After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future-Chapter 262 - 261: The Strongest Capital Group

so what exactly did he want to do that required such a large amount of money?

"I've always been very optimistic about the new energy industry."

Lu Liang laughed and told the truth.

Although he spoke the truth, few people at the scene believed him.

The year was nearing its end, and the new energy market had grown quickly, with a year-over-year increase of 100%. But it was merely changing from the forecast 250,000 units to 500,000 units, that was all.

Even if taking an average, a unit selling at 100,000—largely brought down by the Hongguang Mini—the total annual transaction volume of the market was only 50 billion, not even half of Tianmao's Double Eleven total transaction volume.

To start a public fund with a guaranteed minimum of a hundred billion for a market worth only fifty billion, it would be a tale no one would believe if told.

Lu Liang took a sip of his tea,

quite helplessly, but he didn't explain too much.

It was undeniable that new energy had always been a hot topic, but market data always dashed a cold reality in people's faces.

The potential was there, but currently, it was a market worth just shy of fifty billion, and that was an indisputable fact.

At this time, a hearty laughter came from the side: "Gentlemen, what are you discussing?"

Old Ma, dressed in an orange wool sweater, came striding over surrounded by people.

"Just saying that Mr. Ma could also be considered half a host here, how come he hasn't arrived sooner? Could it be he's playing the diva?"

Zhu Hu laughed heartily, changing the topic. It was fine for them to discuss this topic amongst themselves, but it was best not to let Old Ma find out.

Ant Financial, launched in 2014, evolved into a gluttonous behemoth in just a few years, making the market aware of Old Ma's big ambitions.

Especially with Tianhong Fund, which partnered with Yu'e Bao, by the third quarter, its user count exceeded 300 million, and its asset management scale surpassed one trillion.

Zhu Hu was astonished, suddenly turning his head to glance at Lu Liang—perhaps his attendance at the meeting was for this reason?

In recent years, the P2P lending business of Alipay has developed extremely well, even surpassing Tianmao's O2O e-commerce model, as well as 1688's B2B factory direct sales model.

If Lu Liang was here for Old Ma, and the two embarked on deep cooperation, perhaps a massive financial empire would rise.

Alipay had three hundred million users with a habit of saving, and combined with Lu Liang's unparalleled influence in the financial world, the resulting chemical reaction might even rival the merger of Watermelon and Douyin.

Zhu Hu's face suddenly turned crimson red—If he could catch this fast train, maybe, just maybe, he could prosper for eternity, alongside the nation.

"Everyone seated here is a big shot, who would dare to act like one?"

Old Ma laughed heartily, his gaze settled on Lu Liang, smiling with squinted eyes: "Finally, Mr. Lu, we meet. The last time you visited Hang City, I happened just not to be there, and I truly regret it."

He was very interested in Lu Liang because, in recent years, the Ali Group had gradually shifted its focus from e-commerce to Ant Financial.

Alipay had already changed people's payment habits and even broken the banks' monopoly. But he wanted more.

Just as he mentioned in a forum, the state-owned banks' systems were too outdated and should keep up with the times.

If you can't keep up with the times, then you can only be eliminated.

Perhaps Ant Financial might produce an amazing chemical reaction with Lu Liang.

"Mr. Ma, it's not too late to meet now," Lu Liang said, smiling as he stood up to shake hands with Old Ma.

He finally got to see the King of E-commerce in person, a figure he'd only ever seen on news and television before.

Old Ma's face was full of smiles as he sized up Lu Liang.

But soon, everyone's attention was drawn by what was happening behind him.

At the entrance of the hotel's restaurant, suddenly there was a buzz of voices, as if a mega-star had appeared.

Old Ma turned his head to look and chuckled, "There, the real heavyweight has arrived."

Little Ma, dressed in a suit, entered the restaurant and, upon seeing them, walked over.

Compared to Ali, Tencent had a significantly better public image, despite its past moniker as "King of Copycats." But that was a thing of the past – poor and they would smartly integrate tactics, rich and they would smash in with capital.

Tencent now had no need to copy; it simply threw money around, either buying out or investing.

The key was that Tencent was willing to delegate authority. Little Ma, having been previously hit hard for paying salaries in Q Coins, was now incredibly low-profile – almost the perfect image of a godfather client.

It was just a pity that Little Ma had a very clear purpose, and no one dared to stop him for a chat.

Little Ma greeted everyone and finally turned his attention to Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, hello."

"Mr. Ma, hello, is today like an offline meet-up for internet friends?" replied Lu Liang with a smile.

They often chatted in NIO's group, but it was the first time they met offline.

"It counts," Little Ma nodded with a smile, his serious appearance in stark contrast to his melodramatic online persona.

All of a sudden, Shen Peng suggested, "Gentlemen, how about we move to somewhere quieter? There are a few more friends coming over soon."

Currently, their group included heads of four major venture capital firms, along with Shuangma Group and Xiaomi's Lei Jun.

The combination of seven was formidable enough to be called the strongest capital alliance in the country, and it wasn't quite appropriate to continue dining in the main hall.

Now, a five-meter radius of vacant space had formed around them, leaving only the faint clink of cutlery and chopsticks in the entire restaurant.

The restaurant was not only filled with businessmen but also foreign guests and leaders who were arriving. Staying here made them too conspicuous.

"Sure, Mr. Shen, please make arrangements."

Everyone unanimously agreed, and they moved to an oversized private room prepared by the hotel, which could easily accommodate 30 people.

After a while, JD's Daqiangzi, DiDi's Cheng Wei, Meituan's Wang Xing, Baidu's Li Hongyan, NetEase's Ding Sanshi, and others also arrived one after the other.

Some were familiar, some were not, but each one of them was a sharp character; even on first meeting, there would be no awkwardness.

"Why don't we pair up and play a few rounds?" Daqiangzi suggested excitedly, opting for the customary game of cards before and after meals.

In groups of four, there was just enough for three groups. This bad habit of a pre-and-post meal game seemed to have spread from their Su Bei circle.

Lu Liang found himself in a group with Little Ma, Daqiangzi, and DiDi's Cheng Wei.

Suddenly, the dozen or so exhaust fans in the private room seemed insufficient, as almost everyone there was a heavy smoker.

Especially Little Ma, who although looked gentle and refined, smoked fiercely.

He would often light a new one before the previous cigarette had even finished burning, consuming seven or eight within just over an hour.

Lu Liang, who had been coughing quietly and was overwhelmed by the smoke, recently recovered and intended to quit smoking, couldn't stand the smell of smoke.

Fortunately, the Red Robed Sect Leader, Zhou Hongwei, arrived late, and Lu Liang gave up his seat to him, acting as a roving judge.

"You still dare to go solo with such play? Aren't we playing in pairs?"

"Man, these cards are terrible."

"Just win with a straight."

Then, Lu Liang faced everyone's resistance, unwelcome wherever he went.

Luckily, happy times always passed quickly, and it was time for dinner.

"It's rare for us all to be here today, let's take a group photo to commemorate this," Lu Liang suddenly proposed. The participants of this meal were from all corners of the country, each busy with their daily million tasks.

On normal days, it was difficult for everyone to find the time to meet. It was a rare occasion that they were all gathered and happened to be free.

"That's a good idea," everyone agreed with flushed faces.

Tonight, everyone had drunk a bit too much, as it was unusual to meet so many equals with shared topics of conversation.

Lu Liang called Wen Chao from the door to take a photo of the thirteen of them for a group picture and uploaded it to his Weibo account.

As soon as the photo was uploaded, while they were still drinking and chatting, it had already caused a stir in the outside world.

"The strongest meal in the country?"

"Wow, a trillion-dollar dinner?"

"A billion is just the entry threshold."

Enthusiastic netizens calculated that the combined wealth of the thirteen people was merely more than 200 billion dollars.

But when it came to the enterprises they represented or the capital they held, the figure easily exceeded two trillion dollars.