Chapter 136: Ma Huateng Calls a Meeting, Striving to Persuade the Company’s Shareholders (Part 1/4)

“Mr. Tang, who were the two men who came to find you just now? One of them looked very familiar, but for the life of me, I can’t remember where I’ve seen him before,” Ning Xiao hurriedly approached to ask when they returned.

“Tencent’s CEO Ma Huateng and Chief Technology Officer Zhang Qing,” Tang Feng answered.

“No wonder he looked familiar! It turns out it’s the boss of Tencent! I’ve seen him on TV before!” Ning Xiao exclaimed in surprise!

“Mr. Tang, if I’m not mistaken, they came to discuss a partnership with you, right?” Yu Li asked.

“Yes,” Tang Feng nodded and said, “Their purpose for this visit was to acquire the chat software I developed.”

“Did you agree to it?” Ning Xiao suddenly became nervous. After all, this was the first company they were involved in. Although they had not yet become official employees, they still felt a sense of achievement.

“No,” Tang Feng shook his head and said, “No matter what conditions the other party offers, I will not agree. I have said that I want Li Feng Network to become the greatest internet enterprise in the world! Without exception!”

“But in that case, doesn’t that mean we will be engaging in fierce competition with Tencent?” Guan Qian asked.

“It’s too early to say now. Ma Huateng plans to go back and hold a shareholders’ meeting. If he can persuade those shareholders, then Tencent will be acquired by our company, and Ma Huateng and his colleagues will become partners in the company,” Tang Feng answered.

“Did I hear that right? You said our company would acquire Tencent?” Ning Xiao thought she had misheard.

“No, you heard correctly. Although our company has just started, I believe that it will develop very well in the near future. Ma Huateng must have used our chat software, which is why he made such a decision,” Tang Feng said with a slight smile.

“Is it because they couldn’t replicate the additional features you added?” Yu Li speculated.

“That’s for certain. If they could have replicated it successfully, they wouldn’t have needed to come all the way from Xuzhou to see me,” Tang Feng nodded.

“No wonder they rushed over here. Clearly, they see the uu chat software as a threat to them,” Ning Xiao said.

“Let’s not worry about them for now. We will continue to increase the promotion of uu! The more users we have, the bigger our bargaining chip in negotiations with the other party,” Tang Feng said.

Ning Xiao and others nodded in agreement.

“By the way, I just went to see Professor Li Ping! She suggested you could consider wireless value-added services,” Su Xiaoli changed the subject.

“What are wireless value-added services?” Ning Xiao and others were very curious.

“Wireless value-added services are related to mobile phones. Nowadays, many mobile phones can customize ringtones and many contents, such as news, weather, etc. These are chargeable. If I remember correctly, a ringtone costs about two yuan,” Tang Feng explained to everyone.

“Really? A ringtone is so expensive?” Yu Li was very surprised. Although she also had a mobile phone, she had never customized any ringtones.

“Two yuan is acceptable for many mobile phone users. After all, those who can afford a mobile phone wouldn’t mind spending a few more yuan to buy a ringtone,” Tang Feng said with a slight smile.

“In that case, can’t the uu chat software also introduce this feature? I think it could make a lot of money,” Su Xiaoli asked.

“No,” Tang Feng shook his head and said, “The number of uu users is still too small, there’s no need to rush to monetize. I still want to provide a better user experience.”

“But I think users might need such services. Otherwise, they will go to other websites to buy these ringtones,” Su Xiaoli said.

“Yeah! I think Xiaoli makes sense! If users need it, then we should provide it! Only in this way will users like our chat software more,” Ning Xiao voiced her support.

“Let’s talk about this later. Tencent has probably already achieved significant success in this area,” Tang Feng said.

“If Tencent is indeed acquired by our company, what about the office location? Are we all moving to Xuzhou?” Su Xiaoli asked.

“The headquarters will definitely be in the capital. The research and development center will also be in the capital. It would be best if Ma Huateng and his team come to the capital to work. If they are unwilling, I won’t force them. We can set up a branch in Xuzhou for them to work there,” Tang Feng answered.

“If they come to the capital, our current office location definitely won’t suffice. We need to find a new office location,” Su Xiaoli suggested.

“We can temporarily rent an office building. Then buy a piece of land and build our own office building,” Tang Feng arranged.

“Did I hear that right? You’re talking about building our own building? Where would we get that much money?” Su Xiaoli was very surprised.

“We don’t have it, but Tencent does. Although Tencent has not yet gone public, its valuation is still very high. Moreover, Tencent has always been profitable. Spending money to build an office building is nothing,” Tang Feng answered.

“Mr. Tang, I don’t quite understand. Tencent is so wealthy, completely out of Li Feng Network’s league. Why would Ma Huateng be willing to sell Tencent? This seems like a losing deal no matter how you look at it,” Ning Xiao was very puzzled.

“It’s about valuation. Although our company has only developed the uu chat tool, Ma Huateng and Zhang Qing are very clear about my technical strength. If I am willing, I can develop many more software. That is to say, my technology is valued higher than Tencent’s valuation. Do you understand now?” Tang Feng asked with a smile.

Ning Xiao nodded, slightly understanding.

“Money is a good thing. But it’s not everything. If Tencent competes with our company, although we may be at a disadvantage in the short term, in the long run, we are sure to surpass Tencent. By then, it’s very likely that Tencent will go bankrupt,” Tang Feng was very confident.

“Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? Can’t they coexist?” Yu Li’s face was filled with doubt.

“They can’t coexist,” Tang Feng shook his head and said, “If you were a user, would you want to log into two chat software every time you go online?”

“Seems like I wouldn’t. Unless the two chat software have very obvious differences. Otherwise, it’s too much trouble,” Yu Li responded.

“So the ultimate outcome is that only one chat software will survive. If Ma Huateng can persuade those shareholders to sell Tencent to us, that would be the wisest choice,” Tang Feng laughed.

“But what benefits would our company gain from acquiring Tencent?” Guan Qian asked.

“The biggest benefit is immediately having two hundred million users. Additionally, it avoids competition with Tencent. Otherwise, even if we ultimately win, we would have to pay a significant price,” Tang Feng answered.

“In that case, I hope Ma Huateng can persuade those shareholders,” Ning Xiao said.

“Regardless, we will proceed according to the original plan. We’ll talk more when Ma Huateng contacts me,” Tang Feng said.

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