After the initial contact.

Even though no actual agreement was reached, just the fact that a bank was interested gave Su Yehao a bit more confidence.

Even if the negotiations with the Bank of China fell through, he could still look for Hong Kong or European and American banks with more experience in leveraged buyouts. Anyway, as long as he figured out a way, there would always be a chance to acquire iCQ, and he wouldn't be helpless in the face of opportunity.

If iCQ really got taken over by America Online, Su Yehao felt it would be difficult to acquire those millions of users. After all, the deep-pocketed America Online wasn't short of money, especially not his little bit of money.

But from another perspective.

If iCQ really was acquired by America Online in the end, and they decided to bury it with the intention of stifling competitors.

That seemed like a great thing for the up-and-coming tvt. It would be like eliminating a competitor without firing a shot. If America Online's paid chat rooms met tvt, which valued social interaction and entertainment, Su Yehao was confident he could gain the upper hand.

There were countless examples of free services killing paid services. Although AOL had a higher market value and more users, Su Yehao actually thought it was easier to deal with than iCQ.

…

Nong Qingying had come all the way to America, so she couldn't just stay in front of the computer with him all day.

And so.

Su Yehao once again took time out of his busy schedule, took a car from Atherton in Silicon Valley, and drove east until he reached Yosemite National Park, checking into a pre-booked resort.

The resort was developed by a rancher. After walking for a short while, they first saw herds of cattle.

High mountains, canyons, waterfalls, fresh air, and ancient trees everywhere. As a World Heritage Site, they always encountered many tourists from all over the world while hiking, and the picnic areas were quite lively.

"Hong Kong is really too small. I like places with such beautiful scenery. One park is bigger than the whole of Hong Kong. My legs would break if I walked all of it."

Sitting on a stone in the picnic area, Nong Qingying said while捶腿.

Next to her, Su Yehao was grilling chicken wings. The ingredients and charcoal were bought from a store. In the May weather, it was a bit hot sitting next to the fire, and his back was already covered in sweat.

He took a big gulp of his肥宅快乐水, and sighed comfortably.

Su Yehao smiled and told Nong Qingying, "I only planned a two-day trip. You definitely can't see everything on foot. Just see a few of the most famous attractions. The rest are pretty much the same. The tourist brochure says that there's also a Sequoia National Park in California, which is also great for hiking."

Linda Yun, who had just returned from the mobile restroom, was breathing deeply. She walked over and said:

"It's best to drink less water. The temperature is high today, and those restrooms... you know, they're suffocating. The sequoia trees are indeed spectacular. The trunks are thicker than cars. I went there once when I was in high school, it was like being in a place where giants live."

"We can go next time if we have the chance. After walking around here, my legs will probably hurt for a day or two," Nong Qingying said.

She had met Linda Yun.

They hadn't had much contact, and their relationship was relatively distant.

At first, Nong Qingying had suspected the relationship between Linda Yun and Su Yehao. It was easy for inexplicable hostility to arise between pretty girls.

However, after spending the past two days together and observing, she realized that it didn't seem to be the case.

Su Yehao, who was rarely so upright that he wasn't afraid of criticism, never thought of making them close, so he was too lazy to interfere. He figured it was best to be apathetic.

The picnic area was located on a river beach, with stones of various sizes underfoot.

It had rained upstream, so the water flow was relatively rapid, and there were tourists catching fish.

During the break, they chatted while eating barbecue. The few white bodyguards who had been temporarily hired each brought sandwiches, hamburgers, toast, and so on. Working felt like a picnic in the countryside, especially since Su Yehao wasn't the kind of client who was likely to encounter danger, so the experience was naturally excellent.

After a short break, they set up a tent to prepare for a nap. Looking at the time, it was only 12:50 p.m.

The East Coast stock exchanges used daylight saving time, which was three hours ahead of California. Trading wouldn't close until 4:00 p.m. on the East Coast.

Su Yehao said to Linda Yun, "Ask the Morgan Stanley account manager again how the market is doing today."

He had heard that it was up when he left in the morning, but he hadn't asked since then.

Now, after Linda Yun contacted them, he learned that the total account had gained another $17 million today, which put Su Yehao in a great mood.

After crawling into the tent, Su Yehao hugged Nong Qingying and said:

"I'm afraid I really can't go back to Hong Kong recently. The time difference is different. When New York opens, I'm just about to go to sleep, and when it closes, I'm definitely already asleep. If the stock price fluctuates drastically, I might delay important matters because I'm sleeping. Most of the employees in the brokerage who are responsible for US stocks are night owls. Otherwise, why don't you go back by yourself in a few days? I still have to stay here for a while longer to deal with things."

"Staying here will distract you? You're kicking me out as soon as I arrive. How annoying."

Nong Qingying rolled her eyes at him.

This girl held the position of Vice President of KOKO Ventures, but in reality, she had almost nothing to do on weekdays, only helping Su Yehao with odds and ends.

She was idle in Hong Kong, and she was idle in America, but she was tired of living in Hong Kong and wanted to stay with Su Yehao, taking the opportunity to walk around more.

Now that she heard Su Yehao telling her to go back in a few days, of course she would be unhappy.

Su Yehao didn't dare say that the little girl might also come over in a few days, so he made an excuse and said with a smile:

"No, I also want you to stay with me, but the acquisition funds haven't been found yet, and there are still many things to do with the bank. I want to ask you to help. I'm not comfortable handing over such a large amount of funds to someone else. It won't be too late to come back and stay with me after it's done. I'll take you shopping in New York then. I heard that the stores on Fifth Avenue have a lot of discounts."

He remembered that the last time he talked to the little girl on the phone, Su Yehao also said he would take her to New York to play.

Anyway, he could use the private plane for free. It was a small matter to close his eyes and sleep, so it didn't matter if he went again.

Nong Qingying thought it made sense, and instantly stopped resisting, considerately saying, "You go ahead and do your thing. Then I'll leave from the San Francisco airport and go to San Francisco to wander around beforehand. By the way, Yahoo has helped me earn a lot of money. Do you think I should invest in a property in the United States? Taking out a loan with stocks won't delay the current investment."

Now that she suddenly had money in her hands, she always liked to make a fuss.

After considering it, Su Yehao shook his head and said, "The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank didn't help me this time. I should look for other banks. You have a house at home, so just stay in a hotel when you go out. Too many houses are also troublesome to manage. Earning money is the most important thing right now. We'll buy a villa with a large yard in Repulse Bay or on the Peak when the time comes."

"Okay, then can I be like you and buy more options and futures? You made more than ten million dollars in such a short time. It's so easy to make money."

"It's true that you earn a lot, but the risks are also very high. If you want to take a gamble, you can add a little leverage, about five times should be fine. We'll talk about it when we get back to Silicon Valley. I'm going to take a nap, I'm tired…"