Chapter 267 Unprecedented! A gorgeous turn!
"How is it?" Xia Xi asked Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao: “It’s difficult.”
"You don't know until you try. Once you try, you'll know how damn difficult it is." Lin Xiao: "The problem now is that my requirements are a little ahead of schedule. Although it may only be ahead of schedule by more than half a year or a year, it is already extremely difficult."
"If we were a giant like Nokia or Motorola, there wouldn't be much of a problem. These suppliers are willing to invest huge amounts of money for us, and even setting up a dedicated production line would be no problem at all."
"But I'm a complete newcomer, starting from scratch."
Xia Xi: "So, it is very likely that you will have to pay a higher cost and a higher price than before to customize what you want."
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
“Either we spend a lot of money to spread the development costs of the supply chain and tailor it specifically for us.”
"Or, lower the specifications."
The so-called lowering of specifications means that it is basically in line with the first generation of iPhone. The parameters here refer to screen resolution, camera module pixels and other parameter indicators.
Rather than referring to the CPU.
According to Lin Xiao’s progress, the release of his first product will definitely be much later than the first generation of IPHONE.
It's a lot later, but we have come up with something with the same superficial parameters. Can it be successful?
It should be possible, after all, it has the halo of being a domestic product.
But it’s not amazing.
Meizu launched the M8 in 2009.
Xia Xi: "What is your expected sales volume?"
Lin Xiao thought for a while: "The data I gave to the supplier is more than 5 million."
In fact, it is still a complete mystery how much sales this will have.
Although the iPhone ushered in the era of smart phones, it took several generations before the iPhone 4 was released, which really set off a smart phone craze in China.
Then Meizu m9 entered the domestic field of vision, and Xiaomi 1 sold very well, selling about 8 million units, but that was in 2011.
By that time, the domestic market had already been developed and the concept of smart phones had become deeply rooted in people's minds.
Lin Xiao is truly a pioneer and a trailblazer.
So how many sales will there be? God knows! Xia Xi: "So, your expectation is to get it done with about $1 billion, but in reality it may not be enough, right?"
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
Without the scale of Nokia and Motorola, we can only rely on money.
The current situation is that you don’t have to go to such extremes or be so amazing. Just use whatever is available in the supply chain.
Even the same goes for chips, the cost will be reduced a lot.
This is very unwise for a mature businessman.
To some extent, this is also a passion for building wonders.
This is how Shi Yuzhu was ruined, dragged to death by the Giant Building.
Lin Xiao always wanted to be a pioneer and create a big business.
Xia Xi was calculating in her mind how much money she could squeeze out.
In the end, it was discovered that it was extremely difficult to squeeze out more than a billion dollars.
Because Lightning Group itself is also in a period of expansion, especially Facebook and YOUTUBE overseas, which will be burning money like crazy in the next two to three years.
Even if the money is collected over two or three years.
"If it's not in US dollars, it will be much easier." Xia Xi: "Try to borrow from the bank, but if it's in US dollars, there isn't much foreign exchange right now."
We must use US dollars because the major supply chains only accept US dollars.
Xia Xi: "How about listing Lightning Entertainment?"
Lightning Entertainment’s biggest cash cow and most valuable asset will have a very high market value once it goes public, and will be able to raise a large amount of funds.
Lin Xiao thought for a while and shook his head. Not really.
"How is Zhu Xian making money now?"
Xia Xi: "The revenue of this game in the fourth quarter of this year is about 230 million!"
This is already super awesome. It is undoubtedly one of the most profitable games in the country. It has made other domestic Internet industries extremely jealous. They all think that Lightning Group has tapped into a big gold mine again.
In 2008, World of Warcraft's revenue in China was approximately RMB 2 billion.
"In fact, our game currently has no rivals. The biggest reason limiting revenue is that the computer configuration is too high."
"World of Warcraft has been held back by Renren Group and has not had an internal beta until now. Even the domestic version has not been completed."
Blizzard was so furious that it hated Liao Feng, Wu Lingxi, and of course, Lin Xiao.
We were happy to have raised the price to the sky, but then something happened to the Renren Group and the chairman was sent to jail. Now the release of the game is nowhere in sight.
Xia Xi: "Currently, several shareholders of Renren Group are planning to resell the agency rights for World of Warcraft in China, which are still in great demand."
How could it not be popular? Because "Zhu Xian" has achieved such a great success.
Lin Xiao: "Who is most likely to succeed at the moment?"
Xia Xi: "NetEase."
Lin Xiao: "Isn't it Jiucheng? He is most determined to get it."
Xia Xi: "The 9City failed in its IPO attempt in the United States last year. Now its revenue has completely withered and it has been eliminated."
Lin Xiao's butterfly effect is really powerful.
Historically, The9 was successfully listed in December last year, but it ended up failing in this world.
But it is also normal. Historically, after the failure of "Miracle", Jiucheng obtained the Chinese agency rights for "World of Warcraft", so it still has a story to tell in the US market and was successfully listed.
Of course, this company was going to wither away anyway, it just happened sooner.
Xia Xi: "Once World of Warcraft is released in China, it will most likely have an impact on Zhu Xian. But fortunately, the number of Zhu Xian players is also steadily increasing, computer configurations are improving year by year, and the number of computer users is increasing year by year. This is a bonus from the market."
Lin Xiao: "When is Dungeon Fighter going to be released?"
Xia Xi: "About the middle of the year."
Lin Xiao: "How is the filming of Let the Bullets Fly going?"
According to the original plan, this movie was to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday this year, and Lightning Entertainment had already made the decision, so Jiang Wen was no longer needed.
result……
After Lin Xiao announced his complete resignation from all positions in Lightning Group, Jiang Wen sent Lin Xiao a text message: Awesome! Then, he took the initiative to say that he wanted to participate in "Let the Bullets Fly".
However, everything about the film did not go smoothly afterwards. First of all, the script did not pass the review and the higher-ups were afraid to let it pass.
Because there are too many political metaphors.
It was stuck for several months, and finally a super boss spoke up.
The script passed.
Then we started the shooting cycle, but it was very slow. We are still shooting now and I don’t know how long it will take.
Therefore, during this year's Lunar New Year holiday, Lightning Entertainment only has one film, "SPL".
Then, the two fell silent.
Xia Xi suddenly said: "The next two years will be a bottleneck period for our Lightning Group."
"Facebook has already reached its peak in the country, and QQ is a ceiling that cannot be surpassed."
"Because of the price of advertising, Facebook itself has not been able to make a profit in the past two years. YouTube is burning money and has also not been able to make a profit in the past two years."
"Before the results of Kung Fu Panda and The Hunger Games come out, Lightning Entertainment's revenue will also enter a bottleneck period."
“Our only growth point is lightning games.”
“But after Dungeon Fighter comes out, although it may make a lot of money, it will most likely be criticized. This is because our attributes are too strong, that is, product first, surprise first.”
Lin Xiao certainly knew that if the Lightning Group could not overcome the hurdle of mobile Internet, it would never become a truly great company or an international giant.
Suddenly, Xia Xi said, "Lin Xiao, just do it according to your dream goal, don't lower the standards."
"Otherwise, we would become a mediocre company."
"It's just a matter of throwing money at it. Just keep throwing money at it until these international supplier giants are willing to give in."
"At worst, we can list Lightning Entertainment, or even Lightning Games, and we'll raise the huge amount of money anyway."
………………………………
Lian Zheng has been in office for more than a month and has been carrying out his work vigorously.
They pursued policies, sought funds, and began to grab land.
For a long time afterwards, he only did this one thing.
He even wanted to find a way to move the OEM factory production line to Ning City, or at least part of it.
So he was very bold and took bigger steps.
Although the mobile phone brand Lin Xiao has not even taken shape yet, it has already occupied a large area of land. Even the plans for supporting enterprises, OEM enterprises, and related production lines in the next few years have appeared on the drawings.
Knowing that Lin Xiao had returned to China, he came to Linshan in the midst of his busy schedule.
And went directly to Linshan People's Hospital.
"How is Teacher Xiao?" Although it was awkward, he still asked.
In short, it's very weird.
Normally speaking, he should never have anything to do with Xiao Momo and Xiao Wanli's family again.
After all, my daughter is the biggest victim of this relationship.
But Xiao Momo's due date had already arrived and she had been hospitalized, so Lin Xiao basically stayed in the hospital to work.
Lian Zheng didn't care about the details and came directly to the hospital to discuss things.
"It's been four or five days past the due date." Lin Xiao said, "But the situation is good. I'll try to have a natural birth if possible."
While talking, Lin Xiao went to the rooftop.
When they reached the rooftop, Lian Zheng couldn't help but take out a cigarette and light it up.
He didn't smoke before, but now he smokes.
"Smoking is bad for your health. You are not allowed to learn it." Lian Zheng added.
"Is it not going well?" Lian Zheng asked.
Lin Xiao: "What I want is too advanced. These supply chain giants are very negative."
"But we started from scratch, not like Nokia or Motorola."
Lian Zheng: "So we have to pay more, right? We have to pay together and share their related costs."
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
"In fact, we only need to slightly reduce the specifications, not by a lot. Even if we only reduce the cycle by about a year, the cost will drop a lot, and we can directly purchase mature products from the supply chain."
Lian Zheng: "Do you want US dollars?"
Lin Xiao: "Yes, it would be easier if it was RMB."
Lian Zheng thought for a while and said, "I'll find a way to solve part of it."
Lin Xiao was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
He really doesn't need any hypocritical courtesy towards Lian Zheng.
Lin Xiao: "Uncle Lian, you didn't become a permanent member?"
Lian Zheng: "Not yet, but I am only responsible for this one task, and the support from above is very strong, so I don't care about that."
Although it is a sub-provincial city, based on Lian Zheng’s previous resume, he should be admitted to the Standing Committee.
He was greatly delayed at this step.
Although he successfully went to Ning City and his level remained unchanged, he was actually downgraded.
But... as long as he and Lin Xiao's career succeeds, everything will change.
It will bring huge impetus and even take-off to the entire city or even the entire province.
……………………
Lin Xiao was cooking in the kitchen. The food was very light and delicious.
After finishing, put it in an insulated bucket and take it to the hospital for soaking.
Just as he was putting everything into the thermos, the phone rang. It was Liu Feifei from Merrill Lynch.
"Boss Lin, I'm at Linshan now."
“This is my first time here.”
Lin Xiao: "Sorry, sorry, my woman is giving birth and may start at any time. I can't leave, so I can only meet you here."
Liu Feifei: "Hahahaha, why do we need to talk about this? But give me an address, we can't talk on the phone."
Lin Xiao: "I'm just about to deliver food, or are you going to Linshan People's Hospital?"
Liu Feifei: “Okay!”
Lin Xiao carried the thermos bucket, got into the car and headed towards the hospital.
After setting the table, I ate with Paopao.
After eating, Liu Feifei also rushed to the People's Hospital.
There was no suitable place, so the two went to the rooftop again.
Because at this time in Linshan, there wasn’t even a decent coffee shop.
"I want a loan," Lin Xiao said.
Liu Feifei: "We at Merrill Lynch certainly have related businesses, but our main business is investment banking. If you want money, Mr. Lin, we can invest."
Lin Xiao: “Nearly a billion dollars.”
Liu Feifei was stunned and was speechless.
Oh My God! With such a huge amount of money, how many shares of his core assets does Lin Xiao need to sell in order to raise this money? That’s why Lin Xiao talked about taking out a loan.
Besides, it is normal to take out loans to make mobile phones.
Liu Feifei: "How much do you want to borrow?"
Lin Xiao: “About $800 million.”
Liu Feifei just felt a chill in her teeth. In this era, this was absolutely an astronomical figure.
"Boss Lin, does it cost that much to make a mobile phone?" Liu Feifei said, "According to your approach, by the time your first mobile phone comes out, you will have spent more than a billion dollars."
you do not say.
Lin Xiao: "You don't know until you do it, and you realize it will cost so much money after you do it."
Liu Feifei: "With your fame and appeal, and the publicity power of Lightning Group, it would only cost $100 million at most. Find a supply chain to buy parts, find a foundry to produce and assemble, and then tell a few stories, name a brand, and everything will be OK."
"Why would you need more than a billion dollars? It's not like you're going to tighten the screws yourself."
"Boss Lin, let's do this first. We can raise the requirements later and do some research on our own."
Lin Xiao: "I ran into a problem with the supply chain. Have you heard about it?"
Liu Feifei: "Originally, it couldn't be passed to me, but I was quite concerned, so I went to inquire about it, and the result was..."
Lin Xiao: "If I can't achieve what I want, then I won't do it. I have more money than I can spend in several lifetimes. I am no longer interested in mediocre careers."
Liu Feifei: "Brother, $700 million is a lot."
"And if you want a loan, you need collateral."
“The key is that it is best to be collateralized by U.S. dollar assets.”
Lin Xiao: "Do you know Fallout 3, Kung Fu Panda, Breaking Bad, or The Hunger Games?"
Liu Feifei: "Breaking Bad, what the hell? The remaining three know."
Lin Xiao: "Can I use these assets as collateral? Plus the international copyright of "Got Talent"?"
Liu Feifei: "Then you might as well use Lightning Entertainment and Lightning Games as collateral. At least these two are cash cows."
Lin Xiao and Xia Xi have calculated it countless times.
Next year's revenue of Lightning Games and Lightning Entertainment, after deducting the operating costs, plus the operating costs of Facebook and YouTube overseas, will barely break even.
Of course, YouTube and Facebook overseas definitely need further financing.
However, it will not be now. Instead, we will wait until we have achieved outstanding results before raising funds, which will be the most powerful.
So, for the next two years or so, extra income.
It actually relies entirely on the income from IPs such as "Fallout 3", "Kung Fu Panda", "Breaking Bad" and "The Hunger Games".
According to Lin Xiao’s plan, the income from these IPs will be very high.
But this is just expected income, and it will take a long time before you actually get the money.
Far water cannot quench near thirst.
Therefore, he wanted to advance this part of the income and use these IPs as collateral for mortgage loans.
Liu Feifei covered her forehead and said, "We are strategic allies. I treat you as a brother. Why are you making things difficult for me?" "Mr. Lin, your expected revenue from these IPs is very high, and I am willing to believe you, but..." Liu Feifei said, "But can you convince the bank at the headquarters to believe it as well?"
"You want to borrow so much money, and I only have the right to make suggestions. The decision-making power must be at the headquarters."
"Even the head office will not make this loan alone, and may work with other major banks."
"Or I can put it this way. The headquarters will definitely not approve it. It will be difficult for Citibank, Standard Chartered or any other bank to make this loan."
"And from the sound of your voice, $700 million isn't even enough. It'll probably be more."
"The fastest way for you to get this money is to sell Lightning Entertainment, Lightning Games, or related shares of Facebook in China. You can get this money in the shortest time. Merrill Lynch, SoftBank and other investment banks are willing to sell."
Lin Xiao didn't say anything.
With so much money, how many shares should be sold?
In the future, these shares may increase dozens or even hundreds of times.
"Of course there is another way." Liu Feifei said: "You ask Mr. Masayoshi Son of SoftBank to be your guarantor. As for how you two negotiate, that is your business."
“Also, do you really need to pledge these IPs?”
"It would be more appropriate to use Lightning Entertainment and Lightning Games as collateral. Although these are not US dollar assets, they are high-quality assets that have been generating a steady stream of income."
Lin Xiao shook his head: "If my mobile phone business fails, the shares of Lightning Games and Lightning Entertainment will be completely owned by the bank. These are core assets, and I will not take such risks with them."
Liu Feifei: "Mr. Lin, personally I definitely want to help you get this loan."
"But the amount of money is too large. I will go to the United States first and help you with the process."
"I'll go test the temperature first. Once I get a feel for it, I'll call you over to talk. How do you think?"
Lin Xiao: “Okay!”
………………………………
December 16th, around six o'clock in the evening.
"Wa wah wah..." followed by the sound of a baby crying.
Lin Xiao’s first child was officially born.
"Congratulations to Mr. Xiao and Mr. Lin!"
"It's a daughter!"
"Six pounds and eight ounces!"
Lin Xiao held the baby gently and sat next to Xiao Momo.
Little Nannan tried very hard to open her eyes, but she didn't have enough strength, and she closed them again after opening them for a moment.
But after opening his eyes for a while, his pupils became dark and bright, as if there were many stars hidden in the middle.
What a beautiful baby.
He looks very much like Lin Xiao, except for his eyes, which look like Xiao Momo.
And Bubble's eyes are so lively.
A large group of people surrounded the baby.
Truly a star-studded cast.
Grandpa and grandma, aunt, dad and mom, grandpa and grandma are all here.
Xia Xi had just left Linshan not long ago, and after learning that the baby was born, she immediately rushed over from Shanghai.
She, who has always been cool and abstract, was holding her baby with tears in her eyes.
Even though he was just born, this baby's personality seemed a little obvious.
Lively, curious, and not crybaby.
Generally, newborn babies sleep soundly with their eyes closed and are awake for a very short time.
She seemed to be full of curiosity. As soon as she was born, she couldn't wait to observe and feel the world. She kept trying to keep her eyes open, even though she couldn't see clearly.
And if there is any sound, she will try very hard to capture it.
She's like a bubble. Even though she's in her twenties, she still secretly goes online every night and needs Li Fangfang to watch over her when she goes to bed.
As soon as the baby is born, he wants to play.
But he couldn't resist the sleepiness and soon fell asleep. He was sleeping sweetly in the little bed, clenching his two little fists.
After sleeping for a few hours, she woke up.
It seems that he is not going to cry, but he is a little anxious. He must be hungry.
Li Fangfang quickly picked up the baby and placed him next to Paopao so that she could feed him.
"Mom, you...you go out too." Bubble said embarrassedly.
Li Fangfang: "Really? I'm your mother, and you're embarrassed."
Bubble: "Go out."
"Okay, okay, okay." Li Fangfang looked at the baby reluctantly, blaming her daughter for being nosy. She would not be able to see the baby for more than ten or twenty minutes.
Only Lin Xiao, Xiao Momo, and the baby were left in the room.
Bubbles gently held the baby in her arms and undressed her.
The baby immediately opened his mouth and held the feeding, clenched his fists, and sucked very hard, making a series of silly sucking sounds.
"Baby, you're feeding so hard." Bubble said in a soft voice.
When the baby heard his mother's voice, he immediately pricked up his ears and stopped feeding.
"Okay, okay, just keep eating. You're so easily distracted."
"Lin Yiyi, Lin Yiyi..."
"Do you like this name? It will give you an advantage during the exam."
"Oh, look at Daddy, where is Daddy?"
…………………………
The two-month American Campus Beauty and Campus Husband Contest has finally come to an end.
Created an unprecedented Internet miracle.
The number of registered users on Facebook in the United States has exceeded eight million!
This is simply an incredible statistic.
This success far exceeded Lin Xiao’s expectations, and even exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Many people exclaimed, this is the American dream! The people who were selected as the most beautiful and handsome girl in the United States also became the focus of everyone's attention.
I really didn't expect that people here are so enthusiastic about the draft.
Many media outlets even exclaimed that this talent show was even more fulfilling than the presidential election.
Because every vote is real-time and transparent.
This is the real, most direct election.
In just these two months, Facebook's valuation in the United States has skyrocketed.
Many media outlets have previously said that Facebook spent $100 million to host this talent show, which is so crazy and ridiculous.
As a result, now, in just two months, Facebook's valuation in the United States has increased by hundreds of millions of dollars.
It is not known how much the $60 million investment by Masayoshi Son and Jerry Yang has appreciated.
The originally declining Yahoo Group became famous again because of this investment, and Yang Zhiyuan also became very influential in the board of directors.
When it comes to capitalism, the United States is the first choice.
December 29th! The first Facebook Night in the United States is in full swing.
Wu Lingxi has become the brightest star tonight.
She became synonymous with miracles.
She has achieved such great success in just half a year at the helm of Facebook in the United States.
………………………………
At the same time, Lin Xiao was negotiating with Masayoshi Son.
The loan amount that Lin Xiao wanted was too large, and Merrill Lynch alone was not enough, so he also brought in Citibank and Morgan to work together on the loan.
A total of $800 million.
Moreover, the loan is only for two years! Even if Lin Xiao wants to borrow money again at that time, he will need to repay it first and then borrow again.
The other party also refused to accept Lin Xiao’s assets as collateral.
To these banking giants, Lin Xiao was just a small figure, and his assets were not authoritative enough.
But they are willing to provide the loan if an international giant like Masayoshi Son is willing to provide a guarantee.
"Lin, do you have to do it to such an extreme?"
"This is a very, very large loan for you."
"It will be hard to pay off your debts in two years with the income from your movies and games."
“Does making a mobile phone need to be so extreme?”
Masayoshi Son once again expressed his confusion. He felt that if Lin Xiao wanted to make money, he could just make a decent mobile phone and make a fortune. Why would he spend such a huge price?
Taking on a huge debt of $800 million for a product whose success or failure is unknown in almost two years? And Masayoshi Son certainly wouldn't help provide a guarantee for no reason.
If Lin Xiao fails to pay the money within two years, he will obtain 35% of the shares of Facebook in the United States, 35% of the shares of Fantasy Vision, and 30% of the shares of YouTube in the United States.
Among these shares, the most important one is the shares of Facebook in the United States.
If I rely on my cell phone, I will definitely not be able to pay back the loan within two years.
According to Lin Xiao's plan, he can only rely on the profits from IPs such as "Kung Fu Panda", "Breaking Bad", "The Hunger Games" and "Fallout 3" to repay the debt.
Masayoshi Son: “You know what? I even hope that you can’t repay these loans, so that I can get the most valuable shares of these companies, which is almost all your personal shares in these two companies.”
This is because Facebook has grown rapidly in the United States recently and has become a legend in the American Internet, so its valuation has skyrocketed.
However, several major banks still accepted mortgages similar to Facebook's in the United States, which was exactly what Masayoshi Son wanted.
At this moment, Lin Xiao received a call, it was from Wu Lingxi.
"Aren't you hosting Facebook Night? Tonight is your glory." Lin Xiao asked.
Wu Lingxi: "I'm on break, are you talking to Masayoshi Son?"
Lin Xiao: “Yes.”
Wu Lingxi: "I am also a shareholder of Facebook in the United States. My team owns 16.5% of the shares."
Lin Xiao: "You, didn't you agree? You agreed to the bet agreement between me and Masayoshi Son?"
Wu Lingxi: "I've changed my mind now."
"You want to use your shares in Facebook in the United States as collateral for a bet, but that's not allowed!"
“You can’t bet the vast majority of your own shares against it.”
"Count my 12% as well, so you will have 12% less to pledge. I can only pledge my own shares, the shares of my team, which I cannot touch."
"Even if the most extreme situation occurs, you, Lightning Group, and all the shares of my team will still have the initiative in Facebook USA."
"As for me? If you trust me, I don't need the shares. If you don't trust me, there's no point in me having these shares."
"That's it!"
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm going to go on stage."
"Don't be sentimental, I can't stand this!"
"I'll be there to sign in a minute!"
……………………
Note: I finally finished writing it, I’m exhausted! Dear great benefactors, do you still have monthly tickets? Thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)
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