Chapter 119: The Honglou Intermediary

In late May, Li Dong once again set foot in Beijing. Accompanying him were Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long. Cao Hongbing stayed behind in Pingchuan, while Tan Yong... was currently in detention.

The day before Li Dong arrived in Beijing, a serious assault case occurred in Pingchuan. Zhu Hongtao, the CEO of Dalong Investments, was severely injured during a forced eviction by a resident with the surname Tan, who refused to relocate.

The injuries were severe, but that wasn't the main issue. The key point was that when Zhu Hongtao fell, he hit the back of his head on a protruding stone, which caused a serious head injury. It was likely that he would never regain consciousness.

As for whether that stone was there by coincidence or was deliberately placed, the police didn't say, and no one really cared.

Li Dong didn't actually know if the stone was a coincidence or if Tan Yong placed it there. He didn't ask, nor did he have the opportunity to. After injuring Zhu Hongtao, Tan Yong surrendered himself to the police, and Li Dong had not seen him since.

Before leaving, Li Dong called Wu Jianguo. Since Tan Yong was his employee, Li Dong, out of humanitarian concern, expressed his willingness to hire the best lawyer for Tan Yong. Li Dong believed Wu Jianguo would understand his intentions. With Zhu Hongtao still in a coma and potentially becoming a vegetable, Zhu Hongtao was now nothing to Wu Jianguo, whereas Li Dong was a newly minted wealthy businessman. Wu Jianguo would surely know what choice to make.

Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long didn't say anything, even though they were curious about why Tan Yong suddenly owned a house in the city that was about to be demolished.

...

Gu Honglou, a native of Beijing, owned a small intermediary company there. However, his company didn't sell houses or help people find jobs. His primary business was connecting people or, more specifically, acting as a middleman.

When Gu Honglou saw a Mercedes pull up in front of his office, he knew business was coming.

As Li Dong stepped out of the car, the dazzling sunlight stung his eyes. The late May weather in Beijing was sweltering, seemingly hotter than Pingchuan.

Dressed in a suit, Li Dong felt uncomfortable, as though he was starting to sweat.

Pushing open the door of the small company called "Honglou Intermediary," Li Dong saw a man who resembled the laughing Buddha, Gu Honglou himself.

"Mr. Gu?" Li Dong asked.

"Yes, I'm Gu Honglou. And you are?" Even when asking questions, Gu Honglou smiled genuinely.

"Li Dong, referred by Niu Baihe from Pingchuan!" Li Dong replied with a smile, extending his hand.

Gu Honglou quickly shook his hand, smiling as he said, "Oh, so it's Mr. Li! I've been expecting you! That old Niu, he didn't even give me a heads-up about your arrival."

"Please, Mr. Li, have a seat!" After inviting Li Dong to sit down, Gu Honglou glanced at Zhou Haidong and Zheng Long, still smiling, "You two, please have a seat as well!"

The two men didn't respond, continuing to stand behind Li Dong. Though they weren't professional bodyguards, they were seasoned veterans who knew how to follow orders.

Seeing this, Gu Honglou didn't press the issue. Turning back to Li Dong, he smiled and asked, "Mr. Li, are you here to meet with the higher-ups at Baidu?"

Li Dong nodded, then asked, "Is it difficult?"

Gu Honglou quickly shook his head. It was just a meeting—if that was difficult, he might as well not be in business.

However, some things needed to be clarified upfront. With a slightly serious tone, Gu Honglou said, "May I ask specifically whom Mr. Li wishes to meet? Meeting Baidu's Li Yanhong might be a bit challenging..."

"Anyone other than Li Yanhong will do," Li Dong replied.

Hearing this, Gu Honglou relaxed a bit, smiling even more as he continued, "If you don't mind me asking, what is the purpose of this meeting with Baidu's executives?"

"I want to acquire some of their Baidu shares."

There was no need to hide this from the middleman, as he would help facilitate the deal. If things weren't clear upfront, it might lead to complications later on.

After hearing Li Dong's intention, a look of concern crossed Gu Honglou's face. After a long pause, he said with some difficulty, "That might be very challenging. Baidu is likely preparing to go public, and acquiring their shares at this time would be nearly impossible."

He then added, "Moreover, Baidu has almost stopped selling shares to external parties. Even many major international companies have failed to purchase shares despite offering high prices."

Li Dong nodded, fully aware of this.

However, he explained, "I'm not acquiring shares to gain control, nor do I have that intention. The agreement can clearly state that."

Li Yanhong was reluctant to sell shares to those major international companies because he feared they might eventually control Baidu. From the structure of his stock options plan at the time of the IPO, it was clear that Li Yanhong had a strong desire for control. Li Dong was only interested in making money and had neither the intention nor the capital to take control of Baidu.

After Li Dong finished speaking, Gu Honglou breathed a small sigh of relief.

However, he continued to emphasize the difficulty, or rather, the near-impossibility of the task. As a middleman, if the deal fell through, he would earn little more than his running fees.

Li Dong listened quietly without expressing any opinions. When Gu Honglou finally finished, Li Dong smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, your reputation in Beijing precedes you. I believe this task is not too difficult for you. Regardless of the outcome, your efforts won't go unrewarded. And if you succeed, I'll give you a one-percent commission."

Gu Honglou's eyes flickered, and he tentatively asked, "May I ask how much Mr. Li has prepared for this?"

"I've set aside 50 million as a baseline, but the more, the better. How much you can earn will depend on how much effort you're willing to put in."

"Fifty million?"

Gu Honglou did some quick calculations. This country bumpkin from Pingchuan seemed to have quite a bit of money. Fifty million wasn't a small sum, and if the deal went through, he could earn at least 500,000. If he managed to secure a larger deal, he might even make a million in one go.

But this task was indeed complicated. Otherwise, Li Dong wouldn't have offered such a high commission for a middleman.

After some thought, Gu Honglou said, "Mr. Li, give me three days. Whether successful or not, I'll give you an answer."

Li Dong didn't say anything more. He knew this wasn't something that could be resolved quickly and was already prepared for the possibility of failure. Even if he failed, Li Dong wouldn't be too disappointed. After all, there would still be opportunities when Baidu went public.

...

This time, Li Dong didn't skimp on accommodations in Beijing, booking a room in a five-star hotel. He had initially considered booking a presidential suite to show off, but after hearing the price of 18,888 yuan per night, he quickly changed his mind.

He planned to stay in Beijing for at least seven or eight days, and spending over 100,000 yuan just on accommodations seemed too extravagant.

In the end, Li Dong settled on a deluxe suite priced at 3,600 yuan per night. The conditions in Beijing seemed better than in Pingchuan. Besides the main bedroom, there were also two smaller rooms for the staff.

The main bedroom had its own bathroom, and there was another bathroom for guests outside. There was even a small meeting room of about 10 square meters. Compared to the presidential suite in Pingchuan, it was nearly as good, and at 3,600 yuan per night, it was definitely worth it.

After settling in, Li Dong said, "I'm going out for a bit. You two don't need to follow."

With Zhu Hongtao dealt with, Li Dong no longer felt in danger. He had brought the two along mainly because Zhou Haidong could drive and to elevate his own status.

But Zhou Haidong quickly shook his head, saying, "Mr. Li, Beijing is even more chaotic than Pingchuan. We should stay with you."

Li Dong felt a bit exasperated. They made it sound as if it were truly dangerous.

After all, this was the capital city—how chaotic could it really be?

Unable to argue with these two stubborn men, Li Dong eventually relented and took them along as he went out.