"Mr. Lu, why the pretense?"

Mr. Su Shimin’s indignation revealed a hint of confusion; Bitcoin hasn’t been doing well lately, still in a continuous decline.

Lu Liang was someone he’d encountered a few times before and didn’t seem like a troublemaker without reason.

Unless his discussions with Wilson weren’t particularly pleasant, or due to certain aspects, he changed his mind, believing that reconciling with JPMorgan wouldn’t achieve maximum benefits.

Mr. Su Shimin thought for a moment, a smile returning to his face: "Mr. Lu, could you let me know what you discussed with Kamon? Or is it as people speculate, Tianxing plans to deeply cooperate with JPMorgan Chase in the field of quantitative trading?"

"This subscription is absolutely fair and impartial, there’s no intentional bias; everyone has the same probability."

Lu Liang had a smile in his eyes; his dealings with smart people over the years made him realize that smart people universally enjoy imagining scenarios.

Some things don’t need to be proactively mentioned; as long as you release a little signal, they will automatically generate and complete the picture.

"If JPMorgan isn’t suitable, perhaps Blackstone is a good partner."

Mr. Su Shimin squinted his eyes, convinced that his assumptions were correct; Lu Liang was just being a bit coy and reluctant to state it clearly.

He paused and said, "Lu, didn’t we have a very delightful collaboration a few days ago?"

Then, it was Lu Liang who proactively contacted him, persuading them to change their approach to Tianxing and shift to JPMorgan.

Lu Liang feigned contemplation and then smilingly invited, "It’s quite noisy here; shall we go upstairs for some tea?"

"Mr. Lu, please ~"

"Mr. Su Shimin, this way."

The two chatted and laughed, leaving the restaurant under the gaze of the others.

"Arrived with Wilson from JPMorgan Chase, left with Mr. Su Shimin from Blackstone Group."

Shen Peng looked up, feeling various emotions; three years ago, he couldn’t even see Lu Liang’s back, but today, Lu Liang was far ahead of him.

"Thankfully, I shamelessly insisted on investing in Tianxing Automobile back then." Zhu Hu smiled with squinted eyes.

He praised his foresight, as Lu Liang’s actions lately indicate his development domestically has reached a limit with Tianxing Automobile.

He will no longer meddle in the domestic financial market and will exert his skills in the international market, with Tianxing Automobile likely becoming the sole enterprise for Lu Liang’s domestic undertakings.

It’s both the direct lineage and the firstborn.

It will surely receive Lu Liang’s utmost cultivation, and after several rounds of financing, the 6.4% stake held by Golden Sand River will undoubtedly continue to rise in value.

The returns on this investment will surpass those from DiDi, possibly only a matter of time.

"Damn luck." Shen Peng cursed, unable to suppress his envy despite his usual gentleness.

He looked at Little Wang, who seemed clueless; years ago, when Panda sought financing, they approached Redwood.

But Shen Peng didn’t believe that someone living carefree, indulging in luxury every day, could achieve anything.

Even though the streaming industry was thriving at the time, with plenty of venture capital flowing in, he didn’t think Little Wang could pull it off.

Yet reality harshly slapped him in the face; Panda Interactive Entertainment not only developed but also successfully went public in the US.

Although its current value has dropped to $4 billion, compared to its peak of $20 billion, it’s been halved twice.

Despite the impact of Douyin’s short videos, Panda found a second path with live-commerce.

Even with Douyin establishing Douyin Stores, they couldn’t shake the foundation of Panda’s small shops.

Panda’s shops, similar to JD, abandoned high-priced inferior goods, demanding stringent quality control.

Though their products aren’t the cheapest online, they are stable in quality with reliable after-sales service, well-loved by ordinary people.

Panda Shops clearly positions itself to match JD in quality, but undercuts JD on price, occasionally collaborating with manufacturers for big promotions.

The profits are modest, but stable.

After nearly a year post-listing, Panda has become the most financially stable company in the domestic live interactive entertainment industry, far surpassing Douyu and Huya.

Although the $4 billion valuation is a bit inflated, in reality, it’s not far off.

Such a strategy may not lead to vast wealth, but it won’t lead to bankruptcy either.

All because Little Wang knew Lu Liang.

If it weren’t for Lu Liang’s aid or discipline these past years, Little Wang would still make headlines for personal reasons now and then, and Panda would probably have cooled down long ago.

Because no investor likes an incompetent and troublemaking corporate leader.

Just like Lu Liang, although he likes stirring things up, he has the capability to make money, so people turn a blind eye to him.

"Mr. Shen, do I have flowers on my face?"

Little Wang looked confused and suddenly turned, realizing Shen Peng had been observing him for a long time.

They seemed to have no business dealings, and he has been behaving himself lately.

Shen Peng chuckled, shaking his head, "Nothing, I was just lost in thought, considering some matters."

"Really?" Little Wang doubted but didn’t press further.

Meanwhile, Lu Liang led Mr. Su Shimin to the upstairs office.

Lu Liang brewed some tea and summoned Sun Yutao, presenting the fund subscription intention form just filled out by Blackstone Group.

Upon seeing the subscription amount was only $500 million, he chuckled and straightforwardly said, "Tianxing Quantitative will focus on the international market’s quantitative trading, and this time foreign investment will account for over 60%, so Blackstone Group can be a bit more daring with their subscription."

Mr. Su Shimin frowned, sensing something amiss, and asked, "Mr. Lu, how much did JPMorgan subscribe this time?"

Lu Liang sighed; smart people tend to overthink and imagine wildly, so he simply pulled out JPMorgan’s $10 billion subscription contract from the drawer. "JPMorgan Chase’s funds have gone to Xiangjiang. Once Tianxing Quantitative is established, their capital will be credited immediately."

Mr. Su Shimin clicked his tongue, but his brows furrowed even more: "If you’ve reconciled with JPMorgan, why did you put on an act of falling out just now?"

Lu Liang seemed to have fallen out with Wilson, as many people witnessed the scene earlier, but what was the reason?

"Because Wilson, along with Jamie, knows what you’re thinking, so they intended to use it to their advantage."

Lu Liang smiled, but it was he, not Wilson, who used the situation to his advantage.

Wall Street is always a place where each is in their niche.

If nothing is done, just letting Hilt develop step by step, who knows when he can enter the core of Wall Street.

Big fish can’t be moved, and are hard to move.

Thus, he plans to use JPMorgan’s Q3 report as a reason to lure in some small fish and make a hefty meal, also helping Hilt establish a foothold in Wall Street.

"Why tell me all this? Why are you doing this?" Mr. Su Shimin pondered for a moment, immediately identifying two key questions.

Informing him of the entire plan was likely Lu Liang’s personal initiative; undoubtedly, JPMorgan would prefer to keep it hidden, given their capability to swallow part of Blackstone’s business.

However, a new question arose,

Why is Lu Liang doing this?

Is he aiming to benefit from both sides?

Or seeking favor at both ends?

Lu Liang smilingly and unabashedly revealed his intentions: "I want Wall Street in chaos; only then can I capitalize on the opportunity."

He informed Hilt, who is already in contact, to prepare to acquire a nearly bankrupt investment bank and thus establish a foothold in Wall Street.

Lu Liang asked: "Is Blackstone interested in participating?"

The wise words of great leaders said to make more friends and fewer enemies.

Since he can embrace JPMorgan, why must he confront Blackstone? Can’t they also be welcomed?

"How much does JPMorgan hold?" Mr. Su Shimin inquired, neither agreeing nor rejecting.

"30%," Lu Liang replied.

"We also want 30%."

Mr. Su Shimin observed Lu Liang’s expression, seeing his unchanged smile: "No problem."

A triangular relationship is the most stable, which is why, even if Wilson insisted, Lu Liang wouldn’t grant 40%.

New York is far away and not his home ground; once JPMorgan regains its strength, Hilt likely won’t stand firm.

Back then, Lu Liang thought it would be ideal to bring in another financial consortium to counterbalance JPMorgan.

Just like Xingheng in Neon, they have both Mitsui Sumitomo and Hyundai Group, both holding each other in check, yielding steady earnings, allowing them to coexist peacefully.

Mr. Su Shimin pondered for a long time, lightly chuckling, "Lu, I understand your intention, but do you think this is effective?"

Lu Liang’s intentions were predictable, as he had tried attacking Wall Street from the outside but failed, thus now he adopts an internal breakthrough strategy.

The imagination is beautiful, but they are still present; even without Blackstone, without JPMorgan, there remain BlackRock, Vanguard, and a swarm of financial consortia governed by the Squid Clan.

He estimated breaking ground in such an environment would be harder than ascending to heaven.

"Mr. Su Shimin, I simply wish to earn smoothly and keep several retreats for myself." Lu Liang sighed, revealing the right amount of concern.

Even though Mr. Su Shimin knew he is pretending, he is highly likely to agree; albeit everyone understands the saying of ’raising a tiger brings trouble,’ yet before the ’tiger’ grows, the more self-assured individuals are, the more they are confident they are merely raising a dog.

However fierce dogs are, they are but dogs.

Jamie is like this, and Mr. Su Shimin will likely be too; weakness and ignorance aren’t obstacles to survival, arrogance is.

These institutions on Wall Street, relying on the hegemony of the US Dollar and military dominance, have reigned supreme in the financial market for too long, forgetting what crisis awareness means.