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

"I'll make time for a trip there."

Lu Liang thought about it and a smile played on his lips. Clearly, Old Wang didn't dare to act as a one-man roadblock to the industry.

But since he brought it up, leaving Old Wang to take the heat alone seemed a bit unkind.

Lu Liang called Wen Chao over to book a flight to Shenzhen.

He also wanted to understand the comparative advantages and disadvantages between plug-in hybrid and range-extended electric vehicle models.

The vast size of the country, long-distance trips home over a thousand kilometers, chronic traffic jams during holidays, and reduced battery life in frigid regions—all these factors contribute to 'range anxiety,' which exists now and will continue to exist. Even if charging stations become ubiquitous throughout the country, even in every village, there will still be range anxiety.

Refueling a gas tank takes, at most, two minutes.

Charging, even with fast chargers, takes at least half an hour to reach 80% battery capacity.

NIO's battery-swap strategy is a solution, but lately, shared power banks have hit the market and in some popular areas of Modu, they're still hard to come by.

For purely electric vehicle models, one starts to worry about charging once the range drops below 150 kilometers, both due to exaggerated claims and the possibility of not finding an available charging station at your destination.

But it's different with fuel vehicles. Even if the fuel gauge shows only 50 kilometers remaining, there's no panic, because you are guaranteed to get fuel at the next station.

Not finding a gas station within 50 kilometers, or a station running out of fuel, is an exceedingly rare event, the kind you might never encounter in a lifetime.

Although Lu Liang was optimistic about the new energy industry, he wouldn't deny the sense of security that comes with fuel vehicles.

Therefore, the popularity of hybrids was inevitable. Even if you get addicted to driving electric daily, you might not use more than two tanks of gas a year.

But if the opportunity arises just once, it would prove that choosing a hybrid at the time was absolutely the right decision.

Lu Liang already had a strategy. Prioritize pure electric first, because it represents purity and high-end, then downwardly compatible with hybrids.

It's just that for hybrids, he hadn't yet decided whether to opt for plug-in hybrids or range extenders.

He planned to learn from the BYD folks in Shenzhen and, better yet, to meet a few top-notch talents.

BYD had plenty of talent. As a newcomer to the industry, it was necessary for him to help BYD share the burden of talent.

The next day at noon, the plane arrived in Shenzhen.

Lu Liang traveled light, with only a secretary, a driver, and two bodyguards.

Shenzhen's market support for BYD was unbeatable, even the airport tug and the express buses to the city center used BYD's self-developed railway transportation.

From Anbao Airport to Nantian City, Lu Liang saw what seemed to be new energy vehicles, at least three times more than in Modu.

It's still difficult to distinguish the new energy vehicles now because they all share blue license plates, only recognizable by familiar car models.

However, starting next month it will be much easier because the new energy exclusive green plates will be officially introduced.

It's just that one wonders what the designer was thinking—the green plates for new energy vehicles look increasingly ugly the more one looks at them.

Although Shen Peng once said that the current blue and yellow plates aren't much to look at either, it's just a matter of getting used to them.

On this point, Lu Liang disagreed. At least he felt that the white plates for official cars and the black plates for Hong Kong vehicles were nice-looking at first glance, even if they weren't familiar.

Upon reaching Nantian City, Wen Chao just finished the hotel check-in process, planning to visit BYD's headquarters in Pingshan the next day.

Not long after, Lu Liang received a phone call from Hengtai Xu, "Mr. Lu, why did you sneak off to Shenzhen without making a sound? Didn't we agree that if you had time to come to Guangshen, I would surely show you a good time?"

"Mr. Xu, it was a spontaneous decision, and I didn't want to impose by bothering you," Lu Liang replied with a laugh.

Being a significant internet celebrity, it wasn't surprising that Old Xu learned about his trip to Shenzhen without any hide-and-seek.

"How could it be imposing? We've only been in touch over the phone, and I've wanted to meet you for a long time," Old Xu laughed heartily and asked, "I happen to be in Shenzhen. Where are you staying? Do you have plans later?"

Lu Liang, caught between laughter and tears, informed him of the hotel address, "For today, I have no plans."

"Alright then, see you later."

"Okay, see you later."

Forty minutes later, Wen Chao knocked on Lu Liang's door, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Xu has arrived."

"Let's go then," Lu Liang couldn't help but laugh, surprised at how quickly Old Xu was moving, as if afraid he might run away.

"Where is he?" Lu Liang couldn't help wondering, because as they entered the elevator, Wen Chao did not press for the first-floor lobby but for the 53rd floor at the top.

A puzzled look also appeared on Wen Chao's face. "Mr. Lu, didn't Mr. Xu just clarify with you? He came over by helicopter."

Lu Liang laughed, remembering how Old Xu had gotten close to Hong Kong Capital and picked up their habit of helicopter travel, which suddenly didn't seem so strange.

Back in '08, when Hengtai faced a severe crisis, Old Xu headed south to Xiangjiang and spent a month playing cards with the big shots, eventually securing 20 billion in capital.

In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau area, they likely played the card game "Digging up the Earth," also known as "Big Two." Playing cards wasn't just about the game; it was crucial to have the time for in-depth conversations.

Just as the card game Gan Dang, recently popular in Modu, is favored by the tycoons of the Yangtze River Delta, mainly because this game doesn't involve gambling money, but rather pits intelligence and strategy against each other.

So much so that there's a saying, "No Gan Dang after dinner, is like a meal eaten in vain."

A few rounds before and after meals served to pass the time and refine one's sentiments, avoiding awkward conversations.

When Lu Liang reached the 53rd floor, the first thing he saw was the dazzling gold of a Hermès bag, and then Old Xu's smiling face.

He glanced at the helicopter outside and made a joke with a smile, "Mr. Xu, your entrance method is quite unique."

"The main thing is that helicopters are convenient, they go straight to the point, and it's relatively easy to get to where you want to go," Old Xu beamed with joy.

"Mr. Xu, where are we planning to go?" Lu Liang asked with a light smile, understanding Old Xu's mood.

This year marked the first year of rapid development for the Hengtai Group, with total revenues in just the first three quarters breaking the trillion mark, up 78.8% year-on-year, and a cash balance of over 300 billion on their books.

Indeed, with success like the wind at one's back, Old Xu had the right to be showy, as he had the capital to do so.

Considering that Wanda seemed to be facing a crisis of both stocks and debts, and in the coming year, the likelihood was great that the title of First Rich's son, held by Little Wang, would change hands.

And the person to whom it might go was likely to be Old Xu's son.

"We're heading to Yangcheng, just a 25-minute flight."

Old Xu was all smiles, personally picking up Lu Liang, concerned that he might be afraid to fly in a helicopter.

Aircraft poses the smallest yet biggest risks, and his personal accompaniment was meant to spare Lu Liang any worries.

Old Xu cared a great deal about Lu Liang, even though Lu Liang's personal wealth didn't even come close to matching his.

However, the social impact and capability to mobilize funds of a fund manager cannot be measured by personal wealth alone.

Just like the initial Tianxing III Fund, with a 5 billion-dollar scale, each subscription amount was a staggering one hundred million dollars.

Such an exaggerated subscription amount wasn't about investors choosing him, but about him choosing the investors.

And there was also a rule set that if the funds weren't transferred within three days, he wouldn't wait any longer and would charge a 3% breach-of-contract fee, highlighting an arbitrary and unreasonable stance.

But Lu Liang's arrogance was backed by solid capital, reliant on his terrifying profit-making ability.

Since its establishment half a year ago, as of last month, Tianxing III Fund had already made a profit of 1.425 billion dollars.

What's more, Lu Liang had more than once expressed his desire to venture into public funds, and with his influence, raising one or two hundred billion in a short period should be no problem.

One or two hundred billion in cash available at will, even the cash king, Tencent, would have to weigh their options.

Every company has its downfalls, even the currently thriving Hengtai Group.

Better to cultivate relationships in advance rather than seek salvation in a crisis.

Lu Liang, along with Wen Chao and Fang Shiyu, followed Old Xu into the cabin and put on noise-cancelling headphones.

The helicopter was no ordinary model; it was a large, luxury helicopter with six spacious seats, hardly feeling cramped at all.

Old Xu, looking unimpressed, said, "Mr. Lu, when you have time, I'll take you on a ride on Hengtai's private plane. Now, that's luxury."

"I'm very much looking forward to it," Lu Liang replied with a smile; he had indeed been planning on buying a private plane, but after some consideration, he decided to put the idea on hold for now.

The current economy was not yet stable, and there were no plans for long-haul travel, plus travel schedules were quite unpredictable.

Flight plan applications took too much time; it was easier to just go to the airport, pick an upcoming flight, and leave whenever one wanted.

Old Xu hadn't lied; it took just 26 minutes from the center of Shenzhen City to Hengtai Center in Yangcheng City District.

They landed on the helipad on the 43rd floor of Hengtai Center.