Tanaka Kubo didn't quite understand why the gentleman changed his face again, so he could only stand up and bow slightly to apologize.
"Yes, sir, you are right."
Alan put his fork down and stood up.
These islanders are very strange. It is useless to be nice to them. The more arrogant and the worse their temper is, the more they like them. Therefore, Alan has this attitude towards Tanaka Kubo and always treats him with the cold eye.
…
At the end of August, in a private room at Old Trafford Stadium, Allen held his pet dog with an expressionless face, watching tens of thousands of fans on the stadium below booing collectively.
Today's match was the first time that Allen came to Old Trafford to watch a game after officially acquiring Manchester United. He had heard that the team was not in good shape in recent games and he had some free time these days, so he came to watch the game.
Unexpectedly, after watching the entire game for more than an hour, this Manchester United team, how should I put it, is a bit like Zhang Fei embroidery, looks neither fish nor fowl.
Especially Ferguson, who was standing on the sidelines in a suit with a serious expression, and often lowered his head to give some orders when the players passed by him.
But it didn't work at all.
The team lost in the end, and lost 0-2.
This score is a bit frustrating to lose.
Anyway, Alan didn’t know much about football, but he could see that Manchester United were not playing well on the field.
But this thing...
The season has just begun and there is still a lot of time left for Ferguson, so let's wait and see.
The future world-famous coach is not a rookie now, but...
The level is just like that.
Allen stood up and walked out of the stadium and prepared to go home before Ferguson came to meet him before the players left the field.
…
"Master... the butler just called and the investment from Sony is complete!"
"Oh? Go, go, go back quickly!"
Now is not the time to ask what happened, and it cannot be explained clearly over the phone, but as long as Huth says it is completed, Alan will have peace of mind!
I'm going to have money soon!
Thinking of this, Alan was still a little excited when he just got into the car.
It is true that a horse cannot grow fat without grass at night. If I wait for him to do it slowly and want to get a large amount of funds, I don’t know how many years it will take!
…
"Master...you are back?"
"Um!"
Alan nodded, holding Xiao Huang and motioning Hutt to go to the study to talk.
Hu Te nodded and followed Alan.
…
As soon as he entered the study, Alan took off the pad on his left hand.
This is a piece of suede with some small wire mesh sewn on it. There is a small leather belt on the back for fixing it. The suede side faces the palm and is fixed on the left hand, so that Xiao Huang can stand on his palm and play.
Although this little bird is not very big now, it is only thirty or forty days old at most, but as it grows up day by day, not only has the color of its fur changed, but its claws have also grown bigger.
Xiao Huang is still small, and if you hit him without any protection, he will get scratched if you are not careful.
"Master, I looked up some information. The growth cycle of this kind of bird is about 55 to 60 days. The young birds can try to fly. They need to learn to fly before winter comes, and then migrate with their parents."
Hut watched Alan put Little Yellow on the desk. After a period of raising it and feeding it with beef strips every day, Little Yellow has grown a lot bigger than a wild snowhorn chick. Its feathers are mostly gray. After a while and another molting, it should be able to learn to fly.
…
Let Xiao Huang play by himself, Alan picked up a thick contract book on the table. This kind of book is used for taking pictures, and it only records some simple information. Then it was the contract signing scene. On Alan's side, his investment consultant Matthias was responsible for signing, and on Sony's side, it was Tanaka Kubo, the leader of the acquisition team.
There are still some procedures left, but as long as this is signed, it is basically settled and the rest will be easy.
He put the contract book down, picked up the document below, and looked at the information listed above.
…
After negotiations between the two parties, Sony bargained further and finally reduced the investment amount to 1.5 billion pounds, which was a price reduction of 300 million pounds.
Sony acquired a 50% stake in 21st Century Fox for £1.5 billion.
From now on, 21st Century Fox Pictures will have a small bracket after it with the word Sony written inside!
This payment method is not a one-time payment. It has to wait until both parties formally hand over the shares and then be paid in 18 months. The first payment is 600 million pounds, and then another 400 million pounds will be paid after 8 months. The remaining 500 million pounds will have to wait until the next 10 months.
The time span is still relatively long.
Since the shareholding ratios of both parties are the same, there is no such thing as 49% and 51%.
In the agreement signed by both parties before the acquisition, it was clearly stated that since Sony had no experience in the film and television industry, although they were one of the shareholders of 21st Century Fox Pictures, they had no management rights, only advisory and supervisory rights.
In other words, even after acquiring shares, the future development of the company will still be decided by Earl Allen, while Sony people can enjoy rights such as dividends, development suggestions, and checking of company finances.
In a word, as long as it does not involve the company's specific business, Sony enjoys the rights that shareholders should have!
Although such terms seem very strong and a bit bullying, but...
Sony thought it was acceptable since they didn't understand the film and television industry.
The purpose of their investment in the film and television industry is to expand their own publicity.
…
Sony's investigation team also knew that 21st Century Fox was a newly integrated group company, but those who are involved in the film and television industry do not pay attention to historical heritage and can expand their scale at any time if they have money.
It’s the same with Columbia Pictures, it has several decades of history, right?
Isn't it because the company made a few bad movies and lost all its money, and was taken over by Coca-Cola?
All the information on paper about 21st Century Fox is consistent with the information obtained by Sony's investigation team. They are real and exist. Even if it was only established yesterday, what does it matter?
Their size is there. It's such a big group, so there may be some water in it. But things like film and television copyrights, how much are the copyrights of thousands of movies worth, who can say for sure?
Sony just wants to buy a boat ticket now!
Tickets for a ship called the 21st Century Earl Film Cruise.
As long as you invest, we will all be family members.
As for the rest, money laundering or something...
All needs Lord Earl Allen to coordinate the overall situation!
…
Allen also left some sweet treats for Sony: every year, one movie will be shot by a director or production team designated by Sony, with an investment of no more than 100 million US dollars.
This condition may seem strange, but the key point is that Sony can designate someone or send someone, or they don’t even have to come to the UK themselves, they just need to list the film under 21st Century Fox Pictures!
This is used to facilitate money laundering by some Sony executives or other people. As for how much can be laundered, Allen doesn't care. It depends on their own abilities!
…
And Sony...also put forward a point of its own.
For example, they have the priority right to invest in future film and television works produced or filmed by Earl Pictures!
A film and television company is a film and television company. The movies they make are not invested in by their own company alone, they will also need investors!
These two are not the same thing. Film and television companies can invest in their own films and enjoy the profits as the main investors, but in order to share the investment risks, they must bring in other investors.
But the copyright of the movies produced by the company is in the company's hands, and hair style movies and the like also make money.
Therefore, Sony required that they have limited investment rights in Earl Pictures' films, and they listed the hostile competing companies from which Earl Pictures could not accept investment.
…
Looking at the numerous clauses in the supplementary treaty, after picking out a few of the most important ones and reading them, Alan nodded with satisfaction.
Overall, it can't be said that Allen is cheating Sony. It can only be said that it's a fight between Zhou Yu and Huang Gai, one is willing to fight and the other is willing to be beaten!
"Very good, well done! Let Matthias follow up, what did you say about the first payment?"
"Master, aren't you going to buy a production line in the United States? Sony will transfer 100 million US dollars to Carl's company under another name, and the rest will be converted into British pounds."
"Um……"
Thinking of this, Alan had a headache about one thing, which was the issue of publicity.
This investment is definitely not a small amount. Sony wants to increase its influence. After the deal is done, it will definitely be promoted.
When we signed the contract before, we had someone take a photo of it, and we will announce the news to the public after the first installment of the payment is settled.
But this multi-billion-pound investment partnership seemed a bit eye-catching, and Allen didn't particularly want to be known.
He was writing letters to Charles complaining about his poverty some time ago, but now he has made tens of billions of pounds in a blink of an eye. How can he complain about his poverty to Charles again in the future?
just in case……
What if Charles comes to him and complains about being poor?
Although the probability of such a thing happening is extremely small, the news of this sudden wealth was suddenly publicized. A while ago, his interview with Allen was quite popular for a while. Is it for this reason that the people from the islands want to take advantage of the popularity and take advantage of it?
Alan knocked his right hand on the desk subconsciously.
…
Hu Te looked at Allen, who looked troubled, and asked curiously, "Master...what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong with the contract?"
"No..." Alan shook his head and expressed his concerns.
Hu Te smiled and said, "Master, you will be known by the world sooner or later. The interview a while ago was just an appetizer. With your ability, there will be more such things in the future! Since it will happen sooner or later, why are you resisting? You are the pride of the Hill family, you should accept such things."
"Okay..."
After hearing what Hut said, Alan stopped worrying about it and just lay down, letting things take their course.
…
A week later, it was calm in Europe in early September, but early in the morning, the news in the newspaper injected new vitality into today's life.
Paris suburbs...
In a very ordinary villa.
A young man with short, slightly curly hair, shiny black hair, and a complexion that looks a bit like a mixed-race person, is holding today's newspaper. On the sub-page of the newspaper, there is a picture of a blond young man's face. The young man looks very gentle when he smiles.
The young man knew the man in the newspaper. He had also watched a news interview on TV some time ago. He was a British earl.
The reason why the young man was so impressed by Allen's photo was that when the French reported on him, they quoted Allen's words that Princess Diana, who was very famous in France, was this person's aunt.
The princess is so beautiful that she has countless fans throughout Europe. Many young and middle-aged people in their twenties and thirties admire her very much. They also have a very deep impression of the count because of their love for her.
And the news in today's newspaper is related to this earl.
A company from Asia called Sony spent 1.5 billion pounds to acquire half of the shares of a group owned by the earl!
This is the news, plus there is an inconspicuous photo of the signing ceremony between the two parties below.
The subject of this propaganda is the Count himself.
As for Sony...
To be honest, their fame is just that now, and the French don't care much. They only care about the amount and Alan.
But the young man who read this report and the series of big and bold zeros on the newspaper was somewhat moved.
He is only 20 years old this year. Looking at Allen in the photo, who is about the same age as him, he feels that God is so unfair.
The other party is very young, has countless servants, rides in a luxury car, and can even accompany the crown prince on overseas visits. It is said that he is also having an affair with the French jewel, the ballet goddess Sylvie Guillem.
And what about yourself?
Now he is also twenty years old and still living in this stolen villa.
…
right……
The villa he lives in now is one that he found out the owner was out on vacation, so he climbed over the wall and pried open the lock to get in!
He had sold all the valuable things in the house over the past few days, leaving only a big bed for him to live in.
Originally, the income from selling things these days was enough to make him content.
But looking at the newspaper, this Earl named Allen, half of the shares of a company under his name brought him an income of more than ten billion pounds!
The young man was a little jealous.
…
Suddenly…
An idea filled the young man's mind.
He had heard that many of these nobles were only concerned with eating, drinking and having fun. Although Earl Allen did not have a bad reputation, he was able to inherit the title at such a young age. Didn't he say in an interview that he lost his mother in his childhood, his father and brother in his youth, and there was no one capable in his family.
Now he is in the newspaper again for selling shares.
Doesn't this situation mean that this earl has a bit of a talent for being a prodigal?
Who in their right mind would sell shares of their own business, especially to Japanese people?
Since this earl seems to be easy to deceive.
Then, could I go and trick him?
…
As soon as this thought came to his mind, the young man couldn't help but cover his chest with his hands, his heart pounding with excitement.
He is not greedy, as long as he can swindle tens... no, millions of pounds!
This money is enough for him to live a carefree life!
This is much more interesting than stealing a villa!
Thinking of this, the young man stood up and bravely used the phone in the villa to call the airport ticket center to book a flight to Cardiff.
…