radicalducati Chapter 118: Making 100 Billion from 100 Million
Chapter 118: Making 100 Billion from 100 Million
Chapter 117: Making 100 Billion from 100 Million
When Lin Feng met Hu Shan, Hu Shan said directly and crisply, "I received a call from a producer at Warner Bros. in the United States. They are interested in the three scripts you registered in Hollywood."
Previously, Lin Feng had asked Hu Shan to register these movie scripts. In particular, Lin Feng emphasized that some scripts must be registered for Korean copyright, Hollywood copyright, and global copyright. Although Hu Shan registered all of them as Lin Feng requested, she did not think much of it and even felt that Lin Feng was going to unnecessary trouble: Why does it have to be registered globally!
Unexpectedly, one day, a Hollywood company actually came knocking on their door. This is Hollywood! The center of world cinema, and a giant like Warner Bros. Hu Shan's voice trembled with excitement as she spoke.
"What about the other three?" Lin Feng asked calmly.
"The Purge, Get Out, and A Quiet Place. It started with A Quiet Place, then Get Out was added, and finally all three were combined."
Goodness, all three of these are low-budget, high-grossing creative films. The plots of these films are very simple, and the core is just one idea, which is what Lin Feng could think of at the time.
The Purge is a futuristic world where overpopulation has led to a "purge" plan that allows all criminal activity for 12 hours.
Get Out is a racial conspiracy involving the transfer of white consciousness into Black bodies through brain transplant surgery.
In "A Quiet Place," Earth is invaded by alien creatures with keen hearing, and humanity must remain absolutely silent to survive.
"Didn't they mention any conditions?"
"They want to buy out all three scripts at once, for a total of 300 million US dollars."
How could Hu Shan not be excited? That 300 million US dollars is 2000 million RMB!
She never expected the movie script to be so valuable; it seems the script rights for "Infernal Affairs" adapted into "Infernal Walker" were acquired for over $170 million.
She was so excited because this was only a part of Lin Feng's registered copyrights; he had many more movie scripts. If they were all this valuable, he would be rich!
What Hu Shan didn't expect was that Lin Feng rejected the offer without even thinking, saying, "That's impossible. Buying out all three scripts for just 300 million US dollars? That's a pipe dream!"
"Lin Feng, this is Hollywood, and it's Warner Bros.! Besides, I've read through these three movie scripts again carefully, and this kind of subject matter wouldn't pass censorship in China."
"I know, but the price is too low, and I don't care about that amount of money. The most important thing is not the price, but that I want to establish a good working relationship with Hollywood through these films. After all, I still have a lot of film ideas."
"Oh, if that's the case, then we need to plan this out carefully. We can't do a one-off deal." Hu Shan understood Lin Feng's meaning; this was a long-term strategy to catch a big fish!
"However, to collaborate, we have to be willing to give up something from the start. You have to give up something to gain something. My bottom line is to sell only one copy, at $100 million per copy. Let's do 'The Purge'. As for the other two, 'Get Out' and 'A Quiet Place,' let's see if we can co-produce them. Especially 'A Quiet Place,' we must keep it. It's a creative script that can be developed into a movie series!"
Lin Feng did this because "The Purge" had a low ceiling and its box office performance in his previous life was average, but "Get Out" and "A Quiet Place" both did well at the box office, especially "A Quiet Place" which already has a third installment.
"Okay, I understand what you mean. I'll have a good talk with Warner Bros. later." Hu Shan nodded.
Considering future collaborations with Hollywood or other overseas entities, Lin Feng felt it would be best to establish a dedicated overseas company. He suggested directly, "How about we set up a film and television company specializing in overseas business? Let's call it Fengying Film & Television."
Now Lin Feng owns four companies: Fengrui Film & Television, Fengrui Copyright, Fengrui Investment, and Fengying Film & Television.
"Do we need to set up so many companies? Isn't that a bit too many?" Hu Shan asked doubtfully.
"It's alright. I'll need these companies in the future. Let's set them up first, and then we can hire people gradually as the business expands. It's not that difficult."
However, although we are still officially part of Tianyu Entertainment, we are actually completely independent. Let's first establish a complete company operation structure. We need to recruit staff, especially professionals in finance and law, preferably those with mature work experience. We'll conduct unified interviews. Though small, it needs to be fully functional. Let's get the company up and running as quickly as possible. As for office space, you can see where the conditions are suitable, and we'll get a decent office, preferably a garden-style office.
"Ugh! This is another pile of stuff. You really treat me like a slave! But I like it. I knew I didn't follow the wrong person," Hu Shan joked. She enjoyed the challenge!
"Isn't there Xu Wenjia? Besides, you can hire people too! Of course, some things have priorities, so we can take it slow."
"Everything else is negotiable, but the main issue is that if you really intend to establish Fengying Film and Television overseas, you need someone from our own side to oversee it, and that person is not easy to find."
"Yes! I don't know anyone else in the US either. The workload isn't too heavy at first, so just keep doing it. You'll be fine once you find a suitable job."
"Oh well!"
After the two finished their discussion and were about to go their separate ways to work, Hu Shan suddenly remembered something and continued, "Zhang Yiming from 99fang, whom you arranged for me to connect with last time, doesn't have any plans to start his own business yet, but the miHoYo startup team you told me about is currently looking for funding everywhere. I think you could step in."
Oh! Right! There's that too!
Lin Feng almost forgot that besides ByteDance, he had also mentioned miHoYo. He himself had forgotten that both of these products, whether it was ByteDance's "Douyin" or miHoYo's "Genshin Impact," were super products that had achieved great success overseas.
Actually, if Lin Feng hadn't been broke when he was reborn, he would have wanted to invest in Meituan, Xiaomi, or something similar. Well, Meituan still had a chance with venture capital, but Xiaomi, with Lei Jun alone, was worth 100 million US dollars, which he couldn't afford.
"Okay! Then please arrange a meeting for me with miHoYo's founding team," Lin Feng nodded and said.
As soon as Lin Feng agreed to the meeting, miHoYo's startup team showed up that afternoon because they were in a great hurry and desperately needed money.
miHoYo was founded in 2011 in the dormitory of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Minhang campus by four computer science graduate students: Cai Haoyu, Liu Wei, Luo Yuhao, and Jin Zhicheng, who were passionate about games and ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) culture.
They started their entrepreneurial journey purely out of passion. In the early stages of their business, they were extremely short of funds and only received a 10 yuan interest-free loan from the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center. Their office space was 50 square meters of free space, with a usage period of six months.
However, at that time, the domestic ACG culture was not yet popular and the market environment was difficult. In order to maintain operations, the members lived a frugal life, with a monthly salary of only 4000 yuan, which was far lower than that of their peers.
Despite these difficulties, they still managed to release their first indie game, FlyMe2the, in September 2011.
"Moon" only garnered about 3000 downloads in the end.
This meager income was insufficient to sustain the company's normal operations. They sought funding from various sources but were repeatedly rejected. Most investors believed that the prospects of the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) market were unclear and even suggested that they switch to Wuxia (Martial Arts) games.
Just when they were feeling disheartened, Lin Feng appeared like an angel. Unexpectedly, when the investment circle and the internet circle did not have a good impression of them, they were noticed by a big star in the entertainment industry.
Cai Haoyu and his three friends are typical homebodies who enjoy playing games and watching anime. Although they rarely follow the entertainment industry and have never seen Lin Feng's movies or TV shows, they still know about the big star Lin Feng, since there have been so many reports about him lately that it's hard for them not to notice.
However, when the miHoYo startup team actually met the big star Lin Feng, they couldn't help but be surprised by his looks. If looks were scored, the combined looks of the four of them might not even be as high as Lin Feng's. How could there be such a handsome man?
Lin Feng was already used to this kind of surprise. It seemed that everyone who saw him for the first time, whether man or woman, was inevitably surprised.
However, now facing the company's survival, these entrepreneurial partners see Lin Feng more as a life-saving investor. They have used every trick in the book to persuade him to invest, and their financing plan demonstrates a high level of professionalism. Lin Feng didn't understand it much; he didn't know so many technical terms. But Lin Feng remained calm. Acting is his forte, and he genuinely felt their passion for games, just as he loved movies and TV dramas.
To be honest, Lin Feng knew that miHoYo was very powerful, and he also knew that Genshin Impact was very powerful, but he had never actually played it. He preferred to play Tencent's Honor of Kings. If it weren't for the fact that Honor of Kings had many copyrights from League of Legends, he would have suggested that they develop Honor of Kings directly.
After they finished speaking, Lin Feng immediately said, "I'm just an actor. I don't understand games, but I understand people! A friend recommended you to me before, and I saw the potential of the younger generation in you. I'm willing to support your dreams!"
"Really?" the four of them asked in disbelief. They had faced countless rejections during this period, and Jin Zhicheng, one of them, had even received an offer from Cisco and was preparing to withdraw.
"Really! I'm willing to support your dreams! Of course, talking about money is vulgar now, but I can still give your dreams a boost! So, how much?"
"One million, 12% of the shares, is that okay?" Cai Haoyu asked cautiously, afraid of scaring away Lin Feng, the investor.
"How much?" This time it was Lin Feng's turn to be surprised. You know, miHoYo is a super unicorn with a future value of hundreds of billions, and they have only raised funds this once!
This is miHoYo's only round of financing. In other words, Lin Feng has 100 million now, and in the future, he will have at least 100 billion. He feels a little unworthy of it and can hardly believe it!
Lin Feng's surprised expression startled Cai Haoyu, who quickly changed his mind and said, "Then 100."
How about 10,000,000 for 15% of the shares? If that's not possible, the price can be lowered further, but the shareholding cannot be increased any further. Our founding team must ensure control!
"No need. I'm willing to offer 15 million for just 150% of the shares. I won't take advantage of you." Lin Feng understood the principle of not biting off more than he could chew, so he didn't ask for too much, after all, it was just a simple investment.
Previously, investors only tried to lower the price, but Cai Haoyu and his group didn't expect Lin Feng to raise the price. They looked at each other and said, "100 million for 15% of the shares. If you don't take advantage of us, then we won't take advantage of you either. The only question is whether the money can be credited to our account immediately. We urgently need this money."
"Okay, no problem. Let's go with 100 million for 15% of the shares. Let's draft the contract right away. I'll have the lawyers and other staff come over later. The money will be in my account immediately."
Lin Feng readily agreed. There was no time to hesitate; he was overjoyed! What if the investors from his previous life's miHoYo reappeared? That would be another problem!
It seems that in his previous life, Sky Network CEO Song Tao invested 1 million yuan to acquire a 15% stake in miHoYo. This veteran of internet entrepreneurship had earned more from this investment than he had in many years. At the same time, it was precisely because of this investment that he made it onto the Hurun Rich List.
Both parties were very satisfied, and the contract was signed quickly.
At this moment, Lin Feng also said with a smile: "I have always believed in the principle of letting professionals do professional things. I am an outsider in the game industry, so I will leave it to you from now on!"
I am a long-term investor. I don't cause trouble, I don't demand regular reports, and I don't interfere with operations. In other words, I don't interfere with any of the company's business because I trust you!
Of course, if the company needs money for development, you can call me anytime! I can still offer some support in that regard!
Lin Feng's statement won Cai Haoyu and his group even more favor. Where can you find an investor like this? They are really too lucky!
Lin Feng still felt a little guilty, after all, investing 1 million now and reaping 10 billion in 10 years, he really felt unworthy of it!
Before leaving, Lin Feng reiterated, "Now I'm considered a part of miHoYo. The company is short of money right now. The 100 million I just mentioned was my investment, and I'm lending the company another 100 million. It's an interest-free loan, and you can pay me back when the company has the funds. This way, we can develop faster!"
Right now, the founding team is at a disadvantage while Lin Feng is at a disadvantage, so they can negotiate a lower price. But once miHoYo takes off, the founding team will become the dominant force, and Lin Feng will become the weaker one. Since Lin Feng doesn't care about this little bit of money right now, why not take as much as possible?
Sure enough, this moved Cai Haoyu and the others even more. They felt that the 15% share was too little and that they would compensate Lin Feng in other ways later.
Lin Feng, looking happy and excited, bid farewell to miHoYo and then went on to Sina's Internet Awards event, "Weibo Night." Previously known as the Internet Awards, it has been renamed "Weibo Night" as Weibo has risen and the whole nation has entered the Weibo era at full speed.
Lin Feng met Yang Mi again; she was also a special guest on Weibo.
Yang Mi walked the red carpet arm in arm with Lin Feng. Seeing Lin Feng's happy expression, she asked curiously, "Lin Feng, why are you so happy? Did you miss me?"
"Yeah, I missed you! But mostly it's because today I spent 1 million and turned a 10 billion deal into a 1 billion one. If you were in my shoes, would you be happy?"
"Of course I'm happy, but is there really such a good thing? It's unlikely!" Yang Mi said calmly, because she didn't believe that such a good deal existed in the world.
"You'll find out later!" Lin Feng was happy with himself at the moment, thinking that the future would dazzle everyone.