Putting aside other considerations, the research projects for semiconductor chip production alone—such as photolithography machines and essential packaging equipment—required a massive investment of capital. The cost of high-tech R&D was like a bottomless pit; no matter how much money was poured in, it was never enough.

Especially with the era of intelligence dawning, intelligent robotics was a key research direction. Similarly, with the new energy era on the horizon, new energy batteries and vehicles were projects worthy of research and investment. Strategically positioning and investing in lithium mines early, entering the lithium battery industry ahead of time, and acquiring an automobile manufacturer in advance were all worthwhile ventures. Entering these markets during the current financial crisis could also save a great deal on investment costs.

To facilitate unified management, Yi Anguo established the An Country Holding Group, which he wholly owned. As for the subsidiaries, although Yi Anguo still held the majority stake, he allowed for other shareholders. This included technology shares, management shares, employee incentive shares, and investments from other companies.

For example, Penguin Company invested one billion US dollars in Anjing Online Supermarket. They even gifted their entire e-commerce business, receiving a twenty percent stake in return. Through this maneuver, Anjing Online Supermarket, which was not yet public, was valued at over five billion US dollars.

The initial members of Anjing's technology and management teams, as well as some veteran employees, had all been gifted company shares. Although the individual stakes weren't large, the company's valuation of over five billion US dollars meant the total value was nearly forty billion RMB. One percent was worth four hundred million RMB, and even 0.01% was worth four million. Many of the company's middle and upper managers had reached this figure. Even long-serving employees at lower levels, holding just 0.001% of the company's shares, possessed stock worth 400,000 RMB.

Higher-ups like Yi Haiyang owned even more shares, making him a tycoon worth hundreds of millions. There were dozens of other executives and key technical team members worth tens of millions, and even more people worth several million.

Yi Anguo had initially released a considerable number of shares. Later, however, he repeatedly increased his investment in Anjing Online Supermarket through Hong Kong Hualong Investment, diluting the shares held by the technology team, management team, and employee shareholders. This was inevitable; it wasn't as if Yi Anguo could keep investing capital while their percentage of ownership remained the same. But while their stakes were continuously diluted, the value of their shares kept rising, becoming more and more valuable.

Before the company's official IPO, their shares only came with dividend rights, not trading rights. Their shares would be diluted even further before the official listing. Moreover, there would be a lock-up period after going public, meaning the shares could not be traded immediately.

Since everyone held shares and was a stakeholder, the company's rising valuation meant their own shares became more valuable, which in turn boosted everyone's motivation. With the company currently valued at five billion US dollars, perhaps it could reach fifty billion in the future. If so, their personal wealth would grow tenfold.

For companies like Hua Xing Technology, An Country Property Management, and even An Country Rosewood Furniture, Yi Anguo also distributed some shares. It was the only way to keep everyone highly motivated.

In addition to technology, management, and employee shares, Hua Xing Technology had now also brought in Shenzhen state-owned capital for a twenty percent stake. Yi Anguo had been mentally prepared for this. Therefore, when Shenzhen state-owned capital proactively approached him to invest in Hua Xing Technology, he readily agreed.

However, prior to this, Yi Anguo had spun off the Hua Xing mobile phone business. He established Hua Xing Communication Equipment Co., Ltd., to specialize in the R&D, production, and sales of Hua Xing smartphones, including their proprietary chips.

The Guo brothers stubbornly refused to dump the five hundred tons of Vietnamese rosewood they possessed. They sold their Indian rosewood instead, whose price had risen to over 600,000 RMB per ton. This allowed them to make a decent profit and recoup some of their losses. However, they didn't have much Indian rosewood, and while the profit was substantial, it paled in comparison to the capital they had lost on the Vietnamese rosewood investment.

Afterward, they liquidated their supply of Lao Red Acacia wood. Although they had a massive amount, over ten million tons, the best quality planks were now selling for just over 8,000 RMB a ton. They actually took a loss, which, while not severe, still amounted to several million.

Then, they could only watch helplessly as the 500 tons of Vietnamese rosewood they held depreciated more and more. The price of ordinary Vietnamese rosewood plummeted to 250,000 RMB per ton, dropping to merely a third of its price from a year ago when it was over 700,000 RMB per ton. However, that was just for ordinary material; the large planks they held had fallen even more in value.

They scrambled to pay off their debts by borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, but the amount they owed was simply too large. Banks refused to accept the wood as collateral, so borrowing more money from them was completely out of the question.

They had initially thought that the government's four trillion RMB economic stimulus plan would turn things around. But in reality, two months after the plan was announced, the market's reaction remained tepid. Housing prices were falling instead of rising, and the stock market showed no signs of improvement. The value of their Vietnamese rosewood not only failed to appreciate but depreciated even further.

Yi Xiaolin received orders from his uncle, Yi Anguo, urging him to act quickly and finalize the acquisition of the Guo brothers' 500 tons of Vietnamese rosewood. Any further delay would mean losing the opportunity entirely. If necessary, he was to raise the acquisition price.

Yi Xiaolin was at his wit's end. The transaction was proving to be incredibly difficult. Despite his offers far exceeding the market value, the Guo brothers simply refused to let go. He couldn't just rob them!

"Gentlemen? How about it?" Yi Xiaolin pulled out a pack of soft-pack Zhonghua cigarettes, handed one to each of the Guo brothers, and spoke with a bitter smile. He was practically on the verge of begging them. "Can we talk again about those 500 tons of Vietnamese rosewood?"

"What's the use of dragging this out? The market isn't going to improve for a few years," he pressed. "If you keep holding on, the price might drop even further. Why put yourselves through this?"

The elder Guo brother lit his cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly, remaining silent. What Yi Xiaolin said was exactly what they feared.

"To be honest, if you had the funds and resources, I wouldn't even be here trying to persuade you, because I'd know you would never sell," Yi Xiaolin continued. "But you don't have that financial power, and you've already sold everything you can. Are you really going to sell the factory you've operated for so many years?"

"And even if you do sell the factory, will that solve your problem? Will you have enough money to pay off your debts?"

"If we were willing to sell, how much above the market price would you pay for our Vietnamese rosewood?" the younger Guo brother finally blurted out, unable to hold back any longer.

"Twenty percent," Yi Xiaolin replied immediately. "I've said it before. We're willing to pay twenty percent above the market price for your Vietnamese rosewood."

"No, that's too low. It has to be at least thirty percent above the market price," the younger Guo brother countered.

"Thirty percent above market price? Don't you think that's a bit much?" Yi Xiaolin said, frowning.

He could accept this price. His uncle had given him the authority to make the final call. In fact, he had been planning to proactively offer a thirty percent premium to get them to agree. But now things were different. They were the ones to crack and start negotiating. That meant they couldn't hold on any longer. As the saying goes, an eager buyer never gets a good deal. Since they had made the first move, he certainly couldn't agree so easily.

From that moment, the tables had turned.

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