Chapter 389 Are you worthy?
"Boss Meng, try this big yellow flower. I specially asked them to ship it here today."
"Looking at the latest box office statistics, "Detective Chinatown 2" has exceeded 3 billion. Congratulations to Boss Meng."
"I heard that Arclight has filmed another spy drama this year. It must be written by Boss Meng himself. If you need any distribution, just let me know. We at Straw Bear can still help."
"Xiao Zhang, you are close to Boss Meng, so you should toast a glass of wine..."
At the table, Liu Xiaofeng winked at Zhang Chunye who was sitting next to Meng Bai. The latter immediately understood and picked up the wine glass. He looked at Meng Bai with watery eyes and said in a shy tone: "Boss Meng, I have always liked Arclight's dramas and admired you very much. I... thank you for meeting you today."
"..."
Meng Bai glanced at her, smiled lightly and said to Liu Xiaofeng who was looking at him with a burning gaze: "It is said that Mr. Liu has great influence in Lizhitai. After meeting him today, I feel that the outside world still underestimates him."
Liu Xiaofeng's smile froze when she heard this, and she said with a little embarrassment: "Well, there is no such power. It's just that we have been cooperating for a long time and I know a few friends. Xiao Zhang just happened to talk about it that day. Knowing that Mr. Meng was coming, he specifically said that he wanted to meet you."
"Really."
Meng Bai snorted and laughed without comment. He turned his head to look at Zhang Chunye who was still holding the wine glass and maintaining a smile, and stretched out his hand to suppress her: "Girl, don't bother for now. You two, why did you invite me here today and why did I come here? We all know each other. There is no need to do these unnecessary things. Just say it directly."
"Haha, President Meng is indeed a quick-witted man."
Liu Xiaofeng laughed dryly, then looked at Wu Qilong and said, "Okay, since President Meng has made it clear, I'll be straight to the point. Regarding Arc Light's lawsuit against Straw Bear Entertainment, we hope to reach a settlement."
"That's not right, President Liu. We, Arc Light, have only sued an employee of your company. How can you say that it is targeting you?" Meng Bai said leisurely.
Liu Xiaofeng smiled: "Mr. Meng, you just said that you should be more direct, so why make excuses now? You and I both know who this lawyer's letter is targeting."
"Okay, since you said so, I won't hide it. That's right, we Arc Light are targeting you Straw Bear. Or to be more precise, it's the person behind the previous "rumors." Meng Bai frowned and looked over, "I think Mr. Liu should also have a share of the credit here."
"Yes, the previous things were indeed done by us." Liu Xiaofeng admitted it very readily: "But Mr. Meng, you have to believe that we are not targeting you specifically."
"Mr. Liu, we have to admit what we dare to do. The two articles you asked people to write directly have my name on them, and then you say that they are not targeting me specifically. Doesn't this sound a bit ridiculous?" Liu Xiaofeng was speechless
. From his subjective point of view, this matter really did not want to target Meng Bai, but wanted to muddy the waters, but it just happened that Arc Light was the most conspicuous. But objectively speaking, there is nothing wrong with this statement. Their target is indeed Meng Bai.
Of course, it doesn't make any difference at this point. He simply said directly: "Anyway, we are indeed sorry to you, Mr. Meng. So we invited you here this time, firstly to apologize, and secondly to make amends for what happened before."
"It doesn't matter whether you apologize or not, anyway, I don't intend to forgive you." Meng Bai tapped the table with his fingers and said: "You can talk about the apology in detail, I am quite interested in this."
Liu Xiaofeng and Wu Qilong's faces froze at first, and then they were happy again.
Okay, as long as you are willing to talk.
"I wonder if Mr. Meng has any knowledge of our Straw Bear?"
"I know a little bit."
Liu Xiaofeng had a smile on his face: "Then let me say a few more words to introduce you. Our Straw Bear Entertainment has produced many works with annual ratings champions. It owns a large number of high-quality IPs and copyrights to be developed, and has broad TV series distribution channels and production capabilities. The second and third largest shareholders are Alibaba and Qiyi TV, with strong capital. And it is currently accepting guidance for listing applications, and it is expected to be listed on the Hong Kong stock market within two years..."
"So, Mr. Liu wants to tell me that you are very strong, so it is best for us Arc Light to retreat when we encounter difficulties?"
"No, no, no, Mr. Meng, that's not what we mean." Liu Xiaofeng waved his hands hurriedly, "Everyone in the circle knows that Arc Light is a big family with lofty ambitions, and has always wanted to expand its territory. But as the saying goes, many hands make light work. Although our Straw Bear is not as good as Arc Light, it has some foundation. If Mr. Meng is interested, we can cooperate more."
Meng Bai leaned back in his chair and said leisurely: "I don't know what kind of cooperation Mr. Liu is talking about?"
"Straw Bear Entertainment is willing to sell 30% of its shares to Arclight Films at a low price."
"Sell at a low price? How low?"
"Straw Bear Entertainment's current valuation is between 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion, and 30% is about 400 million." Liu Xiaofeng said, "If Mr. Meng is interested, just ask for this number."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and stretched out a finger and shook it.
"100 million?"
"Yes, only one-fourth of the price is needed." Liu Xiaofeng said, "Of course, we can say to the outside world that we are transferring shares in a comprehensive model of capital plus strategic cooperation, which will not affect the company's valuation and subsequent listing plans."
Selling at a one-fourth discount, judging from the current situation in the film and television market, is almost equivalent to bringing PE to the level of a physical enterprise.
And 30% of the shares is equivalent to Arclight becoming the second largest shareholder of Straw Bear Entertainment. Not only can it enter the board of directors to intervene in the operation, but it can also directly enjoy the distribution channels and IP inventory accumulated by the other party over the years.
More importantly, Straw Bear Entertainment has indeed begun to prepare for listing, and if it maintains its current operating conditions, there is still great hope. Once it can successfully list on the Hong Kong stock market, then this deal will make a lot of money.
It has to be said that Liu Xiaofeng's "apology" sounds quite sincere.
Meng Bai pondered for a moment and did not rush to reply. Instead, he asked another question under the other party's gaze: "Mr. Liu just said that Straw Bear Entertainment is backed by Alibaba, right?"
Liu Xiaofeng's heart skipped a beat, but he still said, "Yes, Alibaba's entertainment investment fund owns 15% of Straw Bear's shares..."
"Mr. Liu, in terms of capital market experience, our Arc Light is definitely not as rich as yours, but we still have some connections."
Meng Bai said calmly, "As far as I know, because the big entertainment plan has not been effective in the past two years, Alibaba has decided to reduce its funds in the film and television market. Unfortunately, Straw Bear Entertainment is also on the list of funds to be reduced due to the recent public opinion storm."
Liu Xiaofeng's brows tightened when he heard this, and his previous worries were completely resolved.
As Meng Bai said, the representative of Alibaba had contacted him some time ago. He said that because of the change in the group's overall strategy, it is very likely to sell the shares of Straw Bear Entertainment in his hands, so he should make preparations early or buy it directly.
You know, even shareholders like Wu Qilong don't know this news, only he and Alibaba's people know it, so he dares to continue to hold Alibaba's banner.
But I didn't expect that even such a secret thing could be known by the other party.
Liu Xiaofeng's heart tightened, there are only two possibilities. Either Meng Bai has a very deep investigation on his side, or Arc Light's information channels in the capital circle are a hundred times wider than imagined, and he may even know people from Alibaba directly.
Anyway, no matter which situation it is, it is not good news for them now.
But Meng Bai hadn't finished speaking yet: "By the way, Mr. Liu, I heard a piece of gossip these two days. It is said that for some reasons, your side is recently raising a large amount of funds to contact personal connections so as to avoid official accountability through relationships. I don't know if it is true."
"..."
Silence, the room was as quiet as death at this moment!
Liu Xiaofeng's pupils shrank, staring straight at Meng Bai, as if shocked at how the other party knew these secrets. Wu Qilong frowned, and his eyes unconsciously glanced at Liu Xiaofeng, wanting to convey some message.
As for Zhang Chunye, this girl has kept her mouth shut since the two sides started formal negotiations. Now she even wanted to plug her ears, for fear that she would hear too many things she shouldn't hear.
After a long time, Liu Xiaofeng finally said in a dry voice: "You, how do you know..."
"Boss Liu, you are only middle-aged, how come your memory is not good?" Meng Bai said leisurely: "Didn't I say that we at Arc Light still have some connections in the circle?"
Liu Xiaofeng was silent.
Yes, Meng Bai's "rumors" were very accurate. He was indeed raising funds recently. The reason was simple. The official investigation had already intervened in his network of relationships and was currently collecting evidence. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before he was really nailed down.
Fortunately, he was not the only one on his side. There were several big men above him, and they had been using all channels during this period, hoping to get through the relationship.
They didn't ask for unscathed, but just to survive.
If you want to persuade others to help, benefits are naturally indispensable, which is why he needs to raise funds.
According to Liu Xiaofeng's plan, transferring shares to Arc Light was originally a "three birds with one stone" move.
First of all, although it was sold at a low price, they could also get a sum of cash, which was exactly what they needed most now.
Secondly, after introducing Arclight, he can use it to lobby Alibaba, and maybe convince them to keep investing. Even if it doesn't succeed, it doesn't matter. With Arclight's name, there is no shortage of people in the capital market who want to take over, and this will be another sum of money.
In addition, if a cooperation can be reached with Arclight, it can be used to show the outside world that the previous online debates were all "rumors", which can reverse some public opinion. Then push out a "scapegoat" to take the blame, and cooperate with the actions of the upper level, maybe you can escape.
For Arclight, this plan has no effect. After all, the other party got a large number of shares at a very low price.
If it succeeds, it will be a win-win situation.
But this plan has a prerequisite, that is, Arclight, or Meng Bai must agree to cooperate.
But now it seems that he seems to be thinking a little too well.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Xiaofeng and Wu Qilong exchanged a few glances, then looked at Meng Bai, forced a smile and said: "Everyone in the circle says that Mr. Meng is a young talent, and it is indeed different when I see you today. Well, since we are talking about this, just ask for anything you want."
"Hey, Mr. Liu, no hurry." Meng Bai said: "Well, let me analyze the current situation for you first."
"First of all, for reasons that everyone knows, Mr. Liu, you now need a huge amount of funds. At the same time, Alibaba, the largest investor behind Straw Bear Entertainment, has decided to withdraw its investment. As the largest cooperation platform, Qiyi TV will not care about the situation of a supplier."
"So if you want to raise funds, Mr. Liu, the only way is to sell your shares. But due to the recent pressure from public opinion, it seems that it is not easy to find a takeover party..."
Every time Meng Bai said a word, Liu Xiaofeng's face darkened, but he had no way to refute it, because these were all facts in front of him.
More importantly, he vaguely understood the other party's subtext.
Thinking of this, he didn't want to continue listening, so he interrupted and said, "Boss Meng, just tell me what you think?"
"It's very simple. I can take over the shares, but 30% is not enough." Meng Bai said, "I want 65%."
"Impossible!"
Without waiting for Liu Xiaofeng to speak, Wu Qilong on the side refused.
Meng Bai suddenly laughed and looked over: "I thought that Boss Wu had decided not to speak tonight, and it was all up to Boss Liu."
That's right, just as the rumors said, the real boss behind Straw Bear Entertainment is actually Wu Qilong. It's just that because of his identity, Liu Xiaofeng has always been his agent on the mainland.
It can also be proved that even if he did not participate in manipulating the ratings and establishing a black production chain, he must have known about it.
Wu Qilong didn't care about being forced to reveal his identity. After all, the other party knew so much about him, and it didn't matter a little bit.
But he couldn't accept the conditions offered by Meng Bai.
The reason is very simple. Excluding Alibaba's 15%, Qiyi TV's 14%, and the company's executives and some small investors who hold about 6%, the remaining 65% is exactly all the shares of these celebrity shareholders and Liu Xiaofeng.
In other words, Meng Bai's request is to sweep them out.
What a joke!
"Mr. Meng, we can't agree to your request." Wu Qilong frowned and said in a cowardly manner.
"Oh, forget it then." Meng Bai responded without any fireworks.
Wu Qilong and Liu Xiaofeng were stunned, but then they reacted and their faces suddenly showed a constipated look.
Indeed, in essence, this matter is that they are begging others, but Arc Light doesn't care at all. It's best if it can be successful, but it doesn't matter if it can't be successful. They don't lack partners.
But they really need it now.
The situations that Meng Bai analyzed earlier are indeed suppressing their confidence, but they are also telling the truth.
If they want to pass safely, they need a large amount of funds. If they want to have funds, they can only sell shares in a short period of time. Given the current situation that Straw Bear Entertainment is facing, it is difficult to sell at a high price.
After all, the lawyer's letter from Arclight Films is still there, and everyone in the circle knows about the conflict between the two parties. Whoever takes over at this time is equivalent to going against Arclight.
If Straw Bear Entertainment also has a figure like Meng Bai, then there may be some capital willing to give it a try for its potential.
But the problem is that although Straw Bear Entertainment has developed quite well, it is ultimately just an ordinary film and television company. There is no need to go against Arclight, which is now in the limelight, for such a goal.
Alternatively, Wu Qilong and others can lower the price and increase the profit margin. However, those giants in the capital market are all bloodthirsty sharks. Faced with the current situation of Straw Bear Entertainment, God knows how much they will lower the price.
Thinking of this, Wu Qilong hesitated for a long time, and finally said with difficulty: "Boss Meng, we are all in the same circle, it is always good to leave a way out for others."
"Haha, who is in the same circle as you?"
Meng Bai laughed, and then said frivolously: "Or how about this, Boss Wu, why don't you call Miss Liu over to talk to me, maybe there will be a turnaround? After all, didn't you write in your article that I am a 'lecherous scumbag'."
"Boss Meng!" Wu Qilong glared at Meng Bai: "Please show some respect, I..."
"I respect you!"
Meng Bai didn't care at all and cursed back: "You didn't think about respect when you wrote those rumor articles, and you didn't think about respect when you hired people to write those jokes. Now you are asking me for respect?"
As he spoke, his face darkened: "You said we are in the same circle, so you should know what the public opinion of artists is like. These two innocent girls have to carry the gossip of "scandals" from now on because of the marketing articles you two wrote. You didn't mention respect at that time, and now you ask me for respect after I say one word, are you worthy?"
(End of this chapter)
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