Chapter 335 - 191: Not Only Money, but Top Talent Too?

Chapter 335: Chapter 191: Not Only Money, but Top Talent Too?

Su Chen saw right through Mark’s little scheme, and the smile on his face widened.

"Mr. Mark, give me one good reason to take this thing off your hands. We both know I don’t really care about it," Su Chen said, waving the USB drive in his hand.

Whether he took this new technology or not, it wouldn’t harm Su Chen in any way. His share was guaranteed; neither Morgan nor BlackRock wanted to make an enemy of him.

So, that brought him back to the main point. If he wouldn’t lose out either way, why should he take on this hot potato?

Mark fell into deep thought. He knew the main event had arrived. Whether he could succeed or not all depended on whether the terms he offered could entice Su Chen.

For a moment, the only sound on the rooftop was the sea breeze. Chen Fei, Jiang Hui, and the two men Mark had brought with him all waited for Mark’s answer.

Su Chen leisurely picked up his glass of juice and sipped it slowly, taking a moment to admire the San Francisco Bay Area under the glow of the setting sun.

After a long while, Mark finally looked up at Su Chen and said, "I’m willing to offer a sixty percent cut. I wonder if that is to Mr. Su’s satisfaction."

"A sixty percent cut!" Su Chen muttered to himself, rubbing his chin. He hadn’t expected Mark to have this much nerve.

Su Chen quickly made his decision and waved to Jiang Hui, who was standing nearby.

"Sir." Jiang Hui reached him in just a few steps.

Su Chen jutted his chin toward the small leather case on the table. "Put it away."

Hearing this, a flash of delight crossed Mark’s eyes. He quickly stood up and said excitedly, "Thank you, Mr. Su."

"Alright, sit down," Su Chen said flatly, his gaze shifting to the two men who had come up with Mark.

"Tell me about them."

’If they weren’t important, why would Mark bring them up to meet me? If I’m not mistaken... these two are most likely the creators of the new weak AI technology.’

"Mr. Su, I imagine you’ve already guessed. These two are Longteng Technology’s top engineers. I brought them here today hoping to find a path forward for them."

"Hm?" Mark’s words left Su Chen a bit baffled. Logically, these two had to be AI experts; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to develop the world’s most advanced weak AI.

Once Longteng Technology was sold, whether Morgan or BlackRock took over, it would be a step up to a bigger platform for them. They would also get to connect with more elites in the AI field.

’Why would they need to find another path?’

As if sensing Su Chen’s confusion, Mark quickly explained, "Mr. Su, they are both old friends of mine, my most trusted confidants. They will inevitably be purged after the transition."

"Mr. Su surely has many businesses under his name. I’m confident they can shine and contribute under your leadership."

Although the reason seemed a bit forced, Su Chen chose to believe him. After all, a new ruler brings in his own court. Once Mark sold his shares, his loyalists were certain to be purged. No one could guarantee that one of them wouldn’t sell out the company’s interests.

Rather than keeping them around and being constantly on guard, it was better to just fire them all.

However, Su Chen wouldn’t completely trust these two AI experts. He would definitely need to observe them for a period before making a final judgment.

No one could guarantee that the two of them didn’t have ulterior motives.

Of course... Su Chen wouldn’t let talent like this slip through his fingers either. To develop the most advanced weak AI technology with just a small company’s research team showed they had real skill.

"They’re both probably married, right? Ask them if they’re willing to move their families to Huaxia. If they are, I’ll take them both and give them important positions."

Upon hearing this, Mark quickly stood up, walked over to the two men, and began talking. He made no effort to be discreet or lower his voice, and Su Chen heard their entire conversation.

At first, the two men were a little agitated, but after some persuasion from Mark, they quickly calmed down.

During their conversation, Mark inadvertently revealed something: the reason he was going to such great lengths to arrange things for the two men... was because Bird’s previous scheming had completely broken his composure.

After leaving Su Chen last time, he and Bird had a huge fight. It even made Mark feel, for a time, that he wasn’t cut out for business anymore. After all, to be played for a fool like that was simply humiliating.

Their relationship had plummeted to a freezing point as a result. Plus, with BlackRock holding Su Chen’s shares in proxy, Mark thought BlackRock had a better chance of winning.

This forced him to consider a way out. He himself would be fine, but he had to figure something out for the subordinates who had followed him.

If he didn’t arrange a future for his loyal subordinates, he’d lose all face in this circle.

Moreover, Mark had already found an exit strategy for himself. He was planning to take his family and follow Su Chen to Huaxia after the acquisition was complete. He believed his money would allow his family to live very comfortably in Huaxia.

If he stayed in the Bay Area, who knew if Bird would come looking to settle scores.

’You have to admit, Mark really played his cards perfectly.’ He had calculated everything from the very beginning. As long as Su Chen accepted the USB drive, he was certain Su Chen would take in these two men.

On top of that, with the subsequent negotiations, the selling price would definitely be much higher than what Bird had offered before. Even if he only got forty percent of the proceeds from his own shares, it might still be more than the cut Bird had proposed.

When Mark returned, he was met with Su Chen’s faint, knowing smile. Seeing that look... Mark knew that Su Chen had seen through all his little schemes.

"Mr. Su, I..."

Mark was just about to explain himself when Su Chen cut him off with a raised hand. "No need to explain. I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t let it happen again. You can arrange for your families to fly to Shanghai now. Someone will be there to receive you."

"Thank you, Mr. Su!" Mark and the other two men said respectfully.

Su Chen also got to know the two AI experts. One was named Jeff, and the other was Ward. After a brief conversation... he found they were indeed genuine experts, both holding PhDs in electronic information from MIT.

Chen Fei escorted Mark and the others out. Su Chen sat in the rooftop lounge area, quietly watching the three men leave the villa, talking and laughing.

Jiang Hui, holding the small leather case, asked softly, "Mr. Su, are you just going to let this go?"

Su Chen glanced back at Jiang Hui, a smile playing on his lips. He knew what Jiang Hui was referring to—Mark’s scheming.

"What else?" Su Chen wasn’t bothered by it in the least. In fact, he almost hoped for more schemes like this. Not only did it deliver him money, but it also came with two top experts. Where else could he find such a good deal?

And Su Chen hadn’t given up anything of substance. He had simply taken control of the new technology, which actually gave him an advantage in the upcoming negotiations. At the very least, the initiative was now in his hands.

......

「New York, BlackRock Headquarters!」

"Shit! What the hell is Bird doing? How could he not report such critical information in a timely manner!" Charles slammed his hand on the table in fury.

He had just gotten a call from Morgan’s side, saying that Mark had already handed over all the new weak AI technology to Su Chen.

At first, Charles was skeptical. But then Morgan revealed that the information came from a high-level executive at Longteng Technology they had bought off, and even told him who it was. This forced Charles to believe it.

This technology was crucial for both them and Morgan. It was related to the future layout of many high-tech industries. Many senior executives at BlackRock were paying close attention to this matter. If anything went wrong, Charles was sure he would face dire consequences.

As the saying goes, there are only permanent interests. If you cause a loss for the company, you will definitely pay the price.

Charles quickly regained his composure. He understood that the key to the situation now lay with Su Chen.

BlackRock was currently holding Su Chen’s fifty-one percent stake in proxy, which gave them at least some advantage over Morgan.

After a moment of thought, Charles picked up the dedicated line on his desk and made two consecutive calls.

Half an hour later, Charles left the headquarters with a team of seven or eight people, boarded a private jet, and flew directly to the Bay Area.

Meanwhile, another team also departed from the same airport on a private jet, heading to the same destination.