Bartz, a sixty-year-old woman known for her assertive style, felt a bit annoyed. Yi Anguo had mocked her power, saying it was too limited compared to her predecessor, CEO Yang Zhiyuan. Yang, after all, could make major company decisions with a single word, without needing the board's approval.

After going public last year, Tao Bao's market value had once soared to over $20 billion. Now, however, it had plummeted to less than $5 billion, and the stock price was still dropping. With the financial crisis worsening, its market value could easily sink to just a billion or two.

Now, someone was offering to pay $6 billion for their 40% stake in Tao Bao. This price represented a premium of over 100%—it was higher than the entire current market value of Tao Bao.

Therefore, selling was a very appealing option. It would prevent them from repeating the kind of regret Yahoo now felt. They had once rejected Weiyin's $50 billion acquisition offer, only to see their market value later plummet to a mere $15 billion.

Former CEO Yang Zhiyuan was even forced to resign. If I refuse this $6 billion offer today, will the investors behind Yahoo force me out just as they did him?

Bartz's mind raced as she weighed the pros and cons. To sell or not to sell?

"Six billion dollars," Bartz said decisively, having made up her mind. "I will do my best to facilitate this transaction."

"Good. In that case, I'll add another $500 million," Yi Anguo said, standing up with a nod. "I hope you won't disappoint me." He then reached out to shake Bartz's hand in farewell.

After leaving Yahoo's headquarters, Chen Xuejiao asked, "Are we offering too high a price at $6 billion for a 40% stake in Tao Bao? With that kind of money, we could almost buy the entire company."

Yi Anguo smiled. "Based on Tao Bao's current stock price on Harbor Island, $6 billion is indeed more than enough to buy the entire company.

"However, the fastest-growing and most valuable part of Tao Bao is actually Tao Bao Mall—its B2C business—not the old B2B service. The entity listed on Harbor Island is the spun-off B2C business, so its stock price doesn't reflect the value of the entire company.

"The 40% stake Yahoo holds is from the entire Tao Bao company before it was split, not the 40% stake of the post-split entity.

"Even so, $6 billion for a 40% stake is definitely above Tao Bao's current valuation. But we are investing in Tao Bao's future growth potential, so paying a premium is quite normal."

After hearing Yi Anguo's explanation, Chen Xuejiao nodded. "If your An Jing Online Supermarket beats Tao Bao in the future, then this $6 billion investment will be a huge loss," she pointed out.

"Or are you saying you have no confidence in your own An Jing Online Supermarket? Do you think it will lose to Tao Bao and that Tao Bao will be the biggest winner in the future?"

Yi Anguo shook his head. "I can't really say how things will turn out. But even if Tao Bao eventually loses, it doesn't matter.

"I believe the most likely scenario is that they will coexist. It's not easy for one to completely defeat the other, and it's very difficult for a single company to dominate the market.

"Besides, in the e-commerce market, it's not just An Jing Online Supermarket and Tao Bao. There are also companies like Jiang Dong, Vancl, and No.1 Online Supermarket, and more platforms will surely emerge in the future.

"The domestic market is enormous. The cake is far too large for one company to eat alone. No company has that big of an appetite, right?

"Furthermore, without competitors, a company would have an absolute monopoly. That isn't healthy for a company's development, and on a national level, the government wouldn't want to see a market being monopolized by a single entity.

"So, whether we're talking about An Jing Online Supermarket or Tao Bao, at most we can say one might become a little stronger than the other. But to claim that one will completely defeat the other and drive it from the market... that's basically impossible."

Acquiring Yahoo's shares in Tao Bao was urgent, but it couldn't be rushed. For now, all he could do was wait for Bartz's results.

Would the deal go through smoothly? Luck played a big part. Yi Anguo hadn't been very hopeful at first, but now, it seemed there was a very good chance.

Next, Yi Anguo and Zhou Mengdie went sightseeing in the US, enjoying their time while they waited for Bartz's final decision.

Yi Anguo didn't interfere with the other investment projects. Chen Xuejiao was doing an excellent job—much better than he had anticipated. If he stepped in and gave random orders, it wouldn't improve the results and might even hinder her performance. Besides, he had already told Chen Xuejiao the names of all the companies he knew were worth investing in. He couldn't offer much advice on companies he didn't recognize, and as long as the investment amounts weren't large, he wouldn't get involved.

He just needed to ensure the important investments he remembered were successfully made. That was all that mattered.

For instance, the investment in Tesla was crucial. After all, that was a company with a potential future market value in the trillions of dollars!

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