Chapter 200 - Black Fission (Part 2)

icheng to become his confidant; in contrast, Ma Nan was given nothing substantial besides some verbal commendation. Instead, he was assigned to manage a few projects in nearby suburban counties. Yet a...Chapter 200: Black Fission (Part 2)

When Su Can went up to the eighteenth floor from the seventeenth floor of Maro Tower via a spiral staircase, he felt as though he was making history.

The person he would soon face was the president of an internet giant with a future market value approaching tens of billions and 700 million users worldwide. He was the king who would create the next era's Microsoft, Google, and Amazon.

This man would stand under the spotlight of countless media outlets, and even a glance from others would feel glaringly intense. Every detail about his living environment and growth process would be carefully savored by people. His parents, who were dentists in Dobbs Ferry, one of New York's rich areas, might see their business flourish immensely, with patients預約看病人數可能會排到五年以後，他們會為自己生下這個孩子而感到無比自豪，並認為這是他們這輩子最引以為豪、無可超越的成就。

The story of his founding a great company would become an example for everyone in the years to come, inspiring those who struggle to sleep in factory dormitories and endure harsh bosses in dull corporate environments, as well as those who bend their backs striving tirelessly just to support their families.

In the past, Su Can could only learn about such a high-and-mighty person through media reports and word of mouth. Perhaps one day while commuting daily to work like a machine, he would see that young face on the cover of a magazine: passionate, wise, reserved, and steady. It would make him feel a dull ache in his heart, as those fleeting moments in life truly felt like sharp knives occasionally slicing away, leaving behind only scars.

Beauty fades and youth passes quickly, but tragically we continue to live humbly.

However, at this moment, Su Can was about to stand before such a future superstar, facing the imminent clash and conflict that could determine their futures.

Perhaps from the first time he saw this young man venting Caesar-like ambitions on the chessboard while studying at Exeter in America, it had been fated for them to meet.

What is destiny Su Can now had a deeper understanding of this term.

As he reached the door, voices came from inside the CEO's office.

Chris Cox stood before Zack’s desk and spoke sharply. "Jo Shuxin will never be given a position above department manager in America; Facebook has just restructured its internal setup. Every key position is filled by someone who deserves to sit there. I absolutely won't agree with him being placed as a manager or higher up. He's been in China for too long—how big is the company over there, and how many users are there Managing operations in America will be much more difficult due to internal and external challenges we're facing now; he doesn't understand Facebook’s American landscape nor its current issues. At most, he can serve as a deputy manager." Cox placed his coffee mug on the desk and pointed at the Chinese section of Facebook outside with his index finger: "But that's not the point."

"Zack, you don’t get it; what we need are our own people in every critical position."

A woman’s voice came from inside—it was CFO Kate. “Cox, that’s too much. Jo Shuxin has led this company to where it is today and he deserves recognition as a Facebook hero. Are you suggesting the staff at Palo Alto headquarters will see how we treat our heroes”

"Now isn't about rallying support; it's a critical time."

Jo Shuxin’s face turned from pale to red repeatedly, looking extremely awkward and trembling slightly—clearly his emotions were fluctuating wildly.

Su Can glanced at Li Pengyu, Mu Guotao, Liu Wenqiang, Zhao Yanni, and other senior executives of Facebook China beside him. Everyone fell silent, clearly indicating that these past few days had been difficult.

This vice president from America was naturally a meticulous person with great ambition; someone the American side needed. However, this didn't mean he could point fingers on Su Can's turf.

Su Can pressed his hands against the door as he opened it to enter the office that used to be an empty conference room before Zack took over. The door was inward-opening and half-opened when Su Can pushed it open, causing the conversation inside to abruptly stop.

In the office were four people: Zack sat on the CEO's chair with furrowed brows spinning a pen in his hand; Kate sat on a sofa below him, dressed formally, her neck stretched as if she hadn't finished arguing. Chris Cox was half-sitting on the coffee table, wearing a shirt and having taken off his black suit jacket. Seeing Su Can entering, he immediately stood up from the coffee table. Another legal advisor, Chris Kelly, sat beside Kate on the sofa, smiling without speaking while holding stacks of legal documents.

"So you're Su, Facebook's co-president" Cox sized him up with a grin and a nod before pointing at Su Can with his index finger and making an "L" gesture with his thumb. He then walked over to shake hands with him, saying, "Wow, you and Zack are doing unprecedented work."

If Su Can hadn't heard their earlier conversation, he would have been impressed by this year's product vice president's action. But now things were different. With no intention of shaking hands, he coldly said, "I don't remember there being someone like you at American Facebook"

Cox’s hand awkwardly hung in mid-air as the senior executives of Facebook China behind Su Can watched on. He turned to look at Zack sitting at the CEO's chair.

Zack cleared his throat and said, "I should introduce him to you. Chris Cox was the head of human resources last year. During his time there, he brought in a lot of talent from Google and Yahoo for us. This year, he is responsible for developing product 'sfeed', which has received much praise from users. You know that after Matt Cohler, Adam, and Chris Hughes left, I need someone like Cox to help me."

Su Can felt a headache over how many people were named Chris at American Facebook. This Cox looked at Mark Zuckerberg with surprise, clearly recognizing the authority of this king-like figure who had control over everything in Facebook.

Zack stood below the large combination matrix pendant lights in his black full-leather CEO chair, while Su Can stood opposite him with a stern look on his face. Cox's momentum was stifled, Kate looked pale and uncertain, Chris Kelly squinted to size up Su Can, as well as the senior executives of Facebook China behind him.

Under the spotlight at this moment, the scene froze in tension, like two brothers each holding their own elite forces and ruling power but ultimately facing off against each other. The flickering flames illuminated their armor and sharpened their swords, as if a bloody split could happen any moment.

Zack's gaze turned sharp when he saw Qiao Shuxin behind Su Can and then softened. He waved at Cox, Hughes, Kate, and others to leave, saying, "Everyone, please go first."

The crowd understood that the two had things to discuss alone, so they left one after another. Cox, who seemed to have tasted Facebook China's first tough nut, picked up his jacket from the floor and walked out with a gloomy look. Qiao Shuxin, Li Pengyu, Mu Guotao, and others gave Su Can one last glance before following him out and closing the door behind them, but they all stood outside eavesdropping on what story might unfold between the two co-founders.

Zack watched as the senior executives left in succession before standing up from his chair to come face-to-face with Su Can. He sighed and said, "Don't blame me for this matter regarding Qiao Shuxin. Based on Facebook's current situation, it was decided at a board meeting that Facebook needs Qiao Shuxin to return and oversee the technical domain he excels in. We urgently need internal technological support to get through our current difficulties. After Adam D'Angelo left, we have been extremely passive in terms of subsequent support in technology; we need many programs and components developed by Qiao Shuxin at Facebook China and his coordination work there. I just wanted to inform Qiao Shuxin first, perhaps the mistake was not informing you about this situation beforehand."

He paused for a moment before patting Su Can on the shoulder and saying, "But don't worry, I have already arranged recommendations for your choices; believe they will satisfy you."

Su Cen really wanted to斥責Zach for lying outright. Qiao Shuxin was effectively sidelined, becoming a potential casualty in the impending conflict between China and America on Facebook. From what Su Cen overheard earlier when Cox entered the room, it was obvious that Zach's claim of arranging an important position for Qiao Shuxin was merely to look good; once Qiao returned to America, he would definitely be branded as part of Su Cen's faction and never take up any important decision-making roles related to Facebook in America.

Su Cen felt that Zach wasn't just getting more powerful but also terrifying. His last remark was a dual move, aiming to interfere with the appointments for Facebook positions. What exactly were his intentions Combining what Tang Wu previously mentioned, it was enough to make Su Cen ponder deeply.

Su Cen knew that he could no longer view this curly-haired man with some freckles as the boy from Exeter High School or Harvard University. The man had truly grown into a CEO capable of handling companies worth billions and possibly hundreds of billions in the future.

Su Cen sighed, "If Qiao Shuxin leaves, then the next person must be appointed by Facebook China. I cannot trust an American parachuting in to understand the qualities and rules needed to create a top-notch internet company on Chinese soil."

"There's no need for you to worry about this," Zach smiled as if he had anticipated it all along, "How about someone who served as vice president at Yahoo China I guarantee that no one understands better than him the qualities and strategic thinking required to be an excellent professional manager in a top-notch company on Chinese soil."

Su Cen's mood was probably as dark and cold as those Facebook executives outside, for this situation had been set up long ago, waiting for Su Cen to fall into it step by step.

Su Cen shook his head, interrupting, "Zach, I think you don't understand. This position must be approved by our department." He then looked towards the door, "Do you want a mass exodus of senior executives from Facebook starting tomorrow, or even paralysis in operations"

If he couldn't control it, Su Cen would rather just be at their mercy. Of course, this was something he wouldn't let happen; he might even risk breaking ties with Zach if necessary, which would be better because then he could confront him face-to-face instead of having to use veiled language now. He had shown enough restraint and explosive power in dealing with his enemies, striking decisively once the time came, but he hoped to directly斥責his friends or brothers. Yet, he knew this might no longer be possible; given their current statuses, they were far from those days of being young men without anything, spending hours playing war games and then going out for food when hungry.

Zach's intimidating gaze met Su Cen's straight on, his lips pressed into a tight line.

After what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds, Zach's eyes flashed with something dark. His corners of his mouth curled upwards in a powerful smile as he said, "Alright then. Since you're our co-CEO and your opinion is the most important to me within Facebook, let's leave it up to your internal decision-making." He turned around and walked towards the door, saying, "Cox and I will go out for some food while we read documents here; we've forgotten how long it's been since we ate."

Zach got up and walked to the door, then suddenly turned back, pointing at the door and asking, "Do you want to join us We might have a couple of black beers."

"No." Su Cen smiled. "I'm not hungry."

Zach nodded, turned around, and opened the door to leave. As he left, employees on both floors outside watched him exit.

Outside, at a Crown Plaza Hotel near Nanjing University late into the night, parked luxury cars were many, with the university lit up brightly as a bustling college town. However, no one knew that all of Facebook China's high-level executives might be gathered here in this moment, perhaps to face a massive wave of change. Many years later, people may remember this night when these senior executives faced an impending storm. This scene would likely be faithfully recorded in those best-selling books written about the future.

Su Cen looked at everyone present—Mu Guotao, Zhao Yannbin, Qiao Shuxin, Liu Wenqiang, Li Pengyu, etc.—and said, "I understand what Zach wants."

Qiao Shuxin, Mu Guotao, and Li Pengyu immediately perked up to listen to Su Cen's answer. Perhaps they had a vague idea before but couldn't truly grasp the plot behind it all. The night was eerily quiet; despite giggles from girls and boastful talk from men at nearby tables, everything seemed oddly still.

"Many states in the U.S. have numerous legislators who, under various pressures, are beginning to voice抵製Facebook的聲音. The military and Congress members do not trust me, a co-founder hiding behind Facebook, and they need an explanation from American Facebook; otherwise, it will face the crisis of being shut down forcibly. At the same time, due to public opinion pressure, financing for Facebook has become very difficult, while they desperately need a large sum of money to get out of their predicament. If they cannot raise funds within the stipulated period, the danger of breaking the capital chain would similarly lead to the downfall of American Facebook."

"Zuckerberg needs 40% equity in Chinese Facebook."

Su Cen's words were like a bomb exploding before the executives.

Qiao Shuxin immediately said, "When setting clear equity for Chinese Facebook initially, American Facebook had a share of 40%. If excluding Su Cen's portion in America, Zuckerburg might hold about 25% shares." He then shook his body and added, "Of course, the rights to allocate shares of China Facebook are naturally in the hands of the board of directors at American Facebook!"

Liu Wenqiang seemed to be digesting this devastating news, shaking his head and saying, "What exactly does Zuckerburg want"

"The profit model for Chinese Facebook’s third-party application service premium value-added services through an integrated digital music platform and mobile business has reached a net profit of 300 million yuan. This is comparable to Tencent Company which officially started making profits in Hong Kong's stock market in 2001 and is estimated, based on the issue price range this year, to be valued at between HK$4.6 billion to HK$6.2 billion. Although social networking Chinese Facebook has not gone public yet, according to financial reports and relevant statistics, it would certainly have a valuation above $600 million; if American Facebook sells their 40% equity, two billion dollars in cash might be enough for them to get through this difficult period."

Su Cen paused, his gaze fixed on the deep night sky. "The critical issue is that I can imagine how many people would want to obtain these shares at any cost if American Facebook were to offer their 40% equity."

Qiao Shuxin's voice trembled. "If our competitors get hold of our shares, it's like planting a time bomb for us. If we ever go public in the future and are acquired by these shareholders on the stock market one day, no matter who we are, there is no telling that it won't happen. There have been too many precedents from other companies; this would be akin to opening the door for acquiring control over Chinese Facebook, which is always the first step taken in mergers and acquisitions."

"Is Zuckerberg really such a person who only cares about immediate interests" Li Pengyu angrily exclaimed.

Mu Guotao coughed and said, "Don't be too naive, Xiaoli. Mark Zuckerberg is a strategic genius fit to manage Facebook with its huge market value; what he needs now is just maintaining the expansion of American Facebook, which is an extremely goal-oriented strategy. If they don’t sell their shares while dividing from China, they would only watch American Facebook collapse. Which path do you think he will choose He truly acts based on absolute advantage in Facebook's interest. Besides this road, anyone who obstructs it, including co-founder Su Cen, is not the focus. Do you expect him to look passively at the shrinking or major impact of operations for American Facebook just because of friendship Under the protection of his own and collective interests of American Facebook, if they have to choose someone to sacrifice first, we would be the ones who inevitably get sacrificed."

The room fell silent.

"I won't let this happen," Su Cen said calmly. He could already foresee that there were people eyeing 40% equity of Chinese Facebook with intense covetousness. It was like dark clouds in the night sky, covering the entire horizon.

The insight he gained from today's conversation with Zuckerberg made him fully understand that his split from Zuckerberg had become inevitable as each side considered their own interests and stances.

Su Cen rarely felt such inner pain. He just wanted to have a regret-free journey, but the wheels of fate continued to turn, stirring this life destined for extraordinary things in an era of great upheaval.

You must think that there is no update today, but I've updated regardless.

There's less content today, not up to three chapters and ten thousand words. Tomorrow will also be the same amount, perhaps combined or split updates. as he opened the bathroom door after his quick shower.Grabbing the mouse, Su Cen quickly opened the hidden folder but found that the draft was nowhere to be seen!A cold sweat involuntarily broke out...