Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 606 Chen Nuo's Net Worth

After returning to the hotel, Chen Nuo kept feeling that Peter Thiel's last sentence was strange.

But I just couldn't figure out what was strange about it.

It wasn't until he received Qi Yuntian's call that he suddenly realized what was wrong.

A chill ran down Chen Nuo's spine. "No way? I've never heard of that."

But it really sounds like that thing.

Why is this person so close to him, and why does he feel so comfortable with him...?

Just as Chen Nuo felt a chill run down his spine, Qi Yuntian's voice came through the microphone.

Chen Nuo listened to the phone for a while, then asked, "So, its third-quarter report will be very exciting?"

"Yes," Qi Yuntian said sarcastically, "Although Huayi Brothers raised a lot of money through its IPO, it has suffered significant losses on two consecutive big-budget films with investments exceeding 100 million yuan, and it has also invested a large sum of money in its television drama business. I estimate that the Wang brothers' cash flow is not far from running into trouble. We'll know the specifics when they officially release their third-quarter report. I bet it will be a very ugly one. If the television drama business is slow to generate revenue, and that Stephen Chow movie continues to flop, well, that will be interesting."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Well done. I'll reward your subordinate, Master Ting, with a chicken leg."

"Understood." Qi Yuntian changed his tone. "Actually, I was quite worried before about whether Johnnie To's 'Drug War' could compete with Stephen Chow. Now it's all right. If your movie with Leonardo DiCaprio can be released at the end of the year, we can still find a way to compete with him. Then I believe that no matter how awesome Stephen Chow is, he will be in big trouble."

"However, the only difficulty now is the release schedule of the revenue-sharing blockbusters. Coordination between China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution is quite difficult, since the release schedules of imported blockbusters have always been strictly controlled."

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, "In this regard, you should talk to Chairman Han in advance and ask him to contribute his last bit of energy before retiring. His daughter is interning at our company, right? Find her a project during this time, and let her be an assistant director. Let me tell you, in this kind of thing, we don't need to care about saving face, you know?"

"I know, but it's not like it's your face that's being embarrassed, so there's really no need for it."

See, he really enjoys chatting with gay men; they're all funny and humorous.

After chatting with Qi Yuntian for a while, I hung up the phone and sent a WeChat message to Gao Yuanyuan, saying that I would be going back a day later.

Gao Yuanyuan's WeChat account name used to be "Yuanyuan's Yuan", but it has now been changed to "Rhea's Yuan".

Rhea, the English name she gave Chen Ao, is the daughter of Gaia, the second-generation queen of the gods in ancient Greek mythology, and Uranus, the god of the sky.

I sent it via WeChat and got a reply in no time.

"It's alright, your business is more important."

It also included a photo of Rhea sleeping soundly in her crib.

Although Chen Ao was slightly lighter than other babies of the same age, after several months of careful care, the shadow of premature birth has begun to dissipate.

Chen Nuo smiled as she looked at the photos for a while, and her mood became exceptionally pleasant.

Then he began to consider the follow-up issues.

Fan Binbing is able to raise her child safely in China thanks to her meticulous personality, her tactful handling of situations, and the comprehensive protection provided by her team. However, with the advancement of technology, hidden cameras are becoming increasingly concealed and high-definition, making it much more difficult to completely prevent exposure than before.

And what about Gao Yuanyuan?
Based on Chen Nuo's understanding of her, it would probably take less than two weeks after she returned to China for paparazzi to track her down.

For her, staying in the United States to raise her child was a safer and more sensible choice.

Moreover, her mother's health condition does indeed require long-term medical support from the Mayo Clinic, which in itself is a sufficient reason.

Before returning to China this time, he had actually planned to talk to Gao Yuanyuan about this issue.

However, before we can talk, there's one thing we need to solve first—accommodation.

Gao Yuanyuan has now moved out of the postpartum care center.

Because paparazzi were staking out his Beverly Hills mansion almost year-round, she was temporarily staying in a beachfront detached villa that Allison had helped her rent.

However, renting is ultimately a last resort. Especially for mothers with children, a long-term, stable, and safe environment is the most important thing.

Buying a house has become an urgent matter.

Only with a house could he rightfully persuade Gao Yuanyuan to stay.

Do whatever you want.

Chen Nuo immediately picked up the phone.

Although he has been filming all year, his available funds have broken his personal record.

This is mainly due to the record-breaking performance of several major revenue streams this year.

First, there's the endorsement.

The renewal and new signing of several top international contracts last year have brought his endorsement income to an unprecedented level this year.

The five brands alone—Harry Winston, Mattel, Ferragamo, Porsche, and Rolex—bring him nearly $4000 million in after-tax income annually. As for the meager RMB endorsement fee he receives from Angel in China, it's utterly insignificant.

Secondly, there are acting fees and signing bonuses.

The actor received a $2000 million salary for "The Bloodstained Dragon," plus a $2000 million signing bonus from CAA. Not counting box office revenue sharing, he earned another $4000 million in cash alone.

Third, the global revenue from "Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" and "Eagle Catches Chickens".

At the beginning of the year, the final installment of "Twilight" achieved an impressive 7.7 million RMB in the Chinese market, and its global box office ultimately reached 15.2 billion USD. Although it ultimately did not surpass "The Avengers," it ranks seventh in the all-time box office.

But he not only received a $2000 million salary, but also a whopping 15% of the box office revenue, which amounted to $2.3 million, bringing the total to a jaw-dropping $2.5 million!
In addition to the movie, the global success of "The Eagle Catches the Chicken" earned him $22 million in actor fees from Netflix, plus $50 million in profit sharing as an executive producer, bringing his total income to nearly $80 million.

Combined with the three items and the more than $2000 million already in his account, his personal disposable cash had now reached an astonishing $2.6 million.

This is cash.

And among the stocks he holds.

Excluding the 2% stake in Facebook, which is worth approximately $20 billion,

He made two large-scale investments in US stocks. One was during the 08 financial crisis, when he used a total of $4000 million to buy 2000 million and 25 shares of Apple and 235 shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

Those 25 Apple shares, initially purchased at approximately $80 each, have now increased sixfold, reaching a market capitalization of $1.2 million. While Berkshire Hathaway's stock price didn't rise as dramatically, it still more than doubled from $8.5 per share to $17.3 per share, and is now worth approximately $4000 million.

On another occasion, after receiving a total of $3.5 million in film fees and investment profits from Inception in 2011, he took out nearly $3 million and used several accounts to buy shares in FAANG, Tesla, and Nvidia.

He spent 100 million to buy about three percent of Tesla's shares—at that time, the company's market value was only three billion dollars.

Today, Tesla's market capitalization has soared to nearly $19.5 billion, a sixfold increase in two years. This investment is now worth $585 million, a net profit of nearly $500 million.

Although Tesla's stock price has inexplicably dropped by 10% in the past two days, the market value of his outstanding shares is still over $5 million.

He spent $8000 million to buy 30 shares of Netflix. When "The Eagle and the Chick" became a global hit after it was released on Netflix, he sold them off one by one, eventually cashing out about $1.5 million and making a net profit of $7000 million. It was this money that he later used to buy his ranch in Montana.

The remaining funds were invested, with each company investing approximately 4000 million to purchase 6 shares of Google, 300 million shares of Nvidia, and 150 million shares of Microsoft.

By October 2013, Google's stock price had risen from $640 to $870, giving it a market capitalization of approximately $52 million. Nvidia's stock price rose from $13 to $15, now valued at $46 million. Microsoft's stock price rose from $26 to $35, valued at approximately $53 million. Together, these three companies were worth about $150 million.

All things considered, his stock account contained $8000 million in cash and $8.9 million in stock value, totaling approximately $9.6 million. If we also include his 2% stake in Facebook, his assets in the US stock market are approaching $30 billion.

Of course, in addition to these cash and stocks, there is also real estate.

Excluding Montana, his three properties in Palm Beach, Los Angeles, and Canada, combined, are now worth nearly $5000 million in the current real estate rebound. For example, his Beverly Hills mansion, which he bought from Theron for $900 million, has seen surrounding property values ​​rise by almost 30% since he didn't pay much attention to it. Besides real estate, he also has debt.

Twice, once for $4000 million and once for $3000 million, a total of $7000 million was lent to Old Tang in exchange for 10% of the Donald Group and 50% of Mar-a-Lago.

All of the above adds up to his current net worth of $33 billion, which would place him in the top 500 of the 2013 Forbes Global Rich List.

Five hundred people.

It sounds trivial, but when you think about how those are the 500 richest people out of the world's six billion, that number becomes quite weighty.

However, climbing further on the wealth list will be incredibly difficult. Because despite his rapid stock price increases, the wealth of a true entrepreneur grows at a rate far exceeding that of stocks and film salaries.
However, to be fair, Chen Nuo is quite content with his current situation. At least with a little saving, he could live a lifetime without spending all his money.

If we were to look at the Forbes China Rich List, his wealth would easily place him among the top 30 in the country. While it's still less than Wang Jianlin's current richest man of over 1300 billion yuan, he's practically unmatched in the entertainment industry.

In this situation, he naturally couldn't be stingy when he had to buy houses for his mistress and daughter.

"Alison, could you ask around in Malibu, Los Angeles, if there are any decent oceanfront villas for sale recently? Yes, as long as the location is good, price is not an issue."

……

……

Peter Thiel's private party was held in his modernist mansion at the foot of Palo Alto, overlooking the entire Silicon Valley.

The party officially started at 8 p.m.

When Chen Nuo arrived, night had already enveloped the entire valley, with lights twinkling in the distance from the technology company park.

He's attended countless celebrity parties in his life, but this is the first time he's ever been to a tech industry gathering like this.

As soon as he entered, Peter Thiel, the host, greeted him with a broad smile.

At the same time, the Silicon Valley elites present also turned their heads to look over, most of them with surprised looks, obviously not expecting to see him here.

"Haha, Chen, you're here."

Peter Thiel, impeccably dressed, came over and gave him a warm hug.

Chen Nuo patted him on the back, then quickly moved away, and said with a smile, "Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, so I'm a little late."

Peter smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's alright. Come, let me introduce you to one of my good friends."

After saying that, he waved to the side, and a tall, white man with a slightly protruding chest walked over, extended his hand, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Chen, I'm Elon Musk."

“Chen, this is Elon, my best friend. The founder and CEO of Tesla,” Peter said with a broad smile.

Chen Nuo extended his hand and shook hands with the man who had earned him $500 million in two years. Pretending not to recognize him, he smiled and said, "Hello, Elon. I heard from Peter that you not only build cars, but also rockets?"

“Yes, I own a rocket company,” Elon Musk said with a shy smile.

Seeing the younger version of the nervous look on his face, Chen Nuo found it a little funny, but immediately, his eyes turned and he saw the person behind him, who was the very person he had come for tonight.

He immediately turned to Peter and said, "Peter, is that Evan Spiegel, the president of Snapchat?"

Peter Thiel looked in the direction he was looking and nodded, "Yes."

Chen Nuo said, "Introduce him to me, I'd like to talk to him."

Peter Thiel glanced at Musk and said, "OK, come with me."

After a while, Peter returned to the dining table in the hall alone.

Musk was drinking a glass of whiskey when he saw him approach and said with a displeased look, "He's probably the most arrogant Chinese person I've ever met."

Peter smiled wryly and said, "Elon, you've misunderstood."

Musk said indignantly, "Really? But what is Snapchat? It's a piece of junk that sends out pornographic photos, yet he'd rather meet with people from that company than say a word to me? When you were introducing Tesla earlier, I could see the mockery in his eyes; he looks down on my car."

Peter said helplessly, "Elon, you're still so perceptive. I didn't see what you were saying at all. Think about it, how many people in the world would refuse Mark Zuckerberg just to have dinner with an ordinary policeman? Anyone who would do that is either a genuinely good person or someone who really hates Mark Zuckerberg. Which one do you think Chen is? No matter which one he is, he's definitely not what you think."

Musk fell silent.

Peter continued, "Chen went to see Evan Spiegel for something else, it has nothing to do with you."

"what's up?"

“It’s confidential, so I can’t say. But I can assure you it’s true. When I introduced you yesterday, he said he was very interested in Tesla and really wanted to buy one.”

"Really?" Elon Musk asked with a skeptical look.

Peter said, “Really. He doesn’t have a car here in Silicon Valley, and I really recommend that you send him one of your Model S. If paparazzi catch him driving it, it will be good for Tesla.”

Musk said, "Peter, I don't like doing any advertising or marketing."

“Please, Elon,” Peter Thiel said in a slightly exasperated tone, “Tesla’s stock price dropped a full 10% yesterday because of that battery fire in Washington state. Now the entire nation’s media is reporting on it, and everyone is questioning your safety standards. Public panic is building. At a time like this, giving Chen a Tesla is probably the smartest and most cost-effective PR move you’ll ever encounter. Think about it carefully!”

Musk tilted his head, hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, it sounds like you're right."

Peter added, “Also, Tesla wants to enter the Chinese market. Aren’t you planning to go to China next year? I think Chen is probably the shortest shortcut you can find right now. Elon, after he finishes talking—I believe no one can face Evan Spiegel for ten minutes—I’ll invite him over then, and you can have a good talk with him.”

Musk didn't hesitate this time and agreed, "Okay, Peter, I'll give it a try."

However, to the surprise of Peter Thiel and Elon Musk, the unpleasant parting between Chen Nuo and Evan Spiegel that they had anticipated did not happen.

On the contrary, the two young men seemed to be kindred spirits, and the more they talked, the more they clicked. They stood together and chatted throughout the entire dinner. Until the end of the dinner, Elon Musk, who had been eagerly waiting, did not get a chance to talk to Chen Nuo and eventually left in his American-made motel S, looking rather dejected.

For Chen Nuo, Evan Spiegel is probably a hundred times more important than Elon Musk at this moment.

After all, Tesla is already a mature publicly traded company, and as a Chinese person, he is unlikely to invest in SpaceX, so trying to build a relationship with Musk would be a complete waste of time.

But Snapchat is different.

This company is still in its early stages and is currently preparing to launch its Series C funding round.

If they do reject Facebook's acquisition offer, does that mean he has a chance to get involved?

Admittedly, Evan Spiegel, as Peter Thiel described, is a stubborn, arrogant, and extremely self-centered young man. But at the same time, he also possesses the simplicity and passion unique to entrepreneurs. At least compared to those seasoned veterans who manipulate Hollywood and the Chinese entertainment industry, these straightforward tech guys from Silicon Valley are simply endearingly naive.

Chen Nuo simply expressed his optimism about Snapchat's future, and quoted a few professional reviews he remembered from later tech magazines, praising its flat-screen video and AR filter technology, which pleased Spiegel greatly. They talked for over two hours, from product philosophy to the evolution of social media.

Finally, Spiegel even warmly invited him to visit Snapchat headquarters.

Honestly, this was completely beyond Chen Nuo's expectations.

He had only gotten a few ideas on a whim and wanted to use this trip to Silicon Valley to "spread some bait" and see if there was an opportunity to get involved. After all, he happened to have several hundred million dollars of spare cash with nowhere to go. And without a doubt, if he could buy some NASDAQ shares based on its current valuation of several billion dollars, and then sell them when the company's value reached over $21 billion around 1000, it would be a super target for short-term arbitrage.

He had originally planned to take it slow, but to his surprise, Evan Spiegel was surprisingly enthusiastic.

This made him hesitate a little.

However, when he heard Spiegel say the address himself, he paused for a few seconds before immediately agreeing—he never expected that the company's headquarters would not be in Silicon Valley, but in Los Angeles.

(End of this chapter)