My absurd experiences in North America over the years

In mid-January 2007, the winter night in Nashville was bitterly cold, but inside the Crystal Ballroom of the Tennessee Convention Center, it was warm and inviting, filled with elegant attire and graceful figures.

This was a high-end dinner specially hosted by the state government's Department of Economic Development to recognize entrepreneurs who made outstanding contributions to Tennessee's economy in 2006 and to look forward to the business blueprint for the new year.

Li Fu stood on the second-floor terrace, swirling a half-empty glass of champagne in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd below.

Lucy had previously planned to invite them to the New Year's Eve dinner.

However, Li Fu was busy trading in the foreign exchange market at the time.

I finally had time to participate this time.

As the Forrest family’s newest “partner,” Lucy felt it was necessary for him to make his mark in this circle.

"Li, that's the CEO of Tennessee Electric Company, and that's a director of Nashville Bank Group..." Lucy said softly, linking her arm with his. "If you want to expand your network, they're good candidates."

Li Fu smiled politely as he exchanged pleasantries, clinked glasses, and business cards with the celebrities who came forward.

His elegant and refined manners, coupled with his humorous speech, quickly earned him widespread praise.

But deep down, he remained completely unmoved.

His gaze swept over those glamorous faces, but his mind was racing.

If it's a name or company he hasn't heard of, then there are only two possibilities.

First, this company has not truly developed in the future and is not qualified to be his future business partner.

Secondly, and more cruelly, they may not have survived the global financial crisis that will sweep the world next year, and may have already become dust in history.

Therefore, he could only respond with polite formalities.

Young elites or entrepreneurs who shone brightly last year were very enthusiastic about getting to know him.

Nobody here knows his rate of return on investment.

However, being a partner of the Forrest family is attractive enough.

Everyone present knew what Forrest meant in Nashville, or rather, in the whole of Tennessee.

Until a name came to his ears.

His eyes lit up immediately.

"That's Scott Borchetta, the founder of Big Machine Records..."

Lucy pointed to a tall, bearded middle-aged man not far away and said, "I heard he signed a really talented newcomer last year, which caused quite a stir in the country music scene."

Li Fu's heart skipped a beat.

The name Scott Pochettia doesn't matter.

He just felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar.

However, big record players are quite extraordinary.

At that moment, a name that resonated like thunder exploded in his mind...

Taylor Swift.

At this very moment, in early 2007.

That superstar had just turned eighteen.

As the first artist signed to Big Machine Records, she just released her self-titled debut album last October, and the single "Tim McGraw" is slowly climbing the country music charts.

She is not yet the Grammy-winning pop diva with a net worth of hundreds of millions, nor is she even the country princess who is a household name in Nashville.

She was just a naive young girl with amazing creative talent who had just stepped into the world of fame and fortune.

She wasn't the main artist featured on Big Machine Records last year.

But in Li Fu's eyes, she was more than just a singer.

She is the most powerful superstar in the global music industry over the past two decades, a walking billionaire.

However, this still-growing "golden goose" is currently signed to Scott's record label.

He has to acquire this company.

"Lucy, I'd like to meet him," Li Fu said, putting down his champagne glass, a hint of delight flashing in his eyes as if he had found a long-lost treasure without any effort.

Lucy was a little surprised; she hadn't expected Li Fu to be interested in a record company. "I'll take you there."

The two walked through the crowd and came to Scott Pochettia.

Scott was in a state of high excitement at this moment.

His company was still in its early stages, and although he had signed the talented Taylor, his cash flow was always tight.

He practically wore himself out promoting Taylor and two other artists' albums before he finally managed to establish himself in Nashville's country music scene.

Scott was flattered to see the eldest daughter of the Forrest family personally leading her entourage, and he quickly greeted her with a smile.

"Mr. Scott, this is Li Fu, the newest partner in our family's venture capital department," Lucy introduced politely.

"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you..." Scott warmly shook Li Fu's hand.

He left Universal Music two years ago to start his own studio, and last year was the first year that Big Machine Records was fully operational.

It appears to be on the rise.

However, in terms of operations, they are actually somewhat stretched thin.

Everyone knows that the entertainment industry is actually a money-burning game.

Taylor Swift's first album wasn't the explosive kind; it was more of a slow and steady kind.

She has shown some potential so far.

But nobody could have imagined just how brilliant she could be.

Scott was unaware that he was facing considerable financial pressure.

"I'm very interested in the music industry. I recently listened to Taylor's new album. She's very talented, and I have high hopes for her."

Li Fu stated frankly.

Scott's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Many people are actually misled by the name "country music." As a genre of music, it actually has a very broad market.

Strictly speaking, it's not just popular in rural areas.

Rather, it is a force to be reckoned with in mainstream pop music, only slightly less popular in terms of audience.

Outside of North America, many people simply cannot or do not know how to distinguish between country music and pop music.

"Mr. Li has a good eye. Taylor will become a household name in the future..." Scott immediately started talking, and began to introduce Taylor's potential and Big Machine Records' grand blueprint.

Li Fu listened patiently, nodding in agreement from time to time, and exchanged business cards.

"We can have a drink sometime and talk about cooperation," Li Fu said, leaving behind this meaningful remark.

Scott, of course, did not object and readily agreed.

As the banquet drew to a close, Li Fu found Cole in the rest area.

At this moment, Cole was surrounded by several government officials.

He is one of the main characters tonight, and as a state government official and representative of the younger generation of the Forrest family, he will be the focus wherever he goes.

When Cole saw Li Fu approaching, he made an excuse to send the others away.

"Having fun?" He handed Li Fu a cigar.

"Very informative," Li Fu said, taking the cigar but not lighting it. He cut straight to the point, "Cole, I need your help."

"Oh?" Cole raised an eyebrow. "Is it trouble with your financial investments?"

He has too many family and state government affairs to handle, and lately he simply hasn't had the time or inclination to focus on the investment company.

"I'm prepared to acquire Big Machine Records," Li Fu said calmly and firmly, "and at least become its major controlling shareholder."

Cole paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Li, your investment company has only been operating for two months, right? Isn't it too early to start diversification now? Especially since it's across industries."

Having only recently entered the finance industry, he's now venturing into the music industry... that's a deep and complex field.

As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," so how easy is it to do it well?

He even wondered if the young man opposite him was getting a little arrogant.

"Believe me, Big Machine Records will definitely become a future industry giant," Li Fu said, looking at Cole with a confidence that the other could not ignore.

Cole didn't understand where this confidence came from.

"What's your current investment return rate?" He neither agreed nor refused, intending to understand the situation first.

"If we liquidate all of it now, we would have $5000 million in liquid funds," Li Fu truthfully stated.

Cole almost thought he'd misheard. "How much?"

In just two months, it went from 600 million to 5000 million.

This terrifying profitability would make even seasoned Wall Street tycoons, who are used to all sorts of ups and downs, tremble with fear.

Li Fu repeated it again, "5000 million."

Cole confirmed he hadn't misheard and immediately abandoned his contempt, forced to re-evaluate the young man before him.

"How do you want me to help you?"

He chose to believe Li Fu, just as he had believed him more than two months ago.

"Scott Pochettia won't easily give up his shares. If it's just me on his behalf, he might hesitate or raise the price. If possible, negotiating through the Forrest family would be much easier..."

Li Fu expressed his concerns.

He's a newcomer and has no way of gaining enough trust; the other party might not be willing to sell.

Even if they were willing to sell, the shares they would get for the same amount of money would certainly be less.

Cole was silent for a moment.

He didn't understand why Li Fu insisted on having a country music record company.

The Forrest family's main business is healthcare; the entertainment industry has never been part of their business.

However, looking at the young man's determined eyes and his astonishing return on investment over the past two months, I was impressed.

Does he really possess some kind of magic?

"OK," Cole finally nodded. "Lucy really likes country music and has always wanted to be a singer. Let her handle that!"

"Trust me, this investment will definitely not disappoint you..." Li Fu then lit a cigar and took a puff.

This is the clarion call of victory...

However, having never smoked a cigar before, he was immediately choked.

Cole couldn't help but chuckle, gesturing for a waiter to bring water. Little did he know, Li Fu was after more than just a record company...

He has secured a crucial part of the future of global entertainment culture.

At this moment, Taylor Swift may not yet know that on this cold winter night, the gears of her destiny have been gently turned by a large hand from the future.

Three days later, downtown Nashville.

Headquarters of Big Machine Records.

Of course, it's more like a slightly cramped office building than a headquarters.

The walls were covered with posters, unopened promotional materials were piled up in the corner, and the air was filled with the smell of cheap coffee and printing toner.

This is the Big Machine Records from early 2007.

Despite its reputation for "thriving," this company, which has only been established for two years, is actually facing considerable financial difficulties.

Scott Pochetti sat behind his desk, clutching a newly printed document tightly in his hand.

"This is impossible..." he muttered to himself, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

He didn't quite believe that anyone would want to acquire them at this time.

As a newly established independent record label, investors typically wouldn't get involved at this stage.

Although Taylor Swift's debut album sold over 30 copies three months after its release, the company's profits were actually limited given the enormous expenses of the record industry.

Promotion fees, radio ranking fees, advance payments for tours... each one is a money pit.

To make matters worse, his other two signed artists, Jack Ingram and Danielle Parker, have performed almost identically.

The album's sales were decent, but far from being a blockbuster.

The entertainment industry is constantly evolving and changing.

No one can be sure whether their next album will be a step further, or even a step down.

Scott is now specifically ignoring the profitability situation; he even urgently needs funds to keep the company running.

So the idea of ​​an acquisition is practically a pipe dream.

Who would acquire a company that doesn't yet have stable profits?

The silence of the office was broken by the ringing of the telephone.

"Mr. Scott, Miss Forrest has arrived."

The receptionist sounded a little nervous.

"Please come quickly," Scott said, standing up abruptly and straightening his slightly wrinkled tie.

A minute later, Lucy pushed open the door and entered.

She wore a well-tailored cashmere coat today, and her long golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders.

Behind her followed the man who filled Scott with both anticipation and trepidation… Li Fu.

"Miss Forrest, Mr. Lee, welcome, welcome," Scott greeted them warmly.

But he keenly noticed that the two men's expressions were not as relaxed as they had been at the last banquet.

After they sat down, they exchanged a few polite greetings.

"I wonder if Mr. Scott is satisfied with the acquisition proposal?" Lucy got straight to the point.

Scott's heart skipped a beat.

He does need an investment, but he doesn't want to sell the record company.

"I'm very grateful that Miss Forrest is interested in my humble record company. However, I have no plans to sell it at the moment. If possible, we could actually discuss a collaboration..."

Cooperation is essentially equity participation.

He can sell some of his shares; the price is negotiable.

However, he must retain control of the majority of the shares and operations.

"Mr. Scott, wouldn't you like to hear our price before making a decision?"

Li Fu knew that in the eyes of merchants, anything could be sold, and the only reason someone was unwilling to sell was because the price wasn't right.

Scott smiled and shook his head.

He didn't have that idea.

"What if it were ten million dollars?"

Li Fu made a startling statement.

This amount was quite large in 2007.

At that time, it was impossible for any valuation agency to value Big Machine Records at more than five million.

From an outsider's perspective, its future doesn't seem so bright.

There are many record labels like this in Nashville.

Their only advantage is that they have the signing rights to Taylor Swift, that legendary superstar.

However, even Taylor Swift herself probably never imagined that she would soar to global stardom in just a few short years.

Besides, Scott at this moment!

The temptation of ten million dollars is immense!