Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 37 I can do it!
Several minutes later, Chen Xiucai removed his hand from his face.

I've adjusted my mood, and I've pretty much finished pretending to be hesitant.

Looking at Liu Chiping, who was waiting for her reply, Chen Xiu tentatively asked, "May I ask why?"

"From a business perspective, China's future online ride-hailing market should be worth more than 400 billion US dollars. After Didi and Kuaidi merge next year, there will be no company in the market that can compete with you."

Liu Chiping didn't speak too bluntly, but Chen Xiu understood his subtext.

After completing its Series D funding round, Didi's overall valuation will reach $75 billion.

Based on the market size of online ride-hailing, Didi's future IPO market value should be 10 times its current value!
Therefore, from a business perspective, Tencent is not at a disadvantage in the equity swap.

After all, startups have high growth rates. In contrast, Tencent's market value has only exceeded HK$1 trillion after 10 years of listing. Liu Chiping probably has no confidence that its future appreciation potential can be 10 times.

"That's a valid reason, but if we're only looking at it from a profit perspective, you don't need to give up any of Tencent's shares, do you?"

Chen Xiu then pressed on, asking, "Penguin's style used to be copying, but now it's buying."

Under this acquisition spree model, Tencent has no shortage of investments in high-quality companies, and equity swaps are relatively rare.

Seeing that his own words were not enough to convince Chen Xiu.

Liu Chiping was silent for a moment before continuing, "President Chen, you should be familiar with the concept of the Internet of Things, right?"

"Of course! This is the first principle of the internet industry."

"All industries, in essence, boil down to clothing, food, housing, transportation, and entertainment. Online ride-hailing basically covers all personal travel needs. If Tencent wants to achieve a closed-loop ecosystem of interconnected things, it must conquer this territory."

"Didn't you already participate in the previous two rounds of financing?"

"After Didi and Kuaidi merge, how much of their shares from the previous two rounds, plus the D round, will be left?"

Chen Xiu nodded in understanding, but some doubts remained.

Liu Chiping, who had been observing Chen Xiu's reaction, didn't wait for him to ask again and simply made his point clear.

"Mr. Chen, are you asking why we don't pay for the shares?"

“You shouldn’t be short of money.”

"It's not that we lack them, but neither is Ali! Your original plan was probably to buy up your stock options at a good price when Didi and Kuaidi merged, right?"

"It's a rare commodity, so people will hoard it!"

Chen Xiu nodded in acknowledgment, admitting that he was indeed thinking of using this method to sell his options at a high price.

Liu Chiping adjusted his glasses and continued, "If we're just talking about money, even if we offered twice the price of our Series D funding, you still might not sell, right?"

“I can give it a try. If I had this money, I could buy your shares on the secondary market, and maybe even get a larger share.”

Chen Xiu smiled, her eyes meeting Liu Chiping's with an enigmatic gaze.

Didi's Series D funding round was $7.5 million, so double that would be $15 billion.

If the penguin is willing to give it up, he might actually agree to sell. Of course, if Ali asks for a higher price, then he'll have to change his mind on the spot...

Staring at Chen Xiu, Liu Chiping suddenly smiled, a simple smile that lacked a bit of formality.

"The plan I'm talking about was decided in an internal meeting after you came here for the third time. If you can't accept it, then we'll probably have to continue negotiating."

"Hehe, I was just joking, don't be so serious."

Chen Xiu smiled and waved his hands repeatedly, then said seriously, "I feel it's okay to become a shareholder of Tencent."

When you enter the workforce, talk about money with people who lack it; talk about dignity with people who have plenty of money.

Liu Chiping, and the penguins he represents, belong to the latter group that values ​​decency.

A share swap is a more dignified arrangement, resulting in wins for both parties and strengthening their ties.

If Chen Xiu wants to decide who gets the highest bidder for his options, that's certainly possible.

However, once he received the money, Penguin wouldn't show any courtesy or consideration; everyone would just follow the rules.

No matter which circle you're in, there may be all sorts of competition behind the scenes, but on the surface, you still have to maintain good relationships and work together to make the pie bigger in a dignified way so that you can go far. Hearing Chen Xiu's affirmative answer, Liu Chiping's smile became much more genuine.

"Mr. Chen, then I congratulate you in advance on becoming a member of Tencent!"

"It's a bit too early to congratulate you. Although I can freely handle my stock options, I still need to give the company an explanation. But it's not a big problem. Let's sign another contract after the financing is completed."

Chen Xiu promised that he would resolve the internal communication issues within Didi, and that the equity swap would take place after the Series D financing.

Having successfully achieved his goal, Liu Chiping naturally didn't pursue the financing issue any further.

“No problem! DST and Temasek have both accepted the financing plan, so we can start the Series D financing round directly.”

"Pleasant to work with."

Chen Xiu stood up and extended his hand in front of Liu Chiping.

The two shook hands, looked at each other, and smiled.

Although the negotiations have ended, they still have to deal with various issues, which will take at least a month or two to resolve.

"Mr. Liu, since we've come this far, may I have your personal WeChat ID?"

Liu Chiping made a slightly surprised "uh" sound before taking out his phone to let Chen Xiu scan the QR code.

When we were getting friend approval, he asked, "Mr. Chen, are you planning to communicate with me on WeChat from now on?"

"No, I have something else I'd like to ask you..."

Seeing Liu Chiping's suddenly frozen expression, Chen Xiu added, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, and it has nothing to do with this financing or equity swap."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Liu Chiping nodded, but his expression was still rather strange. It was the first time he had ever encountered a contractor so confidently asking the client for help.

What Liu Chiping didn't expect was that Chen Xiu wanted to ask him for help without any waiting time; she made the request the moment after they added each other on WeChat.

"Mr. Liu, I'd like to ask, are you familiar with Pengcheng Broadcasting and Television Group?"

"There is some cooperation and business dealings between us."

Liu Chiping spoke slowly, and there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.

Chen Xiu ignored this warning and directly stated her demands.

"If, and I mean if, Pengcheng Broadcasting and Television Group produces a TV series, could you help recommend it?"

"Mr. Chen, do you have any suitable actresses to recommend?"

The wariness in Liu Chiping's eyes lessened considerably, replaced by a hint of smugness.

In his mind, Chen Xiu's sudden mention of a completely unrelated TV series meant that he must have his eye on a female celebrity and was currently pursuing her.

This is a trivial matter.

As long as it's not a lead role or a supporting role, Liu Chiping can get it done with just one phone call.

He didn't feel embarrassed; on the contrary, he found it amusing that Chen Xiu, a young man who had always been mature in speech and behavior, had suddenly become wild and unrestrained.

Meeting Liu Chiping's gaze, Chen Xiu gave an awkward purse of her lips.

"I'm not recommending actresses, I'm recommending actors who play the second male lead."

"A man? Hmm~, hehe, that's fine too. Mr. Chen, please tell me the situation..."

"I want to play the second male lead."

Liu Chiping stopped in his tracks as he walked toward his desk, his expression one of utter surprise, completely frozen in place.

He seemed to be conveying a message through his expression: Are you kidding me? I just finished discussing a multi-billion dollar collaboration with you, and you're off to act?
Not wanting to fail the mission and become a eunuch, Chen Xiu simply touched his nose and said, "I majored in film and television performance in college..."

(End of this chapter)