

Trust between friends?!
Hearing these words from the other person surprised and deeply moved Little Ma. Recalling his years of interaction with this young man, he paused for a few seconds before sighing,

"It's really not easy to become friends with you, but you're not exactly a businessman."

"I'm the richest man in China, and I'm still a businessman?"

“It won’t be like that for long,” Little Ma muttered to himself, while Chen Mo looked hurt.

After thinking for a moment, Little Ma added, "You're not a businessman. Businessmen only care about profit, not morality. You're different!"

"It seems you still understand me." Chen Mo leaned against the table and took a sip of tea.

"Same to you. But this time, I really can't help you with anything."

"I understand. I just hope that when the situation becomes clearer, you can go with the flow."

"The situation has become clearer?"

"You'll know when the time comes." Chen Mo put down his teacup, stood up, and took his leave.

"I'm best at games where I'm winning, but... are you really sure?" Little Ma pushed up his glasses, which had slipped slightly down his nose.
"This time, the enemy is like an 'eight-nation alliance,' and I can't imagine how you can win this battle."

"You said it yourself, this world is nothing more than a balance of advantages and disadvantages."

Chen Mo turned and walked towards the door. "I'm leaving."

Little Ma escorted him to the courtyard gate and suddenly said, "If you beat me, don't easily lose to Old Ma—otherwise, I'll lose face."

Do I look like someone who would admit defeat?

"I remember you owe me a meal."

"Okay, I'll treat you to abalone next time I come to Beijing!"

"Is this abalone of yours even authentic? I'm an honest man."

"Damn, what are you thinking? Everyone's an honest person!"

Chen Mo chuckled and cursed, then waved his hand, "Stay where you are!"

They then got into the car and left.

After concluding this final leg of his trip, Chen Mo returned to Beijing by private jet.

(End of this chapter)