After a long fifteen minutes, the group was still waiting for the vehicle to arrive.
One of the female partners couldn't help but turn to Boss Ma beside her and ask, "Boss Ma, when is that investor from Russia supposed to arrive? We've been waiting for almost twenty minutes now. Do you think something happened on the way?"
Boss Ma turned around and glanced at the woman. Just as he was about to respond, a convoy of black Mercedes-Benz cars with consulate license plates suddenly appeared at the intersection ahead. They moved at a slow pace, seemingly clearing the way for the vehicle behind them.
Everyone followed the sightline and saw a sleek Mercedes-AMG luxury car, adorned with a small Chinese five-star red flag, trailing behind the consulate vehicles.
"Damn, could that convoy be escorting the Russian investor?" a male partner murmured in astonishment. "A consulate escort? That's some serious status. No ordinary businessman could pull that off!"
"You clearly don't know how things work," another well-informed male partner corrected him. "Anyone who made it big in Russia didn't start from scratch. Their families have deep connections with the Russian government."
"Exactly! This guy must have some serious backing. And look at that Mercedes—I've never seen that model in China before! It must've been flown in because he's not used to cheaper cars."
…
Listening to the discussions around him, Boss Ma had already guessed what was happening.
Compared to their last meeting at the Summer Palace in Beijing, the scale of this escort for Mavi was even grander. This time, there were four consulate vehicles. The sight made Boss Ma sigh in amazement—he wished he had that kind of influence.
What he didn't know was that, given Mavi's current background and status, this level of travel was already considered low-key. Extremely low-key. No military vehicles leading the way, no police clearing the road. Otherwise, the eighteen Alibaba partners would have been scared out of their minds.
As Mavi stepped out of the armored Mercedes with the help of his bodyguard, Boss Ma, dressed in a sharp suit, stepped forward to greet him.
"Mr. Mavi, welcome to the Alibaba headquarters!"
"Hello, Mr. Ma. There's really no need for such a grand welcome," Mavi said as he shook hands with Boss Ma. He was here just to invest and leave. After experiencing much bigger challenges, he didn't even consider eBay's provocations worth his attention.
However, what seemed like a minor issue to him was a huge deal for Boss Ma and the eighteen Alibaba partners. It had to be taken seriously.
"No, no, Mr. Mavi, this level of welcome is absolutely necessary. Please, take a seat! Let me show you around the Alibaba headquarters. I believe this is your first visit?" Boss Ma said enthusiastically, leading Mavi inside.
He still vividly remembered their last meeting at the Summer Palace in Beijing, where Mavi had casually thrown around money like it was nothing. That $50 million investment nearly knocked him off his feet.
"Yes, this is my first time here," Mavi replied as he followed Boss Ma and the eighteen partners into the Alibaba headquarters.
Along the way, every Alibaba employee, regardless of age or gender, respectfully greeted Mavi. It was clear that the upper management had given prior instructions.
After a tour of the company, they arrived at a multimedia conference room on the fifth floor. As the investor, Mavi was seated at the head of the table, while the eighteen partners took their seats around him.
"Mr. Mavi, regarding your suggestion over the phone a few days ago about Alibaba expanding into the domestic C2C market, we did some serious calculations. The costs seem quite significant—website development, traffic acquisition, initial promotions, and more…" Boss Ma said shortly after they sat down.
"How much in total? Name your price," Mavi responded.
He was no longer the same person he was back in Beijing. His bank account now held nearly $500 million. Forget investing in Alibaba—he could afford to bankroll ten Alibabas if he wanted to.
"If we cut costs wherever possible, the total would be… around $20 million," Boss Ma said cautiously, unsure of how much Mavi was willing to invest this time. After all, Alibaba had yet to make him a single dime.
"Cutting it down to $20 million?" Mavi instinctively questioned. What he really wanted to say was:
"Do I look like someone who cares about saving $20 million?! Stop cutting costs—I want to crush eBay! Crush the European Union!"
"Yes, Mr. Mavi, $20 million—what do you think?" Boss Ma asked nervously.
Mavi blinked, sighed, and then stated firmly in the conference room, "Don't cut corners. Spend what needs to be spent. I'll give you an extra $10 million—make sure this is done right."
Whether it was $20 million or $30 million, it was pocket change to him. More investment also meant a larger equity share—there was no downside. But the real goal was to take down eBay and its backer, the French corporation Vivendi. This was a message to the EU that Mavi was no pushover.
The moment he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
Boss Ma and the eighteen Alibaba partners were visibly stunned, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
"Holy shit! This Russian investor is insane! He just threw in an extra $10 million without even blinking! How rich is this guy?!" a female partner thought to herself.
"No wonder Boss Ma arranged such a grand reception. Turns out this Russian investor is ridiculously wealthy! $30 million, and he didn't even hesitate!"
"We spent so much effort trimming the budget down to $20 million, and he just threw money at the problem like it was nothing… Are all Russian billionaires this terrifying?"
…
The entire room was captivated by Mavi's sheer financial power.
Honestly, if he had a choice, he wouldn't have bothered flexing his wealth in front of his Alibaba compatriots.
But the EU had already pushed him to the limit. If he didn't retaliate with an overwhelming show of strength, they would only continue to test his patience.
"Mr. Mavi, $30 million… that seems like a bit much," Boss Ma said hesitantly. He was worried about how this would impact Alibaba's shares.
Considering Mavi had already invested $25 million before, this new round would bring the total to $55 million! That was insane!
…
(End of Chapter)