Actor: Thank you.

Zhang Yuan's statement that he wants to become an investor in Youku is relevant.

Gu Yongqiang pushed up his glasses, remaining noncommittal.

As the saying goes, having no attitude is an attitude in itself.

No answer is an answer.

Not answering, showing no attitude, means disagreement.

This isn't the first time he's brought it up.

After "iPartment" became a huge hit, Mr. Gu talked to him, and he had already expressed his thoughts.

Being simple and direct resulted in rejection.

Boss Gu, being a business graduate, spoke more tactfully than Jun'er, a science and engineering student.

But the meaning is roughly the same.

You're useless to us!

It's not entirely useless.

Lei Jun didn't see how Zhang Yuan could help his startup, since his early employees were all top-notch technical personnel in the industry.

Zhang Yuan isn't in this line of work.

As for Youku, it can't be said that it was useless.

Actually, it's quite crucial. The exclusive distribution of comedy content, including "iPartment" and crosstalk, brought a large amount of traffic to the platform.

In Zhang Yuan's most familiar professional field, he plays a significant role.

The problem is that Youku is an online platform, not a production company or a theater chain.

A good work can indeed attract people.

But we are not in the stage of existing market share now; it is still an early blue ocean. The most important factor in seizing the market is the technological and scale advantage formed by capital.

However, it cannot be said that the work itself is unimportant.

Mr. Gu knew very well that platforms that deny content wouldn't go far.

This is why he hasn't contacted Zhang Yuan since Zhang Yuan brought it up last time.

But the situation is different now; we can't afford not to keep in touch.

"Regarding this matter..." Boss Gu replied earnestly, "Becoming an investor in Youku requires a huge amount of capital."

“I have money,” Zhang Yuan replied, seizing the opportunity.

“I know.” Boss Gu thought to himself that he should have gotten a lot of money after getting away from the potatoes.

“I understand you have a certain amount of funds, but that may not be enough to meet our needs.”

"The amount of money that internet companies have to swallow before going public these days is terrifying."

“We’ve talked about it before, it would have to be at least $4000 million.”

"In Chinese Yuan, it exceeds 3 million!"

Boss Gu brought up money first, hoping to discourage him from bringing it up again.

Why don't we just focus on content collaboration?

Each major.

“If it’s 3 million…” Zhang Yuan lowered his head and pondered for a while.

Seeing his reaction, Boss Gu felt that his words had worked.

Just as she was about to relax, she received a startling reply from Zhang Yuan.

"I actually have that much money!"

Under Gu Yongqiang's incredulous gaze, Zhang Yuan counted on his fingers.

I was thinking about it, but I couldn't say out loud where the money came from.

Guess why I sold my shares in Huayi, and why I haven't touched those 2 million yuan?
In addition, mortgaging the apartment in Shanghai to the bank should bring the total together to about the required amount.

Zhang Yuan stroked his chin. "I, Old Zhang, am going all in again?"
All his savings are here.

This is all the strength he has accumulated over the years.

Can you withstand the power of twenty years of skill in this punch?
I declare myself the cash king of the Beijing entertainment industry. Who agrees? Who disagrees?

Boss Gu never expected him to be so confident.

I did the mental calculations, but something felt off.

The small share of potatoes shouldn't be worth that much money.

Now that they're face to face, he doesn't have time to think about it.

I wanted to question it, but I felt it was not very dignified, so I let him get away with it.

"But you should know that funding is only one of the conditions for becoming an investor."

"If it's the angel round in the early stages of a startup, then money is indeed all that matters."

"But things are different now. Even if you want to become an investor, it's not up to me to decide."

“There are other shareholders and investors as well.”

Zhang Yuanmenqing uses others as an excuse, and he often uses this tactic himself.

That makes sense, but not much.

Because he is different from Wang Wei, who is associated with potatoes.

Wang Wei was truly starting a business for the first time, and in the early stages he frantically sold shares just to raise funds to survive.

But Mr. Gu is a veteran in the investment banking industry, and he has a very good grasp of the share transfer ratio.

Even now, at this crucial juncture of the final round of financing before the company's IPO, he remains the absolute controlling shareholder of Youku.

Not just the largest shareholder, but generally in large companies, a 30% or even 25% stake is considered the largest shareholder.

But the owner of Kegu controls more than 50% of the shares of Youku!
Therefore, in theory, he not only has a veto power, but also a vote in favor.

At this company, no one can stop him from doing what he wants.

So Zhang Yuan only needs to keep an eye on him.

I don't need to have much contact with other shareholders or other investment companies.

"President Gu," Zhang Yuan introduced, leaning slightly forward in a gentle tone.

"Now I not only have the copyright to the sitcom 'iPartment' but also the copyright to crosstalk."

"And the online rights to the popular dating show 'If You Are the One'."

"And the online rights to 'China's Got Talent,' which has been officially imitated by 'Britain's Got Talent' and will be broadcast in conjunction with the Shanghai World Expo, are also in my hands."

"Furthermore, I also hold the copyright to Zheng Xiaolong's new film, which is worth nearly 100 million yuan and was directed by a top director who has filmed hit dramas such as 'Golden Wedding'."

"I am also associated with two companies, Dongyang Huanyu and Modu Tangren. Their works can also be exclusively available on Youku."

"There are many more movie resources, but I won't go into them."

"In short, I can bring a very rich and high-quality library of works to Youku."

"It can definitely be a great help in the competition between Youku and its peers." Zhang Yuan generously displayed his "strength" just as he did with the girls.

What I've accumulated over the years isn't just money!
Zhang Yuan confidently introduced his family's wealth.

He had long been preparing for the internet age, accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing his full potential.

If you catch a wave of opportunities in life, as long as you don't waste your time recklessly, you'll have everything you need for the rest of your life.

Therefore, he must capitalize on this wave of video platform activity!
Only by profiting from this wave can we continue to snowball and move forward.

One wrong step, one misstep, and catching up will be a real struggle.

Gu Yongqiang was a little puzzled by his confidence.

Is this over?

Isn't it still just about the work itself and its content?

If these things could move me, they would have moved me long ago. Why would I have waited until now?
Money and artwork are not the most important factors.

"I am quite interested in your content."

"That's why I contacted you."

"Let's get together tonight, have a few drinks, and discuss these projects in detail."

"Regarding investment, I don't think you necessarily need to focus on Uku."

“Yes, that’s why I’ve already visited Qiyi,” Zhang Yuan readily admitted. Boss Gu’s expression stiffened.

Of course he knew about it; the strange boss was his colleague at Sohu, and the news had already reached his ears.

So now Gu Yongqiang is a bit like a stick trying to catch a wolf, afraid of both sides.

He was afraid that Zhang Yuan would use these works to pester him relentlessly.

I'm also afraid that if I don't handle things well, the other party will take all their belongings and run away to the enemy.

"You should know that Strange is backed by White."

“The other party should not lack money or investors.” After thinking for a moment, Boss Gu grasped a key point.

Don't you want to invest in a video platform?

It's not working for me, but it's not working for them either!
That evens things out; we're old acquaintances, so I have the advantage.

“Copyright is a market economy issue, especially with the recent surge in online copyright prices. I think it’s more reasonable for the highest bidder to win,” Zhang Yuan said, seeing through his thinking.

"Of course." Boss Gu felt uncomfortable with this stalemate and had to continue playing the game of tai chi.

But Zhang Yuan didn't want to drag this on.

“I understand your thoughts, and naturally you have doubts about me.”

"After all, I'm not exactly well-known in the investment industry, especially in the internet industry."

“But since I’m here, I’m sure I’ve brought what you want.” Zhang Yuan still maintained that “mysterious confidence” in the other person’s eyes.

"What do I want?" Boss Gu tilted his head with interest.

"What you want is to take Youku public."

"Hehehe, everyone knows that."

“Indeed, everyone knows that.” Zhang Yuan spread his hands: “But others may not know that besides wanting to go public, you also don’t want your competitors to go public.”

"What others don't know is that your desire to prevent your competitors from going public is no longer just a thought, but something you've already put into action!"

At this point, Zhang Yuan emphasized his words, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.

What exactly makes Potato inferior to Youku?

There are many.

However, one point is that the two bosses have different perceptions.

It's not just about self-awareness, but also about understanding your opponents.

Wang Wei believes that Tudou and Youku are in competition.

Gu Yongqiang believes that Youku is waging war against Tudou!

Competition and war—don't underestimate the difference of just one word; they are worlds apart!

Competition has its limits, and war is a game of deception; to achieve one's goals, any means are acceptable.

Upon hearing his words, Boss Gu's smile remained unchanged, but his instinctive retreat betrayed his thoughts.

“Just recently,” Zhang Yuan said, a playful expression on his face, “Tudou.com’s IPO prospectus was leaked.”

"This has severely impacted the potato market launch process."

"The leak of the plan is tantamount to the exposure of an army's secret code, and all its actions will be completely revealed to the enemy."

"This is a wonderful thing, the wonderful thing is that the timing was just right."

"It delayed the arrival of potatoes on the market."

"I'm lucky that I've already left Tudou.com, so I don't have to worry about it."

"Thank you, Mr. Gu."

Who else could have done this!

War is a matter of life and death!
The same applies to Tudou and Youku today.

Whoever goes public first and obtains more funds from the primary market will be able to completely defeat the competition!
In this matter, Tudou was half a step ahead of Youku.

They started preparing a few months earlier than him.

Gu Yongqiang is steady and mature, taking each step with considerable stability.

But this comes at a price!
Wang Wei has become a gambler, giving up most of his shares in order to speed up the listing process.

The price Gu Boss pays for maintaining absolute control is that the financing cycle is longer than that of his counterpart.

If Wang Wei is willing to take a loss, investors will definitely be more interested.

But Boss Gu did not sit idly by and wait for his doom.

Zhang Yuan guessed that this person might have planted a "spy" in the other company several years ago, and had been keeping it hidden all along.

Now I can't hold back any longer, I have no choice but to take action.

Many of the tactics used in business warfare are extremely despicable.

Upper-class people doing vulgar things, as long as it works.

This trick is working now, but not completely.

It did delay the progress, but Wang Wei was already in a frenzy and quickly realized what was happening, redid the plan, and strengthened the secrecy.

The same move cannot be used twice on a Saint.

Gu Yongqiang used the hidden pieces, but his opponent was still a little bit ahead of him.

This is really upsetting. That's why Zhang Yuan immediately pointed out that he had a lot of gray hair when he came in.

They did bad things and used underhanded tactics, but failed to achieve their strategic objectives.

I was anxious and frustrated, but there was nothing I could do.

We brought him in hoping to find a new path, to improve the content, and maybe a miracle would happen?
When someone is desperate, they'll try anything; even these seasoned people can't resist the urge to try anything.

Even though I know I'm doing the right thing, I still panic.

Zhang Yuan came today to deliver the "medicine" to him, to give him the miracle he wanted!
After being exposed, Boss Gu's smile froze.

Zhang Yuan even thanked him, which I always felt was sarcastic.

"I've heard about this, so it seems you know a lot about it." After adjusting his mindset, Boss Gu started to speak cryptically again.

"Mr. Gu, let's speak frankly."

“This potato matter is inextricably linked to you,” Zhang Yuan said, clearly tearing away his pretense.

Let's not pretend to be cowards.

"I don't think you did a good job."

"Hehehe..." Gu Yongqiang chuckled dryly.

"The downside is that I didn't go all the way!"

Hearing him say that, Boss Gu thought to himself, "Young people these days are really fierce."

Do you think I'm not ruthless enough?

"Either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly."

"If you can't do it properly, you might as well not do it at all." Zhang Yuan's momentum gradually increased.

It seems that this is the first time I've shown any signs of gaining the upper hand.

"And I'm here today to do the final thing."

"I want to be an investor in Youku, and I will also be an investor in you."

"Because I'll give you a reason you can't refuse!"

After he stood up, he straightened his clothes, his unusually formal demeanor revealing his determination.

His courage to come and bring up investment was never given by his works.

Those were just side dishes.

The real main course is what the other person wants at that moment.

Zhang Yuan said only one sentence, then turned and left.

After hearing this, Boss Gu quickly got up to stop him.

Because what he said was...

"I have a way to guarantee that Tudou.com will never go public!" (End of Chapter)