Chapter 149: He Made a Killing, and I Didn’t Lose Out Either

On the speeding vehicle, Jobs occasionally glanced at the person seated in the back through the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with puzzlement.

“Mr. Jobs, you don’t need to look anymore. You haven’t mistaken the person—I’m really the one.”

“Zhang, I’m not doubting you; I’m just a bit surprised,” Jobs swallowed and said, “At your age, most people are still in school. How do you know so much?”

“In our homeland, there’s a saying: ‘Ambition knows no age,’” Zhang replied.

“As long as one is willing to learn and work hard, age is never a barrier.”

Jobs nodded, finding the phrase profoundly insightful.

They then talked about many things, including the current situations of others from their original chatroom, recent developments in the American internet scene, and potential future trends.

Jobs grew increasingly astonished. Many of Zhang Tianfeng’s predictions had already been secretly realized by Silicon Valley engineers.

Jobs had gathered information through his vast network within three days at most. How could this young man from the East know all this?

Curiosity consumed Jobs; beyond that, nothing remained but curiosity.

At seven in the evening, the vehicle stopped outside a restaurant named “Champs Elysees.”

This restaurant operated on a membership basis, only accepting applicants with assets in the tens of millions.

Upon entering, the attire of Zhang Tianfeng and his two companions inevitably drew attention from the diners.

The numerous curious glances even instilled a faint sense of intimidation in Gao Ran, who had been raised in comfort.

“Come on, it’s not like before. No need to be afraid,” Zhang said as he took the hands of Gao Ran and Yun Qian, leading them inside behind Jobs.

In a private room, Jobs took out a contract from his briefcase and pushed it toward Zhang Tianfeng.

“Mr. Zhang, thanks to your method, my animation studio has been resurrected and secured a massive investment.”

“As promised, you will receive half the shares of the animation studio.”

Pixar Animation Studios, after releasing its first 3D animated film, swiftly gained unstoppable momentum and secured enormous investments, eventually being acquired by Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion.

Half the shares amounted to $3.7 billion.

“Mr. Jobs, you are incredibly generous.”

“In our homeland’s words: ‘A gentleman’s word is as binding as a team of horses.’”

“Oh? You even know that?” Zhang raised an eyebrow with a smile.

“Of course. Recently, a rumor swept through the American retail industry, praising Chinese products as high quality and affordable. One product, in particular, boasts exceptional stress-relief capabilities.”

“Just by releasing a limited trial batch, Walmart’s pre-sale revenue exceeded $300 million. It tempted me to brush up on knowledge about China recently.”

“Wait, $300 million?” Gao Ran, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.

She had observed the negotiation process with a lady from Walmart.

By uniting six foreign delegations, they had secured $50 million in export orders for the Blue Side Toy Factory.

The largest order came from Walmart, with a total amount of $23 million.

They had only paid a small portion upfront and received tens of thousands of trial products, converting that into $300 million in liquidity.

“Ranran, Walmart is the largest supermarket chain in America, with stores in every state,” Zhang Tianfeng explained.

“A vast industrial chain grants them powerful monetization and product testing capabilities.”

Yun Qian touched her chin and asked, “Big brother, didn’t you say that the bigger the scale, the more cumbersome it gets?”

“The more products and workers involved, the higher the chance of errors and the larger the expenses. But that doesn’t negate the advantages I just mentioned.”

“Everything has two sides; it depends on how you use and control it.”

Zhang playfully flicked Yun Qian’s nose. “You have much to learn, and you’re still young. Don’t rush.”

“I’m not in a hurry. I want to learn from you and surpass you by your age.”

“All right, I’ll be waiting.”

Rubbing her small head, Zhang looked up and said, “Mr. Jobs, I can’t accept this equity agreement now. At least let me inspect your studio first, then we can discuss shares.”

“Before that, I think we can discuss a deal.”

“What deal?”

“The 3D animation you’re about to release targets teenagers, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think the popular stress-relief toy in America could appear in your animation?”

“I’ve considered it, but it seems unlikely.”

When he first heard about the toy, Jobs had tried it himself.

Not only was its stress-relief ability top-notch, but it also had some intellectual development functions.

Such a product would perfectly align with the theme of his current animation.

If he could incorporate it, it would be a powerful alliance, increasing the animation’s chance of success.

Unfortunately, Walmart had so far refused to disclose which Chinese businessman sold the toy.

“There’s no impossibility—I am the developer of that toy.”

“What?” This time, Jobs was shocked.

Zhang pulled out a photocopy of the patent application he had prepared long ago. “I came to America specifically to resolve this matter.”

“Wonderful, Mr. Zhang, we can truly discuss cooperation.”

“Cooperation is fine, but as I said, let me see your studio first.”

“Okay, after dinner we’ll go. I’ll have the staff work overtime.”

“Let’s go now. I’m not comfortable eating here.”

Looking back, even with curtains drawn, the strange gazes were unavoidable.

Jobs nodded and led everyone out.

Collaborating with Jobs was purely Zhang Tianfeng’s spontaneous idea, sparked by Jobs’ offer to transfer shares of the animation studio.

Since Jobs was serious, Zhang could not be stingy. After much thought, only his current product could be applied.

Once this idea appeared, Zhang speculated on their cooperation, and a sudden inspiration struck: cultural export.

The Blue Side Toy Factory’s educational toy also had a theme of cultural export, allowing Chinese civilization to shine anew in America after a long hiatus.

If it could be incorporated into this historically significant first 3D animation, it would play a pivotal role and leave a cultural testament.

For example, to those future petty thieves of culture lacking national confidence, when they try to steal the heritage of their ancestral country, the evidence could be presented and their faces slapped!

Taking the path they want to take ahead of time, leaving them no way out!

Leaving the restaurant, they drove straight to the animation studio, located not far from their company and closer to the University of California.

Foreign workplaces valued working hours strictly. Since Zhang was coming for inspection, Jobs had his staff work an extra hour.

With one and a half bottles of water, two laymen followed a professional as they viewed part of the design drafts for the first 3D animation, inspected the work environment, company operations, debt levels, and so forth.

After over an hour of work, Zhang confirmed that Pixar was in good shape and decided to join.

In the office, Zhang said, “Mr. Jobs, I’ll take the shares, but not because of my proposal—because of the partnership.”

“I will grant Pixar Animation Studios free authorization for all Blue Side educational toy products for film and television purposes for ten years. Additionally, I will invest one million dollars in exchange for 50% of the shares you intend to give me.”

“Mr. Zhang, do you really trust me this much?” Jobs asked with a wry smile.

After so many years, Zhang was the first investor he had met who was so easy to deal with.

Not to mention a one-million-dollar investment, even the film and television authorization of Blue Side educational toys would be worth no less than five million dollars in cash, as it covered the entire series for ten years.

Are all Chinese people this generous? Today I’ve truly broadened my horizons!

“I trust you as I trust myself.”

By connecting with Jobs, the investment might look like a loss for now.

The real returns would emerge in ’95, when Pixar’s animation started winning awards.

Later returns would be even greater. The animation’s success restored Jobs’ net worth to one billion dollars.

At just that time, the struggling Apple company could no longer hold on and called him back to save the world’s first company by market value.

The subsequent series of sweeping reforms required vast funds, and Jobs’ one billion dollars would not suffice, so he would seek investments everywhere.

This was exactly the opportunity Zhang Tianfeng had long awaited.

Even if he gained only 1% of the shares, by the 21st century, his returns would multiply a thousandfold.

One collaboration, threefold profit.

Jobs would strike it rich, and Zhang Tianfeng would not suffer losses.