Chapter 212: The Anchor
Zhou You stayed in Beijing for a few more days.
The main reason was that Zhang Yiming needed to continue raising funds, and several institutions had come to negotiate, hoping Zhou You could be there to anchor the scene.
Zhou You couldn’t help but chuckle. "With my modest scale, I’m hardly qualified to anchor anything!"
"It’s fine. Your presence is just a gesture, showing that I have plenty of investment channels and don’t have to pin all my hopes on one option," Zhang Yiming explained.
Zhou You got it. He was basically a shill. Sure, this shill had some strength, but in the eyes of the big players, he was nothing.
He had enough self-awareness for that.
It was only because Zhou You happened to be in Beijing that it was worth the trip. Otherwise, there’d be no need to come specifically.
When DJI raised funds last year, Zhou You had simply authorized it and couldn’t be bothered to make the trip.
He brought Sun Li along to visit the company. Everyone there was familiar, greeting Zhou You warmly, as if he were part of the team—no, he *was* part of the team, one of the bosses, and even more down-to-earth than Zhang Yiming.
A few acquaintances couldn’t help but say, "Brother You, when are you taking us to another celebration banquet?"
"What, haven’t had enough of the female celebrities?" Zhou You teased.
"We’re coding all day, when do we get to see them? We barely see any women at all." Since they were all insiders, there was no need to hide it.
They really needed to broaden their horizons, or they might get duped someday.
Without experiencing the trials of emotion, how could they hold onto love?
At least seeing more celebrities would raise their standards, so they wouldn’t be fooled by some ugly duckling.
If you’ve never tasted abalone, you might mistake oysters for a rare delicacy!
"Alright, there’ll be plenty of chances. Next time, we’ll gather opinions on which female celebrity you want to see. At the annual meeting, I’ll invite her to perform live for everyone." Zhou You dared to say that. With Yang Mi in his corner, he could connect with the entertainment industry. Money was the key, and besides, now it was Zhou You inviting them.
In a few more years, they’d probably be lining up to come.
He chatted at the entrance for a while, getting the group of homebodies all hyped up, their coding speed picking up noticeably.
Entering the conference room, the other investors were already there.
Seeing Zhou You walk in, Zhang Yiming introduced him. "This is our company’s earliest investor, Zhou You, also a friend of mine. He has investments in many other fields."
He started by boosting his credentials.
Zhou You glanced around and noticed a Russian guy.
Zhang Yiming then introduced the other side to Zhou You. "Today, it’s mainly two firms: DST and Sequoia."
Zhou You was taken aback. "No domestic ones?"
Zhang Yiming leaned in close and whispered, "Domestic investors aren’t interested right now, except for you."
Haha, Zhou You couldn’t help but laugh.
For Zhang Yiming to say that meant he truly saw Zhou You as one of his own, no longer keeping that distance. Any more formality would just be fake.
Once everyone was settled, the other side started negotiating. "Mr. Zhang, your company’s valuation is too high. You have nothing yet, and now you’re valuing it at $60 million? That’s really too much."
Zhang Yiming was very calm. "The fact that you’re all here means you see potential in our company. We’ve grown from nothing to where we are today, with millions of daily active users. This valuation is actually a bit low."
The Sequoia representative said, "Alright, we can accept the valuation—we’re investing in the future. But can we increase the equity stake?"
Zhou You watched them bicker back and forth, thinking to himself, *No wonder everyone likes me. My investment style is all about speed and simplicity. With my information advantage, haggling over small change is pointless.*
He stayed quiet, letting them argue for nearly half an hour before they called a break.
During the break, Zhou You spoke to the DST guy in Russian. "How long have you been in China, buddy?"
The other side looked surprised, curious that Zhou You’s Russian was so fluent. "Did Mr. Zhou study in our country?"
"No, I learned from a foreign teacher at my school," Zhou You answered honestly.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich. My friends call me Ivan." Ivan extended his hand.
Zhou You shook it. "I’m Zhou You, as introduced earlier. If I get the chance, I’d definitely like to visit your country sometime."
"Very welcome. You should come more often. I’m constantly traveling between the two places now, and I’m used to it." Ivan was quite adapted to this lifestyle and found it interesting.
"I’m very bullish on Mr. Zhang. I was his first investor. I’d like to keep investing, but having too high a stake isn’t good either. To grow a company, you need to make more friends. The road ahead is long; don’t get hung up on small details." Zhou You played the role of mediator.
Ivan asked curiously, "May I ask how much Mr. Zhou has invested?"
"Tens of millions, all personal investment," Zhou You said vaguely, emphasizing the personal aspect.
Ivan was indeed surprised. He was representing his company and didn’t have that much money himself. If Zhou You dared to invest tens of millions, his net worth must be even greater. No wonder Zhang Yiming was so confident.
It was all thanks to Zhou You.
After speaking, Zhou You stepped out to get some air.
The two firms’ investors exchanged information. With Zhou You around, their leverage over funding was gone. Either they invested on Zhang Yiming’s terms, or they didn’t and left.
But they’d come several times already, so they clearly saw potential.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone back and forth for due diligence.
When Zhou You and Zhang Yiming returned to the office, the atmosphere had warmed up.
Ivan said, "We accept Mr. Zhang’s terms!"
The Sequoia representative agreed as well.
In the end, they accepted a $10 million investment for only a 10% stake.
In just half a year, Zhou You’s investment had more than tripled.
But Zhou You couldn’t care less. This was nothing—still less than what a single movie earned.
The investors, seeing how calm Zhou You and the others were, realized they truly weren’t fazed.
Zhang Yiming’s calm was an act—he was finally getting investors other than Zhou You, proving the company was starting to catch their attention.
Zhou You’s calm was genuine. He was looking at the future, not the present.
That evening, they had a group dinner, hosted by Zhou You, and he invited the company’s old-timers. There were too many new faces to look after, so he let them clock out on time as a reward.
At the table, Zhou You briefly introduced himself and shared some of his experiences.
It left everyone even more impressed. Not only was Ivan curious, but the veteran employees were envious too: *Mr. Zhou’s lifestyle is way too comfortable.*
With the mood set, he had to make a gesture.
He contacted Brother Yu Qian and bought dozens of tickets for them, adding a bit of entertainment to their lives.
Making money was still necessary.
If you didn’t, someone else would.
He won over another wave of loyalty and showcased his extensive network.
At the time, Guo Degang was at his peak, and tickets were still hard to come by.