novelnext Chapter 325: Tell Me What's the Situation Now?
Chapter 325: Tell Me What's the Situation Now?
After the start of the final semester, Huang Xiaochuan went to the school to complete the registration procedures and then went back to prepare for his trip to the United States.
This semester, most of the graduating seniors have been assigned to various internship units, except for Huang Xiaochuan, Ding Yi, and Chen Zhe. Chen Zhe is preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination and has applied to stay at the university to continue his studies and prepare for the exam.
Ding Yi went to his internship and then went to Hong Kong. Now his mind is all on Hong Kong stocks. Internship? That would be too much of a delay in making money.
Huang Xiaochuan didn't tell Ding Yi, Chen Zhe, or his family about his trip to the United States.
But I told Yu Xiang.
"I'm going to Hong Kong in a couple of days, and then I'll go to the United States."
Yu Xiang was taken aback: "America? What are you going there for?"
Huang Xiaochuan then told Yu Xiang the purpose of his trip to the United States.
"I have a classmate who is currently in the United States. I have partnered with him to invest in an American company. There are some things there that I need to go over and handle. It will take about ten days at the earliest, but if it takes longer, it will probably take about a month."
Yu Xiang knew that Huang Xiaochuan had business outside, but she didn't expect that his business had gone all the way to the United States.
Knowing that Huang Xiaochuan was going to take care of important business, Yu Xiang didn't say anything.
He simply asked, "Do Grandma and Auntie know?"
"I didn't tell them. You know, if I told them I was going abroad, those two wouldn't be able to sleep at night! It's better not to tell them. If they ask later, just say that the school arranged for me to do an internship in another city."
Yu Xiang glared at Huang Xiaochuan with displeasure: "You lied and then dragged me down with you."
Huang Xiaochuan hugged Yu Xiang and kissed her on the lips: "This is called a white lie."
Yu Xiang then acquiesced, but then she thought of something else. Her little man looked a bit too unreliable. She could keep an eye on him when he was at home, but now that he was so far away, she couldn't keep an eye on him.
So he gave her a heads-up: "I've heard foreign women are very open-minded and will even throw themselves at you. You better stay away from them, you hear me?"
Huang Xiaochuan felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. What on earth was going on?
"Dr. Yu, you're supposed to be an intellectual, so don't just listen to one side of the story, okay? And you should trust your man."
However, he still raised his hand and swore a solemn oath before Yu Xiang let him go.
The day before his departure, Huang Xiaochuan called Zhang Gaolei.
"Old Zhang, I'm flying directly from Hong Kong to San Francisco the day after tomorrow."
"I'm so glad you've finally arrived. I'll pick you up from the airport."
Huang Xiaochuan first took Mai Guangde, Zhou Wei, Li Huan and others on a chartered plane to Hong Kong. He was going to stay there for a day to sign some documents and bring some related trademark and patent documents with him. Meanwhile, under Huang Xiaochuan's instructions, Cao Charlie had already gone to San Francisco, USA to make preparations ahead of time.
On March 4th, two more people joined Huang Xiaochuan's group: two lawyers hired from a Hong Kong bar firm, who would accompany Huang Xiaochuan to the United States.
At 9:00 AM, the charter flight took off from Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport, bound for San Francisco International Airport in the United States, but with a stopover in Hawaii.
The reason for the stopover in Hawaii is that the Gulfstream IV-SP, leased from Hong Kong Business Jet Company, has a range of less than 10,000 kilometers, so it needs to stop in Hawaii for refueling before flying to San Francisco. This adds four hours to the total flight time, but the comfort level is much better than that of a regular flight.
Huang Xiaochuan has always believed in the saying "poor at home, rich on the road." When traveling, if he has a choice, he will of course choose the best.
After a total of sixteen hours of flight, crossing the vast Pacific Ocean, Huang Xiaochuan and his entourage arrived at San Francisco Airport on the west coast of the United States at 5 p.m. local time on March 4.
Zhang Gaolei was not the only one who came to greet Huang Xiaochuan; Cao Charlie, who had arrived earlier, was also there with a professional American security team.
Zhang Gaolei didn't say a word when he saw Huang Xiaochuan; he just gave him a big hug.
After the two separated, Huang Xiaochuan teased him, "Hey old Chinese medicine doctor, you're doing as the locals do now, aren't you?"
"Nonsense! This is the highest courtesy I can offer when I meet a fellow countryman in a foreign land, a relative from my homeland!"
Seeing that the two had finished their pleasantries, Cao Charlie walked up to Huang Xiaochuan.
"Mr. Huang!"
"Charlie, is everything arranged here?"
"Everything is arranged. The vehicles and security team are already in place."
Huang Xiaochuan glanced at the six burly men behind Cao Charlie, some black and some white. They were wearing suit jackets and trench coats underneath, and they looked quite smart.
"Okay! Let's stay in San Francisco tonight and let me adjust to the time difference."
Zhang Gaolei, who had not been informed in advance, stared at the large group of people, speechless for a moment. After a while, he said to Huang Xiaochuan, "Damn! Big shots are big shots, you've even brought your arrogance to America."
"There are guns everywhere in America, I have to be careful!"
At this moment, Charlie Cao said to Huang Xiaochuan, "Mr. Huang, let's go to the hotel now!"
Let's go!
Led by Charlie Cao, Huang Xiaochuan got into an extra-long Cadillac, and the rest of the group also got into the car and headed to downtown San Francisco.
Zhang Gaolei handed his car over to a bodyguard who drove it behind the convoy. At Huang Xiaochuan's invitation, Zhang Gaolei rode in the same car as Huang Xiaochuan.
On the way, Cao Charlie gave Huang Xiaochuan a brief report on the situation.
"Mr. Huang, your security in the United States this time was handled entirely by Saturn Bodyguard Company, a professional bodyguard company established in 1983. They provide international, all-round bodyguard services including bodyguards, drivers, assistants, and butlers, and their reputation in the industry has always been excellent."
Huang Xiaochuan nodded.
Charlie Cao continued, "The hotel you will be staying at tonight was built in 1915 and was just renovated and reopened in the first half of last year. It is one of the top five-star hotels in the San Francisco area. As per your request, I have booked a business suite for you. I have also booked all the rooms around your room for your entourage."
Before long, Charlie Cao finished reporting the general situation.
After Cao Charlie finished speaking, Zhang Gaolei wanted to chat with Huang Xiaochuan for a few minutes.
Huang Xiaochuan stopped him, saying, "Old Zhang, let's go eat first. After we eat, come to my room and we can talk slowly."
Zhang Gaolei nodded to indicate that he understood.
Huang Xiaochuan was able to adapt to Western food, and the chef at this grand hotel was quite skilled. The main course was pan-fried lamb chops, which were tender, juicy, and very delicious. Huang Xiaochuan was very satisfied with his first meal in the United States.
Zhang Gaolei accompanied the entire meal, and his knife and fork skills are now incredibly proficient, which Huang Xiaochuan teased him about.
"Old Zhang, I should treat you to a bowl of noodles in Chinatown. This Western food probably won't suit your taste."
"Even food can't shut you up, hurry up and eat! We'll talk in your room after you finish."
Huang Xiaochuan didn't drink alcohol at dinner because he had to discuss work with Zhang Gaolei that evening.
Upon entering the room, I discovered that this hotel was great in every way, except for one thing: it didn't provide hot water.
Fortunately, Mai Guangde was prepared. He boiled a pot of water in his own room using the kettle he had brought, delivered it to Huang Xiaochuan's room, and brewed a pot of tea for Huang Xiaochuan before leaving.
Huang Xiaochuan greeted him, "Old Zhang, how about trying the tea I brought? You can't find such authentic tea here, can you?"
"You can drink it yourself! I still prefer coffee."
"Oh? Your tastes have really changed?"
While joking with Zhang Gaolei, Huang Xiaochuan made an internal call to Mai Guangde, asking him to get a pot of coffee.
Zhang Gaolei complained, "I was forced into this situation. Most places in the United States don't provide hot water. You have to boil your own water and put it in a thermos to take to school. Otherwise, it's coffee or other beverages. But if you drink too many beverages, you'll find them too sweet. In the end, all that's left is coffee. Besides, I don't drink tea anyway."
Soon, a neatly dressed black waiter, led by Mai Guangde, pushed a small cart into the room. Huang Xiaochuan glanced at it and thought it was quite exquisite. The coffee pot was made of silver, and the sugar bowl and milk jug were also silver, which looked like a set. However, the coffee cups were made of porcelain, but they still looked quite delicate.
After putting down the coffee pot, the waiter left, and Mai Guangde gave him a five-dollar tip.
Huang Xiaochuan personally poured Zhang Gaolei a cup of coffee and then said, "Now you can have a proper talk with me."
"Now it's certain that Goldman Sachs wants to dilute our shares. Darwin told me that Goldman Sachs offered him and Trevor the following terms: they would lend them money in the Series A round so that their shares wouldn't be diluted, but they would still dilute their shares in subsequent rounds."
Goldman Sachs also stated that they might disagree with this approach, but they could invest in our competitors because the underlying technological concepts are similar, and indeed, many companies have entered the browser market.
Goldman Sachs' move is indeed ruthless. If you don't let me benefit, I'll support your competitors to destroy you.
Moreover, by betting on both sides, Goldman Sachs is a winner no matter which side wins, because the amount of money invested is nothing compared to the returns, and it doesn't matter even if the other side's investment is not recovered.