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Chapter 103 Paris

Visiting Pixar was just a side trip during my trip to San Francisco.

However, Ernst did not expect that the investment talks with Pixar would go so smoothly. It seems that in Jobs' mind, nothing can shake Apple's central position.

In just one afternoon, the two sides reached a consensus on their cooperation intentions.

Under the agreement, Pixar will issue 1200 million new shares to Ernst at a price of $36 per share. Upon completion of this financing, Pixar's total share capital will reach approximately 5000 million shares, with Ernst holding approximately 24% of the shares.

In other words, Jobs valued Pixar at $18 billion post-money, while Ernst would need to invest $4.32 million in Pixar.

This price is undoubtedly higher than Pixar's current market value, and it's an offer that Wall Street would never make.

Even without a premium, Wall Street wouldn't easily back down based on the current market capitalization.

Because Wall Street is fully aware of Pixar's current predicament, Pixar is simply unable to raise funds publicly in the market.

Fundraising is not good news for Pixar right now. If Wall Street manipulates the narrative, investors may think that the founding team is cashing out, which could cause Pixar's stock price to crash. Wall Street will not miss this opportunity to short sell.

Ernst's investment is different; for Pixar, this investment is a major positive development.

Moreover, Ernst readily agreed to the price without hesitation, so he wouldn't lose money; in the long run, this investment would definitely be very profitable.

Once "A Bug's Life" is successfully released and Pixar proves its strength once again, its stock price will start to soar.

Historically, it surged 171% within three years, and by 2005, its market capitalization had exceeded $60 billion.

The key point is that Ernst didn't want to lose the big picture for small gains; Pixar was just an appetizer, Net-a-Media was his real target.

We finally managed to build a good relationship with Jobs, and we can't let a dispute over a few tens of millions of dollars cause any rift between us.

After the investment, Steve Jobs' shareholding dropped to 51%, but he remained Pixar's largest shareholder.

Ernst, with a 24% stake, became Pixar's second-largest shareholder.

Pixar's stake has shrunk to around 13% after years of IPOs, cashing out, and financing dilution.

The remaining approximately 12% of the shares are outstanding shares, a decrease of 4% compared to the 16% of total shares issued that year.

One can imagine how much Jobs paid for Wall Street's operations, quietly increasing his stake by 4%.

After leaving Pixar, Ernst's convoy headed towards downtown San Francisco.

Hilton Hotel, downtown San Francisco.

It has an excellent location, surrounded by Nob Hill, Chinatown and City Hall, and is only a 5-minute walk from Union Square, so it is also called the Union Square Hilton.

Numerous attractions are located nearby, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Cable Car Museum, and the Moscone Center for the Arts.

This is where Ernst is staying tonight, but what he didn't expect was that he would meet an unexpected little guy here.

"Ernst, I never expected to meet you here." A slightly immature voice came from beside me as soon as I entered the hotel lobby.

"Paris?" Ernst was genuinely surprised, never expecting to run into this socialite in San Francisco.

"What are you doing here?"

Paris wore denim hot pants that perfectly accentuated her firm thighs and her still-developing but already budding buttocks. She wore a velvet blazer over her upper body, with a pearl brooch at the collar. Her face was lightly made up, paired with bright red lipstick, showcasing the precocious charm unique to Western white girls.

She walked straight up to Ernst in her high heels, which clicked crisply on the marble floor, and naturally took his arm, as intimately as a couple.

"I'm here to inspect the store."

Paris Hilton has not yet fully let herself go, and in front of her grandfather Barron Hilton, she presents herself as a well-behaved girl.

It seems that Barron Hilton has high hopes for his granddaughter, allowing her to participate in hotel management at such a young age.

Paris turned to the receptionist standing to the side, extended his other free hand, took the room key from her hand, and said, "You can go down now, I'll take Ernst up."

The receptionist hesitated for a moment, but seeing that Ernst did not show any dissatisfaction, she turned and left.

"Come on, let me, your host, personally serve you. You're the first guest I've ever had," Paris said with a smile.

It's unclear whether this is a tradition of the Hilton family or a result of Barron Hilton's teachings.

It is rumored that Barron Hilton would personally greet customers and collect feedback on improvements whenever he inspected the stores.

"It is my honor to have such a beautiful Miss Paris personally lead the way," Ernst replied.

Led by Paris, the group arrived at the room's door. But the moment Ernst pushed open the door, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Paris casually instructed Muller and the others, "You just wait outside."

Muller and the others looked at Ernst, and after he nodded in acknowledgment, they stood on either side of the door.

Ernst had already seen part of the room's layout; it wasn't the executive suite he had booked at all, but rather an office.

A slight smile played on his lips; he found things were getting interesting.

A man and a woman alone in a room, on a long night, could they possibly be discussing scripts?

Following Paris into the room, the little girl thoughtfully poured Ernst a glass of red wine and brought it to his lips, indicating that he should moisten his throat.

"Is this your office?" Ernst asked, sitting on the sofa and looking around at his surroundings.

Paris sat directly on the armrest of the sofa where Ernst was sitting, leaving a deep dent in his jeans from the pressure.

"I guess so. This used to be my grandfather's office, but now I use it."

"So, you brought me here because you have something to discuss?" Ernst deliberately slowed his speech.

Paris stood up, and a fragrant breeze brushed past Ernst's nose.

She pointed to the pool table not far away, her face showing a pleading expression, "I heard that you are very good at pool, and I would like to ask you to teach me."

Barron Hilton has two major sporting interests: golf and billiards, both of which are considered gentlemanly sports.

But Ernst wasn't interested in Barron's hobby. What puzzled him more was how Barron knew he was good at billiards. Did he even know how to play?

A hole-in-one? That's impressive.

"Then you've come to the right person. With my billiards skills, as long as there's a hole, I guarantee every shot will go in."

"Then you've come to the right person. My billiards technique is simple: as long as there's a hole, I can sink every shot."

Paris gave a delighted look, but her subtle gestures, such as biting her lip, revealed a hint of sexiness.

"Really?" Standing up and looking in the direction of the pool table, Paris counted on his fingers. "I remember there are quite a few holes in a pool table, 1...2...3... there are quite a few."

Ernst could tell that Paris seemed to enjoy this verbal sparring.

But successful people aren't playboys; they don't have that kind of free time.

Ernst stood up and patted the other person on the waist. "Go tell the people outside to go back to their rooms first. When they come back, I'll teach you how to kill them in one shot."

Paris turned around, and the distance between them was as if he were in her arms.

She reached out her little hand and tugged at Ernst's collar. "Then you'd better let me see your ball skills later."

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