386: Chapter 386 Finding Ammunition

"1 billion?"

Chen Cheng smiled and shook his head.

If it were just 1 billion, I would have just pledged my equity again; why would I involve others?

"10 billion?" Guo Donghui's eyes widened.

Even though Guo Donghui had expectations, he was still left speechless.

This man was truly playing a bigger and bigger game. In his first fundraising, he got 3 billion USD from oil capital; in the second, he raised 20 billion RMB in less than a month.

This time, he was really going big, aiming to raise 10 billion USD at once.

As Guo Donghui looked at Chen Cheng, his eyes sparkled more and more; it seemed this man was truly about to enter the inner sanctum of the elite.

In the global capital market, for those running hedge funds, 1 billion is a threshold.

Reaching this level means entering the vision of global capital.

10 billion is another threshold, one that 99% of genius investors struggle to cross or maintain.

Those who can stably step over this threshold are one in ten thousand.

Ever since he first encountered this young man through Tan Zongming, Guo Donghui had developed a deep interest in Chen Cheng.

For a family like his, which had been wealthy for three generations...

The stable inheritance of wealth was their ultimate goal.

That was why the family held a large amount of real estate and land.

But besides that, they needed an excellent financial advisor...

To ensure their wealth wasn't diluted by inflation.

Ideally, they would also pursue some growth.

And Company Name's steady position-holding style, combined with long-term ultra-high compound growth...

Made Guo Donghui feel as if he were witnessing the rise of an even younger, even smarter investment genius.

If Chen Cheng knew what he was thinking...

He would probably be relieved that he had hidden Gongrong Investment.

Otherwise, seeing two completely conflicting investment styles would probably give these 'old money' types a heart attack.

Chen Cheng smiled, "General Manager Guo, are you interested?"

Guo Donghui didn't reply directly, continuing to ask about the fund's status, "Does Mr. Chen have a specific investment direction?"

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled up as he began his pitch, "Artificial Intelligence, drug molecular design, and... potential geopolitical conflicts."

"Hmm?" Guo Donghui frowned. "Geopolitical conflicts?"

Chen Cheng didn't answer his confused question, but instead spoke about Artificial Intelligence.

"General Manager Guo might not know yet, but I just received a PhD offer from the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory."

Guo Donghui leaned back tactically, "Mr. Chen has so many industries, yet you still have time to study?"

Guo Donghui's originally excited heart suddenly cooled down quite a bit.

In investment, the biggest taboo is an entrepreneur being half-hearted.

Chen Cheng continued to challenge Guo Donghui's psychological defenses, "I am also in Shanghai, preparing an Artificial Intelligence language model project."

"I've already invested 300 million USD in the early stages for server construction."

This time, Guo Donghui's eyes really widened. 300 million USD just for servers?

Recalling Likely Chen Chengs company's holdings, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Mr. Chen is betting big on Artificial Intelligence?"

Chen Cheng shook his head, "It's not a bet; it's because I have already seen the future of Artificial Intelligence."

Looking at his shining eyes, Guo Donghui only thought this man was crazy.

Everyone knew Artificial Intelligence was the future trend.

But as someone in finance, how could you just keep asserting 'it's here'?

"It seems Mr. Chen is very confident."

Chen Cheng heard the sarcasm in his voice but didn't care.

If he didn't want to get some principal from him to buy the bottom of the US stock market later, who would waste time with him?

"General Manager Guo, you don't think I'll use the raised funds to invest in my own company, do you?"

Guo Donghui didn't speak, which was a tacit admission.

Chen Cheng let out a light laugh, "General Manager Guo still doesn't know me well enough. For truly profitable businesses, I prefer to keep it all to myself."

"For my Zen AI, although the servers will burn a lot of money..."

"As long as I can still hold on, I won't accept external investment."

"The fund raised this time will probably only get some scraps in the field of Artificial Intelligence."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng blinked, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, yet his tone remained exceptionally calm: "Oh, right."

"I can reveal to General Manager Guo that for my Zen AI, I am actually the Chief Technology Officer."

"The core code has already been written by me."

"What?"

Guo Donghui's eyes bulged, and unable to control himself, he barked out the question.

He had studied electrical engineering; while he wasn't an expert in the computer field...

He had studied programming. He knew the difficulty of developing a large-scale application.

What did he mean, 'the core code is finished'?

That's simply not a job that can be completed by a single person.

Suddenly, Guo Donghui remembered Company Name's holdings, and his gaze sharpened.

"Mr. Chen has so much confidence in the product he developed, which is why he invested so early in the shovel-seller, Yinda?"

Chen Cheng smiled without saying a word; mentioning 'shovels' meant the other man was close to being swayed.

In the early nineteenth century, the Western Ugly Country entered a gold rush where everyone participated.

But most didn't make much money; however, those who sold shovels truly made a fortune.

A man named Sam became the richest man in California at the time by selling shovels.

In later, more modern business history, people became even more keen on finding 'shovels.'

Because whether you find gold or not is one thing, but selling shovels is a guaranteed profit.

After Guo Donghui calmed down again, he pondered for a long while, "How do you want to split the profits?"

Chen Cheng shook his head, "No profit sharing. A risk-free 30% annualized return. If there's a loss, Company Name covers it."

"Ha~" Guo Donghui laughed out loud, "Mr. Chen, you should have said so earlier."

"30% annualized, and guaranteed against loss."

"The moment Mr. Chen sat down, I would have signed the check for you."

Chen Cheng smiled; if I believed that, I'd be a real fool.

He spread his hands, "Saying all this was, of course, to dispel General Manager Guo's concerns."

Guo Donghui laughed heartily and blinked, "Is Mr. Chen really acting as the technical lead himself?"

The corners of Chen Cheng's mouth turned up. This Little General Manager Guo really inherited his father's cautious style; he was still testing him.

"General Manager Guo should know where I went to school, right?"

Chen Cheng smiled, putting on the air of a hidden master.

He lowered his head to sip his tea, looking calm and composed, his tone flat, "When I was in the Bay Area, I was already researching Artificial Intelligence."

"I invested in the angel rounds for both Sky and Noruo."

"The 300 million USD I used for Zen came from just selling part of my Noruo shares."

Guo Donghui leaned back tactically; he really hadn't paid attention to these types of non-publicly listed companies.

Chen Cheng was chatting with Guo Donghui so diligently...

His goal wasn't just to get his check.

But rather, he hoped he would become a devoted megaphone in the future, waving the flag and shouting for him in the hong kong circles.

Paired with Company Name's exaggerated annualized growth...

If the boasting went on long enough, people would believe that 'a great reputation truly has substance behind it.'

By then, the wealthy in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia would all become his thick blood bags and ammunition depots.

[Writer's Note: The writer's block has been too severe lately, and I can't hold it in anymore. For these two weeks, I'll stick to a single update per day.]