Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 311 150 billion!
All the necessary groundwork had been laid, so Cheng Wu went straight to the point.

"ArcLight's strength in film and television production is obvious to all, and its ideas on IP development coincide with our development philosophy." Cheng Wu said: "We hope to work hand in hand with President Meng and grow together."

Meng Bai tapped the table lightly: "Mr. Cheng, why don't you just tell me your needs directly."

"Mr. Meng has a straightforward personality, so I won't waste words." Cheng Wu looked straight at him, "Reading Group hopes to acquire Arclight Films for 150 billion yuan."

150 billion!
Meng Bai's finger, which was tapping the table, suddenly paused.

Even though he guessed that Tencent would definitely pay a high price, this price was still far beyond his expectations.

You know, even Huace Film & TV, which is known as the "No. 200 film and television stock", currently has a total market value of only about billion.

Tencent wants to acquire the company at a premium, and it’s an extremely high premium!

Seeing Meng Bai's surprise, Cheng Wu smiled and continued, "This 150 billion acquisition will be completed in the form of new stock replacement and capital combination. And we can promise that after the acquisition, President Meng will still be in charge of Arclight."

Meng Bai raised his eyebrows: "This should also be a request, right?"

“We believe in Mr. Meng’s ability.”

Cheng Wu did not answer directly, but his tone showed his attitude.

Obviously, the reason why Tencent gave such a high premium is, on the one hand, due to the development potential of ArcLight itself, and on the other hand, mainly due to the founder Meng Bai.

Without Meng Bai, Arclight Pictures can only be regarded as an ordinary film and television company, and its value will inevitably be greatly reduced.

Therefore, keeping Meng Bai to continue to be in charge of Arc Light Films can not only reduce the other party's resistance, but also ensure the maximum benefits of the acquisition.

To be honest, the conditions given by Cheng Wu can be said to be quite sincere.

Even though he had made up his mind before coming, Meng Bai still couldn't help but hesitate for a few seconds.

That’s 150 million!

Moreover, ArcLight is still under his own supervision, and at most he needs to adapt a few IPs into film and television works for Yuewen every year.

What's more, ArcLight can rely on the big tree of Tencent, so its future development will be basically smooth sailing.

I have to say, it's really attractive.

After a long silence, Meng Bai took a deep breath and looked at Cheng Wu: "I am very grateful to Tencent and Mr. Cheng for their attention to ArcLight. I can also deeply feel your sincerity..."

The words were nice, but Cheng Wu felt a chill in his heart.

Because usually this kind of words are followed by a "but".

really.

Meng Bai continued, "But I'm sorry, I'm a petty person. I don't have much vision. I just like to be a mountain king or something, and I can't stand someone being above me."

"Mr. Meng, if you are worried about this, you can rest assured that we will never interfere with your operations and development at will." Cheng Wu hurriedly explained.

Meng Bai waved his hand: "I know this, Tencent has a good reputation in the industry."

Tencent's style is completely different from that of Alibaba, another of the three Internet giants. Tencent's favorite acquisition strategy is to only take profits and ownership, without interfering in development and operation.

This undoubtedly gives great freedom to the acquired company. For Tencent itself, it not only saves administrative costs, but also gains a lot of new and distinctive fields.

It's a win-win situation.

But for Meng Bai, he doesn't need this limited control.

"Mr. Cheng, let me give you an example. For example, Arclight wants to complete its own film and television planning, and at the same time, Yuewen also has an IP that it wants to adapt. Which one will take priority at this time?"

“I believe that with Arclight’s scale, running two projects simultaneously will not be a problem.”

"Who will be in control then?"

"This……"

Cheng Wu paused and understood what Meng Bai meant.

There is no problem in running two projects at the same time, but Meng Bai is still needed as the core creator in charge.

Putting Tencent's projects first means that Tencent is interfering with ArcLight's operations.
But if Meng Bai is not used, what is the point of Tencent’s acquisition of ArcLight?
"Excuse me, Mr. Cheng. China Literature has a huge IP, and it also has its own publicity and distribution channels and platforms. What it lacks is just a production team."

Meng Bai said: "So instead of looking for a company like Arclight that has its own IP, it is better to look for partners who have deep qualifications and rich experience but lack content."

"..." Cheng Wu didn't say anything, but frowned and fell into deep thought.

What the young man said makes sense. It seems that I have fallen into a misunderstanding.

Previously, because Tencent Pictures insisted on taking the path of IP incubation and expansion, it was somewhat suppressed by Penguin Pictures' platform-based strategy.

So when I saw that Arclight Pictures was able to successfully create the "Green Ivy Detective Universe" IP series, I naturally thought that we were on the same side.

Moreover, ArcLight involves many types of projects, including online dramas, TV shows, and movies, which perfectly meet the needs of China Literature's huge IP library.

But now it seems that those along the way may not be the right partners.

On the contrary, what Meng Bai said made a lot of sense.

Tencent Pictures is backed by China Literature Group and has no shortage of IPs. Why does it have to find a team with "independent IP"?

As soon as he thought of this, Cheng Wu suddenly felt that his thoughts became clear.

"Haha, what Mr. Meng said makes sense. We are just being too picky." Cheng Wu said with a hearty smile, "Although we failed to reach a cooperation agreement with Arc Light, today's trip was worthwhile."

"These are just some of my superficial opinions. I believe that Mr. Cheng has a complete strategic plan."

"Since Mr. Meng has no intention, I won't bother to talk too much." Cheng Wu said, "I heard that Arclight also has a film business. If there is a chance, we can cooperate more."

When Meng Bai heard this, his mind moved.

"To be honest, Mr. Cheng, I have a great film project. I wonder if you are interested?"

Cheng Wu was stunned. He didn't expect the other party to be so direct.

But he was not being completely polite. After all, "Mr. Meng of Arc Light" had a good vision and was well-known in the film and television industry.

For a project to be proposed by him, there must be something good about it.

“I don’t know what the project is?”

Meng Bai smiled kindly: "Mr. Cheng should know Liu Cixin, right?"

……

No cooperation was reached and there was no need to discuss specific details, so the dinner ended quickly.

Watching Cheng Wu leave, Meng Bai breathed a sigh of relief.

The production funds for "The Wandering Earth" are still about 4000 million yuan short.

Although he had discussed with Guo Fan and planned to trick Wu Jing, this innocent, uh, kind-hearted person, the final result might not be successful.

So Meng Bai has been making preparations for both scenarios.

Cheng Wu just happened to be talking about this, so he took the opportunity to solicit investment.

The other party neither agreed nor refused, but just said that he needed to go back and think about it.

This is normal. After all, how can an investment of tens of millions be decided in just a few words?

Forget it, if it works, it works. If not, I'll think of other ways.

"Lao Qi, please take me back."

After getting in the car, Meng Bai said to the driver in the driving seat.

Hua Yan has completely given up on getting a driver's license, so Hu Guang directly hired a full-time driver.

The driver's surname is Qi, a middle-aged man around 40 years old. He has a wife and a daughter, a calm personality, and good skills. He is a very suitable candidate.

"Okay, Mr. Meng."

The car had not driven far when Meng Bai's cell phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the name of the caller, it was his "cheap niece".

As soon as the call was connected, Meng Ziyi's pitiful voice came over: "Uncle, help me..."

(End of this chapter)