My son is a reincarnated soul; I overheard his inner thoughts and became the richest man.

Ma Huateng seemed to find the atmosphere too oppressive, so he forced himself to stay alert and looked at Chen Feng, saying:

"To be honest, I really envy President Chen."

"Your 'Legend of Mir' is a legend in the industry right now. It's only been a month since it started charging for players, and it already has over 800,000 concurrent users, right?"

"This kind of cash flow is simply enviable."

Zeng Liqing chimed in, her eyes filled with envy.

"Yeah, these days, if you go to an internet cafe, eight out of ten machines are running Legend of Mir. We dream of having that kind of monetization ability."

"Mr. Chen, if I may ask a question..."

Zhang Zhidong adjusted his glasses, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Approximately what has Legend's revenue been over the past month?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room focused their attention on Chen Feng.

They desperately wanted to know if anyone could actually make a lot of money during this internet winter.

Chen Feng put down the paper cup, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, and said casually, "It's not much. We just started charging in December, and we still have to deduct channel commissions and various costs... The net income is probably around 20 million."

"How many?!"

"Twenty...more than twenty million?!"

A collective gasp filled the office.

Ma Huateng's pen fell to the table with a "thud," and he froze.

Zhang Zhidong's mouth was agape for a long time.

More than 20 million in net profit in one month!

What does this mean?

They were so worried about the server fees of several hundred thousand that they couldn't sleep all night, while others earned in a month what they could earn in several lifetimes!

"Is this what they call the exorbitant profits of online games...?"

Zeng Liqing muttered to himself, his eyes filled not only with shock but also with a sense of powerlessness after being deeply hurt, "Compared to President Chen, this is just child's play."

"That's so discouraging." Chen Yidan shook his head with a wry smile. "We're begging for money while we have tens of millions of users, and Mr. Chen is carrying money in sacks."

Seeing the deeply shocked expressions on their faces, Chen Feng knew the time was right.

He suppressed his smile, sat up slightly, and his gaze became sharp and sincere.

"Mr. Ma, and everyone else."

"Although the current environment is in a downturn, my personal view is different from others."

"I believe that internet traffic is the future of the internet. OICQ controls the social relationship chains of tens of millions of users, which is an untapped gold mine. The current difficulties are only temporary. As long as we get through this, the future is limitless."

Upon hearing this, Ma Huateng's eyes lit up.

This recognition is especially precious when everyone is pessimistic and rejecting it.

"so..."

Chen Feng looked intently at Ma Huateng and said, "If Mr. Ma doesn't mind, I'm willing to invest in Tencent in my personal capacity."

"I'll take care of the money. You just need to focus on making a good product and retaining users."

"What are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, Ma Huateng and his partners were taken aback at first, then their eyes lit up with barely suppressed joy.

Zhang Zhidong was so excited he almost lost his composure, suddenly standing up: "President Chen, you...you're serious? You're really willing to vote for us?"

Although Ma Huateng tried his best to restrain himself, his voice still trembled slightly: "If Mr. Chen is willing to take action, it would be like a long-awaited rain for Tencent!"

Chen Feng smiled faintly: "I never joke around. Since you have high hopes for you, money is not a problem."

"The key question is, how many shares are you willing to give up? Or, in your opinion, what is Tencent worth right now?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the office instantly became awkward.

Ma Huateng and the others exchanged glances and began whispering among themselves.

This is indeed a tricky problem.

Although Tencent is currently short of funds, it still has two major external shareholders – IDG (International Data Group) and PCCW Digital, each holding 20% ​​of the shares.

To bring in new investors, their consent is required.

"Mr. Chen, how about this?"

Ma Huateng pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "We need to communicate with IDG and PCCW first. In principle, our founding team would very much welcome you."

"But this involves equity dilution and valuation issues, so we have to go through some procedures. But don't worry, no matter what their attitude is, as long as we all agree, this matter is basically settled."

At this point, Ma Huateng's tone became more confident.

After all, the founding team still holds a 60% controlling stake, giving them a significant say in this matter.

"no problem."

Chen Feng readily nodded, "I've been in Pengcheng these past few days, waiting for your good news."

With this important matter settled, the founders looked visibly relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.

With Chen Feng's money, the server wouldn't have to stop, salaries could be paid out, and this half-dead penguin could finally flap its wings a couple more times.

The rest of the chat was much easier.

The group sat together and talked about everything from the dot-com bubble to future business models.

Although Chen Feng did not have a technical background, his forward-thinking ideas, which he had "overheard" from his son, and the few points he occasionally put forward, made Ma Huateng and others nod frequently and call him an expert.

As evening approached, Ma Huateng suggested, "Mr. Chen, to express our gratitude, please let us be our hosts tonight. Let's find a place to eat and chat!"

"Alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer." Chen Feng readily agreed.

At the dinner table, as they toasted and exchanged drinks, the relationship between the men quickly grew closer.

Chen Feng didn't put on any airs of a big boss and chatted enthusiastically with this group of tech geeks.

......

Two days later.

Chen Feng received another call from Ma Huateng, inviting him to the company for a detailed discussion.

As Chen Feng walked into the still crowded office, he keenly sensed that the atmosphere today was much more formal than last time.

Several freshly printed documents were laid out on the table, and the founders sat upright.

"Mr. Chen, please have a seat."

Ma Huateng stood up to greet them and said bluntly, "We've communicated with IDG and PCCW over the past two days, and they have no objection to introducing new funds."

"Even..." Ma Huateng smiled wryly, "IDG indicated that they are willing to sell some of their existing shares if the opportunity arises."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.

It seems the rumors were true; IDG has completely lost faith in Tencent and is eager to cash out and leave.

This was a golden opportunity for Chen Feng.

"Then let's talk about valuation."

Chen Feng sat down, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Mr. Ma, what's your price range?"

This is a crucial question.

When IDG and PCCW entered the market in the last round, Tencent's valuation was $550 million.

Although the number of users has surged, the profit model remains unclear. Coupled with the internet winter, valuation is a very mysterious thing.

Ma Huateng and the others looked at Chen Feng nervously, fearing that he would ask for an exorbitant price.