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

Li Bing let out a long sigh, not wanting Lu Liang to change the subject, he directly stated his purpose: he hoped NIO could secure financing and go public as soon as possible.

"How about starting the IPO on the 16th of this month?" Lu Liang thought for a moment and suddenly asked.

"So soon? Is there a reason for this?" Li Bing was surprised.

Today is February 6th, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and normally work wouldn't start until the 9th, leaving NIO less than a week to prepare.

Lu Liang flipped through the documents sent by Cheng Wei: "DiDi is holding its first IPO stop in Beijing on the 15th. If NIO goes public a day later, it might be able to take advantage of the leftovers."

"Take advantage of the leftovers..." Li Bing looked resentful; did Lu Liang think of NIO as a beggar?

He was filled with endless grief and anger but maintained a smile, "Mr. Lu, where is DiDi holding their IPO financing cocktail party?"

If they must beg, so be it. Since passing the IPO audit, DiDi's valuation has skyrocketed by another 3 billion US dollars, reaching 53 billion US dollars, and their IPO financing could at least raise 7.5 billion US dollars.

In contrast, NIO's current valuation is 5.5 billion US dollars, and even with an IPO, it wouldn't exceed 6 billion US dollars.

Both are industries invested by Lu Liang, so maybe someone out there, with the mindset of preferring to be the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix, would invest in NIO.

Moreover, NIO's smaller base makes it more suitable for short-term investors to speculate, just like Panda.

On the other hand, given DiDi's size, expecting a 10% increase on the first day of listing would be a blessing.

"On the eighth floor of the Ritz-Carlton on Financial Street."

Lu Liang sent an invitation to Li Bing and then ended his work for the day.

Before leaving the company, he opened Li Manli's live stream and found that it had shifted from indoor to outdoor.

It seemed like she was out team building with members from a gaming group called the Four Little Box, and she seemed to get along well with them.

She hadn't gone home for the New Year and was always streaming games or team building offline, so Lu Liang didn't feel like disturbing her.

He glanced at his Moments and noticed that Wang Chuting had returned to Modu last night, so he sent her a message and headed over.

"I remember you were going back on the 29th, how come you couldn't stand staying for just three days?"

The door was unlocked, and Lu Liang entered directly,

taking off his coat and casually placing it on the shoe cabinet at the entrance.

Wang Chuting was busy in the kitchen wearing an apron: "Staying at home was boring, so I came back early."

"Did your mom force you to go on a blind date?"

Lu Liang came up behind Wang Chuting, embraced her slender waist, and sighed as he looked at the dishes in the pot, "It's the New Year, can't you eat something good?"

Broccoli, carrots, poached shrimp; you could hardly see any oil. The main dish was oatmeal and salad.

"Your guess is spot on, though it sounds like you're swearing."

Wang Chuting playfully rolled her eyes, carrying two plates of what looked like fast food: "I'm already 28 this New Year, and my metabolism will only slow down, so I have to be more disciplined."

"Your figure is already great, and a little more flesh would only make it better."

Lu Liang smiled as he picked up a knife and fork, eating three shrimp in one bite, occasionally savoring the green and healthy meal, which had a special taste.

"Men talk lies; when a woman is thin, they say they like them fat, but when they're fat, they say thin is better."

Wang Chuting chewed slowly and started talking about the funny blind date stories she had at home a few days ago.

After all, she is a major online influencer with millions of fans, and she has interviewed several billion-dollar entrepreneurs.

Hearing that she was returning this year, her mother, along with a matchmaker, started selecting suitable candidates from as early as the twelfth lunar month.

From the descendants of the Hong Clan to the self-made entrepreneurs of the first generation, there are indeed quite a few talented people in Ganxi.

"Was there no one you fancied?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.

Wang Chuting's face darkened: "Do you think it's appropriate to say that?"

"What's inappropriate?" Lu Liang laughed.

"Fine."

Wang Chuting's face turned cold, as if a sensitive spot had been touched, and she slammed down the knife and fork heavily before storming back to her room, pulling out a plastic bag and throwing it on the table: "Do you still think it's appropriate now?"

A test stick showed two red lines.

Lu Liang had never seen it before, but he knew that one line was negative and two lines meant positive.

"When did this happen?" He quickly put on a face full of an apologetic smile, embracing the pouting Wang Chuting, and moved from the dining area to the living room.

"It should have been last month." Wang Chuting snorted coldly a few times.

In the last month before the New Year, she was very busy because her studio only had five people, yet they managed six accounts.

She was busy until the 28th of the last month before having time to go home, and during her few idle days there, she suddenly realized she hadn't had her period this month.

Previously, due to irregular habits, it might get delayed a bit, but never more than two weeks; this time, it was a full three weeks.

This month, she didn't have that usual pain that felt like hanging herself, which felt very unusual, so she secretly went to the pharmacy to buy a test stick.

After seeing the test result, she rushed back to Modu overnight.

"Is this considered a telepathic connection?"

Wang Chuting caressed her lower abdomen, leaning on Lu Liang's shoulder, as the anger on her face gradually faded away.

She actually planned to wait until the sixth or seventh day, when Lu Liang returned to Modu, to tell him the news.

Unexpectedly, Lu Liang came back on the fourth day, and the first person he looked for was also her.

"That must mean a connection of the hearts."

Lu Liang smiled and said, "It seems like I faintly heard a voice calling me to find you."

Sweet words cost nothing, and vows are not meant to be kept either. As long as he is in a good mood, he's willing to say more.

"Are you going to stay?" Wang Chuting cautiously asked, even though Lu Liang had promised to help her treat her menstrual pain.

But saying and doing are different things, and she is not a naive girl who believes everything Lu Liang says.

So after finding out she was pregnant, she's been anxious inside.

"Nonsense, of course, we'll keep it."

Lu Liang's face turned serious as he gently tapped her forehead: "Tomorrow, we'll go to the hospital, and I'll join you for a check-up."

"Oh~" Wang Chuting beamed with joy.

The next morning, the two of them arrived at a private maternity hospital in Puxin.

Covering an area of over 50,000 square meters, it's like a medium-to-large resort, offering not only prenatal check-ups, a postpartum center, and postnatal care.

There are many rich people in Modu, and they are generally quite proud. Whether in food, clothing, housing, or transportation, even treating illnesses and consultations, they disdain being with ordinary people; they prefer more exclusive settings.

Where there is demand, there's a market, leading to a plethora of high-end maternity hospitals springing up in Modu, gathering top domestic and international experts, the best equipment, and providing comprehensive pre-pregnancy, maternity, and post-pregnancy services.

"Old Meng, happy New Year."

Lu Liang drove into the hospital's underground parking lot and saw Meng Changkun, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Though owing to some matters, Old Meng had been kicked out of Lu Liang's inner circle, they were still friends.

Old Meng had been doing business in Modu for over two to three decades, and with assets worth billions, he was a veritable local tycoon.

Contacting him to find a suitable private maternity hospital was much more appropriate than if Lu Liang had searched on his own.

"Mr. Lu, happy New Year."

Meng Changkun smiled broadly and said, cupping his hands together.

He was happy that Lu Liang still remembered him,

and also happy to be able to help him now.

"Hello Mr. Lu, I am the dean of Hu Mu Family. My name is Chen Zhiyuan." Chen Zhiyuan's face was full of smiles as he excitedly shook hands with Lu Liang.

"Hello, Dean Chen."

Lu Liang nodded with a smile, not being overly enthusiastic.

If it were a common person, he would put away his airs, even if it meant sitting on the curb for a casual chat.

But when facing people with a little wealth and power, maintaining a certain stature can avoid many unnecessary troubles.

If you aren't approachable, people won't harass you with trivial matters, and there is still Meng Changkun between them.

Meng Changkun smiled and looked at Wang Chuting, "Miss Wang, are you expecting?"

Lu Liang nodded, "It's not certain yet, that's why we're here for a check-up."

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Meng, Miss Wang, please follow me." The hospital dean behaved like a servant, with a face full of smiles, busy attending to them.

Old Meng noticed Lu Liang's perplexity and whispered, "Hu Mu Family almost got into trouble in '03. Kunqian Trade lent them 200 million, helping them through a tough time."

"So Mr. Lu, Miss Wang, feel free to treat this place like home," Old Meng said with a smile.

Having developed in Modu for decades, he had many favors to repay, as well as many people who owed him favors.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Meng." Wang Chuting nodded, following the physician to the department for the examination.

Lu Liang and Meng Changkun went to the lounge area for tea,

Lu Liang asked, "Old Meng, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Just some import and export trade things."

Meng Changkun skillfully prepared tea, handing over a cup, suddenly smiling, and said, "The last time we had tea together was over a year ago, wasn't it?"

"It's been a while; I can't quite remember."

Lu Liang sipped the tea, paused, then said, "You might want to cut down on some foreign trade business; the industry's winter is coming."

Though the notification was set to be implemented on July 6th, that's the precise date, and usually, beforehand, word is first let out to see East Country's reaction.

This is a strategy where both sides lose. The United States has its thunderous means, and East Country isn't without their countermeasures.

The news should be released in these one or two months. Only when the negotiations break down will the related bill begin to be formally implemented.

Once the 'war' begins, trading companies will bear the brunt. Acting in advance can help mitigate losses; if caught up in it, it would be a total loss.

Meng Changkun was taken aback, nodded, and said, "Alright, thank you."

Times have changed, and their levels are now completely different. Being in high positions, they naturally receive more information.

Lu Liang's willingness to remind him showed that he still considered him a friend, and he wouldn't foolishly ask why.