thebusnovel Chapter 258 Building an Ecosystem
Chapter 258 Building an Ecosystem
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.
"This is difficult," the CFO said.
"So our asking price has to be high." Ling Yun put down his marker. "Only with a sufficiently high valuation can we have the leverage to design such a structure. If it's just small-scale financing, the capital will demand complete control."
The clock on the wall points to 11 a.m.
"Meeting adjourned," Ling Yun said. "Everyone, go prepare the materials for this afternoon. Carly, you stay behind."
The others packed up and left the meeting room, and the glass door closed gently.
Lingyun walked to the window and looked down at the street below. Cars flowed like a river, and pedestrians swarmed like ants. A day in Silicon Valley was reaching its peak.
"You don't look too tired," Carly said as she walked over to him.
"I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet." Ling Yun turned around. "Do you have any additional information from Khalid?"
Carly pulled a page from the folder. "He didn't come alone this time. He was accompanied by the head of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's digital investment department and a royal advisor. I inquired and found out that this advisor is a close confidant of the Crown Prince, specializing in technology and future industry planning."
"The Crown Prince..." Ling Yun recalled the later de facto ruler of the UAE, known for his reforms, "Wasn't they working on 'Vision 2030'?"
"You know about this too?" Khalid asked, somewhat surprised. "Yes, they are pushing for economic diversification to reduce their dependence on oil. Technology and the digital industry are at the core. Khalid listed Astral as a 'key infrastructure that could change the way the Arab world communicates in the next decade' in an internal report."
"Infrastructure," Ling Yun repeated the word. "This positioning is excellent. Tell Khalid that we can dedicate a special team to the Arabic version, develop features that fit the local culture, and even consider placing some servers in Dubai."
"This will incur additional costs."
"But it can bring in strategic investment," Ling Yun said. "Moreover, if something changes in the US in the future, we at least have a way out in the Middle East."
Carly looked at him, hesitant to speak.
"Speak," Ling Yun said.
"What are you worried about?" Carly asked. "Competition from Microsoft? Or something else?"
Ling Yun didn't answer immediately. He looked out the window; a plane was taking off from the direction of San Francisco Airport, leaving a white contrail in the blue sky.
"What worries me is that the world is rapidly fragmenting," he said. "The internet is supposed to connect everyone, but in reality, it's becoming a new battleground. Technology, capital, politics, culture... all the threads are intertwined. We stand at the crossroads, and every step we take is crucial."
Carly was silent for a moment. "You're under too much pressure."
"It's alright." Ling Yun walked back to the conference table, picked up his notebook, and asked, "What time do I meet the French this afternoon?"
"Three points. They requested to meet at the company to see our work environment."
"Then give them a tour. Make the development team appear busy, but not too obviously. Prepare coffee and croissants in the meeting room, the French kind."
"It's all arranged," Carly said. "Also, Fiona asked if you wanted to go home and rest for a bit. Your apartment has been cleaned, and there's fresh food in the fridge."
"No need." Ling Yun closed his laptop. "I'm going to my office to handle some emails. Call me at 2:50 PM."
He walked out of the conference room, across the office area, and toward a private office in the corner. The nameplate on the door read: Ling Yun, CEO.
The office was small, with a desk, two visitor chairs, and a bookshelf. The bookshelf wasn't filled with books, but rather with various hardware samples: the first-generation mouse from Spark Electronics, an early prototype of an Alienware computer, an installation disc for the Starry Sky System, and a test version of a Star Language USB key.
He sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. Dozens of new emails had piled up in his inbox.
The first email was from Zhao Weiguo, titled "Progress of Domestic Internet Cafe Expansion." The attachment included a detailed list of new stores and financial data. Lingyun quickly skimmed it and replied, "If possible, buy the property rights of stores in key commercial districts in Qingdao and Shanghai. If funds are insufficient, transfer them from Xinghuo Electronics Factory."
The second email, from Ni Guangnan, concerned the progress of recruitment for the chip design team. They had already poached several key personnel from the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and were in contact with a Chinese expert working at National Semiconductor in the US. "He intends to return to China, but requires us to provide salaries and R&D conditions no lower than those in the US," Ni Guangnan wrote. Ling Yun replied, "We can agree to that. Money isn't an issue; the key is someone who can lead a team and produce results."
The third message came from An Shiyu. It had no title, just one sentence: "Have you arrived? Remember to eat."
He checked the sending time—11 p.m. Jinan time, she must have been waiting very late.
Ling Yun replied, "I've arrived and I'm in the office. Everything's fine. You should get some sleep."
After clicking send, he stared at the screen for a few seconds, then closed the email window.
My computer desktop background is a photo taken last summer on the Shandong University campus. An Shiyu is wearing a white dress, standing under a sycamore tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling on her. She's smiling brightly, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
Lingyun looked at the photos for a while, then minimized the window.
He began drafting an outline of the key points for the afternoon meeting. His fingers tapped on the keyboard, the sound echoing in the quiet office.
The sunlight outside the window slowly moved from one end of the table to the other.
At 2:45 p.m., Carly knocked on the door and came in.
"They arrived early," she said. "Durand is in the reception area, looking at our product timeline on the wall."
Lingyun saved the document and shut down the computer. "Let's go."
Three people sat on the sofa in the reception area. The middle one was older, around fifty years old, with neatly combed gray hair, wearing a dark gray suit and a blue tie. He looked like a typical French elite. He was looking up at the display board on the wall, which showcased the development milestones of Star Technology and Star Language.
"Mr. Durand," Ling Yun stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Mr. Ling." Durand stood up, shook hands firmly, and looked sharp. "I've heard a lot about you. You're very well-known in the European tech community, especially in the open-source community."
"You flatter me. Thank you for coming all this way."
"I'm always interested in visionary companies," Durand smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Especially those that could be game-changers."
Carly led everyone into the conference room. Coffee, croissants, and bottled water were already laid out on the long table. The French croissants were toasted to a golden brown, emitting a buttery aroma.
"Shall we get started?" Durand sat down and unbuttoned his suit jacket.
"Of course." Ling Yun sat opposite him.
Durand's assistant opened his laptop, while the technical advisor took out a paper notebook. The French were very traditional in their manner.
"First, I'd like to understand StarTalk's long-term strategy," Durand said. "More than just instant messaging, what do you want to become?"
The question is straightforward. Ling Yun leaned forward slightly, placing his hands clasped on the table.
"We want to become the communications infrastructure of the digital age," he said. "Like the telephone network and the postal system, we want to be the foundational layer that connects people. But that's not all—we hope to build an open ecosystem on top of this foundational layer."