Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 505 Die together
After Cheng Yi finished explaining the mission, Zhang Lingyu and the other two immediately began to take action.

Now each of them is considered a leader in their field, so much is self-evident.

After Zhang Lingyu and the other two left, Cheng Yi returned to the inner room of his office.

Inside the room, Lin Qingyin was compiling a list of globally renowned media outlets, as instructed by Cheng Yi.

Such a large-scale event must be organized in conjunction with these global media outlets to give them a strong presence.

The main players in this competition were Enze Capital and Blizzard Entertainment. The former has an extremely wide network of connections, especially after experiencing the battle between Microsoft and IBM. As the first company to venture into the stock market, Enze Capital has improved the goodwill of many financial groups.

If Enze Capital hadn't dared to be the first to take the plunge, these conglomerates would have missed the opportunity to take advantage of the big players.

They've been eating Microsoft and IBM for over two months, they're practically stuffed.

Of the nearly $40 billion in net losses, 70% was absorbed by these dozens of capital conglomerates.

This time, Cheng Yi is really taking a huge gamble, because Momo Group can no longer help him.

Momo Group has neither global resources nor experience in organizing international events.

In contrast, Enze Capital possesses global resources and can connect with well-known media outlets worldwide.

Blizzard Entertainment, needless to say, has hosted three global esports tournaments, and its reputation and brand recognition are impeccable.

Most importantly, both of their companies are well-established European and American enterprises.

Despite the frequent bickering and rivalry among European and American companies, they are surprisingly united in their attitudes toward large markets like China.

Many people believe that they are deliberately targeting China, and that it is a national feud.

Actually, that's not the case. These profit-driven businessmen don't have any ethnic hostility towards China. The reason they target countries like India and China is simply to prevent the emergence of competitors.

What they want is a clean market for dumping goods, not a competitive market that gives them headaches.

If they don't target and suppress us, with such a huge market as China, we can get started very quickly no matter what we do.

Because the Chinese market is so huge, once a company establishes itself in China, it can already occupy one-fifth of the global market before even venturing abroad.

In this situation, who wouldn't be afraid?
Their approach was simple: if they discovered a Chinese company that threatened their core business, they would immediately buy it out for a hefty sum and then shelve it.

This time, Momo Group is the organizer for the Chinese e-sports selection competition.

Cheng Yi logged into the VPN and sent his detailed requirements via email.

This billion dollars, when converted to US dollars, is only a little over one hundred million US dollars. This is just the basic cost for them to leverage this competition.

To truly elevate this competition to a world-class level, it requires the collective wisdom and efforts of many industry giants.

After all, the organizers of the 2003 FIFA World Cup invested a whopping 37 billion US dollars.

Nine months!
Cheng Yi has set the schedule; he plans to hold this competition over a period of nine months.

The first three months are dedicated to promotion in various countries, and the goal is to make the brand a household name.

The three months in between are for domestic qualifying rounds in each country.

The World Finals are just three months away.

For the first three months, we need to cooperate deeply with the largest media outlets in each country, giving all of the country's publicity and advertising revenue to these media outlets, making the event a household name in each country. At the same time, we need to set up satellite dish production lines around the world, with each production line requiring an investment of 1000 million to 2000 million.

For the next three months, we focused on producing satellite dishes and held a selection competition organized by the largest media organizations in various countries to become the exclusive partner of Global Vision satellite dishes.

In the final three months, global media attention focused on the decisive battle in Singapore, where the final blow would be delivered.

There are significant risks at every stage, but the greater the risk, the greater the opportunity.

The media industry is a field that Western giants value highly. The only way to get in without getting blown up is not to be greedy.

While the satellite dishes developed by Starcom Group have many television channels, Universal Vision only added one internet channel.

Many other television channels cater to European and American tech giants.

This could help these Western giants expand their media market to the Middle East and even to underdeveloped and impoverished countries.

The channel selection in Starcom's satellite dishes is very sophisticated, covering almost all the television channels most valued by the top ten media giants overseas.

In other words, promoting satellite dishes is helping these media giants promote the television channels on which they depend for their livelihood.

Let the light of Europe and America shine throughout the world.

Most importantly, there are no Chinese TV channels on overseas satellite dishes; Chinese satellite dishes are completely isolated from this system.

This is tantamount to clearly siding with Europe and the United States.

The World Vision's internet channel is further divided into ten language channels.

It covers 90% of the world's major population.

For the past two weeks, Cheng Yi has been refining the specific rules. He carefully calculated the costs involved before he understood why Huang Wenrong questioned the matter.

The sunk costs are indeed too high.

The total investment in satellite dish production lines and public relations costs alone exceeded US$3 million. This is because they need to build production lines independently in 16 countries with a population of over 6000 million, and also establish 31 core regions in areas with a population of less than 6000 million to ensure that they can radiate to several surrounding countries.

In addition, the promotional expenses for the competitions in various countries are also a considerable expense. Although Enze Capital has been trying to attract investment and sponsorship, it still needs to spend nearly 100 million US dollars.

However, there is also good news: the Singapore government, as the host of the finals, attaches great importance to this competition organized by Blizzard Entertainment and has covered all expenses for the competition venue, organization, catering, and accommodation.

This expense is worth at least $5 million.

Begging for alms is the core of the event.

Many organizations can start work simply by submitting a complete event plan, mainly because they can raise funds.

As long as your activity is reliable, the funders will always peek out from where you least expect it and ask if you need help.

It's only been less than a month since the initiative started, and quite a few investors have already shown their interest. In the domestic market, the push has been the strongest, with Momo Group controlling almost all of the country's internet media. Coupled with Momo Internet Cafe's comprehensive support for esports events, it would be hard for it not to become a hit.

Even before we entered the promotional phase, many manufacturers had already approached us, some even bringing their advertising slogans with them.

[After intense matches, feeling weak in the lower back and knees? Hui Ren Shen Bao tablets can replenish your energy and help you be fully prepared for the next battle!]

[No gifts accepted at this year's competition, but if you must, give Brain Gold! Give it to your competitors, your teammates, or yourself—a good state of mind isn't just about sleep, it's also about what you eat!]

Want to achieve the same peak performance as an esports player? Sanzhu Oral Liquid is a great choice for daily health maintenance, providing sustained support for your passion!

Zhang Lingyu, the person in charge, accepted all the enthusiastic manufacturers who took the initiative to approach her.

Anyway, there are still plenty of advertising slots available for their competition.

Just as the domestic promotion of the e-sports competition was in full swing, the battle for control of Lianjiang Group had entered a fierce stage.

Fuhai Province, Rongcheng, Lianjiang Group Headquarters Building.

Chen Zhi sat in the main seat, his hair, which had been neatly combed, now slightly disheveled.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his back remained straight, like a long spear that, though stained with blood, had not broken.

On the long table in front of him were the latest financial reports, documents on changes in shareholding, and media clippings.

"President Chen, Zhao He has made another move." A trusted executive reported in a dry voice, "Tianxiang Capital, which he controls, together with Rongcheng Venture Capital, is putting pressure on our minority shareholders again. Currently, their apparent shareholding ratio has reached 38%, and they are only one step away from our 44%."

There was dead silence in the conference room.

Everyone knew that this step was a chasm, the final hurdle before the Lianjiang Group's decade-long legacy was about to change hands.

Zhao He, a young man with a Wall Street background, a gentle smile but ruthless methods, is devouring the entire Lianjiang Group with overwhelming force, thanks to the almost unlimited influx of overseas capital and the cooperation of local forces.

The predecessor of Lianjiang Group was a joint venture group consisting of seven groups: Fengyun Group, Tianqin Group, Luyin Group, Xinyu Group, Leku Group, Aodora Group, and Shiyu Group.

After obtaining the internet cafe chain license, in order to compete with Momo Internet Cafe and Shikuang Internet Cafe, the seven groups officially deregistered and integrated all their businesses into Lianjiang Group, transforming it into a legitimate corporate group.

Lianjiang Group originated from Lianjiang County, which is also known as the hometown of internet cafes in China.

This has resulted in Lianjiang Group having hundreds of small shareholders in addition to its seven major groups.

These minority shareholders each own a dozen or twenty internet cafes, making them among the wealthiest people in Lianjiang County.

It is precisely because of this structure that Zhao He's capital tactics have achieved remarkable results.

Chen Zhi's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, producing a dull thud.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent conference room, as if it struck a chord in everyone's heart.

Chen Zhi's heart was filled with sorrow and resentment.

This is his home, the empire his father Chen Hongwen built from scratch, the place he watched grow up.

Every arcade, every billiards hall, and every internet cafe is imbued with the hard work and dedication of Lianjiang people.

But now, it is about to be taken away by the puppet of foreign capital in his hands.
"Bang!" Chen Zhi slammed his fist on the heavy solid wood table, making the teacup vibrate.

He raised his head, his eyes burning with the ferocity of a trapped beast—a resolute determination to do what he knew was impossible, the ruthlessness of a hero even in his final moments, determined to take a piece of the enemy's flesh.

"Zhao He wants to bury us in money? Fine!" Chen Zhi's voice was hoarse but carried a kind of mad, all-or-nothing madness as he snarled, "He's got money, isn't he? Then let him feel just how hot Lianjiang's blood really is!"

"Mr. Chen, what do you mean?" The executives' hearts were in their throats.

"Issue a group order." Chen Zhi stood up, his tall figure appearing particularly solitary against the backdrop of the floor-to-ceiling windows: "Starting tomorrow, all internet cafes, arcades, and billiard halls under the group will offer a 30% discount on membership top-ups! All game cards, drinks, and snacks will be sold at cost price! Doesn't Zhao He want market share? I'll give it to him! I'd like to see how much money he can burn to take on this hot potato!"

"A 30% discount?" the CFO exclaimed in shock. "President Chen, this is causing us to lose millions every day! We currently hold a 44% stake. While you've hurt Zhao He, our cash flow won't last much longer!"

"We have to hold on, even if we can't!" Chen Zhi declared resolutely, his gaze sweeping over everyone present with an undeniable air of authority. "Zhao He thinks he can take over peacefully? Dream on! I'm going to make him inherit a bloodbath, a company whose value has plummeted. Doesn't he have Microsoft backing him? Then let his sugar daddy see just how much it takes to support a good-for-nothing to rise to power!"

The order was like throwing an ice cube into a calm pan of oil, instantly igniting the entire entertainment industry.

The news that Lianjiang Group was offering a 30% discount on top-ups across all its businesses swept across the country like a hurricane.

Countless players flocked to the scene, and internet cafes, arcades, and billiard halls were almost overflowing with people. Even the cashiers had long queues.

The Lianjiang Internet Cafe, originally positioned as a high-end and elegant place, was instantly transformed into a bustling vegetable market.

After a brief surge, the figures on the sales report plummeted, and the losses began to widen rapidly at an alarming rate.

Zhao He sat in the most upscale private club in Rongcheng, looking at the report delivered by his subordinates. For the first time, his signature gentle smile disappeared from his face.

"Madman! Chen Zhi is a madman!" Zhao He slammed the report onto the expensive Persian carpet, causing the expensive red wine in the glass to swirl violently.

"What is he trying to do? Is he planning to take us all down with him?" Zhao He took a deep breath.

If it weren't for Chen Zhi, Lianjiang Group would have become his business three months ago.

Thinking about this, Zhao He truly regretted not sending someone to kill Chen Zhi directly.

Beside him, Vice President Wang of Rongcheng Venture Capital, a well-known state-owned enterprise in Rongcheng, frowned and said, "President Zhao, Chen Zhi is planning to go all out and use self-destructive methods to deplete our funds. If this continues, even if we eventually obtain controlling rights, the value of Lianjiang Group will be greatly reduced, and it may even become a huge burden."

"I know!" Zhao He tugged at his tie with an annoyed look, a sinister glint in his eyes, and said coldly, "Vice President Wang, please help me contact the major media outlets in Fuhai Province and make sure they focus on exaggerating the news about Lianjiang Group's poor management and its near-collapse of its cash flow. This will reduce the number of users who want to recharge."

"Furthermore, I want to emphasize that the company was driven to the brink of collapse due to Chen Zhi's poor decision-making. I want to instill panic among all shareholders and cause Chen Zhi to be abandoned by everyone!"

"Okay." Vice President Wang nodded slowly and said, "Hopefully, it's not too late."

Soon, a war of words broke out in Fuhai Province.

Articles criticizing Lianjiang Group and questioning Chen Zhi's capabilities are flooding major financial media outlets.

Insiders have even begun to reveal that the problems of Lianjiang Group's rapid expansion and slow return on investment in its internet cafe model are all attributed to Chen Zhi's stubbornness and lack of foresight.

(End of this chapter)