Chapter 1510
Bells
Zhang Yuan calmly and skillfully dialed a number in North America.
A gruff voice answered the phone.
"Oh."
"Long time no see, Harvey."
He called the fat, white man.
The other person chuckled lightly, speaking with disdain.
“My Chinese friend, I thought you had forgotten your old friend.”
He knew immediately that this guy was unhappy the moment he opened his mouth.
Because Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War" didn't hire him for North American distribution.
In these kinds of deals, the highest bidder wins. Plus, this old guy often cheats and tricks people, so he doesn't have a good reputation in China.
Moreover, times have changed, and his power is not as strong as it used to be.
"How could that be? I care about my friends the most."
"Especially a loyal friend like you."
"I've just been too busy lately and haven't had time to visit."
"I miss the time I used to smoke cigars in your backyard."
"That depends on whether you give me the opportunity to earn money for cigars."
Today, Chinese film and television companies are growing stronger, and the eight major Hollywood studios are paying more and more attention to the Chinese market.
Given the opportunity to collaborate with the G8, who would still want to play with this old guy?
So when Zhang Yuan called, he had a sudden thought and pretended to be nonchalant.
They were all overjoyed, knowing they were sure to make money!
"Of course, my standard for making friends is mutual benefit." He certainly understood the old Jewish man's temperament.
Friends and such are obviously nonsense.
In the old Jewish man's mind, not to mention friends, only the old Jewish man could be called a human being.
All other "people" are cattle and sheep, slaves, and deserve to be trampled under our feet.
But this arrogant species is also extremely greedy.
"Money makes the world go round" is the best way to describe them.
"I would like to ask you to help me find some suitable buyers."
"I have something I want to sell."
"What?" the fat man asked, squinting his small eyes.
"The revenue share of the next 'Fast & Furious' movie!"
The old white man's small eyes widened instantly.
This is a lucrative job!
Fast & Furious 5 grossed $7 million worldwide, making Universal a fortune.
After Harvey found out about this, he often talked about how the Chinese kid had gotten a huge advantage!
I should have taken it!
But the Jewish people are not good at long-term, visionary construction.
It's not worth doing something that brings in money slowly.
What are you best at?
usury!
I've loved doing this since ancient times.
Modern finance, especially the Western financial system, is essentially similar to usury.
Making money through acting is so hard, but when I hear about doing business, it sounds exciting!
I'm happy to do this.
"Wo, why did you think of selling this?"
Zhang Yuan knew that the fat man was trying to get information out of him.
If loan sharks know you urgently need money, they'll definitely try to lower the interest rate.
The problem is, he definitely knows you're short of money, but you can't let him know exactly where you're short, otherwise it'll be even more annoying.
"I am considering making some real estate investments in China."
"If you know about it, you'll know that the rate of real estate appreciation in China has been astonishing in recent years."
Harvey believed it, and he didn't believe it.
Anyway, you can use the money if you want.
In the eyes of ordinary people, buying and selling must be supported by something.
I spend money to buy steamed buns to eat; that's a business transaction.
Even if I sell cryptocurrency, I still get something in return.
But you haven't even filmed this movie, how can you still sell it?
This is futures trading.
And it's not just futures.
Because of the huge success of "Fast & Furious 5", if this project were considered an asset, it would definitely be an AA-grade product now.
In theory, with the popularity of the previous work, the movie will become more and more profitable with each new film.
Then the investor or investment bank can package the revenue from this non-existent film into a project and sell it.
It may not necessarily be a direct investment or wealth management product; it can also be further leveraged.
Mix and package A-level projects with some lower-quality projects, then embellish them to create a new project.
Anyway, ratings can be faked.
They could continue nesting, each time adding another layer of leverage; that's how the subprime mortgages of 07 and 08 came about.
Ant Financial later did just that, using leverage of over 50 times in a single round.
It leveraged 400 billion to generate more than 2 trillion.
If a default occurs, the banks will have to bear the entire burden of these 2 trillion yuan.
What if it's leveraged at 100 times or even 500 times?
Will the wealth and foreign exchange created by the country and its people over the past few decades be wiped out in one fell swoop?
The debt is left to China, while they themselves go abroad to enjoy themselves; this is the inevitable script in the end.
Once you go abroad, white people can have the advantage of doing two things at once, and they'll even strip you clean.
You should know that Jack Ma went to the Wailing Wall wearing a little hat.
This is pure, unadulterated wisdom from wandering.
The trick he's playing is the one that old Jewish men love most.
The subprime mortgage crisis occurred because the underlying products were all worthless.
But this is a genuine, high-quality item.
If even trash can be sold, then the future profits from an excellent work are even more likely.
So they got Harvey, a member of the old Jewish circle in Hollywood, to handle this, which was a perfect fit for his expertise.
Zhang Yuan didn't even dare to imagine how many financial projects they would eventually be able to extract.
Anyway, multiplying tenfold is no big deal.
I don't care, even if it explodes, it has nothing to do with me. Those who get killed are foreign devils and fake foreign devils.
Besides, as long as Fast & Furious 6 doesn't flop, it won't be a disaster.
He needs money!
Especially Meituan.
Sometimes, you have to take the easy way out, navigating between right and wrong to make things easier.
“I think you should sell the copyright completely; that would be more profitable,” Harvey said slowly and greedily.
"No, no, no, I'll only sell the next one. Universal is already contacting me about signing a contract."
"Whether we'll continue filming or not, nobody knows," he said, refusing to comment.
I have a contract that proves I'll be making the next one, which is why I can sell it for a good price.
There wasn't even a trace of it after that; were they all sold?
It's definitely not worth it.
Besides, he knows the box office will be higher with each film, and I still want to eat.
It's just a stopgap measure.
In addition, he approached Harvey specifically to offer him some benefits, since he needed Harvey's help with something.
"No matter what, this is my plan."
"I will be signing a contract with Universal soon, and after that, I hope to secure funding as soon as possible."
"No problem, my friend. Just give me a small commission. After all, you can't help a friend for nothing."
"Just like you Chinese say, even close brothers should keep clear accounts."
Zhang Yuan scratched his temple; he'd learned all of that…
"Another 10% is enough," the fat man said shamelessly.
If it were a few years ago, he would have been speechless upon hearing this number, but now... he is still speechless.
Knowing he was using the American tactic of making a big fuss and testing him, he couldn't be bothered to respond.
"Your commissions as real estate agents in North America are roughly 2.5% to 3%."
“Then 3%!” the person immediately blurted out.
This is the commission from one end; the middleman takes the profits from both.
He has to eat there again, totaling at least 5% commission on the target.
In addition to box office revenue, "Fast & Furious 5" also generates substantial revenue from copyrights and merchandise.
After deducting costs, Universal can still make a profit of 1.5 million to 2 million US dollars.
One-quarter of it was his own, which is 40 to 50 million US dollars in income.
He definitely wouldn't agree to make a move if the price was lower than that.
"Whatever you say, but I'll definitely choose the trading partner with the lower commission and higher offer." Zhang Yuan said nonchalantly.
If you don't want it, plenty of other people will... that's his attitude.
"Come on, my friend, you know I can always get you the best deal."
"You said it yourself, even brothers should keep clear accounts. I will consider our relationship, but I still need to see the price, after all, this is a business deal."
He wasn't in a hurry and quickly hung up the phone.
You have to hook up with greedy little people first before you can talk about anything else.
He didn't put all his eggs in one basket; he also contacted Boss Chen from Xiaolongnu's side.
And Jiang Zhiqiang from Hong Kong also told Universal Music about this.
Get them to offer a price or help you find a way out.
Upon hearing this, everyone started talking about their feelings.
It was as if he had gained a group of half-brothers.
Indeed, people are only on your best terms when there is something to gain.
He boarded a plane and headed to Shenzhen.
After a night's rest, he met with the owner of OurFun. He saw the same smile on Gu Yongqiang's face that he had seen at the New York Stock Exchange.
That smile that belongs to successful people.
"Now is the most appropriate time to say 'Wishing you prosperity'?" Zhang Yuan shook hands with the other person.
"Haha, perfect, absolutely perfect!"
"please."
"please!"
Together they entered the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, where Ourpalm will ring the bell for its A-share listing on the ChiNext board.
I've been to the NYSE before, but this is my first time visiting the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
It feels completely different; it's redder and more stable here.
Even being consistently taken advantage of is considered stable...
Ourpalm's IPO price was 16 yuan, with a total issuance of over 4000 million shares.
According to national regulations, if the total number of shares in circulation is less than 4 million, the issuance ratio shall not be less than 25%.
If the number exceeds 4 million, the issuance ratio should not be less than 10%.
Ourpalm's market capitalization clearly exceeded 4 million, so it conservatively issued 15% of its circulating shares to leave room for future growth.
clang!
A resounding clang of metal echoed throughout the hall.
Then came thunderous applause from dozens of shareholders and executives!
The applause was heartfelt and sincere.
Because most of those who can come to the scene are vested interests.
Zhang Yuan stood to the right of the boss, while to the left was Feng Lun, the founding director of China Minsheng Bank, who later became quite famous and frequently appeared on television.
He came on behalf of China Minsheng Bank and is the second largest shareholder of Ourpalm.
This person's smile was more restrained, because they've participated in too many listing events.
The sound of the bronze bell still echoed in their ears, and the excited crowd was invited to wait in the rest hall next door.
Unlike in North America, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange offers a banquet.
Of course, the prices are incredibly high, but those who can sit down and eat are all here to go public; who cares about that?
A table with 88888 is all about good luck.
But there was only one table; the Shenzhen Stock Exchange wouldn't let everyone in.
Apart from major shareholders, executives could only wait at nearby hotels.
Opposite the large table is a screen that displays real-time stock trends.
The people at the table were all whispering and chatting among themselves.
Needless to say, they were spitting everywhere.
Zhang Yuan knew that he saw several people gesturing excitedly, and some even had their hands trembling while speaking.
This is a symptom of excessive adrenaline secretion.
excited.
I'm so excited!
Someone with poor mental fortitude might faint upon seeing their net worth increase to hundreds of millions overnight.
"Hello Mr. Feng, I am Zhang Yuan."
“I know you.” Feng Lun, who was almost bald, smiled and shook hands with him.
As the saying goes, a smiling face is no good.
You can tell Feng Lun is a cunning old fox just by looking at his expression.
This man's rise to wealth is similar to that of the Lenovo founder; he made a fortune by acting as a comprador during enterprise restructuring, leveraging his position within the system and his family background.
Then, at the right time, they entered the real estate industry, which led to rapid growth of their assets.
With this capital, he became a "godfather" of business and investment.
Others might get into Tsinghua University, Peking University, or Renmin University.
This person is a graduate student from the Central Party School in the 80s, which tells you how valuable their degree is.
His family were already leaders of a state-owned enterprise, and he was fortunate to be born at a good time.
The old fox chatted casually with him; the content wasn't important.
They're all old foxes; they won't easily reveal useful information.
But after the conversation, this person had two impressions of Zhang Yuan.
First and foremost, they must have an active mind; otherwise, they wouldn't have invested in this company.
Secondly, he was exceptionally calm.
He was more composed than most middle-aged people.
Although he looked pleased, he wasn't overly excited.
I honed my skills at the NYSE...
Zhang Yuan still remembers what the white man delivering hot dogs on Wall Street said.
Be careful what you do.
Finance, in the end, is just a game of blowing bubbles.
Amid cheers and laughter, the issue price of 16 yuan was driven up to over 20 yuan by the time the market opened in the afternoon.
By the time the market closed in the evening, it had reached nearly 27 yuan!
Ourpalm's total market value has thus reached 70 billion!
If this company hadn't gone public, it would have been owned by Bao Dui, and its value would probably have been no more than 15 billion.
This is the allure of going public, the allure of finance.
After dilution, Zhang Yuan's original 20% stake was reduced to 17%.
It also exceeded 12 billion Chinese yuan!
It's close to two hundred million US dollars.
He initially invested $2000 million.
The return is less than 10 times in about a year.
【good】
He wondered if he should take a picture and send it to Xiao Wang.
I think I'll just let it go. If I get too angry, I'll just ask me to pay for medical expenses later.
Moreover, prices can still rise because mobile game and PC game companies have had an easy time making a living in recent years.
It only became difficult after several major land grabs were completed.
Zhang Yuan looked at the shareholders who were embracing the celebration.
I remember this company's market value was close to 200 billion at its peak.
But I can't hold the shares until then.
Time is money, my friend.
Although there is a one-year lock-up period for the shares to stabilize the share price, they cannot be sold.
But besides selling, there are many other ways to play, and he's very familiar with them all.
I wanted to send it to Xiao Wang.
He also wanted to share it with someone.
He wanted to send it to Cheng Haokan.
After self-examination, I am still unsure whether I want to share happiness or prove myself right.
He laughed self-deprecatingly, feeling like a child holding an award certificate, yearning for his parents' approval.
He was holding his phone, hesitating.
Unexpectedly, someone broke in.
It's Yang Shouchen.
"It's so noisy here, are you having a party?" Old Yang answered the phone and heard cheers.
I thought he was at a KTV or something.
"No, we were just having dinner out to celebrate. What's going on?"
"Oh, two things. I heard you wanted to sell 'Fast & Furious'."
"Someone wants it, and the price is good: the equivalent of 6000 million US dollars in Chinese yuan, in cash."
"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed in surprise.
“The price is good, but…” Yang Shouchen lowered his voice.
Is this a convenient place for you?
"Is anyone eavesdropping?"
"what happened?"
"The buyer requires the transaction to be conducted through channels in Macau," Old Yang said cautiously.
"Macao?"
"Do you get me?"
"I'm not quite..." He paused for a moment before realizing what he meant.
Hey!
Some people want to use this method to clean banknotes.
No wonder they gave so much.
Give me Huaxia Coins, and in a year or two, I'll have tens of millions of US dollars in my external accounts.
That's not much, you've given too little.
Because when you do this kind of thing, especially large-scale transactions, the commission is at least 20%!
“That won’t do,” Zhang Yuan refused decisively.
This kind of thing is very troublesome; it's easy to get more and more entangled in it.
It may seem like you're getting a good deal, but you might suffer a huge loss later.
You can engage in gray-market activities, but you can't engage in black-market activities; these are two different concepts.
One can stumble along the right path, but one cannot completely detour.
Such things happen frequently in Hong Kong and Macau.
"I don't touch this kind of thing, and don't mention it again. I don't want to be involved or know anything about it."
"OK, I understand." Old Yang didn't try to dissuade him.
"There's one more thing."
"I told you before about Chenlong's new movie."
"Yes, I had my men talk to Uncle Long's company."
"Yes, yes..." he smacked his lips twice before speaking, "But now there's been a slight change."
"Other companies are also vying for this role..." (End of Chapter)