China Entertainment: I became a capital tycoon

Chapter 655. Free Apple Shares
Cao Yu came to the United States this time mainly for the listing of Facebook, and he brought Yang Mi with him just because the timing happened to coincide.

After leaving Nasdaq, he sent Yang Mi to the crew of "Transformers 4" and prepared to return home.

The crews of "Personal Tailor" and "Mulan" are still waiting to go back.

Cao Yu had just arranged his return trip when Cai Chongxin came over and said, "Mr. Cao, Apple CEO Tim Cook wants to meet you. Do you want to meet him?"

"Cook?"

Cao Yu frowned. Jobs had gone to heaven to help God make mobile phones. What did Cook want to find him for? Did he want to reconcile? Did he want Apple to open up the Chinese market?

In today's global mobile phone market, Huawei and Samsung have the largest scale, and Apple can only rank third.

The main reason why Apple has not really opened up the Chinese market is that its mobile phones cannot be used for WeChat, Weibo, and QQ, and cannot even be used to read Singularity novels and Moth Videos.

Although some people who consider themselves "high-end" believe that everything from the United States is good, and they not only own a Huawei but also an Apple phone, they are only a minority.

Apple’s annual mobile phone shipments in the country are less than one million units.

Now that Cook is looking for me, he definitely doesn't want to give up the Chinese market.
Cao Yu hesitated for a moment and said to Cai Chongxin: "Let's meet tomorrow morning."

Since you want to ask me for help, I have to wait for a while before saying anything.

The next morning, as soon as he arrived at the Los Angeles branch of Feie Video, the secretary in the United States said, "Boss, Cook is already waiting for you in the reception room."

"It's quite urgent."

Cao Yu came to the reception room and found a white-haired old man wearing glasses drinking coffee.

"Mr. Cook, we meet again."

"Mr. Cao, have we met before?"

Cook opened his eyes wide and looked closely at the man who had repeatedly humiliated Jobs for the first time. He couldn't remember when the two had ever met each other.

"I saw you from afar at the launch of our first smartphone. I wanted to chat with you, but when the launch was over, you had already left. What a pity."

"Oh."

Cook then recalled what happened more than four years ago and apologized, "I was shocked by Mr. Cao's creativity that day and was anxious to go back and discuss it with Tim (Jobs). It was a pity that I didn't communicate with Mr. Cao."

"It doesn't matter. We can still meet now." Cao Yu smiled and said, "I don't know what Mr. Cook wants to talk to me about."

"In fact, I have always admired Mr. Cao's design concept for mobile phones, and I also agree with your statement that the future is the digital age."

Cook flattered Tim first, and then said, "Tim has always been against you. I was against this matter in the first place. Now that Tim is gone, our company's next goal is to enter the Chinese market, so I came to talk to you."

"Oh?"

Cao Yu touched his chin and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Cook? Do you want to remove the 30% Apple tax? If Apple enters China, it will definitely take away our market share. What good will it do us?"

Cook had already thought about these issues when he came.

"Mr. Cao, the 30% we charge is not called Apple tax, but the revenue share that the App Store charges developers."

Cook explained first, and then continued: "If this fee is canceled directly, Apple's stock price will certainly be affected. How about this, as long as Mr. Cao agrees to lift the ban on Penguin Software, we will give you an additional 30% of the 15% we collect in China."

He felt that this condition was beneficial to both parties, and Cao Yu was a businessman who put profits first. A 15% share was a lot, and it was completely free profit that came in a steady stream.

Even if he has a big appetite, you can consider giving him one or two points.

"hehe."

Cao Yu just smiled faintly without expressing his opinion, thinking about countermeasures in his mind.

It does seem tempting to give Apple 15% of the tax to itself, but as long as Apple has established a firm foothold in China and has a large number of fans, what will happen in the future?
But if we don't agree, can we really keep Apple out of China forever?

He couldn't guarantee it.

Huawei previously occupied the market with its novel designs, but after smartphones become widely popular, can it stop Apple from coming in?

If this is the case, it is better to try to gain some benefits first.

"Mr. Cao thinks 15% is too little?"

Seeing that Boss Cao remained silent, Cook asked again tentatively, hoping that his appetite wouldn't be too big.

"so."

After a moment's silence, Cao Yu finally spoke: "30% Apple tax is a bit too much. It must be reduced to 15%, of which 10% will be given to us and 5% will be left for you to use for daily maintenance of the system."

His plan is that if he gets 10%, he can find a way to return it to the customers, and then organize some substantial activities in the software, maybe even increase a group of users.

Without waiting for Cook to think, he continued, "Also, when Apple entered China, our Huawei's market share was encroached upon. What do you think?"

"Isn't the share of your software revenue enough?"

Cook has seen Boss Cao’s greed. The profit sharing is not enough to satisfy him, and he even wants more?
"Of course not enough."

Cao Yu smiled and said, "Mr. Cook should know how big the Chinese market is and how many users there are. You should also know how much profit there is in mobile phones."

"I understand. What does Mr. Cao think?"

"First, when Apple enters China, its prices must remain the same as in other countries. Second, China must enjoy the same policies as other countries. Third, I need Apple shares!"

"impossible!"

Cook feels that he can still consider the first two points. After all, Apple’s tax can indeed be as low as 15%.

But the third point is really hard to agree to.

You only have 0.05% of the shares. As a Chinese, do you still want to become a shareholder of Apple?

"Then there's no need to talk."

Cao Yu picked up the coffee and took a sip.

In China, there is a saying that one should serve tea to guests. Americans don't drink tea, so they can only drink coffee.

But Cook didn't understand, and when he saw that Boss Cao seemed to be leaving, he felt a little anxious.

The Chinese market is too big, and Cao Yu said that the digital age is about to arrive. He agrees with this view. Even if 10 million mobile phones are sold in China every year in the future, it will amount to billions of US dollars.

"Mr. Cook, I have to catch a flight this afternoon. I'm sorry."

Seeing that Cook was still insisting, Cao Yu put down his coffee cup, stood up and was about to see him off.

"Wait a moment."

Cook was a little anxious. If Cao Yu left, he didn't know when he would come back.

"how?"

"Mr. Cao, you are known as the Chinese stock god. Do you think Apple stock is worth investing in?"

Cook was already feeling a little reassured. He wanted to know what Cao Yu could bring to Apple before considering the stock issue.

"If you enter the Chinese market, the stock price will definitely go up. You know I'm a businessman."

Cao Yu remembered that Warren Buffett, the stock god, invested in Apple in 2016, and his net worth doubled in the next few years. Since the other party offered it to him, he would be stupid not to take advantage of it.

Cook asked, “So how are you going to do this?”

"Well, let's announce together that in order to enter the Chinese market, we plan to cancel the 30% software share, let the stock price fall, then I will start to buy a large number of Apple stocks, and you Apple can also buy back Apple shares. Then we will announce together that after negotiation, the share will be set at 15%."

"call"

Cook let out a long breath.

In recent years, Apple's financial reports have not been particularly good and its stock price is more than US$41. If it can drop a little, it would be a good idea for Apple to repurchase shares.

After thinking for three or four minutes, he finally said, "Mr. Cao is worthy of being the stock god of China. How many shares do you want?"

"I can acquire about 5% myself. After your company repurchases the shares, give me another 1%. Then I will agree to fully open Penguin and our Feiyu software to Apple!"

"1%?"

Cook was even more shocked this time. This Chinese man's appetite was even bigger than he had imagined. Although Apple is now ranked third in the global mobile phone market, its market value is still 1500 billion US dollars. 1% is 15 billion US dollars. How dare you ask for it for free? Who gave you the courage to ask?
Cao Yu smiled and said, "You don't have to agree. It doesn't matter to me."

Cook's mind was working fast. He really couldn't bear to give up 1% of the shares, but the advice Cao Yu gave before was indeed very good.

Let the stock price fall first, then buy back at a low price. Once it enters the Chinese market, the stock price will surely rise sharply, and the money earned by then should be more than 15 billion.

He gritted his teeth and finally said, "I can agree to your request!"

"Wairygood!"

Cao Yu was very happy to get shares worth 15 billion US dollars for free.

With this 6% stake, even if Apple’s market value does not reach 1200 trillion in the future, even if it is only trillion, it will still be billion US dollars!

However, how to transfer this money back to China is something we need to consider carefully in the next few years. We cannot let the Americans take advantage of us in the future.

He immediately called Cai Chongxin to prepare for this matter.

"Mr. Cao, did you really take 1% of Apple's shares for nothing?"

After listening to the boss talk about the agreement he had just reached with Cook, Cai Chongxin could hardly believe it: "Boss, how did you do that?"

"Haha, let's talk about this later."

Cao Yu arranged: "You arrange funds during this period to buy as many Apple shares as you can, the more the better, but try not to use the funds from China."

"I see."

Cai Chongxin is completely impressed by his boss.

God will not allow the boss to not become the richest man in the world.

The next day, the media reported the meeting between Apple CEO Cook and Feiyu Group's Cao Yu, and announced that in order to enter the Chinese market, Apple may cancel the 30% Apple tax in China.

A single stone caused a thousand ripples. Software companies in North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea and other places all jumped out and demanded that Apple cancel their charges as well.

Under such circumstances, Apple's stock price plummeted 3% that day, and its market value evaporated by more than billion.

As the incident escalated, Apple's stock price fell to US$34 per share in less than a week.

Feiyu Investment took this opportunity to slowly acquire Apple's shares. A few days later, Apple also began to buy back its own shares.

Some investors on Wall Street with a keen sense of smell suddenly realized that this might be a trap and began to buy Apple shares. Soon, Apple's stock price rose to more than US$45 again.

However, Cao Yu has already obtained 3.8% of Apple's shares. With this operation, he earned more than billion US dollars in just one month.

However, his acquisitions continue as the boss's goal is to exceed 5%.

China.

Cao Yu and Yang Shuxue chatted while drinking wine: "Shuxue, this friendly match was played well. The Huanyu team is very strong now. Do you have the confidence to get good results in this year's Asian Champions League?"

The match between Yanjing Huanyu and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid was held at the Bird's Nest. Although the most expensive ticket cost more than 800 yuan and the cheapest was 180 yuan, it still attracted 90,000 fans from all over the country to watch.

Now Atletico Madrid is just like the Rockets back then. The Chinese people have already regarded it as their own team.

Atletico Madrid, who fielded all their main players in this match, also gave face to the Huanyu team. The two teams tied 5:3. Although they won the game, the goal battle was very exciting for the audience.

Yang Shuxue took a sip of red wine from her red lips: "It doesn't matter what place we get in the AFC Champions League. The main thing is that since the Huanyu team won the championship last year, the company's performance has increased by 10%."

"Shu Xue, you know the movie 'Wulin Wai Zhuan' is going to be released soon. There's a line in it that says that the housing market is somewhat disproportionate to people's income, and something bad is going to happen sooner or later. I suggest that in two years, we should start doing real estate, such as hotels, cinemas, holiday villas, etc."

“Not in real estate?”

Yang Shuxue was a little surprised. The real estate industry has developed very well in the past two years. The price of houses in Yanjing has risen to 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per square meter, and it will continue to rise.

Except for Yanjing, houses in other first- and second-tier cities are selling very well. Sometimes, the houses are almost sold out as soon as the pit is dug, and many people are rushing to buy them with money. It's such a good business, why not do it?
Moreover, the company's annual turnover is in the hundreds of billions. Does it think that the annual dividends of nearly several billion are too little?
Although her little man's suggestions were always insightful, Yang Shuxue felt that his suggestion this time was not very good.

Cao Yu nodded solemnly: "We will have to stop in three to five years at most, and we will gradually reduce the proportion of real estate in our industry in the next two years."

"I'll think about it, dear."

Yang Shuxue agreed perfunctorily. In the past two years, she has been the richest woman in China, and she really couldn't bear to give up the most profitable real estate.

She then joked, "I heard that Facebook's stock price has risen to US$38, and your net worth has increased by another US$15.7 billion. Do you think this little money in China is not worth it?"

"Really not." Cao Yu said: "I'm just worried that the real estate bubble will burst sooner or later."

“It hasn’t exploded yet.”

Yang Shuxue didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, so she leaned on Cao Yu and said, "You don't think I'm old, so you want to find an excuse to have less contact with me in the future?"

"My Shu Xue still has the charm, she doesn't look old at all."

Cao Yu touched her face and said, "You are still the same as when we first met."

Then he picked her up and said, "Let's go to bed early. I have to go to the grassland to attend the opening ceremony of "Mulan" tomorrow."

"With your current status, you still go to the opening ceremony? It seems that you love your girlfriend Sissi very much."

"Don't be jealous..."

……

"Personal Tailor" was completed in early June, and the crew also took a few days off, waiting for Boss Cao to come back to do the editing and special effects.

Anyway, this movie is scheduled to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday, so there is plenty of time.

Feiyu's films for this year have basically been completed, with only "Lost in Thailand" and "Mulan" left.

The second one is the movie with the largest investment today.

Cao Yu also informed Singularity that if the novel IP was to be sold, his consent must be obtained.

With Singularity, there will be an endless supply of material to be brought to the screen in the future.

On June 9th, on the vast grassland, flags were flying, drums of war were thundering, two thousand soldiers were lined up in a group rehearsal, and one thousand grassland warriors were waving scimitars, ready to start a fight.

For the movie "Mulan", the crew created more than 2,000 sets of armor, rented more than 3,000 horses, and all the war scenes were shot live. These scenes alone cost more than 50 million.

However, at this moment, between the two groups, Boss Cao was singing loudly in front of the camera.

"When talking about love and hate, we can't be careless. The drums of war keep beating. With trust, I swear that I will endure..."

Linghua on the side immediately sang: "This fate is like a bridge, with flags fluttering. If you want to leave, please draw your sword immediately..."

After the opening ceremony, the film has not officially started shooting yet, and the theme song MV of the movie has to be shot first.

"This song written by Mr. Cao is grand and majestic, full of the joy of the battlefield, which is very suitable for this play. Although he is getting richer and richer, his talent is still as great as before..."

This time, Zhang Yimou turned into an MV director and personally created this song for Cao Yu.

In the entire entertainment industry, perhaps only Boss Cao can enjoy such treatment.

Liu Yifei, dressed in military uniform, was riding on a horse, looking at the men in the two camps with love in her eyes.

For this movie of mine, my lover wrote the lyrics and composed the music again, and even sang the theme song herself. It was all because of me.

After shooting the MV, Zhang Yimou said on the intercom: "Begin..."

"kill!"

Suddenly, thousands of people roared in unison, and the entire grassland was filled with galloping horses, with the thundering sound of horse hooves reaching the sky.

The first battle scene of the movie officially started shooting.

"Sissi still looks so beautiful riding a horse..."

Cao Yu sat on the grass, admiring Liu Yifei's heroic figure riding a horse.

"I don't know what the crew who used people as horses were thinking..."

(End of this chapter)