"President Chen, when are we returning home?"
Liu Weimin found Chen Pingjiang and asked.
The group had already stayed in Korea for three days, with no developments.
Many were quite puzzled.
The initial negotiations had ended in failure, so why weren't they leaving yet?
Chen Pingjiang smiled and said,
"What, isn't it good to let you experience the feeling of paid leave?"
"It's good, but receiving this money makes me a bit uneasy."
With no work to do every day, just eating, drinking, having fun, going out for walks, and getting paid for free, how could it not be good?
The group had no idea what trick Chen Pingjiang was up to.
Even from their perspective, they felt that the possibility of Renren.com wanting to be the agent for DNF was close to zero.
However, unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better on the fifth day.
Li Shixin of Neople proactively contacted Chen Pingjiang through an intermediary, expressing willingness to hold further discussions with Renren.com.
As soon as Chen Pingjiang heard it, he knew the deal was done.
The chaebol Samsung lived up to its reputation.
After all, in Korea, people's lives, from birth to death, were controlled by chaebols.
In his previous life, Tencent originally had no confidence in the agency deal until they later went through Samsung.
Currently, Chen Pingjiang was ahead of Tencent.
When they returned to the familiar meeting room, Li Shixin and his entourage had a changed attitude towards Chen Pingjiang, becoming more amiable.
"Chairman Chen, after our last meeting, our company's senior management unanimously agreed that your company showed the most sincerity and all hope to establish a cooperative relationship with your company."
Li Shixin no longer put on airs.
Since their American masters and Samsung masters had already given their nod, could Neople, as a puppet, still say no?
Before Chen Pingjiang could speak, the other members of his negotiation team beside him looked surprised, their mouths wide enough to swallow a whole tea-marbled egg.
What's going on?
In just a few days, the attitude was completely different.
Did President Chen cast some magic spell?
But Chen Pingjiang hadn't been seen going out these past few days.
Chen Pingjiang smiled and raised an eyebrow:
"Then what about the two proposals your company put forward last time?"
Li Shixin smiled a little awkwardly:
"Not needed, not needed. President Chen's sincerity has already shown your determination. We believe no company would spend such a large sum only to fail to operate it properly in the end, right? What's the difference between that and throwing money into the water?"
"As President Chen said, Shanda Games had no relevant experience before becoming the agent for 'Legend,' yet 'Legend' still became a hit game. Moreover, Renren.com, under President Chen, is a very promising social networking site with excellent promotional channels. We believe you possess considerable strength."
Good heavens, that change of face was really damn quick.
Before Chen Pingjiang could even speak, Li Shixin had already found excuses for him.
The old problems were no longer problems!
The old problems now all had solutions!
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
Such things are unimaginable in normal sovereign states, but in Korea's distorted society, they are a real existence.
There was once a vivid example.
Two American soldiers went to a Korean restaurant.
There were no seats, so the American soldiers told Koreans to stand up and give up their seats.
They first approached a pair of Chinese tourists, but after the Chinese tourists revealed their identity, the American soldiers repeatedly said "SORRY," and finally approached a table of Korean couples next to them, telling them to give up their seats and get out.
Absurd, isn't it?
Moreover, countless cases of rape by American soldiers occur annually within Korea, yet no soldier is ever heard of being legally punished.
Korea's wartime operational command authority is still held by the commander of the US Forces Korea, not by the Korean president; successive Korean presidents have all met unfortunate ends, and behind this, there is also the shadow of the United States... it is impossible for Korea to be without American penetration.
Samsung's influence in Korea is even more inconceivable.
Can you believe that a single chaebol's sales can account for a quarter of a country's annual GDP?
No matter how serious the crimes committed by the group's leaders, the final outcome is always a special pardon.
Iron-clad Samsung, fleeting Korean presidents.
Some jokingly say there are three unavoidable things in Koreans' lives: death, taxes, and Samsung.
With Neople's concession, everything else proceeded smoothly.
In the latter half of the meeting, both parties conducted detailed discussions on cooperation terms, market promotion, technical support, and other matters.
Over the next few days, both parties smoothly and quickly finalized various details and signed the agency contract.
The speed was so fast that Liu Weimin couldn't even react.
Liu Weimin, who had long been engaged in international business negotiations, knew very well how long normal detailed negotiations would take; they typically started at half a year.
But why was it so fast this time...?
This President Chen, who looked incredibly young, possessed extraordinary influence.
After returning to the hotel, Chen Pingjiang found Shen Nanpeng, and immediately gave him a thumbs up upon meeting.
"Old Shen, awesome! The contract is finalized, it was so smooth I find it incredible."
Shen Nanpeng chuckled,
"That's how Korea is. Actually, Tencent was also exerting pressure on Neople through Samsung, but their level wasn't as high as ours."
Chen Pingjiang nodded and continued,
"The next step is setting up servers, game promotion, and building sales channels for game cards. Oh, and later, you'll need to help me recruit some people specialized in game development."
Shen Nanpeng changed the subject:
"Renren.com paid 100 million RMB this time. Including subsequent game promotion, you don't have much capital left, do you? Are you about to conduct a Series B funding round?"
Chen Pingjiang gave Shen Nanpeng a deep look:
"Not that fast yet. The advertising fees from various manufacturers collaborating with Renren Parking Grab have been returning successively, so our financial situation is quite healthy. Once the game is launched, funding will be even less of an issue. However, I want to build a data center in Dongjiang."
Internet Data Center (IDC) is a sub-field of internet infrastructure, a computer room equipped with servers and network connection devices, serving as a carrier for data storage, analysis, and computation.
In the internet era, various internet application content and data are generated on user devices, transmitted through communication networks, and stored in data centers.
As Renren.com's network traffic continuously increases, the demand for centralized placement and maintenance of equipment and resources like servers, hosts, and outbound bandwidth has surged.
Coupled with Chen Pingjiang's personal emphasis on data security, building their own data center is quite necessary.
Most importantly, this relates to Renren.com's next strategic plan.
Once Renren Farm goes online, with its popularity four to five times that of Renren Parking Grab, Renren.com's current server capacity will be completely unable to hold up.
DNF will also require a large number of servers.
Chen Pingjiang doesn't want to follow Tencent's old path and let DNF lag like crazy.
As Renren.com stores more and more videos and pictures, the current number of servers is becoming increasingly insufficient.
Of course, with the advent of the internet era, new concepts like cloud computing and big data will also be on the horizon in the near future.
Currently, Renren.com's server room has reached a point where it must expand, but due to limitations in space, electricity, and other factors, expansion is very difficult.
Therefore, building a data center is a logical necessity.
Shen Nanpeng was startled:
"What scale do you plan to build? If it's a general scale, acquiring land, buildings, and various licensed hardware facilities would cost at least eight figures, or even hundreds of millions."
"The first phase should have at least 1,000 racks,"
Chen Pingjiang thought for a moment and said.
Shen Nanpeng was practically dizzy with what this young master in front of him was planning to do.
First developing games, and now wanting to build a data center.
Chen Pingjiang smiled and said,
"Don't look at me like that. Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba are all building data centers. For social platforms, security is paramount, and virtual property in online games will also be involved in the future."
Shen Nanpeng nodded:
"You're right. I'm not trying to stop you; on the contrary, I'll have my opportunity when you run out of money."
Venture capitalists fear companies that aren't short on cash, otherwise they can't get a piece of the pie.
These companies that clearly look profitable but have no entry points are often the biggest headache for them.
For a high-quality company like Renren.com, Shen Nanpeng truly dared to invest heavily.
But conversely, when encountering some junk companies, don't expect to get a single cent from his pocket.
The capital market is just that cruel and real.
After exchanging views with Shen Nanpeng, Chen Pingjiang attended the private party hosted by Li Shixin as scheduled.
Ostensibly, it was to celebrate the successful signing between Renren.com and Neople, but in reality, Li Shixin also intended to win over Chen Pingjiang.
The party was held at a private villa on a hillside in Seoul.
What Chen Pingjiang didn't expect was to encounter some familiar faces at the party.
Initially, he wondered why he was seeing acquaintances in a foreign land.
Later, after thinking about it, he couldn't help but chuckle.
These were just some of the local idols who later became hugely popular.
This was not news in Korea.
Many such cases had been exposed.
Most Korean entertainers, regardless of gender, have almost all faced numerous irresistible unspoken rules such as slave contracts, low income, serving the powerful and wealthy, accompanying for drinks and sex, forced plastic surgery, and weight loss.
Some, unable to bear the pressure, even chose suicide.
While popular groups from the three major entertainment agencies were less involved, there were plenty of idols of lesser industry status.
For example, Zhang Ziyan, who in her suicide note, accused her agency of using her as a tool for social networking since she entered the industry, forcing her to accompany for drinks and sex, with her clients all being powerful and influential figures.
She said she was forcibly required to attend countless drinking parties, during which she was subjected to sexual harassment and abuse by multiple people, and was forced to sleep with 31 individuals over 100 times.
Such experiences could not even be avoided on the anniversary of her parents' death, and she would be beaten if she refused.
To ensure the powerful figures had their fun, she was even forced to undergo sterilization surgery...
Another example is Korean actress Li Enzhu, who was presented to powerful and influential figures for entertainment and amusement whenever her agency had social needs.
She was only 25 when she committed suicide, at the peak of her popularity but unable to endure the torment.
In her suicide note, she wrote:
"There's no point in continuing to live. I don't feel like a human anymore!"
Over 60% of female entertainers had been asked to accompany for sex, and over 45% had been asked to accompany for drinks.
Figures from the political and business circles, as well as industry bigwigs, could manipulate them at will.
Li Shixin's current effusive behavior towards Chen Pingjiang made Chen Pingjiang himself a bit fed up.
He grandly introduced Chen Pingjiang:
"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Chen is a true business star of China. At only twenty years old, he already owns his own business empire, and his net worth has reached 500 billion Korean Won."
As Li Shixin's words fell, Chen Pingjiang felt that the idols' gazes at him had changed, as if they wanted to devour him alive.
(End of chapter)