Reinventing the Millennium.

Chapter 490 For Business (Two in One)

Fang Zhuo and Stringer completed the meeting, and the two have a practical cooperation based on Sony Music and Yike. This intention is almost certain to be reached in July.

Because, Sony (USA) is Stringer's territory, and Sony Music implements his will.

As for the external director seat of the Sony Group, it is just a vision of future development. Whether this vision can be turned into reality depends on many factors.

Judging from the current situation, Fang Zhuo thinks that Stringer will have a good chance to compete for the chairmanship of Sony Group.

In particular, Stringer gave very definite news that this year in the United States there will be two events that are very eye-catching in the current decline of Sony-the merger of Sony Music and Bertelsmann, and the acquisition of MGM Films led by Sony.

The former will make Sony Bertelsmann Music the world's second largest record company after Universal Music Corporation, while the latter will allow Sony to master 7600 film assets, surpassing Time Warner and leaping to the top of the film database.

These two actions will cause shocks in the industry, and Stringer's generous efforts will inevitably increase the score in the consideration of Sony Group's successor.

At the very least, Sony Entertainment must be in the limelight in the short term.

Fang Zhuo didn't know much about entertainment, and he also listened to the analysis of director Xiaoyu, saying that Sony's acquisition of MGM was more for the production and distribution of film and television products DVD, and it might also consider the future development relying on the Internet Instead, provide movies to families.

From this point of view, Stringer's side must continue to add weight.

In such a process, Fang Zhuo was no match for Stringer, Sony's overseas king, who was aggressive. He just let Yi Ke get a foot in Sony Bertelsmann, so as to improve his own copyright moat. .

All actions are for the win-win and mutual benefit of business, but they are also mixed with the consideration of corporate power struggle.

The shareholding that Yi Ke joined still needs follow-up contact and discussion, and this work is still handed over to Yu Hong to advance.

Fang Zhuo didn't stay in New York for too long. He presided over a meeting in the American market, promoted a local deputy director, and then rushed to Houston to complete the final procedures of acquiring the team.

At ten o'clock in the morning on April 4th, at the Toyota Center Arena in Houston, Fang Zhuo and his legal and financial teams signed a contract with the Rockets owner Alexander under the witness of league president Stern, officially becoming the team's new star. Owner.

Immediately afterwards, he attended a press conference with league president Stern as the team's new owner and officially announced the news.

"I love basketball very much, and I am also very optimistic about the development of the league."

"I am very satisfied with the current operation management and team configuration of the Rockets. It will remain the same. I think that although our ranking is not too high this year, we will definitely show extraordinary strength in the playoffs."

Fang Zhuo talked eloquently at the press conference, and Stern next to him didn't say much, but the smile on his face was from the heart.

When it came to the media questioning session, the reporters in the audience asked about Fang Zhuo's previous bet, and asked whether it was still valid when the Rockets might only rank seventh in the regular season.

"Of course it works. I have confidence in our team, coach Van Gundy, Francis, Yao Ming and other players. They will definitely achieve a good result in the playoffs."

The reporter reminded again: "Mr. Fang, it is very likely that the Rockets will meet the Lakers this year. Do you think Francis + Yao Ming can play against Kobe + O'Neal?"

"The Lakers' Kobe and O'Neal are All-Stars, and our Francis and Yao Ming are also All-Stars." Fang Zhuo spread his hands with a smile on his face, "There's nothing to be afraid of. I think this will be a wonderful game."

He thought for a while, and then said: "If it really fails, I would like to kiss the donkey's butt during the live broadcast like Barkley. Maybe, I can go to the commentary station of TNT to ask about some kissing experience."

The Rockets' new boss is young and confident.

This is very attractive to the reporters. They all know that the fans are willing to watch the fierce confrontation on the court, and they don't mind watching the whole work off the court.

Fang Zhuo from the east seems to be very good at tidying up.

After this press conference, many media published the news that the Rockets changed their boss, and by the way, the old story raised the new boss' bet again.

Such news has aroused the interest of many fans, and many basketball commentators have expressed their concern.

Because, the playoffs of this season are not far away, and the first game between the Rockets and the Lakers can be seen in a week.

In other words, after two weeks, everyone can look forward to how the Rockets' new boss will honor his bet.

Yes, no one thinks the Rockets can beat the Lakers, who have won the championship for three consecutive years.

O'Neal is at his peak, Kobe is also showing more and more abilities, and Yao Ming is entering the playoffs for the first time this year. Although Francis has been an All-Star guard for three consecutive years, he is not considered to have the ability to lead the team.

TNT and ESPN, two sports media with a wide audience, have sent out surveys asking fans about their predictions for the Rockets and Lakers games.

As a result, the forecast wireless approaches 0:10.

Even the Rockets' own fans are not optimistic about the home team's playoff journey.

On April 4th, the Rockets will play the last game of the regular season at home in Houston, and then they will have to rest for three days to prepare for the playoffs.

As the team's new owner, Fang Zhuo naturally wanted to show up to watch the game.

Not only that, he also invited friends and sent out hero posts, inviting friends he knew to come to the Rockets' home court to watch Yao Ming play.

It's just that the time is too short and everyone is very busy. Who can catch a plane overnight to watch the game in Houston like a fool?

"Hey, old bear, long time no see."

Fang Zhuo welcomes his first old friend Mr. Xiong Xiaoge.

Although Xiong Xiaoge slept on the plane for a long time, he was still a little tired: "It's not easy to see you now, President Fang, you are very happy here."

"When did you find me?" Fang Zhuo wondered, "Didn't the co-author come to watch the football with me?"

"Yes and no, IDG has some business connections here." Xiong Xiaoge complained, "You called me yesterday, and I want to watch the game today. If I didn't happen to have a plan, who would agree to your perfunctory invitation?"

Jay Chou can.

Xiong Xiaoge arrived at noon and Jay Chou arrived in the afternoon.

The little heavenly king who is already popular in the mainland almost immediately agreed to the invitation when he received a call from Mr. Fang, eager to come and watch the game with his new boss.

Jay Chou likes basketball very much. He joined the school basketball team when he was in junior high school, and then he was pushed on the bench for 3 years, almost never playing.

He also pays close attention to Yao Ming's NBA games.

Unlike Xiong Xiaoge who didn't have to watch the fun, Jay Chou chatted endlessly about the situation of this year's playoffs as soon as he saw Fang Zhuo.

After analyzing it, he said regretfully: "Mr. Fang, although I support Yao Ming very much, your bet is really reckless."

"It's not a problem, it will grow up in the future, it's just for entertainment." Fang Zhuo didn't take it to heart, he was not the first to have such a view, and he won't be the last.

That night, at the Toyota Center, three men sat in the front row watching the Rockets' closing game.

Maybe it was because the new boss was watching the game for the first time, or maybe it was because the new boss said he would not move the team. The players all showed extremely strong fighting spirit, which made Jay Chou very excited to watch.

But he felt that the fly in the ointment was that the two men next to him had been discussing the development of the Internet in China... Let's forget about Mr. Xiong, you are a dignified boss, Mr. Fang, and you actually chatted with him for the whole time!

Jay Chou cursed in his heart.

However, when the game was over, he found that Mr. Fang seemed to regain his spirits all of a sudden. He was interviewed by the media again, expressed his confidence in the team again, and showed off a decent dribble with the crotch. It seems to be a basketball hobby. By.

"Uh, Mr. Fang, he's quite lively."

Jay Chou looked at Mr. Fang who was chatting with the head coach with a bright smile on his face, and couldn't help but describe his impression with commendatory words.

"It's all business." Xiong Xiaoge was not interested in basketball, so he commented calmly on the side.

Jay Chou didn't understand how much business he could do by spending such a high price on a team?He is already the richest man in the mainland, why not come to Houston to do business from afar?Moreover, Yike seems to have already done it.

The media reporters kept their interest in the new boss of the alliance, and Fang Zhuo was outspoken, not caring about the pitfalls set by the reporters' questions.

In just two days, he listed the top ten players in the league, No.1 in the current league, the number one shooting guard, etc. from his perspective, which are prone to disputes.

Seeing this, Mark Cuban of the Mavericks, another big-mouthed owner who is also located in Texas, couldn't help naming Fang Zhuo in an interview before the playoffs.

"Fang Zhuo should take care of himself instead of criticizing us wantonly."

"He has time to think that our team can't pass the first round, so why not think about how to kiss a donkey's ass."

"The Rockets will never pass the Lakers this year."

"I will definitely win the team's championship trophy before Fang Zhuo!"

Houston is located in Texas. Fang Zhuo previously talked about the traditional Texas top three "Rockets, Spurs, and Mavericks" in a reporter's question and listed the Mavericks last.

This undoubtedly angered Cuban, only to have such a tit-for-tat comment.

However, now Fang Zhuo is not afraid of tit-for-tat, eager to attract more attention, he immediately accepted the reporter's interview, gave an evaluation of the Mavericks, who are also a Texas team, and bluntly said that Cuban did not understand the ball.

Moreover, he announced in a high-profile manner that this year he will accept the invitation of TNT, the Turner TV network, as a special guest for the playoffs. When he is free, he will share the same stage with Barkley, the commentator who has kissed the donkey's ass.

From the bet before taking over the team to the monster after taking over, Fang Zhuo, the new owner of the Rockets, has a reputation in the basketball circle.

However, the fans of the Rockets generally wailed when they saw such a posture—who can stand up to such a high-profile and superficial team owner!
On the evening of April 4, Yao Ming and his girlfriend Ye Li visited the team owner's new home in the rich area of ​​Houston.

Just yesterday, Fang Zhuo just moved in, so he has a place to stay here.

The house was selected by the secretary. It is more than 280 square meters, has a swimming pool, and a basketball court. The total price is only [-] million US dollars.

Because the payment was straightforward, the previous owner gave the whole family furniture as a gift, and Fang Zhuo moved in with his bags.

The Rockets will start their first playoff game at the home court of the Lakers on the 18th, so they will fly to Los Angeles tomorrow.

After Yao Ming thought about it, he still felt that he should come to visit Mr. Fang, and congratulate him on his housewarming.

"Dayao is here, eat for yourself at night, see what you can eat, don't spoil your stomach before the game."

"Hey, Ye Li, you and Dayao hit it off right away, if it's okay, you can bring Dayao over for dinner."

Fang Zhuo didn't have the detached appearance in front of the media reporters. He picked up the couple and walked in. After the greetings were in place, he called Jay Chou from the music room to chat with him.

Jay Chou intends to watch the entire Rockets' playoff run when he comes this time, so he simply lives in Mr. Fang's new home to add to his popularity.

At present, Fang Zhuo lives here with one person each from the legal, financial, and PH equipment procurement companies, plus secretary Zhao Zhishan, Sina assistant Sun Deying, and Zhou Jielun, a total of seven people, quite empty.

Fang Zhuo chatted with him for a while, and there were still some materials in the study that had not been sorted out, so he went back to continue sorting out.

Yao Ming still wanted to chat with the boss about the team, so he talked to Jay Chou and knocked on the door of the study.

"Dayao, come in."

Yao Ming pushed open the door and saw President Fang who was summarizing the materials, and also saw the two whiteboards in front of him with paper sandwiched between them.

Fang Zhuo said without looking back: "If you're talking about team predictions, then there's no need to talk about it. I've already let the news out in front of the reporters. It's useless to talk about it now. Just hit yours and don't get hurt."

Yao Ming was speechless, and this was what he wanted to talk about.

After a while, he said, "Boss Fang, uh, the bet..."

"It's okay, I won't be depressed." Fang Zhuo smiled, and then said, "I always call Mr. Fang, it's very strange, I'm older than you, just call Brother Fang."

Yao Ming is 24 this year, not as old as Fang Zhuo in terms of age.

He really called it that, but he didn't know what to say. He looked at one of the whiteboards, and suddenly found that there were teams' lists and salaries on it, as well as players from other teams.

Yao Ming looked at another whiteboard and found that it was densely packed with analysis of the Sony Group.

Fang Zong in front of the media and now is like two people

Yao Ming was silent for a while, and asked directly: "Mr. Fang, um, Brother Fang, do you want to trade after the playoffs?"

"Of course you have to trade. If you regard the team as a commercial project, as the chairman of the board of directors, I don't agree with the current CEO Van Gundy's positioning of you as an executive, and I don't think the middle and high-level executives recruited by general manager Dawson have enough executive power. " Fang Zhuo said calmly, "There is only one championship every year, and I don't want to not get an honor before I sell this team."

Yao Ming was stunned. Hearing this, it meant not only the player trade, but also the head coach Van Gundy and the general manager Dawson... This is a big change for all staff!Mr. Fang, you know football so well!

He wanted to speak but saw Mr. Fang's firm eyes, knowing that he could not shake the other party's decision.

"Brother Fang, you still want to sell the team? When will you sell it?" Yao Ming sighed inwardly, picking up another new message.

"Well, how about selling it after you retire?" Fang Zhuo laughed.

Yao Ming: "..."

He smiled wryly, "Then I will fight for a few more years."

"So, our position is the same." Fang Zhuo shrugged. He didn't say that Van Gundy's positioning of Yao Ming was too heavy. Anyway, the team is his own, so he can do whatever he wants.

No matter how bad it is, can it be worse than the Rockets that Yao Ming was in before?
Fang Zhuo reached out and clipped the last page of Sony's information on the whiteboard, glanced at the name of Sony's vice president "Ryoji Nakabachi" on it, turned around and said, "Let's go, let's go eat, don't make a sad face."

"It's all about entertainment, it's all about business."

Fang Zhuo stood on tiptoe and patted Dayao on the shoulder. For the first time, he felt that this action did not reflect the attitude of the president at all.

Listening to the boss's words, Yao Ming had a vague sense of seeing "everything is for the children".

(End of this chapter)