Generation Z Artists

Chapter 385 Feudal superstition is the same everywhere
IPO roadshow, a very mysterious and prestigious term.

But it is essentially a series of presentations, either one-on-one, in small groups, or in the form of large luncheons, aimed at a wider range of investors.

Thinking about it carefully, this is no different from banks giving out eggs at the end of the year—inviting customers to the business hall, rambling on and on about how great they are, selling some financial products, the more they sell, the more they earn, the less they sell, they lose money on eggs.

Companies that aren't good enough will definitely lose money if they go on an IPO roadshow.

So, is StarNet powerful enough?

It depends on how Gao Hongbei promotes it, and even more so on how Fang Ge acts; it's quite a skillful operation.

National Mall, Four Seasons Hotel.

The Four Seasons, which had just opened in 2004, welcomed their Washington Saint Son with the grandest scale, with a red carpet laid all the way across the street to ensure that Fang Ge's shoes would never get a speck of dust from the moment he got out of the car to the moment he went upstairs.

In fact, Fang Xinghe had already booked a room at the Four Seasons Hotel. One of the nine presidential suites, which were in high demand, was reserved for him, and it was the most luxurious royal suite, which cost as much as $12000 per night.

On the day of the roadshow, Fang Xinghe rode in a limousine, making a full loop around downtown Washington, D.C., before returning to the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel. Witnessed by numerous media outlets, he got out of the car, posed for photos, waved, and then, surrounded by admirers, went upstairs to the venue…

It's like taking off your pants to fart, but the American capital market buys into it.

This operation caused a de facto sensation on two levels—

The first aspect is getting out of the car to take photos, which is actually a public appearance.

It was like a declaration, signifying that Fang Xinghe, as a business elite and a genius entrepreneur, was officially entering this capital game.

The second level involves attending roadshow events in person, targeting institutional investors.

This expresses my emphasis on this IPO and my willingness to communicate directly with everyone.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe stopped flaunting his unique sense of fashion and instead followed local customs by getting a formal suit.

LV's runway-level styling team spent a whole week preparing for this appearance, producing a total of 7 haute couture outfits specially designed for Fang Xinghe, but in the end they still chose the most conservative and simple one.

But the result was quite good—clothes really do depend on who's wearing them.

Suits, leather shoes, bow ties, long legs, Wall Street slicked-back hair... This was an unprecedented Fang Xinghe, with entertainment media clamoring and financial media showing him respect.

Then Cartier got really worried... Dad, what about me? What about me?
Fang Xinghe felt it was really inappropriate to wear earrings and a necklace in this situation, so he picked out a scepter from their collection, carried it in his hand, and that was it.

This thing is about 30 centimeters long, made of 18K gold, and inlaid with gemstones. The head of the staff has a spiral shape, which looks strange.

However, when held in Fang Sheng's hands, coupled with his solemn expression, it gave off a very divine feeling.

At the entrance of the venue, the crowd waiting for him was filled with familiar faces among Americans—Bill Gates with a friendly smile, the mayor of Washington warmly embracing him, and the presidents of Goldman Sachs, American Express, and BlackRock standing around him…

Fang Xinghe walked step by step toward the place where the starlight was at its brightest.

"Jesus!"

A Christian journalist remarked.

"This isn't a roadshow, it's practically a coronation!"

An entertainment reporter jokingly asked, "If SR were to ascend the throne, which pope would preside over the ceremony?"

"Innocent III!"

The believer's answer came out without hesitation.

Coincidentally, the entertainment reporter next to me was also well-versed in religious history—because of the huge controversy brought about by the release of "Seven" this year, many entertainment reporters have been cramming on related knowledge.

He quickly grasped the essence of it, his eyes widening in amazement: "Damn it, Gan, you're a genius! They really are alike."

Innocent III is widely recognized as the pinnacle of church power, calling himself "God's spokesperson" and declaring that he is "lower than God but higher than man." His arrogant personality is very much like yours, Fang Sheng.

A sports reporter chimed in quip, "YES, tyrants and dictators. Are you sure they won't start fighting on the spot?"

Innocent III is best known for establishing the Inquisition and launching the Fourth Crusade. He brought papal authority to its historical peak, and his influence far surpassed that of secular monarchs of his time.

As for Fang Xinghe... it's hard to believe he would be willing to submit to any authority, even the Pope.

The religious journalist imagined the two men colliding like Mars and Earth during their coronation ceremony, and suddenly shuddered, shaking his head vigorously.

"Forget it, only John XXIII is probably capable of this job..."

"Or these capitalists."

The entertainment reporters gestured towards the venue, indicating that they had already surrounded Fang Xinghe, and every photo they took demonstrated the extent of the "crowd."

"Damn it," the sports reporter muttered. "Damn it... I'm not jealous of those big capitalists, I mean... whatever, let's just leave it at that."

The entertainment reporter quietly interjected, uttering what he hadn't finished saying.

"They would rather accept a yellow-skinned person from a foreign country than accept us, is that right?"

The reporter stared wide-eyed; he was a dark-skinned man.

The entertainment reporter chuckled self-deprecatingly; he had brown skin.

The believer turned and walked into the meeting hall; he was red-skinned.

Immediately afterwards, the doors closed, and the financial journalists who had been granted entry eagerly headed to their seats, waiting with anticipation for the monotonous roadshow process.

Every company's roadshow is pretty much the same, but this one is Fang Xinghe's, which makes it stand out from the crowd.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Vice President of Goldman Sachs.

Saving Money: This is Fang Sheng's company.

The second act involves playing presentation slides and roadshow videos.

Fang Xinghe patiently watched the PPT from the audience—this was a PPT created by American financial elites—but soon he discovered that it was no different from those that had been rampant in China in his previous life.

Following that, Dong Ge took the stage to give a speech and elaborate on the company's business philosophy.

This was actually a standard and correct procedure, and the actual operator of the company was always Dong Ge (Liu Qiangdong), but the investors quickly became dissatisfied.

"We want SR!"

"SR, SR, SR!"

Many people started to jeer, wanting Fang Xinghe to go on stage.

The more important figures smiled and applauded, and Dong Ge, being very sensible, immediately stepped down from the stage to invite the BOSS.

Okay, then let's go up and say a few words.

Fang Xinghe adjusted the collar of his dress slightly, twirled the scepter between his fingers, and slowly walked onto the stage.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, if you just want to see me struggle, then you've succeeded. But please don't have unrealistic expectations of me being able to run a business well. In fact, I'm only good at spending money..."

The lighthearted opening remarks drew laughter from the audience.

Fang Xinghe was certainly not a complete novice; he had been a boss in his previous life. However, he was indeed unfamiliar with the operational details of StarNet.

So he blocked out inappropriate questions beforehand before he started accepting questions.

The Q&A session was lively.

The most pressing concern for investors is always major shareholders reducing their holdings.

“SR, we’ve observed that you’ve already transferred a significant portion of your shares in your private capacity. Will you continue to reduce your holdings after StarNet successfully goes public?” “That is indeed a question that I must answer personally.”

Brother Fang smiled politely, his demeanor shifting to one of sincerity, and began his answer calmly and deliberately.

"First of all, it is certain that I will not reduce my stock holdings on a large scale, no matter when. I must retain enough equity to ensure that my will always runs through StarNet."

The actions of the other major shareholders, whether to reduce or increase their holdings, will be determined by their investment plans.

As for me, all I've ever considered is how to make the StarNet grow healthier and stronger.

You asked about the shares I previously transferred privately; yes, that's the reason.

Previously, StarNet's equity was too concentrated, which was not conducive to its growth and expansion.

StarNet needs partners, and so do I, so I transferred most of my equity to friends who can help StarNet grow: Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Sequoia Capital, Sony, Samsung...

This decision was not based on the logic of cashing out, but rather on my hope that StarNet could be successfully integrated into the major global markets and become the world's StarNet, not just my StarNet.

Currently, the results are outstanding. In the past six months, StarNet's development seems to have skyrocketed, and its value is increasing daily.

In reality, the major shareholder's guarantee that he "will never reduce his shareholding" is utter nonsense.

Every business says this before going public, but almost no one actually manages to do it.

Fang Xinghe couldn't possibly refuse to sell any of his shares, but his words were both sincere and accommodating, which made him very convincing.

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

The second point of common concern is StarNet's vision—what kind of company it wants to become, which can be simply understood as "what kind of story the entrepreneur intends to tell the public."

Coincidentally, director Fang's forte is storytelling.

His gaze was distant, as if he were looking towards the future.

“I have been paying attention to Silicon Valley. Many internet industry experts are predicting a new era of the internet and have named it the Web 2.0 era.”

The core of this era is to upgrade the internet from a "read-only mode where professional institutions produce content" to a "read-write mode where everyone participates in creation and interactive collaboration." Users are no longer just information receivers, but also content creators, disseminators, and value participants.

It was based on this concept that I came up with the idea of ​​upgrading StarNet from a fan club to a social platform.

Therefore, we created the microblogging model, which has given rise to a large number of online influencers who have rediscovered their personal value on the internet…

After a brief explanation, Brother Fang started to get emotional again.

"The desire to express one's views is human nature, and giving people the opportunity to express their views is the highest form of democracy."

A fair, open, and inclusive social platform will allow the internet, a new phenomenon, to profoundly integrate into the daily lives of every human being. The significance of Weibo is not just entertainment, but also an evolutionary milestone for individuals to fully embrace the world.

Never before have humans enjoyed such freedom—sharing without barriers, expression without qualifications, and niche interactions that are no longer seen as alienation by those around them.

This fully demonstrates how technology transforms human society and highlights the brilliance of civilization in this era…

Blah blah blah, the narrator wasn't particularly passionate, but every listener was deeply moved.

Is Weibo really that great?

This model is indeed great, but it is an inevitable product of the times. StarNet Weibo has simply taken the path of its predecessor ahead of time, rather than truly creating anything new.

Fang Xinghe was fully aware of this, but the investors were excited.

"SR, you're the best!"

"StarNet is truly amazing!"

A little chaos broke out at the scene, and Fang Xinghe wondered to himself: Who hired these shills?

The landlord smiled mysteriously and silently straightened the corner of his clothes.

However, regardless of whether there were any shills or not, this concept, personally articulated by Fang Xinghe, is bound to make headlines in the business section.

There's a big difference between being a good storyteller and not being a good storyteller.

If it were a dry, straightforward presentation like Dong Ge's, it certainly wouldn't have been able to create such a lively atmosphere.

The next question, and the one after that...

Performer Fang Xinghe didn't miss any opportunity to showcase his humor and insightful foresight, remaining cool from beginning to end.

Who do you think will be StarNet's biggest competitor?

"Facebook and Twitter."

Fang Ge openly demonstrated his emphasis on both of them, without mentioning at all Twitter's imitation of StarNet Weibo.

“Although they are currently just followers, they are more localized and more American in terms of cultural genes, and it is entirely possible for them to overtake others in the US market through clever differentiation. This is a challenge that StarNet must face.”

"SR, how do you plan to deal with this challenge?"

Fang Xinghe shrugged casually: "Whether you believe it or not, I've always believed that having challengers is a very fortunate thing. So I shouldn't focus on them; Xingwang will only focus on doing its own thing well."

The audience erupted in applause once again, with many exclaiming: "This is just like the Star River! It's truly authentic!"

A financial reporter pressed on, asking, "Even if Google is acquiring Facebook, are you about to face a behemoth?"

Fang Xinghe pointed at Bill Gates and laughed, "Even if you add Microsoft, it's still the same. StarNet is indeed not big yet, but its genes are inherited from me—I'm never afraid of challenges."

Gai Zi couldn't help but burst out laughing. This was one of BlackRock's own people, invited to keep things under control. They were really giving him face.

The others laughed too, and as they laughed, their inclinations naturally shifted towards Brother Fang.

After the public Q&A session ended, a group of organization leaders swarmed around him like bees, holding up checks in one hand and extending their other hand to shake his.

"Fang, your performance was absolutely perfect!"

The Goldman Sachs president was overjoyed, his eyes constantly scanning the symbols of US dollars.

This is the true meaning of a roadshow—compared to a cold prospectus, face-to-face communication with the founder allows you to truly appreciate their leadership, strategic thinking, personality, charisma, and other essential elements for success.

In other words, the better a company performs in such situations, the more it can boost investor confidence in the company.

So, how did Fang Xinghe perform?
Superficial compliments may be deceiving, but solid data will not.

PJ, acting as the "bookrunner," was working tirelessly, and in a short period of time, the subscription intentions collected from investors had exceeded the target by 15 times.

The "oversubscription" means that StarNet only plans to issue 2500 million new shares, but the purchase intention has already exceeded 10 billion.

Brothers, tell me loudly, what should we do in this situation?!

That's right, prices are going up!
Before the official listing, the issue price is an uncertain number subject to dynamic game theory, and the subscription intention is the key basis for the final pricing.

Goldman Sachs has already started raising prices after just the first roadshow.

In the subsequent second, third, and Nth roadshows, the enthusiasm for subscriptions not only did not subside, but continued to soar.

The domestic financial community has followed up on this story several times, and the more they read, the more confused they became, leaving everyone speechless—wait, how come you Westerners are starting to engage in feudal superstition too?
Is the "Purple Star Descending from the Sky" meme still a unique feature of Chinese culture?
Memes are unique to China, but superstitions are not.

The latest issue of the Wall Street Journal brazenly states: "Making money is a natural thing for Star River. He must be the only son of the goddess of wealth. Now it's not just girls who want to spend money on him, men are even more enthusiastic."

Amidst this hype, Fang Ge's position as the richest man in mainland China is teetering on the brink of becoming the richest Chinese person...

(End of this chapter)