The Great Sage Returns from Ten Years of Imprisonment

Following closely behind Lingyun, Da Meiyuan and Leilei also looked at Yanzi with curiosity.

Swallow proudly raised her chin and then began to explain the situation.

"First, the good news: yesterday I heard from the boss's secretary that the magazine's big boss has decided to transfer controlling interest, completely withdraw from the magazine, go home to be with his family, and focus on his treatment."

"This is indeed good news. It saves us the trouble of trying to persuade him, and the acquisition will undoubtedly go much more smoothly."

Ling Yun smiled and nodded.

Then, Yanzi continued:

"There's one more thing. Yesterday afternoon, I happened to overhear several senior executives discussing that Hearst Corporation, which has a copyright partnership with the magazine, will be sending a vice president to Beijing."

"We are preparing to discuss in-depth cooperation with the magazine, especially in the GG market. Hearst Group hopes to expand cooperation to a wider range of areas..."

"Pshaw! A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—it's up to no good."

Ling Yun scoffed and shook his head dismissively.

As soon as he made this comment, all the beautiful women turned to look at him.

Swallow, in particular, looked utterly bewildered.

"Why do you say that? Does the Hearst Corporation have ulterior motives? The magazine has always had a good working relationship with them!"

"Aren't we planning to acquire a magazine publishing house? Wouldn't it be beneficial to penetrate the international market if we could develop a deeper partnership with the Hearst Group?"

"Silly girl, things aren't as simple as you think."

Ling Yun smiled and shook his head, then explained the reason.

"I know a little about Hearst Corporation. It's a world-renowned top-tier publishing and media group, especially in the fashion industry, where it can be described as a fashion magazine empire!"

"But I can guess what those bastards are up to. The fact that they sent their vice president to discuss cooperation at this time probably isn't just about the GG market; they likely have other motives."

"As the financial crisis erupted and intensified, the global Google Play market is experiencing an unprecedented winter, with many companies on the verge of bankruptcy. Who has the money to make Google Play?"

"The Chinese market is the only exception. The domestic GG market continues to show strong growth momentum. For Hearst Corporation, this is a lifeline, so how could they possibly give up?"

"These bastards probably have another motive: to take advantage of your magazine's boss getting cancer and see if they can get a stake, or even control..."

Yanzi was stunned and froze on the sofa.

It wasn't until Lingyun finished analyzing the situation that she realized what had happened.

"So that's what the Hearst Corporation was planning. Isn't this taking advantage of someone's misfortune? How despicable!"

Ling Yun smiled and shook his head.

"Dream on! They don't even have the right to take advantage of the situation. Foreign investment is absolutely not allowed in any domestic newspapers or periodicals."

"Right now, only we are qualified to acquire your magazine. Even if we don't make a move, it won't be Hearst's turn."

"Partnering with Hearst to expand into international markets is something we can discuss. We can make good use of Hearst's enormous influence in the international fashion industry."

"Giggle giggle"

The beautiful women burst into laughter, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"You're too shrewd. Not only do you never suffer a loss, but you're always trying to take advantage of others."

"It seems Hearst's plan has backfired; they might end up losing more than they gain."

After exchanging a few jokes, Ling Yun left the living room to go upstairs to wash up and change clothes.

When he entered the master bedroom, he did not immediately go to the bathroom to wash up.

Instead, he went to the window, looking at the scenery in the garden outside while pondering to himself.

After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and dialed Director Liu's number in the Ministry of Truth.

After the call connected and a polite greeting was exchanged, he immediately got to the point.

"Minister Liu, there's been an unexpected situation that I feel compelled to report to you. Please help me steer the situation in the right direction."

"I just received news that Hearst Corporation, a world-renowned publishing and media giant, will be sending a senior executive to Beijing..."

Next, he introduced the relevant information about Hearst Group and several possible purposes for sending senior executives to Beijing to discuss cooperation.

Compared to what he said in the living room earlier, this time he slipped in a lot of personal agendas.

His knowledge of the Hearst Corporation far exceeded what Yanzi and Da Meiyuan could imagine.

This was because Hearst Corporation was about to launch a merger and acquisition campaign.

This acquisition was a great success and can be considered a model of cooperation between news media and financial institutions.

So much so that it has been used as a classic case study by many top business schools in their MBA teaching.

In his previous life, during the years he lived in Tilanqiao eating cornbread, Lingyun had studied this classic case in depth and was very familiar with every detail.

That was his real purpose in calling Director Liu.

After Ling Yun finished explaining the situation, Liu Bu gave a resolute answer.

"We welcome Hearst Group to do business in China, as long as they abide by relevant laws and regulations and pay taxes legally, there will be no problem."

"If they want to acquire shares in domestic publishing and media companies, they're clearly dreaming, and taking control is pure fantasy; it's simply impossible..."

Without a doubt, this was the answer Ling Yun wanted most.

Upon hearing Director Liu's reply, a bright smile immediately spread across his face.

After Liu finished speaking, he responded with a smile:

"With your words, I am completely relieved. I will begin the acquisition process by this Thursday at the latest."

"In addition, I have some important news to share with you, and I hope you can offer some guidance."

"These messages are also related to Hearst Group. I received information from the international financial markets that Hearst Group is looking for partners in the financial markets."

"They are planning to join forces with a financial institution to take advantage of the financial crisis and acquire most of the media assets of Canadian media company Canwest..."

What Lingyun said here, that he received information from the international financial market, was just a fabricated excuse.

His understanding of this acquisition comes entirely from his memories of his past life.

However, the time, place, and process of the event all fit together perfectly, without the slightest flaw.

He used information from the international financial market to briefly introduce the general situation of the acquisition.

In its previous life, Hearst Corporation's partner was the renowned Blackstone Group.

Then, it spent $16 billion to successfully acquire most of the television assets of Canadian media company Canwest.

Through this acquisition, Hearst Group successfully completed its transformation.

From a family business primarily focused on magazine publishing, it has successfully transformed into a diversified, cross-platform modern media group.

It also secured a stable cash flow, with the steady cash revenue from its television broadcasting business providing a ballast for Hearst Group to weather the publishing industry downturn.

Furthermore, it has enhanced its content distribution channels and possesses fully controllable television broadcast channels.

It was this last point that Ling Yun valued most.

After briefly explaining the situation, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Here's what I'm thinking, Director Liu: taking advantage of Hearst Group's operational difficulties, tight cash flow, and urgent need for large sums of money to carry out mergers and acquisitions, I want to acquire a stake in Hearst Group."

"Once I successfully acquire a stake in Hearst Corporation, I will be the first line of defense when Hearst's magazines and other media outlets import content or even Western ideology into the country."

"I can use my shareholding to influence Hearst's decisions to some extent, even if it only has a positive impact on our country. If that's all, then this investment will be well worth it."

"More importantly, Hearst Corporation holds a pivotal position in the international fashion industry. Once this acquisition is completed, they will own 29 local television stations that essentially cover the entire country of Canada and the United States."

"I can use the shares I hold, and then the numerous magazines, newspapers, and local television stations controlled by the Hearst Corporation, to conduct reverse export, exporting our culture and even our ideology..."

Liu was startled and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Wow! They're using a lot of fashion magazines and television to export our culture and ideology in reverse!"

"You're incredibly imaginative, Xiao Ling, but this is truly exciting and worth investigating!"

The research took half an hour before the phone call was finally finished.

Even so, Liu's troops were still not satisfied.

He told Lingyun that he would report the matter and have it investigated on a small scale.

He told Ling Yun to wait for a call, saying that it shouldn't be long before he went to the Ministry of Truth to discuss the matter in detail.