"To be perfectly frank..." Hearing Allen Adhan's words, Shi Yuzhu felt a headache coming on. Allen Adhan, with his penchant for frankness, had once again laid out Huang He's proposed terms directly in front of Shi Yuzhu.
Of course, Allen Adhan had embellished them slightly. The terms had escalated to purchasing the Frozen Throne for $40 million, with an annual agency fee of $25 million for World of Warcraft.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yuzhu inwardly cursed Huang He profusely, calling him shameless and utterly lacking in judgment.
He had put on a brave face and refused to yield an inch to his own countrymen, not letting go of even a penny. Yet, in front of foreigners, he groveled and showed no restraint, retreating step by step, agreeing to such outrageous terms. Wasn't this just absurd?
Some might wonder, wouldn't Shi Yuzhu suspect that Allen Adhan might be deceiving him?
Shi Yuzhu was certainly not that foolish. He intended to conduct his own investigation.
While he didn't have any informants within Blizzard Entertainment, he had managed to gather a considerable amount of information through local contacts.
For instance, Huang He was indeed staying at a nearby hotel, and he was frequently seen entering and leaving Blizzard's main office. These details corroborated the information.
Most importantly, Shi Yuzhu understood that the game Warcraft could bring Jiangnan Group profits exceeding $100 million. This was merely his own estimation; no one knew exactly how much Huang He had truly earned, but it was certainly more than $100 million.
Therefore, Huang He's pricing seemed somewhat reasonable in Shi Yuzhu's eyes. After all, Jiangnan Group could not afford to lose the crucial Warcraft franchise.
With gritted teeth, Shi Yuzhu made his counter-offer. He stated that he could match Huang He's terms: a $40 million agency fee for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and a fixed annual agency fee of $20 million for World of Warcraft.
However, Shi Yuzhu added that if Giants Group's profits from World of Warcraft exceeded $40 million annually, the surplus profit would be split equally with Blizzard.
As expected, these terms instantly touched Allen Adhan's heart, making him feel that Shi Yuzhu was indeed more amiable.
But would Huang He offer similar or even better terms?
One had to admit that Allen Adhan was becoming somewhat addicted to this game of mutual teasing and manipulation.
Thus, Allen Adhan very readily informed Shi Yuzhu that he needed to speak with Huang He again. He saw Shi Yuzhu off with a look of utter exasperation, and then continued his talks with Huang He the next day.
Then, Huang He slightly increased his price, and Allen Adhan once again called Shi Yuzhu over.
This continued for about ten days, with The Frozen Throne being delayed by a full month to accommodate these negotiations.
For these ten days, negotiations with Huang He would occur one day, and the new terms would be taken to Shi Yuzhu the next. By the end, Shi Yuzhu's promised terms had risen to a $50 million agency fee for The Frozen Throne, a fixed annual agency fee of $28 million for World of Warcraft, plus profit sharing.
Furthermore, the profit split had shifted from 50/50 to 60/40, with Shi Yuzhu receiving 40% and Blizzard taking 60%. This was already nearing Shi Yuzhu's absolute bottom line, yet Allen Adhan still asked Shi Yuzhu to wait for news, stating he needed to continue negotiations with Huang He.
At this point, Shi Yuzhu couldn't take it anymore. He felt he had to break this frustrating stalemate.
So, the next day, which theoretically was supposed to be a rest day for Shi Yuzhu and a day for Allen Adhan to negotiate with Huang He, Shi Yuzhu decided to break protocol.
On this day, Shi Yuzhu drove his car and waited outside Blizzard's office. He waited for a whole morning and half the afternoon. After Shi Yuzhu even took a nap, he finally saw Huang He and his subordinates appear at the entrance of Blizzard's office.
Before Huang He could enter, Shi Yuzhu, along with his subordinate, rushed out of the car, shouting for Boss Huang to wait. This successfully halted Huang He, who looked at Shi Yuzhu approaching with a surprised expression.
"Boss Huang, Mr. Allen, how about we all three discuss this today?" Shi Yuzhu stated straightforwardly at the company entrance.
"This..." Allen Adhan looked at Shi Yuzhu and then at Huang He with extreme awkwardness. He suddenly realized that he might have become too greedy, playing this game too excessively, and had finally pushed Shi Yuzhu to his breaking point.
"I have no objections. I just don't know what Mr. Allen thinks!" Huang He said with a smile.
"This might not be very appropriate..." Allen Adhan glanced at the sky.
"Mr. Allen, if we cannot sit down and talk today, I will leave right now and fly back home tomorrow. You and Boss Huang can continue your talks!" Shi Yuzhu stated resolutely.
"Then let's talk!" Allen Adhan forced a wry smile. So be it. It seemed this game of playing both sides could no longer continue. Today was indeed the day to reach a conclusion.
Thus, the three parties entered Blizzard's headquarters together and sat in the same conference room. Shi Yuzhu again spoke first, "Boss Huang, Mr. Allen mentioned earlier that you were willing to pay a $50 million agency fee for The Frozen Throne, along with a fixed $24 million agency fee for World of Warcraft and a 60/40 profit sharing agreement. Are these terms true?" As soon as they met, Shi Yuzhu asked without any pretense.
This was Shi Yuzhu's killer move. He wanted to see if the terms Allen Adhan had quoted were fabricated or if Huang He had indeed proposed them.
If it was the former, Huang He would surely be furious, as Allen Adhan must have used the same tactic on Huang He, constantly inflating the quoted price.
If it was the latter, then Shi Yuzhu would present a definitive offer on the spot. If Huang He was still willing to bid higher, Shi Yuzhu would leave immediately and would not continue this drawn-out process.
"Approximately, perhaps!" Huang He said with a smile, looking at Allen Adhan.
Although even a fool could tell that the word "perhaps" was highly suspect, it at least gave Allen Adhan some face, preventing his skin from being completely peeled off.
"Boss Huang, I've had enough of these past few days. How about this: I'll name my price. If you can exceed it, I'll pack up and leave without being an eyesore here. If you can't accept it, then this deal is mine. What do you say?" Shi Yuzhu said decisively.
"Alright!" Huang He nodded, and Allen Adhan looked at them both with extreme awkwardness.
"Hey, the thing you're buying is mine, alright? Whether this deal goes through or not, I have to agree, right? How can you two strike a deal right in front of me to buy my property?"
Of course, Allen Adhan was merely grumbling. After all, the price of The Frozen Throne and World of Warcraft had already far surpassed his wildest imagination. Regardless of who ended up with the deal, Allen Adhan could not refuse to transact with them, as there truly wasn't a third party in China capable of taking over.
Well, perhaps not entirely, but Allen Adhan couldn't find one immediately.
"Fifty-five million dollars to purchase The Frozen Throne, thirty million dollars annually for World of Warcraft, and after that, a 60/40 profit split, with me taking 40%!" Shi Yuzhu stated his terms very directly. This was the highest he could offer, and it was his bottom line.
If Huang He surpassed this bottom line, he would leave without hesitation.
"Boss Shi, I apologize, but I'll treat you to a farewell drink later!" Huang He said without any hesitation, with a smile.
"Understood!" Shi Yuzhu nodded. So, the deal was off, but he felt a sense of relief.
After all, the terms previously offered were too extravagant. If nothing else, forking out $88 million at once was already the limit of his personal wealth.
Therefore, according to Shi Yuzhu's estimation, he could still earn at least double the amount of this investment in the future. However, this was merely Shi Yuzhu's personal estimation. No one could say for sure how things would turn out. What if it resulted in a loss?
Thus, when Huang He spoke of treating Shi Yuzhu to a farewell drink, Shi Yuzhu actually felt relieved, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face. "In that case, I congratulate Boss Huang on obtaining what you desired!"
"However, Huang must hate me to death by now!" Shi Yuzhu couldn't help but worry. After all, he had caused Huang He to pay several times the price to finally secure The Frozen Throne and World of Warcraft, which should have rightfully belonged to him. He suspected that this king of China's internet industry must have thoroughly hated Shi Yuzhu.
But it didn't matter. Since Shi Yuzhu had failed to acquire World of Warcraft, he would no longer venture into the online industry, and thus he wouldn't have to fear how this king of the internet would deal with him.
"Huang, it seems we are still the best partners!" Allen Adhan finally found an opportunity to speak, standing up with a beaming smile and making a grand gesture as if to embrace Huang He.
However, Huang He completely ignored him, which made Allen Adhan somewhat awkward. But he could understand. After all, Huang He had been forced to pay a huge sum of money, and the instigator of all this was himself. Huang He probably hated him to death.
But it didn't matter. As long as the money could be earned, that was enough.
"Huang, what terms are you planning to offer?" Allen Adhan asked very directly. Since Huang He had indicated his willingness to pay more than Shi Yuzhu, Allen Adhan was very curious about how much Huang He intended to pay.
Of course, it was probably only a few hundred thousand more than Shi Yuzhu's offer. If Huang He was shameless enough, he could even bid $1 more.