Chapter 98: Pineapple Beer and the Measure of a Hero

“Is that so? I understand!” Huang He nodded. He was not angered by Masayoshi Son’s words, nor did he feel that Son looked down on his countrymen. On the contrary, Huang He deeply understood Son’s perspective.

From the viewpoint of the year 2001, Son’s words were actually quite accurate. Even Old Ma and Young Ma couldn’t help but nod in agreement, humbled by Son’s analysis.

After all, who would have believed that China could achieve such tremendous economic growth in just twenty years?

In an era when the mobile phone market was completely dominated by foreign companies, it was quite natural that Son was reluctant to invest in any domestic phone manufacturer.

Moreover, historically, Son had little interest in mobile phones or the entire manufacturing sector. His investment focus had always been on the software industry.

Back in the 1990s, Son had the opportunity to invest in Apple. Numerous mobile phone companies worldwide also sought his investment, yet he declined them all. It wasn’t that Son was foolish, nor that he lacked insight—this was simply his established approach.

Additionally, if Huang He had not foreseen the tremendous development China would undergo over the next twenty years, he likely would not have dared to venture into branded mobile phones.

Historically, although domestic knockoff phones were popular, before 2008, no homegrown brand had managed to grow strong on its own. The sole notable exception, Bird Phone, had a rather disappointing end. It was only after 2008, with China’s booming economy and the maturation of the domestic industrial chain, that Chinese mobile brands sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Young Ma looked at Huang He with a hint of mockery, as if to say, “No matter how sharp-tongued you are, you still need Mr. Masayoshi Son’s recognition, don’t you?”

Huang He could only smile wryly. After all, it was pointless to talk about how impressive Chinese phones would become in the future—sometimes it was simply more satisfying to enjoy one’s achievements quietly.

“Mr. Huang, I am truly interested in your OO project. I still hope we can discuss it further,” Son added. He had not given up on coveting OO, but Huang He remained firmly opposed, causing a slight shadow to cross Son’s expression.

As Huang He’s rejection set a stalemate over their conversation, just as they were about to end the meeting with some polite flattery, Son suddenly spoke up.

“Gentlemen, I see that you are all leaders in China’s internet industry, with boundless futures ahead. I have a proposal—would you be interested in a bit of entertainment?”

“Please elaborate!” Young Ma responded eagerly.

“Though I do not hold Chinese nationality, I have great admiration for China, especially its culture and spirit. According to my family genealogy, I am a descendant of the great military strategist Sun Wu—Sun Tzu—who lived over a thousand years ago. My ancestors migrated to Goguryeo, which led to my lineage. In that sense, I am half Chinese!” Son smiled, his tone sincere. Huang He recalled that as China’s economy flourished and Old Ma’s stock price soared, whenever Son publicly spoke in China, he always mentioned his ancestor Sun Wu and proudly claimed to be half Chinese.

As for the veracity of such claims, it was impossible to verify. If Son said his ancestor was Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, no one could produce Sun Wukong’s DNA to refute him!

“I especially love your country’s ‘Art of War’ and ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms.’ The episode in ‘Romance’ where heroes are debated over wine soaked with green plums is particularly captivating.”

“Since today here we gather many heroes of China’s internet, why not engage in a hero’s debate?” Son continued.

“A debate over heroes with green plum wine?” The group looked at Son with some surprise, thinking, “This foreigner sure has many strange ideas, but since we want his investment, we might as well play along.”

Moreover, was this “hero debate” an opportunity for Son to ultimately decide whom to invest in?

This made the two Mas somewhat anxious.

“It’s not easy to debate heroes,” Huang He sighed. “I dislike talking behind others’ backs. Let’s not do that.”

Young Ma nearly spat out a mouthful of blood in frustration, while Son’s expression flickered briefly before he smiled.

“True enough. Repeating the old ways is boring. Let’s try some new rules!”

“What rules?” Huang He asked.

“No backbiting. Instead, we’ll talk about the four of us here,” Son suggested with a smile. “Let’s predict our own futures twenty years from now, not more or less. Then we’ll each predict the others’ futures—our companies, our total assets. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

“Well…” Young Ma and Old Ma exchanged glances, while Huang He’s expression was peculiar, yet none seemed inclined to refuse.

“Old Ma, do you have any wine?” Son asked.

“I think so,” Old Ma nodded. He vaguely recalled having some, but after searching, he only found a case of pineapple beer. It seemed to be a gift from a friend from Xi’an.

“Looks like today it’s not green plum wine for the hero debate, but pineapple beer!” Huang He laughed heartily and was the first to open a can. Honestly, he disliked drinking, but pineapple beer was an exception—it had quite a kick.

With no alternatives, the others opened cans as well and gathered around to listen to how these gentlemen would debate heroes.

“Who goes first?” Huang He asked with a smile, knowing the first to speak might bear the brunt.

“I have a die here,” Son said, pulling one from his pocket. It was not prearranged; Son apparently always carried one—a gambler’s habit, fitting for an investor.

“Disaster!” Old Ma’s face stiffened. In the first round, he rolled the lowest number—two—and had to start the predictions.

“I predict that in twenty years, our Forty Thieves company…” Initially reluctant to play along, when Old Ma began to envision his future, a surge of passion welled up within him. He spoke loudly:

“In twenty years, manufacturers nationwide—no, globally—will each have their own stores on our Forty Thieves platform, selling goods and services. Buyers worldwide, domestic and foreign, will procure their needed products in bulk right from our site.”

“Meanwhile, Forty Thieves will expand into logistics, using our own network to deliver goods across the web.”

“Twenty years from now, everyone—from small stall owners at neighborhood gates to giants like Microsoft, Volkswagen, and Intel—will find top-quality, competitively priced products on our platform!”

“Our Forty Thieves will become a catalyst for China’s rise, contributing our part to the nation’s economic growth!” Old Ma’s face glowed as he immersed himself in this beautiful vision.

At this point, Taobao had not yet been born, and the model was not yet B2C. Forty Thieves’ primary business was B2B, facilitating transactions between companies.

Taobao was founded in 2003.

“What about assets?” Son asked with a smile.

“About that number…” Old Ma hesitated, then held up one finger.

“1 billion?” Young Ma guessed.

“No, 10 billion, and in US dollars. Forty Thieves will be listed on Wall Street, becoming China’s first internet stock with a market cap of 10 billion dollars. As for me, I am not fond of money; I’ll share the wealth with my comrades who work alongside me. I only need a few tens of millions of RMB to live comfortably.”

“Believe it or not, twenty years from now, I might return to being a teacher, because the happiest time in my life was when I was teaching,” Old Ma reflected deeply.