Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Chapter 144 Reverse Harvesting

Just as Liu Xin's hand touched the zipper of her briefcase, Bai Yuhang's voice rang out unhurriedly in the office.

"Mr. Liu, you can keep the check, but why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Bai Yuhang leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup and blew on it. "We don't usually have any conflicts. Even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms. Finish this cup of tea before you go."

Liu Xin paused, turned her head, and looked at him with a hint of surprise and uncertainty behind her gold-rimmed glasses.

Wang Jingbo was a smart man and immediately understood the implied meaning. He quickly pulled Liu Xin back down on the sofa, a gentle smile returning to his face. "President Bai is right, this aged rock tea does taste quite good. I haven't even fully savored its flavor yet."

Liu Xin, taking the opportunity, placed her briefcase back beside her, though her expression remained somewhat unnatural. "President Bai, what exactly do you mean by this? Didn't you just complain that our valuation was like robbery?"

"The valuation is indeed too low, ridiculously low." Bai Yuhang put down his teacup and looked directly at the two men. "Gentlemen, let's be frank. Qihang's current daily revenue speaks for itself. Once the Mobile Dream Network interface is connected, this money-printing machine will only spin faster. With millions of yuan in net profit coming in every day, my cash flow looks better than most listed companies' financial reports. Do you think I'm short of money?"

Liu Xin and Wang Jingbo exchanged a glance and remained silent. They knew better than anyone else that in this internet winter where most companies were still burning money to acquire traffic, Qihang Technology was an anomaly, rolling in money.

"Purely financial investment is unnecessary for Qihang." Bai Yuhang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound. "But if you two really want to get on board, it's not impossible. It's just that this ticket can't be bought with money alone."

"If we don't buy it with money, then what do we use?" Liu Xin raised an eyebrow, his profit-seeking instinct instantly putting him into the zone.

"And resources," Bai Yuhang said. "Morningside and IDG have been deeply involved in the domestic internet industry for many years. You have government relations channels, connections for approving various value-added business licenses, and underwriter relationships for going public on Nasdaq. These are what Qihang Future needs most."

Wang Jingbo's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, "Does President Bai mean, 'Capital plus resources as equity investment?'"

"Yes." Bai Yuhang nodded. "I'll sell you the shares at a normal or even slightly higher valuation, but on the condition that you bring your hidden resources to the table. I don't need you to make any connections with Sohu and 5Q; Chen Yizhou can destroy them on his own. What I need is for you to pave the way for Qihang when it expands into new businesses, or even more fundamental ones."

The office was silent for a few seconds.

The gloom on Liu Xin's face vanished, replaced by undisguised fervor. He knew all too well the potential of the Qifan ship; what did sacrificing some connections matter as long as he could get a ticket?

"Mr. Bai, you're so young, but your vision and composure are truly impressive. I, Liu, am completely impressed today." Liu Xin's attitude instantly changed 180 degrees, her smile crinkling into wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. "I was a little too loud just now, Mr. Bai, please don't take it to heart. Let's renegotiate. Name your valuation, and as long as it's within our authority, we won't haggle!"

Wang Jingbo chuckled and quickly picked up his paper cup to drink tea instead of alcohol. "President Bai, don't worry about the license and the Nasdaq connection. IDG is absolutely top-notch in China in this regard. From now on, the launch will be IDG's responsibility."

Bai Yuhang smiled as he watched the two business tycoons in front of him change their expressions in an instant.

"Alright, let's re-examine this matter." Bai Yuhang pushed the reports on the table aside. "But let's make this clear from the start: you can have a seat on the board, but all voting rights must be entrusted to me. As you've seen, I don't like too many people interfering in my business dealings."

"No problem!" Liu Xin agreed readily, without even a stutter. As long as she could get on this money-printing machine, who cared about voting rights?

Bai Yuhang waved his hand in a deep voice, interrupting Liu Xin's cheerful enthusiasm.

"Don't rush to agree. Listen to my thoughts in the short term, and then you two can decide whether or not to get on this train."

Liu Xin sat up straight, her earlier eagerness gone: "Please speak, Mr. Bai."

Bai Yuhang sat up straight on the sofa and slowly said, "I know Morningside is backed by the Chen family of Hong Kong Island, while IDG..."

Originally from the International Data Group (IDG) in the United States, it was a private equity firm that spun off and began operating independently a few years ago. Both of your companies have cultivated deep roots overseas and domestically for many years, and I shouldn't need to ask about your resources in Europe, America, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Liu Xin nodded, not denying it.

"I want exclusive online digital rights from several companies," Bai Yuhang said confidently. "For record labels, Rock Records, Warner, Universal, and EMI. For film and television, Emperor Entertainment, Edko Films, and Media Asia. In Europe and America, the Motion Picture Association of America, the Music Publishers Association of America, and Universal Music Group are the most important."

Wang Jingbo was stunned, and even doubted whether she had heard correctly.

"Digital copyright?" Wang Jingbo leaned forward. "President Bai, you should know this better than I do. Go down to Zhongguancun Street and you'll see pirated CDs everywhere, two or three for five yuan. You can download MP3s from any online forum. Aren't you running this music chart site, Yinyuetai? Are you really going to spend real money to buy these unwanted things?"

"Just because nobody wants them now doesn't mean nobody will want them in the future." Bai Yuhang picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The country is joining the WTO, and it's only a matter of time before we're fully integrated with international standards. These copyrights are dirt cheap right now. If we don't buy them now, we'll have to pay a fortune once the market becomes more regulated."

Liu Xin and Wang Jingbo sat on the spacious leather sofa, looking at each other in bewilderment.

The office was so quiet that the only sound was the occasional gurgling of the water dispenser.

Having been in the investment world for so many years, these two have always been the ones holding the checkbook, condescendingly setting rules for entrepreneurs.

We set up a bet. But today, the script has completely reversed.

The eighteen-year-old in front of them not only had plenty of money, but also openly treated them as high-class errand runners.

"Mr. Bai, your appetite is truly enormous." Liu Xin took off her gold-rimmed glasses, took out a handkerchief to wipe the lenses, and then put them back on. "Are you suggesting that Morningside and IDG buy you a bunch of original copyrights for those pirated CDs that are now sold for five yuan for three? If word gets out, I'm afraid our competitors will laugh at us for switching to wholesale audio-visual stores."

"I don't know if my peers will laugh at me." Bai Yuhang picked up his purple clay cup and blew on the floating leaves. "But I do know that once the mobile internet interface of Qihang is fully deployed, and I see millions of dollars flowing into my account every day, my peers will definitely envy the good fortune of the two of you sitting here drinking tea today."