Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 520 Lei Zong, appointed to a critical mission

Mike wore a polite smile, the words from Cheng Yi's email echoing in his mind: "[The first breakthrough point: the Rothschild family. This family only cares about profit. As long as they feel that American capital is infringing on their interests, and are offered enough benefits, they can be brought under their control. This family will even sell out their own people if there is enough profit.]"

Mike quickly gathered his thoughts and said, "Mr. Jacob, turmoil in the capital market is normal. It has happened countless times in history for giants to join forces to suppress emerging forces. Our Enze Capital invested in Global Vision because we value its huge potential to connect emerging markets. This is a purely commercial investment."

McDonnell paused, then continued, "The reason why American capital now labels us as disruptors is simply because it has threatened the vested interests of these people."

He leaned forward slightly and said calmly, "Don't you think their reaction proves precisely that the direction represented by Universal Vision has a disruptive power? And if this power can be guided by more stable and far-sighted capital..."

Jacob's silvery eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly as he frowned and said, "Guidance? Mike, aren't you being overly optimistic about guidance in such a fierce storm?"

“A storm?” Mike smiled and flattered, “In the hundreds of years of Rothschild family history, such storms are nothing more than a few slightly larger waves. Shouldn’t true wisdom lie in finding solid reefs and hidden channels beneath the waves?”

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely solemn as he said, “Mr. Jacob, we need strong allies. Your deep roots in Europe and unparalleled negotiating ability are exactly what we desire. We are willing to offer sufficient sincerity, including relinquishing some of the core interests of Global Vision, to invite you to become a strategic shareholder of Global Vision and jointly steer this ship toward the future.”

“Mr. Jacob, this is not a cry for help, but a powerful alliance based on shared interests and vision,” Mike said. “What we are going to build is a global media network, so that your resounding voice can reach every corner of the world in seconds, and we will no longer need to be concerned about the United States.”

At this point, Mike fell silent.

He has already gotten to the heart of the matter; the rest is up to the old man to consider.

Having worked in capital operations in Europe for so many years, Mike is well aware of the current situation of the Rothschild family. Although this huge family claims to have assets of hundreds of trillions of dollars, it is actually composed of five major branches.

The American branch is the strongest, followed by the German branch, the French branch, then Jacob's British branch, and finally the Italian branch.

Jacob's financial strength is not strong, only tens of billions of US dollars, but he has a high status in Europe and a lot of influence. Most importantly, he has always wanted to go further.

Mike's choice of Jacob was also after careful screening.

Jacob remained silent for a full half minute before smiling and saying, "I think your words have moved me. Now tell me your plan."

Mike immediately said, "We are willing to transfer 15% of Universal Vision's shares to you for $5 million."

“5 million US dollars?” Jacob raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, “No, no, no, that price is a bit too high.”

“That’s not high,” Mike said. “If you invested that $5 million in your Sky Broadcasting Company, you probably wouldn’t even get a 2% stake, would you?”

Mike was well aware of Sky Broadcasting's market value.

390 billion US dollars.

Last year, Sky Broadcasting paid $13.71 billion just to secure the broadcasting rights for the English Premier League.

Mike continued, "Sky Broadcasting has 23 million subscribers, and right now, we already have 8.3 million subscribers in Asia alone. And that's just two months' worth of data. If we have enough time, we can definitely reach over 500 million subscribers globally!"

Mike confidently announced 500 million, which made Jacob's eyes light up.

If it were anyone else, Jacob would have just taken it as a joke, but the person saying this was Mike, the president of Enze Capital.

That would make it extremely credible.

Moreover, Universal Vision already has 830 million users, which is one-third of Sky Broadcasting's user base.

Even if we estimate it at one-third of Sky Broadcasting's current market value, it would still be worth 100 billion US dollars.

While market value cannot be estimated in this way, in this era, the number of users is equivalent to money, especially the number of TV channel users, each of whom is constant and will never be as inflated as the number of internet users.

Jacob laughed and said, "Alright, let's talk about the details then."

It's raining again in Jingzhou.

Lei Jun walked out of the airport with his assistant Chen Rui, looking up at the misty rain, but his mood was different from last time.

The last time he came, they were in the most critical situation.

But this time, the clouds have parted and the sun is shining.

Since Microsoft and Momo Group signed a truce agreement, Jinshan has been able to finally hold its head high.

Microsoft not only canceled the patch, but also made it compatible with WPS again.

The number of WPS users in Jinshan is now soaring, and they have already recreated the glory days of the 90s.

Lei Jun simply couldn't understand why Cheng Yi would sign a truce agreement with Microsoft.

Isn't this just a short-sighted solution? Once Microsoft catches its breath, what will Momo Group have to compete with it?
If this had happened to him, he could have handled it much better.

If we can find a way to evoke empathy among the people nationwide and get everyone to support domestic products and boycott Microsoft, even government and enterprise organizations will succumb to the pressure and choose to use the Moc-OS system.

Once this barrier is broken, it means that Microsoft will be completely out of the domestic market.

In any case, it's difficult for domestic companies to make a living overseas. As long as they control their domestic market, it's easy for their market value to soar to hundreds of billions.

Unfortunately, Cheng Yi missed this rare opportunity.

Lei Jun shook his head and sighed. As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he saw Cheng Yi waiting for him.

"President Lei, I've missed you so much!" Cheng Yi opened his arms and laughed heartily as he walked over and hugged Lei Jun.

Seeing Cheng Yi's enthusiasm, Lei Jun couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Showing your courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing.

When this guy called me yesterday and asked me to come over, it probably wasn't just for casual conversation, right?
"Come on, our Chairman Du has specially booked a private room at the Handong Hotel to welcome you, President Lei," Cheng Yi said with a hearty laugh.

"You're too kind." Lei Jun smiled slightly, but his vigilance grew even stronger.

Before long, they arrived at the Handong Hotel.

As the highest-standard hotel in Handong Province, the high-class atmosphere of the Handong Grand Hotel is not something that can be achieved by simply piling up money.

The Handong Hotel may not have a star rating, but it is considered the most luxurious hotel by the people of Handong.

Also receiving guests were Huo Xiaokang, vice president of the Jingzhou Municipal Government Affairs Association, and Du Yusheng, chairman of Momo Group.

The four entered the private room, where Li Weiwei, who had been waiting, immediately served them tea.

Du Yusheng and Huo Xiaokang personally selected fresh seafood, while Lei Jun glanced at Cheng Yi and said with a gentle smile, "President Cheng, you called me over, surely not for some romantic affair?" Cheng Yi laughed and said, "If President Lei likes romantic affairs, I'll arrange a few for you."

Cheng Yi glanced at Chen Rui again and smiled, "Do you want some?"

Chen Rui quickly shook his head.

Lei Jun said slowly, "President Cheng, just say what you need to say. Anyway, I still owe you a favor."

“You owe me more than one favor,” Cheng Yi said with a smile. “But this time, I’m not only not asking you to repay a favor, but I also want to give you another one.”

"Oh?" Lei Jun looked at Cheng Yi with some skepticism.

Based on his understanding of Cheng Yi, this guy was no saint; he was setting traps for everyone.

Cheng Yi turned around, walked to the sofa and sat down, getting straight to the point, saying, "Our investor, Enze Capital, is being targeted by Microsoft in London. News Corp. is leading the charge, with Microsoft in charge, wanting revenge for Enze Capital's profiteering in the Microsoft-IBM battle a few months ago."

Lei Jun took a sip of tea, his expression unchanged, but a hint of calculation flashed deep in his eyes.

He took a couple of sips of tea and feigned surprise, saying, "President Cheng wants to help them? But with our strength, if we were to participate in a battle of this level, we'd probably be crushed to dust, wouldn't we?"

He cleverly pointed out the key point, trying to distance himself from the matter.

"They are just our investors. Their downfall won't really affect us much," Cheng Yi said calmly. "I just think that the core battlefield of this hunt is in Europe, and European capital groups, especially those forces that have long been dissatisfied with the global hegemony of Silicon Valley and Hollywood giants, will probably all be involved."

Lei Jun put down his teacup, his face still bearing a gentle smile, and said, "Does President Cheng mean that European domestic capital wants to take advantage of this storm to snatch food from the mouths of American giants?"

“That’s right.” Cheng Yi said seriously, “This is a rare opportunity for capital to reshape the global landscape, which is why I want to participate.”

Lei Jun paused almost imperceptibly, and his gaze instantly turned serious.

He didn't respond immediately, as if he were precisely calculating the value of every word.

Cheng Yi knew the time was right and immediately threw out the real bait, saying, "Momo Group has a truce agreement with Microsoft. This shell is both a protection and a shackle for us. My people and my group cannot sit at the table of European capital in any capacity at this moment."

He looked directly at Lei Jun and said, word by word, "But you are different, Mr. Lei. You are the helmsman of Jinshan Software and a leading figure in the fight against monopolies in China's software industry. Your feud with Microsoft is known to the world. Whether you are acting in your personal capacity or in the name of Jinshan Company, it is perfectly justified and legitimate."

Cheng Yi said in a low voice, "I'll back you up. You just need to get along well with European capital. If we get involved and the European camp wins, then we'll have all the European capital forces at our fingertips. Even if we lose, it's still the same as it is now. Anyway, we've already completely offended Microsoft."

Lei Jun fell silent immediately.

After a long while, he slowly raised his head, the gentle smile on his face disappearing, replaced by a sharp, knife-like calm.

He looked directly at Cheng Yi and said, "You want me to use Jinshan's name to sue Microsoft in Europe, attract attention, and create public opinion. Enze Capital will then use my experience as a stepping stone to seek protection and alliances from European capital, right?"

“That’s one way to understand it,” Cheng Yi smiled.

He had already realized that Lei Jun was interested, but now Lei Jun needed some benefits.

Cheng Yi leaned back on the sofa and said in a relaxed manner, "President Lei, this is absolutely a golden opportunity. When European capital joins forces with Enze to fight against American giants, the profits that will be leveraged will be astronomical. You and Jinshan behind you will also benefit greatly. For example, you have started WPS's European journey."

Lei Jun was indeed tempted, because the risk and reward were proportional.

Cheng Yi paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, I will also do my best to ensure your safety during your stay in Europe. Black Panther Security has multiple branches in Europe."

Lei Jun picked up the slightly cooled tea and slowly drank it all.

As he put down his teacup, his signature gentle smile returned to his face, but deep in his eyes burned a fire of desire for profit.

He said slowly, "Then I'll give it a try, I don't know if I can handle it."

"You can definitely do it." Cheng Yi smiled happily as well.

Although he wanted to go and get involved himself, the overseas environment was too chaotic.

A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall; this is the fundamental principle of Cheng Yi's character.

After all, if you provoke those IT giants overseas, they are capable of anything.

Lei Jun representing him in the past had an effect no less than if he had gone there in person.

Lei Jun's vision, ambition, and ability are all very suitable for taking on this task.

Cheng Yi really went all out for this meal.

They simply put out the most expensive dishes from the Handong Hotel.

Looking at the table full of delicacies in front of him, many of which he couldn't even name, Lei Jun felt like this was his last meal before his execution.

It just doesn't look right.

At the dinner table, Du Yusheng frequently offered toasts, and compliments and praises continued from the beginning to the end of the meal.

Lei Jun stayed overnight at a three-star hotel in the Momo Technology Industrial Park. The next morning, Cheng Yi personally drove Lei Jun to the airport.

On the way, they discussed the details and the time to travel to London.

Watching Lei Jun board the plane back to Yanjing, Cheng Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He and his elder brother Cheng Jian could not speak directly because their relationship needed to be kept secret, but Lei Jun was completely different in the past; he could learn about the developments in Europe anytime, anywhere.

He originally wanted to send Li Xiang over, but after careful consideration, he gave up the idea.

Because he couldn't bear to part with it.

If anything happens to Li Xiang, he will really regret it to death.

The people they sent were fundamentally different from his elder brother Cheng Jian. Cheng Jian was a South Korean, and as long as Cheng Jian didn't do anything reckless, the Western powers wouldn't take action against him.

But the people they sent were different; they were not only from China, but also from Microsoft's old enemy.

When enemies meet, they either draw their swords or their spears.

(End of this chapter)