Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 214 Mobike's Soaring Valuation
The next day, at the Mushroom House.

Huang Sanshi and Song Dandan, who were vomiting and having diarrhea, and Meng Ziyi, who was pretending to vomit and have diarrhea, all sat together and ate the millet porridge cooked by Liu Xianhua.

To make her feigned illness more convincing, Meng Ziyi appeared on camera without makeup today, showing her completely bare face.

This made people who had seen her with heavy makeup for two days feel a little uncomfortable.

He Jiong was even thinking: No way! Mengmeng looks even more seriously injured than Huang Sanshi and Song Dandan? If something happens to her, I won't be able to explain it to Chen Xiu...

He Jiong nervously pursed his lips and hurriedly asked, "Mengmeng, are you alright?"

"It's okay! Um, I mean, I'm much better today. Oops, my stomach still hurts a little."

Meng Ziyi had no experience in feigning illness, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he revealed the truth.

Fortunately, she knew that if she was going to put on an act, she should go all the way and quickly tried to salvage the situation.

He Jiong stared at her blankly, and said worriedly, "Your lips are all pale, and your complexion is also very bad. It looks even worse than last night."

"Um... actually, it's because I didn't wear makeup today that I look more tired."

"Huh?? You're not wearing makeup? You're bare-faced?"

Liu Xianhua took over the conversation, helping Meng Ziyi distract He Jiong.

"Dahua, don't make such a fuss."

"No, Teacher He, I think Sister Meng looks beautiful even without makeup..."

"Thank you! You're probably handsome even without makeup."

Meng Ziyi has always readily accepted praise.

Song Dandan, who was quietly drinking porridge, watched the friendly interaction between the two young people, and then turned to look at her son who couldn't even start a fire.

Song Dandan felt that she had spoiled her son too much in the past, which had ruined him...

After finishing the porridge and exchanging a few polite words, Huang Sanshi pickled several jars of unprofessional kimchi, and the first episode of "Back to Field" finally came to an end.

After seeing Song Dandan and her son off, Meng Ziyi and the other three lay down under the pavilion and took a very ceremonial farewell scene.

"Cut! OK, this episode's recording is over."

Upon hearing the director's command via pager, the four people who were lying down a second ago immediately got up, scattered, packed their things, and prepared to leave.

After each episode of "Back to Field" is recorded, there is a break of about a week before the next episode is recorded, so the overall recording time will span several months.

This format is also designed to accommodate the availability of guests and the schedule of the host.

When the other three finished packing and were about to get into their cars and leave, He Jiong suddenly called them back.

"Teacher Huang, Dahua, Mengmeng, come here for a moment."

The three stopped what they were doing and silently came to He Jiong's side.

Looking at his friends whom he had spent three days with, He Jiong had a few feelings on his face, but not many, because they would see each other again in a few days.

"Let me tell you about the guests for the next episode. Don't be too nervous, just be normal."

The three nodded, but Huang Sanshi was a little unconvinced, thinking to himself: Who can make me nervous?
He Jiong pursed his lips, raising the suspense slightly, before saying, "The guest for the next episode is Wang Zhonglei, the president of Huayi!"

Wow~, really?

Liu Xianhua exclaimed in surprise. As an artist who debuted as a trainee in South Korea, he had very little resistance to this kind of chaebol character.

A hint of surprise flashed across Huang Sanshi's face, but he quickly put on a deadpan act again.

"Oh, Zhong Lei! I know him very well, why would I be nervous!"

"Teacher Huang, you actually know President Wang, that's amazing."

Liu Xianhua immediately showed an expression of admiration. His experience facing Huang Sanshi over the past three days had made him quite used to this.

When Meng Ziyi heard that Wang Zhonglei would be the guest on the next episode, she was stunned for a moment, and then a smile slowly appeared on her lips.

Her eyes darted around, and she thought: I'm not feeling well from recording the show, and the guest for the next episode is Wang Zhonglei, so surely Brother Xiu will make time to come!
……

Beijing, Mobike Technology.

"We have such a good relationship, why can't I have this share?"

"Mr. Shen, it's not a matter of whether we have a good relationship or not. The main thing is that both of our companies are optimistic about Mobike and are jointly leading the Series C funding round..."

"Hey! Don't give me those platitudes. Let's get down to business. Could you give me a bigger share of this funding round, and then you can invest more next time?"

"That won't work."

Chen Xiu sat in the chair, slowly twirling a pen in her hand, her eyes slightly narrowed as she watched the two arguing opposite her.

Although the scene resembled a price drop at a farmers' market, the two people opposite were Shen Nanpeng of Sequoia Capital and Zhang Lei of Hillhouse Capital, both well-known figures in the capital circle.

Then, the topic of their debate was Mobike's Series C funding round, which was to be finalized today.

"Mr. Chen, shouldn't we try to persuade him?"

Hu Weiwei, who was sitting next to me, suddenly asked.

In less than a year, the quick-witted female reporter who once went to Shanghai alone to seek investment from Chen Xiu has now developed a more capable and decisive demeanor.

However, compared to Mobike's rapidly changing valuation, Hu Weiwei's situation has remained largely unchanged.

Upon hearing her request, Chen Xiu, who had originally intended to remain a bystander, still said, "Both of you, we've finally reached an agreement on our Series C funding round. If you continue discussing this further, the funding will likely be delayed again." Hearing this, Shen Nanpeng and Zhang Lei exchanged a glance and could only nod reluctantly.

"Alright! Let's stick to the agreed-upon share then."

"Yes, let's finalize the financing as soon as possible and not waste any more time."

They are all veterans in the investment industry, and they naturally understand how important the period of rapid growth for a company is.

The competition in the shared bicycle market has reached a fever pitch. OFO has already received investment from GSR Ventures, and Didi is currently in talks with them about a strategic investment plan.

Although Mobike still holds a leading position in the market, it is by no means easy.

The previous grocery shopping-style argument was merely Shen Nanpeng's attempt to gain greater benefits. Seeing that there was no hope, he could only end it in disappointment, since Mobike currently has no shortage of investors.

The Series C funding amount has already been agreed upon, at $1.2 million.

The leading capital institutions are Sequoia Capital and Hillhouse Capital, with Tencent also participating in the investment.

Watching the two capital tycoons sign their names on the financing agreement, Chen Xiu's fingers twitched slightly as she mentally calculated the number of shares she currently held.

At the beginning of the year, after Tencent's funding round, his stake was diluted to 18%. Then, before the Series C funding round, he raised another round, which diluted his stake to 16.2%. Including this round, he still has about 14%, which translates to a valuation of $1.6 million USD...

That investment of 30 million RMB last year has now increased 3000 times!
Chen Xiu thought to herself: Mobike was eventually acquired by Meituan for about 27 billion US dollars. Judging from the current trend, the company's development should be high at first and then decline. I still need to find an opportunity to cash out.

After the contract was signed, everyone exchanged pleasantries, and Hu Weiwei stood up to share Mobike's future development plans with the two investors.

After she finished speaking, Chen Xiu politely clapped.

Just as the group was about to get up and leave, and Chen Xiu reached the door, Shen Nanpeng from Sequoia Capital and Zhang Lei from Hillhouse Capital suddenly "flanked" him from the left and right.

"What's going on here, you two?"

"Mr. Chen, are you free right now?" *2
Shen Nanpeng and Zhang Lei spoke in unison, and this strange tacit understanding made them purse their lips at each other.

Seeing the two old men blocking the way, Chen Xiu thought: They're obviously waiting for me. Mobike's financing agreement is already signed, what else could they want? Oh, they're here for Douyin…

"I do have plans for tonight, but we still have some time. If you two don't mind, how about we go to the break room for coffee?"

"Okay, let's use what we have!"

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

Their different answers fully revealed their personalities: Shen Nanpeng was unrestrained, while Zhang Lei was meticulous.

Chen Xiu exchanged a glance with the two of them, then raised her hand and gestured forward before walking out first, with Shen Nanpeng and Zhang Lei following closely behind.

Outside the meeting room, the three assistants, seeing such a commotion, immediately understood and followed at a distance, trying their best not to disturb them.

The tea room at Mobike was simply furnished, and the three of them didn't care what they drank. They each grabbed a bottle of mineral water and sat down at a table.

Chen Xiu took a sip of water, glanced to his left and right, and said, "You two must have come to see me about the same thing, right?"

"Uh..." *2
Shen Nanpeng and Zhang Lei both stared at each other in surprise, and then similar expressions appeared on their bespectacled faces.

Seeing that Chen Xiu had guessed his intentions, the even more unrestrained Shen Nanpeng spoke up while Zhang Lei was still pondering.

"Hehe, Mr. Chen, it's fate that we met today. Since that's the case, I'll just say what I have to say."

"But there's no harm in talking."

"I wonder if your Douyin company plans to bring in external capital for the next round of financing?"

Shen Nanpeng looked at Chen Xiu with shining eyes, as if he were looking at a glittering golden road to wealth.

Zhang Lei also stopped thinking and looked up at Chen Xiu, wanting to hear his response.

The guess was confirmed, but Chen Xiu did not show any pride. He just asked in confusion, "Douyin just finished a round of financing a few days ago. The amount of financing was 2 million US dollars. Didn't you two know?"

“Haha.”*2
Shen and Zhang smiled silently, both thinking: The $200 million in financing was all invested by your personal investment company and ByteDance, which is equivalent to not opening up financing channels to the public. We only care about whether we can get a share in the future!
Seeing that Shen Nanpeng remained silent, Zhang Lei continued, "President Chen, when is Douyin's next round of financing planned?"

"Next year."

"Should we accept external capital investment?"

"If the company wants to develop rapidly, accepting investment is inevitable."

Chen Xiu fully utilized the art of nonsensical literature, neither giving any response nor making definitive statements, thus keeping the reader feeling hopeful.

Seeing this, Shen Nanpeng and Zhang Lei realized that they wouldn't be able to reach any substantial agreement today.

After a few polite exchanges, Zhang Lei took his leave.

As Shen Nanpeng stood up, he said the following before taking his leave.

"Mr. Chen, in the past year, the projects favored by the investment community have been live streaming and bike sharing, but in the next few years, we are optimistic about new energy vehicles. Are you interested in learning more about them?"

"I don't know much about new energy..."

"It's okay, I can introduce you to them."

Chen Xiu looked up at Shen Nanpeng and instantly understood that he was pursuing a resource exchange strategy.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xiu nodded slightly and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Shen."

"No trouble at all, investing is about making friends!"

(End of this chapter)