Reinventing the Millennium

At the reception banquet of the Anliang Chamber of Commerce, in the snow-falling courtyard outside the central hall, the aroma of wine overflowed from the Eight Immortals table.

If it weren't for the fact that the people at the table weren't to his liking, Fang Zhuo would find it interesting to eat in this kind of place.

From the door of the house, he saw a strong man who was suspected of being a thug and came to the table to laugh and help each other. Even Pan Ben, who was nervous and had never seen such a scene, relaxed his mood.

Fang Zhuo ate food and sipped wine, and listened with a smile to what Li Taimao and Li Xinyue said about the company's restructuring problems. He didn't know whether the other party was really in trouble or just using this as an excuse to find a way out.

Anliang Chamber of Commerce is a black-to-white organization that evolved from Anliang Tang. There is not only a family named Li, but also forces named Mei and Zhang. However, as the times develop, everyone encounters a structural problem. .

Generally speaking, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to use hands, and there are more and more scenarios that require brain use. However, traditional people who maintain the former have difficulty in making arrangements, and the chamber of commerce cannot grasp the direction of transformation, so they often can only continue to engage in activities such as loan sharking. activity.

Fang Zhuo listened for a while, not wanting to help figure out the gang's methods of laundering their name. He casually talked about the company's operations of setting up virtual shares, depriving voting rights, and separating dividend rights.

It stands to reason that the development of options awards in the United States has been going on for some time, but the people at the table seemed to have obtained some kind of magic bullet.

Fang Zhuo watched the non-professional actor's complimentary performance and heard the key points after two glasses of wine.

"Mr. Fang's pointers are really enlightening. We people are still thinking in the same old way." Vice President Li Taimao praised repeatedly, "In recent times, Kroger's machines have been selling very well. I just learned that Mr. Fang The domestic industry is also huge.”

He continued: "The times are developing so fast that I can't keep up. I wonder if Mr. Fang is willing to be a business consultant in our company and give advice in his spare time."

Li Taimao raised his thumb and little finger: "Six hundred thousand a year, our Li family's modern business path urgently needs the guidance of a talented person like Mr. Fang."

The figure of 600,000 was exactly the interest money that Anliang Chamber of Commerce had previously loaned to Fang Zhuo personally.

Fang Zhuo was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that he was looking for this opening after going around uninterestingly.

He pondered for a while, looked at the faces and eyes of the people at the table, and then declined. The money was actually earned in two weeks, and it stands to reason that it should be treated as a favor fee to clear channels.

It's just that the operations of the Anliang Chamber of Commerce are really unsightly.

When Li Taimao saw the young president's refusal, he continued to talk about the company's difficulties, and it seemed that he wanted Fang Zhuo to accept the money.

This happened again and again, and Fang Zhuo was reluctantly willing to accept the consulting fee on the premise that he was usually busy.

However, both parties understand that the consulting fee is just interest money, and there will be no real consultancy at all.

Fang Zhuo guessed that the name left on the company played a role. The half-white and half-black Anliang Chamber of Commerce considered the long term and was unwilling to offend powerful people in the country because of a share of interest money. It truly fulfilled the "yellow-skinned" duty free of charge. The spiritual purpose of "helping yellow skin".

As the reception banquet came to an end, Fang Zhuo briefly mentioned that he needed a few people to support him to meet the Japanese. Vice President Li agreed wholeheartedly, not to mention the person in front of him, even if it were anyone else who heard the Japanese, that would be a big deal. For a meager appearance fee, I can accompany you.

The reception banquet ended with joy and laughter, the hot interest fees were returned, and I was able to help others a little. The three generations of the Li family came together to complete the set goal.

However, Li Xinyue still felt quite depressed when she came back from the mainland and was accompanied by such a person.

"We are a chamber of commerce, not a gang. If you ask me, I won't do this kind of thing in the future." Li Yueren, who was born in a standard gang, said "de-blackening", "You are always attached to the money. Twenty years from now, meeting the police will still be like a mouse meeting a cat.”

Li Taimao drank tea, and Li Xinyue frowned.

Li Yueren continued to lecture: "Look at me, can the posture I put up today scare people? Their way of making money is clean and transparent, so I wonder why they don't like what I do."

Li Taimao glanced at his daughter and realized that it would be difficult for him to escape. The next generation should be cruel.

"Lao He and Lao Fan have met, so let them bring people to help meet Sony. Even if the matter is settled this time, it may not be an opportunity to change a path." Li Taimao said slowly.

Li Xinyue stood up sadly: "I'll go talk to them."

…

"Mr. Fang, is this the gang?"

When Pan Ben left Chinatown with Fang Zhuo, he felt like a hibernating bear suddenly awakening like spring.

"Yeah, what else? There is a gun on the table, and if I don't obey, it will be pointed at my head?" Fang Zhuo said while holding a black umbrella.

"But this is far from what I imagined. The old man looked like an old farmer, the president looked like a small boss who was about to go bankrupt, and that woman looked like she didn't have a good head." Pan Ben described the Li family from his own perspective Three generations.

Fang Zhuo burst out laughing: "You should say it in front of them."

Pan Ben said: "No need."

"Then I'll tell them." Fang Zhuo teased.

Pan Ben wisely changed the subject: "Mr. Fang, I see you are still borrowing people from here. When will we meet at Sony?"

"Just tomorrow." Fang Zhuo said seriously, "Let's see what's going on with Sony and see if there's any room for cooperation."

Pan Ben was stunned: "Are you still thinking about cooperation? Cooperation for what? Cooperation to kill Walkman together?"

Fang Zhuo said disapprovingly: "Different departments of the company have different considerations, not to mention the independence of a subsidiary like Sony. Didn't you also say that Sony Music has a lot of song copyrights, so we can consider copyright plans when we sell goods this time. ”

Pan Ben was silent, feeling that this was a tough nut to crack.

Chinatown is not far from the hotel.

Due to the heavy snow, there have been fewer events in the past two days. Kroger supermarkets are more focused on ensuring the supply of daily necessities, and domestically shipped goods have also been temporarily put into storage.

Fang Zhuo reviewed the two-week data fed back by Kroger at the hotel, while Pan Ben quickly contacted people from Sony and determined the meeting place and time.

"Mr. Fang, the other party told me to meet at the Japanese restaurant next door at noon tomorrow."

"Huh? It's very informal, so it's probably out of the question." Fang Zhuo frowned and then relaxed, "Have you asked which department it is?"

"It is Sony's international marketing center." Pan Ben replied.

Fang Zhuo was a little confused, International Marketing Center? I originally thought it would be a department such as the electronics industry or the audio-visual industry, but this doesn't seem to fit the bill.

He thought to no avail and planned to meet the next day to see what happened.

"Mr. Pan, can we receive domestic channels here? Yike's advertisements should have been replaced."

"No, I've searched several times and asked the front desk, but I can't receive it here at the moment." Pan Ben asked, "Can I watch it online? What kind of advertisement is it?"

"It's an advertisement that has great potential to bring popularity to the machine. Forget it, I'll call China tomorrow night to ask about the results." Fang Zhuo is in New York, across the Pacific Ocean, and it is difficult to see feedback immediately.

But according to the time, Jay Chou's advertisement should have started to be launched, and Yike will also track the effect after the launch.

Maybe, if you don’t have to call me tomorrow night, there will be an additional report email in your mailbox.

…

On December 18, the non-stop snow in New York has become a disaster affecting people's livelihood, and many normal city services have been affected.

However, the Japanese restaurant on the same street as the Hilton Hotel is still open.

Fang Zhuo hadn't noticed that there was a restaurant nearby, and it wasn't until Sony came to see it that he realized that the decoration style was very retro.

This meeting was not held in Sony's office, so it seemed very informal. He guessed it was a curious and cautious contact between the middle and senior management.

Fang Zhuo still took Pan Ben with him, and even called Shuanghua Honggu, whom he had met before.

These two men served as the heads of the security department in the Li family's company, and when they arrived, they carefully presented the company's letter of appointment and bank cards. In this way, Fang Zhuo and them were still nominally his own, which made him a little bit amused.

"Brother He, Brother Fan, this is a business contact, don't be too aggressive."

Fang Zhuo asked Black Legs and Bronze Pea, and both of them agreed.

They had seen Fang Zhuo chatting and laughing with Uniform. Although he had returned to his own territory in New York, he was also a consultant to his company. It was a very modern business attitude to maintain corresponding respect.

At 11 o'clock in the morning, a group of four people arrived at the Japanese food store.

Unexpectedly, people from Sony International Marketing Center were waiting earlier.

There are a total of six people at Sony, all in suits, and one of them is Fang Zhuo who once "discussed Taoism" on a New York flight...

"Mr. Tian?"

"Ah no, Mr. Tanaka."

Fang Zhuo has a good memory, especially the opponent's name, Tanaka Mi/Tian Zhongshi.

As he recognized this person, he further expressed his astonishment: "Mr. Tanaka, if I remember correctly, you are the deputy director of Sony's electronic design department, right? Have you been transferred to the International Marketing Center?"

Tanaka was even more surprised to see this Chinese man who impressed him so much. Hearing this, he said: "Mr. Fang, I am not transferring, I am just helping to judge the situation this time."

He also exclaimed: "Last time I had the honor to discuss industry development with Mr. Fang. I didn't expect that Mr. Fang would turn out to be a competitor of the 'Ipod' that you highly recommend. It's really admirable."

"It is because of this admiration that I can unite knowledge and action." Fang Zhuo explained.

Others on both sides of Yi Ke and Sony were surprised by the two's acquaintance. Soon, the situation of sitting separately showed the high and low positions.

Four of the six people at Sony sat at the second table, and two temporary workers from Yike, Black Legs and Copper Pea, also sat with them.

In front of Fang Zhuo and Pan Ben were Tanaka Mito, deputy director of the electronic design department of Sony EMCS, and Ito Takuma, vice president of Sony International Marketing Center.

Fang Zhuo was a little unsure of the job authority of these two people. They both have traditional Japanese titles like "deputy chief" and modern positions like "vice president." Moreover, Sony's EMCS didn't figure out what it was last time. department.

However, the authority soon became clear.

A compliment and a brief introduction.

Ito Takuma expressed his intention for this meeting and made a bid: "Mr. Fang, we at Sony are willing to invest US$50 million to acquire Shencheng Yike Technology Co., Ltd. We are very optimistic about your company's development prospects."

"After this acquisition, Mr. Wan Wangfang will seriously consider whether you can continue to serve as the company's CEO and maintain a certain degree of independent development and decision-making."

Fifty million.

Dollar.

When Fang Zhuo heard this number, he unconsciously glanced at Pan Ben next to him. It was exactly the price he had mentioned. Isn't this a mole?

Pan Ben's expression was very subtle. This number sounded so familiar...

"Mr. Ito, is the $50 million acquisition case here?" Fang Zhuo expressed surprise. The surprise was not about the location, but the other party's determination to make the acquisition.

You know, Yike has only been sold in the United States for more than two weeks, and Sony suddenly offered a price of 50 million US dollars. It can be said that it is not decisive.

"Aren't all Chinese people accustomed to discussing business at the dinner table?" Ito Takuma said with a smile, "I like Chinese culture very much and respect your habits."

Black Legs and Copper Pea sitting next door were dumbfounded. This young man was actually talking about half a billion business... Is he so low-key and simple?

Pan Ben held his breath. He heard with his own ears that the president said the psychological price. This price should also be a return that IDG could accept.

Fang Zhuo was silent for a long time.

The purchase price of US$50 million is really unexpected. Not all Sony people are fools. This price is probably not only because of the US market, but also targeting domestic emerging markets.

After a while, he asked: "Mr. Ito, is Sony's decision too hasty?"

Ito Takuma smiled and said: "Mr. Fang, do you think an acquisition of such an amount would be decided hastily?"

Fang Zhuo was silent again.

Black Legs and Copper Pea next to them are simply more nervous than they were when they were young. How can they ask others if their purchase is rash? What if the other party is really hasty and regrets it?

A full five minutes passed, and there were only occasional sounds of food being served on both tables.

Fang Zhuo spoke again and asked a detailed question: "Mr. Ito, is there a bundled relationship between the acquisition company and me as CEO?"

Ito Takuma nodded lightly and shook his head: "The company and Mr. Fang calculated the money together, or Mr. Fang has to sign a competition agreement and can no longer engage in related industries, otherwise he will face huge compensation."

He persuaded: "Mr. Fang single-handedly founded Yike Technology. I believe you must be very optimistic about its development. We at Sony are willing to give you a larger platform and resources, so that you have the opportunity to take it to a higher level."

This is the principle, and there is a lot of money.

Taking back 50 million US dollars can not only afford three venture capital companies, but also give you absolute freedom of wealth.

But if you pursue wealth and freedom, Fang Zhuo has told many people the method from the beginning - buy a house, buy a house, buy a house in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Even for himself, if the goal is higher, the cash flow of the registered website can also be involved a lot. opportunities to get rich.

From a certain point, financial freedom is no longer an option but a guarantee of life.

From the corner of his eye, Fang Zhuo saw the almost anxious face of He Hushan, the black-legged man next door. He wanted to agree for him, but he suddenly thought of his mockery of the Anliang Chamber of Commerce.

There was once a promising project placed in front of the Anliang Chamber of Commerce, but they only wanted to make loan sharks to collect some interest.

Now that there is a more certain project with unlimited prospects in front of him, can he think about taking the money and leaving?

The retail price of M1 is US$319, 50 million/319=156740.

Soon, M1 will usher in its first sales of 50 million. How far away can it be from this profit?

Fang Zhuo sighed regretfully, turned around and whispered to Pan Ben next to him: "The price has increased."

Without waiting for Pan Ben to react, he shook his head and refused: "Mr. Ito, this price is not high enough."

Ito Takuma's smile faded a little, and he nodded: "I think we can still talk about it. We can talk about price, shares, positions, and independence."

Fang Zhuo cheered up and agreed: "Yes, Mr. Ito, in fact, Yike is not short of cash. I think we can change our cooperation method. Is Sony Music willing to use the music copyright to become a shareholder?"

"China and Japan have been close neighbors separated by a strip of water since ancient times. There is natural room for cooperation in music players and song copyrights. I think this is a more appropriate way of cooperation. What do you think?"

Ito Takuma also sighed: "Mr. Fang, this price is not the final price, I think..."

Fang Zhuo interrupted: "I just said, it's not about money."

"Mr. Fang, have you ever thought that if you refuse, you will face fierce competition from Sony." Ito Takuma calmly threatened, "Do you know what Sony means?"

Fang Zhuo grinned: "It means that the industry that even Sony is optimistic about must have wonderful prospects, and it means that the company that Sony sells for 50 million must have better expectations."

Ito Takuma shook his head slightly and warned: "Mr. Fang, I think we should not use Sony's sincerity as a ladder for your greed."

"Wanting more is what motivates me to sit here in New York from Shanghai." Fang Zhuo stood up and stretched out his right hand, "Mr. Ito, I know that music copyright matters are not related to the marketing center, but I think you should try Let’s talk about it and I’m happy to see progress in this way of cooperation.”

He smiled and said: "I won't eat the Japanese food today. In such a snowy day, it is better to eat our traditional Chinese hot pot. If I have the chance, I will treat you two to dinner."

Ito Takuma regretted shaking hands. In fact, even if he was willing to give better conditions, it would be difficult for Sony to make a decision to support him.

From another perspective, it is impossible for Sony to acquire Apple's Ipod business for US$50 million. A similar business that supports Microsoft systems at this moment would be very cost-effective.

Unfortunately, many people in the company don’t think so.

The vice president of Sony International Marketing Center watched the four people walk out the door, open their umbrellas, and disappear into the white street.

He couldn't hide his regret and said: "Tanaka-kun, this acquisition failed. Can we convince the company to work hard to develop the MP3 music player business?"

Tanaka Min said sincerely: "Acquiring a company with a similar business to Apple will get a lot of support, but starting a similar business from within will easily encounter a lot of resistance."

Ito Takuma thought about the difference between the two, and had to admit Tanaka-kun's statement that the former targets the business of a US listed company, which is enough to convince many people.

Otherwise, everyone cannot accept their own knife stabbing themselves.

Ito Takuma shook his head and said firmly: "I will try my best to persuade Mr. Nobuyuki Idei."

Tanaka felt very sad when he thought about Nobuyuki Dei, Sony's first non-technical CEO. Two years ago, Nobuyuki Dei said that "hardware is no longer valuable."

He sighed, and the idea of ​​resigning and starting a business vaguely emerged in his mind.

…

The four of them stepped on the snow.

Black Legs and Copper Pea were shocked that a $50 million acquisition fell through in a short period of time.

Pan Ben couldn't help but asked: "Mr. Fang, why don't you consider this price? Sony should be able to continue to negotiate higher."

"Sony is so impatient, it proves that it is afraid." Fang Zhuo stepped on the snow hard, "Others are afraid, but I am greedy."

"Greed..." Pan Ben took a breath of the cold air of the ice and snow.

Fang Zhuo smiled again and said: "A person's life should be spent like this: when he looks back on the past, he has no regrets for being afraid of Apple, nor is he ashamed for selling to Sony."

"So that when he is dying, he will be able to say: I have dedicated my entire life and all my energy to a great cause that is tireless."

Pan Ben was shocked when he heard this.

Fang Zhuo looked at his expression, wondering if he could have a hand with Zao Zao, and said, "How about it, Mr. Pan, come to Yike and work with me. Work hard for a man's career! Struggle!"

Pan Ben: "..."