Chapter 206 Move Forward!

't know if Su Cen would be upset about what happened, causing her distress.Su Cen's heart softened as he pointed out the window, "Did you see those people on the street Those are our classmates, and t...Chapter 206: Move Forward!

Su Cen arrived at the Merdeka Tower, where sunlight filtered through spotless glass, illuminating the corridor's floor and reflecting off the light steel grid ceiling. As if heralding an impending battle, a serene stillness permeated the entire Chinese version of Facebook headquarters.

Uniformed guards stood at the entrance; veterans from professional security companies, with their rigid posture and unwavering gazes instilling a sense of safety as soon as one approached.

To prevent media outlets eager to炒作 sensitive news from entering, Chinese version of Facebook had beefed up its external security measures due to possible emergencies.

As Su Cen and Li Pengyu entered the headquarters, the receptionist hurriedly stood up. Whether because of a tense atmosphere within or the entry of Mr. Su, who was revered as a spiritual pillar by everyone at Chinese version of Facebook, their breathing became labored.

Su Cen politely smiled at the three girls and, with Li Pengyu, bypassed a giant mural highlighting the company's name to enter inside. Employees they passed were unusually eager to greet them.

"Mr. Su," "Manager Li," "It seems Mu President is urgently waiting for you," "Director Liu is also in his office."

Ordinarily, Facebook was not a company with lax discipline; the majority of its employees were introverted men specializing in technology, statistics, and mathematics. The nature of the company's internal structure meant it wasn't rife with intense office politics but rather offered an open environment where one could chat with the CEO at any time or go to play games without hesitation. This was all done to foster a great working atmosphere.

Even when Su Cen entered the building, most employees knew he was just their boss and would continue doing their own work, sometimes even arguing over printer use. But now, everyone's attention was focused on him, as this event had become an issue of concern across the entire company.

Zhang Wen, a 1997 graduate from Tongji University's Department of Mathematics, who had worked at Facebook for two years and could be considered one of its original members, said to Old Wu beside him, "I saw news about that American CEO in Starbucks yesterday. He seems quite popular here; he was also seen connecting with international investors at the economic forum in Beijing. What does this mean Is Facebook running short on money and planning to sell off shares Will we be laid off"

"They'll likely prevent such a situation from happening. Mark Zuckerberg isn't an idiot. If he sells his shares, it would force them into court battles, which serve no purpose. Of course, I don't want the company to sell out, even if it raises its market value and brings in a large sum of money."

More such discussions took place privately, over drinks at bars or KTVs, during special weekend gatherings, or while taking breaks at coffee shops. When employees from other companies curiously asked Facebook staff about the secret dealings behind this internet giant, these concerns were silently expressed.

Su Cen seemed to be breaking through the fog of various comments and walking into Mu Guota's office.

Mu Guota was sitting on a leather chair, while Liu Wenqiang was standing in front of his desk, animatedly talking. Seeing Su Cen enter, both of them got up from their seats and came to the sofa around the round table.

"When Qiao Shuxin proposed returning to America earlier than planned, Zack objected, saying he had already arranged for everyone's flights through an airline company. He also made it clear that at this moment there was no position available for him to return to now, which likely shows some caution towards Qiao Shuxin. However, Qiao Shuxin left first under the pretext of visiting family and friends in America, citing a farewell party arranged by his friends who heard about his dismissal from his Chinese position as an excuse. Zack said that Facebook would send someone specifically to receive him on the day he returns, likely a commercial investigator or something similar, aiming to monitor Qiao Shuxin," Mu Guota explained.

Liu Wenqiang continued, "But they didn't know that Qiao Shuxin had his own plans. He used the lavatories at the airport's terminal building to evade the American investigators and then boarded a Lamborghini provided by an airport car rental company waiting for him outside the airport gates. From there, he drove directly into Silicon Valley via Mountain View. Today, Qiao Shuxin has already contacted Donald of Washington Post Group who is currently attending a promotional event in Boston and might fly to San Francisco tomorrow where they will meet up. Besides that, Dustin and Catherine are at the headquarters in Palo Alto; Qiao Shuxin is trying to arrange meetings with them as well as Jim from Axel Partners, who has been in Texas for a week and won't be back until three or four days later. As long as Qiao Shuxin manages to connect all these key links, your transition should proceed smoothly.

Su Cen nodded without showing the excitement that everyone else felt.

When they came out of the office door, Kate walked towards them. This American woman in her early forties with a certain 'Sex and the City' Sarah Jessica Parker vibe lived in an apartment building near Xujiahui where there was still greenery within a relatively expensive Shanghai neighborhood, complete with a swimming pool nearby; many young families would walk their babies along the streets every day here. Although this place wasn't as spacious or clean compared to American residential areas, Kate couldn’t bear to leave.

Seeing Su Cen, her expression darkened and she came over next to him, saying, "Can you come with me for a moment"

Su Cen followed her to her personal office. Kate poured herself some water before sitting on the sofa, saying, "I know how everyone in the company views me now, but I have my responsibilities too; Zack asked me about Facebook and I answered truthfully. Whether it's you or him, I need to fulfill my duties. All I'm doing is what I should be doing. If possible, I wouldn't want to get involved between all of you."

Teary-eyed, Kate had likely been feeling the pressure from being shunned by her colleagues who she had fought alongside for the past two years, and this emotion was now breaking through.

Su Cen nodded and sighed. "In every place where leaves fall, there are lives sacrificed to power. I know it's not your fault; you're just fulfilling your responsibilities."

Actually, Kate and Qiao Shuxin were both sent by the American Facebook headquarters but had developed a deep emotional attachment after personally guiding its growth for two years.

Kate took the tissue Su Cen handed her to wipe away her tears before looking at him. "Next year I'll be forty-two, an age where I've seen many people being talked about endlessly as great figures, but I have a feeling that someday you will become one of those remarkable individuals."

"Thank you," Su Cen smiled and then added, "Is this how Americans usually flatter people"

"I've never flattered anyone before; you're the first one." Kate said coolly. Then she slowly walked up to Su Cen, leaned towards his ear, her expression solemn as she whispered in a low voice, "Zach is contacting Chan Hua now, and Sequoia Capital has already signed a secret agreement with him. I'm not sure what's in the agreement, but if you've been speculating about Zach selling his shares of Chinese Facebook recently, then you're probably right."

Kate walked back to her desk and put down her water bottle, saying, "Chan Hua’s Sequoia China Fund has invested and nurtured many internet companies and infrastructure providers in the past year. These are all strategic moves by his capital forces to gain significant benefits from the next wave of the internet boom. However, up until now, none of Sequoia's tech companies can match Chinese Facebook's growth rate. Even if they follow the trend and succeed in the future, they will still only be able to trail behind us, never surpassing Chinese Facebook."

“So if we were to invest in Chinese Facebook at this moment, even if Zach sells them just twenty percent of his shares, it would cause significant trouble for Chinese Facebook.”

Su Cen narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling me all this"

"I've said before, it's my duty to inform both Zach and you about the financial status of Chinese Facebook and potential dangers that could affect its future prospects. That’s part of my responsibility," Kate sat on her leather swivel chair, a forty-something American woman with an impressive presence. "If there is another reason, it's because I founded Chinese Facebook myself. While I can’t interfere in Zach’s decisions, I have the duty to help eliminate any threats against Chinese Facebook."

Five days later, Zach completed his China visit and returned to America.

In the airport terminal, Su Cen, Li Pengyu, and other executives from Facebook came to see them off.

Before leaving, Zach approached Su Cen. "We've found a new investor who has agreed to buy our stock. This means we'll be able to expand rapidly again soon. Don't forget to come to Palo Alto after some time for signing internal equity restructuring and issuance agreements."

The senior executives of Chinese Facebook behind Su Cen all remained silent because they couldn’t determine whether Zach's mention of "we" included everyone from the Pacific-adjacent Chinese Facebook or if he intended to sell them out.

Su Cen patted his shoulder and said, “Don't worry. I’ll definitely be there then. That will certainly be a historic moment.”

It seemed that due to Su Cen's friendly pat on the back, Zach gave him one last deep look before nodding in response and turning to board the plane with the Americans.

But no one was aware that the event to come in the near future would indeed become a historic moment.

A month later, Facebook China received an official confirmation from the U.S. side; it was a personally signed notification letter by CEO Zuckerberg. The main content of the letter stated that due to the current financial crisis at US Facebook, they planned to sell part of their shares in Facebook China. If there were any objections from the Chinese side, the responsible person could travel to the headquarters in advance for discussion and communication.

At the same time as the release of the letter, The New York Times published an article.

The article stated that according to insiders at social networking giant Facebook, they were planning to sell around $200 million worth of their shares in Facebook China to provide adequate transitional support amidst the current public opinion chill facing Facebook.

Facebook China was a company founded by one of the co-founders of US-based Facebook within Chinese territory. Its founder was also the second largest shareholder of Facebook Inc., and according to its current market value, both men were billionaires in their own right. There had been rumors circulating that the founders’ conflicts escalated after Zuckerberg's visit to China, given their immense wealth, power, and fame; they appeared arrogant along with their success. Their story was widely circulated in Silicon Valley, such as how they both wore crowns of high school prom kings at the same high school, or Zuckerberg deliberately being late for a meeting with venture capitalists in Shanghai while wearing pajamas. There were also claims that Zuckerberg declined an invitation to meet the British Queen last year and said, "I don't have time to do these things."

It is well known that when company founders start selling their stocks, it should be seen as a signal of withdrawal by investors.

If Zuckerberg's rumored sale of Facebook China shares is true now, would this not inadvertently confirm the fact that the war between the two founders is getting more intense They have 250 million users globally and may create one of the greatest internet companies in the new era, comparable to Google created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin or Microsoft.

But does the accumulation of power and wealth mean they will ultimately part ways on their journey to the peak

Following The New York Times article, British Daily Mail, Newsweek, even Time and Life magazines followed suit. Starting from internet technology industry media, related reports emerged like mushrooms after rain, ranging from small snippets to important preview information occupying a position at the waistline on the webpage, or marking significant events in Facebook's founders' history.

At this moment, one of the co-founders described by American publications as having an ordinary life, a man named Su Can, had just finished his visa procedures and packed his luggage. Two days later, after turning off his constantly ringing phone and clearing out the endless text messages that kept coming in at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, he boarded the plane to San Francisco, USA.

(To be continued)orted, "That wasn’t my opinion; the person who said that got heavily criticized multiple times. They probably dare not show their face in the Duke's College now and can't continue working there, but y...