ryethenovel 38. I don't have a girlfriend.
38. I don't have a girlfriend.
The Durov brothers founded VKontakte with initial funding from Durov's wealthy classmate, Vyacheslav Milishvili.
The Milishvili family is a core shareholder of the Russian gambling giant CONTI. The CONTI Group not only monopolizes all high-end casinos in St. Petersburg, but also has built the largest slot machine operation network in Europe.
In August 2000, Xiaomi's grandfather was kidnapped in St. Petersburg by gangsters posing as traffic police.
When the then-president of CONTI, Milishvili, learned that his father had been kidnapped, he immediately mobilized the group's security forces and rescued him before the police could act.
Subsequently, the bodies of the gang members involved in the case were discovered one after another.
This case shocked the Russian judiciary, and Miguel was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Durov, through his classmate Xiaomi, inquired about Galina's background. If Galina was merely an outer member of the Tambov gang, then there was nothing to fear.
Surprisingly, Galina, despite her young age, is quite "senior" in the gang, considered a minor leader.
During the years that Milishvili was imprisoned, the Milishvili family gradually lost power in the CONTI Group, and the group was unwilling to have friction with the Tambov gang over Milishvili's private affairs.
So, after several rounds of discussions, VKontakte's founding shareholders decided to avoid trouble and let Li Xiang join the company.
-
Red Star State-Owned Factory Receiving and Dispatch Office.
"I can tell you've got money now, you've built such a huge server room. What are you planning to do with this?" Little Durov came to Li Xiang to discuss selling his shares.
Li Xiang replied, "We'll create a pirated video website."
"Copying YouTube?" Durov Jr. reminded him. "Then you'd better hurry up, someone's already doing it. Recently, Rubobe has become quite popular."
"I'll tell you my true thoughts, but you're not allowed to laugh at me," Li Xiang said with a grin. "I'm just a salesman; I don't understand the internet. I want to use pirated videos to discredit my products."
"Building a server room is much cheaper than doing GG at a TV station."
Durov was somewhat speechless, but it was understandable. Different mindsets lead to different approaches to the same task, and Li Xiang's approach was a typical example of traditional business thinking.
"I hope you can make it happen." Durov took a sip of water, paused, and then said proactively, "Didn't you say you wanted to invest in VKontakte when you came to my place last time? I discussed it with the other shareholders. Forget about financing, but if your offer is right, two minority shareholders are willing to give up their shares."
Li Xiang asked, "What's the price?"
Durov Jr. replied, "20%, $12."
Li Xiang asked, "Could I ask how much they initially invested?"
"Six thousand US dollars per person," Durov said hastily. "Our products will be available on October 1st. If you think it's too expensive, you can wait and see how the market reacts."
"Tenfold in just over two months, that's pretty easy money, 120,000 is possible."
Li Xiang didn't expect any results from VK's investment. He spent the 120,000 to establish a good relationship with the Durov brothers so that when he started his second telegraph business in the future, he could be among the first to participate.
Little Durov was taken aback by Li Xiang's quick agreement and paused for a moment before saying, "There's one more condition: you have to sign an irrevocable proxy agreement with me. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Have all the shareholders signed?" Li Xiang asked.
"They're all signed," Durov Jr. continued. "The largest shareholder of VKontakte is my classmate Vyacheslav, who owns 60% of the shares. My brother and I own 20%, and now we've added you to the list."
"The agency agreement definitely includes a right of first refusal clause. If I don't agree, you can't sell the shares to me. No problem, I'll sign it."
Li Xiang suddenly said, "I've met all your requirements, but I have one request: I have to pay for the shares in cash."
Durov Jr. subconsciously swallowed. "The shares aren't mine, but I'll ask around for you. It should be fine."
Cash settlement also has advantages for the seller: it allows for tax evasion, there are no bank transaction records, and the seller can fabricate the exact price of the shares.
but……
Where do decent people get so much cash?
Considering Galina's background, Li Xiang appears to be a clothing businessman, but he is most likely a front man for Tambov to launder money.
Milishvili is also from a mafia family. Durov Jr. wasn't particularly fastidious about this, but he was somewhat wary and curious.
How did a Chinese student get involved with the Tambov Gang?
But upon closer examination, the more unreasonable something seems on the surface, the more reasonable it actually is.
"After you left that day, your girlfriend came to us. She kept begging us for help, so I helped you find the shares." Little Durov patted Li Xiang's shoulder with a strange look. "She's a good girl, don't let her down."
"Who is it? I don't have a girlfriend."
"The one who's pursuing you," Durov said, afraid of saying something Galina was sensitive about. He stood up and said, "I have a lot of things to do at the studio, I have to go. Cherish her, I won't forgive you for bullying a Russian girl."
"I really don't know who it is or what its name is?" Li Xiang asked, completely bewildered.
"I didn't ask, anyway, it's quite good-looking." Little Durov left immediately. He loved watching the drama unfold and was happy that Li Xiang would fall into the trap, which would give him a sense of satisfaction.
-
Zelenogler, Moscow's "Silicon Valley".
The KinoZal trio have been living like hell lately. They've already cleaned up their messes and are ready to go to jail, but nothing's happened yet.
"Which police department is handling our case? Have they forgotten about us?"
"You're dreaming! It's probably still going through the motions. Who knows, a bunch of police officers might barge in any day now. I'm dreaming about that all the time."
"The lawyer said that there is a high chance that we won't be prosecuted in our situation, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"But there's still a chance of being sued. Waiting like this every day is torture. It's better to just get it over with. Gerry, say something! Are we just going to sit here and wait? Or should we chip in some money and hire a lawyer to check the case files?"
Grigory was using his computer and was so excited that he kept slamming his fist on the table.
"Come and see quickly."
"What are you looking at?"
Grigory gave the other two swordsmen a live demonstration: "I typed in the KinoZal URL, but the link redirected to this website called WeTV. Don't you understand yet? Someone is using KinoZal to drive traffic to this new website."
"Wasn't KinoZal shut down? What are they doing here?"
"Could it be something done by someone inside the police force? The website is shut down and can't be touched, but they can monetize the traffic by redirecting it. That's a possibility."
Grigory posed the crucial question: "Do you think those five men look like police officers?"
"You mean... imposters? If they're not real police, then we're fine, which should be good news, right?"
"If KinoZal could be cashed out, he could easily get over ten million rubles. Is getting robbed like this really good news? Should we call the police?"
"Are you out of your mind? You've walked right into a trap."
Grigory clicked on a link, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Look, they're hiring a subtitling team."