Chapter 68

"People always grow up!" Shen Zhenghui stared at the monitor, as if casually answering Fukuda Ayumi's words.

"This is quite rare," Fukuda Ayumi leaned closer to Shen Zhenghui, "Since the day I met you, I thought you had already grown to your most mature state!"

"Entropy increases." Shen Zhenghui simply used his professional jargon to answer Fukuda Ayumi, leaving her speechless.

"Everything going smoothly?"

"Very smooth, making kids act like kids is quite easy, especially since our goal is to film a group of middle schoolers." Shen Zhenghui spread his hands, stood up, and called out, "Miyamoto," he said, "the scene is yours." Miyamoto nodded in agreement, and as Shen Zhenghui walked away, he took his place behind the monitor.

"Speak, what do you need from me." Shen Zhenghui and Fukuda Ayumi walked to a quiet spot.

"I just came to check on the shooting progress and to see how the artists I signed are performing." Fukuda Ayumi tilted her head, her tone feigning nonchalance.

"Huh? Is that so? If you have spare time, why not check on the websites we set up?"

"Speaking of those websites..."

"What? Are they doing well?"

"Hmph," Fukuda Ayumi snorted, "The novel and manga websites are fine, although we often have to delete and block h-content, they have gathered enough popularity and generated a lot of traffic. Although we are still burning money, the technical team believes that by next year we might turn a profit."

"Nani? Still burning money?" Shen Zhenghui hadn't paid attention to the websites he set up for a long time, but upon reflection, he realized it had only been a few months. The internet doesn't profit that quickly.

"The video website is terrible," Fukuda Ayumi continued to complain, "Ordinary users have to wait half an hour to watch a five-minute video, and the quality is terrible. It's better to buy a DVD than to watch for free."

"What? Is Japan's internet still in the narrow pipe era?" Shen Zhenghui slapped his forehead, realizing he had overlooked something. YouTube appeared in 2005, and by then, the U.S. information superhighway was already quite effective, allowing video sharing to thrive without being constrained by internet speed. Japan's narrow pipes couldn't support the websites, so they needed to find a way.

"Also, your Babel website is the least popular. We spent a lot of money on translations, but almost no one reads them." Fukuda Ayumi's lips curled into a smile, not cold but mocking, "Can you tell me how long we have to wait before these websites start making money?"

Shen Zhenghui rubbed his face, lost in thought. His thoughts connected with those he had on the plane, making him realize the importance of details. His eyes darted around, as if in deep thought or searching for something.

"I have no doubt these websites will eventually make money," Fukuda Ayumi said seriously, "But burning money like this, we can't sustain it." She spread her hands, "Otherwise, why do you think I'm so eager for the TV series to start shooting?"

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Yahoo and SoftBank are very interested in our websites and want to invest." Fukuda Ayumi said calmly.

"Yahoo and SoftBank." Shen Zhenghui's expression must have looked like he had eaten something awful. These websites were all money, though not visible now, but in the future, they would be golden geese. At this point, Yahoo and SoftBank, the most skilled at making money, wanted to seize the future fruits. Shen Zhenghui could already see his money crying out in pain.

Wait, calm down. Shen Zhenghui told himself. One Mr. Ma once thought about selling his company, and another Mr. Ma's company was worth billions, with 70% of the shares held by Yahoo and SoftBank. The internet era is like this; you can't avoid dealing with venture capitalists and can't expect to keep all the profits to yourself.

Thinking of the two Mr. Mas, he wondered if Japan could copy their ideas. Shen Zhenghui rubbed his chin.

"What do we have to give up? What do we get?"

"About 70% of the shares, in exchange for 2 billion yen from Yahoo and SoftBank, as well as Yahoo's technology and brand promotion."

"What's the difference from selling the company directly to someone? Isn't Yahoo Japan and SoftBank both his? Technology?" Shen Zhenghui was somewhat dismissive, "What great technology does Yahoo have?"

Fukuda Ayumi looked somewhat helpless, "That's the point. Yahoo has solid technical积累 in hardware and software integration. The programmers you hired are not up to the task, and the website crashes frequently."

"Core users won't be scared away by website crashes." Shen Zhenghui gritted his teeth, "Do we have to import programmers from China?"

"Please be serious." Fukuda Ayumi pressed her temples, "The money you've burned has doubled in just a few months. Isn't that good?"

"Wait, are you talking about 70% of the shares of all four websites or just one?"

"Four."

"What? Mr. Yang and Mr. Sun are too much, trying to acquire all four websites for such a small amount of money." Shen Zhenghui was shocked.

Fukuda Ayumi half-closed her eyes, "They are trying to go through proper channels. Do you want to know more? Yahoo is evaluating our websites' technology and preparing to build similar websites if negotiations fail. Our technical team is also being approached, and some small shareholders' shares are being acquired."

"Damn, does this mean we have no way to fight back?" Shen Zhenghui's eyes widened.

"That's why I'm telling you," Fukuda Ayumi smiled strangely, "Mr. Shen, sometimes even if the idea is good, if we don't have the capability, we might not be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor."

"Do you mean we should just give up and sell the websites to Yahoo and SoftBank?"

Fukuda Ayumi pursed her lips, "You're being extreme again." Her words made Shen Zhenghui's heart tremble, "Since it's a negotiation, let's negotiate properly." Fukuda Ayumi became serious, "Clearly, the video, novel, and manga websites are expected to grow significantly. Otherwise, Yahoo and SoftBank wouldn't have shown interest so quickly. Babel, though with low traffic, is very appealing to the social elite and is already having an impact in high society. Japanese people are always fond of foreign things, which is one reason it is valued."

"Hmm?" Shen Zhenghui was still adjusting to Fukuda Ayumi's sudden change in tone from criticism to praise. He raised an eyebrow, wanting to know what she was getting at.

"For profitable projects, we can't give up, but holding everything tightly isn't the right attitude."

"So you want to..."

"Am I not asking you?"

"Ask me?"

"Even though I can make decisions, I think it's better to ask you first." Fukuda Ayumi's lips curled slightly, "What do you think? How much should we compromise with Yahoo and SoftBank in this situation?"

Shen Zhenghui rubbed his chin, finding today's Fukuda Ayumi a bit strange, "I don't have shares in the Japanese websites." He said.

"Then when you face the same problem in China in the future, what will you do?"

What will I do? Bring in South African banks as investors! Shen Zhenghui opened his mouth, feeling this might be a test from Fukuda Ayumi, though he didn't know why she was doing it, "Using others' resources for development, you must give them benefits," Shen Zhenghui began to recall how Mr. Ma did it, "I am the founder, and I need to ensure my vision isn't interfered with by investors." Of course, if the company develops normally, investors won't meddle in things they don't understand. Since I am the founder, I want to have the opportunity to gain full control and buy back my shares, even if it costs more...

Fukuda Ayumi listened with a smile, "Alright, I know what to do."

Shen Zhenghui pursed his lips, "If possible, I hope to at least retain control of one of the websites. I'm waiting for the day when I can turn the novels into movies!"

"Oh?" Fukuda Ayumi raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't the manga website be better?"

Heh, I read novels in my past life.

"Your thinking is acceptable."

"Hmm, are you testing me?" Shen Zhenghui's eyes widened.

"You disappoint me, Mr. Shen. You believed me without hesitation. What if I was lying to you?"

"You're lying to me, wait, Yahoo and SoftBank don't want to acquire the websites?"

"No, they do," Fukuda Ayumi spread her hands, "But how could you believe my evaluation of the websites?"

"Are the problems you mentioned fake?"

"The problems exist, but they are somewhat exaggerated." Fukuda Ayumi tilted her head and stared at Shen Zhenghui, "But you lost your judgment and followed me, which is... I don't know how to describe it." Fukuda Ayumi shook her head, "This TV series is also worrying me."

"Hey, let someone I don't know try to trick me."

Fukuda Ayumi made a face, "Admit your shortcomings. But," she continued, "as a partner, you are unexpectedly reliable!"

"What do you think about Prime Minister Koizumi proposing an information superhighway for Japan?"

"Hmm?"

"For the video website! This way, we can watch videos smoothly and sell memberships."

"Oh!"

"When the Prime Minister visits China, he should buy a large number of movie and TV series copyrights for our website. This can also train our voice actors and form a Japanese subtitle group to cultivate foreign language talent."

"Huh?"

"Mr. Shen, do you have any other ideas? Investing for a few months and doubling the money is rare. We can do more of these projects."

Shen Zhenghui squinted, thinking of the two Mr. Mas from Pengcheng and Yuhang.

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