Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

But as he was finishing his tour of the Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park and preparing to attend the Orange Technology new product launch, he received a call from Lin Chenfeng of the Penguin Investment Department. The news: Zhao Yingchun, a director from the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Investment Banking Division, had joined Jingdong as a Vice President, responsible for the company’s financing and IPO preparations.

In other words, Liu Qiangdong had spent a fortune to poach a well-connected financial broker from Wall Street to find overseas financing solutions for Jingdong.

Ma Wenteng, who was well-versed in the workings of capital markets, understood the exchange of interests between Liu Qiangdong and Zhao Yingchun at a glance.

Zhao Yingchun had most likely already found a potential investor for Jingdong; otherwise, Liu Qiangdong would never have given up a Vice President position so easily.

’Would a Jingdong that isn’t short on cash still be willing to accept Penguin’s ”junk assets”?’

”Have Lin Chenfeng sound out Liu Qiangdong.”

Ma Wenteng said to Liu Zhiping after a moment of thought.

”Okay, I’ll arrange it,” Liu Zhiping replied, his expression tense.

Zhao Yingchun’s entry into the picture made one thing clear to him: Liu Qiangdong was not content to be a mere trash collector.

Just then, Chen Yansen, having just finished his call with Chen Yizhou, returned to the office and invited the two of them to the Orange Technology new product launch.

Ma Wenteng and Liu Zhiping readily agreed.

The large party departed in a fleet of over a dozen luxury cars, speeding toward the city center.

They were even escorted by vehicles from the Inspection Institute clearing the way!

The previous night, upon learning that Penguin’s chairman was visiting Xucheng, Xu Zhenhui had immediately dispatched two teams of inspection personnel to handle security for the Science and Technology Park and the Sky Garden, respectively.

If any accident were to happen, it would be Xucheng that lost face.

「Meanwhile.」

Liu Qiangdong—unlucky in love but thriving in business—swept away the dejection and gloom of the past two months. He looked at Zhao Yingchun with a satisfied expression and asked, ”When do you think we can finalize the investment agreement with the OTPP?”

The OTPP, short for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan of Canada, was currently facing a 9.6 billion Canadian dollar pension funding gap and was therefore in urgent need of a high-yield investment project.