Chapter Twenty-Eight: Three Years Later

Three years later, at the headquarters of Galaxy Investment in Yanjing, Li Jie was reviewing the company's recent documents. His secretary entered to remind him that it was time for the meeting. The year-end reports from all divisions had been prepared, and everyone was ready in the conference room, waiting for Li Jie to preside over the proceedings.

When Li Jie walked into the conference room, everyone stood up in unison to welcome him. Li Jie gestured for them to be seated and took his place at the head of the table.

"Everyone has worked hard. Today is our annual year-end report. On behalf of the group and myself, I would like to thank you for your diligent efforts throughout the year. I hope you will achieve even greater success in the coming year and that everyone will be richly rewarded. Without further ado, let us begin the reports."

...

"Mr. Lu, the lines I oversee have shown incredibly strong momentum this year. Through acquisitions and mergers, MusicOnline has completed its initial resource integration within the industry. Our copyright holdings are now unrivaled among similar companies. Our market capitalization has grown from $5 billion to $7 billion, and we are currently planning an IPO. In the online music sector, we have essentially no competitive rivals."

...

"Regarding internet ride-hailing software, among the companies we invested in, Renren Travel saw the departure of its CTO, Wang Jianxin, due to internal strife among the founders. To mitigate risk, we opted not to follow up on the Series C financing. The internal turmoil caused by staff turnover has now largely subsided; whether we continue to invest will depend on the market performance in the first quarter of next year.

"Dazhong Travel currently holds the highest market share. After achieving full coverage in first- and second-tier cities, it has quickly launched an expansion plan into third- and fourth-tier cities. It is currently locked in a fierce battle for market share with Happy Travel in the online transport sector. Since we are invested in both companies, we plan to facilitate a merger between them. Preliminary negotiations are underway, and we intend to execute a merger in the transport sector next year, integrating them under the 'Hurricane Plan' drafted by the Strategic Development Department."

...

"Mr. Lu, I am mainly responsible for the fast-moving consumer goods industry. Fenghua Liquor, which we invested in earlier, is currently expanding rapidly nationwide by leveraging the group’s existing channels. The market response to our flagship customized liquor series has been excellent, with shipment volume in the second half of the year increasing by 300% compared to the same period last year. Given our healthy cash flow, we have continued to increase advertising investment while keeping it within a safe and reasonable ratio. We expect to complete the construction of our three-tier offline distribution system by the second half of next year—or the first half of 2015 at the latest—eventually transitioning away from group channels to independent development."

...

"In terms of beverages, Tianlu Beverage continues to maintain its lead in the fruit-flavored drink market. Additionally, the NFC beverages newly developed by Tianlu this year have completed their trial production, and the recruitment of distributors is largely finished. The demand from regional distributors for these new drinks has exceeded our expectations. According to authoritative market research, the new NFC beverages, branded as the 'Weather Series,' are expected to dominate market trends next year. We currently plan to increase advertising investment and launch market incentive programs early to support their rollout."

...

"Mr. Lu, regarding the lines I oversee, White Wave continues to maintain high-speed development. Since the launch of its microblogging platform, it has seen consecutive daily-limit gains in the stock market. At the same time, it is conducting small-scale mergers and acquisitions, and its development trajectory is excellent. Since entering the gaming sector in 2011, the online player count for the games we have developed and distributed has hit record highs. Gaming now accounts for 20% of total revenue and is growing rapidly. Given the strong surge of mobile internet, we are currently planning a transition from PC to mobile platforms. Overall, the financial status is very healthy.

"Meanwhile, Qian-Du continues to lead in the domestic search engine sector. With the group’s mediation, overseas market expansion is progressing steadily. Promotional efforts in Japan, South Korea, and other countries within the Han cultural sphere are going very smoothly as we gradually encroach upon their search engine markets. We expect to reach the goal of becoming the market leader in those countries by 2016."

...

"Mr. Lu, in the pan-entertainment sector I oversee, since the group acquired the copyright to a national-level comic franchise from the United States in 2010, we have immediately proceeded with IP development. We have completed the production and release of 10 films, which have taken the world by storm. The costs of the acquisition were fully recouped by the middle of this year. According to authoritative foreign ratings, the market value of the Damu Company has quadrupled since the 2010 acquisition, and we do not rule out the possibility of continued rapid growth.

"Domestically, through the acquisition and construction of cinema chains since 2010, Kuaibo Film is now the country's largest cinema operator. With screens in first- and second-tier cities reaching saturation, we plan to focus our efforts on third- and fourth-tier cities next year, adding 200 new locations by year-end. In film production, we invested in 30 films this year, all of which were released in theaters, generating a total revenue of 1 billion—a 50% increase compared to last year. The program to support new directors is progressing steadily; this area is currently operating at a loss, but 200 million of our film investment income came from new directors who emerged last year. Overall, we have not deviated from the cultural entertainment development plan set by the group."

...

"Mr. Lu, in the mobile internet sector I oversee, Dianda Food Delivery has completed full coverage of first- and second-tier cities nationwide this year, and holds the largest market share in third- and fourth-tier cities. Since our lead investment in the first round in 2010, we have continued to invest through subsequent rounds. The company has been burning cash, but based on financial data from the fourth quarter of this year, we expect it to achieve self-sufficiency by next year, eliminating the need for external funding. We suggest gradually reducing our holdings after the IPO plan is completed; long-term holding is not recommended."

...

"In the social networking field, WW Voice is expanding rapidly. With the support of the group’s channels, we have reached 300 million registered users and 50 million monthly active users, 10 million of whom are paying users. We are currently striving to challenge the industry leader, Penguin. We are in discussions with other internet companies invested in by our group, intending to leverage our collective resources to complete this overtaking plan. Future developments are worth watching; once we break through the blockade, it will continue to feed back into the group, achieving a win-win situation."

...

"Mr. Lu, regarding the R&D department I oversee, after several years of heavy capital investment, Huewen Semiconductor finally independently developed the new generation Fire Phoenix chip this year. Its performance has reached a world-leading level. We expect the company to shed its status as a 'money pit' next year, after which we will continue to invest profits into basic research fields."

...

The reporting meeting lasted from the morning until late at night. Today was merely a summary to keep Li Jie informed; more detailed reports would be presented at the group headquarters a week later, a process expected to last two weeks. Everyone grabbed quick, casual meals throughout the day.

After the meeting, Li Jie rubbed his throbbing temples. Looking down, he saw it was already 2:00 AM. As the number of industries he was involved in grew, the reporting meetings became longer. Fortunately, professional managers handled these trivial matters daily, and he only attended important work meetings; otherwise, he would have no spare time at all.

Li Jie felt increasingly confused. Three years ago, after his proposal and upon graduation from university, he held a wedding with Geng Geng. Yet, three years had passed, and the system had still not signaled that the task was complete. It wasn't just in matters of love; his relationship with Lu Changzheng in terms of family was also very harmonious. Li Jie actually quite enjoyed this life and did not want the system to prompt his return. However, the questions in his heart remained unanswered. He hoped that upon completing his first task, he would be able to figure out how the system worked.