The world is in trouble

Chapter 254: More Blows! This is too much!

Mr. Cai couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Lin, how much do you plan to invest?"

Lin Xiao: "About one hundred million US dollars."

Both bosses were shocked; they hadn't expected such a large investment.

Although Alibaba is still in its early stages, the two companies are still at the same level.

Mr. Cai: "Mr. Lin, I don't mean to question you at all, but as far as I know, although your company's cash flow is quite good, it is still short of money, although not that short."

Alibaba's current development is explosive, with annual growth not just tens of percent, but hundreds of percent.

So, they were almost desperately short of money.

Moreover, this happens to be the golden period of development, and it would be a great pity to miss it.

Lin Xiao: "Yes, I'm also short of money. I need money in all aspects. So I plan to sell some assets to raise money, to sell a cash cow."

The two bosses were taken aback; they weren't used to such a frank way of communicating.

But there is no doubt that Alibaba now needs Lightning Group more than the other way around.

Renren.com has undergone tremendous changes, and now the Lightning Group controls a huge traffic portal, not only online media but also traditional media.

Mr. Cai: "May I ask if your move is related to the recent changes at Renren Group?"

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

Immediately, the two bosses exchanged a glance.

"Absolutely amazing!" President Cai couldn't help but exclaim.

Lin Xiao: "If you're willing, I'd like to act as a go-between again and help Alibaba complete this transaction. Of course, I know that your company has been communicating with Yahoo! Group and has a very close relationship with Mr. Masayoshi Son, so you don't really need my help."

Mr. Cai: "No, no, no. If Mr. Lin is willing to join this game, it will be very, very beneficial for us."

At least this largest investment provides an additional investor, which helps to distribute power.

Historically, Mr. Cai traveled to the United States countless times and met with Jerry Yang countless times for this investment.

Mr. Cai and Mr. Ma were already very familiar with the relevant data, and they could immediately tell that the benefits of this transaction far outweighed the drawbacks.

Mr. Cai: "I'll prepare the relevant materials and team right away. Whenever it's convenient for you, Mr. Lin, we'll meet with Mr. Yang from Yahoo and Mr. Masayoshi Son from SoftBank. By the way, aren't they leaving soon?"

Lin Xiao: "I'll probably be kept here for now, but even if I leave, it's not a big deal. We can just go to America to talk."

Mr. Ma: "We're all ready and waiting to set off with you at any time."

Lin Xiao: "Alright, then I'll take my leave!"

He picked up the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

Next, instead of returning to Shanghai, he went directly to Xiaoshan Airport and flew to Hong Kong.

After the plane landed, Lucas was already waiting outside, and the car was ready.

However, the two were a little awkward when they met.

After leaving the airport, without even having a meal, he went straight to Yingke to meet Li Zekai, the "Little Giant".

“Although Yingke’s investment in Renren Group is not very high, he is still very angry about what happened and fully supports Liao Feng’s revenge against Wu Lingxi,” Lucas said. “Moreover, because of my job-hopping, he has a very bad impression of you.”

Lucas didn't just switch jobs; he also took a very mature team with him. And since he left, Yangwang has been steadily declining, struggling to stay afloat, and constantly testing the limits of what's acceptable.

Lin Xiao: "If it weren't for you, he probably wouldn't even want to see me?"

Lucas: "No, he's a businessman. He knows that if you propose a meeting at this crucial moment, it must be something important. Business is business, after all."

....................................

More than an hour later, Lin Xiao appeared at Yingke headquarters and met this little superman.

His father is Li Ka-shing, so he is Little Li Ka-shing.

Currently, it's still quite legendary; he's said to have earned in just a few years what his father earned over decades.

His current net worth is approximately HK$10 billion, while the assets he indirectly controls exceed US$10 billion. In 2001, he sold his Tencent shares to South Africa's MIH Group for US$12.6 million; these shares were later valued at hundreds of billions of RMB.

This case has been repeatedly brought up and ridiculed more than a decade later.

But even now, he is still surrounded by a mythical aura.

This year, the revenue of his TOM Group will exceed 30 billion, and TOM Online was listed on NASDAQ last year. Currently, the market value of the entire TOM Group is around 150 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The fact that Xiao Chaoren chose to meet Lin Xiao in his office, to some extent, signifies a kind of indifference.

Otherwise, even if you're not at home, you should find a more private place.

"Mr. Lin, what can I do for you?" Little Li asked with a smile, without mentioning a word about the changes at Renren Group.

Lin Xiao: "Mr. Li, although this is an internal conflict within the Renren Group and has nothing to do with me, Miss Wu Lingxi is Xia Xi's younger sister after all, so I still want to protect her."

Little Li laughed and said, "Mr. Lin, this is a bit strange. Why are you telling me this? What does it have to do with me? We are just shareholders of Renren Group."

Then, he glanced at his watch briefly, which, although not urging him, indicated that he didn't have much time left.

Lin Xiao: "I want to sell Lightning Group's mobile SP business."

Little Li was taken aback.

Does Lightning Group have mobile SP (Service Provider) services?
Then he made a phone call: "Have Ray come over."

Ray here refers to Wang Leilei, the CEO of Tom.com.

Shortly afterward, Wang Leilei appeared in front of Little Li's office.

"Mr. Lin, please make yourself at home," said Little Li.

When Wang Leilei saw Lin Xiao, he nodded slightly in greeting, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

This is the first meeting in several years; the last time we met was when we acquired Yangwang.

At the time, in Mr. Wang's eyes, Lin Xiao was just a nobody who had gotten lucky by creating a website and catching the wave of the mobile SP boom, making a fortune.

Unexpectedly, in just a few years, he has grown into a giant in the industry.

In another office, Little Li asked, "Does Lightning Group also have mobile SP (Service Provider) services?"

Even now, mobile SP (Service Provider) services remain one of the biggest sources of revenue for the internet industry.

Currently, the main revenue source for Tencent, Sohu, Sina, NetEase, and Tom is still mobile SP (service provider) business.

Of course, 2005 was almost the last glorious year for mobile SP services. Since last year, there has been a vigorous crackdown on illegal charges, which has been described by many websites as a massacre.

Wang Leilei said, "Lightning Group is an invisible giant in the mobile SP business."

“Since last year, China Mobile has been cracking down on illegal charges, making it increasingly difficult to earn money through normal means. The only exception is the ringback tone service, which stands out. Lightning Group owns the online copyrights to hundreds of songs, and more than half of the top 50 ringback tone downloads belong to Lightning Group. So it's making money effortlessly and quietly making a fortune.”

"Lightning Group's two cash cows are Lightning Entertainment and Lightning SP business."

Little Li said, "Lin Xiao just told me that he wants to sell the Lightning SP business to us."

Wang Leilei exclaimed in disbelief, "Really? This...this is a golden egg, and you can make money while lying down!"

Little Li: "He wants to protect Wu Lingxi."

Wang Leilei: "Because he forcibly protected Wu Lingxi, he completely enraged the Liao family and all the shareholders of Renren Group. So, when they wanted to divide and weaken them, they thought of us first?"

Little Li Superman: "Do you think we should buy it?"

Wang Leilei: "This is almost the highest quality asset. With the restructuring of China Mobile, it has become increasingly difficult for mobile SP businesses to make money, but the ringback tone business is the only one that is still growing."

After losing their mobile SP revenue, portal websites like Sina and Sohu can still rely on advertising and online games to actively transform their businesses.

TOM.com almost went under after the collapse of mobile service providers (SPs).

Wang Leilei: "Most importantly, once we acquire the SP business of Lightning Group, it will be a huge boost to our group's stock price."

After a while!
Little Li, the superhero, came out and asked, "Mr. Lin, are you selling the entire mobile SP business?"

Lin Xiao said, "Yes, that includes the online copyrights of these songs. Of course, one more thing to add is that even if the online copyrights of these songs are sold, Qianqian Jingting must still be granted a permanent license."

Little Li Superman: "How much?"

Lin Xiao: "1.5 million US dollars!"

Upon hearing this, both Xiao Li and Wang Leilei were startled.

This price? Are you crazy?
At its peak, your Lightning Group's mobile SP business only earned a little over 300 million RMB a year.

Sina is currently the company that earns the most money in the mobile business, with annual revenue of around $1.3 million. TOM also earns a lot.

But Flash Entertainment is the easiest way to make money.

Little Li: "Mr. Lin, this price is absolutely impossible. It's equivalent to four years of your entire business's total revenue, and this business simply doesn't look that far ahead."

"We...are willing to offer up to $6 million!"

Next, the two sides engaged in a continuous back-and-forth struggle.

Leonardo DiCaprio eventually offered $8000 million and refused to budge any further.

Lin Xiao slowly said, "Mr. Li, China Mobile is currently cracking down hard on content providers. Last year, they even briefly suspended Sina's stock. So it's becoming increasingly difficult to make money on the fringes, and fraudulent money from mobile phone users is gradually being eliminated. As for the SMS game business, after quickly reaching its peak, it has experienced a rapid decline. Only CaiLing is thriving."

"The reason I'm selling this business to you is entirely because I want your friendship regarding Wu Lingxi."

"However, this friendship cannot be overpriced."

"If there's too much, I might as well give up this friendship."

Lin Xiao didn't get to the heart of the matter. While Yingke's strength is indeed formidable in Hong Kong, it's just so-so in mainland China.

"Then I'll take my leave now, I'm really in a hurry," Lin Xiao said.

Next, Lin Xiao left Hong Kong and returned to Shanghai, where he announced that he would sell the mobile SP business of Lightning Group and welcomed all interested parties to come and negotiate.

In an instant, Lightning Group's phone lines were ringing off the hook.

Sina, NetEase, even Kongzhong, Miyazaki and others called to inquire about the price.

Because everyone knows that Flash Entertainment controls the most profitable and valuable resources for mobile SPs.

Copyrights of more than dozens of viral internet songs.

Moreover, the number of mobile phone users is increasing dramatically every year, and the ringtone business is also booming.

Lin Xiao is willing to sell such a valuable asset?

What exactly happened to the Lightning Group?

Are they really that short of money?

Next, many people vaguely got an answer.

In order to protect Wu Lingxi, the Lightning Group needs a large sum of money to form alliances and schemes.

Seeing so many people come out to compete, Yingke's Xiao Li Chaoren immediately became anxious.

Everyone wants this valuable asset, but TOM.com needs it the most because it is most dependent on mobile SP services.

His offer has been steadily increasing.

9000 million US dollars.

9500 million US dollars.

One hundred million US dollars!

....................................

Lian Zheng acted quickly, and soon that leader extended an invitation to Masayoshi Son and Yang Zhiyuan.

The two readily accepted the invitation from this character.

So, naturally, it appeared on the television news that evening.

next day!

Lin Xiao, along with Alibaba's Jack Ma and Cai Xiang, went to visit Masayoshi Son and Yang Zhiyuan.

This time, however, the meeting place was on the shore of West Lake in Hangzhou.

Yang Zhiyuan was still furious.

"Mr. Lin, I think you're too clever for your own good." Yang Zhiyuan: "When you were attacking Renren Group, didn't you consider our reputation?"

Lin Xiao: "Mr. Yang, although we have been trying to recruit Ms. Wu Lingxi, we did not expect her to take such drastic action."

"Because this is not in our interest."

“If I could manipulate all of this, I would arrange for her to have a private meeting with you and Mr. Masayoshi Son.”

"Instead of letting her completely overturn everything at a crucial moment."

Yang Zhiyuan: "In this incident, the group that suffered the most was Renren Group, and then we were next. That banquet was held because we signed a strategic agreement with Renren Group."

Lin Xiao: "But Mr. Yang, if Wu Lingxi hadn't intervened, and your investment had actually taken shape, that would have been the real damage, right? Although Wu Lingxi's methods were rather drastic, in terms of the outcome, she actually saved Yahoo! Group and SoftBank Group from potential huge losses."

"To make up for it, I would like to jointly invest in Alibaba Group with your company."

"I have a huge amount of traffic, which can provide a great boost to Alibaba's development."

“I don’t know how much you can offer, but I can offer $1 million.”

"So in terms of results, we saved a disastrous investment and replaced it with the best and most successful one."

..........................................

Next, Jack Ma and Cai Xukun of Alibaba Group went to have a private meeting with Yang Zhiyuan.

Lin Xiao's primary target, however, remains Masayoshi Son.

"What do you want?" Masayoshi Son asked.

Lin Xiao: "I want Wu Lingxi to become the CEO of Facebook in the United States, and even the head of Facebook overseas, except in East Asia."

"I also want SoftBank to invest in Facebook in the United States."

"In addition, SoftBank Group and I jointly acquired Android."

Masayoshi Son remained silent.

In fact, Yang Zhiyuan has always been the main figure in the cooperation with Renren Group, while Son Zhengyi has rarely spoken.

After a long pause, Masayoshi Son asked, "I have a question for you: Was the dramatic change at Renren Group this time orchestrated by you?"

This is a difficult question to answer.

Because, of course, the group that suffered the most from this incident was Renren Group.

However, Masayoshi Son and Yang Zhiyuan also suffered a huge blow to their reputation.

Yang Zhiyuan was furious and found it hard to forgive.

About half a minute later, Lin Xiao slowly said, "You could say that."

Although he was proven wrong, Masayoshi Son is a purer form of capital behemoth; he only cooperates with the strong.

Masayoshi Son: "Then what can you give me?"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "20% of Lightning Entertainment's shares!"

Upon hearing this, Masayoshi Son sat up abruptly.

This is a real cash cow!

Lightning Entertainment holds the copyrights to so many movies and several top-rated variety shows, making it a veritable money tree.

Moreover, this extremely high-quality asset is absolutely not for sale. How many more years can Cailing earn money?
No one knows.

But Flash Entertainment can keep making money for a very long time, and it will only keep increasing.

Lin Xiao slowly said, "Mr. Masayoshi Son, I only care about realizing my empire and my ideals. I am very generous when it comes to money."

Masayoshi Son: "How much?"

Lin Xiao: "3 million US dollars."

Masayoshi Son: "You'll regret this price."

Historically, Huayi's market value once soared to around 1000 billion RMB.

Lightning Entertainment is undoubtedly a much larger behemoth.

Moreover, with the booming Chinese film market, if Kung Fu Panda achieves great success, Lightning Entertainment's brand value and market capitalization will soar further.

Previously, both Masayoshi Son and Yang Zhiyuan had tried their best to persuade Lin Xiao to acquire shares in the core assets of Lightning Group, but Lin Xiao had refused outright. Now, however, he has relented.

Lin Xiao: "In exchange, I want to acquire a portion of ARM's equity, not too much, just $1 million."

Masayoshi Son fell silent.

You've got your eye on ARM again?

That's right, Masayoshi Son is now a major player in the ARM Group.

This is a typical example of value exchange.

Lin Xiao gave up 20% of his most profitable company, Lightning Entertainment, in exchange for more than just money; he wanted something more important in his eyes.

Over the next decade or so, ARM will undoubtedly be one of the most important semiconductor companies in the world.

Almost all mobile chips are designed using ARM architecture.

But now... it's far from being at its peak.

In terms of market capitalization alone, it's not bad. But in terms of revenue, it's really a junior player. In 2004, its total revenue was only a little over 300 million US dollars, and the revenue from CPUs alone was only around 100 million US dollars.

Even in the distant future, it won't actually be very profitable.

However, it is really, really important.

In other words, it's still possible to get a stake in it now, but in a few years, that opportunity will almost be gone.

Masayoshi Son: "ARM's financial reports in recent years have not looked good."

Lin Xiao: "I know."

In 2005, ARM's total revenue was around $4 million, but by 2009, it was still almost the same, with little growth.

Lin Xiao: "As we said before, we will set up an investment company. Whether it is the acquisition of Android or the acquisition of a portion of ARM's shares, it will all be under the name of this investment company."

Masayoshi Son said, "Mr. Lin, aren't you planning too far ahead?"

Lin Xiao: "This is a crucial step that we have to take."

Masayoshi Son: "Give me a day, and I'll get back to you."

Lin Xiao: "Of course!"

..........................................

Back at the company, Lin Xiao was presented with two options.

The filming and editing of "Bright Sword" have been completed.

CCTV showed great interest and offered a sky-high price of 110 million yuan per episode to purchase the first broadcast rights.

Historically, CCTV only spent 65 yuan to buy the first broadcast rights. On the contrary, a few years ago, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" cost 100 million yuan per episode.

But in this world, Lightning Entertainment has become a golden brand, and "Bright Sword" is not a small production, but a big production, and it is also Lightning Entertainment's opening drama of the year.

The success of "Lurking" last year is still fresh in our minds.

Of course, selling the first broadcast rights of a TV series to CCTV is less profitable than selling them to local satellite TV stations.

Because local TV stations usually purchase and broadcast the content jointly by several companies.

At this moment, Lin Xiao was not thinking about money, but about strategic deployment.

To expand Lightning Entertainment's influence, "Bright Sword" should undoubtedly be sold to CCTV. However, out of loyalty, it should be sold to a local satellite TV station.

It's worth noting that over the past period, the relationship between the five major satellite TV stations and the Lightning Group has become increasingly close, forming an absolute strategic partnership where they would almost go to great lengths for each other.

The five major TV stations also need a blockbuster drama like "Bright Sword".

Especially Jibei Satellite TV and Guangxi Satellite TV, which are second- or third-tier satellite channels.

Lin Xiao: "Let's sell it to the five major TV stations. We should all do each other a favor."

Li Shuang: "Understood."

………………

next day!

TOM Group and Lightning Group held a press conference.

TOM Group has officially acquired Lightning Group's mobile SP business for $1 million.

The industry was in an uproar!

Everyone was astonished. Lin Xiao, you really went to great lengths to save Wu Lingxi.

Many people think, "How could they bear to sell such a high-quality industry? It's a goose that lays golden eggs!"

But in Lin Xiao's view, this was the best possible asset swap.

Selling the mobile SP business as a package deal and turning it into Alibaba's shares—that's an incredibly lucrative deal!

This had an immediate and direct impact on the board meetings of Renren Group.

Shareholders representing Yingke raised questions directly at the meeting.

"At this time, we should do everything we can to preserve the value of Renren Group, instead of seeking revenge. It was one thing to retaliate against Wu Lingxi before, but are we really going to go head-to-head with Lightning Group now?"

Liao Feng's face turned pale instantly!
Yingke, you really are an opportunist.

They just completed a deal with Lightning Group, and now they're turning on me?

....................................

Lin Xiao met with Miyazaki.

“Brother Gong, we have known each other for many years, so there is something I want to have an honest conversation with you about.”

Miyazaki: "Go ahead."

Lin Xiao: "Wu Lingxi, I'm protecting her. Don't even think about touching her in your entire system. Moreover, I'm going to appoint her as the overseas president of Facebook."

Miyazaki: "Lin Xiao, this is really going too far."

"You should know that I am the major shareholder of Renren Group. Do you know how much money I have invested from beginning to end?"

"Sohu invested through Chinaren, and although Liao Feng and Wu Lingxi invested a lot of money, much of their shares came from the social networking part of Lingxi Island. Only I have been investing real money all along, and I have already invested several hundred million."

"That crazy woman Wu Lingxi caused my family to lose at least a billion!"

"Unless you compensate my family for the losses like you did for Yingke."

"Lightning Games and Lightning Entertainment, let me have a piece of the pie from either one, I'll take either one and the price will definitely satisfy you."

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes.

To everyone else, he sold his core assets to Li Zekai of Yingke Group solely to save Wu Lingxi.

Lin Xiao was also very happy to let everyone see it that way.

But even if I were to sell my shares in Lightning Entertainment to Masayoshi Son, it would be to exchange them for something I want more.

You? By what right?
As for investments in Hong Kong, I only need to handle PCCW.

"No way!" Lin Xiao said.

Miyazaki: "I'm very sorry, but we will pursue Wu Lingxi to the end. If your Lightning Group wants to protect Wu Lingxi, then we will turn all our firepower on you. Yingke has withdrawn, but our system is still very strong."

"Being associated with Yingke alone is far from enough."

"Why should we back down and swallow this bitter pill?"

"What can it get in return?"

Lin Xiao: "Brother Gong, give up on Renren Group. I'll show you a better path that can quickly double your family's assets."

Miyazaki: "You're not willing to give anything in return? Just some so-called guidance? Aren't you underestimating me?"

"Lin Xiao, unless you are willing to give up a portion of your shares in Lightning Games or Lightning Entertainment, there's no point in talking about anything else!"

"You want a truce? Don't even think about it!"

Lin Xiao slowly said, "Alright then, I'll talk to you. I originally did it out of consideration for our years of friendship, but now I'm superfluous."

"goodbye!"

"But I still want to tell you that anger is worthless."

..........................................

Almost that very night!
The game "Perfect World" has been flooded with cheats, and they all come from external websites.

Moreover, they are all deadly cheats, capable of severely damaging the game's balance.

The game development team should immediately shut down the servers, fix the relevant vulnerabilities, and ban the accounts using cheats.

but……

After finally getting it fixed, the server reopened the next day.

Just a few hours later!
New cheats have emerged, exploiting new vulnerabilities.

Moreover, this cheat is more concealed and more destructive.

Moreover, it spreads even faster.

In the following period, the entire Renren Games team began a fierce battle against cheating software.

However, this game was rushed and was essentially a half-finished product, with far too many bugs.

A situation has arisen where the righteous are one foot high, but the evil are ten feet high.

It's impossible to finish the game.

In just a few days, the game was shut down several times, and tens of thousands of accounts were banned.

Renren Games called the police and pointed the finger directly at the Lightning Group.

but……

Through various investigations, it was eventually discovered that the source of the cheat was not related to the Lightning Group, but rather to a core member of the game team who had been previously dismissed.

Moreover, the core members who created the cheat software are all located overseas.

To preserve its remaining market value, the entire Renren Group relies on just two projects: Perfect World and World of Warcraft.

Even the former, once its popularity returned to its peak, immediately switched to item-based monetization, even during closed beta testing.

but now……

With rampant cheating, the number of online players has not only failed to return to its peak, but the downward trend is completely unstoppable.

From 25, down to 20, 15, 12!
It will soon fall below 100,000!
At this rate, there's no point in charging for props; they won't last that long.

........................

Liao Feng summoned the core members of "Perfect World" and launched into a tirade of insults.

"What are you all good for? You can't even beat a cheater?"

"Just when we fixed one vulnerability, a new one appeared."

"How dare you, so incompetent, take such high salaries?"

Li Qing said quietly, "President Liao, this game was rushed out of the market, and it was released as a half-finished product. It's inevitable that there will be many bugs. There is only one way to save this game now."

Liao Feng: "Speak."

Li Qing: "Completely shut down the servers and let the game undergo a complete overhaul. We will reopen the closed beta at least six months later."

Liao Feng stared at Li Qing in disbelief.

"Six months later, it will be completely dead!"

"I'm giving you a week to completely fix the cheating software, or you can forget about this position."

....................................

next day!

Li Qing and his entire team formally resigned from their positions with Liao Feng.

Renren Games has almost come to a standstill!
Liao Feng turned pale upon hearing the news.

"Who are their next buyers? Who are they?"

Is it a lightning game?

The assistant reported: "No, some of them went to NetEase, and some went to Tencent."

Liao Feng: "Didn't we hire a lot of external support teams? Let them fill in."

Assistant: "They can't fill the gap? Because this game was made by Li Qing's team from beginning to end. It's okay for these external teams to nitpick and find fault. But... they can't do anything about the rest."

Immediately afterwards...

His key external helper, the vice president of Renren Games from Taiwan, rushed in.

"President Liao..."

"The source code of Perfect World has been completely leaked."

"Private servers have appeared on the market!"

Another fatal blow!
The platform was already in a precarious state, plagued by rampant cheating, and constantly undergoing server shutdowns and maintenance.

The emergence of private servers is like the final piece of steel that broke the camel's back.

then……

Liao Feng watched helplessly as the number of online players in the game "Perfect World" kept declining, declining, declining...

And so, what was originally a very successful and excellent game was turned into a disaster.

Because of his eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, and because of his prioritization of capital.

It is heading towards its demise at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The most valuable part of Renren Group's assets was wiped out in just about half a month.

An investment of over two or three hundred million yuan vanished without a trace.

....................................

Note: My benefactors, if you still have any monthly tickets left, please remember to vote for me! Thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)