Chapter 535: Action

Music suddenly swelled as the hostesses placed the pre-arranged tables and chairs in their designated spots.

Tang Hongjiang, representing Wu Yun, took the seat in the middle. Soon, all four copies of the document were signed by the four parties present and stamped with their respective company seals.

With that, Little Red Car’s Series B funding round was officially concluded.

Meituan had initially proposed an equity swap for shares in Little Red Car. However, Wu Yun knew that without being able to touch the customer deposits, Little Red Car would need a massive infusion of cash to expand into second and third-tier cities.

So he had Tang Hongjiang make a direct demand during negotiations: “Little Red Car’s financing must be in cash, or there’s no deal! You can, however, use your own stock to acquire the shares we’re selling.”

In the end, Meituan had no choice but to begrudgingly accept Wu Yun’s terms.

As a result, Meituan paid 400 million US dollars in cash, plus 1.2% of their company’s stock.

Moreover, the agreement with Meituan included a crucial clause: Nirvana Investment could sell its acquired shares unconditionally.

In the future, Meituan’s market cap would soar to an incredible 55 billion US dollars after its IPO. But Wu Yun had no intention of holding the stock long-term; after all, Meituan’s future business practices would become highly controversial.

Besides, his small stake gave him no real say in the company, and he hadn’t intended to be a long-term investor anyway.

Therefore, Wu Yun planned to sell the shares and cash out after the Meituan-Dianping merger or during their new financing round early next year.

Wu Yun shook Wang Xin’s hand. “President Wang! Looks like we’re family now!”

Wang Xin’s expression was placid, as if he’d just spent five bucks. “President Wu! Welcome to the Meituan family!”

“Next month, I’d like to welcome you and your colleagues from Nirvana Investment to our board meeting. Meituan will be undergoing a major change.”

Wu Yun nodded and smiled. “President Wang, I’m afraid my small stake doesn’t quite qualify me for a board seat, does it?”

Wang Xin glanced at the people around them, his expression impassive. “President Wu, I doubt anyone would dare object.”

Wu Yun laughed heartily. “President Wang, since you put it that way, I’ll be sure to be there on time!”

—————–

As the lively financing meeting for Little Red Car proceeded, a different scene was unfolding at the entrance to Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.

“Brother Fatty! Are we just gonna sit here and wait for them? Why don’t we get Young Master Li to call his girl and bait them out?”

It was broad daylight. Even for someone as brazen as Brother Fatty, causing a scene on a university campus was a step too far.

He glanced at the guys sitting in the car. ‘With these clothes and haircuts, they scream trouble.’

The massive Versace logo was stretched across their tight T-shirts, and sprawling tattoos snaked down their arms, as if they were afraid people *wouldn’t* know they were thugs.

Brother Fatty smacked the speaker on the head. “Damn it, you got a death wish? Young Master Li was probably out partying until three or four this morning. You call his girl now, you’re asking for a beating!”

“Any word from Knife?”

Knife was one of their gang—oh, wait, *team*. He was a clean-cut young man who looked just like a college student, earning his nickname from his fondness for playing with knives.

Knife had slipped onto campus without a hitch, but more than ten minutes had passed with no word from him.

“Brother Fatty, I’ll call him right now!” The goon who’d just been smacked scrambled to pull out his phone and make the call.

A dozen seconds later, he hung up. “Brother Fatty, Knife made it into the kid’s dorm. He doesn’t know the exact room number, so he’s checking every room from the top floor down!”

SMACK! Another slap landed on the goon’s head.

“Damn it! A bunch of brawny, brain-dead idiots! Don’t you know you can just ask what floor the seniors are on? You have to waste time going room by room!”

The goon who’d been hit thought that made a lot of sense. He rubbed his head and mumbled, “Brother Fatty, can you stop hitting my head all the time? It’d be bad if I got a concussion. Who’s gonna do your dirty work for you then?”

SMACK! Brother Fatty slapped the goon on the thigh. “Feel better? Keep whining, and I’ll have Knife carve you a new asshole!”

The goon winced. “I’m getting out for a smoke. I’ll give Knife a call while I’m at it.”

….

“Team One, what’s your status?” a middle-aged man in casual clothes said, pressing the transmit button on his earpiece.

“Captain Jiang! One of the suspects, a man called Monkey, just got out of the car! He’s smoking on the curb. There are still three people in the target vehicle, including the fat guy!”

“Understood. Maintain surveillance. From the looks of it, they’re still planning to harm the victim.”

Captain Jiang was the head of the district’s public security team. Normally, a case like this wouldn’t warrant his personal involvement, but a call from his superior the previous night had changed everything. The victim, he was told, was the relative of a very wealthy man, and they were to give this case their utmost attention.

That explained today’s major-crimes-level operation.

“Captain Jiang, Team Two has followed the suspect, Knife, into the dorm building. We estimate he’ll locate Yu Xiao’s room in the next five minutes.”

“Visual confirmation, he’s carrying a folding knife.”

The captain continued his orders: “Prioritize Yu Xiao’s safety! If Knife so much as makes a move with that blade, do not hesitate! You are cleared to fire!”

“Copy that!”

The two plainclothes officers tailing Knife exchanged a glance. Averting their eyes from the few students scattered in the hallway, they quietly chambered the rounds in the pistols concealed in their shoulder bags.

Just then, Captain Jiang’s voice came over the comms again: “You two, break off the tail and go directly to Yu Xiao’s room. Lie in wait for him!”

“Yes, sir!”