Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 492 Meeting with Ma Yunsun Zhengyi

May 3rd, Bulgari Hotel, Beijing.

After taking the elevator upstairs, Ma Yun and Son Masayoshi walked slowly down the quiet corridor, led by a waiter, with several assistants following behind them.

As they were about to reach their destination, Masayoshi Son, whose hairline had receded and whose hair was turning gray, suddenly slowed down and nudged Ma Yun beside him with his elbow.

Ma Yun looked back in confusion, then slowed down and moved closer to Masayoshi Son.

"Mr. Sun, what's wrong?"

Upon seeing this, the assistant following behind immediately stopped to prevent himself from accidentally overhearing the crucial conversation.

The waiter who was leading the way noticed that the guests hadn't followed after walking about two meters, so he stopped.

Ignoring the reactions of others, Masayoshi Son lowered his voice and said to Ma Yun, "Jack, now you should tell me why President Chen asked me to meet today."

Ma Yun was taken aback, a helpless smile appearing on her lips.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I don't know why he contacted you."

"Ok?"

Masayoshi Son held Nani back, staring at Ma Yun with wide eyes, his expression clearly saying: You know nothing, yet you helped him make an appointment with me?

Ma Yun was even more helpless: "President Sun, didn't you say that people are far more important than things?"

"so what?"

"Mr. Chen is the right person. Your negotiations with him will definitely be fruitful."

"...very few people can be praised by you like this."

Masayoshi Son muttered something to himself, his face showing a thoughtful expression. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he walked forward without saying another word.

Ma Yun followed suit, and the assistant and waiters also got to work one after another.

When they arrived at the corresponding room door, the waiter suddenly stopped, quietly stepped aside, placed his hand on the doorknob of the next room, and slowly opened the door.

"Hello, accompanying personnel, you can stay in this room to rest."

Ma Yun and Son Masayoshi exchanged a glance, then turned to their assistants and gave instructions.

A dozen or so men and women in suits filed into the next room, and soon only the waiter, Ma Yun, and Sun Zhengyi remained in the corridor.

After closing the door again, the waiter went to the actual room and knocked three times gently.

In less than ten seconds, the door opened inwards, and a thin young man wearing glasses walked out.

He first went to the waiter and said, "That's fine. I'll call you again if I need anything later."

"Okay, I'll leave first."

After the waiter left, Luo Shikan turned around, opened the door, and said to Ma Yun and Sun Zhengyi, "Mr. Ma, Mr. Sun, please come in."

Ma Yun and Son Masayoshi hesitated for a moment before entering the room one after the other.

Their footsteps had barely touched the thick carpet, which felt slightly like moss, when they heard a cello solo playing in the room.

The sound of the door closing was swallowed up by the beautiful yet powerful piano music.

Masayoshi Son frowned, listened for two seconds, and silently recited, "Bach in G major..."

Ma Yun took a step ahead, walked past the cosmos flowers on the entryway, arrived at the living room entrance, and glanced inside.

"Mr. Chen, you..."

The unexpected pause made it seem as if Ma Yun's vocal cords were being gripped by an invisible hand, preventing him from continuing to greet others.

Masayoshi Son walked forward with a puzzled look in his eyes, his gaze following the wooden floor to the curtains that had already been drawn back. In the distance outside the window was the sun-drenched CBD of Beijing.

He followed Ma Yun's gaze to the left, past the sofa and coffee table, and saw a young figure standing with his back to him in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the reception table, where there was no direct sunlight.

The figure, dressed in a sharp black suit, stood with legs apart, facing the floor-to-ceiling window, arms raised above his head, fingers spread, slowly waving.

Masayoshi Son only glanced at it before synchronizing his movements with the rhythm of Bach's G major.

As the music reached its climax, the figure turned around, and the two raised hands slowly opened, the five fingers clenched into fists, and the profile reflected in the light suddenly opened its eyes.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, Mr. Ma, you must have found this amusing."

Chen Xiu's body language seamlessly transitioned from the solemnity of a conductor to the fiery enthusiasm of friends meeting.

Ma Yun stared blankly as he walked over and shook her hand, her lips dry as she asked, "President Chen, where were you just now?"

"Oh, I just came early to wait for you and listened to some music. My actions just now were just a spontaneous reaction. Sorry, please wait a moment."

After saying that, Chen Xiu released Ma Yun's hand, walked over and turned off the speaker, and the melodious cello music stopped abruptly.

Ma Yun thought to himself: Appreciating music and expressing feelings... I just don't believe it!

Chen Xiu turned back and continued, "I was worried that the music would be too loud and I wouldn't hear the knocking, so I specifically asked Xiao Luo to wait at the door. You didn't have to wait, right?"

"No no."

Ma Yun shook his head repeatedly, still suspicious: You've considered everything. It seems you really have to pretend with this cup!

Pretending not to notice his suspicion, Chen Xiu turned to look at Sun Zhengyi and said, "You must be President Sun, right?"

"Hehe, yes, it's me, Mr. Chen, hello."

Masayoshi Son smiled and reached out to Chen Xiu, thinking to himself: No wonder he could become friends with Ma Yun. I hope the pretty quilt is filled with cotton and not rice husks.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Xiu led the two to the classroom table, where they sat down around the small round table.

Chen Xiu glanced quickly at Ma Yun, then turned to Masayoshi Son and said, "Today's meeting was just a personal chat between me and Mr. Son. It wasn't arranged at the company, so I hope that it won't be a disservice."

"No, no, if the person I meet is right, I can meet anywhere."

Son Masayoshi's smile had become merely polite; he was already beginning to guess Chen Xiu's purpose in inviting him.

Ma Yun's gaze darted back and forth, and before figuring out what was going on, he decided to remain silent.

Since it was Chen Xiu's first meeting with Sun Zhengyi, forcing a topic would not only make it difficult to break the ice but would also make both of them feel awkward. Therefore, he could only bring up the topic of their mutual friend, Ma Yun.

"Mr. Sun, the best person you've ever met is Mr. Ma. I wonder if Ali is your most successful investment?" "Ali..."

Masayoshi Son's face showed agreement, and his smile was full of memories.

"I could never find a better investment than Ali."

"Thank you."

Ma Yun smiled smugly.

Chen Xiu silently observed their reactions and continued in agreement, "Mr. Sun's investment in Ali should have yielded a profit of around 2000 times, right?"

"Yes! All things considered, it's roughly this number."

"From this perspective, Ali is indeed SoftBank's most successful investment, even surpassing Yahoo."

Chen Xiu's foreshadowing was natural and seamless, without any abruptness or awkwardness.

Yahoo's business overlaps significantly with Ali's, so comparing them side-by-side won't give Ma Yun and Son any reason to think twice.

As if to promote Ma Yun, Masayoshi Son began to vigorously praise the fox and belittle the tiger.

"Ali is a world-class internet company, and its future is definitely not limited to the Chinese market. I believe it can definitely compete with Amazon. Compared to Ali, Yahoo can only be considered a second-rate company."

"Mr. Sun, you flatter me."

Ma Yun waved his hand modestly, but the smugness on his lips was impossible to hide.

Seeing that the candy she had given the two of them had made them happy, Chen Xiu's eyes narrowed and she began to swing her big stick.

"Mr. Sun, if a startup with the potential to rival or even surpass Ali was presented to you, would you be willing to invest in it?"

"Of course!"

Masayoshi Son answered without hesitation.

Ma Yun glanced at Chen Xiu and wondered to herself: Why is he deliberately steering the conversation toward Yahoo? What is the purpose of all this buildup?

Seeing that Sun Zhengyi had already fallen into the trap, Chen Xiu stopped trying to hide it.

"Now we have such an opportunity, and our subsequent negotiations will largely determine the outcome."

"..."

Masayoshi Son's expression suddenly became cautious, his eyes darting around as he stared at Chen Xiu, and his heartbeat began to quicken slightly.

After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but ask, "The company you're talking about, it wouldn't be TikTok, would it?"

"Which other company could it be besides this one?"

Chen Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a sharp glint within, and her smile exuded confidence.

Ma Yun thought to himself, "Just as I thought," and continued to stare at Chen Xiu, trying to get more information.

Masayoshi Son pursed his lips and couldn't help but lean a little closer to him.

"Mr. Chen, are you here today representing TikTok to discuss the issue of IPO share subscription with me?"

"TikTok shares are in high demand; I don't need to promote them."

Masayoshi Son was taken aback, and doubt reappeared in his eyes.

"If it's not a matter of share subscription, then how am I supposed to invest in TikTok? Is it through the secondary market?"

"How much of what everyone is optimistic about can you actually buy on the secondary market?"

Chen Xiu leaned closer to Masayoshi Son and said earnestly, "Mr. Son, we may need to establish a closer cooperative relationship, but you need to show some sincerity first."

"Sincerity..."

Masayoshi Son was somewhat unaccustomed to the current pace of the negotiations. He was clearly the one who was paying the money, so why was he now in a passive position even when it came to giving money?
Having already seized the initiative in the negotiations, Chen Xiu certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to make her demands.

“Good things have entry requirements, Mr. Sun should know this principle, and I will not let you down.”

Masayoshi Son's expression shifted between light and dark as he realized he had fallen into Chen Xiu's negotiating rhythm.

However, now that the conversation has progressed this far, it would be inappropriate for him to back down or go in circles.

Thinking about this, Masayoshi Son, whose investment style has always been aggressive, became quite carefree.

"Mr. Chen, just say it! What do you want?"

Chen Xiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately recovered, sat up straight, put away her smile, and placed her hands on her knees.

"I hope that Yahoo will abandon its merger plans with Line and fully support WeChat in acquiring Line."

"Line?"

"penguin?"

Masayoshi Son and Yun Ma were both surprised, their hearts racing, and their minds racing.

They keenly sensed that Chen Xiu was playing a long game, and amidst their fluctuating thoughts, each of them had their own guesses.

Ma Yun tried his best to suppress his curiosity and turned to look at Masayoshi Son. What he saw surprised him once again.

Son Masayoshi appeared as if he had become ten years younger, with sweat beading on his forehead, flushed cheeks, and his eyes fixed intently on Chen Xiu.

Why are you helping WeChat? And why are you using TikTok's name?

"Hehe, Mr. Sun, didn't you already guess it?"

Chen Xiu's gaze was like lightning, piercing through Sun Zhengyi's disguise and pointing directly to what he was thinking.

Masayoshi Son pursed his lips, his eyes becoming even more excited.

"I hope you will be the one to make the guess."

"OK! After WeChat acquires Line, it will merge with TikTok. At that time, our business will span short videos, entertainment, instant messaging, and even e-commerce... We will be the youngest giant in the Internet industry!"

(End of this chapter)