How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?-Chapter 443 - 203: A Matter of a Few Hundred Million_2

Mr. Lei Yibin heard Gu Heng’s counter-question and hurriedly continued, "Right, the main idea is to learn from you, Mr. Gu."

Though he spoke so humbly and modestly, Lei Yibin merely wanted to kick off his own topic, but Gu Heng’s following words left him stunned.

Gu Heng exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his tone casual, "I don’t think much about it and to be honest with you, Mr. Lei, I hardly pay attention to the MCN agency industry."

Ah?

How can we talk if you don’t cooperate like this?

But there was nothing he could do; the conversation had already reached this point, and Lei Yibin could not abandon it because of Gu Heng’s non-cooperation. He awkwardly forced the topic, "Why?"

"No reason, I simply don’t think the industry is worth my attention."

"Mr. Gu, that seems a bit unfair... As an emerging industry that has risen in recent years, the MCN agency industry still has great market potential. I’ve had a brief talk with Director Zhang from Douyin, and he agrees with my view. He even said that the MCN industry is a ’blue ocean’ within the domestic internet sector."

But Gu Heng just laughed after hearing this.

He directly countered, "Do you believe that, Mr. Lei?"

Without waiting for Lei Yibin to respond, Gu Heng continued, "I read a business magazine which stated that in 2019, the market size of Hua Country’s MCN industry was 16.8 billion RMB, by 2023 it increased to 500.45 billion RMB.

In the span of four years, the entire market share barely tripled. And you’re telling me it’s a blue ocean in the internet sector?

In 2016, the domestic short video market was only 1.9 billion, and by 2023 it skyrocketed to over a trillion, reaching 1.15 trillion RMB. In seven years, it grew 600 times and even gave rise to internet unicorns like Douyin and Kuaishou. Now, that’s a blue ocean.

No offense, but the MCN industry’s global market cap barely breaks a hundred billion a year, and you call this a ’blue ocean’? Which ’blue ocean’?

I might as well tell you, Mr. Lei, why I don’t pay attention to the MCN industry.

The reason is simple: the ceiling is too low. One could toil away to monopolize the market and the earnings for an entire year might not even surpass a single investment I make in the financial market. With an industry like that, do you think it needs my attention?"

Gu Heng’s words, to some extent, were a slap in the face...

But Gu Heng was just telling it like it is...

500 billion might seem like a lot, but to the present Gu Heng, it was not much. If he truly wanted it, it could just be a matter of days.

Lei Yibin was at a loss for words after hearing Gu Heng.

What he considered a treasure was seen as no more significant than grass by the roadside by others, not even meriting a glance. That feeling was just too frustrating, and he couldn’t even retort because he believed what Gu Heng said. Why would a billionaire need to brag in front of him?

But as a businessman...

Having thick skin is most important. Although the conversation had reached this point, Lei Yibin didn’t give up and awkwardly tried to laugh it off, "Even a mosquito is meat, after all; money is certainly something the more you have, the better..."

Nodding, Gu Heng smiled in acknowledgment, "That’s right, the more money, the better. Stay updated via novelbuddy

So, Mr. Lei, are you trying to bring me along to make money?"

After speaking, Gu Heng looked intently at Lei Yibin.

He had made himself clear enough. If Lei Yibin continued to beat around the bush, there was no need for him to keep talking.

Fortunately, Lei Yibin was clear-headed, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he spoke directly, "Mr. Gu, to be honest, by inviting you to our company today, I do have a minor ulterior motive.

That is, I want to invite you to invest in Wuyou Media.

Just now, you have also seen that in the MCN agency field, the professionalism of Wuyou Media is absolutely top-notch, even surpassing the Three Sheep Group. The reason they have developed better than us is because they entered the live broadcasting e-commerce industry earlier and possessed strong profitability, abundant funds, and could on a large scale attract famous internet influencers.

By comparison, our traditional model of creating internet stars in Wuyou Media seems a bit outdated.

However, this does not mean that this model doesn’t work, but rather that our reserve funds don’t allow us to expand on a large scale. If we had enough capital, I am confident that in three to five years, I could develop Wuyou Media into a company valued at tens of billions and join the ’tens of billions club’!

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

You might not be interested in the MCN industry, Mr. Gu, and I understand that because you stand higher and see farther than us.

But you wouldn’t underestimate the live broadcasting e-commerce industry, would you? If my business plan is successful, the future profitability of Wuyou Media will be much stronger than Three Sheep or Mei One, because they only rely on top influencers like Brother Yang and Li Jiaqi, while we will have countless top broadcasters that we have nurtured ourselves! We can cover all industries!"

Lei Yibin was spinning these big promises as if they cost him nothing at all.

But Gu Heng remained indifferent, even feeling a bit like laughing, with a ridiculing expression as he spoke, "So Mr. Lei is in need of an investment, huh?"

Lei Yibin gave an awkward smile but nevertheless nodded his head.

"If you need an investment, why not just say so earlier? What’s the point of beating around the bush and talking in such a roundabout way?"

Without waiting for Lei Yibin to respond, Gu Heng continued, "Actually, investing... isn’t out of the question, but, well..."

"But what? Mr. Gu, please do tell."

Hearing that Gu Heng was interested, Lei Yibin eagerly spoke up.

"I’m a man with a big appetite. As I said earlier, the entire market isn’t all that big; even if it develops well, there’s not a lot of money to be made. You just told me you’ve drawn so many pies, which I won’t mention, since investment comes with risks. But if I take the risk, and don’t make money, then what’s in it for me? Wuyou Media’s valuation may not be high, but it’s still around several billion RMB, right? A casual investment would still require several hundred million. If you only offer me something like a 5% or 10% stake, I might as well take that money and buy a couple of sports cars to drive around. Don’t you think so, Mr. Lei?"

"Then how much do you intend to invest, Mr. Gu?"

Gu Heng flicked at the nonexistent dust in his fingernails, speaking nonchalantly, "I’m thinking of acquiring Wuyou Media in its entirety."

Lei Yibin: "???"

Cheng Yuxin: "???"

This statement not only baffled Lei Yibin, but even Cheng Yuxin, who was trembling in her seat, was also taken aback...

They both knew Gu Heng was wealthy, but they had no idea he was bold to this extent...

A casual mention of an acquisition...

Wuyou Media was no small company. With its entire valuation reaching up to several billion, although the actual acquisition would be reduced in price, it was still a substantial sum of money...

And refund or no refund, even if it were an overpriced acquisition, Lei Yibin would not agree.

With Three Sheep Group’s example ahead, earning seven to eight hundred million RMB in net profit per year, he was almost salivating at the prospect, and he also had the confidence to grow Wuyou Media. How could he possibly do something so short-sighted as to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs?

He could only respond with an awkward laugh, "Mr. Gu, you really know how to joke..."

Gu Heng was indeed not joking. If Lei Yibin agreed, he was actually prepared to buy Wuyou Media. He had always had a habit of eating alone.

Also, this kind of matter would be handled by his own company, IDE Capital, without him having to lift a finger, and the money spent wouldn’t be much, after all, it was only several billion; with so much money sitting in his account, if not spent, was it to be left there just for show?

However, after making his statement, he observed Lei Yibin’s expression closely. Watching the changes on his face, he could guess a third of Lei Yibin’s thoughts and realized that this matter was probably off the table. Gu Heng then laughed along, "It seems Mr. Lei is reluctant to hand over the company you’ve worked so hard to build.

Then, I won’t joke anymore. At the very minimum, I want a 40% stake, and this money can only be considered as financing, not a purchase. The investment must be used for salary development. If the stake is below this percentage, there’s no point in discussing further."

"Mr. Gu, this is..."

Lei Yibin still wanted to speak, but Gu Heng raised his hand to interrupt, "Let’s end this matter here. I just mentioned it in passing. If Mr. Lei is interested, you can contact IDE Capital directly, and someone will discuss the investment details with you.

If you’re not interested, no harm done, if we can’t be partners, we can still be friends."

"Gu..."

"That’s enough, Mr. Lei."

This time, impatience was visible on Gu Heng’s face, "We’re only talking about an investment of a few hundred millions; let’s not waste too much of everyone’s time."

Upon hearing this, Lei Yibin could only give a wry smile...

Yes, the tycoon had money, but he sure was difficult to deal with...

Just like Gu Heng before him, an investment of a few hundred million was merely a trifling matter in his eyes, not even worth studying...

Just like an ordinary person going to a snack shop: if the shop has what they want, they buy; if not, they don’t...

What was one to do in this situation?