After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"Mr. Lu, then how do you propose we cooperate?"

Mr. Ota thought of Lu Liang's identity; they probably wouldn't resist him, and might even welcome him with open arms.

For Bitcoin to penetrate the East University Market through this opportunity was a dream come true.

Neon was a flower of the past, having withdrawn from Uncle Sam's main course to become an appetizer.

Harvesting the East University economy had become a primary focus for the United States; otherwise, they wouldn't have proposed the Return to Asia-Pacific Strategy.

"33/33/34."

Lu Liang glanced sideways, the corners of his mouth tilting upward slightly. Mr. Ota had thought of something he naturally had considered as well.

He didn't intend to show up personally, and he didn't want Mitsui Sumitomo to monopolize the market; his plan was to bring in a third party.

Mr. Ota's just-relaxed brows furrowed again, "Who gets 34?"

If Lu Liang took 34, he would have had no objections, but he had guessed that Lu Liang would not take 34.

If he took 34 and became the leader, he might actually prefer 51 instead of bringing in a third party.

The next second, Lu Liang's words confirmed Mr. Ota's guess, "Your side will have 34%, Mr. Ota. In recent years, the variety of business in East University has increased. It's hard for me to be involved in everything personally. I will have to rely on you more in the future."

"Mr. Lu, you're too kind."

Mr. Ota showed a delighted expression. Although this leadership position was probably more symbolic than real, it was still a leadership role.

Lu Liang didn't need it, but he did. After all, he was just the rotating chairman of Mitsui Sumitomo, and the position was up for reelection the following year.

Having a leading role in this project would greatly assist his chances in next year's chairman election.

Amidst his joy, Mr. Ota couldn't help but ask again, "So who's the other 33?"

"Hyundai!"

Lu Liang's smirk became even more evident.

Initially, he had thought about a 51 to 49 ratio, but as he wouldn't be in Tokyo for the long term, nor would Wen Chao stay in Tokyo permanently.

If Mitsui Sumitomo were left to their own devices for too long, they would eventually become a threat. Neon completely surpassed Korea not only in terms of culture and economy but also in mindset.

Just as Korea sincerely acknowledged the United States as its foster father, even unto death without regret, Neon was different. If given the chance, they would naturally seek to usurp their master.

Lu Liang needed someone to rein them in during his absence, and so he thought of another good neighboring ally.

When it came to handling Neon, apart from the United States, only Korea could do it; after all, they had been invaded by Neon, and had their semiconductor technology stolen from them.

The relationship between the two countries was an entangled curse spanning a thousand years. Korea might not compare to Neon, but they knew exactly how to get under Neon's skin.

"..." Mr. Ota was momentarily speechless, his expression twisted as if he had swallowed something disgusting.

Lu Liang asked with a smile, "Mr. Ota, do you have any problems?"

Mr. Ota shook his head with a wry smile, "As the project is initiated by Mr. Lu, we respect any arrangements you make."

They had already tasted success twice, each time raking in several billion US dollars.

In the past, they were the ones being plundered, but now they had a seat at the table to share in the spoils with Wall Street.

Let the Han Country join; as disgusting as it might be.

It also implied indirectly that Lu Liang intended to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship, otherwise he wouldn't have introduced a third party to act as a constraint.

"Let's settle on that, then. The initial investment in this project will be 1 billion US dollars, funding by equity. Mr. Ota, do you have any more questions?"

Lu Liang dared not invest too much, as they intended to infiltrate the project quietly, waiting until the end of the year when it would rise to over 20,000 US dollars.

From 1,340 US dollars to 20,852 US dollars in four months, the surging market could not endure any shock.

By then, their 1 billion US dollars would become 15 billion US dollars, giving them the right to negotiate terms.

If they were excluded from the game,

Then they would simply overturn the table, and no one would be able to play.

"No," Mr. Ota nodded slightly.

"Then, let's set a time to meet again the day after tomorrow, and we'll sign the contract along with Li Xuanhong from Hyundai."

"Mr. Lu, please decide on the time and place. I'll be in Tokyo during this period, awaiting your updates."

Nearing noon, Mr. Ota invited Lu Liang to join him for lunch.

Lu Liang politely declined, "Mr. Ota, maybe next time. I have some matters to attend to shortly, and I'll also be staying in Tokyo for a while. There will be other opportunities."

No sooner had he bid farewell to Mr. Ota than Lu Liang set off, taking a flight to the neighboring Korea Han City.

Three and a half hours later, Lu Liang was already on the road away from Han City Airport.

"Wen Chao, have you been here before?"

Lu Liang looked around with curiosity; it was his first time in Korea, and he felt something odd about Han City. There were tall buildings, but it was a peculiar strangeness he couldn't put his finger on.

"I've been here a few times before."

Wen Chao seemed to catch what Lu Liang was thinking and chuckled, "A large urban-rural junction."

The southern part of the peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides and covers an area of about 103,000 square kilometers.

Such land mass, if placed in the provinces of East Country, would only rank at the very end, just a bit larger than Ningxia.

Logically speaking, such a country could never develop. It lacked people and land, and was surrounded by powerful enemies, each looking at it covetously.

To the north, they couldn't wait to strangle it; to the south, just across a strait was Neon, which had invaded numerous times over a thousand years.

Not only Han City but the entire Korea seemed like a large urban-rural junction, forcibly propped up by the United States.

"Exactly, that's the feeling."

Lu Liang was at a loss for words and chuckled. No wonder he felt it was familiar; it was very much like the county town of his hometown.

A fifth-tier small county town, keeping pace with the times, was grandly developing the real estate industry, with skyscrapers rising one after another, while not far away, people were still raising fish and growing vegetables.

"This must be the famous Han River, rumored to be overflowing with Viagra."

Passing a bridge, Wen Chao took on the role of a tour guide, introducing the scenery along the way to Lu Liang.

The country was small, Han City even more so; the so-called scenic spots could be thoroughly explored after a few visits and weren't that interesting.

If anything special had to be pointed out, it may be that cosmetics here were relatively cheaper, and the medical aesthetics industry was unique.

With Wen Chao's comments, Lu Liang lost interest in sightseeing and instead asked, "What time is our appointment with Li Xuanhong?"

Li Xuanhong was the current CEO of Hyundai Group, although the two sides had never had any business dealings before.

However, without any exaggeration, the name Lu Liang was quite effective in East Asia and even internationally.

As long as he intended to visit, even if the other party had no time, they would make time to meet and chat.

After all, he was the God of Wealth.

"Six in the evening, at Ming Tower Hotel."

"Then let's head to the hotel to settle in first."

The group arrived at Yanjiang Hotel in Jiangnan District, which also was the stronghold of Hyundai Group.

Along the way, there were Hyundai High School, Hyundai Department Store, Hyundai Hospital—several conglomerates almost monopolized every industry in the country.

According to last year's data, the revenue of the top ten chaebols accounted for more than 70% of the national GDP, with some years reaching as high as 85%.

For example, Samsung, as the largest chaebol in Korea, accounted for about 20% of Korea's GDP, followed closely by Hyundai at 16.8%.

Sometimes it was no wonder that in the East Asia Three Countries, Korea was known as the king of 'squeezing', with suicide rates also far leading the other two countries.

The place was so small, jobs so few, and the class channels were all blocked, leaving no room even for the thought of rebellion.

They could only work frantically, and those who couldn't keep up often found themselves in dire straits.

"I have to say, the girls here on average are indeed very high in both beauty and figure."

At six o'clock, as the group headed to Ming Tower Hotel for the appointment, they hit the evening rush hour and amusedly admired the street scenes they were stuck in traffic.

Wen Chao smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, the gyms around here are open all night. It's very common for people to go work out at two or three in the morning after drinking."

The meaning of being the East Asia's champion of squeezing wasn't limited to work.

Anything that could be compared, they would endeavor to excel in: figure, appearance, height.

They even squeezed their sleeping hours until they diminished; for them, sleeping for only three or four hours a day had become the norm.

"How do you even 'squeeze' height?" asked Lu Liang, puzzled. Figure and appearance could be surgically altered, but height seemed innate.

"Leg-lengthening surgery, it's very popular and the techniques are quite advanced."

"Wow, incredible."

At ten past six, the vehicle crawled along at a snail's pace and finally arrived at Ming Tower Hotel with great difficulty.

From a distance, Lu Liang saw several men in suits looking around the entrance of the hotel.

Wen Chao looked at the man in the lead, "Mr. Lu, that is Li Xuanhong from Hyundai Group."

Following the direction of his gaze, Lu Liang saw a man in his early forties, slightly overweight, with a large nose and unnaturally thick hair.

From afar, the two of them recognized each other and both revealed amicable smiles.

The car came to a stop, and Lu Liang quickly got out with an apologetic smile on his face: "Mr. Li, I'm sorry. It's my first time in Han City and I didn't realize the traffic was so bad. Please forgive me."

"Mr. Lu, you are too polite; we haven't been here long ourselves," Li Xuanhong replied with a smile.

He was only the CEO; in other words, a higher-class worker, and couldn't compare to Lu Liang, who was the head of a business.

Even their chairman wanted to meet Lu Liang, but unfortunately, Lu Liang's visit was not timely, as he was not in the country at the time.

Wen Chao took the opportunity to interject, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Li, there are many prying eyes here; why don't we go in and talk?"