America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 334 The Eve of the Bell Ringing

As Ernst emerged from Clementine's luxurious mansion, the sun was painting the sky a brilliant gold, but he had no interest in appreciating the beauty. He strode towards the convoy waiting outside, a line of black luxury cars gleaming with a cold, aristocratic sheen under the blazing sun, like an armored legion about to set off for battle.

"Boss, everything is ready, we can depart for Los Angeles Airport at any time," Muller announced, opening the car door for Ernst.

Ernst nodded and bent down to get into the car.

The convoy started slowly and drove smoothly on the wide road. The scenery along the way rushed by, gradually transitioning from the bustling city to the open areas in the suburbs, heading straight for Los Angeles Airport.

At this moment, a silver-white private jet is quietly parked on the tarmac, like an eagle poised to take flight, awaiting its owner's arrival.

Without any delay, Ernst quickly boarded the plane, intending to head to San Jose.

Yuedong Games is about to ring the bell for its IPO, and before that, the company's first-quarter financial report has already been released.

Burst?

Describing this financial report as "explosive" is far from enough; perhaps "bomb" would be a more apt description.

The excellence of this financial report has exceeded everyone's expectations.

It was so good that Wall Street's usually arrogant institutional shareholders wanted to slap themselves in the face, regretting their previous shortsightedness and misjudgment.

At that moment on Wall Street, in the CEO's office at Goldman Sachs headquarters, Henry Paulson stood before his desk, his face ashen, burning with rage, roaring, "Those analysts, if you can do it, do it; if you can't, get the hell out of here! Goldman Sachs doesn't keep idle people!"

His voice was so penetrating it almost blew the roof off the office.

The air in the office seemed to freeze, and his anger filled every corner.

The secretary stood respectfully to the side, head bowed, pretending to listen attentively, but in reality, he didn't take Paulson's words to heart at all.

Because he knew that this was just him, the boss, venting his emotions. If he really fired all those analysts, wouldn't Goldman Sachs' analysis department be paralyzed?

It's just a huge discrepancy in one company's financial forecast. This kind of thing happens many times every year in various companies on Wall Street, so it's perfectly normal.

If every prediction were accurate, then these financial institutions would never lose money or make mistakes in judgment.

Seeing that Paulson had vented his anger and his voice had gradually subsided, the secretary cautiously stepped forward and said softly, "I think this might actually be a good thing. YueDong Games' financial report far exceeded expectations; as shareholders, aren't we also beneficiaries?"

"You know nothing!" Paulson snapped, his eyes blazing with anger and resentment. "We've lost a fortune, you know that? We've lost everything this time!"

As he spoke, he picked up the first quarter financial report of YueDong Games on the table and slammed it onto the desk with a loud crack.

"If we had known that YueDong Games' revenue growth would be so rapid, we shouldn't have asked them to go public in the first place."

Paulson felt like slapping himself whenever he thought about it.

Goldman Sachs and Sequoia Capital were the ones who strongly advocated for YueDong Games to go public.

Looking back now, he's filled with deep regret.

If Ernst wants to cash out, let him. Investing is risky, and it's normal for the stock price to be high. Why couldn't he have been more patient back then?

Now, with this impressive financial report released, YueDong Games has not only successfully landed safely, but its risk level has also dropped to a low point. This makes the institutional shareholders extremely distressed, as if their money has been wasted.

Paulson grew increasingly angry and paced back and forth in his office.

If they hadn't taken YueDong Games public, they could have easily pushed for a second round of financing, allowing Wall Street to acquire more shares and reap greater profits.

Even if YueDong Games has money but is unwilling to seek financing, there are ways to cope.

The company needs to expand, right? If the company needs funds, wouldn't it naturally seek their help?

If you fancy a particular game company, just say the word, and I'll help you acquire it from Wall Street, all you have to do is take my money.

But now, all these beautiful dreams have vanished.

Paulson felt as if he had personally lost a large sum of money, and he was extremely upset.

He stopped, turned around, looked at his secretary, and asked with a hint of accusation, "What were our previous predictions for Leap Games' figures this year? Annual revenue of $11 billion, gross profit of $8 million, and net profit exceeding $3.5 million, right?"

Paulson was furious at the mere mention of this forecast, wishing he could immediately call the relevant personnel into his office, throw the newly received financial report in their faces, and make them see the mistakes they had made.

"Their revenue in the first quarter exceeded $4.6 million, almost half of our projected annual revenue." Paulson's voice rose again, filled with anger and disappointment. "Have these people lost their minds? The gap between our predictions and reality is so huge."

The secretary stood to the side, secretly pursing her lips, secretly wanting to say a few words in defense of the forecasting department.

This original prediction was unbelievable to Wall Street and major investors at the time. Who would have thought that YueDong Games would be so powerful?

The main reason is the explosive growth in revenue from the YueDong Games platform. This single segment alone contributed 40% of YueDong Games' revenue.

It's worth noting that when YueDong Games launched its IPO and first disclosed its financial report, the platform's revenue was less than 20 million US dollars.

In less than six months, revenue has increased nearly tenfold. Such a growth rate is something that even God himself could hardly predict, let alone the forecasting department.

However, the secretary dared not voice these thoughts. If he were to speak up at this moment, it would only add fuel to the fire, and Paulson might vent all his anger on him.

Paulson wasn't the only one furious; other Wall Street shareholders who held shares in Leap Games were also enraged, their emotions running high as if Leap Games had gone bankrupt and their investments had been wiped out.

Ernst, who was on his way to San Jose, was also surprised by the financial report.

This is why, after seeing the financial statements sent by YueDong Games, he did not hesitate to change his itinerary and rush to San Jose.

Inside the CEO's office, Ernst and Ryan Ruiz were sitting on a soft, comfortable sofa.

On the table, the coffee that the secretary had just brought out was still steaming and emitting a rich aroma.

Ernst was looking down at the detailed and complicated financial statement in his hand, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he was carefully analyzing every piece of data.

Meanwhile, Ryan Ruiz sat to the side, leisurely enjoying Ernst's cigar.

This is no ordinary cigar; it's an authentic Besik cigar.

A single cigar like this can cost thousands of dollars, and more importantly, even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy one.

The tobacco leaves for this cigar can only be grown on the best red soil in a specific area of ​​Havana, the capital of Cuba, and its high quality has always been favored by American political figures.

Most of the so-called Besik cigars on the market are either second-rate or counterfeit, made with tobacco leaves from other parts of Cuba.

For ordinary people, buying a genuine Besik cigar is harder than climbing to heaven.

As for what kind of girl's thighs were used to create it, Ryan Ruiz said that it was just a way to fool idiots, and it was just a publicity stunt.

Anyone familiar with cigars knows that rolling a high-quality cigar requires working on a hard, flat surface, and the process is extremely complex and tedious, requiring exquisite skills and ample patience at every step.

How could a few young girls possibly roll high-quality cigars by manipulating their soft thighs? That's simply a fantasy.

Cuban cigars are famous not because of any young girl's thighs, but because of former US President John F. Kennedy.

The day before Kennedy ordered a trade embargo against Cuba, he deliberately had a large quantity of cigars secretly purchased from Cuba.

When this was later exposed, people also discovered that Kennedy only smoked Cuban cigars and completely disregarded other brands of cigars, even finding the taste of other cigars harsh on the throat.

It was thanks to the endorsement of John F. Kennedy, a heavyweight fan, that Cuban cigars gained worldwide fame and became synonymous with high-quality cigars.

The Besik cigar in Ryan Ruiz's hand, meticulously processed, is the finest of the fine, a luxury enjoyed by American aristocracy.

"Well done."

Just as Ryan Ruiz was savoring the rich flavor of the cigar, Ernst's praise brought him back to reality: "The results of this financial report far exceeded my expectations."

Upon hearing the praise, Ryan Ruiz gave a humble smile, exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "It was actually quite a lucky break. I did anticipate a significant increase in the business of the Leap Games platform, but I didn't expect it to grow to this extent. This is truly unexpected."

Why is the revenue of the YueDong gaming platform so explosive that it's causing Wall Street to feel the pinch?

It was Ryan Ruiz who successfully penetrated the home video game console market and forged important partnerships with industry giants.

The most crucial collaboration was with Nintendo.

YueDong Games and Nintendo have reached a deep cooperation agreement, successfully bringing some of Nintendo's hit games to the YueDong Games PC platform.

Nintendo was also promised that it could turn Jump Games' games into cartridges.

Judging from the current results, this cooperation between the two parties can no longer be described as merely good; it has completely exceeded expectations and achieved a true win-win situation.

For Nintendo, this collaboration has enabled them to successfully develop new revenue streams and expand their game content.

Originally, a game could only be sold on its own game console, but now it can be released simultaneously on the PC platform YueDong Games, which is equivalent to adding another way to make money, and revenue has naturally increased significantly.

As for YueDong Games, they earned substantial channel fees and marketing expenses by providing channel support and promotional services for Nintendo's games.

This cooperation model is a sure-fire way to make money for YueDong Games.

"I reckon that after this financial report is released, other game console manufacturers and game developers will definitely rush to our door, begging to cooperate with us." Ryan Ruiz's face showed a smug expression, and his tone was full of confidence.

He is not afraid of having many games, because YueDong Games mainly relies on distribution channels and marketing for profit.

The more games a company collaborates with, the more channel fees and marketing expenses it can earn. This is undoubtedly a win-win situation for the company's development.

Ernst listened to Ryan Ruiz's words and nodded slightly. He put down the financial statements in his hand, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a small sip. "You're right. We need to be fully prepared to welcome these potential partners. At the same time, we also need to further optimize our platform services, improve the user experience, and ensure our leading position in the industry."

Ryan Ruiz nodded and said, "I've already arranged for the team to get started. We'll develop a detailed cooperation plan and provide personalized services for different partners. Regarding platform optimization, the technical team is also continuously upgrading and iterating to strive to bring users a better gaming experience."

After learning about the cooperation with game developers, Ernst turned his attention back to the financial report in his hand.

He couldn't understand most of the content, or rather, it gave him a headache. Fortunately, he didn't need to understand every single word; he only needed to know a few details and the numbers.

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