Chapter 438 - 379: Pinduoduo Prepares for Series B, an Acquaintance Pays a Visit (2)

Li Chaohui said in a confident tone, "Others might not know, but I’m well aware of your financial strength, President Wu! It’s absolutely immense!"

Wu Yun chuckled, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Li Chaohui, and then hung up.

"President Zhou, you heard all that, right? Li Chaohui will probably arrange for someone to come over in a few days. It should just be a formality, since as shareholders, they’re already crystal clear on our financial statements."

Zhou Shen nodded quickly. "Understood, President Wu! I’ll get in touch with Tencent shortly and make the necessary arrangements."

Wu Yun smiled. "No need to rush, President Zhou. I’m sure Tencent will be even more eager than you are. For now, let’s discuss the problems that have come up with our current promotions."

Pinduoduo’s promotional methods were a two-pronged attack, both of which Wu Yun had improved upon based on his experience from his past life.

The first was "Refer friends for cash, withdraw when you reach one hundred yuan!"

The second was the "Bargain" feature, where you could slash the price of an item down to an extremely low amount.

Although these promotions hadn’t been running for very long and hadn’t yet devolved into the deceptive practices of his previous life, Wu Yun felt it was necessary to give a warning. He couldn’t let Pinduoduo repeat its past mistake of getting bogged down in lawsuits.

Wu Yun then shared his idea of establishing a department for high-end products within Pinduoduo, asking Zhou Shen to see if they could test the waters during the 618 Shopping Festival.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

There was a knock at the door. After getting permission to enter, Zhou Shen’s secretary came in. "President Wu, President Zhou! That Manager Zhou from Revitalization Capital is here again. She wants to see President Zhou."

Seeing Wu Yun look over, Zhou Shen explained with a smile, "Revitalization Capital is one of the firms that has been contacting us frequently lately. It’s a new firm, established in the last two years. While they don’t have any major investment projects to their name, their financial backing is quite substantial."

"President Wu, should we see her? This Manager Zhou from Revitalization Capital is quite a character! I turned her down the last few times because I don’t have the authority to make decisions on financing. She even asked me to introduce her to you, President Wu!"

Wu Yun was about to refuse when he heard Zhou Shen add, "And she also mentioned that she’s met you before, President Wu!"

A flicker of interest appeared on Wu Yun’s face. He couldn’t recall meeting a manager in venture capital with the surname Zhou.

"Oh? Then please show her in," Wu Yun said to the female secretary at the door.

A moment later, another knock came from the partially closed door.

Wu Yun took a closer look and couldn’t help but exclaim internally, ’Well now!’ A stunning woman of about thirty was being led to the door by the secretary. A form-fitting black floral dress perfectly accentuated her slender waist and perky rear. Her calves, clad in black stockings, were exposed just so. She held a small ladies’ handbag in both hands, giving her a tall and graceful appearance.

She didn’t look like she was here for business at all; she looked more like a city socialite.

Still, Wu Yun found her face somewhat familiar, though he couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen her.

Before he had a chance to check the information displayed on his glasses, Wu Yun beckoned Zhou Shen toward the sofas in the reception area.

Wu Yun pointed to the sofa and got straight to the point. "Ms. Zhou, you do look familiar, but I can’t quite place you. Could you give me a hint?"

The beautiful woman replied with a radiant smile, "My, President Wu, you’re so important you’ve become quite forgetful. You don’t recognize me with my clothes on!"

This sentence made the hand of the secretary, who was walking over with a teacup, tremble. It was as if she’d just heard some incredibly scandalous gossip.

Even Zhou Shen was looking at Wu Yun with a gossipy glint in his eyes.

The woman seemed to realize her slip of the tongue. Covering her mouth, she gave an apologetic smile. "My apologies, I didn’t explain myself clearly. President Wu, do you remember meeting me a few months ago in the gym of a hotel in the Capital City? We had a brief encounter. It’s just that I was in yoga clothes then, which is a bit different from my current style, so it’s perfectly normal that you didn’t recognize me."

A look of sudden realization dawned on Wu Yun’s face. He glanced at the information on his glasses—"Zhou Shuwen"—and recalled the alluring, mature woman from that morning.

Wu Yun accepted the business card from Zhou Shuwen, which she offered as she leaned forward, a faint scent of perfume wafting from it. For a fleeting moment, he thought he caught a tantalizing glimpse of something.

"Ms. Zhou, you must have been in the Capital City on business back then as well, right?" Wu Yun asked with a light chuckle.

Zhou Shuwen tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before replying, "Yes. At the time, we were interested in an animation production company, so my firm sent me to the Capital City."

But Zhou Shuwen didn’t give Wu Yun a chance to beat around the bush. She smiled and said, "This time, both my company and I are very bullish on Pinduoduo’s development. Our firm is willing to invest at a valuation twenty percent higher than your company’s current market value."

"I just wonder if I’ll have the chance to get on your express train!" As she spoke, Zhou Shuwen gave Wu Yun a look brimming with flirtatious charm.

This was the first time Wu Yun had encountered a woman with this kind of style. Even if he hadn’t bedded countless women, he was still a seasoned veteran.

Therefore, Wu Yun remained completely unmoved by Zhou Shuwen’s ambiguous comment. He replied calmly, "I’m afraid you’re a little late, Ms. Zhou. I just got off the phone with Li Chaohui from Tencent. Our two companies are preparing a joint injection of capital to complete Pinduoduo’s B-round of financing."

Zhou Shuwen’s expression showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, she smiled. "You mean through that Nirvana Investment under your name, President Wu?"

"The industry is still buzzing about Nirvana Investment. Many individuals and institutions, including us at Revitalization Capital, are curious if Nirvana Investment has any plans to raise funds."

Wu Yun’s expression remained placid as he waited for Zhou Shuwen to continue.

"However, it seems Nirvana Investment hasn’t made any such moves. And based on its past actions, we’ve deduced that Nirvana Investment’s capital comes entirely from you, President Wu."

Zhou Shuwen’s face broke into a radiant smile. "President Wu, what I’m trying to say is, it’s better for Pinduoduo to burn investors’ money than its own."

"Besides, bringing in other capital firms means everyone makes money together, and Pinduoduo’s foundation will become even more stable."

As Zhou Shuwen spoke, she watched Wu Yun’s expression for any change, but to her slight disappointment, his face remained completely impassive.

’How can someone so young be so poised?’ Zhou Shuwen mused to herself.

Her practiced flirtations just now had elicited no reaction from Wu Yun. This made her, a woman who had always been confident in her physical assets, feel a little impressed. She had often leveraged her personal advantages in business negotiations and had, more or less, always achieved some results.

What man wasn’t a lecher? Unless there was something wrong with his sexual orientation or his body.

Just as Zhou Shuwen was pondering how to persuade Wu Yun, she heard his calm voice. "Ms. Zhou, if we were to let you on board, besides offering a valuation twenty percent over market value, what other resources could your firm bring to Pinduoduo?"

Hearing that there was a chance, Zhou Shuwen broke into a brilliant smile. "Although our company hasn’t been around for long, our investors include commercial banks from several major cities across the country, including Modu Bank."

"We can coordinate the resources of all these banks. For example, when Pinduoduo needs to build dispatch and warehousing centers in various locations in the future, these resources can be of great help!"

At this, Zhou Shuwen finally saw a flicker of interest in Wu Yun’s expression. But before she could feel happy about it, she heard him say, "That’s not enough. If I want to build warehousing and dispatch centers, I’m confident that local governments everywhere would welcome me with open arms."

Zhou Shuwen smiled. "Don’t be so hasty, President Wu. Let me finish. Our company can also provide logistics cooperation services. We hold partial shares in SF Express and ZTO Express, and we have just enough to get a seat on their boards. This can lay the foundation for further cooperation between our companies!"

"I believe that given Pinduoduo’s growth trajectory, your vision certainly won’t be limited to the lower-tier markets of second- and third-tier cities. In my opinion, I think Pinduoduo must be coveting a piece of the high-end market!"

"Therefore, a deep partnership with SF Express is, I believe, imperative!"

Wu Yun and Zhou Shen exchanged a look. Zhou Shuwen’s words had given them both something to think about.

’As expected of a woman with an eye for investment!’