My capital is quite large.

Chapter 230 A Bet?

As night deepened, the black Rolls-Royce Phantom sped along the highway, finally entering the urban area of ​​Nanjing at 8:30 p.m.

In the back seat of the train, Li Feng closed his eyes, his brows still bearing the gloom he felt when he faced the "soft lock" on the ASML lithography machine in the Xuzhou workshop.

Sitting in the passenger seat, the newly appointed chief secretary, Zhang Yuxi, glanced at her watch and then cautiously looked back at her boss.

"Boss, we're already in the city. Su Youpeng and Director Zhao's dinner is scheduled for 10 PM."

Zhang Yuxi asked softly, "If we drive there now, judging by the time, we should arrive at the Zifeng Tower around nine o'clock. Do you think we should go directly there, or..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Li Feng opened his eyes, his gaze, filled with a hint of ferocity, piercing towards Zhang Yuxi.

"You've been following me for a month now, haven't you?"

"What, do I have to teach you this kind of thing?"

"A small-time director who begged me to invest."

Li Feng's tone was full of disdain: "Does he even deserve for me to arrive an hour early to see him?!"

"I...I was wrong! I'm sorry, boss!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuxi trembled and repeatedly lowered her head in apology, "It was my fault for being so talkative! I didn't think things through! Please punish me, boss!"

"Go to Xinjiekou."

Li Feng ignored her fear and coldly uttered a place name.

"Yes! Head to Xinjiekou right away!" Zhang Yuxi quickly instructed the driver to turn around.

Turning her head, Zhang Yuxi patted her rapidly heaving chest, silently reviewing the situation in her mind.

Xinjiekou?

As the newly appointed housekeeper, she naturally knew who lived in that upscale apartment in Xinjiekou.

That was the residence of Song Qian, a member of a girl group brought back from South Korea.

"When faced with the technological monopoly of a multinational giant like ASML, the boss needs to find a scapegoat to vent his anger."

Having figured this out, Zhang Yuxi silently prayed for Song Qian for three seconds in her heart.

……

It's 10:30 p.m.

The private club on the top floor of the Jinling Zifeng Tower, the VIP box.

Half an hour had passed since the agreed-upon dinner time, but Su Youpeng and Zhao Daye, sitting in the private room, showed no sign of impatience whatsoever.

Not only did he not dare to urge them, but he also repeatedly rehearsed in his mind how to serve this great Buddha well.

As for Chen Duling, the most beautiful school beauty sitting in the corner, her palms were sweaty with nervousness.

"Click".

The heavy mahogany door of the private room was finally pushed open.

Li Feng, who had just had a good time in Xinjiekou, walked in feeling refreshed.

Zhang Yuxi followed closely behind him, taking his coat for him.

"Oh! Mr. Li! You've finally arrived! Please, have a seat!"

The moment they saw Li Feng, Zhao Daye and Su Youpeng immediately jumped up from their chairs and greeted him with big smiles.

Neither of these two big names in the film and television industry mentioned Li Feng's lateness.

"President Li is so busy with work, it's really an honor for him to take the time to attend our small gathering today!" Zhao Daye laughed heartily, skillfully flattering him.

Li Feng ignored Zhao Wei's flattery and, after sitting down in the main seat, glanced at the dishes on the table.

The menu featured famous Nanjing dishes, fresh seafood, and top-grade Wagyu beef, and it certainly had a lot of flair, but none of it was a dish he truly preferred.

This result made Li Feng quite satisfied with the way his subordinates behaved.

If the table is full of his favorite dishes tonight, the first thing he'll do when he gets back is to blacklist Yang Yang, since no other male artist besides that small company has ever dined with him.

As for the pot of top-quality Da Hong Pao tea placed next to him, Li Feng didn't care.

He often drank tea with Jack Ma, so it wasn't exactly a big secret.

Then, Li Feng glanced at Chen Duling, who was sitting in the corner, trying to get his attention with her innocent big eyes.

"Is this the so-called most beautiful school belle in the country?" He only glanced at her for a moment before feeling utterly bored.

Looking at her photos online might make her seem somewhat stunning, but her skinny figure, with no breasts or buttocks...

From Li Feng's eyes, it was clear that he hadn't been eating ribs for the past few days.

Sweeping over with such an almost dismissive gaze, Chen Duling, who had originally expected to win with her beauty, felt somewhat taken aback and embarrassed.

Her pride and joy as the school beauty queen didn't even faze this man?!

......

After the dinner began, Su Youpeng, holding a wine glass, started enthusiastically promoting his upcoming youth film, "The Left Ear," to Li Feng.

"Mr. Li! This novel has a huge fan base! Plus, it's my directorial debut, and we've cast the most beautiful college belle in the country as the female lead. This is definitely a big draw..."

Su Youpeng spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he could already envision the box office hit, but Li Feng had little interest in listening to his PowerPoint presentation.

"How much do you want?" Li Feng asked bluntly.

Su Youpeng was taken aback, somewhat bewildered by this straightforward and blunt negotiation style.

He cautiously extended his finger: "Mr. Li... the total budget will be approximately sixty million."

"If you think it's too expensive, we can actually try to lower the price further on costumes, props, and sets..."

"Youpeng!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daye, who was sitting next to him, quickly kicked Su Youpeng under the table, interrupting him!

She's so angry at this terrible teammate!

Are you shopping at a farmers market?! Trying to haggle with a billionaire like Li Feng to lower the budget?!

Who are you insulting?! Do you think Haofeng can't come up with 60 million?!

Sure enough, Li Feng's face turned cold.

"Sixty million?"

"Director Su, you went to all that trouble to treat me to dinner, just for a mere 60 million?"

Do you think I have a lot of free time?

Upon hearing this, Su Youpeng's smile froze, and he looked at Li Feng somewhat at a loss.

"President Li, please calm down! Please don't misunderstand!"

Zhao Daye quickly picked up his wine glass and stood up, trying to smooth things over with a forced smile:

"Youpeng is an honest man, not good with words! How could we dare trouble you to personally oversee a movie worth only a few tens of millions!"

"Actually, Mr. Li, this movie is just a bonus. We invited you here tonight to sign a [performance-based agreement] with you and Haofeng Group!"

A performance-based agreement?

Upon hearing these four words, Su Youpeng, who was standing next to him, looked completely bewildered.

Big Eyes hadn't told him about this before! Wasn't it agreed that we'd only be looking for film investment?

Li Feng, also intrigued, gave Zhao Daye a look that urged him to continue.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Dayan was overjoyed and quickly revealed his long-planned capital strategy.

"Mr. Li, it's like this."

"Youpeng and I are planning to start a film and television production company together, called [Erben Film and Television]."

"Furthermore, we have already identified a shell company, Tongda Shares, listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ)! We are preparing to use it for a backdoor listing!"

"We hope that you can represent Haofeng Group and invest in our Erben Film & Television. With your support, our valuation will definitely increase several times over!"

Upon hearing familiar terms such as "Secondary Film and Television," "backdoor listing," and "betting agreement," Li Feng paused slightly in his teacup.

Isn't this the same script Yang Mi played with investors in her past life—a gamble-based IPO?!

Because of its sudden emergence, this little fox probably won't have many opportunities to go out and engage in gambling.

Unexpectedly, the same scenario played out again with Zhao Daye!

But then Li Feng thought about it again and felt something was strange.

Is Zhao Daye short of money?

She's the ruthless one who, along with a certain driver, swindled all of Lao Xu's overseas assets!

Judging from Lao Xu's level, that sum of money was an astronomical figure!

"Is this a plan to launder this money?"

Li Feng quickly figured out the key point.

When someone offers him money, he naturally has no reason to refuse.

"Investment is possible."

"What valuation are you planning to achieve? How will the performance-based agreement be structured?"

Compared to Su Youpeng's bewilderment, Zhao Daye was clearly well-prepared.

"Mr. Li, we hope Haofeng can invest 3 million yuan to acquire a 20% stake in Erben Film & Television!"

"The performance-based agreement stipulates that Erben Film & Television's after-tax net profit must reach 7500 million, 1.05 million, and 1.47 million respectively over the next three years!"

"If this profit target is not achieved, Su Youpeng and I are willing to repurchase your 20% stake at an annualized interest rate of 15%!"

It's a sure-fire way to make money, and the profit target is set with extreme precision, clearly calculated by an actuary.

However, Li Feng shook his head after hearing this.

"Petty."

"3 million is too little. If you want me to get involved, make the scale bigger."

"I'll offer 5 million! And I'll still retain a 20% stake!"

"But! I must increase our annual profits!"

"Year 1: 100 million! Year 2: 150 million! Year 3: 200 million!"

Upon hearing the suddenly increased betting target, Su Youpeng was so startled he almost slipped off his chair!

Earning 450 million in three years?! With a shell company they just established?!

If he can't finish this job, with the 15% interest, he wouldn't be able to afford to pay it back even if he sold himself into servitude!

"Mr. Li... isn't this target too high? Can we discuss it again..." Su Youpeng was anxious and wanted to bargain.

"Mr. Li's word is law! Since you've spoken, then it's 5 million!"

Zhao Daye didn't give Su Youpeng a chance to back down at all and immediately agreed!

She understands the value of that 5 million yuan endorsement!

With Haofeng's 5 million yuan investment, Erben Film and Television can rake in at least several billion yuan by going to the New Third Board to fleece investors!

Having finalized the bet, Zhao Daye struck while the iron was hot, bringing up the movie that Li Feng had just rejected:

"Mr. Li, this film, 'The Left Ear,' is our groundbreaking work for achieving our first year's profit! Since you've already invested in the company, what do you think about the film's promotion, distribution, and investment...?"

Only now, looking at the smiling woman in front of him, did Li Feng realize that she was no ordinary person.

This woman's ambition is too great!

Moreover, he is flexible about his bottom line. In order to achieve his goals, he not only dares to sign gambling agreements that are almost impossible to complete, but he also still tries to squeeze some money out of him for movie promotion.

"No wonder she was called a female stock market guru in her past life. Her ability to use leverage against others makes her a ruthless character."

However, despite the attention he received, Li Feng's response did not gain any warmth.

"Director Zhao, for these specific film and television projects, you should talk to Han Shangzhe."

Before Zhao Daye could even respond, Li Feng began to sternly reprimand Zhang Yuxi in front of the two of them:

"How do you do your job?!"

"Didn't I tell you to do thorough project research and screening? Don't waste my time on projects under 100 million!"