Chapter Forty-Four: The Wager with the Horse Stronghold Chief

Where did Wu Xiang go? He found himself in quite a place.

"Zhang Jingchu, this is Wu Xiang. How are you finding 'First Intimate Contact'?" Wu Xiang sent this message to Zhang Jingchu on 0-icq, right after they'd added each other as friends.

"I finished it ages ago. Honestly, you said you'd cast me in your movie, but it's been days and you haven't reached out. Were you just messing with me?" Zhang Jingchu's reply carried a hint of reproach.

"No, I'd never go back on my word. I've truly had things to deal with, but I'll be back in a few days and then we'll get ready to start shooting," Wu Xiang replied right away.

"What exactly is so urgent? You're being all mysterious," Zhang Jingchu pressed, hoping for a straight answer.

"It's important. Right now, I'm chatting with you from the headquarters of Penguin," Wu Xiang responded. The moment he sent that, she fell silent.

Penguin's headquarters? That's right—Wu Xiang was indeed at the headquarters of Penguin, though it was nothing like the grand enterprise it would become after the turn of the century. It had taken Wu Xiang quite some time just to find the place, barely squeezing it into his holiday.

So, why go to Penguin's headquarters? This was the real reason Wu Xiang had told his classmate Huang Yi that he needed to leave: he was here to do business.

After considerable effort, Wu Xiang found the place, but was warmly received. He'd made his intentions clear from the outset: "I'm here to give you money."

Who would turn away someone bearing money? Wu Xiang was immediately treated as an honored guest, ushered to a seat and served tea. The reception room may have been humble, but the etiquette was impeccable. There were no barriers to entry either—Wu Xiang soon met the owner of Penguin, Ma Huateng.

At this point, Ma Huateng looked much the same as in Wu Xiang's memories. Perhaps it was a trait of their ethnicity, but neither seemed to age much. What Wu Xiang could clearly see, though, was that Ma Huateng was desperate.

Desperate? In the dialect of the northeast, that meant short on cash, and Ma Huateng perfectly embodied that word now. Wu Xiang couldn't think of another way to describe him.

"So, Mr. Wu, how much did you plan on giving us?" Ma Huateng asked, a bit embarrassed but taking the initiative. Wu Xiang had been preparing to play it cool, but Ma had jumped straight to the point.

To be honest, this surprised Wu Xiang. He knew a bit about Ma Huateng—strictly speaking, Ma was a second-generation rich kid, the son of a board director in a publicly listed company, and with government connections to boot. In those days, most listed companies needed such backgrounds; it was hardly unusual.

But it seemed that Ma's father's support hadn't come in the form of money—otherwise, Ma Huateng wouldn't be so desperate for funds.

Not wanting to make things too difficult, Wu Xiang pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the table. "Here's my investment proposal. Have a look."

Yet Ma Huateng didn't look right away. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Wu, you're not a venture capitalist, are you?"

"Venture capitalist? No," Wu Xiang replied honestly. It reminded him that, in Penguin's early days, Ma Huateng had been reluctant to bring in venture capital—perhaps the main reason he was so desperate now. Another reason, no doubt, was that 0-icq was growing rapidly, with soaring user numbers and mounting costs, but still hadn't found a way to make money; it was a free software, and the more it grew, the more it burned through cash.

"That's good," Ma Huateng said, then turned his attention to the proposal. As he read, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Wu Xiang knew exactly why: the document was a wager.

"Wager: I, Wu Xiang, voluntarily enter into a bet with Mr. Ma Huateng. I pledge the mainland box office earnings of my film, 'First Intimate Contact,' as the stake. If the box office exceeds ten million, I will invest 20% of my box office share into Mr. Ma's company. If it exceeds thirty million, I will invest 25%. If it surpasses one hundred million, I will invest 50% of my share…"

It was truly a wager, with everything clearly spelled out: for each box office milestone, Wu Xiang would invest a corresponding percentage, never holding more than 30% equity. There was even a side note: if the film failed to reach ten million, Wu Xiang would donate one million RMB to Ma Huateng, no strings attached. Every scenario was accounted for, but there was one more detail—the film 'First Intimate Contact' was to be promoted via 0-icq.

Of all these terms, only that clause—promotion through 0-icq—seemed to benefit Wu Xiang. The rest was essentially giving away free money. But—

"This 'First Intimate Contact'… Ah, I remember, it was a very popular online novel. But when will the film actually be released? Right now… well, our situation is…" Ma Huateng trailed off, unwilling to voice his real concern: the company's immediate problems. Even paying for server hosting was becoming a struggle.

Wu Xiang burst out laughing; he couldn't help it. To think that one of the future giants of the tech world could be so hard up! Still, it sounded as though Ma was agreeing. Wu Xiang said, "Are you worried this proposal is just empty words?"

Bluntly put, was this all just talk? Ma Huateng understood, but he couldn't afford to offend the man with the cash. He replied, "The thing is, our company is struggling to operate right now. Whether your film is a hit or not, I'm afraid we might not last until then."

Without another word, Wu Xiang produced a bank card. "There's half a million on this card. Consider it a deposit for our wager. Use it as you see fit. Once the film's box office numbers are in, we can settle up."

This was truly a generous offer—he was literally handing money over!

Ma Huateng was thrilled, but he had one question. "Mr. Wu, may I ask—why do you have such confidence in our company?"

A good question. Wu Xiang had been waiting to answer it, though he couldn't say what he was really thinking: "Because I know you'll become a titan in the future!" Instead, he said,

"'First Intimate Contact' is my novel—it’s hugely popular online. If we partner up, making this wager, I’ll add scenes to the film where the main characters use 0-icq, which means direct exposure for your software. I call this product placement. If my film is a hit, your software will get even more popular. If your software helps promote my movie, my box office numbers will be even better. It’s like we’re advertising for each other, and if it works, we both win—we’ll both be successes."

It was a lengthy explanation, and the logic was complex, but the gist was: he didn’t necessarily have faith in the company—he had faith in his film.

Ma Huateng was no fool; he got the point. "Alright! We have a deal! But I can't just take this half a million for nothing. Right now, that money is a lifeline for our company. I’ll call in the other four shareholders, and together we’ll give up 2%—that way, you’ll hold 10%. I don’t want you to be shortchanged."

A man of integrity, thought Wu Xiang.

That was Wu Xiang’s verdict on Ma Huateng, and with that, his trip to Pengcheng was an unqualified success.