Chapter 1516
Son-in-Law
The old Jewish man talked to him for a long time, making it clear that he wouldn't budge until the matter was settled.
Zhang Yuan, on the other hand, said, "If you don't give in, how am I supposed to get things done?"
The two of them started doing a back-and-forth dance.
After a long pause, the other person continued to hurl insults in English before finally speaking.
"I hope you are trustworthy."
"I have always been very trustworthy."
Zhang Yuan laughed inwardly as he replied, "I'm already being nice by not worrying about you, and you're judging me with such petty suspicions."
And he knew perfectly well that this guy was just making empty promises again.
The reason for repeatedly arguing with oneself is to gain benefits.
The fact that they finally agreed must be because obtaining this information didn't take much effort or cost.
Maybe a few phone calls will solve it.
He tried to get something for nothing but failed, and after a few words of abuse, he confessed.
Still playing these tricks on me...
He wanted to obtain information on the Legendary Pictures boss and his associates, and this guy managed to get it all at once.
The owner, Thomas Tull, is not old; he's only forty.
He started out working in Wall Street investment banks, initially at Legendary Pictures, which was simply a film investment company.
Because working on Wall Street allowed him to come into contact with major film and television companies and learn about capital operations.
Lately, I've felt that just investing isn't enough; I want to do the whole thing myself.
So this person is quite shrewd, managing to strike a relatively good balance between financing and film production.
But that's only relative.
After hearing about Smith's background, Zhang Yuan understood many things.
Why put him in this position? Why give him such a lucrative job?
And why Commissioner Smith was so bold.
Smith's hometown is Ohio.
This place is known as the "hometown of presidents" because it has produced eight presidents.
But it is also the location of the famous "Rust Belt".
After self-castration and deindustrialization in North America, it completely declined and became a notorious large rural area.
Just treat this place like the three northeastern provinces.
Originally, the industry was extremely developed, but after the decline of industry, they could only rely on agriculture to make a living.
Many families are facing an unemployment crisis.
Moreover, North America is quite different from Northeast China.
The lighthouse is a place of significance, a blend of the capitalist world and Social Darwinism.
As long as you don't starve to death, starve yourself to death.
Farmers, under the protection of large corporations, will complete land consolidation through price fluctuations in seed and grain procurement.
Smith's family lost most of their farm, and he graduated from the University of Chicago on student loans with interest rates exceeding 10%.
Then he racked his brains to climb the social ladder, and finally, through picking up girls, he entered the circle of old Jews.
He married an elderly Jewish woman whose family was in the investment business. Legendary Pictures had approached this family for initial funding, which led to his current position in the company.
The woman's family arranged for him to work at Legendary Pictures, which can also be considered a form of asset supervision.
According to Chinese custom, Smith's situation would be considered a case of marrying into the family.
The mainstream religion in Ohio is Protestantism, but if you marry into the family, you must convert to Judea.
Moreover, the woman didn't help him pay off his huge student loan debts.
Harvey said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
According to Chinese tradition, we're all family now, so we should share the burdens and pay off debts in advance, making life easier for the young couple.
After listening, Zhang Yuan understood immediately.
Because of his poor background, he was ruthless in making money and insatiable.
Even if you're greedy, you can't be as greedy as an American student loan takeout ...
In North America, student loans are called "rolling interest" because the interest owed is directly added to the principal and is adjusted according to inflation, so it is very likely that the amount owed will keep increasing.
Moreover, banks have the right to deduct money directly from your card on your payday without notifying you.
Don't be fooled by the fact that middle-class people earn tens or hundreds of thousands of US dollars a year. Even with those resources, they'd still have to pay off student loans until they're 5 or 60.
Not only can they make huge profits, but they can also largely solidify class divisions, preventing those at the bottom from rising up and sharing the spoils with the established elites.
They've figured it all out; it's all about how to push people to their limits.
Zhang Yuan showed him no sympathy whatsoever.
They've already taken advantage of me, and I'm still going to sympathize with them? That's like a hen sympathizing with a weasel.
Another thing he understood was why the other person always wanted to play around with women, and even explicitly told him so.
Sure enough, you can buy anything if you pay. A bunch of shameless bastards.
The other party only gave verbal instructions and did not leave any written information, which is considered cautious.
After he got home, he found a small notebook and made detailed notes and analyses.
"Auntie, I have a question for you." After finishing his work, he went to the bedroom and looked around before finding the housekeeper.
Has Miss Yang Mi visited recently?
"No." The aunt shook her head.
He then asked Zeng Jia and discovered that the other party's schedule was extremely full, the kind that was reckless.
They can work more than 18 hours a day, and even 20 hours!
Aside from eating and sleeping on the road, the rest of the time was spent working.
He even had some doubts about whether it was theoretically possible for her to do something like this, given that the company's car had cost tens of thousands of yuan in fuel every month.
"If you don't rest, your body won't be able to keep up."
"And if you don't rest, your brain won't have time to think."
"How can you put on a good show without thinking?" Zhang Yuan sighed and shook his head.
Never mind, she chose it herself.
According to Zeng Jia's description, this person has not visited his small courtyard house since filming "Painted Skin 2".
But clothes, shoes, socks, cosmetics, and daily necessities are still piled up in his house.
Just a placeholder.
I still didn't say much, just let her be.
The next day, he drove to a high-end residential area in Chaoyang District.
Hello, long time no see.
A figure wearing a beige trench coat, with long, loose hair and sunglasses, got into the car.
Bai Bing took off her sunglasses, gently biting the temple of the glasses with her lips, and carefully examined him.
I still prefer this kind of food.
Zhang Yuan couldn't resist the frequent, friendly contact from this person.
I'm not annoyed, nor do I complain about not being able to meet.
Even if they're putting on a nice face, I can't just start cursing.
"Let's go."
"Shall I have dinner with you again today?"
“Yes,” he replied succinctly.
"A very important person?"
"Yes."
"I would be even happier if you could say a few more words when you answer me," Miss Bai suggested with a smile.
“I have some business to discuss with the owner of an investment company.”
"Just listen more, eat more, and talk less."
"You don't have to stay silent. Even if you say something wrong, people are very forgiving of pretty girls."
"Thank you." She selectively heard the word "beautiful."
"No, I'm just stating the facts."
"Then all that time I spent getting ready won't have been for nothing." She stated her attitude frankly.
"If it's a very important business deal, aren't you afraid I'll leak it?" Miss Bai asked again.
"The fact that I brought you here means I'm not afraid."
“If it’s something like murder or arson, I’ll talk to someone else about it privately.” Zhang Yuan raised an eyebrow. “You’re really charming when you’re joking.” Miss Bai thought he was bragging.
This is why Zhang Yuan couldn't get too close to her.
Although there is a physical distance, the emotional distance remains significant.
A sudden chill of loneliness washed over him.
They arrived at a private room in a high-end restaurant, where Zhang Yuan and she waited for a middle-aged man to arrive.
"I've long admired you, Mr. Cao."
The visitor was Cao Yibo, Managing Director of Sequoia Capital China.
Originally, Zhang Yuan asked his older sister Li Jing to help him make an appointment with Shen Nanpeng, the real bigwig at Sequoia Capital.
This person is a top expert at China Investment Corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a master's degree in mathematics from Columbia University, and then went on to get an MBA from Yale School of Management.
In the 8s and 90s, even the most awesome things were no longer impressive.
While business school programs might offer discounts, Columbia University's math department and its programs offer absolutely no discounts; graduates are among the most brilliant minds.
The earliest investment in Lefeng.com came from Shen Nanpeng.
However, the other party was unavailable, as they were abroad.
So he could only arrange to meet with Mr. Cao, who was a level below him.
The fine wine and food went without saying, and the journey from strangers to becoming somewhat acquainted was all in the wine.
"You seem to have drunk more today than last time."
He discovered that Bai Bing had not only started offering toasts this time, but his alcohol tolerance had also improved.
“I’ve been practicing a bit lately, both at home and when I’m out with friends,” the person whispered in his ear.
"Oh..." Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, somewhat lost in thought.
It must be for practicing with myself.
The other party was so serious that he felt a little embarrassed.
How about I pick her tonight...?
"I invited you here today because I have a favor to ask."
"Please feel free to speak," the other person said politely.
“Speaking of which, we’re in the same industry; you’re also an investor.”
"And he's a successful investor."
"Thank you for the compliment. Compared to Sequoia Capital, I'm just a primary school student, just playing around."
"I was just lucky to have invested in Ourpalm."
"In our investment banking industry, there's no such thing as luck; we just cast a wide net and learn as much as we can."
"We are learning from each other today."
The other person glanced at him and Bai Bing with some envy.
This girl is beautiful.
What made you choose OurFun?
"I've played their games, and the turnover seems pretty high."
“I also have film and television IPs that I can combine.”
"Looks like I was right, I do need to learn more. I don't know much about games," the other person asked casually.
"Speaking of which, today's matter is also related to PalmFun."
"Are you Sequoia Capital interested in this company?" Zhang Yuan asked sincerely.
This person, however, became alert.
"We are interested in all high-quality companies."
"Potential startups and successful publicly traded companies are all the same."
This person guessed that perhaps the young investor wanted to cash out.
As long as he asks for something, I can take advantage of him.
As a high-level investor, I naturally have some knowledge of the companies that have recently gone public.
Understanding that PalmFun's stock price still has room to rise makes it a good deal.
However, this deal turned out to be somewhat different from what he had envisioned.
Are you looking to cash out your shares?
"A 12-month lock-in period is still a long way off," Zhang Yuan waved his hand.
"There are various ways to cross the bridge," the other person said dismissively.
“I know that, but I came to you not to sell my shares.”
"Oh...so you mean?"
Zhang Yuan suppressed his cunning gaze and continued to maintain his sincerity.
"You must know about the recent group-buying war."
Mr. Cao nodded, then fell silent.
"I heard that Sequoia Capital is a major investor in Meituan and holds a large stake."
Do you have any plans to add further funding?
"We are also negotiating this matter."
Zhang Yuan knew from this that there would be no further investment.
If there were to be additional funding, this wouldn't be the attitude.
After all, the battle was too chaotic, and apart from those who were already prepared to "go all in," everyone else was watching and waiting.
Sequoia Capital was Meituan's earliest investor, at its peak holding nearly 28% of the shares.
After several rounds of dilution, it now has about 18% remaining.
They never expected that group buying would become such a huge market!
They're practically money-devouring beasts.
In the current situation, even throwing in 100 million Chinese yuan wouldn't make a ripple.
With 100 million RMB invested separately, it can fund at least 30 to 50 startups, reaching the angel round stage.
This kind of big-capital thinking is about casting a wide net, because you never know which cloud will bring rain.
If just one of them goes public, the investment costs of the remaining 99 failed companies can all be recovered.
Unless it's a large company that you're particularly optimistic about or that has already succeeded, like Alibaba or Tencent.
Otherwise, such a massive amount of capital would not have been mobilized.
They were optimistic about Meituan, but now Lashou and Dianping are also formidable forces, making the battle fierce.
Unlike Zhang Yuan, who had "clairvoyance" and knew who would ultimately win.
Investment wars are winner-takes-all, losers perish—a very Western-style game. They dare not, and will not, go all in on Meituan.
Because if more funds are added at this point, it would be at least tens of millions of US dollars.
Even if Wang Xing is very strong and experienced, they will not venture too deep into the territory rashly.
I'd rather invest in other hot industries right now to increase my chances of success.
Investment banks are generally averse to "going all in," because the likely outcome is being outmaneuvered and ruined.
Unless you're the one setting the trap.
On Meituan's side, Sequoia Capital helped connect them with Alibaba, because they also have a small stake in Alibaba.
All the big companies are rife with mutual scorn; after all the investigations, there are only a few dozen giants behind them.
"I am quite optimistic about Meituan.com and have also been in contact with Wang Xing because his partner Chen Rui is my friend."
"We chatted for a bit, and I thought it was a good opportunity, but I didn't have any money on hand."
"How can you invest if you don't have money, right?"
"So you want to sell your shares in Ourfun to raise money... Wait, didn't he just say he wouldn't sell?" The other person asked, somewhat puzzled.
"I won't sell, but can we trade?"
"Change?"
"I'll exchange my shares in Ourfun for your shares in Meituan," Zhang Yuan cautiously proposed.
I don't have enough money to buy it.
Lao Tzu has a big appetite.
There is one problem.
I don't want to pay the money, but I want the goods.
So we need to think of a way... (End of Chapter)