Chapter 399: Yan Ershao Emerges, Qin-Dong Alliance Strengthens

After the press conference ended, Seeing Yan Li met Wang Wei's ex-wife that evening to discuss the lawsuit.

She had clearly anticipated this—not only did she come herself, but she brought a close friend and a lawyer.

"Ms. Yang, Lawyer Zhang…"

Seeing Yan Li shook hands with each of them, then got straight to the point: "I represent Tudou. com and Wang Wei in seeking to discuss with Ms. Yang what terms would lead you to drop the lawsuit against Wang Wei."

Wang Wei's ex-wife, Yang Lei, said nothing; her friend spoke first: "Where's Wang Wei? Why isn't he here himself?"

"I believe it's better if the parties don't meet directly—it hinders negotiation. Let's agree on a mutually acceptable condition and finalize it directly."

Seeing Yan Li had good reason to keep Wang Wei away.

He had already checked: Wang Wei's ex-wife held deep resentment toward him, constantly dredging up old grievances and dragging emotional disputes into what should've been purely financial negotiations, turning everything into a mess.

By keeping Wang Wei away, the emotional component would decrease, and his disadvantage of being in the wrong would be minimized.

Another reason was Wang Wei's temper—he'd lost his cool during previous negotiations, leading to a furious argument and a bitter breakup.

Now that his company has been stripped from him, he's even more sensitive. With his ex-wife demanding money and an enemy ally present, if he gets provoked too much, he might flip the table.

"Can you make decisions for Wang Wei?"

The friend asked again. Seeing Yan Li smiled: "Within reasonable limits, I'll persuade General Manager Wang."

"What do you mean by 'reasonable limits'?"

"Anything both sides agree on and can reach consensus on is naturally within reasonable limits."

Yang Lei finally spoke: "I never expected Wang Wei would be ousted by Director Yan. From that perspective, shouldn't Director Yan thank me?"

Seeing Yan Li shook his head: "Senior management changes are internal matters of Tudou. com. Personally, I have no connection or relationship with Ms. Yang. As for the company, I understand your actions—but I don't endorse them."

"Don't endorse them?"

Yang Lei sneered: "When we got married, I used my connections in the media industry to help Tudou. com with promotion and fundraising, boosting the company's growth. Then he had an affair, divorced me, and gave me only 100,000 yuan."

"We were legally married. He made billions from the IPO, and I got only 100,000—is that fair?!"

Seeing Yan Li fell silent. That was the disgusting part: they were clearly in the wrong, and she had seized their weak point—making it hard not to be on the defensive.

It was all Wang Wei's fault!

Seeing Yan Li had already decided: because he had to clean up this bastard's mess today, if Wang Wei wants to cash out and leave, fine—if he's willing to cut his losses honestly. But if he tries any tricks, he'll get a brutal beating.

"Ms. Yang, I deeply sympathize with your situation, and I believe what's happened now may bring you some measure of comfort."

"But let's keep things separate: General Manager Wang does not represent Tudou. com—especially not now. Your personal grudge with him shouldn't involve innocent parties."

"I hope we look forward, let go of past unpleasantness, and I'll do my best to help you secure what you're owed, so you can embrace a new life."

Seeing Yan Li deliberately lowered his stance—first courtesy, then force—building rapport, even making her feel he was on her side.

When dealing with women, Seeing Yan Li had his own methods.

Yang Lei had been divorced for over half a year, biding her time, then struck Wang Wei at a critical moment—clearly, she had both courage and skill, and she hated Wang Wei intensely.

With women like her, you can't be blunt—otherwise, you'll provoke resistance.

She's already gone all-in against Tudou. com; if necessary, she'll go all-in against Seeing Yan Li too. After all, if she loses, she has nothing to lose—so she might as well fight.

Under these circumstances, applying direct pressure won't work—it'll backfire.

Start soft, separate Wang Wei from Tudou. com, ease and dissolve her resistance, then lure her with benefits so she sees tangible gains.

Someone with nothing and full of rage fears no fight—but someone who's taken revenge and gained great rewards has many concerns and vulnerabilities.

Only then, if she still won't yield, can you apply measured pressure and threats—far more effective than starting with force.

Start soft, then hard; soft with steel inside; alternate between urgency and patience; apply weight appropriately.

Sometimes, negotiation is like dating: you need attitude, but also strength, angle, and depth—only then will the outcome have brightness.

Under Seeing Yan Li's deliberate overtures, combined with his personal charisma and the credit for removing Wang Wei, Yang Lei gradually softened her confrontational stance.

But as the conversation turned to the most critical issue—the interests at stake—the atmosphere grew tense again.

"Ms. Yang, I don't know who advised you, but 12 percent of the shares is excessive. General Manager Wang would never agree."

Wang Wei's shares were roughly 30 percent—Yang Lei was asking for a third. Unless Wang Wei was insane, he'd never accept that price.

Don't think: if you give a third, he still keeps two-thirds, and once listed, he'll be fine—he should accept it.

That's not how you do the math!

Tudou. com's current valuation isn't as inflated as during its bubble phase, but it still fluctuates between 10 and 20 billion RMB.

Twelve percent equals 1 to 2 billion RMB. They married and divorced quickly, with no deep emotional bond and no children—giving away billions? Who would agree?

Yang Lei did contribute to Wang Wei's career, but her contribution wasn't the key factor in Tudou. com's rise.

Giving her 100,000 yuan was cruel—but giving her billions is a monstrous demand.

Moreover, if you give her one-third of the shares, Wang Wei's position in Tudou. com plummets. He'd never have agreed to that while trying to maintain controlling ownership.

Even though Wang Wei has been ousted, there's a difference between major and minor shareholders—and if he plans to cash out, the number of shares directly affects his bargaining power and how much money he can extract.

Wang Wei already lost Tudou. com; his shares are his only leverage for a comeback. Giving up even a little hurts; giving up a third would be killing him.

Moreover, Seeing Yan Li didn't want Yang Lei to get shares at all.

This woman plays too wildly. Once she becomes a Tudou. com shareholder, who knows what chaos she'll stir up next?

No matter what Wang Wei did, he understood the rules—he wouldn't smash the pot. We could negotiate slowly. But someone like her, who doesn't follow the script, brings too much uncertainty and danger.

Seeing Yan Li looked at the defiant Yang Lei with a look of concern: "Ms. Yang, put yourself in his shoes—would you pay that amount if you were in his position?"

"And let me say something you may not want to hear: even if we gave you shares, could you hold onto them?"

"Ms. Yang, ask Lawyer Zhang here: under legal and reasonable conditions, how many ways do Tudou. com's other shareholders have to slowly dilute your shares away?"

"You have no roots in Tudou. com. You have no resources Tudou. com needs. You have no backing or capital to resist other shareholders or investors. In this situation, holding so many shares is like a child walking through a crowded market with gold."

"Ms. Yang, you're a sensible person. The capital market is too deep for you—you can't outplay those old foxes. I sincerely advise you to seek cash instead. It's far safer than holding stock."

"………"

Seeing Yan Li's words weren't bluffing—he genuinely meant them.

You don't have enough capital; minority shareholders are nothing before major shareholders—they can do whatever they want with you, not just wipe you out completely, but even leave you owing a huge debt.

Eat according to the size of your bowl!

Yang Lei's smartest move would be to take a sum of money and leave; trying to share in the pot of Tudou. com's gains could easily cost her everything—person and pot alike.

The lawyer beside her couldn't help chiming in, agreeing with Seeing Yan Li's point—he had advised Yang Lei from the start to take cash, and thought the amount she demanded was impossible.

But Yang Lei was unwilling to give up; her best friend kept pushing her, so she decided to start by asking for an outrageous sum and see what happened.

Now Seeing Yan Li, representing Tudou. com, had made some key points clear—he also wanted to persuade Yang Lei to change her mind. If she still refused, believing she could take on Seeing Yan Li and Tudou. com's board alone, Zhang the lawyer felt he might as well drop the case and let Yang Lei find someone better.

Yang Lei's friend wanted to speak, but Yang Lei hesitated and asked, "How much cash can I get?"

Seeing Yan Li thought for a moment: "Fifty million should not be difficult."

"Dollars?"

"RMB."

Although Seeing Yan Li sneered at some of Wang Wei's actions—thinking ten thousand was a betrayal of conscience—he had to admit that Yang Lei and her friends' expectations were a bit too idealistic.

It was 2010; even a millionaire was impressive, but demanding hundreds of millions? That was truly treating money like it meant nothing.

More importantly, Wang Wei simply didn't have that kind of cash.

His net worth was substantial, but it was all tied up in Tudou. com shares—the company wasn't listed, so he couldn't liquidate them, and his actual cash on hand was extremely limited.

Even fifty million RMB in cash would require Wang Wei to borrow or pay part upfront and the rest in installments after the IPO.

Yet Tudou. com's IPO prospects remained murky, with Youku as a fierce competitor; whether the company would profit or lose was hard to say.

Wang Wei could never afford to offer a compensation he couldn't bear under these circumstances.

If the stock price collapsed, wouldn't he be stuck with a massive debt for nothing?

Even if Tudou. com succeeded perfectly, Wang Wei's shares might be valuable, but he couldn't cash out much in a short time.

For a listed company, major shareholders' cashouts are always restricted—otherwise, dumping too much at once could trigger panic selling and drastic price swings.

So most major shareholders cash out either slowly, bit by bit, or by transferring shares—changes in ownership that have limited market impact.

Whether cashing out slowly or transferring equity, both require time and luck—they can't be settled quickly.

If Wang Wei went through great effort to extract a large sum, only to give it to his ex-wife before he could enjoy any of it himself, he'd surely find it unbearable.

So Yang Lei could seize the chance to squeeze Wang Wei hard, but demanding immediate bloodletting would make agreement nearly impossible.

"Fifty million is too little—it's less than one-tenth, even one-hundredth of his net worth. It shows no sincerity at all."

Yang Lei couldn't accept this price; she ignored Wang Wei's difficulties and thoughts, convinced that since he could earn billions, she deserved at least hundreds of millions—even if not half.

Seeing Yan Li was getting a headache: one side, constrained by reality and stingy, unwilling to risk or reluctantly pay a huge sum; the other, recklessly fantasizing, spending future income, making outrageous demands—yet holding the trump card.

He now understood why, in future records, this dispute dragged on for half a year—the gap between both sides was simply too wide.

Seeing Yan Li had no choice but to patiently explain to Yang Lei why Wang Wei simply couldn't pay that much.

He spoke well, clearly laying out pros and cons; Yang Lei began to listen, but since it concerned her personal interests, she wouldn't easily yield.

At this point, Seeing Yan Li realized this matter couldn't be resolved in a day or two.

But this was within his expectations.

Even if Wang Wei was incompetent, his subordinates and Tudou. com's shareholders included capable people—they'd dragged this out for so long. Even with his advantages, Seeing Yan Li couldn't possibly settle it in a few quick moves.

A prolonged war was out of the question—he didn't have the time or energy—but a couple of weeks was still feasible.

Seeing Yan Li planned to start by grinding it out, running through the usual tactics, then see how things developed.

He set himself a goal: one month.

If he couldn't win over Yang Lei in a month, he'd drag Youku into the fray, buying Tudou. com more time.

Right now, the company was desperate to go public, giving Yang Lei the upper hand; but if time shifted to Tudou. com's side, her negotiating leverage would shrink drastically.

…

After parting with Yang Lei and the others, Seeing Yan Li got in the car, about to head home, when he suddenly noticed Yang Lei's friend standing alone by the roadside, waiting for something. His mind stirred.

To be honest, his impression of this friend was average.

She lacked tact, was impolite, seemed even more impatient and greedy than Yang Lei—but it was clear Yang Lei trusted her deeply, even treated her like a strategist.

As everyone knows, the strongest fortress is often breached from within.

Whether it was turning her into a mole or sowing discord, both were Seeing Yan Li's specialties: turning her into an inside agent would help dismantle Yang Lei's psychological defenses; sowing discord would deprive Yang Lei of her behind-the-scenes instigator, leaving her isolated and easier to negotiate with.

He signaled the driver to pull over. When they drew near, Seeing Yan Li rolled down his window, feigning surprise.

"Miss Zhang, why are you alone?"

"Oh, Director Yan."

With Yang Lei holding the trump card and the professional lawyer beside her, the friend had felt confident and unafraid of Seeing Yan Li—but now, alone, her fear was visibly plain.

"Yang Lei and Lawyer Zhang went to the law firm to handle things. I had a private appointment and wasn't heading the same way, so we split up."

"I see."

Seeing Yan Li glanced at the weather—it was overcast, and by four in the afternoon, everything was already gray and dim.

"I thought you were waiting for a cab. It looks like rain's coming. Why not get in my car? Where are you headed? I can drop you off."

"No need, really."

Miss Zhang wasn't foolish; she felt riding with Seeing Yan Li was risky and made her uneasy. Seeing Yan Li smiled.

"Don't worry—I mean no harm. We've met, after all; it's just a small favor."

"Even without today's situation, if I ran into a beautiful lady like you, I'd happily strike up a conversation."

Yang Lei was a hostess; Miss Zhang was a producer-director. She wasn't stunning, but she wasn't bad-looking either—dressed up, she could pass for a little beauty.

Seeing Yan Li's own aura needed no explanation—his compliments carried real weight.

Miss Zhang felt flattered and pleased; after Seeing Yan Li's repeated invitations, she finally got in the car.

Seeing Yan Li understood her concerns perfectly—he avoided any topics that might alarm her, sticking to casual small talk.

To be honest, in recent years Seeing Yan Li rarely approached or tricked unfamiliar women; his skills had slipped a bit compared to the past, but dealing with his girlfriend Zhang was effortless.

More importantly, Seeing Yan Li's status is no longer the same.

Both are coquettish flattery, but could the effect of Sister Feng compare to Liu Tianxian's? The former exhausts all her efforts, yet falls short of the latter simply humming once.

Seeing Yan Li can crush opponents with raw stats alone, let alone his actual skill—even if not as good as before, he still dominates most players, stacked with buffs, slaughtering wildly.

Had Seeing Yan Li not been unwilling to sacrifice himself and preferred to lay groundwork and spend money to get it done, he had an 80 percent chance of taking her home today.

Really, unless you reach a certain level, you simply don't understand how forward women can be.

Seeing Yan Li had even considered that if all else failed, he'd use the Beauty Trap on Yang Lei; he had confidence in himself—he couldn't promise an immediate conquest, but it would definitely work.