Chapter 540: Be your own gravedigger
Seeing Lu Yiming's reaction, Bill Gates became even more convinced that there must be something fishy about Lu Yiming setting up this science and technology park.
So, Microsoft must invest!
Only then can we legitimately deploy personnel and keep a close eye on the situation, lest this dangerous guy in front of us take over Microsoft's homeland without being careful.
"Yes, Lu, we are friends. Since you are determined to do this, if I don't give you some money to support you, then can we still be friends?"
While speaking, Bill Gates stared at Lu Yiming without blinking, paying attention to the changes in Lu Yiming's expression. For him, he always likes to think three steps ahead, and he never believes in any promises. As long as Lu Yiming shows any hesitation and entanglement, he must have something to hide, and this software industrial park must not be allowed to be built by Lu Yiming!
Lu Yiming was planning to drag Bill Gates into the trap, and now everything was going according to plan, so how could he have any emotional fluctuations? He said expressionlessly: "Of course, we are friends. If you really want to invest, I will certainly not stop you. Just like we have cooperated so many times before, I believe that our future cooperation will definitely be very pleasant."
After receiving Lu Yiming's affirmative answer, Bill Gates' doubts were completely dispelled. As long as Lu Yiming allowed him to invest and have a certain say, he believed that relying on Microsoft's strength and his own strong control ability, Lu Yiming would definitely not be able to do anything. After all, as the world's richest man for so many years, what monsters and demons had he not seen? Bill Gates was still confident that he could deal with a rookie like Lu Yiming.
"Dear Lu, I know we will be very good partners. How much money do you plan to invest in this software industrial park?"
Lu Yiming held up four fingers and said, "Four hundred million dollars."
When Bill Gates heard this, he was immediately delighted and said, "Then I'll also take out $200 million. You Xia people seem to like the number six very much."
Bill Gates knew very well that if Lu Yiming contributed 400 million yuan, Microsoft would certainly be suspected of usurping the throne if Microsoft also contributed 400 million yuan, and Lu Yiming might not agree. But if Microsoft contributed less, it would not have enough say, so 200 million yuan was a reasonable number.
When Lu Yiming heard this, he immediately gave Bill Gates a thumbs up and said, "Six, six, six!"
Seeing that Lu Yiming agreed, Bill Gates was completely relieved, and the two began to chat and laugh again.
As long as he doesn't touch Microsoft's cheese, Lu Yiming will still be Bill Gates' good friend.
After the tour, Bill Gates' bodyguard and driver drove him back to the hotel. After the others left, Li Yiwen found Lu Yiming and asked curiously, "How was the talk?"
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "I have talked to Bill Gates. I will provide $400 million and he will provide $200 million to build a new software industrial park in Zhonghai to support the development of the software industry in Xiaguo, especially to cultivate excellent programmers, relying on the Microsoft platform to enrich Microsoft's software ecosystem. Microsoft will become stronger, and we will also be able to cultivate talents. It's a win-win situation."
Li Yiwen said: "You're also helping Microsoft to enrich its software ecosystem? Would you be so kind?"
Lu Yiming immediately defended himself, "What are you talking about? I have always been honest with people. Everything I said to Bill Gates just now couldn't be more true."
Li Yiwen said disdainfully: "Don't I understand you? Every time you say win-win, you want to win twice."
Then, he said excitedly: "So what is your plan this time? Since there is no one around, tell me quickly."
Lu Yiming said: "PC operating systems and software cannot compete with Microsoft. Piracy is rampant in China now. I can't spend a lot of money just to make an operating software for my own entertainment. Besides, when Microsoft started, it had IBM to support it. I don't have that condition."
After emphasizing the difficulties, Lu Yiming began to talk about his plan: "As for me, I have no other ideas. I just want to build a software industrial park first, recruit talents, train talents, and then focus on smartphones."
Li Yiwen was shocked after hearing this: "Smartphone? Is that the project you've always wanted to do?"
Lu Yiming nodded and said, "This project is definitely a top priority in the future, so we have to start the preliminary technical preparations now."
Software research and development requires a huge investment. Lu Yiming wants to make smart phones, so his competitor is naturally Apple.
Although Apple is suppressed by Microsoft in the United States, its software development foundation is very solid. If Lu Yiming wants to catch up, he must catch up.
Li Yiwen smiled and said, "If Bill Gates knew your true thoughts, he would want to twist your head off."
Lu Yiming spread his hands and said, "He insisted on spending money to dig his own grave. What can I do? I have advised him twice!"
At the weekend, the Fire Feast officially begins.
The grand gathering that attracted countless wealthy people in Zhonghai attracted the attention of countless people. It can even be said that most of the attention of the entire Xia country's business community was focused here.
Outside the Yan Family Garden, reporter Kong Hao was holding a heavy camera in his hand, looking for valuable news.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar face. He immediately ran over, patted the man on the shoulder, and said excitedly, "Pander, why are you here too?"
The reporter who was tapped on the shoulder was so startled that he almost dropped the camera in his hand.
"Kong Hao?"
The two recognized each other and were both very surprised.
The two are students of Communication University. Kong Hao is from Guangdong Province, but Pan De is from Guizhou Province. After graduating from university, they each pursued their dreams, but they did not expect to meet again here.
"I really didn't expect to meet you here today."
"Yeah, where do you work now?"
"Zhonghai Finance, what about you?"
"Hey, I'm just a sideline company, I can't compare to you, a big company."
“No, no.”
The two chatted for a while, and the topic focused on the present. Pan De said with emotion: "The prestige of Yan's Garden today is probably even greater than before. Mr. Lu is worthy of being Mr. Lu, and even his friends are all richest people."
Kong Hao smiled and said, "Yan Family Garden is a thing of the past. It has been replaced by Lu Family Garden. I heard that the richest man Lu originally planned to change this place into Shi Family Garden, and even registered the property under the name of his girlfriend. Guess what happened?"
Pan De asked curiously, "What happened?"
Kong Hao said: "It turned out that the girl's parents were against it. I heard that Mr. Lu and his girlfriend were high school classmates and had been friends since childhood. The girl's parents are also rich people. But when it comes to wealth, they are definitely not as rich as Mr. Lu, so the couple has already regarded this house as a betrothal gift paid in advance by Mr. Lu. As if they were afraid that Mr. Lu would go back on his word, they even paid a dowry worth at least 200 million yuan."
"Two hundred million for a dowry?"
Pande was shocked.
"Where did you get the news? How come I don't know?"
Kong Hao smiled and said, "This matter has spread all over our Baiyun area, but the news didn't have time to report it. The woman's family directly collected a batch of valuable antiques and rare treasures, and even a large number of custom-made expensive furniture. They were airlifted to Zhonghai in the past few days, saying that they were used to decorate the interior of the villa. In fact, it was to please Mr. Lu, for fear that this son-in-law would run away."
Pan De said: "According to this calculation, Mr. Lu did not lose anything, but made a lot of money."
Kong Hao sighed, "I can only say that this world is so magical. For men like us who come from ordinary families, if we want to marry a wife, we have to kneel down and work like slaves for the woman's family. I heard that in some places, registering the property under the woman's name is just the basic requirement. Some places also require the woman to be given a car and a dowry."
"Besides, the betrothal money is just like throwing meat buns at a dog, it's the kind that goes away and never comes back. Even so, the other party might still find fault with you, complain about this and that, and think that you are marrying down. Tell me, what's the difference between us men and kneeling down to beg for food?"
As singles, the two couldn't stop talking. Pan De chimed in, "That's right. On the other hand, when a rich man like Mr. Lu gets married, the woman is afraid that she is out of his league and would rather pay for him directly. I heard that there are even scammers who use this method to successfully defraud money and sex. What do you think is wrong with this world?"
Kong Hao shook his head and sighed: "So, in life, there is no so-called fairness. Others may not know, but how can we journalists not know? The fates of people are uneven. In the final analysis, you still have to find a way to make money. If you don't make money, you will always be stepped on by others and will never be treated fairly."
As the two were ranting and expressing their feelings, they suddenly heard someone say, "Mr. Liu from New Hope Group is here."
Everyone looked towards the intersection and saw Liu Yongxing, dressed in a neat suit, getting out of a luxury car and heading towards Lu Family Garden.
The two of them immediately stopped talking, picked up their cameras, and began looking for the important guests who would be attending the wedding party.
"Isn't that the eldest son of the Rong family? My God, even the richest family in Zhonghai has sent people to celebrate? How great is Mr. Lu's face?"
"Haha, the most powerful family in Zhonghai? Fortunately, Mr. Lu started his career in Baiyun, he is not from Zhonghai, and he has not settled in Zhonghai, otherwise the Rong family may not be able to keep the position of the most powerful family."
One after another, big shots appeared in the Lu Family Garden, which was simply too much to take in. The reporters frantically fiddled with their cameras, pressing the shutter as if the film was free and were reluctant to let go.
Anyone who showed up here would be a figure who would tremble in the circle if they stamped their feet, but now they all came to the Lu Family Garden as guests of congratulations. With so many distinguished guests gathered together, it naturally became a feast for these reporters. Of course, they had to take a lot of photos to keep up with the others and get their money's worth.
Of course, the most exciting moment was when Bill Gates appeared in a Bentley Arnage 728.
When the Bentley Arnage 728 stopped at the gate of Lu's Garden, not to mention the reporters, even prominent figures like Liu Yongxing drooled at the sight of the car.
There are only three of these things produced in China every year. Even if you have money you may not be able to buy them. You also need to have strong connections.
For the circle of rich people, there is never a shortage of richer people, and what matters at this time is relationships. Many people want to buy a 728 to show off, but they can't get one.
Bill Gates got out of the car under the protection of bodyguards.
The reporters went crazy and almost pulled the shutter buttons off.
The flashing of the spotlights and the sound of shutter clicks made people who didn't know think that firecrackers were being set off.
This is Bill Gates!
Bill Gates, the world's richest man!
In today's Xia country, wealth is everything. It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat. Everyone is throwing away their bottom line and moral integrity, and using every possible means to pursue the theory of wealth. Bill Gates is the ultimate representative of the theory of wealth, the ultimate beacon of all ethics and morality!
History is written by the victors. People laugh at poverty but not at prostitution. Only those with money have dignity. As long as you have money, any mistakes are useless. As long as you don't have money, any self-righteousness is just a sophistry.
Lu Yiming and Shi Qingxue came out to greet them.
The first people Lu Yiming came into contact with were Liu Yongxing and Liu Xiangyu, father and son.
"Mr. Liu! Mr. Liu."
"Young Master Liu is a handsome man with the spirit of his father. I believe he will have a bright future."
Liu Yongxing politely replied: "You still can't compare with Mr. Lu. When it comes to making money, even I have to admit defeat."
Lu Yiming, who had already been in the limelight, was very modest at this moment, waving his hands repeatedly: "It's just a small achievement, not worth mentioning."
Rong Yu, the eldest son of the old wealthy Rong family, came forward to greet Lu Yiming. Compared with new rich people like Lu Yiming, the old wealthy Rong family seemed very low-key. Even on the Internet in later generations, there was no news for a long time. However, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and the background of the red capitalists is not ordinary.
Facing Rong Yu, Lu Yiming was very polite and said with a smile on his face: "I really didn't expect that Mr. Rong would take the time to come here. I am really touched. When I have time in the future, I will definitely pay you a visit to express my gratitude."
Rong Yu immediately responded: "If Mr. Lu can come to my place as a guest, I will definitely make the bed open for him."
After all, there is no conflict of interest between the Rong family and Lu Yiming. The Rong family, which has experienced a special period, does not like to be in the limelight. Naturally, they have no intention of competing with Lu Yiming. Instead, they sent people to the banquet to express their goodwill.
On the contrary, the guests outside were surprised to see Rong Yu, the eldest son of the Rong family, and Lu Yiming chatting happily. After all, everyone in the circle thought that the two families would fight each other, and they were all waiting to watch the fun.
What happened to the agreement that there can’t be two tigers in one mountain?
Aren’t you guys so harmonious and friendly?
Standing in the crowd, Lu Yiming greeted the guests one by one, his face almost broken with laughter. When he took a moment to secretly drink water, he couldn't help rubbing his stiff cheeks and complained to Li Yiwen: "I'm walking around all this time, the amount of exercise is greater than morning jogging, it's so exhausting."
Li Yiwen said gloatingly: "Who told you to invite Bill Gates? I think you deserve it. Let's see if you dare to act cool again in the future."
The reason for the current situation is actually very simple. Isn't that because Bill Gates came? Do you really think that the relationship between these symbols in China is so good? Xiaguo likes to be a bully at home. He can't wait to get angry over trivial matters. Where is the harmony, love and moderation? They only promote what they lack.
Lu Yiming immediately passed the buck: "It was Bill Gates who came uninvited, can you blame me for this?"
At this time, Xu Wentao poked his head out and found Lu Yiming, and asked impatiently: "Mr. Lu, how did you talk to Bill Gates about the investment?"
Lu Yiming said: "We did discuss it, but it was a little different from what we said before."
Xu Wentao got anxious when he heard this and said, "What do you mean by a small discrepancy? Are you having difficulty with capital turnover? If you can't get it all at once, we can accept installments, or even provide loans if that doesn't work!"
Obviously, in order to increase the amount of investment, Xu Wentao is willing to take any risk.
After all, Lu Yiming still has to make a living in China, so he doesn't dare to cheat Zhonghai City. Therefore, Xu Wentao is not afraid that Lu Yiming will run away after defrauding the investment. With such a big family and a big business, there is nowhere for him to run.
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "That's not the case. The money is not less, but more."
"ha?"
When Xu Wentao heard this, his eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to ask, "How much more?"
Lu Yiming said, "Not much, only 200 million US dollars. Didn't I say 400 million before? As a result, Bill Gates was also very interested in the software industrial park and said he would join me in investing 200 million US dollars."
Xu Wentao bit the root of his tongue, relying on the slight pain to prevent himself from fainting from surprise: "Two hundred million dollars is not a lot? My richest man Lu, please don't treat money as money, okay? My monthly salary is only a few thousand yuan."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "That's different. You serve the people and want to be remembered for generations to come. A capitalist like me can't compare to that."
Facing Lu Yiming's behavior, Xu Wentao was also deeply moved. People outside said that the richest man Lu was young and full of vigor. After getting to know him for the past few days, he found that the richest man Lu was surprisingly humble and low-key. At least he was much better than many local tycoons he had met. Those people, after making a few million, didn't even know their own surnames, and acted like the king of the world all day long.
Unlike Mr. Lu, the richest man, who can have a pleasant conversation with a small secretary like himself. The only bad thing about him is that he sometimes says some inappropriate words, saying things like 200 million US dollars is a small amount of money, 400 million US dollars is not a lot, etc., which makes people confused.
After confirming again and again that Bill Gates was also going to invest in the software industrial park, Xu Wentao could no longer sit still and immediately said, "I have to report this news to my superiors right away, so I will not accompany you any longer. Enjoy your meal and drinks."
Lu Yiming naturally knew how important this news was to them, and he immediately said with a smile: "Well, Secretary Xu, it's more important to do your business. When you're done, come over for dinner and drinks. I'm always available to accompany you."
"Of course, of course. I'll be leaving first. I wish the banquet a complete success."
