Chapter 239: Return to Rongcheng, Little Red Car’s Valuation Estimate

After the opening ceremony, Wu Yun and Cai Haoyu ate together at the designated restaurant before returning to their rooms to rest.

In the afternoon, they attended a breakout session starting at two, followed by the main summit.

To Wu Yun’s delight, both the breakout session and the main summit mentioned the internet-based sharing economy, citing Little Red Car as a prime example.

Wu Yun knew that with the buzz generated by the conference, Little Red Car’s valuation could at least double.

On the second day, Wu Yun selectively attended two more breakout sessions. He found that most of the predictions about the future of the internet would eventually be realized, or even surpassed, in the years to come.

So, Wu Yun decided he would attend the World Internet Conference every year to stay on top of the world’s most cutting-edge ideas.

...

The plane landed at Shuangliu Airport. Wu Yun and the other two took a Little Red Car company vehicle directly back to headquarters.

As soon as he walked past the front desk, Wu Yun sensed a different atmosphere in the office.

Men and women in business attire periodically emerged from the conference room, carrying documents.

Many employees passing the main conference room couldn’t help but glance inside, most with looks of curiosity.

Only a few wore expressions of excitement.

Wu Yun then remembered: this was the team of professional auditors Peng Zhijian had hired. They were examining every aspect of Little Red Car, including registration data, revenue, fixed assets, and liquid assets.

Since Little Red Car was founded this year, it had no 2014 audit report. The team had to calculate and verify all the data from scratch.

Wu Yun paid them no mind and headed straight for Li Qiuliang’s office.

Wang Hao, of course, took the receipts he was holding and went to the finance department for reimbursement.

Wu Yun pushed the door open. Li Qiuliang was inside, his eyes glued to his screen.

When the door opened and he saw who it was, Li Qiuliang’s face broke into a smile. "President Wu! Welcome back!"

"I saw you on the live broadcast!"

Li Qiuliang had just been browsing news from the World Internet Conference; he had been following the three-day live broadcast closely.

Wu Yun made himself at home, sinking into the sofa, crossing his legs, and leaning back. "That conference was a real gathering of titans, but what I cared about most was what they had to say about our bike-sharing."

"And the results didn’t disappoint! With all the publicity from the conference, I know our bike-sharing industry has really taken off!"

"President Li, how do you think we should approach the negotiations with Tencent over the valuation?" Wu Yun asked.

Li Qiuliang, who knew Little Red Car’s situation like the back of his hand, smiled and said, "I think we can make a comprehensive assessment based on a few key areas."

"First, all the Little Red Car bikes out there are our fixed assets. That’s indisputable. We deployed another 1.2 million bikes on November 1st, bringing the total to three million. And that’s not counting the ones still at the factory."

"Second, the user deposits. They’re liquid capital, but they’re also a liability. Still, it’s something we can use to generate profit."

"Third, our revenue from ride fees."

"And fourth, our app and its number of registered users."

"So, after a comprehensive calculation, I believe our valuation this time should be at least US$500 million."

He hadn’t really thought about it, but running the numbers was shocking. An investment of just forty million Huaxia Coins had grown this much in only four months. If they secured a valuation of 500 million dollars, that would be an 87.5-fold return on investment—enough to make anyone’s jaw drop.

Wu Yun nodded. "Once the news from the conference spreads, I think we can ask for even more. Let’s prepare a good summary for this month’s regular meeting. I plan on inviting Peng Zhijian to attend."

"By the way, how is employee morale? I noticed a lot of restlessness when I came in. That’s not a good sign," Wu Yun added.

Li Qiuliang explained, "President Wu, that’s my fault. When the auditors arrived, I saw everyone was on edge, so I explained the situation in the main company group chat and asked them to give their full cooperation to the audit."

"I’ll remind them again later. We can’t have this affecting the audit!"

Seeing that Li Qiuliang had the situation under control, Wu Yun dropped the subject.

After chatting for a little while longer, Wu Yun got up and took his leave.

Wu Yun didn’t even stop by his own office, simply having Wei Wu drive him back to school.

Before he even got to the dance studio where Wen Meng and her friends were, Wu Yun spotted two shady figures lurking outside.

A shrill voice drifted over. "Yongheng, quick, look! That upperclassman has a killer body! Tsk, tsk... that waist... those legs... She gives your Lai Yi a run for her money!"

"Hmph. Tang Taizong, so you’re into the flat-chested, long-legged type? I thought the history books said you liked them curvy!"

"Well... can’t a guy change his tastes after being reincarnated?!"

Wu Yun materialized silently behind them and slapped both of them firmly on the shoulder.

"Holy shit!"

"Ahhh!"

Two distinctly different yelps rang out.

The studio door was flung open, and an irate teacher in a leotard stormed out. "You two! I’ve had it with you! You come here every single day to peep! Scram! If I see you again, I’ll have you dragged in here and forced to do the splits!"

Liu Yongheng and Li Shiming bobbed their heads in frantic agreement, like chickens pecking at grain.

Wu Yun never expected to become collateral damage, but then he heard the teacher say, "And you! What’s so funny? Being handsome and acting like a creep just cancels each other out!"

At this, a dozen heads poking out of the doorway erupted into various kinds of laughter.

Li Shiming, his face flushed, grabbed Wu Yun and Liu Yongheng. "Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up! We won’t be able to get away if we don’t leave now!"

And so, the three of them beat a hasty retreat from the floor, pursued by laughter.

"Holy shit, Boss! How do you walk without making a sound?! You scared the life out of me!" Liu Yongheng grumbled, before sighing dramatically. "Agh, now I can’t wait for my Lai Yi to get out of class!"

Li Shiming, who had been force-fed a diet of their public displays of affection for days, finally snapped. "Lai Yi! Lai Yi! It’s always Lai Yi! I hear you say ’Lai Yi’ when I close my eyes at night, and I hear you say ’Lai Yi’ when I open them in the morning! I am so sick of the nauseatingly sweet stench of your romance!"

Li Shiming continued his tearful tirade, "Boss! Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through?!"

"It’s not like I didn’t make it up to you! I’ve treated you to dinner a bunch of times!" Liu Yongheng shot back.

"Treating me? You must be dreaming! When you first started dating Lai Yi, you were too shy to be alone with her, so you dragged me along as a third wheel!" Li Shiming’s resentment was palpable. "Then, a few days later, once you were comfortable, you tossed me aside like a piece of trash! Boss, you be the judge! Should we even keep a friend who drops his bros for a girl?!"

Watching the two of them bicker like an old married couple, Wu Yun couldn’t help but sigh to himself. ’Ah, college life is so much simpler!’

"Alright, alright!" Liu Yongheng said, trying to make peace. "The Boss is back! Let’s get both our dorms together tonight. My treat!"

"So I’m just an afterthought again? Yongheng! You don’t love me anymore!"