The world is in trouble

Chapter 267 Unprecedented! A Magnificent Turnaround!
"How is it?" Xia Xi asked Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao: "It's very difficult."

"You don't know how hard it is until you try it." Lin Xiao: "The problem now is that my requirements are a little ahead of their time. Although they may only be six months to a year ahead of their time, they are already extremely difficult."

“If we were a super giant like Nokia or Motorola, there wouldn’t be a problem. These suppliers would be willing to invest huge sums of money in us, and even setting up dedicated production lines would be no problem at all.”

"But I'm a complete novice, starting from scratch."

Xia Xi: "So, it's very likely that you'll have to pay a higher cost and a greater price than before to customize what you want."

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

"Either spend a lot of money to spread out the development costs of the supply chain and tailor it specifically for us."

"Either, downgrade the specifications."

The so-called "lower specifications" means it's basically on par with the first-generation iPhone. This refers to parameters such as screen resolution and camera module pixel count.

It does not refer to the CPU.

Based on Lin Xiao's current pace, the release of his first product will definitely be much later than the first-generation iPhone.

It's quite late, but if I bring out something with the same surface parameters, will I be able to succeed?

It should still be possible, after all, it has the halo of being a domestic product.

But it wasn't amazing.

Meizu released the M8 back in 2009.

Xia Xi: "What are your expected sales figures?"

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "The data I gave to the supplier is over 500 million."

In reality, how many units this will actually sell is a complete mystery.

Although the iPhone ushered in the era of smartphones, it took several generations to develop before the iPhone 4 truly sparked a smartphone craze in China.

Then the Meizu M9 entered the domestic market, and the Xiaomi 1 sold very well, with about 800 million units sold, but that was in 2011.

By then, the domestic market had been cultivated, and the concept of smartphones had taken root in people's minds.

Lin Xiao was truly a pioneer, a trailblazer.

So how many units will actually be sold? God only!
Xia Xi: "So, your expectation is to get it done for around $10 billion, but in reality, that might not be enough, right?"

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

Without the scale of Nokia and Motorola, they can only rely on throwing money at the problem.

The current situation is that you shouldn't go to such extremes or make things so amazing. Just use whatever the supply chain has available.

The same applies to chips; the cost will drop significantly.

This is very unwise for a shrewd businessman.

To some extent, this is also a kind of enthusiasm for building wonders.

That's how Shi Yuzhu went down – he was dragged down by the Giant Building.

Lin Xiao always dreamed of becoming a pioneer and creating a great enterprise.

Xia Xi was calculating in her mind how much money she could squeeze out.

Ultimately, it was discovered that squeezing out billions of dollars was extremely difficult.

Because Lightning Group itself is in a period of expansion, especially with overseas platforms like Facebook and YouTube, which will be burning through cash like crazy for the next two or three years.

Even if this money is raised over two or three years.

“If it weren’t for US dollars, it would be much easier.” Xia Xi: “We’d try to get a loan from a bank, but we don’t have much foreign exchange in US dollars right now.”

It has to be in US dollars, because the main supply chains only accept US dollars.

Xia Xi: "How about we take Lightning Entertainment public?"

Lightning Entertainment's biggest cash cow and its highest-quality asset will have a very high market value once it goes public, enabling it to raise a large amount of capital.

Lin Xiao thought for a while, then shook his head. It couldn't be that bad.

How profitable is Jade Dynasty right now?

Xia Xi: "The game's revenue in the fourth quarter of this year was approximately 2.3 million!"

This is already incredibly impressive, undoubtedly one of the most profitable games in China, making other internet companies in the country extremely envious, all feeling that Lightning Group has struck gold again.

In 2008, World of Warcraft's revenue in China was approximately 20 billion RMB.

"Actually, our game currently has no competitors. The biggest reason limiting revenue is that it requires too much computer configuration."

"World of Warcraft has been hampered by Renren Group, and has not yet had a closed beta test, and even the domestic version is not yet complete."

Blizzard was absolutely furious. They hated Liao Feng, Wu Lingxi, and of course, Lin Xiao.

They were so happy with the sky-high price, but then Renren Group ran into trouble, and the chairman was arrested. Now the game's release is indefinitely postponed.

Xia Xi: "Currently, several shareholders of Renren Group are planning to resell the Chinese distribution rights for World of Warcraft, which are still in high demand."

How could it not be in high demand?
Because "Zhu Xian" has achieved such great success.

Lin Xiao: "Who is most likely to succeed right now?"

Xia Xi: "NetEase".

Lin Xiao: "Isn't it Jiucheng? They're the ones most determined to win."

Xia Xi: "The9 failed to IPO in the US last year, and now its revenue has completely dried up. It's out of the game."

Lin Xiao's butterfly effect is truly formidable.

Historically, The12 successfully went public last December, but in this world, it was completely ruined by all the trouble it caused.

But that's normal. After the failure of "Miracle", The9 acquired the Chinese distribution rights for "World of Warcraft", so there's still a story to tell in the US market, and it successfully went public.

Of course, this company was destined to decline; it's just that it's happening sooner than expected.

Xia Xi: "Once World of Warcraft is released in China, it will most likely have an impact on Jade Dynasty. But the good thing is that the number of Jade Dynasty players is steadily increasing, computer configurations are improving year by year, and the number of computer users is increasing year by year, which is a market dividend."

Lin Xiao: "When do you plan to release Dungeon Fighter Online?"

Xia Xi: "Around the middle of the year."

Lin Xiao: "How's the filming of 'Let the Bullets Fly' going?"

According to the original plan, this movie was to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday this year, and Flash Entertainment had already decided that Jiang Wen would not be needed.

result……

After Lin Xiao announced his complete resignation from all positions at Lightning Group, Jiang Wen sent Lin Xiao a text message: Awesome!
Then, he took the initiative to say that he wanted to participate in "Let the Bullets Fly".

However, things didn't go smoothly for the film after that. First, the script failed to pass review; the higher-ups were hesitant to approve it.

Because there are too many political metaphors.

It was stuck for several months before a super boss finally spoke up.

The script has been approved.

Then filming began, but it's been very slow, and it's still going on now. I don't know how much longer it will take.

Therefore, Flash Entertainment only has one film in this year's Lunar New Year film season: "SPL: Sha Po Lang".

Then, the two fell silent.

Xia Xi suddenly said, "The next two years will be a bottleneck period for our Lightning Group."

"Facebook has reached its peak in China, and QQ is an insurmountable ceiling."

"Moreover, due to the cost per ad, Facebook itself has been unable to turn a profit in the past two years. YouTube is burning through cash and has also been unable to turn a profit in the past two years."

"Flash Entertainment's revenue will also hit a bottleneck before the results of Kung Fu Panda and The Hunger Games are in."

"Our only growth driver is Lightning Games."

"However, after Dungeon Fighter Online is released, although it may make a lot of money, it will most likely be criticized. Because our attributes are too strong, that is, product first, amazing first."

Lin Xiao knew, of course, that if he couldn't overcome the hurdle of mobile internet, Lightning Group would never become a truly great company or an international giant.

Suddenly, Xia Xi said, "Lin Xiao, just do what you dream of, don't lower the standards."

"Otherwise, we will become a mediocre company."

"It's just throwing money at it, keep throwing money at it until these international supplier giants are willing."

"At worst, we'll take Lightning Entertainment public, or even Lightning Games public, we'll make sure we raise this huge sum of money."

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

Lian Zheng has been in office for over a month and has already started his work in full swing.

They sought favorable policies and funding, and began acquiring land.

For a long time afterward, he did only this one thing.

He even wanted to find a way to move the OEM production line to Ning City, or at least a portion of it.

Therefore, he was very bold and took bigger steps.

Although Lin Xiao's mobile phone brand is still in its infancy, it has already secured a large market share, and plans for supporting companies, OEM manufacturers, and related production lines for the next few years are already on the drawing board.

Knowing that Lin Xiao had returned to China, he took time out of his busy schedule to come to Linshan.

And they went directly to Linshan People's Hospital.

"How is Teacher Xiao?" Although it was awkward, he still asked.

In short, it's very strange.

Normally, he should never have any further dealings with Xiao Momo and Xiao Wanli's family.

After all, his daughter was the biggest victim in this relationship.

But Xiao Momo was already at her due date and had been hospitalized, so Lin Xiao was basically working in the hospital as well.

Even Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and came directly to the hospital to discuss business.

"I'm four or five days past my due date," Lin Xiao said. "But the situation is good. I'll try my best to have a natural birth if possible."

As they talked, Lin Xiao went to the rooftop.

Once on the rooftop, Lian Zheng couldn't resist taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

He didn't smoke before, but now he smokes.

“Smoking is bad, you’re not allowed to learn it,” Lian Zheng added.

"Is it not going well?" Lian Zheng asked.

Lin Xiao: "What I want is too advanced, and these supply chain giants are very negative."

“But we started from scratch, unlike giants like Nokia and Motorola.”

Lien Cheng: "So you want to pay more? We need to contribute money together and share their related costs."

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

"In fact, we only need to slightly lower the specifications, not by much, even just by reducing the cycle by about a year, and the cost will drop significantly, allowing us to directly purchase mature products from the supply chain."

Lian Zheng: "Do you want US dollars?"

Lin Xiao: "Yes, it would be much easier if it were RMB."

Lian Zheng thought for a while and said, "I'll try to find a way to solve part of it."

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

He really didn't need any pretense or politeness with Lian Zheng anymore.

Lin Xiao: "Uncle Lian, you didn't make it into the Standing Committee?"

Lian Zheng: Not yet, but I'm only in charge of this one task, and the support from above is tremendous, so I don't care about that.

Although it is a sub-provincial city, given Lian Zheng's previous resume, he should have been a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

This step, however, was severely delayed for him.

Although she successfully went to Ning City and her rank remained unchanged, she was actually demoted.

But... once he and Lin Xiao's business succeeds, everything will change.

It will bring tremendous impetus and even take off to the entire city or even the entire province.

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

Lin Xiao was cooking in the kitchen; the food was very light and delicious.

After it's done, put it in an insulated container and take it to the hospital to soak the baby.

Just as he was packing everything into the insulated container, the phone rang. It was Liu Feifei from Merrill Lynch.

"President Lin, I've arrived at Linshan."

"This is truly my first time here."

Lin Xiao: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, my wife is giving birth and could go into labor at any time. I can't leave, so I can only meet you here."

Liu Feifei: "Hahaha, why would we need to say these things between us? But give me an address, we can't just talk on the phone."

Lin Xiao: "I was just about to deliver the food. How about you go to Linshan People's Hospital?"

Liu Feifei: "Okay!"

Lin Xiao carried the thermos, got into the car, and headed towards the hospital.

After setting out the food, I ate with Bubble.

After finishing her meal, Liu Feifei also rushed to the People's Hospital.

Finding no suitable place, the two went to the rooftop.

At that time, there wasn't even a decent coffee shop in Linshan.

“I want a loan,” Lin Xiao said.

Liu Feifei: "Of course Merrill Lynch has related business, but our main focus is investment banking. If you need money, Mr. Lin, we can invest."

Lin Xiao: "Nearly one billion US dollars."

Liu Feifei was taken aback and immediately fell silent.

Oh my God!
With such a large sum of money, how many shares of his core assets would Lin Xiao need to sell to raise this amount?
That's why Lin Xiao mentioned taking out a loan.

Besides, it's common to take out loans to buy mobile phones.

Liu Feifei: "How much do you want to borrow?"

Lin Xiao: "About $8 million."

Liu Feifei felt a chill run down her spine; in this day and age, this was an absolutely astronomical figure.

"Mr. Lin, does making mobile phones really require that much money?" Liu Feifei said, "At your rate, by the time your first phone comes out, you'll have spent over a billion dollars." That's true.

Lin Xiao: "I didn't know it would cost so much money until I did it."

Liu Feifei: "With your fame and influence, and with the Lightning Group's publicity capabilities, a maximum of one hundred million US dollars would be enough. Find a supply chain to buy parts, find a contract manufacturer to produce and assemble them, then you tell a few stories, name it a brand, and everything will be OK."

"Where would you need billions of dollars? It's not like you're the one tightening the screws yourself."

"President Lin, let's do it this way first, and then raise the requirements later, and gradually develop our own technology."

Lin Xiao: "Have you heard that I ran into trouble with the supply chain?"

Liu Feifei: "Originally, the message wouldn't have reached me, but I was interested, so I went to inquire, and then..."

Lin Xiao: "If I can't do what I want, then I won't do it. I have more money than I could spend in several lifetimes, and I'm no longer interested in mediocre work."

Liu Feifei: "Brother, 7 million US dollars is a lot of money."

"Moreover, loans require collateral."

"The key is that it is best to use dollar assets as collateral."

Lin Xiao: "Do you know Fallout 3, Kung Fu Panda, Breaking Bad, and The Hunger Games?"

Liu Feifei: "Breaking Bad, what the hell? The other three know."

Lin Xiao: "Can we use these assets as collateral? In addition, we can also use the international copyright of 'China's Got Talent'."

Liu Feifei: "Then you might as well use Lightning Entertainment and Lightning Games as collateral; at least those two are cash cows."

Lin Xiao and Xia Xi had calculated it countless times.

Lightning Games and Lightning Entertainment's revenue next year, after deducting operating costs and the operating costs of overseas Facebook and YouTube, will barely break even.

Of course, YouTube and Facebook overseas will definitely need further funding.

However, it won't be now; we'll wait until we achieve outstanding results before seeking funding, as that would be the most effective approach.

So, for the next two years or so, there will be additional income.

It turns out that it relies entirely on revenue from IPs such as Fallout 3, Kung Fu Panda, Breaking Bad, and The Hunger Games.

Lin Xiao plans to generate substantial revenue from these IPs.

But this is only the expected income, and it will be quite a long time before we actually receive the money.

Far water cannot quench near thirst.

Therefore, he wanted to advance this portion of income and use these IP addresses as collateral for loans.

Liu Feifei covered his forehead. "We are strategic allies. I treat you like a brother. How can you make things difficult for me like this?"
“President Lin, your expected revenue from these IPs is very high, and I’m even willing to believe you, but…” Liu Feifei said, “But can you convince the headquarters and the bank to believe it as well?”

“I can only offer suggestions on how much money you need to borrow; the decision-making power definitely rests with headquarters.”

"Even the headquarters might not handle this loan alone; they might collaborate with other major banks."

"Or I would put it another way, the headquarters definitely won't approve it. Citibank, Standard Chartered, or any other bank would find it very difficult to grant this loan."

"And from your tone, $7 million isn't even enough, it might even need more."

"The fastest way for you to get this money is to sell your shares in Flash Entertainment, Flash Games, or Facebook in China. You can get the money in the shortest time. Investment banks such as Merrill Lynch and SoftBank are willing to do so."

Lin Xiao remained silent.

With so much money, how many shares need to be sold?

These shares could potentially increase in value dozens or even hundreds of times in the future.

“Of course there is another way,” Liu Feifei said. “You can ask Mr. Masayoshi Son of SoftBank to act as your guarantor. As for how you negotiate, that’s your business.”

"Furthermore, do you really want to use these IPs as collateral?"

"Otherwise, using Lightning Entertainment and Lightning Games as collateral would be more appropriate. Although they are not dollar assets, they are still very high-quality assets that have been generating a steady stream of income."

Lin Xiao shook his head: "If my mobile phone business fails, then the shares of Lightning Games and Lightning Entertainment will completely belong to the bank. These are core assets, and I won't take such a risk with them."

Liu Feifei: "President Lin, personally, I definitely want to help you get this loan."

“But this amount of money is too large. I’ll go to the United States first and help you with the arrangements.”

"Let me test the temperature first. Once I have a general idea of ​​what's going on, I'll call you over to talk, okay?"

Lin Xiao: "Okay!"

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

December 16th, around 12 PM.

"Waaaaah..." came the sound of a baby crying.

Lin Xiao's first child was officially born.

"Congratulations, Professor Xiao! Congratulations, Mr. Lin!"

"It's a daughter!"

"Six pounds and eight ounces!"

Lin Xiao gently held the baby and sat down next to Xiao Momo.

The little girl tried very hard to open her eyes, but she wasn't strong enough, and she could only open them slightly before closing them again.

But after opening his eyes for a while, his pupils were dark and bright, as if many stars were hidden in them.

What a beautiful baby.

She looks a lot like Lin Xiao, except for her eyes, which resemble Xiao Momo's.

Bubble's eyes are incredibly expressive.

A large group of people were surrounding the baby.

A true star surrounded by admirers.

Grandparents, aunt, parents, and maternal grandparents were all there.

Xia Xi had just left Linshan when she learned that the baby had been born, and immediately rushed over from Shanghai.

She, who has always been cool and abstract, was holding a baby with tears welling up in her eyes.

Even right after birth, this baby's personality seemed to be quite evident.

She is lively, curious, and doesn't cry easily.

Newborn babies usually sleep soundly with their eyes closed and are awake for very short periods of time.

She seemed to be full of curiosity, eager to observe and experience the world as soon as she was born, and kept trying to open her eyes, even though she couldn't see clearly at all.

And if there is any sound, she tries very hard to capture it.

Like a bubble, even though she's in her twenties, she still sneaks online every night and needs Li Fangfang to keep her company while she sleeps.

The baby was just born and already wanted to play.

But she couldn't resist the drowsiness and soon fell asleep in her crib, her two little fists clenched, sleeping sweetly, so tiny.

She woke up after sleeping for a few hours.

She doesn't seem to be planning to cry, but she's a little anxious, probably because she's hungry.

Li Fangfang quickly picked up the baby and placed her next to Paopao so that she could breastfeed.

"Mom, you...you go out too," Bubble said shyly.

Li Fangfang: "Really, I'm your mother, and you're not even embarrassed?"

Bubble: "Go outside."

"Okay, okay, okay." Li Fangfang looked at the baby with reluctance, blaming her daughter for being so meddlesome, because this meant she wouldn't be able to see the baby for ten or twenty minutes.

Only Lin Xiao, Xiao Momo, and the baby remained in the room.

Bubble gently held the baby in her arms and unbuttoned her clothes.

The baby immediately opened its mouth, took the milk, clenched its fists, and suckled very hard, making a series of cute suckling sounds.

"Baby, you're sucking so hard!" Bubble said sweetly.

The baby immediately perked up his ears upon hearing his mother's voice and stopped nursing.

"Alright, alright, you can keep eating. You're so easy to get distracted."

"Lin Yiyi, Lin Yiyi..."

"Do you like this name? It'll be an advantage during exams."

"Oh, look at Daddy! Where is Daddy?"

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

The two-month-long All-American Campus Beauty and Hunk Contest has finally come to an end.

It created an unprecedented internet miracle.

Facebook's registered users in the United States have surpassed eight million!

This is simply unbelievable data.

This success far exceeded Lin Xiao's expectations, and even exceeded everyone's expectations.

Many people exclaimed, "This is the real American Dream!"
The chosen number one campus belle and number one campus hunk in the United States have become the focus of everyone's attention.

I really didn't expect people here to be so enthusiastic about talent shows.

Many media outlets even exclaimed that this talent show was more fulfilling than the presidential election.

Because every vote is real-time and transparent.

This is a real, direct election.

In just two short months, Facebook's valuation in the United States skyrocketed.

Previously, many media outlets said that Facebook spent 100 million US dollars to hold this talent show, which was crazy and absurd.

As a result, in just two short months, Facebook's valuation in the United States has increased by several hundred million dollars.

It's unclear how much the $6000 million investment by Masayoshi Son and Jerry Yang has appreciated.

The once-declining Yahoo! Group has become famous again because of this investment, and Jerry Yang's influence on the board of directors has also greatly increased.

When it comes to capitalism, it has to be the United States.

12 Month 29 Day!
The first annual Facebook Night in the United States is in full swing.

Wu Lingxi became the brightest star tonight.

She became synonymous with miracles.

She achieved such tremendous success in just six months at the helm of Facebook in the United States.

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

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao was negotiating with Masayoshi Son.

The loan amount Lin Xiao requested was too large; Merrill Lynch alone was not enough, so he brought in Citibank and Morgan Stanley to work together on the loan.

Total $8 million.

Moreover, the loan is only for two years!
Even if Lin Xiao wants to take out another loan later, he will need to repay the loan first before he can borrow again.

The other party also refused to accept Lin Xiao's assets as collateral.

To these banking giants, Lin Xiao was just a nobody, and his assets were not authoritative enough.

However, if an international giant like Masayoshi Son is willing to provide a guarantee, they are willing to offer this loan.

"Lin, do we really have to go to such extremes?"

"This is a very, very large loan for you."

"Within two years, it will be very difficult to pay off your debts with the income from those few movies and games."

"Does making mobile phones really need to be this extreme?"

Masayoshi Son once again expressed his incomprehension. He felt that if Lin Xiao wanted to make money, he could make a fortune by making a decent phone. Why go to such great lengths?

To incur a massive debt of $8 million for a product whose success or failure is uncertain in about two years?
Of course, Masayoshi Son wouldn't vouch for someone for nothing.

If Lin Xiao cannot repay this money within two years, he will receive 35% of Facebook's shares, 35% of Dream Vision's shares, and 30% of YouTube's shares.

Of these shares, the most crucial is the stake in Facebook in the United States.

Relying on a mobile phone, it's certain that I won't be able to repay this loan within two years.

According to Lin Xiao's plan, he can only rely on the profits from the IPs of "Kung Fu Panda", "Breaking Bad", "The Hunger Games" and "Fallout 3" to pay off the debt.

Masayoshi Son: "You know what? I even hope you can't pay these loans, so I can get the most valuable shares in these companies, which is almost all of your personal shares in these two companies."

This is because Facebook has recently developed rapidly in the United States, becoming a legend in the American internet industry, resulting in a surge in its valuation.

However, major banks still accept collateral similar to that of Facebook in the United States, which is exactly what Masayoshi Son wanted.

Just then, Lin Xiao received a phone call from Wu Lingxi.

"Weren't you hosting Facebook Night? Tonight is your night to shine," Lin Xiao asked.

Wu Lingxi: "During my break, were you talking to Masayoshi Son?"

Lin Xiao: "Yes."

Wu Lingxi: "I am also a shareholder of Facebook in the United States, and my team owns 16.5% of the shares."

Lin Xiao: "Didn't you agree? You agreed to let me sign a betting agreement with Masayoshi Son."

Wu Lingxi: "I've changed my mind now."

"You want to use your shares in Facebook in the US as collateral to make a bet? No way!"

"You can't gamble with the vast majority of your shares."

"Include my 12%, then you'll have to pledge 12% less. I can only pledge my own shares; I can't touch the shares of my team."

"Even in the most extreme scenario, you, Lightning Group, and all the shares held by my team will still maintain control over Facebook in the United States."

"As for me? If you trust me, I don't need the shares. If you don't trust me, these shares are useless to me."

"Ok, deal!"

"Enough with the nonsense, I'm going on stage."

"Stop being sentimental, I can't handle this!"

"I'll come and sign it in a bit!"

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

Note: Finally finished writing again, I'm exhausted! My dear benefactors, do you still have any monthly votes left? Thank you everyone!
(End of this chapter)