Chapter 285 Going Solo
Su Yuanshan stared at Ding Lei seriously. He didn't believe for a second that Ding didn't understand what "burn capitalist money" truly meant.
— It meant that the Internet Development Center, or rather, its projects, would be spun off from Yuanxin and financed independently. Much like what had been done with the EDA division.
Of course, all the business units within the Internet Center would be spun off — that was inevitable.
But in Su Yuanshan's plan, it wasn't supposed to happen yet.
He had hoped to keep the Internet Center under Yuanxin's wing a little longer, nurturing it with his direct oversight so it could grow more steadily.
Besides, given the projected trajectory of internet development, Su Yuanshan wanted to hold on longer to secure more returns.
And yet now, Ding Lei was voluntarily proposing to spin off the website business — and judging by Pony's presence, it seemed EM was also in on this.
So now Su Yuanshan wasn't quite sure if the two of them felt stifled by Yuanxin and wanted to "fly solo," or if they genuinely cared about Yuanxin and wanted to stop being a financial burden.
Judging by Ding's earlier tone, though, it seemed more like he truly wanted to do what was best for Yuanxin — not wanting to "drag the company down."
After a few seconds of thought, Su Yuanshan simply replied with a neutral "Mm," then asked,
"If the website and EM were spun off into a wholly owned subsidiary right now, how much could you raise in a first round of funding?"
Ding Lei glanced at Pony, then replied,
"Based on current Silicon Valley valuations, EM could probably raise eight million dollars in its Series A for a 20% stake.
The website would be slightly lower, but once promotion ramps up, it could match that."
Pony smiled and added,
"President Qin is here — she's the expert. Just ask her and you'll know."
Su Yuanshan shook his head and chuckled.
"President Qin typically only invests in angel-stage internet teams — the ones still in their infancy.
She doesn't usually get involved once a company has grown and entered the rapid expansion phase."
"But your estimates are reasonable," he continued.
"So, your plan is to spin them off into wholly owned subsidiaries?"
"It's not about what we want — it's about what you think is best," Ding Lei said frankly.
"President Shan, you have to understand — the Internet Center is not like the other departments.
Yes, we burn money, but the others burn cash on visible, tangible infrastructure.
They're tied directly to the nation's technological future."
"But with the internet... to be honest, the tech isn't all that complex.
It's all about ideas, timing — and right now, it's mostly about money.
If we keep burning funds without returns, how do you think the other departments see us?"
Su Yuanshan kept a neutral expression, but inside, he sighed.
Ding wasn't wrong. Within Yuanxin, the Internet Center was sometimes seen with a hint of disdain — the simplest example being how factory teams in the SEZ had strong internal bonds, while the internet guys were usually left out.
Other than necessary coordination, there was little interaction.
This created a reality where, among all Yuanxin's departments, the Internet Center had the weakest presence — and Ding Lei, being a bachelor's degree holder and younger than most, often felt like he didn't quite measure up.
After all, at Yuanxin, if you didn't have a master's degree, how could you possibly lead a team?
With that in mind, Su Yuanshan made his decision.
"Alright. Go back and prepare.
Even if we're going to spin it off, it won't happen this year. Wait until next year.
You've got one quarter left — submit your project plan and the funding gap. We'll see what's needed."
"Got it."
...
Su Yuanshan couldn't help feeling a bit emotional.
Whatever their motivations, at least those two had guts.
No wonder they became major players in his previous life.
After Zhou Xiaohui escorted them out, she returned to the office and saw Su Yuanshan deep in thought.
After a pause, she asked,
"Did they give you a headache?"
"Not really," Su Yuanshan chuckled.
He then told her about Ding Lei and Pony's proposal.
Zhou Xiaohui was stunned.
"Are they out of their minds? If they stay, they'll definitely become part of Yuanxin Holdings. And they want to jump ship?"
"Honestly, I kind of get where they're coming from. Yuanxin's a semiconductor company. They probably feel out of place under our system."
Zhou Xiaohui rolled her eyes.
"...Not exactly high-born, but so full of thoughts."
Su Yuanshan cleared his throat.
"Uh... I wasn't talking about you. I meant them."
"Ahem... I'll go inform President Chen."
Leaving the office, Su Yuanshan headed for Chen Jing's office.
Since the two had already made up their minds to leave Yuanxin and strike out on their own, he wasn't going to stop them.
When the coming "internet winter" hits, they'll return sooner or later.
The Asian Financial Crisis, the dot-com crash — these were inevitable events in economic history, untouched by any butterfly effect.
...
When Chen Jing heard the news, she immediately shifted into her professional mindset.
Her first thoughts were:
How much could a spinoff raise in a stock offering?
And how much money could Yuanxin save by letting them go?
She quickly concluded:
The sooner the two projects were spun off, the better.
Yuanxin would only profit — no loss.
"Jing Jie, could you show a little emotion?" Su Yuanshan said with an exasperated laugh.
"These are our own children — projects we raised ourselves..."
Chen Jing smiled faintly.
"You let go of EDA without hesitation.
Why not these?"
"That was different," Su Yuanshan argued.
"We had to sell EDA.
If we hadn't, the road ahead would've narrowed and we would've been choked off."
Indeed, EDA had been spun off over a year ago.
After multiple rounds of funding from international giants, Zhiyuan EDA had not only secured a 70% market share but also survived antitrust scrutiny from the West.
Now Jiang Wanchao's primary task had shifted from capturing market share to stabilizing it and preparing for an IPO.
Once listed, Zhiyuan EDA would officially become an international software company.
And with that would come the next challenge — resisting pressure from capital and shareholders.
"Alright, fine, I agree," Chen said, tilting her head slightly in approval.
Still, she didn't share Su Yuanshan's enthusiasm for the Internet Center — if they sold it, so be it.
After all, Su Yuanshan was the young master — he could ignore the company's finances and focus on vision.
But Chen Jing, as CEO, had to keep her eyes on the money bag.
This year, Yuanxin had spent heavily on infrastructure and procurement, and many departments were already over budget.
Even without running the numbers, she could tell — Yuanxin was going to report a loss this year.
So if she could offload two major money-burning departments and even gain capital in return, Chen Jing was quietly thrilled.
"By the way, National Day is just around the corner.
How's your uncle's side of things going?" Chen asked, her expression turning serious.
"He's now our main sales channel for phones, and the mobile division has prepared a stock of 100,000 units for this holiday..."
"If the phones don't sell, next year will be a real struggle."
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1