Full Cup of Water - Chap 34

The prospectus was prepared by a professional team, and there shouldn’t be any major issues. In fact, there’s no need for Xinqianyu, an outsider, to guide or make modifications. However, Xinqianyu needs to put in a lot of effort to thoroughly read and understand the nearly five hundred pages of the prospectus, ensuring every detail is clear to avoid any errors.

Furthermore, Xinqianyu plans to participate in the roadshow, so he needs to be very familiar with the content of the prospectus explanations.

Xinqianyu is juggling between preparing for school assignments and reviewing the prospectus. This week, he’s sleeping only three hours a day, and his mind feels sluggish, as if he’s on the verge of becoming intellectually challenged.

Xinqianyu can only focus all his energy on the tasks at hand, becoming less responsive to the outside world, and slower in his reactions. Therefore, it took him quite a while to realize that Su Zhong had moved in.

Initially, Su Zhong was in the apartment, helping Xinqianyu prepare school assignments one moment and discussing the prospectus content the next. At meal times, he would make sandwiches for Xinqianyu, and they would eat together. After all, Su Zhong couldn’t handle anything more complicated than that. They got along harmoniously, and Xinqianyu didn’t think about issuing an eviction notice.

Once Xinqianyu was deeply engrossed in his work, he became fully absorbed, staying up late into the night, forgetting about Su Zhong’s presence. He would casually freshen up and go to sleep, his mind heavy, without even remembering that there was someone at home.

The next day, Xinqianyu brushed his teeth and washed his face, only to find that Su Zhong had already prepared breakfast for him. He mumbled, “Another sandwich?”

“Don’t you want a sandwich?” Su Zhong asked. “What do you usually have for breakfast?”

Xinqianyu sat down on a chair, feeling a bit dazed. He hadn’t even thought it was strange that Su Zhong was in his house early in the morning.

Xinqianyu replied, “Just some regular scrambled eggs and ham slices would be fine.”

“No problem,” Su Zhong said, taking away the bread slices and lettuce from the sandwich, leaving only the scrambled eggs and ham. “Here, your scrambled eggs and ham slices.”

“…” Su Zhong was truly Su Zhong.

Xinqianyu completed his coursework ahead of schedule and requested leave from his advisor.

A curious classmate asked, “Why are you taking such a long leave?”

Xinqianyu replied, “I have some family matters to attend to.”

His advisor raised his head and said, “His family is going public.”

Upon hearing this, the classmate was surprised and asked, “How did you know?”

The advisor found it strange and said, “I work in the consulting industry. How could I not know?”

The classmate was left speechless.

The advisor continued, “Do you think university professors are only old scholars doing research in school?”

In reality, this advisor was a former executive of a consulting company in Boston, an expert and a pragmatist.

Xinqianyu had originally not wanted to reveal his family’s situation at school, intending to keep a low profile. However, he didn’t realize that all the professors who had taught him were aware of his preparation for an IPO, so they were more understanding and accommodating of his lack of focus in class.

The advisor approved Xinqianyu’s leave and patted him on the shoulder, saying, “Wishing you success!”

Xinqianyu nodded gratefully, “Thank you, Professor.”

After taking leave, Xinqianyu and the entire team gathered to prepare for the final steps of going public.

After the prospectus was approved, the next step was to consider the pricing. The entire team decided to temporarily set the price between $9.5 and $11 per share. Then, they began preparing for the roadshow.

For Xinqianyu, all of this felt more nerve-wracking than riding a roller coaster.

After much discussion, Xinqianyu suggested, “Throughout the process, Su Zhong has been the most involved, and his image is also good. Why don’t we let Su Zhong be the main presenter?”

The CFO immediately opposed, “How can we let an investor be the main presenter? It should definitely be the CEO.”

Xinqianyu thought about it and agreed, but he was still nervous, “Well, I was just a bit anxious. I said it without thinking.”

“No worries,” Su Zhong said, “You don’t need to be too nervous. Generally, the company’s strong fundamentals play the decisive role. The main presenter won’t have a significant impact on investors.”

Xinqianyu didn’t expect Su Zhong to offer such reassuring words. He thought that with Su Zhong’s emotional intelligence, not getting discouraged would have been enough, but he didn’t expect Su Zhong to comfort him.

The CFO added, “That’s true, but if you can’t answer investors’ questions or if the presentation is poor, it can still affect investor confidence.”

Xinqianyu blinked and realized that the meticulous CFO was becoming increasingly unlikable. No wonder the board of directors all considered him a jinx.

The “jinx” continued, “However, a charismatic main presenter can add a lot of value to the entire project and even influence the offering price.”

Su Zhong then said, “Don’t worry, Xiaoyu is very charismatic.”

Xinqianyu’s heart skipped a beat, and he said somewhat shyly, “Thank you, you’re charismatic too.”

Su Zhong shook his head, “Compared to you, I have no charisma.”

Xinqianyu was momentarily speechless, and both of them gazed at each other, full of affection.

“Can you be serious?” The CFO couldn’t stand their intense gaze and asked coldly, “Are you here to go public or to go to bed?”

Being called out by the CFO, Xinqianyu’s face turned red. He cleared his throat and immediately steered the conversation back to the business track, “What do you think? Do you think we can reach our fundraising goal of one billion dollars this time?”

The CFO said, “I’m not sure, and it’s not within my responsibilities.”

But Su Zhong said, “We definitely can.”

Xinqianyu furrowed his brow, “What if we can’t? What if it’s because of my mistakes…”

Su Zhong held Xinqianyu’s hand firmly and said, “If we can’t, it won’t be your fault. I’ve been intervening throughout the whole process, so if anything goes wrong, it’s my responsibility. I will make sure to cover that one billion dollars for you.”

Xinqianyu turned his head away, “Come on, I don’t need the money.” Setting aside other matters, Xinqianyu’s investment company was doing well, and he could easily come up with one billion dollars.

Su Zhong said, “You may not need the money, but I want to give it to you.”

The CFO thought to himself, “They’re flirting again. Since they don’t need one billion

dollars, can’t they just book a room together?”

Actually, what Su Zhong said to comfort Xinqianyu made a lot of sense. The main presenter doesn’t have a significant impact on an IPO. The decisive factors are the fundamentals of the company, as seen in the disclosed information in the prospectus. In other words, if it’s a highly promising company, investors will buy in regardless of what the main presenter says. Conversely, if the company lacks sufficient appeal, even the most eloquent presenter will struggle to turn the tide.

However, a good presenter can still “add a feather to the cap.”

The roadshow was planned for 10 days in the United States.

The first roadshow was the most nerve-wracking for Xinqianyu.

As expected, it was held at a five-star hotel. Xinqianyu donned a tailored suit, styled his hair, and looked very elegant.

Though he felt nervous inside, he maintained a calm smile when entering the hotel’s exhibition hall, walking confidently as if he had extensive experience.

Before going on stage, Su Zhong said to Xinqianyu, “Didn’t you used to be a lecturer? Just think of it as giving a lecture to your students. You’re very charismatic when you teach.”

Xinqianyu could accept compliments from everyone except Su Zhong.

Xinqianyu adjusted his hair, trying to hide his blushing ears. “What are you talking about? You haven’t seen me teach.”

“I have,” Su Zhong said, “I downloaded your recorded lectures and watched them many times.”

Xinqianyu stared at Su Zhong in astonishment.

Su Zhong’s expression was gentle, with an affectionate look in his eyes that could drown someone.

Xinqianyu quickly turned away and walked towards the exhibition hall.

Xinqianyu took a deep breath and thought about Su Zhong’s words on stage: “Just treat it like teaching…”

This hint seemed to work, and Xinqianyu quickly found his familiar rhythm. He also had his past experience as a lecturer to thank, which allowed him to give a clear and eloquent presentation in front of the public.

The people in the audience were similar to his students in a large class. Some listened attentively and responded seriously, while most were distracted. It wasn’t because Xinqianyu was a poor speaker; it was because most of the audience were professional investment analysts who had thoroughly studied the IPO materials beforehand. So, what Xinqianyu was saying, they already knew, and they weren’t paying close attention.

After completing his speech, Xinqianyu felt confident and relaxed rather than nervous. He was exhilarated, and a confident smile appeared on his face.

In the first roadshow, they secured intent to subscribe for one billion dollars, and although it was just a preliminary commitment, this number was enough to make Xinqianyu extremely excited.

Because, his original fundraising goal was only one billion dollars!

They continued the roadshow as planned, traveling to major cities across the country, and it went smoothly.

The final roadshow was in New York and was a resounding success. In total, they raised 5 billion dollars, fifty times their initial target.

After the roadshow, Xinqianyu and Su Zhong attended a dinner reception with various investors. As Xinqianyu watched the bustling crowd, he suddenly felt like he was in a different world.

He remembered three years ago when he had attended a similar event with Su Zhong.

Back then, he had been like a shadow to Su Zhong, unnoticed by everyone. People only saw Su Zhong, and when the conversation turned to investments, he couldn’t join in. There was even a wealthy individual who wanted Su Zhong to open a special account for him and had verbally insulted him…

All of these things felt like they had happened in a previous life.

Now, Xin Qianyu had become the center of attention at the banquet, and everyone was enthusiastically chatting with him.

He was no longer the wooden figure who couldn’t understand the financial industry jargon; he could easily engage in any conversation now. Besides, the most common topic mentioned now was Jade Carving’s IPO.

Xin Qianyu interacted with everyone with a reserved smile and spoke relatively little.

Three years ago, people secretly made fun of Xin Qianyu for being dull and foolish.

Now, they said Xin Qianyu possessed the typical Oriental qualities of restraint and reserve.

– Although Xin Qianyu was simply too tired from the roadshow and didn’t feel like talking.

Xin Qianyu escaped from the crowd, wanting to get some fresh air by heading to the restroom, but he unexpectedly encountered a familiar face – it was this person.

Xin Qianyu remembered that this person had begged Su Zhong with a billion dollars back then to open an account, but Su Zhong had already reached his quota and had rejected him. This person, however, was persistent and had come to confront Xin Qianyu in the restroom. After being rejected by Xin Qianyu, he had even rudely insulted him.

Xin Qianyu glanced at the person, who came forward and smiled as if he had forgotten about that incident.

Thinking about it, Xin Qianyu was just a small figure in the eyes of someone wealthy like him, and the incident had happened so long ago, so forgetting it was normal.

Xin Qianyu nodded faintly and was about to walk past. However, the person politely introduced himself. Xin Qianyu nodded with a smile, realizing the person’s name three years after their first meeting.

The person continued, “Mr. Xin, I’ve been out of New York for a few days and unfortunately missed Jade Carving’s roadshow.”

“Oh? Is that so? That’s a shame,” Xin Qianyu replied.

The person then said amiably, “But I’m very interested in subscribing. What do you think…”

Xin Qianyu took on Su Zhong’s high-handed attitude from back then and said, “I’m sorry, the subscription quota is already full. Even though I’m the CEO, I can’t make exceptions.”

The person laughed, “Of course, you need to pay more. How much are we talking about?”

Xin Qianyu hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward.

Su Zhong was indeed different from Xin Qianyu. Su Zhong’s stance was, “Once the quota is full, it’s full, and I won’t make exceptions even if you give me a billion dollars.” But Xin Qianyu was more flexible as long as the money was enough.

Xin Qianyu quoted a number.

Unexpectedly, the person readily agreed, “That works!”

To Xin Qianyu’s surprise, he then turned to Su Zhong and joked, “I thought he would haggle.”

Su Zhong only said, “He wouldn’t.”

“Why?” Xin Qianyu was curious. “Because he’s incredibly wealthy?”

Su Zhong replied, “Because you’re worth it.”

Xin Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat, and he cleared his throat, saying, “It’s Jade Carving that’s worth it.”

“Without you, Jade Carving wouldn’t be worth this much,” Su Zhong said seriously.

Perhaps that was indeed the case. If they had followed Xin Sumu’s plan, Jade Carving would have gone public in China with much less fanfare.

But it wasn’t solely Xin Qianyu’s merit.

Xin Qianyu also let go of many grudges and sincerely looked at Su Zhong. “This statement goes to you as well.”

Without Su Zhong, Jade Carving wouldn’t be worth this much.

At this moment, the two of them stood under the brilliant lights, both shining with a captivating light, a perfect pair.

At this moment, they were neither a loving couple nor a hopeless couple; they were just compatible partners. They raised their glasses, and when they looked at each other, their eyes showed admiration and recognition, perhaps with a touch of intoxication not coming from the alcohol.

Su Zhong lowered his gaze and said, “This place is so dull. How about we go to Las Vegas?”

“Las Vegas?” Xin Qianyu was surprised. “We’re in New York! How can we get there?”

Su Zhong said, “We can take a helicopter; it’s quick.”

Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps.

When Su Zhong and Xin Qianyu arrived there, it was already late at night, which was when Las Vegas was liveliest. They didn’t go gambling but chose a lively bar to have drinks.

While Xin Qianyu drank and watched the performance on the stage, his eyes became hazy, and time seemed to rewind before him, causing him to talk incessantly about the past like an old man, “Do you remember? Your first Christmas at M-Global, you were in Las Vegas, and I was in China… We agreed that I would come to find you, but then the project I was working on suddenly went wrong. I was so busy and filled with resentment, wondering why you were having so much fun in Vegas…”

Su Zhong was puzzled, “I wasn’t having fun.”

Xin Qianyu chuckled, sounding more relaxed, and shook his head with a smile. “It doesn’t matter now.”

It seemed that all the disdain, setbacks, and difficulties of the past had become nothing more than a passing cloud. The flowers and applause were the best remedy for wounded pride.

Xin Qianyu sighed, “I don’t care anymore.”

Su Zhong looked at Xin Qianyu’s slightly flushed cheeks under the lights, “I hope you do.”

Xin Qianyu was a bit tipsy, as if he was immersed in the alcohol in his glass and didn’t respond to Su Zhong. He just drank another glass.

One glass followed another, as if he were drinking water.

It had been a long time since Xin Qianyu had indulged like this. He knew he shouldn’t be drinking so much, but he kept tilting his head and downing one strong drink after another. He couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad. At this moment, he was partly immersed in the cold seawater and partly roasted by the flames.

Soon, half of his body went numb, and then his mind completely stopped working.

Xin Qianyu entered a state of drunkenness very quickly, and everything in front of him seemed to be the product of his consciousness:

It was as if the surface of the sea was churning with waves, no longer calm, and the stars reflected on the sea began to sway and twinkle.

The sun and the moon were both there, one gentle and the other scorching.

Las Vegas at night seemed to be like this, easily enchanting people.

Everyone was acting foolishly and happily, and all actions seemed reasonable, no matter how ridiculous.

He wanted to spin, to run, to dance, but he found that what he wanted most was a hug.

Su Zhong gave him a hug, a hug that felt like an inescapable knot.

The next morning.

Of course, this was the morning in the

United States.

And the daytime in the United States was nighttime in China.

Xin Mu was in China, sitting in a club and drinking when she received an urgent call from her son. She found a quiet place to answer, “What’s wrong?”

Xin Qianyu’s panicked voice came through the phone, “Mom, I’ve made a big mistake!”

“What happened?” Xin Mu asked with concern. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Xin Qianyu drank some water to moisten his dry throat before explaining, “Uh, my voice is fine, it’s just that I drank too much last night…”

Hearing “I drank too much last night” and “I made a mistake,” Xin Mu guessed, “You and Su Zhong…?”

“Worse than that,” Xin Qianyu said, rubbing his temples, unsure of how to explain.