Yi Anguo recounted interesting stories from his childhood and described the mountains and rivers of his hometown. Zhou Mengdie had never experienced anything like it. She loved listening and felt a pang of envy. Now *that* was a real childhood. Her own upbringing felt bland in comparison, spent either studying one subject or another, shuttling between home and school. Even her winter and summer breaks were filled with various extracurriculars and tutoring sessions, leaving her with no fun memories to look back on.

One was eager to share, and the other was happy to listen. It was a pleasant dynamic.

Afterward, the two visited several well-known nearby attractions, like Qiandao Lake and Wuzhen, completely unfazed by Jack Ma's rejection of their investment proposal. After their tour, they returned to the West Lake in Hangzhou, where Yi Anguo bought a large villa. He planned to use it for vacations and relaxation whenever he had free time. Only then did he and Zhou Mengdie finally get down to business.

Initially, Jack Ma had kept a close eye on Yi Anguo and Zhou Mengdie's movements, suspecting they were up to something in Hangzhou. However, when he learned they were just sightseeing and had already left for Jiangdong Province, he lost interest. He then flew to the United States to meet with major shareholders and the newly appointed Yahoo CEO, Bartz, to discuss repurchasing company shares.

It was the perfect time for a buyback. The stock price had plummeted, and the company's market value had shrunk dramatically, leaving it severely undervalued. Repurchasing shares now could be done at a minimal cost.

However, the new Yahoo CEO, Bartz, was no fool. She already disliked Jack Ma, believing he had been exploiting Yahoo for his own gain without any regard for its interests. She flatly rejected his request to repurchase shares. She even slammed the table, calling him a devious, treacherous parasite who had made a mockery of Yahoo and its former CEO, Yang Zhiyuan.

Jack Ma's temper flared. "You can't run Yahoo properly, so you blame me for it?" he shot back. "Fine. Refuse my offer to buy back the Taobao shares. Just wait until I'm powerful enough to acquire your entire company. We'll see who's arrogant then."

The two were now at a complete impasse, with neither willing to back down.

"Just you wait," Bartz threatened, her voice seething with anger. "Once Yahoo secures its forty percent voting rights, I'll settle this score with you properly."

Jack Ma later regretted his impulsive outburst, realizing he had spoken too rashly. A starving camel is still larger than a horse. Acquiring Yahoo right now... that's just biting off more than I can chew.

While Jack Ma was away, Yi Anguo and Zhou Mengdie approached some of Taobao's executives and minority shareholders, acquiring their shares at a premium. It wasn't a huge amount, but in total, they secured 5.6 percent of the company for 560 million US dollars—double the current market value.

Even so, it's an incredible deal, Yi Anguo thought. I've made a killing.

The parties agreed to keep the share transfer confidential for the time being, a condition that served everyone's interests.

Just as Jack Ma returned to Hangzhou from the United States, Yi Anguo and his assistant, Zhou Mengdie, were already seated in first class on a flight to California. Their destination was Silicon Valley, the California hub that housed the headquarters of Yahoo, Tesla, and Hualong Investment Company's own US branch.

Chen Xuejiao personally drove to the airport to pick up her boss. They went straight to the company offices, where she was ready to report on their progress in the United States. Although she had previously updated him on their progress via phone and email—outlining new investments, capital deployed, and stakes acquired—a face-to-face meeting was different. Many of the finer details were not suitable for discussion over calls or messages.

"Additionally, we've made contact with Facebook," Chen Xuejiao reported. "It's growing rapidly here in the U.S. and looks poised to surpass even Yahoo and Microsoft. At the end of last year, its valuation was fifteen billion US dollars. However, the market value of all internet companies has dropped significantly since then, and Facebook is no exception. They are currently seeking funds to accelerate their growth, strengthen their software's influence, and capture more market share."

"Facebook... you mean the company founded by Zuckerberg, right?" Yi Anguo asked. "What's their valuation now? If we invest, how much would it be for, and what stake would we get?"

Chen Xuejiao laughed. "Oh, you know about Zuckerberg and Facebook too, Boss? I didn't see it on your investment list, so I assumed you weren't familiar with it!"

"Just because a company isn't on the list doesn't mean I haven't heard of it," Yi Anguo explained. "Take Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Amazon... I simply feel their market caps are already too high. We've missed the optimal window for investment.

"Yes, those companies still have significant room to grow, and an investment now wouldn't be too late to see a substantial return.

"But our funds, while seemingly vast, are finite. If we chose to invest in giants like those, how many could we actually back?

"Our strategy is to invest in startups with the most potential at the lowest possible cost. Those are the most valuable investments, the ones that will yield the highest rate of return."

"Facebook's valuation has dropped to eight billion US dollars," she continued. "They're looking for a one-billion-dollar investment in exchange for a 12.5% stake. Boss, do you think we should proceed?"

"One billion dollars for a 12.5% stake?" Yi Anguo nodded decisively. "Of course, that's worth it. My main reason for coming to the US, however, was to meet Yahoo's new CEO, Ms. Bartz. Can you arrange a meeting with her?"

"Yahoo's new CEO?" Chen Xuejiao looked surprised. "Boss, are you planning to acquire Yahoo? That won't be cheap. Last year, Microsoft offered 44.8 billion US dollars, and Yahoo refused. Even now, with the lower valuation, it would still likely cost at least thirty billion."

"What are you thinking?" Yi Anguo retorted irritably. "I have zero interest in acquiring that piece of junk. Anyone who wants it is welcome to it." Spend tens of billions of dollars on Yahoo? I'd have to be out of my mind, a complete sucker.

"Then if we aren't acquiring Yahoo, why meet with its new CEO?" Chen Xuejiao asked, confused.

A smile touched Yi Anguo's lips. "I'm not interested in Yahoo, but I am very interested in the forty percent stake in Taobao that it holds."

"Ah, so that's what this is about!" Chen Xuejiao's expression turned serious. "But would Yahoo even be willing to sell us their Taobao shares? If they are, the price definitely won't be low.

"Besides, we have to consider the original investment agreement. Does Yahoo even have the right to sell its Taobao shares to a third party? That would be a non-issue if we acquired Yahoo outright, but we aren't.

"It's highly likely their contract stipulates that Yahoo cannot transfer its shares to a third party without the consent of Taobao's founding team. Jack Ma is an astute businessman; there's no way he would have overlooked a detail like that."

She's right, Yi Anguo thought. That is a very real possibility. This could be a real headache.

"Regardless," Yi Anguo said resignedly, "we need to meet with Yahoo's new CEO. Only by talking to her will we understand the exact situation. Acquiring the entire Yahoo group is unrealistic. Even if Yahoo agreed, the US government would likely interfere."

Chen Xuejiao nodded in agreement. "That's definitely something we have to consider. It means if we want to acquire the Taobao shares directly from Yahoo, we'll almost certainly need Taobao's approval as well."

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