He subconsciously pressed further: "Why? President Zhou, you know that TikTok's overseas growth has always been the fastest. As long as we get through this current wave of regulatory turmoil, the returns will only be higher than before. We survived such difficult times together back then; why can't we just hold on a little longer now?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then the words that followed were like sharp knives, stabbing deep into Zhang Yiming's heart.
"President Zhang, it's not that we aren't optimistic about TikTok, nor have we forgotten our past friendship. We truly don't dare to help, and we can't afford to touch this."
"What you're facing now isn't a simple business problem. It's not about competing for markets or traffic with rivals; it's a matter of geopolitical risk at the national level. It's a red line that we, as foreign investment funds, absolutely cannot cross. Do you think Indonesia is just banning TikTok? No, it's a matter of stance, a game between major powers. As a single fund, we simply cannot withstand that kind of pressure."
"Then there's India; they're following suit to ban TikTok. It's essentially the same logic. Now that TikTok's two largest overseas markets are about to vanish, its valuation has plummeted from $72 billion to $45 billion, and it's still falling. The money we've invested could very well vanish overnight."
"More importantly, there's pressure from behind the scenes. Domestic internet giants don't want to see TikTok succeed abroad and have been operating in the shadows. Overseas regulators are also pressuring foreign funds like us. We are in the business of capital; our core is making money and avoiding risk, not gambling with our lives. Helping you now isn't an investment; it's suicide. It's wagering the entire fund's future on a game that simply can't be won. We cannot bear those consequences."
Every sentence was blunt and cruel, without any ambiguity or sentimentality.
Zhang Yiming gripped his phone, his knuckles turning white from the force. His fingertips were cold, and even his breathing grew heavy.
"I understand."
Zhang Yiming's voice was very soft, so soft it seemed to tremble. There was no anger, no blame, only endless heartache and loneliness.
After hanging up, the office fell into a complete, deathly silence.
After sighing, he opened his contact list again, his finger stopping on the name for the SoftBank contact.
Three minutes later, he put down his phone.
The same response, in an even colder tone.
Lin Zhou stood to the side, not daring to breathe loudly. After a while, he asked cautiously, "President Zhang, should we continue to contact President Jiang and the others?"
The slang reference to Zhang Yiming's gaze froze on Jiang Cheng's phone number. After a long silence, he shook his head.
Two consecutive rejection calls had completely drained Zhang Yiming's remaining strength.
He threw his phone onto the desk and leaned back wearily in his chair, closing his eyes. His brow was etched with exhaustion and despair.
"Let's not call for now. Even Sequoia and SoftBank aren't willing to help, let alone a young man like Jiang Cheng. Even if we contact him, the result would likely be the same. There's no need to humiliate ourselves further."
"That's just how capital is. They'll put you on a pedestal when things are smooth, but at the first sign of trouble, they're the first to run. I don't blame them; after all, this is business, not charity."
But he couldn't let ByteDance fall like this.
After a pause, he sat up straight, a flicker of determination reigniting in his eyes. His tone was heavy but resolute.
"Instead of humbly begging others for help, we should find a way ourselves. Send out the notice: a shareholders' meeting will be held in two days. All core shareholders should attend if they can. Lin Zhou, go prepare all the materials needed for the meeting right now. There must not be a single oversight."
Lin Zhou quickly responded, "Understood, President Zhang. I'll go prepare immediately. Don't worry, there won't be any problems."
Zhang Yiming nodded and added, "The materials must be comprehensive. First, the current overall operating data for TikTok, including user numbers domestically and abroad, revenue, and valuation changes. Present the impact of the overseas bans truthfully."
"Second, a detailed explanation of the bans in Indonesia and India, including the cause, the measures we've taken so far, and potential subsequent solutions."
"Third, the company's current cash flow status, debt situation, and details on the stagnation of the new round of financing."
"Fourth, ByteDance's future development plan, including how to handle overseas regulatory risks, how to open up new markets, and how to stabilize our domestic foundation to give shareholders a clear expectation. Finally, organize the shareholding percentages and investment details of all core shareholders into a clear breakdown for everyone to review."
"I understand, President Zhang," Lin Zhou noted seriously. "I'll organize these materials as quickly as possible to ensure they are accurate and present them to you tomorrow morning. Additionally, I'll arrange the venue, equipment, and notification for the shareholders' meeting."
Zhang Yiming waved his hand, his voice weary. "Go on, then. Thank you for your hard work. Make sure to hurry..."
He picked up his phone, his finger hovering over Jiang Cheng's contact information. After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately didn't press the call button.
Asking for help abruptly might not yield results.
Instead, it would be better to wait until the shareholders' meeting and see the attitude of this mysterious shareholder in front of everyone.
The next day, as soon as Jiang Cheng woke up, he started his stretching exercises as usual.
After ten minutes or so, the system rang with a 'ding.'
The three women blushed and licked the corners of their mouths at the same time.
It was just as Jiang Cheng had thought.
For most of last night, the three of them hadn't found it very pleasant.
But by tonight, they had already begun to experience what it meant to find something 'truly fragrant.'
Seeing that Zhao Yihan still had some on her face, Chen Jiaxue even reached out to wipe it for her, then put her finger in her mouth to suck it...
Seeing Jiang Cheng enter the bathroom to wash up, The three women tacitly headed toward another bathroom.
None of them noticed that they seemed to have grown accustomed to not competing or fighting, doing the same things in sync.
Half an hour later, Jiang Cheng was dressed and sitting on the sofa.
At that moment, Wang Congcong and the others were posting photos in their small group chat.
Jiang Cheng took a look. He wasn't sure if they were stimulated by Chloe, but the photos the three of them posted today were all of blonde-haired, blue-eyed 'Persian cats.'
To be fair, two of the four looked quite good.
After all, young white girls had a big advantage; their skin was as white as snow, and 'fairness hides three flaws.'
Unfortunately, the privacy values of these two were somewhat hard to describe.
Another one had thicker lips, fitting Western aesthetics, and her privacy value wasn't low either.
What surprised Jiang Cheng more was the older one.
Her privacy value was actually the lowest among them, barely reaching eight.
So, was this a case of entering the industry in middle age?
Once the photos were posted, Qi Yuan and Chen Hao had the biggest reactions.
Qi Yuan: "You bastards are actually making Sino-Western romantic cultural films behind my back..."
Qi Yuan: "And why take pictures of their faces? I can't even see clearly..."
Chen Hao: "Of these three, I bet the older one was picked by Old Wang, right?"