Chapter 820: Chapter 343: Sunken Ship_3

So this parallel operating model won’t affect the outside, especially not Xingyu’s reputation.

If they really want to grow big and separate from Xingyu, that’s fine too–they can either redeem the studio’s equity or buy out their own brokerage contracts.

Su Huai has no urge to hold anyone hostage; there’s no need for that. As long as they follow the terms of the contract, they can walk away anytime.

However, once they leave Xingyu, they also lose their preferential privileges. Whether they can still stand firm afterward is a different story entirely.

Su Huai and Cheng Yixiao chatted until nearly one o’clock. They didn’t drink much, barely flirted with the girls, but their conversation was particularly satisfying.

“Then here’s to a pleasant collaboration!”

“Not just a pleasant collaboration. Chatting with Brother Cheng was enjoyable too. We’re both in Imperial Capital, so let’s meet up often. If there’s no time for big gatherings, even small ones are great.”

“Alright, alright, absolutely. I’ll ping you on WeChat!”

Cheng Yixiao was pretty straightforward, but no matter how sincere this sounded, it was useless–they were both way too busy.

Chen Xing, on the other hand, was thoroughly ignored, though he didn’t mind; he played happily with the girls anyway.

After the event wrapped up, everyone headed home. Chen Xing even threw Su Huai a hint before leaving: “The asset bundle from Wang Minjian’s side isn’t worth it–it’s full of pitfalls. Treat this as drunken talk; I won’t admit to it tomorrow.”

“Got it, thanks, Brother Xing. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Once the other party drove off, Su Huai’s smile gradually faded, and he shook his head.

This bunch of rich boys–none of them are worth forming close ties with…

Still, the next day, he had no choice but to deal with yet another super rich kid–Wang hurried back to Imperial Capital, all flustered and frantic.

With Gu Jiuyue’s money backing him, Su Huai was naturally unruffled; his tone was full of confidence during their conversation.

Mr. Wang seemed genuinely desperate for cash and let him in on some insider details.

“Your 1 billion isn’t enough–I still have to scrape together more from outside. Help me out here; everything else is negotiable.”

The exact meaning of ‘help me out’ was to raise his valuation.

Why do people always say that investments are filled with traps?

This situation is a prime example.

Su Huai readily agreed: “Alright, I’ll help you bring the valuation up to 5 billion. How are you going to thank me?”

“The 12% repurchase guarantee isn’t enough?!”

“Not enough.”

Su Huai shook his head frankly, utterly indifferent to how wide Wang’s eyes went or how hard he gritted his teeth.

“Fine!” Wang snapped viciously. “But Yuji’s onboarding fees and salaries can’t increase anymore. Both the internal team and investors are aware of this. Later, based on the number of people your guild brings in, I’ll give you an additional 5% turnover bonus, okay?”

“Now we’re talking.”

Su Huai was finally satisfied, having squeezed Mr. Wang until he was practically dizzy.

An additional 5% above the previous baseline–what does that look like?

When users spend 100 yuan, Xingyu takes 75 yuan, the platform keeps 25, and the platform still must provide various promotional rewards.

If they’re running an event, it’s highly likely the platform will only recoup 15 yuan, with the remainder all going to Xingyu.

Essentially, the platform makes a spectacle, while all the benefits are pocketed by Xingyu.

From this perspective, Mr. Wang indeed has a clear goal. He’s always been focused on going public and never once considered building Panda into a healthy self-sustaining ecosystem.

This is typical. The current internet mindset as a whole operates like this–burn money to capture the market, secure financing, go public, continue burning through cash, wait out the lock-in period, and cash out quickly.

What happens if they can’t make it to the lock-in period?

Not a single person playing this game believes they won’t make it that far.

From the moment they step onto the gambling table, they’re convinced they’ll win.

So, why should fake prosperity matter?

As long as it looks like a grand success externally, who the hell cares whether it’s real or fake?

The only ones who probably care are the investors who bought into the bubble~~~

The final contract they hammered out was extremely straightforward.

Xingyu invested 1 billion and obtained a 20% stake in Panda at a valuation of 5 billion.

The guaranteed minimum agreement stipulated a 5-year timeline. If they fail to go public within 5 years, they must calculate interest on the 1 billion at an annual compound rate of 12%, accumulating until the payment date.

In addition, a strategic partnership agreement was signed between Xingyu and Panda. It stipulated that all costs for onboarding streamers would be borne by Panda, with strict penalties for any delayed salaries–daily interest of 0.015%–and ensured Xingyu exclusive privileges on Panda.

Of course, the contract also outlined Xingyu’s turnover KPI–responsibilities matched privileges, after all.

But for Su Huai, this was ridiculously easy. The performance metrics they wanted? No problem, he’d deliver them. Costs? Those didn’t even exist.

With this matter settled, Xingyu’s explosive growth in 2017 effectively kicked into full gear.

Looking ahead, the path was completely clear–not a single obstacle could be spotted in the visible distance.

No wait, there was one–Jin Yucheng’s lousy guild, which had recently stopped poaching employees and charged onto the Dog Star Platform, acting all aggressive as if planning to rival Xingyu.

Then came the 18th, Big Sister Yu’s birthday. Starting that morning, some big shots went crazy throwing money around, turning half of the live-streaming channels into titles like “Congratulations to Golden Jade Guild for entering Dog Star.”

When Su Huai heard the report, he was stunned.

Huh?

Brother Jin’s moves were this bold?

A ship that’s about to sink, and you smash millions the moment you board it–what, you planning to sabotage my darling daughter’s birthday celebration tonight?

Su Huai honestly didn’t intend to laugh, but when he secretly visited their streamers’ channels and saw them all raring to go, ready to fight hard, he couldn’t help himself after all.

Tonight’s scene–oh, this is going to be so much fun…

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