The Penguin Company was not nearly as powerful as it would become. In 2008, its market value had just surpassed ten billion US dollars, or over eighty billion Hong Kong dollars, a drop of three to four billion US dollars from 2007.

If investors were willing to increase their capital at this time, it would be very effective in boosting the company's confidence, lifting its stock price, and bolstering investor morale—an offer the Penguin Company would be unlikely to refuse.

Besides increasing capital and expanding shares, one could also acquire shares directly from existing shareholders.

What Yi Anguo coveted most were the Penguin Company shares held by Naspers. Acquiring them would be best. If not, he would dilute them, plunging ten billion US dollars into the market to severely reduce Naspers's stake.

In fact, Yi Anguo had only sent Zhou Mengdie to scout the situation and didn't have high hopes. He didn't actually expect her to negotiate any results.

But Zhou Mengdie didn't know this. She simply wanted to complete the task her boss had assigned, perform well, and show him that she wasn't to be underestimated—that she too could handle major tasks for him.

Zhou Mengdie smoothly entered the Penguin Company's office building and met with its CEO, Maha Teng.

"Big Brother Ma! Long time no see. You still look so handsome!" Zhou Mengdie said with a happy smile.

"Meng Die! Long time no see. You've become even prettier!"

Maha Teng's face lacked the sternness he usually showed his subordinates or the seriousness he reserved for business partners. Instead, he wore the friendly expression of a big brother from next door seeing his little sister.

It turned out that Maha Teng's and Zhou Mengdie's families used to be neighbors. Maha Teng had just moved to Shenzhen with his father when he was about thirteen or fourteen, while Zhou Mengdie was much younger, only two or three years old. Maha Teng's father and Zhou Mengdie's father were colleagues at the same state-owned company, making them neighbors as well.

When she was little, Zhou Mengdie had been very fond of this older brother figure, and Maha Teng had also been fond of the little girl from next door, often taking her out to play when he was free.

The two families drifted apart after the Teng family moved away, but they remained in touch. After all, they were from the same hometown.

"You graduated from university, but you didn't want to work at the shipping company, nor did you come to see me," Maha Teng said with a hint of reproach. "You just went and found a job at some random company. Did you not want to trouble me, or were you afraid I couldn't offer you a good job?"

"No, that's not it. I just wanted to try and make it on my own, without always being under everyone's protection. I've grown up now, so of course, I need to learn to be independent, right?" Zhou Mengdie replied with an embarrassed smile.

"You... Well, let's not dwell on the past. What brings you here so suddenly today?" Maha Teng asked.

"I'm currently working for a private investment firm as my boss's personal assistant," Zhou Mengdie said, her expression turning serious. "I'm here on my boss's behalf to discuss an investment with you."

"Big Brother Ma, is your company still willing to accept investments?"

"A private investment firm? You mean the one behind Anjing Online Supermarket and Hua Xing Technology?" Maha Teng asked thoughtfully.

"Yes. My boss is very powerful and he's very optimistic about the Penguin Company's future prospects. He sent me to negotiate an investment in the company on his behalf," Zhou Mengdie said with a nod.

"Actually, our company doesn't really need any investment right now," Maha Teng said craftily. "But of course, since it's your boss's firm, I'll definitely hear you out, for your sake. How much does your boss intend to invest?"

Business was business, and he never mixed it with personal feelings. On a personal level, he could see Zhou Mengdie as his little sister from next door, but in the business world, she was a business partner or even a competitor.

"That depends on how many shares your company is willing to part with. The Penguin Company is publicly listed, with a current market value of just over ten billion US dollars. How much our boss is willing to invest depends on the stake you're willing to offer," Zhou Mengdie said cautiously.

Her college education hadn't gone to waste; being a top student, she knew a thing or two about negotiation.

Maha Teng said with a hint of a headache, "Although our current market value is only a little over ten billion US dollars, that's because of this year's poor economic climate. The current stock price doesn't reflect our company's true value."

"Moreover, we are in the early stages of growth with enormous future potential, which makes any investment incredibly valuable."

"If your boss wants to use the current market value and stock price to acquire a stake, that's a bit unrealistic."

"I see... Since our boss is quite optimistic about Penguin Company's prospects, we can accept a reasonable premium. What kind of premium are you thinking of? And how many shares would you be willing to release?" Zhou Mengdie asked.

"A premium of at least fifty percent. We can release ten percent of our shares. If you invest one and a half billion US dollars, we can give you a ten percent stake," Maha Teng said after a moment's thought.

"A fifty percent premium, and one and a half billion dollars only gets us a ten percent stake? Big Brother Ma, are you serious?" Zhou Mengdie asked.

"Of course! And that's me giving you face. If it were anyone else, I'd demand at least a 100 percent premium," Maha Teng stated firmly.

"Big Brother Ma, with a 100 percent premium, could we buy Penguin Company's shares from Naspers?" Zhou Mengdie asked.

"I'm afraid that's not going to work. Naspers won't be so short-sighted. A 100 percent premium is unlikely to tempt them," Maha Teng replied after some thought.

"Then what kind of premium do you think it would take to persuade Naspers to sell their shares in the Penguin Company?" Zhou Mengdie pressed.

"How would I know? If they don't want to sell, you couldn't buy their shares even with a tenfold premium," Maha Teng said, shaking his head.

Naspers was also a large company with a market value of ten billion US dollars. The Penguin Company's prospects were solid, and its financial reports were sound—it was a veritable goose that lays golden eggs. As long as Naspers wasn't foolish, they wouldn't reduce their holdings at this time.

"In that case, if our company wanted to invest ten billion US dollars, what percentage stake could we get?" Zhou Mengdie asked after a moment.

"Girl, are you joking or are you serious?" Maha Teng asked, his head starting to throb with annoyance.

My goodness, Penguin Company is only worth ten billion US dollars, and your company wants to invest ten billion? And you're asking how many shares you can get? Are you seriously trying to negotiate an investment?

"Big Brother Ma, of course I'm serious about discussing an investment partnership with you!" Zhou Mengdie insisted, her face earnest.

"Being serious won't help. We're not selling the company," Maha Teng stated plainly.

"Big Brother Ma, if you refuse our company's investment, our boss will be very unhappy. And when he's unhappy, he might just establish another company, one identical to yours, to compete with the Penguin Company," Zhou Mengdie continued, her tone just as serious.

"Furthermore, our boss will short your stock. He holds a large number of Penguin Company shares, so shorting the price won't be difficult."

"Besides, Big Brother Ma, having so much of the company's stock in foreign hands is not good for its long-term development. You should be trying to find a way to buy back the shares from the South African company."

"If you don't have the money, Big Brother Ma, our boss does. He's willing to work with you."

"And he has the ability to help you develop the Penguin Company, making it bigger and stronger."

Maha Teng hadn't expected Zhou Mengdie to resort to threats when her acquisition attempt failed. Though he knew this wasn't her own idea—she was merely a messenger for the company behind her—he still felt a bit uneasy.

At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel that Zhou Mengdie had truly grown up; she was no longer the little girl with a runny nose trailing behind him.

However, she wasn't wrong about one thing: having nearly half the company's shares in foreign hands was indeed detrimental to the Penguin Company's growth. Repurchasing some of those shares would undoubtedly be beneficial for the company's future.

As for her claim that her boss would start a rival company, Maha Teng didn't take it seriously.

Penguin Company had already established itself as the leader in internet social software. It couldn't be easily defeated just by investing in a new company.

"I never said we wouldn't accept an investment. But you come in offering ten billion US dollars—that's tantamount to a full buyout. We definitely won't agree to that!"

「...」

Yi Anguo had given Zhou Mengdie a nearly impossible mission, so he didn't pay much mind to what results she might achieve. He had his own plans for dealing with the Penguin Company.

After a period of recruitment, Chen Xuejiao had finally assembled all the necessary departments for the investment firm and filled the positions. The next step was to start carrying out their plans.

Just as pessimism pervaded the real estate market, Yi Anguo's property company began to expand quietly, continuously growing its scale and opening new branches.

Simultaneously, the Anguo Property Company started to venture beyond Shenzhen and Guangdong Province, aggressively acquiring a large number of unsold properties to operate as rentals. The properties taken over by the Anguo Property Company were renovated primarily for renting, not for sale.

Moreover, tenants who met certain criteria could receive a partial rent reduction. For example, a couple with school-aged children could get a thirty percent discount on their monthly rent. This way, an apartment that originally rented for 2,000 Yuan a month would now only cost 1,400 Yuan, significantly easing the tenant's financial burden.

Yi Anguo introduced these favorable terms because he hoped parents would keep their children with them whenever possible. He wanted to reduce the number of "left-behind children" so that they could grow up healthy, enjoying the love and care of both their parents.

For the same amount of rent, a family that could previously only afford a two-bedroom apartment could now rent a three-bedroom one, giving their children more space to live and grow.

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