Huayu has been doing one good deed a day since 2001

Chapter 93: Assets skyrocketed by 10 billion? [Seeking monthly votes]

In a residential building in Beijing.

Brother Kaizi was still frowning and thinking hard while writing the script of "The Promise" so that he could fill it with more of his inspiration and ideas when he heard a violent knock on the door.

Before he could say anything, Chen Hong walked in holding her cell phone.

Just as Brother Kaizi was about to scold her with a dark face, Ah Hong hurriedly said, "Something happened. Zhang Bozhi made a public statement through her verified Weibo account."

"Thank you, Old Chen, for your appreciation of her, but she has no schedule in the past few years and will not be working with us."

"It's fine if you say it privately, but just announce it on the official Weibo account. Old Chen, why are you bashing the tuner for no reason? And you even say that he's better at finding a gun than him..."

So far, I have been rejected by three people in a row.

Even though Zhang Bozhi's Weibo post didn't contain any foul language, she still gave the excuse of not having schedules.

But there is no release date in the next few years? It's just a lie.

It's obvious that Azhi doesn't think highly of your project, Director Chen, or she's been fooled and doesn't want to bother with you.

Let’s put aside the older generation of actresses like Gong Li, Manyu, etc.

This is the second of the new generation!

Kaizi felt dizzy on the spot, his blood pressure starting to soar. "Fuck, she rejected me on Weibo? How dare a little girl like her look down on me?"

"I……"

Brother Kaizi was so angry that he stood up and wanted to throw something.

He worked hard on the script of The Promise for several years. The original trajectory of The Promise was to start filming in 2004, and Kaizi worked hard for 6 years to complete it.

We are doing this in advance, and the script has not been completely completed yet.

But he had been working on it intermittently for almost five years, which also included recruiting helpers and letting Zhang Tan, who was also quite famous, join.

When talking about Zhang Tan, his representative works include Once Upon a Time in China II, A Man Should Be Self-reliant, Once Upon a Time in China III, and Xu Ke's New Dragon Inn.

In the TV drama circle, Zhang Tan also has the role of Pigsy!
The more Zhang Tan wrote, the less satisfied Kaizi became. He rejected and revised the manuscripts Zhang Tan handed over time and time again...

He felt like a resentful person. He had to pay screenwriter Zhang and also tear down and overhaul the whole thing. The more he read the mess the other party had written, the more he felt disgusted.

Chen Hong felt a little helpless. "The outside world still doesn't know that we invited Fan Bingbing and Li Jiaxin, but they rejected us many times."

"Now that Zhang Bozhi has officially announced her account on Weibo, the gossip paparazzi who are interested will definitely delve deeper into the matter, right?"

"Once the outside world knows that so many actresses have rejected you, will it affect the overall development of the project?"

Before The Promise, Kaizi had already made "The Emperor and the Assassin" a Waterloo-like flop, with a total investment of 7000 million RMB but a global box office of 126 million US dollars.

Except for the Qin Palace Film and Television City, which is well built.

The ground is in a mess!
Killing Me Softly, with an investment of 3000 million US dollars, grossed 777 million US dollars worldwide.

In Hollywood, this is considered a failure and will never be hired again.

Otherwise, Brother Kaizi wouldn't have gone to film the TV series "Lü Bu and Diao Chan".

Now, Wuji is still trying to attract investment. No matter what the reason is, the role of the heroine was rejected by three people many times!

If it is exposed, it will definitely be a big blow to the Wuji project.

Brother Kaizi coughed a few times and took a deep breath. "Are you sure that Zhang Bozhi's rejection of me has something to do with Li Wenyu?"

That little bastard from Beijing Film Academy, just compare him with someone like Lu Chuan who is a loser.

And you're humiliating his new project like this?
Chen Hong laughed awkwardly, "I asked around, and it turns out Zhang Bozhi posted a Weibo post on the set of Time Media's My Love from the Star, refusing to work with the crew."

Brother Kaizi coughed even more violently and almost vomited blood.

Why? Isn't Zhang Bozhi a Hong Kong star? The Xiang family... Yes, the tuner is also a project invested by the Xiang family.

His face changed through many colors as if using a special technique.

Brother Kaizi slammed the table and said, "They will regret it. When my project is released and shocks the world, I will make them regret it in hell."

The next moment, he calmed down his emotions.

He recited the Song of Everlasting Sorrow with great emotion!

He is a professional at reciting poetry.

Ah Hong is a little confused and overwhelmed. Forget it, I'd better try to find the next target and wait until the Song of Everlasting Regret is finished.

She then spoke, "Gao Yuanyuan's popularity has been skyrocketing recently. She was the third most beautiful woman in Asia in 2002, and the undisputed number one in mainland China."

"But Gao Yuanyuan is also from Time Media?"

Gao Yuanyuan is ranked behind Azhi as a Chinese beauty on the Penguin Asia's Most Beautiful Faces website.

No. 1 in the Mainland!
The gorgeous photos of her wearing a blazer or dance costume and practicing Baguazhang and Xingyiquan have attracted countless netizens to download, collect and share.

This was the most easily shared post by netizens in the Penguin group chat in 2002, similar to the first generation of national emoticons.

Kaizi covered his heart again, "I haven't looked for her for three consecutive times. I don't believe that in such a huge Chinese entertainment industry, if we put aside time, we still can't find a vase."

Chen Hong smiled bitterly.

Of course vases are easy to find, but the problem is popularity.

…………

Zhang Bozhi publicly rejected Director Chen's project and will not cooperate with him for several years.

This Weibo post still caused a small storm on the Internet. After all, this is the second Asian beauty pageant, and it is the most crucial period of competition.

It seems that the new most beautiful woman is about to ascend the throne.

The sudden outbreak of such news naturally aroused curiosity, and the gossip paparazzi took action.

All kinds of gossip and rumors began to fly around the Internet and in reality, but these had little to do with Li Wenyu.

On December 12th, after filming another classic scene of artificial snowmaking, Li Wenyu grabbed the loudspeaker and said, "We're wrapping up. Everyone, bring your families to the wrap party tonight."

I originally thought that we could finish filming by the end of November, but we added another week to ensure perfection.

But you are definitely very good at fighting in this version of Star.

Not only does the cast have a gorgeous look and the costumes and props are excellent, but the clips that were sent to Hollywood for special effects have been there for over half a month.

Even if it can't be broadcast during the New Year's Day of 2003.

Even if it premieres in February, it will be after New Year’s Eve, making it the best drama of the new year!
As the entire crew erupted in cheers, Xiao Yang, who had lost ten pounds from exhaustion, came over and said, "Brother Yu, there's a boss named Xiong Xiaoge, who claims to be the president of IDG China. He wants to talk to you about investing. Are you talking about investing in Weibo?"

Xiao Yang was getting a little excited while talking.

Weibo was valued at US$2.5 million by South African newspaper companies, but its attempts to raise funds were rejected.

This is a wealth myth!
Li Wenyu was stunned, and Fan Bingbing and Li Jiaxin, who had just walked over quickly, were also stunned.

A few seconds later, Li Jiaxin quickened her pace. "IDG Xiong Sheng? He's a bit funny too. He's the same person as the second son of the Li family, the Penguin Group that invested in Ma Sheng before the millennium."

"In the end, I sold my Penguin shares with Li Ershao in 2001."

The Internet bubble is gradually passing, big companies are recovering one by one, and Big Penguin has been striving to reach 2 million users.

The number of simultaneous online users has already exceeded 300 million.

Li Wenyu smiled and nodded. "Boss Xiong is alright. I'll go talk to him. Bingbing, you arrange the celebration banquet."

The South African newspaper industry's last offer was very sincere and offered a considerable amount of money.

Lao Li refused because the South African newspaper industry did not have that much influence and connections in East Asia.

This IDG CEO Xiong?
In 1998, IDG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Science and Technology for an investment of up to US$10 billion, which was a series of investments in small and medium-sized high-tech industry chains.

The foreign boss of this group has connections in mainland China that go far beyond the Jinbu department. IDG has invested in Sohu, eBay, Kingdee, Dangdang, 3721, Big Penguin, Baidu, Tudou, and more, and will soon include Meituan and Pindaodao.

The largest venture capital groups in China, including IDG, SoftBank, Sequoia, and Goldman Sachs Asia, take turns to be the boss.

He accepted the financing not only for the money, but also for the power.

IDG has this momentum!

Of course, Li Wenyu not only wants to take advantage of the momentum, but also wants to create momentum himself.

As Fat Bing nodded, he leaned over to her ear and said, "I'll graduate from college next summer, and I should have finished filming Extreme Job."

"Please ask someone to help me. I want to apply for a Master's degree in Communication at the School of Journalism at Renmin University. I want to see if they're welcoming."

Since you are studying in the capital.

The resources that can be utilized and relied upon in the university circle are already very large.

In terms of communication studies at the School of Journalism, Renmin University is basically ranked first among all universities in mainland China.

He's the founder of a major internet media platform, so he's going to study for a master's degree? He'll probably get both a master's and a doctorate in two years.

The National People’s Congress, I won’t talk about anything too lofty.

The top figure in radio and television in recent years is a senior student from the School of Journalism of Renmin University of China.

This is just a random example.

Fat Bing nodded in surprise and excitement. "Leave it to me. We've had offers from South African newspapers. Shouldn't this IDG offer more money for financing?"

What if it is higher than the US$2.5 million valuation of South African Newspapers?

Lao Li is more than amazing. She can't wait to pull Lao Li into the RV and go home.

Li Wenyu nodded and followed Xiao Yang to meet Lao Xiong.

…………

A moment later, on the roadside outside the filming site, Li Wenyu saw Xiong Xiaoge, who was in his 40s, and smiled as he offered her a cigarette. "Hello, Mr. Xiong. I just knew you were coming. I apologize for the inconvenience."

He learned from Xiao Yang that this person had arrived for almost half an hour.

However, Xing Ni's scenes during the final filming period will not be easily interrupted by the outside world.

Old Xiong smiled gently. "Not really, not really. I'm just delighted to see a young talent like Mr. Li."

"The Chinese internet still relies on the hard work of generations of young people like you to advance it smoothly and have a brighter future."

Is Lao Xiong a tough guy?

IDG is a US capital. Its founder brought Lao Xiong into the industry in 1991, and within a few years, Lao Xiong became the CEO of China.

But after the white founder met God in 2014, Lao Xiong acquired the US IDG Group in 2017, and he became the real boss.

By bringing IDG into Weibo, they will have power, connections and money, and you don’t have to worry about the kind of capital that Jack Ma invested in and brainwashed you.

As early as 1999, IDG's global revenue was several billion US dollars a year and its net profit was around 2 million US dollars.

In addition to high-tech, hotel chains such as Hanting, Home Inns and Ctrip are also the ones IDG has been investing and burning money on since the millennium.

The two chatted briefly over cigarettes. Lao Xiong then glanced at the crew finishing up work and said, "Excuse me for being polite. Mr. Li, you're a very busy person, so I won't be so polite."

"For this dark horse, Time Weibo, I'd like to offer you a price. Mr. Li, would you consider it? 5500 million US dollars, 20%."

If Weibo itself were to remain the sole entity and not try to intercept various things in the fields of other large companies, Weibo's future market value would be limited.

The original Weibo went public in 2014 with a market capitalization of US$41 billion and a peak value of US$300 billion.

But this was only the end of 2002, how far away was it from 2014?
However, even if nothing changes, Li Wenyu is confident that when it goes public in 04, it will catch up with Penguin's market value in its early years, which was 04 to million Hong Kong dollars in , equivalent to billion US dollars.

Li Wenyu nodded. "The valuation is $2.75 million. Mr. Xiong's sincerity is pretty good."

Xiong Xiaoge dropped his cigarette butt and laughed, "Mr. Li, happy working with you?"

He also knows that IDG's influence and power in China at this stage are far beyond what the South African newspaper industry can match, and he has great confidence in financing.

The advantage of this kind of big venture capital is that no matter what happens, you can always find someone from any department you want to invite for dinner.

Li Wenyu smiled unchanged and shook hands. "Mr. Xiong, what do you think of Youngor's sudden popularity?"

Lao Xiong’s valuation is sincere, but he still wants to bargain!
Xiong Xiaoge frowned after shaking hands. "That's right. The publicity and promotion by Weibo and Mr. Li himself are truly remarkable. They're more effective than even the average satellite TV station."

"So 6000% of $20 million? That's enough to fund Weibo's IPO, right?"

"Penguin's IPO bell ringing is also in the works. I really hope to go with Mr. Li to ring the bell. Do you plan to ring the bell on Hong Kong Island or at Nasdaq?"

If he can't get in without financing, then he must be being too polite when asking where to go public.

If the financing went smoothly and these questions were asked, then it meant that he was representing one of the major shareholders. Was Li Wenyu bargaining? Bargaining in buying and selling things is a fact of life.

Li Wenyu also smiled happily, "Mr. Xiong's biggest regret is probably selling 01% ​​of Penguin in 20. I'll bargain for another price, 8000% of $20 million."

He was confident that Weibo could reach US$04 billion in revenue by .

Now that the valuation has been cut to $4 million, IDG can still make a profit.

How can a 150% profit in two years not be called a profit?!

He can free up money to continue investing in broadband, servers and other expenses, and use this as his own money to buy houses and land in Beijing.

Used to build the headquarters building of Shiguang Media.

This is the money Li Wenyu used from various sources to buy the land, not the tens of millions of US dollars raised from IDG. This kind of money must be separated and transparent.

If you really use IDG funds to stir up trouble, who will benefit from the future appreciation of the land? Li Wenyu's Time Media assets, or Weibo's?
Xiong Xiaoge rubbed his face in frustration. "Mr. Li, if you want to bargain, just bargain. Why are you asking for the 20% share of Penguin..."

“This may be the biggest investment I’ve ever made in my life.”

It was also in 01 that the shortsightedness led to the sale of 20% of Penguin to South African Newspaper Group under the shadow of the Internet bubble.

Only the old bear would be optimistic about the new Weibo platform when the bubble ended and the big Internet companies gradually recovered. In early November, South African newspapers all chased to Hong Kong Island?

He waited for a month, mainly to report to the headquarters on the price at which to invest in Shiguang Weibo.

This was not in 1999 when Penguin was in its infancy, when 110% of Pony Ma was bought for $20 million.

Given IDG's size, the president of Hua Xia can make his own decisions on investments worth millions of dollars.

But if it involves tens of millions of dollars? You can only report and apply.

Li Wenyu smiled deeply. "It's okay. At worst, I can find out in advance when Xiao Ma will apply for listing, and try to find out the exact date."

"We will also strive to ring the bell on Weibo on the same day."

Xiong Xiaoge shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Okay, Mr. Li, please allow me to think about it for a while, including talking to headquarters."

Before getting into the car, Mr. Xiong once again expressed his hope to bring his wife to attend the wrap-up party of "You Are the Star" before waving goodbye and leaving. His wife was also an actress.

As soon as the car left, Pang Bing and Li Jiaxin ran over.

Li Wenyu smiled and said the valuation was 300 to 400 million US dollars, and both of them screamed.

2002 million US dollars at the end of 4 is equal to 31.2 billion Hong Kong dollars, which is equal to 32.8 billion RMB!

In just one month, Mr. Li's wealth increased by 1 billion.

Lao Xiong said he would consider it and talk to the headquarters.

But having progressed to this point, Weibo’s valuation will only continue to rise!
The number of registered users of the internal version of Shiguang Weibo has exceeded 9000 million, the number of external version has exceeded 4000 million, and the total number of active users has exceeded 1100 million. This is the core reason for the increase in its value.

Especially the version outside the Great Firewall, which is full of comments, replies and interactions in Chinese, English, South Korean, Japanese, etc. It really feels like the international student communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Europe and the United States are connected to the world without any barriers.

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(End of this chapter)