Chapter 225: Chapter 225 Turning the Tide
"Furthermore, you should know how large our Penguin's QQ and WeChat user base is. If we channel traffic to Yunhai Literature, imagine how many people would switch to Yunhai Literature. Add to that the welfare benefits we're offering, which are far better than what Shengda Literature can provide. What can you possibly compete with us?" Han Jun further pressured.
At this, Huang Chi and the other shareholders' expressions grew even uglier.
Penguin was splashing out so much cash; they truly couldn't withstand it.
If the acquisition talks really broke down and Penguin Investments went ahead and acquired Yunhai Literature, pouring in that much money...
By then, Shengda Literature's market value would definitely shrink, and sharply at that.
Those wanting to cash out and exit would find it not so easy, and the price would definitely be low, possibly even cut in half.
Thinking this way, they actually felt that five billion was already a good deal.
The major shareholders looked at each other and quickly made a decision—to agree to the acquisition.
Qiu Wenyu noticed the others' movements and spoke first, "Mr. Han, what you claim may not be achievable. The online literature industry cannot merely thrive on money. From building a website to assembling editorial and operations teams, cultivating reader habits, etc., there's a great deal of uncertainty. A single misstep in any of these phases may result in total failure.
If you think that by investing a few billion, you can crush Shengda Literature, you're seriously underestimating us and our industry."
His words cooled down the major shareholders.
They had been intimidated, and they really shouldn't have been.
Qiu Wenyu was right; the online literature industry isn't something money alone can dominate.
Over the years, Shengda Literature had faced many rivals.
Though none were as strong as Penguin, they weren't short of money.
Yet in the end, none managed to surpass Shengda Literature.
After years of competition, Shengda Literature still stood at the pinnacle.
All of those rivals had been defeated by Shengda Literature due to various problems; some had even gone bankrupt.
Han Jun sighed.
He was about to thoroughly intimidate Huang Chi and the others. Judging from the looks on their faces, he knew they were ready to sell their shares.
But Qiu Wenyu's words turned the tables.
It had to be said, Qiu Wenyu really was a talent.
"President Qiu, others may not be able to do it, but we at Penguin Investments can!" Han Jun stated assertively.
"President Han Jun, we shall wait and see," Qiu Wenyu retorted strongly.
What he had said was indeed true.
With Penguin entering the fray and throwing in two and a half billion, it would definitely cause trouble for Shengda Literature.
But to say they could defeat Shengda Literature just with this money was not certain.
The online literature industry isn't that simple.
In fact, no industry is that simple. Not all can strengthen and grow a company to be the leader in its field just with money.
If that were the case, big capital would firmly lock down the industry's voice, preventing the rise of so many new companies.
Penguin wouldn't have been strangled at the start.
And there wouldn't be the current Penguin business empire, the internet overlord.
The negotiation had up to now been in Han Jun's favor, but Qiu Wenyu, with his own strength, had turned the situation around, making the sides equally matched.
Under the circumstances with neither side giving in, today's negotiation came to an end.
Both parties understood that such negotiations couldn't be settled in one go.
Both sides went back and forth, a battle of wits and words—it was unclear how many rounds of negotiation had to be endured.
Han Jun was not in a hurry; after looking at the time, he decided they would talk again next time and left with his team.
Qiu Wenyu accompanied by the other shareholders, saw Han Jun and his entourage out the door.
Although the two sides had just been locked in a fierce debate over their respective interests at the negotiation table, once the negotiations were over, they maintained proper decorum.
At Victory Literature, it was only right for Qiu Wenyu and others to see Han Jun and his group off.
As he watched Han Jun's party drive away, Qiu Wenyu turned to the fellow shareholders and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are in this together. I understand your desire to make money, but we must hold our ground, not be swayed by Han Jun. Otherwise, we will be the ones to suffer."
Huang Chi was the first to express his stance, "President Qiu, you're right. I was almost taken in by Han Jun's talk earlier, and I'm thankful you stepped in just in time. Otherwise, I would have really fallen for his tactics. For the upcoming negotiations, I'll let you take the lead and I'll try to keep silent."
He indeed felt a bit guilty for his earlier behavior.
If they had really agreed to Han Jun's terms, they would have suffered a big loss.
He realized he was far outmatched in this area, and it was best not to interfere too much. Unless absolutely necessary, he should stay out of it.
"President Qiu, we feel the same. We were irrational just now, but thankfully we had you."
"President Qiu, it's all on you for the next round of negotiations."
"I share the same sentiment. From now on, you will handle the negotiations, and we will keep silent."
"We're all in this together. I'm sure, President Qiu, that you can negotiate a price that will satisfy us all."
The other shareholders spoke one after another, supporting Qiu Wenyu.
These shareholders still felt a sense of relief.
If they had agreed to Han Jun's terms, the loss would have been real.
They had witnessed Qiu Wenyu's negotiation prowess.
He managed to hold his ground, neither servile nor overbearing, against Han Jun—the top man at Penguin Investment and second in command at Penguin Group—turning an unfavorable situation around.
Leaving Qiu Wenyu to lead the negotiations and speaking less themselves was undoubtedly the right choice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your trust in me. However, I must say, if you do trust me, we shouldn't let Penguin proceed with the acquisition. Victory Literature is the industry leader, and our future development will only improve. If you continue to hold onto your shares, the future returns will be even greater," Qiu Wenyu once again tried to persuade them.
He had already tried to do so before, but the others had not listened, leading to these negotiations.
"President Qiu, let's not talk about that. We should focus on making Han Jun raise his purchase offer."
"Just now, Han Jun said, if he can't acquire Victory Literature, he'll buy Yundai Literature or establish a new website."
"With Penguin Investment's top-level capital and their hefty funding, even if Victory Literature can withstand it, the impact would likely be quite substantial. It's uncertain whether our stocks would be as valuable as they are now."
"That's why we think it's better to cash out and exit."
Huang Chi had already made up his mind to cash out and exit, so he naturally wouldn't listen to Qiu Wenyu's persuasion.
"President Qiu, Han Jun has a point. If we don't allow Penguin to acquire us, we'll become their enemy. That would put us in a precarious situation."
"President Qiu, we'd better concentrate on increasing the purchase price."
"I feel the same way. I don't want to be an enemy of Penguin and end up without even a drop of soup to drink."
"Exactly, we can still make a decent profit if we exit now. If we don't, we might face losses—after so many years, I certainly don't want to exit with losses."
The leading shareholders echoed Huang Chi's views, firm in their resolve to exit.
"Alright," Qiu Wenyu said with a helpless wry smile.
"Okay, President Qiu, think about how we can get Han Jun to increase his offer to prepare for the next negotiation. We'll be taking our leave now."
After exchanging greetings with Qiu Wenyu, Huang Chi and the others left.