On the afternoon of the third day, Zhang Junfeng finally received a call back from Sony's vice president, Seito Yoshida. Yoshida Seito's words were rather tactful on the phone, but Zhang Junfeng still understood what he meant.

Sony's top management believed that they could not accept such a "cheap sale" of Columbia Pictures, unless Zhang Junfeng could raise the acquisition price to US$4 billion, they would reconsider it.

Zhang Junfeng did not hesitate at all and told Yoshida Seito directly that the acquisition of Columbia Pictures was over and that Comet Capital would look for other acquisition targets.

…

After ending the call, Yoshida Seito was quite helpless.

He originally thought that someone was willing to acquire Columbia Pictures so that they could recover a large amount of funds for turnover, and such a "good thing" should be approved by the company's top management, but he did not expect the opposite to happen.

Not only did they not pass this proposal, but the person in charge of this incident was severely reprimanded by the company's new CEO Nobuyuki Idei, who said that he was only concerned with the petty profits in front of him and sold out the interests of the company. (Note: Nobuyuki Idei succeeded Sony's founder Akio Morita as president in 1995 and became Sony's CEO in January 2000.) I didn't expect that Yoshida Aoto had worked diligently for decades at Sony, but in the end he received such an evaluation. It was really chilling! ...

"It seems that Comet Capital and Columbia Pictures have no chance! After I go back, I will contact my friends in America and ask them to ask the Walt Disney Company to see if they have any plans to raise funds or sell shares."

Looking at the people around him who were curious about the result, Zhang Junfeng chuckled with some regret, and downplayed Sony's decision to refuse to sell Columbia Pictures, as if he didn't care about such a failure.

…

Hearing Zhang Junfeng say this, Wu Xiuying smiled and nodded. Zhang Junfeng had mentioned the alternative plan to her before. As one of the eight major film companies in the United States, Walt Disney's strength is not necessarily inferior to Columbia Pictures. It is indeed a good alternative choice.

Perhaps because they have witnessed many big moves by Zhang Junfeng in the past few days, Hitomi Shimatani and Ayumi Hamasaki have become much calmer than before.

However, Ayumi Hamasaki, who had just reached an agreement with Zhang Junfeng yesterday, was a little worried when she knew that Zhang Junfeng was going back to Goryeo.

After all, it was only a verbal agreement between the two parties. If Zhang Junfeng changed his mind suddenly and failed to fulfill it, then the resource allocation and support she expected would be in vain.

After a little thought, Ayumi Hamasaki made up her mind that when she returned, she would apply to the company president, Matsuura Seito, to go to Goryeo with Zhang Junfeng and his team under the name of further study and training at SM Entertainment. She couldn't let the meat that was about to be in her bowl be snatched away by others!

…

Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Seoul, Korea.

"President, according to our current progress, we have successfully acquired more than 12% of the shares of several core companies such as Hyundai Construction, Hyundai Precision, and Incheon Steel. Hyundai Construction has the highest stake of 14.9%, and Incheon Steel has the lowest stake of 12.4%!"

"As for the shares of other companies, our current acquisition progress is relatively slow. We have only acquired about 7%..."

Listening to his subordinates reporting the latest progress, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Well done! The acquisition plan will continue to advance. Then those unimportant company shares can be gradually sold, and Hyundai Group can take over at a high price to consume their funds."

"Of course, you also need to arrange for representatives to contact shareholders of Hyundai Construction, Hyundai Precision Industries, Incheon Steel and other companies as soon as possible. We must convince those guys to support our Hyundai Kia Automotive Group!"

"If necessary, you can reveal that we initiated the acquisition with the intention of uniting these companies to form a new group. At the same time, we have received full support from Comet Capital. They are all smart people and know how to stand on the right side..."

"Yes, President~!" The subordinate nodded excitedly.

However, he soon thought of a confusing point. Seeing that Zheng Mengjiu was in a good mood, he simply took this opportunity to ask directly, "Chairman, this Hyundai Construction does not seem to have much to do with our current business. Why do we want to take it as one of the key acquisition targets?"

Zheng Mengjiu was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "I don't know about this either. It's just that Zhang Junfeng, chairman of Comet Capital, strongly requested that we must take over the management rights of Hyundai Construction. As for the reason, he did not disclose it..."

Hearing that it was Zhang Junfeng, the big man in charge of Comet Capital, who requested it, the subordinates smiled awkwardly and did not continue to investigate. After all, the fact that their Hyundai Kia Automotive Group could be so prosperous today was largely due to the support of Comet Capital and Chairman Zhang Junfeng.

Otherwise, it is still unknown whether the current chairman Chung Mong-koo would have the courage to break away from the Hyundai Group and start his own business!

…

After seeing his subordinates leave, Zheng Mengjiu lit a cigarette for himself and glanced at a document handed to him by his assistant on the desk, feeling a little complicated.

When Zhang Junfeng had been very tough in telling him to take over Hyundai Construction, he had the same doubts. What was the special significance of this company that made Zhang Junfeng ask him to do so? After he read the detailed information about Hyundai Construction sent by his subordinates, he seemed to have found some interesting information.

That was Lee Myung-bak, a former company president who was promoted by his father, Chung Ju-yung. But even such a guy who was promoted by him and came from a poor civilian family, gave up his position as company president a few years ago and embarked on a quest to become a congressman with little presence.

This unreasonable thing aroused Chung Mong-koo's curiosity. According to his understanding of Chung Ju-yung, since the other party had vigorously promoted Lee Myung-bak, he must have great expectations for him, and it was normal for him to be reused.

But this guy worked at Hyundai Construction for more than 20 years. A few years after he climbed to the position of president, he suddenly submitted his resignation and left Hyundai Construction. Chung Ju-yung, the mentor, did not make any move to retain him. This was wrong! Apart from that, there was nothing abrupt about Hyundai Construction. This also made him more certain that Zhang Junfeng asked him to take over Hyundai Construction because of him.

But now Li Mingbo has left Hyundai Construction for several years. As for the significance of acquiring Hyundai Construction, we have to wait for Zhang Junfeng to come back and confirm it with him in person.

…

Compared to the smooth progress of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Zheng Mengxian's situation is a bit worse. Since more than a dozen subsidiaries of the group have been acquired to varying degrees, they have received a large amount of capital injection from overseas to ease a lot of pressure.

However, the drawbacks of "multi-line operations" gradually emerged. They had no idea of ​​the other party's true purpose, which companies were the other party's key acquisition targets, which were the other party's fake acquisitions to confuse them, and of course, the most difficult situation was that they wanted to take over the management rights of so many companies in one fell swoop~!

"... President, based on the current situation, the funds used by Hyundai Kia Automotive Group should have exceeded 700 million US dollars! All company shares have been acquired to varying degrees."

"If we follow our previous speculation, the other party is very likely planning to take over the management rights of all these subsidiaries in one fell swoop..." The subordinates looked a little nervous. Such a result has seriously exceeded their expectations. If they do not take proper countermeasures, their side is likely to lose morale, and even the huge Hyundai Group will collapse directly from within.

"...Damn it!" Zheng Mengxian angrily clenched his fist and pounded the table, making a loud noise. "How did they get so much financial support? Is Comet Capital crazy? Aren't they afraid that Zheng Mengjiu will spend so much money and end up wasting it?"

The subordinates beside him naturally did not rashly echo Zheng Mengxian's angry words. According to the current situation, the heads of the subsidiaries under their Hyundai Group have already had a clear gap with the cadres of their headquarters, and there are even a few bold guys who refuse to carry out the orders issued by the headquarters.

These guys started to sabotage at this time. What exactly they wanted to do was already obvious! It's just that some things are not suitable to be said in person, otherwise the chairman will be furious again after being stimulated! "...Then according to our current financial situation, can we withstand the pressure and keep the operating rights of all subsidiaries?" Although Zheng Mengxian knew it was very difficult, he still asked this key question with great concern.

If the management rights of those subsidiaries were taken away by that bastard Chung Mong-koo, it would definitely be a huge blow to him.

Even those ambitious people who are still standing by and watching will take advantage of the opportunity to add insult to injury and attack the Hyundai Group and take advantage of the opportunity to extract benefits.

Zheng Mengxian had experienced what kind of people these guys were in the past two years. It was hard to say anything else, but they were all very good at taking advantage of others' misfortunes. He didn't want to be attacked by those guys after the Hyundai Group was defeated and become the target of public criticism.

"...I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. With the current funding, we can only keep more than half of the company's operating rights. As for the rest, we can only rely on luck. The initiative is in the hands of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. They can adjust the acquisition actions and change the targets at any time."

"As the defenders, we can only mobilize funds to buy back the company's shares after we get the news and hinder their acquisition. Although this method is a bit passive, it is the most cost-effective and energy-saving one at present."

"...Of course, if you can make a decision to focus on preserving a few core subsidiaries, and then consider the operating rights of other companies to the best of your ability, we may be able to turn the passive situation into the active one and no longer be led by the other party. We may also be able to save a lot of money..."

"...or if we can get another aid of no less than 1 billion US dollars, we can keep the operating rights of all our subsidiaries and completely defeat the other party's conspiracy."

Hearing his subordinates say this, Zheng Mengxian also had a hard time. The latter was naturally unrealistic. Even if Lehman Brothers could still provide a large loan, he could not provide much collateral with the other party.

In recent years, the situation of Hyundai Group has become increasingly difficult. First, the financial crisis hit the group's business unprecedentedly. In the past two years, in order to force the completion of the Mt. Kumgang tourism project, the group's capital chain was once again squeezed dry.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

The failed investment in Daum made their difficult situation even worse.

…

Passive defense is certainly not a solution, but if he were to voluntarily give up some of the company's management rights, his prestige as the president would probably also be severely damaged!

How could a man who couldn't even keep the management rights of a subsidiary company have the face to continue to sit on the throne of the group's chairman? How could he be worthy of his father, Chung Ju-yung, who had gone against all odds and handed over the position of group chairman to him? ...

"...Once this decision is made, it will have a huge impact. Let me think about it again. Tomorrow... I will make the final decision tomorrow morning at the latest..." Faced with this dilemma, Zheng Mengxian still found it difficult to make the right choice as before. He needed more time to make up his mind.

Seeing this, the subordinate beside him did not urge him anymore, but just nodded silently and left the office.

Things have developed to this point. Even if the chairman Zheng Mengxian obtained a large amount of overseas funds to deal with the other party in the securities market, he will eventually show signs of decline over time and lose this battle with a huge disparity in strength.

Hyundai Kia Automotive Group... No, to be more precise, Comet Capital behind it is too powerful, and Hyundai Group is no match for them. In the case of no hope of retreating unscathed, the right thing to do is to retain the remaining strength and strive to make a comeback in the future~!

However, as the second-generation leader of the group, Chung Mong-xian does not have the courage and strength of Chung Ju-yung. Even if he can get through this hurdle, it will probably not be easy for him to make a comeback later!

…

At Tokyo Metropolitan Airport, Zhang Junfeng was waiting for his flight to take off in the VIP lounge, enjoying a cup of coffee. Although this trip to Japan was not successful, it was worth it to get a large number of shares of Bandai.

However, Sony's attitude was too tough, and Zhang Junfeng was not able to acquire Columbia Pictures, which he should have been able to acquire at a low price. Fortunately, Zhang Junfeng's alternative, Walt Disney Company, had a market value of more than 160 billion US dollars more than 20 years later, which was not as high as that of Sony at its peak.

However, it may not be that easy to convince the senior executives of Walt Disney Company to give up their shares. According to the failure of Mugur Hosking, the director of Comet Capital, in Blizzard Entertainment, it is not easy to get these guys to accept investment/financing and give up certain interests. Comet Capital alone cannot make them give in.

"...It seems that we need to ask Mato Walls or Nacho Morgan for help to make the other party give in..."

…

While Zhang Junfeng was thinking secretly, Wu Xiuying beside him suddenly chuckled and reminded him, "Boss, look ahead! Someone is chasing us~!"

"Chased me? Who are you talking about?" Zhang Junfeng came back to his senses and was a little confused. He looked in the direction Wu Xiuying pointed, and it was the "part-time guide" who had just been separated for a short time - Ayumi Hamasaki!

She was wearing a beige windbreaker with a white shirt underneath, her long brown hair hanging down naturally, and she was pulling an empty suitcase on one side. She and her companion were walking towards them quickly.

"...Don't tell me that you just happened to be going to Korea on a business trip this time? I don't remember Avex Music having any commercial performances or other announcements in Korea recently." When Ayumi Hamasaki came near Zhang Junfeng and was about to say hello, Zhang Junfeng took the lead in asking the doubts in his heart.

"Indeed, there is no announcement, but I plan to go to SM Entertainment for further study for a period of time. This should be in line with the proposal you advocated before, President Zhang, right? President Matsuura is very supportive~!"

Ayumi Hamasaki's face was filled with a bright smile, she came prepared this time. In order to ensure that she had a legitimate reason to do so, she called Matsuura Shengren yesterday and proposed to him that she would take the same flight as Zhang Junfeng to Korea to study at SM Entertainment. Matsuura Shengren, who was worried about not being able to find an opportunity to curry favor with Zhang Junfeng, readily agreed.

Zhang Junfeng, who was retorted by the other party with his own words, didn't know how to ask the other party to give up going with them. Although he knew that this woman was most likely relying on him, he couldn't point it out directly.

After all, he is going to SM Entertainment for further studies, and he had previously taken the initiative to propose cooperation between the two companies. If he changes his mind at the last minute, he will probably be laughed at! "... In that case, let's board the plane together later. By the way, have you booked a hotel in Goryeo? If not, I can ask Assistant Wu to help book one. As for SM Entertainment, I will also say hello to President Li Xiuman."

After Zhang Junfeng adjusted his mood, he thought of the previous agreement with the other party and immediately made corresponding arrangements. Wu Xiuying and others on the side saw that Zhang Junfeng, the big boss, was so "considerate" and cast envious eyes towards Ayumi Hamasaki.

…

"Boss, are you planning to make all the arrangements for Ayumi Hamasaki? It's rare to see you care so much about other people's affairs..." After getting on the plane, Wu Xiuying, who was sitting next to Zhang Junfeng, asked tentatively at the right time.

"What are you thinking about? I'm just making some simple arrangements. As for what she does in Goryeo, I'm not interested. But her going to Goryeo now represents Avex Music to a certain extent. If something unexpected happens, there's no guarantee that Avex Music will have any opinions. If it affects the subsequent cooperation, it will be bad." (End of this chapter)