My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Ten 5 million yuan notes and ten 10 million yuan notes, totaling 150 million units, were used by Zhao Wen to acquire UMC shares.

This time, he had to lock all three locks at once before he could truly relax and look forward to the future.

Moreover, this should be the last time. Because next spring, UMC will begin its takeoff, flying until 85, and then it will stop flying and directly launch into space with rockets!

In 95, it became the world's second largest semiconductor foundry, and in 2000, its market value exceeded one trillion New Taiwan Dollars!

A 20% anti-dilution share written into the articles of association—for UMC, that was an absolutely fantastic thing decades later!

At this point, the Taiwanese government only held 50%, with 20% for itself and some original shares that could be diluted. Several private groups held 20%, and there was still some left for those insightful big shots to play with.

Last time, they spent so much money acquiring shares, and recently they spent tens of millions of New Taiwan Dollars building their company team. In just over a month, they have more than 100 million in cash. Who else can make money this fast?

The most important source of information comes from "Norwegian Wood".

The book sold 2.1 million copies in Japan, all of which were hardcover. The price per copy was more than double that of "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window". With the royalties increasing by 15% over time, the revenue from Japan alone reached over 100 million yen!

The momentum is equally strong on Taiwan, with sales approaching one million copies this month, even stronger than in previous years.

In addition, the word-of-mouth popularity of the Japanese baseball pitcher led to reprints and sales of the previous "old works" in Japan, resulting in a significant amount of passive income.

These are nothing compared to what will happen when the diva sings "Repayment" on the Tokyo stage and when "Princess Pearl" explodes in ratings, the subsequent cash flow will continue to pour in.

Yes, the diva is finally returning to Japan for a concert! You ask what the diva's concert in Tokyo has to do with Zhao Wen selling books? — Because Zhao Wen is going to be a "surprise guest" to make a living, and more importantly, to show his brotherly love. This is bound to reignite the interest of the Japanese in his books, right?

The news of Teresa Teng's concert tour in Japan quickly spread throughout Taiwan and the Japanese music scene.

Her new album promotion has been underway for half a month, with simultaneous operations in Taiwan, Japan, and Southeast Asia. The biggest gimmick, of course, is that "both main tracks were written by Mr. Snail."

Industry insiders could only guess that one of the songs was "I Only Care About You". The recording of "Repayment" was kept completely secret, and no one knew about it except for the diva's team.

This is the ultimate weapon for the diva's return to the Japanese music scene.

No one understands the significance of these two songs better than Zhao Wen.

In the 1980s, the xenophobia in the Japanese music scene reached an appalling level. Local singers monopolized all the top awards, and it was a pipe dream for foreign singers to even get a nomination.

However, when the diva's "Repayment" was released in 1984, it immediately broke the ceiling for foreign singers, topping the cable streaming charts and remaining there for 52 weeks, just two weeks shy of achieving the feat of dominating the charts for a whole year.

At the same time, he won the two most prestigious awards in Japan, the Japan Cable Awards and the All-Japan Broadcasting Awards, becoming an unprecedented double champion!

Other awards, such as the Most Popular Enka Award and the Cable Music Award, were not included in her achievements. Her single sales were so high that they left many Japanese singers in despair. She sold 150 million copies in her first year, and they are still selling decades later...

In 1986, "I Only Care About You" allowed the diva to once again dominate the Japanese music scene. This was the peak of her career, as "I Only Care About You" was hailed as a timeless classic of the Showa era!

In addition to breaking her record of 52 weeks at the top of the charts, "I Only Care About You" also achieved a three-peat, winning the double championship of the Japan Cable Awards and the Cable Broadcasting Awards!

This record remained unbroken even when Zhao Wen was sidelined in 2026; the so-called Korean wave couldn't even reach the threshold of a three-peat.

These two songs have transcended the category of "pop songs" and become cultural symbols of an era in Japan, ultimately making Teresa Teng one of the five great Showa era divas!

Now, both songs are simultaneously playing at the NHK Auditorium in Tokyo in 82. Little Japanese people, are you ready?

In order to arrive in Tokyo in a truly mysterious manner, Zhao Wen negotiated with the Takara News Agency and reached an agreement to arrive in Tokyo quietly three days later.

It really wouldn't work if we didn't consult with them. He's currently the most popular writer and singer-songwriter in Taiwan, and entertainment reporters and the Formosa News Agency are keeping a close eye on his every move. If he just quietly travels from Tainan to Taipei, it might not alert them.

However, entry and exit must be registered with the official authorities first, and it is impossible to bypass the news agency. Only by using the name of UMC business inspection and going through the corporate confidentiality approval channel can we get the news agency to agree that Taiwan will start reporting after the flight lands in Tokyo.

When Zhao Wen arrived at the Hsinchu United Power Plant with a promissory note for 150 million New Taiwan Dollars, Cao Xingcheng had been waiting for him in his office all afternoon.

Ever since Zhao Wen sincerely said, "I'm investing in UMC because I'm investing in you, Cao Xingcheng," Cao Xingcheng has regarded this genius as a confidant that is priceless.

Those investors who stare at financial statements and do the math, you've wasted all those years of your lives! You all need to learn how to evaluate people to invest in, instead of just looking at projects!

Following the precedent of the previous two investments, Zhao Wen should be able to obtain another 15% anti-dilution equity stake this time, but he has put forward three requirements:

1. Register his shares as preferred shares by amending the articles of association. 2. At the time of listing, issue existing shares; in other words, my shares cannot be touched! 3. Retain a veto right only for matters concerning capital increases and share dilution.

This time, Lao Cao finally hesitated. No matter how much he admired Zhao Wen, these three requests all had to be approved by the board of directors.

"General Manager Cao, don't be in a difficult position. You should hold a board meeting. I'll come back tomorrow," Zhao Wen said gently to his old confidant, showing great understanding.

"...Sigh, thank you for your understanding!" Old Cao was moved once again. Look at them, why can't there be more trust between people?

At the board meeting, Lao Cao first explained to the representatives of all shareholders and directors that Mr. Snail is just a writer who doesn't understand semiconductors at all, let alone interfere in the operation. He is just worried that one day we will secretly increase our investment and dilute his equity. This is self-protection. Is he wrong?

The director representing the official shareholding said that there was no problem with adding non-dilutable preferred shares, but the veto power could not set a precedent!

The other private shareholders echoed this sentiment, all stating that unless Zhao Wen offered more money...

Then they revealed their final bottom line: a veto right was acceptable, but 150 million could only be exchanged for 10% of the shares, which, combined with the existing 5%, would amount to a permanent, non-dilutable 15%.

The next day, without even blinking, Zhao Wen agreed to the resolution made by the UMC board of directors.

His expectation was that getting 5% would be perfect, because the previous 5% was without amending the articles of association. When the company went public three years later, the anti-dilution agreement would automatically expire. But with this amendment to the articles of association, the anti-dilution agreement could last until 2000 when UMC's market value reached trillions!

...