Free Web NovelThe reason I chose Li Yanhong’s Baidu instead of Ma Yun’s Alibaba was simple.
Among all Chinese IT companies at the moment, Baidu stood unrivaled at number one.
With time, they would grow into the giants known as BAT, symbolizing China—but for now, Alibaba and Tencent were still just taking their first steps.
Baidu, however, had already dominated China’s search engine market and was expanding its revenue models based on that foundation.
“The gaming business, you say?”
At the mention of gaming, Li Yanhong glanced sideways at Ma Huateng, who stood nearby.
Even Li Yanhong would know that although Tencent’s main service was its messenger, most of its profits came from games.
So asking about entering the gaming industry right in front of Ma Huateng would naturally catch him off guard.
“Yes. The gaming business. I’ve invested in many game companies. I need a company that can publish those games in China.”
“As far as I know, Tencent has been almost exclusively importing Korean games.”
“That was true until now. But not anymore. From this moment on, Tencent won’t be able to bring in a single game from Korea.”
Before Li Yanhong could respond, Ma Huateng raised his voice.
“President Kim, what exactly are you doing?”
I glared at him.
“What am I doing? You’re seriously asking that? Do you think I would continue doing business with someone who betrayed me? I’m a businessman, not a saint.”
“I told you, that’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t turn my back on you—I just needed to put out the immediate fire first—”
Ma Huateng continued rambling excuses.
“Do I look like a fool? Do you really think I wouldn’t know you latched onto the Shanghai faction and even secured a seat as a National People’s Congress delegate? You must have thought very little of me.”
“H-how did you...?”
“The fact that I’ve stepped back into China means all the forces that pressured me have already withdrawn. Your information is slow, and your judgment is worse. You’re the worst kind of partner. I won’t be doing business with you anymore. Even if I have to pay penalties, I’ll terminate every game contract currently in service.”
The color drained from Ma Huateng’s face instantly.
He was a businessman deeply interested in politics.
In my previous life, he had even become a delegate of the National People’s Congress.
And when Jiang Zemin extended a hand, he had quickly switched sides.
“Feel free to look forward to it. I’ll obstruct every business Tencent engages in. No matter the cost, I’ll launch competitors with identical business models.”
I declared it calmly.
Ma Huateng snapped back, trying to hold onto his pride.
“What kind of law allows that? You’re unilaterally terminating existing contracts?”
“That’s why I said I’ll pay the penalty. If I pay the penalty, what’s the issue with terminating the contract? There’s no legal flaw whatsoever. Feel free to sue me. I’m confident I’ll win. Even if Chinese courts favor domestic companies, I still intend to win.”
“You think I’ll just sit back and take it?”
He spoke fiercely.
I smirked.
“You’ll struggle, of course. Or rather—you should. Do everything you can. It’ll make it more fun to crush you. Things are going to get interesting. You’ll see just how ruthless I can be. I’ll settle my Tencent shares soon and transfer them. Now leave. Don’t you have other people to [N O V E L I G H T] talk to?”
At this point, I had no intention of holding onto Tencent shares.
Tencent wasn’t like Baidu or Alibaba with strong technological foundations—it was simply a company growing off a dominant messaging platform within China.
Of course, later it would expand globally, acquiring game companies like a giant—but for now, it was still just a small dragon confined to China.
“What are you still standing there for? Leave. I called you here just to say this.”
Even after being dismissed, Ma Huateng stood frozen.
I signaled to Manager Ma beside me.
He raised his hand, calling over the waiting security personnel.
“This way, please.”
“I was invited here too! Who are you to tell me to leave?!”
“Please leave.”
No matter what Ma Huateng said, the guards repeated the same words.
He raised his voice despite the attention it was drawing.
“Let go! I said let go!”
“Chairman Ma Huateng. Wouldn’t it be better to leave quietly? There are many figures here who lead China’s economy. Being thrown out like this wouldn’t look very good, would it?”
“....”
He said nothing, only glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.
I turned my gaze toward Bo Xilai, who was watching with clear interest.
When our eyes met, I gave a slight nod.
He smirked, understanding immediately, and whispered something to his secretary.
Moments later, several public security officers entered the hall.
Bo Xilai’s secretary approached Ma Huateng with them.
“Chairman Ma Huateng, please leave.”
“What? And who are you now?!”
“An order from the Party Secretary.”
“...The Party Secretary?”
“Yes. And if you cause further disturbance, it won’t end with simply escorting you out.”
Faced with the firm warning, Ma Huateng finally gave up and straightened his disheveled clothes. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Before leaving, he shot me a vicious glare, then turned and walked out.
“Now the unwanted guest is gone.”
I turned back to Li Yanhong with a smile.
“...It seems you and Chairman Ma Huateng have some history.”
“Something like that. Did you receive any pressure from the Chinese government, Chairman Li Yanhong?”
“There was some, but not particularly strong. Of course, I heard about it—there was a heavy audit targeting the companies you invested in. But nothing like that happened to us.”
At my surprised look, Li Yanhong smiled confidently.
“Even if there had been pressure, our situation is different. Our core business is a search engine. Everything else is secondary. Unless they shut down our site entirely, there’s no real way to sanction us. And they can’t do that—if they block us, China’s internet would collapse.”
Baidu held over 50% of China’s search engine market.
Even the government would hesitate to shut down such a company.
That might be why they avoided the blade this time.
“I heard one of your co-founders, Hu Yong, recently left the company.”
“Yes. I acquired all of his shares.”
It wasn’t uncommon for co-founders to part ways.
In my previous life, that was when Li Yanhong truly took full control of Baidu.
“If the temple doesn’t suit you, the monk leaves. So—what do you think of my proposal?”
“The gaming business is certainly attractive. But we’re preparing for a NASDAQ listing. We originally planned it last year, but it was delayed for various reasons. Taking on a new venture right now would be difficult.”
“I’ve already been briefed. Don’t worry about that. Dreamhigh will handle everything.”
“Really? Thank you. If Dreamhigh is involved, that’s reassuring.”
“Not at all. It’s something we want as well.”
Alibaba would be better off delaying its IPO as much as possible.
Baidu, on the other hand, should go public as soon as possible.
It was already expected to be valued at over 1 billion dollars.
And if I remembered correctly, its market cap would soar to 4 billion dollars on its first day.
“Let’s set the IPO aside and return to the gaming business.”
I steered the conversation back.
“You probably don’t see the gaming market as very attractive yet. But as China’s internet user base grows and infrastructure improves, gaming will expand faster than any other sector. Just look at Korea.”
Korea’s gaming industry had grown at an astonishing speed.
High-speed internet and PC bangs had driven that growth.
“If Korea could grow like that, what do you think will happen in China—with hundreds of millions of people? Tencent has already shown the potential. They used their QQ messenger to funnel users into games.”
Tencent’s game publishing had been extremely successful.
Even with China’s relatively low internet penetration at the time, the growth was remarkable.
“Of course, that success was built on Korean online games. China’s game development capabilities are still lacking. So the solution is simple—import games from Korea. I can bring you any game you want.”
China’s game development industry was still in its infancy.
Only much later would it catch up to Korea.
“For Tencent to bring in Korean games, it would take time to reclaim those rights. But there are still many games that haven’t entered China yet. And I know one that will succeed here.”
Li Yanhong fell silent, thinking.
I calmly sipped my wine and waited.
“I’ve considered entering the market eventually. I know it’s profitable. But is there really such a thing as a guaranteed hit? You never know until you open the box.”
“There is one.”
His eyes widened slightly.
“We’re preparing a simultaneous Korea–China launch. All we need is a partner for the Chinese service.”
“You’re that confident?”
“I guarantee it. If you’re unsure, we can form a joint venture and invest equally.”
“...What game is it?”
“A game being developed by Neople—Dungeon & Fighter.”
Li Yanhong tilted his head, unfamiliar with the name.
But I already knew—
that once released, it would explode in popularity and remain a long-running hit.
“Development is already complete. I’m the major shareholder. I usually don’t interfere in management, but for this project, I instructed them to prepare for a simultaneous launch in Korea and China.”
“That is attractive... but also risky.”
I nodded.
A simultaneous Korea–China release had never been attempted before.
Usually, Korean games launched domestically, then in Taiwan, and only entered China after proving success there.
“I guarantee this game will accelerate Baidu’s dominance.”
“...Alright. I’ll personally lead a team to Korea. I’ll see the game myself before making a decision.”
“You won’t regret it.”
At that moment, Ma Yun, who had been quietly listening, chimed in:
“Chairman Li Yanhong, President Kim’s advice never leads to losses. I can attest to that.”
“Ah, Chairman Ma Yun. It’s a pleasure to finally greet you properly.”
The two began conversing.
I glanced around again.
The chairmen of the companies I had invested in were hesitating, unsure whether to approach.
“Please continue your discussion. I’ll go speak with the others.”
Ma Yun and Li Yanhong—two geniuses—continued talking as if I had already disappeared.
Watching them, I allowed myself a faint smile and moved on.
“Haha. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
“The honor is mine, President Kim.”
That day—
I met with every company I had invested in.
And depending on the choices they made,
I gave them exactly what they deserved.
