Chapter 126: Wavering

Money is forever the greatest motivator for humanity. Having seen the hope of success, Gu Honglou became more enthusiastic than ever.

Early the next morning, Gu Honglou arrived at the hotel to meet with Li Dong. His first words upon seeing Li Dong were, "Mr. Li, leave this to old Gu, I guarantee it will be handled perfectly for you!"

Li Dong was pleased; Gu Honglou wouldn't make such a statement if he wasn't confident.

"Then I'll be counting on you, Mr. Gu!" Li Dong replied with a smile. He didn't bother asking what Gu Honglou had discovered to make him suddenly so confident.

Since Gu Honglou hadn't had breakfast yet, they had a quick meal at the hotel before heading out to see Xu Yong again.

Just as they were about to leave the hotel, Li Dong ran into Hu Yue's boss again, though Hu Yue was not with her this time. The mature woman didn't stop but nodded slightly to Li Dong as she passed by, even taking a special glance at Gu Honglou.

Gu Honglou noticed and smiled, saying, "She looks familiar, probably saw her once at a friend's place."

Li Dong was curious but didn't inquire further.

When Li Dong met Xu Yong again, Xu's smile seemed noticeably more forced. "Mr. Li, we meet again!"

Li Dong shook his hand and said with a smile, "Sorry to bother you, but I really am sincere about this."

Xu Yong smiled but remained silent. This was the second time. If Li Dong came a third time, he might not be let in.

Noticing that Li Dong was accompanied by Gu Honglou this time, Xu Yong couldn't help but take a closer look at him.

Seeing Xu Yong's gaze, Gu Honglou cheerfully extended his hand, "Mr. Xu, I'm Gu Honglou from Honglou Intermediary, nice to meet you."

Xu Yong thought for a moment before shaking his hand and replying, "So it's Mr. Gu, it's been a while."

Gu Honglou immediately put on a very honored expression and exaggeratedly said, "I didn't expect Mr. Xu to remember me, it's truly an honor!"

Xu Yong smiled faintly, saying nothing. A character like Gu Honglou, once met, was hard to forget. Furthermore, Gu Honglou dealt specifically with business elites like them in the capital; it was no surprise they had interacted before.

The fact that Li Dong had brought Gu Honglou made Xu Yong a bit more interested. It was worth noting that Gu Honglou was a middleman, not a negotiation expert. A middleman's job is to pull strings between both parties, understanding their needs, and facilitating deals.

But since Gu Honglou hadn't contacted him beforehand and now appeared on Li Dong's side, it made Xu Yong question the intermediary's neutrality.

After they all sat down, Xu Yong didn't say much, indicating he was ready to listen. Since Li Dong had come again, he surely believed he had something that could persuade Xu Yong.

Li Dong didn't speak, looking instead at Gu Honglou. This time, he was relying on him.

However, instead of directly addressing the shares, Gu Honglou started with, "I heard Mr. Xu's company is currently developing a new drug?"

Xu Yong nodded; this wasn't a big secret, so there was no need to deny it.

"Developing new drugs requires a significant investment, from research to production. Mr. Xu, you must be in contact with banks and venture capital firms by now, right?"

Xu Yong's interest was piqued. He glanced at Gu Honglou but remained silent. Developing a new drug wasn't a secret, but contacting venture capital and banks certainly was, especially since it was still in the preliminary stages, and they hadn't even had formal meetings yet.

Xu Yong stayed silent, but it wasn't out of impatience; he wanted to hear what else Gu Honglou had to say.

Gu Honglou wasn't surprised by the silence and continued, "If you need money, why not consider selling your Baidu shares instead of relying on venture capital or banks?"

This time, Xu Yong didn't stay silent and responded, "Investment and returns are proportional."

Both Li Dong and Gu Honglou understood what he meant: Xu Yong believed keeping the Baidu shares would yield him a greater return than seeking investments from venture capital or banks. It was still a matter of money and, ultimately, price.

Li Dong was about to speak, but seeing Gu Honglou shake his head, he held back.

Gu Honglou smiled, "To be blunt, it seems like not many people have confidence in Mr. Xu's new drug. The banks likely won't grant you a loan, right?"

Xu Yong's expression didn't change, and he calmly replied, "That's not something Mr. Gu needs to worry about."

"Haha, I understand what you mean, Mr. Xu. You're mainly relying on venture capital."

After taking a sip of water, Gu Honglou continued, "But even if there's a venture capitalist willing to invest, are you truly satisfied?"

It's well known that venture capitalists aren't philanthropists. If an investment isn't profitable, they won't hesitate to pull out. Even if they don't withdraw, over time, Xu Yong's influence in his company could diminish.

This was the crux of the issue. Losing influence over time was a bitter lesson Xu Yong had already experienced. Back when he was with Baidu, his decreasing influence eventually led to his removal from the board, and later, he was ousted entirely.

The possibility of this happening again was high; many companies have seen their founders ousted once their shares were diluted.

Having gone through this once, could Xu Yong really be willing to risk it happening again?

Xu Yong's face began to change, and for the first time, he was more agitated as he retorted, "I have great confidence in my new drug. Once it's released, it will undoubtedly bring immense profits."

"And how long will that take? The research, clinical trials... it could be years before the drug hits the market. Can Mr. Xu hold out until then?"

"Baidu is about to go public. Once it does, I can choose to cash out a portion of my shares!"

Gu Honglou shook his head in disagreement, "Mr. Xu, let's speak frankly. You're so determined now because you believe Baidu's IPO will make you a fortune, correct?"

Xu Yong didn't deny it, so he said nothing.

"But Mr. Xu, don't forget about NetEase!"

Mentioning NetEase was like recalling a tragic story. Since its IPO on Nasdaq in 2000, NetEase's stock price had not risen but fallen. Now, nearly five years later, the stock price is still around its initial offering price. 

In other words, in five years, NetEase shareholders have seen little to no return on their investment. And with inflation, they've actually lost money.

Xu Yong was in this line of work, so he was well aware of NetEase's situation.

His expression shifted slightly. Did he really have that much faith in Baidu?

Not necessarily. Even Li Dong knew that Xu Yong had initially suggested selling Baidu in a package deal. 

It was because of his lack of confidence in Baidu and his repeated opposition to Robin Li's decisions that the rift between them widened, leading to his eventual ousting.

This struck a nerve with Xu Yong, who fell silent once more.