Chapter 25: Negotiations

"Wait a moment, are all five of our firms here to see the same person?" Zhao Hanyu finally found an opening to speak; he had felt that this situation was becoming increasingly strange from the very beginning.

Zhou Yun nodded, then shook his head. "Everyone's time is valuable, so I will get straight to the point. What you are all looking for is the quantitative model that was submitted, right? What I can tell you is that this model was developed entirely by me alone. Since you all want it, why not state what price you are willing to offer?"

The managers from the securities firms exchanged glances.

"It seems Student Zhou was well-prepared. In that case, we won't play coy. Shall we at Guojin take the lead?"

"By all means."

"Our offer from Guojin Securities is 3 million for the model alone. As for Student Zhou personally, we can offer an annual salary of at least 800,000, plus at least 5 million in research funding and a 1 million signing bonus—this bonus will be paid immediately upon signing. Furthermore, we can provide equity options later on." Zhao Hanyu took a contract out of his briefcase and placed it on the table. "I believe our sincerity is quite evident."

"Huatai can match that offer, and we can even go higher on the annual salary."

"Guotai is the same..."

...

After listening to them, Zhou Yun had a rough idea of the situation. Whether it was more cash or more research funding, the total value was essentially the same. But it was far too low—it missed his own valuation by a country mile.

"I have heard all your offers, but I have no intention of selling the model, nor do I intend to work for any of your firms."

The smiles on their faces froze simultaneously, though they maintained their composure.

"Then why have you brought us here? Surely not just to toy with us?"

"How could that be? Your offers just now show that you think highly of my model, don't you?"

The men looked at the smile on Zhou Yun's face, feeling that something was off. Why did this line of reasoning feel so familiar?

"Since that is the case, why don't we try a different approach? You invest in me, and I grant you a license. It’s a win-win situation. What do you think?"

He had originally intended to let the five firms compete, but upon reflection, if he were looking for investment, wouldn't he get more capital if all five joined in?

The managers laughed. "Mr. Zhou, are you joking? We are not here to invest."

"I know, but isn't what I'm proposing a viable plan? Your main goal is the model, is it not? So why not achieve that through a different method?"

"Fine, even if we were to discuss investment, how would the equity be distributed? What is your valuation?"

Zhou Yun had already thought this through. If he wanted to keep control of his creation, absolute majority ownership was non-negotiable.

"With an intraday trading win rate of over 90% and extremely low computational requirements, I believe a Pre-A round valuation of 700 million is perfectly reasonable. As for equity, I provide the technology for 67%, and you provide the funding for the remaining 33%." He had checked the relevant records; this valuation was absolutely fair.

As soon as he said this, all five men instinctively objected. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Mr. Zhou, to put it bluntly, you are trying to pull a 'white wolf with empty hands'—you're looking for something for nothing."

"Even if our company chairmen were here, they would never agree to such demands."

Zhou Yun completely disagreed with their assessment. The technology in his hands was worth exactly that price.

"In that case, I think our conversation should end here. If Mr. Zhou changes his mind and decides to join our company, I would absolutely welcome you with open arms and could even increase the previous terms." The representative from Guojin, who arrived first, was the first to leave.

"Please, feel free."

Where there was one, the others followed. Soon, all five had left. In truth, even if Zhou Yun's demands were reasonable, these managers lacked the authority to negotiate such a deal; they would have had to report back to their superiors anyway.

Qiu Yan and the other three students then stepped up to Zhou Yun.

"That was an annual salary of a million! Aren't you tempted?" For graduate students like them from non-prestigious universities, an annual salary of 300,000 to 400,000 was already a great job. A million a year was something they dared not even imagine.

"Do you think I will ever be short of money in the future?"

Hearing Zhou Yun's question, they instinctively felt that one could never have enough money. Who would turn down more? But upon second thought, with Zhou Yun, it was very likely he wouldn't be short of funds. As his academic achievements mounted, he would inevitably be added to the national talent pool and come to the attention of the state. At that point, money would likely be the least of his concerns.

Not to mention, the model in his hands could continuously reap profits in the financial markets.

"I suppose... you won't be?"

Zhou Yun took another sip of his coffee. "Exactly. Joining them is completely unnecessary."

He didn't lack pocket money now, and he wouldn't lack significant wealth in the future. It might just take a few years. He was still young; he could afford to wait.

"You're impressive. People with real skills always speak with such confidence. If these terms were offered to me, I absolutely wouldn't be able to resist," Qiu Yan said, giving Zhou Yun a thumbs-up. "Since you wanted them to invest, why let them leave like that? Why not try to keep them?"

Zhou Yun shook his head. "I am here to seek investment, not to beg for scraps. It is their loss for failing to seize the opportunity. A valuable asset does not change because of their attitude, but when they finally realize the true value of the technology, the price will be much higher than it is today."

Yu Tianrui shook his head with a laugh. "Aren't you just holding them for ransom?"

Zhou Yun nodded righteously. "I am indeed holding them for ransom, because my technology is the only one of its kind in the world!"

Such an exaggerated profit curve naturally could not escape the monitoring of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). If the 90% win-rate intraday trading model were used only by Zhou Yun and his few associates, it wouldn't be an issue; with such limited capital, it wouldn't cause a ripple in the broader capital market.

However, if such a tool were used on a large scale, it could potentially cause short-term price distortions or synchronized trading resonances, leading to a total market collapse.

And now, people had already begun to contact Zhou Yun.

One day after meeting with the securities firm representatives, he received a warning from the exchange's monitoring system, followed by a phone call from the CSRC.

"Hello, this is Li Mo from the Market Supervision Division II of the CSRC. According to the joint monitoring system of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the account group you control has had a transaction volume in the final three minutes of the gold ETF trading session that far exceeds its peers, which triggered a warning. However, after our verification, we confirmed that you have properly reported your trading strategy and that your trading procedures are legal. The reason for this call is that we have noted five institutions have approached you. If this model is widely replicated, it could trigger systemic risk. If you have the time, could you come to the local Securities Regulatory Commissioner's office for a detailed discussion?"