Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 362 Penguin Retreats, Koi Bai Lu
A heated discussion ensued.

Chen Xiu held his wine glass and looked at Pony Ma, who was just standing there looking at him.

The two looked at each other, and as the alcohol-induced passion subsided and their rational minds returned, they both felt a little awkward.

In the quiet, Chen Xiu suddenly felt his pants being tugged. Looking down and turning his head, he saw Wang Xin constantly winking at him...

"Mr. Ma, why don't we sit down and continue drinking?"

"Okay! Drink slowly, you were a little too hasty just now."

As soon as Chen Xiu spoke, Pony Ma immediately agreed.

The strange tacit understanding between the two made Wang Xin grimace.

Back in her seat, Pony Ma's agitated emotions began to calm down. She glanced at Chen Xiu and realized she should try a different approach to communication.

"Hey, Chen Xiu, would you like some more ice?"

"OK thanks."

After exchanging drinks and adding ice, Pony Ma chose to sip her drinks slowly this time, and her tone of voice softened considerably.

"Look at you, you're still young after all! You get all worked up after just a few words. We're just having a normal discussion and trying to find a solution that satisfies both sides. There's no need to get so worked up."

"...Mr. Ma is right. (Inner monologue: You weren't much calmer either.)"

"Hey, for Douyin's next round of financing, since you're going to accept investment from other people anyway, why can't you consider Tencent? Is it just a matter of pride?"

"When doing business, how can you act impulsively?"

"Then why don't you accept it?"

Is it possible that Douyin won't have another round of financing?

Chen Xiu frankly stated that a company only seeks investment when it is short of money to develop. Douyin is not short of money now, and as long as its domestic development proceeds step by step, there will be no problem.

As for overseas markets, TikTok has always had open financing channels.

To fund its investment in Shein and for its own development, TikTok is set to launch a new round of financing this month, with a scale of no less than $10 billion. The financing institutions it is targeting include international capital firms such as Tiger Global Management, Temasek Holdings, and Goldman Sachs.

For the sake of balancing domestic capital, Tencent and another unknown investment company are also in this group.

As it turns out, TikTok's investment wasn't enough; Tencent even wanted to invest in Douyin...

"By the way, Mr. Ma, there's something I'd like to confirm with you."

Chen Xiu swirled the ice in her glass, a cunning smile creeping across her face.

Pony Ma was secretly on guard: "What's wrong?"

"After acquiring Musical.ly last year, TikTok has already completed a $3.5 million funding round. This year, due to development needs, we are preparing to launch a $10 billion funding round this month..."

"Didn't you already tell Martin about this?"

"What I mean is, given our current relationship, does Tencent still need to invest in TikTok?"

Chen Xiu stared intently at Pony Ma, thinking: You created Weishi in China, why don't you create another one abroad and see if you can still drive traffic!

Upon hearing about the changes in TikTok's investment, Pony Ma's usually impassive expression finally changed.

He stared at Chen Xiu with a slight tremor in his pupils, and after a long while, he said, "One thing at a time. You and Martin have almost reached an agreement on the investment in TikTok. How can you go back on your word?"

"How about I treat him to a meal to apologize?"

Pony Ma curled his lip, thinking to himself: What a pathetic thing to do! As the CEO of Tencent, does he need your meal?
"You mean, if Tencent wants to continue investing in TikTok, it has to give up on Weishi?"

"Please don't misunderstand, we have no problem with Weishi. We will not interfere with your development or use it as a condition to make you give up."

Chen Xiu quickly waved her hand in denial, indicating that she did not mean that.

Weishi is just a small video platform with a daily active user base that's less than a fraction of Douyin's. Let it develop however it wants; he wouldn't care.

Pony asked in confusion, "So what you mean is?"

"As Douyin's overseas product, we welcome Tencent's investment in TikTok, and we can continue to cooperate in the future. However, Douyin does not plan to open up external financing in the short term. If Mr. Ma insists on investing in Douyin, then we need to reconsider our cooperative relationship on TikTok."

After saying that, Chen Xiu added, "Regarding Weishi, we maintain an open attitude and welcome the emergence of competing products with similar functions to help Douyin fill in the gaps."

"Cough cough."

Wang Xin, who had been watching the game, coughed twice to ease the awkward atmosphere caused by those words.

Although he found the phrase "similar in function" jarring, Pony Ma still considered Chen Xiu's words objectively.

If Douyin truly has no intention of seeking external funding, then Tencent's insistence will yield no results. It would be better to seize the opportunity to invest in TikTok and then use that as a starting point to try and expand into overseas markets...

Thinking of this, Pony glanced at Chen Xiu, with another worry in her heart: what if this kid doesn't accept Tencent's investment and goes to talk to Ma Yun about ideals instead? That would be a loss for him.

"Hmm~~, when will TikTok's fundraising begin?"

"The things that needed to be determined were determined a few months ago, and the financing contracts will be signed in the middle of this month."

"Martin will represent the penguins at that time."

"OK, no problem."

Chen Xiu smiled and didn't bring up Douyin again.

After exchanging a few words with Chen Xiu about TikTok, Pony Ma shifted the conversation to topics like lifestyle and fitness. Even without saying a word, the two had tacitly reached a truce: Tencent would no longer pursue Douyin for investment, and Douyin wouldn't care about Weishi's various copies, as they posed no threat.

Wang Xin, acting as a middleman, did not play any significant role throughout the dinner.

However, watching Chen Xiu and Pony Ma go from heated discussion to calm bargaining, and finally use both soft and hard tactics to force the other party to make concessions, was quite a sight.

Wang Xin also felt a sense of longing, even though he couldn't be there in person.

Unfortunately, as Meituan's second-largest shareholder, Tencent no longer has the opportunity to be as unrestrained as Chen Xiu.

The three, each with their own thoughts, continued to toast and chat at the table. When they were all full and got up to leave, Wang Xin once again confirmed with Chen Xiu.

"Mr. Chen, remember to keep your schedule open for September!"

"understood."

Chen Xiu nodded to Wang Xin, and then went to Pony's side.

Looking at the slightly tipsy Chen Xiu, Pony Ma frowned slightly, just about to wonder what he was up to, when a hand with distinct knuckles appeared in front of her.

“Mr. Ma, we have many disagreements and competition in the business world, but you are still an entrepreneur and CEO that I greatly respect.”

"Thank you."

Pony Ma shook Chen Xiu's hand, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"When you left Didi, what would you have done if I had extended an invitation to you?"

"I might sell my shares in Tencent..."

"..."

"Just kidding, don't be so serious! Bye-bye."

After waving to Pony Ma and Wang Xin, Chen Xiu left the private room without lingering.

After the door to the private room closed, Pony Ma and Wang Xin exchanged a glance. They both looked at each other with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, both feeling that Chen Xiu's way of doing things was too unconventional.

……

After leaving the hotel, Chen Xiu did not go home, but went to Datang Film Studio to determine the release date of her film for the second half of the year.

Back at the company, feeling that there was still time before the meeting, Chen Xiu went to the break room to have some light drinks to sober up.

When he was still some distance from the tea room, he saw Bai Lu wearing glasses, sitting blankly in a chair reading a book.

Chen Xiu frowned slightly in confusion and slowly walked up to Bai Lu: "Hello, long time no see."

"Boss! You're back."

Bai Lu smiled, revealing a row of teeth, and looked up at Chen Xiu, his expression showing little surprise.

Chen Xiu became even more puzzled: "Yeah! I seem to run into you and Xiao Tian quite often in the break room lately. Do you guys have any particular pattern?"

"Hehe, yes."

Bai Lu admitted it without hesitation, and then said that he, Zhou Ye, and Tian Xinwei had analyzed Chen Xiu's personal habits and determined that as long as he was in the company, he would come to the tea room at least once a day, so they could run into him by waiting there.

Chen Xiu suddenly realized and asked, "Why would you want to meet me?"

"Mainly because we only see each other a few times a year, so I want to run into each other more often."

Bai Lu adjusted his glasses and then looked down at his book again.

Chen Xiu's gaze followed her, thinking that actors usually read books related to their work: "Are you preparing for your next film?"

"Yup!"

Bai Lu looked up at Chen Xiu, his smile fading slightly.

“In April, iQiyi offered me a role in the movie ‘Arsenal Military Academy.’ At the time, I was filming ‘The Long Way Home,’ so I introduced the role to Xiaotian. Then iQiyi also prepared a modern e-sports romance movie adapted from a novel. They said they thought my appearance in ‘Detective Chinatown 2’ was good, and they waited until now to start filming. I read the original novel.”

"The process was a bit convoluted. What's the name of your show?"

"Go Go Squid!"

"...Bai Lu, you really have the luck of a koi fish."

Chen Xiu remarked that he usually only paid attention to the resources of Meng Ziyi and Reba, and the arrangements for his artists were handled by the artist director Yang Ming. Even if he occasionally intervened, it was very rare.

"Go Go Squid!" is also a drama that elevates a star's status. Meng Ziyi already has "Ashes of Love", and she is actually more suited to the variety show track. Dilraba doesn't need to act in a current idol drama anymore, and Chen Xiucai didn't pay much attention to her.

Unexpectedly, Bai Lu was able to land a role in this drama series by chance, thanks to the success of the film. This achievement has already surpassed her original trajectory, making her undoubtedly a lucky charm.

Faced with Chen Xiu's praise, Bai Lu asked in confusion, "Boss, isn't the koi fish you're talking about Yang Chaoyue?"

"You're not bad either, keep up the good work! I'm going to a meeting now."

After ending the chat, Chen Xiu took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and turned to walk towards the conference room.

Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Bai Lu raised his hand and waved, then got up, picked up his novel, and left.

The person we're waiting for has already arrived, so there's no need to sit any longer.

(End of this chapter)