Chapter 279: The Crystal of the Rear Area

The reporters on the scene were instantly left speechless—

It seems, perhaps, should... indeed be so?

"Since you all already know Zhou Yi like this, why do you still want to hear negative comments about him from me?" Sun Yanzi asked back with a grin.

If what these media outlets say is true, then she, holding Singaporean nationality, clearly belongs to the category of outsiders—

Hmm?

No, almost got tricked!

Was that the question we asked you?! How did you go and switch the subject?

"Alright, alright, the interview time is over. Please make way, reporters. Yanzi is heading into the hotel; she rushed over to catch a flight and is very tired now."

Having given the reporters a bit of interview time but not too much, Chen Zeshan took the lead, opening a path for Sun Yanzi with his bodyguards while still saying the lines, "Interview time is over, please forgive us."

Sun Yanzi is not like Zhou Yi; she still needs to maintain good relations with these media outlets.

"That's not right. When did Sun Yanzi become so sharp? She almost tricked all of us with her opening remark."

The reporters, whose interview time had been dodged by Sun Yanzi's counter-question, slapped their foreheads, utterly baffled.

"She's so close to Zhou Yi; close to vermilion, one gets stained red; close to ink, one gets stained black. Not surprising—

"Hmm? Wait a minute. By saying that, does she mean she was already influenced by Zhou Yi long ago?"

Suddenly realizing this possibility, the reporters shivered, exchanging glances, unable to determine for a moment whether Sun Yanzi was just teasing them on the spot to dodge the interview duration or... seizing the opportunity to declare sovereignty?

"Where would I get the guts for that?"

The Imperial Capital, outside the airport.

Chen Hao, wearing a white T-shirt paired with jeans, leaned against her red Mazda. Facing Zhou Yi's joke, she shrugged noncommittally: "My dad woke up and wanted to thank you. Otherwise, how could a lazy person like me possibly come to the airport to pick you up at this time?"

"So polite, Uncle?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You all go ahead first; I'll head home to adjust to the time difference." Before getting into the Mazda, Zhou Yi turned his head and instructed Qian Jiang and the others.

After getting in the car, Chen Hao started the engine and turned the steering wheel: "You were quite impressive abroad this time."

"Not bad, just too many demons and monsters. Fortunately, I, this Tang Seng, slipped away quickly."

"Didn't that British man named Jason Statham kill you?"

"Then you're underestimating me. After all, I never play deception. Besides, that woman named Kelly broke up with him long ago."

Zhou Yi chuckled lightly with a savoring tone: "I do have some bottom line, you know."

As the woman with the most explosive figure he had encountered so far, he had to admit, Kelly's impression on him was truly explosive.

Or rather, after being provoked by his strategy of playing hard to get, the subsequent feeling was another kind of wildness he had never experienced before.

"Then your bottom line is indeed very high."

Chen Hao muttered a sentence as the red Mazda passed the traffic light, driving Zhou Yi home—

"By the way, do you know Yang Lan? The female host from CCTV back in the day."

"I've heard of her, but never met her. What's up?"

"Here's the thing: she is currently seeking a buyer to take over the 10% of Sina shares she holds."

"You know, our Guiyi has gained some name in the information chains of these internet companies because of buying NetEase, after all, we are the only ones consistently buying in."

On the way, Chen Hao, as the general manager of Guiyi, calmly recounted the events that had occurred domestically during Zhou Yi's time abroad.

In May 2002, Sina, a well-known domestic internet company, suffered another severe blow to its stock price because, even after changing management, it still could not find a direction for profitability.

Wu Zheng, who had only just taken office as CEO at the end of last year, chose to resign and was preparing to sell the 10% of Sina shares he held along with his wife, Yang Lan, and was currently seeking a buyer.

Because Yang Lan had personally interacted with Sun Yanzi when signing her, Yang Lan proactively approached her good sister Sun Yanzi and asked if she could help introduce her to Chen Hao from Guiyi Investment.

Everyone in the circle now knows that when Chen Hao's father had trouble previously, Sun Yanzi used her father's channels to contact a new lead surgeon and treatment plan, even finding the hospital, making her a savior, so much so that the relationship between the two is now incredibly good.

Under these circumstances, if Yang Lan wanted to find someone to take over Sina's 10% shares, the first person who came to mind was Chen Hao, who was clearly losing money but still betting on NetEase.

Or rather, Zhou Yi.

Coincidentally, Zhou Yi still has money.

"I feel NetEase's current stock price has already fallen to rock bottom; the internet is beyond saving. There's no need for us regarding Sina—"

"No, talk, everything can be talked about. Just press the price down as low as possible."

Zhou Yi, who had finally waited for this big fish, curled a smile at the corner of his mouth: "If she wants cash, then press it down to around 15 million US dollars. If she accepts subsequent installments, 20 million US dollars is the bottom line."

Everyone in the industry knows the internet is absolutely the future trend, but no one can find a real profit point, so such large-scale equity transfers have always had a price but no market.

"Fifteen million US dollars? Do you have that much cash right now?" Chen Hao, who knew Zhou Yi's financial situation very well, originally intended to refuse, but seeing Zhou Yi so enthusiastic, the words of dissuasion that were about to leave her mouth turned into a question.

"Not right now, but in a month or two it should be about enough. Qian Jiang is already negotiating the new contract with Coca-Cola, plus I have other income."

"Installments would be easier to operate. Release the English album half a month after the World Cup ends, release the third Chinese album in October, plus concert revenue; I won't be short of money in the second half of the year."

If all else fails, Chen Hao or others can find channels to buy some football and make some quick money, after all, he personally definitely cannot touch that now.

Unlike the willing affairs between men and women, placing a huge bet on the World Cup qualifiers is a hundred percent damaging to his personal image; even if it doesn't get exposed, it's equivalent to giving people a handle on him for no reason.

He isn't money; there are quite a few people in the country who want him to fall. After all, his very existence is squeezing the market and blocking the way. Right now, it's just that his momentum is huge, and those people are forced to hide completely.

Listening to Zhou Yi's plan, Chen Hao's expression was thoughtful.

On the 20th, when Zhou Yi adjusted and flew to Taiwan, Chen Hao found Wang Xiaoyu, who had been growing and developing under Guiyi's financial funding—

"Xiaoyu, find a group of people to control Zhou Yi's reputation online. Don't make it obvious; it would affect him badly. We'll just do it quietly."

Since Zhou Yi had decided to take over Yang Lan's Sina shares, seeing some rumors about Zhou Yi online, she immediately made this decision.

Zhou Yi himself endorses Sohu, so Sohu will definitely help him control it;

NetEase is currently too busy to care for itself; even if it recovers later, Guiyi's shares in the company will be enough;

Taking over 10% of Sina, even if there is dilution later, Guiyi will be able to speak up then.

Of the four major domestic portal websites, only Tencent, which doesn't lack money, remained where she had no way to help Zhou Yi control the emergence of rumors.

"... Tencent should eventually prepare for an IPO. Since they aren't short on money, we can take our time then."

This time, borrowing on Zhou Yi's so-called "external output" efforts, Chen Hao witnessed not only the revelry of trolls but also the bottomless rumor-mongering of many.

Separated by a network cable, no one knows whether a human or a ghost lies behind it.

In that case, she might as well seize the initiative into her own hands.

Having served as general manager for so long, dealing with matters in the investment circle and the internal methods of covering up scandals in the entertainment industry, Chen Hao herself has been growing gradually, and some ideas have naturally surfaced.

Sun Yanzi saved her family; during this time in the Imperial Capital, her parents almost doted on her as if she were their second daughter.

If she could exert force through online channels, perhaps she could even cover up some of Sun Yanzi's news in the future.

Chen Hao, who had absolutely no way to intervene in traditional media, thought this, and her gaze gradually sharpened.

It seemed she had found work to do.

Watching Zhou Yi's career grow larger and larger, and seeing Sun Yanzi, who walked close to him, become increasingly famous, it was impossible for Chen Hao to claim she didn't understand what was happening in her heart.

If she wanted to guarantee the company's initial growth, those big shots she had encountered at the People's Art Theatre might also be an asset.

Although she didn't understand singing, the circle of actors, the circle of the People's Art Theatre, and Zhou Yi's circle of singers had basically no intersection except for award ceremonies and private gatherings.

But she could manage the internal affairs.

She wanted to become that Chen Zong who could truly keep up with Zhou Yi's ideas and investment pace, rather than a yes-man.

Back home, Chen Hao looked at Kelly in the computer webpage, whose figure was better than her own, moved the mouse lightly, and clicked the X.

PS:

Uh, I checked the comments from some friends recently in the backend, so let me just chat briefly.

Since the first chapter, this book has always been written in a slice-of-life style; those who have followed along should have this impression. Since I started getting recommended, I've been constantly scolded for being watery, dragging the pace, being too slow, and so on.

I accept it all, because this is an unavoidable fact of the slice-of-life genre, and I have never changed my writing style; it has always been this slice-of-life pace.

This writing style is limited by the subject matter and cannot be changed; if a slice-of-life story lacks daily life and experiences, then this book cannot be written.

Because this is a singer novel.

Pure singer novels in the Chinese entertainment industry on Qidian have almost disappeared in recent years precisely because they are very difficult to write.

A singer's career consists only of albums and promotion, with an MV added at most.

Conventionally, like Zhou Wang Taolin in the early millennium, they spent more than half the year playing, and the rest of the time finding inspiration, leading teams, making music, and handling promotion; this is also why they generally concentrated on releasing albums in the second half of the year or even at year-end.

The news appearing about them was mostly about scandals; Zhou Dong, back then, was on the news so much that no one knew how many girlfriends he changed in a year.

And if I were to imitate Sun Yanzi and others, releasing two or three albums a year, seven in three years, I wouldn't need to write this book; it would end right here...

I didn't insert any film or television dramas because those are all the same if you close your eyes; I don't want to write them. Otherwise, 01 Fengyun, 02 The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, 03 Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and then the movie New Police Story would all be seamlessly connectable.

The positioning of "singer + slice-of-life" has never changed for me.

Sun Yanzi is also the one I have written about most in daily life, so she is currently the most lively.

For the sake of the slice-of-life feel, I have done my best to plant foreshadowing within daily life for easy retrieval...

(End of this chapter)