Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 233 Amazing Profits

On the top floor of the Tengda Group's headquarters technology building, in the chairman's office, Lin Hao sat upright, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, a rare sight for him.

His tie was tied neatly, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine. He was completely unlike his usual casual and carefree self, and instead looked like a newcomer to the workplace.

Curious, he looked around the office; it was his first time visiting his old classmate's impressive workplace.

"No wonder you're the richest man! Chairman Song, your office is huge, the presence and the grandeur are amazing!" Lin Hao exclaimed, gently stroking the high-quality leather armrest of the sofa.

Compared to Lin Hao's astonishment, Li Ying, sitting to the side, exuded composure. She sat cross-legged with an elegant posture, holding a cup of fragrant tea, taking a light sip, calm and collected.

Song Ci paid no heed to Lin Hao's lament; his attention was entirely focused on the report in his hand.

He has already cashed in all the profits from shorting US stocks through Paulson & Co., and used the proceeds to repay the loan secured by Tengda Shares. With some of his original funds, he now has a total of US$237 billion on hand.

In addition to the foreign exchange reserves promised to Huaxing and ICBC in advance, this huge sum of money, including US$200 billion, was carefully allocated to Li Ying and Lin Hao to buy up stocks at rock-bottom prices through overseas accounts of Zhongxin Investment and Shanhai Capital.

Currently, affected by the global financial crisis, major stock markets have suffered heavy losses, and stock prices have fallen to their lowest point in nearly 20 years.

Faced with such a golden opportunity, Song Ci naturally wouldn't miss it and decisively bought at the bottom. With just a year or two of patient waiting for the economy to recover, these investments could yield at least three to five times the return.

Song Ci's slender fingers slowly slid along the stock ownership details on the report, his eyes focused and sharp, which listed the shareholding ratios of many well-known domestic and foreign companies.

Microsoft holds 0.36%, Apple 1.1%, Amazon 2.1%, Coca-Cola 0.94%, ICBC 1.7%, CCB 2.1%, BYD 4.5%, and Kweichow Moutai 2.4%.

After carefully reviewing the report for more than ten minutes, Song Ci finally put down the report in her hand, her heart surging with emotion, and she couldn't help but sigh:
"In the past, 200 billion US dollars wouldn't have been enough to buy shares in so many high-quality companies! Sure enough, a great crisis is accompanied by a great opportunity."

Li Ying deeply agreed. She had previously worked at an American investment firm and had in-depth knowledge of US stocks. Before the financial crisis, stocks of those well-known tech companies were unaffordable.

Take Microsoft for example. At its peak, its market value once exceeded 600 billion US dollars, but now it has dropped by almost 70%, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy at the bottom.

"Chairman Song, you've really made a killing this time." Lin Hao still felt like he was in a fog when he recalled the previous big buying spree.

He admired his old classmate immensely; he truly hadn't expected Song Ci to have such a sharp eye, accurately shorting US stocks and ruthlessly fleecing the American empire.

Song Ci smiled calmly, her initial excitement having subsided, and said with composure:

"I just looked at the reports. The total amount spent on buying up stocks at the bottom was US$202 billion. After deducting the foreign exchange I promised to give to the two banks, the two companies currently have US$15 billion in their accounts."

I plan to use this money for venture capital investments, focusing on companies in their early stages or those not yet publicly listed. Next, I'll need to trouble Yingjie and Haozi to get the two investment companies up and running.

Upon hearing this, Li Ying's eyes lit up, and she looked eager to try. She had resolutely resigned and joined Song Ci, not to become a puppet who would buy stocks at rock-bottom prices according to a list. That kind of job, which required no skills, would not reflect her value.

As an independent woman of the new era, she aspires to showcase her talent and wisdom in the business world, which is full of opportunities and challenges, and realize her own value.

Lin Hao was also eager to get started and full of enthusiasm. Over the past six months, he had already transformed the theoretical knowledge he learned at Peking University into practical skills, and deep down he longed to make a name for himself in the investment world.

After weighing the options in her mind, Song Ci calmly instructed, "Sister Ying, just as we discussed before, you will be in charge of Zhongxin Investment."

Going forward, we will focus on investing in and developing emerging fields such as internet technology, green energy, and biomedicine.

These fields have broad prospects, but the investment risks are also high. However, I believe that with your professional skills and experience, you will definitely be able to discover many potential stocks.

Li Yingxiu nodded slightly, looking confident: "No problem!"

"Haozi, I'm entrusting Shanhai Capital to you." At this point, Song Ci's gaze lingered on his old classmate's round face, and after a moment's thought, "Let's start by investing in some traditional industries to test the waters with Shanhai Capital."

His decision to divide the work between the two was made after careful consideration. Lin Hao was not as experienced as Li Ying; he was just a newcomer to the investment world and needed time to accumulate experience.

With the country's economy developing rapidly in the next few years, investing in traditional industries such as real estate and catering will not be difficult if businesses adopt appropriate management strategies and proceed steadily.

With his personal oversight, Lin Hao believes that Shan Hai Capital can make steady progress in the next two years under his leadership, and gradually expand its investment scope after accumulating experience.

Lin Hao readily agreed without hesitation, not feeling that Song Ci was looking down on him at all. He believed that it was important for a person to know their own limitations, and that his investment skills were still far behind Li Ying's, leaving him with a lot of room for improvement.

This arrangement by his old classmate is undoubtedly a reasonable way to cultivate and train him.

After discussing some details about the allocation of funds, the three of them reached a preliminary agreement on various matters. Li Ying took her leave first, leaving only Song Ci and Lin Hao, the two old classmates, to catch up.

With no outsiders present, Lin Hao relaxed considerably, becoming much more at ease. He leaned lazily against the sofa, no longer as reserved as before, as if he had returned to the carefree state he was in when he was chatting with Song Ci in his university dormitory.

He was very adept at maintaining appropriate boundaries in his interactions with Song Ci. In public or in front of strangers, he was extremely respectful to Song Ci, and his words and actions followed proper etiquette and rules.

When alone in private, they naturally reveal a close and casual side, but this closeness is just right, neither too intimate to cause discomfort nor too cautious to make them seem distant.

Lin Hao reached for the teacup, disregarding manners, and took a big gulp to moisten his dry throat.

“I met Gang a few days ago. He’s doing very well at ICBC, and his relationship with Sun Jingyi is very stable. They’re already living together. Although he can’t compare to you, Lao Si, he’s still achieving success in both his career and love life.”

Song Ci was well aware of Lu Yugang's situation. With the support of the branch's deputy branch manager and a graduate of Peking University, he naturally thrived in the workplace. After his internship, he was directly admitted to the branch's core corporate banking department and was given special training by the leadership.

"What about Xiao Chuan? He's rather introverted, we don't keep in touch much."

Lin Hao was quite concerned about his roommates and knew their situations very well: "Graduate school is just like that, you just have to follow the professors to do projects and work like a beast of burden, just slowly get through it."

Song Ci nodded slightly: "Given his personality, the path of a scholar is indeed suitable for him."

For a moment, both of them fell silent. Only half a year after graduation, they had all changed so much. Song Ci and Lin Hao sighed with emotion. "Oh, right!" Fatty Lin's eyes darted around, then he suddenly smiled mysteriously: "Fourth brother, I have some news for you."

"Just tell me."

"An old acquaintance of yours has returned to China."

Song Ci didn't react for a moment: "I have acquaintances abroad?"

Lin Hao smiled enigmatically: "It hasn't been that long, and you've already forgotten her completely? Back then, she couldn't have him and went abroad heartbroken. Remember now, it was Shen, the campus belle, who came back to China."

Song Ci was taken aback. It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned Shen Sisi in front of him. Now that Lin Hao had brought it up, the long-buried memories resurfaced. But in the end, the past was like smoke, and Miss Shen was just a fleeting passerby in his life.

"You're still in contact with them?"

Lin Hao recalled his carefree life at Peking University and sighed, "We rarely keep in touch anymore. The last time we got together was for Sun Jingyi's birthday. I only heard about it from Shen Sisi's roommate, who said that she returned to China in September and is now working at CCTV."

Song Ci nodded slightly: "Becoming an excellent host has always been her dream."

Seeing that his good friend's expression was calm and composed, seemingly indifferent to his old friend, Lin Hao wisely refrained from bringing it up again.

He then changed the subject: "Fourth brother, does Tengda still have the resources to invest in other places? My dad was promoted recently and is now the deputy head of the Nanjing government, in charge of attracting investment."

He was very envious when he saw that Tengda Group had invested 12 billion yuan each in Beiping and Donghai. He was thinking about whether he could invite you to invest in Nanjing. He even specifically told me that land and taxes were negotiable, and Nanjing could definitely offer Tengda the most favorable policies.

Song Ci first shook his head slightly, seemingly refusing, but then nodded slightly. This contradictory action left Lin Hao completely confused. He stared blankly at Song Ci, not knowing whether he was willing to invest or not.

Seeing Lin Pangzi's astonished expression, Song Ci explained, "Tengda Group needs time to integrate its previous projects and will not be expanding its investments elsewhere for the time being. The previous investment of 24 billion yuan needs time to be digested and absorbed internally."

However, I also have some new plans and ideas. I'm considering starting a new company a few years later, once Tengda has grown stronger and its foundation is completely solid. If conditions are right then, we could set up operations in Nanjing.

"You're starting a new company? What industry do you plan to operate in?"

With a bright and determined look in his eyes, Song Ci uttered two words: "Build a car!"

"Building cars?! No way!" Lin Hao exclaimed in surprise, instinctively wanting to dissuade him, after all, the automotive industry is known as the crown jewel of industry, and the difficulty of building cars is well known.

To achieve success in this field, even investing tens of billions might not yield significant results.

Moreover, the world's major automakers have already divided up the market, forming a relatively stable market structure. These giant companies are unlikely to allow new car manufacturers to develop.

Song Ci waved his hand calmly, signaling Lin Hao to stay calm: "Don't panic, I'm not building traditional gasoline cars, but new energy vehicles like Tesla in the United States."

"tram?"

“Yes!” Song Ci nodded solemnly, his eyes revealing a profound sense that seemed to see through the future. “I am very clear about the current market situation. How could I possibly go into the already saturated market of oil cars?”

However, the future of new energy vehicles is still uncertain, and there is enormous potential to be tapped. Of course, I've only just come up with this idea; its implementation will likely require a long period of research and preparation. Perhaps, by then, my uncle won't even be in office anymore.

Lin Hao knew that Song Ci was not one to speak without reason or act impulsively. Although he felt that new energy vehicles also had little future, he chose to remain silent when he saw Song Ci's determined expression.

He knew in his heart that his roommate was an extremely confident and privileged young man, and once he made up his mind, it was almost impossible for anyone to dissuade him.

Seeing Lin Pangzi's serious and worried expression, Song Ci smiled and tried to ease the atmosphere: "Don't worry, I've only just had this idea. Before I actually build the car, I will conduct detailed market research and technical analysis."

Besides, even if the worst happens and I lose all those tens of billions of dollars, I still have Tengda Group in my hands, and I'll still be the richest man.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao curled his lip and said, "I'm actually worrying about the richest man here! That's true, with your big family and business, the failure of your second venture is really nothing to you. You can withstand any setbacks."

The two chatted casually for a while longer. Song Ci raised her hand to look at her watch, and the hour hand had already quietly pointed to the time to get off work.

He got up from the sofa and straightened his slightly wrinkled suit: "It's getting late, I should go home. Haozi, let's call it a day, let's get together again sometime."

Lin Hao was chatting enthusiastically and hadn't had enough, so he hurriedly suggested, "Why don't we meet up today? Why don't I call Gang Ge and Xiao Chuan out, and the four of us can have a little get-together?"

Song Ci looked apologetic: "I can't go today. I have to go to Shishi's house for dinner tonight. I already promised my mother-in-law that I would go, and I can't break my promise."

Lin Hao sighed with regret, "Alright, then we'll have to make it another time. You're a super busy person right now, and who knows when the brothers will be able to get together again."

Song Ci stepped forward and patted Lin Pangzi's broad shoulder: "The four of us are all in Beiping. We'll always have a chance to get together. It's just not a good day. Otherwise, a small get-together would have been very pleasant. But it's okay, there's always another time."

After parting ways with Lin Hao in the parking lot, Song Ci got into her car and had the driver take her directly back to her apartment complex to have dinner at Liu Shishi's house.

Time flies by, and as November approaches and the year draws to a close, Song Ci becomes noticeably busier, often working overtime until very late before returning to Jingyuan.

Although Liu Shishi didn't join any filming crews, she was basically never idle. In mid-month, she returned to Donghai to attend the media conference for "Chinese Paladin 3".

On the 21st, she attended the celebration banquet for "A Little Thing Called First Love" and then immediately went to another city to promote the broadcast of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" on satellite TV.

Towards the end of the month, she was busy with the launch event for the spokesperson of Inoherb, followed by shooting advertisements and promotional photos for the brand.

Busy as she was, December arrived in the blink of an eye. Liu Shishi went to Wudang Mountain to report to the "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" film crew and began her week-long guest appearance.

(End of this chapter)