hollywood billionaire

Chapter 446 The Elector

“You raise a very interesting question, Yujin.”

Han Yi pondered the vague clues behind Zhao Youzhen's question and threw the question back to everyone.

"Let me ask you this first... do you all find me aggressive?"

"A little bit." Xiaoru answered first, her words were more subtle, "When you are working, you will become very... competitive."

"Everyone at HAN Music knows that we are going to fight Universal, Sony and Warner, it's only a matter of time." McGrady was much more direct, "People at UTA are also discussing launching an attack on CAA and WME in their spare time. As for HAN Live... I think everyone knew from the beginning that our goal was to destroy the binary structure of AEG Live and Live Nation."

"You know what I think." Yuzhen said simply, "And I'm with you on this."

The shortest answer attracted the longest glances from Xiaoru and Maddie.

"What about you, Jordan?" Noticing the electric sparks everywhere in the air, Han Yi coughed twice and turned the topic to Jordan Bromley, "Do you think I'm aggressive?"

"They all said it, Yi. Man, you're just a bulldog." Jordan's tone and expression were exaggerated. Of course, the English word "bulldog" does not have the derogatory meaning in Chinese. "You are full of energy, fearless, and ready to fight any enemy at any time. It seems that you enjoy these conflicts and the changes they bring. I think this is a good thing."

"Then I may have to lower my tone in front of you... I may have to lower it a lot."

Han Yi smiled helplessly and shook his head. In the past few months, he was indeed immersed in this narrative of world war and even enjoyed it a bit.

"I admit that sometimes I can be quite competitive, but that's only in areas that I'm good at, that I'm familiar with. I love the music industry, I know it very well, and therefore I see some systemic problems. I am determined to use my insights, my resources, and of course your help, to solve these problems. That's why I seem to be very competitive, why I have this winning mentality, because these entities are like obstacles in the way, and if we can't clear them, there will be no way out."

"But in other areas..." McGrady helped Han Yi to say the transition sentence that connected the previous and the next.

"But in other areas, I am a truly pacifist and would never seek war. I believe that if an industry has a bright future, the pie is big enough for multiple people to profit from it at the same time. In the fields of real estate, hotels, movies or fashion, I am an outsider, I am a beginner, like Kate Spade was 25 years ago, I am an apprentice. I will not pretend that I am a savior who can suddenly appear with a lot of money and propose a cure-all solution to completely transform every industry I look at."

"In my opinion, the first step to success, no, the first step to survival in this world, is to make peace with yourself. You have to sit down and have an honest conversation with yourself. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, your ambitions and fears. Most importantly, understand your own limits and limitations. There are hundreds of people who can mobilize more financial resources than I do now. There are also thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to a specific industry and reached the level of a master. You must be humble and respect them, because by doing so, you are respecting yourself, because you recognize that you live in a world where 'focus' and 'hard work' will be rewarded."

“Therefore, I will not make enemies in these newly entered industries. I will find ways to coexist peacefully with the important players that already exist in the industry, and seek support from industry experts as much as possible, listen to their advice, and learn from them until I can call myself a master in this field... No, even at that time, I will still remain humble and continue to learn.”

"I have to say, it's really rare for someone your age and with the conditions to have that mentality," Jordan said. "Most of them would wave around everything God has given them, any pathetic little thing they have, and pretend they're the next Jesus."

"I already have some names in mind," Maddie chuckled.

"Don't say it." Jordan stretched out his hand and pressed it in the air, half-jokingly stopping him.

“You seek coexistence in other fields, but you can’t do that in the music industry… Is it because the role you play is different?” At the same time, Xiaoru pondered another thing, “In other fields you can be a spectator who bets on players, but in the music industry, you have to be a player.”

"I can't think of a better analogy than this, Grace." Han Yi nodded in response with great satisfaction, "But it doesn't mean that I can't be a fan of the music industry, it's just that I don't want to be one. People always have ambitions, or desires, that transcend money and power in certain things, so that life in this world has meaning."

"I understand." Xiaoru spoke softly with a gentle look in her eyes, "Some games are only fun if you participate in them yourself, even if it means getting bruised and bloody. Your body will feel pain, but your heart will be filled with peace and joy."

“I think everyone has their own kind of game.”

"Not everyone." For some reason, Han Yi always felt that when Xu Yiru said this, her eyes were completely empty and hollow for a moment. "That's why I think you are lucky."

"That's true, Yi." Jordan also echoed, "A lot of times you can't do what you like to do. This is the majority of life. If you know what you love and have the ability to dominate in that field, then such people are one in a million, or even one in ten million."

"Maybe... But like you said, Grace, if you want to participate in these games in person, you will inevitably be bruised and even bloody. I don't intend to let myself be injured and bleed in every field, so... To answer your question directly, Yuzhen, no, I will not take Jimmy Choo and Kate Spade myself, create a 'third heir', and launch an attack on the throne. Because that is not my throne."

Han Yi turned his gaze to Zhao Youzhen who was lost in thought.

"If I had to play a role, I would choose to be an elector."

“Kurfürst.” Yujin repeated the somewhat tongue-twisting German word and chuckled, “I didn’t expect you to know this word.”

"Why, you think those who study music industry are dumber than those who study political science, right?" Han Yi glared and joked, "We also study occasionally! Occasionally."

"Yes, Elector."

Two shallow dimples appeared on Yuzhen's cheeks. "In order to fulfill your duties as an elector, I think you will not choose sides in this war, right? You will accept investment invitations from Coach and Michael Kors at the same time, and promote the acquisitions of Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo at the same time. In this way, no matter who wins in the end, you will be the winner."

"Besides, the fashion industry is not like the Holy Roman Empire, which had only one emperor...well, in fact, the Zweikaiser problem had always been a problem." Xu Yiru objected.

"The Zwei...what?" McGrady was confused.

"The Two Emperors Problem refers to the dispute between the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire in the Middle Ages, which empire's ruler was the legitimate Roman emperor." Jordan Bromley rubbed his brow and joked, "Oh my God, I feel like I'm attending a seminar at Brown University."

"Or maybe it's just normal Asian table chat...what's the matter?" Seeing four pairs of eyes cast at her, Madison spread her hands innocently, "First, this is a compliment. Second, oh, don't look at me like that, I have a lot of Asian friends and an Asian mother. These two points must be remembered."

"Are you referring to me?" Zhao Youzhen pointed his index finger at himself.

"Who else could it be?"

"Thank you and..." The atmosphere was so intense that the Korean girl even made a rare joke, "Ouch, I guess."

"I have two points that you need to keep in mind." Han Yi smiled and brought everyone back to the point. He liked the harmonious atmosphere at the moment. Although it was a subtle harmony, it was much better than the previous four-nation chess melee. "First, I don't know how to plan the 1.2 billion. Maybe my family has other ideas... I have to discuss this with them first."

This was of course a lie. The truth was that Han Yi didn't know how long it would take him to complete the task of the five mottos - at his current slow pace, the first motto had not been moved at all, and it was still unknown whether all of them could be painted red next year - therefore, he didn't know when he could activate the right to use the $1.2 billion, and whether he could get the money before the completion of the two acquisitions of Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo.

"Secondly, what Youzhen said makes sense, and what Grace said also makes sense. I just want to be an elector, but that doesn't mean I have to choose an emperor for a certain industry. I would rather see several empires emerge and develop at the same time. This is more conducive to the development of each industry and to myself. The more competition, the more development, and the more profit."

"But profit is not the only thing you pursue, is it?" Xu Yiru pondered for a moment and asked softly, "You participate in these projects because you want to board as many ships as possible so that you can get to know as many captains as possible?"

“I have to admit that this is one of the reasons.”

Sometimes, Han Yi felt a little frightened by how well Xiaoru knew him.

Fortunately, this person who is familiar with me is not an outsider.

"We all know that, at the end of the day, these large groups, these behemoths from different industries, are actually controlled by the same group of people. For example, Coach's shareholders, calculated by shareholding ratio, are Vanguard Group, Fidelity Investments, Blackstone Group, State Street Corporation, MGM Financial and Charles Schwab. And Michael Kors's? Vanguard Group, Blackstone Group, State Street Bank, oh, here's a new name, Norges Bank. And then... look, Fidelity Investments."

Han Yi compared the public equity information of the two listed companies.

"Even in the music industry, these names come and go. The main investors of Live Nation are Vanguard Group, Blackstone Group, State Street Group... Do you understand what I mean? Although we have to personally participate in the music field and become players, I don't want other players to think that I am competing on the same level as them."

He stretched out his hand and drew an invisible dividing line in the air.

"I hope that when they are annoyed with the existence of me and HAN Music and want to launch a massive attack to completely eliminate us, they will investigate my investments in other fields. I want them to see that the name HAN not only appears on record covers, but also in every industry related to popular culture, and in the list of major shareholders that must be disclosed in the financial reports of leading companies. I want them to know that I am participating in the major league game with their bread and butter. Not as an opponent, but as a teammate. Their bread and butter and I have long become an inseparable whole with closely intertwined interests."

"Did you see that Carlyle bought Supreme? Sorry, that's my money."

"Did you see Coach bought Kate Spade? Sorry, there's still my money in it."

“In every field related to mass culture and mass consumption, in every major transaction that shakes the industry, my name is not seen, but my name is written everywhere. I am Carlyle, I am Supreme, I am Coach, I am Blackstone, and they are all me. Conversely, Han Music can also be Carlyle Group, Blackstone, or Pioneer. Hey, I can even be Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, CAA, WME, Live Nation, and AEG Live. As long as they need to raise development funds at some point, I can sneak in quietly and become a part of them.”

“I’m not here to destroy anyone, I’m here to be everyone.”

"The best way to kill the game is to get both teams, the referees, and the entire major league on my side."

"This is also the reason why closed leagues such as the NFL and NBA can often produce the highest commercial value."

"Every game, even every run, is wonderful, because every conflict can be controlled and manipulated."

“They are rigged.”

"And I'm the one rigging them."

(End of this chapter)