Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 157 Discusses Financing, Pony and Mayor Meet
Shenzhen, Houhai, Marriott Zhongzhou Hotel.

Chen Xiu, who was in Beijing yesterday working late into the night with Dilraba, has now arrived in southern Guangdong Province.

He was dressed in a gray suit, leaning back on the sofa, gazing leisurely and indifferently into the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window, while his ears were constantly listening to Hu Weiwei's narration.

"...Mobike has now expanded beyond university towns in Shanghai and is attempting to enter commercial districts such as Xintiandi and Gubeikou. Of the 2000 bikes on the market, there are already more than 50 registered users, with daily orders reaching 2."

"excuse me."

Liu Chiping, the president of Tencent, who was sitting opposite the two, raised his hand with a bright look in his eyes.

Chen Xiu turned to look at Liu Chiping, thinking: This is the second time today that he has shown interest.

The first time was half an hour ago, when Hu Weiwei began introducing Mobike's claim of "solving the last-mile travel problem."

After raising his hand to interrupt Hu Weiwei's narration, Liu Chiping first gave Chen Xiu a look of inward admiration before asking, "Mr. Hu, I would like to ask, are all 50+ registered users real users?"

"Forehead……"

Hu Weiwei appeared somewhat nervous under the watchful eye of this penguin manager.

She turned to look at Chen Xiu, seeking help from her teammates.

However, after receiving her pleading look, Chen Xiu turned her head to look out the window once again.

"Just say what you have to say! If you've forgotten the specific figures, just take a look at the development plan."

Upon hearing this "hint," Hu Weiwei quickly picked up the development plan document that was spread out on the table.

"Mr. Liu, the exact number should be 513672. This is the result of last week's statistics. One-tenth of them ride a Mobike every three days."

"Okay, please continue."

Liu Chiping didn't mind Hu Weiwei's outburst; he was now focused on assessing Mobike's prospects and the approximate valuation of the investment.

Chen Xiu listened silently to Hu Weiwei's story, without saying a word.

He did this not because he was deliberately trying to appear cold.

Mainly, Chen Xiu had already revised the content of the development plan for Hu Weiwei; Chen Xiu had also explained in advance the things that needed to be noted when discussing investment.

Chen Xiu had done all the preparations before the event, and he couldn't interfere too much with the most important part: the interviews to attract investment.

What every investor truly values, besides the project itself, is whether the entrepreneur is reliable.

If the entrepreneur isn't cut out for it, even if investors are very optimistic about the project, they will likely turn to other similar projects because they have concerns about the entrepreneur.

This interview was a solo effort undertaken solely by Hu Weiwei.

Chen Xiu was able to offer some advice because he had a personal relationship with Liu Chiping.

"...We've done the math. On average, each bike is used 11 times a day. The cost of a bike is 500 yuan, and each ride costs 1 yuan. We can break even in two months. Plus, our bike deposit is 299 yuan, so we have a very good cash flow!"

When talking about the "selling points" that Chen Xiubiao pointed out, Hu Weiwei showed some excitement and enthusiasm.

Liu Chiping's eyes lit up for the third time, drawn by this selling point.

However, having already encountered many daydreamers, he still quickly considered the project's shortcomings after seeing its advantages.

"Mr. Hu, I'd like to ask if the cost of these bicycles can be further reduced? And how do you ensure that the bicycles won't be lost?"

The question has hit the nail on the head!

Hu Weiwei's mind went blank, and he glanced at Chen Xiu out of the corner of his eye.

Just before Liu Chiping arrived, he had already mentioned that the other party would ask these two questions, and they actually did.

Fortunately, Chen Xiu had also instructed Hu Weiwei on how to answer.

"Mr. Liu, the cost of the bicycle has already been reduced to the minimum. If we were to manufacture one according to our standards, the cost would be about 1000 yuan per bicycle (the information says 2000 yuan, but that seemed too exaggerated, so we gave it a discount)."

"However, with subsequent technological iterations and increased demand, the unit price should be able to decrease further. As for the issue of bike loss, it is not currently within our scope of consideration."

Liu Chiping was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised by the answer.

"Why not consider it?"

"Our primary goal right now is to seize untapped markets as quickly as possible. If we only focus on the gains and losses of a single city or region and stop to address the issue of bike loss, then others will take our market share! And, frankly speaking, this problem is currently unsolvable."

Hu Weiwei stared intently at Liu Chiping, feeling that he had rephrased his words very well.

After hearing her impassioned speech, Liu Chiping glanced at Chen Xiu without leaving a trace.

Back when Chen Xiu approached Tencent for investment, the rhetoric he used was almost identical to what Hu Weiwei is saying now.

Liu Chiping raised his eyebrows, clicked his tongue twice, and said, "1.5 million RMB, 10%, is this your financing offer?"

"Correct!"

Hu Weiwei answered excitedly, as if she could already see the light at the end of the tunnel and felt that her Mobike was about to enter the fast lane.

However, when it comes to investments of hundreds of millions, how can negotiations be resolved in just one round?
"The plan is fine, but I need to consider it. I also need to arrange for someone to go to Beijing and Shanghai to conduct on-site inspections of Mobike's specific situation. Let's schedule another time next time."

Liu Chiping's words essentially meant he was willing to invest. The remaining investigations, such as examining the company, verifying its data, finances, and assets, were simply necessary due diligence before investing; Chen Xiu had done something similar before.

Once the investigation is over, all that's left is the bargaining phase.

It's normal for the whole process to take a few weeks.

However, it was this normal procedure that prompted Chen Xiu, who had remained silent until now, to speak up.

"Mr. Liu, may I say a few words?"

"Sure! Even if I don't say anything now, I'll still want to talk to you after I finish talking with Mr. Hu."

"It's okay, we can talk privately later. What I want to say now is that Mobike's financing plan needs to be accelerated."

How fast should it be increased?

Chen Xiu looked up and met Liu Chiping's gaze, giving him a firm yet concise deadline.

"Ideally within a week."

"Why?"

Liu Chiping's eyes were filled with doubt; an investment of just over 100 million yuan was not enough to surprise him.

What puzzled him was why Chen Xiu was in such a hurry.
"The barriers to entry for bike sharing are low, and the cost of entering the market is not high. Our biggest advantage right now is time. Only by making full use of time can we develop faster and get users used to using Mobike."

Chen Xiu spoke quickly, and Liu Chiping listened attentively, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. He was now preparing to ask a question.

During Didi's previous rounds of financing, the two had already become familiar with each other's rhythm.

“What you said makes a lot of sense, but as an investor, Tencent needs to understand Mobike’s situation before making a decision.”

After Liu Chiping asked his questions, the progress of the negotiations differed significantly from when Hu Weiwei had given the main narrative.

“Market research can be conducted immediately. Currently, Mobike has only been deployed in Shanghai. Mr. Hu can provide Tencent with daily data flow to determine the authenticity and value of the project.”

"We also need to evaluate the sharing economy."

"I believe that given Penguin's expertise, it won't take much time in this area."

"Hehe, you..."

Liu Chiping pointed at Chen Xiu with a helpless expression and said with a smile, "You are a shareholder of Tencent, after all. I am doing this to protect the interests of shareholders."

"Our goals are the same, just our methods are different. Otherwise, why wouldn't I take President Hu to Ali to seek investment?"

Liu Chiping already had a clear understanding of Mobike's value, so he naturally knew that what Chen Xiu said was true.

He frowned slightly and thought for a moment, then looked up at Chen Xiu and Hu Weiwei.

"I will have a meeting with the head of the investment department this afternoon, and at the same time, I will arrange for my colleagues in Shanghai to conduct an on-site inspection of Mobike. I hope you can provide data for comparison."

Chen Xiu remained silent, but looked at Hu Weiwei, gesturing for her to speak.

Hu Weiwei clapped his hands knowingly: "No problem! Mr. Liu, Mobike welcomes Tencent to come and inspect."

I wish us a pleasant cooperation.

Liu Chiping stood up, shook hands with Hu Weiwei to say goodbye, and prepared to rush back before the afternoon work started to have a meeting with the head of the financing department.

Before leaving, he asked Chen Xiu a question: "President Chen, will you be staying in Pengcheng this week?"

"Oh, yes."

"Could you please make room for dinner? I'll have someone confirm the time with you in advance. Pony would like to talk to you about it."

"He wants to see me?"

Chen Xiu looked surprised and bewildered. Liu Chiping's nod confirmed that he hadn't misheard.

Hu Weiwei, sitting next to him, stared in surprise, thinking: Have I entered the circle of big shots?
While Chen Xiu's negotiations were progressing smoothly, Wei Feng, far away in the capital, found himself in a negotiation deadlock.

"Director Wu, you just said that 'Wolf Warrior 2' has already secured investment. What do you mean by that?"

Wei Feng stared at Wu Jing with a furrowed brow, while Xiong Ben, sitting next to him, also appeared somewhat stiff in his facial muscles.

Wu Jing, who was already embarrassed, felt even more ashamed as she was stared at by the two of them. She said awkwardly, "I received a call from Huayi this morning. They said they were willing to invest in 'Wolf Warrior 2.' That's why I made an appointment with President Chen last night, and that's why I rushed over to explain!"

"Huayi..."

Wei Feng murmured, instantly realizing that this was Wang Zhonglei's reaction to Chen Xiu's ridicule at yesterday's victory celebration banquet.

Last night, when he received Chen Xiu's call, he had already included meeting Wu Jing in his important to-do list and secretly decided that he must win this project.

Because what Chen Xiu said, "strive to take it down," was automatically interpreted by Wei Feng as "must take it down!"
This was a work assignment, but also a test. Wei Feng was unwilling and did not want the project that Chen Xiu had high hopes for to slip away from his hands.

Thinking of this, he suddenly relaxed his brows and smiled at Wu Jing, saying, "Director Wu, since Huayi called this morning, it means you haven't signed a contract with them yet, right?"

"Yes, the contract hasn't been signed yet..."

(End of this chapter)