1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 673 A Huge Surprise!
"Investing in China?"

"I know they have relatively abundant oil and gas resources in the South China Sea. Texaco is currently helping them explore oil and gas fields in the South China Sea, but it is still quite difficult to enter their domestic market."

"Do you have a way in?"

Kahn then asked curiously.

Texaco does have cooperation with the mainland. In fact, since 79, Texaco has been one of the five authorized companies to conduct petroleum geophysical exploration in the 28.3 square kilometer area of ​​the South China Sea.

Therefore, Kahn was aware of some aspects of the situation in China.

"Generally speaking, the petrochemical industry is the core lifeline of a country's industry. It is strictly controlled, and ordinary capital is not qualified to enter."

“I am currently considering their light industrial market. As far as I know, they are beginning to open up the light industrial market to some extent, for example, my Bosak Group’s garment production, and the hotel project that I recently started working with them on.”

"Texaco's funds are too large. If they are only invested in the stock market and other securities markets, I think the risk is too high."

"I will try to enter the Japanese market later, but it's not the right time yet. So my current inclination is to shift part of my business to the University of Tokyo, which is also close to Japan."

"Of course, these directions require Texaco's approval, given the large amount of money involved."

"Or you can wait another two years. I think the domestic economy in Japan will change in a few years, and then we can put it into venture capital."

Li Changhe said seriously.

In general, investors are not qualified to interfere with venture capital firms; they only have the right to profits and no other rights.

However, Li Changhe's venture capital firm is not very large at present, and the money Texaco gave him is too much, so he still has to give Texaco the appropriate respect.

"No need. This amount of money is nothing to Texaco these days. We think investing in your venture capital firm is the right choice for the company."

"As for how to invest, that's up to your institution. The company won't interfere. Of course, our guaranteed return can't be too low."

Since Kahn dared to entrust the money to Li Changhe, he must have known that how the money was spent by venture capital firms was ultimately up to them.

"How long does Texaco plan to keep this money?"

Li Changhe asked seriously.

"How about 5+3?"

Kahn said with a smile.

Li Changhe immediately calculated in his mind that 5+3 was a five-year capital lock-up period, plus a three-year extension period. During the lock-up period, the capital would remain completely untouched and be entirely under Li Changhe's control.

During the three-year extension period, Texaco can withdraw its funds at any time according to its needs.

It is now 82. If we calculate based on a five-year closure period, it will be around 87, which will be just the time to experience the Plaza Accord and the currency transition period.

During the subsequent three-year extension period, even if the other party wants to withdraw the funds, they can do so from the Japanese stock and real estate markets, thus avoiding any loss.

"Sure, we can discuss the specific cooperation agreement another time."

Li Changhe nodded in agreement; he could accept a timeframe of five to eight years.

As for the specific cooperation agreement between the two parties, that will definitely be handled by subordinates.

"Then I wish us a happy cooperation!"

The two reached an agreement amicably, and Kahn then left.

After Kahn left, Bush looked at Li Changhe and asked, "Vic, are you really planning to make a large-scale investment in Dongda University?"

"Yes, I've been considering increasing my stakes for the past two years, and I was even thinking about the source of funding. Texaco is like a pillow being delivered to me when I was sleepy."

Li Changhe nodded with a smile.

"But they are, after all, a socialist country. Investing there must be very risky, right?"

Little Bush said hesitantly.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Perhaps that's true for others, but for American capital, I think the risk is not that great."

"As long as the Soviet Union has not collapsed, the relationship between China and the United States will not change much. Based on this, Dongda University will inevitably protect the interests of American capital."

"Moreover, I had just met with their senior officials last year, and they gave me the impression that they were very visionary. Their style of doing things is completely different from that of the domineering Soviet Union."

"So I'm willing to place a bet."

Li Changhe said softly.

Of course, Li Changhe still needs to plan how to invest this money, since venture capital cannot directly enter the domestic market, and there is no such thing as a financial market in China at present.

The best approach is to first invest in one of the companies under one's control, and then have that company use the money to enter the domestic market.

Of course, the specific industry will need to be discussed with the domestic authorities after Li Changhe returns and then a decision will be made.

However, he wasn't in a hurry, since it would take some time for Texaco's money to arrive anyway.

"Eastern Japan, University of Tokyo, it's clear that you are very optimistic about Asia's future economic development."

Little Bush then said with a smile that after spending so much time with Li Changhe, he now understands some economic logic.

"Of course, it's not just Japan and Tokyo University. In fact, I'm quite optimistic about the future development of Southeast Asia as well. However, those Southeast Asian countries are too small, and their domestic political situations are very unstable, so I'm not too keen on getting involved."

The 1980s and 1990s were considered the golden age for Southeast Asia, with the rise of the Four Asian Tigers and the Four Asian Dragons, which presented many opportunities.

However, most of these countries have relatively chaotic political situations, and apart from Singapore, South Korea is the only other option to consider.

However, South Korea's real breakthrough didn't happen until the 1990s, after it took over the industries that had been transferred from Japan.

"As for Southeast Asia, I'll introduce you to someone tomorrow; maybe he can help you there!"

Little Bush then spoke to Li Changhe again.

Li Changhe looked at Little Bush curiously: "Who?"

“Harlin Brown, one of the CIA’s heads of Asia, has Southeast Asian affairs under his supervision. With his help, you can leverage some of the U.S.’s resources there.”

"You know, sometimes the CIA is more useful than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!"

“He was one of my father’s former subordinates and is now in charge of work in Asia. My father has already spoken to him and said that he will help you if you need anything.”

Little Bush said smugly to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe asked suspiciously, "He's the head of the CIA, is he able to contact me?"

“He’s not from the Special Operations Division; he’s an openly CIA agent, so his identity doesn’t need to be kept too secret. There’s no problem with him contacting you.”

"In fact, one of his important tasks in Southeast Asia was to contact political figures, wealthy and famous people from various countries in Southeast Asia in order to protect the interests of the United States."

"Therefore, contacting you is also within his job scope. He'll provide you with some support when you need it, such as information you might require over there." "This can be considered a gift from the Bush family to you, Vic!"

Little Bush said seriously.

Li Changhe nodded: "In that case, thank you very much, George."

Clearly, this was Old Bush's way of thanking Li Changhe, after all, Li Changhe had provided his beloved son with a very good job opportunity.

This opportunity wasn't just about making money; more importantly, it paved the way for his son's future.

Just like Kahn of Texaco, as the son of Vice President Bush Jr., he could naturally talk to Kahn, but there was no chance to talk about anything else, unless he represented the Bush family to exchange benefits with Kahn, but that was not a decision that Bush Jr. could make.

Now, representing Victor, he can openly communicate with Kahn and even make some exchanges of benefits, which can be considered as Bush's own network.

Therefore, within his authority, Old Bush gave Li Changhe a reward. This reward was somewhat risky for Li Changhe, but Li Changhe did not intend to refuse it.

Firstly, if he refused, it would seem too deliberate and overly cautious, which would be unnecessary.

Moreover, most of the small countries in Southeast Asia are dominated by warlord dictatorships. You can't rely on commercial logic in these countries, especially since he is of Chinese descent.

The best way is to use power to intimidate others.

After that, Li Changhe stayed in the United States for more than half a month, during which time he met with Lou Wasserman, Jim, Farol, and Wesley.

After doing all that, Li Changhe went to Europe.

By the time Li Changhe returned to China, it was already mid-March.

By this time, Zhu Lin's belly had grown quite large.

"Your wife's belly is so big, and you've been gone for over a month. How come you've been so busy?"

As soon as Li Changhe entered the room, Shen Yuxiu spoke to him with dissatisfaction.

Although she knew that Li Changhe worked a lot outside, Shen Yuxiu was naturally a little dissatisfied that he was still running around while Zhu Lin was already so pregnant.

"Mom, he works for the country and can't always be with me. We need to understand him."

"You're just spoiling him. Alright, I'm going back to my room for a nap. You two can talk for a bit!"

Seeing that even her daughter-in-law was on his side, Shen Yuxiu didn't want to be the bad guy anymore, so she went upstairs.

"How about I help you to your room to lie down for a while?"

Li Changhe then spoke to Zhu Lin.

They have converted a room on the first floor into Zhu Lin's rest room, where she usually rests, saving her the trouble of climbing stairs.

"It's okay, help me up for a bit, and we'll go for a walk."

“When you’re not around, Mom won’t let me move around much, afraid I’ll fall or hurt myself.”

"Oh, right, there's something else I was just about to tell you. It's about the investment in 'Journey to the West' that you mentioned to the teacher before. CCTV has agreed in principle after a meeting."

"They're unsure about the price and want to hear the quote from Hong Kong Island first. What price are you planning to give them?"

"How about three million dollars?"

Li Changhe casually quoted a price: three million US dollars, which, according to the official exchange rate, is about five million RMB.

"So many?"

"CCTV only approved three million yuan in funding for the entire production team of the teacher's film, and you only got this much for this copyright?"

Zhu Lin asked in surprise.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "It's alright, because what I want is global rights outside of our domestic market."

“Geographically speaking, there is actually a Greater China cultural sphere, which includes Japan, South Korea, and many Southeast Asian countries. Within this cultural sphere, Journey to the West is quite popular.”

“For example, in Japan, their favorite book is ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ followed by ‘Journey to the West.’”

"So I think the Journey to the West filmed by the teacher will be a huge success worldwide, and the revenue it brings in these markets will definitely far exceed three million US dollars."

If a Journey to the West series becomes a hit, it won't just be the TV series and the characters that become popular; the costumes, props, and soundtrack will all be profitable projects.

However, there is no such awareness about these things in China yet, so Li Changhe couldn't explain them in detail.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, I'll talk to the teacher. But it seems the teacher went to see the actor playing Sun Wukong these past few days."

"The actor who plays Sun Wukong? Who is it?"

Li Changhe pretended not to know and asked.

"It seems to be a family of monkey performers from Shaoxing. Actually, there were two candidates before, one was Dong Zhihua and the other was Li Wanchun, both of whom played the Monkey King on stage, but unfortunately they both declined."

"Dong Zhihua is from the drama troupe, and he starred in Havoc in Heaven. However, I heard from my teacher that he is not very interested in coming because the drama troupe has too many rehearsals outside."

Zhu Lin then explained the science to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe nodded: "I roughly know him."

Dong Zhihua is the man who rolls dough in the future movie "Kung Fu Hustle" using the Eight Trigrams Staff. He also has a wife named Wang Jinghua and a son named Dong Zijian.

"The teacher originally intended for Li Wanchun, but Li Wanchun insisted on using the opera's Sun Wukong mask for the makeup and costume, which the teacher felt was unacceptable for a TV series."

"In the end, they couldn't reach an agreement, and Li Wanchun didn't back out of the performance, so the teachers went to Shaoxing."

"I see. Then we'll talk to him when the teacher comes back."

Li Changhe knew that Teacher Liu's monkey was truly a coincidence.

Just like when Yang Jie went to Shaoxing this time, she didn't look for Teacher Liu, but for Teacher Liu's father, Liu Lingtong.

It's a pity that Liu Lingtong is already eighty years old this year. He recommended his son, which led to Liu Lingtong's role in the film.

A few days later, as expected, Yang Jie and her group returned to Beijing, and Li Changhe and Zhu Lin immediately went to Yang Jie's home again.

"Three million US dollars, Changhe, are they serious about that price?"

"Not a fake quote?"

Yang Jie was somewhat shocked when she heard Li Changhe's offer.

She knew some of the TV station's bottom line and originally wanted to quote one million US dollars, but she was afraid that the price would scare the Hong Kong side away, so she decided to listen to the Hong Kong side's quote first.

Unexpectedly, this offer turned out to be a huge surprise!
(End of this chapter)