novelraw Chapter 610: Li Xiaoran Unemployed, New Assistant
Chapter 610: Li Xiaoran Unemployed, New Assistant
[Chapter 610: Li Xiaoran Unemployed, New Assistant]
Linton's hurried return to America this time had terrified another person.
That person was Jennifer Roberts, the General Manager of Mangrove Capital's China branch.
Before Linton went to China, Winnie had informed her, telling her to prepare for a report.
She had been very excited at the time, viewing Linton's visit to China as a major opportunity for herself.
One had to understand that in America, given her status, it was impossible to have any one-on-one time with Linton; in fact, Linton didn't even know her.
However, she was ambitious and had some ideas regarding the development prospects of Mangrove Capital.
Since she came to China last October to establish the Mangrove Capital China branch, she had put a lot of effort into conducting detailed market research on the Mainland.
She keenly perceived that China was currently on the eve of an internet development boom, though the soil for massive internet growth had not yet formed.
The main issue was that the telecommunications network infrastructure was still too poor, lacking the conditions necessary for large-scale internet development.
Of course, the Chinese government had also realized this and had explicitly proposed making telecommunications a top priority for infrastructure construction.
China Telecom's investment was substantial, but network construction takes time. Under the current circumstances, the market space for the internet in China was limited.
Even though she had made many efforts and promoted the business in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.
This latest venture capital model had caused a huge stir in the Mainland Chinese business circles, quickly becoming well-known among specific groups of people.
The company received a vast number of investment applications every day.
But so far, aside from Sohu, which had received venture capital from the American headquarters, only two new internet companies had been added in Mainland China.
They were Sina and NetEase. Mangrove Capital had invested in their angel rounds, giving each company $1 million USD for a 30% stake.
There was nothing else; there was simply no demand for new internet startups, not even venture capital applications.
On the contrary, there were more investment applications than she could handle from other industries like computers, home appliances, mobile phones, communication equipment, and so on.
However, restricted by the headquarters' explicit regulations, the branch's investment targets were limited to internet enterprises. Even if other industries had good creative proposals, she had no way to intervene.
She couldn't even spend the first phase of $20 million USD in capital she had brought from the headquarters.
In her view, since the Chinese internet market did not yet have mature soil, she should consider other Breakthrough solutions; otherwise, she would be unable to produce any results here at all.
To this end, she made a special trip to Los Angeles in June to report to her direct superior, Winnie, proposing two directions for business adjustment.
One was to expand the business scope to surrounding markets, such as the more economically developed Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and so on.
The other was to expand the types of business operations. In addition to the internet, she suggested including computers, communications, home appliances, and mobile phones within the investment scope.
However, Winnie had discussed this issue with Linton before, and Linton had rejected it.
In his memories from his past life, all the way up to 2024, aside from China, no truly legendary internet companies were born in other parts of Asia, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. At this time, going to those places for internet venture capital didn't make much sense.
Of course, the second plan was actually very feasible. China was in a stage of rapid economic development, and the computer, communication, home appliance, and mobile phone industries did indeed harbor many investment opportunities.
But compared to the internet, the growth potential of these industries was simply not on the same level.
Furthermore, based on China's current environment, venture capital in other industries would be more complex, facing greater risks and challenges.
The funding needs, proposal evaluations, risk screenings, and post-investment management for these companies were all much more complicated compared to internet enterprises.
Mangrove Capital's goal was the internet; there was no need to intervene in other industries. As long as they seized the internet investment opportunities in China, the future prospects would be beyond imagination.
Of course, he wouldn't easily give up on venture capital in other industries either. Once the Asian Financial Crisis ended, his Skycrest Capital would have accumulated massive wealth.
At that time, he could act freely, taking advantage of the Asian Financial Crisis to aggressively invest and buy the dip in places like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
He would also enter the Mainland Chinese market on a large scale, investing in all walks of life—except for real estate.
But Jennifer Roberts didn't have a cheat code. She couldn't possibly imagine how vast the future volume of the Chinese internet market would be or how fast it would develop.
She simply felt that she couldn't waste time here and needed more space to display her talents and achieve greater results.
She had originally thought that with Linton coming to China this time, she would have the chance to report to him personally, hoping her plan to expand the business scope would gain his support.
Jennifer Roberts possessed both beauty and talent. She had been an excellent student since childhood, graduating with a bachelor's degree from the Economics Department of Peking University and a master's degree in Economics from Harvard. She had already worked at Mangrove Capital for two years.
She was also very beautiful, standing 166 cm tall with fantastic proportions. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe her as having a curvaceous figure and long legs; she was not inferior to many movie stars. At 26, she was at the most beautiful age for a woman.
She personally had a deeper ambition for this meeting with Linton: to see if there was a chance to win over the big boss.
In the companies under Linton, every employee knew Linton was a playboy with a crowd of beauties around him and a large group of sisters in his Harem Group; the Beautiful Angels had already reached the 21st member.
But every female employee (which could actually be extended to the vast majority of young women in America) wished they could climb into Linton's bed for a chance to become one of his Beautiful Angels.
Jennifer Roberts was the same, fantasizing about whether this meeting would offer a chance for a wonderful story to happen with the big boss.
But unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to see Linton at all.
Initially, after finding out when the big boss was coming to Beijing, she called Linton's assistant, Li Xiaoran, wanting to arrange the airport pickup and accommodation.
But Li Xiaoran told her that Chinese government departments had already made arrangements, so she didn't need to worry about it.
She could only ask Li Xiaoran to relay a message to the big boss, asking if she could visit him after he arrived in Beijing, or if the big boss could come to inspect the Mangrove Capital China branch.
However, when Linton learned from Winnie that only three internet companies had been established in China, he didn't take it to heart. Yet, he didn't completely refuse either, telling Li Xiaoran to reply that it would depend on his itinerary in China and that she would be notified if there was time.
As a result, Jennifer Roberts kept waiting for the notification. A week after Linton arrived in China, unable to contain herself, she called Li Xiaoran again to ask for help in scheduling time with the big boss.
But at that time, Li Xiaoran wasn't with Linton; she was accompanying her family. It was a 'returning home in glory' situation, and she was having a blast. She agreed over the phone but forgot about it the moment she hung up.
Jennifer Roberts thought Linton was ignoring her because he was dissatisfied with her work, making her incredibly nervous.
On the third day after Linton returned to Los Angeles, she flew back to Los Angeles to report to Winnie in person.
After listening to Jennifer Roberts's report and seeing her nervous appearance, Winnie's heart softened. At the same time, she felt that Li Xiaoran was no longer suitable to be Linton's assistant.
In fact, she had already had this thought at the beginning of the year when she accompanied the leader to Washington to take office. At that time, Linton had not long since taken Li Xiaoran under his wing, and it happened to be the Chinese Spring Festival, so he let her go home for the New Year.
But no matter what, as a qualified assistant, when the boss was taking a high-level position in the American political arena for the first time, one should not be absent for any reason. At such a critical moment, one should immediately stop their vacation and return to work as quickly as possible.
But at that time, Li Xiaoran had just joined the Harem Group, so it wasn't appropriate for her to say much. Moreover, she was actually a beneficiary of the situation, taking the opportunity to spend time alone with Linton and getting to know many big shots in Washington, which expanded her network.
However, this time Li Xiaoran accompanied the leadership back to China, leaving Linton's side for a long period and handling Linton's official business so carelessly, which she felt was very inappropriate.
One must realize that Linton now has two super Media Groups, an incredibly impressive Health Care Company, and a massive Charitable Foundation Office under his wing, while also serving as a high-ranking official in Washington.
Although Linton delegates a lot of power and each unit enjoys high autonomy, there are always many tasks that need to be reported to Linton for his input and decisions.
As Linton's personal assistant, such a work attitude and style was, in her eyes, extremely incompetent.
Of course, she could find an opportunity to remind Linton about Li Xiaoran's issues, but regarding Jennifer Roberts's situation, she felt it was necessary to give her a hand.
She picked up the phone and called Linton. Upon learning he was in his office, she brought Jennifer Roberts upstairs.
Arriving at Linton's office, Winnie introduced her to him, "Linton, this is Jennifer Roberts, the manager of the China branch of Mangrove Capital."
Linton's eyes lit up as a stunning beauty with a very Oriental charm appeared before him.
She wore a white shirt paired with a black pencil skirt, flesh-colored stockings on her legs, and black high heels, outlining a curvaceous and beautiful figure.
With her long black hair cascading over her shoulders and flaming red lips, she looked exactly like a top-tier office lady.
Jennifer Roberts's eyes sparkled when she saw Linton, but she politely took a small step forward, extending her slender hands to shake Linton's, "Hello, Boss. I am Jennifer Roberts."
"Jennifer Roberts, not bad. Come, sit down and let's talk."
At this time, Li Xiaoran came over, skillfully brewed tea for everyone, and then left.
Winnie picked up her teacup and gestured to Jennifer Roberts, "Jennifer Roberts, have some tea first. This is tea that you can only find here with the Boss; you won't find it anywhere else."
As a Chinese person, Jennifer Roberts naturally had some knowledge of tea. Although she wasn't an expert, she was stunned by the extraordinary effects of this Spirit Tea. She couldn't even find the right words to express it and could only offer general praise.
"Boss, this tea is amazing. After drinking it, my vision and hearing are clear, and my mind is sharp. It's a hundred times better than the best tea I've ever had."
"Jennifer Roberts, tell me, what brings you here to see me?"
"Boss, I've come to report on my work in China... Based on the current environment in China, I believe the soil for a major internet expansion hasn't formed yet. I suggest..."
Jennifer Roberts seized the time to briefly report on the work in China while proposing two business adjustment suggestions.
After listening to Jennifer Roberts's presentation, Winnie added, "Jennifer Roberts is right. If they insist on only investing in the internet in China right now, it would indeed be a bit of a waste of resources. Her suggestion is very feasible."
Linton glanced at Winnie and Jennifer Roberts and fell into thought. After all, he wasn't very clear about the development history of the internet from his past life; he only knew that in the end, the global internet market was dominated by America and China, while the internet industries of other countries basically withered away.
The scale of China's internet industry was on par with America's, and in terms of business innovation and integration with production and life, it even far surpassed America. It was a Treasure Trove containing endless wealth.
After hearing Jennifer Roberts's detailed introduction and combining it with what he saw during his trip to China, he made a preliminary judgment. Before the American internet bubble burst in 2000, China's internet should still be in its infancy.
The era of true major development for China's internet would likely have to wait until after 2000, once China's internet infrastructure was basically complete, before it would enter the fast lane.
It really wasn't worth spending a lot of effort to expand the market right now.
However, he still clearly remembered that the three major portals and Tencent QQ were all established during this period. Especially Tencent, which would become a giant enterprise with a market value of hundreds of billions of dollars in the future.
Now that the three major portals had been secured, it could be considered a huge harvest. However, Tencent must also be secured next. Other things could indeed wait until after 2000.
Thinking of this, he also felt that the China branch of Mangrove Capital indeed needed to expand its business outward, but he would pass on participating in other Asian countries and regions for now.
Those places were currently being ravaged by a financial storm; they weren't suitable for venture capital. The most appropriate thing would be to go and buy them out at rock-bottom prices after a while, but that wasn't the job for a VC.
"Alright, since the soil for the internet in China isn't mature yet, let's expand the business scope. Let's add four industries: computers, telecommunications electronics, home appliances, and mobile phones. However, the situation in these industries is completely different from the internet. You must think it through, reorganize the relevant mechanisms, and control the risks."
"Thank you, Boss." Jennifer Roberts was very excited to get Linton's approval and quickly took out a small notebook, "Boss, I'm also a fan of yours. Could you give me an autograph?"
This action instantly boosted Linton's mood. "Of course. It's rare to have an employee who thinks so proactively and offers suggestions for the company. Let's have lunch together at noon."
"Boss, thank you so much."
The cafeteria of Linton Tower is on the 7th floor. Of course, the employee dining area and the executive dining area are separated. Linton has a private room inside.
At noon, Linton and Winnie treated Jennifer Roberts to a meal in the private room on the 7th floor.
To Linton's surprise, Jennifer Roberts was very knowledgeable, had a broad vision, and possessed rigorous thinking. She was an outstanding talent well worth cultivating.
In the afternoon, after Winnie finished her work, she quietly went to the top floor, avoided Li Xiaoran, and had an intense session of 'exercise' with Linton in the office.
From the office to the gym, to the swimming pool, and finally to the bedroom... After the exercise, Winnie lay limply on Linton. "Honey, I have a suggestion. You can't blame me if I'm wrong."
Linton stroked Winnie's blonde hair. "It's fine, there's no need for such formalities between us."
"But this matter concerns Li Xiaoran. Don't misunderstand and think I have a conflict with her; we actually have a very good relationship privately."
"Oh, go ahead."
"Li Xiaoran is already a sister in the Harem Group. I feel it's no longer appropriate for her to be your personal assistant."
"You're right, I've actually noticed it too. I think it would be more suitable for her to go act in movies or TV shows and become a star. I'll ask her later and see what she likes to do. However, I haven't found any particularly satisfying assistants in the two media companies yet. It looks like I'll have to hold a public selection."
"Honey, I actually think Jennifer Roberts is quite suitable."
"Jennifer Roberts? Now that you mention it, she does seem suitable. But isn't she in charge of the China branch of Mangrove Capital? Are you willing to let her go?"
"Honey, your work is the most important. Everything in the company, including us sisters, should revolve around you. Although the China branch of Mangrove Capital is important, it's relatively easy to find a suitable person to take over. But someone who can be recognized by you and handle being your assistant isn't easy to find."
"Besides, the contribution she makes at the China branch of Mangrove Capital can't compare to being your assistant."
"Should we ask her about her own wishes? Maybe she won't want to come."
"Impossible. Look at her attitude when she saw you today. Besides, these two platforms are completely different. From a career development perspective, this is also a great opportunity for her."
"Alright, you notify her and also arrange for a successor to take over her position. Have her finish the handover as soon as possible and report here quickly."
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